5:30 PM probably around the year 2017. The sun blazed mercilessly over the Arizona desert, turning the landscape into a shimmering sea of heat and dust. A lone cactus stood defiant in the barren expanse, and tied to it was a boy about 5'9" tall. His black shirt was ripped, and his cargo pants were coated with desert grime. His head drooped, dark hair matted with sweat, but his hazel eyes burned with defiance as he looked up at the woman in front of him.
She stood out against the rugged backdrop, dressed sharply in a grey suit with a pink tie, her polished shoes dust-free despite the unforgiving environment. Behind her, a group of armed men shifted uneasily, their weapons catching the harsh sunlight. The woman, however, radiated control. With deliberate movements, she unfolded a steel chair and sat down, crossing her legs and pulling a pen and notebook from her pocket.
"So, Mr. Sparkspar," she began, her voice calm but edged with danger. "What's your goal in life?"
Everest Sparkspar raised his head slightly, lips cracked but smirking. "Lady, you really dragged me out to the middle of nowhere for a therapy session?"
The woman didn't react to the jab. She clicked her pen and jotted something in her notebook. "I like to know what drives my enemies before I kill them."
Everest let out a dry laugh. "Enemies? I think you've got the wrong guy. I'm not some big bad you need to psychoanalyze."
Her gaze didn't waver. "Then what are you?"
"Alive," he shot back, his smirk widening despite the rope digging into his wrists. "For now, anyway."
Her expression hardened. She gestured to one of her men, who stepped forward carrying a sleek black suitcase. With a soft click, she opened it and pulled out a pistol. The polished metal gleamed menacingly as she leveled it at his head.
"Well," she said, her tone flat, "let's change that."
The moment tensed, her finger starting to squeeze the trigger. Then, the faint growl of an engine rolled across the desert.
The woman hesitated, glancing over her shoulder. In the distance, a yellow jeep tore through the barren landscape, kicking up a massive plume of dust.
"What's that?" one of the goons muttered, turning to shield his eyes from the sun.
The jeep sped closer, its outline sharpening. Everest tilted his head, squinting. "Huh. That's my ride."
"Take it down!" the woman barked.
The goons scrambled to action, raising their weapons. But the jeep didn't slow. It roared through the group, the crunch of bones and thud of bodies cutting through the chaos. The woman dove out of the way just in time, landing ungracefully in the dust as the jeep screeched to a halt.
The passenger door flew open, and a girl with short, choppy blue hair leaned out. "Yo, Everest!" she called, waving with a sarcastic grin. "You planning on hanging around all day, or what?"
Everest raised his bound hands. "J, I'd love to leave, but I'm a little tied up right now."
J groaned, hopping out of the jeep with exaggerated annoyance. She wore a black jacket over a white tank top, combat boots kicking up dust as she moved. Pulling a silver Desert Eagle from her waistband, she strolled past the groaning men scattered on the ground, firing a few casual shots to make sure they stayed down.
"You know, you'd probably be dead if it weren't for me," she said, shooting him an exasperated look as she approached.
Everest grinned despite the sweat and blood streaking his face. "Late as usual. Let me guess—hair appointment?"
"Yeah," J snapped, raising her gun to shoot the ropes. "Unlike you, I actually have standards."
The ropes snapped, and Everest stumbled forward, rubbing his raw wrists. "Next time, maybe save me before the bad guys monologue."
Their banter was interrupted by a sharp crack. Everest staggered, clutching his arm where a bullet had grazed him.
"She freaking shot me!" he shouted, glaring at the woman in the grey suit, who was on her knees with a smoking pistol in hand.
J didn't hesitate. She fired, knocking the weapon out of the woman's grasp. The woman cried out, clutching her hand as blood trickled down her wrist.
"Stay down!" J barked, her tone cold.
The woman fumbled into her suit and pulled out a small silver key. "This opens my mansion. There's almost a billion dollars in there. Just let me live, and it's all yours." She smiled weakly, blood trickling from her mouth.
J raised an eyebrow. "Near a billion? That's all you've got?" Everest laughed, despite the blood dripping from his arm. "Sorry lady, it's not a billion dollars. Ho-haha!" J leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a threatening tone. "We don't care about your money. Where's our old fart of a boss? The old man you kidnapped—where is he?"
