Andrew's Enhancement Chapter 2

[sl97aq]

CHAPTER 2: THE FINAL BATTLES WITH ALEXANDER

Andrew and Steve only had to wait five minutes for Alexander to regain consciousness. He shook off the rest of the ice fragments and found that he was still pinned to the wall by the metal handcuffs. He struggled, but couldn't twist free.
"Well well, poor Alexander's all tied up with nowhere to go!" Andrew taunted him. "And you thought you'd get away! Not so smart now, are you?"
"Come here and say that!" Alexander snarled.
"Gladly," Andrew said. He stepped over, leaned down so that he was looking right into Alexander's eyes and said, "Not so smart now, are you-owww!"
This last word was spoken when Alexander head-butted Andrew. Andrew staggered back, giving Alexander the opportunity to wiggle his right hand out of the metal handcuff. He grabbed Andrew's left hand while Andrew was still stunned and plunged the knife into Andrew's left side, right where he had before. Then he slashed the knife up from Andrew's left waist up to his right shoulder. Andrew flinched in pain and then backhanded Alexander fiercely, snapping Alexander out of the left handcuff and knocking the knife to the floor. Alexander yelled in pain as he fell onto the floor and Steve picked up the knife. Andrew stumbled back into Steve, knocking them both down. Alexander struggled up and ran for the nearest door, which had a bridge beyond it.
Steve stood up and then turned to see that Andrew was already on his feet, ripping his t-shirt into dressings to cover his wounds. Blood dripped onto the floor with each breath Andrew took as he finished covering up his wounds.
"Go get Alexander," he said, when he noticed Steve hesitating out of concern. "I'm fine; I'll be along in a moment."
Steve ran after Alexander, who was waiting on the bridge, behind the closed door. Steve opened the door and ran into the bridge room, getting knocked to the ground as the wall blew up behind him. The laser dropped from his hand and fell off the bridge. Blackened and bleeding, Steve forced himself up again, still holding onto the knife.
Alexander lunged at him, backhanding him across the temple where Steve's old bleeding gash had reopened. Steve staggered back in pain, but then he swung the knife at Alexander. Alexander caught the handle of the knife and then kicked Steve in the stomach three times. Steve doubled over and Alexander shoved him towards the bridge railing. He smashed Steve's hand against the railing repeatedly, hoping to make him drop the knife.
After five blows, Steve dropped the knife into the chasm below, crying out in pain. Then he leaped at Alexander, intending to push him over the railing. Alexander dodged and tripped Steve, sending him stomach-first into the railing. Steve doubled over and Alexander flipped his legs up, dumping him over the railing.
"NO!" Alexander heard someone yell from behind him.
Alexander whirled around, only to catch a sharp blow across the head that dropped him like a stone. Alexander jumped up again to see Andrew holding a long metal bar in his hands. Andrew then ran right into Alexander, sending him reeling into the railing. Andrew tried to force Alexander over the side and Alexander tried to force his wrists back.
Andrew was too strong, so Alexander head-butted him in his chest gash. Two punches, one to Andrew's right shoulder and one to his left ribs, knocked Andrew down to his knees. Alexander kicked Andrew's left wrist and left knee, sending Andrew to the ground. Andrews' wounds bled more heavily as he tried to get up.
Alexander swept his clawed right hand down to slash Andrew's throat. Andrew rolled away and got slashed in his right shoulder instead. He jumped up, disguising his pain with motion, and rammed into Alexander. Alexander knocked the bar away as they both fell to the floor of the bridge. Then they both jumped up again and Andrew forced Alexander closer to the railing.
As they neared the section where Steve had gone over the side, Steve poked his head above the bridge floor and tripped Alexander with his free hand. Andrew turned to help Steve get onto the bridge while Alexander rolled to his feet. Alexander ran into Andrew, knocking them both down and sending Steve dangling over the side of the bridge again. Andrew grabbed Alexander in a bear hug and stood up, his arms wrapped around him like a strait-jacket. Andrew lifted Alexander off the ground, trying to crack his ribs with the iron grip of his massive arms.
