Jordan swallowed hard. “Hello, Lieutenant Jacob. I’m not the one in charge of this lab; my chemistry professor just allows me to work in here between classes, but I can go and find him for you.” Jordan stood up from his desk.
Lieutenant Jacob held up his hand. ‘No, that’s quite alright. I’ve been asking around campus where I might be able to find Jordan Schara, and this was the most popular answer. You are Jordan Schara, aren’t you?”
Jordan smiled nervously. “Yes, I am Jordan. Is there something I can assist you with?”
“As a matter of fact, there is. Word has reached the police department about one of your little experiments, and we were hoping that you might be willing to use it to aid us.”
Jordan cleared his throat. “Which experiment would that be?”
Lieutenant Jacob chuckled. “Your bullet proof cloth, of course. What experiment did you think I was talking about?”
Jordan chuckled nervously. “I’m not sure. I made a neat baking soda vinegar volcano in third grade. And my fabric is more than bullet proof, it’s indestructible.”
Lieutenant Jacob shrugged. “That sounds even better. We’d like to enter into a contract with you for body armor for all of our officers. How soon could you have them finished?”
Jordan held his hand up to his chin. “It’s a bit more complicated than that. I’ve run several tests on the fabric, including some with human subjects, and while it does stop bullets, the bullets still leave bruises, and painful ones. I could design a suit that includes some padding to prevent that, but I’ll need the measurements for each of your officers. Once I make it indestructible, you won’t be able to make any changes to it.”
“I see.” Lieutenant Jacob pulled out a pad of paper and a pen. “I think this just turned into more of a fact finding mission for me.” He started to scribble notes down on his pad of paper. “Okay, so you will need sizes of all the officers, what else do you need to know?”
“I need to know if I’m designing your uniforms from scratch, of if I’m just modifying your existing ones.”
Lieutenant Jacob scribbled down some more notes. “Okay, and now let’s talk about price. How much is this going to cost the department per uniform?”
Ryan burst into the room while looking down at his phone. “Becky is mad at me, for not coming over last night. How late do you want to train tonight?” Jordan cleared his throat and Ryan looked up. “Sorry, I didn’t know that you were meeting with someone.”
Jordan shook his head. “It’s alright, but I don’t know how late this meeting is going to go, so why don’t you go ahead and hang out with Becky? We can get back to work tomorrow.”
Lieutenant Jacob looked at the two of them with interest. “No, don’t mind me. I’d love to hear more about the training you were talking about.”
Ryan looked at Lieutenant Jacob. “Umm, football training. I play football for the school here, and Jordan had come up with some new experimental training.”
Jordan nodded his head. “That’s right. I have come up with a theoretical new method for athletic training, and Ryan has agreed to try it out for me.”
Lieutenant Jacob smiled. “I love football. I’d love to hear more about his.”
Jordan shook his head. “I’d rather not discuss it until I have more conclusive results. I believe you were asking about pricing for the uniforms?”
Lieutenant Jacob nodded his head. “Yes, I need to know the prices for the uniforms, for if you just modify our existing outfits, and one for designing new ones from scratch.”
Ryan waved to Jordan, and then turned and walked out of the lab. Jordan turned his focus back onto Lieutenant Jacob. “Well, we’d have to figure in the cost of the fabric and the padding, a fee for the design of the new uniform, and a cost per uniform for the process, so five hundred dollars for the design, assuming that you wanted about twenty new uniforms, it would probably cost about five hundred dollars per uniform.”
Jacob scribbled down some notes. “And if you just modified our uniforms? Assuming for the same number?”
Jordan closed his eyes for a second. “I’d still have to come up with a design for the padding, but I’d probably drop that down to two hundred and fifty dollars for the design, and about three hundred and fifty dollars a piece.”
Lieutenant Jacob scribbled down some more notes. “I’ll have to run these numbers past my captain, but I should be in touch before the end of the week.”
“That should be fine lieutenant, but if you don’t mind me asking, why the sudden interest in my technology?”
Lieutenant Jacob sighed. “It’s no secret that several police officers were injured trying to stop a robbery at Sam’s Electronics and Things, but that’s only part of the reason. You have heard about the Super Morpher, haven’t you.”
Jordan’s eyes opened wide. “I’ve heard of him, but I haven’t heard about him attacking the police at all.”
“Not openly, and not yet. There were two robberies yesterday, and I think that the Super Morpher organized them both.”
Jordan looked at Lieutenant Jacob confusedly. “I thought that he stopped the robberies though? Why would he organize them just to thwart them?”
“I think that he’s trying to build himself up as a hero, to get the people on his side so that he can pull off a huge robbery. Don’t you think it was a coincidence that he just so happened to show up at both of the robbery sites?”
