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Copyright © 2022 Angel RamirezAll rights reserved The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, livingor dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form orby any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express writtenpermission of the publisher. ISBN-13: 9781234567890 Cover design by: Art Painter Library of Congress Control Number: 2018675309 Printed in the United States of AmericaSAMPLE

T.J.’s AdventuresSomeone Superhero Strong“Mr. Angel” Ramirez SAMPLE

CONTENTSCopyright 1. Don’t Give Up!2. I Knew It3. A New Member4. What Happens Next?5. I Don’t Care6. Can We Really?7. It Can’t Be8. Let Us Go!9. Are You Sure?10. A Way Out11. Glad You’re Back12. A Long Explanation13. Someone Superhero StrongAbout The AuthorBooks By This AuthorSAMPLE

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Heroes can come in all shapes, sizes and situations.SAMPLE

1. DON’T GIVE UP!“Look out, Justin!” Paul shouted, “he’s right behind you!”Justin shot a web strand from his wrist just in time to catch thetail end of a low flying drone, narrowly escaping the clutches ofwhomever Paul had seen.“Whoa! That was a close one!” Justin exclaimed, detachinghimself from the drone and landing on the side of a nearby coffeeshop.SAMPLE

“I’ll say!” Sammy chimed in. “One second later and it wouldhave been off to slumberland and under the mind control of Dr.Dreamo.”“He’s going to have to be quicker than that if he’s going tocatch me!” Justin claimed, proudly.“Dangerous words,” Sammy responded.“Enough bickering,” I ordered. “We’re going to have to worktogether if we’re going to defeat the Fickle Five!”For those of you who don’t know, the Fickle Five are a group ofsupervillains that are constantly changing members. One of themalways decides that he or she can do better off on their own andrenounces their allegiance, leaving behind the Fickle Four. But itdoesn’t take long before another villain fills their place. It’s likethere’s a list of backup villains just in case. Sometimes the newmember is more evil than the last and sometimes the new membercauses more chaos than they’re worth. In those cases, they’re usuallyleft to battle us, the T.J. League, all alone. For this very reason, thereare many former Fickle Five members serving time at Sister Sherley’sSuper Safety Site.“But we don’t even know if this is the work of the Fickle Five,”Erick commented.“Who else could it be?” I asked.“It could be Dr. Dreamo,” Justin answered.SAMPLE

“How could you say that!” I demanded to know, knocking oneof Dr. Dreamo’s underlings through the window of an instrumentrepair shop.“How about because all we’ve seen, so far, is Dr. Dreamo!”Justin pointed out.“So!”“So, we haven’t seen any members of the Fickle Five,” Justinshot back.“I hate to go against you, T.J.,” Marcus interjected, “but I haveto agree with Justin.”“Look out!” Paul cried, speeding past me to move Erick out ofthe way of a falling chunk of building.“Thanks, Paul,” Erick said.“Anytime,” Paul responded.“But you know that wouldn’t have actually hurt me, right?”Erick asked.“Anytime,” Paul repeated, with sass that we’re used to hearingfrom Justin.Erick wasn’t exactly wrong. I mean, a piece of building fallingon Superman is probably like a crumb from your PB & J falling onyour shirt.“That’s it!” I exclaimed.“What’s ‘it’?” Sammy asked, catching an underling in her lassobefore it could shoot a Dream Ray at Marcus.SAMPLE

“Paul, use your super speed to examine the area,” I instructed.“The rest of the Five must be hiding somewhere, waiting for theopportune time to strike.”“I’ll have it done before you can say, high score,” Paulresponded, disappearing and reappearing in a blink.“Well?” Justin asked, hanging an underling, upside down, froma lamppost.“I didn’t find anyone else,” Paul reported.“Expand your search!” I ordered, using my grappling hook tojettison myself to the nearest rooftop.“I don’t think he’s going to find anyone else,” Sammyremarked.“How do you know?” Marcus asked.“I just used my lasso to get the truth out of one of Dr. Dreamo’sunderlings. Dr. Dreamo is after the city’s central cell phone tower. Hebelieves that he can amplify his power by connecting his brainwavesto the electromagnetic spectrum, enabling him to enter the minds ofpeople through their cell phones.”“The who in the what, now?” Justin asked, stopping to lookdirectly at Sammy.“He wants to connect his brain to what makes your cell phoneswork so he can take over your mind,” she repeated. Sort of.“Are you sure?” I asked, surveying the surrounding area for anysign of the Five.SAMPLE

“Has anyone ever been able to overcome the power of mylasso?” Sammy questioned.“I searched this city and the next three cities over,” Paulreported, appearing next to me, bringing a large draft of wind withhim.“And?” I asked, still scanning the area for a clue to the Five’swhereabouts.“No sign of anyone but Dr. Dreamo,” Paul declared.“They have to be here somewhere,” I declared.“T.J., let’s just focus on the villain in front of us,” Sammysuggested.“Yeah, T.J.,” Justin agreed. “We can’t fight an invisible enemy,so let’s just focus on the one we can see!”“I agree.”“Makes sense.”“Fine! But if the rest of the Five show up, I don’t wantapologies, I want results,” I commanded. “Paul and Erick, you workon evacuating the city, just in case Dr. Dreamo is able to connect hismind to the city’s central cell phone tower. And make sure to get thepeople far out of its electromagnetic range. Marcus and Justin, get tothe city’s central power station and see if you can shut down thetower before Dr. Dreamo can reach it.”“And what a am I supposed to do?” Sammy asked.SAMPLE

“You and I are going to stop Dr. Dreamo,” I stated, withauthority.“Now that’s what I’m talking about!” Sammy shouted.Everyone quickly ran in the direction of their assignment. WithPaul’s super speed and Erick’s flight and speed, they should be able toget everyone out of this city, and all of the surrounding cities withoutany trouble. Marcus’ superhuman strength and leadership skillsshould help him and Justin get into the city’s central power stationand Justin’s brilliant mind and technology skills should make shuttingit down a simple task.I know. I know. You’re all probably asking yourself the samequestion: since when did Justin upgrade his mind to ‘brilliant’ status?And if you are asking that question, then you probably haven’trealized that we’re kind of in the middle of a T.J. League scenario.And if that is you, or if you haven’t read our first adventure, let mequickly bring you up to speed.The T.J. League is made up of people who like superheroesfrom D.C. Comics and Marvel Comics. Paul likes The Flash, Ericklikes Superman, Marcus likes Captain America, Justin likesSpiderman, Sammy likes Wonder Woman, and I like Batman. If ithelps, go back to the beginning and reread from the beginning and itwill all make sense now. Already knew what was going on? Thenlet’s end this commercial break and keep on going!SAMPLE

Sammy and I headed straight to the top of the city’s central cellphone tower and began to encounter a higher concentration of Dr.Dreamo’s underlings the closer we got. Of course, they proved nomatch for my martial arts skills and wit or Sammy’s superhumanstrength and war experience.SAMPLE

2. I Knew It“Why do they even try? They know they can’t win against us,”Sammy asked, as we continued to make our way through Dr.Dreamo’s lackeys.“Some people learn from other’s mistakes, and some have tolearn from their own mistakes, firsthand,” I declared, knocking onelackey into another.SAMPLE

Sammy and I continued to advance closer to the center of thetower until a side room exploded, sending us into the next room. I’mnot sure if one of us tripped an invisible wire or passed through alaser, but it definitely caught me off guard. It took me a moment toregain my bearings, and when I did, we were surrounded. Sammy, ofcourse, recovered quicker than I did. I guess that’s no surprise. She isthe toughest out of all of us.“I’ll take the ones on the left. You get the right,” Sammyordered.“I thought I was the leader,” I replied.“Oh, just get those guys,” she retorted, beginning her attack.“We’re almost done evacuating the city,” Paul announced in myear.“Good job. Get over here as soon as you can. The closer we getto the staircase, the more of Dr. Dreamo’s underlings we seem toencounter. How are we doing tapping into the power grid?”“Still working on it,” Justin answered.“Sorry, T.J. It seems Dr. Dreamo made a stop here before heheaded to the central cell phone tower. Everyone in the building isunder his control,” Marcus explained.“Every-body, T.J. E-very-bo-dy,” Justin commented.“Too bad your Wake Up spray is still distilling. We could reallyuse some right now,” Marcus commented.SAMPLE

“Just do your best to disarm and disable. Only knock out ifabsolutely necessary,” I ordered. “They didn’t choose to go againstyou like the ignoramuses we’re battling over here.”“10-4.”Sammy and I continued our mission to reach the top of thetower before Dr. Dreamo could connect to every mind within range.After making it out of the ambush room, we faced little oppositionuntil we reached the fourteenth floor. In the stairway, we encounteredanother concentration of third rate bad guys. It didn’t take long beforewe made our way through and continued our way to the top of thebuilding.“Still think you can stop me?” came a voice from the building’sspeaker system.“There’s no way we’re going to let you get away with this!”Sammy called out, to the empty stairs above.“You’re too late! In just a few minutes, my mind will beconnected to every mind within a ten mile radius,” Dr. Dreamoannounced. “You’ll never make it in time! Mwah ha ha ha ha!”“We’ll see about that!” I shouted.Just then, another wave of lackeys entered the staircase.“You had to say something, didn’t you?” Sammy said,positioning herself for another battle.She took the higher stairs while I battled the ones attempting toattack us from below. The more bad guys we defeated, the moreSAMPLE

showed up. It was like we were stuck in a loop or an extra hard levelof one of Paul’s video games.“Mwah ha ha ha ha! The connection is complete! Might as wellgive up, T.J. League!”“No!” Sammy cried out.“No worries. We got everyone out just in time,” Paul stated,joining us in the stairway.“Great job, guys!” I lauded.“Where’s Erick?” Sammy asked.“Right here!” he exclaimed.“Told you I was faster,” Paul taunted.“Yeah, yeah. Just help us—.”Before I was able to finish my order, my body started to moveon its own. Against my own teammates.“What are you doing?” Sammy shouted at me, as I held her in achokehold.“I can’t control my body!” I answered.“What do you mean?” Erick followed up.“I mean, my body is moving on its own. I’m trying to stopmyself, but my mind is going fuzzy. It’s almost like someone else isputting thoughts in my mind.”“It’s not almost like that. It is that!” Dr. Dreamo’s voiceannounced over the speakers. “And soon enough I’ll be controllingthe rest of you! Mwah ha ha ha ha!”SAMPLE

“What’s taking Marcus and Justin so long with shutting downthe electrical grid?” Sammy asked.“I don’t know, but they better hurry up. If there’s anyone I don’twant to face in a one on one fight, it’s Batman. He’s studied all of ourfight patterns and knows how to counter them!” Erick said, using themetal railing, as if it were pipe cleaner, to tie me up.“Well, they better hurry up. I can feel my mind starting to gofuzzy!” Sammy cried.“Who cares about them. We need a solution now!” Pauldeclared.“But what can we do?” Erick asked.“Well, Dr. Dreamo is using the cell phone frequencies to tapinto people’s minds, right?” Paul asked.“Right,” Sammy answered.“Well, I just have to avoid those frequencies as I make my wayto the roof!” he shouted.“Not the ‘vibrate’ thing again,” Sammy commented.“Hey! It worked last time!” Erick retorted.“Just do it, then!”Paul dashed past all of Dr. Dreamo’s henchmen and made hisway up the remaining seventeen flights of stairs. When he burstedthrough the security door that led to the roof, he was knocked to hisfeet by something invisible to his eyes.SAMPLE

