5.11

“Time to get up you three, we’ve got some serious business to attend to!” Stick called out from the top of her lungs.

Hunter and Silas stirred in their bunks. Bleary eyed, Hunter looked at the time and saw that it was only three in the morning.

Hunter and Silas dragged themselves out of the bed and stumbled into the living room. Stick was already geared up and she looked like she was on edge. Jimena came out of her room, looking as tired as the other two.

“What’s wrong Stick?” Jimena asked.

“You three have about ten minutes to wake yourselves up and get ready.” Stick had prepared each of them a light meal.

“Why, what’s wrong?” Worry laced Silas’s tone.

“The Trash Queen is up and about. It seems she’s just about coordinated an invasion of Athena City. Trash golems are literally everywhere, causing havoc. She hasn’t been seen herself yet, but she can’t be too far away.”

“Oh shit,” said Hunter. He stumbled back to his room, tripping on the way back.

The three teens were ready in three minutes. Neither of them wanted to touch the food Stick had prepared for them.

“You need to eat something. It’ll help wake you up. You’ll want something in your stomachs.” Stick was edging to go but was willing to wait for them to eat.

The three of them quickly ate some of the nuts and fruits she had prepared for them and were ready to go.

“Many people involved?” Hunter asked.

“Yeah. I know Power Teens are out there. Copter is out there too. Brickla and Claw. Lancelot and Twister. Dustbuster was about last I heard. As well as Grim Stopper, Fizz and Rush. I think Copter was involved too and I think Woolpack was seen as well. There’s more floating about. Probably Bulldog and some of his Ruffnecks.”

“Wow, that’s a few,” said Silas.

“Yeah, plenty are dying. Just look at the screen.” Stick pointed at the giant screen and the teens could see the destruction of the city.

The screen was divided into countless rectangles of varying picture quality. All were livestreaming what was happening. Some of the feeds would flick over to other ones.

Buildings were destroyed and smoking. Fires engulfed others. Bodies lined the streets and people ran in every direction. One feed showed Green Thumb plucking the fruits from a tree and caring for people. Freight Train and Smileys were fending off the trash golems.

Another showed Brickla, currently surrounded in a mass of bricks, laying waste to a stampeding horde. Claw was on her shoulder, shooting at more with his ice gun. The view appeared to be from a helicopter.

“We need to get going, now,” said Hunter.

“Yeah, we do. They’ve asked for help in Crooked Downs. So that’s where we’ll be going. I’m coming with you, observance be dammed. I’m not sitting idly by.” Within moments, the group were engulfed in the bright light as they were teleported to Crooked Downs.

They appeared in the oppressive streets. A cacophony of screams bounced through the area.

A trash golem rushed at them, and Stick destroyed it within seconds. She turned to look at the teens and leapt passed them as she destroyed another golem.

“Go check on a building. The police will help keep it secure once it’s cleared out. Flush it out,” said Stick.

“Right,” said Hunter. The three of them headed for one of the buildings. At the entrance were some officers in riot gear.

“You here to help?” one of them asked.

“Yeah. Many in there?” Hunter asked.

“All the apartments are full, yeah. I couldn’t tell you how many golems are in there. You better get going.” Hunter nodded and the three of them entered the building.

There were only three doors in the main lobby. The office window was pulled shut and it appeared to be empty.

“Knock on a door each?” suggested Jimena.

“Yeah, I think so,” replied Hunter.

Silas, Hunter, and Jimena took a door each and pounded on them as hard as they could. Hunter had already brought as much dust out as he could from his flasks and had the dust cling to his body.

The door was immediately opened for Jimena. A distressed looking weasel was shaking in his boots.

“Hi, Quagmire. Do you have any nasty little monsters in here?” Jimena asked.

“Yes, I do. It’s locked up in my toilet. Nasty little thing. Are you here to take care of it?”

“Yeah.” The weasel stepped aside for Jimena to come in. He led her to where the toilet was. She had formed slime around both of her arms and had them pointed at the door, at the ready.

“I’ll need you to open the door for me.”

“What if it gets me?” the weasel’s voice had hit a spine-tingling pitch.

“It won’t. Trust me, I won’t give it a chance to do anything.” The weasel nodded and opened the door with one out-stretched arm, his body pressed as hard as he could against the wall.

Jimena was greeted with the sight of a small trash golem. It skittered about as the door opened and let out a loud hiss. Jimena blasted it with her slime balls until there was almost nothing left except for slime.

“Any others?” she asked.

“Nope,” stammered the weasel. Jimena left the apartment.

The door opened only a smidge. Silas could hear the chains on the other side. A large eye greeted him.

“Hi, Balloon Boy here. I’m here to help stop any trash golems that you may have in there.”

“Don’t have any, thank you. One got in and I blasted it away with my gun.”

“No worries. Keep the door shut tight.”

“Already planned to.”

“Right.”

As Hunter knocked on the door, a scream from within burst through. Hunter readied himself and tried the door. A loud bang and as Hunter started to push the door open, it exploded out in his face.

Hunter instinctively raised his arms around his head as the splinters bust out. Some of the timber dug into his skin.

Hunter looked up and was lifted and flew and slammed into a wall as a huge trash golem rushed out of the apartment.