Jordan shook his head. “I think you’re too suspicious of him. I think he’s just a good guy trying to do good things for the community. Shouldn’t you be trying to work with him instead of against him?”
Lieutenant Jacob frowned. “I don’t understand how everyone is so willing to trust this guy. You’ll all see eventually.” His eyes took on a faraway look as if he was daydreaming.
“So your captain wants new body armor because you are paranoid about the Super Morpher?”
Lieutenant Jacob shook his head. “Huh? What? No, my captain thinks that the city is about to be hit by a gang war. He wants to make sure that the police are equipped to deal with it, and bullet proof uniforms sound pretty good to us.”
Jordan’s eyes opened wide in shock. You think a gang war is coming? Shouldn’t you be alerting citizens and starting an evacuation?”
“We only have theories for now, so until we know for certain we don’t want to cause a panic.”
Jordan nodded. “I’ll start working on a design for your uniforms right away, so I’ll be able to start making them as soon as you tell me what route you want to take.”
“Thank you, Jordan, I’ll be in touch as soon as we reach a decision. Do you have a number that I can reach you at?”
Jordan grabbed a piece of paper and started scribbling his phone number on it. He handed over to Lieutenant Jacob. “Here, you should be able to reach me at that phone number. Is there anything else I can help you with today, Lieutenant Jacob?”
Lieutenant Jacob took the piece of paper from Jordan. “No, I think that should do it for today. Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Schara.” Lieutenant Jacob tipped his hat to Jordan and walked out of his lab.
Jordan stuck his head out of the door and watched Lieutenant Jacob walk down the hall. He walked back into his lab and picked up his cell phone and called Ryan. Ryan’s voice came back over the phone. “Hey, is he gone yet?”
“He is, and you need to get back here right away. I just heard rumors about a possible gang war in the city, and we have some work to do.”
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“Ryan, are you sure this is a good idea?”
Ryan jumped off of the roof of one building and onto the roof of another. “You were the one that said I should use my powers to do good, and that’s exactly what I’m doing.”
“I meant stopping trouble when it shows up, not hunting it down! Ryan, the Pit Vipers and Dragon’s Zoo gangs are two of the most dangerous gangs in this city!”
“I’m being proactive, Jordan.”
“You don’t even know what that word means!”
“Sure I do! I had to look it up when I was doing my reading for polisci class.”
Jordan sighed. “That’s not important! I wish you had never seen that story in the newspaper!”
Ryan stopped at the edge of one roof and looked down into an alley, and saw two youths with bandanas tied around their heads, one of them kicking an elderly man lying on the ground of the alley, and the other was pulling the man’s wallet out of his pocket. “I’ve got to go, Jordan. There’s a mugging in process I have to stop.” Ryan touched the edge of the rooftop, absorbed a chunk of brick, and jumped down into the alley.
The two youths stopped beating on the old man and turned to look at Ryan. “What are you supposed to be? Some sort of hero?”
Ryan smiled at them. “You could say that. I have a few questions I want to ask you. I’m hoping that you are smarter than you look and you decide to cooperate. Give the man back his wallet, now.”
One of the youth’s pulled a knife out of his pocket, and ran at Ryan. Ryan stood there and waited for the youth to reach him. The youth stabbed Ryan’s chest with his knife, and the knife blade shattered. The youth’s eyes opened up wide and he stared at the broken knife in shock. Ryan knocked the knife from the youth’s hand, grabbed him by the throat and pushed him into the brick wall. “Where can I find the Pit Vipers and Dragon’s Zoo? Where are their hideouts?”
The youth swallowed hard. “I don’t know anything about the Pit Vipers or the Dragon’s Zoo! You have to believe me.”
Ryan punched the youth’s face and tossed his unconscious form to the alley floor. He turned his attention onto the other youth standing over the old man. A knife dropped from his shaking hand. “I don’t know where the Pit Vipers call home, but I might know where you can find the Dragon’s Zoo!”
Ryan started slowly stalking toward him. “Tell me where to find them!”
“I-I-I will, but you have to let me go if I do!”
“You’ll tell me, and you will still go to jail, but I won’t shatter your bones! It’s your choice, but either way you will tell me what I want to know!”
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Ryan stood in front of the door of an old abandoned warehouse. Jordan’s voice came over the radio in Ryan’s ear. “Are you sure I can’t talk you out of this? I know you have powers, but taking on a whole gang by yourself is crazy!”
“With the combination of your suit and my powers, these guys won’t even be able to touch me. Don’t call the police until I give you the okay. I want some answers before I get chased off.” Ryan reached out and touched the metal door and absorbed a large chunk of it. His body changed into metal. Ryan punched the door, and it went flying into the warehouse.
