“Dear, did you call home and see if Andy is awake yet?” Mrs. Maguire asked as she played shuffleboard.
“Why?” Mr. Maguire asked as he sipped a drink. “It's not like we can do anything about it from here, unless you want to tell them to pull the plug.”
“For the last time, there's no plug to pull, the doctors said he was still alive,” Mrs. Maguire said as she rolled her eyes. “Don't you think I'd have already thought of that?”
In the control room, the first mate was looking out into the ocean with his binoculars when he caught sight of something strange. “Captain, we're heading into some heavy fog,” the first mate said as he pointed out into the night air.
“Fog? Here? How is that possible?” the Captain said as he looked through telescope into a dense fog that was approaching the ship. “We'd better adjust our course, we don't want to hit anything.”
Before the ship could change direction, it entered the fog. The people on deck started wondering what was happening as the Captain approached. “This is nothing to worry about folks,” the Captain said over the loudspeaker. “We'll be out of this fog shortly. In the meantime, just relax and–”
The ship suddenly started to shake as the people started to panic. A large, looming shadow started coming into view. The first visible thing about it was a flag with a skull and crossbones on it.
“Is that... a pirate ship?” the Captain asked as horrific laughter was heard from the ship. Before the crew could do anything, they were boarded by several pirates, who were wielding light sabers that were shaped like pirate swords.
The captain of the pirate landed on the deck, dressed in traditional pirate garb, but he had no flesh, just a glowing skull where his head should be, with bony skeleton hands holding a light saber sword. He had a large pirate hat on his head and a dead skeleton of a parrot on his shoulder.
“Ladies & Gentlemen, you are all now captives of the Atomic Pirate!”
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#3
OCT 13 |
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“The Titanic Poseidon Adventure”
Two Days Later
“Come on, Andy, we have to get home,” Casey told his best friend Andy as the two stood at the counter of the local taco restaurant, waiting for their order. “Dad's really been getting on us about getting our chores done, and if we don't finish the yard work tonight–”
“Relax, Casey, we'll make it on time,” Andy told him as he got his order. “Can't work on an empty stomach, can we?”
“Apparently we couldn't work with a high stress level, which is why we went to that movie,” Casey told him as he ran his hand through his hair. “And we couldn't work without a little joy in our lives, which is we went to that pet store before that. We really need to get home and finish the yard work.”
“Fine, just let me enjoy a taco first,” Andy told him. “Why does your dad like riding us so hard?”
“Hard?” Casey asked, remembering what Andy's parents are like. “I keep forgetting what your home life was like. Dad doesn't make us do chores because he's tough, he does it to teach us responsibility. It's a parent's job to teach their kids how to become responsible adults and–”
Several police cars went rushing by as Andy took a long sip of his drink as Casey looked at him. “Well?”
“Okay, we'll go home,” Andy told him as Casey just shook his head in frustration. “If you love home so much, why don't you just marry it?”
“Didn't you just see the half-dozen cop cars fly by? Shouldn't you follow them and see if there's something that could Alpha's assistance?” Casey asked him.
Andy just looked at him as he took another long sip of his drink. “You really need to make up your mind about what we need to do. Hold my tacos, I'll be back.”
Andy ran around to the back of the restaurant, making sure no one was around as he lifted up his sweatshirt, revealing his Alpha costume underneath. Seconds later, Alpha was flying behind the cop cars, following them to the scene of a bank robbery. Alpha landed behind one of the officers and tapped him on the shoulder.
“Anything I can help you with, officer?” Alpha asked as the cops all pulled their guns on him. Alpha jumped back, floating in mid-air as he looked at them. “Uh, okay, guess not.”
“It's that freak who destroyed half a city block a few weeks ago!” the officer shouted as Alpha's jaw dropped.
“Ouch,” Alpha told him. “I was just trying to help. I'm here to help you guys with whatever's going on.”
“We've got bank robbers in there and they have hostages,” the officer told him. “The last thing we need is some punk making things worse.”
“Alright, that does it,” Alpha said as he flew over them and toward the door of the bank. “I'll show all of you what this freak can do.”
