Chapter 221: If You Can't Tear Off Your Face, You're Not An Alien
Tyler leaned back against the cold, unyielding surface of the cot. His gaze drifted up to the cobweb-draped ceiling, his eyes clouded with a chaotic swirl of fragmented memories and deep-seated paranoia. The heavy silence of the holding cell was abruptly shattered by the sharp clack of the deadbolt sliding open. The heavy iron door groaned on its hinges, revealing two uniformed police officers stepping into the dim light.
"Ah, ha? So the transport to the psych ward is finally here?" Tyler let out a dry, self-deprecating chuckle, slowly rising to his feet to face the new arrivals.
His mocking smile vanished the moment the officers drew their weapons. These were not standard-issue sidearms. The sleek, glowing energy rifles aimed at his chest were entirely alien to modern Earth technology.
"Where did you hide the key?" the lead officer demanded, his voice tight with an unnatural, grating urgency.
Tyler froze, his breath catching in his throat. He latched onto the strange demand. "Key?"
Interpreting his genuine confusion as stubborn defiance, the officer lunged forward. A heavy, gloved hand clamped around Tyler's skull, violently slamming him against the concrete wall.
"Don't make this harder on yourself, kid. Hand over the key right now!"
The impact rattled Tyler's brain, driving the air from his lungs. He found himself pinned so tightly he could barely gasp, let alone formulate an answer. If they wanted him to talk, crushing his windpipe was a terrible way to go about it.
Desperation kicking in, Tyler thrashed wildly against the officer's iron grip. His flailing hand shot up, fingers catching on the officer's cheek. He pulled hard, expecting skin. Instead, a grotesque, synthetic mask tore away with a sickening rip.
Beneath the disguise, the officer's flesh bubbled and shifted, rapidly morphing back into its true, monstrous form—a DNAlien.
Tyler's blood ran cold at the sight of the familiar, grotesque creature. "It is you monsters?!"
Realizing their cover was blown, the second officer reached up, tearing off his own synthetic mask to reveal another hideous DNAlien visage.
"Don't make us hurt you, Tyler."
"You brought this upon yourself."
Panic surged through Tyler's veins. He scrambled backward, his eyes darting around the barren cell for anything resembling a weapon. The only object in reach was the heavy, iron-framed cot bolted to the floor.
Operating on pure adrenaline, Tyler grabbed the metal frame. With a sudden, explosive burst of strength, he ripped the heavy iron bed from its mountings and hurled it directly at the two advancing DNAliens.
In the heat of the moment, Tyler failed to register that hoisting a solid iron bed frame and tossing it like a ragdoll was entirely impossible for a normal human being. Or, at least, an unmutated one.
The heavy metal crashed into the DNAliens, sending them sprawling to the floor in a tangle of limbs. Seizing the narrow window of opportunity, Tyler bolted out of the cell, slamming the heavy iron door shut behind him with a resounding clang.
He sprinted through the corridors and burst out of the police station, immediately diving behind a parked cruiser. He crouched low in the shadows, his chest heaving as he kept a watchful eye on the station's entrance.
His worst fears materialized seconds later. The heavy glass doors shattered outward as the two furious DNAliens charged into the night, completely unhindered. Not a single human officer emerged to stop them. Whether the real cops were unconscious, dead, or entirely replaced by these creatures, Tyler had no idea. Shouting for help would only paint a larger target on his back.
His hiding spot offered little protection. The DNAliens quickly picked up his trail, rounding the police cruiser with predatory speed.
Left with no other options, Tyler broke cover and sprinted toward the open highway, desperate to lose himself in the darkness.
He barely made it to the center of the asphalt when twin beams of blinding light washed over him. The deafening roar of a high-performance engine tore through the night. A sleek, black-and-green sports car drifted sideways with a screech of burning rubber, coming to a dead stop mere inches from his legs.
Tyler's knees gave out. He collapsed onto the rough asphalt, staring blankly at the gleaming vehicle.
The car doors swung open, and a group of teenagers stepped out into the headlight glare. The moment these newcomers appeared, the two advancing DNAliens halted, taking cautious steps backward.
