Dimensional Guardian Force Volume 1: "The Chosen One" by: Ray Doss Prologue "A long time ago, before the annals of history were recorded, there were two men each with a special gift. They had the power to transcend both time and space, to enter other realities at will. As they traveled, they found others with gifts similar to theirs and their group grew and grew. However, with a great number of people comes a great number of opinions. One side wished to use their powers and technology to conquer all of existence, feeling that it was their birthright to reign. The other side felt that everyone was born free, and no one had the right to rule absolutely, this group felt that it was their duty to protect the innocent from these evil men. The two groups split apart, the evil side grew and developed a mobile base that they could take anywhere they chose to rule, they called themselves: The Dimensional Destroyers. The good side grew as well, but built a base in the center of all reality, and called it Nexus Central Command. From this vantage point they could watch over everyone and protect as needed, they became The Dimensional Guardian Force. Both sides found a secret that neither would admit to having knowledge of; the area between the various dimensions was not only a gateway, or Vortex, but also a source of limitless power. In fact, it was later discovered that the Vortex was the source of their power from the start. Using this newfound power, their abilities grew, their technology advanced beyond anyone else's, and the war between them grew fiercer. The war between these two sides became so distressing that the Vortex, a sentient being, knew that it must do something to stop it. So she sent the first Chosen One. A being that was born with the ability to tap into the full power of the Vortex, if this 'Chosen One' were to unlock it's full potential, it would have the power to destroy all good or evil in the universe. The first Chosen One sided with the Guardians, but due to her lack of skill; she was uncontrollable, dyeing while unleashing her full power on everyone. There will be a day when another Chosen One will arise, and it will side with either the good or the evil. Whichever side gains this ally is assured to win and may God have mercy on the ones who will feel this being's wrath." - From the Legend of the Chosen One. Chapter One "AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The blood-curdling scream coming from the student beside him caused Jonathan Aruva to jump, "Sheesh, Jake, are you purposely trying to raise the dead, or are you just trying to make me join them? What's up?" Jake looked at his best friend/room-mate, "John, I'm freaking out over the entrance exam tomorrow, unlike you, I actually have to take it try to get accepted as a full Guardian." John set his jaw in obvious scorn, "Jake, I've told you a hundred times, quite calling me the Chosen One. I don't know if I am The Chosen One, you don't know, no one aside from God knows for sure if I'm the Chosen One, so get over it!" Jake just laughed and threw his pillow at John, "Lighten up, man, I'm just taking easy hits at you. Even you have to admit that having scores that rank higher than "Absolutely Perfect" in all of your courses in the Academy does seem suspicious. You know that you're being accepted as a full Guardian regardless, this exam is a mere formality for you; chances are I'll just be an Apprentice." Shaking his head, John took the pillow and threw it back at Jake. "'Just" an Apprentice? Jake you dork, you're ranked second in all of our classes, the advanced classes if I may remind you, you'll still end up with better pay and more exciting missions than the third ranked person. You still scored in the top ten percent of all cadets in the Academy's history. John gave a sly grin as he chuckled and added, "But then again, having the 'Chosen One' as your room-mate couldn't have hurt you any." Jake rolled his eyes as he got up from his bed and headed to the door, "Listen, if you want to keep cracking jokes and making your head bigger than it already is, feel free to. Personally, I'm headed to town and grabbing something to eat." As he left, Jake heard a chair fall over, and laughed at the thought of John getting up that fast to try to catch up with him. * * * * * "Aruva must be the Chosen One, there is no doubt in my mind, nor should there be an in yours," this was Threshaw Grenny, one of the seven Supreme Guardians, and John's biggest supporter in the Supreme Guardian Council. "But we have no proof, yes, I agree that the evidence is remarkable, but without absolute proof we cannot allow him to run off on extremely dangerous missions without experience. I vote that we post-pone our decision to nominate Aruva for the position of Supreme Guardian." That was Channey Kingler, John's largest opponent in the Council. These two were the front runners for and against John Aruva, and they had followers in the Council as well. In fact, there was an even split between them. The one deciding vote was ironically the person that Aruva would replace if voted to become a Supreme Guardian, one of the seven leaders of the entire Dimensional Guardian Force; Head Guardian Donald Michaels, chair of the Supreme Guardian Council. "You all squabble like you will be affected by all of this, it is I who will be replaced, not you. My choice has been made; Aruva will be tested. His test, to defeat a Supreme Destroyer, if he truly the Chosen One, this will prove to be no problem for him, I just fear for him if he cannot access his inherent power, or heaven forbid, he is not even the Chosen One." With that, Micheals got up and left, feeling too weak to stay any longer. After he was out of earshot, the other Supreme Guardians huddled together. "Good, the old fool thinks we are fighting each other on the matter." One person walked in from the shadows, "Yes, but what if Aruva proves to have more resolve than your previous boss? Watch him carefully, for he may prove more than any of you can handle. If not, I'll handle him." The mysterious figure left as quickly as he came. Chapter Two It is Graduation day at the Guardian Academy, the day all recruits who passed the entrance exam are rewarded for all of their hard work and suffering. There are two people who are receiving great honors, Jonathan Aurva, and Jacob Gabriels. They are the Valedictorian and Salutatorian of the current class; John is being awarded the rank of Guardian while Jake is being named his Apprentice. The ceremony is large and mostly