My Stories by Rohan Dalal

Lightning Series -- Table of Contents

2008-02-12T09:40:00.000-08:00

Book 1- Table of Contents

Chapter One - The Dream

Chapter Two - Blake's House

Chapter Three - The Lightning Storm

Chapter Four - After The Storm

Chapter Five - Experiments With Lightning

Chapter Six - Dr. Vick's Evil Plot

Chapter Seven - The Haunted Mansion

Chapter Eight - The Battle At Nenen

Chapter Nine - The Final Battle

Book 2 - Table of Contents

Chapter One - The Cave

Chapter Two - The Museum of Ancient History

Chapter Three - The Bait

Chapter Four - Lost

Chapter Five - Hatched

Chapter Six - Telepathy

Chapter Seven - Into the Sky

Chapter Eight - The Idea

Chapter Nine - Surprise

Chapter Seven - Into the Sky

2008-02-09T12:14:00.000-08:00

Matt Wu and Bonette struggled to get out of the cell that was imprisoning them. They had been locked in for about 10 minutes, but could not formulate any stratagem to get out. "It's no use, " Matt said, "these cells won't budge. Electricity doesn't work on these bars." Matt suddenly felt empty and scared. "How about telepathy?" Matt said, brightening up a bit.

"Nope." Bonette said, sighing. "You are the only person I know really good. I could contact the person I was just teaching right now, but he wouldn't understand yet. We really are stuck in here, Matt." Bonette pounded her hand on the bars, sending an electric flow along the copper. No effect.

"Why are my powers gone?" Matt said, suddenly getting up.
"They took out your electric atoms that are located inside your bones." Bonette said.
"Couldn't I get zapped by lightning, faint, and then do the whole thing all over again?" Matt said, now with more reassurance.
"Yes, but our first thing on the list is to get out of here." Bonette said. "It's no use."

The door to the cell suddenly opened. A small tiny man was there, holding a machine gun. "Shhhh..." The man said, pointing to his mouth. "Let's go."
"Where are we going?" Bonette said, suspiciously.
"To get you two out of here." The man said, smiling. "Let's go now."

Matt and Bonette got up and followed the puny man out of the cell. The three lurked behind the shadows as they moved closer to the exit door. "Once out, fly straight up. If you go fast enough, you might reach Fred and Forelli."

"Thank You, but why are you helping us?" Bonette said, still hiding behind a barrel.
"Call me a traitor to the two Greapers, but I had it. I joined this team to have a better life, but lately all I see is destruction and madness. Now leave. I don't want to get in trouble."

"TOO LATE!" Greg said, appearing before Bonette, the man, and Matt. Greg held the man by the neck, and prepared to kill him. Bonette shot a electric ball at Greg's eye, causing him to drop the man. The Greaper roared and whistled. Skiz appeared, bellowing.

"Go, go." The man said, putting his hands up to surrender. Skiz laughed and ate the man with his strong and sharp teeth. The man screamed as his head split open, spewing blood all over Skiz and Greg. The man fell, headless. In a quick swipe, Skiz devoured the man whole, eating every organ of the man's body. Matt closed his eyes in fright and pictured the man's reaction before he died.

Bonette held Matt by the collar and ran out the door, avoiding Greg, Skiz, and the other men. As the two reached out, one of the guards leaped and tackled Matt to the ground. Skiz ran to Matt and held him by the leg. Matt could smell blood all over Skiz and Greg. "Bonette!" Matt screamed, helpless.

Bonette focused and hurled thunder bolts at the men, killing all on contact. Greg and Skiz dropped Matt and dodged the attack. Greg pulled out a dagger and lit a flame on it with a snap of his fingers. He then threw the flaming dagger at Matt, who again was helpless. Bonette snapped her fingers and Matt instantly appeared at her feet. "How did you..."

"Teleportation. Lightning benders can only do it if their target is less then 50 feet away."
Matt hid behind a rock so he could watch the action.

Bonette doubled kicked both of the enemies in the face, and prepared to do another. Skiz slashed at Bonette, making her hit the rock that Matt was behind. In a flash, Bonette held Matt and started to fly away.

Skiz roared and jumped at the two, missing by an inch of Matt's foot. There was a crackle, and a scream. Bonette was hit by a bullet. The man that fired it smiled and reloaded the gun. Bonette wiped the blood from her arm and struggled to hold Matt while dodging the incoming bullets.

"Give me some of your powers," Matt said, realizing that he was too heavy for her. Strength came to Matt, as he started to fly by himself. Matt shot an energy ball to the guard down below. He missed. "Let's go." Bonette said, throwing electric rocks at the guard. The two started to fly vertically up, in search for the dragon and the Greaper.
"Matt, I have to take my powers back." Bonette said. "If you have my powers too much, you'll die."
Matt suddenly felt dizzy and weak again, but he held on to Bonette with his life.
"THERE!" Matt said, shouting at the top of his lungs over the wind.

Fred and Forelli were in sight, many miles ahead. Matt could also see the satellite that was located under Forelli's feet. Bonette flew faster, as the wind whipped across her face. After a few minutes, they reached the two enemies, unseen. Bonette hovered under the satellite, while Matt inched his hands closer to the satellite. In a quick motion, he took it and threw it down to Earth. Fred turned around and saw what Matt just did. "NO!" He screamed pulling on Forelli's belt. The dragon turned around and swooped towards the falling satellite. It was no use. The satellite was hurling towards Earth at a speed faster than the dragon.

In an outrage, Fred jumped off the dragon, and surrounded himself in blue fire. The fire seemed to speed Fred up, for he reached the satellite and grabbed it with his hands. Fred's smile disappeared, for he realized that he was free falling down towards Earth.

While Fred was falling, Forelli blew a fire ball at Matt, causing him to bring more weight upon the two lightning benders. Bonette regained control and zapped Forelli with a whip, causing Forelli to fall a couple of feet. He groaned and slashed her with his spiky tail. Bonette returned the favor by kicking the dragon in the ribs.

Fred could now see the outline of the laboratory in the mountains. He had no magical powers to save him from this free falling. In his last hope, he took out his whistle and blew hard. Skiz appeared, and waited at the bottom for the falling Fred. He smiled in relief and waited to get caught.

Forelli jabbed at Matt with his claws, making cuts and bruises all over his chest. One of the claws struck him in the heart. Matt could feel a wet and squishy thing coming out of his body. Matt took his hand and grabbed whatever it was and gasped. It was a vein, still soaking in blood. "Whoops." Matt said, as the vein broke, spewing blood everywhere. Forelli screamed, as Bonette kicked Forelli in the eye. She then started to fly Matt at lightning speed her house.

While the dragon was tending to his eye in the air, Skiz had his spiky hands out, ready to catch Fred. As soon as Fred was right above him, Skiz swooped and caught him by the leg, allowing the blood to reach Fred's head.

Fred sighed and handed Skiz the satellite, which was still in good condition. A minute later, Forelli appeared, clutching an eyeball. He had lost an eye. Matt was still screaming and fainting during the whole trip to Bonette's house in the heavens.

Chapter Six - Telepathy

2008-02-09T12:13:00.000-08:00

In the laboratory, Matt Wu was being watched by these little 5 foot soldier creatures. He had been locked in a metal cage since yesterday, getting no water or food. The only other thing in the room was a small chalk so he could write on the ground. So far, he had been using it to make up an escape plan, but nothing was working out. Even if the metal bars broke, there would be 20 soldiers on top of him, armed with MP5's and Rocket Launchers. He sighed and watched as the bar opened. A sandwich was thrown at Matt, followed by the bars closing again. Matt greedily ate the food, but was still hungry and thirsty.

In the laboratory in the caves hundreds of miles away from Matt's location, the two greapers, Forelli, and the dinosaur were making something. "Fred." Greg replied hastily. "Will this work out to be a good idea?"

"Sure, "Forelli said, growling and blowing fire at the various mechanisms.

"Yeah." Fred replied, "once this satellite is made, the dragon's fire will be sent all over the world. The World will be in chaos. We can then come to power."

"How do we even know if this satellite will be good, or work?" Greg replied, using his powers to manipulate the energy within the circuits.

"IT WILL." Forelli growled, blowing a weak fire blast at Greg.

"The satellite isn't complete yet, but will in 30 minutes" Fred said, now annoyed with Greg's talking.

Matt sat in a cross-legged position in the laboratory of Gunta Town. He got another sandwich and took a nap in the cage. Matt knew that his powers were gone, so he was just dreaming of a way out. An idea struck him. Telepathy. Bonette said that he could do it after practicing a lot. Matt tried to communicate, but couldn't picture her. "What did she look like?" Matt said, racking his brains for an answer. His dream came into mind. Of course, Matt thought. With the picture, he sent her a message.

Bonette was at the Lightning House, talking to one of the new lightning benders. A signal came into her thought. "Hold on Mark." She said. HELP!! ITS MATT WU! I'M PRISONER AT GUNTA TOWN! FRED AND GREG, THE TWO GREAPERS HAVE IMPRISONED ME!!

"Mark, I'll be back. Lightning Business."

"Okay." Mark replied, not caring.

Bonette instantly came to the laboratory and zapped everything in sight. When she saw Matt, she glowed and shot a psybeam at the guards. One-hit KO. "Thanks." Matt said. "Fred and Greg went to the other laboratory."

"Which?" Bonette said.