The woman flinched, shaking as she pulled out her phone and handed it over. "H-here! Everything you need is on there!" J grabbed the phone and stepped back, tossing one last glare at the woman. "Come on, Everest. Let's go, next stop is Tucson" she said, heading back to the jeep.
Everest followed, grumbling about his arm but still managing to laugh. They left the woman behind, her panicked breaths fading into the dusty silence as the jeep sped off into the desert.
The woman snarl and took out another device and tracked the duo down as they drove off. She pulls the device closer and whispers. "They're on their way. Careful, they're rash."
7:10 PM, the same day. The mansion stood like a giant in the distance, towering ten stories high and stretching over 12,000 square feet. It was sleek and modern, with sharp lines and huge windows that gleamed in the sun.
On the roof, there was a helipad where a bright red helicopter sat, its blades already starting to spin.
The jeep skidded to a stop in front of the mansion, gravel crunching under the tires. J leaned out of the passenger seat, shouting, "Everest, hurry up! Shoot the engine or something!" Everest jumped into action, yanking a massive minigun from the back of the jeep.
The thing looked ridiculously oversized, but Everest handled it like it was nothing. He aimed at the helicopter and opened fire, the loud, rapid bursts echoing off the mansion walls. "Got it, J! Let's crash the party!" Everest yelled over the chaos. Up on the helicopter, a bald man in a sharp suit leaned out of the open side door, holding a shiny black briefcase.
He looked calm, like he had all the time in the world. He pressed something on his watch and spoke into it, his voice clear and cold. "We've secured the target. Preparing to leave now and destroy the building." Then, with a smug smirk, he pulled out a device with a massive red button labeled EXPLOSION! in bold letters, complete with a cheesy explosion icon.
One of the goons tapped the bald man's shoulder, looking nervous. "Sir, we lost the rocket launcher!" The bald man shook his head and smirked. "Doesn't matter. We'll be fine." He stood up and yelled toward the front of the helicopter. "Next stop, Kansas!"
As he looked down at the duo on the ground below, something unexpected happened. A rocket suddenly shot toward them. Before anyone could react, it hit the helicopter, causing a huge explosion.
Flames and debris filled the air as the chopper was torn apart. Back on the ground, Everest and J watched the chaos unfold.
J had the rocket launcher balanced on her shoulder, smoke still rising from the barrel. "Hmm," she said casually, "I think they're dead." Everest pointed up at the falling debris, his face scrunched in confusion. "Wait, what's that stuff?"
J snatched the binoculars hanging around Everest's neck. "Hey!" he yelped, struggling to grab them back. "Shh," J said, holding up a finger to silence him as she adjusted the focus.
She squinted, watching the strange pieces fall from the sky. Her face suddenly froze, her mouth slightly open. "No freaking way…" Everest frowned. "What? What is it?" J slowly lowered the binoculars, looking both confused and amused. "They're—they're pool balls. Like, from an eight-ball game." "What?" Everest grabbed the binoculars and quickly looked through them.
Sure enough, he could see the tiny black-and-white balls spinning as they fell from the wreckage.
Everest blinked, then laughed in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me." J slung the rocket launcher over her shoulder with a grin. "Guess that makes us the real sharks here." As J glanced over at Everest, one of the balls from the game hit her square on the forehead.
She winced as a massive red bump began to swell almost instantly. Clutching her head with one hand, she managed to catch the offending ball with the other. "Damn it! Why the hell are these things so heavy?" she yelled, glaring at the ball. It was solid yellow, marked with a bold number one.
Everest couldn't hold back his laughter. He doubled over, clutching his stomach as he pointed at her head. "Ahahaha! You've got a massive bump, J! It's like a cartoon!" Still grimacing from the pain, J narrowed her eyes. Without hesitation, she hurled the ball straight at Everest.
It smacked him right on the forehead with a satisfying thunk, leaving him with an identical bump. "Shut the hell up, Everest!" she barked. "We've still got to rescue the boss, remember?" Everest rubbed his newly bruised forehead, grumbling under his breath as he climbed into the jeep. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Come on, let's go."
The two sped off toward their target: a massive, opulent mansion surrounded by security. As they neared the entrance, Everest floored the gas pedal, and the jeep plowed straight into a crowd of suited henchmen, scattering them like bowling pins.
J and Everest leaped out of the vehicle as the dust settled. "Alright, J," Everest said, scanning their surroundings. The mansion was huge, it felt like it had an unlimited number of doors. "Let's split up. Not sure why, but it feels like a great idea right now." J sighed, rolling her eyes. "Sure, because nothing ever goes wrong when we do that."
