School was usual, the kids talked about the latest showing of Govman from the night before, Jack did his lessons and then walked home. He never liked riding the bus because he really didn't even like the kids on there anyway, and he'd rather walk and visit Carl on his way home. Carl was a friend of Jack's father from way back. Carl dealt with people's home tech like for kitchens and personal appliances. Carl and Jack's dad were the two to go to if someone needed something fixed. Mainly because no one was as good as them and not a lot of people have an education outside a very specific job.

Carl ran a tech-shop that was on the way to Jack's home so he'd stop by for a few minutes. Jack walked in and Carl looked up from his metal table that was his small workstation and cashier desk. He smiled, "Jack ol' boy what cha in for?" he asked every time Jack came in, "Pops needs another Nitro-cumilator-matron.....thiny. I don't know he just wanted me to pick up somethin from ya.", Jack replied. Carl chuckles, "Of course..." he said then stepped through the back door as Jack followed, "So learn anything at school?" Carl asked. Jack watched Carl look for what his father wanted, "Besides what's going on, on with the kids?... no... They're always louder than the Teachmotrons." Jack answered. Carl continued to look for what Jack's father wanted, "Ha, I told them that those things were completely useless... Ah here it is." He says then pulls out a box with green lines all over it from a shelf. He steps up to Jack, "I do declare this is what cher dad is lookin for." He says handing it to Jack. Jack takes it and looks at it, "...What is it?" he asks, "Oh something that you couldn't pronounce for a while. Just make sure your dad gets this in one piece... Cuz I'd like to see you again." He said jokingly. Jack smiled, "Yeah well I guess I should go then." He said then heads out. Carl got back to what he was working on his table, "Stay out of trouble ya hear." He shouted out to Jack. Jack waves his hand in acknowledgement and walked off.

Jack looked at the box, examining it with curiosity, "What on earth could this thing be for?" he asks himself then looks up to see a military truck in front of his home, "What is going on?" he asks himself. Having a bad feeling about what's going on he snuck up to his house and saw his dad on his knees in the front yard. Two soldiers stood over him with their guns pointing at him as loud banging noises come from inside. Jack snuck up to some bushes and looks through to see a large man in a black trench coat step out of the house. He walks up to Jack's dad and pulls on his hair back and says something to him. Jack was too far away to hear but he saw his father not say anything and the man threw him down. Jack flinched at the sight of it, he never thought anyone would treat his dad like crap. Suddenly from behind him, "HEY YOU!" and Jack looked to see a soldier grab him by his shirt and he drops the box he had. The soldier dragged Jack to the man and his dad, "I found this kid spying on us." He soldier reported and the man looked at Jack. His eyes were covered by cybernetics but small dots moved to where apparently he looked at. The man smiles to show that his mouth was also replaced with more cybernetics, "A child you know?" he asked in a computerized voice. Jack's dad looked at his son for a second then the man looked at the soldier who then pointed his gun at Jack's head. Jack was terrified and his father flinched, "Just tell me where the processor is and the boy will live with you as well." He said. Jack's dad didn't say anything and the man looked at the soldier and the soldier pulls the trigger. Jack's dad shouts "NO!", but the bullet only went in front of Jack. Jack began to cry in fear and the man leans in to Jack's dad, "Do you really want to scar this child even more?... Now... Tell me where it is.", he ordered. Jack's dad looks at him, "I don't have it." He said and the man growls and straightens up, "Then you are useless." He says pulling out a bolt pistol and points at Jack's dad's head and pulls the trigger.

