HUHEW!

HUHEW!

HUHEW!

Ikaris broke out of the surface of the water, accidentally rousing Gravitons awake, causing him to shoot himself – and two tons of water – out of the river and onto the shore where Goose2 stood.

The cat agilely dodged the wet incoming Eternal.

BANG

BANG

BOOOOM

WHOOSH

BANG

Once again, Ikaris found himself in a similar situation – the water splashed down in a huge wave, and Ikaris was carried by the wave through several trees, through clay-like dirt, and into a small hill.

Blood splashed.

Bones broke.

The Eternal was unconscious for all of five minutes before his body mended itself back together, and his consciousness was free to take possession of his mental acuity once more.

“Darn!” Ikaris pushed himself out of the hill, sad at the destructing left in his wake. “What the heck am I doing here?”

Goose2 made her appearance at that time, taking careful steps towards Ikaris as if he could possibly injure her by accident.

“What’s happening?” Ikaris inquired, glancing down at this body. “Why the heck am I naked?”

MEO-W

“Of course, I am fine.”

MEO-W - MEO-W

“Yes, I am very sure,” The Eternal rolled his eyes in an exaggerated manner.

MEO-W - MEO-W - MEO-W - MEO-W - MEO-W - MEO-W

“Yes…” Ikaris took a deep breath to calm his thoughts. “I am really, really, really fine. Can you answer my question now? Why the heck were you trying to drown me at the bottom of a river? And don’t you dare make up some shoddy excuse about me going for a swim – I would have gone to the pool near the theater!”

Goose blushed, her first bristling a bit.

Of course, it was not because of her failed attempt to drown Ikaris – despite all their fights and disagreements, Goose2 would never admit it, but she thought of Ikaris as her father. And she would never hurt her father.

Goose2 was blushing because she had forgotten about the nearby pool and instead, brought Ikaris all the way to the very same river he loathed at the beginning of their journey - The Unluckiness River.

But Goose2 also had a good reason, and she only needed to point her nose towards the river to show Ikaris why he needed to be brought so deep into the forest, dropped into a river, and left there for an entire week.

“What are you—”

Ikaris paused mid-sentence with surprise on his face – it couldn’t be anything but surprising. The Eternal started to run the mental calculations, wondering just what volume of water the earlier Gravitons had carried with him.

The answer was blunt – not enough to cause this!

The river was almost empty of water, and a quick examination of Goose2’s expression told Ikaris that he was the cause of the phenomenon in front of them. It didn’t take long to find out what happened – the pattern told Ikaris the entire story.

“I have been here for some time, huh?”

MEOW

“What happened?”

MEOW – MEOW – MEW – MEOW – MEOWW (Translation: Fire… burning… screaming… theater was going to explode… I swallowed you and ran for it – it became hot and I dumped you inside the river but even then, wasn’t enough. And then, you slept until now.)

“So, that’s what happened?” Ikaris frowned, recalling flashes of what happened the previous week; though, to him, it felt like the previous night.

There was sex – an intense bout of sex with someone, probably Julia though for some reason, Ikaris had the idea that it was someone else. Maybe a fantasy?

When the sex was close to its peak, Ikaris could recall the moment his Cosmic Energy flared into a golden flame that surrounded his body – it felt right as if reacting to something at the moment.

But in the end, all the Cosmic Energy did was overload Julia’s body, and by the time he had pulled the energy back into his body, Julia was covered in third-degree burns. The lapse in emotional judgment roused the Cosmic Energy anew.

Ikaris could recall the panic as the Cosmic Energy refused to listen to even him – he was generating more than he ever had, probably as much as Hyperion on a bad day. Then, just as he was about to blow, Goose2 swallowed him and darkness came.

“Is she alive?” Ikaris was not very concerned about his one-night stand, but Julia was a passable human being so it wouldn’t do well for humanity if she was to die so needlessly. “We should go back and investigate after we are done here.”

MEOW

“So, you don’t know either,” Ikaris shrugged, and mentally scanned his body, realizing that he could perceive himself in a much more thorough manner than before.

Muscles were flexing on command.

His nerve endings felt narrower and more refined.

Bones creaked a bit before smoothly rubbing against each other.

Cartilage built up…

Everything was the same as before – physically speaking – but his perception of himself was enhanced to a further degree of clarity. And beneath all that new perception was a pulse, more like a wave, of energy that had always been just out of Ikaris’s reach.

It was heavy at times and weightless at other times.

