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Description
A few days passed. Today was New Year's, and there still was no signs of the Apocos Group. Luis managed to convince Connie to make the police extra vigilant around New Years, but I knew from experience that the police force wasn't enough to stop an Apoco Group attack.

I groggily walked down the stairs and overheard my parents talking. "You do have a point," George was saying as I walked down the last few steps. "but what are you going to do about it? If you try keeping him here, he'll probably just get worse. I'd rather just let him go; that way, he won't have a panic attack." He explained.

Mary sighed worriedly, her pink eyes showing concern. "…Why exactly did he choose to do this, anyway? Why can't he stay at home and be a normal child? Oh how I miss those days…" her voice was full of sorrow.

"Because he's not a normal child, Mary." George replied. "He never has been. He's always had that necklace, and he's always had those powers. He cares for the lives of others, and ours especially. Don't you remember him saying that?" he asked.

Mary thought about it for a moment, then headed into the kitchen without saying another word. George walked over to the couch and sat down.

I approached the couch. "What was that about?" I asked.

George glanced at me. "Your mother is just concerned about your stress levels, that's all." He replied. Before I could open my mouth to speak, the phone rang. I hurried over to answer it.

"Zack, this is Luis Lawson." Said the voice on the other end of the line. "I've gotten reports of suspicious activity over by the Canteer parkway, you want to check up on it? We have our hands full." He said.

"Okay, I will!" I replied.

…Canteer Parkway…

I walked around looking for any signs of the Apoco group. I heard shuffling from the alley nearby. I quickly closed my eyes and focused my hearing. I overheard a couple of voices…

"So…what all is taking place tonight?" the first person asked.
"Explosions, and lotsa 'em. But in particular, that explosive cannon is quite the beaut'. They tested it in the desert, and it was mighty powerful." The second person replied.
"Isn't that the one that they made from the note-thing the Diantion professor dropped some time ago? The first person asked.
"I think so. Anyway, we betta get away from 'ere. I think I saw that yellow-haired kid." The second person replied, lowly.
"What? OH SNAP! Let's get outta here!" I could hear them running away.

'Explosions, and lotsa 'em' Flashbacks of previous nightmares overwhelmed me with fear. But an explosive cannon? Where would THAT be? Suddenly, I heard a chime from my pocket. I opened my Pocket Device to see what the message said.

"Zack, I just remembered something about the cannon device. It requires such a large amount of electrical power that it requires a dangerous type of wire…remember the one Keith stepped on the other day?"

I gasped. Of course! THAT wire! I began to run back to the place where Keith had fallen just a week before.

When I finally found the black cable, I began to follow it to see where it led. I tracked it for about an hour before finally, the cable went up the side of a building. And what luck it was that a ladder stood nearby, leading to the top of the building! I climbed it carefully, and there, at the far edge of the roof, stood an awesome-looking cannon. It was larger and cooler than I thought it would be.

I walked up to the device and found a piece of paper laying on the ground. I picked it up and read it. "Cannon is timed. Aim southwest 30 degrees. Releases fire at midnight."

Somebody had already aimed the cannon…it was positioned to fire towards the plaza, where the New Year's event was taking place! I looked the cannon over carefully, and to my surprise, the timer was hooked to the trigger with a simple string. I checked the time on my Pocket Device. I had enough time to go somewhere and get scissors, but where would I go? I was on the opposite side of the city from my house, so that wasn't an option. I had no money on me, so I couldn't buy any.

I looked around at the surrounding stores, and realized I was near Valerie's Café. Valerie was a kind and caring woman who inherited her father's restaurant when he died at an early age. I saved her from a couple of Diantion rogues almost two years ago, and she had been offering me free meals ever since. Perhaps she could help?

I climbed down the ladder and ran a couple of blocks south, then crossed the street. As I entered, a bell on the door rang to alert the waiters that somebody had entered. Valerie was doing some kind of paperwork and looked up as she heard the door ring.

"Oh, hello Zack! I haven't seen you in a while." Valerie said, her voice sounding as kind and gentle as ever.

"Yeah, I've been really busy." I replied, walking up to the table where Valerie was sitting.

"Oh! That reminds me! My oldest sister is coming to town soon! I haven't seen her in so long…she's been gone since I was ten. I've been writing to her, and when she heard about you it intrigued her and now she wants to meet you." Valerie explained, sounding excited.