show, but for the two young warriors, it was the greatest day of their short lives. "Jake, you don't seem too mad about being my apprentice." Rolling his eyes, Jake moved over to put his hand on John's shoulder, "Hey, I'm cool 'bout it, hehehe, now I get to bug you 24/7, as opposed to just during class." John started to say something, then closed his mouth, then started to say something again, but stopped, "Jake usually not this gung-ho, either he's sincere or he is royally pissed off about this. I won't bother him about it, though, I need to let him talk to me at his own pace." The two friends walked on the stage to receive their diplomas and rings. * * * * "Mr. Aruva, Mr. Gabriels, do either one of you know why you are here?" Both of them shook their heads, "You have been called here for your first assignment. Mr. Aruva, you are speculated to be the legendary Chosen One, if you are, you are the one needed to take my place as Head Guardian. Now, before you object, I am retiring anyway, and need a replacement; and between the three of us I don't trust the others to lead this organization. They are all crafty politicians, what we need is a straight as an arrow warrior to lead us, what the Chosen One is supposed to be. But, even if you were proven to be the Chosen One this very instance, you will need to be tested. So, I have chosen a test fitting the Chosen One, you must defeat a Supreme Destroyer in combat." John's jaw coming close to hitting the floor was his only response for a few moments, "Sir, are you sure that's wise? I just graduated last week, I haven't even been on a mission yet, and you want me to take out a Supreme Destroyer?" Jake tried to break up the tension, "Well, uh, hehe, better you than me bud." Guardian Michaels just smiled, "Mr. Gabriels, you seem to think that you're off the hook, but, you are Mr. Aruva's apprentice. So, you are to accompany him and assist him in any way you can. Now, you are both to go to a remote dimension where Ulic Qel-Droma, Supreme Destroyer, is based at. DISSMISED!" * * * * "John, are you ready for this? I honestly think it's too steep a mountain to climb for anyone on his first job. Do you realize that most Supreme Guardians can't defeat their counterparts in the Destroyers, how do they expect you to win?" John noticed that Jake was being a lot more sincere and compassionate than he normally was. "That's what worries me the most, I'm not sure I think I can win this battle. Jake," Looking into his long-time friends eyes, he saw a concern that he knew was reflected in his own eyes, "if I don't win this, get out of there at once. I don't want you to die in that remote place anymore than I want to die there myself." In that one moment, both friends realized that they would die in the upcoming battle, but both knew that they would die with honor and would not show fear. They were both Dimensional Guardians, it was their duty. Chapter Three "So, Aruva and Gabriels think they can destroy me? How ironic I was chosen to be the one they will fight, is it not," Ulic Qel-Droma merely laughed at the thought. "They will find my little toy here to be most entertaining. A device with the ability to cut off the Vortex's power from this area, what little power they have will be eliminated from their hands, not that their insignificant Guardian rings are anywhere as powerful as my Super Power Crystal." He added in a mocking voice, "And what to do if Aruva is really the Chosen One, I won't stand a chance." Clenching his hand into a tight fist, he screamed out in a voice that bellowed out through the halls of his mansion, "COME GET ME GUARDIANS, I WILL BE WAITING!" * * * * The two young men stepped out of the transport portal on a desolate planet, devoid of any noticeable life, aside from the massive fortress they stood in front of. "Cheery place. Mind if I stay out here, John, you know, I may get in your way or something." Having to literally drag Jake into the building by his collar, John entered, hoping he was ready for battle. "Hmmm, didn't know Qel-Droma was a full Dark Knight," Jake commented as they walked through the halls of Qel-Droma's fort. "These artifacts are authentic, by the looks of it, I'd say he was an avid collector." John merely nodded, not fully understanding what his friend was getting at. "These artifacts are said to give tremendous power to a true Dark Knight, I hope he doesn't try to use any of them, he has an advantage over us already." John grunted and rolled his eyes, "No need to remind me." After having walked for what seemed like hours, the two warriors found Qel-Droma's lair, a large ballroom that was behind two doors that had to extend at least a hundred feet into the air. In the center of this room sat a chair that only be described as a thrown. "Welcome, I have been waiting for you two to join me, it was quite rude for you to make me wait, after all of the trouble I went to, to get you the invitations." Both John and Jake were perplexed, "What 'invitations'?" Qel-Droma smiled, "Why, ordering the Supreme Guardians to squabble over if you were the Chosen One or not, forcing that old fool to play his hand. Send you two here to fight me, allowing me to destroy you before you could access the powers I don't even think you possess. However, I am not a man to take unnecessary risks, so I will eliminate you." John moved his hand up, ready to unleash the incredible power stored in his ring, but his opponent had one last thing to say, "Oh, thank you for reminding me," he pointed the pillars of the room, "held in these pillars are devices that have the power to cut off the Vortex from the area between them entirely. Also, they are triple-reinforced, without the added power you gain from the Vortex, you have no chance at destroying them." John pulled out his sword anyway, having a revelation, "Good job Qel-Droma, it looks to me that you are in the same boat we're in. You can't access the Vortex either. Looks like all you managed to accomplish is leveling the playing field." Qel-Droma merely laughed, then placed a metallic gauntlet on his arm, "You forget, I'm a Dark Knight, and, oh dear, this a Dark Knight artifact. Tsk, tsk, tsk. I guess that just gives me incredible power, poor things." With that, he lunged at the unsuspecting Guardians. Though they dodged, it was barely enough, "Man, if that was any close we would have lost a few pounds. NAMELY THE NECK REGION AND UP!" With that, Jake decided that he was not going to do any good, so he ran to the far end of the room. "Your friend has left