Battle Heroes X Vetera: S01E14

Enter the Black Hole is the fourteenth episode of Battle Heroes X Vetera. The episode's plot is about Revolutech's investigation of the black box while the heroes struggle at home.

Revolutech investigates the contents of the black box and the heroes face struggles at home.

## The Episode

The sun was beginning to set over Belview City. At the Revolutech HQ, Mr. Burnell sat in a conference room. He glanced at his watch, then rose up to look out the window. From this floor, he could see the entire city, stretched out before him. There were some ups and downs in his journey, but he could say with confidence that life has been very, very good to him. A knock at the door causes him to turn around.

"Come in," He answered.

The door opens, and a swarm of suit clad men entered the room, guided by two security guards. They all sat at the table, Burnell standing at the head.

"Good evening, everyone. I hope your flights were comfortable. Let's get straight to it, because we have quite a bit to go over," Burnell began, snapping his fingers at the guards. They exited the room and closed the door behind them. "The first matter of business is about the future of Revolutech, and your positions with the company."

One older gentleman raised a finger. "I think we should start with a question on my, and I believe every other shareholder here's minds. Richard, did you manage to secure *it*?"

All eyes were on Burnell, who simply picked up a remote on the table and clicked a button. The room darkened and shutters dropped from above to block the windows. A monitor on the wall next to the table hummed to life, displaying live feed from the downstairs lab. A group of scientist were working around a black cube, wires sticking out of all angles. Gasps and sighs of relief were audible as the news was revealed.

"Thanks to the efforts of my shadowy benefactor, the flight recorder from the ship was recovered. I think it's safe to say now that I certainly had you all going for a minute, but once again, things worked out."

Another shareholder nodded. "Indeed. It's time we put this chapter behind us. I assume the next step is to destroy it."

"Not just yet. There's valuable information inside that has yet to be extracted."

His answer lead to an uproar of comments directed at him. One shareholder stood up. "You can't be serious, think of the effort it took to get that! And the risks that come with retaining its contents!"

"I understand your concerns with the vulnerability that comes with that decision, but I can assure you that this will lead to fruits beyond anything you or I can imagine."

"Richard, finding and destroying a government object of interest is one thing. If *anyone* finds out what is on that recorder, we are all in danger."

Burnell forcefully pounded his fist on the table. "I have it covered! I got the black box, didn't I? As I said then, as I am saying now, and as I will continue to say, everything is under control!"

There was silence in the room. Everyone was immediate silenced and made docile by his outburst. Noting the reaction he received, Burnell regained his composure.

"Apologies for my sudden blast of emotion. I promise all of you, nobody else will know the truth. Nobody will know of our role in creating the menace known as Bane."

Slowly but surely, the shareholders recovered from their shock and looked amongst each other. Finally, they nodded to Burnell.

"You've continued to satisfy us, so I see no reason to stop putting my faith in you," One shareholder judged. Others shared his sentiment. Burnell gave them a smile.

"Thank you. Now, for our next piece of business, the Borden Pyrotechnics merger is off the table, and their current position is not looking good..."

...

Julius sat in front of the TV, a can of soda in his hands. He was trying his best to focus on a game show. The contestant eagerly watched the host read from a card.

"Your next question is..." The host began, pausing for dramatic effect. "Which continent is the driest on Earth?"

"Australia?" Julius answered for himself.

"I'm gonna go with Antarctica," The contestant said.

"That is...correct! Antarctica is the driest continent on Earth! There may be a lot of water in solid form, but it's not moist!"

As Julius sighed in disappointment, the door to the house opened. Zack and Cloud entered, both silent and sober as they walked in. Julius' skin was starting to feel itchy, his ears heating up. It was the first time they had visited Popple since her dad got hurt. And the first time since Julius did what he did to her.

Julius scratched the back of his head. Do they know? Did she tell them? "Hey, guys...how's she feeling?"

They turned their gaze to him, and it was all he needed to get his answer. Zack's expression was filled with disappointment. He shook his head and turned to go upstairs. Julius pursed his lips and turned back to his show. You can't win them all, or in his case, at all. Cloud stuck around, having a seat next to Julius. They sat together, the only sound coming from the TV.

"Why did you do it? What happened?" Cloud asked.

Julius crossed his arms and turned his head to the side. "Look, I...it was rough, okay? I was feeling uncomfortable and I had to do something?"

"Dude, you're one of the most nervous guys I know, but that was how you reacted?"

"You don't know what goes on in my head. Can you really judge me, Cloud?"