"Don't know. Just overheard one of the guards.

Bonette went to one of the guards and snapped her fingers. The man woke up and tried to budge. She held him down and asked fiercely, "Where is the Two Greapers?"

"The one in the cave on Berdford Mountains." He said. The guard obviously knew Bonette, so he probably did not want to mess up with her. "Wait." The guard said, "How did Matt contact you? His powers are gone."

"Telepathy requires no power usage. Its a lightning power thats special."

Matt and the daughter of the Lightning Man arrived at the cave. "Do you have the key?" Bonette asked.

"No." Matt said. "My powers are gone."

"I know. Here, take some of mine." A shock went into Matt's body. He had temporarily some power. "Thanks."

Bonette touched the wall and watched as it melted to the ground. 12 men stood at the other end. When they saw Matt, they grabbed their guns and aimed at him. When they saw Bonette, they dropped their weapons and gasped.

Bonette roughly shoved and came to the door at the end. She pushed open the door and gasped. Matt ran to her and saw it.

The dinosaur. "Skiz." Matt said, nearly fainting.

"Hello Matt. Bonette." Fred said, a bit nervous.

"The dinosaur is alive. With him and Forelli..."Matt said.

"World will fall." Skiz said.

Fred laughed and jumped on top of Forelli. He was holding the satellite. Forelli and Fred flew up and dashed towards the sky.

"After him." Bonette said to Matt.

They started to fly, but were knocked off by Skiz. "Where are you going?" Skiz said. "Once they return, the world will fall. The Greapers power, Forelli's fire, and my strength will be the supreme." He said.

Bonette starred at Skiz while Greg threw both lightning benders into the prison cell.

Matt sighed.

Chapter Five - Hatched

2008-02-09T12:12:00.000-08:00

The laboratory that stood at the end of the court was in flames; there was no sign of human life. In the middle of the burned lab was the room that held the dinosaur egg, but it was smelling of rot and muck. Two men stood at the table, but were dead, rotting in the flames. The computer room was still intact, playing the footage of the capture again and again. The two men in the computer were talking to the scientists. All of a sudden, the two strange men attacked the scientists and stole the dinosaur egg. The date at the bottom of the screen displayed in highlighted words was 4 days ago.

A man that was standing on the cliff miles away grinned mischievously and teleported to a cave hundreds of miles away. He walked into it, which was illuminated by candles and torches. At the end of the path was a wall. He pushed a button on the wall and placed the key in the dented slot. The wall gave away to a room with people socializing and sleeping.

"Hey Fred..." One of the things said, "So?"

"Everything is destroyed, so I came back to check on the Egg, Greg."

"Cool, "Greg replied. "Whose watching Matt?"

"My minions."Fred replied hastly.

Greg followed as the two went to the back of the room, where there was a small little button on the wall. Fred pushed it and placed his hand on the finger scan. "Fred Tylersoksch. Greaper. Age 534. Enter." The machine said. Fred entered, followed by Greg, who did the same fingerprinting analysis.

The wall gave away again to a small dim-lighted room with 5 people in the middle, huddled around an egg.

"Well?" Fred said to the man in the middle, obviously the leader of the scientists.

"We need more time." He said nervously to Fred, looking down to the ground.

"MORE TIME!!!" Fred roared, kicking the man in the chest. The leader of the scientists fell to the ground and whispered, "We need lightning so we can add it to the hydrogen in that bottle. When the lightning and the hydrogen particles mix, the solution in the bottle will turn the color red. Pour the red liquid on the egg to hatch it."

"We don't have lightning." Greg said. "We dumped Matt's in the nuclear preserve 1 mile from here."

"In what?" The scientist said, still rubbing his stomach.

"In a bottle." Fred replied, suddenly brightening up. "We can go and steal it."

"Go by nighttime...the guards are gone by then." The scientist replied, very bored at the moment.

The moon was out today, but hidden with the overlooking trees. 2 greapers darted from trash bag to trash bag, staying away from the moonlight. "There." Fred said, talking to Greg. The bottle of lightning was 50 feet away, but in the new section. A guard dog was overlooking the area. It was unleashed, unfortunately. Fred immediately walked against the wind, so the dog wouldn't smell him. Fred snapped his fingers and reappeared behind the dog.

The dog, key on his collar, turned around and growled. Fred froze. He couldn't use his power, for the moon was now over him. "Greg!"

Greg, since was under the trees, used his magic to make a bone made of tuna and chicken. The dog couldn't smell it, though. Fred started to run, with the dog on his tail. Greg used his powers to trap the done in a fenced pit. He then threw the bone in the pit, in which the dog ate almost greedily.

The potion was activated, in which the dog fell into a trance, snoring and sneezing. It fell unconscious. Fred jumped into the pit and grabbed the collar around its neck. The key was soon in Fred's hand. He then proceeded to the gate when the sound of a whistle was heard.

Dogs from miles around started to bark and howl. "FRED!" Greg replied.

Fred was already at the gate, and placing the silver illuminate key into the slot where it belonged. The gate creaked and the electrical beams vanished. Greg reappeared next to Fred, now that the moon was behind the cloud and the beams vanished. Fred and Greg both raised there hands at the same time. The electric container immediately came into Fred's hand, while a shock barrier surrounded them, thanks to Greg that is.

Before any of the dogs were on them, the two disappeared, leaving no trace but the scent behind.

They reappeared at the Lab Room. "Did you get it." The leader of the scientists said.

"Yes. FORELLI!" Greg replied.

The dragon appeared in half a second, and looked at the two. "Ghdhjnkrs?"

"Dhdfkl." Fred replied.

The dragon nodded and proceeded to watch. The beaker was already red, so the two carefully poured it on the yellow looking egg.

They waited. Finally, after 3 minutes, a small dinosaur roar was heard. The ancient dinosaur Skiz had come to life.

Skiz roared, and grew rapidly. After a minute, it was 13 feet in height.

"World Domination!" Skiz said to Fred, Greg, the leader, and Forelli.

Chapter Four - Lost

2008-02-09T12:11:00.000-08:00

Matt was on a stairway... shattered in his thoughts in complexity and serenity. He was alone, with no signs of life. It was all dark and lonely... and cold. There was a door on the top of the last step, that seemed to breathe with life. He pounded up to the top step, nearly tripping. He felt weak and dizzy at the same time. He opened the door and fell into darkness, reappearing on the stairway again. Instead of climbing to the top, Matt just fell off from the balistray, only appearing in the same place yet again. "Where am I?" Matt cried. He couldn't think nor speak.

He ran to the top and opened the door. This time there was a garden, with flowers and plants everywhere. He jumped out and came to the picture. Bees and pollen were flying around, causing Matt to sneeze. He could barely hear his own breath. Matt closed his eyes and found himself next to a woman Matt never saw before. The more he stared at her, the clearer she became. She does look familiar...

"Bonette..." Matt said, taking in a breath. The oldest lightning bender in the world, and daughter to the lighting man who died hundreds of years ago. The lady was still not responding but looking straight ahead. Matt turned in her direction and saw another door that appeared out of no where. Matt rushed to it and came to a labratory. He looked at himself and saw that he looked older. More mature. A second later he was back to normal. Matt fell and sobbed bitterly.

That did it. He woke up and found himself on a hard uncomfortable couch. He was dreaming this whole time. Where was he now. Matt explored his environment and saw to his dismay that he was not home, but in a laboratory. Test tubes were everywhere, containing samples of liquid Matt didn't even want to look at. A huge electric beam was holding Matt into place do he could not move. A plate with aged cheese was next to him, for food probably. He was hungry, so he took a nibble. A spasm instantly hit him. Hunger. He ate faster until he was full.

Matt then saw shadows on the other side of the doorway. Matt quickly hid under the blanket that kept him warm. Additionally, he pretended to sleep, making snoring sounds and occasional grunts. The door barged open and a man appeared, dressed in a black robe. He looked familiar in looks...

The idiot is still asleep." The thing said with a hoarse whisper. Matt instantly knew who it was. The thing that took me. Fred, or Greg. Fred or Greg made a quick examination on Matt and closed the door behind him, leaving Matt once again in the darkness. As Matt moved his legs to make himself confortable, he touched a sharp object. "Ah." Matt said, forgetting to whisper. Silence again. Matt, relieved, bent to touch the object. It was a rubber band with a peice of metal on it. Matt looked at the electric beam and smiled. Rubber and electricity don't go together...

Matt was free from the beam. After stretching for 10 seconds, he placed a few objects under the blanket so it looked like he hadn't moved. Matt crept to the door and looked through the small window on the top. Matt was at the end of the hallway, and it seemed to turn left to something else. No other rooms were next to him. Matt opened the door. Locked. Matt attempted to use his lighting power, but it didn't work. "What?' He tried a few more times. Nothing.

Matt then tried some of his other attacks. Nothing worked at all. He had no electric powers. Matt was forced to find another way out, but finding none, he slouched on the couch. What was he supposed to do now? An idea him. The lock was locked, but not the door. He rushed up to the door and slid his fingers along the hinges. The door fell to the floor with a soft clang. Matt walked briskly down the long hallway until it was time to make the left turn. Peering around the edge, he saw that there was another hallway proceeded with a left turn yet again. Again, he couldn't fly. Furious, Matt ran to the end and looked over to the left. There, is where he saw the exit... guarded by Fred and Greg. He could now tell the difference. They each had necklaces with their names on it. Fred was talking to Greg when his eyes met Matt's.

