�He was all of ours servant, do you think you sure had talked with us about his fate?� Conquest asks.
�He was a waste of space, Greling had done nothing useful since his creation,� Death explains. �But that don�t matter anymore. What does is the Battle Defenders.�
�We had been through this before, Death,� Famine says, tired of the same conversation. �We can�t just focus on killing the Battle Defenders; they must only be a second thought. Or� we would be lucky, if he choose to just destroy us.�
�I�m not talking about exterminating them,� Death starts. �Just show them who they�re messing with.�
Miles away from the scheming Horsemen, at Crestview Heights North High, school continue as normal, as the halls are filled with students and teachers. This includes Holly who is walking up to her best friend, Kenny, at his locker as he taking out his Algebra textbook.
�Hey, Kenny,� Holly says.
�Hi,� Kenny packs his Algebra textbook in his backpack.
�That new compilation CD is out next Tuesday, I think we could go to the store and pick it up,� Holly says. �No offense to Henry, but it probably would take him a month to stock it up and my ipod is dieing for some new tunes.�
�Sound like fun,� Kenny says, closing his locker.
The two friends start down the hallway, when Holly�s arm bumps into a guy�s arm, as he passes them.
�Except me� wait, Holly?� the guy asks.
Holly blinks at the sight of the guy, as there is a familiar presence around him, �Gary, is that you?�
�If not, then I need a new driver license.�
�The same old Gary,� Holly says, before remembering Kenny is still here. �Oh, this is Kenny, my, hum, best friend.� Kenny raises an eyebrow at Holly hesitation. �Kenny, this is Gary, an old friend from elementary school.�
�Actually, we were best friends,� Gary says.
�Yeah, before you moved to the other side of town,� Holly says.
�Hey, you know it wasn�t my fault,� Gary tells her.
�I-I�m sorry, I shouldn�t have said anything,� Holly apologizes, causes another raise eyebrow from Kenny.
�Well, I got to go,� Gary says, continues down the hallway. �Later.�
�Later,� Holly says.
�Hum, you never mention Gary before,� Kenny asks.
�Huh, oh yeah, well, there�s a good reason,� Holly starts. �Both of his parents died in a car accident in the fourth grade. He moved to live with his grandmother, on the other side of town. They must moved or something, or Gary would be going to Crestview Height South High.�
�Anyway, you sound glad to see him again,� Kenny says.
�Wait, Kenny Estelle, are you jealous that he was my best friend?� Holly asks.
�What, no, of course not,� Kenny says, defensive.
�That�s so cute,� Holly mocks Kenny, causing him to blush. �But don�t worry, he�s ancient history.� Holly notices a smile on Kenny�s face. �Speaking of which, can you help me with my history homework after school?�
�Sure, come by the bookstore,� Kenny says. �Like you do, everyday, of every week.�
�Oh, now you got jokes.�
�Hey, Holly, Kenny.�
Holly and Kenny turns to see David coming up toward them.
�What David, are you aging rapidly again?� Holly jokes.
�Funny, but who was that guy you were talking with?� David asks.
�What, are you jealous now?� Holly asks, with a mocking tone.
�What are you talking about?� David asks, puzzled.
�Never mind, it�s Gary, we used to be best friends in elementary school,� Holly answers. �Why you asked.�
�It�s the crowd that I heard he been hanging out with,� David tells them.
�What crowd?� Holly asks, confused.
�The kind that includes Louis Henson.�
�Louis Henson, I heard he was kicked out Crestview Height South High,� Kenny says.
�Yeah, because he brought a gun to school,� David tells them. �He was send to a juvenile detention center, and when he got out, he was transfer to here.�
�But are you should Gary is hanging out with him?� Holly asks.
�Yeah, I saw the two together with couple other guys the other day,� David explains. �And they look petty friendly.�
Holly looks down, deep in thought, thinking about what she learned about her former best friend.