"Uh…okay." I replied, trying to not forget what I came here for. "Listen, I don't mean to be rude but I'm kind of busy. Would you…happen to have a pair of scissors I can borrow? I have some at home, but that's all the way across town!" I said.

Valerie nodded, then went into the kitchen. After a few seconds, she came back with a pair of scissors in her hand. "Here you are." She handed them to me.

"Thank you! I'll be back!" I said, before leaving the building and hurrying towards the rooftop cannon.

As I climbed the ladder to the roof, I realized somebody was there. I put my feet on the roof as softly as I could. It was a Apoco Shadow Warrior, and he seemed to be positioning the cannon and looking through its eye piece.

"…All right…" the man said to himself. "There. Positioned perfectly. Ha ha…this is going to be brilliant! At midnight tonight, the Diantion fools will be gathered at the plaza, this cannon will fire, the bombs will go off, and by dawn tomorrow, this entire city will be annihilated!"

'Bombs? What bombs?' I thought. My train of thought was interrupted as the Darkian man spoke again. "To think that Diantion professor could build something so dangerous! Not only that…but a device capable of killing that blasted blue-haired boy!" he laughed heartily. I was shocked that the Apoco group would know what had happened to Keith.

My eyes wandered to the black cable that supplied power to the cannon. I walked over and placed my foot over the top of the wire and my body began to absorb the electrical power within it.

"What? Hey! This thing lost power? Grr…I bet one of those idiotic pawns unplugged the--" the Darkian man turned around and his eyes met mine. He squealed as I raced forwards and grabbed him, pulling him down to my level.

"All right you…tell me everything you know about these explosions!" I demanded with a stern voice.

"Absolutely not! I'll be in all kinds of trouble if the Boss found out I told YOU anything!" the Darkian replied boldly.

"Would you rather me electrocute you with the power I just absorbed from that cannon's power cable?" I asked. The Darkian's eyes filled with fear.

"All right all right!" he remarked, fearfully. He then began to speak in a hurried pace. "One of our shadow warriors saw that the blue-haired boy was dead so the Boss decided to go all out. The cannon will fire at the ceramic ball that they drop on new years, which'll set off the explosives within. Meanwhile, pawns will set off explosives lining the city on Avenue and Westward street! Please let me go!"

"Westward?" I blurted in fear. My house was on Westward street! The image of Mary and George sitting at home on New Year's flashed in my head. "WHERE on Westward?" I snapped.

"N-N-Near Johnson street!" the Darkian stuttered. "Avenue starts at the Power Plant! Please let me go!"

I released my grip on the Darkian, and to my surprise he ran and jumped off the building. I ran over to the edge and peered down to see the Darkian land hard, but he got up and ran away.

I ran over to the cannon and spun it around, aiming it towards the cliff bordering the desert in the south. Then I carefully cut the string connecting the trigger to the timer. I sighed with relief when the cannon didn't go off.

I climbed down the ladder and ran back to Valerie's Café. I handed Valerie her scissors but ignored her invitation for lunch as I ran out the door and headed towards Miracle City Police Headquarters. It took me a couple of hours to get there on foot.

…Police Headquarters…
I caught every officer's attention as I burst through the front doors. Chief Connie and Luis appeared to have been chatting about something as I came into the police station, but they quickly stopped talking when they saw me. "Zack…" Connie said, sounding a bit shocked at my sudden appearance.

"Hey, what's up, kid?" Luis asked. "Something happen? You find some clues?" he asked, stepping towards me. I didn't answer for a moment as I caught my breath.

"Luis! Chief Connie!" I said, walking forwards. "The Apoco Group has positioned explosives in the New Year's ball, and they also have lines of dynamite which will be set off at midnight! One line is on Avenue street, near the power plant, and the other is on Westward street, near Johnson!" I said, my alarm showing in my voice.

Every police officer in the main room grew fearful expressions-Police Headquarters was located on Avenue, therefore their own building was in danger.

Connie turned towards her colleagues. "Unit 1! Quick! Go investigate the New Year's ball and remove any explosives you find!" she commanded, sounding like a military leader. I moved out of the doorway as a group of police officers ran out the door.