Alpha broke the door in as the bank robbers pointed their guns at him. Alpha stopped to think. “Wait, am I bullet proof?” Alpha asked out loud as the robbers fired their guns. Alpha held up his hands as the bullets bounced off a force field that had suddenly surrounded him. “Huh, I guess I am.”
Alpha charged up his hands with a blue-tinted energy and started tossing it at the robbers, knocking the guns out of their hands. They looked at each other before they started running, as Alpha flew through the air, grabbing the waiting line rope and tying them up. Minutes later, Alpha carried the robbers out, followed by the hostages as the people outside started to boo.
“Seriously?” Alpha asked. “What now? I just saved the hostages!”
“You put the hostages in danger by charging in!” the officer shouted. “They could have been killed!”
“And you ruined a perfectly good waiting line rope!” another woman shouted.
“Oh for…no one got hurt!” Alpha shouted. “I was just trying to–”
“Actually, I think I got rope burn,” one of the robbers said as the people started booing Alpha. He just shook his head in confusion as he flew away.
Alpha returned to the Russo house, changing back into his street clothes as he walked through the door, where Casey was waiting for him on the couch as he was watching the t.v.
“I take it you saw what happened on the news?” Andy asked him as he sat down on the couch. “And where are my tacos?”
“Yeah, you'd think the city would be grateful that you were saving lives,” Casey told him. “It's on every channel. They're calling you a menace. It's like everyone in Indiana related to J. Jonah Jameson.”
“Who?”
“You know, the guy who runs the Daily Bugle in New York?” Andy still had a confused look on his face. “Hates Spider-Man with a passion? Takes every chance to call him a menace and– Nevermind,” Casey sighed.
“We interrupt the news to bring you...breaking news,” the reporter said. “A luxury cruise liner in the Bahamas has mysteriously vanished. The coast guard is still searching for any traces of the Titanic Poseidon, which has been missing for 48 hours. Stay tuned for further news. We now return you to the news, already in progress.”
The reporter just continued sitting there as he shuffled his papers. “In other news-”
“The Titanic Poseidon?” Andy asked with a panicked look on his face. “I know the name of that ship! Isn't that…?”
“The cruise ship that your parents are on,” Casey finished the thought as Andy headed for the door. “What are you doing?”
“I'm going to the Bahamas to find my parents,” Andy told him. “I'm going to find them, and that ship, and bring them all home.”
“Andy, that's thousands of miles away,” Casey reminded him. “Even if you did manage to get that far, how are you going to find one cruise ship in all that water? Plus, didn't your parents just abandon you to go on that cruise?”
When Andy had gotten involved in the accident that gave him his powers, he had been left comatose for a month. His parents had taken that as a cue to leave on a year long luxury cruise. Andy had stayed with Casey and his parents ever since he had waken from his coma.
“They're my parents,” Andy told him. “I have to help them if they're in trouble. Besides, once I tell them that I'm a big time superhero...they might start to love me.”
“Andy, are you sure that’s–”
“I have to go,” Andy told him as he opened the door. He knew what Casey was going to say and couldn't let him talk him out of it. “I'll be back soon...with my parents.”
As Andy pulled his hood over his head and put on his domino mask, Casey watched as he disappeared behind the garage, watching as Alpha emerged seconds later, flying into the air.
Some time later, Alpha was flying over the Atlantic Ocean, looking for any sign of the Titanic Poseidon. He was trying to keep his strength up as he flew over the water, hoping to find any clue that would lead him to his parents.
Meanwhile, another smaller cruise ship was sailing across the ocean as the Atomic Pirate's ship lay in wait. A pirate in the crow's nest was watching it approach as he yelled down to the deck. “Another ship's coming!” the man yelled as the Atomic Pirate stepped out of his captain's quarters.
“All hands on deck! I want that ship!” the Atomic Pirate shouted as the crew got ready to attack. A large fog machine on the lower deck was turned on as a strong mist was filtered out of the cannon ports to hide the ship from its target.
As Alpha flew over the water, he saw the fog coming toward the ship and wondered what was going on. He flew closer and saw the shadow of the pirate ship coming. He saw the pirate flag blowing in the wind as he realized what the skull and crossbones meant.
