AAOOOSC! United

In an instant, the double doors to the left of the closed elevators fly open. Tommy strides into the room with a surprised expression.

“What was all of that racket?” he exclaims with wide eyes.

From the corner to Tommy’s left in the duskiness, Auston holds his hand out toward the floor. “McDavid went berserk.”

Tommy gazes at him with bewilderment. “What?” He then peers down at the ground and lets out a gasp.

He spots most of the power players sprawled on the floor, emitting groans and mumbles of pain. As the aftereffect of the blow, the taut, sharp force of Connor’s energy swirls through them in twisted turns as it fades off, draining their physical energy:

“Uggghhh…”

“Awww…”

“Owww…”

“Ahhhck…”

“What did Connor do?!” Tommy throws his tense hands in the air with shock.

Sidney slowly sits himself up on the ground. His eyes are half-opened with his mass of brown, wavy hair disheveled. “Ughhh… Connor wanted to take over the NHL and we tried to stop him...but he did this to us.” He then promptly lands back on the ground, on top of Bubby.

Tommy’s eyes are filled with disbelief. “What?” he huffs out. “Connor? Wanting to take over the NHL?”

Auston nods his head with pursed lips and crossed arms.

“But...he’s supposed to PROTECT the NHL!” the founder finishes off loudly.

“Oh well, there goes that,” Auston mutters with a slight frown and raised eyebrows.

Tommy turns back to the fallen power players. “Are you any of you guys alright though?”

John, who has his face against the ground, shakily raises an index finger in the air. “Just permit us a little while,” he croaks. He then drops his hand.

“Oh dear…” Tommy rubs his head with a look of distress as he scans through the sprawled power players. His eyes then widen as he notices a few power players missing: “Where’s Patrick? And Nathan? And Pekka?” He pauses. “Jonathan?!”

Jonathan raises both hands in the air to grab the founder’s attention as he lifts his head up, his chin against his chest. “Right here.”

Tommy peers at him. “No, no: Jonathan Toews! Where is he?”

Reid rolls the back of his head around the ground as his eyes rotate around, scanning what he can of the room. “Uh oh, spaghetti-o.”

“Jonathan!” Sidney sits up once again, this time clutching onto Bubby against his torso. He gazes his surrounds. “Tazer!” He reverts his gaze up at Tommy. “He’s not here! Where did he go?”

“That has been already established,” Jonathan grumbles, lying on his back.

Tommy rubs his hands together, attempting to calm his nerves. “Alright…” He turns to his left, peering at Auston. “Do you know what happened to the missing power players, Auston?”

In the darkness, Auston licks his lips before shaking his head. “No. I don’t know. I didn’t know they were gone.”

“Very well…” Tommy turns back to the power players.

The power players are now beginning to sit up gradually at their own rates. Some of them are stretching their back, arms, shoulders, and neck after the hard fall they took.

“Good, good, you men are okay!” Tommy lets out a sigh of relief. “Whew!” He wipes the back of his translucent blue hand against his forehead.

“We have to be!” Sidney cries out. “We have to save Nathan and Patrick and Pekka and Jonathan!”

John is sitting up with one arm over his shoulder and being pushed down by his other arm. “It’s implausible that Tazer boy has gone astray.” He switches the sides of his stretch. “That’s the most unbefitting occurrence we necessitate after McDavid’s indignation.”

Jonathan runs his fingers through his brown, spiked hair, eyeing the Islanders’ power player. “So I take it we’re gonna have to track them four down…”

Sidney's eyes widen with trepidation as he darts his eyes around the room at each power player. “...with only the THREE of us.” He pauses. “AND the NHL is in danger because Connor wants to take over it!” He squeezes Bubby tightly in a panic.

John mindlessly drops his arms as he stares up at the ceiling in deep thought. “Balderdash...you’re correct, Sid.” He slowly turns to him. “Merely the three of us as opposed to the succeeding ruler of the NHL!”

“Unless any of you other power players want to join the GHP to save the league?” Tommy pipes in with a spring of hope.

All the power players still sitting on the floor gaze up at the founder. Tommy has his hand out toward the three remaining GHP members with a warm smile.

The remanding power players on the ground, who are all neutral, revert their hesitant stares to one another while mumbling to one another.

Suddenly, Reid throws his arms into the air and bellows: “I’LL DO IT!”

The room falls into a still silence as everyone’s attention goes to the newest power player.

Tommy raises his eyebrows in proud surprise at the volunteer.