She then turned to Luis. "Luis! You and a bunch of the boys head out to the end of Avenue Street and investigate! Don't be afraid to use weapons on those Darkians; they'll attack you with powers if you don't!" Connie said. Luis nodded and ran off to gather his men.

The fiery redheaded policewoman then turned to me. "Do you intend on joining the hunt? You're probably wanting to search Westward, right?" she asked in a normal tone. I nodded.

"All right, since it will probably take you far too long to get there by foot, I'll have one of my other guys drive you. Is that okay?" Connie asked.

"Yeah." I replied with a nod.

"Henry! Get over here! Take Zack to the crossroad between Johnson and Westward. Stay there with him until I arrive. Got it?" Connie commanded. A police officer I had never seen before came from another room and agreed to Connie's commands.

…Southern Westward Street…
I searched the area for about an hour, but found nothing. No signs of the Apoco Group, no signs of dynamite, nothing. Had I been sent on a wild goose chase?

I looked around for the policeman that Connie had ordered to come out here with me. I couldn't seem to find him either! Did he leave, or was he searching with me?

Puzzled and worried, I crossed my arms, sighed and closed my eyes…I could hear something! I opened my eyes again but could no longer hear whatever it was, so I closed my eyes again.

The sounds were muffled footsteps, accompanied by hushed voices, and a slight echo. I opened my eyes again and wondered where the sounds were coming from. A car drove by and tossed some kind of iron trash out of the window. As the trash hit the pavement, it occurred to me: under the road!

I looked around for an entrance to the underground power tunnels. I searched a block north, then turned around and searched two blocks south. I didn't find any entrances to the underground tunnels, but I did find the missing police officer.

"Any luck?" he asked as I approached him. I shook my head. "That's too bad. Maybe you received misled information?" the officer asked.

I made no response as I realized that something…didn't feel right. I shrugged the feeling off. "I'm not sure." I replied. "However, I do think I hear something coming from below the street. Would you happen to know where an entrance to a power tunnel would be?" I asked.

The police officer stayed silent for a moment. "…Now that you mention it, I do believe there's one around here somewhere. Let's go find it…shall we?" he asked.

"Okay." I replied. After that, he and I began to look around. I followed him into the alley behind one of the nearby buildings. He and I looked around for any removable metal slabs which led underground.

"Aha! There it is! I knew it was around here somewhere!" the officer said, pointing ahead to a metal plate in the cement.

"But…why is it back here? Aren't these usually in the sidewalks or in the streets?" I asked, curiously.

The police officer shrugged. "Don't ask me. I'm not one of the crazy people who designed this city." He remarked. I chuckled in response.

"Now, let's see if what I suspected is true…" I said, walking up to the metal plate.
I thought I heard the police officer say "I can't wait to see how much of a promotion I get when this is over!" I ignored his remark and picked up the metal plate.

BOOM!

I startled and spun around, dropping the metal plate in the process. I gasped and my muscles locked up in fear as I saw the police officer lying dead on the ground, a bullet wound in the back of his head. Behind him, a red-haired policewoman was lowering her gun and scowling fiercely at the dead man's body. Chief Connie just murdered her own officer!

The woman walked over to the dead police officer and used her foot to roll his irresponsive body over. As she did, his police cap fell off, revealing black hair. She sheathed her gun and looked to me. "Are you all right?" she asked.

I blinked and looked at her for a moment. "…Yeah." I finally replied.

"Good." Connie said. "I knew something was up when he led you back here. He thought I had no idea that he was a Darkian. Too bad for him. Nobody puts a sheet over Connie Dusteon's eyes!" she remarked, glancing down fiercely at the dead man.

I finally overcame my shock. "Connie…I believe that they're setting up the explosives underground." I said, motioning towards the metal plate.

"I hear you. Let's go." Connie said. She and I headed over to the metal plate and climbed down the ladder.

The underground tunnels that ran throughout Miracle City were hardly large enough for two people to stand side-by-side, so Connie led the way with her flashlight aimed in front of her. We could hear sounds echoing from the tunnels ahead of us, signaling that we were heading the right way.

Connie turned off her flashlight as we closed in on the Apoco Group members scurrying about in the main tunnel. "Do you want to go first or should I?" she whispered.

"I will." I replied. We changed places, and walked up to the corner of the tunnel. I peeked around, and there they were, running back and forth, lining dynamite in the thin passageway.

