In the middle of a quiet neighborhood at night, an inventor was busy at work inside his basement. Tinkering with tools and supplies working on a project. It was a device that he wanted to use to make a difference in the world. It was a ray that could zap two or more objects and combine their functionalities together, creating something new, something useful. It was a project that actually showed some success, as his previous ones failed. No views on them at all. After adding in one last screw and writing a report, he concluded his work for the night. The invention was soon finished, and Lunar went to bed.
The next day, Lunar walked to school alone, but his friend caught up to him.
"What's good bro!" -Aidan
"Only sleep deprived, and you?" -Lunar
"You know, you really should've just gone to bed. I'm sure whatever you were working on would've turned on fine," -Aidan
"Can't take any risks, you know I don't do that stuff," -Lunar
This invention could change the world, and Lunar knew it. He didn't wanna take any risks with it. A device like that in the wrong hands could be a powerful weapon.
"Hey nerd! Don't blow up the school with that thing!" It was the school's main bully, Finley.
"I don't plan to!" -Lunar
"God I hate that guy," -Aidan
"Same, but no one wants to stand up to him," -Lunar
Lunar and Aidan took their seats as the presentation was about to start. Some presenters went up first to showcase their projects. There were small science tricks and gadgets shown, but Lunar was confident that his Super Merge would take over the show and become a worldwide hit. Soon enough, Lunar was called onto the stage.
"Good luck bud!" -Aidan
"Thanks," -Lunar
Lunar walked to the stage, hoping that everything would go well. There was a brief silence before he started to talk.
"Hi everyone! I got something pretty cool to showcase today. I created a device called the Super Merge," -Lunar
He pulled it out and turned it on. The crowd seemed fascinated. In the back of the audience, even Finley stopped looking at his phone to look at the device. He was certainly interested in it.
"With this device, I can zap two or more objects to merge them together into one, combining their powers. Not only could this save space on extra gadgets, but the powers that can come out of the new product could prove to be extremely versatile and extra power. Observe," -Lunar
He grabbed a potted flower and a lamp and used the Super Merge on both of them. A bright flashed covered the room before thinning away. What remained was a single potted plant, with a light bulb at the head of it. Able to light up the room on its own and display as a nice plant still.
"That, is the power of my Super Merge," -Lunar
The crowd cheered and reporters rushed to the front to ask him questions.
"Are there limits to this device?" -Reporter 1
"How much power can it generate if used correctly?" -Reporter 2
"Will you be making more of these to sell?" -Reported 3
"Don't worry I'll answer you all. I do want to mass produce them of course! It could change the world," -Lunar
More questions were asked and Lunar kept answering. He kept answering until one question caught his attention.
"What if you decide to weaponize this Super Merge?" -Reporter 1
"I'm sorry what? The Super Merge is designed to provide flexibility and convenience to people, not fight battles," -Lunar.
"Then surely, giving them to the public is a bad idea is it not?" -Reporter 1
The school's principal came up to quiet the reporters down and conclude the presentation. Lunar was thanked for his showcase, and he and Aidan quickly left the building to hangout at a nearby store.
"That was some presentation. You weren't lying you got the whole press on you," -Aidan
"I'm glad I did, I think. They were interested, but what if that reporter is right?" -Lunar
"About weaponizing your device? I can't say it wouldn't happen. The world is not a kind place you know," -Aidan.
"But if I keep the device to myself, no one can benefit from it. I already got tons of messages asking for one. They are even willing to fund it. I could become rich too!" -Lunar
"Yeah, that too. Money talks," -Aidan
"It's a strong tool, but I only ever tested it on smaller objects. Maybe it wouldn't be able to work on larger things anyways. It might be fine," -Lunar
"Might, but, not guaranteed," -Aidan
The two of them bought some candy before leaving the store. The day was over so they were heading home again.