Fred roared, "Sieze the enemy!" Guards ran through the exit with MP4's in their hands. However, they were loaded with rocket launchers. Matt gulped. "If you don't comprimise, we'll open fire." Greg said, edging foreward to the spot Matt stood. Matt raised his hands in the sign of mercy. Without his lightning, he was hopeless. The guards seized his arms, gun aimed at his neck. Matt looked over and saw a sword in the hand of an enemy. Matt quickly used his muscles and broke free. He took the sword and slashed at the enemy. It died in a gasp of sweat. Greg and Fred disappeared, leaving Matt with a hundred guards armed. "OPEN FIRE!" Greg roared through the speaker.

Matt ran back the way he came, his attackers close on pursuit. When Matt turned the right, he threw the sword behind, slitting 5 in the mouth. Matt took the door and threw it behind him. Now he was trapped. The guards nudged one into capturing Matt. The rocket launchers equipped on each one looked deadly. Matt groaned and followed them, head low. He wasn't going home today...

Chapter Three - The Bait

2008-02-09T12:10:00.000-08:00

Matt Wu, a 12 year old boy with powers unknown to most human beings, walked quickly down the hall to a door at the end. On the opposite side lay death- the worst teacher in the school- Mrs. Ellen Briggs. She was the meanest teacher in the world- some say that she gives out F's without reading the papers. Mrs. Briggs taught the only elective that Matt thought was interesting: tech. His father was once a brilliant engineer, constructing and fixing cars for minimum wage. Eventually, he quit and started a new company called AutoFix. Now, he works as a computer software maker- making chips almost everyday.

So, when Matt signed up, he thought he made a good choice. WRONG! The moment he stepped in Mrs. Briggs's classroom, the moment he regretted it. Matt wished that he was in Blake's class in electives. He picked computers, which turned out to be good because the teacher was Mr. Tempron. He never gives out homework and always looks for effort, not finishing things.

Blake is a wimpy 7th grader who amazingly turned out to be Matt's best friend a couple years ago. They met at a place called Baltin Rohin- an ice cream store. They realized that they were in the same school... they talked and then a couple of minutes later they wanted a "play date." Recently, Blake has became a bit more stronger when he tackled the King of the Creatures with a water sprayer. The King was a fire bender, so that meant that he could shoot fire, but also means that he can die of water. The creatures that he was king of were dim-witted water benders. They were so amazingly dumb that they had no idea that the King could be at their mercy.

Another evil man, Dr. Vick, tried to take Matt's lightning ability so he could hatch the only remaining dinosaur egg. He was also a fire bender, but eventually died along with the others. Matt got his lightning powers from his ancestors, but to test his ability to handle it, he was struck by lightning when he placed his sneaker on a red X mark. Then, he got an explanation from the first ancestor of the lightning people- Bonette. According to her, there are about 100 or so of the lightning benders in Albany. Matt then got into some weird positions with lightning. In the first few days, he learned some serious attacks.

It is now nighttime and Matt was getting in bed. It was a warm day, about 70 degrees- one of the hottest days so far in the month of December. Winter Break started today, so Matt was looking foreward to Christmas. He really wanted a Bungento Jii- a Japanese Game System with wireless controls. The games were awesome- Jii Sports, Jii Play, and Jii Chess. Then, he would buy Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.

The wind was rattling now, for the temprature dangerously dropped 50 degrees. The sound of branches hitting the windows of the other parts of the house made Matt stir in his sleep. Suddenly, a crash was heard, followed by a scream. Matt jolted from the bed and put his ear to the wall that was right next to his parent's room. His dad was on a business trip to Portland, and won't be back for another 2 weeks. There was the scream again- more closer now. It was definently mom, but Matt wasn't going to bother. She was probably watching a scary movie. December was the time to watch scary movies for Mrs. Wu.

Matt got back in his bed and looked at the ceiling above. A big lightning symbol looked back. Matt, in Thanksgiving, asked to paint lighting symbols all over, since he "loved" lightning so much. This time, a thump was heard and another scream followed. Laughter was then heard- a men's voice. "MOM!" Matt shouted.

He rushed out and flew to the double doors that was the entrance to her room. Instead of kicking it open, he reached for the knob and sent a small current to the lock that was on the opposite side. He then opened the door ever so slighty to see what was going on. His mother was on a chair, with a machine over her head. Two men in dark cloacks were watching her. One of them had a remote in its hand.

Matt looked at their faces... they were shrunken and ghost-like. "We are going to ask you again...," one of them said, "Where is the lightning source?"

"I d...don't know any lightning source. What are you talking about?" Mrs. Wu said.

"Where is the Lightning Source?" The other said.

"Maybe if I knew what the "lightning source" standed for..." Mrs. Wu began.

"Do not play games with me..." The first said. He pushed the button on the remote. A small static rushed to her head. She screamed yet again.

"Alright... " the one without the remote said, "the lightning source is a code name for your son, Matt Wu!"

"Why did you tell her that, Fred?" The one with the remote said.

"I don't really think she knew what it meant, Greg." Fred replied.

"What do you mean about Matt," Mrs. Wu said.

"Shut up." Fred replied.

Matt kicked the door open and said, "Here I am."

Fred and Greg both replied at the same time, "Come with us or she goes."

Matt looked at his mother and smiled. "Take me."

The two men eyed each other, shrugged, and advanced. As soon as they walked away from Mrs. Wu, he jumped into action and eyed balled them both in the chest. No effect.

Fred shot a purple beam at Matt's nose. He immediately smelled it. Matt fell to the floor, and fainted.

Fred and Greg caught Matt and put him in their hands. "So long Mrs. Wu," Fred said.

Mrs. Wu started to cry. The two had no sympathy, though.

In a flash, the two disappeared with Matt, leaving the sobbing Mrs. Wu tied up to a chair, a light detector electrifier tightly rooted onto her head.

Chapter Two - The Museum of Ancient History

2008-02-09T12:00:00.000-08:00

Two dark cloaked men appeared, wearing veils that covered their bodies from top to bottom. They scanned the perimeter for any signs of threat or suspicious activity. Seeing none, they withdrawed their hoods covering their face. Their face was sunken- ghostly-, exposing the flesh to the outside world. However, the blood was not dripping- it was somehow intact to the cheeks.

They walked slowly and carefully across the street; lit only by one lamp. A huge building was on the other side. It was closed...

"Come on Matthew... Let's go. The science party is on right now!" Scientist Gibbs said.

"Wait Gibbs. I am putting on the security for the Egg." Scientist Matthew said, glancing at the Egg with caution, "I sense that today is a peculiar day."

"Whatever Matthew. I'm leaving." Gibbs walked with a steady stride to the door. He opened it and closed the door behind, leaving the other scientist with the Egg.

The two masked people walked to the entrance... It was locked. The window above was slightly ajar, allowing the cold breeze to come in. They reached in for their pockets and took out a grappling beam. The beam shot out with sheer force, clutching the wall as they went. The two people hoisted up and walked on the wall, supported by the beam that was still sticking to the wall with no sign of collapsing. Upon reaching the window, they deformed and reappeared on the other side. Suddenly, the alarm went on. "INTRUDER ALERT... INTRUDER ALERT!"

Matthew gasped and looked at the security computer. There were two men running down the F1 section of the Museum. He immediately pushed a red button the other side of the monitor.

The masked people stopped in their tracks and looked straight ahead. 5 policemen with MP5's were running towards them- triggers raised. The masked men shot a purple wave of energy at them. They fell to the floor, unconscious. The men walked past the 5 and went aboard the elevator. They peered at the guide map and found the floor destination: No. 7

Gibbs rushed in, nachoes in one hand and a cup of Sprite in the other. "The two are aboard Elevator Shaft 2... Unplug its circuits!" Matthew rushed to the control panel and cut the green wire that was connected to the blue one.

The elevator stopped...dead. It suddenly started to rush down, plummeting floors in seconds. There were only 5 seconds until impact. "Ghdfs jsig nsodf ngu" one of the men said.

The other nodded and shot a red beam at the ceiling. It burst into flames, making a hole. They jumped out of the elevator and shot their grappling hooks at the 7th floor- which was going farther way due to the fact that they were going down. The hooks connected to the door of the 7th floor. The men were immediantely pulled up to the door. Smiling, exposing their fangs, they opened it and went on the other side. Their destination was beyond the yellow door on the other side of the hallway.

Matthew said, "The elevator crashed... They must be dead."

"Way to go Matthew!" Gibbs said, "Let's go there to see who it was."

They approached the yellow door from one side, the masked men on the other.

Gibbs reached for the door handle and turned it. There, in their prescence, was two ghostly and sinister people. The faces were covered with hoods and black was the color of their body. A veil covered them and also seemed to energize them.

"Hello, Gibbs." One of the masked men said. "We'll say this now- give us the Egg or we'll take it by means of force."

"Look," Gibbs said, looking at Matthew with scared eyes, "I don't know who you are, but I will never give you the Egg."

The man smiled. "I thought you would say that. He pulled a dagger and thrusted it in his chest. Gibbs groaned and fell, blood flowing out of his chest.

"Matthew, give us the Egg."

Matthew handed the Egg to the masked men and backed away. "Thank you, Matthew, for this."

