Disclaimer for "The Tales of Sol 88D"
Author: Joe (at3unit3@yahoo.com)
This is a fictional story. It is not intended to imply that any members of the Backstreet Boys, Nsync, or 98 Degrees are gay, or that any other celebrities mentioned are homosexual. If you are not old enough to read these stories, please refrain from doing so. The same applies to those in countries where such content is illegal. For everyone else, enjoy!
Copyright Notices:
Captain Planet and related characters were created by R.E. Turner and are copyrighted by AOL Time Warner Company and trademarked by TBS Productions.
Babylon 5 and all related characters and props were created by Michael Straczynski and are copyrighted by Warner Bros.
Star Trek and all related characters were created by Gene Roddenberry and are copyrighted by Paramount.
Transformers and all related characters and props are trademarked by Hasbro Inc. and copyrighted by Rhino Home Videos and AOL Time Warner Entertainment Co.
He-Man, She-Ra, and related characters and props are trademarked by Filmation (1980s).
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and all related characters were created by Joss Whedon and are copyrighted by 20th Century Fox.
Batman and all related characters were created by Bob Kane and are copyrighted by DC Comics and Warner Bros.
X-Men and all related characters were created by Stan Lee and are copyrighted by Marvel Comics and 20th Century Fox.
Author's Note: To those who've been reading "Tales of Sol," I want you to know that there is sex in this story. However, that is not its sole purpose. I hope the sex scenes are enjoyable, but the story is meant to express hope and show how music can impact our lives. My favorite bands, 98 Degrees, Backstreet Boys, and Nsync, have seen me through some of the hardest moments of my life and offered hope. To them, I say thank you.
I dedicate "The Tales of Sol" to all my brothers and sisters of the US Armed Services, past, present, and future. I also want to thank my friends who helped with editing and inspiration: John Rivera, Albert-Russ Alan Rivera-Odum, Derbe D. Hunte, Yvette Ortiz, and Samuel Diaz Jr.
Special thanks to:
James, author of "Tales of a Real Dark Knight"
Blake, author of "Tales of a New Phoenix"
Jeremi, author of "Tales of Young Mutants"
AI Use Disclosure: I have entered the 21st century of AI editing, using various AI programs to help with grammar checks, clarity, and improvements to my story. This story was edited with the help of GPT Workspace, Grammarly, Microsoft Copilot, and Quillbot AI software.
References:
• GPT Workspace. (2024, January 9). Version 1.0. [AI tool]. GPT Workspace Inc. https://gptworkspace.com/
• Grammarly. (2024, January 9). Version 5.6. [AI tool]. Grammarly Inc. https://www.grammarly.com/
• Microsoft Copilot. (2024, January 9). Version 2.3. [AI tool]. Microsoft Corporation. https://copilot.github.com/
• Quillbot. (2024, January 9). Version 4.2. [AI tool]. QuillBot Inc. https://quillbot.com
The Tales of Sol 89A
More Then Meets The Eye Pt 2
Jake led the way back inside the house, my brother took me into his arms giving me a supportive hug "They love Mike,"and together we started tidying up.
"They are coming back Mike, they all love you very much," Jake would remind me.
"I know, sometimes I just feel like a sailor's wife," I sobbed into my pile of dirty dishes.
"Yes, we would understand that feeling all too well wouldn't we" Jake gave a sympathetic nod.
"Sir I have something you should see," BEATTI interrupted the moment
I stood up and went to my home computer, which was directly connected to the Lair. "What am I looking at?" I wondered as I noticed a single volcano in the middle of a desert.
BEATTI reported, "Ever since Mauna Loa I have been working more and more with the American satellite system to see if anything might require Sol's attention when I spotted something."
The satellite in question was flying over Arizona when it noticed a strange metallic object in the face of a mountain. "What is the nature of this object?" I inquired.
"Unknown," BEATTI replied.
Closing my eyes and opening my senses to the Earth, thanks to Sol, I could now access certain aspects of this planet and everything on it in greater detail. I began to investigate the meaning of this object and whether it posed a threat to the world I was interested in learning about.
The only thing I got from this distance was an image of giant robots.
"Mike?" I heard it, and it caused me to disconnect from the Earth and return to my Sitting room.
When I looked I saw Jake looking down at me
Jake actually looked apologetic, "Sorry Mike I should have known you were in communion with the Earth,"
I waved it off, "It is okay Jake, What is up, Jake?"
Jake said, "I just wanted to know if you have heard from Jeff since he left."
"To answer your question, no, not since we parted ways," I said, monitoring the fact that his probe was still transmitting.
"You ought to give him a call," Jake suggested.
I answered, "I want to give him time to process what happened to us."
Jake said, "I get it, but you should at least let him know you still care about him."