you, you're hopelessly outmatched, overpowered, and under-handicapped. I'd give up if I were you." John's only response was to continue his assault. For hours, the only sound ringing through the halls of Qel-Droma's fortress was that of their swords clanging against each other. It seemed that John may stand a chance against the Dark Knight, but then Qel-Droma unleashed the full power of his gauntlet. His muscles doubled in size, his speed increased four fold, and his fighting ability was now unmatched by the inexperienced young Guardian. "Now, I fear you must die. You shan't die in vain, no, you're death will finally tell your pitiful Guardian Force that we Destroyers are superior in all ways." John's last words as Qel-Droma drove his sword into John's heart were, "I have failed you all, I was not the Chosen One. May I find peace in the next life!" Chapter Four "JOHN, NOOOOOOOO!" Jake ran over and fell to his knees by his long time friend's lifeless body. His vision blurred as tears filled his eyes. "Why, John? Why did you have to die? You were supposed to be the Chosen One, were we all mistaken?" Qel-Droma merely laughed and asked in a mocking tone, "Are you going to avenge his death, or are you going to run like you did before? My guess will be that you run. He was the better of the two of you; you are not even worthy of the title of being insignificant to me. You are far less than that." Had Jake been listening, he may have agreed, but he was filled with too much sorrow to hear or feel anything. But, under his sorrow was another emotion ready to rise up in him, purest rage. Jake clenched his fists as he stood to his feet. His breath was ragged; his mind focused on one thing, the death of his friend's slayer, Ulic Qel-Droma. As he stood, an aura of purple light surrounded his body. The very ground he stood on began to shake and heave with the incredible power now entering Jake's body. Qel-Droma stepped back, unable to tell where this power was coming from, unless, "It can't be, but, there is no other explanation. Aruva wasn't The Chosen One, Gabriels was the entire time." Jake's body floated into the air as his armor began to warp and change. The sleeves of his armor turned navy blue, his hand were now covered with finger-less leather clothes. His chest-plate was no longer a tough fabric, but solid metal of an unknown type, from the back of which extended a long cape. His leggings became the same shade of blue as his sleeves. Finally, his boots extended up to his knees. Looking down upon his new look, Jake commented, "Hmm, nice threads, but, where did they come from? Wait!" His mind floated back to an old painting hanging in the back of the Supreme Guardian's Hall. In it was a man who he always thought looked like himself, but the most disturbing thing was the figure wore armor just like this. Before he could continue, a ray of light appeared in front of him. It twisted back and forth in the air, slowly taking the shape of a sword handle. Without thinking, Jake's hand extended to it; grabbing it with his right hand caused a massive sword blade to appear. It had to be at least five feet long, and was a light purple in color. Just as suddenly, two more blades extended at a sixty-degree angle to the hilt. Holding this blade was the final piece of evidence to both Qel-Droma and Jake, Jacob Gabriels was the Chosen One. Chapter Five "But the power of the Vortex is completely cut off in here, WHERE IS THIS POWER COMING FROM," Qel-Droma decided to see for himself. Flying over to the nearest pillar, he read the diagnostic readout. "What? It's still running? Yet Gabriels still has the power of the Vortex in him. It can not be true! Gabriels is not the Chosen One!" Without thinking further, Qel-Droma drew his sword and waited, seeing if his opponent would strike first. Jake was not amused, "Why do you wish to continue this fight? Has the death of my friend not been enough, must there be more bloodshed today? I am not a ruthless killer like you. If you change your ways you will be sparred, but do not fight me, for you shall lose. The one your kind has feared for millennia has appeared, the sleeper has awoken, the time for retribution has come, the Chosen One has been born!" Qel-Droma clapped his hands mockingly, "Well done, you have the makings of a very boring speech maker. If this is the extent of your power I have nothing to fear from you." He tapped a button on the pillars control panel, instantly he felt the Vortex's power surround him like a fog. He thrust his hand foreword and chanted the ancient spell passed down through the Destroyers, "Dark power of the Dimensional Vortex: Give me the strength to destroy, the might to control, the evil to dominate. TRANSFORM ME INTO A SUPREME DESTROYER!" With a flash, the ring on his finger exploded, pouring raw energy onto his body. In mere seconds Qel-Droma had absorbed the power into his body, changing a lowly human into one of the supremely powerful mortals in the universe. "If you dare to oppose me 'Chosen One,' come forth and die, like the little lamb you are. I no more fear you than I fear the death you foretell in my future, MAY THE GODS CHOOSE WHICH SHALL REMAIN STANDING!" Jake looked on with cool, calculating eyes, "The God of Jacob has already decided this match, I will walk away the victor if you fight me. But, it is apparent that your sole wish is to fight me," extending his sword hand in a defensive pose, Jake prepared for the coming attack, "so come, show me the incredible power of a Supreme Destroyer." Qel-Droma was not one to be mocked, and the thought of this child, this "Chosen One" of the Guardians, the mere notion that this boy could defeat him was maddening. He lunged at his opponent with the speed and fury of a demon, his sword flew back and forth, up and down, and around him in a blur. Every attack he made was calculated, not one micron of his energy was wasted in unnecessary show of skill or pose. Slashing at the head, the heart, he neck, and the spine, Qel-Droma moved for a quick and easy victory. He would have toyed with this fool some, but Gabriels had begun to bore him, and he was growing weary of the boy's constant ranting of an assured win. When he was sure the peon was done for, he leapt back and rested his weight against his sword, breathing heavily but also invigorated with the challenge of a semi-worthy opponent. However, when the dust began to settle there was no body in sight. "What is this," he mused, "there should at least be a dead body laying on the floor. Could his