“Did you really think that I would make it that easy?” Dr.Dreamo taunted. “I cleverly designed this force field just to keep youfrom reaching me!”“I got through your mind controller, and I’ll get though this!”Paul declared.“Oh, how cute. You think that just because you knew how tobypass the cell phone frequencies that you’ll be able to get throughmy ingenious force field?”“Should be easy enough,” Paul answered.“Go ahead. Give it a try,” Dr. Dreamo taunted.Paul tried over and over to get through the invisible force fieldbut was unsuccessful.“Mwah ha ha ha ha!” Dr. Dreamo cackled. “It’s one thing toknow what frequencies to avoid and another go at it blindly.”“I’ll figure it out sooner or later!” Paul shouted, while holdinghis hand to his head.“I doubt it. I don’t even know which frequencies you need toslip through! That’s the genius behind my force field. A randomfrequency generator!” Dr. Dreamo cackled as the sound of a powerdrain could be heard.Paul placed his hand in front of him and slowly walked towardthe place where he knew the invisible force field was. He reached andpassed through the space he was previously struggling to get past. Itwas then that he realized that Justin and Marcus must have shut downSAMPLE

the electric grid for their area. He immediately raced toward Dr.Dreamo but was once again stopped short of getting his hands onhim.“Did you think I wasn’t prepared for your little friends to shutdown the power?” Dr. Dreamo asked. “Think again!”“Good to see you again, Flashlight!”“Long time no see.”“Did you miss us?”“Look at that face!”“Aw! He did miss us!”SAMPLE

3. A New Member“Dang it!” Erick exclaimed.“You didn’t miss us?” Sally Sadness asked.“First of all, no. Second of all, that’s not what I was upsetabout,” Paul answered.“Then what were you upset about?” Angry Allen asked.“T.J. was right, and he isn’t going to let us live it down,” Paulsaid.SAMPLE

“Right about what?” Charles the Confuser inquired.“I searched the entire city and the cities directly connected tothis city and I didn’t see you guys anywhere.”“What’s he talking about?” Hilarious Harold wondered aloud.“The force field must have been hiding you guys,” Paulcontinued, talking to himself.“I don’t think he’s going to answer our questions,” PeacefulPaula commented.“Let’s get him!”“Not so fast!” Sammy shouted, as she reached the roof.The rest of the T.J. League appeared within seconds, includingJustin and Marcus.“That wouldn’t happen to be the Fickle Five, would it?” I asked.No one answered verbally, but I received a few ‘was that reallynecessary?’ faces.“Are we going to do this or what?” Sammy asked, leading theattack.None of us hesitated. It was six on five. We knew it wouldn’ttake long before the Fickle Five were behind a laser barrier at SisterSherley’s Super Safety Site.“You wouldn’t hit a girl, would you?” Peaceful Paula asked.“I don’t need to—.”“He might not, but I have no problem with that,” Sammyinterrupted, giving Peaceful Paula a strong right hook.SAMPLE

“I was just going to tie her up with my webbing,” Justin toldSammy.“You were taking too long,” she responded. “Besides, now youcan attach her to the wall.”We were too busy taking on the Fickle Five to notice that Dr.Dreamo had somehow escaped. He didn’t take the stairs down thetower, so he must have had an alternate way of escape planned. Justin case he failed.“Did anyone see which way Dr. Dreamo went?” I asked.“He didn’t go by me.”“Me neither.”“He didn’t come this way.”“I didn’t see him.”“Nope.”“Grahhh! How could you guys let him escape?” I asked.“I’m not sure about you, but I’ve been kind of busy with theseguys,” Erick answered.“Well, I haven’t just been sitting here fiddling my thumbs,”Justin commented.“Is it just me, or does it seem like we don’t really matter to theseguys?” Angry Allen asked.“It does seem that way,” Sally Sadness answered.“Perhaps it’s time for us to level up,” Charles the Confusersuggested.SAMPLE

“Level up?” Paul asked.We each stopped what we were doing and looked at each otherwith confused faces. The Fickle Five had never leveled up before. Butit couldn’t be any real threat, right? I mean, these guys are level threethreats at most.The Fickle Five removed themselves from our reach while westood there confused. They gathered together and created whatseemed like a practiced group pose. They then chanted somethingstrange while changing their poses to the phrases of their chant.“T.J. League, you think that you are the best. More like justmore annoying than the rest.” Pose change. “You may have defeatedus in the past, but your self perceived dominance won’t last.” Posechange. “And now it’s time to reveal our surprise. The person thatwill lead to your demise!” Final pose.For a moment, we all stood there in silence, nothing happening.The Fickle Five held their pose, eyes scanning the area for something.I did the same but used more than my eyes.“The person that will lead to your demise!” They repeated,emphasizing their final pose.Once again, we waited for something to happen. For someone toappear. Once again, nothing.“Well, seems their threats are as reliable as their fighting skills,”I taunted.“I say we just go back to kicking their butts,” Sammy said.SAMPLE

“Sounds good to me!” Justin added.As we rushed toward the group, gathered together on aplatform, a green fog quickly emitted from beneath them. Iimmediately pulled my breathing apparatus from my tool belt whilePaul retreated faster than the fog was spreading. Erick, Marcus andSammy stopped in their tracks, but Justin couldn’t stop himself, midswing.“Well, what do you know? My plan worked,” came a voice,from behind the Fickle Five.“Who was that?”“I don’t know.”“I’ve never heard that voice before.”“Where is it even coming from.”“Forget the voice. What is this green fog!”Suddenly, a slowly approaching shadow walked through thefog.SAMPLE

4. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?As the figure exited the fog, we got our first glimpse of the newvillain we would be battling against. The green fog matched hisgreen outfit. He didn’t seem to have any special weapons or hiddentactical items. Actually, he seems to just be wearing a green morphsuit with a hood that reveals only his face. Believe it or not, his eyesare also green.“I hope you’ve all taken a good, deep breath of my gift to you,”he said.SAMPLE

“I don’t think you fully understand the meaning of gift,”Sammy told him.“Oh, I understand it completely. Like how a gift can beexpected or a complete surprise. Or how it can be well received ornot wanted at all. Or how some people will regift it. Or in this case,how it can have a quick and long lasting effect on its recipients,” thevillain expounded.“Quick and long lasting effect?” Justin repeated.“He’s just bluffing,” Marcus answered.“Am I, though? Am I really?” he taunted.“Only one way to find out. Attack!”Now it was six on six. A fairer fight for the Fickle Five. Or atleast it should be. Except I’m too busy trying to get a sample of thisfog for a quick evaluation of its properties.“T.J., are you going to help us, or what?” Erick asked.I didn’t respond. Instead, I stared at the monitor on my wristthat would tell me whether or not the green fog contained anyparticles that would have a harmful effect on us. Unfortunately, theassessment was taking longer than I would have liked.“Forget about T.J. and focus on the people in front of us!”Sammy ordered.Now it was the guys that were down a person. I wasn’t doing iton purpose, I just didn’t want us to remain here if we needed to getimmediate medical attention.SAMPLE

“Aw. It looks like their leader has abandoned them,” SallySadness said.“That sure seems upsetting,” Angry Allen commented.“I’ll show you upset!” Justin called out. He then used his webslike a hook shot, shooting himself across the platform. In aSuperman pose, his right fist made direct contact with Angry Allen’ssolar plex. His method was both effective and cool looking.“Why is the color of everything turning inverted?” Marcusasked.“Inverted?” Paul asked.“The colors, they’re turning the opposite of what they actuallyare,” Sammy clarified.“It must be Charles the Confuser,” Erick said.“But how would that help them in this situation,” Justin asked.“Like this!”Suddenly, the colors changed again, to pastel, but so did theshape of everything. Suddenly, everything began to morph. It was asif reality itself was changing. When everything stopped moving, welooked more like a Picasso creation. Even the city itself had changed.Everything had changed. Well, almost everything. Somehow, theFickle Five, and their new friend, remained the same.“My body isn’t working like normal!” Paul cried out.“What do you mean?” Sammy asked.SAMPLE

“I mean, I’m trying to run at super speed, but instead of my feetmoving, my index fingers are running,” he explained.“Your index fingers?” Justin asked.“My index fingers!” Paul shouted.“At least you have index fingers!” Erick yelled. “All I have arerounded nubs for hands!”While everyone in the T.J. League, minus Sammy, freaked outabout the current situation we were in, I remained calm, and voiceactivated my visual sensors. In response, my suit lowered a pair ofspecialized lenses over my eyes. These lenses were able to analyzemy surroundings using different filters. UV. Infrared. Thermal, andmore. It didn’t take long to realize that although our eyes were tellingus that everything around us had changed, the truth was actually thecomplete opposite. Nothing had changed.As I stood there, wondering how Charles was capable of thislevel of confusion, when he was normally only able to confuse oneor two people at a time, I noticed a new batch of fog beginning toenvelop us. Wait. That’s it! Their new member’s fog must have somesort of amplifying agent in it, causing whoever breathes it in to bedouble, triple or even quadruple affected by another person’s specialability.As I came to this realization, the sensor on my wrist began tobeep. Thankfully, my specialized lenses allowed me to read itsresults without any problem. Dang it! It’s just as I thought. Not onlySAMPLE

did this fog have an enhancing agent in it, but there was alsosomething foreign inside. Something microscopic. And according tomy scanners, it was having a negative effect on someone. A humansomeone. That eliminated Erick and Sammy, because Superman andWonder Woman are impervious to human sicknesses and diseases.Then again, Marcus was probably okay, as well. The superhumanserum used to enhance his human abilities made him invulnerable tomostly everything. That left Justin, Paul and me. Actually, I neverinhaled the fog. I’ve been using my breathing apparatus since I firstspied the green cloud growing. Then again, the Flash’s metabolismand immune system is faster than the average human. And that’s anunderstatement. That just leaves Justin. Spiders are susceptible tochemicals and gases. It must be him!“My body isn’t working like normal!” Paul cried out.“What do you mean?” Sammy asked.“I mean, I’m trying to run at super speed, but instead of my feetmoving, my index fingers are running,” he explained.“Your index fingers?” Justin asked.“My index fingers!” Paul shouted.“At least you have index fingers!” Erick yelled. “All I have arerounded nubs for hands!”Wait a second. Why does it feel like this has happened already?I looked down at my own hands and noticed that my hands wereperfectly fine.SAMPLE

“Why do I have a tail!” Justin screamed.“I think a tail sounds cool!” Marcus responded.“Coming out of your forehead?” Justin yelled back.“Oh. Forehead? Well, that’s a different matter,” Marcuscommented.Why does Paul think his index fingers are running? And whydoes Erick think he has nubs for hands? And I can tell you withabsolute confidence, that Justin does not have a tail coming out ofhis forehead. Why does it seem like I’m the only one that is seeingthings normally? Wait! My specialized lenses! Which I don’tremember activating. But are definitely in place.“We’ve done this already,” I declared.“Done what?” Sammy asked.“This scenario. Running fingers. Hand nubs,” I said.“Forehead tail?” Justin asked.“No. That one’s new,” I answered.“Then what do you mean?” Marcus asked.“I mean, this feels like déjà vu,” I clarified.“Analyzation complete,” my wrist chirped.“Analyzation of what?” Paul asked.“Of the green fog. I immediately took a sample when it firstappeared,” I said.“And?” Sammy asked.SAMPLE

“It seems it has multiple properties. A sensory enhancer anddisrupter, as well as something microscopic.”“What microscopic?” Erick asked.“Some sort of microorganism,” I answered.“What’s it doing?” Marcus asked.“I don’t know, but I don’t think anyone should inhale that greenfog,” I shared.“Well, Superman isn’t susceptible to human sicknesses, so Ithink I should be alright,” Erick stated.“Neither is Wonder Woman. So, I should be fine,” Sammyechoed.“Super serum,” Marcus said, giving us two thumbs up.“I’m pretty sure that Flash’s metabolism and immune systemwould react quicker than the microorganisms can even move. Toobad for them!” Paul exclaimed.“My analyzer shows that my breathing apparatus prevented anyforeign bodies from entering my bloodstream, so I should be fine,” Iexplained.“Okay kids. I’m sorry to interrupt your playtime, but it’s timefor Timothy to take his special medicine.”“Aw, mom.”“They can come back tomorrow if you’re feeling well enough,”she responded.SAMPLE