"Maybe you could try to retest it on a larger scale and who knows. If it goes well then I would consider taking in those commissions," -Aidan
"Yeah, maybe you're right. Thanks again," -Lunar
"Anytime," -Aidan
The two split paths and Lunar went back inside to his basement to get back to work. The device was strong, but he wanted to make it even stronger. He started researching natural merging processes to see what he can take from nature itself. A special type of Sea Cucumber can eject its own body parts as defense and then merge back with it after. Lunar's updated Super Merge design took inspiration from this, allowing it to have an option to unmerge the new product on command whenever needed. In addition with some hardware upgrades, the Super Merge would now be able to zap objects as large as a whole house now. Lunar almost found that out the hard way, as he almost destroyed his own home during testing. With careful precautions, he carefully put the device back in its storage area and went to bed. His dreams were about to come true.
The next morning, he decided to pay a little trip to the local science centre with his device to see what they thought about it. The centre was home to an icon in the science world, Tom Phan, promoting him in the screens and holograms, but never making a live appearance. Lunar approached the innovator's corner to share his idea.
"Hi! I'm here to showcase something I made," -Lunar
"What do you got?" -Employee
"I call it the Super Merge. Trust me it has potential," -Lunar
"We'll see about it. You can wait in line there," -Employee
The employee pointed to a long line that stretched through a lot of the science centre.
"Oh dear," -Lunar
After waiting for a few hours, Lunar finally got to the end of the line and entered the innovator's corner. A series of judges were there to evaluate current products, but their criticisms were at an all time high. Lunar watched as a kid's windmill got disqualified almost immediately. He gulped, his turn to show off was now.
"Lunar is it? What do you have here for us today?" -Judge 1
"Aha yeah. I got something that should blow your minds. My Super Merge!" -Lunar
He pulled out the device and wasted no time showcasing its powers. The merge latched onto a chair and a television in the background, creating a TV that you sit on and watch at the same time. The judges were impressed and started writing down notes right away.
"I've never seen anything quite like this," -Judge 2
"Truly remarkable," -Judge 3
Lunar was relieved that his invention was getting the attention it deserved. Another person started walking over to Lunar.
"I must say, that's quite the device. Pleased to meet you Lunar," -?
"Oh thanks! It was quite a breakthrough for me. And you are?" -Lunar
"I'm Henry. I supervise the reviews here. I've never seen anyone here get the attention of our judges here. Even the automated cookie maker we had in last week couldn't get a reaction," -Henry
"Glad to make an impact haha," -Lunar
"I saw your invention on TV when you were at the school yesterday, and I was hoping you would come here one day," -Henry
"Oh you did? How come" -Lunar
"I'm sure you have gotten a lot of proposals, but I want to help you out. Expand production and get this device into the hands of people all around the world, for the greater good!" -Henry
"Wow really? That's all I wanted to do. To make an impact and help," -Lunar
"I'm glad you think so too. The opportunity is now or never," -Henry
"Oh so fast?" -Lunar
"Opportunities don't come often. What do you say," -Lunar
Lunar thought about it for a bit, but ultimately decided on agreeing.
"I'm in. Where do we start?" -Lunar
The two began walking to the top of the science centre. Henry had a helicopter ready for the two of them to go.
"Fancy travel I see," -Lunar
"Just how I like it," -Henry
The helicopter took off before landing in a large open space in Toronto. It was a large factory with tons of trucks coming in and out.
"Looks busy here. What do you guys make?" -Lunar
"The innovator's corner exists to help us find new talent. When we find something good, we bring it here to our factory to develop the same technology and sell it," -Henry
"Will I get a percentage?" -Lunar
"Of course dude," -Henry
They walked into the factory, showing many conveyor belts and workers walking around. It was busy and booming. The two walked inside Henry's office to begin formal discussions.
"Now your Super Merge is unlike anything I've ever seen, truly. But the applications are limitless, I can tell," -Henry
"I got lots of ideas. Convenience is going to be in everyone's life after this," -Lunar
"Yes, but it has potential. More potential past that. Think about improving defenses. Our country can have better tools to protect our people. Or purses that can act as weapons for self defense," -Henry
That caught Lunar's attention. It was the one thing he was afraid of.