“Pirates? I don't believe it!” Alpha said to himself as he saw that the pirate ship was closing in on the ocean liner.
“Attack!” the Atomic Pirate yelled as the crew got ready to take the ship. “Bring me my newest slaves!”
Before they could get any closer, Alpha flew under the water and strained to pick up the cruise ship as he positioned himself under the boat. He finally managed to lift the ship into the air, flying it as far away as he could.
“What in the blazes?” the Atomic Pirate shouted. “What in the world was that? Where did that guy come from?”
Alpha put the ship down several miles away as he flew back towards the pirate ship to question them about the other ship that had disappeared. He flew at the ship with his fists clenched, ready for a fight.
“Kill him!” the Atomic Pirate shouted as the cannons were loaded and fired. Alpha managed to duck the cannonballs that were fired at him as he flew onto the ship's deck, knocking the pirates over like they were bowling pins.
“Where's the Titanic Poseidon?” Alpha asked as he avoided the light saber swords as the other crew members came charging at him. “I'm not leaving without that ship!”
“Oh, I think you'll be leaving sooner than you think, boy,” the Atomic Pirate said as he pulled out a large cannon and fired it. The blast was met by Alpha's force shield, but the force of the impact knocked him back towards the edge of the boat.
“Is that all you got?” Alpha asked them with a laugh. “Let's make this a whole lot easier and–” another shot was fired, completely missing Alpha, but hitting the mast. “Ha! You missed!”
The mast snapped and swung down, hitting Alpha in the back of the head, knocking him the ground. He was unconscious to the world as the pirates started laughing.
“What do we do with him, Captain?” the first mate asked as the Atomic Pirate walked up to Alpha, kicking him over the side and into the water.
“We do that,” the Atomic Pirate told him as he walked back toward the steering wheel. “With that brat out of the way, we can still catch that ship and claim its crew! Full steam ahead! I want to be back to the island before sunrise!
“But what if that guy comes back?” asked the first mate as the Atomic Pirate laughed.
“The sea will finish him,” the Atomic Pirate told him as the ship changed course. “And if the sea doesn't claim him, the tropical storm will!”
As the ship headed off, Alpha was floating unconscious in the water, with sharks not too far off from him on one side, and on the other side a vicious tropical storm was starting up, with thunder, lightning and a massive hurricane getting closer.
Alpha was floating in the water on a stray piece of wood as the shark closed in him, ready to devour the hero.
“Just five more minutes, then I'll get up for school,” Alpha moaned as the shark opened its jaws, ready to strike. As it got close enough to where Alpha could feel its breath, he started to get really annoyed. “I said five more minutes!”
Alpha punched the shark, sending it flying as he fell back into unconscious just as he floated into the coming hurricane. Days later, Alpha washed up on the closest island, the storm having passed. As he sat up, he felt his head as he looked around.
“What happened?” Alpha asked as he stood up and saw his surroundings. “Well, there are worse places to end up at. I wonder how long I've been out? I'm still feeling kind of woozy, so flying off out of this place isn't an option just yet.”
Alpha started removing his costume, leaving him a pair of gym shorts and a tank top underneath. He hid his costume behind a tree as he saw one of the pirates that he'd encountered on the Atomic Pirate's ship. He gingerly floated after him, keeping out of sight as he followed the pirate along the beach, until he was led to a cave.
“This island must be their hideout, he'll lead me to my parents,” Andy realized as he flew after, realizing that the cave led to an underground mine. He saw that the mine was glittering as he stepped on a piece of gold. He picked it up and looked at it. “I don't believe it.”
“You!” one of the pirates shouted as he grabbed Andy's arm. “You're supposed to be down below with the other workers!”
“Other workers?” Andy asked as he was led to a lower level of the mine. He saw all the people from the two cruise ships being forced to mine the gold. “They're kidnapping people to force them to mine gold?”
“Why aren't they working harder!” the Atomic Pirate shouted as he walked in. “I want more gold!”
“I think it's time that Alpha taught this guy a lesson,” Andy said as he realized that his parents were working the mine. “Mom? Dad?”
He was about to go towards them when he was pulled back by one of the pirates. A pick axe was shoved into his hands as he was dragged away. He remembered he was still out of costume, and had to find a way to get back out to the beach.