Meanwhile in the secret lab behind BookZ, Henry, the lone survivor of the Organization, the creators of the Battle Defenders, is hard at work in front of the large computer. Henry type�s couple keys while on the screen is a map of all of Crestview Height.
�Damn, there no way of finding the source of that spell,� Henry talks to his self. �The demon that Samantha fought was just a servant; he got to be serving someone. But who.�
Henry starts to think when he notices his cell phone lying on the computer console. He picks it up and dials a phone number.
�Hello, hi, honey,� Henry says to his wife over the phone. �How you doing, Hana? That good and I�m glad the flower shop is doing so well. I�m not surprised, considering your name; you were born to run a flower shop. You heard about the Battle Defenders? Hum, yeah, I am proud about them. They�re a great bunch of kids. Can I talk to Hikari? Oh, she at her fencing club meeting. It�s good she�s a part of a club. And her grades? Just like her father, huh? And she�s studying for her High School entrance exams? Is it kind of early? Then again, I did the same thing. Got to go? Okay. Tell Hikari, I love her. And Hana. I miss you and, I love you. Sayonara.�
Henry closes his cell phone, as he starts to have pleasant memories about the life he had before joining the Organization: his beautiful wife and their beautiful daughter, the light of their life.
Back at Crestview Height North High School, school had ended and Holly manages to find Gary in the still busy hallway.
�Hey, Gary,� Holly says.
�Ah, Holly, I hope you not stalking me now,� Gary jokes.
�Gary, I heard you been hanging around Louis Henson and his friends,� Holly tells him.
�So what, we both has new friends,� Gary says. �You have what-his-name.�
�Kenny, and that different,� Holly starts to explain. �Kenny is a nice, sweet guy, and Louis is a troublemaker. He brought a gun to his last school.�
�He had a past, besides it none of your business who my friends are,� Gary tells her.
�It�s because we were friends, that I�m concern that you are getting involve with the crowd,� Holly says. �With them, you could end up in jail, or worse.�
�Yeah, �we were friends,� meaning, don�t stick your nose where it don�t belong,� Gary tells her, before starting to walk away.
Holly grabs Gary�s arm, trying to stop him, �Listen, Gary, I�m worry about you, okay.�
�Not okay,� Gary says, pushing Holly away from him. �Leave me, alone.�
Gary walks away, leaving Holly alone, sadden that she might fail to help him.
Later, Jeremy is heading toward his white truck in the school parking lot, when he sees Louis, a tall guy with slick black hair and a leather jacket with a skull on the back, Gary, and some other guys talking around couple motorcycles. As Jeremy stands beside his truck, with his keys in hand, he manages to hear pieces of what they�re saying.
�So this going to be it,� Louis says to his friends. �This afternoon, after closing, we going to the other side of town and �borrows� some �supplies� from that old gun shop.�
�W-We going to steal guns?� Gary says, surprised.
�Yeah, got a problem with it, Gary?� Louis asks, walk up close to Gary. �Because if you do��
�No, I-I don�t, I just wondering why?� Gary asks.
�In this world, there are enemies out to destroy us, and the only way to stop them, is with some protection,� Louis explains, putting smiles on his other friends.
Louis then thinks he notices something, but he just sees a white truck. Jeremy had step to the side of his truck, so Louis wouldn�t have see him. But now he holds his keys tightly as he wonders what to do.
Time continues to pass, as Holly and David are hanging out with their friends, Kenny and Samantha, as they run BookZ. Kenny is behind the counter with a history book on the counter, as Holly is on the other side. Samantha is taking inventory with clipboard and a pen, as David is looking at some books on the shelves.
�Holly, are you okay?� Kenny asks his friends.
�Huh?�
�You seem distracted,� Kenny tells her.
�I guess I been thinking about Gary,� Holly says.
�You talked to him, nothing else you can do now,� Samantha tells Holly.
�Still, I wish there is more I can do,� Holly says. �I�m just afraid something bad will happen to Gary, as long as he hangs around Louis.�
�You might be right,� Jeremy says, as he enters the store.
�Jeremy,� Samantha says, not seeing him coming.
