Rocking Austin

 

 With Serenity out of their lives, Micah, his father, and brothers (Matthew and Christopher) still keep in touch with Serenity’s son, Austin, who sees and treats Micah and his brothers like the brothers he’s never had. One day, while taking a stroll through Arcanum with his father (Dennis), Austin sees Micah and his brothers battling Trekker while powered up in their respective forms. With the day saved once again, Micah and his brothers revert back to normal and unknowingly bump into Austin while headed home.

“Hey, guys!” said Austin.

“Oh! Hi, Austin!” said Matthew.

“That was some pretty cool stuff you did there.” said Austin.

“Thanks.” responded Christopher.

“I wish I could be a hero like you guys. You think you could help me out?” asked Austin.

“Better check with your father first because it’s not as easy as it seems.” responded Micah. Austin turns to his father, who says, “Promise me you’ll keep it under control.”

“I promise.” responds Austin while raising his right hand. Austin and his father turn their attention to Micah and his brothers with Austin’s father subsequently saying, “Be careful, guys. He’s a bit of a wild one.” Austin gives his father a stern look while Micah responds, “We’ll heed your warning, Dennis. But rest assured, Austin will be straightened out once this is all over.”

“I know. Good luck.” replies Dennis while parting ways with Austin. Micah and his brothers part ways from Austin and his father while Austin annoyingly asks, “I’m a bit of a wild one? Really, dad? Why do you got to embarrass me like that?”

“Because I’m your father. It’s my job to care about your safety.” answered Dennis.

“Don’t you think you’re overreacting? I can take care of myself, you know.” responded Austin.

“You think that, but they have a point. You don’t know what you’re up against.” replied Dennis.

“Oh, it can’t be that bad.” said Austin.

“Let’s not talk about it anymore, ok? Just go do your thing and listen to what Matthew, Micah, and Christopher have to say.” responded Dennis.

“Oh, now I got to listen to them?” asked Austin annoyingly.

“As long as they’re teaching you, yes.” answered Dennis. Micah and his brothers arrive home with Micah saying, “Guys, I don’t know if it’s such a good idea to train Austin. What if Dennis is right?”

“He’ll be fine. We’ll help show him the ropes.” said Matthew.

“Yeah! How bad could it be?” asked Christopher. After arriving home, Austin draws his costume design and writes down his desired powers while naming his persona “The Rhythmer”. Later on, Austin meets up with Micah and his brothers in Micah’s laboratory, handing Micah his costume design, powers, and persona’s name while Micah grabs a book titled “How to be a Hero”, presenting it to Austin while saying, “Before you begin your training, you must place your left hand on this book and raise your right hand.” Austin places his left hand on the book and raises his right hand, as instructed by Micah.

“Now, repeat after me.” says Micah while raising his right hand.

“This is so stupid.” whispered Austin annoyingly.

“I heard that. Do you want to be a hero or not?” asked Micah.

“Yes.” answered Austin.

“Then follow our directions.” responded Micah. Austin annoyingly sighs and rolls his eyes while Micah says, “I, Austin…”

“I, Austin…” said Austin.

“…do solemnly swear…” said Micah.

“…do solemnly swear…” said Austin.

“…that I will follow the teachings…” said Micah.

“…that I will follow the teachings…” said Austin.

“…provided by my teachers…” said Micah.

“…provided by my teachers…” said Austin.

“…and this book…” said Micah.

“…and this book…” said Austin.

“…and that I will…” said Micah.

“…and that I will…” said Austin.

“…use my powers…” said Micah.

“…use my powers…” said Austin.

“…to do what’s right…” said Micah.

“…to do what’s right…” said Austin.

“…and not for personal gain.” said Micah.

“…and not for personal gain.” said Austin. Micah puts the book away while subsequently saying, “You have just given us your word that you will keep everything under control. Backing out on this could have disastrous results.”

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s get on it already.” said Austin annoyingly.

“And while you’re at it, work on that attitude. Heroes are not rude.” responded Micah.

“Easy, Micah. This is all new to him.” said Matthew.

“I know, but he’s got to learn how to act.” responded Micah. Micah and his brothers set up a scene with Micah saying, “Here is your first lesson. A villain, say Trekker, is destroying a town and is holding a woman hostage. What do you do?” Austin grabs the Trekker dummy and throws it at the prop building, destroying both models while grabbing the woman dummy and saying, “You’re safe, my lady! Kiss me!” Austin makes kissing gestures with his lips to the woman dummy while Micah and his brothers confiscate it.

