"So this is where the $40,000 generator you ordered in going to?"Xavier asks.

2 Weeks Ago.

Starlio began working on the Model 2 Armor.His blueprint that he had worked on for three straight nights was right in front of his inventor mentor,Xavier analyzing at the blueprint with awe."This...this is crazy...I'm not even mad that you're spending our money for this."

"You can take it out of my pay percentage."Starlio tells him.

"I mean just don't bankrupt us.You can use our resources but you know,do your job."Xavier reminds him."I will of course."Starlio agrees happily with this arrangement as Xavier left the lab for him to do his work.

The Model 2:

An armor created to be an overall upgrade to the Model 1.A significantly more streamlined structure,ditching the bulkiness of the Model 1 in exchange for higher levels of agility and speed,a complete rework of it's internal circuit placement and exo skeleton.Despite being smaller,the Model 2 should provide equal amounts of protection with it's plating and with it's lighter weight of only 50kg,the Model 2 can reach flight speeds of 500km/hr.

A high tech HUD that tracks his surroundings and location,three missiles installed on launchers within each shoulder plate,a heated blade in each wrist and twin blasters,powered with a special battery he himself created from past experiments,Starlio was basically able to shoot near infinite laser blasts.

"This will work..."Starlio hoped to himself back then.

Now.

Starlio's impatience was getting to him as he watched Xavier and Javier Navarro's truck pulling up on the side road with the wooden crater strapped to it's back.Starlio pushed himself past the rest of the officers,quickly opening the crater with the help of Xavier and Javier,revealing the fresh set of armor within it.

"What makes you think we can let you in just like that?The money is already on it's way."Mason asks Starlio who ignores it,taking the armor down and opening it's chest piece hatch,unlocking the suit with his fingerprint.

The armor plating of the Model 2 hatched apart,opening itself for Starlio to enter as the teenager looked at his Dad:"No time to waste anymore.If I do,more blood will be on me and if you want to punish me after this,so be it.But I am going in,with or without your help."

"Starlio,don't be reckless!"Mason tried.

Starlio ignores him,shutting the helmet down and activated the armor.Blue lights from the core of the armor lit up,igniting the glowing blue eyes of the Model 2 as Starlio turned to Mason:"I'm not letting anyone else die."Starlio shot himself off the ground,activating the thrusters of the Model 2 and soared towards the school.

-

Conner laid down on the ground with his eyes wide open lifelessly,his struggle to breathe straining the last of his breath as the injured Roy crawled right next to him:"No...Con...stay awake."

Blood from Conner was seeping into the ground around them and as time passed,several other students have been shot already.Shannon stood her ground,knowing that it was at any moment that Vincent pulled his gun on her again,making herself stand further away from her friends to direct Vincent's attention away from them.

Shannon watched carefully,looking at Vincent who was within the Model 1,looking up at the giant clock hung up in the main building of the North Star complex.

"Alright.Time's up."Vincent turned to Shannon.

Shannon looked up at him,knowing that her moments were numbered.She could not dodge or even run,knowing that she would risk Vincent shooting someone else instead of her.Shannon clenched her fist,hoping that her death would at least bring time for the rest of her schoolmates to be rescued.

"Too bad Shannon Ray.It looks like Starlio isn't here this time."Vincent says,the Model 1's gattling gun pointing towards her when the roaring sound of a rocket engine echoed through the air.Vincent turned around in the nick of time as the Model 2 shot towards him at blinding speeds,knocking him away from Shannon and the rest of the school.

"You're done hurting my friends!"Starlio roared.

"YOU!"Vincent pushed Starlio back as the two armored men crashed through the walls of the school compound,blasting each other through concrete wall after concrete wall.Bricks and rubble collapsed all around them when Starlio kicked Vincent away from him,giving him a distance and launched a missile that blasted the ceiling on top of the human trafficker,making a barrage of rubble fall on him.

That should bring me some time.

