The Tale of Gregory (Part 1)



'''The Return '''

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Stories-



My father used to tell me stories of a club called the S.S.C. He told me of their fighting skill and ability to carry out a mission without looking back. He told me how strong they were and that no enemy could stand in their way of victory. But my father also told me about their love for one another. He told me how every person in the S.S.C respected and cared for each other in times of need. He would often bring up his days in the S.S.C and how he and his master Brett Blakley had stopped the most evil of foes through teamwork. Although my mother didn’t always side with his stories, she too claimed to have been part of the elusive fighting squad. Honestly, I never believed either of them. I was certain that they were simply fairy tales that my parents whipped together just to make me confused. It didn’t help my dad that he had no REAL proof that any of this existed. The others whom he mentioned in his stories had “disappeared years ago,” he often told me. As for the club itself, my father told me that it too had disappeared as time went on. It was only until my father told me of their sad moments in the S.S.C that I truly believed him. He told me of how Brett had turned on them, how the great Tim Allender had to leave his old friend for dead, how Night Riser had tricked everyone into falling right into his trap. I guess it was the look in his eyes that told me it was real. Ever since that day, I trained with my father to find the S.S.C, join it, and become a legendary hero like him. Of course becoming a hero takes a whole lot more…



Awake and Alive-



“Wake up Gregory!” I heard my dad yell from behind my door. “You’ve got a big day ahead of you!” I slowly began to recall what today was just as he continued. “Today's the day that you join the S.S.C and prove I’m not crazy!” he said with a laugh. I heard my mom walk over to him, “Let’s focus more on the fact that today is the first day of 11th grade”. “Yeah,” replied my dad, “that too…”. I was honestly freaked out to go to school today and hunt down a club while simultaneously learning what is going on. But I had to get up eventually. I rolled myself out of my bed and prepared myself for the big day I had ahead of me. I don’t think I’ve ever seen my dad with a bigger smile on his face. “You ready for this?” he whispered so my mom wouldn’t hear. “I guess,” I replied simply. “Don’t take this lightly, if you weren’t my son, they would probably not let you in at your age.” “You don’t even know their still around dad,” I replied with a chuckle. “Oh I can tell; I can feel it in my bones… of course that might be the spaghetti your mom made last night.” Mom looked over at my dad disdainfully and then called me over to her. In contrast with my dad, she didn’t look to jolly. “Promise me you’ll be careful today, okay?” I paused for a moment. My mom continued, “We will stick up for you if you get into any S.S.C-related trouble.” “But we can’t always be there to help you out.” “That’s okay mom,” I said quickly before giving her a sappy hug and running out the door to my beat up car which I call Zombie because it should be dead by now, but it still runs.



Back to School-



Pulling up our huge school never felt so sickening as my mind raced with ideas on how to lure out the S.S.C. And what a terrible day to do it, considering the fact that it was like -20 degrees outside that day. Inside, everybody seemed to be just as worried as I was. Half of them looked like they were going to throw up. For most people, this was probably not because they didn’t know what to do, but simply because they were in school again. Last year, my dad had pointed out a couple kids at a Football game that fit the characteristics of an S.S.C member. I had never met the kids or really seen them around the school to be honest. But now I was looking for them whether or not they knew a thing. I was hoping they would simply ask to see some of my moves and I would be let in. After all, I wasn’t all that bad of a fighter. And everyone knew that, ever since I beat up the biggest jerk of the school: Steven. In fact, it was because of how well I beat up Steven that my dad decided to mention the S.S.C to me in the first place. I was hoping this would get me into the S.S.C; not just the fact that I have a dad that was a big part of it. My plan was already going wrong as the day nearly reached its half-way mark. I had not seen the two kids and my hopes were running low. Then lunch came around and everything changed.



