14. NIck magazing

Combat Insider view: r e t in cial e p s rts. h a e Wit H f Six o t n e g A

Top 10 w to d you efe ays rse nd lf

Nicolas Jones 11

Exclusive concept art from Chao-sonic supplies

Prologue This was not a normal day

The infant watched from behind the polished glass as the blurred madness continued in the outside The watchers were moving faster than usual faces shiny eyes wide Many of the lights had gone out but the ones in his glass enclosure were still burning brightly above and below him Shapes flitted around in the outsideHe sucked in another breath of oxygen rich water and observed Now i am watching them he thought And no one is watching me he giggled and clapped his hands together and for a moment his enclosure glittered with bubbles The outside darkened slowly The Watchers had all vanished Grey shadows were creeping over everything Control panels wavered in the haze Floor tiles wobbled unsteadily and vanished beneath the inky fog Soon the outside was shrouded in black The smoke draped itself over the enclosure like a charcoal blanket and the darkening landscape rippled out of existence The water began to get hotter The infant began to breathe faster Anger and fear surged through his veins He clenched his teeth narrowed his eyes and panted roughly releasing small bubbles of oxygen from his little lungs He thumped on the glass with his tiny fists and kicked it with his stubby feet his limbs slammed against the glass with strength that denied his size making the enclosure rattle in its supports The baby felt the vibrations and sensed he was close to escape He beat on the glass with his palms harder and faster desperate now The water was becoming painfully hot his skin was stinging and it was getting harder to breathe The glass shook more just one more time The baby gave one mighty kick and the enclosure broke out of its supports and slid off the support pillar and fell into the void Now completely weightless the baby inside screamed with excitement The enclosure slammed down on the tiles The baby covered his naked head as glittering slivers of glass mingled in the

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air with the sparkling water and fell together splashing and shattering like rain As the last pieces of the enclosure tinkled to the floor the baby took his first breath of air Smoke filled his lungs he choked and coughed mouth open wide his tongue poking out and his little body shaking

He struggled to stay upright on his hands and knees and spat some broken glass out of his mouth Water and blood trickled from his lips as he raised his hands in the air trying to find a handhold something to climb up to or lean against But his hands found nothing and he fell forward He stood up and walked forward clumsily until the sizzling black mist swallowed him up

What you Are about to experience in this issue...

4-5 Eexclusive interview with agent Six of hearts

6-7 A poem and responce from the resistance

8-9 A song that six savours

11- Commending The Lab

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Fight or Flight- His Reaction

By Krubba B.

Agent Six of Hearts Agent Six of Hearts does not have much to say, he keeps to himself, he is known for always out running anybody. He is also known for opening doors that take 5 men to open by himself, he also has passed any tests he is put through. Some people say he is part of an illegal experiment sixteen years ago making super-human soldiers. He is part of a secret rebellion that keeps things from turning the city into total chaos the rebellion is called the “Deck” hence the name “Six of Hearts” this boy has a makeup artist to disguise him on his secret missions.

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1. Q: So six, how many fights have you been in this year?

A: At least one-hundred, considering that I am trained to kill I beat my opponents rather quickly, but not all of my missions are to fight or kill, in fact, most of them are reconnaissance. Then again, a lot of those reconnaissance missions usually turn end up with me fighting.

2. Q: Which one of those fights were the most difficult?

A: None of them were really that difficult at all, but if I had to say I would have to say that that fight with the ChaoSonic commando made me make an effort but still, not that difficult. Although I did come across this one guy, who bit the barrel of my

gun clean off and he was almost as fast as me, and actually got away from me. Of course, that was after he ran over me in a car, and after my car rolled down a cliff with me in it.

3. Q: Do you have a personal favorite combat technique?

A: I have no secret, I just train whenever I can for as long as I can. Every day I try to implicate it into my less-than normal life.

But whenever I am fighting, time usually seems to slow down to help me anticipate my opponents next move and determine the most effective move.

A: I personally likehand to hand combat, espetially when it is close combar.

4. Q: I’ve heard that you are an illegal experiment, what do you say to that?

A: I’d rather not answer that.

5. Q: Okay, I’m sure everybody wants to know this, what is your secret to fighting?

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Where am I from? known not by others Originating by experimentation As did my brothers and sister A shadow with no owner, My only goal to find who I am To exist, to kill I am the shadows, black, like the raven that looms, On the rooftop of the dull, grey laboratory.

I see the land around, Full of purpose, families I live only to kill To eliminate all the humans I rise above them and soar

Like a eagle, a shark, a raven, a human my DNA known only by the lab Not a not a creature, but a beast To fly, to soar, to rise above all From nowhere and no-one to find, to hunt, to seek, and exterminate Yet untouched by the agonies that make them all human

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Monster

By Skillet

Written by: John Cooper The secret side of me, I never let you see I keep it caged but I can’t control it So stay away from me, the beast is ugly I feel the rage and I just can’t hold it It’s scratching on the walls, in the closet, in the halls It comes awake and I can’t control it Hiding under the bed, in my body, in my head Why won’t somebody come and save me from this, make it end?