Suddenly, a gale wind blew and the masked men disappeared, leaving Matthew alone with the dead Gibbs.

The two reappeared at the cave where Forelli was. Forelli said, "Greg, gdjghs ghsf ighj hfuaf hgsu. Fred, ghsdgj gj ijgbsd?"

The masked men named Greg replied, "Ghs gjisldj gruhg bwil r."

The masked men named Fred replied, "Ghhs sgjnk wifk."

Step two was done... all that was left was electricity.

"Matt Wu sjdgnsd." Fred said, his fleshy smile occupying his face.

Chapter Nine - Surprise

2008-02-09T00:16:00.000-08:00

Matt Wu shook his head slowly as the guards advanced slowly. Bonette was out cold, on the ground. Matt knew that he could easily beat up these people, but he wanted to remain his power a secret, for now. Then, one of the guards, the leader, said to the others, "Leave him...Fred told us to get Bonette only."

Matt gasped quietly at what he said. "Fine, take her. She's right there. Leave me here, I'm useless."
"Quite right, " The leader replied modestly. "Come on you guys, help me lift her."
Surprisingly, everybody got up to help lift her up. While their backs were turned, Matt shot a weak but sturdy energy ball at the nearest one. "AARG!" The guard replied, fainting. The leader turned and smiled at Matt with glowing eyes.

"Your powers are back aren't they?" He said, in terror. The leader pulled out a Pistol, firing a single shot at Matt's head. Matt narrowly missed the oncoming target, and shot a plasma beam of energy at the Leader.
"NO!" One of the guards shouted and jumped into the Energy's path, killing him.
All the guards pulled out their rocket launchers, while the Leader held on to the Pistol. "Give up?" The leader shouted.

Matt didn't answer, for he was quickly turning over the bed as a shield. Matt then started firing jolts like crazy, hiding under the bed occasionally. The jolts were 50% accurate, with little energy. The leader started to shoot the bed with his pistol, making gaping holes as they hit. "Do not use the rocket launchers...they will kill us all." The Leader said, throwing pistols to the other guards. Matt did his duck and cover routine for quite a few minutes, killing only three people.

The leader, now frustrated, started to kick Bonette into a bin. Once in, he instructed a few others to help push. "You other people stay and fight to the death." The leader whispered, so Matt couldn't hear.

Meanwhile, Matt was busy charging up his ultimate attack. He glanced over the bed and saw only a handful of guards left. Bonette was missing. "Darn." Matt replied, realizing their plan. Matt had no choice but to charge up fully. Once he did, he leaped into the open air, blasted his energy ball, and ducked into the bed once more. Everybody in its path was disintegrated into mist.

Matt ran out of the shield and put his hand over his heart. "Truce." He replied, in a cunning voice.
There were only two guards remaining, so they shook their head.
Matt shot an eye-beam, while both guards shot their pistols. The three attacks collided with one-another, causing a deafening BOOM. Matt was thrown back against the wall, as the two guards were shot out of the room. A second later, they were back, holding their rocket launchers.

"If you shoot, you'll kill us all." Matt said, scared out of his wits.
"Exactly." Both guards replied. There was a boom, two rockets, a scream, and a fall.
Everything was destroyed. The bed was turned over, the shelf was thrown over, and more importantly, the guards were dead. Matt stirred and smiled once he got up. His plan worked.

"Thank you bed." Matt said, patting the demolished pillow. In a second, Matt was gone....on his way to save Bonette.

"Let me go." Bonette replied, struggling in the bin.
"We'll let you go once we get to the Headquarters." The leader replied, now annoyed. They had been walking for at least thirty minutes, and even he was getting restless.
"Sir," One of the guards said to the leader.
"What?" He snapped, holding Bonette and the bin firmly.
"What do you think happened to _ _ _ _?" The guard replied.
"Whose that?" Bonette replied, trying to use her powers.
"It's no use." The leader said, "You can't use your powers.
Bonette knew that, but she wasn't using them. She was using telepathy.

Matt felt something in his brain, and let it respond. Bonette was calling Matt, telling him where she was. "On it." Matt replied, sending her a message.
Bonette smiled miles away and listened to the others speak.

"He's probably you know.." The leader said, glancing at Bonette while he spoke.
One of the guards immediately turned around and shot a rocket into the sky. "Matt." He said, waving his hand.
The leader groaned and took out the grenade launcher.

Matt saw incoming projectiles heading his way. In incredible ease, he steered away from them. Matt could scarcely see the bunch miles below. He could make out the bin, where Bonette was being held. In careful aim, he shot a single beam of energy.

"Incoming!" The guard replied. "Energy blast heading out way!"
The leader and the two guards ducked behind a shrub, waiting for the impact. Instead, there was a crack, and the bin broke. Bonette stood up and cracked her knuckles.

Matt sighed in delight and zoomed down to Earth, wanting to get a few answers. Bonette was raising her hands, preparing for the kill. "NO!" Matt said, rushing into the path.
"What are you doing?" Bonette said, "we need to kill them."
"Not until we get some answers straight." Matt said.

Matt addressed the leader when he spoke. "Who are you?"
"Jack Held, leader of the guards, servant for the Two Greapers." The leader said.
"Who are the Greapers?" Matt said.
"Fred and Greg." Jack Held said, struggling to move from Bonette's electrical whip.
"Why doesn't my mom remember me?" Matt said, bringing back that memory.
"We poisoned her with acid." Jack said, smiling viciously.

Matt screamed and shot a blast of plasma, burning the three alive. "My masters will live!!" Jack said in his dying breath. "So will....Skiz...Forelli!" Jack fell to the ground, burned.
The two guards, who weren't burned as much, started to run away.
"I got them." Bonette said, taking out a whip of electricity. She pulled them together and brought them close. "We need them alive...in case." Bonette said.

Matt and Bonette smiled and knew what was coming up. "We have to save the world from them."
"And fast," Bonette replied, sad.
"We need help though." Matt said. "We're completely outnumbered."

Bonette nodded in agreement and said, "All in good time, Matt."
The two started to raise, as they flew back to the house, getting a plan ready.

Back at the Headquarters, Greg was treating Forelli, while Fred and Skiz were talking. "Once Forelli is fine again, we will go about out satellite plan." Fred said to Greg, who nodded.

"We are close. Dr. Vick's dream will not perish. He will live in us." Fred said, getting up.
Skiz roared in delight and walked away, tired.

While both parties of people were creating their plans, another party was rising. The lunar eclipse was beginning...

TO BE CONTINUED

Chapter Eight - The Idea

2008-02-09T00:15:00.000-08:00

At the Lightning House, Matt Wu was being treated to his broken vein. Standing above him was Bonette, using her lightning hands to fix the bones and veins. So far, though, there has been no success. "Come on, Matt." Bonette said. "Speak, at least..." Minutes went by, but with no success. Matt was still mute, and his breathing was going down even more...

At the Headquarters, Fred and Greg were treating Forelli's eye while Skiz was taking a nap. His eye was punctured in several places, with blood oozing out slowly. One of his eyes was already gone, so this could mean becoming blind forever. "AARG!" Fred roared, sending thousands of guards waking up suddenly. "Guards, find Bonette. Forget about Matt, he has no powers. She is the main criminal..."

The guards ran to their hoard and picked up several rocket launchers. "Where should we go, sir?" One guard said, nervously.
"Bonette's house, of course. I do not know where it is, but find it. It will be more likely in the heavens." Greg said, losing his patience.

Matt coughed up blood and his eyes opened. Bonette cried in relief and washed away the remainder of the acid. After fixing the veins and reconnecting them, Matt began to stir. "Where am I?" Matt said, not realizing that he was next to Bonette.
"Bonette's house, my house." Bonette replied, sighing.
Matt than turned and saw Bonette. He smiled and fainted once more.

"MAAAAATTTT WWWUUUU...." Bonette said, several hours later. "Wake up..."
Matt woke up suddenly and drank a gallon of water. All of a sudden, he got up and started to excersize. "I feel fine." Matt said, doing push-ups to show his strength.
"Yes." Bonette said, sighing. "But we need to get you your powers again."
"Easy...find an X mark on the ground, step on it, and blah blah blah..." Matt relpied, sarcastically.
"Okay Mr. Smartypants, where will you find that mark." She replied, thinking to herself.
"Isn't there one on my steet." Matt said, "bec..."
Before Matt could reply, Bonette started to fly towards Matt's house.

Arriving in 5 minutes or so, Matt started to walk towards the X mark. It was right in front of him, like it was months ago. Before Matt stepped in, he looked to the right and saw his house for the first time in weeks. It was still there, obviously.

Matt went inside the house and gasped at what he saw. The whole house was a mess, and on top of that, there were cats everywhere. Mrs. Wu was on the couch, eating chips and ice cream bars. She was WAY fatter than before. Matt shuddered and advanced towards her. "Mom." Matt said.
"Honey.." Mrs. Wu said, running for Matt. Matt opened his arms out, but got no hug. He turned and saw her getting some real honey out of the cupboard. "This will taste much better." She replied...
"Uhh...MOM!" Matt said, getting annoyed.
"Who are you..." Mrs. Wu said, getting nervous. "I'm calling the cops!"
Matt rushed to the phone and smashed it in half with a knife. Before she could reach the other phone, Matt rushed out of the house and started to feel alone.
"What the heck is going on, here." Matt said, feeling scared for the first time in years.