Starlio quickly flew back towards the middle of the school to be greeted by an onslaught of gunfire by Vincent's gunmen."Sniper alert.Sniper alert."Model 2 warns him.

Starlio quickly flew aside as he spotted the sniper,drawing the twin handheld blasters in the shape of pistols from his back,detaching them and returning fire to the men who took his school hostage."Fire everything you got at him!"

"RUN!GET OUT FROM HERE!"Starlio yells to the school which began dispersing,running from their lives while the gun men's attention were on Starlio.Starlio fired at them mercilessly,his rage completely overtaking the merciful side of him as his first victims fell,Starlio's laser shots ripping through any cover that they had and putting holes into their bodies.

"Heavy machine gun fire.90 degrees directly South."

Starlio listened to his armor,turning around to see a heavy turret being pointed at him with two more gunman behind the turret operator,one holding a rifle and another,a rocket launcher.

Without hesitation,Starlio activated his shoulder rockets and launched two of them towards the three men,who quickly realized the danger they were under as the missile hit the ground in front of them,it's flames engulfing two of them and the floor,breaking apart under the last man and making him fall to his death.

"All weapons free!Prioritize the evacuation of the students!"

Starlio heard his father's voice as he turned around to see dozens and dozens of police officers and military soldiers,all of them heavily armed and marching into the school from it's entrance,firing down the gunmen who completely had their attention on the biggest threat,Starlio himself.

Before the gun men realized,officers had already begin to swarm them from every direction possible and soon,a massive crossfire broke out.

"Starlio!"

Starlio turned around to see Angie and Joseline waving at him,holding a barely conscious Conner in their arms,prompting the teen to swoop down in his armor,checking on Conner who was bleeding uncontrollably from a wound in his chest,Roy,who had a massive bruise on his forehead right behind them with Kane holding onto him.

"Give him to me,I'll move him out."Starlio says when Conner grabbed him.

"Dude,you are bleeding,there's no-"Starlio was cut off by Conner:"I...Let...me...go and save...everyone...else."

"You can't fly him out like this,it might worsen the bleeding even further."Kane analyzed the wound of Conner,whose face was now as pale as snow,his eyes red and swelling with tears."No...Conner,listen,you stay with me alright?You hear?!"

"I'm done..."Conner smiled,coughing out a splatter of blood."I...did something heroic...I..."

"Who did this?!"Starlio roared,asking his other friends."Doesn't...matter Chip...just...save everyone.Don't...blame yourself...okay?"Conner looks at Starlio:"This is on me...I did this.I caused this.Please,Conner..."

"I chose this...to be a hero for once.Live without....regrets...for me..."

Conner's eyes became lifeless,taking his last breath in front of his friends.Starlio found himself staring down at the corpse of his best friend in his arms,standing dead still as gunshots went off all around them.

"Star-"Angie started.

"Who...did...this?"Starlio's rage was beginning to boil further,slowly setting Conner's body onto the ground as Joseline explains:"Vincent tried to shoot Shannon.Conner jumped between them,sacrificing himself.He said that you inspired him to do something brave as he was a coward his whole life.He went out doing something noble."

"Where's Shannon?"Starlio asks.

"She was caught in the crowd,was forced to split off from us."Kane says.

Starlio turned around,taking off towards the battlefield,his desire for revenge now clouding every other emotion he had.Starlio spotted his first target,flying straight towards the target at crazy speeds as the panicking henchmen unloading every bullet onto the Model 2,most of the projectiles completely bouncing off it.

Starlio jumped at him,throwing a punch with the enhanced strength provided by the Model 2 and smashing the gunman's skull with it's impact.Starlio's opponent collapsed onto the ground lifelessly as Starlio jumped through the ground floor,flying into the sky and spotting two more gun man,who was firing towards the ranks of the police officers.

Starlio fired another one of his missiles,blasting apart the two men in an explosion,swooping right past their corpses when gunfire rained down against the side of his armor.