�What you talking about?� Holly asks him.
�I just overheard they�re talking about robbing some gun shop on the other side town this afternoon,� Jeremy explains.
�What? Are you sure?� Holly asks, with Jeremy nods in agreement. �This can�t be. Hum, Kenny, David, Samantha, can I talk to you guys, in privately.�
�Sure,� Samantha says, as the four friends walk into the backroom, leaving Jeremy by his self.
�Okay, that wasn�t odd,� Jeremy says to his self.
In a matter of seconds, Kenny, Samantha, David, and Holly are in the secret lab, with Henry.
�It might be a little crazy, but I got a plan,� Holly tells her friends. �I know it wasn�t what the Battle Defenders are for. But I think maybe if they can confront Louis� gang, they could stop them.�
�I think it�s a good plan, Holly,� Henry tells her.
�Definitely,� Kenny agrees.
�The Battle Defenders were made to help people,� Samantha says.
�So let�s save the day,� David says.
Across town, time continues to pass, when Louis, Gary, and their friends arrive at the gun shop, with a �closed� sign on the front door.
�Okay, Gary, prove your muscle,� Louis says to his friend. �Pick the lock.�
�Hum, okay,� Gary says, slowly walk up to the door.
�I wouldn�t do that if I would you.�
The small gang looks to see Battle Violet comes out from the right side of the building with Battle Pink.
�I agree.�
The gang turns to see Battle Orange comes out from the left side of the building with Battle Green.
�What you want?� Louis asks, angry.
�We want to stop you all from making a big mistake,� Holly tells him.
�A mistake,� Gary says to his self.
�Yeah right, with theses we can blow away all of our enemies,� says one of the gangsters.
�Violent is never the answer,� Samantha says.
�You don�t believe that, I saw you on the news, fighting those creatures,� another of the gangsters says.
�That is different,� Kenny starts to explain. �We fight demons to protect other people. And we only destroy them, if there are no other options. And sadly, we were forced to take one too many demon lives.�
�But what you�re talking about isn�t protecting the innocent but seeking blind revenge,� David tells them. �If you take those guns and shoot people, then you will be no better then soulless demons.�
�We understand that bad things might have happened to you in the past,� Holly says. �But when something happens, bad or good, you can�t let it destroy your live and causes others their lives. You need to stand back up, learns from life�s lessons, and continue on.�
Gary and the other gangsters are starting to think about what the Battle Defenders are saying, when Louis starts to laugh.
�What so funny?� Kenny asks.
��Violent isn�t the answer,� you got to be kidding,� Louis says. �In this world, it kill or been killed. Destroy them, before they destroy you. That is life�s lessons. And now I will teach it to you!�
Suddenly Louis becomes surrounded by yellow energy that circles around him, till he changes into a large gray creature wearing a bandana with a skull on it and a large skull on his back.
�What the?!� Gary yells, as everyone looks on, surprised.
�He�s a demon!� David yells.
�Yeah, I�m Ganlord and with the real Louis still locked up, I could corrupt these kids, if it wouldn�t for you,� he explains.
�You will pay for this,� Kenny tells him.
�Yeah, right,� Ganlord says when his right hand transforms into a long rifle and fires it at the Battle Defenders.
The Battle Defenders dodge out of the way, as Gary and the others scatter and the gun shop is blasted. The other kids run away, but Gary stays behind a car.
�Try dodging this,� Ganlord fires another shot at David.
�Battle Lance, Battle Ready!� David holds up his weapon as it appears and tries to blocks the attack, but it fails as he is blow back.
�Still thinks violence isn�t the answer?� Ganlord asks.
�Not with you,� Kenny says, with his Battle Saber readied, as he jumps up toward Ganlord from behind.
Ganlord turns around to block with his rifle hand, but Kenny cuts through it. Ganlord falls down, but quickly returns to his feet.
�Now that is the only good gun, a broken one,� Kenny says, as he takes a fighting stance.
�Think again,� Ganlord says, as the half rifle that is still part of his arm grows back into a full rifle.
