The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp
Rick Yancey
 A teenager named Alfred Kropp lives in a small apartment with his Uncle Farrel, who is a security guard. He stays mostly secluded, both at home and at school. A man named Arthur Myers calls Alfred's uncle at work, and offers one million dollars for the return of an object stolen from him by Uncle Farrell's boss. Basically, Alfred has to break into the main office, find the safe, and steal the object himself, accidentally cutting himself on the blade of the sword. Then when he is about to leave, he is attacked by three monks. A battle ensues, but Alfred manages to defeat them with Excalibur. Alfred and Uncle Farrell manage to escape, where they are attacked by Arthur Myers. He steals the sword, and kills Uncle Farrell, sparing Alfred. Alfred meets Bernard Samson ( Bernard is Alfred´s dad), who explains to him that Arthur Myers was an alias of an international terrorist, who wanted control of Bernard's sword, which was Excalibur. Bernard Samson, the heir of Lancelot, goes off to Jativa, in Spain, to try to reclaim the Sword from Myers, whom he knows as Mogart. A member of an international organization called OIPEP interjects that their codename for Mogart is 'The Dragon'. When Alfred asks Samson if there is anything he can do to help, Samson replies, "Pray." Alfred returns to his normal life unwillingly, and is taken into a foster home owned by a family called the Tuttles. Alfred, unsatisfied with his normal life, takes to hanging around the nearby town, particularly the cafes. There, Alfred meets Bennacio, a knight protector of the sword (and the lead monk who attacked him); he reveals that all the defenders, including Samson, were killed, and the sword was lost. After relating this, Bennacio leaves the coffee shop they were in and Alfred follows him. Alfred sees Bennacio get attacked and attempts to save him. They go to Bennacio's room at the Marriott, where Bennacio uses Alfred's blood (where he cut himself) to heal the wound. Bennacio explains to Alfred that Excalibur has the power to heal, and that having been cut by it, Alfred has been granted the power to heal. The next day, Bennacio is ready to leave without Alfred, but he pleads to the knight to help in any way he can. Bennacio offers Alfred a chance to drive him. They drive to Canada (In a Koenigsegg CCX) and steal a Ferrari Enzo, but are attacked by more of Mogart's henchmen. Bennacio kills them when he has the chance and then continues on their journey. They stop at a deceased knight's house, where Windimar's mother lets them stay. They leave the next day, and get attacked once again. This time there are six of them on Suzuki Hayabusas. Alfred and Bennacio continue through Nova Scotia, and hijack a Jaguar because their Ferrari was critically damaged. They then fly to France. In France, Bennacio tells Alfred that he is a descendant of Lancelot, making him the heir to his father's title. Then OIPEP offers to trade 10.5 billion dollars for the sword; however, Mogart double crosses them and kills Bennacio in the process, leaving Alfred as the last man standing. Mike Arnold, a member of OIPEP who set up the exchange, is also revealed as a traitor at this time. Bennacio's daughter, Natalia, is taken by Mogart, and held for a ransom. Alfred personally travels to Merlin's cave in England in order to save Bennacio's daughter. Here, in Merlin's Cave in Tintagel, Kropp finds his true destiny as the master of the Sword. Mogart is unable to kill him with it even though Kropp is impaled upon the sword and pinned to the wall of Merlin's Caves underneath Tintagel. As in the original King Arthur stories, Mogart is unable to pull the sword out of the stone as only the Master of the Sword can claim it. Kropp, having healed himself with the sword, pulls the sword out of the stone, finishes off Mogart, and returns home as a hero. At the end of the story, Alfred finds that he yearns for more excitement and calls OIPEP, wanting a job fighting "agents of darkness."