Chunks of his forearm plating began tearing off,Starlio instantly deducing the source of his attacker:The only weapon that can perform such damage against him.The Model 1's gattling gun was raining down dozens of shots mercilessly,forcing Starlio to fly straight into cover only to realize that Vincent,still in the Model 1 was giving dead chase,slamming right into him and pinning him onto the ground,dragging him and the Model 2 across the concrete floor as his armor's metal plating began wearing out.

"You screwed me over enough!"Vincent roared,punching Starlio in the helmet over and over again,the Model 2's helmet began denting with each super human punch.

"Model 2,missile fire!"Starlio commands desperately.

The shoulder hatch of the Model 2 shot open,the missile fired directly at the Model 1 and blasting the mech suit back,a giant chunk of his chest piece of left armor erupting into debris and flames,the impact of the missile launching Vincent towards the end of the corridor and smashing into a wall.Starlio himself was caught in the close range explosion as well,knocking himself right through another wall where the teen found himself landing in his own classroom.

"Armor integrity:70%.Helmet integrity only at 50%"The Model 2 HUD warns.

Starlio found himself completely clouded in the ash and smoke around him,brushing off the char from the missile he shot open when he felt his leg bump against something.Starlio looked down,finding himself staring down at the bloody corpse of Mrs Wooly.

Starlio's eyes was already swelling uncontrollably,glaring down at where Vincent was and looking at the glow of the Model 1,with flames surrounding it's silhouette in the distance,glaring back at him menacingly.

Starlio grit his teeth,firing off another missile at Vincent.

"AGH!"Vincent roared,raising his right arm up in defense as the missile struck him,blasting apart the gattling gun of the Model 1 and the impact of which,sending him falling on his back.Starlio soared forward,taking his aim.

"No more missiles available."The armor warns.

Vincent shook the blast off,the Model 1's right arm plating already beginning to fall off as Starlio launched a super powered punch,hitting Vincent in the helmet when the latter caught Starlio right in the arm,tossing him into a wall and pointed his left arm,firing the Model 1's missile at the teen.

The Model 1's missile exploded right in front of Starlio,who quickly raised his arms desperately,shards of metal flying at him at insane speeds and the impact of him,tearing apart several parts of his armor as well.Vincent gave chase,sprinting across the flaming corridor and wrestled himself into Starlio,who quickly fired off his rocket boots and sent the both of them flying right out the side of the building and towards the car lot of the school.

The both of them landed onto a row of cars,crashing into them and shattering glasses all around them.Alarms blared as Starlio drew his lasers,firing at Vincent,each laser bolt piercing his armor lightly,denting the Model 1 more and more with each shot.

"Shit like you don't deserve to wear that!"Starlio roared.

"The blood of the people I killed are on your hands.Your machine gave me the power to do that."Vincent mocks as Starlio cried out in a horrifying battle cry,drawing both guns and unleashed both blasters at full force towards Vincent,withering the Model 1 down more and more with each shot.

It didn't take long for Vincent to realize that massive chunks of his plating was falling off more easily than before.Starlio wasn't just blindly shooting at him.

He built the armor.He knew all it's weakest points.

Starlio jumped forward with his thrusters,catching Vincent off guard with his speed and struck the Model 1 right in the chest,denting the chest plate apart and with a hard pull,ripped the entire chest piece out,revealing the complicated components within it.

Shit.Vincent knew he couldn't win head on now.

"You little shit!"Vincent grabbed Starlio,deploying a heated blade from his wrist and thrust it right into Starlio's side waist.The blade initially only clashed into the enhanced armor plating of the Model 1 but with the heat,melted a hole through the armor and bringing the blade right closer and closer towards Starlio,tearing through multiple layers of his armor.

Starlio could feel the heat slowly melting his skin apart as he cried out in pain,Vincent refusing to release his grip on the teenager who was forced to launch his rockets once more,using the momentum of which to toss Vincent away with the armor's strength,launching right into a tree but it was too late.