Matt walked slowly to the X and stepped his right foot in the center.
Thunder started to rumble everywhere, followed by bolts streaking down from the sky. They all started to circle around him, creating static. One bolt than struck Matt's hand, giving him a jolt of feeling.
Matt started to feel dizzy and worried, but he knew what would happen next. As the bolts kept striking him, he felt more alone. Than, with his last view, he saw Mrs. Wu approaching her car to go to work.
He blacked out...

He woke up in a bed. Matt smiled and knew that it was Bonette's house, the first thing he saw. The door opened, and Matt was ready to use his powers to show off.
"Bonette, guess what...I have my!"
Matt was punched in the face with brutal force, sending him to crash into the wall. Matt turned to face Bonette, but gasped.

Bonette was knocked cold, still breathing. Twenty guards were behind her, with rocket launchers.
"Oh boy." Matt said, heading towards the window.
The guards advanced.

Chapter One - The Cave

2007-07-09T10:14:00.000-07:00

The Haunted Mansion stood at the banks of Nenen Street, in flames. The fires that were created 5 months ago were still there, licking away the few pieces of bark and wood that was left. Only one thing non-perishable remained- a single crown that was thrusted with gold and silver and diamonds. It was rusted over the years, but it was still shiny.

A huge and mighty roar came out of no where. It was like a rousing roar, as if the creature who did it was just awaken from something, and did not want to. The roof of the shed that occupied Blake a few months ago shattered, exploding debris and tanbark everywhere. In the midst stood a shadowy beast, a monster. It was green all over, with crimson red scales that were like rubies in the sun. The monsterous beast roared again, echoing all over the area. As soon as the shade from the shed rolled away from the beast, the identity was discovered: a dragon.

The dragon scanned his perimeter and saw the ruby crown that was alone in the fires. The dragon blew a freezy blast of ice, which took out the flames that were around the crown. Gently, the dragon picked up the item with its claws, which were dirty with grease and sweat. Putting it near his nose, the dragon smelled the dulcet crown, and sneezed. "A...A...ACHOO!" The dragon roared. His wings started to move and he was ascending with the winds. The Haunted Mansion, still burning, looked like a tiny speck on the ground. As the flames, they were still visible, but a normal person would think that it was a b-b-q party. With the crown still in its hand, the dragon started flying south, to the mountains. Cities zoomed by- Gunta Town, Reshna, Nenen...

The mountains were becoming more into detatil- trees, lakes, and animals were clearly visible. The animals looked up at the flying dragon and were soon darting to their homes, in fear that they might get hurt. The animals were right as it seems, for the dragon landed in a clearing that was hidden by trees and lakes. It drank a gallon of water and walked lazily to a cave that sloped into the ground.

The cave had a cool breeze- A.C.'s were everywhere. Clearly, someone must live here. The dragon took no notice of his surroundings. Soon, he came to a dead end. Only a small chip of the wall bent inwards, in a crown like shape, was noticeable. The dragon carefully placed the crown in the dent and waited patiently. The crown disappeared and the wall that stopped the dragon's path opened, revealing a table and hammocks. People were sleeping and some were playing cards on the table. The crown reappeared on the small container.

The people did not seem to notice the dragon, for all were facing away from it. The dragon seemed frustrated that no one noticed it, so he roared yet again. The people jumped out of their skins, took a weapon and turned. As soon as they saw the dragon, they dropped their weapons and gasped. "Forelli, you have returned." One of the men said. He had biceps and a hood hid his face from view.

The dragon nodded and was soon resting on the ground. "Did the plan work, Forelli? Did Matt die? Is he dead? Did the King of the creatures succeed?"

Forelli shook his head- a gesture of no.

"What!!!! The King, what happened..."

The man did not finish, for soon he was holding the crown that Forelli stole.

"What about our leader, Dr. Vick? Is he dea..."

Forelli nodded sadly.

One of the younger men pounded the table, sending the cards falling from the table. "This does it... I had it with Matt. First, we had to hatch the dinosaur egg. But, we needed lightning. So, Vick went after Matt. Vick died, so his master, the King, took Blake. Matt rescued Blake from the creatures and escaped. The King got mad and sent his minions after Matt. Matt tore through the creatures and killed the King. WHAT THE HECK!!!!!!!"

"Alright, since Vick is dead, we have to carry out his plan. First... THE EGG"

Foirelli nodded as the rest did too.

"Boys, to the Museum of Ancient History!"

And just like that, the people vanished in thin air, leaving the dragon alone with the crown.

Forelli looked at the crown and roared so loud that the tables broke- he was sad; the King truely was dead. But the dinosaur... is still ALIVE!

Chapter Nine - The Final Battle

2007-07-08T09:57:00.001-07:00

Matt woke with a lousy groan, for he had woken up yet again at night. It was 3 in the morning, and he was just too excited to sleep. He had just rescued Blake the other day, but because of all the fighting that happened at the haunted mansion, Matt was too preoccupied. He twisted and turned in his bed. Perhaps, maybe he was hungry.

He crept downstairs to the kitchen, and with caution, avoided the two squeaky steps. He adjusted to the dark and once he did, he crept to the pantry. Marveled with the overwhelming food, Matt took a cookie and poured himself a glass of hot milk, to soothe him. After eating his late midnight snack, Matt turned and walked back up.

It had been a while before Matt started to snooze again. He finally went to sleep, by counting sheep, a very boring thing to do. It did work, however, Matt was at 2,000 when he started to fall into slumber.

Sunlight streaked through his window around 7 in the morning. Matt woke with a whine, “Stupid sunlight,” he murmured.

He felt like punching the sun away from earth, so the heat and the light will be gone. Frustrated, he tossed himself out of the bed. He felt like throwing up. Maybe I’m sick or something.

He looked at the mirror. In his reflection, he looked perfectly normal. No green, no cuts, or bruises. Matt walked downstairs two at a time. He searched in the kitchen for some breakfast. Bingo! He found a humongous chocolate chip bagel. After scooping some cream cheese and some jam, Matt took a bite. He was savoring the moment. Just then, the doorbell rang.

Matt knew that his parents were sleeping, so he himself would need to answer. He rushed to the door but before he could stop his running feet, he just slammed onto the door “Who is it?” Matt fumbled.

“Um…um… mail message delivery. I um… got a gift from your aunt.”

Matt smiled. It was one of aunt Cathy’s gifts. He opened the door with an eager expression, but it was cut short when he saw the “mail delivery guy.” Though he had clothes, Matt could see that he was that creature from the haunted mansion. Matt closed the door on his face. He waited if he would barge through the door. He didn’t.

Matt peeped through the curtain and saw that the creature was gone. He breathed a sigh of relief. He went out in the front to make sure that no one was there. He was about to turn back into the house, when he spied a small piece of paper. He picked it up. It showed weird designs and pictures. For some reason, he thought the paper drawing looked like a war setup. The pictures were next to a house. Matt gasped. It looked like the Haunted Mansion! Something is happening at the Haunted Mansion! Matt turned over the other side of the page. It said,

“Happening on the following Wednesday.”

Today was Tuesday! Tomorrow something evil is happening, Matt thought. Matt looked back at the drawings. For some reason, all the “soldiers” were targeted on a single victim. The victim kinda looks like ….. Matt said, “ME!”

He understood. The creatures from the mansion are lining up in a military fashion. They will walk like soldiers to my house, and then will kill me. Uh-oh! He looked back on the other page in entirety:

“Happening on the following Wednesday."
at 4:00 p.m

4:00 p.m.! Matt said “Guud!” He quickly wrote a note to his parents saying that he was going for a refreshing bike ride. He went upstairs and grabbed his newly constructed lightning helmet. It easily fit on to his head, but the best part is that no one could tell the secret identity of him while he’s flying.

He started to fly off. It felt great to be in the sunshine, but Matt knew that evil will be awaiting at his destination. Matt could now see the tiny blur of the Haunted Mansion coming up. He lurched forward. He flew under the rooftop. Sure enough, he could see that the creatures were lining up for their plan. Matt gasped. There, on the top of a somewhat chair, sat a long creature. It had red eyes, sharp nails, and tons of spikes on his back. He also had a crown, the symbol of kingship over the race of creatures. Matt could see that the creatures had guns, bazookas and whips. One had a giant ball in its hands - bombs! The king was menacing by himself, but with his pack of creatures armed with deadly weapons, this was the most menacing of all sights. Just when things could not get any better, Matt saw a fifty-feet giant armed with a club, and with ferocious teeth - the giant seemed like hell itself.

Matt, exhausted, sneezed for the dust under the roof was clogging his nose.

They saw him. The hideous looking “things” had spied him. Immediately, they started speaking. Matt could not decipher their language; he had no idea what they were talking. Finally, one of the leading creatures brandished his whip around and around, until he had enough momentum to swing the whip at Matt’s legs. He jerked the whip back, and Matt, helpless, fell to the ground. All the creatures gathered around him.

Matt screamed, “Lightning Powers On!” He flew in the air, leaving the creatures behind.

The creatures, however, had a plan. They took their bows and arrows and started firing at Matt. Matt avoided one, but got hit by another. The impact sent him spiraling down to the ground. He got up, immediately. He shot a bolt at a creature, who blocked it with a shield.

“Damn, there are too many!” Matt yelled.