Gregory Vs. Steven-



<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">The entire school campus is open for lunch. As you can imagine, I wasn’t all that excited about going into the freezing cold air. But sitting inside would just get me packed in with the freshman who have no choice but to sit inside and eat. While searching for my friends, my eyes came across a figure standing under an old oak tree, reading a paper of some sort. I immediately recognized this kid as one of the guys my dad had pointed out at the Football game. He had short, black hair and big blue eyes that almost didn’t make you notice the small scar above is right eyebrow. He didn't glance at me although I got the feeling that he was incredibly alert to my presence. Just as I neared the oak tree, a brick wall stood in my way. I looked up at the unmoving giant and saw it to be none other than Steven himself. "Thought you could hide from me?" he said, trying to sound bitter. "I'm not hiding from anybody, you should really go Steven, we've been through this like, 8 times now." "Don't try to weasel your way out of a beating," he replied and then lunged at me. With his fist in the air, I quickly dodged the incoming punch and stretched his arm around his back in mid-air. Steven landed on both feet and sent me stumbling forward for a second. In this time, Steven had regained his footing and gave me a good side-swipe to the face. "I think you'll thank me for this," he said; laughing. Without a word, I head-butted him in the face and followed it up with a barrage of punches. Steven managed to dodge some of these and simply pushed me away while he tried to cool down. While hurtling to the ground, I looked around to make sure teachers or students weren't coming by. Our fray had gone unnoticed so far. Then I looked back at the kid under the tree. He was looking at me now, hardly moving. He seemed to simply be a stature. Before I could do anything else, Steven got me into a head-lock, which was a mistake. I pushed all my weight backwards and simultaneously jumped up to head-butt him in the chin while we fell. Steven took most of the damage and let me go immediately. "9th time I've beaten you now," I said, "You really need to work on that head-lock." Steven didn't answer and simply stumbled away breathing heavily.

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">The Beginning?-

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">As I rubbed away the pain on my face, I turned to the buy by the tree, only to find him looking directly at me now with what I believe to be the perfect poker face. "You’re Gregory?" he said lightly. I was honestly surprised he knew my name, maybe my father was right. "Y-yes" I replied simply. The boy stood there staring at me as if he expected me to say something more. "I have been searching for a club..." the boys stare did not change. “It’s called the S.S.C... have you heard of it by any chance?" The boy stood there probably more still than ever. He seemed to be thinking about something. I remember thinking in my head how pointless this was, surely the first guy I asked wouldn't know about the schools most secretive club. I guess that made his response all the more surprising, "Yes" he replied quickly. I could hardly keep from grinning ear-to-ear. Before I could say anything he spoke up again, "I guess you wouldn't ask about us unless you wanted to join, huh?" "Yeah, I've been training with my father for this" I replied with a smile. The boy did not seem satisfied, "Well if you want some REAL training, you'll stop by the barn off the corner of Hickory Street; tonight." With that, the boy turned his back and walked off slowly. I was not very happy with his response to this. My father had trained me for the very reason so that the S.S.C wouldn't have to do it. I decided to speak what was on my mind, "My father is George," I yelled to the boy as he continued his walk, "He trained me for this!" The boy stopped only for a minute and; looking over his shoulder replied "Things have changed..." With that, he left me alone wanting to say more but feeling as if it wouldn't do any good.