I stepped into one Darkian's path. "Hello. You guys need a hand?" I asked.

"AAAAH it's the lightning kid!!" the Apoco pawns began to panic. I heard Connie fighting back laughter as I stepped out of the way and allowed the pawns to escape.

"Don't you ever fight them?" Connie asked, after the pawns had all disappeared.

"Well, pawns are the cowards among the cowardly; when they run off, they usually won't come back." I replied.

"Hmm. Well, let's get these explosives out of here." Connie aimed her flashlight at the ceiling to the tunnel. "Here's an entrance." She added.

We spent well into the night removing dynamite from the power tunnel. At one point, Luis and his men showed up and offered their aid.

…That Evening…
"Go home, Zack." Connie said. "Spend the rest of the year with your family. You can leave the rest to us." She added.

I thought about it for a moment. "…Okay. If you need me, just call my house." I replied.

"We will." Connie said. I began to walk away, but I heard her call me again. "Wait, Zack…"

I stopped and turned around. "Yes?" I asked.

Connie sighed, as if her heart was heavy with guilt. "…Zack…I admit that I endangered your life today, and I'm terribly sorry for that." She said, lowering her head.

"WHAT?" Luis and I remarked in union, though Luis' voice sounded more shocked than mine.

"…I knew Henry was one of those Darkians. I knew that if I sent him off with you alone, he would try to do something to you. That's why I chose him to bring you here. I've been trying to make up my mind on whether or not he was evil, and I figured that was a good way. It worked out in the end, but still…my job is to protect people, not endanger them." Connie said.

A moment of silence fell upon us. "…It's okay." I replied. "I mean…like you said, everything worked out. Just uh…clue me in on it next time, okay?" I stated.

Connie laughed. "Of course…" she replied. I began to walk home once again.

"You know, kid…" Luis said. I turned back again. "…I was really discouraged when you told me what had happened. I thought this would be the end for sure! It turns out that you're becoming a hero of your own. Good job." He gave a thumbs-up sign. Connie, meanwhile, gave off a puzzled look.

After that, I headed home and counted down the new year. Luis' words remained with me as I went to bed that night.

Description
A few days passed. Today was New Year's, and there still was no signs of the Apocos Group. Luis managed to convince Connie to make the police extra vigilant around New Years, but I knew from experience that the police force wasn't enough to stop an Apoco Group attack.

I groggily walked down the stairs and overheard my parents talking. "You do have a point," George was saying as I walked down the last few steps. "but what are you going to do about it? If you try keeping him here, he'll probably just get worse. I'd rather just let him go; that way, he won't have a panic attack." He explained.

Mary sighed worriedly, her pink eyes showing concern. "…Why exactly did he choose to do this, anyway? Why can't he stay at home and be a normal child? Oh how I miss those days…" her voice was full of sorrow.

"Because he's not a normal child, Mary." George replied. "He never has been. He's always had that necklace, and he's always had those powers. He cares for the lives of others, and ours especially. Don't you remember him saying that?" he asked.

Mary thought about it for a moment, then headed into the kitchen without saying another word. George walked over to the couch and sat down.

I approached the couch. "What was that about?" I asked.

George glanced at me. "Your mother is just concerned about your stress levels, that's all." He replied. Before I could open my mouth to speak, the phone rang. I hurried over to answer it.

"Zack, this is Luis Lawson." Said the voice on the other end of the line. "I've gotten reports of suspicious activity over by the Canteer parkway, you want to check up on it? We have our hands full." He said.

"Okay, I will!" I replied.

…Canteer Parkway…

I walked around looking for any signs of the Apoco group. I heard shuffling from the alley nearby. I quickly closed my eyes and focused my hearing. I overheard a couple of voices…

"So…what all is taking place tonight?" the first person asked.
"Explosions, and lotsa 'em. But in particular, that explosive cannon is quite the beaut'. They tested it in the desert, and it was mighty powerful." The second person replied.
"Isn't that the one that they made from the note-thing the Diantion professor dropped some time ago? The first person asked.
"I think so. Anyway, we betta get away from 'ere. I think I saw that yellow-haired kid." The second person replied, lowly.
"What? OH SNAP! Let's get outta here!" I could hear them running away.

