Mighty Mason

Maddie's Laboratory

Maddison and Cherry were halfway across town. Mrs Cherry went to her book readers club and it took a large deal of pleading before Maddie was convinced enough to accompany her mother to the book club. The club was made up of about a dozen middle aged women and Mrs Cherry was the youngest of the them all. Maddison always preferred finishing her homework on Fridays in order to have all the free time she wanted on Saturdays and Sundays. An eighth grade whim with very little social status on the outside, little Maddison had an almost state of the arts laboratory underneath her lofty bedroom in the Riecke's residence. Not even her parents or her brothers knew of it and with the knowledge that they would have to move from Wisconsin in less than a week, she had planned to spend her final weekend thinking of a way to move her 'secret den' or at least some of the tools in it to Seattle.

"Perhaps I'd figure out a way on Sunday!" she thought while accepting her mother's proposal on Friday night.

As numerous thoughts trickled through her mind, her Mom approached with her medium sized handbag and sat on the bench where little Maddie sat.

"Hey Maddie. It's time to head home" said Cherry.

"Mom why do we really have to leave Wisconsin?" asked Maddison before adjusting her thick glasses. Cherry sighed before speaking out.

"Honey. I know how important this city is to you. I even just informed my book club that I'll be leaving Wisconsin on Saturday and I'm really gonna miss going to share my thoughts on books I love with those women. Going to Seattle should be an adventure for all of us to make new friends, join a new school and do everything you always wanted to do here in Wisconsin"

"I guess. Mom can I tell you something?" said Maddie.

"Sure honey. Go on"

"It's just...I have a...like I've got something important in my room" Maddie began.

"What's that?" Cherry curiously asked.

"It's a...State of the arts laboratory I've got underneath my room". Said Maddison. Mrs Riecke couldn't help but burst out laughing at her 'naive' little daughter.

"That's a big joke right?!" asked Cherry who struggled to contain herself.

"Uh yeah. Just a big joke. Nothing serious" said Maddison. Little Maddie just tried to play along - at the very least happy that her mother wasn't convinced she could own a laboratory.

Maddison and her mom boarded a taxi back home and coincidentally met the guys returning home as well. Cherry and her husband walked into the house along with Max who explained how thrilled he was at defeating his Dad in multiple games of golf that morning. Maddie who looked quite lost in her unknown thoughts was about to make her way to the entrance when she was held back by her big brother Mason.

"Hey little sister" said Mason.

"What's up Mason?" Maddie said looking at her eldest brother straight in the eye knowing very well that she was only called 'little sister' by her brothers whenever they needed a favor.

"I just wanted to let you know that you're the best little sister anyone could ask for" said Mason.

"What do you want Mason?" asked Maddison trying to ease the tension on Mason and make it easier for him to make his request.

"Would you mind helping me translate something?" he asked.

"What language?" asked Maddison who turned and headed into the house - Mason in close pursuit.

"It's actually written in Latin"

"Where'd you find something written in Latin? C'mon we live in Wisconsin!"

Maddison walked with Mason into her room still pleading with her to help out.

"It happened really strangely while we were at the park playing golf. All I know is I woke up and found this ancient scroll in my hand" said Mason showing the scroll he had gotten from the 'strange bush' earlier.

"Woah that's huge!" said Maddie admiring the way it glowed. She knew the only way she could help was to take Mason down to her secret underground lair. Mason would be the first and only person to know about it - for now at least.

"I'm about to show you something really huge...and you have to promise me you'll never ever tell anyone" said Maddie trying to put on her serious look to enlighten Mason on the gravity of the situation at hand.

"I pinky promise" said Mason raising his pinky finger in accordance.

Maddison's secret lair consisted of titanium clad walls bounding a host of state of the art equipment as well as some groundbreaking inventions of her own which she couldn't show to anyone in order for everyone to always regard her as a sweet little eighth grader. Where she got the financial enablement to build such a masterpiece remained a mystery - a mystery nobody would be capable of solving.