“Wrong! You don’t just throw the villain into the building, unless the situation is dire.” said Micah.

“And you don’t flirt, either. Nobody likes a selfish person.” said Christopher. Micah and his brothers rebuild the Trekker dummy and prop building, setting the scene back up with Micah saying, “All right. Let’s do this again, but this time, try to control yourself.” Austin throws the Trekker dummy down, punching and kicking it repeatedly while saying, “Die, Trekker! Die!!!” Micah and his brothers confiscate the dummy with his brothers rebuilding it while Micah says, “No! You don’t actually kill the villain in a fit of rage. Your job, as a hero, is to stop him. You know…hold him at bay so the situation doesn’t escalate.” Micah and his brothers set the scene back up once again with Austin uncontrollably causing destruction to the props. Time and time again, Micah and his brothers train Austin to no avail with Micah gradually getting frustrated at Austin’s destructive actions. One day, after Austin goes home, Micah huddles up his brothers and frustratingly says, “Guys, this isn’t working. Austin’s just not cut out to be a hero.”

“Maybe we should try a different tactic.” responded Matthew.

“Whatever it takes for him to quit being so destructive.” replied Micah frustratingly.

“I have an idea! If we could figure out what he likes, we could implement it into our training.” said Christopher.

“Crazy, but it just might work.” responded Micah. At a later point in time, Micah and his brothers show up at Dennis’ door with Micah ringing the doorbell and Dennis answering.

“Hey, guys!” said Dennis.

“Is Austin home? We’d like to speak with him.” asked Micah.

“He’s in his room.” responds Dennis while leading Micah and his brothers. Dennis knocks on Austin’s bedroom door while saying, “Austin! You have some visitors!” Austin answers the door with Micah asking, “Hi, Austin. May we talk to you for a bit?” Austin invites Micah and his brothers into his bedroom with Micah subsequently saying, “We’ve been going about your training the wrong way. But…we have a plan! Christopher?” Christopher steps in and asks, “What do you like?”

“What do I like?” asked Austin.

“Yes. Whatever it is, maybe we could use it in our training. Help get you on your feet.” answered Christopher.

“I don’t know…” responds Austin embarrassed while looking around.

“Don’t be bashful. It’s between us, and only between us.” said Matthew.

“Well…” responds Austin while looking at a video game.

“Is that one thing you like?” asked Micah.

“The series, yes.” answered Austin.

“Great! Tell us more.” responds Micah while sitting down with his brothers. Austin talks about everything he likes while Micah and his brothers listen and take notes. After gathering up the information they need, Micah and his brothers head home and make changes to the training scene. Austin later comes over and resumes training with Micah and his brothers helping him implement his interest. At first, Austin is hesitant, but after some time, grows more and more comfortable and gradually makes progress. After successfully completing training on another day, Micah and his brothers clean up the scene while Micah subsequently says, “Well, Austin. I think you’re ready. Matthew? Christopher? What do you think?”

“I’ll say.” responded Matthew.

“Same.” responded Christopher.

“Ok, then. It’s time!” says Micah while leading his brothers and Austin to a machine. Micah places Austin’s costume design on a scanner, which scans the drawing and creates Austin’s suit. Micah then watches with his brothers and Austin as the suit makes its way through a conveyor belt, getting worked on by machines powering it up to Austin’s liking as stated on his costume design. Once the costume reaches the end of the conveyor belt, Micah picks it up and hands it to Austin while saying, “Here you go, Austin. You’ve earned it.”

“Thanks, guys! I can’t wait to try this out!” responded Austin.

“Just remember to only use it when you need to.” said Christopher.

“Right. I got to go now. Thanks again!” responds Austin while rushing off with the suit.

“Great idea, Christopher! Leveraging Austin’s interests in his training! I’m glad you thought of it!” said Micah.

“No problem.” responded Christopher.

“I just hope Austin knows how to use the suit, let alone his powers.” said Matthew.

“I’m sure he does. He completed his training and successfully worked his way up into the next step. I think he can handle things on his own now. What’s the worst that could happen?” asked Micah. Austin makes his way uptown and puts on his suit, powering up into The Rhythmer while looking for crimes. He sees a man bump into a woman as he walks by her, causing her to drop her purse.

“Oh! My apologies, ma’am. I wasn’t watching where I was going.” says the man while picking up the woman’s purse and handing it to her.