Alexander suddenly went limp and smashed the back of his head into Andrew's face repeatedly. Andrew fell back onto the bridge floor with a crash, his arms still wrapped around Alexander. His grip was looser though, which Alexander used to his advantage. He wiggled out of Andrew's weakened grip and slashed his claws along Andrew's torso, tracing a line of blood from Andrew's left shoulder to his right ribs. Andrew lurched back in pain, though he barely winced and then punched in the back of the head as he turned to leave. Alexander's chin smashed into the railing as he fell onto it.
Andrew picked up his metal bar from the floor and stepped forward to smash it across Alexander's face. He hit Alexander with a good shot as Alexander turned to face him, knocking him down to the floor of the bridge. Andrew swung again as Alexander stood up, but this time Alexander caught the bar with both hands. He tugged hard in the direction Andrew was already moving, sending Andrew over his head as he crouched down. Andrew stumbled as he landed on his feet, and Alexander kicked him right in his bleeding chest, knocking him down to the floor.
Alexander got out his Freezing Gun, deciding to finish Andrew off before he escaped. Andrew blocked the ice stream with his staff as Alexander fired the gun, protecting himself from being frozen into an ice cube. Alexander kicked the staff's frozen middle, snapping it in two and hitting Andrew in the chest, right where the two long slash marks intersected.
"X marks the spot!" Alexander chuckled, as Andrew fell back onto the bridge floor again.
He leaped onto Andrew before he could get up, deflecting blows from the two halves of the staff that Andrew tried to hit him with. He slashed Andrew in the chest a few more times and grinned when he finally saw Andrew wince in pain. His grin was wiped from his face pretty quickly though, when Andrew hit him with both halves of the staff, sending him staggering back. Andrew kicked Alexander away, sending him flying through the air and onto the railing, which he folded around as the breath was knocked from his body.
Andrew staggered up to his feet and lurched forward step by step, all of his wounds bleeding more heavily with each breath he took. Alexander struggled to get up, terrified that he couldn't stop Andrew from coming after him. Andrew threw one half of the bar to Steve, who had finally got up onto the bridge. Alexander staggered up to his feet, and backed towards the door at the far end of the bridge, firing his Freezing Gun multiple times. Andrew and Steve blocked the ice streams with the two halves of the staffs they held, not even feeling the cold as the bars became solid ice under their fingers. Alexander was terrified as he saw the two unstoppable teens coming towards him. Andrew and Steve grinned when they saw the look of fear on his face.
As Alexander saw the tour group emerge from the doorway behind Andrew and Steve, he threw a bomb at the bridge in front of them. As the bridge section between them blew apart in a shower of fire and metal beams, Alexander opened the door at his back. He threw another bomb at the doorway as he saw Andrew and Steve jump through the flames of the burning gap in the bridge. The two teens threw the staff halves at him, nicking his legs as he ran down the hall. Then the doorway blew up, collapsing part of the hallway into a pile of rubble and keeping them from getting to Alexander.
When the flames died away, smoke rose from the blocks of rubble that blocked them from the hallway. Andrew and Steve stepped forward and began hurling the blocks of rubble aside, not even flinching as the hot metal burned their hands. Margaret and Marge led the tour group over to the gap in the bridge, which was no longer burning. They watched in amazement as Andrew and Steve hurled the steaming blocks of rubble aside effortlessly, marveling at their apparent superhuman strength. The two men were blackened and bleeding heavily, but they didn't seem affected by their injuries. Andrew in particular seemed furious instead of weak, working twice as hard as Steve to clear a path to the hallway. Margaret reconstructed the missing bridge section with her magic and the tour group crossed the bridge to stand behind the two massive teens.
"Well, it looks like Alexander escaped again," Margaret remarked, as Andrew and Steve finally hurled the last of the blocks aside.
"Yes he did, but we have finally got the hallway unblocked so that we can catch up to him," Andrew said. "I don't know how he keeps escaping, but we have nothing standing in our way now; if we can find him that is." He caught Margaret's arm in his iron grip as she tried to heal him. "Don't even try it Margaret! I don't want my body to forget how to heal itself! Besides, this is a much scarier image for Alexander: seeing us come after him like superhuman monsters!"
"I agree with Andrew," Steve said, fighting down his fear as he stared at the look of fury on Andrew's face. "Let my body heal itself alone as well."