As Everest sprinted away from J, she suddenly stopped him by firing a shot near his ear. The loud crack of the bullet made him freeze in his tracks; his eyes wide with shock.
"Everest! You forgot your weapon!" J yelled, her voice a mix of frustration and urgency. Not giving him time to respond, she tossed a handgun toward him. The gun smacked him right on the head, making him let out a loud groan.
"You totally did that on purpose!" Everest shouted, rubbing the growing red bump on his head.
"Maybe I did," J replied with a sly grin. "Now hurry up and move!"
"Thanks… I guess," Everest muttered under his breath as he grabbed the weapon and took off.
They went their separate ways, each racing in a different direction. Everest rounded a corner and nearly ran straight into a woman wearing a bright pink tie. She stood there, calm and poised, already pointing her gun at him.
"What's up?" she asked casually, her voice smooth but dangerous. She took a slow step toward him, her finger hovering over the trigger.
Everest's instincts kicked in, and he dove behind a nearby wall as bullets flew past him, slamming into the ground and walls. Dust and tiny bits of debris exploded around him.
"I don't think I've officially introduced myself," the woman said as she paused to reload her weapon, her tone almost teasing.
Everest pressed his back to the wall, his chest heaving. "Yeah, I'm good not meeting you," he shot back, gripping his gun tightly as he braced himself to fight.
"The name's Vasu," she said smoothly. Her voice carried a strange mix of charm and menace. "Let me tell you something, Sparkspar. If you join us, everything could change for the better."
Everest hesitated for a brief moment, then smirked. "I'll think about it," he said. His tone shifted as he added, "Right after I kill you!"
Without waiting for her response, Everest leapt out from behind the wall and fired his gun. At the same time, Vasu fired as well. Their bullets collided mid-air with a brilliant clash of sparks, lighting up the space between them. The sheer precision of the moment left the air tense and charged as they prepared for the next move.
Everest reloaded his pistol quickly, his hands moving almost on instinct. Before Vasu could even react, he fired, hitting her gun dead-on and knocking it out of her hands. The weapon clattered across the floor, completely out of her reach. "Gotcha," he said with a grin as he let himself drop onto his back.
He let his gun fall beside him, stretching out like he didn't have a care in the world. "Man, I'm so tired today," he added, almost lazily.
Vasu's eyes darted around the room, landing on an open doorway. She didn't think twice and started to run for it. Everest noticed immediately and didn't hesitate. His next shot was precise, hitting her ankle.
She went down hard, a scream tearing from her throat. "Son of a bitch!" she yelled, slamming her fist into the ground in frustration. Everest got up slowly, brushing some dirt off his jacket as he walked toward her.
His steps were slow and deliberate, and there was no missing the confidence in his movements. When he reached her, he crouched down so he was at her level. His smirk hadn't gone anywhere. "What the hell did you think was going to happen?" he asked, his tone mocking and arrogant.
Vasu glared up at him, her teeth clenched and her hands trembling from the pain. "You cocky bastard," she spat. "I'll put a bullet in your head one day." Everest just laughed, the sound low and almost like he found her words amusing. "We'll see," he said.
Then his face turned serious. He picked up his gun again, pressing it against her forehead without hesitation. "Now," he said, his voice now colder and threatening, "where's my boss?"
One of the grunts, a giant dude who looked like he could crush a car with one hand, had J at gunpoint. He was dressed all in black, including a black hat, and was struggling to keep a grip on her. "Drop your gun, or I'll shoot her!" he yelled, his voice cracking like he was about to cry.
Everest, leaning casually against the wall and chewing on a toothpick, glanced over like he didn't have a care in the world. "Yo, J, how'd you get caught up in that mess?"
J giggled and waved, totally unfazed. "I made a deal with them. They let the boss go, and I'm the trade-off." She said it like she was talking about swapping snacks at lunch.
The grunt's aim kept shifting between Everest and J, like he couldn't decide who to focus on. "How's it feel being on that side, J?" Everest asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
J shrugged. "Not great. Pretty sure I'm about to die here."
Before they could do anything, more grunts stormed in, guns pointed straight at Everest. "Well, this is great," Everest said, rolling his eyes. "Got any brilliant ideas, J?"
