Time passed quickly; Max began to get used to the life at Beckon orphanage. It seemed almost like home; he had friends there they helped each other to overcome difficulties and every night they would dream their wildest dreams. Becoming a protector, being an actor working in a circus, becoming a businessman… Life seemed good.

One particular day Max’s life changed. At dawn Mr Beckon force up the children to do their daily morning chores.

“Davis and Michael, wait for me in the living room. Go quicker, chop chop.” Mr Beckon called loudly. While Davis and Michael moved nervously towards the living room.

“Lucas, come here too.” Mr Beckon ordered harshly. Lucas was one of the first orphans to arrive at Beckon orphanage. He was thirteen years old, the same age as Max. It wasn’t long until they became close friends.

Lucas gulped, thinking what possibly he could have done wrong. “Did I mess up my chores yesterday? Nope. Did I say anything to anger Mr Beckon. Nope…”

“Good luck!” Max forced a smile sympathetically knowing that this can’t be something good. Lucas looked back at Max, his blue eyes full of fear, everybody in the orphanage feared Me Beckon, even the servants.

“Davis, Michael and Lucas.” Mr Beckon started.

“Yes, sir.” Lucas replied, “Did we do something wrong?”

“I did not allow you to comment, Lucas!” Mr Beckon snapped, “Now, shut up or else…” Mr Beckon loved using the words “or else”, it was amusing to him to see the petrified faces of the orphans.

“Now, as I was saying, I met a nice old fellow in his fifties in a café. He promised me to give a good amount of money for some hard-working slaves, no I meant ‘sons. So, I you three would be perfect sla—I mean sons to him.” Mr Beckon smiled cold-bloodedly. Michael opened his opened his mouth to protest but only to force his complains down his throat. The three orphans were horrified.

Finally, Lucas decided to say something, “But Sir, you can’t sell us, it’s illegal!”

“Why should I care about you little dirty children, always more and more trouble! One more complains and you’ll regret it!”

“But —” Lucas blurted, but before he could finish, Mr Beckon had enough. His forehead twitched as he summoned energy and pushed Lucas as hard as he can.

THUMP.

Max, doing his chores heard it all. “This is unhuman, slavery! Its banned!” He thought angrily. The more he thought about it the angrier he was.

“Calm down, Max.” Charlie, one of the orphans put his hand on Max on Max’s shoulder, “We can’t do anything, once Sir made his mind up, we can’t talk him out of it.”

“No, we can’t, but we can do it by force!” Max whispered, “We can team up together against Mr Beckon. We can force him to give.”

“Max, this is a bad idea!” Charlie called as Max turned toward the direction toward the living room, “Don’t do it –”

Max had already turned and ran.

    Anger boiled inside Max as he ran, memories of his friend flashed by him, the time when they got into trouble together, the time when they pranked Mr Beckon and got away… If he didn’t help his friend, all the happy memories would be gone, the only thing that matter to him would be gone. Max felt his hand start itching as he charged inside the dusty living room of the orphanage. He tried to calm himself, but he felt a stronger power urging him to feel more and more angry.  Mr Beckon, the man he had always hated had hurt his friend. That was enough. He screamed and charged.

Max felt air rushing by as he charged to tackle Mr Beckon, his eyes automatically scan Mr Beckon’s weakness. Mr Beckon, seeing Max charge, waved his arms as thick as an elephant to fend of Max. Max dodged and punched Mr Beckon. Blood, as red as cherry spilled out as Mr beckon scream in fury. “What are you doing!?”

He backed away holding his injured arm. Max stare at Mr beckon coldly, he couldn’t calm down, as if his hate had been magnified a thousand times. With a surprisingly strong jump, Max lunged at Mr Beckon, he would have succeeded if four orphans hadn’t pulled him away in perfect timing.

“Max, listen to me!” A worried and terrified voice washed Max’s anger away. It was Lucas. “Max, are you okay? You’re hand…”

“Max –” His friends called, the voice seemed faraway, almost as if it was in a dream. Max felt his consciousness slipping from him. His vision darkens and he fell unconscious.

“Max, we have good news!” A woman that Max didn’t know exclaimed happily at him as she walked through the wooden door. Max looked around; he was in a house nothing like the orphanage. The walls were pure white, with beautiful paintings and pictures hung on the wall. The furniture looked like it was never use, clean and not a speck of dust. Plants well kept stood in the corners as if they were a part of the house. The house was bright even though it was night decorative light shone white light. Everything looked so beautiful.

“What good news mum?” The sound made Max jump, he quickly turned around and found himself looking at a boy identical to him, only a bit younger. Max suddenly realised the truth, the boy behind him was him when he was young.

“And that woman is my mum?” Max wondered out loud, but no one seemed to care about him or even see that he was there. Another realisation dawn at him, he was invisible. He didn’t belong there.

“Guess.” A man wearing a formal black suit. He almost resembled Max, those dark, black eyes, dark hair.

“Dad.” Real Max muttered to himself, “That was my dad.”

“Did you buy me a toy helicopter?” Young Max guessed.

“No!” His parents replied at the same time.

“Um, did you win the lottery?” Young Max guessed again not getting anywhere close.

“That would have been great, but something better.” Young Max’s mum said.

“Fine I give up, tell me!” Max’s eyes sparked with curiosity.