The king motioned all the creatures to move aside. He walked to Matt. Matt volt-tackled the king, but he dodged the attack. The king shot a fireball at Matt, who was sent hurling into the bricks. Matt stood, and with concentration, shot an eye beam. It hit the king, making him fall back. Taking advantage, Matt shot a paralyze beam. The king dodged the attack, and the beam hit a creature.

The king got frustrated. He stood up, but Matt tackled him down. Blood gushed out of the king’s back. The king stood, once more. He summoned a dragon, who appeared out of nowhere. The king pulled the dragon’s back, making the dragon blow a mass of fire.

The fire ball hit Matt, making him crash to the wall. His hand was bleeding, heavily. Suddenly Matt had an idea. “The king can shoot fire, so perhaps he is vulnerable to water?” Matt flew to the fountain at the entrance, and gathered water into a bucket. He threw the bucket full of water at the king.

The king got hit. He screamed. Blood oozed out of his chest. The king was dying. Matt jumped onto the dragon’s back. He commanded the dragon to fly. The dragon then shot a fire blast at the king’s minions. They burned to ashes. The only creature left was the king. The king turned back to see all of the creatures dead.

He turned and shot a fire ball at Matt. Instead, the dragon took the damage. The dragon, groaning with third degree burns, fainted.

Matt shot an eye beam, but the king deflected it. Matt took another bucket of water, but the king evaporated it. The king focused and shot a ball at the ground. All of a sudden, fire started to erupt out of the ground. It burned everything in sight.

Matt dodged all the fire from the ground, but failed to see a fire ball hurling at him. The impact was too strong. Matt felt as if he was being sizzled alive. The burn was too intense for Matt. He fainted.

The entire mansion was burned. There was fire everywhere. The king chuckled and walked to the unconscious Matt. He put his boot on Matt’s chest. He was about to smack the shoe on Matt’s chest, when a small stream of water smacked his behind.

The king groaned, and started coughing. He looked to see who shot the stream of water. There, stood Blake. His eyes were fixed on Matt. Blake took out his water gun, and shot another stream. The king fell, unconscious. Matt stirred and woke. He saw the king fainted, and Blake holding a water gun. “Thanks Blake.”

“No problemo.” Blake said. Together, they walked to the king. Matt felt blood trickling down his back. The king was still breathing. “He’s alive,” Blake said.
“Come on, let’s put water on him to kill him.”
And they did. Soon, the king was dead, never to see the light again.

As Blake and Matt flew back home, they both failed to see that someone was watching them. Someone with a long tail. Someone who was sad to see its master, the king, dead. Someone that would soon become the biggest enemy Matt will ever face…

And as Matt and Blake flew away, they both thought that their world was now evil-less. Or was it…

To be continued in Book 2 of the three part Lightning series

Chapter Eight - The Battle At Nenen

2007-06-27T22:38:00.000-07:00

Matt walked past the gates, holding his only source of light: a flashlight. He heard the sounds of owls and rats that ran across the sidewalk. He put his hands on the doorknob. A sudden burst of icy coldness rushed to his heart at the touch of the frigid knob. He pushed the door open, but to no success. He burst through the door, electricity flowing within him.

Meanwhile, Dr. Vick was in his jeep, shouting at Dennis about the proper way to drive. “I told you, hold down the handles when braking, you snot monkey!”
“Yes Vick, but your car is smashed from the battle at Matt’s house.”
“Then fix it when we get Matt’s lightning. And brush your teeth; you smell like a baboon’s butt! Jeesh, do you ever brush?”
“Once in a while, sir.” Dennis said.
“Just concentrate, we are almost there.”

Matt glanced around his surroundings. He was in a dim room. He could barely see two feet ahead of him, partially because of cobwebs and because of dust. He could see a small spiral staircase just ahead of him. Not bothering to stay in the not seeable room, he quietly ascended the stairs, forgetting to fly. At the top was a single hallway, and at the end of it was a closed door. Who knew what lay on the other side…
Now flying, Matt reached the door. A small note that was written probably in blood was perched on the door:

To those who are reading.
Heed my warning,
Do not open the door
Death awaits on the other side
Beware,
You will never see light again
Leave now while you have the chance,
Or face your doom!

Matt re-read it two times before making up his mind. Obviously, the note is there to just fool people into not coming. Clearly, what ever is on the other side is something of a remarkable value…

“You idiot, you missed the haunted mansion driveway!” Vick said in a huffy puff voice.
“Sorry sir. Did not see.”
“Did NOT SEE WHAT? THE BIG MANSION THAT WAS RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUR PUPILS. You need GLASSES!!!”
“I’m growing deaf from your shouting.” Dennis said unhappily.

Matt opened the door and quickly turned on the flashlight. He shined it in the room. All there was in the room was a bed. On the bed was a boy under the blankets. “Blake.” Matt whispered. He rushed to the bed and pried Blake into his hands. Good thing Blake was not heavy. He opened the window that was next to the bed. He was about to fly out with Blake when a voice behind him dropped Blake in a startled confusion.
“DDropp, za boyy. Noww!” A voice said behind him. A small pinch was injected into Matt’s back. He fell unconscious, loosing sight of Blake and seeing a creature with sharp claws…

Matt woke up on a small coffin. He reacted by standing up quickly and glancing at his surroundings. He was in a tool shed. Chainsaws, knives, and screwdrivers were placed along a workbench. He noticed that someone was breathing on him. Looking behind, he saw Blake, sleeping peacefully on the ground. Matt picked him up, and turned to the door that was on the opposite wall. He destroyed the ceiling and flew out with Blake. Good thing he did not exit by the door, because there was a trap right in front. He started to fly back to his house, when a water ball splashed onto Matt.
He was short-circuiting. Temporarily losing his powers, Matt started to fall. He fell on the roof of the mansion, with Blake next to him. A creature jumped onto the roof, having a water ball in his hand. He shot another water ball at Matt, who again was losing energy. All of a sudden, a bullet streaked out of nowhere, and smacked the water creature in the head.
Water splattered everywhere, as the creature fell dead. Matt looked to see who saved and wished he didn’t.

There stood Dr. Vick, his eyes gleaming and his lightning device saying, “MATCH FOUND!”
“We meet again Matt,” Vick said in a mean and grim voice. His face was in a grimace expression, full of hatred and fear. “You now why I need you. I need your lightning to hatch a dinosaur egg, which will help me take over the world. However, the egg is located in a tightly guarded area, and to reach there, I need some sort of power and that is lightning. If I were to use my fire power, the people guarding the egg could extinguish it with water.”
“What do ya mean, your fire?” Matt said perplexed.
Vick chuckled and said, “Better not get burned.” He moved his arms in a weird motion. All of a sudden, a fire blast erupted out of his hand and crashed onto the roof.
Matt had just barely moved himself and Blake out of the way before the fire ball hit the rooftop. Matt, after putting Blake in a safe place, shot a lighting wave at Vick’s hand. Vick, however, blocked off the shot by using fire. Matt volt tackled the man on the back, sending him to the ground. Using that split second, Matt shot yet another ball to tackle Vick. Vick sprang up, and created a fire beam that blasted Matt into a side gate, knocking him down. Vick said, “I will give you one last chance. Surrender, or face the consequences, M-” He was interrupted by a lightning shot that smacked his stomach.
Vick could not move, for he was paralyzed. Matt took the advantage and blasted a lighting beam at the lightning detector, smashing it into bits. “There, Vick. Now you will never be able to find me!”
Vick struggled to move. He was paralyzed, he could not move. Then he struggled to move his hands. He successfully was able to shot a fire ball, which not only disabled his paralyzes, but also knocked Matt to the ground.
A fierce battle emerged between them. Vick was shooting fire balls and Matt was concentrated on lightning balls. All of a sudden, a lighting ray shot out of Matt’s eyeball. The ray blast Vick through the heart, sending him spiraling to death. Matt froze with terror. He killed Vick, single-handedly.

Dennis who saw this was screaming in terror. In a sudden outrage of fury, Dennis smacked Matt to the ground. Matt got up and shot another eye ray that smashed Dennis to the ground, temporarily unconscious. Using that time, Matt picked up Blake and flew out of the mansion.
Vick’s dinosaur dream was done. Matt had earned his day’s rest.

Chapter Seven - The Haunted Mansion

2007-06-23T15:11:00.000-07:00

Matt walked past his mother’s room, double checking to make sure that she was sound asleep; she was. Quietly so not even the motion detector can hear his vibrations, Matt slipped out of the house into the cold barren night. He seldom ever went out in the night, around 12:00. The gale wind whipped Matt in the cheeks as he slowly walked down to the house of the Tecks family.

He heard a cat prowling around, looking at Matt with its big, yellow eyes. No way he was going to use lightning to get to his friend’s house. It was too risky for someone one might see him flying in the cold night.

Meanwhile, back in the lab, Dr. Vick was strumming his beard.
“Dennis,” Vick cried.
“Y…Yes Mr. Vick, sir.” Dennis said fumbling into view.
“I need a diabolical plan to get rid of the boy.”
“What boy?”
“You IDIOT!” Vick roared, “the lightning boy, Matt Wu. I need a plan to get his powers. I need his powers to steal the dinosaur egg and unleash it.”
“But…-”
“Shut up, I got a plan.” Vick’s eyes gleamed like fire. “A vigorous plan!”