“It’s okay Tim Tim. We’ll come back, first thing in themorning,” Paul said.“How about after lunch?” Tim Tim’s mom suggested.“But auntie!”This time it was Paul whining.“Paul Gregory,” his aunt said, in a stern, but not too stern,voice.“Yes, ma’am,” Paul apologized.“You mean I have to wait until tomorrow to find out whathappens to me?” Justin asked.“I think you’ll live,” Sammy said, sarcastically.“But I want to know what happens next!”SAMPLE

5. I DON’T CARE Justin really wanted to know what happens to Spiderman. Somuch so, that he kept blowing up our group chat. All. Night. Long!Finally, to get him to stop, Sammy told him that if he keptbugging us, she would turn villain just so that she could kick his butt.In real life. That got him to stop. Until we woke up the next morning,that is. Or should I say, until we were woken up the next morning.Saturdays are supposed to be sleep-in days. Stay in your pajama days.Don’t comb your hair days. Don’t brush your teeth days. Okay.Maybe not that last one. Even though we may want to be lazy, weshould always brush our teeth.SAMPLE

Anyways, as Justin kept bugging us, I think Sammy’s patiencewore thinner than it was last night. Instead of threatening to govillain, she promised to post pictures from our Superhero Sleepovertwo weeks ago. When he asked which ones, she shared one in thegroup chat and said that there were plenty more she could share onthe Classroom Communication App. Not only did he apologize, buthe promised not to bug her for a whole week. I don’t think any of usbelieved that promise. Somehow, after that message, Justin managedto stay silent in the chat. He was even silent as we rode our bikes tovisit Tim Tim.“So, where were we?” Tim Tim asked.We all looked at Justin, who looked at each of us, but focusedon Sammy. After an awkward silence, Sammy nodded her head.“We were about to find out what happens to Spiderman!” Justinnearly shouted, causing Sammy’s eyes to grow big. Justinimmediately shrank back and covered his mouth with both hands.“Oh, yeah!” Tim Tim said, excitedly.“Spiders are susceptible to chemical fogs, so I’ll have to checkhim as soon as we get back to headquarters. But that’s not what’sbothering me,” I shared, continuing where we had left off yesterday.“Not bothering you!” Justin said.“If it makes you feel better, I can prick your finger and take ablood sample,” I offered.“Prick away!” Justin agreed.SAMPLE

“Anyone mind if we continue this battle?” Peaceful Paulaasked.“Why are you even asking them? Let’s just clobber ‘em!”Angry Allen shouted, leading the charge.If Justin and I don’t join the battle, the rest of the guys are goingto have a hard time keeping the Fickle Five and the Green Guy back.I don’t know if that’s actually his name, but I’ve decided that’s whatI’m going to call him until I find out his real name.“Justin, we’re going to have to fight if we want to defeat theseguys,” I said.“But what about the micro stuff in my blood!”“Justin! Get. Your. Butt. Over. Here!” Sammy ordered.“You heard her,” I told Justin, shrugging my shoulders.Both Justin and I joined the battle for just a few minutes whenthe green fog started spreading across the floor. It’s strange. Prior tothe green fog, Green Guy had stayed back, not engaging in the fight.Like he was waiting for something to happen. Even now, as the greenfog emits from his feet, he’s staying back.“Erick! Blow the green fog away with your super breath!”Marcus shouted.“But I might blow you guys away!” Erick responded.“Would you rather turn into Picasso people again?” Paul asked.“If you say so. Brace yourselves!”SAMPLE

Before he could blow the green fog away, the Fickle Five andGreen Guy froze. Some in the middle of their attack.“There you are Short Term Memory Loss,” a voice announced.It wasn’t Dr. Dreamo. And it certainly wasn’t any of the FickleFive or Green Guy. They’re all frozen.“It seems you’ve found a new team to exploit. Too bad I’m hereto stop you.”I used my scanners to find out where the voice was comingfrom, but before they even had a chance to complete their search,someone dropped into the middle of the platform. Superhero landingand all. Their face was hidden by a mask. Actually, it went all theway around their head, so it was difficult to tell if it was a boy or agirl.“Who’s Short Term Memory Loss?” Justin asked.“He’s my arch nemesis. I’ve been looking for him since heattacked me back on Filchdon,” this other newcomer explained. Sortof.“Why do you call him Short Term Memory Loss?” Paul asked.“Because he’s able to turn back the clock twenty to thirtyseconds. Which is about the same duration of your short termmemory.”“That makes sense,” Sammy acknowledged.“I knew it!” I called out.“Knew what?” Marcus asked.SAMPLE

“A little while ago, it felt like I was having déjà vu. But really, itwas Short Term Memory Loss turning back the clock!” I exclaimed.“Justin is confused,” Justin proclaimed.“Ugh. Do I always have to explain everything? Déjà vu is when—.”“Not about that,” Justin interrupted. “How are they frozen andwe’re not?”“Oh, I can explain that one,” the newcomer said. “My specialability is freezing people, places or things, in time, for twenty to thirtyseconds.”“So, like Short Term Memory Loss?” Erick asked.“Not really. He can turn back time for whomever he focuses on.I can freeze who I focus on,” the newcomer clarified. “See thedifference?”“I guess so,” Erick responded.“That means we only have three seconds before theyreanimate,” I shared.“But you can just refreeze them again, right?” Justin asked.“Nope. Just like Short Term Memory Loss, I have to recharge.Usually takes about—.”“Where’d this loser come from!” Angry Allen shouted.“Time to get back to work. Leaguers! Go!” I ordered.With the newcomer on our side, the battle was more equal. Notonly did the tide of battle turn in our favor, but I think the appearanceSAMPLE

of a new person shifted Justin’s mind off of his bloodwork. Myarmor’s analysis announced his results to me while I was fightingCharles the Confuser, but I decided to keep it to myself. At least untilthe battle was over. Which took longer than I would have liked.Probably because before the fight was even over, some of the guysstarted declaring the newcomer an official member of the T.J. League,which was completely against our protocols. Before anyone canbecome a new member, a sit down, a discussion and a vote must betaken.“Who cares! If it wasn’t for the new guy, we’d probably belosing!” Justin shouted out.“I agree!” Erick called out.“I see nothing wrong with that!” Paul shared.“I’m seriously beginning to think that these guys aren’t eventaking this battle seriously,” Sally Sadness interrupted.“T.J., just accept it. This guy’s worthy,” Sammy said.“I kinda have to agree with her,” Marcus chimed in.“I can’t believe you guys! Since when do we just makedecisions on the fly? In the middle of a battle?” I asked, not reallyexpecting a response. I was hoping they would see the ridiculousnessof their actions and immediately agree.“Sorry, T.J., but it seems you’ve been outvoted,” Justin pointedout.SAMPLE

“Outvoted? Now we’re taking official votes in the middle of afight?” I inquired.“C’mon, T.J. We could really get a heads up on Dr. Dreamowith this guy on our side,” Erick stated.“Yeah, T.J. Just imagine it. Dr. Dreamo thinks he’s got uscornered, and this guy freezes him while we disarm and finallycapture him. It’s genius!” Paul schemed.“Can’t argue with that,” Sammy affirmed.“Yeah, T.J. We can finally do what we’ve never been able to dobefore,” Justin said, trying to encourage me to agree.“If that’s what you all think, then maybe you don’t need myhelp to take these guys down.”“T.J.”“C’mon man.”“That’s not what we’re saying.”“Just admit we’re right.”“Oh, I’ll admit something all right. I admit that my analysis ofJustin’s bloodwork was done about five minutes ago. CongratulationsJustin, you now have tiny tumors growing inside of your body.Hopefully your newfound friend, who I wouldn’t vote for withoutfurther information, can save you before it’s too late. Oh, and by theway, in case none of you noticed, congratulations, the Fickle Five andShort Term Memory Loss escaped during our distinguished debate.”SAMPLE

After that announcement, I used my grapple hook to escapewhat had become a hostile environment, leaving the guys and thenewcomer alone. Meaning they would have to clean up the mess wehad made, all by themselves. But to be honest. Right now. I don’treally care.SAMPLE

6. CAN WE REALLY?“I can’t believe he just walked out on us like that,” Justincommented.“I can’t believe we let the Fickle Five and Short Term MemoryLoss escape!” Sammy countered.“Technically, he rappelled out. Horizontally,” Marcus corrected.“What?” Erick asked.“T.J.,” Marcus said. “Technically, he didn’t walk out on us. Herappelled out.”SAMPLE

“That’s what you’re taking away from this?” Justin asked.“Just making sure our facts are straight.”“Well, it’s a fact that not only do we not know the whereaboutsof Dr. Dreamo, but we now have no idea where his lackeys are!”Sammy shouted, angrily.“Maybe we should just clean this mess up and get back toheadquarters,” Paul suggested.“I’ll call off Sister Shirley’s Super Safety Site,” Marcusannounced. “I’m not sure how happy she’s going to be, knowing thatthey came halfway across the galaxy and will be going home emptyhanded.”“Hey. Do you guys think T.J. was serious about the whole tinytumors thing?” Justin asked. “Or was he was just taking his anger outon me?”“We’ll check your blood when we get back to headquarters,”Sammy answered, giving Justin little reassurance.The T.J. League, minus T.J., worked with local law enforcementto clean up the mess that Dr. Dreamo, the Fickle Five, Short TermMemory Loss, and their underlings had created. By the time the taskwas finished, the sun had gone down, and everyone was exhausted.Thankfully, the T.J. League headquarters has a room for eachmember. It also has a few guest rooms. We’ve never actually usedthem before, but we all agreed that it was better to have them and notneed them, than to need them and not have them. Everyone agreed toSAMPLE

rest for the night and convene for a battle review in the morning. Thatand make an official vote for the newcomer to join the league.◆ ◆ ◆“Has anyone heard from T.J.?” Marcus asked, while everyoneate breakfast in the mess hall.“He hasn’t answered any of my communications,” Paul said.“I tried to determine his location, but he must have turned histracker off,” Sammy stated.“You can turn that off?” Justin asked. “I didn’t know you coulddo that.”“T.J. designed them. If anyone would know how, it would behim,” Erick declared.“It seems like he doesn’t want to talk and doesn’t want to befound,” the newcomer said, entering the room.“Maybe he’s on a reconnaissance mission. You know. Followinga lead or something,” Paul suggested.“But he’s never turned his tracker off before,” Marcus pointedout.“True. True.”“Well, we kind of forgot to check my blood when we got back.Can we do that while we wait for T.J. to contact us?” Justin asked.“I had the system scan you as you slept,” Sammy shared.“You can do that?” Justin inquired.SAMPLE

“That and so much more,” Sammy assured him.“So?”“So, what?”“So, what did the scan say?”“Oh. Yeah. You definitely have tiny tumors growing inside ofyou,” Sammy said, emotionless.“What!”“Don’t worry. They’re benign,” she added.“English please!”“You don’t have cancer,” Sammy clarified.Justin sighed, in relief.“Battle review?” Marcus suggested.“Battle review,” everyone responded, in unison.There was a lot of finger pointing during the battle review. Noone wanted to take any kind of responsibility for the failure of themission. Some people even blamed me, since I left everyone behind.Thankfully, Marcus pointed out the fact that the battle was overbefore I ditched everyone. In case you’re wondering how in the worldI know everything that happened, even though I wasn’t there, I kindof designed the fortress and have twenty-four-seven access to videoand audio feed.“Well, in order to decide our next move, we need to decidewho’s in charge now,” Paul commented.SAMPLE

“But T.J. could come back any moment now,” Marcuscommented.“He’s not even answering our communications,” Sammypointed out.“I said it before, and I’ll say it again. The way he took offyesterday didn’t leave much hope for his return,” the newcomershared.“What’s your name again?” Paul asked.“Stopwatch,” she answered.“Stopwatch?” Erick said.“That’s my name. My superhero name, anyway.”“Well, we surely appreciate your assistance yesterday. If I werein charge, I would definitely call for a vote to add you to the team,”Erick commented.“I second that!” Paul exclaimed.“Then let’s vote in a new leader already!” Justin declared.After some more bickering, Sammy was voted in as interimleader. Before any official vote to add Stopwatch to the team could beinitiated, Sammy called for a vote to establish a ‘Second inCommand’ position. That way, if the leader becomes incapacitated orcaptured, the team will still have a leader. Before they could continuewith the vote, Sammy had to explain to Justin what incapacitatedmeant.SAMPLE

