I was your everyday suburban kid who enjoyed sports, animals, hanging out with friends, and reading comic books. I was a huge fan of superheroes and dreamed of becoming one when I got older. If that didn't happen I would become an accountant like my Dad. I'm sure it would be just as exciting. Or not. One fateful afternoon the doorbell rang so I ran to the front door and peeked through the curtains. It was a man dressed in military fatigues delivering a package. "Sign here Mac" the delivery man said. "What is this?" "I don't know, I just deliver 'em." My parents were next door visiting with the neighbors so against my better judgment I decided to sign for the package.

TOP SECRET

The package was actually a large wooden crate that was too heavy for me to lift. I looked at the address on the box which read "Mr. Jake Huggins." My last name was Higgins. The delivery guy had made a big mistake. I ran after him but the truck was long gone so I sat on the front steps and waited for my parents to return. The crate had a big sign on it which read "TOP SECRET." After a few restless moments my curiosity got the better of me and I opened the box with a hammer making an awful mess in the process. Inside I found a large metal suit that looked like a suit of armor.

I probably shouldn't have done that but I had already gone too far by tearing apart the crate. As I started to repackage the armor, a series of lights began flashing as the suit started to beep. Startled by the lights and noise, I hid behind the living room sofa. Slowly the suit opened up revealing all sorts of wires and buttons inside. I desperately tried to close the armor only to be pulled into the metal behemoth. I was now locked inside the armor. Being inside the armor made me feel like I was a giant robot. Despite my initial fears about the outfit, it was actually quite comfortable inside which was customizing itself to my body.

"Identify yourself" a robotic voice boomed in my ears. "Uh, Jack....I mean Jake Huggins." "Welcome Corporal Huggins. I assume that you have read the document and know what is expected of you." "Um, yeah. Sure did!" The document had actually been tossed aside on the front steps during my rush to open the box. I had no idea what the mission entailed but it looked as though I was about to find out.

"Preparing for liftoff!" "Liftoff?" " i5, 4, 3, 2, 1........Blast off!"

With that I was launched into the sky trapped inside the super metal suit. The takeoff was loud and shook my house and the neighborhood. Dogs started barking, car alarms starting blaring, and babies started screaming from the noise. My parents were shocked to see a giant flying robot in their neighborhood. "Where's Jack? He would absolutely love this!" my Dad shouted over the roar of the armored suit. "I'll go get him!" my Mom replied. When she got back to the house, I had already left for my mission in the sky. All that remained was a big cardboard box and a sealed envelope on the ground. "Jack? Jack? Where are you?"

"WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?"

Soaring through the sky in my cool robotic suit was both exhilarating and terrifying for me. I had never been up this high in my entire life. Heck, I'd never even been on a plane. I think the highest up I'd ever been was on a roller coaster at a local theme park. The suit responded to every one of my movements as if it could read my mind. I was having so much fun flying through the sky. I even managed to wave to a news reporter giving a traffic update from a helicopter. I think I frightened him as he nearly fell out of the chopper. "Sorry!"

While I was having the time of my life, my parents were thousands of miles below worried about my whereabouts. "Hey hon, come here for a second" my Dad called out. "I opened this envelope and inside was a government document. It's about a top secret mission to defeat some foreign spy planes known as 'The Spider Crew.' It also says something about a super solider suit made of metal." "You don't think Jack put that suit on?" "I don't know. He's a pretty curious kid but I think even he wouldn't do anything that foolish." "He'd probably be too small for such a powerful suit. I think we should call the police or the FBI" my Mom replied.

"OPTION B???"

Back among the clouds, I continued to put the metal armor through all sorts of tests, pushing myself and the suit to the brink. "Now that you have gotten acclimated to the super suit, it is time for your mission Corporal." "Mission? Oh right. The mission" I nervously chuckled. "You will be intercepting some foreign fighter jets that have breached security protocol. They are known as The Spider Crew, a band of mercenaries. You will engage them peacefully at first. If they do not disengage, you will be forced to go with Option B." "Option B?" "Aerial combat." "Oh, sure. Good ol' Option B" I said, my voice cracking from nerves. What had I gotten myself into?

Back at my house, the police and FBI had set up their operations in our living room. "Is our son in trouble?" my Mom asked one of the FBI agents. "He stole government property and has put national security at risk." "We'll be sure to ground him for a whole month" my Dad interrupted. "Ground him? Sir, your son is looking at a very long prison sentence." "But he's only 12. Can you get the General on the phone for me?" "Yeah right, like I'm going to tell him some kid is taking a 5 billion dollar military weapon for a joyride." My parents looked at one another feeling completely helpless as they waited for news about my location.

At first I was able to control the robot suit with my movements but now it wouldn't respond to any of my commands. "What's going on with the suit?" "You are closing in on a pair of unidentified fighter jets. Time to engage Corporal." "Uh yeah, about that. My name isn't Jake Huggins. I'm Jack Higgins, a grade 7 student from Riverbridge Elementary." My big revelation was greeted by several moments of silence. "That name does not compute. Shall I engage the rocket boosters?" Yikes! Rocket boosters? That sounded dangerous. Well, I had come this far. What did I have to lose? I kinda felt like a junior Tony Stark if Ironman was 12 years old and got a weekly allowance from his parents.

An incoming missile whizzed by my head fired from one of the jets. That was close. A little too close. It was getting hot in this metal suit and I was really starting to sweat. "Hey computer, why wasn't I notified about that missile." "Your suit comes with a force field that repels all forms of artillery. The jets are circling back . I am awaiting your next order sir." Sir? Nobody ever called me Sir before. Maybe this wasn't so bad after all. I commanded some respect with this metal armor. "Launch the rockets!" "Your suit is not equipped with rockets. It is strictly used for defense." "What good is this metal suit if I can't shoot rockets or lasers?" "It is your duty to guide these enemy combatants as far away from civilians as possible. Your armor is to be used for defensive purposes only. You are here to advocate for peace and not war." "Oh, alright" I lamented.