The heated blade snapped,tearing through the last layers of Starlio's armor and began sinking it's way through his waist.

"Ugh!"The pain was stunning Starlio,who quickly reached for the blade and plucked it out of himself,blood flowing out with and Starlio himself,barely being able to stand from the sharp,swelling pain that was spreading across his entire body.

"Now you know my pain."Vincent marched towards Starlio,flying into the sky with Starlio still in his grip,flying towards the middle of the school where the students evacuated before punching the teenager onto the ground,deactivating his flight rockets and took advantage of his combined weight with the Model 1,landing onto Starlio,crushing part of the Model 2's chest piece and denting it greatly,cracking the concrete ground beneath them.

"UGH!"Starlio could feel the sharp pressure on his ribs.

"You should have never interfered in the first place."Vincent grabbed Starlio by the helmet,his fingers gripping onto his face piece as tight as he could and with his inhuman strength,began slowly ripping open the helmet,one of the Model 2's eye glow dimming out.

"I had a family I was feeding well,I had money,I had strength.You took that away from me!"Vincent roared,tearing apart a good chunk of Starlio's face piece,revealing Starlio's bare eye who glared directly into Vincent.

"You never deserved them."Starlio launched a surprise punch at Vincent,knocking him back.

"Starlio!"A voice called out to him as Starlio turned,Shannon rolling a fire extinguisher towards him and in an instant,he knew what she was planning.Starlio grabbed it,ducking under Vincent's right hook,jumping into the air and smacking the fire extinguisher full force right into the exposed chest of the Model 1.

Both teenagers quickly ducked as the fire extinguisher cracked,releasing it's inner pressure and exploding,knocking Vincent away from Starlio and giving the prodigy enough time to stand back up,draw his laser once more and fired,hitting Vincent again and again,each blast tearing off more and more of the Model 1 and revealing it's jet pack exo skeleton within.

[Out of power]The Model 2 warns,the lasers running out of battery power.

Starlio was about to draw his other gun when Vincent stumbled at him violently,striking him with his fists multiple times,knocking Starlio back over and over again,ignoring the damage to his armor.

It's fine...I can do this without them.Starlio's anger surfaced,images of him and Conner's best memories flashing across his head.

"Your friends died because you had to interfere!You had no business in this!NONE!!!"Vincent's voice was getting sore,the Model 1 breaking down more with each move he made."Conner was innocent,you will pay for his death!"

Starlio's adrenaline rush numbed his pain away as he jumped towards Vincent,who was trapped in the broken Model 1,shoving his arm right into the Model 1's circuits and ripping out it's core,de powering the armor and kicking Vincent backwards,more and more parts of the armor falling to the ground.

"No..."Vincent realized the predicament he fell into,watching the enraged Starlio rocket kick him right across the helmet,further cracking his helmet and with a painful cry,Starlio flew himself forward and delivered a powerful blow right to the helmet of Vincent,denting the helmet successfully and rendering it unwearable.

The Model 1's helmet dropped onto the ground,merely a broken scrap of metal now as Vincent collapsed against the stage of the middle of the school,a bloodied Starlio standing above him,looking down on his defeated opponent.

Starlio puffed,the pain in his gut slowly resurfacing,but that did not stop him as Starlio drew his remaining rifle,checking the ammo count on it:[2 shots left]

"Blood for blood.Your debt must be paid."Starlio raised his gun above Vincent.

His surroundings died down.Most of the gunfire had stopped.The police and military force seemingly had already taken back control of the school,with most of the active gunmen either dead or arrested by authorities.Students had mostly been brought to safety already and many of them,gathering around the sides of the school and spotting Starlio,standing over Vincent who was now completely at the teenager's mercy.

"Starlio..."Shannon called out to him.