body have been pure energy, returning to space when he died?" "It could be that I'm not dead." The statement startled Qel-Droma not only by it's suddenness and being unexpected. But because it was an answer to what he had been thinking! Gabriels looked Qel-Droma in the eyes as he slowly stepped forward, making his opponent move backward with him. "Wondering how I can dodge your fastest attacks? Maybe you're wondering why I can sense your thoughts as if they were my own. Could it be both, could it be neither? Maybe you're scared, more scared than you have ever been. I have power greater than you could ever dream of, yet in your arrogance you absolutely KNEW you could beat anyone and anything that stood before you. And now, you're facing one whose power rivals that of a god," he reached behind his back and pulled out his sword. "Now is the time of reckoning; you are now going to be judged for your crimes, you are going to pay for your sins, in layman's terms: it's my turn." Without further delay, Jake began his attack. Several short left to right swipes that were meant to be blocked, but on the seventh one, instead of going to the left, he made a giant arc back to the right and cut through Qel-Droma's armor as well as a few inches into his gut. If it had been Qel-Droma attacking, he possibly would have toyed with his opponent some more, but Jake was tired of this game, and was still full of rage from the death of his friend. After making several more cuts, Jake stood over the fallen titan. Without a hint of arrogance, gloating, or self-importance, Jake asked Ulic, "How does it feel to know that you have been beaten by a 'child,' a 'worthless peon', an 'easy challenge'? I gave you more than one chance to repent, more than one chance to leave, more than once chance to live. And what did you do? You stayed and fought a battle you knew you would not win for no other reason than your pride would be hurt for running from me, a superior warrior." Qel-Droma looked up and snarled, "Who is the arrogant one now? You speak of how great you are while condemning me for doing the same thing," he stopped long enough to cough up blood. "Do you know what would have happened had I run anyway? I would have been blackballed from the Destroyers. I would have lost my position, my ring. I would have wished for death from the shame, but I would not have been granted that escape, no. That would have been to good, to honorable for a coward." Crawling to his feet, Ulic coughed up more blood, then looked Jake in the eyes, "So do it Chosen One, defeat me in a grand battle that I might be known as the one who faced the greatest warrior in history." Jake looked across at his opponent and began to feel like he had misunderstood Qel-Droma's evil ways. Turning away, he thought of what do to do. Qel-Droma decided for him, attacking with all the power and fury he had left. Jake felt the disturbance in the air and turned to defend himself, but he forgot the massive size of his sword and when he got halfway there, tip of the blade cut cleanly through both armor and flesh. By the time Jake could stop his movement, Qel-Droma was dead. Chapter Six Jake stood over the dead body of his adversary, "Why did you attack me with such foolishness? Were you that fearful of the shame that would come to you for loosing to a superior warrior? I must say that in the same position I don't know that my choice of actions would differ from yours in any size or manner." With that, he looked over to the lifeless body of his best friend. Slowly walking over to it, he knelt beside John and softly addressed the body, "John, everyone believed that you were this Chosen One. How ironic that your side-kick would be that foretold one." Taking the lifeless form in his arms, Jake opened a Vortex tunnel back to Nexus Central Command and sent his friend through it, then, looking off into nowhere, he shook an angry fist at the stars. "Let the word ring forth from this day forward, 'A Chosen One has come to reek a righteous vengeance upon those who wish to hurt and oppress the weak. To combat the evils of the universe, to bring swift justice to those who are lacking judgement. I AM THAT CHOSEN ONE, AND MY REIGN OF TERROR BEGINS NOW!" Placing his hands together in front of him, Jake focused his power into a sphere around him. "And this will be a sign of my power, I will not let another one of my friends die," voicing his dark scheme to no one in particular, Jake extended his arms outward, causing the bubble of power to expand rapidly outward. The expanding bubble instantly destroyed everything it touched, and after he had destroyed Qel-Droma castle; Jake detonated the bubble's energy, destroying the entire reality around him. In Nexus Central Command Sentry Station 06944GY, the private given the task of monitoring various uninhabited dimensions was bobbing his head from fatigue and boredom. He must have dozed off, because he suddenly noticed there was an annoying buzz in the background. The next thing he remembered was flying into the air as the entire base was wracked with explosions and quakes. "What the...?" Alarms were going off on one bank of monitors, and where a whole galaxy should have been, there was a void of nothingness. No planets, no stars, nothing, but one massive energy signature. The young soldier did the one thing he knew to do, he called his superior. After reviewing the data, one superior sent it to his superior, and then again to that person's superior, all the way up the chain till it reached the desk of Head Guardian Michaels. "This information makes no sense, there is nothing that small with that much power. It is simply not possible; yet, it is not an inanimate object, but a living person. Could this incredible power be that of the Chosen One," Michaels considered this thought many times over in his head, but was never able to come up with any other solution. After careful thought, he called a special session of the Supreme Guardian's Council. "If this is the Chosen One, why hasn't your puppet reappeared Threshaw? Is it because your precious Chosen One never existed in the first place," Channey Kingler wasn't wasting anytime in attacking her most influential opponent in the Council, hoping to gain some more power for herself. "Maybe he doesn't want to reappear as long as an old right-wing radical like you still holds your seat in this council!" As well, Thresaw Grenny was not going to allow this old fool to show him up. After hours of seemingly pointless argument, Michaels stood to his feet, and