"Whatever you say," Margaret said, noticing the look on Andrew's face and wisely deciding not to pursue the matter. "Let's go get Alexander, now that the hallway is free. He should be on Deck 9: the Docking Deck." She turned to the three commanders of the Space Station, the Haunted House and the Metal Monster. "Thank you for the tours of your respective facilities, Thomas, Marge and Jerry. We'd better get back to the head of the Metal Monster. Once we know you're all safely on board, Andrew, Carrie, Steve and I will go and take care of Alexander."
"The engineers found Alexander's helicopter and uncloaked it," Thomas informed them. "They are trying to disable it now so that he'll be trapped here." He handed the data pad with the location to Margaret. "This will help you teleport to the exact coordinates to surprise him before he can get away."
"Good idea," Margaret said, as they headed down the hallway. She turned to Andrew and Steve and saw the trail of blood drops they were leaving with every step they took. She looked up into their faces and gulped with fear as she saw the iron determination in their angry eyes. "You really should let me heal your wounds guys."
"I said 'no' Margaret!" Andrew reminded her, glaring at her in anger. "Don't make me repeat myself, not with the mood I'm in today! Do we understand each other?"
Everyone was too scared of his fury to inform him that he was not showing his elders the proper respect.
"Uh sure Andrew, whatever you say," Margaret said slowly. "But do you think you could at least let me wrap them up for you, so that neither of you bleed all over the floor?"
"Oh, is that what you meant Margaret?" Andrew asked her, smiling softly to dispel the look of fear he saw on her face. When Margaret nodded, Andrew's grin faded and he said, "Sorry about misunderstanding Margaret, and sorry for snapping at you as well!"
"Apology accepted Andrew," Margaret assured him, taking the t-shirt halves he handed her. She tore his t-shirt into strips and wrapped them around his wounds. She did the same thing for Steve's head wound, with the final strip. "There you go guys, now you won't bleed all over the floor."
"Thanks Margaret," Steve said. "I don't know about Andrew, but I didn't feel weak from loss of blood!"
"Yeah I know," Margaret said, looking relieved at the thought. "That's why you two are the only ones who can stop Alexander in hand-to-hand combat. I'm sure everyone else is just as impressed as I have been by your performance in this crisis. Now you've got Alexander running for his life! Good job guys!"
"You should really thank Andrew for that," Steve said modestly, pointing at his big friend as they neared the stairs to Deck 9. "After Alexander knocked me off the bridge, I wasn't much help."
"Don't put yourself man!" Andrew admonished him. "You kept Alexander distracted while I recovered from his attacks, and you helped me get the hallway unblocked so that we could track him down."
He missed the faint look of jealousy on Steve's face and then they reached the docked head of the Metal Monster on Deck 9.
"Everyone else go on ahead," Margaret said. She held up the data pad and added, "Andrew, Steve, Carrie and I will take care of Alexander, and then we'll catch a ride home on the Space Station."
Everyone waved goodbye to them and then Margaret and her three friends vanished with a snap of her fingers. Marge took the rest of the tour group through the airlock with Jerry, the Commander of the Metal Monster. Everyone sat down in the Command Center as the mooring clamps were released. The Maneuvering Thrusters fired and the Head drifted slowly towards its body. Along with the Station, they joined the House in a diamond formation to trap Alexander's helicopter.
Meanwhile, Alexander froze all the guards into icy statues with his Freezing Gun and then entered his helicopter. He noticed that nothing was out of place, so he had caught the guards before they could perform any sabotage. He recharged his Freezing Gun and prepared to release the helicopter from the Space Station.
"Warning: airlock doors are unsealed," the Launch Computer said. "Do not initiate launch procedures."
Alexander repeatedly punched the airlock sealing button but there was no response.
"What's going on?" he exclaimed in frustration. "What's wrong with this thing? Was it sabotaged after all?"
"Not exactly!" he heard Andrew say from behind him. "Going somewhere Alexander?"
Alexander whirled around in his seat as he heard a squealing of hydraulics. His eyes widened in fear as he saw Andrew holding the airlock doors apart, effortlessly!
"Let go of those doors!" Alexander screamed in fear. "I'll use this if you don't!" He grabbed his Freezing Gun out of the charger and aimed it at Andrew. But then he saw the gun floating through the air until it landed in Margaret's hand. "Drat you!" Alexander screamed in frustration. "Give that back to me Witch!"