"Ben, deal with them," Klein ordered casually. He strolled over to where Tyler sat frozen on the ground and crouched down to his eye level. "Hey, are you alright?"
"I... I am alright." Tyler blinked, his mind struggling to process the sudden rescue. Then, the reality of the situation snapped back into focus. He pointed frantically at the retreating monsters. "They are aliens!"
Before he could say another word, the teenager named Ben casually tapped the faceplate of a strange, bulky watch on his wrist.
A blinding flash of emerald light erupted, forcing Tyler to throw his arms up to shield his eyes. When the glaring light faded, the teenager was gone. In his place stood a towering, plant-like humanoid, its hands blazing with intense, crackling fire.
"He is an alien too?!" Tyler shrieked, his eyes bulging. He scrambled backward on his hands and knees, every instinct screaming at him to run.
A firm hand clamped onto his shoulder, hauling him back. Kevin looked down at him, clearly unamused. "What alien? They are clearly not the same species, alright?"
While Swampfire was undeniably extraterrestrial, Kevin was trying to point out that they were not allied with the DNAliens currently hunting Tyler.
The explanation did absolutely nothing to calm Tyler's frayed nerves. Instead of relaxing, Tyler reached up and grabbed a fistful of Kevin's cheek, yanking hard.
Naturally, the skin stretched, but nothing came off.
"Hey! That hurts!" Kevin swatted Tyler's hand away, rubbing his reddened cheek. He glared at the panicked man, thoroughly annoyed by the unprovoked assault.
Tyler completely ignored Kevin's irritation. He stared at the teenager's face, his voice trembling. "You... you are an Earthling?"
"Of course I am. What else would I be if not an Earthling?" Kevin shot back, looking at Tyler as if he had lost his mind.
"But, if you are an Earthling, then why are you hanging around with him..." Tyler pointed a shaky finger toward Ben, who had just finished pummeling the DNAliens into submission and was reverting back to his human form in a flash of green light.
A wicked glint sparked in Kevin's eyes. A mischievous smirk spread across his face as he leaned in closer to Tyler. "Why don't you pull his face and find out?"
Driven by a frantic need to verify reality, or perhaps just completely overwhelmed by the night's events, Tyler actually crept up behind Ben.
Ben had heard the footsteps approaching, but surrounded by his team, his guard was completely down. He turned around, opening his mouth to speak, only to be met with a pair of hands lunging directly at his face.
Tyler grabbed Ben by the nose and cheek, pinching and pulling with all his might.
"Ow! What are you doing?!" Ben yelped, swatting Tyler's hands away and rubbing his sore nose.
A few feet away, Kevin doubled over, bursting into a fit of uproarious laughter. "Hahahahaha..."
Ben glared at the dark-haired mechanic, instantly realizing exactly who had orchestrated the prank.
Tyler stood frozen, thoroughly bewildered. He had just watched this kid transform into a walking, fire-breathing plant, yet his face did not peel off like a mask. Nothing made sense anymore.
Gwen sighed, shaking her head at the boys' antics. She motioned toward the sports car. "Let's get in the car first. We will explain everything else to you later."
Klein had already bypassed the drama entirely, sliding into the backseat and making himself comfortable.
Under the vast expanse of the night sky, the black-and-green sports car cruised down the deserted highway, leaving the chaos behind.
Inside the cabin, the atmosphere was thick with unspoken questions. Tyler sat rigidly in the passenger seat, shifting uncomfortably. He opened his mouth several times, struggling to find the right words, only to close it again in silence.
The tension was obvious to everyone. Kevin, never one to miss an opportunity to show off, decided to break the ice.
Steering the speeding sports car with one hand, Kevin casually reached into his pocket with the other. He pulled out a gleaming Plumber's badge and flipped it open, shoving it directly into Tyler's line of sight.
The golden insignia practically screamed official authority, marking him as a recognized law enforcement officer of the entire Milky Way Galaxy.
"We have been monitoring any radio communications involving technology above Level Two, and someone mentioned you, Tyler."
Despite his deadpan, serious delivery, the slight upward twitch of Kevin's lips betrayed his excitement. He had been waiting for a chance to flash his badge and act like a hardened space cop for weeks, and this was the perfect moment to flex.
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