Startled gangsters picked up guns and pointed them at Ryan. A man in leather jacket walked forward and laughed. “What, is it Halloween already? Sorry, little boy, but there is no candy here. I suggest you turn around and leave now before my boys start handing out lead instead.”
“I’m not interested in any candy, I’m here for answers. Where can I find the Pit Vipers? I have business with them.”
The man in the leather jacket pulled a pistol out of the back of his pants and pointed it at Ryan. “I gave you a chance.” He fired the pistol at Ryan. The bullet bounced off of Ryan’s chest, and a smile crossed Ryan’s face. The man in the leather jacket’s eyes opened up wide “Waste this punk!” All of the gang members started firing their guns at Ryan.
Ryan shook his head. “It’s my turn now.” Ryan ran into the middle of the gangsters and started punching and kicking. Thugs went flying around the room. Soon they were all lying around the room groaning. Ryan walked up to the man in the leather jacket. “I’m guessing you are the man in charge?”
The man groaned, and started to slowly crawl away. Ryan kicked the man in his chest and sent him sprawling onto the floor. “Yes, I’m the leader of the Dragon Zoo. What did we ever do to you?”
Ryan growled, “This isn’t about me, this is about what you are doing to the people of Leforn! Where can I find the Pit Vipers?”
“Is that all you want? The location of the Pit Vipers? So that you can do the same thing to them? I don’t think so.”
Ryan stepped on the man’s fingers, and the man screamed out in pain. “Loyalty among scum? I will admit that I didn’t expect to find that here, especially from two gangs that are fighting over the same city.”
The gang leader spit onto Ryan’s shoe. “Compared to you, they’re like brothers to me!”
Ryan reached down and grabbed the gang leader’s hair and pulled him up. The gang leader screamed. “I’m going to get the information I’m looking for one way or another, the only question is, how much pain are you going to go through before I get it.”
Jordan’s voice came over the radio. “Ryan, I don’t think I like how you are acting. Come back to the dorm and we can get a pizza.”
“Alright, I’ll talk! I’ll tell you where to find them, just let go of me!”
Ryan let go of the gang leaders hair and grabbed him by the collar of his leather jacket. “I’m listening.”
“The Pit Vipers hang out in the abandoned building that used to be Ed’s garage, over on 24th street.”
“Thank you, that wasn’t so hard was it? Not half as hard as my head is.” Ryan pulled the leader of the Dragon Zoo’s head up and headbutted him, and left him lying passed out on the floor of the hide out. Ryan stood up, turned back to normal and started walking out of the warehouse. “Give the police a call and tell them that they can find the Dragon’s Zoo gang here. I have a meeting with the Pit Vipers.”
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Ryan took a deep breath, reached out his hand and touched the thin metal sliding door that sealed shut Ed’s Garage, and he absorbed a strip of metal from the middle of the door. He grabbed the door by the edges of the missing strip, and peeled it open. He stepped through the newly made opening and was surprised to see a room full of people with guns pointed at him. “You know you didn’t need to wait for me to start the party, guys.”
“Leo gave us the heads up that you were coming, and we’re going to do to you everything you did to him… and worse! Get him boys!” The gang members started firing at Ryan, and Ryan started laughing.
“Is this supposed to intimidate me? Let me show you how that’s done!” Ryan charged at the closest thug and punched him in the face. The thug went down and Ryan turned to face the rest of the gang and gasped when he saw a grenade roll to a stop at his feet. Ryan’s eyes opened wide in panic and he reached out of the grenade. the piece of metal that Ryan absorbed reappeared and he absorbed the grenade. His body turned into metal once more, and he glanced nervously around the room. “I just absorbed a grenade, what do I do?”
Jordan’s voice came over the radio. “You did what? Are you crazy? Why would you do that?”
“One of these thugs threw a grenade at me. I thought it might be a better idea to absorb it than be blown up by it!”
The gang leader tilted his head. “Who is he talking to? Take this crazy guy out!” The gang members started firing at Ryan again.
Jordan sighed. “If you haven’t blown up yet, I’m thinking you might be safe. I’d get rid of it as soon as you can though.”
Ryan turned and looked at the gang. “Sorry, guys, but my friend says I can’t stay for supper. We’ll have to make this fast!” Ryan charged at the closest group of thugs, and he began throwing punches and kicks, sending gang members flying across the room. Ryan finally made his way over to a man with purple spiked hair and a white tank top on, and kicked him in his midriff. The man doubled over in pain and fell to the ground.
“I’m done here, go ahead and call the police.” Ryan turned to go, but stopped and noticed a tattoo on the back of the hand of the man he had just kicked. It was a tattoo of a snake strangling a heart, and it was identical to the tattoo on the back of the other gang leaders hand.