Wait. You don’t know what it means either? Part of me wants totell you, but the other part is telling me to encourage you to learnsomething new. You know, open a dictionary or search online orsomething. You can do it!Anyway, getting back on topic. After Sammy explained toJustin what incapacitated meant, everyone agreed to add a Second inCommand position. Then the bickering started again. Even thougheveryone eventually agreed to vote Sammy as Interim Leader, itseems they had another idea about who should be Second inCommand. While everyone agreed that Sammy is the most intelligentof everyone in the league, they pointed out that intelligence is just onecharacteristic that the Second in Command should possess.In the end, Marcus was chosen as Second in Command.Everyone agreed that not only is he one of the smartest kids in hisclass, but he's usually the one out of all of us that stays the mostlevelheaded. That, along with his compassionate heart, great patience,and ability to quickly analyze a situation, and Marcus made the bestcandidate for the position.As soon as that vote was over, Justin made a motion to inductStopwatch as the newest member of the T.J. League. Erick quicklyseconded. Sammy asked if there was any discussion before they heldthe vote.Paul pointed out that she was instrumental in preventing theirloss against the Fickle Five and Short Term Memory Loss. Justin andSAMPLE

Erick agreed. Marcus on the other hand pointed out that he wasn’tsure if a vote could be held without the entire league being present.Justin quickly countered and said that it didn’t matter that I wasn’tthere. Paul said all that mattered was that four of them agreed. Erickconcurred. He said that even if I was there, and I voted against addingStopwatch to the league, it could still end up being a four to two vote.Marcus reminded Erick, Justin and Paul that I had said Iwouldn’t vote to add Stopwatch without further information. Sammyremembered and said she would count it as my official vote. After thediscussion ended, the vote ended up being a three to three tie.“Sorry guys. Guess we’ll have to wait and see if Stopwatch canbe added later,” Sammy said.“But can we afford to wait?” Justin asked. “Can we really?”SAMPLE

7. IT CAN’T BE“We’ve survived all this time without her on our team. I’mconfident we can survive just a bit longer without her being anofficial member,” Sammy commented. “No offense.”“None taken,” Stopwatch replied.“Well, if we’re not adding her to our team, then what are wedoing?” Erick asked.“I think we should go on the offensive,” Sammy suggested.“The offensive?” Paul questioned.SAMPLE

“I agree,” Marcus remarked. “It seems like we’re alwayswaiting for our enemies to attack or announce an attack. Then wehave to react to whatever the situation is. Sometimes we’re able tocounter them and win, but as yesterday proved, sometimes they’reone step ahead of us.”“So, what’s your plan?” Stopwatch asked.“Don’t look at me,” Marcus said. “She’s Interim Leader.”Everyone looked at Sammy for direction. She squinted her eyesand looked around the room. I usually think with my chin. Sammy, onthe other hand, thinks with her eyes. After a short moment of thought,Sammy had an idea.“Although, we don’t know where Dr. Dreamo’s hideout is, wedo know where the Fickle Five Fortress is,” Sammy stated.“Since when do we know that?” Marcus asked.“Since I placed a tracker on Sally Sadness when I was fightingher yesterday,” she shared.“Wow. That’s genius thinking,” Justin commented.In case you’re wondering, no, that last part wasn’t a mistype. Itreally happened. And I have the video file to prove it. Justin really didjust praise Sammy for her great idea. Trust me, I was just as shockedas you are.The team, plus Stopwatch, took the next hour or so, coming upwith a plan to silently infiltrate the Fickle Five Fortress. They decidedthat working in teams of two would work best. They would be able toSAMPLE

enter from different parts of the fortress, hopefully without beingdetected. And if one team was found out, it was likely that thesecurity forces would focus their efforts on that particular part of thefortress. This would allow the other two teams to continue theirmission without distraction.“That’s a great plan and all, but how are we supposed toapproach the fortress undetected,” Stopwatch asked.Justin put his palm to his forehead. Usually that’s one of us. Youknow, when he asks a question that we think he should already knowthe answer to.“We should all fit inside my plane. Its cloaking ability makes itimpossible to be picked up on radar and infrared cameras,” Sammyexplained.“Sounds good to me,” Stopwatch replied.Without any further discussion, everyone grabbed theirnecessary equipment and boarded Sammy’s plane. It was quite a waysto the fortress, but for some reason, everyone remained silent. EvenJustin, who’s normally a chatterbox.“Okay, everyone, we’re approaching the Fickle Five Fortress.Get ready to disembark midair,” Sammy ordered.Everyone unbuckled, grabbed their gear, and waited for the rearhatch to open over their designated area. Sammy put the plane inhover mode when she and Stopwatch exited.SAMPLE

“Okay, guys. Remember the three S’s: Silent entry, Stealthyapproach and Surprise attack!” Sammy reminded us.“Right.”“Gotcha.”“Will do.”“Whatever you say.”“Okay?”Each team focused their efforts to gain entry to the Fortress asthey had planned. Thankfully, the points of entry that Sammy hadchosen were weak spots for security, so it proved an easy task. Onceinside, they advanced to their destination with as much stealth aspossible.“Is it just me or does it seem like this is a bit too easy?” Marcusasked.“I’m good with that,” Justin responded.“Has no one encountered any security yet?” Sammy asked.“None here,” Paul answered.“Like I said, a bit too easy,” Marcus said.“And like I said, I’m good with that,” Justin retorted.“No. I think Marcus is right. We should have encountered somekind of opposition by now. I don’t like it,” Sammy commented.“What do you guys think?”No one responded.“I said, what do you guys think?”SAMPLE

Once again, no response.Sammy looked at Stopwatch. She shrugged her shoulders.“Maybe we entered an area that prevents or disrupts audiocommunications,” Stopwatch suggested.“May-be,” Sammy uttered, unconvinced.She and Stopwatch continued on their planned path to meet withthe rest of the guys so they could surprise and overtake the FickleFive and Short Term Memory Loss. Each time they entered a new room, it justhappened to be empty. Until they reached a room filled withcardboard boxes. It looked like the Fickle Five had received a hugeshipment of supplies.“What do you think is inside?” Stopwatch asked Sammy.“I don’t know. But if these have this much of anything inside ofthem, it can’t be good,” Sammy shared.She inspected a few of the boxes to see if there was a shippingaddress or description of what was inside. Unfortunately, none of theboxes had any kind of markings.“Should we open them?” Stopwatch asked.“Only way to find out what’s inside,” Sammy snickered.She ripped the tape off of one of the boxes and removed the lid.As soon as she did, a familiar green fog emerged from inside.Stopwatch made a hand gesture, and the fog froze before fully exitingthe box.SAMPLE

“You didn’t have to do that. The fog doesn’t affect me,” Sammystated.“Speak for yourself,” Stopwatch responded. “Short TermMemory Loss can emit multiple types of that fog. And one of them islethal to my kind.”“Do you think that each and every one of these boxes is full ofthat fog?” Sammy asked.“To be honest, I would rather not find out,” Stopwatch admitted.“No. I mean, if what you just said is true, imagine what kind ofdamage could be done,” she said. “Especially if it’s dispersed fromhigh enough in the atmosphere.“If that’s their idea, how do we stop them without intoxicatingourselves?” she asked.“T.J. wasn’t affected by the fog he released atop that building.Maybe his breathing apparatus can filter out all the different types ofgas that she releases,” Sammy suggested.“What do you think is inside?” Stopwatch asked Sammy.“I don’t know. But if these have this much of anything inside ofthem, it can’t be good,” Sammy shared. She then put her hand to herforehead and gently shook it. “Hey, I don’t remember opening this.Did you open this box?”“No. Did you?” Stopwatch answered “No.”“And honestly, I don’t remember freezing it.”SAMPLE

They looked at each other for a moment. Then their eyes grewlarge.“Short Term Memory Loss!” they shouted in unison.“Well, well, well,” came a voice from the darkness. “That didn’ttake you very long to figure out.”“Who’s there?” Sammy called out.“Oh. Maybe you’re not as intelligent as I thought you were,” thevoice responded.“That’s him,” Stopwatch said.“Come from out of the shadows if you dare!” Sammy shouted.“Yeah! There’s no way you can take on the both of us all byyourself!” Stopwatch taunted.“Who said he was alone,” came another voice from thedarkness.“That wasn’t Short Term Memory Loss,” Stopwatch said.“And it definitely wasn’t the Fickle Five,” Sammy added.“Then who was it?” Stopwatch asked.“I’m ninety-nine point nine percent sure I recognize that voice,”Sammy said.“Who is it?” she asked.“But there is a point zero one chance that I’m wrong.”“Who is it!” Stopwatch asked, raising her voice.“It can’t be. It just can’t!”SAMPLE

8. LET US GO!“Are you going to tell me who it is or not!” Stopwatch said, herhands on Sammy’s shoulders.“She knows who I am,” the voice answered for her. “That pointzero one percent she’s talking about is the percentage she’s ever reallywrong. And in case you two haven’t noticed, not only has the freezeyou put on the fog expired, but you currently have fog up to yourknees.”SAMPLE

Sammy and Stopwatch looked down to confirm the voice’swords.“If I’m going to stop this much fog, for longer than twentyseconds, I’m going to need to recharge,” Stopwatch told Sammy.“Aw. Isn’t that cute? She thinks that once she freezes this fog,that I won’t release new fog,” Short Term Memory Loss teased.“Don’t worry, I sent out an all call with our current location tothe rest of the guys. They should be here shortly,” Sammy informedStopwatch.“Aw. Isn’t that cute? She hasn’t realized that the reason shecouldn’t reach her team earlier is because I disabled the frequencythey use to communicate,” the voice taunted.“How would he know how to do that?” Stopwatch asked.“Because he’s the one who designed and created ourcommunication devices,” Sammy answered.“Does that mean?”“Yes. That voice is T.J.,” Sammy shared.“But isn’t he your guys’ leader?” Stopwatch asked.“He was,” Sammy snarked. “Guess my Interim Leader positionmay become permanent after today.”“How are we supposed to take down Short Term Memory Lossand the Fickle Five if your former leader is now working for them?”That was a good question. One Sammy didn’t exactly have ananswer for. Don’t get me wrong. She’s good at thinking on her feet,SAMPLE

but I think I was the last person she was expecting to encounterduring their attempted takeover. I’m pretty sure that she’s currently ina state of shock.“Alright boys. Take ‘em down,” Short Term Memory Lossordered.“Aw, isn’t that cute,” a voice mimicked, “he thinks we’re justgoing to stand by and do nothing.”“How did you guys find us?” I asked.“It didn’t take long for us to realize that we were advancing a bittoo easily,” Erick said.“So, I checked the whole compound and found that everyonewas guarding this room,” Paul informed me. “I was even able tomake myself a double grilled cheese sandwich, since no one waswatching the kitchen.”I placed my palm to my forehead.“Oh. You’re out of cheese now, by the way.”“Did I stutter?” Short Term Memory Loss asked. “Take ‘emdown!”Suddenly, the light turned on, revealing everyone who had beenhiding in the darkness. Short Term Memory Loss, The Fickle Five,their underlings, and me on one side of the room, and Erick, Justin,Marcus, and Paul on the other. As soon as the underlings made theirway toward Sammy and Stopwatch, Erick and Paul sped to their side.SAMPLE