"Okay, you asked for it," Margaret agreed. She aimed and fired. Alexander dodged all the streams of liquid ice but then he slipped and fell onto the icy floor. "I gave you what you asked for, but it doesn't seem to have made you happy," Margaret commented smugly. She held up his laser and Steve held up the knife. "Would you like these items back as well?"
"You keep them!" Alexander snarled, lunging for the shield button. "Be sure to let me know if they're too hot to handle!"
Steve threw the knife, Margaret fired both guns and Alexander hit the shield button. The knife bounced off the shields, both beams hit Alexander and the airlock doors snapped shut as Andrew leaped back. The helicopter lurched free of the docking port as Alexander fell forward onto the Helm Console. Margaret teleported herself and her three friends to the Space Station Command Center, where Commander Thomas was waiting for them.
"Did you see the look on Alexander's face when he saw me holding the airlock doors apart?" Andrew asked his companions, grinning smugly at his great strength.
"Yes I did; no one could have missed that Strongman Demonstration!" Margaret replied. "He was scared to death of your amazing strength! Frankly, Steve and I were amazed as well, especially since you were injured at the time. You've reopened your wounds Andrew. You should let the medics here stop the bleeding."
Andrew looked down to see blood soaking through his makeshift bandages. He grinned as he felt no pain whatsoever.
"I've got no problem with that," Andrew said, smiling at his friends. "Since Alexander has been scared off, I don't need to maintain the image of a superhuman muscle monster quite so much." He turned to the medics who were approaching him carefully, since they were terrified of his great size and strength. "Hey don't worry guys, I don't use my great strength against people, just furry grey cowards who try to kill us all and then run away!"
The medics smiled with relief when they realized that he was right and they opened their med kits as Andrew and Steve sat down. Andrew and Steve peeled off their bandages slowly, not even wincing. The two huge guys didn't even flinch one bit as the medics wiped down their wounds with rubbing alcohol. Margaret and Carrie stared at Andrew and Steve in awe, astonished by their superhuman pain tolerance. Carrie's look of shock turned into a smile of relief as Andrew looked up at her and grinned softly. The medics finished applying proper bandages to their two patients and then Andrew and Steve stood up, looking very fit and strong.
"Thanks a lot guys," Andrew said gratefully to the medics. "I feel much better now; how about you Steve?"
"I'm fine now Big Guy," Steve replied. "Let's watch Alexander get shot down. Then we can finally capture that little grey coward and end this."
Andrew smiled at the thought, though his eyes had a murderous gleam in them, and turned towards the big front window. Their friends crowded around them as they watched the battle with Alexander's helicopter. The Space Station formed the top point of a diamond formation that trapped Alexander's helicopter so that he couldn't get away.
Inside the helicopter, Alexander tried to evade the laser blasts that all four vehicles aimed at him.
"Just about now," he said to himself, knowing when the timed computer virus would sabotage Automatic Helm Control.
The Space Station suddenly lurched forward, hurling everyone against the front walls.
"What's happening?' Andrew asked, as he and everyone else got back up.
"We're on a collision course with Earth, thanks to Alexander sabotaging Automatic Helm Control!" Thomas replied, after hearing the report from the Engine Room. "But the good news is that we can switch to Manual Override and bypass the sabotaged systems." As he spoke, the Station leveled out and then proceeded to Earth at a slower pace. "There we go, now Alexander's computer virus will have no further effect. I thought the engineers got rid of it, but he must have inserted a backup virus! They'll have to purge that one as well!"
"Your wounds are bleeding again," Carrie whispered to Andrew.
Andrew looked down to see blood soaking through his bandages. He smirked when he realized that he had felt nothing, not even the trickling of blood.
"Forget about it Carrie," Andrew assured her. "We have more important business to take care of. I'll be just fine."
Andrew smiled as he realized that he would be fine, since he felt no pain and actually felt stronger than ever.
"I know that you think you're invincible, but for your own health and our protection, you need to let Margaret heal you so that you're at full strength."
"I feel no pain," Andrew informed her. "I feel much stronger than I ever have, even though I am injured worse than I ever have been! So I am at full strength, and then some!"
"Adrenaline rushes will only take you so far," Carrie reminded him. "Besides, if you really want to see how strong you are now, it only makes sense to let Margaret heal you. That goes for Steve as well."