I responded to him, saying, "Brian said the same thing, you are both right, but there is something that has caught my attention." BEATTI discovery was a perfect opportunity to change the topic.
"What?" Jake asked
"I am not sure I am going to Hope Island; maybe Gaia knows about it," I explained.
"All right, just be careful," Jake advised.
Snapping my fingers, I teleported to Hope Island, which looked even better than when I was here. Walking to the main hut, I called out for Gaia, who appeared and said, "Welcome back to Hope Island, Mike. What else is bothering you besides your friends on their tour?"
"Is it really that obvious?" I blushed.
With a mother's smile Gaia grinned broadly and said, "You are in love and they love you back, it is marvelous."
"I apologize for disturbing you, Gaia, but my AI BEATTI has picked up something in Arizona that I was hoping you would know about," I said, blushing again but quickly brought up the purpose for this visit.
"Mike this is your home too, treat Hope Island as a safe haven from time to time," Gaia led me to the Crystal Chamber and said, "Let us have a look."
On the viewer I showed her the image that BEATTI picked up "The only thing I get from Earth is images of robots, but nothing else," I explained to Gaia.
"What your computer friend found is the crash site of a spaceship that landed on Earth 4 million years ago," Gaia explained.
"4 million, and the crew has long since died," I explained.
"Not the entire crew was made up of giant robots," Gaia explained.
"Really," I said, "the image I saw makes more sense."
"However, even after 4 million years, their metallic bodies must have corroded," I explained.
"Again, that is not true, but the only way to get the answers you seek is for you to investigate further," Gaia explained.
"Are you keeping something from me?" I asked
"No, because even I am unsure of their condition, but if they are still functional, your fight against the Sentinels has just gotten a boost," Gaia replied.
That was something I would definitely look into because, aside from myself, no one could stand a chance against those overgrown rust buckets.
"Thank you, Gaia, for answering my question. "I will leave in the morning," I stated.
"You are welcome, and please do not be discouraged. Brian and you are inseparable. Recall that you hold the power "Your departure is a necessary part of this new chapter for both of you," she remarked, sending me home with a wave of her hand.
Although I was happy to be back home, I was briefly disappointed because I already missed the idyllic island.
Jake remained in the living area. "What was said by Gaia?"
"That we could have received an advantage in combating the Sentinels," I responded.
"Might?"Jake noticed that the word was conditional.
"Even Gaia was not positive. All we know is that there was a shipwreck that is four million years old on the side of an extinct volcano, and its crew may or may not have survived," I replied.
"How could anything have survived after four million years?" whistled with glaring surprise. Jake attempted to grasp
"That is what I got to find out," I responded
Jake's assistance allowed us to clear and clean everything. Not long afterward, we retired to bed.
I pulled Brian's pillow to me and gazed at the empty space on the bed before saying, "I love you," and drifting off to sleep.
When I woke up the following morning, Brian's pillow was still in the empty bed. I reluctantly got out of bed and showered. I still had work to do at the Geothermal Plant in light of BEATTI's findings.
I had to go tell Dave what BEATTI found and what Gaia told me about that shipwreck at the Geo Plant.
"So, what exactly are you doing here?" Dave inquired.
"Remember, we had that meeting you needed me to attend," I reminded him.
"You already miss him, don't you?" Dave said with a knowing look
"They left last night after dinner; I know they are out there bringing joy to my world," I sighed, looking out the window.
"They will be back." Dave reminded me that "you gave them a reason to come back."
I was in a very depressed mood and said, "I know and I know it is just the nature of this relationship."
"You can not stop your heart, Mike, and I know Brian is feeling the same way right now without you by his side," Dave said, resting his hand on my shoulder.
"Let us finish this meeting and then you can investigate BEATTI's mysterious space wreck," Dave suggested.d
As I looked at him "Doing your job makes the time fly by," Dave said, smiling.
We prepared for the meeting. Stacy had been a valuable member of the team. Dave was impressed, and Stacy herself was glowing as if she was awake for the first time.
After more than an hour, Dave said, "OK, now get to Arizona." Dave laughed.
When I was high above the Geo Plant and certain that no one could see me, I snapped my fingers. I transformed into Sol.
"By the Powers Combined, I am Sol!" I called as the elements once again lent me their strength, and with that, I flew into the morning sky, hoping to find the assistance we required. I was flying over Ohio when my thoughts were interrupted by a barrage of lasers.
"And here I was hoping for a dull and boring trip to Arizona," I remarked
Sentinels in a squadron are soaring toward me as I look down.
"Perfect, I needed some company," I snarled.
As I took off to return to them, I said, "I hope this is a legal U-turn."
I charged the Sentinels, and they kept firing at me. The few times they struck me, the lasers felt like tiny needles piercing my azure flesh.
As I flew toward one Sentinel, I said, "I need to get the lead out." My body transformed into the lead.