�What!� Kenny says, surprised.
�Say �hello� to my little friend,� Ganlord says, fires at Kenny, who is able to defend his self, and falls down. �Who next?�
�I am,� Holly says, jumping up toward Ganlord, with her Battle Axe readied.
Holly launches a kick, but Ganlord blocks it with his rifle arm, and Holly flips back onto her feet. Holly steps to the side and Samantha fires laser arrows with her Battle Bow at Ganlord, but he fires shots to stop each laser arrows in midair.
�Let�s have some real fun,� Ganlord says, as his rifle hand transforms into a bazooka.
Ganlord fires at Samantha, who is blasted back. Then Holly fires a kick that gets blocked, follows by a dodged axe strike. Gary continues to watch fight, when he looks into the wrecked gun shop and notices a barrel of gunpowder in the back of the store. Gary nods his head and then runs off to the side.
Meanwhile Holly is continuing her fight with Ganlord, who ducks under another axe strike, when he places his bazooka hand at Holly�s abdomen and then fires, sending her flying backward. Holly starts to return to her feet as the other Battle Defenders regroup around her.
�I don�t think our armor can take much more,� Holly says, when she notices Gary is on the side of the gun shop, rolling a barrel. �Guys, keep Ganlord busy, I�ll be right back.�
�Right,� David says, as he, Kenny, and Samantha rush Ganlord.
Holly runs over to Gary, while her friends continue their fight with Ganlord.
�What are you doing?� Holly asks Gary.
�I found this barrel of gunpowder, I thought it might help,� Gary explains.
�Gunpowder, huh,� Holly says, looking at the barrel. �Thanks, Ga-hum, thanks, kid. But you need to go now.�
�Okay, and thanks you, too,� Gary says, before running.
�You welcome, old friend,� Holly says, as she watches him running off.
Kenny, Samantha, and David regroup as they face Ganlord, when Holly runs up to her friends.
�Samantha, do you think you can fire a laser arrow into his bazooka?� Kenny asks.
�I might,� Samantha answers.
�Good idea, while you do that, I need Kenny and David, I got a plan,� Holly tells her friends.
�It�s your last plan that got us in this mess,� David mocks.
�Let�s just do this,� Kenny says.
�The only thing you going to do is die,� Ganlord tells them as he readies his bazooka arm.
�We�ll see,� Holly says, as she aiming a laser arrow as her friends run off.
�Gotcha,� Ganlord fires his bazooka.
Samantha rolls out of the way, missing the attack, and then fires her laser arrow into the mouth of the bazooka, causing it to explain.
�Now, I�m mad,� Ganlord says, as his damaged bazooka arm transforms into a rifle.
Ganlord aims his rifle when Kenny and Holly jump toward him. They then jump off Ganlord�s shoulders. Ganlord turns to face them.
�Is that your plan?� Ganlord asks, as Kenny and Holly ready their weapons.
�No, that is,� Holly points to behind Ganlord.
Ganlord turns to see David pushes the barrel of gunpowder which starts to roll toward him.
�Nothing can save you,� Ganlord says, fires his rifle at the barrel, which explodes consuming Ganlord in a large explosion.
The Battle Defenders, still with their weapons, regroup.
�Well that takes care of business,� David says.
�At least it now over,� Samantha says.
Suddenly, bolts of lightning hits the four friends, as they are blasted back. They look up to see a shocking sign: Death, War, Famine, and Conquest riding their horses toward them.
�What in the world are them?� David asks, as they return to their feet.
�Wait, don�t you take it,� Samantha says. �Four demons, riding horseback��
�Oh my god,� Kenny says, upon realizing it.
�Death, War, Famine, and Conquest,� Samantha says, quietly and scared. �They�re the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.�
�It can�t be,� Holly says, as the Four Horsemen comes to a stop.
�But it is Battle Orange,� War says. �And you won�t interfere with our mission.�
�Mission?� Kenny says, confused.