Starlio turned to her,firstly noticing the blood,dust and sweat that covered her and behind Shannon,their friends,including Frank who looked okay and the huge crowd of students and officials looking at him nervously at his next move.

Mason Stex,his father was also within the crowd,looking at him.

"Heh....go ahead.Show them the kid who has the heart to do what's necessary."Vincent mocks.

"You really think I don't dare huh?"Starlio asks,charging up the pistol."You are...already dead.He will come for you...he doesn't need me to do it?When he does come for you...and he will.Everyone you know will be dead and more blood will be on you."

"Starlio...his words doesn't matter.You choose what you wanna be."Shannon begs.

"You know you want it.I killed your friend."Vincent stared him down.

"Starlio...."Shannon's voice reached him,recalling their conversation about killing.Starlio looked at her,the tears swelling within her eyes pained him as he lowered the gun."You don't deserve death...not yet.It's the easy way out."Starlio tells him.

Starlio turns to Shannon,gaining her look of approval.

"I want to be kind.I already have enough blood on my hands,you will not be one of them."Starlio tells Vincent confidently as the human trafficker fell back in defeat:"You must be glad that my family will now lose their sole breadwinner right kid?"

"Don't even try to guilt trip me."Starlio looked him in the eye:"That's on you.You know it."

"You've done enough kid...go see a medic."A police officer behind him noticed the blood leaking out the side of the Model 2,Starlio uncontrollably stumbling over as Shannon ran over to him,helping support him to a nearby ambulance."Hold on young lady,let us help."Xavier found him as well,detaching the Model 2 and allowing Starlio to come out,revealing his waist cut that was swelling with clotted blood.

The pain from his wounds crawled it's way across his body,Starlio adrenaline rush finally calming down as the repercussions of his actions surfaced.

"Conner..."Starlio recalled,his heart aching.

There was no atmosphere of victory at all.Starlio was slowly helped onto a nearby ambulance by the Navarro Brothers and Shannon.Roy quickly found Starlio,sprinting up to him:"Starlio...you did it alright?Don't fall asleep.Keep your eyes open."

"Help...me protect the...Model 2...keep it safe."Starlio reminds Javier who nods:"Alright,you two are his friends right?"Xavier asks Shannon and Roy,both youngsters nodding in unison.

"Alright I need you two to help him to the hospital.Give us any updates the moment you can.We'll settle the stuff here.Give me your phone,I'll type in my number."Javier offered.

"Cons..."Starlio laid his head back in defeat at the back of the ambulance,the loss of his friend,knowing that he will now no longer have the same type of conversations,no one to hang out properly with and most importantly,lose someone who genuinely knew him well.

-

School closed.

Starlio was back in the hospital with a pierced liver,unavoidably giving him a strict diet to follow now as he looked through the news on the ward's television,reporting updates on the North Star Attack from a week ago.

Mrs Wooly and Conner among the 67 students and teaching staff who were killed on that day.

Vincent and 5 gunmen were arrested and transported to a maximum security prison.All students were given a mandatory order to stay home for the next week with therapy provided to them by the education ministry while repairs began at North Star Academy.Starlio looked to his phone,a class picture of them taken at the start of the year:Friends for life!

"I'm sorry..."Starlio found himself muttering when the door to his ward was knocked on.

"Hey."Alice Stex,holding a heated pot of homemade soup entered the ward with the Navarro Brothers,following behind her."I know this may not be the best time,but this information from the police is vital.I'll just leave it beside your bed,you can read it when-"Javier offered as Starlio picked up the file without hesitation.

"It's fine.I can read it now."Starlio began scanning through the file.

Silverblood.

The strength enhancing drug that Vincent was taking.Starlio began piecing everything together.Vincent was under an unknown figure known as the Chairman who as far as he knew,was involved in multiple human trafficking rings and drug selling all over the country.Maybe one day he would get to face the Chairman himself and when he does...he needs to be ready by then.

"You know...if you wanna talk about it?"Alice offers as Starlio shook his head:"I'd...rather be alone at the moment."