Andrew nodded in understanding and he grinned as he realized that he could become even stronger. Carrie walked over to Margaret and brought her over to stand between Andrew and Steve.
"I'll heal your worst wounds first," Margaret said.
She put a hand on Steve's forehead and her other hand on Andrew's ribs. A blue light came from her fingertips and healed their wounds. She took their bandages off once she was done healing them and used her magic to restore their t-shirts to intact and clean condition.
"Thank you Margaret," Andrew said, stretching for the first time in many hours. "I felt strong before, but now that you've healed me, I feel like I have attained Superhuman Strength!"
"I'm glad I could help you reach it," Margaret said. "Now you can maintain your 'tough guy' image, even when your adrenaline runs out."
Carrie came up to her as Margaret walked back over to one of the front windows.
"How can Andrew be so strong?" she asked Margaret. "It can't be a simple adrenaline rush, can it?"
"The human body is capable of amazing feats of strength," Margaret informed her. "I read of a guy who flipped a van over, a kid who held a car up until his parent could get out from under it, and lots of other strength feats. Compared to those things, watching Andrew hold airlock doors apart and resist injury so well isn't surprising. Don't forget, he has only released all his rage at Alexander during workouts and football games. Once he had Alexander in his clutches, he was free to release his full fury without holding back. And I must tell you that his anger is really scary!"
"Remember the football games you've attended, where Andrew has knocked out many opposing players!" Carrie reminded her. "Those players had to leave on stretchers and they were out for a few games!"
"I remember that," Margaret agreed. "I noticed that didn't happen during the last few games of the season though."
"I have helped Andrew control his great strength, once I realized how truly great it was," Carrie informed Margaret. "Andrew had been using his full strength during football games, assuming he had to! Once he realized how many injuries he was inflicting on opposing players, he asked me for help controlling his strength. And it worked, because he got through the last few games without knocking anyone out!"
"Good for him," Margaret said approvingly. "He wouldn't want to end any players? chances of playing college or pro ball! If a few guys ganged up on him, I don't think even Andrew's great strength could protect him!" She left out her fears that Andrew would just get mad, snap someone's neck in a fit of rage, and get sent to jail! "But I don't think we have to worry Carrie, his adrenaline gives him superhuman strength and his rage blocks any pain he might feel!"
"How great do you think his strength really is?" Carrie asked Margaret, her eyes growing wide with alarm. "How much do you think he could lift in his current state?"
"I'd guess about 2000 pounds, which I got from the strength reading I took of him while I healed him," Margaret replied. Carrie's eyes widened further and fear began to creep into them. "Hey, don't worry Carrie; from what I've seen, Andrew treats you really gently. I don't think you'll have to worry about getting stuck in a ditch with Andrew around! He'll be able to pull your car out of the mud or snow with no effort whatsoever, even when he returns to normal!"
"How will his heart hold up during all this?" Carrie asked Margaret. "Doesn't it have to beat faster to supply all the blood to his muscles and make him so much stronger?"
"That's why my healing spell strengthened his cardiovascular system, so that he won't have a heart attack," Margaret informed Carrie. "And I think he will need that protection as long as his adrenaline lasts! My magic will work harder to keep his heart strong as it beats faster, so that he can have superhuman strength as long as he needs to."
"How long will he have superhuman strength?" Carrie asked Margaret. "When will Andrew's normal strength return?"
"His great strength will last as long as his adrenaline continues flowing, which will be as long as Alexander is around," Margaret replied. Margaret had no idea how wrong she was, but she would soon find out! "Keep Andrew calm, because he doesn't know his own strength. We don't want him to snap Alexander's neck in a fit of rage before he can be brought to justice for all his crimes!" She heard a snap and looked over to see Andrew drop the railing, which was now in two pieces. "You'd better start calming him down right now, Carrie! I hope that was an accident and that he didn't snap the railing in a fit of rage! Better go find out!"
Carrie walked over to Andrew, who looked up at her with panicked eyes and shouted, "I barely touched the railing! It just snapped apart in my hands when I grabbed it! What's going on Carrie? I'm way too strong for my won good!"
"SHHH!" Carrie urged him, placing a finger over his lips. "Margaret explained everything to me."