�We will show you, our power,� Death says, open one hand before all four of them raises their hands forward, shooting lightning at the Battle Defenders as they disappear.
Suddenly David is another dimension that resembles a courtyard outside an old castle. He turns and sees Conquest, with his bow, walking toward him.
�Conquest, I presume?� David says.
�Battle Green, meet your fate,� Conquest tells him.
�We met, it didn�t work our, we parted on good terms though,� David jokes.
�Joking to relives pressure and fears, how childish,� Conquest says. �It�s a shame you will never outgrow it.�
Conquest holds up his bow and points it at David.
�Don�t tell you use laser arrows too,� David says.
�Not laser arrows, shadow arrows,� Conquest explains, as an arrow, that is similar made out a shadow, appears in the bow.
Conquest fires the arrow at David, who twirls his Battle Lance to stop it, but the arrow continues to travel through the air, till he hits David. David tries to return to his feet as he watches Conquest readies another shadow arrow.
�If close-range won�t work,� David says, upon return to his feet. �Then I try long-range.� David presses �1� button on his Battle Gauntlet, �Battle Laser, Battle Ready!�
David�s Battle Laser appears on his hand, before it fires two shots at Conquest. Each shot disappear inches before Conquest. Surprised at what happened, David fires couple more time, with the same result. Conquest then fires his shadow arrow, which hits it mark on David.
�Don�t forget about theses,� Conquest says, before the shots that David fired appears out of thin air in front of Conquest and hits David.
Meanwhile Holly finds herself in a dimension that resembles a battlefield, with swords and arrows sticking out of the ground. She then sees War, with his sword, walking toward her.
�Eh, the Battle Axe is stronger then the sword,� Holly readies her Battle Axe.
�We�ll see about that,� War says, before charging Holly.
Holly fires a strike at War, but he disappears before the attack could connect.
�What?!� Holly says, and then starts to look around for him.
�Lost something?� War says behind Holly.
Holly turns around, but it was too late, War strikes her down with his sword. Holly returns to her feet and counters with a strike from her axe, but War disappear again. Suddenly, translucent images of War starts running back and forth by Holly, striking her as each pass. Then the real War jumps up and strikes her down with his sword.
Meanwhile Samantha looks around in a dimension that resembles an empty meadow with dead plants and crops. She then sees Famine, with his balance scales, walking slowly toward her.
�Going to kill me with balance scales?� Samantha asks, readying her Battle Bow.
�Actually, yeah,� Famine says, holds up his balance scales. �Each side of the scales holds a different power. First��
The left side of the scales lowers, when suddenly, a blow of razor winds flies toward Samantha. The attack connects, blasting Samantha backward. As she tries to return to her feet, Famine lowers the balance scales.
�Want to see its other power?� Famine asks.
�Actually, no,� Samantha says, fires a laser arrow at Famine.
Famine quickly raises the balance scales, and the right side lowers. The laser arrow stops inches from Famine, as blue electric fires from the point of the arrow, almost like it had hit some kind of wall.
�It would seem you will see its other power,� Famine tells her. �The power to absorb an attack and returns it, with double the punch. Now, enjoy!�
The laser arrow changes into a large pink orb and flies back at Samantha, causing a large explosion around her.
Meanwhile Kenny finds his self in a dimension that resembles a graveyard, with tombstones all over the place. Kenny places one hand on a nearby tombstone as he looks down depresses.
�Got a thing about graves?� Death says, standing couple feet behind Kenny.
Kenny turns around to face his opponent, �I guess you�re Death.�
�True, Death is my name, but it is also what you will experience now,� Death threats, as he readies his scythe.
�No, we will stop you and the other Horseman,� Kenny says, readies his Battle Saber, and then rushes toward Death.
Kenny and Death�s weapons clash, as they switch sides. Death strikes down his scythe, but Kenny holds up his saber to block it.
�You can�t win, surrenders yourself to death, where your friends will meet,� Death says.