'Explosions, and lotsa 'em' Flashbacks of previous nightmares overwhelmed me with fear. But an explosive cannon? Where would THAT be? Suddenly, I heard a chime from my pocket. I opened my Pocket Device to see what the message said.

"Zack, I just remembered something about the cannon device. It requires such a large amount of electrical power that it requires a dangerous type of wire…remember the one Keith stepped on the other day?"

I gasped. Of course! THAT wire! I began to run back to the place where Keith had fallen just a week before.

When I finally found the black cable, I began to follow it to see where it led. I tracked it for about an hour before finally, the cable went up the side of a building. And what luck it was that a ladder stood nearby, leading to the top of the building! I climbed it carefully, and there, at the far edge of the roof, stood an awesome-looking cannon. It was larger and cooler than I thought it would be.

I walked up to the device and found a piece of paper laying on the ground. I picked it up and read it. "Cannon is timed. Aim southwest 30 degrees. Releases fire at midnight."

Somebody had already aimed the cannon…it was positioned to fire towards the plaza, where the New Year's event was taking place! I looked the cannon over carefully, and to my surprise, the timer was hooked to the trigger with a simple string. I checked the time on my Pocket Device. I had enough time to go somewhere and get scissors, but where would I go? I was on the opposite side of the city from my house, so that wasn't an option. I had no money on me, so I couldn't buy any.

I looked around at the surrounding stores, and realized I was near Valerie's Café. Valerie was a kind and caring woman who inherited her father's restaurant when he died at an early age. I saved her from a couple of Diantion rogues almost two years ago, and she had been offering me free meals ever since. Perhaps she could help?

I climbed down the ladder and ran a couple of blocks south, then crossed the street. As I entered, a bell on the door rang to alert the waiters that somebody had entered. Valerie was doing some kind of paperwork and looked up as she heard the door ring.

"Oh, hello Zack! I haven't seen you in a while." Valerie said, her voice sounding as kind and gentle as ever.

"Yeah, I've been really busy." I replied, walking up to the table where Valerie was sitting.

"Oh! That reminds me! My oldest sister is coming to town soon! I haven't seen her in so long…she's been gone since I was ten. I've been writing to her, and when she heard about you it intrigued her and now she wants to meet you." Valerie explained, sounding excited.

"Uh…okay." I replied, trying to not forget what I came here for. "Listen, I don't mean to be rude but I'm kind of busy. Would you…happen to have a pair of scissors I can borrow? I have some at home, but that's all the way across town!" I said.

Valerie nodded, then went into the kitchen. After a few seconds, she came back with a pair of scissors in her hand. "Here you are." She handed them to me.

"Thank you! I'll be back!" I said, before leaving the building and hurrying towards the rooftop cannon.

As I climbed the ladder to the roof, I realized somebody was there. I put my feet on the roof as softly as I could. It was a Apoco Shadow Warrior, and he seemed to be positioning the cannon and looking through its eye piece.

"…All right…" the man said to himself. "There. Positioned perfectly. Ha ha…this is going to be brilliant! At midnight tonight, the Diantion fools will be gathered at the plaza, this cannon will fire, the bombs will go off, and by dawn tomorrow, this entire city will be annihilated!"

'Bombs? What bombs?' I thought. My train of thought was interrupted as the Darkian man spoke again. "To think that Diantion professor could build something so dangerous! Not only that…but a device capable of killing that blasted blue-haired boy!" he laughed heartily. I was shocked that the Apoco group would know what had happened to Keith.

My eyes wandered to the black cable that supplied power to the cannon. I walked over and placed my foot over the top of the wire and my body began to absorb the electrical power within it.

"What? Hey! This thing lost power? Grr…I bet one of those idiotic pawns unplugged the--" the Darkian man turned around and his eyes met mine. He squealed as I raced forwards and grabbed him, pulling him down to my level.

"All right you…tell me everything you know about these explosions!" I demanded with a stern voice.

"Absolutely not! I'll be in all kinds of trouble if the Boss found out I told YOU anything!" the Darkian replied boldly.

"Would you rather me electrocute you with the power I just absorbed from that cannon's power cable?" I asked. The Darkian's eyes filled with fear.

