Spectra's hand grasped at empty air as he hovered alone, mid-sky, the wind howling around him.
"…Seriously?" he muttered.
He flew back to the island and landed near Vanquez."Do you know anything about that alien?" he asked.
"No—"
"He's searching for a trespasser," Vire interrupted. "And he thinks it's you…"She shot him a sharp look, and the rest of the team turned their eyes on him.
"Why are you all looking at me like that?" Spectra asked, frowning.
Strateg narrowed her eyes. "Are... you—"
"You're an alien, aren't you?" Speed cut in, blurting it out.
"What!?" Spectra blinked, struggling to process what he considered a childish question. "No! Do I look like an alien to you?"
"No," Speed said with a smirk. He zipped forward and placed a hand on Spectra's shoulder."But that alien thinks you're a trespasser. And you know what that means?"
He glanced at the others for effect.
"It means you entered this planet illegally," Vire answered.
Speed raised an eyebrow. "And who made that rule on this planet?"He looked around again. "'Cause I don't remember voting on it."
"Which means," he continued, "there's probably a bunch of aliens setting rules on every planet."
Spectra crossed his arms. "What's the point of saying all this?"
"The point is… I think you're an alien." Speed dropped his hand from Spectra's shoulder.
Spectra narrowed his eyes. "If I was, why didn't the doctors catch it when I was a kid?"
"I… I... I actually don't know," Speed admitted, suddenly less sure of himself.
"Then let's test his DNA," Void said coldly.
Vanquez glanced at him, raising a brow. "That's the first thing I've heard you say in a while."
Spectra folded his arms. "Alright, fine. Let's do a DNA test—let's finally see if I'm human," he said, dripping with sarcasm.
Thirty minutes later, the Light Syndicate had already taken a DNA sample, and the results came back fast.
"TOLD YOU I'M HUMAN!" Spectra shouted, holding the report up triumphantly.
A voice crackled in his earpiece."I was actually worried you weren't my cousin," Ali said, half joking, half serious."I already made a backup plan just in case you turned out to be some alien sleeper agent."
Spectra smirked. "Wow. Thanks for the trust."
The team stood quiet for a beat before Speed threw his hands up. "Okay, okay! So you're human… mostly."
"Mostly?" Spectra raised an eyebrow.
"I mean, maybe you're, like, half alien or something," Speed muttered.
Spectra turned to him, eyes narrowing. "Dude, are you saying my mom or dad hooked up with an alien?"He stepped forward, cracking his knuckles. "Say that again, I dare you."
"Alright, chill!" Speed laughed nervously, backing up. "Just saying!"
"Or maybe that alien just messed up," Strateg said, his tone more neutral now.
Vire crossed her arms, still eyeing Spectra. "For now, you're in the clear. But we still don't know why he's targeting you."
Spectra slipped the report into his jacket. "Well, if he wants a rematch, I won't be floating midair next time waiting for answers."
Void gave a small nod, the faintest flicker of approval crossing his face.
"Let's just hope he doesn't come back with reinforcements," Vanquez muttered.
Ali's voice returned in Spectra's ear."If he does, don't worry—we've got your back. But seriously… if you start glowing green or speaking in clicks, I'm out."
Spectra chuckled. "It'll probably take him four years just to catch up again."
R stepped forward, clearing his throat."Uh, so… since the whole 'is he human or not' debate is over, can we focus on the fact that A SPACESHIP CRASHED INTO A BUILDING AND WE HAVEN'T INVESTIGATED IT YET?"He looked at everyone, then added calmly,"Also, I already rebuilt the entire destruction."
Spectra blinked."Wait, seriously? That fast?"
Vire shrugged."That's R. What did you expect?"
Spectra raised a hand."Dude, it's literally my first day on the team. How was I supposed to know that?"He waved it off."Never mind."
He turned to Vanquez."Principal, I'd like to head back home now."
Vanquez nodded."Uh… okay."He tapped his wrist device and teleported Spectra to a spot near his house.
"Thanks!" Spectra called out, before flying the rest of the way unnoticed.
Spectra flew in and landed softly on the balcony."Hey," he called out."Hi," Ali replied from inside, not looking up from his phone.
Hamza walked to his room, heading straight into the bathroom. Standing in front of the mirror, he pulled off his shirt and stared at his reflection.
"Damn… Ali was for real. I got jacked somehow," he muttered, flexing a bit before stepping into the shower.
