Ouroboros

Nobody's Business

     He walked another block before someone stopped him. "Hey, kid."

     He whirled around. Sitting on the steps of an old apartment building was a group of boys around his age, and in the middle of them was a six-pack of beers. "H-hello..." Roman stammered. Who were they, and what did they want with him?

     "Got any cash?" asked the one who'd greeted him. "If you've got any, we'll let you have a drink."

      Roman shuddered. Have a drink. Were they out of their minds? His mother had been hopelessly addicted to alcohol, even while pregnant with him. He lived every day with the repercussions of her habit, even though she herself was long gone. "I...I don't have any cash..."

     "He's lying," said another boy. "Do you hear him? He can't even spit it out." He took a swig of beer and laughed. "Whatever. More for us."

     Roman snapped. "Do you have any idea what you're doing?"

     "Having fun," one insisted. "What's your problem, kid?

     Without saying anything, he snatched the bottle from the boy's hand and pitched it onto the concrete, smashing it. The evil-looking brown liquid spilled across the sidewalk. All of them got up and started screaming obscenities at him. The tallest of them, a thug with arms so muscular they seemed to burst through his sleeves, took a swing at his head.

     Roman ducked and sprinted away as fast as he could. The brute ran after him, caught up to him, and kicked his feet out from under him. Roman sprawled on the concrete, skinning his knees and the heels of his hands. He scrambled to get back up, but a fist collided with the back of his head. Stars flickered in his vision. With a little gasp of pain, he sank back to the ground.

     "You're gonna pay, you little shit," the kid growled. He grabbed Roman by the arm and dragged him into an alley where his friends were already waiting. The boys grinned. Roman tried and failed to not cry. They pinned him up against a wall by the back door of a corner pharmacy. "You're gonna pay!"

     The door swung open. "What're yous guys doin'?" an old woman barked. Roman looked up and saw Linda hobble out the door with her cane. His assailant laughed maniacally. WHAM! Though her cane missed the boy's head and hit the wall instead, it sent them all fleeing. "Imbeciles," she scoffed. "Everyone's goin' to love this story."

     Despite his pain and terror, Roman couldn't help but laugh along with her. He followed Linda inside, chuckling as he passed the EMPLOYEES ONLY door. He wondered what Fiver would have done. Either decked their faces in black and blue, or invited them to join the team.

.........

     "Come on, Coda. You can do it!" Jim called.

     The whale bellowed in frustration. Jim clutched his headphones, jarred by the sheer volume and force of Coda's sound.

     - How do I get you in focus? –

     "Just take a picture. It doesn't have to be a good one. We'll work on that later," Jim told him. "I need you to show me that you can use the camera. If you can't, we need to modify it a little more."

      Coda-9994 clicked out his commands. Zoom in. No flash. Snap! A horribly blurry photograph of Jim appeared on the clear screen in front of his left eye, then disappeared.

     - Did it! You look positively flattering. –

     Jim chuckled. "I'll work on fixing the focus."

     Coda raised his head above the water. Jim detached the camera from his headgear and gave him a pat. Their gazes connected for a moment before the whale spoke again.