"All right all right!" he remarked, fearfully. He then began to speak in a hurried pace. "One of our shadow warriors saw that the blue-haired boy was dead so the Boss decided to go all out. The cannon will fire at the ceramic ball that they drop on new years, which'll set off the explosives within. Meanwhile, pawns will set off explosives lining the city on Avenue and Westward street! Please let me go!"

"Westward?" I blurted in fear. My house was on Westward street! The image of Mary and George sitting at home on New Year's flashed in my head. "WHERE on Westward?" I snapped.

"N-N-Near Johnson street!" the Darkian stuttered. "Avenue starts at the Power Plant! Please let me go!"

I released my grip on the Darkian, and to my surprise he ran and jumped off the building. I ran over to the edge and peered down to see the Darkian land hard, but he got up and ran away.

I ran over to the cannon and spun it around, aiming it towards the cliff bordering the desert in the south. Then I carefully cut the string connecting the trigger to the timer. I sighed with relief when the cannon didn't go off.

I climbed down the ladder and ran back to Valerie's Café. I handed Valerie her scissors but ignored her invitation for lunch as I ran out the door and headed towards Miracle City Police Headquarters. It took me a couple of hours to get there on foot.

…Police Headquarters…
I caught every officer's attention as I burst through the front doors. Chief Connie and Luis appeared to have been chatting about something as I came into the police station, but they quickly stopped talking when they saw me. "Zack…" Connie said, sounding a bit shocked at my sudden appearance.

"Hey, what's up, kid?" Luis asked. "Something happen? You find some clues?" he asked, stepping towards me. I didn't answer for a moment as I caught my breath.

"Luis! Chief Connie!" I said, walking forwards. "The Apoco Group has positioned explosives in the New Year's ball, and they also have lines of dynamite which will be set off at midnight! One line is on Avenue street, near the power plant, and the other is on Westward street, near Johnson!" I said, my alarm showing in my voice.

Every police officer in the main room grew fearful expressions-Police Headquarters was located on Avenue, therefore their own building was in danger.

Connie turned towards her colleagues. "Unit 1! Quick! Go investigate the New Year's ball and remove any explosives you find!" she commanded, sounding like a military leader. I moved out of the doorway as a group of police officers ran out the door.

She then turned to Luis. "Luis! You and a bunch of the boys head out to the end of Avenue Street and investigate! Don't be afraid to use weapons on those Darkians; they'll attack you with powers if you don't!" Connie said. Luis nodded and ran off to gather his men.

The fiery redheaded policewoman then turned to me. "Do you intend on joining the hunt? You're probably wanting to search Westward, right?" she asked in a normal tone. I nodded.

"All right, since it will probably take you far too long to get there by foot, I'll have one of my other guys drive you. Is that okay?" Connie asked.

"Yeah." I replied with a nod.

"Henry! Get over here! Take Zack to the crossroad between Johnson and Westward. Stay there with him until I arrive. Got it?" Connie commanded. A police officer I had never seen before came from another room and agreed to Connie's commands.

…Southern Westward Street…
I searched the area for about an hour, but found nothing. No signs of the Apoco Group, no signs of dynamite, nothing. Had I been sent on a wild goose chase?

I looked around for the policeman that Connie had ordered to come out here with me. I couldn't seem to find him either! Did he leave, or was he searching with me?

Puzzled and worried, I crossed my arms, sighed and closed my eyes…I could hear something! I opened my eyes again but could no longer hear whatever it was, so I closed my eyes again.

The sounds were muffled footsteps, accompanied by hushed voices, and a slight echo. I opened my eyes again and wondered where the sounds were coming from. A car drove by and tossed some kind of iron trash out of the window. As the trash hit the pavement, it occurred to me: under the road!

I looked around for an entrance to the underground power tunnels. I searched a block north, then turned around and searched two blocks south. I didn't find any entrances to the underground tunnels, but I did find the missing police officer.

"Any luck?" he asked as I approached him. I shook my head. "That's too bad. Maybe you received misled information?" the officer asked.

I made no response as I realized that something…didn't feel right. I shrugged the feeling off. "I'm not sure." I replied. "However, I do think I hear something coming from below the street. Would you happen to know where an entrance to a power tunnel would be?" I asked.

The police officer stayed silent for a moment. "…Now that you mention it, I do believe there's one around here somewhere. Let's go find it…shall we?" he asked.

"Okay." I replied. After that, he and I began to look around. I followed him into the alley behind one of the nearby buildings. He and I looked around for any removable metal slabs which led underground.