Cloud's voice rose as he spoke. "Yeah, I can, Julius. Because not only have I known you all my life, but we're also teammates! We're rangers, we look at all the ugly stuff coming our way, and we face it head on!"

Julius slumped on the couch, his voice low and downtrodden. "Mmm, yeah. Maybe you and Zack go face it head on. Not me."

"Listen to yourself, you're our leader! You're supposed to be right in the mix of it!"

"Yeah, some leader I am," Julius returned, melancholic. "Some friend I am."

Cloud stared at his friend while Julius looked blankly at the TV. He took a deep breath and calmed down, getting up. "Look, I know you're deep in your own head, but this is messed up. It's really messed up."

As he turned and walked towards the stairs, he turned back to Julius. "She's feeling better...I think. She wasn't crying anymore, just sullen."

As Cloud went up the stairs, Zack came back down.

"Smooth, Julius," Zack stated with his usual bluntness. "Reeeeeal smooth."

Any other day, Zack's snide remarks would get Julius riled up and he would try to defend himself. But today, he just didn't care. "Yup, that's me. Smooth as they get."

"This is a new low for you. You left our best friend and your girlfriend all alone after her dad was attacked."

Julius was still focused on the show. "Yeah, I was there. I'm a bad guy, just the worst."

Zack picked up the remote and turned off the TV. "We need to talk."

Julius continued to look at the TV. "Talk? Or just keep giving me crap?"

"What else am I supposed to do? You screwed up!"

"Well, if I screwed up by not being there, you're just as guilty as I am."

Zack scoffed. "Now you're just deflecting. I was out, on ranger business."

Julius nodded his head and put on a fake smile. "Oh yeah, I forgot. You told Popple, too?"

"Of course, that's what happened. I don't run for no reason when my friends need me."

Julius grabbed the remote off the table and turned it back on, continuing to watch. "You sure don't, Zack."

Zack kept watching Julius, full of disdain. Shaking his head again, he walked away and towards the kitchen.

...

The rest of the meeting went well. The general consensus among the shareholders was that once again, Burnell had snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Once more confident that their money was secure, they were on their way to return back to their homes. Leaving him to continue stewarding the company farther and higher. Now, he was in the lab where the black box was being processed. The scientists continued their work methodically, moving from one task to another. One man in a lab coat stood next to him.

"Give me a status report. How much has been extracted? What has yet to be collected? Can anything be displayed?"

"The flight recorder on the space shuttle house was modified to collect both visual and audio recordings. As of now, we have been able to compile some of the earliest video recordings. But completely extracting two years worth of recordings will take an extended amount of time."

Burnell sat on this. "Alright. I want everyone here working overtime. I need to know everything he was up to. I'll check back in three days," He directed. Glancing around, Burnell scanned the equipment in the room for something. "Can you play the first complete recording somewhere?"

The lead scientist walked to one of the tables and picked up a wire. Walking to one of the many computers in the room, he plug the wire into it and the wire into the flight record. Returning to the computer, he typed command after command into it until a list of files appeared. He clicked on the first one and a window opened. The video displayed a black haired man sitting at a lab table cluttered with devices and beakers of all kinds. It was being recorded from a corner of the ceiling, as if it were a surveillance camera.

The man ran a hand through his hair and cleared his throat. "Alright...let's do this right."

He reached into his pocket and brought out a voice recorder. Burnell noted the irony of the man recording himself when every action of his was already being recorded. "Log entry #1," The man cleared his throat again. "My name is Michael Mortem. I am the lead scientist of this journey. These recordings are being conducted as to better recall what has happened in the past to further research. We made it off Earth. I don't know what to say, I'm feeling good. Revolutech decided to fund my expedition to investigate a fascinating anomaly. Between Earth and Mars lies a never before seen landmass. It doesn't show up in any space maps made in the past, almost like it just appeared from nowhere. But that's not the oddest characteristic of it. A purple haze surrounds the dwarf planet, the contents of it unknown. But by using energy sensors provided by Revolutech, I was able to discover that whatever that purple haze is, it's comprised of pure energy. Which explains why Richard and his people were so quick to fund the project. Only time will tell if what awaits us is what they want. Mortem out."

Michael clicked off his recorder and reached for a notebook. He opened up and began writing.

Burnell pointed at the screen. "What is he writing? Change the camera angle!"

"I'm sorry, sir, the flight recorder only records from one angle, as to reduce the risk of discovery."

Burnell rolled his eyes. "Of course. Bring on the next recording."