GRAVITONS

Ikaris had flashes of memories of being able to fly, and more than once he had experienced a sudden shift in momentum when in danger so it was only natural that he expected to be able to master a flying-type ability soon.

And Gravitons were the answer, but until now, Ikaris was unable to perceive them to any degree potent enough to rouse himself off the ground. The Eternal tugged on the nearby Gravitons with renewed insight into their workings, and slowly floated in the air.

He was expecting to burst into flight but as his luck would have it, Ikaris merely floated a foot off the ground before he could rise no longer, and even then, besides levitating in one spot, it was impossible to do much else.

The task was way too complex for his developing mind.

MEOW – MEW – MEW – MEW

Goose2’s chuckling made Ikaris feel a bit embarrassed, but The Eternal didn’t dare show such an expression in front of his feline companion – after all, she would torture him with such knowledge for a very long time.

Not that they had long to live if they were unable to solve this mess.

Ikaris could somehow feel it – something was coming. It wasn’t here yet, but it was gonna be here sometime in the future. As for what that was, The Eternal could not say for sure, but it was incredibly dangerous.

Anything that could make him concerned usually was.

“Do you have a change of clothing for--”

Ikaris barely finished asking when Goose2’s tentacles erupted from her mouth, spat a suit of neatly folded clothing onto the ground, and disappeared back into her mouth. Ikaris didn’t mind the disturbing display; he had become accustomed to the sight by now.

“Thank you,” The Eternal gave the feline a few gentle rubs, taking Goose2 and placing her on his shoulder – her favorite place to be; though, these days the cat was thinking about sitting atop his head.

Ikaris was dressed in a minute, and Goose2 curled her tail around his neck – they were ready to tackle whatever came.

------------------------

The duo found themselves back where it began – Welcome to Forks.

It took about half an hour of wandering near the sign aimlessly before some random passerby decided to stop her car and give the kid and his car a ride. The journey into the town from the outskirts would take fifteen minutes.

Ikaris was more than happy to spend that time learning about what happened to the theater.

“So…” The Driver, Samantha, frowned. “You were planning to go watch a movie.”

Ikaris nodded his head.

“I don’t think that’s possible,” Samantha was definitely a gossiper. “People say some weird shit happened at the theater and someone got like… third-degree burns – almost died. It was a big deal for a couple of days.”

“What happened to them?”

“I am not sure, but they’re alive at least,” Samantha quirked her brow. “What are you trying to do – visit the ten wonders of Forks?”

“Ten Wonders?” Ikaris was confused.

“I picked you up near The Welcome of The Golden God – at least, that’s what Waylon calls it. Keep in mind, he is a drunk but some people say he definitely saw something,” Samantha rolled her eyes, telling Ikaris she believed jack-shit about what others believed.

Before The Eternal could inquire further…

“We’re here.”

--------------------

Ikaris slid from the front seat of the car, bidding Samantha goodbye. As it turned out, she was the most wholesome human he had met thus far – someone who just allowed him to exist without searching for any deeper meaning to a kid being in the middle of nowhere alone.

Ikaris adjusted the cuffs of his suit and walked through the town.

It was just as he had remembered it – cold, never too busy, and everyone wearing coats and hoodies. A couple of people cast curious glances in his direction as The Eternal progressed, but those glances weren’t too bothersome.

Most people of the town had already seen him working at the theater once or twice so if anything, the suit he was wearing was likely what was drawing most of the attention and not The Eternal, himself.

The walk took five minutes.

Five minutes for Ikaris to plan the perfect excuse.

Five minutes to decide what would happen.

By the time Ikaris found the perfect story, he had already unconsciously walked through the doors of the theater, and as luck would have it – keeping in mind that The Eternal’s luck was shit – the first person that greeted Ikaris was the Chief of Police himself – Charlie Swan.

“I heard that you’ve been working here, but I never bothered to check on you since there was never any disturbance,” Charlie sighed and rubbed his tired eyes. “I guess fate just has it out for you, kid.”

“I don’t think its fate,” Ikaris sighed as well. “Are you going to arrest me or something?”

Charlie seemed to muse on the idea for a while. “Ever wondered why I never came for you even when I knew you were here?”

“Because I am a peaceful citizen.”

“Peaceful citizen or not, you’re still a kid,” Charlie shook his head. “I was around your age when I first thought to run away from home, but I had responsibilities. So, I know what’s it like to want to run away from everything and work in a theater… living from day to day.”

Ikaris frowned as if finally putting a very complex puzzle together. “You’re actually a good cop, aren’t you?” he questioned, finding the word good and human didn’t usually fit well together.