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Meeting the S.S.C-

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">My first meeting with an S.S.C member stood out in my head as being very strange. I hadn't expected this boy to be so serious. My father had mentioned that some S.S.C members aren't too friendly, but this guy seemed to be a flat-out jerk. School was the least of my problems as I thought about what could possibly be at the barn. As far as I knew, the barn had been abandoned years ago. I had never seen anyone go in or out of it. Unfortunately, my gut told me to go anyways and once it turned 7:00, I walked to the crooked old barn as the sun began to set. It was just as quiet and eerie as it always had been. My hopes of anyone being inside were almost completely blown away by the time I opened the wooden door-way. My heart nearly skipped three beats as I peered inside, only to find 5 sets eyes staring at me. I tried not to look surprised. "I'm not late am I?" I asked hesitantly. One stood up, he was big and muscular, had bruises scattered over his face, and had blazing red hair. "Very late!" he yelled in anger. I took a few steps back as he stomped over to me, pointing his finger in my face. "You think you can just show up whenever you want around here and get away with it!" He pushed me against the wall as I struggled out the words "No-one told me what time I sho-" "Shut-up!" The kid replied as he raised his fist in the air. I couldn't help but cower in fear at this huge kid I had never seen before. As I waited to be knocked out, all I heard was silence then laughter! I uncovered my eyes only to find the kid laughing hysterically along with another kid with blonde hair that I had never seen before as well. Beside him was the very boy I had met that morning, a kid with glasses, and another who seemed just as freaked out as I was. "Stop messing around Patch," said the guy in glasses; putting an end to the laughter. 'Patch' slowly died down the laughter as did his blonde friend. "I was just messing with him," he said in an offended voice. "Chris is right," said the blonde kid to Patch, "his screams could probably be heard from across the block." the two broke out in laughter as I tried to hide the fact that I was extremely embarrassed and confused. Finally, the kid who I met that morning stood up and gestured back Patch to his seat surprisingly easily. "So you want to b an S.S.C member huh?" he said sternly. "Yes, my father as told me a lot about the S.S.C," I said as seriously as I could. "To what date?" said the kid in the glasses. "About 2013" I said honestly. "That was like 23 years ago!," said the stern kid, "Like I told you, things have changed... everything's changed..." I was honestly confused at this point. "What do you mean?" I asked, "What’s changed?" Patch stood up quickly, "We don't have to tell you anything until you prove that you are even capable of putting up a fight!" "For once, I agree with Patch," said the stern S.S.C member, "fighting the local bully of the school isn't anything compared to what we're up against now." I decided it was best not to argue with any of them. I had gotten this far, I might as well not ruin it with more questions. "Where do I start?" I said energetically. "You start with Hawk," said the blonde kid. "What do you mean?" I asked quickly. The blonde kid continued, "Hawk was with the S.S.C for two years and was a trusted ally to us all. One day his obedience turned to our enemies. Hawk is now considered one of the most dangerous threats to S.S.C security." "So you want me to find him?" I asked. "Yes," replied the blonde kid, "and bring him to us." The serious S.S.C member walked up to me and handed over an envelope. "Anything you need to know about Hawk can be found in his biography," he mumbled. "Thank you sir!" I replied. The stern looking kid gave me a slight smile and replied, "Please... you can call be Commander Spike."

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Mellow-Falls-

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">I decided it was best to wait until after school the next morning in order to find Hawk. In this time, I could learn everything about him from his biography and use this to my advantage. But really, that was on the back of my mind. I had successfully got into the S.S.C and met with the heroes of the school! It was like a dream come true. I told my father all about it in the morning and he seemed just as excited about it as I was. But he warned me to be careful finding Hawk and my mother told me the same thing except she said it about 200 times. That very day after school, I was on the hunt. Hawk had last been seen in town by a local gas station I was familiar with. If he had went inside, I could ask by buddy Edd if I could view the tapes. I waited until it was his shift and approached him just like any other day. After explaining my situation, Edd told me that he couldn't show me the tapes but did explain to me that a kid had dropped by the gas station multiple times for water and beef jerky. This led me to believe that Hawk was camping out in the woods. There were multiple wooded areas around our city but one that stood out to me was Mellow-Falls. Mellow-Falls was a tourist attraction due to the small waterfalls and good fishing lakes inside of it. Hawk would be easy to spot in any other wooded area, but in Mellow-Falls, he would blend right in. Later that night, I snuck into Mellow-Falls and avoided any contact with the campers there. Hawk wouldn't just be talking with everyone, he would be off on his own, trying to find a good hiding place from people like me. It's probably needless to say how worried I was, I had goose bumps all over my body and I couldn't tell if it was because of the cold; or the fact that I was scared out of my mind. Getting caught here would put me in big trouble if I didn't have a pass. But if Hawk could do it, so could I. After circling the Mellow-Falls more times than I could count, I found nothing and decided to go back home to think things out. I layed in bed for hours wondering what I did wrong and what I could have done better. I looked at the picture of Hawk in his biography. Once again, I had never seen this kid before and I suspected he was from a different school like the other S.S.C members I met.