I feel it deep within, it’s just beneath the skin I must confess that I feel like a monster I hate what I’ve become, the nightmare’s just begun I must confess that I feel like a monster I, I feel like a monster I, I feel like a monster My secret side I keep hid under lock and key I keep it caged but I can’t control it ‘Cause if I let him out he’ll tear me up, break me down Why won’t somebody come and save me from this, make it end?

I feel it deep within, it’s just beneath the skin I must confess that I feel like a monster I hate what I’ve become, the nightmare’s just begun I must confess that I feel like a monster I feel it deep within, it’s just beneath the skin I must confess that I feel like a monster I, I feel like a monster I, I feel like a monster It’s hiding in the dark, it’s teeth are razor sharp There’s no escape for me, it wants my soul, it wants my heart No one can hear me scream, maybe it’s just a dream Maybe it’s inside of me, stop this monster I feel it deep within, it’s just beneath the skin I must confess that I feel like a monster I hate what I’ve become, the nightmare’s just begun I must confess that I feel like a monster I feel it deep within, it’s just beneath the skin I must confess that I feel like a monster I’ve gotta lose control, he something radical I must confess that I feel like a monster I, I feel like a monster I, I feel like a monster I, I feel like a monster I, I feel like a monster

© EMI APRIL MUSIC CANADA LTD; LANDRUM PUBLISHING; NOODLES FOR EVERYONE; PHOTON MUSIC; WARNER-TAMERLANE PUBLISHING CORP;

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Have you ever asked yourself, “Why do I feel this way?” It seems like John Cooper and his band, Skillet, asked themselves this question before they wrote their most popular album. On August 25, 2009, Skillet released the album Awake. One of the songs that resinated most with me was called Monster. In this song, Cooper writes, “Save me from this, make it end,” and we see that people in society feel like the ‘world’ is out of reach because bystanders do not know and in some cases, do not care that they are slipping away. The lyrics also state, “Cause if I let him out he’ll tear me up, break me down.” At this point the author is trying to inform the listener that if we show what our lives are like when you’re going through a hurtful or negative experience, people will think that we are less of a person. As I reflect on this meaning, I remember a time when a friend opened up to a person he trusted. In the end, he was mistreated by the person as the situation became public and blew up in his face.

Three of the poetic devices used to enhance the song are as follows: 1. Simile: “I feel like a monster.” When John Cooper made this statement he was trying to figure out what was happening inside. It seems as if he felt that there was this overwhelming evil inside of him. Therefore, he made the comparison to a monster. I believe he chose to use a simile because he wasn’t truly a monster he only felt like one so he decided to compare himself to one.

2. Assonance: “It’s scratching on the walls, in the closet, in the halls.”

3. Assonance: “Hiding under the bed, in my body, in my head” When this song was being written, I think that the assonance was used to give the listener a chance to imagine what he is feeling like inside.

I chose this song because it had strong poetic language and i have listened to it before and i thought it seemed to fit my story. I thought it really showed how some people can be overwhelmed by darkness, or evil to the point where they cannot hold it even under “lock and key.”

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Commending The Lab: Should it stay, Or should it go?

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“He could hear steel doors sliding closed, magnetizing, locking. Voices shouting…”

Are you on the edge of your seat? This is how, The Lab, by Jack Heath ensnared my attention. After reading this sentence, I knew I could not put the book down. I was intrigued. As I continued to read, the author made it feel like I was the main character, and was incessantly forestalling his next move. As someone who thoroughly enjoys reading, I would endorse the use of this book in a classroom setting as an extra reading assignment on top of curriculum work. This is because the beginning captivates the reader immediately; also, the reader is kept in constant suspense throughout the novel.

Enthralling the reader is the main purpose of every book. The Lab does just that. By starting out with a suspenseful forage, Jack Heath was able to draw the reader in. “He was still searching for the USB when the first alarms sounded.” This beginning draws me into the story because it makes you wonder what he is doing, where he is, what’s on the USB, who is shouting, and why alarms are sounding.

“At sixteen years old, he was the youngest agent, too.” Not only is this character relatable, he is also in the average eighth grader age vicinity, making him that much more relatable. “The sooner his mission is over, the better” lingering situations is something most grade eights and I don’t like, helping us relate to this, most grade eights and I would rather get things over with than drag them out. In the book, it was absolutely imperative that the main character, Six, was to pursue a check point guard and he went about hijacking cars as his means of transportation to keep an eye on the guard. I can relate to this because when I need to accomplish something, I would do nearly anything to ensure the task is completed.

This book was a real page-turner because of the mysterious backstories of the characters and constant anticipation “This was the most dangerous part of his route –– there was nowhere to hide if they found him in this corridor.” Jack Heath clearly wanted to keep the reader thoroughly engaged in the novel and he did this with action packed events. Every time something was just accomplished, he threw another twist at you “Suddenly a squad of seven guards rounded the corner ahead of him, moving in his direction.” This leaves you with a heightened sense of suspense and heavy curiosity.

I would strongly endorse this book for most grade eights to read because of its relatable characters, intriguing beginning, and the constant suspense you are kept in.

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