"Alright."Alice signals the Navarro Brothers to leave the room with her.

"As for your position...don't worry about it at the moment.We understand how difficult this period can be so...take as much time as you need.No rush to come back to the warehouse anytime soon.We have tons of fixing to do anyway."Xavier tells Starlio,Javier adding on:"Just rest well.Heal up,that's the most important."

"I will.Thanks."Starlio tells the three adults,who left the room.

Starlio laid back against his pillow,the pain across his arm and ribs not even half as bad as the sourness within his heart.Images of the fights beforehand kept on flashing through his mind each time Starlio closed his eyes.His first flight to the construction site,his first injuries delivered to him by Vincent,his first fight with the Model 1 and finally...his loss in his school with the Model 2.

Starlio closed his eyes,taking a deep breath and feeling the burning tear in his ribs and before he knew it,he reopened his eyes...hours had passed.

"Hello?"Shannon's voice caught him off guard.

"Wah!Shi-...oh..."Starlio quickly calmed down upon recognizing her."It's me...I'm not that ugly."Shannon tried to cheer him up as Starlio frowned:"Don't say that."

Starlio looked at the time on the ward's clock,it was already past 8 in the night."It's late Shannon.You should go back."

"I want to stay here."Shannon confidently tells him,looking him in the eye.

Starlio knew better than to try and convince her otherwise."I...I wanna take a walk.Do you wanna...?"

"I'm following you."

The cool breeze of the hospital rooftop,alongside the blue-purplish hue of the evening sky made Starlio and Shannon stand closer to each other than they both expected.This time,none of them felt awkward to each other...merely two people who knew each other very well now and had experienced horrible events with each other.

"I always wanted to ask...but why Chip?"Shannon warily asks.

"Potato chip brand.Stax,it resembles my surname.We always liked that brand of chips,always bought it every time we visited each other's house,it just grew into what he called me permanently."Starlio looked down,smiling to himself sourly.

"Who knew right...?"Starlio looked down on the floor,overlooking a lake at the side of the city.If their circumstances were different,this would be a perfect environment for a date.

"Life's crazy Starlio.Always has been.This might just be the beginning for all we know.Many times I've looked back at my life,just when things seem to normalize,just when I thought I could finally follow a routine that I'm comfortable with,things change and I have to re adjust again."

"Every few years."Starlio agreed."Just the start of this year I'm on the edge of starvation with no money to my name."

"And out of nowhere I went from innocent student to a hostage of a human trafficking ring and right back out as a survivor."Shannon recalls,with Starlio nodding:"I don't even know what to feel about all this anymore.Sometimes...maybe it's okay for me to be normal.So what if I'm gifted or...or a genius?I rather things go back to the way they were before.I just want to be normal again."

"When school reopens,stay."Shannon tells him.

"I will.It's what Conner suggested as well.It's the only way I can retain any form of normality and...face the people I've failed to help."Starlio admits his guilt.

"Conner wouldn't want you to blame yourself.You did your best to do what's right but...sometimes...not everybody makes it out."Shannon tells him nicely,both teenagers looking into the setting sun and Starlio,for the first time in months,taking a proper breather from his chaotic and hectic lifestyle."You can't save every single person Starlio.You have to accept that in order to move on."

"I know...some feelings are just there,no matter how you think."Starlio tells her.

"Conner only died...because Vincent targeted me first.I know the feeling...the responsibility and guilt.What if I wasn't there at that time?There are always endless possibilities,endless potential outcomes but we have to live with the one we are facing now.We have to honor his wish,live without regret."Shannon turns to the prodigy,who nods in agreement with her.

I will keep moving forward.Thank you...Conner,for the memories.Starlio tells himself.

The two teens found themselves leaning on each other,staring into the sky,leaving the problems of their lives for another day and enjoying the moment.

-End.

Next Book-Starlio Stex:Year 2