“That’s ok. Thank you very…” responds the woman while grabbing her purse.

“Stop right there!” shouted Austin. The man and woman draw their attention to Austin, who angrily approaches the man.

“I don’t want any trouble, young man. I was just…” said the man nervously.

“I know what you were doing! You were trying to steal that woman’s purse!” responded Austin.

“Was not!” replied the man.

“Tell it to the judge, you thief!” says Austin while attacking the man. The woman and other bystanders scream in horror and run for their lives as Austin attacks innocent people out of misunderstanding their accidents. Micah and his brothers head uptown with Micah saying, “I can’t wait to see what Austin’s doing. He’s bound to be…” Micah’s jaw drops in horror as he witnesses Austin’s destruction.

“That’ll show you! Crime doesn’t pay!” said Austin. Austin removes his suit and heads back home while abruptly stopping in front of Micah and his brothers, who all give him a stern look.

“What was that?” asks Micah angrily while gesturing to the destruction with his hand.

“I was just protecting the peace, like you guys taught me.” answered Austin.

“That’s not even remotely protecting the peace.” said Matthew.

“It’s not?” asked Austin. Dennis suddenly peaks out from behind Micah and his brothers with a stern look on his face, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Give me the suit.” says Dennis while holding out his hand. Austin remorsefully hands his suit over to his father while Christopher angrily says, “Looks like you’re not hero material after all.”

“And to think you’ve changed.” said Matthew angrily.

“Go wait in the car. You’ve done enough.” says Dennis while pointing out his vehicle. Depressed, Austin looks down at the ground and walks over to his father’s vehicle while Micah says, “Sorry, Dennis. I thought we’ve really turned him around. I mean, he did so well in his training after we utilized his interests and all.”

“It’s not your fault, guys. Austin just needs to learn to take these things seriously. Come on. I’ll take you all home.” responds Dennis while leading Micah and his brothers to his vehicle. A net suddenly drops onto Micah and his brothers, along with Dennis, and rises up into the sky.

“What’s going on here?!” exclaimed Dennis. Micah, his brothers, and Dennis are all lifted into Trekker’s Trekkercopter with Trekker Jr. subsequently saying, “Here you go, dad! Three broken bolts and one man who wasn’t part of the plan, but now is!”

“Excellent! Ha ha ha! You broken bolts, and man who now suddenly is part of my plan, are going to be held captive while Jr. and I take over the world!” responded Trekker. Trekker and Trekker Jr. fly off with Micah, his brothers, and Dennis in the Trekkercopter while Austin sadly waits in his father’s vehicle for prolonged periods of time.

“Where are you, dad?” asked Austin annoyingly. An image of Trekker suddenly drops onto the front windshield of the vehicle.

“Trekker!” said Austin. Austin exits the vehicle and flees to Trekker’s mansion on foot while Trekker and Trekker Jr. cuff Micah, his brothers, and Dennis onto concrete slabs.

“Empty their pockets, Jr.! You never know what they may have with them.” said Trekker. Trekker Jr. goes through Micah’s pockets, which come up empty, and then go through the pockets if his brothers, which also come up empty.

“These broken bolts have nothing on them, dad!” said Trekker Jr.

“What about our guest?” asked Trekker.

“Oh! I forgot about him.” responds Trekker Jr. while going through Dennis’ pockets. Trekker Jr. finds and pulls out Austin’s Rhythmer suit while saying, “Well, there’s this.”

“What’s that supposed to be?” asked Trekker.

“The heck if I know.” answered Trekker Jr.

“Whatever it is, just put it in a drawer or something.” responded Trekker. Trekker Jr. stashes the suit in a drawer while subsequently helping Trekker set up a machine. Once getting the machine fully functional, Trekker prepares his experiment while saying, “The world is as good as ours!” Trekker presses some more buttons while Christopher worriedly asks, “What do we do now?”

“I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do, except hope and pray for a miracle.” answered Micah dispirited. Trekker places a ray gun in front of Micah, his brothers, and Dennis while saying, “Ready the death ray, Jr.!”

“Readying, dad!” responds Trekker Jr. while pressing some buttons on a machine. After getting Trekker’s configurations set up, Trekker Jr. joins Trekker, who asks, “Any last words, you broken bolts?”

