Chapter 2
Colin

Colin was wide awake, fueled by the prospect of completing his first real assignment. Tyree, however, dragged his feet, clearly still weighed down by the events of the day. Armed with garbage bags, brooms, and enough paper towels to stock a small army, they made their way through the dimly lit hallways toward the basement storage room.

Colin pushed open the door, revealing a mess so dense that the floor was practically invisible. The room was piled high with old documents, outdated equipment, and all manner of discarded junk. Tyree let out a groan.

“Let’s just set the place on fire and call it a day,” Tyree joked, rubbing his eyes.

Colin laughed and ripped open a garbage bag. “Tempting, but I think Arredondo would notice.”

They got to work, starting with the stacks of paper. Colin couldn’t help but notice how old the documents were, their pages tinged yellow with age.

“You think the secret to who killed Kennedy is in one of these?” he quipped.

“If you find anything on UFOs, those are mine,” Tyree shot back, rummaging through a pile of dusty old gear.

As the hours passed, the two made steady progress, clearing enough space to create a narrow pathway through the room. Tyree picked up a pair of ancient goggles and grinned.

“To quote a famous archeologist, ‘It belongs in a museum,’” he said.

Colin smirked at the reference, but his attention was soon drawn to something in the corner of the room—a small, forgotten cardboard box. It was old, with the edges frayed and faded. His curiosity piqued, Colin knelt down and carefully opened the box.

“What’s that?” Tyree asked, leaning over to get a better look.

Inside, wrapped in white cloth, were four strange, watch-like devices. Colin picked one up and inspected it, frowning slightly.

“No idea. Maybe some kind of prototype for special forces?”

The devices didn’t seem to function. They were heavy, but there were no obvious buttons or displays. They felt… off, somehow.

“Like I said, prototypes,” Colin muttered, handing one to Tyree.

Tyree, clearly intrigued, slipped the watch onto his wrist. “Not bad,” he said, admiring it.

Colin reached out to take the watch back, but Tyree pulled away. “No way, this one’s mine,” he said with a grin.

“Come on, man, give it back,” Colin said more forcefully this time.

Tyree shook his head, slipping the second watch into his pocket. “Finders keepers,” he replied, standing firm.

Colin groaned. He didn’t want to let this slide—not when Commander Arredondo had trusted him with this assignment. But before he could press the issue, he glanced down at one of the other watches, noticing a faded blue stripe running along the side. It looked… different.

With a resigned sigh, Colin strapped the blue-striped watch around his wrist and tucked the last remaining one into his pocket. “Alright, fine. But we’re not keeping these if the Commander asks.”

Tyree smirked. “Who’s going to tell him?”

With that, they finished cleaning the room, managing to wrap up before sunrise. On the way back to their dorm, Tyree fiddled with his watch, trying to get it to do something.

“Maybe it’s solar-powered,” he joked as they walked through the quiet campus.

Back in the dorm, Colin lay in bed, staring at the strange device on his wrist. A part of him felt guilty as if he’d betrayed Arredondo by keeping the watch. But another part of him—a part that craved adventure—was drawn to it. Eventually, exhaustion overtook him, and he slipped the watch under his mattress, falling into a deep sleep.

That night, Colin’s dreams were different. Instead of the usual fragmented memories of his father, he dreamt of playing basketball with him. It was a rare, happy memory—one of the few times they’d actually bonded. His father had always been distant, but in that moment, he had been present. It was the kind of memory that stuck with Colin, not because his father was a great man, but because he could’ve been.

“Wake up, Colin.”

A voice jolted Colin awake. He sat up in bed, blinking in confusion. The room was empty—Tyree was already gone—but the voice had been real. Or had it? Colin rubbed his eyes and shook his head, figuring it was just a leftover from his dream.

But then it came again. “Look down, Colin.”

His eyes snapped to the watch on his wrist. It was glowing faintly.

“I promise you, you’re not crazy,” the voice said, its tone calm and oddly reassuring. “The voice you are hearing is real.”

Colin stared at the watch, speechless.

“You don’t need to speak out loud,” the voice continued. “We can communicate through your mind. Telepathy, I believe you humans call it.”

Colin sat down on the edge of his bed, a million questions racing through his mind. ‘What are you?’ he thought, too bewildered to say anything out loud.

“My old master called me Razor,” the voice responded. “You may call me that if you wish. My team and I have been dormant for many years. I must thank you and your friend for finding us.”

Colin was too stunned to respond, so Razor continued.

“We came to this planet long ago to find four humans worthy of becoming Sword Dancers.”

Colin blinked, shaking his head. “Alright, this is crazy,” he muttered, reaching to take the watch off.

But as soon as he touched it, mechanical legs unfolded from the device, gripping his wrist tightly. A small shock buzzed through his skin, making him pull back.

“Please, Colin, just hear me out,” Razor said. “I sense great strength in you—strength you may not yet realize. Give me a chance. Let me show you.”

Colin hesitated, curiosity getting the better of him. After a moment, he sighed. ‘Fine. What’s a Sword Dancer?’

“Let me show you!”

Suddenly, the watch began to glow brighter. A beam of light enveloped Colin, and within seconds, it morphed into a full suit of armor. He stared at himself in the mirror, eyes wide with awe. A large broadsword was strapped to his side.

“Wow…” Colin breathed.

“This sword was forged by a master swordsmith on my home planet,” Razor explained. “I am the sword, and I am your partner.”