Matt arrived at his destination. With his knuckles, he knocked on the wood door. He then rang the doorbell. DING-DONG!
Mrs. Tecks arrived at the door, looking depressed and somewhat mad. “Hi, Matt. Remember?, Blake is not…”
“Here, I know that. Listen, I wanna go on the quest to the mansion, confront who ever, and save my friend.”
“Matt,” Mrs. Tecks said in a mournful voice, “you are jus’ a kid.”
“Let me try.” Matt said.
“I cannot say no, can I?” Mrs. Tecks said.
“Nope.” The door closed and Matt, with a triumph expression, briskly walked down to the street of Nenen. The night seemed to be going by quickly; if it became daytime, then everyone would see Matt using his powers. He did not want that to happen. The sign said that Nenen was ½ mile away. He was almost to his arrival spot: The Haunted Mansion. He then saw a laboratory that was coming up ahead.
He then somehow thought if Dr. Vick would be following him. He glanced back. No one was there. “Phew.” Matt quickened his pace; two hours until 7:30, the time that most people wake up at. Then, he saw it.

The Haunted Mansion stood, up ahead, looking tall and…ugly. It was covered with filth and dust. There were cobwebs under the roof, and spiders dangling on the windows. Not a good place to sleep in, he thought. Shrugging to himself, Matt walked up the steps to the gate that led to the door of the mansion. He had to somehow get through the gate. How? Could he barge the gate open with his fists, or maybe use lightning to smack down the hinges, causing the gate to collapse…
Matt double checked to make sure no one was looking. He then smacked the gate with a lightning blast that burned the gate to almost ashes. Thinking no one saw him, Matt walked to the door.

Indeed, no one did see Matt using lightning. However, some one realized that Matt used lightning. Dr. Vick was squealing, “Matt did lightning. Yeah, now I know where Matt is: On Nenen Street, on his way to the Haunted Mansion. Hey Dennis, get your fat buttocks up, we are going to the mansion!”
“Yes Sir.”
“Matt is going to have a little surprise when he gets to the mansion.” Vick said laughing. “Matt Wu, you are going down!!”

Chapter Six - Dr. Vick's Evil Plot

2007-03-20T19:03:00.000-07:00

   Dr. Vick stood at the chemistry table, peering at the test tubes with a frowned expression. “One of these test tubes contains iodine, and one has sugar. If I can just find them, I can create Sulyturz acid, which possibly can convince the scientists to hand me the last dinosaur egg on Reshna. Then, I will burn the egg, forcing the dinosaur to hatch. Then, I’ll add growth acid on it, and make it a real adult dinosaur. Then, I can…”

   “Dr. Vick,” said Vick’s assistant Dennis. “I have the l…”

   “Shut up and bring me the device.” Dr. Vick beamed with excitement as he tasted iodine and sugar. It had a dulcet smell, which made him even more excited. He took the iodine and carefully tipped the element into the sugar. A sizzling sound was heard and the sugar dissolved into the iodine, which became liquid. He tipped some mercury into the solution and added some poison liquid. He then put the experiment into the freezer. He looked back and saw Dennis walking with the device crammed into his hands.

    “Here it is.” Dennis said, “The lightning device.”
   “The device that will help me locate sources of lightning. My device says that it found someone who is holding a huge amount of lightning. RECORD PLAY!”
   The device said, “11:34 p.m., lightning blast caused by 11 year old Matt Wu, who lives on Neckraw Street.”

    Dr. Vick smiled viciously and laughed. “My lightning machine works! If I can harness this power, I can not only have a dinosaur, but I can kill all the people who called me names. Know what this means, Dennis?”
    “What?”
    “My god, how dumb are you? REVENGE, Dennis, REVENGE!” Vick walked to a large dinosaur drawing. “You will be mine, Matt Wu. Dennis, turn on the jeep. Our expedition begins now. Matt, you’re going DOWN.” Vick went in the jeep and laughed.

    The jeep turned onto the road and started moving. Dennis said, “Tell me where to go.”
    “Make a right on Gazeer Road.” The jeep headed ninety degrees right, causing Dr. Vick to shout at Dennis, for he had veered right to quickly. “Left on Seam Way.” The car went again in a sharp turn. “You bamboozle, can’t you drive properly?”
    “Sorry.”
    The car went in another series of sharp turns, which made Dr. Vick shout again. Finally, they arrived…

    Matt was on his bed, reading a magazine called Lightning. Then he heard the sound of a car stopping on the driveway. Matt looked at the window and saw two guys staring right at him. One of them smiled and cracked his knuckles. “AAGH!” Matt said, hoping that no one heard him. He quickly loped down to the backyard, and looked again. The men were still looking at Matt’s window. “Bad Guys,” he murmured. He shot a small lightning bolt, which shattered the front glass of Vick’s car.
    “Damn, MY CAR! I…” Vick stopped, because his lightning detector was beeping. “Lightning nearby,” he said. “Matt.” Vick stepped out, holding a gun like device.

    Matt flew behind a tall pine tree, and shot a small ball of energy. Vick dodged, spotted Matt, and shot a bullet from his gun. It missed by an inch. Matt shot a bolt, and Vick shot a bullet. The two objects collided, forming a bomb that exploded into the sky. Both the humans were not hurt. Matt shot a huge energy bolt that missed Vick, but hit Dennis. He fell.
    “YOU KILLED MY ASSISTANT, YOU ID…AARG!” An electric ball smacked him to the ground. Blood gushed out of him, as he said, “ASTA LA VISTA...” He fell.

    Matt stared. He killed two people. He gasped and ran back in the house, after hiding the blood and the men. What he failed to see was that Dr. Vick’s hands were still moving, and Dennis’s heart was still beating…

    As soon as Matt reached his room, the phone rang. “Hello?”
“Please press 1 to hear this record.” Matt pressed 5. “This is Mrs. Tecks. We are offering one hundred dollars for anyone who can find Blake.” The line went dead.
“I’ll do it.” He said, and left.

Chapter Five - Experiments With Lightning

2007-03-01T21:31:00.000-08:00

Matt woke up on a bright and sunny Monday morning. The birds twittered and the frogs croaked at the Albany pond, which was just a few yards away from his school. The sunlight shimmered into Matt’s room causing his eyes to awake suddenly.

He glanced around and looked at his new watch, which had a lightning symbol on its face. It was 6:30 a.m. This was the time when he did his lightning practice. He did a few warm-ups in his room, such as jumping jacks and curl ups. He then tiptoed downstairs to the glass door. He opened it and stepped into the backyard. He looked to make sure that no one was watching. He cried, "Lightning Powers On!" He felt the familiar static flowing into his body. He joined his hands together, took a big breath, and…

“Matt Wu! Come in here this instant!” Mrs. Wu cried from her bedroom window.
“Okay, mom!” He said. He loped to the house, and said “Lightning Powers Off!” on the way.

School ended with the usual long bell ring. Matt ran to the bathroom to change into his basketball uniform. In 5 minutes, he would be playing basketball with the Strikers. His team, the Matthianians, were ready to play, until they saw one of the Strikers’ tallest players.

“Look at that dude,” Sid said.
“He’s probably a descendant of the mighty giant in Jack in the Beanstalk,” Ben said.
“Dat is just a made up story.” Tim said.
“He’s looking at us.” said Vincent.
“Relax guys.” Matt said.
“Relax? RelAX? HOW CAN I RELAX WHEN THE TALLEST BOY I HAVE EVER SEEN IS GOING TO KICK OUR BUTTS!” Jack said.

Matt rolled his eyes. The basketball game started with the Strikers getting a basket in 10 seconds. Then they scored twice in just 30 seconds! “We are so dead!” Matt said to himself. He groaned and the game continued for 40 more minutes.

“Congrats!” Coach Nin said, “you lost, 70 to 0!” He laughed.

“Come on, Matt.” Vincent said, “it can not get any worse than this, can it?”

“Actually,” Coach Nin said, “it will. Here is your trophy.” He left.

Matt stood holding a 5 inch trophy made of rusted copper. “Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg!” Matt said, shouting as loud as he could. His lungs racked with pain as his brain hurt from all the shouting…

“How was your day?” Mrs. Wu said.
“Great.” Matt slammed the door behind him.

It was near night and Matt was practicing his lightning powers. He shot a small lightning bolt, which worked perfectly. He jerked his hand even harder, and saw that a bigger bolt exploded out of his hands. It made the tree explode into flame. “Cool.” Matt kicked his behind with his legs and suddenly, two lightning bolts appeared below his shoes. Matt was FLYING! He curved left and right, and zoomed into the air. The wind smacked his eyes, as he felt his nose leaving him from his body. Matt said, “Stop.” Nothing happened. Matt then kicked his behind again, and this time, Matt fell to the ground with no lightning on his legs. Matt was breathing with excitement as he thought that there probably was one more technique to be learned. Matt then heard his mom walking downstairs to probably get a glass of water. Matt ran inside, and smacked into the couch which broke into flame, and then disappeared. What was left was ashes and a horrible sulpher smell.

Matt quickly shoved the ash outside, and said, “Lightning Powers Off.”

Mrs. Wu entered, took a glass of water, and left. Matt had succeeded and said, “Yes.” He now knew all the moves of lightning. He tiptoed up and went to sleep.

Chapter Four - After The Storm

2007-02-27T15:16:00.000-08:00

Matt woke up on a soft bed. His vision came back to focus as he yawned. A struck of horror came to him because he realized that this room was not his and all he could remember was falling. In fact, the bed he was sleeping in was different than his. This bed had lightning insignias everywhere. He then thought that some one must have saved him from the lightning storm and took him into a guest room, which is where he is right now.