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Mudd's Clue-

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">In the morning, I was awoken to the unpleasant sound off my mother screaming for me to come downstairs. After dragging myself to the living room I found muddy footprints all over the floor and my mom looking very unhappy with me. "You tracked mud in here!" she yelled. "Sorry," I replied simply, "I stayed up late trying to find Hawk in Mellow-Falls." My mother looked at me and the floor disdainfully, "Don't do it again or you’re going to be the one to clean it up!" Pleased by this, I ate my breakfast and went to another grueling day of school. It was only in 6th period that I realized something I had never thought of before. If I had tracked mud into the house, wouldn't that mean that I left footprints behind at Mellow-Falls? And wouldn't that mean the same thing for Hawk?

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">End of the Hunt-

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">The very moment school ended, I raced to Mellow Falls with the bulging backpack weighing me down. As I had previously thought, Hawk was probably hiding somewhere that no-one could see him. So his footprints would be away from any other residents of the falls. Still lugging my back-back with me, I stumbled across my old footprints and was surprised to see new ones surrounding it. My mind immediately jumped to Hawk; he knew I was coming for him! I followed the new tracks through the uncharted parts of the woods and eventually heard rustling coming from the bushes behind me. Without hesitation I dove behind the nearest tree I could find and tried to listen for more noise. But I was so worked up at this point that all I could hear was the sound of my own breathing. Just as I peered from my tree, a fist came hurtling in my direction and hit my chest with an echoing thud. I fell back and realized that my book bag was still weighing me down and I struggled to get out of it. I came to the realization that it was on to tight and that my arm would get stuck if I kept this up. Just then, a tall figure stepped over me. His face matched the picture in his biography, this was surely Hawk. "Looking for someone?" he asked with a smirk. I tried to brush off the look of terror on my face. I had never fought anyone with a 50 pond back-pack on me! "I said; ARE YOU LOOKING FOR SOMEONE!" Hawk yelled. I slowly propped myself up and without saying a word, attacked.

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Gregory Vs. Hawk-

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">My fist came in contact with nothing but air. Hawk dodged it and jabbed me right in the side with what felt like a rock. More horror came over my face when I noticed that it was only his hand. I did notice something odd though, Hawk had a long metal pole strapped to his back, I assumed this was simply armor and tried to spin-trip him. However, as soon as I bent down, the weight of the back-pack sent me down to the ground. "You're new at this aren't you?" Hawk said with a laugh. "As Hawk stood over me gloating, I reached into the back pack and lifted out two heavy books. Before Hawk could re-act, I through the first one at him and struck his face. Hawk's laughing died out instantly. He quickly reached over his shoulder and took out the long metal pole. Upon, throwing the second book, Hawk hit it out of the way with ease and rushed towards me. I only managed to stand up as he dashed into me and cornered me against a tree with the pole to my throat. "That was a mistake," Hawk told me in a grizzly voice. I looked at my still full backpack and noticed that if I rubbed it against the tree, it would un-zip all the way! "Looks like you just made the mistake," I said quickly. As Hawk prepared a bash to the face, I rubbed up against the tree just enough to un-zip the rest of my book bag and let all the supplies fall out. Now lightened up, I kneed Hawk in the stomach and elbowed him in the face just as he stumbled back. Hawk was so off-guard; he dropped the metal pole and was down on the ground long enough for me to pick it up. The pole was surprisingly light and move swiftly as well. Needless to say, it didn't take me long to figure out how to use it. With Hawk only now picking himself up from the ground, I gave him a quick whack to the side of his head and finished him with a sudden head-butt to the forehead. Remembering what the S.S.C members told me, I rushed towards the barn with Hawk beside me. I would have to come back and get my muddy books, later.