As Carrie explained Margaret's insights to Andrew, his look of panic vanished, to be replaced by a look of calm confidence. Outside the Space Station, Alexander's helicopter was blocked from landing by the Haunted House. The body and head of the Metal Monster were on either side of his helicopter, and the Space Station was behind him, keeping him from escaping into space. The vertical diamond formation made sure that their laser blasts hit Alexander's helicopter, not each other.
Inside the helicopter, Alexander was thrown against the front console as the shields failed. He heard wind howling from the back of the helicopter as the aft hull was penetrated, and sparks flew from the helm console. Alexander leaped out of his seat, but still got buried by rubble as the helm console exploded. The gas tank of the helicopter was also nicked, making it leak. The helicopter crashed unimpeded through the treetops of the Orillia forest and ploughed into the ground at the edge of the clearing, right beside the exposed caverns.
The Haunted House landed beside the caverns, since Alexander's helicopter was blocking its normal position on top of them. The Metal Monster's head and body reattached and then it landed on the left side of the house. The Space Station extended its landing struts and landed on the right side of the house. The pilots had followed Thomas's orders and used Manual Helm Control, to bypass the automated systems that Alexander had sabotaged.
The tour group came out of the Metal Monster, and everyone was pleasantly surprised to see that the Goblins had already loaded all their luggage into their cars for them. Everyone said goodbye to Marge and George and then got into their cars and drove home.
"Where are Andrew and Carrie and Steve?" Mr. Pearson asked Marge, looking around for the three teenagers.
"They're still in the Space Station," Marge replied. ?Thomas and I will show them what they missed while they were fighting Alexander, and then they can go home. I must tell you Mr. Pearson, that we were all very impressed with their performance against Alexander, especially Andrew's! Did you know that he almost single-handedly threw all those huge blocks of rubble aside to unblock the hallway?"
"Yes I saw that," Mr. Pearson replied with a big grin. He turned to Mrs. Pearson and said, "I'll be at the car in a few minutes dear. Why don't you ask the Petersons if they'd like to join us for supper when we get home?"
"Good idea," Susan said. "Thanks for thinking of that Chad."
"No problem," Chad said, smiling softly at his wife as she walked to the car. Chad turned back to Marge and said," There's something I'd like to discuss quickly with you before Andrew gets out of the station."
Chad quickly informed Marge of Andrew's secret wish to bench-press a car one day and how he was obsessed with becoming stronger than anyone else. Marge quickly reminded him of the Enhancement Serum they had been working on in the Inventing Room under Dr. Franklin's supervision. She informed Chad that with his help supplying Prozac to the serum, to eliminate its nasty emotional side effects, it was finally ready for testing.
"Andrew would be the perfect subject for the test, since he wants to become so big and strong anyway," Marge informed him.
"I'm glad to hear it," Chad said. "You have my permission to enhance Andrew; just make sure to ask his permission before you do it!"
"I will, and my doctors are already taking the serum onto the Space Station as we speak," Marge informed him. She pointed to the ramp where the doctors were wheeling the canister up the ramp, with Dr. Franklin supervising the transport of his creation. "We'll take good care of Andrew and make his dreams of superhuman strength come true!"
Chad thanked her and then walked to the car, where Susan was waiting. They drove off into the forest, and Marge then turned to see her four remaining guests walking down the ramp of the station.
"I guess it's time to finish Alexander off once and for all," Marge said, noticing the determined look on Andrew's face. "Let's go and take care of him right now."
"I can't wait!" Andrew shouted, with a murderous gleam in his eyes. "I'll lead the way, since I am now the strongest one here."
The five people walked over to the helicopter and Andrew easily forced open the dented side doors. As he stepped inside, Marge quickly told Margaret everything she had discussed with Chad, and asked Margaret to tell Andrew everything as soon as he was enhanced, since Chad had gone home. Margaret promised that she would and they all waited to see the results of Andrew's confrontation with Alexander inside the helicopter, since they couldn't see inside it.
Inside the helicopter, Andrew stepped into the front compartment and watched Alexander get out from under the debris of the helm console. Alexander didn't see Andrew behind him, but he heard him breathing. So Alexander whipped his Freezing Gun around to shoot him. Andrew effortlessly caught his hand and crushed the gun into a useless ball of metal. Grinning at his own strength and the shocked look on Alexander's face, Andrew picked him up by the throat, with one hand, and effortlessly hurled Alexander into the wall under the window, denting it with the impact.