"Aha! There it is! I knew it was around here somewhere!" the officer said, pointing ahead to a metal plate in the cement.

"But…why is it back here? Aren't these usually in the sidewalks or in the streets?" I asked, curiously.

The police officer shrugged. "Don't ask me. I'm not one of the crazy people who designed this city." He remarked. I chuckled in response.

"Now, let's see if what I suspected is true…" I said, walking up to the metal plate.
I thought I heard the police officer say "I can't wait to see how much of a promotion I get when this is over!" I ignored his remark and picked up the metal plate.

BOOM!

I startled and spun around, dropping the metal plate in the process. I gasped and my muscles locked up in fear as I saw the police officer lying dead on the ground, a bullet wound in the back of his head. Behind him, a red-haired policewoman was lowering her gun and scowling fiercely at the dead man's body. Chief Connie just murdered her own officer!

The woman walked over to the dead police officer and used her foot to roll his irresponsive body over. As she did, his police cap fell off, revealing black hair. She sheathed her gun and looked to me. "Are you all right?" she asked.

I blinked and looked at her for a moment. "…Yeah." I finally replied.

"Good." Connie said. "I knew something was up when he led you back here. He thought I had no idea that he was a Darkian. Too bad for him. Nobody puts a sheet over Connie Dusteon's eyes!" she remarked, glancing down fiercely at the dead man.

I finally overcame my shock. "Connie…I believe that they're setting up the explosives underground." I said, motioning towards the metal plate.

"I hear you. Let's go." Connie said. She and I headed over to the metal plate and climbed down the ladder.

The underground tunnels that ran throughout Miracle City were hardly large enough for two people to stand side-by-side, so Connie led the way with her flashlight aimed in front of her. We could hear sounds echoing from the tunnels ahead of us, signaling that we were heading the right way.

Connie turned off her flashlight as we closed in on the Apoco Group members scurrying about in the main tunnel. "Do you want to go first or should I?" she whispered.

"I will." I replied. We changed places, and walked up to the corner of the tunnel. I peeked around, and there they were, running back and forth, lining dynamite in the thin passageway.

I stepped into one Darkian's path. "Hello. You guys need a hand?" I asked.

"AAAAH it's the lightning kid!!" the Apoco pawns began to panic. I heard Connie fighting back laughter as I stepped out of the way and allowed the pawns to escape.

"Don't you ever fight them?" Connie asked, after the pawns had all disappeared.

"Well, pawns are the cowards among the cowardly; when they run off, they usually won't come back." I replied.

"Hmm. Well, let's get these explosives out of here." Connie aimed her flashlight at the ceiling to the tunnel. "Here's an entrance." She added.

We spent well into the night removing dynamite from the power tunnel. At one point, Luis and his men showed up and offered their aid.

…That Evening…
"Go home, Zack." Connie said. "Spend the rest of the year with your family. You can leave the rest to us." She added.

I thought about it for a moment. "…Okay. If you need me, just call my house." I replied.

"We will." Connie said. I began to walk away, but I heard her call me again. "Wait, Zack…"

I stopped and turned around. "Yes?" I asked.

Connie sighed, as if her heart was heavy with guilt. "…Zack…I admit that I endangered your life today, and I'm terribly sorry for that." She said, lowering her head.

"WHAT?" Luis and I remarked in union, though Luis' voice sounded more shocked than mine.

"…I knew Henry was one of those Darkians. I knew that if I sent him off with you alone, he would try to do something to you. That's why I chose him to bring you here. I've been trying to make up my mind on whether or not he was evil, and I figured that was a good way. It worked out in the end, but still…my job is to protect people, not endanger them." Connie said.

A moment of silence fell upon us. "…It's okay." I replied. "I mean…like you said, everything worked out. Just uh…clue me in on it next time, okay?" I stated.

Connie laughed. "Of course…" she replied. I began to walk home once again.

"You know, kid…" Luis said. I turned back again. "…I was really discouraged when you told me what had happened. I thought this would be the end for sure! It turns out that you're becoming a hero of your own. Good job." He gave a thumbs-up sign. Connie, meanwhile, gave off a puzzled look.

After that, I headed home and counted down the new year. Luis' words remained with me as I went to bed that night.