I thought with me on their side, the Fickle Five and Short TermMemory Loss would have no problem taking down the guys, but theymust have done some extra planning on Sammy’s plane. You see, Imay be dialed into the headquarter’s security system, allowing me towatch and listen in on their conversations there, but once Sammyturns on her plane’s cloaking device, I lose all access. I’ve never beenable to figure out why, but it shouldn’t be long before I crack thatcase.“You guys get these boxes into the water tower,” Sammyordered Erick and Paul. “We’ll take care of these losers.”“The water tower?” Erick asked.“Yes. The water tower. Most gases lose their potency underwater. Some even lose their harmful effects,” she explained.“Huh?” Justin said, webbing some underlings to the wall.“Like chlorine. As a gas, it’s deadly. But add it to water, and itkeeps your pool clean!”Erick and Paul didn’t really care why Sammy had ordered themto do it. All they knew was that she was the Interim Leader, and thatmeant she wouldn’t ask them to do anything that would harm theteam in any way.“Don’t just stand there! Stop them!” Angry Allen shouted.With Erick and Paul’s speed, there was no way the underlingswould be able to succeed. Even the boxes they grabbed, disappearedbefore they took their first step. Guess it’s a good thing that SammySAMPLE

chose the team’s two fastest people to handle the boxes of gas. Uh, Imean, what a terrible decision. Pshhh. Trying to stop us. Guess theyforgot about a little thing called home team advantage.As much as I hate to admit it, the guys were actually doing agood job of holding us back. The team worked together, occasionallyswitching battle partners and opponents. They even used Stopwatch’sability to their advantage, keeping Short Term Memory Loss frozenas much as possible. When he wasn’t frozen, he was too busy beingpestered by Paul or trying to escape Justin’s webs. They basicallykept him too overwhelmed to fight or release his deadly fog orreverse time.Of course, Sammy kept me pretty busy with her battleexperience and strength. That is until I enacted our plan to defeat thenew T.J. League. They may have prepared for the Fickle Five andShort Term Memory Loss, but there’s no way they were expecting tosee me here. Working with the enemy. They definitely didn’t plan forthat.“Operation Enemies and Allies, activate!”The room immediately went dark.“Hey! What’s going on?” Marcus yelled.“The lights went out!” Justin answered.I could hear Marcus’ hand slap his own forehead. They mightnot be able to see, but every single one of us has night vision glasses.Which is just the way I wanted it. Sammy may have been able toSAMPLE

determine and exploit the weaknesses of the Fickle Five and ShortTerm Memory Loss, but I know how to defeat every member of theT.J. League. Even mister new guy, Stopwatch.“Hey! Who’s touching me?”“Doesn’t anyone have a light or something?”“T.J.’s usually the one that’s prepared for everything.”“Great.”It didn’t take long for us to capture and imprison the guys andtheir sidekick. Especially since we were actually in a dungeonchamber. You couldn’t tell by the way it looked. Probably because Ihad been using a virtual reality projector to alter the room’sappearance. Once the last of the underlings exited the room, Iactivated the laser cage and turned on the lights. This laser cage isbased on the same technology that Dr. Dreamo had used against Paul,to prevent him from passing through his invisible force field. Thatmeant that no one would be able to escape.“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Sammy uttered.“No problem. I’ll just pass through the lasers,” Paul said.“Paul, no!”Too late! Paul thrust himself into the laser bars and was thrownback, into Marcus’ arms.“I tried to warn you,” Sammy scolded.“Yeah, Paul. You have to be more careful. You know, thinkbefore you act,” Justin stated.SAMPLE

I had to hold back a chuckle. If anyone else in the group hadsaid those words, I’d have been fine. But coming from the personwho speaks his mind before considering the consequences, it justmade me want to laugh out loud.“Guys. Before anyone else decides they know an easy way outof here, remember one thing: T.J. probably built this prison,” Sammysaid. “And he knows all of our strengths and weaknesses.”“So.”“So, this isn’t going to be easy,” she declared.“So, are we just supposed to admit defeat?” Stopwatch asked.“Of course not,” Sammy answered.“So, what do we do?” Marcus asked.“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but we have to do exactly whatJustin said. We have to think before we act,” Sammy stated, followedby a body shiver.“How about we start by trying the easiest thing?” Justinsuggested.“And what’s that?” Erick asked.“Hey, T.J., old buddy, old pal. Could you do us a favor?” Justinasked.“And what might that be?” I responded.“LET US GO!”SAMPLE

9. ARE YOU SURE?“I might have considered it, but you forgot to say please,” Ianswered.“Justin!”“C’mon!”“Really, Justin?”“You guys realize that he wouldn’t have really let us go, even ifJustin had said, ‘please’,” Sammy told them.“You don’t know that.”SAMPLE

“He could have.”“But he’s T.J.!”“Are they always this gullible?”“Just on days that our illustrious leader completely turns heel,maligns himself with our enemies, and enacts a diabolical,treacherous, insidious operation so that he can retaliate for ourinability to see eye-to-eye on your possible ulterior motives,” Sammyanswered, without taking a single breath.“Huh?”“What?”“English?”“She said only on days that T.J. betrays us for not agreeing withhim about Stopwatch’s possibility of being a bad guy,” Marcussimplified.“Why couldn’t she just say that?” Justin asked.“I did!” Sammy contested.“Well, it’s good to see that you guys aren’t completely lostwithout me,” I snickered.“C’mon, T.J. Seriously. Are you going to let us out or not?”Erick asked.“Don’t think that would help my diabolical, treacherous,insidious operation be successful. Nope. Probably wouldn’t be helpfulat all,” I answered.SAMPLE

This time it was Justin whose palm slapped his own forehead.I’m not sure if it’s because I wasn’t going to let them out, or if hedidn’t like the big words I had repeated. I left the room while theywere bickering and trying to decide whether or not my cage wasreally inescapable or not.“Should I keep an eye on them,” a lackey asked.“No need. There’s no way for them to escape,” I answered.“Whatever you say, boss,” she answered.I made my way toward the center of the fortress, where theFickle Five held their gatherings. It was quite a smart location. Sinceit was the fortress’ centermost room, that meant it was the safest. Thatand the fact that it was two floors underground. That definitely wouldhave made it difficult for us to reach if we had ever stormed thefortress.“T.J.!” Hilarious Harold exclaimed, as I entered the room. “Youdelivered, just as you promised.”“I’m a man of my word,” I responded.“That you are,” Peaceful Paula agreed.“Take a seat. Take a seat,” said Angry Allen, motioning to thechair next to him.“It would be my pleasure.”“I now call this meeting to order,” Sally Sadness stated,followed by a couple bangs of her gavel.SAMPLE

Wait. Sally Sadness is their leader? I always thought it wouldhave been Angry Allen or Peaceful Paula. Well, guess appearancesand names don’t determine your status in a villain group.“I think the first order of business should be adding T.J. to theFickle Five,” Charles the Confuser shared.“I second that motion,” Hilarious Harold said.“As much as I agree, New Business and Open Floor isn’tscheduled until later in the meeting. Let’s make sure we observeRobert’s Rule of Order and parliamentary procedure. We wouldn’twant chaos to reign our gatherings like it used to,” Sally reminded.Wow! These guys are a lot more civilized than I thought theywere. I don’t even know what ‘Robert’s Rules of Order,’ or‘parliamentary procedure’ are! Although, I’m sure if I asked a certainsomeone, they could probably explain it to me.After following the meeting’s itinerary, we finally got to NewBusiness. It was then that the same two people motioned andseconded the motion for me to be added to the Fickle Five. SallySadness then asked if there was any discussion.“I think we should change the name of the group,” I stated.“What do you mean?” Sally asked.“Well, there’s more than five of us,” I answered, pointing at andcounting everyone in the room.“He’s got a point,” Angry Allen agreed.“What do you suggest?” Sally asked.SAMPLE

“How about—,” I paused, thinking with my chin, “how aboutthe Insidious Seven.”“But the letters don’t match,” Charles the Confuser pointed out.“So, what,” Hilarious Harold responded. “It sounds cool.”“I agree,” Peaceful Paula chimed in.“I don’t,” Short Term Memory Loss said.“What do you think it should be?” Sally asked.“No. Not the name,” he answered.“Then what don’t you agree with?” Sally continued to question.“I don’t think T.J. should be added to the team,” Short TermMemory Loss responded.“Why not?” Charles the Confuser asked.“I don’t buy it,” he answered.“Buy what?” Peaceful Paula asked.“I don’t buy his whole ‘I’m angry with my team so I switchedover to the bad side’ routine,” he explained.“But he just imprisoned his entire team in one easy move. Madethem look like amateurs,” Sally Sadness reminded him.“So?”“So that just shows how good he is. And how much better we’regoing to be once he’s on our team,” Sally responded.“But how can you just trust him so easily?” Short Term MemoryLoss inquired.SAMPLE

“If I’m not mistaken, it didn’t take much for us to trust you,”Peaceful Paula reminded him.“Not to mention, T.J. let us listen in on his headquarters’ audio,so we would know what his old team was up to. That way we’d beprepared once they got here. Don’t remember you doing anything likethat. You know, going out of your way to prove yourtrustworthiness,” Angry Allen added.“Whatever. Vote him in if you really want to. Pretty sure myvote wouldn’t make a difference anyway,” he pouted.“Before we do that, I think we need to ask you a very importantquestion,” Hilarious Harold stated.“Ask away,” I said.“Not you,” he said. “You.”“Me?” Short Term Memory Loss asked, pointing at himself.“Yes, you,” Harold confirmed.“What do you want to know?”“If we vote T.J. in, will you still be a part of this team?” heposed.“Why is that important?” he answered.“Well, T.J. suggested the name Insidious Seven, and I kind oflike it,” he admitted. “And if you leave the team, we will only havesix.”“I’m pretty sure calling yourselves the Insidious Six will stillwork for you,” Short Term Memory Loss replied.SAMPLE

“So, you’re not going to stay if we vote him in?” Sally Sadnessasked.“Huh? When did I say that?”“You just said, ‘yourselves.’ Which implies that you plan onleaving,” Sally pointed out. “If you had said, ‘ourselves,’ then itwould have been different.”“You’re right. It would have been different. But I didn’t say‘ourselves.’ I said, ‘yourselves.’ Because if he stays. I. Am. Out!”Short Term Memory Loss shouted.“Really?”“No way.”“C’mon!”“So, it’s like that, huh?”“Are you sure?”SAMPLE

10. A Way Out“Absolutely sure,” Short Term Memory Loss responded.The Fickle Five exchanged glances before Sally Sadness spoke.“Well, I guess it’s unanimous, but we have to take an oral votefor the record. All in favor of adding T.J. to the Fickle Five andchanging our name to Insidious Six, say aye.”“Aye,” the rest of the team said loudly.“All against.”SAMPLE

Silence. I guess Short Term Memory Loss was never officiallyadded to their team. Or board. Or both.“Motion passes. Congratulations, T.J., you are now part of theInsidious Six!” Sally Sadness announced.“Thank you. I appreciate your guys’ confidence in me,” Iresponded, looking each of the Five in the eyes as I said it.Short Term Memory Loss crossed his arms and slouched in hischair. I’m not one hundred percent confident when I say this, but Ithink he’s upset. Just a little. Or maybe a lot. Yeah. Probably a lot.“If no one else has any new business, do I hear a motion toadjourn?” Sally asked.Since no one else had any other business, the meeting wasadjourned, and everyone started to head to the elevator. Beforeanyone could push the button to open the doors, we heard a ding. Welooked up at the digital display that tells you what floor it’s on andnoticed that the numbers were going down. As in the elevator wasgoing up. Confusing? I know. It doesn’t sound like it makes sense,but trust me, it does.“Ummm. The elevator is going up,” Hilarious Harold said.I’m not sure of this, but I think Hilarious Harold is the FickleFive’s version of Justin. Then again, I’ve only been here about a day.I may need some more time around them to make a more accurateassessment.“Does the elevator have an automatic return function?” I asked.SAMPLE