Upon passing through it, I noticed that the Sentinel had exploded behind me.
The rest of the Sentinels circled back for another swing.
I said to the Sentinels as I was flying toward them, "Let us play follow the leader." A few feet away from them, I changed course and flew directly at the ground. I was barely aware of the several laser blast shots that went by. All I could see was the ground getting closer. Here, as I slid below the surface and through the crust, I hoped that physics would prevail. Upon returning to the surface, I saw Sentinel's fragments and smoking creators all over the place.
With a small whirl, I tittered, "Tsk tsk." I took those remnants and made several tractors out of them. In the distance, I noticed a farm bringing the new tractors to them. As I said, "I like to donate these fine machines to your farm," the farmers gasped.
"How do we explain it to our insurance," a farmer demanded.
"These are presents from your helpful superhero." "I am confident they will believe you," I said as I took off.
"That takes care of the Sentinels, but I think I will play mole for the rest of my journey," I explained as I dove back underground.
I emerged from the ground, enjoying the fresh air and warmth of the sun. I was only a few hundred yards away from the Grand Canyon, one of the most beautiful and majestic natural wonders on the planet. I was not here to take in the scenery, though. The reason I came here was to locate a spacecraft that had crashed onto this planet approximately four million years ago. That holds a possible key to the blight of the Sentinels. If the Friends of Humanity were to lose their robotic mutant killing machines, with just my Fighting Pike, I could deal with their more brutish meatheads.
"But first I have to find this million-year-old space junk," I sneered, frustrated. "So," I said, looking out over the vast desert, "where could this spaceship be?" I inquired, looking around.
"Man, this is like trying to find a needle in a haystack," I grumbled, frustrated. After an hour of flying over the canyon and its surroundings, I had not found anything.
That was until I discovered a clue that changed everything. I noticed a more metallic and ridged surface on the side of a dormant volcano, in contrast to the natural curves of the rock formation. Those lines can only come from something constructed. Distance from the canyon was approximately thirty miles. Luckily, I could make it there in two shakes of a lamb's tail thanks to Sol.
My mouth dropped as I flew closer to the volcano and realized, "Boy, this thing looked a lot smaller from a distance." I put my hand on what appeared to be a small portion of the spaceship's hull, and it was exactly as tall as the big rocks on the mountain. And this was all that could be seen--the remaining portion of the ship was hidden beneath four million years' worth of planetary movements and erosion.
"Let us see if a little dusting will help," I said, inhaling deeply. I blew away enough rock and other debris to show that I was not just looking at the ship's hull.
My dusting also revealed an engine exhaust port large enough to accommodate the RMS Titanic and deep enough to accommodate the entire legendary ship, with only the very tip of the Titanic's stern sticking out.
"If this is just one engine, I do not want to see the rest of the ship!" I cried out, but I had to inhale more deeply and exhale even more forcefully. The remainder of the shipwreck was exposed by the resulting sandstorm. The remainder of the shipwreck was exposed by the sandstorm. I was astounded to see the spaceship's entire length. It was enormous, enormous, and gigantic. Ten Olympic-class ships could fit side by side in its width.
"White Star would have dominated the entire Atlantic Ocean if the White Star Line had that many ships alongside the other three Olympic Class ships, RMS Olympic, RMS Titanic, and RMS Britannic," I whistled.
However, the size of this extraterrestrial spacecraft also impressed me. I looked through the outer hull and discovered what appeared to be a large airlock. Looking around, I couldn't find any kind of button or lever that might open the mammoth doors. Putting my hands where the two sections met felt like I was trying to open an aircraft hangar; they were just as difficult to open by hand. It took everything I had to open the two ends just enough for me to enter. I half expected to see an F/A-18 Hornet inside this massive hold. It has the capacity to house an entire carrier air wing.
"I am the first person, the first thing to enter this ship in four million years!" I cried out before going in. My beautiful moment was ruined as a desert hare sprinted out. When it turned to face me, its tiny nose was making the typical rabbit gesture. I gave it a mocking glare and laughed as I walked in, declaring, "Fine Bugs, you win; you were the first."
The little hare stomped its hindleg and darted out of sight, making me laugh as I entered my first alien spacecraft. It didn't take long for outside light to be consumed by the perpetual darkness of this damaged spaceship. I had to form a fireball just so I could see, it wasn't big enough to illuminate the whole interior, Moving toward what I thought would be the front of the vessel I came to a pair of doors that were over ten stories high. I tried to force these doors to part but they were even more secure than the supposed airlock. So I sent the fireball into the door.
Burning my way into the next compartment. Once I was inside I found the deck littering, which left me feeling a wave of disappointment and sadness. I knew a combat zone when I saw one.