However, he had no more time to think because he heard a sound of keys rustling on the other side of the door. Someone’s coming! Matt ducked under the bed and looked at the door, breathing as slowly as possible.

A young woman appeared with a knife. Matt’s heart skipped a beat. She smiled and an electric current shot out of her arms. The current engulfed Matt and it brought him towards the woman. Her eyes were green and had a stream of blue on the pupils. She had a good smile that glistened in the moonlight.

“Hello.” She said with much enthusiasm.
“Uh…hi. Where am I?”
“In my house.” She said.
“Who are you?” Matt blurted out. He had the urge to ask and finally he spilled out his desired question.
“I am Bonette, daughter of lightning, and the first ancestor of the Lightning people.”
“Who are these Lightning people?” Matt asked.

“Let me tell you a story…

“Once, when Reshna was created long ago, a man appeared. He was called Lightning man because he could shoot lightning. The descendant chain broke down, and when you were born, you were the chosen descendant of the Lightning man.

“What about my parents?” Matt said. He still did not believe that he could actually shoot lightning.
“Somehow, they did not get any powers.”
“But, what does this have to do with the lightning storm?” Matt asked.
“Lightning people don’t get their power by magic. To get their power, they get hit by a lightning bolt. Then, they have powers of a lightning bolt forever.”
“And the dream I had about the mansion.” Matt said.
“I gave you that dream. It was to see whether you are able to handle lightning.” Bonette said.

An hour passed as Matt and Bonette talked about the lightning power…

“Well, Matt. This is the end of our meeting. I hope I will see you soon.”
“Wait…” Matt said.
“Sorry, Matt. I have no more time to talk.”

A rustle of wind appeared and Matt disappeared. He appeared in his backyard. Bonette’s face appeared. “Remember, Matt. Say “Lightning powers on” to shoot lightning, and say “Lightning powers off” to temporarily shut off your powers. When you are in your lightning state, be careful with rubber and water.” She disappeared.

Making sure no one was looking, Matt said, “Lightning powers on.” Matt shot his hands in the air. Nothing happened! Matt tried to point his fingers at an object. “Why won’t this work?” Matt roared frustrated. Static filled his body as Matt knew that it might work this time. Matt did the same movements as last time; however, nothing happened. Matt put his finger in a gun-shaped way, hoping it would work. Matt shot his finger in the air. A small zap was heard, but nothing came out. Matt “tore his hair.” Frustrated, he kept trying. Finally, he cupped his hands together and jerked it. A lightning bolt zapped out and struck the tree. It was weak, but Matt had finally done it. Matt was elated.

Chapter Three - The Lightning Storm

2007-02-23T19:13:00.000-08:00

Matt woke up after a one hour nap. The sun shimmered in the sky and the blue jays and robins were chirping in the bright sunlight. Matt sighed as he remembered today was a school day, and that meant another six hours of boring Mr. Oren, Matt’s teacher. Everyday, he would speak in that dull voice that reminded Matt of a six hour opera. To Matt, sixth grade was not tough. It was just boring to have a teacher like Mr. Oren and worse, a principal like Mr. Gen. It seemed that the only word he knew was stop. Every time, when a problem happened at school, Mr. Gen would just say, “Students, stop!”

The bell rang and Matt went to room 5. The first hour began… “And we multiply four, three times, because that is what exponents are, children. Remember, exponents are spelled E-X-P-O-N-E-N-T-S. Some people in this classroom say Eaxpoonentes, its exponents. Also, parenthesis…”

“I cannot stand Mr. Oren,” Matt said to his mom.
“Listen, Matt, school is over for the day. Be happy.”
“First, I had a boring day, and now there is a stupid thunder and lightning storm.” Indeed, a lightning storm had started, and every second there was thunder rumbling in the distance.

Thunder boomed in the sky as Matt was enjoying hot chocolate with his mom. Matt stared into the clouds and saw the occasional lightning bolts that struck the trees, igniting them. Of course, that was far away, and Matt could see fire fighters throwing out the flame with hoses filled with water.

Mrs. Wu looked at Matt and said, “That reminds me. Matt, take the garbage out.”
“Mom, there’s a storm out there.”
“Relax, Matt. What could happen?”

Matt walked outside, holding the stinking garbage bag in his hand. There was only one garbage dumpster, which was at the end of Matt’s street.

Unlike most towns, Reshna was a poor city. There weren’t many attractions. Reshna always spent money to buy unnecessary things.

Matt tossed the rotten, dulcet garbage into the trash can that was at the end at the street. Turning around a full 360 degrees, Matt saw a red X mark on the sidewalk, hidden and overshadowed by the trees and shrubs.
Matt peered closer, and saw that it was drawn in a reddish color- perhaps blood. Curiosity got the better of him, so he stuck one of his shoes in the heart of the X mark. Suddenly, lightning bolts that appeared out of no where struck around Matt. Static was created, flowing from the ground to his chest.

One of the accurate bolts struck his chest in the left side, where his heart was. It was a burning sensation; heat and electricity rippled all around his body. He saw exploding stars and flashing lights, as he was loosing his consciousness.

He fell, to the floor…

Chapter Two - Blake's House

2007-02-23T11:12:00.000-08:00

Matt crept down the staircase to the front door. He looked to make sure that his parents were still in bed and opened the door.

It was a clear and frosty night. Even though the sun was about to come out, Matt still felt goose bumps all over his body.

He ran down his driveway and made a left turn onto Gento Street. He darted down Square Avenue and came to a huge house with a huge front door. There were many windows and many balconies.

Matt knocked on the brown door with his bony knuckles.
Knock, Knock, Knock!
“Who is it,” A voice said on the other side of the door.
“Matt Wu.”

The door opened and a young man appeared before him. With a slight nod, he gestured Matt into the house. The house looked splendid inside. There was a diamond chandelier above Matt’s head, a gigantic staircase leading into the second floor, a hallway leading into the kitchen, and a door beneath and right to the chandelier.

Mr. Tecks, who saw that Matt had arrived, took him inside the door. The three arrived at a small room with three chairs and a huge plasma screen television set.
“It’s so glad you came, Matt,” He said, “Mrs. Tecks is very sad and would be happy if you were to answer a few questions.”

Matt took a seat and looked at the TV. He was always jealous about the fact that Blake’s parents were outrageously rich.

“Matt,” Mrs. Tecks said, “as you know, we put a camera in Blake’s room since the day he started doing weird things in his room.”

She played the footage. At first the screen showed nothing but Blake’s bed and Blake sleeping inside it. Then, a creature appeared in the room. It suddenly transformed into a familiar pink-blue monster. The monster swiped Blake. They both disappeared.

Matt gasped. The same thing happened in his dream!

The young man said, “Sorry for not introducing myself. I am Jim and this is my friend Gelyn. We are part of a group that helps locate missing children. Do you know anything about this strange event?”
Matt quickly told them about his dream. “Well,” Gelyn said, “that’s odd.”
Matt then said, “The mansion is called The Haunted Mansion.” He remembered the name of the mansion from his dream.

Gelyn typed The Haunted Mansion on his laptop. “The Haunted Mansion is located in the outskirt of a town called Nenen. People who live nearby say that ghosts and goblins live in the deserted mansion.” Everybody looked frightened.

“Matt,” Mrs. Tecks said, “if it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t even know where Blake would be. You may go.”

Matt smiled and sprinted home. He quietly inserted his key into the front door. He tiptoed upstairs and quietly went back to sleep. It was 6:30.

Chapter One - The Dream

2007-02-21T20:49:00.000-08:00

Matt Wu, an 11 year old boy, woke up with a startled frightening look. His face was crooked and he said, “What a dream. It was a nightmare!” It was 2:40 in the morning, and Matt decided he had to fall asleep. He began to dream again.

He was running to the mansion with eerie windows. Something was right behind him. Matt turned and saw a pink-blue ghost heading towards him! Matt ran for his life towards the mansion and opened the door. He closed the door behind him. It was dark inside and all he could see was a pink dot in the middle of the room. The pink dot suddenly had 2 black dots in the middle. An ear formed, with a nose and a crooked mouth. The monster had humongous arms and a crooked smile. He floated towards Matt and said, “Aaaaeeemm gooieeng tooooo kill youuuuu”

Matt screamed and ran around the room. A small door barely visible was seen. Matt opened the door and closed it shut. It was pitch dark, darker than the new moon night. Suddenly, he was in his friend Blake’s room.

A small creature darted towards Matt and then onto the sleeping Blake. The creature transformed into the pink-blue monster and swiped Blake.

Matt re-appeared outside the mansion. The monster carried Blake inside the mansion.

Matt woke up and screamed. He glanced around. It was 5:45. Matt didn’t want to sleep.

He pictured Blake along with the monster kidnapping him. It was just a dream he thought. Just a dream, Blake is not kidnapped.

The telephone rang. Matt wondered who was calling so early, as he picked up the phone.

“Hello?”
“Is this Matt?” A familiar voice said
“Mrs. Tecks?”
“Hi. Umm…. There’s a situation at our house.”
“What?”
“Matt, Blake is missing! I already called the cops,” Mrs. Tecks cried.
“Hang on, I’m on my way!”