"I'm you want to weaponize the Super Merge?" -Lunar
"No, not directly. The thing is your Super Merge has the power to create weapons, though it is not a weapon itself. I thought it was something you already considered," -Henry
"It is, but no one can control the purposes of what people want to use it for," -Lunar
"True, but if we mass produce this, you gotta understand we need to advertise good reasons to use this for, and self defense is no exception," -Henry
"Right, I mean, I guess that's fair," -Lunar
"What you saw back down there was the largest assembly line in the country. You give us those schematics, and I guarantee you we can get this in production and distributed fast," -Henry
Lunar needed to think about it one last time. He still wasn't exactly sure if giving out the Super Merge to the public was a good idea, but eventually caved in.
"Alright, I accept the terms," -Lunar
Lunar signed the contract and handed over the paperwork needed. He rushed back home to tell Aidan all about it.
"And then he was like, "I guarantee you this will go well" bla bla bla. I hope this goes well," -Lunar
"I mean, it sounds fine. It's not like they can make this overnight. I'm sure it will be a while until your device is able to be shared," -Aidan
"Yeah, you're right too," -Lunar
On Lunar's way back he saw Finley picking on some younger kids. Lunar didn't want to do anything at first, but decided to in the end. He used his device to zap a nearby fence and plant to chain Finley up.
"You alright guys?" -Lunar
"Yeah, thanks!" -Kid 1
The kids left while Lunar stayed to have a chat with Finley.
"So, picking on people even after school. God I really thought you couldn't get any worse Finley," -Lunar
"You should've just minded your own business," -Finley
"Maybe but, I can't watch you just push people around," -Lunar
Lunar left, knowing that the chains would eventually decompose and set him free.
"This isn't over!" Finley
If one thing was confirmed for Lunar, his Super Merge could definitely be used as a weapon now.
Lunar got a text from Henry as he woke up. Henry wanted Lunar to come down to the factory right away and arranged a driver to come get him. Confused, Lunar quickly got dressed, grabbed some breakfast and went in the car. During the drive to the city, he noticed billboards promoting his Super Merge device, as well as ads on the big screens. He was confused as to why Henry was already promoting the device this quickly.
"What on Earth are you up to Henry?" -Lunar
The car arrived and Lunar walked in. He was shocked to see early models of the Super Merge already being placed on the conveyor belts.
"What do you think?" -Henry
"What do I think? How did you possibly build the hardware this quickly!?" -Lunar
"I told you, this place is efficient. Very efficient," -Henry
"Did you read through all the safety precautions!? This thing can be dangerous if not built right!" -Lunar
"Woah don't worry Lunar. My team and I are very careful with these types of things. Trust me I've worked in this kind of industry for a while now," -Henry
"I get it, but I spent maybe 4 years perfecting this design," -Lunar
"And you deserve some nice compensation for this," -Henry
Henry handed Lunar a big nice stack of cash.
"For you," -Henry
"Oh wow, this is uh. Thank you," -Lunar
"I know this is all very sudden, but we were ready to make whatever came at us. It's in good hands," -Henry
"Yesterday I used it to help some kids out from a bully. It didn't hurt anyone but it could have. That's what I don't want to happen," -Lunar
"When distribution is ready, I will let you know. For now, relax! You just made yourself a fortune," -Henry
Lunar left seemingly happy. Only time would tell what would happen when the Super Merge was ready to be sold.
At Finley's hangout, things were not all sunshine. Finley was still trying to remove the chains stuck inside him acting as rose thorns. He was mad, and already did not Lunar that much from before.
"Stupid device," -Finley
He didn't like what it did to him, but he thought that in his hands, he could use it to leverage chaos against Lunar, and the city for that matter. Any positive thoughts were clouded by thoughts of hatred and revenge. Sitting on his desk was a picture of his parents, but both were not there anymore. Finley turned on his computer and began researching anything he could find about the Super Merge. He searched for a while before landing on the website for Henry's production centre.
"Bingo" -Finley
Finley spent the rest of the evening and night shopping for supplies to help him recreate the Super Merge. With some investigating he was able to get a brief copy of schematics off the website. Production took about 2 hours, but Finley was able to create a product that was seemingly able to work. After trying to test it on the same plant and lamp combo, the product failed and instantly disintegrated.
"Jesus," -Finley
He tried looking to see if anything was missing in the schematics. According to his list he got everything.
"You are smart Lunar," -Finley
After trying some more things, Finley decided to give up and head upstairs.
The next day at school, Finley went up to two brothers Gra, and Jay.