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Tears of the Enemy-

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">It took me longer to get to the barn than I expected. Every time a car would pass by, I would have to throw the KO'd Hawk and myself to the ground and pretend like we were looking up at the sky. I can only imagine what the people driving by thought. It wasn't long before Hawk woke up and instead of putting up another fight, he walked with me. This had to be the longest, most awkward silence I ever had to sit through. I finally looked back at his face and saw tears building up in his eyes. "Something wrong?" I asked; trying not to sound like I cared. Hawk gave a few sniffles and suddenly burst into tears and dropped to his knees. My mind was racing, was this guy trying to trick me? or was he just insane? "I... can't go..." Hawk managed to say through the tears. "I have to take you to the S.S.C," I replied. "It is my mission." Hawk continued to sob and bury his face in the ground. "I didn't do the things that they said!" Hawk yelled. "I was framed by somebody!" Now my stomach felt like it had just gained a few pounds. Before I could say more, Hawk continued. "If... you take me there, they will beat... me up until I just admit...to a crime I didn't commit." As Hawk let out more tears, I slowly began to consider letting him go. The S.S.C didn't tell me much about what he had even done, maybe they weren't sure either. "Get out of here..." I said quickly. Hawk finally ceased his crying and looked up at me with confusion. "Go on," I said. "I'll let you go this once." Hawk gave me a genuine smile and as he ran off, gave a whisper that sounded like a thank you.

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">The Test-

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">I didn't know what I'd say to the S.S.C for what I had just done. How would they re-act? My father told me many stories of his fights with enemies of all kinds, but he never mentioned them crying, he never mentioned the punishments for letting a target go. My mind was buzzing with possible explanations or lies that might set get me off the hook. But each little idea I had was shot down when I realized that there would be no way they would believe a new recruit like me... if that's even what I was. I approached the old barn again with still no signs of life to be seen. However, just as it was before, the five members were sitting in the barn waiting for me. Commander Spike was on his cell phone speaking to someone when I entered. Upon seeing me, Spike told the person on the other line to come in, in a few minutes. I was practically trembling and I could tell the S.S.C member named Patch was going to pounce on this fear any minute now. "Well," asked Spike. "Where is your target?" I gulped and said "I... let him go... I think he is innocent. I know it sounds crazy but I just... couldn't bring myself to it. I swear I had him..." My voice began to trail off and most of the members looked at me distastefully. "Come on in!" yelled Spike to a figure I hadn't noticed was standing at the door. The figure stepped in and I was awestruck to see none other than Hawk standing in the door-way. I had so many questions but I couldn't find my voice. "This was all a test," Spike said bluntly, "Hawk is still an S.S.C member, and we told him what to do if you were to beat him. You may be strong, but you still need the heart to be in the S.S.C. People get hurt, and you don't always understand what’s going to happen, but you have to pull through for the greater good." I nearly fell against the wall with shame weighing me down. "I guess you don't have room for a guy like me then..." I said sadly. There was a short pause before Spike spoke up. "On the contrary, half of your team made the same mistake when they were in training." "My...team?" I replied with confusion. Commander Spike gave the biggest smile I had ever seen on his face and gestured to all the other members who were sitting in the room. "Yep, your team, right here." All my anxiety stopped at once (as did my heart almost). "I'm an actual S.S.C member now!" I asked with happiness in my voice. "An S.S.C member in TRAINING," Spike corrected. "Gregory, welcome to Team Ice."