I felt a rush of despair and melancholy as I moved into the next compartment. I knew a combat zone when I saw one, It was a vast robot cemetery, the same ones that had landed four million years ago on our planet. They lay broken and lifeless, strewn across the floor. It appeared as though they had engaged in a tremendous combat and lost.
I saw arms and legs, twisted and torn. I saw heads, cracked and silent. I saw bodies, crushed and mangled. They all looked beyond repair to my eyes. I couldn't see how anything here could be of use to our cause, the cause of protecting the Earth and its children from the evil forces that threatened it.
I couldn't see how anything here could be of use to our cause, the cause of protecting the Earth and its children from the evil forces that threatened it.
He made me think of a semi-truck--the sort used to haul cargo across the nation. Though he was the same color and shape, he was more than that. If I could bring the robot back to the Lair and figure out how to fix him, he appeared to be salvable.
"There is something I can do for you, Mr. Robot," I said, hoping to assist him. I took a deep breath and blew on him, attempting to clear away the dust and dirt that had accumulated on him. But, as I soon discovered, that was not such a good idea.
Disturbing four million years of dust filled the entire ship in a brown mess. I could no longer see the robot or the rest of the ship, for that matter. Coughing and choking, I was forced back into the bulkhead. When I hit the bulkhead, it surprisingly moved, making a loud clank. I glanced back, half-expecting to see a dent or a crack, fearing that my actions might further damage the ship.
But what I saw was actually quite different. The bulkhead came alive, lighting up for the first time since it crashed. It was a console with a screen, buttons, and video display. That belonged to the ship's computer. For the first time, reawakened after millennia of hibernation.
A panel opened to reveal what I can only describe as a security camera; they all had the same basic design, and this was no exception, despite being ten times larger than standard security cameras. I was wearing my Guardian costume, and I could see my reflection in the large glass of the camera. My face was completely hidden by the hood and mask, including my nose. A brown cloak trailed the length of my body. Beneath the cloak were black slacks and a brown tunic, and I could even see my Fighting Pike on my belt, ready to go at a moment's notice.
"Please identify yourself?" the computer prompted.
"My name is Mike Pennock," I responded.
"I am not picking up any life signs from any of the other Autobots," the computer relayed solemnly.
"I'm sorry to say it looks like most of your crew have been destroyed," I conveyed regretfully.
"I can still detect Optimus Prime's life force," it informed me, a glint of hope within its mechanical tone.
"So that is his name," I murmured to myself in quiet realization.
"I am Teletraan 1, the supercomputer of the Autobots," the entity revealed its designation.
"Greetings, Teletraan 1," I offered cordially.
"I must solicit your assistance, Mike Pennock. Optimus must be restored," Teletraan 1 implored.
"I'll do what I can, but I'd need to transport him back to my Lair," I explained to the computer, considering the logistics.
"Then take him, and should you require my aid, simply call upon me," Teletraan 1 gave its consent.
"If that's the case, I'd like to establish a connection to my computer system," I proposed, foreseeing the need for an integrated network to undertake such a task.
"Very well," the computer consented.
With BEATTI accessible from my current location at the Lair, establishing the linkup between the two AI systems was a successful endeavor, allowing them to interface synergistically.
Teletraan 1's suggestion to augment BEATTI could potentially transform the capabilities of my system, though I took the recommendation with some hesitation given BEATTI's current complex nature. Regardless, I had committed to a task--supporting a fallen hero--and I intended to uphold it. "I will do all that I can," I affirmed with cautious optimism.
Standing alongside the inert form of Optimus Prime, I acknowledged the gravity of the situation. "There is only one person who can get you where you need to go, Optimus Prime," I said, steeling myself for the next step. Summoning the elements with the familiar incantation, "Let the Powers Combine!" I transitioned from Mike Pennock to the powerful Sol in a dramatic flourish of light and thunder.
"Equipped with the necessary strength, let's transport you to where you can be restored," I stated with determination. Grasping Optimus, we soared from the bowels of the Ark toward the Lair. Once there, I carefully placed the Autobot leader onto the helipad.
Calling upon the transformational catchphrase once again, "The Power is Yours," a bolt of lightning heralded my return to the human form of Mike Pennock. "That was a quick change," I mused, noting the efficiency of the transformation as the elevator embarked on its descent. I heaved a sigh, the scale of the impending endeavor not lost on me, "This is one monumental project."
To be continued Welcome the Autobots to Mike's technological arsenal as he marches forward on his path to protect the Earth
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I also recommend the following stories. It was because of them I got into writing in the first place.
"Tales of a Real Dark Knight" by authorjames
"Marvel Knights" also by authorjames
"Tales of the New Phoenix" by Blake
"Tales of a Superhero Band" by Leo
"Tales of a Young Mutant" by Jeremi
"Tales of a Thunder God" by Tony Justiss