"Hello fellas. I heard many things about you guys," -Finley
"Yeah? What's that?" -Gray
"That, you guys are great for getting what you want, and that's what I need," -Finley
"Well you better be ready to pay up because we don't do this work for free," -Jay
"I don't have any money, but I was hoping to help me anyways," -Finley
"Seriously. Let's scram Gray," -Jay
They started walking away, but Finley shot a deadly blast from his broken Super Merge and disintegrated a rock next to them. The duo stopped and turned back.
"It wasn't a request," -Finley
In the library, many more students were surrounding Lunar asking to see the Super Merge.
"I'm sorry everyone but the schematics were already given to a factory to mass produce. You guys will just have to wait a bit before getting your hands on one," -Lunar
Disappointed, the crowd of students left, leaving Lunar and Aidan in the library.
"Don't worry, you'll be rich soon," -Aidan
"Yeah, but at what cost. My sanity?" -Lunar
"Whatever you showed on stage that day, is probably the biggest advancement in the engineering and science world as we know it. You're going to be a celebrity over this whether you like it or not," -Aidan
"And if I don't like it?" -Lunar
"Then I'll be here ready to help out," -Aidan
The two continued their studies in the library. But little did they know, Gray and Jay would soon be entering the room. They walked in and immediately saw Lunar and started walking towards him. Lunar saw them.
"Aidan, run," -Lunar
Lunar and Aidan bolted out the other doorway and headed to the streets. Gray and Jay were not far behind.
"Lunar, you know these guys?!" -Aidan
"Tough brutes in the school. They were sent by someone I don't know who!" -Lunar
The chase continued into a nearby park, having to dodge birds, people, dogs, and more just to get away. Eventually Lunar pulled out his Super Merge and created a temporary motorbike using a water fountain and toy bike.
"Hop on!" -Lunar
"I hope you know how to drive this thing!" -Aidan
Gray and Jay were not far behind, but Lunar and Aidan were gaining some speed. With the fountain merged to the bike, they were able to leave out slippery trails and even drive on water. Things weren't looking so good when Gray started to fire at Lunar with the broken Super Merge.
"Do we have anything to fire back!?" -Aidan
"Take the wheel, I'll create something," -Lunar
The two switched spots. Lunar grabbed out his Super Merge and merged two buildings together, causing them to fall on the road and blocked Gray and Jay.
"Drive through that," -Lunar
"Nice job Lunar!" -Aidan
"Yeah, just take us home please," -Lunar
Gray and Jay got off their own motorcycles and searched the area for a while.
"We can't go back empty handed," -Jay
Gray walked around and found a piece of paper that Lunar dropped during the chase. It had codes and extra schematics.
"Don't worry, we won't," -Gray
After safely arriving back home, Lunar and Aidan hid in the basement for a while.
"Who sent those brutes after us?" -Aidan
"I don't know, but I just realized my hidden Super Merge schematics were lost during our getaway," -Lunar
"Great, now we also might get detention for skipping class," -Aidan
"Don't worry much, at least we got out alive. Gray and Jay are known to do anything to get what they want," -Lunar
"What if they wanted your schematics? They had a weapon of their that looked like a Super Merge," -Aidan
Lunar looked concerned, and began looking online for clues. After going on Henry's website, he discovered the leaked schematic, and pinpointed all users' IP addresses who accessed it.
"We got a problem," -Lunar
"What's wrong?" -Aidan
"Finley is going to make the Super Merge" -Lunar
Lunar immediately drove off to warn Henry. He was sitting in his office as Lunar barged in.
"Henry!" -Lunar
"Oh Lunar, welcome back. What are you doing here?" -Henry
"Someone out there has a copy of my Super Merge, and I don't think they are going to do good with it," -Lunar
"How's that possible? Production has not finished here yet," -Henry
"He hired some guys to steal my schematics. One that I have not given you yet either," -Lunar
"You mean you left me and the crew with unfinished plans?" -Henry
"Yes, I'm sorry. I didn't want to fully risk leaving the Super Merge in open hands. But we need to shut this assembly line down now," -Lunar
Henry looked upset, and began walking out the room. He grabbed his keycard as well before leaving.