instantly silenced everyone in the debate. "Perhaps this is the Chosen One, perhaps it is something else, " "Or perhaps I just wanted to see what these fools were going to do when they discovered I existed." Materializing like a ghost from the shadows, Jacob Gabriels stood in his full glory. His armor was polished and glistening with both reflected light and giving off it's own, while his sword sat over his shoulder, supernaturally affixed to his armor by pure will. "You all seem surprised, some I'm sure, due to the fact that I stand here as the Chosen One. My armor, weapon, and unmistakable power must confirm that to you. And for those who did believe there was such a thing as the Chosen One, must be shocked that I stand here as Jacob Gabriels, not Jonathan Aruva. Since I do think you would like to know, John died nobly in battle with Qel-Droma. I am hurting still for his loss, but I know that you had nothing to do with it, Mr. Michaels." Jake walked over and placed his hands gently on the Head Guardian's shoulders and smiled a genuine smile. "I am sorry, sir, that I have to give you this news, but it is something that you must know," his hand slowly arced across to take in the rest of the council, "They all were working for Qel-Droma, you were manipulated into sending us into that horrible battle. I do not blame you, for they played their hands well, but I felt that I must give you this news. I am terribly sorry, because I can feel the disappointment rolling off you like heat from a fire." Guardian Michaels looked at Jake, then at the council, "Are these allegations true? Were you working for that fiend Qel-Droma?" One by one the Guardians denied the claims, but it was obvious that Michaels was not buying it, though why their lies were not affecting him puzzled a some of them. But one of the Supreme Guardians, the youngest and strongest of them, drew his sword and lunged at Jake. However, he only got within two feet of Jake before getting pinned to the back wall telekinetically. What surprised everyone but Jake was that he did this maneuver without even batting an eyelash. "What? Even the strongest telekinetic can only perform such a large feat with lots of effort and multiple hand motions. How can you do that with no visible effort?" Jake turned to address the person who asked that question, still keeping his opponent pressed tightly against the wall. "I do it because I have the power to. Surely you saw what I did to Qel-Droma's fortress and the entire dimension he lived in. It was my declaration of war against those who wish to oppress the weak and defenseless. Do you not think that a person who could destroy an entire dimension could do what I am doing with less than conscious thought?" With a sweep of his hand, Jake released his captive. "Now, you will each go before a specially called meeting of all non-assigned Guardians and announce your resignations and the reason your are resigning. Head Guardian Michaels, again I apologize to you for making you witness this, but I feel that it was more appropriate for you to know before the general masses." Michaels stood in front of Jake, but shook his head slowly, "Mr. Gabriels, I feel that I must side with the rest of the people in this council. I knew of their attempts, but I am also the Head Guardian of the Dimensional Guardian Force. I have knowledge of what kind of power the Chosen One posses, I also immediately knew that you or Aruva would be the Chosen One. Although I must confess that I felt it was your friend, and not you. Your personal vendetta against those who issued the warrant for your friend's death is admirable, but is something you must get past to rightfully lead this organization. If you wish to take my position, you must first get over what it is that ails your heart and soul; you also cannot destroy entire realities over such a silly ideal. You are young and have just been given more power than any being should have the right to wield. I can understand how such torment could change you, and give the power needed to carry out whatever dark deeds of revenge you seek. It is for that reason that you must calm yourself spiritually and mentally, do it now before your hate consumes you forever." Jake was shocked at what this puny man was saying, but not by it's harshness and seemingly write-offish way it was said. No, it was that Michaels' words wrung true in Jake's mind. He looked to the ceiling above him, and felt no life directly above him. "Good," he thought, "I won't hurt anyone doing this." Raising his hands above his head, Jake screamed out, releasing all the pain, suffering, and hate he had locked away deep inside him. Not just that from his friend's death, but from every other thing he had felt in his life. "DIMENSIONAL POWER BLAST: FIRE!" Screaming out the name of one of his newly designed techniques launched a beam of pure energy out of his hands, and with that energy let out all of his negative emotions. When the beam finally died out, Jake was left standing in a torn and ragged Guardian uniform, his knees instantly began to shake and he did what he had wanted to do for days; he passed out into a blissful sleep. Chapter Seven Jake woke up after what had felt like a week's sleep. But when he tried to get up, he noticed he was strapped to the bed. "Whaaa? What's going on here?" After struggling for a few minutes, he gave up. The straps were far too strong for him to break. "Well, at least I'm healed now. I thought I was gonna die with that much power running through me," he thought aloud, " but, what do I do now? I can't move, don't even know where I am, and am about to starve." Yelling out as loud as he could, Jake tried to get someone's attention. After a few hours, though, Jake could hardly speak. His mouth ached with thirst, he vocal cords felt to sore to breathe on, and he was quite frankly tired. Unknown to the young warrior, he was being watched the entire time. "The young one has resolve. Though, as pitiful as he looks, it is hard to imagine he is supposed to be the most powerful mortal being to even exist. His body's internal power is nothing special, a little on the low side for normal actually. However, his psychological powers are so far off the scales, our instruments broke trying to calculate his possible power. That must be where his powers come from in his transformed state." Turning off the screen to Jake's room, Threshaw Grenney turned to the other five present Supreme Guardians. "If we allow him to transform again, we will most assuredly die. As we