Minutes later, he came out with damp hair and clean pajamas."Ahhhh," he yawned, stretching as he wandered into the kitchen.
He opened the fridge, grabbed a carton of milk, poured himself a glass, and quickly made a sandwich with honey and white cheese. Then he headed to the living room and set his snack on the table.
Just as he took a bite, Ali walked in, eyes still glued to his phone.
"You know something, Ali?" Hamza asked mid-chew."What?" Ali replied, barely glancing up.
"Eating anything sweet and drinking milk afterward… makes the taste ten times better," Hamza said with total seriousness.
Ali gave him a blank look. "Okay…"
"I'm being serious. It actually works. Tastes amazing."
Ali blinked at him. "It's 5 PM. Why are you wearing pajamas?"
"Because I'm going to sleep," Hamza replied flatly. "Duh."
Ali smacked his forehead. "Bro. We've got a test tomorrow."
"What test?" Hamza asked, still chewing.
They stared at each other in silence for a full second."Dude, we've got a math test tomorrow!" Ali snapped.
"Ohhh, math. Easy. I'm a straight-A student. What's the problem?"
Ali sighed. "It's the hardest lesson on the exam."
"Just shush and let me enjoy my snack, for God's sake," Hamza mumbled, sipping his milk.
Ali shook his head and walked off, phone still in hand.
Hamza stood up, grabbed his snack and drink, and made his way to the couch. He dropped onto it , stretching his arms across the cushions. He took another slow bite of his sandwich, savoring the mix of honey and cheese like it was the last good thing in the world.
Ali walked back into the room, this time without his phone. He flopped down in the armchair with a dramatic sigh.
"You ever think about how peaceful it is when no one's trying to vaporize you?" he asked.
Hamza raised his cup of milk. "To no one trying to vaporize me."
Ali raised an invisible glass. "Cheers."
They sat in silence for a bit. Just background noise, the hum of the fridge, and the soft buzz of streetlights outside.
"Hey," Hamza said, eyes still on the ceiling. "You remember when we were kids and used to pretend the floor was lava?"
Ali chuckled. "Yeah. You always cheated by flying."
"Bro. That was the point," Hamza smirked.
They both laughed. The kind of tired, real laugh that only comes after chaos.
Ali leaned his head back. "Y'know, sometimes I miss those days."
Hamza nodded. "Back when aliens weren't real, and tests were our biggest threat."
A beat.
Ali sat up suddenly. "Speaking of tests—"
Hamza groaned and tossed a pillow at him. "Shut. Up."
The pillow bounced off Ali's head and landed on the floor.
"Uncalled for," Ali muttered, scooping it up and hugging it like a shield.
Hamza leaned his head back, eyes half-closed. "This is the first time I've sat down without worrying about something blowing up."
They both sat there for another long minute. Then Hamza broke the silence again.
"You think I'm normal?" he asked quietly, almost out of nowhere.
Ali turned his head. "What kind of question is that?"
"Like… really. If that alien thinks I'm a trespasser… if my DNA comes back human, but there's still something off—what if I'm not even from here?"
Ali didn't answer right away.
"You're Hamza. You're my best friend. You're a sandwich eating, milk loving, sarcasm machine who nearly blew up my backpack last year because he 'accidentally' used it as a test subject."
Hamza snorted. "That was science."
"My point is," Ali said, grinning now, "you're normal to me. Alien or not."
Hamza looked at him.
"…Thanks," he said softly.
"Now shut up and finish your sandwich before it mutates."
Hamza laughed and took another bite. "Wouldn't be the worst thing that mutated this week."
Ali didn't speak for a second. Then he stood up and walked over to the window, peering out at the sky.
"Y'know, I really thought your life would get easier after joining the Light Syndicate."
Hamza joined him at the window. " Honestly, I think 'easy' left the chat the moment I touched that artifact."
Ali side eyed him. "You saying this is all your fault?"
Hamza shrugged. "Just saying… we've been living in the middle of a sci fi movie for years now I've fought gangsters, mutants, time-loopers, and now an alien.. Might as well start preparing for season two."
Ali let out a short laugh. "Just as long as I'm not the side character who dies heroically for the main guy."
"You never know," Hamza said with a shrug.
Ali gave him a light punch on the shoulder. "Whatever."
"Yeah, whatever," Hamza echoed, flopping back onto the couch and finishing the last of his snack. "Just make sure you study."
He stood up, stretched, and headed to his room. A moment later, he dropped onto his bed with a satisfied sigh.
TBC