Reid drops his hands and peers behind each shoulder, looking at as many power players as possible. “I’ll help the GHP. Because, if you remember in my speech…” He gazes up at Tommy. “...I said I wanted to do good for the NHL.” He shrugs. “And here’s my chance, eh?”

A big, closed smile grows on Tommy’s face. “That’s right, Reid. With that…” He nods toward the three GHP members sitting by each other. “...you may go join them.”

With a massive smile, Reid attempts to get up. “AH—!” He plops back on his bottom. “Ughhh, the pain…” He slowly rolls over to his hands and knees and crawls over to the GHP members in the back of the room.

“‘Sup, my fellow good guys.” Reid halts in between Sidney and John, darting his eyes at all three members in his crawling position.

“Gratified to have you collaborate with us, Duke,” John replies with a soft expression.

Sidney points behind Reid. “Why don’t you have your junior friend join us too?”

Reid lowers himself to a sitting position and peers behind his shoulder to who Sidney is pointing to.

Behind him is Nolan, who is focused on massaging his wrists and hands.

“Oh,” Reid whirls back to him. “Doctor Pat doesn’t like to be disturbed. It’s either he goes or not; no one persuades him.” He then whispers, “I don’t wanna persuade him. I just might poke him too much.” He then raises his voice. “But, won’t be the first time, yet I’d like to avoid it.” He peers at the others. “So, what’s the game plan?”

John and Jonathan turn to Sidney.

Sidney clears his throat, puffing up his chest in authority. “Since Patrick is gone, for now, I will be the Master of the GHP for the time being, since I’m next-in-line.”

Reid nods his head. “Oh, okay, you’re not gonna take over the NHL though, eh?”

Sidney shakes his head vehemently, embracing Bubby tightly. “Oh my Bubbys, no, not at all!”

“So what are we going to do to save the others?” Jonathan asks.

“I conjecture we allude to Matthews,” John speaks up.

Sidney furrows his eyebrows at him. “Why?”

“Did you perceive him?” John stares at the temporal Master as if he is insane. “He was the solitary personage being upright subsequent to McDavid’s egress. He would’ve incontrovertibly descry what had transpire on them.”

“Uhhh, guys?” Reid is heard saying tentatively to them.

The three turns to him.

Reid is pointing to his left, where the double doors are located. “Auston is gone.”

Sidney, Jonathan, and John all turn to the dusky corner Auston was standing in. Yet all that occupies the corner now is darkness.

“Fiddlesticks!” John spits out with a frown. “He was thereabouts ever so latterly!” He throws his hand out at the corner.

Reid peers back at Sidney. “Sooo, now what do we do?”

“Hmmm…” Sidney leans back with crossed arms as he rattles his mind for options. “I say we wait until we get attacked. We don’t know anything about their location or how they get kidnapped specifically. So there’s not much we can do but wait.”

“Oh, that’s boring,” Reid points out flatly, his fists holding up his face. “I don’t wanna be sitting here for hours before Connor McCrazy comes back and freezes us again.”

Sidney waves his hands in front of him. “No, no, we won’t be sitting here—” He drops his hands. “—we’ll be doing things we have to do, together or apart, then we notify all of us when one of us or all of us gets attacked!”

Reid whips out his smartphone; he has a hesitant expression. “I don’t have your numbers. It’d be sick if I do.”

Jonathan turns to Sidney. “You should give him an intercom.”

“A what?” Reid lowers his phone with his arched eyebrows raised.

“This!” Sidney points to John excited with a big grin.

Reid turns to John with a surprised expression. He spots John holding a small black box containing a smartwatch inside it.

His eyes light up in awe. “Ooo, snazzy!” He takes the smartwatch and clips it onto his left wrist. “So you guys like communicate on this? Text, call, or face chat?”

“I guess call, thinking about it,” Jonathan responds with a shrug.

“Those are the intercoms,” Sidney explains, pointing at the device. “That’s how we communicate and track each other. Wear it at all times!”

Reid holds a thumbs up at him. “You got it!” He then lowers his hand and raises his other wrist, scrutinizing the device. “This actually looks like the thing Claguer wears now. Except it’s a bit...bigger.”

He peers up at the three. “But sounds good! Thanks for actually letting me in; it’s great to have this opportunity to save the league I hope to be playing in!”

“Wait…” Sidney knits his eyebrows at him in confusion. “You’re not gonna be playing here this season?”

Reid darts his shifty eyes around in embarrassment, clutching onto his left arm. “Uhhh...well...no…” He dips his head down. “I’m gonna be playing in the AHL.” He sighs sadly.