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Team Ice-

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">The blonde kid stood up first and smiled at me. "I'm Luke," he said. "I am basically the leader of this team." I was shocked and sort of relieved that it wasn't Patch. The kid with the glasses was the next one to approach me. "And I'm Chris," he mentioned with a peaceful smile. "I am in charge of weapons, plans, food supplies, and all that other stuff that no-one really cares about." Both of us let out a short laugh and Chris motioned over to Patch. "You've already met Patch now I presume." I finally found the voice to ask a question. "Why is he called Patch if you all go by your real names?" Patch straightened up and stared at Chris and Luke with hate. "You better not tell him!" he grumbled. Luke just laughed and turned back to me, "When he first joined the S.S.C, he wore an eye-patch because he thought it would make him look tough. It took him about a week to figure out that we were making fun of him behind his back for doing it." I couldn't help but smile and look over at Patch who was refusing to look at any of us now. My attention was now drawn to the kid sitting over in the other corner. He was so quiet that I had hardly noticed him the first time I had come to the barn. He was either really shy or a top-notch spy. It turned out to be the latter one Chris spoke up. "Lastly, there is Guppy," he said. "We call him that because he was our newest member before you showed up." Guppy looked up at me briefly and managed to say a light 'hello'. "Does this mean that my new name will be Guppy?" I asked without fear in my voice. Just as Patch was about to speak, Luke cut him off. "Of course not, your George's son!" "Big deal," Patch mumbled. "He is still new." Chris stepped up to Patch and looked him square in the eye. "How will George re-act when he figures out how you've been treating his son?" Patch looked at me angrily one last time and then turned his back. I decided that it was time for me to speak up again. "Thanks guys, you all seem great..." "Glad you think so," said Chris. "Because Spike has something important to tell you tomorrow... unfortunately..."

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">The Dream-

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">I had gotten home late that night and my father repeatedly asked me how things went. I explained the situation and told him that Team Ice would tell me more after I had a talk with Commander Spike. I went to bed that night feeling happy to finally be part of the club I had spent my life dreaming about. I finally fell asleep and I suppose that is where things began to change. I dreamt that I was in another school, the room I was in was completely empty and I could hear arguing from the other side of a door. Peeking out the door, I saw that I was in a huge building that reached high up into the air and had multiple floors filled with bustling teens and even adults. I quickly came to the assumption that this was a college. Despite the hundreds of people, all I could hear was the sound of two guys arguing. There noises were jumbled up and as I pushed against the door to hear more, the whole thing gave way and I found myself at the feet of the two boys. They were both in their teens and something about one of them seemed oddly familiar. He had blonde hair like me, but it wasn't cut quite as short. He was a bit taller and reminded me of someone I had met. The sounds of the two arguing grew increasingly faint until almost everything was eerily quiet. Everything finally went black and just as I was about to wake up from this odd dream, I heard one of the boys shout "You don't have to do this!" I quickly shot up from bed and looked around. Everything was normal again, but what was the dream trying to tell me?

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">A Meeting with Spike-

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">After school had ended, I made my way to the barn where I was to meet Spike for our important chat. But that was the last thing on my mind after the dream. It was oddly old out that day and the barn didn't really make things any warmer. I entered the barn and as suspected, found Commander Spike waiting for me there. "Good," he said. "You're right on time." "What is it you wanted to tell me?" I said while taking a seat. We'll get to that in a minute," he said. "Why do you want to join the S.S.C Gregory?" A chill went up my spine and I realized that Spike wasn't just going to give me a little talk; this was going to be important. I spoke up, "I want to be like my father and fight off the bullies and other clubs who try to ruin student's lives...like THEM." Spike looked at me for a while in an odd face that seemed amused. "THEM was formed years ago when other students realized that if the S.S.C ever became too powerful it would end up endangering its own members and other student's lives. It was destroyed years ago around your father's time. Once THEM was defeated, the S.S.C didn't have enemies for the longest time." I contemplated this for a while and then spoke again, "Well you still fight bullies right? Where would the S.S.C be without some sort of enemy?" Spike sighed, "No, we don't fight bullies anymore either... that is why I didn't help you when you were being attacked by Steven." I was now getting confused and upset, why join the S.S.C if you can't even fight? I decided to raise my voice a bit, "Then what good is the S.S.C anymore? What do you do if you don't have enemies? Are you trying to say that I'm not good enough to join your club! Is that what this talk is for?!" I realized I was starting to yell and I slumped down in my seat as Spike starred e down. "We have enemies," he said. "And that is why we need your help. But you can only help us if you trust us... and we trust you as well. I suppose it's time I explain things to you, about why things can't be the way they once were."