“Get to work!” the pirate shouted as Andy was pushed toward the other workers. “The Captain wants a ton of gold by sundown, or else!”
“I knew I was going to have to get an afterschool job sometime, but I didn't think it'd be this,” Andy replied as he looked at the workers around him. “All right, so what's the deal with Mr. Skullhead?”
“The Atomic Pirate? Rumor has it that he was an incompetent pirate who got caught in a radioactive explosion a few years ago when he tried to rob a ship carrying toxic chemicals,” the man next to him said. “They say that's why he's now just a glowing skeleton. He just wants us to mine his gold. If we do what he says, he might let us go.”
“Did you see the size of this mine?” Andy asked as he looked around. “It'll take years to mine all of this gold! We have to find a way out of here now!”
“It won't do you any good, kid,” the man told him. “We're no match for their light swords. They'll cut us down before we can reach the exit.”
“Maybe you're not a match for him, but I know someone who is,” Andy told him as he twirled the pick axe and rushed toward one of the pirates.
“Hey! Stop right there!” the pirate shouted as Andy swung the pick axe, missing the pirate completely. When he turned his attention from the pick axe to Andy, he saw the young man running. “Stop him!”
“Sorry, boys, I've got better stuff to do than hang out in a gold mine all day,” Andy said as he saw the pirates were chasing after him. “Don't worry, folks, I'll be back!”
“Did you hear something?” Andy's father asked as he just missed Andy running past him. He just shrugged it off and went back to work.
Andy rushed outside, making it to the beach, snatching up his costume as he ran behind a tree. Seconds later, Alpha flew back out and grabbed a rope, tying the pirates up as he circled around them. He quickly flew back toward the cave and flew down into the mine.
“All right, Atomic Pirate, it's time to sink your plans!” Alpha shouted as he flew towards the Atomic Pirate, who just laughed as he pulled out his light sword.
“I beat you before, boy, I'll beat you again!” the Atomic Pirate shouted as Alpha grabbed a light sword from one of the pirates and activated it.
“That was just dumb luck, bonehead!” Alpha replied as the two crossed swords, sending sparks flying. “I'm taking these people home!”
“You'll not be taking these people anywhere!” the Atomic Pirate shouted as their swords continued to clash as the captives stopped their work to watch. “I've waited years to find this gold mine and, now that I have it, I'll be havin' all of its gold, and fast!”
As the two continued to sword fight, the pirates and workers both tried to keep out-of-the-way as the battle took them all around the mine, neither one willing to relent.
“None of this gold is going to do you any good where you're going,” Alpha told him. “Just give up now before I have to seriously kick your butt!”
“You really do care about these people, don't you?” the Atomic Pirate asked, getting a plan as he signaled the other pirates with his free hand.
“Yeah, I guess I do,” Alpha replied as he knocked the sword out of the Atomic Pirate's hand, catching it before it hit the ground. He held both swords toward the Atomic Pirate, forming a scissor shape and smirked.
“I was hoping you'd say that,” the Atomic Pirate told him. “Now!”
Alpha looked around and saw that the pirates would holding their swords on the other captive workers, including his own parents. The swords were dangerously close to their throats as Alpha thought about what to do. He couldn't endanger these people by continuing to fight, or else someone might end up dying, including his parents.
“Give up now, boy, or everyone you came here to save dies!” the Atomic Pirate shouted. “Surrender yourself and I give my word that no harm will come to them.”
Alpha looked at the Atomic Pirate, who laughed in Alpha's direction as the hero dropped the swords to the ground. The rest of the pirates joined in laughing as they surrounded Alpha.
Later, on the Atomic Pirate's ship, the crew had gathered aboard. They were holding several of the captives at swordpoint as Alpha was standing on the plank, his hands having been chained. Alpha saw his parents were on board as he was forced closer to the edge by the Atomic Pirate's sword.
“This time you won't be returning,” the Atomic Pirate told him. “Give my regards to Davy Jones.”
“The old musician dude? I thought he was dead,” Alpha said as he looked down into the water, where the sharks were starting to gather. He took a deep gulp as he was forced off the plank, falling into the water below.
