By the time I arrived at the coffee shop, it was already too late. Everyone inside the restaurant was turned to stone. The PAWS officers were already on the case and about five steps ahead. But don't worry, in about ten minutes everyone will return to normal. I was more concerned with Archie. Poor Archie Stevenson. I was meeting him here to discuss what to do about his...situation.

Listening to the eyewitnesses and checking out the security video, I pieced together what happened. Archie sat at a table waiting for me, drinking a coffee. Suddenly, the people at the table next to him got into an argument over whether we should put a force field around the solar system in order to keep out aliens. That was all it took to "trigger" Archie. He doubled over for a second like he'd eaten bad pork then a gas cloud sprayed over everyone. Once it cleared, everyone was turned to stone. Archie naturally ran and PAWS soon followed.

PAWS has been after him ever since he arrived. They see him as an unregistered transbeing. Every transbeing upon turning eighteen must register with PAWS as either Good, Evil, or Neutral. You then either join the International League of Super-Transbeings (ILOST) to be trained in helping the world, or you join the Legion of Villainous Entities (LOVE) and trained in how to take over and/or destroy the world. Or you can stay Neutral and become part of PAWS (Paranormal And Weirdness Specialists) and trained to become a "normal" member of society, such as an actor or doctor or PAWS officer.

I scanned the coffee shop, already the people were starting to thaw. Archie must have left a clue somewhere. I eventually spotted the money Archie used to pay for the coffee, which is odd because a) everyone just uses eCred and b) it was in the shape of a triangle. I knew where Archie was.

I found Archie not long ago when Sally and I took a diving adventure sea cruise.

***

I stepped onto the deck of the luxury cruise liner. I wore a dark tux complete with cummerbund. Oranges and reds played along the horizon as the sun set. The wind stroke my blond hair as shadows stretched across the floor. Standing next to the guardrail was the sunlight beauty known as my girlfriend (sunlight meaning she's blonde for those less romantic in the audience). She wore an elegant light blue dress. She slowly turned to me, her dress and hair danced in the wind.

"Joe," she said, "it was such a wonderful idea to take a cruise for our anniversary. Swimming with the dolphins, seeing the coral reef, and watching you wrestle that shark...it was lovely."

"Well, he did try to steal my tuna sandwich."

She softly touched my cheek. "Only one more thing would make this day flawless: lift me onto the guardrail and hold me tight."

I gently lifted her onto the guardrail. She stretched out her arms. Soft, romantic music swelled from somewhere.

"It's perfect," Sally said, breathlessly.

Suddenly, she whipped out a plasma shotgun and fired. In the distance a small buoy exploded.

"Excellent, most excellent." A plump man with a bushy, white mustache and spectacles approached us as I lowered Sally. The man turned to the crowd. "And with a new record of 251 yards, we have a winner, Miss Sally Pine."

The audience applauded as the trophy was handed over to Sally. She clutched it close to her chest. "Oh, thank you! I couldn't have done it without my lovely assistant." She motioned to me as cameras clicked.

But things went horribly wrong when the ship hit a vortex of some sort.

A crew member pointed towards a swirling blackness. "Captain! Abyss straight ahead!" The abyss looked like a massive whirlpool, but also similar to a black hole. It looked like a normal whirlpool but darker, like not very much light escaped it. Though, enough light seemed to escape to make it look menacing.

***

I woke to find myself separated from everyone else. But thanks to my tracking skills, I was able to locate the other passengers; they were relaxing by the pool. About a hundred yards from where I landed was a resort. It was ran by the completely and not at all shady Amadeus Steel. He informed us that we were in the Bermuda Triangle. Now, I've seen some interesting things during my time as a superhero. For instance, Stonehenge is really an invisible shopping center used by transbeings. And the Easter Island heads are remnants of an ancient battle involving mechs. And how crop circles are really made by teenage aliens "tagging" the land. Yup, those circles say, "Glee-bob loves Mer-rickie," and "Zebogree was here," and "Eat at Joe's" (I'm still trying to figure out that last one). And FYI, Elvis is dead, but his clone is alive and well and living in Indiana.

But I never expected a resort in the Bermuda Triangle.

It got worse. This was no ordinary resort; it was a tourist trap, and by tourist trap, I mean Amadeus Steel was keeping everyone prisoner until they bought something from the gift shop. I'm sure you're thinking, "That's not so bad," but the guy charged 80 dollars for a pair of Bermuda shorts! If that wasn't bad enough, he had a serious grudge against superheroes. It was mainly because he was an evil overlord.