J grinned, completely calm. "I was kinda hoping a giant lizard would smash through the window right about now."
They both glanced at each other, confused, and then shrugged like, "Where is she?"
Out of nowhere, Vasu, who had been lying on the floor like a corpse, started giggling. She jumped up as her ankles bled, and grabbed a gun from one of the grunts. "Your sniper's late, morons," she said, pointing the gun at Everest's head. "Remember what I told you earlier? About me putting a bullet in your head?"
Before anyone could react, a gunshot echoed, and the grunt holding J dropped to the ground. Blood splattered across her face, but she didn't even flinch. More shots followed, and in seconds, all the grunts were down. Vasu hit the ground, playing dead again like nothing happened.
J and Everest stood there, surrounded by bodies. Then J started laughing, tears streaming down her face. "They totally didn't see that coming!" she said, almost doubling over.
Everest couldn't help himself. He laughed so hard he had to hold onto his knees. "Yeah, neither did we!"
They both collapsed on the ground, laughing uncontrollably, blood smeared all over their faces. While they were laughing, a yellow ball rolled out of J's pocket.
"Oh crap," J said, picking it up. "It's that thing from the suitcase."
Everest leaned in, frowning. "Why do you think the boss wanted this before we… you know, rescued him?"
J stared at the ball, then brought it up to her mouth. "Maybe it's food?"
Everest smacked her on the head so hard a red bump popped up instantly. "What the hell, Everest?!" she yelled, rubbing her head.
"Don't try to eat it, you fat ass!" Everest shot back, reaching for the ball. But J held it away from him, sticking out her tongue.
"Don't hit me! And I'm not a fat ass!" she snapped.
As they argued, the yellow ball started changing. It melted into a liquid, slid onto J's arm, and formed into a shiny bracelet with a feather emblem on it. Both of them froze, staring at it.
"Should we call Eve?" Everest asked, his voice quieter now.
J scoffed. "Why? I've got this cool magic bracelet thing. We don't need that bitch."
Right then, Everest's phone rang. He answered, and Eve's angry voice practically exploded through the speaker. "I CAN HEAR YOU IDIOTS! AND YOU'RE WELCOME FOR THE SAVING YOUR ASSES!" she shouted.
J smirked, snatching the phone from Everest. "Hey, Eve? Guess what? I've got a magic bracelet, and you don't. Byeee!" She hung up with a laugh, completely ignoring Eve's furious yelling on the other end.
"Well, now that's taken care of," Everest said, pointing at the bracelet. "Let's see what that thing can do."
J fiddled with the bracelet, twisting it like she was dialing a combination lock. Suddenly, it lit up so brightly that both of them had to shield their eyes. Before they could react, a massive laser beam shot out, slicing the house clean in half. Debris rained down around them as the glow faded.
They stared at the destruction in stunned silence. Everest broke the tension with a groan, flopping onto the floor. "Oh, fantastic. This is what we're dealing with now," he muttered, rubbing his temples.
Everest's phone buzzed again, and the screen lit up with a call from someone saved as "BOSS." He answered without hesitation.
"What's up, Boss? Got home safe?" he asked casually.
A deep, serious voice came from the other end. "Yes, Everest, I'm fine. Thanks for asking. Now listen, I just heard that you and your team got one of the spheres from the suitcase."
Everest's expression changed, and he waved at J to come over. She leaned in as he gave her a quick nod. "Yeah, we got it," he said. "But what's it even for?
J, unable to hold back, practically yelled into the phone. "Yeah, what's the deal with this thing?"
The Boss let out a low chuckle, the kind that sent a shiver down Everest's spine. "It's what my team and I have been working toward. I needed you to grab it because it was about to fall into the wrong hands. These spheres hold a power we don't completely understand yet. Until I give you your next instructions, your job is to find the rest of them and bring them back to me."
The line went dead, leaving Everest holding the phone for a second before he sighed and slipped it back into his pocket. He stretched, letting out a yawn. "Man, I'm so tired and hungry," he muttered. "What do you feel like eating?"
J glanced at him, then down at the bracelet. A mischievous grin spread across her face as she pointed the bracelet's glowing end at him. Everest noticed just in time, his eyes widening. "Aw, come on J!" he shouted, scrambling to his feet and bolting out of the house.
The bracelet powered up again, its light intensifying as it prepared to fire another beam, this time aimed straight at Everest's retreating figure.