Jack jumps awake hitting his head on a bar that's holding up a slab above him. Jack then plops back on his slab holding his head, "AAAAHHHH!!.....What the hell?" he shouts and then there's nothing but laughter. Jack looks to see Victor on the hunched over laughing uncontrollably. Jack is surprised by his presence, "What the hell are you doing here?" he asks and Victor slowly stops laughing, "I'm your new cell mate. You were out for quite a while man... but that waking up was priceless. Oh... man I wish I had a camera on you at that moment. Hooooo....that was rich." He says. Jack rolls his eyes and places his feet the floor when a sharp pain shoots through his abdomen, "Ahg... Why do... What the hell did they do to me?" he asks. Victor finally gathers himself and looks at him, "Hell if I know man, but everybody has felt like crap after waking up. You're the last one to get their ass up." He answers leaning against the wall. He then points at Jack, "But they really decorated you man.", he says and Jack looks down to see all sorts of scars on his chest and stomach, "WHAT THE HELL?!" Jack shouts and jumps up feeling the scars. Victor grabs his shoulders, "DUDE!... Just chill out... everyone's got something... on them." He says trying to calm him down. Jack looks at him, "What... how long..." Jack tries to asks but he doesn't know which one to asks first, "They did this for some reason... guess it's what the next step of our training is." Victor explains letting go of Jack, "and you've been out a week longer than I have. And you're lucky I like you or I would have killed you from all your groaning and moaning. God you sound like a bitch sometimes." He says walking over to the window wall. Jack looks at him, "... So what do we do now?", he asks since Victor has been up longer he must have been told something or seen something that would tell them what's the next step. Victor looks at him, "I think we train some more." He says look out and watching a huge metal crate move towards their cell and connects with it. The window wall opens and robot arms reach in and grab both Jack and Victor and pull them in.

The sun is a bright orange as it slowly settles down to it's rest, making the sky a rich orange to blue up above. The earth is green and full of life giving a dramatic shadow from the sun's rays. It was beautiful, serene, and mesmerizing in Jack's eyes. The young boy stands at the edge of his father's hangar, which stands hundreds of feet above the ground on a cliff. Jack would always sneak from doing his chores to just be with his father's Sky Rider and look at the skies. Jack's father was an honest ship mechanic, and a damn good one as far as Jack was concerned. Even though Jack didn't have as much as the other kids at his school, he really didn't care and if asked her preferred it that way. He would run home everyday after school to help his father with his latest job. And even though his father was paid well for his services, almost all of the money was spent to keep Jack in school, pay for the small house they lived in, and keep his tools working. Jack and his father spent hours fixing Ground Riders, Sky Riders, Mech Servants, and other things that kept everyone around the town going. Jack grew a fascination with Sky Riders that made him dream of being an adventurer. Traveling through the stars to other planets, but only special people were able to travel beyond the sky, mainly the rich and powerful had their own Ships that could travel out into the darkness above the clouds. Because of this Jack's father would remind him that it would be extremely difficult to do so be encouraged him to reach for his dreams.

So now Jack stands looking at at the sky as the sun was now drowned by the earth's surface and all that was left was a red sky leading to black. Suddenly a hand grabs Jack's shoulder and pulls him back, "Jack, I thought I told you to clean out those Generator vents.", his father says in a stern voice. After Jack realized it was his father he smiled, "Oh... I-I thought you said they were in here.", he states obviously thinking on his feet. His father smiles and then smacks the back of his head, "That's for not doing what I told you.", he says then walks over next to his Sky Rider and looks out at the sky, "Come here...there's something I want to show you.", he says and Jack steps up to him rubbing the back of his head. Now he new his father didn't mean any harm. He was just old school with his methods but they did keep him out of trouble most of the time. Jack's father looks out at the sky, "Your mother was just like you... Always looking at the sky and wanting to make a name for herself. But she didn't think of the risks it was to be someone like that...", he says then looks at Jack, "...I don't want you to end up like your mom did. Hell if it were up to me you'd just be a mechanic like me beside an explorer. But I know that I can't always keep you here...", he then pulls out something from his pocket and hands it to Jack. Jack looks at it, "What's that?", he asks, "It belonged to your mom.", he says opening his hand and shows a bracelet. Jack looks at it, "Girls wear those.", he says, "Your mother wanted you to have this when you were old enough to not break it. And men wear these things too.", he says then Jack takes the bracelet. Not entirely pleased with it but it's the only thing that was his that was once his mothers. His father then put his hand on Jack's shoulder and the two look out at the sky.