“You remembered the blood test you did at school?” Young Max’s dad asked, not giving away the secret.

“Yeah.” Young Max replied, a bit impatient, “What was it for, I felt it was useless!”

“Well, I was for the Protector Organisation to test for children with potential to join the squad. Now it was getting very rare to find one!” Young Max’s dad continued.

“Wow!” Max whispered and completed a brave guess, “It can’t be that I got potential! I heard its as rare as one in hundred thousand!”

“Well, the good new is that you the one in hundred thousand! Congratulations!” Young Max’s parent cheered at the same time.

“You’re not kidding right?” Max asked suspicious.

“No, Max, no. Its all true! We just got the news from The Protector Organisation!” Young Max’s dad said smiling.

“I just want your permission train at the Protector’s headquarters, you think you want to?” Young Max’s mum asked.

“This is too good to be true!” Exclaimed Young Max wide eyed, “Of course I want to! That’s my dream!”

Young Max’s parents smiled. But something lit up the whole house. Real Max gazed at it horrified. It was a high technology rocket bomb, made to destroy and kill.

BOOM…

The whole house collapsed, the ceiling fell as fire, blood red, exploded around the house.

“Ahhh!” Young Max screamed as everything went dark.

The second time.

“Max, can you hear me?” A voice as light as the wind called as soft as a breeze, “Max, are you okay?”

“Max…!”

Max struggled to open his eyes, he felt tired and powerless. His arms and legs felt as if they would fall of his eyelids where as heavy as lead.

“Max!” Lucas’ voice called, “It’s me, Lucas!”

Max forced open his eyelids, the house was gone, replaced by the too familiar orphanage. Lucas and a few orphans crowded around him with worried looks on their faces.

“Max, you’re awake!” Lucas shouted as soon as Max opened his eyes, “I was so worried!”

“What happened?” Max asked, not thinking straight.

“What happened? You dare ask that question?! You tried to murder me!” A stern and furious voice of Mr Beckon brought back Max’s memories. Hearing Mr Beckon, Max used all his energy and sat up straight, he stares horrified at the wound that he had made.

“It wasn’t me! It can’t be!” Max muttered silently to no one in particular. How did he hurt Mr Beckon so badly, Max wondered. Sure, he had felt a gust of energy that shouldn’t belong to him, but a blood wound… It was impossible! Max looked at Mr beckon who stare murderously at him but scared to come close.

“Wondering how you managed to murder me, right?” Mr Beckon said slowly, staring in Max’s eyes.

“Max, when you charged into the room, had a blade coming out of you hand!” Lucas interrupted Mr Beckon.

“Max, I think you’re have potential to become a Protector!” Davis continued excited.

“You’re so lucky!” Michael congratulated.

“I don’t care if he’s a Protector or not, he must be arrested for trying to murder me!” Mr beckon yelled enraged.

“Calm down, Sir.” Lucas said, “I’m sure Max didn’t do it on purpose.”

“Ha, I don’t care about your opinions, Lucas.” Mr Beckon sneered, “Let the police decide.”

“You’re calling the police?!” Max asked petrified, he knew that he wouldn’t get away from doing this, this wasn’t a prank or a joke. He silently cursed himself for not being calm and he deeply regretted charging into the living room.

Knock, knock. The sound made Max’s heart jump; the police had arrived. His stomach seemed to be filled with butterflies, flapping around uncontrollably.

“Mr Beckon, what was the murder about?” A police man dressed in dark blue emerged from the door asked politely carefully scanning his surroundings, “Who was the victim?”

“Me, it was me!” Mr Beckon declared then pointing straight at Max he clenched his fists and announced, “I’m the victim! This brat tried to murder me!”

“I couldn’t control myself!” Max confessed to the police, “I felt an unusual power forcing me to do it and —”

A cold stare from the police man stopped Max from finishing his sentence.

“What did he use to hurt you, Mr Beckon?” The police man continued to ask.

“I saw it, it was a blade that seemed to come out of his hand, it was dark blue and light green!” Mr Beckon immediately responded clutching his injured arm.

Then the police turned to Max, “Do you have any more comment, or do you agree with what Mr Beckon said?”

“I—” Max stammered with a troubled expression on his face.

“I agree.” Max confessed at last.

“Where is the blade you used?” The police asked politely, giving the message that Max must show the lethal weapon.

“I don’t know, it disappeared!” Max admitted honestly, “Its gone!”

“Sir.” Lucas spoke, “I think that what Max meant was that he couldn’t activate his blade again. He’s a Mech-man.”

“A Mech-man you say so?” The police asked curiously, not believing a single word.

“I will call the squad to test your theory.” The police looked straight in Lucas’ eye and slowly said when he though Lucas might not be lying.

 “We will deal with you after we know more information about you.” The police said after thinking for a while, “Now you can tell us about why you would try to hurt Mr beckon.”

Max told him everything, how he had made friends with Lucas and other orphans how had Mr beckon force them into slavery…

“I didn’t want to hurt him, Sir, I only wanted to stop him.” Max finally summarized to the police man. The police turned to Mr Beckon and announced, “Don’t think you’re not I trouble, Mr Beckon, slavery is a big thing.”

“You two, come with me to the station after the squad arrives.” The police declared not hearing any opinions.