The scientist shook his head. "The recordings are all one rolling recording. We'll have to fast forward until Mortem awakens."

The CEO groaned. "Right. Well, get skipping."

...

"Mary, run away with me! Let us be together somewhere our love can blossom!"

"Jeremiah, you know I cannot. I have duties and obligations, people who depend on me here!"

Julius was still sitting on the couch. A soap opera was playing on the TV. Cloud came out from the kitchen, a bag of candy in his hands.

"Julius, how long are you gonna be moping around like this?" He queried, pointing a handful of gummy bears at him.

"I don't know. This hole I'm in is endless and dark and..." The blue-haired teen trailed off and sighed.

Cloud swallowed some bears in his mouth before sitting next to Julius. "When you get knocked down, you have two options. Lay there, or get back up. No promises that things will work out if you get up, but laying there guarantees that it'll never work out."

"Yeah, well, not like I can get back up in this case," Julius noted, taking a drink from his soda can. However, there was nothing in it, so he place it on the ground next to six other empties.

"You could go talk to Popple," Cloud offered. "I know she doesn't want anything to do with you, but I'll be right there with you!" The teen gave a smile. "You know how lovable I am!"

Julius groaned and shook his head. "Look, I see what you're doing, Cloud, but it's no use. But I've got a question for you. I know Zack wouldn't tell me in a thousand years, but where did he really go that night?" Was he there when you got called by Roy?"

"Nah, he wasn't there. Probably got called to do something else."

"Riiight," Julius said, unconvinced. He took out his morpher and clicked on a contact. Cloud looked on, a strained look on his face.

"What're you calling for, Julius? It doesn't matter that he wasn't there."

"It did to me, Cloud," Julius responded. "Good evening, Commander Roy. Sorry to disturb you right now, but I had a question about the night of the attack on Popple's father. Was Zack called in for an assignment...no? Thank you sir, signing off." He hung up the call and got up, walking to the stairs.

"Zack! Come down here!" He spoke up.

A few moments later, Zack came down the stairs. "What's got you scared this time?"

"I just had a talk with Commander Roy. Wanna know what he told me?"

Zack nonchalantly shrugged. "Nothing I haven't told you a hundred times. Gonna hit the gym for once?"

Julius wagged his finger at him. "I'm getting really tired of all those shots you take at me. Commander Roy said that he never assigned you to go anywhere that night!"

"Oh my god, this again? Do I need to say it in sign language? I was dealing with ranger business!"

Against his previous disposition, Julius didn't back down. "Oh yeah? On whose orders? Because I'm certain Supreme Commander didn't called you up!"

Zack gave Julius a hard stare. When he still didn't back off, Zack smirked and shook his head. "Did it ever occur to you that I could be conducting my own private investigation? I don't need an order to pound the pavement looking for the creep who hurt my friend's family."

"Okay, then! What exactly were you doing out there to help out? We had a whole crime team at the house. I doubt you could do anything more that those guys couldn't. So I'm gonna ask again, where were you?!"

Zack gave Julius another stare. He then turned to the door. "You know what? I'm not dealing with this right now. You're acting like a baby."

Cloud now got up and quick approached his arguing friends. "Alright guys, let's just calm down, okay?"

Zack gave Cloud a cool smile and opened the door. "No need, I'm feeling relaxed. Julius could use a chill pill or two, though."

As Zack walked out the door, Julius was fast on his heels. "And you're the one saying I was deflecting! You're just calling me names and running away! Get back here!"

"You're not my mom, Julius. I don't answer to you," Zack said over his shoulder.

Julius quickly covered the distance between him and Zack, grabbing him by the shoulder. "News flash, Zack, you do. I'm team leader, remember?"

Zack quickly spun around, shaking Julius' hand off his shoulder. "You? Team leader? Don't make me laugh! You're a leader like Pluto is a planet!"

Cloud stood in the door frame, watching Julius and Zack argue on the lawn. "Hey guys, I know it's a wonderful night, but why don't we talk it out in the hous--"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Julius demanded.

Zack, as if a dam had been opened, unleashed his answer to Julius. "You are the worst excuse for a team leader I have ever met. You're unreliable and a complete spaz. You've always been the weakest link and it's a freaking mystery how you became the red ranger. You're a whiny baby who always needs someone to hold his hand. Which has been painfully apparent these past few days as you've fumbled both a good relationship and an important mission. And when it comes to someone needing to depend on you, you fold and start crying. You were a sissy when we were kids, and you're a baby now. And the worst part? While everyone else has grown up, you're still the same sissy!"

