1.17

“All right. Its time for a team exercise. The four of you verse me.” Stick commanded. The four strong team had gotten up early, ready for training.

Silas had been full of energy and excitement at the fact that he was now a part of a team and had started workshopping names during breakfast. His three suggestions: The Mighty Four, Liberation Force and Junior Warriors had all been shut down before he got a chance to defend his choices.

“You sure you want all four of us?” Silas asked. “We beat you when there were only three of us.”

“Don’t get too confident. I better understand Hunter’s powers now. I won’t be caught off guard this time.”

“I’ve never fought with these three before. How do I know when and how to act?” Gauzelle asked.

“What better way to learn than being thrown in the deep end?” Stick replied.

“Its okay, she won’t actually hurt you,” said Jimena.

“Okay, we ready?” Hunter asked. The team nodded. Stick widened her legs and lowered her stance. The staff held across her shoulders, she motioned for them to come.

Silas inflated and kicked off the ground, launching himself at Stick. His arms outstretched to grab the staff. Stick ducked lower and twirled the staff and slammed Silas in the stomach. Silas went careening off into the forest and as Stick took a step to right herself, her foot slipped out from under her as Gauzelle stretched the bandage of her arm out, giving it a hard yank.

Stick leaned into the fall, twirled, and struck the ground with the tip of her staff. She paused for a split second and used the staff to launch herself into the air, stretching Gauzelle’s arm along with her.

Gauzelle allowed her arm to uncoil and let her body play out. She hung from Stick as one long drawn out bandage. Stick rapidly rotated her staff, like a fork collecting spaghetti, and started to wrap Gauzelle around her weapon.

As she focused on this, Silas came crashing back through the trees and slammed into her back. She was caught momentarily off-guard, and sent sailing through the air, taking Gauzelle with her.

Jimena ran along under her and shot her slime balls. Stick’s body twisted and spun at inhuman angles, dodging each projectile.

Hunter stood on a tree branch and let his dust fly as Stick descended by him. He directed the dust to form a cloud around her head, hoping to blind her and make it hard for her to breathe.

“You lot have gotten a lot better at the offensive. Gauzelle, you’ve been doing a great job.”

“Thank you,” said Gauzelle.

Gauzelle unravelled herself from Stick’s staff and wrapped herself around a tree. She quickly extended her other arm, with the middle of her bandage still constricting Stick. Stick was suspended in the air, trapped.

Jimena rushed in and launched a gigantic slime ball; encasing Stick’s entire body save for her head. Gauzelle was trapped with Stick but she didn’t mind.

Gauzelle unwrapped her two extended limbs from the tree branches and the two fell to the ground. As they hit the ground, Silas came plummeting down and slammed into Stick.

“Okay, you lot win. This time. Your natural synergy is astounding. Anyone would think you’ve been together as a team for years.” Stick broke free of the slime ball and Gauzelle unwrapped herself from Stick and reformed into her humanoid form. Silas and Hunter joined the group.

“Wasn’t that hard Stick,” Silas remarked.

“I was going easy,” Stick laughed.

“Hey young heroes. Reports have come in that there’s a strange pink cloud floating through Midtown Markets. You need to investigate and stop the threat.” Michael’s voice came through their communicators.

“All right, lets go,” said Hunter. Stick led them out of the Primal Lands and journeyed with them to Midtown Markets.

When they arrived, people were running around everywhere, screaming, and crying. Stick mentioned she was only going to observe and jumped up to a rooftop.

The four teens walked through the market and it wasn’t long before they came across the small, mysterious pink cloud Michael had mentioned.

It looked like an extremely soft, fluffy, thick cloud. It was cotton candy pink and floated at a slow pace a few feet off the ground. Blobs of pink dropped to the ground underneath it as it moved.

“So, any ideas?” Silas asked.

“Jimena, just shoot a slime ball, see what happens,” instructed Hunter.

Jimena took a few steps forward, raised an arm and shot one of her projectiles at the pink cloud. At first the slime ball splattered against the cloud before dispersing within.

“Who are you?” a sweet voice echoed through the street.

“We are The Troublemakers a-” Silas started to say.

“No. Just no,” said Gauzelle. “Dumb name.”

“Any suggestions then?” Silas asked.

“No,” Gauzelle admitted.

“Hey, c’mon. Focus,” said Hunter.

“What do the four of you intend to do?” the cloud asked.

“Stop you,” said Hunter.

“How?” the cloud asked.

“Gauzelle, can you unravel and wrap yourself between those two stalls? Silas, use her to launch into the cloud. We need information on what will happen if it touches us.” Gauzelle and Silas nodded and played out what Hunter instructed.

Silas rocketed toward the cloud, unsure if he should brace for impact or not. As his body hit the cloud, it was sticky and smelt sickeningly sweet. The smell was so overwhelming that his head began to spin. The cloud was thick, and he felt his propulsion slow down as he moved through the cloud.

