A Bit of Short Stories

Atlantis

Waves crashed onto the steel platforms. Water breached through the iron barricades. The seafoam drained back into the ocean.

People in loose-fitting togas and stolass ran in every direction. Screams of terror echoed throughout the complex. Children were left unattended as the metal island lurched. One girl hid between two mismatched metal houses with tears streaming down her face.

Two men checked their black wristbands standing still amongst the chaos. The wristbands thick to the point of covering the entire wrist. The center of these wristbands held a black screen. The screens lit up, and a voice spoke from their device.

"Good day Valens." Valens's device addressed him accordingly.

"Good day Barbaros." Barbaros marveled at it. "This is a wonder of the ages."

Valens reached up to muse his taller comrades hair. "Eyes on the prize we need to head to the central station."

Barbaros took his finger flicking through the contents. "So, this thing gives us an adrenaline boost?"

Valens snorted while repeating Barbaros's actions. "Did you not listen to Gabriella? Go under body monitoring."

Barbaros did as Valens suggested and a hologram of a human body popped up on the screen.

"Flick upward and then click bodily functions. Agility boost should be under strength boost." Valens gave directions while his eyes remained glued to his screen.

"Right so click this and this." Barbaros's tongue flicked out to the corner of his mouth.

Once they were both finished, their wristbands popped open from the side. A thin metal wire with a needle at the end slowly extended. The needle bent down. It jabbed into their skin. Electric shock waves went from the device into them.

For a few seconds, they gritted their teeth while clenching their hands.

Their devices spoke synchronized." You are now increased. You have ten minutes."

Valens bolted, weaving around the people. Everything looked blurry to him. The screams of terrified people morphed into sharply acute whistles of wind.

Barbaros took off after him experiencing the same thing. " This - th-is is amazing." His voice changed sounding like he had a high falsetto.

They tore through the streets avoiding waves, boxes, and people. They jumped, dodged, and rolled. Their minds were buzzing dictating their actions. Sounds became little-pinging noises. Their bodies shook with exhaustion. Sweat poured from them.

They turned down an alleyway jumping up a set of stairs.

Vallens huffed pushing his body to the roof. Once he reached the tin roof, he placed his hands on his knees heaving. "How much longer Barbaros?"

Barbaros faired better with only a slight redness in the face. He released short puffs of air. "Three minutes if we travel by roof, ten minutes by the street." He glanced down at his beeping wristband that was flashing red. Barbaros perched his lips to gather stretching them out. "We have about five; No make that four minutes."

"Rooftop it is." Valens raised his top half. He than darted away running. As he ran, he tripped landing flat on his face.

Valens frowned hitting the tin roof with his hand. " Garther," He snarled. Valens flipped around. His knees bloody from the hasty fall.

Barbaros went pale as his jaw dropped. " You cursed! You better not kiss your wife tonight. If you do shame on you, a thousand curses." Barbaros pointed and wagged a finger at Valens with a raised eyebrow.

"Help me up." Valens held out his hand to Barbaros.

" Nay, I say to the dirty Naysayer." Barbaros promptly turned his back to Valens.

Valens flipped back around. "Fine, you Jonther." He tried to pull himself up, but his legs gave way. He laid there panting for a few minutes. Valens let loose a scream of agony pulling his overexerted body up. Finally, standing his wristband beeped announcing, "Two minutes until the program ends."

Valens ran again this time breathing heavily as his vision blurred. Sweat droplets clouded his vision.

Barbaros ran up beside him frowning. In a whiny voice, he spoke. "I am not a Jonther."

Valens reached the edge of the copper-tin roof nearly falling off. " Woah." He backed up for a second.

Barbaros peered over the ledge. "Yeah, we are not going to make it."

Valens turned around darting a few feet back. He spun around and then ran forward as fast as he could. He vaulted over the space between this roof and the next. Valens landed with a roll. He winced squeezing his eyes shut as he stood up. Valens reached a hand over to feel his shoulder.

Barbaros shrugged and repeated Valens action landing with more grace. They took off again jumping from roof to roof until a giant sliver building came into view. Valens looked down the side of the current building he was on and spotted a stairwell. A few feet down before the stairs was a window with a ledge. Valens jumped down garbing onto the windows' ledge. He grunted kicking his feet out. He released the ledge landing in the stairwell.

Barbaros looked down. His mouth formed a circle and his eyes were wide. He then shrugged. "Oh, well here goes nothing. " Barbaros jumped landing perfectly on the stairwell.

Valens's wristband flashed red as he was going down the stairs. Barbaros's screen flashed as well. The voices synchronized from their wristbands speaking out. " Program has ended." The little needle retreated. The wristband spoke out again. "Sanitizing now," Red lines appeared on the screen, and they heard beeping. The beeping stopped. "Sanitizing complete." The wristband then went into rest mode turning the screen black.

Valens's legs gave out when he reached the bottom. His knees hit the metal grates. Ocean water bubbled up underneath crashing up soaking his legs.

Barbaros could not stop once he started down the stairs. He crashed into the back of Valens toppling over. His head hit the grate. Barbaros hissed his hands went to his head while his legs were up in the air. " No, no." Barbaros's eyes were wide as his legs came crashing down. His feet hit Valens in the face.

Valens turned his head to the right after being whacked by Barbaros's feet. Barbaros's sandals scraped the corner of Valen's eye. A light splatter of blood trickled down. Valens hit the ground after that fiasco.

Barbaros flopped around whining. He felt the back of his head hissing. "That hurt." He realized Valens was on the ground face-first into the stairs. Barbaros scampered over to

Valens. He checked his pulse first and then Valens's wristband. "Stupid always check the wristband first." Barbaros smacked himself in the forehead. He then checked Valens wristband. "That is funny it says his pulse is just a bit slower. okay, then time to wake him up." Barbaros slapped Valens's face. He got no response. So he tried again.

Valens felt a sharp stang going across his face. He blinked once. His vision was foggy. He blinked again and again until the sight in front of him was clear. He saw Barbaros getting ready to strike him. Valens roughly pushed Barbaros away. " Enough!" He stood up and got into a stance to jog.

Barbaros stood up and shouted at him " It is right there, walk! And don't you dare say every second counts! We are here. Let us be gentlemen upon our entry."