Chapter 37: Chapter 37

"Arrgghh!!" Collins screamed his lungs out as he fell through his shady orange portal and crashed onto a wide table. Which in turn, collapsed to the floor.

His eyes were dimly welcomed by the ceilings and a gold chandelier. It looked overly familiar which led him to a conclusion. He was in The Shining Abode V2 and what he crashed onto, was the dining table.

"Oh geez." He grunted under his breath as he weakly staggered to a stance. Clutching to one of the dining chairs for support.

He sharply stared at his front where Doctor Roberts, Lola, Marcus, Michael and Theodore stood dumbstruck. They held each other's gaze for minutes and it began to unnerve him.

"Will you all stop looking at me like I'm a ghost or something." He blurted and then held unto his stomach which grumbled. He could still feel numbness in some parts of his body.

"You were gone for close two days..." Michael's voice phased through his ears silently. He wouldn't deny the shock that rippled through him. He had thought he only spent some hours in that weird lab.

"Thanks to Marcus." He chattered with a frown pointing at Marcus before sauntering to the fridge. As much as he hated it, an energy drink was what he needed at the moment.

"We though you were --" Lola's voice trailed off as he glared at her.

"Dead?" He stated icily for her.

"No, we thought something bad happened to you." She quickly corrected but he rolled his eyes before gulping his drink recklessly.

"Collins, where did you teleport to?" Doctor Roberts quizzically toned. He stopped drinking as he recalled the lab and it's horrors for a swift moment. The EMP, the advanced weapons, the Lab itself and most especially, that orange man. He suspected Doctor Roberts knew something about those things.

"Nowhere important." He mused before tossing the bottle into a small portal he created by his side. He wobbled towards them as Theodore's appearance caught his attention.

"What's up with Catboy?" He asked with furrowed gaze on the blonde.

"Meet Tara, one of Theodore's dissociative identities." Doctor Roberts answered.

"Tara?" He called while his eyes reviewed Theodore's pink dressing carefully. The fact that he resembled a cheerleader amused him. And he inadvertently burst into a mocking laughter while they glared at him, like he was doing something foolish.

"Tara!!" He blared again with laughter minting in his words. "I certainly have a lot of catching up to do!" He mumbled to himself but then the blue lights projecting from the Projector upfront caught his attention.

He walked past them and as the image revealed itself more clearly, the smile on his face slowly faded. His jaw dropped but his breaths failed to tour out. His heart thumped as a new wave of fear dawned within him.

"Doctor Roberts," he called as he inched to the --- "tell me this is not what I'm thinking." He whispered as his eyes mirrored the map of Utopia.

"Unfortunately, The Revolution is going to attack Utopia in less than two weeks." Doctor Roberts answered as he neared him. The Doctor's voice hinted disappointment intertwined with anxiety.

"The Revolution is going to attack Utopia?!" He exhaled as he glanced across their dampened countenances. He finally understood why they were so cold when he arrived.

"Wh--who's going to stop them?" He stuttered as he glimpsed briefly between the image and their faces.

"We're going to stop them." Doctor Roberts asserted with a tiny smile.

"Who's the we?" He frowned.

"The agents of The Shining." Lola proclaimed in a bold manner while the rest nodded in agreement. Collins frown deepened, reminiscing about the lab again and rubbing his low cut hair frantically.

"Do you guys think this is a joke or something?!" He bellowed as he glared threateningly at them.

"We're talking about a well coordinated attack on an entire continent hatched by mutants like us and you think a group of five can stop it?!"

"We must." Marcus answered on a lesser not of courage.

"Oh please! Don't give me those heroic talk shits!." He scoffed as he gestured exasperatedly.

"Michael I can't believe you're in for this stupidity too!"

But Michael simply retained silence.

"So what do you suggest? Wise man." Lola queried while Doctor Roberts relaxed to a couch, watching the drama unfold.

His teeth gritted and his palms curled into a fist.

"Rather than trying to become heroes you're CLEARLY not. I suggest we give this information to the armed forces and let them handle this shit!"

"And you think the military will succeed?" Marcus interjected with crossed arms and an engaging gaze Collins found hard to waver from.

"They won't even believe us. We're talking about The Revolution here, a vast assortment of mutant terrorists possessing dangerous powers just like us. They have the EMP, and who knows what other terrifying weapons they possess. THEY CLEARLY HAVE THE UPPER HAND HERE!"

"It will be fruitless, Collins. These people are too dangerous for the military to handle." Lola added on a persuasive note but it only dosed his furiousness. He wished they had witnessed the trauma he had to go through at the lab. They wouldn't be talking like this!.

"So they aren't DANGEROUS for us to handle huh?!." He nodded as his breaths stormed out heavy.

"Marcus and I embattled a mutant who had steel body and it's only out of luck that we escaped by an hair's breath. Now imagine us against the vast majority of them, we don't even know their size, what kind of powers they possess. This is literally suicide!!" He declared but their countenances described how unmoved they were.