Jordan came over the radio. “Alright, the police are on their way, you need to get out of there, Ryan. What are you going to do about that grenade?”
Ryan bent over and picked up a crowbar laying in the middle of the floor, and ran out of the garage. “I’ve given that a bit of thought, and I think the best place to dispose of it is in the river.”
“But you don’t know how much time you have left before it explodes! It could blow up right after it reappears!”
Ryan ran toward a fence that bordered the river. “That’s why I’m going in with it.” Ryan took a deep breath, jumped over the fence and into the river. He released the grenade and turned back to normal, and instantly absorbed the crowbar in his hand, turning into iron. He began to sink toward the bottom of the river, and the grenade detonated. A shock wave was sent through the river, and crashed into Ryan, but it didn’t do any damage to his iron body.
Ryan turned back to normal,and the crowbar settled onto the bottom of the river. Ryan swam to the surface, and dragged his body up onto the river bank. Jordan’s voice was distorted over the radio. “Ryan, are you okay? What are you planning?”
“I told you what I had planned, I jumped into the river and released the grenade, and everything is fine now.”
“What do you mean everything is fine now? Do you have any idea what kind of damage the shock wave from the grenade’s detonation could have caused to your internal organs?”
“Of course I know, that’s why I changed into iron. I do pay some attention in class, Jordan.”
“At least when it has something to do with explosions I guess. I think you should be done for the night, Ryan. Head back to the dorm and I’ll take a look at your radio, it sounds like it may have been damaged when you jumped into the water.”
Ryan started running alongside the river. “I think you’re right. Your voice sounds really distorted. I want you to look something up for me quick. Both of the gang leaders had the same tattoo on their hands, of a snake strangling a heart.”
“Hmm, I’ll look into it for you and we can talk about it when you get back.”
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Police officers led handcuffed gang members into squad cars. Lieutenant Jacob nodded his head and scribbled some notes while listening to what the purple-spiked-haired gang leader was saying. He turned to a police officer standing at his side. “I’ve heard enough from this guy, go ahead and load him up with the others.”
Lieutenant Jacob walked over to where the police chief was standing with a group of other officers. The chief chuckled. “I can’t remember the last time we had this busy of a night. Thirty gang members, from two different gangs all picked up in one night? I have a feeling that this city is going to be a little safer with two less gangs running around in it.”
Lieutenant Jacob shook his head. “I don’t know about that, chief. I was talking with that gang leader, and he said that the Super Morpher was behind it.”
The chief shook his head. “Remind me to thank him the next time I see him. I don’t understand how you can doubt that he’s a good guy, and a good thing for this city.”
“I still think he’s part of a rival gang, and he’s just taking out his competition.”
The chief looked disapprovingly at Jacob. “If you don’t drop it with this Super Morpher stuff I’m going to send you in for a psych evaluation, Jacob. Now why don’t you go down to county and book all of our new friends and get them ready for their little sleep over.”
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A man in a white suit looked out of a window at the skyline of the city, swirling a glass of wine that he holds delicately with one hand. “Your sources say he took out both gangs completely, and single handedly?”
Another man, resting on one knee with his head bowed toward the floor, replied, “That’s right. They say its the actions of that new costumed hero running around town.”
“Yes, I’ve heard of him. I found him most intriguing when I first heard of him, but now that he’s interfering in my business he’s simply a nuisance, and one that must be dealt with immediately.”
“Shall I spread the word to the other gang leaders?”
“Yes, tell them that I’m putting a bounty out onto the Super Morpher’s head. Ten million dollars to the one that can bring him to me alive, and two million if they can bring him to me dead.”
The kneeling man stood up and pulled a glove onto his hand covering a tattoo of a serpent strangling a heart. “I’ll spread the word at once, but why do you want him brought to you alive?”
The man at the window turned and smiled. “I’ve made it as far as I have in this world because I know the secret of business. Either assimilate your competition, or annihilate it. By the end of this week the Super Morpher will either be working for me, or rotting in the sewers.”
The man smiled back. “And that is why no business man with half a brain crosses you, boss.”
Thank you for checking out my story, if you liked this and want to see more stories like it, check out the other stories I’m working on writing, here: Tales of the Imagination, check out my facebook page for updates on the stories here: Facebook, and follow me on Twitter here: @EJBorchardt. Please like, comment, and tell your friends if you like what you’ve read. Don’t forget to come back on Monday when I will post part of one the next chapter of Beast Blades. Also, if you enjoy reading my stories, and you enjoy drawing, I’m looking for pictures of my characters. If you want to send me your fan art, I promise to include it with some of my posts! I look forward to seeing that art!
Tales of the Imagination 