Maddison tapped a button which was hidden underneath her lamp stand beside her bed and in the space of five seconds, Mason and Maddie were transported down the channel with tube like structures into Maddie's laboratory. Mason was shocked at what he saw - he opened his mouth wide in total adulation for the edifice that had been hidden beneath their apartment the whole time. He was full of so many questions - where to begin was the problem.

"How did you...When did you...Why did you..." Mason stammered trying to throw as many questions as he could at his ingenious little sister.

"Just shut up and hand me the scroll!" answered Maddie who appeared a lot more concerned about the situation than her big brother. Mason handed her the scroll and went round the laboratory exploring all the wonders that were in it. Often cautioned by his little sister to not touch anything, he tries not to get himself into any trouble with his sister.

"Hey Maddie. How did anyone not know of this until now?" asked Mason in the distance.

"Let's just say I'm not a big mouthed moron like some people I'm looking at" she answered momentarily turning to catch a glimpse of her brother.

"So how do you plan to make no one know we're down here?" Mason asked again.

"Well you must understand that I'm a very thoughtful person not like some dumb people I'm looking at..." she paused for the tenth of a second with her gaze still firmly fixed on Mason.

"...I sent one of my bots to sync the TV schedule to Mom and Dad's favorite sitcom - The Wilsons, and I hacked into Max's phone server and faked a text message from his basketball coach - Mr Kowalsky, telling him that there was practice today; so that should buy us a handful of time" she finished.

"Wow! that is crazy! You are one heck of a genius Maddie" complemented Mason.

"Thanks. Now get over here I found something"

"What did you find?" Mason curiously asked.

"Well the translation of your message from Latin to English is ready but before I read that to you, I'd like to show you an interesting coincidence I found" said Maddie opening a file on her central high definition mega screen.

"Okay go on" said Mason.

"It appears the element causing the apparent glow in the scroll you found is called 'Macmillium' with sub-energy specifications enough to burn up the whole city if not properly contained like it was in this scroll...the only other traces of the element were sighted in Seattle after a huge particle landed in that city over a year ago, although no one has gotten a track on its location till now...The translation of the message written on your scroll said -

"Fear not for you have been selected by the supreme intergalactic enforcers to protect your weak and vulnerable galaxy. Be strong, noble warrior".

The scroll was planted by a body of extra-terrestrial galaxy guardians who were self-acclaimed gods that made use of their paranormal powers to keep the galaxies of the universe in perfect balance. Maddison had come across a couple of articles proving that such things existed but she doubted the truth in them. According to the legends, the galaxy consisted of nine universes - each consisting of a given number of planets. One god guarded each universe long ago; until the start of the new millennium when the ninth god was overwhelmed by the evil perpetrated in his universe - the one which contained Planet Earth. Since then, the rest of the body of supernatural gods which guarded the universe were in search of the last piece to their puzzle.

"So do you mean...I'm a superhero? Or something like that?" asked Mason who tried to hide his fright.

"Not really...I carried out a couple of scans on your DNA while I made my discovery..."

"Hey!" Mason exclaimed.

"...and I couldn't find any mutations or alternations or anything. I'd advise we stay still on our discoveries for now...Hopefully, another clue will hit us in the face" continued Maddison.

"I guess you're right Maddie. I'm still angry at the fact that you have a super cool lab and I don't" said Mason.

"Just shut up Mase...I'll tell you all about it with time" she said feigning a smile that made Mason chuckle.

The pair went back upstairs just before their parents' favorite TV show - The Wilsons, was over. The Wilsons were a family of five similar to the Rieckes. It was a sitcom that portrayed the adventures of an absurd family trying to achieve high ambitions in their respective fields.

It didn't take long before Maximilian returned from a basketball rehearsal that never was. He trodded quickly towards his room directly opposite Mason's.

"Where are you coming from young fella" halted Cherry.

"Well I got a text from Mr Kowalsky saying we had urgent basketball practice on the court by four and I gathered my kit as quick as I could, only to meet not a single soul at the court" said Max looking so dissapointed.

Behind their backs, Mason gave Maddison a fist pump; but regardless they both had to solve the puzzle on their hands.