"Are you in or out?" Lola asked with crossed arms too.

He sighed as he pinched his nose. The area between his eyes. Arguing with them would be hopeless so he turned sharply to Doctor Roberts.

"Doctor Roberts, how did you brainwash them?"

"I didn't brainwash anybody, we're simply trying to stop a war before it is even birthed." The Doctor explained calmly.

"The question is, are you in or out?"

Collins fists clenched tighter. The mission has been completed and he had already gotten over one Billion Pillings and a mansion if he leaves. But then, something about that lab picked his curiosity. He had a feeling, The Revolution was bigger than what Doctor Roberts told them, he suspected the Doctor hid something very very dangerous from them.

"We've gone on so many crazy adventures together." He uttered as he glanced across their expectant faces. "I guess it won't be bad if I join you guys on this one." He flashed them a tiny smile. One so superficial.

Michael rushed up to him, giving him the tightest hug that almost expired air out of his lungs.

"Welcome back man!"

Collins nodded while his eyes darted to Lola who simply donned a smile. But it vanished the next second as the door flung open with The Trainer storming in.

"Doctor Roberts," The Trainer breathed. "There's something you need to see." He added impatiently.

"TV ON!" He ordered to the Nano-led TV which brightened up instantly.

"Breaking News!" The anchor chirped lucidly. "Report is just coming in that Timothy Chamelet, CEO of Timeron Industries escaped during an interrogation session in Busan Police department in District ED. Mayor Carlos has declared him Wanted and a monetary reward of one hundred and fifty million Pillings for his whereabouts. The Chief-in-Power, Mr. Matthew Lancelot has also dispensed a thousand military personnel from Utopia to Rivernea as an effort to find Timothy Chamelet."

"TV OFF!" Doctor Roberts ordered and the led lights switched off instantly. Collins heart started to thump again. Timeron has escaped, The leader of The Revolution. An attack is coming and most especially, The Orange man.

Collins feared what kind of connection existed between these people.

"Trevor get The Capsule, we're flying to Utopia TODAY!" Doctor Roberts proclaimed. Collins frowned at the thoughts that flushed through his mind. Doctor Roberts.

##########

As he stepped into the large pilot room. His eyes gawked in awe at the several 3D holograms and the transparency of the large windshield. He felt like he could touch the clouds that they flew past for it felt so close. But all that amusement died down once he located Doctor Roberts inches away from the windshield.

"Self driving jet, handled by Service. Interesting." He stated.

"You requested for me." He mumbled as he approached the Doctor by his side. From the corner of his eyes, he noticed a tiny smile spread on the Doctor's lips.

"I'm confused about something, Collins." The Doctor finally said as they faced each other. "And I'm hoping you can solve it for me."

Collins squinted his eyes for a brief moment. He knew Doctor Roberts too well to be able to conclude, this man was up to something.

"Why didn't you leave The Shining, when you had the chance to?" Doctor Roberts asked and Collins failed to hide his surprise. "You have gotten more than enough money. A chance to start life afresh but you deserted all that for a risky task. Why?"

Collins eyes twitched. If he had known it was going to lead to this, he could have prepared himself well.

"Where did you teleport to this time?" The Doctor asked again with his strong gaze Collins found hard to waver from. It felt like the Doctor was seeing through him. And he hated it. He gulped down his saliva as an effort to capsize his nervousness. But it failed.

"I can't explain it but it looks like a lab." He finally answered. The Doctor's eyebrow arched. "I saw far more advanced weapons you could ever imagine and I saw the EMP."

Doctor Roberts eyes widened but it only dosed Collins suspicions.

"And I also saw something else. It was a mutant but far super powered than us. I could feel his dangerous energy surround me even when I was afar off. His entire body glowed shiny orange and then-"

"It's just an illusion!" Doctor Roberts abruptly cut him off but the look on the Doctor's face said otherwise. For the first time, Collins was seeing fear, surprise and anxiety blooming on the man's face.

"Just an illusion?" He rhetorically stated. "Doctor Roberts, this is not the first time I'm ever teleporting." He asserted sternly.

"You spent close to two days in your portal. The waves must have messed with your brain at a point." Doctor Roberts stammered.

Collins smiled sinisterly.

"YOU ARE HIDING SOMETHING, Doctor Roberts." He avowed to the man's face. "But don't worry I'll find out sooner or later."

He huffed and then paced towards the door.

"I hope you don't die before you find out." Doctor Roberts words held him back. He turned to the man who wore a tiny smile and back to his relaxed status.

"What do you mean?"

The Doctor heaved a sigh.

"The first time you teleported with matter greater than yours, you were gone for -- hours. The second time, you were gone for a day. And this time, you were gone for close two days." He explained.

"And so?"

"My theory is, the next time you use your powers recklessly again. You might be gone for months, years or might never come back."

His heart skipped a beat as those words phased through his ears.

Doctor Roberts faced the windshields.

"There's a war coming. You better work on yourself first before working on my matters."