"I knew you were too scared to face the truth," -Henry
He pushed a button and locked Lunar in the office.
"Henry! What are you doing!?" -Lunar
"I wish you saw what I saw on your device. A power changer, and if you can't have the guts to give up your schematics, then we have no business working together," -Henry
"The Super Merge was meant to help the world, not purely as a product," -Lunar
"Then you don't know the first rule about business. Guards, keep him here until production is ready," -Henry
"You can't do this. Finley is going to destroy everything with his recklessness," -Lunar
"That bully will not be a problem. I'm sorry Lunar, but I have a business to run," -Henry
He left soon afterwards, leaving Lunar stuck in the room. Out of options, he texted Aidan asking for help, hoping for a reply fast.
Gray and Jay delivered the schematics to Finley, and left him to start work.
"Finally, the final plan. You are one smart cookie Lunar. It doesn't even take too much to make once the secret is out," -Finley
A few hours have passed by, and Finley has created the Super Merge. After doing the same test as before, it succeeded.
"Toronto, time to see what power does to a man," -Finley
As Finley walked out of his house, a group of Henry's personal security approached him.
"Finley you must be? Your friend Lunar told me about your plans. Give up the Super Merge now and there will be no problems," -Henry
"Friend? I don't know about that one chief," -Finley
"This is your last warning. I will contact higher security if you do not plan on giving up that device," -Henry
Ignoring his warning, Finley used the Super Merge on the trees in the area and some birds to create powered creatures. They instantly started attacking Henry and his team, causing them to retreat.
"They listen to my every command, sweet," -Finley
He got on one of the birds and started heading deeper into the city. From a far distance, Aidan was watching.
"Ah shit, this is not good. Lunar, where are you!" -Aidan
At that moment, he got the text from him, revealing his location at Henry's assembly line. Aidan knew he couldn't break in alone, but he knew of some people who could maybe help.
At the school, Gray and Jay were in their usual spots. Once they saw Aidan, they were ready to attack.
"Wait! I'm here to hire you," -Aidan
"Yeah? With what money," -Gray
Aidan pulled out two stacks of hundred dollar bills.
"I believe this should cover it," -Aidan
Gray and Jay were stunned and instantly took the deal.
"Alright I see you now, player. Now, what's the task," -Jay
Back at the factory, Lunar was still stuck in the office. Suddenly, the factory garage doors broke open. Gray, Jay, and Aidan broke in using Finley's broken Super Merge that he left behind. The three fought off the guards in the way before breaking into Henry's office and saving Lunar.
"Aidan! You did it!" -Lunar
"Sure did, but these brutes did the heavy lifting. It was expensive…" -Aidan
"No hard feelings from before?" -Lunar
"It was a business task," -Jay
"Speaking of which, Finley recreated the Super Merge, and I think he's going to take over the city," -Aidan
"How did you get stuck in here anyways?" -Gray
"The guy who I thought was gonna help me just wanted my Super Merge for himself too. Just for his business. I should've never agreed to mass produce this," -Lunar
"It's ok Lunar, but right now we have larger problems," -Aidan
He pulled out his phone and put on the news. More merged creatures were appearing and terrorising the city. Footage of Finley breaking into buildings and creating his own were also being seen.
"How can one man have such a big ego," -Lunar
"We need to stop his Super Merge. Can you disable it?" -Aidan
"I didn't make a feature for that yet. We'll need to steal it from him directly. But it's going to be hard," -Lunar
"We'll help you guys," -Gray
"For real? No extra charge?" -Lunar
"Believe me, your friend here paid us plenty. Consider this a bonus," -Jay
"Plus, we didn't like how Finley approached us. Time to get some revenge," -Gray
"Finley is going to hit the city hard. Henry will have to wait until after," -Lunar
"So what's the plan boss?" -Aidan
"We need to get my Super Merge, it's our only chance against another one," -Lunar
Aidan pulled it out from his bag and handed it over.
"I'm one step ahead of you," -Aidan
"Ok nice, that'll simplify things. We can use the broken Super Merge to destroy the things that Finley will have merged. Finley will have a strong hold on the one he made, so I'll use my Super Merge to turn it into some debris," -Lunar
"Sounds good to me," -Jay
The building started collapsing around them as merged creatures started breaking in.