speak, our little lies about how that dimension was destroyed are being questioned. It is possible, we may no longer have the power we are used to." "They did it. I know they did this. They fear my power, they fear my rage, and they fear, me. Yet, they do not know that I am a being of good and righteousness, what do they have to fear from me if their motives are pure and holy. The answer is simple; their motives are not pure and holy." Jake was still strapped to the same bed he had been on since he woke up. But, without any chronographs, it was getting harder and harder to tell how long he had been there. "There is still one question that has haunted me since my return to NCC, 'How do I switch between forms?' It is strange, because I gained so much knowledge and wisdom when I became the Chosen One, yet, the one thing that could assist me now, is one of the few things I do not have any understanding of. There has to be a way." After what had seemed like days; but could have been hours, weeks, minutes, years; it was growing harder and harder to distinguish time, Jake had his first visitor. This newcomer was an older man, with a very long white beard. In fact, this beard was the one part of his body that could be seen behind the many robes he wore. The man stood there, looking down at Jake without saying anything. "Whoa, this guys is creepy. Maybe he wants me to speak first," thought the young warrior, "Here goes." Jake cleared his throat and tried to speak, but no sound came out of his mouth. Finally, sensing Jake's apprehension, the stranger spoke. "No need to speak, I know who you are. Both of you actually. Believe it or not, I am a friend. Though I have another name, you can call me Mac. My associate, Fragraham Lincon and I are here to help you. I regret that I cannot speak to you any further about this. I had to use this disguise to get to you. Who would suspect a wise old man that is a little out of his head to help the most secret captive of the Guardians to escape, " at that, he gave a slight chuckle. Suddenly, 'Mac' drew a small dagger and cut through all of the straps on Jake's bed, then placed the dagger back in his robes. This all took place in about three second's time. Helping Jake out of the bed, the old man hefted the young man in his arms and quickly ran out the door. After getting in a ship at the hanger, 'Mac' put Jake down. Jake tried to stand, but just fell back down in his seat. "Man, I guess I was in that bed longer than I thought. I can't even stand, my legs are so weak." Mac went off further into the ship, the came back wearing blue jeans, a decent shirt, and a lab coat. "Ahh, that feels better. I hate those bulky robes. Care for a drink while we wait, how about some food?" Jake nodded, and stared in awe. Mac seemed to be just a little older than Jake. He had brownish-black hair that was cut in a very conservative style, he also appeared close to Jake's own six feet in height. "Well, I'm not sure who you are, but, thank you." >From in the kitchen of the small ship, Mac continued to fix up an appropriately light meal. "Don't want to make too much. He's been in that room for weeks. Surely they didn't give him that much to eat, if anything. I wonder if he even knows how long he was captive? Because I'll give the Guardians this, they may be the good guys, but they are very thorough at whatever they do. No matter what it is." Finishing his set task, Mac returned to where Jake was waiting for him. Just then, a very large man charged up the access ramp. Firing a massive gun while screaming obscenities like they were song lyrics, the man hit the door release and rested a moment. "Mac, quite waiting around, we've got to get out of here before they close off the hangar portal!" With that, the new guy left in a dead run to the bridge. Mac sat the tray beside Jake and bowed rather humbly, then took off in a similar run to the bridge. "Whew, these guys sure do seem to know what they're doing. Wish I could help, but, dammit! I can't even stand on my feet anymore." Just then, Jake caught a whiff of the food and drink given him, "Oh well, it's been ages since I ate last. No harm getting my strength back." With that, Jake dug into his meal like a ravenous wolf. "Hmm, this is kinda bland, but, I'm too hungry to complain." Just as he took a big swig of his drink, someone in the bridge shot the ship's thrusters up to full, rocking the ship violently as it went from a standstill to full power in a matter of seconds, leaving Jake with drink all over him. After he cleaned himself up, Jake felt the ship bump a little, signifying an entrance into the Vortex. "Well, if these guys are the pirates I figure they are, we're safe for the moment. They're not Guardians, that much I know for sure. But that Mac seems to have at least been trained at NCC. He has to have a great knowledge of the base not to have been there many times before. As for this Fragraham Lincon, whom I assume is that burley man who entered before we took off. I think I saw his name in the most wanted inter-dimensional pirates. I will repay them for helping me, but, they are doing illegal activities and must be brought to justice!" Before Jake could continue his musings, his captors/saviors reappeared. "Well, that was a nice escape. It sounds like you had half of that base on your tail when you took off. I'm surprised they didn't shoot you down before we got out." Fragraham looked at Mac, then at Jake, "Can I kick his ass? Just once?" Mac stepped between the two before either could do anything. "Okay, listen you two. I can see that you may not get along well right now, but we all have to. Jacob Gabriels, this is Fragraham Lincon, and for the moment, we are all together." Mac turned to face Jake directly, "Before you ask, we saved you because we were paid to rescue you and train you to harness your incredible powers. I also cannot reveal the identity of our client, but he is someone close to you and who wants to see you take your rightful place." Jake's raised eyebrow followed with a guess, "Head Guardian Michaels paid you two to free me? Awe, I didn't know he cared." Frag starred at Jake for a second, acted as if he was going to say something, then just glared. Well, Jake assumed he was glaring, it was hard to tell with those dark sunglasses on his face. Turning to the bridge area of the ship, Frag left mumbling something about needed to double check something. Mac knelt beside where Jake was sitting, "How ya feeling? That soup had special herbs and minerals that promote near instant