Chapter 2

Ryan awakes the next morning to the sound of a bottle opening, he sits up to see Aaron chugging down a bottle of bourbon with a lot of empty bottles around him. The TV is on static as he watches it.

"H-Hey kid, you alright there?" Ryan asks as he jumps up off the couch onto his feet. 

Aaron looks over at Ryan; a dead look in his eyes. " Oh…. you're awake….".

"You need to get a girlfriend so you stop looking so gloom." Ryan declares as he walks over and puts a hand on Aaron's shoulder. "Maybe one day I'll buy you a joint.".

" Want some?" Aaron asks; handing Ryan an unopened bottle of whiskey.

Ryan grabs the whiskey and opens it; downing it in one swig.

Ryan picks up a newspaper and says "Ya think they got any job opportunities for a scientist?" Ryan then looks over and sees an eviction notice on the table behind a few bottles of whiskey. "Yknow if you need money I could pull some of my savings from the bank." Ryan offers.

" Nah…. this place is falling apart anyway…." Aaron states as a chunk of the roof falls; proving his point.

"Yknow, you might be right." Ryan admits as he chuckles.

" My grandfather left me an estate when he died…. I haven't been there since." Aaron states; looking at the floor; a single tear falling from his one eye.

"I just noticed your glass eye, what happened?" Ryan asks, hoping not to bring up traumatic memories.

" I… I don't want to talk about it. It's still too painful." Aaron states.

"Well I know pain too, so I'll leave it be." Ryan declares. Aaron gets up from his chair; finishes off his bourbon and tosses the bottle onto the floor with the rest. " Shouldn't we get going? You wanted to check out the basement."

"Are you sure you're fit for this because of all that bourbon, whiskey and all those joints?" Ryan states; looking around the room at all the empty bottles and ends of joints.

" I've been drinking and smoking since I was seventeen. I'm not even drunk yet." Aaron responds. 

Ryan opens the door and says "Don't keep me waiting then. Remember, I don't waste my time." 

Aaron looks at the huge pile of rubble that was once Charme Genetics; Ryan lifts up the police tape and the two duck under it and make their way to where the stairs to the basement should be. 

" So…. I don't think we're gonna be able to get into the basement." Aaron states looking at the rubble covered stairs.

"We could try and lift the bricks piece by piece." Ryan declares. 

" Yeah…. Good luck with that." Aaron states; turning around to leave.

Ryan grabs the smallest piece of rubble and throws it off and says "See it's not that heavy." 

" I don't think we're gonna be able to get into the basement; but we might be able to find something around here." Aaron states; beginning to look around the area and dig through the rubble.

"Then.... what about going to that estate you mentioned?" Ryan inquires.

Aaron grabs something from under a larger piece of rubble; it appears to be a file of some sort.

" Look at this…. Do you recognize it?" Aaron asks; walking back over to Ryan.

Ryan grabs the file and looks through it; he reads the title that is faded and barely readable, all Ryan could read was "X...…..ject" and he says "I have never seen anything like this in my life…." he states as he looks over the blueprints of some strange device. "It looks like some kind of machine used for extracting raw energy; something about Mithril." 

" We should get out of here before someone sees us; it's still a crime scene after all." Aaron states as he lights a cigarette and puffs it.

Ryan facepalms and walks away without saying a word.

The two begin to make their way towards the estate left to Aaron by his late grandfather.

The two stand outside a large mansion; surrounded by a huge yard and a gate surrounding it all. The place has seen better days. The estate is surrounded on either side by large buildings.

" This is it....I haven't been back here in 10 years." Aaron states as he grabs a key out from under the mat in front of the door and unlocks it; opening the door with a loud "CREEEEK".

"This place needs more work than I do." Ryan says jokingly because he needs a new job. 

" Get yourself settled in; I gotta go to work. Well…. Check to see if I still even have a job." Aaron states; handing Ryan an extra key as he starts heading to the nearest bus stop.

At the same time; Ryan closes the front doors; relocking the manor and heads to his black Dodge Challenger.

Ryan gets out of his car at the Mall and walks inside to buy himself clothes, food, and everything he would need; including a crowbar, and some rope, tools. ect. Items he would need to start fixing up the manor. He then pays and leaves.

Aaron rides up the elevator: taking him to the top of the Los Angeles Times. He steps out of the elevator and makes his way to his editor's office.

He lets out a deep breath as he opens the door; making his way inside.

His editor; a man in his early 40s with blonde hair and gray eyes looks up at him as he enters.

" Aaron? So you're awake, huh?" His editor; Nicholas Owen states.

" Yeah; I just woke yesterday. I'm here to see if I still have a job?" Aaron inquires; hopefully.