“And man who suddenly became a part of our experiment?” asked Trekker Jr. Dennis opens his mouth while a distant voice shouts, “Hey!” Micah, his brothers, Dennis, Trekker, and Trekker Jr. all draw their attention to the source and see Austin at the front doors of the mansion.

“Who are you?” asked Trekker.

“The guy that’s about to kick your butt! That’s who!” answers Austin while approaching Trekker and Trekker Jr.”

“You? Is this some kind of a joke?” asked Trekker humorously.

“No.” answered Austin. Trekker and Trekker Jr. burst out laughing while Trekker Jr. says, “Oh no! Some other random guy’s here to stop us! What ever shall we do?”

“Remind me to get some bandages afterwards! This could get messy!” said Trekker.

“Go ahead. Laugh. Because you made a big mistake kidnapping my dad and teachers!” says Austin angrily while punching Trekker in the face.

“Ow! That hurt!” shouts Trekker while holding his face. Austin stands his ground and shows his fists while Trekker angrily continues, “Well, don’t just stand there! Get him!” Trekker Jr. lunges at Austin and pins him to the ground, punching and kicking him while Trekker joins the brawl. After restraining Austin, Trekker and Trekker Jr. drag him to another concrete slab while Austin struggles to break free, inadvertently getting his foot caught on the handle of the drawer holding his Rhythmer Suit. Trekker and Trekker Jr. pull Austin with all their might and break him free while the drawer gets pulled all the way out, flying over Trekker’s and Trekker Jr.’s heads and landing on the floor upside down after Austin notices the suit inside.

“What’s that?” asks Austin while pointing with his foot. Trekker and Trekker Jr. draw their attention to the scene with Austin kicking them both in the face and knocking them down to the ground, causing them to release Austin from their grip.

“Made you look!” taunts Austin while running for his Rhythmer Suit. Austin picks up the suit, but second-guesses before putting it on.

“Put the suit on, Austin! The fate of the world depends on it!” said Micah.

“But, my actions…” responded Austin.

“Don’t worry about earlier. Just do what you need to do right now.” replied Dennis. Austin starts to worry about the potential harm he could do to others while Matthew says, “Listen to us, Austin. What you did before doesn’t matter. What matters now is the situation we’re all in. If you don’t rescue us, no one will.” Austin looks at the suit and starts to worry more while Trekker and Trekker Jr. recover from Austin’s kick.

“That does it! I’m going to destroy that broken bolt if it’s the last thing I do!” says Trekker angrily while charging towards Austin with Trekker Jr. following. Just inches away from Trekker and Trekker Jr., Austin powers up into The Rhythmer and blows Trekker and Trekker Jr. out of sight with his guitar while shutting down all machines and freeing his father, along with Micah and his brothers.

“Well done, Austin! We are all in your debt!” said Micah.

“Hey! I did what I needed to do. Putting others’ needs before your own is part of being a hero, right?” asked Austin.

“That’s right. I’m so proud of you.” responds Dennis while embracing Austin. Austin embraces his father back and removes his suit, handing it back to him while saying, “Here. Make sure it stays safe and hidden.”

“Why don’t you hang onto it?” asked Dennis.

“Are you sure?” asked Austin.

“Yes. You’ve proven yourself to be a selfless and responsible young man. There’s always going to be trial and error, but I believe you’ll know what to do when the time comes, just like you did now with Trekker and Trekker Jr.” answered Dennis.

“Thanks, dad.” responds Austin while smiling. Austin and his father savor the moment with Christopher subsequently saying, “Let’s all go home now!” Micah and his brothers head home with Austin and his father while Trekker and Trekker Jr. break out from underneath a pile of rubble with their hands, emerging fully and planning their next move.

“I’ll get you, Austin! You’ll rue the day you defeated the evil troll genius, Trekker!” said Trekker angrily.

“Yeah! We’ll plan something so wickedly evil, so diabolical…that even you wouldn’t stand a chance!” said Trekker Jr. Some time later, Austin meets up with Micah and his brothers in Arcanum, walking around town with them until they hear screaming. After finding the villain causing the scene, Micah and his brothers pull out their respective superpower transformations while subsequently looking at Austin confidentially and nodding their heads. Austin pulls out his Rhythmer Suit and looks at it, contemplating while subsequently looking at his father from a distance, who also nods his head confidentially.

“Let’s do this!” says Austin while powering up into The Rhythmer. Micah and his brothers power up into their transformations and go after the villain with Austin following, successfully saving the day.

 

The End