In a very hostile takeover, he stole the resort from the true owner, Lucas Lite. You see long ago, a company called Blue Light Technologies (BLT) created an amazing virtual reality system. It was the kind everyone had been dreaming of for years, so real it gave reality a bad name. However, BLT soon learned they had not created a virtual reality system but a system in which you could visit other realities.

But that was not all, faithful readers, the moment they activated the machine it created a web connecting all the realities. Before the machine, the parallel worlds were just that...parallel—they didn't cross. But the machine, um, made "holes."

Do you want to take a guess at where they activated the machine? It was here; the place that would lovingly be called the Bermuda Triangle. The Bermuda Triangle became the center of all parallel worlds. The machine is still located somewhere within BLT headquarters, a skyscraper, which now keeps the whole Omniverse in harmony. If the machine failed or something messed with the harmony, the worlds would begin to collide with each other and there would be mass chaos and darkness.

To atone for his hubris, Mr. Lite remained in the Triangle to watch over the machine. He soon discovered people who'd stumbled upon the Triangle gateway. He opened the resort as a place for the people to rest and learn about the many universes. Some returned to their homeworld; others ventured to other worlds; some stayed with Lite and became employees to help him. One such employee was Archie Stevenson.

Archie worked the pods that allowed people to experience, not visit, the other worlds. One day, one of the pods malfunctioned while he was doing maintenance. The electric discharged shot completely through his chest and flung him across the room. Soon after waking, he found he had a...condition. If someone mentioned or did certain things, he'd become "triggered" and gain a random power. Some were helpful, like being able to win at anything; some were not, like turning people to stone. These "trigger" events are usually controversial topics or pet peeves of people. For example, one time he transformed into a giant ant because another employee told him that a co-worker borrowed her pencil and chewed it.

Eventually, Lucas Lite realized that Archie had absorbed some of the "quantum improbability field" that was part of the parallel tech. This is why his trigger attacks were so random. Archie's event probability was altered.

I'm sure by now you're wondering how I know all this. It's because I met Lite. While trying to stop Steel from killing me (I told you he had a grudge against superheroes), I found the prison where Lucas and Archie were kept. Actually, Amadeus caught me and threw me in there.

Lite also told me why Steel wanted the place. "Whoever rules the island, rules the Omniverse." Turned out this was not the first time someone invaded the island and tried to take control. "But I'm getting older now," said Lite. "One of these days, I'll have to hand over the company to someone else." Lite explained that the cane in Steel's possession was the master key to the place. It is what gave the holder their authority. It controlled everything—including the quantum realm flux generator (or QRFG 3000).

Lite, Archie, and I soon hatched a plan. We escaped and confronted Amadeus Steel. Archie and I ultimately defeated Steel. Finally, with cane in hand, Lucas Lite was once again in control.

"I'm done with resorts," said Lite. "Maybe I'll open a theme park."

***

I found Archie at one of the outposts set up by BLT. Soon after realizing their discovery, they began exploring the other realms.

He sat in a large, old, empty room; all that was left was a chair and table. The room looked like it'd been important at one point, but now it was abandoned. He fiddled with a sign. When he saw me, he sat it on the table. "I helped write that...before the accident." He sighed and leaned back. "Attention all Journey-men," he quoted. "To insure a safe Shift, follow these simple rules. One, go towards the light. Two, hold tight to the harmonic iron rod. It will keep you from getting lost as you travel through all that Is, Was, and Could Be. Three, only partake of the provided food and drink. If you eat or drink something from the Other Realm, you will be stuck there until you digest the item in about 10 hours. Four, avoid the Cleaners." He glanced at me with a mournful sigh. "Now, I'm a fugitive with no home. I don't even exist in this reality. I should have stayed in the Triangle."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Why don't you come to Freedom Isle and join ILOST. We can help you get registered."

"Can you help me not be triggered?" I glanced away for a moment. "I thought so. No one can help me. Thanks for the offer, Joe, but I can't. I'd be a danger to everyone; just like I was today. And back in the Triangle."

"We can help train you; help you control it."

Archie scoffed. "I have an Improbability Field coursing through me. There's no controlling it."

I handed him a memory card. "That'll let you contact ILOST if you ever need help." He nodded his thanks and I left the outpost and joined the throng of city people rushing off to wherever. A breaking news report appeared in my news feed. I used the Omni-Cuff to open it. A news anchor appeared on my holographic screen. "PAWS agents are still on the hunt for the one who attacked Milky Way Coffee this morning. The rouge transbeing is only known as...The Trigger." 

_____

Words: 1877

Entry for the "Nautical Adventures" prompt

https://www.wattpad.com/591851607-contests-nautical-adventure