We moved closer to Eradicator and saw that is armor was badly damaged. He was started to move and we didn't really know what to do with him. We all looked at each other hoping the others would know what to do.
“I have an idea but we need to get that helmet off him,” Aber said. I used my optic blasts to cut the helmet off, starting at the hole that had weakened the entire armor. “Get him up. He needs to be fully conscious.”
Double A and I rolled Eradicator over and pushed him to stand up. “Get up! Pay attention, you monster!” I said and saw that he looked almost like me only a little older and with lighter colored hair. His eyes opened and I pointed his face right at Aber.
Aber raised his hand and spoke the magic words, “Abracadabra!” and a collage of bright lights and shapes surrounded Eradicator's head. Soon, he was unconscious and Double A and I dropped him on the floor.
“What did you do?” Double A asked.
“Mind wipe. He will now probably spend the rest of his life as a vegetable,” Aber said. “I know a facility he can stay in and be taken care of.”
“Remind me not to get on your bad side,” Double A said.
“Alex?” I asked, breaking character and seeming a little miffed, “Mind wipe? Really? As a magician you can mind wipe people?”
“I'm really more of an all-powerful sorcerer,” Alex said. “From outer space. So cosmic sorcerer, I guess.”
“Cosmic sorcerer? Aaron, any new powers you wish to divulge to us?” I sounded like I was joking but was actually serious.
“Oh, Brian,” Aaron said, “how is Alex's cosmic sorcery any different than your late-developing ability of having bones of steel?”
“It's not "late-developing", on Earth the sun makes Fuzzytail's bones as strong as steel,” I explained.
“What? You said Earth and Omegatron had the same sun!” Aaron pointed out.
I paused for a moment. “We're not talking about my bones, we're talking about Alex being an all-powerful sorcerer!”
Aaron and Alex laughed. “I have to get home. I didn't realize it was so late. I'll see you guys at school,” Aaron said.
Aaron leaving left Alex and me alone. We had been friends since Kindergarten and it was six years later. I wondered where the time went but Alex and I weren't ones to really share what was going on inside.
“So when are you moving?” Alex asked.
“Sometime in April but I'll finish up school here,” I answered.
“That's quite a commute,” Alex joked.
“20 miles, roughly half an hour,” I said. “It's my mom who'll be driving, not me. Sit back and nap if I want to,” I smiled.
“Remember when we tried to include a girl in the Cat Rangers?” Alex suddenly said.
I snorted. “Yeah. That didn't work out so well. It would take a special girl to understand what we're doing but Laura tried, she just didn't get it.”
“This was fun. Having our own club,” Alex sighed.
“It was. And I'm only 20 miles away so it's not like we can't continue doing this,” I said. “You can visit me and vice versa. It'll be fine.”
I only invited Alex over once but I tried to talk to him once every two weeks to catch up and see what he was doing. We started sixth grade in schools roughly 20 miles apart. Between our last adventure and me moving we did other things that we had gotten into so the Cat Rangers never formally disbanded and Ganthet never tried to take over the world. But if the time ever comes, hopefully the Cat Rangers will be there to save the day.