John places a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. “You do obtain the extramundane potentialities of the Golden Knights. Therefore, you are ordained to take part in that team.”

Reid peers up at him with a crumbled smile. “Oh, thanks, Tavares.”

“Don’t denote me as my surname.” John nods his head. “Call me ‘John.’”

He nods his head. “Will do, John.” He turns to the other skater and goalie. “Same with you guys?”

“That’s right!” Sidney exclaims happily, adjusting Bubby in his arms.

Reid then catches sight of Sidney’s stuffed gorilla in his arm. “Who’s that you’re holding onto there?”

Sidney peers down at Bubby in his arms. “Oh! Uh-huh-huh-huh-huh-huh!” He then slaps his forehead. “Where are my manners?” He holds Bubby up toward the newest member. “This is Bubby, my best friend! And then there’s Bubby Jr., Bubby’s son. But he can’t be out past his bedtime, so I left him at home.”

Reid lets out an amused chuckle. “How adorable!”

Next to Sidney, Jonathan rolls his eyes in annoyance.

“You gotta bring Bubby and Bubby Jr. to ride on Crusty!” Reid continues on. “It’d be great!”

Sidney’s eyes light up at the idea. “That sounds awesome!”

“Gentlemen,” John cuts in gravely, grabbing their attention. “I surmise we can withdraw at this moment.”

The four members peer around their surroundings. The room is now empty with thrown party supplies from the fight, notifying them the power players have now regained their physical abilities and the party is over.

“Oh!” Sidney instantly hops onto his short legs and feet, Bubby bouncing in his arms. “Yay, I can stand again!”

The others stand up slowly, revealing their true height: Jonathan being the tallest, being followed by John then Reid.

Reid stretches upward, reaching toward the ceiling. “Ugh, it’s so good to be back on my feet!” He then halts as realization comes across his face. “I never knew I’d say that.”

“Well, since the party’s over, I guess we should go,” Jonathan replies with a shrug.

Reid drops his arms back to his sides. “So we won’t stick together?”

Sidney holds up his wrist, which has his intercom wrapped around. “Remember: we’re always together with these!”

“Ah!” Reid snaps his two index fingers at them. “Gotcha!” He then slides away from them, heading toward the elevator. “Alright, guys, hope to chat with you soon! But for now, goodnight and goodbye!” He then presses the elevator’s button and halts by it.

Sidney, Jonathan, and John step up to him. They then stand with him in awkward silence.

Finally, Sidney breaks it:

“Where’s your horse?” he asks with a skeptical expression.

Reid’s eyes light up with raised eyebrows. “Oh, Crusty!” He chuckles. “I can summon him whenever I need to and then put him back away.” He then whistles clearly.

Instantly, Crusty trots through the double doors, still bearing his three-piece suit. The destrier halts by his owner and nuzzles his face against his owner’s head.

Reid cracks a smile while petting him. “Ah-ha, see?” He then pats his thick neck. “Alright, Crusty, you can go now.”

With a neigh, Crusty turns around and scuttles back through the double doors and out of sight.

Reid faces them with a proud smile.

“Sweet!” Sidney replies.

“That must come in good use,” Jonathan points out. “It boggled me as to how you carry a horse around!”

Reid chortles. “Nah, I don’t carry him around physically. But supernaturally, yeah! Just like Felix!”

Sidney makes a puzzled expression. “Who?”

Reid twists his right hand in a circular motion as golden energy flows out of it. His sword materializes into view, being held in all of its glory: a golden hilt, a white-coloured blade with a golden stripe on its left side on both flat sides, and golden energy drifting from it majestically.

“This!” Reid holds out his sword perpendicularly toward them. “Felix is my sword I fight with. I can summon it as well just like Crusty!”

“That is picturesque!” John breathes out in awe.

Reid gives him a kooky grin. “I’ll take that as compliment!”

“You named your sword?” Jonathan asks with an irritated tone.

“Yeah…” Reid gawks at him. “It deserves one alright!”

Jonathan lets out a sigh before rolling his eyes.

Sidney leans over to Reid with his eyes on the goalie and whispers, “He’s just jealous.”

“Whatever, Sid,” Jonathan calls out, shifting his body away from him.

Sidney and Reid exchange chuckles. Reid retracts his sword out of sight with a flick of his hand.

The elevator dings; its doors slide open, revealing the inside of the elevator.

“Alright, gentlemen, give leave to proceed onward!” John calls out as he ambles through the doors.

Sidney, Reid, and Jonathan follow him inside the brightly lit interior. Then the doors slide in front of them, concealing them from sight.

Notes