“Why hello. Why don’t you stay a while?” the cloud taunted Silas.

“What’s your name?” Silas asked.

“Woolpack. Yours?”

“Balloon Boy.”

Gauzelle unravelled from the stalls and brought herself back to her humanoid form. Jimena shot another slime ball at the cloud and Hunter stood there, thinking.

“Gauzelle, can you run in and under the cloud. Try and find Silas and pull him out of the cloud.” Gauzelle nodded. She uncoiled herself into one long strip and slithered in under the cloud.

“Got any ideas?” Jimena asked.

“Once she gets Silas out. I’ve got no idea.”

Gauzelle was able to see Silas, suspended within the cloud. She tied one end of herself around a sewer grate in the street and sent the other end into the cloud, aiming for Silas.

However, the cloud was a lot thicker than Gauzelle had anticipated. Sticky and thick, like cotton candy.

“Oh, and who are you?” Woolpack asked Gauzelle. Gauzelle didn’t respond but continued to struggle to reach Silas.

“Silas, I need you to reach out to me,” said Gauzelle.

“So your name’s Silas?” said Woolpack.

Silas turned around in the cloud, trying to swim through a thick substance. He could see Gauzelle and inched toward her. He stretched out and grabbed her. Gauzelle wrapped up his arm and pulled with all her might. It was like pulling a sack of cement through water.

With one last surge of effort, Gauzelle freed Silas from the cloud. Silas crashed to the ground, deflated, and felt sick, his head spinning.

Gauzelle dragged Silas along as she writhed back toward Hunter and Jimena.

“What was it like?” Hunter asked.

“That ain’t no ordinary cloud,” said Silas.

“Really? No way,” replied Jimena.

“Thick and sticky. Like cotton candy,” informed Gauzelle.

“Jimena, I need you to make the largest slime ball you ever have,” instructed Hunter.

“I’m gonna be so hungry afterward,” remarked Jimena. The cloud slowly moved toward them.

“What are you gonna do?” Silas asked.

“I need lots of dust,” said Hunter.

Jimena started to form her slime ball. Hunter unloaded his second and third dust flasks into the slime ball.

“I need more,” Hunter instructed.

“I picked some up on my little rescue mission,” said Gauzelle. Hunter grabbed her arm and siphoned the dust and dirt out of the bandages. He put the dirt and dust into the slime ball as well.

“I’m growing bored of you lot. You’ve all done nothing.” Woolpack sung out to them. She was upon them now, ready to engulf them all. They were lucky she moved so slowly.

“Jimena, I’m going to step inside the ball. It would become too heavy for you to shoot, right?” Hunter asked.

“Yeah. Why do you want to go inside it?”

“I’ll let her engulf the ball with me inside. Hopefully, the ball will disperse, and I can spread all the dust within.” Hunter stepped into the slime ball and his team members quickly retreated.

“You’re mine,” taunted Woolpack. She engulfed the slime ball and continued to float through the markets.

Nothing happened.

Hunter started to panic. He had no idea how long this would take and thoughts of running out of air raced through his mind.

“What were you hoping to do sweetie?” Woolpack asked. She laughed as she carried Hunter and the slime ball.

Hunter’s lungs were burning. His head was pounding. He used all his strength and pushed out from within the ball. The slime dispersed within the cloud. He could breathe now, but it was like breathing through a wet towel.

“Oh, so you’re free of that thing. But you’re still stuck with me.”

“Hopefully not for long.” Hunter concentrated, feeling for the dust. He had never manipulated so much at once nor through anything thicker than air.

“Honey, what are you doing?” Woolpack asked. Hunter mentally strained. He could sense the dust and dirt moving, but not as easily as he wanted.

Hunter let out a scream. His head pounded even more from the mental stress he put himself under. With one last push, Hunter felt the dust and dirt move through the cloud.

Hunter manipulated the dust to move down. Woolpack moved down with the particles.

“Stop whatever it is you’re doing.” Woolpack instructed. Hunter pushed down again, and they descended yet again.

Hunter felt himself being pushed through the cloud. Woolpack was trying to eject him. He fully exerted himself. The cloud and the hero came crashing to the ground. Woolpack spread across the pavement and Hunter gasped heavily for fresh air.

His teammates rushed toward him and picked him up from the ground. Stick joined them, congratulating them. None of them noticed another figure had been watching on, observing from the shadows. It disappeared without a trace.

“You guys were incredible,” said Stick.

“We try,” said Silas. “We’re Teen Pack.”

“No,” said the other three members together.

“Good work gang,” Michael chimed from their communicators.

“Her name was Woolpack, ring any bells?” Silas asked Michael.

“Only files on appearances. Must be new to it all. I’ll send out a team to deal with her. She may be a little too difficult for the regular police.”