"Ok we gotta go now!" -Aidan
They four of them started to make a run for it, dodging falling debris and vaporising the merged creatures in their way. Lunar and the others were able to get out just as the garage door closed behind them. The city around them was already in shambles. Finley has already created more creatures of stronger calibur. Some were just monster golems crushing the environment.
"Finley does have his way of sending a message I'll say that," -Lunar
"We need to stop him fast," -Aidan
"We'll clear the way, let's go!" -Gray
Gray and Jay started brute forcing their way through the crowd of merged creations. Lunar and Aidan followed behind. Lunar also used the Super Merge to patch up the broken buildings, as well as save civilians caught in the crossfire.
"Thank you hero!" -Civilian
"You're a hero Lunar," -Aidan
"Huh, probably just as good as becoming rich," -Lunar
The group eventually stopped at the city's waterfront. Finley was starting a merge with the water.
"Finley stop this madness!" -Lunar
"Is this what it feels like, to be recognized? I've been hiding in the sidelines for far too long!" -Finley
"This is not what you want. People are going to fear you," -Lunar
"Better that, then to be forgotten," -Finley
With one last blast of the Super Merge, Finley's final creation was complete. A merge of a water monster with his own body. He began splashing water onto the land. Lunar merged a boat together to keep everyone afloat.
"He's going to flood the city. We need a solution fast," -Aidan
The boat started floating away back into the city. People were struggling to stay afloat.
"We need to help the people first," -Lunar
Lunar created some rafts and raised some ground to help the people up. Aidan, Gray, and Jay also helped civilians get out of the way.
"You guys stay here and help them. I think I can take out Finley," -Lunar
Lunar got on a motor powered boat and headed towards Finley. He sent waves at Lunar and nearly hit him, but Lunar had barriers to shield for him. The water monster was almost twice as large before. Another slam would cause a tsunami. With some tweaks to his device. Lunar created an unmerge option to the Super Merge. He started zapping Finley to undo his merge, but the water monster fought back, making it hard to keep the unmerge process stable. Lunar thought there was no more time, but out of the sky came a helicopter, one that Lunar was happy to see. Henry had attached a huge blow dryer at the front and started heating up the monster's face, keeping it distracted.
"Thank the stars," -Lunar
Lunar used the chance to restart the unmerge beam, and focused it full strength at Finley.
"NOOOooo," -Finley
After a few minutes, Finley fell down onto the streets, and all the water went back into the lake. Lunar located Finley's Super Merge and destroyed it, causing all the merged creations to disappear.
"We did it!" -Aidan
Cops arrived not long after to arrest Finley.
"This is not over," -Finley
"You're right, no one will forget this. But it was not the way to go," -Lunar
The police took Finley away. A crowd of people came by to thank Lunar and celebrate him, lifting him up into the air.
A few days later, Lunar played the news on his TV at home.
"As the city cleans up from the chaos caused by Lunar's Super Merge, city police have also attributed Henry's assembly line as a cause for the mess, and have effectively shut it down. Police are still working and locating Henry after the mess. Meanwhile, the criminal Finley has been arrested and taken into custody," -Reporter
Aidan called Lunar to ask how he was doing.
"How's it been?" -Aidan
"Doing pretty good. The mess is over now," -Lunar
"Gray and Jay were also pretty happy about the results. I think they might turn over a new leaf for the better," -Aidan
"So long as we don't create more bullies at the school," -Lunar
"Henry is still nowhere to be seen. I wish we could get revenge for what he tried to do," -Aidan
"I hope that he also turned over a new leaf, for everyone's sake," -Lunar
"Hopefully. So what about the Super Merge now?" -Aidan
"Good question," -Lunar
Lunar hung up the call and left for the city. In the city, as a piano started falling down onto a sidewalk, Lunar showed up to create a barrier to stop it. The people thanked him, as he went around helping others.
"I think I know what I actually want. It was never about the money. It was always about helping people. It's too dangerous to give it out to everyone. This type of technology can never be in good hands all the time. But if there's one thing I'm going to do, it's to use it for good. And I know that it's in good hands with me," -Lunar