“Now, why couldn't we have had a son like that?” Mr. Maguire asked.
As Alpha sank below the water, the sharks started swimming toward him. Using his strength, Alpha pulled the chains apart, freeing his hands as he started swimming toward the surface, just as the sharks were closing in on him. One narrowly avoided biting his leg as Alpha swam out of the way. He grabbed one of the sharks by the tail and swung it around, knocking the others away from him, sending them swimming away in a panic.
On board the ship, the Atomic Pirate looked at his crew. “Get these people back to the mine, with no more distractions! I want that gold brought to me at once!”
Alpha came up below the waves of the, looking back at the ship as he started thinking of a plan to beat the pirates and save the people. Once the ship arrived back on the island, Alpha watched as they left the ship. Once they were all off the ship, Alpha started pushing it back out to sea.
“What the–?” one of the pirates said as he watched the ship drifting off. “Captain!”
“Get that ship!” the Atomic Pirate shouted as several of the pirates started swimming out after. Once they were gone, Alpha started flying by, picking off the pirates one by one when they weren't looking, until the Atomic Pirate was the only one left. “Where's my crew?”
“Just hanging around,” Alpha said as he looked up, where the crew was hanging from the trees, tied up as they struggled to get free. “Now it's your turn!”
“You just won't learn your lesson, will you?” asked the Atomic Pirate as he pulled out his sword. “This time I'll finish you for good!”
“Oh, yeah?” Alpha asked as he picked up a sword and activated it. “Well, we'll just…wait, what am I doing?”
Alpha tossed the sword away and used his energy blast from his right hand to knock the sword out of the Atomic Pirate's hand and then one from his left to knock the Atomic Pirate onto his back before flying him up into a tree to tie him up. He saw the other pirates returning with the ship, and within a few minutes, had them tied up as well.
A short time later, the people were getting back on their cruise ships as Alpha started pushing them back out to sea.
“The Coast Guard's been alerted, they'll be here in a few hours to pick the pirates up,” the Captain told Alpha. “Thanks for saving us, you're a real hero.”
Alpha smiled as he looked at his parents. This was it, this was his chance to get them to love him. “Well, I guess now that you're alright, you'll be wanting to call home, maybe tell a certain loved one that you're safe?” his parents just stood there and looked at him. “Anyone? Like maybe a close relative? A pet? A child?”
“Can't think of anyone,” Mrs. Maguire said. Alpha was about to pull of his hood and tell them who he was when she thought of someone. “My hairdresser!”
“You mean you don't even have a kid back home?” Alpha asked them, wanting them to admit that they did care.
“Well, there is that one guy, but he's just a useless comatose vegetable,” Mr. Maguire told him, “as opposed to just being useless before the coma. Hey, where are you going?”
Alpha flew off the ship, flying home as fast as he could, trying to avoid the tears that he knew were coming. Hours later, Andy ran through the door as Casey came running downstairs in his pajamas.
“Andy? I thought you were in real trouble!” Casey shouted as he hugged him. “What happened? Did you find your parents?”
“Yeah,” Andy told him. “I found them. I saved them and all the people that were kidnapped. It involved pirates and sharks and all kinds of crazy stuff.”
Casey's parents headed downstairs and rushed up to him. Casey's mother ran her hand through his hair. “Casey said you took off to try to find your parents. We searched everywhere for you, what happened?”
“I just – I realized that I have a better place to be,” Andy told her.
“You're welcome here for as long as you want,” Mr. Russo told him as Andy smiled a little. “We want you here, Andy, if you want to stay.”
“I-I noticed the yard chores still need to be done, I better get a jump on that,” Andy told them as he headed toward the door. Casey followed him outside as he headed for the garage.
“Since when are you willing to do chores?” Casey asked.
“Since I realized what my priorities should be,” Andy told him. “You were right, I need to be a more responsible person.”
“I'm going to get dressed and I'll help you,” Casey told him as he headed back inside.
Andy grabbed a rake and started work on the leaves. “I'm going to become more responsible,” Andy told himself. “I'm going to become the world's greatest hero and help everyone who needs it. Then my parents will have to love me. Right?”
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The End...
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