Suddenly Jack opens his eyes, he was in a different room, his father was nowhere in sight, but he didn't worry. He sat up from his slab of a bed and rubs his rough tired face. Fifteen years since that day, since he was enlisted into the new government's army. He stretches and stands up, his room is a metallic grey with a glass wall on one side showing nothing but millions of other rooms just like his. There were no chairs, no toilets, and no sinks, just a slab for a bed. Jack scratches his dark spiked up hair and steps up to the glass wall and stands there. He was enlisted and in the army for four years, then he was taken to this place where millions of others have been taken to be tested in various ways. Jack never saw anyone beside a few others that go through everything he has been going through. For there being millions if not a billion people in this enormous structure he only saw twenty other men and women. At first when he was a kid he thought it was strange seeing all these people from a distance and only a few up close. Now he doesn't really care, it's just life now.

Out of no where the glass wall slides down an he steps out onto a moving side walk and stands on it till he steps off on another, then another and another till he reaches a platform. He stands there as the twenty others step on with him. Victor, a rather large guy with a red mohawk and covered with scars from being beaten repeatedly because he would refuse to listen to the "drill sergeants". He's considered the most unstable and dumbest of the group but Jack found a way to get along with him. Then Rose appeared on the other side of Jack. Rose is the youngest of the group also with red hair but that's her natural hair color where Victor's was painted on some how. To Jack she's the most attractive of the group and the most vicious in combat training. Jack always likes to see her even though he doesn't show his feelings. Rose looks at Jack, "Jack...", then looks at Victor, "Dumbass.", she says to him. Victor chuckles, "Bitch.", then looks at Jack, "Got a new pretty one on me last night.", he says turning his back to Jack to show a long scar running down from his neck to the bottom of his right side. Jack just smiles to humor Victor then a screen appears since everyone else of the group steps on the platform. On the screen is the face of the man that they have seen for the past fifteen years, "Today is your last day of training. Today you become what many only dream of. Now get your clothes on and be ready for your last test.", the face says then disappears. Behind the screen a door opens and the group walk in and don their clothes. A grey jumpsuit with faded red stripes around the neck and sleeves. Then they line up back on the platform then a bright light and darkness.

You know....I'm thinking of just posting parts of my stories on in my news things since there's really nothing going on in my life that would matter to you guys..... but perhaps my stories can help explain where the madness of my drawings and soon flashes come from....not sure though...

(Ok forgetting what I posted before since I'm an idiot.)

Now what the hell are people's problem???
My stuff is not that bad is it? My latest submission is getting a rating of barely over two and no one is willing to tell me why. What's wrong with it, is it because there's no background. Are people just that big of dicks that they rate stuff low just for the fun of it? Why? It frustrates me to no end since more people see my work on here than any other site I submit my stuff to. Or am I just overreacting....I don't know and it's really fricking annoy me.

Stickin To It

Here's a comic strip series that I do from time to time. Yes it's stick figures but not like what most people do so I was wondering if this would be ok to submit into the portal or I should just leave it on my other site?

I have a comic strip that is made of stick figures...but not simple stick figures. My stick figures are the ones that Marvel/DC/and other comic book companies use to structure their characters.

The question is: Would I get unscouted if I post it?

If so then I won't post them but I want to know from you guys.

I've been scouted! happy day to me! I felt like a kid during Christmas when I figured out what being scouted even means (I have the memory of a Carp). Now I'm going to make sure only my best of my best stuff will come here...though I don't like posting crap anyway...unless it's really funny...but I haven't made those yet. Hopefully I can get some fan thing going within a year or something....that would be SHWEET!....one can dream.