Everyone was speechless. Julius was wide eyed and Zack's hard stare returned. "Did that answer your question?"

Julius' lip began to quiver and he looked away from Zack. "...Yeah, that answered it."

Zack didn't waste another moment turning around and walking away. As Cloud looked on, he noticed that he was walking away faster than before. Julius turned and walked away in the opposite direction. Cloud could do nothing but watch the aftermath of the argument.

...

Back in the lab, Burnell and his scientists were still sifting through the flight recorder's contents. Some time had passed since the first recording. Michael's recording area was now a lot more cluttered. Paper covered in notes and diagrams were posted on the wall behind him. Folders and measuring devices were on the table. The scientist himself looked a lot more excited.

"Today's results have been a massive boon! This energy is unlike anything I've ever seen before! It's incredibly adaptable, performing well in every test we've run on it. Its molecular structure is very, very fluid. It's combustible like gasoline and can flow through wires like electricity. The others feel it doesn't make sense, nothing else in nature acts like this. I share the same feelings, but why is that the first thing they mention? They should see the potential this could have!"

From the entrance to the lab, Burnell returned, sipping from a water bottle. He walked to the monitor, looked at it and groaned.

"He's still droning on about it?" He complained. "Yes, we know it's the greatest element ever discovered, we know it'll make us rich, that's why I funded it! What I want to know is when...*he* gets there.

After Michael finished talking, the scientist in the lab accelerated the speed. Hours passed in the span of seconds. Eventually he returned, excited like never before. He was frantically putting on his space suit and holding his recorder in one hand.

"I'm on the cusp of something big. Very big! The mining units that we brought along picked up on a large crater a few miles to the south! The others, they want to hunker down and conduct more tests in here. But not me. This could be big!"

Michael ended his recording and ran out of the camera's range. The footage was fast forwarded again. As time passed, Burnell started to hear a constant sped-up noise. It sounded like screaming.

"Wait wait wait, pause it!!" He exclaimed. "Go back a little, something's going on."

The scientist obeyed his command and reversed a little, then pressed play. The screaming was now loud and apparent. And it wasn't just one person screaming. It was multiple. The scientist looked on, visibly disturbed. Burnell watched with a calm demeanor. Finally, a door could be heard swinging wide open. Slow footsteps could be heard. Then, a figure came into view. Whatever it was, its body was surrounded by the void, obscuring most of its features. Piercing red eyes stared past the camera, unaware of its recording. Suddenly, the figure hunched over, purple energy surrounding its body. With a violent yell, it stood up and the energy pulsed around the room, knocking over devices and spreading papers everywhere. The camera went dead. Burnell was speechless.

He smirked and gave a small clap. "Now that's what I call a marvel! If we could get ourselves something like that...forget energy, there are many other avenues to make money with!"

Across the room, another Revolutech ran over. "Sir! You may want to see this!"

Burnell got up and followed him. He was lead to another computer monitor that was connected to the black box. Onscreen, a much younger man was screwing bolts into a large metal contraption shaped like a harpoon.

"What have we here..."

Behind everyone in the lab, a container filled with the void on a workbench began to glow.

...

Cloud sat outside on the steps to the house. He was looking down at the ground. From the side he walked towards earlier, Julius returned. When he saw Julius, his face lit up.

"Julius! Where ya been, man?"

The other teen met Cloud's eyes. He looked tired. "Out, doing some thinking."

Cloud nodded enthusiastically. "Glad to hear! Feeling a little more hopeful about Popple?"

Julius shook his head. "Nope. I feel just as awful as before. And not just about her. About everything." Julius walked past Cloud and into the house. Zack was curling weights in the living room. He looked up from his workout at Cloud and Julius.

"Oh hey, you're back. How was the walk?"

"It was an eye-opener, Zack," Julius started. "I realized that all this time, I've been living a lie. I've never amounted to anything, and I'm never going to amount to anything. So I've decided to just...quit. And the best place to start is here."

Zack looked confused. "What're you saying, Julius?"

Julius took a deep breath. "I'm saying that I quit. No more rangers, no more expectations."

He narrowed his eyes."You're what? You're quitting, just like that?"

"Yup. That's it, game over," Julius said with finality. He looked at Zack, then Cloud. "I'm sorry I couldn't hack it, that I couldn't be the leader you deserve. I..I gotta go."

And with that, Julius walked up the stairs. Zack and Cloud heard the door to his room close, then looked at each other. Zack shook his head and got back to his weights. Cloud dropped on the couch, processing what was happening. What was happening to his team. What was happening to his friends?