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">A New Enemy-

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">"It started about two years ago,” Spike said dreadfully. "The S.S.C was contacted by the long-retired Brett Blakely. Brett explained to us that a robbery was in session over at a local bank. The robbery was being performed by a gang we had our eyes on lately: Scythe. Some other guys and I rushed off to the bank to capture the gang members and get the money back." Spike paused for a moment to let it sink in. He seemed to look sort of sick to his stomach. Finally, he continued, "By the time we reached the bank, the robbery had ended and not only were the gang members gone, but they shot the tellers and any witnesses who were in the bank itself. It was only the next day that we started getting threats from Scythe. Somehow, they had lost the $14,000 they stole and even more strangely, they blamed us for its disappearance! We have been told to give back the money in what is now 5 days or else an S.S.C member would be killed for every day it is not turned in. Things got worse when we sent in a spy and he was caught almost instantly and sent back with the message, You are running out of time." Now Spike was leaning back in his chair and staring at the ceiling in grief. "Brett retired about 24 years ago," I said. "How did you even know it was really him?" Spike sighed and replied, "Our leader at the time was Rodrick, and he asked Brett questions and codes over the phone to prove it was really him... Brett got every answer correct," Spike continued. "After the news that we were going to be hunted down by Scythe, nearly every single S.S.C member quite... we only have three teams now, about 16 members, no leader, and fading hopes." Spike looked as if he was about to puke again and I was also beginning to feel sick to my stomach. How could I be a part of a club that could possibly get me killed?! I spoke up with another question, "If there is no leader, why don't you take the position, you already run most of the things around here?" Spike sighed again, "I don't want to be the one everyone blames when things turn sour, a leader would just present a bigger target for Scythe. They have 'hunters' who have already found other S.S.C members and given them brutal questioning on where the money is." "Just call the cops!" I yelled in retort. "We tried that once, but Scythe has figured out ways to escape the police and even make bribes with the officers themselves. It could also draw attention to the S.S.C.   We have been warned not to call again or we would pay the price. Scythe is a very dangerous gang but it is also very intelligent, it knows when something is wrong." Everything was silent after that as more ides of hope shot into my head but were sunk back with the realization that one faulty move could endanger a person's life! "I suppose you wouldn't blame me if I quite now..." I asked? Spike looked back into my eyes again and proclaimed "No, none of us could blame you for not wanting to get involved in this... chaos." I gave Spike a short smirk, "Well sign me up, I said. I'm ready to take on chaos."

