THREE

Two Days Ago

Katie had been holding Hank, hugging him as he cried the entire time until the arrive of the police. There were a lot of them, brandishing their guns. They were of course way too late.

After a brief explanation by Katie they called in a detective. Hank had been too shocked and full of grief to tell them anything.

The detective that arrived was a heavyset Latino woman with a pretty face and tastefully applied make up. She wore tan slacks and a black blazer. She told them she was Detective Manuela Ortiz. Katie told her who she and Hank were.

“Is any of you in need of medical attention?” Ortiz asked them.

“I’m okay,” Katie said.

“I’m… I’m not hurt,” Hank answered.

“What happened here?” Ortiz asked.

“I was just visiting my friend Hank. He was introducing me to his dad. Then the wall just exploded,” Katie told her. “These guys in red masks came in as well as this guy with a skull mask.”

“Damn, The Red Raider!” Ortiz said.

“Yes, I think so,” Katie answered. “They seemed to be after the technology in the lab.”

Ortiz nodded. “Yeah, that’s their M.O. They raid tech.”

“They just came in shooting. They shot professor Connors. Hank and I managed to duck, evading their bullets.”

“That must have been quite scary,” Ortiz said. There was a lot empathy coming from her large, dark eyes. She seemed nice.

“Very,” Katie said.

“So then what happened?”

Katie thought about what to say. Should she tell she suddenly seemed to have become indestructible after the machine exploded? She was afraid that would mean they’d want to study her in labs and stuff. She didn’t feel like that right now. She just wanted to be a regular high school kid and concentrate on cheerleading. “Then I guess they heard the sirens and ran off. I figure someone must have called 911 after hearing the explosion.”

“Yeah, that’s right. I guess you two could use some rest now and some professional help.” Ortiz handed Katie a card. “Here’s some numbers for you. Call them. And Hank… I’m very sorry for your loss. Now I need you two to leave the crime scene please. The folks from Forensics will want to have a look here.”

Katie took Hank by the hand and they slowly walked away from the crime scene. Hank’s hand was shaking. She squeezed his hand, looked him straight in the eye and swore, “I’ll help you get through this.”

Tears flowing from his eyes he told her, “I have no idea how to get through something like this. First my mom dies from cancer, now this… How do you get over something like this?”

Katie was at a loss for words for a moment. Both her parents were still alive. In fact, she’d seen little tragedy in her life. Not hard to be positive the, right? She’d always been the popular girl. Cheerleader, good grades, all the boys seemed to want her and all the girls seemed to want to be her. She felt very bad. Not just for Hank, but in a way about how privileged she’d been all her life without really appreciating it. Maybe this, this tragedy and the stranger power she’d received from the explosion had come on her path to appreciate her situation better and do something positive, help people who weren’t as fortunate as she was. How? She had no idea yet.

“I… I don’t know, Hank. But I will be there for you. Whenever you need me to be. Let’s get to my place. My mom and dad will be there for you as well.”

Hank nodded. He hugged Katie. She held him again. Poor kid. Things couldn’t get any worse, could they?