“A what?” Angry Allen asked back.“You know. After it doesn’t get used for a while, it returns backto the main floor,” I explained.“No. It’s usually waiting for us to go back up,” Sally answeredfor him.“So, there’s no other way for elevator to have gone back up?” Iasked.“Unless someone pushed the button from upstairs,” PeacefulPaula stated.Everyone looked at each other with confused glances. Not thekind of confused glances that say, ‘what in the world are you talkingabout.’ Confused glances that say, ‘who in the world could havepushed the button from upstairs?’ Before anyone could take a guess,the elevator dinged again. We all looked at the number above thedoors. This time, the numbers are going up. That means that theelevator is coming down. Still confusing? Sorry.◆ ◆ ◆“Ow!”“For the umpteenth time, you can’t vibrate, phase or passthrough those laser bars. You’re just going to keep hurting yourself!”Sammy yelled.“You don’t know that!” Paul yelled back. “If I just keep trying,maybe I can find the right frequency that will allow me through!”SAMPLE

“Yeah! If anyone can get us out of this, it’s gotta be Paul!”Justin said, backing him up.“Guys. Sammy’s strength couldn’t break through. Paul’s speedhasn’t worked. What if I tried my lasers? As in, my laser vision,”Erick offered.“Hey! That’s not a bad idea,” Justin praised.Erick looked at Sammy for approval. After a moment ofthinking about it, she shrugged her shoulders in a ‘what can it hurt?’sort of way. Justin and Paul high fived each other, then looked atErick.Erick’s face changed from a smile of appreciation to one offocus and determination. Then, his eyes began to glow red. It seemedlike he was mustering up all of his eye strength before releasing hislasers. He motioned for the team to stand behind him. When thelasers finally shot from his eyes, it seemed like nothing couldwithstand the intensity and speed at which they traveled. And I’msure the team had great confidence in them, but when Erick’s laserbeams met the laser bars, all they did was ricochet throughout theprison cell.“Look out!”“What the!”“Oh my—!”“Outta the way!”“You’ve got to be kidding me!”SAMPLE

“Well, guess we’re back to square one.”◆ ◆ ◆We all focused on the elevator doors when it finally reached ourlevel. None of us had any idea who we would see once they opened. Idon’t know about the Fickle Five or Short Term Memory Loss, butI’m ready to attack. Just in case.“Well, well, well. I was hoping to find you all gathered here.”“What are you doing here?”“How did you manage to get past our security?”“Are those doughnuts?”Everyone stopped and looked at Angry Allen.“What? We haven’t had anything to eat since before wecaptured the T.J. League,” he commented.“Seems like you didn’t capture all of the T.J. League,” Dr.Dreamo pointed out. “What’s he doing here?”“He’s switched sides. Got tired of his old team not fullyappreciating his skills, abilities and intelligence,” Sally Sadnessexplained.“And you guys just believed him?” Dr. Dreamo asked.“Thank you! At least some-body else understands my point ofview!” Short Term Memory Loss said.“He just trapped his entire team in the dungeon. And with littleeffort, I might add,” Angry Allen added.SAMPLE

“You guys might trust him, but I don’t,” Dr. Dreamo stated.“But if he really is on our side, that will make the next step in myplan that much easier and more likely to succeed.”“What step? What plan?” Peaceful Paula asked.Dr. Dreamo sighed.“The same plan I’ve had since I first became a supervillain! Myplan to take over the world!” he answered. “And don’t worry. Youeach have a critical role in its success. And once I’m ruler of thisworld, you will all be high ranking officials in my new regime.”Dr. Dreamo had this eerie smile on his face, which quicklydisappeared as he surveyed the room. I think he was expecting athunderous applause, or at least some sort of excitement. Instead, hereceived stoic faces. The Fickle Five looked at each other, noddedtheir heads, then looked at Dr. Dreamo.“Yeah. I don’t think so,” Hilarious Harold said.“Don’t think what?” Dr. Dreamo asked.“We’re tired of being your lackeys,” Charles the Confuser toldhim.“My lackeys?”“Yeah!” Angry Allen shouted. “We’re always the ones that getleft behind to clean up your mess.”“And we never get the respect we deserve,” Peaceful Paulaadded.SAMPLE

“And now that we have your archnemesis on our side, not onlycan we stop you, but we have a better chance at taking over the worldthan you do!” Sally pointed out.“What are you saying?” Dr. Dreamo asked.“We’re saying it’s over!”“We’re done!”“Get lost!”“Buh bye!”“You do understand English. Right?”“After all I’ve done for you, this is how you decide to repayme? With insubordination and retaliation!” Dr. Dreamo shouted. “Imade you! I brought you together! I helped you hone your skills! Igave you purpose and worth!”“Well, we are no longer taking orders from you!” Sally shoutedback.I don’t think they noticed, but while all of this was happening,Short Term Memory Loss entered the elevator and left the room.Actually, he left our floor entirely.“Have you forgotten how much more power-ful I am than you!”Dr. Dreamo yelled.Suddenly, the room began to change form. I anticipated thishappening and activated my virtual reality inhibitor. Immediately, afull, head covering helmet emerged from my suit. The helmet theninserted plugs into my ears, lowered lenses over my eyes, pinched mySAMPLE

nose enough to stop me from breathing through my nostrils, andinserted a breathing apparatus into my mouth. With four of my majorsenses being controlled by my armor, Dr. Dreamo’s powers wouldhave little to no effect on me. It only took a few seconds, but theroom quickly morphed back to its original state.It was no surprise to me, but the Fickle Five and Dr. Dreamowere now engaged in battle. I know I was just inducted into theirgroup and all, but I wanted no part in this. This is something I thinkthey need to work out on their own. I wanted to exit the room and letthem work out their differences. Unfortunately, I can’t do that untilShort Term Memory Loss reaches the top floor. That way I can pushthe button for the elevator to come back down and get me out of here.◆ ◆ ◆The T.J. League and Stopwatch wandered their cell,occasionally kicking invisible rocks or dirt.“Man! They could at least have chairs or a bench orsomething!” Justin shouted, in frustration.“I think our comfort is the least of their concerns right now,”Sammy commented.“What happens when we get hungry? Are they going to feed us?Or what about when we get tired? Are we supposed to just sleep onthe floor?” Justin asked.SAMPLE

“In ancient times, prisoners weren’t fed three meals a day. Theydidn’t have access to a playground or library or computer lab. Theonly way you ate was if someone you knew brought you food. Afamily member or friend. And if no one showed up, if you werelucky, your captors might give you some moldy bread and unfilteredwater,” Sammy shared.“Is there anything you don’t know!” Justin said.“I don’t how to get us out of here,” Sammy answered.Everyone shook their head in dismay and began to wander theroom again. Everyone except for Marcus. He stayed in the center ofthe room for a moment, then walked over to the laser bars. This gotthe rest of the league’s attention, so they followed. Marcus thenlooked at the floor, then at the wall outside of their imprisonment,then at Sammy.“Do you guys see what I see?” Marcus asked.Everyone looked at Marcus, then at the floor, then at the walloutside the laser bars, then at Sammy, and then back at Marcus.“Yeah, I don’t see it,” Justin said.“Me neither,” Erick admitted.“What exactly do you see?” Sammy asked.“A way out.”SAMPLE

11. GLAD YOU’RE BACK It’s at times like these that I wish I actually had a superpower.Like the ability to phase through walls. Yeah. That ability wouldreally come in hand right now, because the elevator is taking foreverto come back and the Fickle Five and Dr. Dreamo are not holdingback their attacks.“Traitors!”“Dictator!”“Heathens!”“Maniac!”“Unappreciative ignoramuses!”“Egotistical, narcissistic, egomaniacal wannabe!”SAMPLE

“Wannabe?”Dr. Dreamo stopped his attack, which caused the Fickle Five tostop their attacks.“Yeah! You wannabe the ruler of this world so bad, and it’snever going to happen!” Sally Sadness yelled.This caused Dr. Dreamo’s face to turn dark red with anger. If theelevator hadn’t arrived, I probably would have had to enter the battlejust to make sure that they didn’t cause the ceiling to collapse in onitself. You know, with me still in the room.As soon as the elevator doors opened, I hopped inside andpressed the ‘Close Doors’ button. Repeatedly. I just hope I make itback to the top before anything happens that might make the elevatorget stuck.◆ ◆ ◆“Okay Sammy, I want you to try something,” Marcus said.“Try what?” she asked.“You’re just going to have to trust me on this. I’m pretty sureit’s going to work,” Marcus answered.“Pretty sure?” Justin asked.“This is how I see it. Sammy, your bracelets can repel firearms,right?” Marcus asked.“Yes,” Sammy answered, cautiously.“Including laser beams, right?” he continued.SAMPLE

“Yes,” Sammy answered, just as cautiously as before.“So, theoretically, your bracelets should be able to deflect thelasers being used to keep us locked in here!” Marcus said, excitedly.“Right?”Sammy looked down at her bracelets, then at the lasers, thenback at her bracelets. It’s like she was considering any possible waysMarcus’ plan could backfire. After a moment, she slowly walkedtoward the lasers. When she was just a foot or so in front of the lasers,she removed her left bracelet and held it in her hands. She moved asif she still had reservations about the whole idea.As she inched closer to the lasers with her bracelet, the rest ofthe league made encouraging and reaffirming comments. But forsome reason, before her bracelet could make contact, the lasersdisappeared. Within seconds, a loud charging down sound could beheard nearby.“What’d you do?” Justin asked.“I didn’t do anything,” Sammy answered.“Well, whoever did it, thank you!” Justin shouted into thedarkness.“You’re welcome,” a voice responded, causing Justin to jumpand squeal.“You gonna be okay?” Stopwatch asked him.“Ye—, yeah,” Justin answered.“Can I put you down now?”SAMPLE

Justin nodded his head and climbed out of Stopwatch’s arms.“Who’s there?” Marcus asked.The voice didn’t answer. Instead, it emerged from the shadows.The league couldn’t believe their eyes. There’s no way this personhad just helped them escape their imprisonment.“Surprised to see me?” Short Term Memory Loss asked.“More like in a state of disbelief,” Sammy answered.“Well, believe it. I’m done with those losers underestimatingme. And replacing me with that powerless wimp? Ha!” he yelled.“Replaced you?” Erick asked.“Re-placed me!” Short Term Memory Loss Answered. “Andthey think their new name is so cool. Not!”“What new name?” Paul inquired.“Insidious Six,” he mimicked, like a kindergartner.“I can’t believe it. T.J. really has betrayed us,” Justincommented.“I don’t believe it! Not for one second!” Marcus interjected.“Guess you’ll never find out,” Stopwatch said.“Huh?” Sammy said.Before she could explain herself, everyone in the league froze.Even Short Term Memory Loss was frozen.“I’ve been trying to capture you for years!” Stopwatchexclaimed.SAMPLE

The guys were totally confused. If Stopwatch just wanted tocapture Short Term Memory Loss, why did she freeze them? Theycould have helped her capture him.“No more chasing you from back alley to back alley. Planet toplanet. Galaxy to galaxy,” Stopwatch taunted. “Now it’s a one waytrip to Sister Sherley’s Super Safety Site. For all of you!”Stopwatch cackled as she walked across the room. She was justone step away from capturing Short Term Memory Loss when shewas stopped by a familiar weapon. One that would have eitherbrought more confusion to the guys or an overwhelming sense ofexcitement. If they weren’t frozen, that is.“Not so fast,” I ordered.“You? I thought you were part of the Insidious Six now?”Stopwatch said.“Technically, I am,” I replied.“And I thought he had deserted you guys.”“Technically, he did,” I confirmed.“Then why are you trying to stop me?” Stopwatch asked.“Because you froze my friends,” I answered.“But I thought you deserted them!”“That’s the dangerous thing about ‘thought’ing,” I commented.“Huh?”“It can lead to false conclusions,” I finished, shooting an electricnet to capture her.SAMPLE