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Learning from the Pros-

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">I was sent to an old hill near town for some briefing by my fellow team-mates Chris and Luke. Imagine my surprise when I arrived only to find myself first to a meeting place for once. I layed down in the soft grass and stared up at the crystal blue sky, it looked as if it actually wasn't going to rain, which is a change compared to are usual pouring weather. "Enjoying the view?" called the voice of Chris from a distance. I got up and saw the two members walking peacefully down one of the steep hills, towards me. The two were different now and I soon realized that they were sporting black and red vests, a metal pole strapped to their backs, and brown belts, bulging with unknown items. I began to recall my battle with Hawk as I realized that I had seen him with these similar outfits. In fact, I was so caught up staring at the equipment; I forgot to respond to Chris and Luke who were now standing right in front of me. Luke spoke first, "I see you've noticed our gear." "It's hard to miss," I replied. "What is that pole thing?" Luke pulled out the long pole with grace and tossed it to me. "These are M-Sticks," he said as he gestured to some marks on one end. "For every opponent you KO with these things, you add a mark. If you get up to 30 you can receive another one." I felt the pole in my hands, it was surprisingly light and swift when moved through the air, the entire thing felt quit natural and I noted that Luke had 20 marks already chiseled into the M-Stick. "This is great!," I proclaimed as I gave it a swing. "Check this out," called Chris as he removed the black and red vest. Immediately, Chris tossed it to me and I was surprised to find it heavier than expected. I looked closely at the vest and saw that it had some sort of light-weight material on the inside. "What is in this thing bud?" I asked curiously. Chris's mouth shot into a smile and it was clear that he liked to explain this sort of thing. "It's two light-weight vests which have been sewn together and stuffed with fiber-glass sheets. This allows the person wearing to sustain less damage yet still keeps some flexibility intact. I didn't design the thing, but it was my personal idea to incorporate fiber-glass instead of metal sheets." "Nobody likes a bragger," Luke said as he pushed Chris aside and took the vest from my hand. We also have these belts; they are basically everything else you might need on or off the battle-zone." "Like what?" I asked eagerly. Luke quickly un-buttoning a few pouches and removed a few items. "We have water, food, poison ivy, rope, mini-binoculars, a flashlight, walkie-talkie, and marbles. Does that sound like enough?" I laughed as I asked, "What are the marbles for?" Chris walked up to me now and closely let me examine the 'marble'. "We just call them marbles," Chris replied. "They are actually a modified B-B Gun bullet for a special little project I am working on and Luke shouldn't even have them!" Chris reached for the other marbles but Luke pulled them away and kept them from Chris while laughing like a child. I stood there smiling for the longest time as I realized that despite the situation, the .S.C still had life in it, and hopefully it would continue to have life in it in the future. Chris gave up on trying to get the marbles away from Luke and instead took off a back-pack he was wearing and removed another vest and full belt! My heart skipped a beat as I yelled, "Are those... are those for me!?" Luke smiled as Chris gently placed them in my hands. "Every member needs some, just don't lose it. Chris doesn't like making more." I scanned my new possessions and put them on with ease. They fit me surprisingly well and it didn't take long for me to notice that something was missing. "What about an M-Stick?" I asked hastily. "You will get that when you prove yourself to be a good soldier," replied Luke. "And if you are REALLY good, then you can expect some medals in your future. After-all, your dad was and is regarded as one of the best S.S.C soldiers of all time." "Really?" I replied. "You think so?" "Of course!" Luke yelled. "Your dad was taught by the great Brett Blakley, fighting is in your blood! You could be just the guy to save us all from Scythe!" I gave a smirk but my insides were now starting to hurt. The thought occurred to me that maybe I was getting in over my head... a lot."

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">The Mystery of Brett-

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">It was later on that Saturday night that I decided to ask my dad about Brett once my mom went to sleep. He had often mentioned stories of Brett and how he could over-come any obstacle. The stories of Brett were so great that even when I began to believe in the S.S.C, I still wasn't sure that Brett was ever an actual person. Yet, my father never did tell me what happened after the fighting was over. He would end every story of Brett with happy endings; I just hoped that a new story wouldn't change things. "Dad, what ever happened to your master... Brett I mean?" My dad sighed and mumbled, "After me, Brett, Tim, Tye, and your mother built back the S.S.C, we a few troops and it didn't take long before Brett went off to college. I went to a different college and thus our lives went separate ways." My dad's voice trailed off and I noticed how sad he looked. This was odd seeing that my dad is usually smiling ALL THE TIME. And while I usually thought it was creepy, I think I'd prefer to see him smile rather than frown. He soon started talking again, "Only Tim went to the same college as Brett and Tye didn't go to college at all. Only your mother and I stayed in touch and as for everyone else... well I guess they must have forgotten my number... or they just don't care anymore." My father quickly straightened up upon saying this and corrected himself. "Actually, I suppose I would be wrong with that assumption. Those guys cared about the S.S.C more than it was probably healthy, Brett especially." "Why did he care about it so much?" I asked immediately. Do you remember the story I told you about a few years ago. When Brett embraced his hate and anger and became our ultimate enemy?" I nodded and my father continued. "I think that he never did believe that he could repay us for everything he had put us through. So instead he tried to make things right by doing everything in his power to help the S.S.C and make up for past sins." Chills went up my spine as I recounted the old tale. I soon said goodnight to my father and couldn't get much rest that night. As strange as it might sound, I felt as if I were being watched...