Then Kenny looks up at Death, angrily, �Don�t threat my friends!�
Kenny pushes up Death and his scythe and then delivers a kick to Death�s abdomen. But Death counters by throwing his scythe, which becomes surrounded by dark green energy, as it spins toward Kenny, back and forth, as it hits Kenny as it pass. The scythe lands in Death�s hand who then delivers a downward strike at Kenny.
Suddenly Kenny falls back onto the city street, where David, Samantha, and Holly also fall. Several feet away from them are the Four Horsemen.
�We can�t lose here,� Holly says, as the four return to their feet.
�We won�t,� Kenny tells them. �Summons your Battle Lasers and let�s combine firepower.
�Right!� Samantha, David, and Holly say in unison.
�Battle Laser, Battle Ready!�
The Battle Defenders summon their Battle Lasers and fire together; causing the four shots to connect at one point and become a huge blast that flies at the Four Horsemen. But the Four Horsemen each holds up one arm and a wall of fire appears before them, stopping the huge blast in midair.
�We made our point,� Famine says. �We expel too much energy, already.�
�No, it will end here,� Death says.
�Don�t be a fool,� Conquest tells him. �We need to return to the cave, so its magic could revive our lost energy.�
�No,� Death says, angry. �I won�t leave, till they are dead!!�
Suddenly Death turns into a glowing green skull, which fires through the wall of fire and hits the Battle Defenders and causes a large explosion. As the smoke clears, Death places on foot on David�s chest, another foot on Holly�s abdomen, presses the blade of his scythe against Samantha�s neck, and grabs Kenny�s neck with his free hand. The Battle Defenders are obviously injured and weaken.
�This is what happens when you try to play hero,� Death tells them. �You die a horrible death.�
But suddenly Death starts to feel weak; as he releases Kenny and pieces of green energy appears at different spots of his body.
�That fool,� Conquest says, as the wall of fire fades away. �He expelled too much energy.�
�We need to get him back to the cave, before he is pulled back into the Underworld,� Famine says. �We will still need him to complete our mission.�
War, Famine, and Conquest turn into green energy and flies toward Death. Still in energy form, they surround Death and they all disappear together, leaving the Battle Defenders, beaten, on the floor.
Later, back at the secret lab behind BookZ, Kenny, Samantha, David, and Holly, out of their armor, are behind Henry as he searches the computer�s database.
�The Four Horsemen of Apocalypse,� Henry starts. �They were created by Hades, a being of pure evil. He created them, so they can prepare the world for his eventual escape to Earth. An age old prophecy foretold of Hades� escape to Earth, once his Four Horsemen creates a world of chaos and destruction, I guess it why they here, the Organization�s database says Crestview Height is sometime of a spiritual focal point.�
�Does it say when Hades will escape?� Samantha asks.
�Yeah, it will take place at the turn of the century after the second millennium,� Henry tells them. �That is the beginning of the year 2010.�
�2010?� Holly says, shocked. �Hades will escape in a year and half?�
�I�m afraid so, if the Four Horsemen are successful,� Henry says.
�We barely survived against them today,� Kenny says. �How can we stop them from freeing Hades?�
�If Hades is free, then it will be hell on Earth,� Henry explains.
�Yeah, and we might not be able to stop it from happening,� David tells him.
�You can�t think that way,� Henry says.
�We almost died today,� Holly says.
�But you didn�t,� Henry states the obvious.
�Only because they left,� Samantha tells him.
�If we can�t beat the Four Horsemen,� Kenny starts. �Then we can�t stop Hades, and Earth is doomed.�
�You can still make a difference,� Henry tries to explain.
�We never fought anything like them before,� Samantha says. �We might not don�t have a chance.�
Kenny looks at each of his friends, �We might not be able to win. Or survive.�
Next time on Battle Defenders:
It never easy been a part-time superhero with a part-time job and been a fulltime student, but Kenny might find some enjoyment with his sixteenth birthday.
But when the tired hero goes to sleep, Kenny might never wake up when he finds even his subconscious isn�t safe.
On the next Battle Defenders.