As soon as she hit the ground, the guys and Short Term MemoryLoss unfroze. Instead of getting excited to see me, the league stayedstill. Staring at me. Even Short Term Memory Loss was speechless. Iguess they don’t know what to think, about what just happened. I justprevented Stopwatch from capturing Short Term Memory Loss,which I’m sure was part of the league’s plan. But I also just calledthem my friends.“I’m confused,” Justin announced.“You can say that again,” Erick responded.“No, seriously, I’m confused!”“I’m pretty sure we all are,” Sammy stated.“I’m not,” Short Term Memory Loss said, walking over to myside.Justin did his pointing, while making unintelligible sounds,mixed with one word sentences, thing.“But—. You—. Gruh—. And—. Fruh—. She—. Then—. Huh?”Marcus walked over to Justin, wrapped his arm around Justin’sshoulder, and gently pulled Justin’s head to his shoulder. Then hebegan petting Justin’s head like it was a cat or dog.“You’re okay. Everything is going to be okay,” Marcusreassured him. “This will all be over soon. And when we look backon it, we’ll laugh. Together.”Sammy shook her head in a disappointing fashion.SAMPLE

“Sorry guys, but I don’t have time to explain,” I said, hurriedly.“That electric net will only stay active for another fifteen minutes orso, and we have to move fast.”“I can just tie him up using that metal piping on the wall overthere,” Erick told me.“And I can web him against the wall for added security,” Justinspoke, perking himself up, off of Marcus’ shoulder.“Or we can do that,” I agreed.“But hurry. The Fickle Five and Dr. Dreamo are currently ateach other’s throats in the heart of the Fortress. If we capitalize onthis opportunity, we just might be able to capture them all at once!” Iexplained.“Alright!”“I’m in!”“Let’s do this!”“I thought I was the leader!”“You’ll live. I promise.”After Erick tied Stopwatch up and Justin webbed her to thewall, we all sped to the elevator, but the closer we got, the more theFortress began to shake.“Are you sure this is a good idea? Maybe we should take thestairs,” Sammy suggested.“Agreed,” I said.SAMPLE

Paul and Erick disappeared with their super speed, followed bySammy and Marcus. Short Term Memory Loss and I lagged behind,since we don’t have any abilities that increase our speed. By the timewe made it to the last flight of stairs, the fortress had stopped shaking.When we threw the doors open, the battle we entered was quitea confusing one. The Fickle Five were still trying to take down Dr.Dreamo, and he was still trying to take them out. On top of that, theyboth also had to deal with the T.J. League. That made both of theirgoals that much more difficult. And once Short Term Memory Lossand I joined the battle, it was all but impossible.“Hey! I thought you were on our team now!”“I can’t believe Short Term Memory Loss was right!”“Don’t tell me the Insidious Six is going back to just fivemembers!”“Can this day get any worse?”Before anyone could say anything else, Short Term MemoryLoss used her hidden ability. She froze the Fickle Five.The guys stopped their fighting once they realized that theiropponents weren’t fighting back.“How in the world?”“Don’t worry about it. Just get all of them inside of this!”I took a small cube from my utility belt and tossed it in thecenter of the room. Upon impact with the floor, it immediately grewin size, to an eight foot by eight foot prison cell.SAMPLE

“Where in the world did you get that!” Justin asked.“Sister Sherley’s Super Secret Site shipped it to me earlier thisweek. I’ve been waiting for the opportune time to use it,” I explained.“I don’t know about you, but I’d call this an opportune time,”Sammy stated, grabbing Sally Sadness and placing her in the cell.The rest of the guys followed her example until it was my turn.“Hey. Where’s Dr. Dreamo?” I asked.Everyone looked around the room. He was nowhere to befound.“I thought I had frozen him, too,” Short Term Memory Losssaid.“I don’t know,” I responded. “I can’t remember if he was. Iguess I was too focused on the cube to notice who was frozen andwho wasn’t.”“Ugh! Once again, he slips out of our grasp,” Sammy groaned.“But we got the Fickle Five!” Erick reminded us.“And Stopwatch!” Paul added.“And T.J.,” Marcus followed.“T.J.?” Justin asked.“Yeah. T.J.,” Marcus answered.“My brain has reached its max level of confusion for the day. Ifit experiences anymore confusion, it just might explode!” Justinexaggerated.Marcus looked at the guys and then focused his attention on me.SAMPLE

“To be honest,” Marcus said, “I couldn’t care less about theFickle Five or Stopwatch. I’m just glad your back.”SAMPLE

12. A Long ExplanationMarcus walked over to me and gave me a long lasting hug.Which turned into a group hug. Except for Short Term Memory Loss,who walked over to the cell, and pushed the button to close andsecure the door.Once everyone released me from their grip, Sammy spoke.“So, what’s this all about?” she asked, motioning back and forthbetween Short Term Memory Loss and me.SAMPLE

“Sorry, guys. I couldn’t tell you or it would have ruined theplan,” I apologized.“What plan?” Erick asked.“The one where I pretend to double cross you guys so that I canget on the good side of the Fickle Five. But not before planting amole on their team, of course,” I explained.“A mole?” Justin asked.Before I could answer, Marcus walked over to a shocked Justin,closed his mouth, grabbed his head and placed it on his shoulder oncemore. He then continued the caressing he had done while we wereback in the dungeon. I think the comforting motion of Marcus’ handon Justin’s head is keeping it from exploding.“The mole would be me,” Short Term Memory Loss said,raising his hand.“But how? And your fog? And the microorganisms. And mymini tumors. And—.”“Shhh. You’re alright. Everything is going to be alright,”Marcus repeated.Justin returned his head back to Marcus’ shoulder, and withoutbeing told to, Marcus continued his comforting strokes on Justin’shead.“Short Term Memory Loss contacted me a while back. He toldme that his sister—his twin sister—had been using her ability tofreeze people in order to inject them with a mysterious sickness. OneSAMPLE

that she had created. One that only she had the cure to. Since she wasable to get in and out before anyone could unfreeze and see her, herplan was working impeccably,” I explained.“Her plan to what?” Sammy asked.“Blackmail people,” Short Term Memory Loss answered.“Blackmail people?” Paul asked.“Yes. She only injected wealthy and important people. Whenthe people she injected became sick and their doctors had no answers,she miraculously showed up at their door with a ‘cure all’ elixir. Onethat could ‘cure any and all sicknesses.’“Of course, the people wanted a demonstration, to prove itsability. So, my sister injected herself with her own concoction, thenhealed herself with her own antidote. Once they saw how fast actingit worked, they didn’t ask for anymore proof. The only thing theycared about was the price. And that’s where her plan came to fruition.You see, she carefully did her research before choosing her nexttarget. After determining that their net worth would benefit her, sheknew what to charge them for her cure.”“How much did she charge?” Sammy asked.“Half.”“Half of what?” Erick asked.“Half of everything they were worth,” he answered. “And ifthey were unwilling to pay, she packed up her things and walked out.If they let her get that far. They usually stopped her before she wasSAMPLE

even able to exit the room. The most stubborn victim stopped herbefore she was able to fully leave his property.”“So, what made you contact T.J.?” Paul asked.“Well, I had determined that my sister was in the Milky WayGalaxy—.”“How?”“Not important. And since Earth is the only inhabitable planetin the area, I knew I needed to contact someone who could help meprevent her from preying on anyone else. After networking with someof my contacts here, they informed me that the T.J. League was thebest hope I had of stopping her,” Short Term Memory Loss continued.“Oh, yeah!”“When I contacted T.J., he listened to what I had to say thentold me he’d call me right back,” she continued. “At first, I wasconfused. Then, when we spoke for the second time, I realized that hewas merely researching my story to confirm its validity. Afterlearning that everything I had told him was true, he came up with aplan. A plan that could lead to capturing my sister, Dr. Dreamo andthe Fickle Five.”“That’s our T.J.”“Of course, he had to keep everything hush, hush, so that yourreactions would be genuine.”“Our reactions? To what?”SAMPLE

“To lots of things,” I answered for him. “Believe it or not, Paul,but I’m the one who designed the invisible barrier that kept you out ofDr. Dreamo’s reach.”“How could you!”“And Erick, I’m the one who made sure it would shield youfrom finding the Fickle Five with your ability to see through objects,”I continued.“Not cool, T.J. Not cool.”“Wait. Is that why you kept insisting that the Fickle Five wereteaming up with Dr. Dreamo,” Sammy asked. “Because you hadplanned it that way?”“Pretty much,” I answered. “I was actually trying to give you ahint. You know, thinking at least one of you guys would get it. Or atleast be on my side about it!”No on responded to that last statement. Instead, all I got werestares that said, ‘Really? You expected us to understand your hint thatwasn’t really a hint at all?’.“Anyways. I’m the one who informed Stopwatch that we wouldbe trying to capture a very rich and very important doctor.”“Dr. Dreamo?”“Dr. Dreamo,” I confirmed. “I think Stopwatch was a bitsurprised to see her brother when she joined us on that rooftop.Despite that, I think her interest in getting half of Dr. Dreamo’sfortune fueled her enough to continue my pre-planned mission.”SAMPLE

“So, you’re the one who invited her to ‘help’ us?”“Yes, I did,” I admitted. “But I predicted that she would doanything to get to Dr. Dreamo, including pretending to be a heroinstead of the villain that she truly is. I even planned our argumentand falling out.”“Just how diabolical is that mind of yours?”“I prefer to consider it genius,” I corrected.“So, you predicted that I would plant a tracker on one of theFive?” Sammy asked.“Who gave you those trackers?” I asked.She squinted her eyes before opening them widely.“You did! You told me that one of us had to find a way to hideone on them. That way we could finally find their fortress!” sherealized.“But how did you know the details of our plan to sneak into thefortress?” Marcus asked.“Have you forgotten who designed and paid for the building ofour headquarters?” I asked.Marcus shook his head in disbelief. He couldn’t believe hehadn’t considered it before.“You, of course.”“I have around the clock access to every video, audio and sensorfeed throughout the entire property,” I told him. “We actually watchedyou guys in the meeting room.”SAMPLE

“We?”“The Fickle Five, Short Term Memory Loss and me.”“Unforgivable!” Justin shouted.“You’re okay. Everything’s going to be okay.”“No! I’m not okay!” Justin yelled. “If you knew everything thatwas going to happen, then why in the world do I have tiny tumorsgrowing inside of me!”“Those aren’t tiny tumors,” Short Term Memory Loss informedhim.“But Sammy said—.”“I hacked the sensors,” I told Justin.“You what?” Sammy asked.“I knew Justin wouldn’t leave you alone until he knew whetheror not he really did have tiny tumors inside of him,” I started. “Thereport that the system gave you was something I had created beforewe even went up against Dr. Dreamo.”“So, I don’t have tiny tumors growing inside of me?” Justinasked.“Yes, and no,” Short Term Memory Loss answered.“I’m confused,” Sammy stated.“My gas really can be poisonous to most living creatures,”Short Term Memory Loss explained.“Then how are they not tiny tumors?” Erick asked, for Justin.SAMPLE

“Because my sister was telling the truth when she said that I canuse multiple types of gas. Some are harmful and some are helpful. Inother words, those aren’t tiny tumors inside of you. They’re my tinycreatures,” he continued.“I have tiny creatures living inside of me!” Justin shouted.“Maaarcus.”“Shhh. I’m sure they’re about to explain themselves. Everythingis going to be okay. You’re going to be okay,” he assured Justin.“Please allow me to finish,” Short Term Memory Lossrequested. “When I contacted T.J., I informed him that I was able toget a sample of a victim’s blood after they were infected and curedfrom my sister’s sickness. That meant that the cure was inside of him.After doing some reverse engineering, I was able to create my ownbatch of antidote.“The green fog that I released actually contained my littlesickness fighting creatures. That way if my sister was able to injectyou guys, it wouldn’t have any affect on you.”“But it wouldn’t have affected us anyway,” Paul stated,motioning to himself, Erick and Sammy.“Yes, it could have,” I told him. “We know you’re invulnerableto earthly sickness and disease, but you have to remember somethingimportant.”I paused for dramatic effect.SAMPLE