healing in humans. Another serving of that, and you'll be as strong as you were before you were captured." Jake held his head down, "Yeah, right. I was powerful enough to destroy an entire dimension before I was captured. But when I transformed back into a human, my body was left in rags. How is that possible?" Mac shrugged, "Well, I guess I'm supposed to help you find out." Grabbing Jake by the waist, he helped the younger man to a bunk. "Rest here until I come back. We'll be arriving shortly." Chapter 8 When they arrived at their destination, Jake found that he felt much better than before. Not only could he walk, he could now run, jump, and fly with the same ease he had during his training days. The first thing Jake noticed when he exited the ship was a lack of visible base on a swamp planet. "Either they live on the ship, or their base is hidden. Both choices are likely, but if they are the pirates I think they are. It's likely some part of this swamp is faker than Frag's attitude." As if in response to his musings, an area of land in front of Jake opened up, revealing a passage leading down into the crust of the planet. "Welcome to our base. Not near as big, fancy, or new or Nexus Central Command, but it meets our needs. We live here, store our goods here, train here. Now, allow me to show you to your room. Frag, will you prepare the training room? Our young friend is in need of our battle tactics." Mac led Jake off to another portion of the base, while Frag headed off in the other. As Frag headed toward the training center, he pound his fist into his open palm, very eager to show this punk cop-wannabe who was boss. As the door closed, Frag's body became engulfed in a blue flame as his armor slowly began to change. Jake stood in the doorway of the room Mac had shown him. Inside was a modest bed, kitchen, and TV. In fact, from the looks of it, it was larger than Jake's apartment in Nexus Central Command. "Not surprising really. It looks like the two of them in this fairly large base, as opposed to a couple billion on a ship the size of Earth." As he surveyed the closet, he noticed it was fully stocked with all manners of clothes. "Hmm, looks like we have some casual, work, training, and battle armor grade stuff in here. Huh? What's this compartment here?" As he pushed on a seam in the wall, a panel opened, revealing a compartment. As the panel slid back, a rack of weapons popped out, then another, then another, and another. Soon, the whole wall was covered in all sorts of weaponry. "Hmm, nice cache they have here," as he surveyed each one, he was more and more impressed until he saw one gun in particular, "WHAT!? This is a GUN model. These things aren't even employed by Guardians, and there shouldn't be any in production except the prototype." Jake turned at the sound of clapping behind him, "Correct, that is the GUN prototype. Unfortunately, the shell is launched at such a velocity; neither Frag nor I can handle it. Not to mention, that shell..." "Can cause instability in a star, causing it to go supernova, then when it reaches it's energy peak, it collapses upon itself forming a black hole, then the black hole collapses upon itself again forming a giant explosion. That's why the GUN unit was never used outside of testing." Mac once again broke into applause; "You truly are well versed in many things, Guardian. Now, ready to do some hand to hand combat training against Frag? He's in our custom built training room and is ready to show you how we fight." Jake's only reply was, "Where is he?" Once in the training room, Jake noticed Frag was not only prepared for him, but had increased his innate fighting power the age-old means by which thousands of warriors had learned. Not by increasing their potential, but by lowering their potential energy by a very significant margin. Thus, when they went into battle, their enemy would underestimate their true abilities. "I'm not stupid enough to fall for that. He's increased his power, but not to his max. I'll bet he's only at half power at most right now. We'll let's see if a Chosen One can teach this half-wit a thing or two." Jake entered the circle in the center of the room. "Welcome, there is a simple rule here, anything short of a killing blow is allowed. Mac, will you act as moderator here?" Mac stepped back some and nodded. Frag dropped into a fighting stance that Jake couldn't recognize, but that didn't worry him. He too went into a fighting stance, then focused his power throughout his body, causing a light flame to appear around him. Frag merely smiled, then lunged in for the attack. Frag moved straight at Jake, then disappeared and reappeared behind him. Jake barely had time to dodge the fury of attacks coming from Frag. Jake took off straight up as fast as he could, but his opponent was directly above him, sending a massive energy beam right at his head. Jake reversed direction and broke off to the left, firing his own attack. But Frag had anticipated his move, and was already there, with a fist planted in Jake's gut. After falling to the ground, Jake grasped his stomach and gasped painfully for breath. Frag stood over him wearing a cocky smile, "Your better than I thought, but not good enough to touch me." Jake stood to his feet and stared at Frag. Holding out his hand, Jake motioned for Frag to continue his attack. After several more tries, all Jake was able to do was get the snot beat out of him. "One final try, time to use my trump card..." Jake extended his right arm and clinched his hand into a tight fist. He closed his eyes for a few moments, then screamed, "DIMENSIONAL POWER RING: ACTIVATE!" All of the energy in Jake's ring exploded outward, then looped back around toward him; transforming him into a Guardian. "Still care to try, or do you want to give up now?" Frag looked at him with his usual cockiness, "You may actually make me put up some effort. Hehe, but I doubt it." With that, the two combatants locked hands and pushed against each other with all of their might. But neither was able to gain any ground. After what seemed hours, they stayed in the same spot, giving they're all. But Frag suddenly stopped pushing, and used the momentum Jake gave him to get a head start moving back. In the process, he increased his power incredibly. After completing this process, Frag used all of his remaining energy to launch the largest attack at Jake that he had in years. Jake had no choice, he held out his hands and launched his own attack, but Frag's beam was slowly gaining ground. No matter