Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
July 11, 2017
Evening

“Ugh!”

Toews blasts a zap of yellow energy across his living room.

The energy zips straight at an apple standing on top of reclining chair. It makes contact with the fruit, blasting it against the wall.

The apple drops to the floor, scorched and bruised.

From across the room, Toews warily lowers his hand with wide eyes on the reclining chair. John is standing next to him with narrowed eyes and his hand on his chin. Sitting around the room on sofas and chairs are the rest of the GHP members.

Toews turns to John with a nervous grin. “It didn’t worked, did it?”

Emily holds up an apple with a bite from it. “Nope. Still good.” She takes another crunch bite from it.

Toews lets out a huge huff of frustration.

“I will sanction you to essay afresh.” John extends his hand toward the reclining chair.

With a soft gust of wind, the apple whirls back into view from behind the chair and placed gently on the top of the backrest.

Toews narrows his eyes at his target with determination. He pulls his two fists by his ears as they build up in energy. He then throws them out in front of him, releasing a streak of yellow energy.

The energy strikes the apple, smashing it against the wall into chunks of juice and meat.

Everyone stares at the sliding mess in shock.

Emily then holds her intact apple in the air. “Still good.” She takes her third bite out of it. “Mmm, juicy!”

“Ugh!” Toews throws his hands down to his sides, releasing a quick zap at the ground. “How am I gonna manipulate all of reality if I can't even manipulate apples!”

John places a supportive hand on his shoulder. “Stoicism, kid. Rome wasn't constructed in a twenty-four hour period.”

“But Connor’s kingdom was,” Jonathan points out from the sofa flatly.

Jake straightens up from resting his head on Brett’s shoulder with wide eyes. “Wait… There's something Connor did that was weird.”

Everyone else turns to face him with interest.

Brett furrows his eyebrows at him, adjusting his position. “Everything about M’David is weird.”

“No, no—” The goalie shakes his head vehemently. “His eyes glowed! His eyes glowed when he was about to manipulate reality.” He peers up at Toews. “Maybe your eyes are supposed to glow to change reality.”

Toews raises his eyebrows at him. “Oh!” He shakes his head. “Nah, that has nothing to do with manipulating reality. That's just a physical sign of him being in his super form.”

“‘Super form?” Sidney makes a confused gawk at him. “What's a ‘super form’?”

Toews furrows his eyes as he swishes his head to peer at each power player. “How can you guys not know what a super form is?”

“We’ve never heard of it in the actual reality,” Dru replies sternly, sitting on the armrest of the sofa closest to him.

“Wow.” Toews scratches his head with raised eyebrows. “Well—” He drops his hand and eyebrows. “—when one is in a super form, they are in a state of their powers being enhanced, including unlocking new related powers, depending on your abilities. It’s practically unlocking your full supernatural potential.”

Sidney has knotted eyebrows at him as he rubs the back of his head. “So Connor can make his powers better?”

“Not just Connor— Also the other owners of the hockey leagues.”

“So Hart, Mersch, and Matthews can augment their abilities as well,” Kailer states with a subtle look of shock from the countertop on the other side of the room.

Toews turns to him and nods his head. “Yeah. Only those guys.”

“What’s Matthews’s vocation?” Katie asks from next to Dru.

Toews whirls to him. “He's working alongside Connor as co-owner of the NHL.”

“How can Gorman allow these guys to enhance their power?!” Jonathan cries out with tensed hands in front of him. “He wouldn't even touch Connor’s powers!”

Toews creates a bewildered expression at him. “‘Gorman’? Who's ‘Gorman’?”

Sidney gawks at him. “Uhhh, Tommy Gorman, the founder of the NHL.” He throws his hands out at him. “You time-travelled with him!”

He slowly shakes his head with a blank expression. “I don't know who he is…”

“So who's the founder of the NHL?” Jonathan asks with a furious expression.

“Connor.” Toews shrugs. “I told you guys that—Auston’s his co-owner.”

Sidney then drops back against the cushions of the sofa in a daze. “That's why Connor is running this reality over with Oilers stuff,” he croaks.

“And that is for what reason we ought to persevere aiding you train reality manipulation,” John jumps in, patting Toews’ shoulder.

“Right.” He nods his head with a deep, shaky breath. “I really wanna see this reality.” He then holds his trembling hands out at the empty spot on the top of the reclining chair.

“Hang fire,” John calls out, “you necessitate an apple.” He then turns around and saunters past him, heading into the opened archway behind them.

With a taut sigh, Toews drops his hands. “Right, right, right.”