" Are you kidding me?.... Of course you still have a job; you uncovered the story of the century!" Nicholas exclaims. " A corrupt team of scientific researchers pretend to be trying to find a cure to cancer; but in reality are doing something else. I got someone else on finding out what they were doing; you just get some rest and enjoy your raise." Nicholas states.

" Th- thank you." Aaron states in surprise.

" Now get of here, take a few days off and recover." Nicholas states as Aaron heads back to the elevator.

As Aaron reaches the elevator; the doors are sent flying off by a blast of freezing wind; they slam into Aaron, sending him flying back into the wall. Standing in the elevator is a man in his 30s with blue ice for hair and icy blue eyes; he wears no shirt and his hands are icy claws.

Ryan hears his phone ringing and picks it up and hears screaming and Ryan runs towards his car to zoom down to LA TIMES. 

Aaron goes to hang up his phone; but it's impaled with a shard of ice before he could.

" Hey! I just renewed my service!" Aaron yells as he dives to the right to avoid being impaled by an ice shard.

" You ruined my life!! You made that article! 'Corrupt Scientists!' We were just trying to help people and now my career is over!!!" The icy fiend yells out.

'Whatever that explosion did to me; it has to be something more than talking to animals.' Aaron thinks to himself as he avoids another ice shard.

Aaron thinks about a tiger and using its powers; he grows claws from his hands and his eye becomes cat-like and he feels like he can move faster.

Aaron leaps over a barrage of ice-cicles; surprised by his agile reflexes. He lands on the ground and pounces at the raging icicle, slamming into him with incredible force and sending him flying into a desk.

Ryan drifts into the parking lot and runs into the building; taking the closest elevator up to the top floor.

Ryan runs out and sees the man covered in ice and yells "Harold!?!?!?!?! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!!!!!!!!!!" 

" Ryan!? Good….. Help me kill this fucking bitch; he ruined our lives!" Harold exclaims.

"HAROLD WE TOOK A OATH OF NO HUMAN HARM, ARE YOU GONNA TURN YOUR BACK ON SCIENCE!!!" Ryan yells.

Aaron, taking advantage of the situation, pounces on top of Harold; knocking him to the ground and pinning him.

"So you weren't just high." Ryan remarks with a chuckle.

" No kidding… this feels pretty good." Aaron states as Harold overpowers him and throws him into a nearby desk. Harold turns towards Ryan and fires off several shards of ice.

Ryan puts his hands up in an X to protect his chest as a black goo engulfs his body and forms into a shield that the ice shards shatter against."Hey, maybe not want to shoot at me, that could have hurt me dick!" Ryan yells as he stands up straight.

" If you're not with me: then you're against me!!" Harold yells as he slams his fists into the ground and large spikes of ice shoot towards both Aaron and Ryan.

Ryan pulls up his shield and parries the ice, stopping it in its tracks.

Aaron leaps over the ice; lands on the ground and dashes towards Harold; he attempts to sweep Harold's legs out from under him, but Harold avoids Aaron's attack and knees him in the face. Aaron stands up straight and holds his nose in pain; so he doesn't notice the point blank blast of ice that slams into him and sends Aaron flying across the room and out the window.

Ryan charges at Harold and tackles him out the window and yells "I won't let you hurt innocent civilians!"

As Aaron falls through the sky; one thought goes through his head 'Is this the end? I'm coming Grandpa…'

"Hey Aaron, I did something stupid, HELP ME!!!!" Ryan yells down to him as Ryan keeps holding Harold.

Aaron looks up at the falling Ryan. 'Wait a minute; if my power is that of animals, then I should be able to fly.'

Aaron pictures the majestic eagle and a pair of feathery white wings sprout from his back and his feet become talons.

'Now I have to figure out how these work; and quickly.' Aaron thinks to himself, giving his new wings a flap.

"Hey nice wings, think you could help. I'm starting to see the ground close in!" Ryan exclaims; still restraining Harold.

Aaron gives his wings a hefty flap; he continues doing so until he's flying back up. Aaron soars over to Ryan, grabbing him and then flying towards the ground.

Aaron attempts to land; but ends up crashing into a parked car. He flips over it and slams into a building; Ryan and Harold bounce a bit.

Ryan stands up and knocks Harold out with a right hook. 

Then Ryan walks over to Aaron and says "Hey, you're fine, get back up." 

" Fuck you….." Aaron states as he stands up; and wills his wings and talons away. " How long are you going to look like a black dildo?" Aaron asks as he lights a cigarette and takes a puff.

"Yknow, since your paper made it so I can't be a scientist, I'll take your offer to smoke now!!!" Ryan declares demandingly.

" It's at the estate; we gotta get back there Oh… by the way; what are we doing with this reject?" Aaron inquires; pointing over at the unconscious Harold.

"We should leave that bastard here, and go back to your place for some renovation." Ryan insists.

The two limp towards Ryan's car as his black goo retracts back into his chest.