“This isn’t an earthly sickness. Which means you could havebeen susceptible.”“So does that mean we all have little creatures living inside ofus?” Sammy asked.“Yes.”“I don’t wanna die!” Justin shouted.“You don’t have to worry about that,” I told him. “The tinycreatures inside of our bodies are like the tiny white blood cells thatprotect us. But our white blood cells can only protect us from earthlysicknesses. The tiny creatures now living inside of us will keep ourbodies strong against any non-earthly sicknesses we may come incontact with.”“All alien sicknesses?”“Just the ones I’ve come in contact with, and figured out a curefor,” Short Term Memory Loss shared.“So, you’re saying that we’re pretty much immune to all earthlysicknesses?” Justin asked, perking up, off of Marcus’ shoulder oncemore.“Theoretically,” I answered. “Bacteria and viruses can mutate,so it’s better to stay cautious than be overconfident.”“So, to sum everything up,” Sammy started. “You knewStopwatch was coming because he told you. Then you made a plan tonot only stop her but capture the Fickle Five and Dr. Dreamo byplanting a mole and pretending to betray us.”SAMPLE

“And create a universal cure for every sickness known to man,”I corrected. “You forgot the most important part.”“Okay, I might not be confused anymore. But my brain isreaching its capacity for new information. ‘Cause that was a longexplanation!”SAMPLE

13. Someone Superhero StrongSince we were done explaining everything that they guyswanted to know, we called Sister Sherley’s Super Safety Site so theycould come and pick up the Fickle Five and Stopwatch.“You’ll never get away with this!”“We’ll be back! Just you wait!”“Don’t think we’ll forget you that easily!SAMPLE

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. We’re shaking in our boots,” Sammy said,sarcastically.“Take ‘em away ladies!” Justin called out.Sister Sherley’s Super Safety Site Security stopped what theywere doing and stared at Justin.“Please,” he added.They shook their heads and continued what they were doingbefore his outburst. The rest of us continued to shake our heads atJustin.“What? I got caught up in the moment,” Justin defended.We all kept staring at him but ended up giving in to laughter,one by one.◆ ◆ ◆“What is that?” Paul asked.“It’s a celebratory meal we eat back on my planet,” Short TermMemory Loss answered.“Well, I think I’ll stick with my pizza. Thank you, very much,”Justin commented.“I wouldn’t mind trying some of that,” Sammy said.“Me, too,” Erick added.I stared at the food a little while longer, trying to decide if I wasbrave enough to try it. Batman may not be afraid of any villain, buthis stomach isn’t always as courageous.SAMPLE

“I guess I’ll try a spoonful or so,” I stated.“I know my food may look a little intimidating, but if there’sone thing I know, it’s that earth has the best pizza in the galaxy!”Short Term Memory Loss exclaimed.“Yeah!”“Alright!”“That’s what I’m talking about!”“You can say that again!”“Let’s go!”“I hate to interrupt your celebration, but it’s time for Timothy’snext round of chemo,” his mother informed us.“Aw, mom,” Tim Tim whined.“Timothy,” she replied in a stern voice.“But there’s just one more page of my story,” he explained.“Just one more?” she asked.Tim Tim held up one finger on his left hand. His mother did athinking face that morphed into a warm smile.“Just one more page it is,” she said.We all celebrated softly and focused on Tim Tim, who sat upnice and tall in his hospital bed.“Before we all start stuffing our faces, I think there’s somethingmore important we should be doing,” Justin commented.We all stopped what we were doing and stared at Justin. He’susually the first one to start stuffing his face whenever food isSAMPLE

present.“And what is that?” I asked.“Well, now that you’re back, and our fearless leader once more—,” he paused. “I think you should call for a vote.”“For what?” Marcus asked.Justin didn’t say a single word. He just kept staring at me.Intently. Like he was looking into my soul. I had never seen him usethat face before, but after a moment, I knew exactly what he meant.“I call this special meeting to order at 6:37 p.m.,” I said.“Erick, would you please take attendance.”“It would be my pleasure.”Erick called each T.J. League member’s Board positionfollowed by their name.“We are at one hundred percent attendance, sir,” Erickinformed me.“This special meeting has been called to discuss the possibilityof adding Short Term Memory Loss to the official T.J. Leagueroster,” I stated for the record. “Do I hear a motion?”“I motion to officially add Short Term Memory Loss to the T.J.League roster,” Marcus said, in an official tone.“I second,” Sammy said, raising her hand.“Any discussion?” I asked.“I have something to say,” Short Term Memory Loss spoke.SAMPLE

“Can an invited guest speak if they are not on the itinerary?” Iasked.“Only if invited to,” Sammy said. “And I invite him to speak.”“I was just wondering if you could change the record to say myreal name instead of my superhero name,” Short Term Memory Lossshared.“I don’t see why not,” I responded. “What’s your real name?”“Timothy,” he answered.“Do I hear a new motion?”“I motion to officially add Timothy to the T.J. League roster,”Marcus repeated, in a normal voice this time.“I second,” Sammy said, raising her hand again.“Any discussion?” I asked.Not a sound. Only smiles.“All in favor say ‘aye’,” I ordered.“Aye!” everyone shouted.“Any against?”Silence.“Motion carries. Unless there are any other discussions ormotions, do I hear a motion to adjourn?”“I motion to adjourn,” Erick said.“I second,” Paul followed.“Meeting adjourned at 6:41 p.m.,” I declared.SAMPLE

For a moment, no one moved or even said a word. We onlyexchanged smiles. Then Justin started a cheer.“Three cheers for Timothy! Hip, hip!”“Hooray!”“Hip, hip!”“Hooray!”“Hip, hip!”“Hooray!”“Congratulations, Timothy. You are now an official member ofthe T.J. League.”“Thee end,” Tim Tim declared.For a moment, the room stayed silent.“I hope T.J. doesn’t take this the wrong way, but you may justbe a better storyteller than him!” Justin exclaimed, with a huge smileon his face.“Not a single offense taken,” I replied.Everyone smiled and exchanged glances before Paul broke thesilence.“I motion to make Tim Tim an official member of the T.J.League,” he stated, in an official tone.Everyone in the room turned to face him. His face was serious.Ab-solutely serious.“I second,” Sammy stated, raising her hand.“Any discussion?” I asked.SAMPLE

Silence.“All in favor say, ‘aye’,” I ordered.Everyone in the room answered in the affirmative. Everyoneexcept for Tim Tim. He was too busy smiling from ear to ear. AndTim Tim’s mom. She was too busy holding back tears and coveringher mouth with her hand.“The ‘aye’s have it. Motion carries,” I declared. “Welcome tothe T.J. League, Tim Tim.”This time our cheers weren’t just part of a well written story.This time our cheers were real. And probably louder than they shouldhave been, because a nurse poked his head in the room to make sureeverything was okay.“Everything’s fine,” Tim Tim’s mom assured him. “Just havinga little celebration.”“For his final round of chemo?” the nurse asked.“No,” Tim Tim answered. “But something just as important!”“Well, it’s about time for your treatment, let’s get you into awheelchair,” Tim Tim’s mom said.“Do you mind if I pray for Tim Tim,” Marcus asked.“Yeah, I want to pray for him too,” I added.“I don’t mind at all,” Tim Tim’s mom answered.“Thank you,” Marcus said.Everyone in the room closed their eyes and bowed their head.SAMPLE

“Dear Jesus. Thank you for introducing me to my newestfriend, Tim Tim. I can tell that you truly had something special inmind when you created him. But I’m sure his mom would agree withme when I say that we really wish he wasn’t sick. The Bible tells usmany stories of you healing people with incurable disabilities anddiseases. It calls those healings, miracles. Jesus, if it is your will,could you please do a miracle and heal my friend, Tim Tim? I wouldreally appreciate it. I could even share it as a praise report at church!Thank you for listening to me and my request. In Jesus name, amen.”Before anyone could open their eyes and raise their heads, Iimmediately followed Marcus’ prayer with one of my own.“Dear God. I know that I’m new to this and all, but I figuredthat it couldn’t hurt to try. Marcus pretty much said everything Iwanted to say and more, but my dad is always telling me that thesqueaky wheel gets the grease. He says that it’s one of the ‘Papa’sProverbs’ that his dad taught him. It basically means that the morewe ask, the more likely we are to get what we’re asking for.“Anyways, I want to ask for everything that Marcus just prayedfor, but I also want to add one more thing. After you do your miracle,and heal Tim Tim, could you please also heal all of the kids in thishospital who are sick like him? It takes a lot of strength to gothrough what they’re going through, you know. Like superhumanstrength and stuff. Yeah. They basically have to be superhero strong.Especially so their moms and dads won’t worry so much. So, yeah.SAMPLE

Like Marcus said, if it’s part of your plan, could you heal all the kidshere? I would definitely put that on my praise report list! Well,thanks for listening and for everything you do for me. In Jesus name,amen.”We all opened our eyes and lifted our heads. This time, TimTim’s mom wasn’t holding her hand over her mouth while holdingback tears. This time she was using her hand to wipe away the tearsthat had escaped from her eyes. It seems that our prayers had trulytouched her heart. Before any of the guys said anything, Tim Tims’mom spoke, through tears.“Thank you, boys. That was truly beautiful.”The rest of the guys nodded their heads and patted us on theback.“Well,” Tim Tim’s mom said, taking a big breath andrecomposing herself, “guess it’s time to get you to your treatment.”“Can we do something else really important first? Please?” Iasked.“And what might that be?” she asked.I looked at Erick, Justin, Marcus, Paul and Sammy with afamiliar smile on my face. Their returned smiles told me they knewexactly what I was talking about, so I placed my hand above TimTim’s legs. Paul placed his hand on top of mine, followed by the restof the guys. Before we said the most important words we knew, weall looked at Tim Tim. He didn’t get it until Paul did that ‘are youSAMPLE

going to join us or what?’ head motion and look. Tim Tim smiledand placed his hand on top of ours.“We protect and serve all living things!”“The T.J. League reigns supreme!”SAMPLE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR"Mr. Angel" Ramirez "Mr. Angel" has been writing stories since hiselementary school days, and after MUCHencouragement from students, friends, andfamily, has decided to publish some of them forothers to enjoy. When he isn't writing, he can befound leading the Blueprint Youth Ministry atCalvary Chapel Into The Light, spending timewith his niece and nephews, or enjoying hisfavorite food: cookies! Photo credit: Mrs. BarreraSAMPLE

BOOKS BY THIS AUTHORT.J.'S Adventures - Operation Full Control The T.J. League 'protects and serves all living things' and does it nearlyevery recess. That is until he came to the school. Now things have changedand no one is having fun. Well, except for Erick. Something must be done.Can the T.J. League get things back to the way they were? Join us and findout! Parental Guidance: Visits Topic of Strained FrienshipsT.J.'S Adventures - The Vociferous VillainThe T.J. League is enjoying being Future Funmakers and have successfullyaccomplished every mission that T.J.'s mind has been able to come up with,but their newest mission is from a new source: Principal Martinez. At first,the mission seems like it will be the easiest the League has ever accepted,but 'what kind of mission would it be if it didn't have a certain level ofdifficulty?' Parental Guidance: Visits Topic of Physical AbuseT.J.'S Adventures - The Nighttime NemesisT.J.'s scary bedtime story has been read by the entire fifth grade and theoutcome is probably not what Mr. Anderson or Mrs. Whiston were thinkingof when they assigned this free write. Bad dreams. Angry parents. Stuff likethat. And now something new has come to light. What ever will T.J. doSAMPLE

now? Parental Guidance: Visits Topic of Bed WettingT.J.'S Adventures - Objective: Protect & ServeIt's been raining for days now, making recess a bit different for the T.J.League, Funmaker John and the rest of the students at T.J.'s school. Andguess what? Today starts off just the same. But now the electricity is out,the Internet is down and the T.J. League is stuck in the MPR with all thefirst graders. There's no way things can't get any worse. Parental Guidance: Visits Topic of a School LockdownT.J.'S Adventures - Operation Superhero SupportIt's almost Christmas, and the T.J. League, like everyone else, is preparingfor all the fun things that the season brings. Until Sammy noticessomething, that is. But it could be nothing. But then again, maybe it'ssomething. T.J. can't remember the last time Sammy was wrong. But thenagain, there's a first for everything. Right? Parental Guidance: Visits Topic of Women and Children's SheltersSAMPLE