Kale turns to Sidney with a concerned expression. “Uh, can Duker and practice merging? In case Toews can't do it himself?”

Sidney shrugs. “Sure! I don't see why not!”

“You guys can head out to the backyard,” Toews tells him, pointing to his left, where the sliding glass doors are located across the room. “Don't want anything from the portals coming out into here.” He drops his hand and lets out a nervous chuckle.

Kale gives him a look of shock. “Whoa, how did you know—?”

“Remember, nigh-omnipotence.” Toews raises an index finger, shushing the defencemen’s exclamation.

Kale leans his head back. “Oh yeah, that's right.” He then turns to his left, where Reid is silently sitting next to him. “Come on, Duker—” He nudges his shoulder as he stands up. “—let's go.”

Reid stays motionless for a moment. He then stands up and follows Kale across the living room and through the sliding glass doors.

The evening is bright, yet cloudy, giving the scene a cool, lethargic atmosphere. There is a frigid breeze flowing through the air, lightly fluttering through the skaters’ hair and clothes.

Kale steps onto the grass from the concrete slab and stares out at the large, grassy background before him. “Alright…” He whirls around to face his friend. “...we got plenty of room, so let's get practicing.” He is now facing him with mustering patience.

Reid responds by sitting down on the concrete area, his legs criss-crossed.

Kale holds his hands from his sides with a slight gawk at him. “Duker…!” With an annoyed huff, he trudges back and settles down next to him.

“What's up?” The defenseman stares at him with pure worry. “I'll work with you here.”

With a sigh, Reid straightens himself up, extending his legs. “It's hopeless.”

Kale knots his eyebrows at him. “What is?”

“All of this. Everything here.” He turns to him a stern expression. “You know Connor has the upper hand here. He has control over everything here. He’ll stop us from escaping.”

“How do you know?” Kale rubs his forearm with suspicious eyes on him. “We can get outta here— We got two ways to.”

“But he can squash both of those in a snap!” He snaps his fingers. “Don’t you remember he has reality manipulation? He can MANIPULATE REALITY. He can turn us into milkers for all we know!”

Kale snorts at the possibility, staring out at the cloudy scenery before him. “He won't do that, that's stupid.”

Reid raises his eyebrows at him. “You never know.”

Kale turns back to him with a slight look of annoyance. “What's up with you though? You're usually so upbeat and optimistic. What now?”

“Reality hits.” Reid folds his legs and places his elbows on them, holding his head by his fists. “Literally.”

“Okay then—” Kale juts his chin at him. “What's your solution to this if you think it's impossible to escape?”

He gradually extends himself again, gazing out ahead at the dreary scenery. “We just live here. Make the most out of it. Call this the true reality.” He slowly turns to Kale, spotting his growing gawk. “Maybe Connor’s not the bad guy here.”

“Are you nuts?” he hisses with wide, still eyes at him. “Connor IS the bad guy here, no matter which reality we're in!”

“Okay—” Reid folds his arms, staring hard at him. —“tell me why Connor’s the bad guy in THIS reality.”

Kale is looking at him as if he is insane. “He made the NHL unfair—”

“Nothing new.”

“—he let women's hockey be nonexistent—”

“Lots of people want that to happen.”

“—he affected not only the NHL, but also the major junior, collegiate, and NHL affiliate leagues!”

“They're unfair as well.” Reid appears unamused, holding his pose. “There's not much different if you think about it.”

Kale instantly grabs his shoulders and stares deeply into his eyes. “Look, you don't have to succumb to Connor’s reality. We will get out of here.”

“I won't bother.” Reid brushes his friend’s hands off from him. “After seeing what he can do, I wouldn't want to fight him.”

“You're being a baby, Duker,” Kale remarks, showing a completely disappointed expression.

“No—” Reid begins climbing up to his feet. “—I'm just being realistic. And careful.” He looms over him.

Kale scoffs at him with narrowed eyes. “Still a baby.”

“Not making me want to merge with you any more than before.” Reid spins around and starts strolling away from him.

Kale swiftly twists his body, spotting his friend approaching the sliding glass doors. “But we need to merge to get outta here!”

“You're on your own, Kale,” Reid states bitterly as he grabs the handle of the door.

In a flash, Kale launches to his feet, darts up to him, and snatches his wrist. “But we need to stick together,” he tells him breathlessly by his ear. “Remember what Gorman said?”

Reid turns his head to look at him. “Didn't you hear?” He throws the sliding door open without tearing his eyes away. “Gorman doesn't exist.” He then averts his gaze from him and steps back inside the house, leaving his former teammate behind in the cold.

Notes