how much energy he put into it, his attack wasn't going to counter Frag's. Mac noticed this too, "FRAG! HE CAN'T HANDLE THE BEAM!" But Frag was too far-gone into the attack, and couldn't stop it if he wanted to, "Dammit! I can't stop it, and Mac can't get there in time to cancel it either, the kid's gonna be dead before we get paid!" On Jake's end of the beam, he was about ready to give up. His power was draining faster and faster, he had already drawn into all of his reserves and still was fading fast. In his mind, numerous ideas were circulating, but none could help him now. "Why am I going to go like this? I am a warrior, and I am the Chosen One. How can I lose to this simple, yet hideously powerful, pirate?" As he focused on that thought, his own pride and arrogance began to swell in his emotions. Just then he got an idea, "This is exactly what happened when I fought Qel-Droma, as my rage increased, I got stronger. Up to the point.......that I transformed!" Focusing deeper into his rage he felt his power increasing. Just then Frag taunted him for some odd reason, when he looked back at that moment; Jake couldn't even remember what was said. But it was the final straw. Jake's body convulsed as his anger reached the breaking point. Throwing all of the power of the Vortex into his body at that instant transformed him once again into the mortal supremely power being, the Chosen One. >From his vantage-point off to the side, Mac was granted with an outstanding view of the transformation. But it was not the physical aspect of it that shocked, and frankly horrified, him. It was the psychological perspective that interested Mac. "I'm used to feeling over-average psycho powers, but, this is incredible. His power is like nothing I've ever even heard of being witnessed. I must study this further, because that young man just went from a below-average being to one who's power must have a hard time being matched in the spiritual world, let alone the mortal one." But before his musings could continue, Mac was suddenly knocked off his feet and sent flying off into the far wall by a massive energy wave rolling off Jake. >From Jake's perspective, the once insurmountable power heading toward him was less than a puff of warm wind. Without conscious effort he brushed the beam off into the ground, forming a crater where it detonated. With that obstacle out of the way, Jake focused his attention on Frag. Before Frag could blink, Jake was in front of him and performed a full power double-handed overhead smash right on Frag's spine, as Jake's knee came up right into Frag's gut. Blood gushed from the pirate's mouth, but Jake continued his assault. Grabbing Frag by the head as if it were a softball, Jake threw him across the room as fast as he could, then appeared there and pinky thumbed him in the forehead. Finally, Jake realized he could beat Frag with his left eyelash, so he did. Chapter 9 Unfortunately for Jake, he was not the only one born with incredible powers. Just as the final blow was about to land, Frag's body began to glow and armor appeared on him. On his back were 13 blades that glowed with a white light. Reaching back, he drew them and formed them into a giant sword. "Well, well, well. You managed to unlock my hidden power as I did you. Now, ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE YOU TO THE ULTIMATE FORCE!" Jake held out his hands as if he was holding a sword, and his own three-bladed sword appeared. "Then you can come get some. TASTE THE POWER OF A CHOSEN ONE!" The two blades clashed with incredible power while sparks flew all around the two warriors. Mac stood at the bottom in awe of the two titans flying around the room at speeds that surpassed all forms of visible light. "Jake and Frag are both a maximum power. I have only seen the Ultimate Force once before, and Frag nearly died before it formed. Frag hates using it, yet, he's willingly taking on it's power to fight Jake. And Jake it seems is still holding back power. It's as if they want to fight each other. To see who is truly more powerful. That's got to be it. They have only used their ultimate powers once before each, and then it would seem that they hopelessly overpowered their foes. They don't really care for winning as much as actually trying their power against a worthy foe!" But the two warriors were not concerned with such notions; they were solely focused on each other. They matched each other blow for blow. With each sword stroke the two sent sparks all over the room. As they attacked, the sheer energy of each blow sent shock waves all over the area. Frag flew back to one wall while Jake broke off and moved to the opposite corner. "He's so strong. I didn't expect him to be that much more powerful than I am, even using the Ultimate Force I am not a match for him. Well, time to use my maximum power!" Frag disassembled his sword and drew the other blades off his back. Taking them, he formed a thirteen-point shuriken and held it poised to attack. >From the opposite side of the room, Jake was having similar thoughts. "Frag is a lot more powerful than I imagined. That Ultimate Force of his has some punch to it. Whoa! Nice weaponry, wish I knew how he did." Suddenly Jake felt Frag's power increasing. "WHAT?! HIS POWER IS RISING!" Frag held out his weapon, then screamed "HEAVENS DIVIDE," as he threw the shuriken right at Jake. Jake focused all of his energy at his hands, placing them at his hip, he directed all of his massive power into that one point. Jake yelled out "DIMENSIONAL OMNI-POWER BLAST: FFFFIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRREEEE!!!!!!!!!" The two attacks collided in the center of the room, right over Mac's head. "OH !&*$! I CAN'T SURVIVE THIS!" Mac took off running to and out the door, shutting it as tight as he could. Back inside the room, Jake was still pumping all of his energy into his beam, while Frag remained focused on his energy shuriken. After what seemed like hours, both warriors were drenched with sweat and growing tired, but neither was willing to admit defeat. Frag was down to his last reserves, but Jake still had one more push left. Throwing his hands forward one last time, Jake pushed all his remaining energy into one massive bolt. The much larger bulb in the beam shot directly toward the shuriken, disintegrating it. After his weapon vanished, Frag dodged as fast as he could in a downward angle to escape the oncoming attack. With that final push, Jake fell to the ground and passed out, while Frag lost consciousness and his armor