“Well, this job is all I have because I didn’t run away,” Charlie gave Ikaris a profound stare. “To me – at this age – you might as well be living the dream of my life.”

The duo of an officer and a most-likely-to-commit-a-crime sat in silence for a couple of minutes.

“Did you know her?” Charlie inquired, already knowing the answer to that question, but deciding to ask it nonetheless.

“Yeah, you can say she was my caretaker,” Ikaris sighed in a way only a sad person could. “She would come around here with food – you know the type? Those who want to help without actually seeming like they’re helping? She was like that.”

“Do you know what happened to her?”

“I think I did,” Ikaris admitted but deflected at the last second. “Or Thomas did… Thomas Laghari was his name. I was here that night, he got a bit handsy with her. I tried to drive him away but he assaulted me – slapped me like three times. I am sure that’s called child abuse. After I left Julia, I don’t know… maybe he swung back around?”

Charlie tried to control his expression, but it was clear as day that hidden anger was simmering somewhere deep in his mind. It had been a week so Ikaris expected the investigation to almost be finished – more than likely, he had given Charlie the exact same story the evidence was telling.

“Do you want to see her?” Charlie’s voice grew quieter. “It’s probably not as bad as you think, and I am sure she will be happy to see you. Your name was what she said the most.”

Ikaris’s eyes widened. “She is… alive?”

Charlie shook his head. “Not exactly. She’s in a coma, but she asked for you before you were put under. She wanted me to protect you, and now I am certain it was to protect you from Thomas. But no need to worry, we already have him in custody. As long as you give a statement with a social worker present, he will be going away for a very long time.”

“And my identity?”

“Protected since you’re still a minor.”

Ikaris slowly nodded, thinking everything would work out just fine if Julia didn’t wake up at all, but such dark actions were below him – at least, he thinks they are.

-------------------------

FORK’S COMMUNITY HOSPITAL

Charlie pushed open the door and Ikaris stepped inside, witnessing an unconscious and thoroughly bandaged Julia attached to several machines meant to keep her alive after their tryst a week ago.

Ikaris felt his heart drop as he stared at the damage he had done to Julia, and admittedly, such emotions only came about because he imagined what it would have been like if the one he made love to was not Julia… but the person in his mind.

SERSI

‘Would she also end up in this state?’ Ikaris questioned himself internally, but something told him the woman – Sersi was her name – was much stronger than Julia.

Ikaris made slow steps to Julia’s side, analyzing the woman as he did, and the closer he got to her, the more confused he became. He could sense the lingering Cosmic Energy from her skin, and from what he could tell, the energy was too low frequency.

Had he wanted to kill her, the Cosmic Energy would be of a higher frequency.

Had he made love to her with great passion, the Cosmic Energy would be of a higher frequency.

Had he lost control for a split second, not only would Julia not survive, but the Cosmic Energy would, again, be of a higher frequency.

Something wasn’t adding up.

“She’s in a medically induced coma,” Charlie mentioned with a frown. “I didn’t get all the medical terms but basically, there was brain swelling due to the burns? Then, this was what they had to do, but they are optimistic of her waking up when the swelling subsides.”

Ikaris slowly nodded, half-paying attention since he was more concerned about remembering every detail of that night. It had become clear at this point that his aim was not to injure Julia.

“And there is a lawyer for you to talk to,” Charlie mentioned out of the blue.

“A what?” Ikaris frowned. “Why?”

The door was pushed open, and in came someone dressed similarly to Ikaris – in a suit – but this person’s suit screamed of professionalism and class. The Eternal was a bit peeved by someone so clearly better dressed than he was, but when Ikaris considered he could crush the man with a single arm, everything became lighter.

“Because…” The Lawyer open his case and presented a set of files to Ikaris. “In the past week, Ms. Hammond has made arrangements for you to be taken care of if she encountered any problems while in Forks.”

Ikaris took the files but his eyes lingered on the lawyer. “Why?” He questioned since he had only just met the woman about two and a half weeks ago. “You do know I just met her and all.”

“These are for personal reasons I cannot discuss,” The Lawyer was bristling beneath his suit, and hesitated to give Ikaris the pen to record the signature. “All you need to do is sign and receive partial funding. If she doesn’t wake up in two months, you will be the sole beneficiary of her insurance and savings.”

“She is in a coma not dea—” Ikaris suddenly paused when he saw all the zeroes in the file he had to sign. “That’s a lot of commas!” The Eternal signed as quickly as he could not because of the money, but because of the object reflected in one of the files – Vibranium.