"What are you going to do now Alexander?" Andrew asked him, smirking in satisfaction as he crossed his arms over his massive chest. "Your helicopter has been destroyed and so have all your weapons. So you're trapped here and you can't even fight your way out!"
"Don't be so sure," Alexander warned him, taking a gun out of a hidden compartment in the floor. He aimed it at Andrew and said, "You're going to take me to one of the helicopters in the Haunted House."
"And if I don't?" Andrew sneered at him, unafraid of the gun pointing at his massive chest.
"Then you will be the one trapped here, in a dead body!" Alexander shouted, trying to convince himself of that.
"You think a puny back-up laser is going to hurt me?" Andrew laughed in disbelief. "I expected more from you than an idle threat Alexander!"
"Then you shall have it," Alexander informed him, pulling the trigger twice.
Andrew staggered back in surprise as actual bullets hit his massive chest. Then he realized that he felt no pain and steadied himself. Andrew steadied himself and looked up at Alexander, grinning as he saw Alexander's face turn white with fear. Alexander was paralyzed with terror as Andrew stepped forward and crushed the gun into a useless ball of metal.
"I told you I expected more from you than just a threat!" Andrew roared in excitement. "I'm so strong; you'd need a bazooka to hurt me!" He picked Alexander up by his throat and hurled him with all of his strength towards the front window. Alexander's head smashed through the window and his body smashed through the wall, which crumpled from the force of the impact. Alexander flew out of the helicopter and into the depths of the caverns, all from the force of Andrew's toss. "Have a good flight Alexander!" Andrew taunted him. "Be sure to fly with Pearson Airlines anytime!"
Andrew laughed at his joke and turned to exit the helicopter. Andrew suddenly felt himself flying through the air, as the helicopter rocked sharply. Andrew was tossed out the open doors by the shockwave of the leaking gas under the helicopter exploding, and he landed right on top of Margaret and his friends, knocking them flat to the ground. Andrew jumped up quickly and ran around the burning helicopter towards the caverns, searching for any sign of Alexander. He was so eager to see Alexander go up in flames that he didn't see the helicopter exploding behind him. The rubble from the explosion flew past Andrew and into the same caverns that Alexander had fallen into. Andrew thought he dimly saw the rubble bury Alexander's body, but he didn't get a good look before two pieces of rubble smashed him in the right ribs, shattering them and sending searing pain up into his chest. Andrew was knocked to the ground again, but he rolled through the fall, disguising his pain with motion. He stood up as the last fireball dissipated into the air and waited for his friends to join him, smiling with pleasure in the hope that Alexander was dead.
"It looks like Alexander won't be coming back to bother us," Andrew informed his friends. "I think he was crushed by all the rubble from his helicopter."
"That's good," Margaret said, stepping forward to examine Andrew's wounds closely. "It looks like some of the rubble got you as well, right in the ribs!"
"Yeah I think the impact shattered them," Andrew said, shrugging with an unconcerned look on his face. "I'm sure the doctors in the Haunted House can fix me up, but I just wanted to make sure Alexander was destroyed."
"You've been shot in the chest as well Andrew!" Carrie shouted, finally noticing the bullet holes but not much blood.
"You mean these puny things?" Andrew sneered, not even feeling any pain as he dug his fingers into the wounds and pulled out the bullets. He looked closely at them and noticed that they were slightly dented. "These will make a good souvenir of how strong I really am!"
"Good idea Andrew," Margaret said, breathing a sigh of relief that Andrew was not incapacitated. "Let's get to the Medical Room and get you healed, before your adrenaline runs out!"
"I have no problem with that now," Andrew agreed, smiling softly at his friends. He stepped forward and put a gentle hand on Carrie's shoulder, to reassure her that he was alright. "Now that I have finally released all seven years of my anger at Alexander, I can feel my strength vanishing already."
"Let's hurry and get inside then," Marge decided, leading everyone to the nearest door into the Haunted House.
The three teens and Margaret followed her into the house and down the halls to the Medical Room. As they walked, Andrew's adrenaline, which had been active since that morning, faded away, leaving him tired, sore and weak. Andrew kept the pain from showing on his face, but only sheer force of will kept him on his feet.