The dark void drenched the sky with black ooze once as the bright orange and white street lamps colored the streets with their warm lustre.
Since the houses of Queens were empty in broad daylight, now they were filled with laughter and joy as families from each shelter gathered around the dining table. Peace and silence spread across the streets as the cold wind briskly stroked the trees in each yard.
Just outside the Samson's residence, a yellow cab parked next to the lawn. A dense layer of dust veiled it. The young lad held the handle and pulled it to open the door. Although he did that, the door struggled to open.
He sighed and pulled the handle multiple times. A petulant, metal sound rang each time he pulled the handle with force. It was so that one would gnash their teeth in response to that loud ringing.
"Hey, man, you don't have to kill my door just because it's not working properly!" The cab driver exclaimed.
Harrison sat back and raked his face. He sighed after that as dread overwhelmed his troubled spirit.
"I'm sorry, man," he apologetically said.
"You better, or else you'll pay for the damages," pointed the driver as he glared menacingly at him through the rearview mirror.
He opened the window and opened the door from the outside. Once he got out, he dragged his feet to the boot and opened it. A cracking metal sound echoed. He took out his suitcases and closed the boot. He sluggishly dragged the cases with him to his doorstep.
He opened the door and closed it once he got inside.
He then pottered to the living room and found his parents watching TV.
"Hey, Mom, hey, Dad," he said.
Immediately, his parents bolted out of the couch and raced to him. With great compassion, they enveloped him with a very tight embrace.
Once they broke out of the embrace, Maria placed her hands on his shoulders and looked at him with shock.
"Wait, aren't you supposed to be at that Austin internship program?"
Harrison briefly recalled the events that had transpired for the past few days. That included discovering his true identity, even when Gordon ambushed him and his siblings. As he pondered, these recollections intoxicated his troubled spirit even more, sucking the last breath of life out of him.
Since his experiences were still unfathomable to digest, he continued to reflect. Now recalling Caldor's execution and just learning about Seth and Sam's secrets. He realized that his life had changed significantly.
"Didn't you hear your mother's question, stud?" Arthur inquired with a right brow arched.
He snapped out of it and said, "Oh, yes, right. So um, here is the thing..."
He rubbed his hands and continued, "I quit the internship," Harrison replied.
Their brows shot up while their eyes widened. Astonishment seized them unwillingly, temporarily imprisoning them as a peptide of words failed to utter out of their mouths.
"You quit?!!" They exclaimed.
With his hand gestured at him, Arther commented, "I'm confused, stud. Didn't you say you've always dreamed of working for Sam Austin?"
"Yeah, well...uh...I found out that he is not the man I thought he was," Harrison replied as he scratched the back of his neck.
"What happened," replied Maria with concern.
"I don't want to talk about it," he replied, directing his gaze away from them.
"Can I go to my room?" He replied.
"Yeah, I will call you when I'm done reheating the leftover meatloaf," Maria replied.
**********
As soon as he burst into his room, the young lad screamed angrily. He grabbed his hair and tried to pull it out.
Then, he approached his bed and threw the neatly placed pillows across the room. He directed his gaze at his school bag and emptied it.
Strangely enough, he found some pleasure in his outburst. To satisfy his unrelenting wrath, he targeted more objects in his room. It would happen that his eyes stumbled across Sam's poster plastered on his wall. First, he looked at it. In doing so, his wrath grew even more remarkable as he screamed even more.
"I hate you; I hate you!" He bellowed as he ripped the poster in half. He tore it apart, piece by piece until only small fragments remained.
Although he found unusual pleasure in taking his frustrations out on inanimate objects, he was unsatisfied.
He looked around his room and directed his gaze to his wardrobe. He forcedly opened the door and grabbed a Forbes magazine with Sam printed on the front cover. He ripped it apart, piece by piece, and fell on his bottom.
Even though his outburst had worn out later that night, he wept and placed his hand on his temple.
*********
An object with significant mass was falling toward the nearest cornfield in Dallas, Texas.
It resembled an asteroid. The chunk of heat and smoke trailing it from the back further emphasized this mental image. The item had taken on the appearance of a man as it approached the ground. A man falling from the sky would ordinarily be dead, especially since the heat created by his free-falling wound would have cooked him to death. His body would often tumble aimlessly as if a bony framework didn't assist it.
The corpse looked more solid and animated as it descended nearer the ground. It didn't take long to realize that it wasn't a corpse but a living, breathing human being. It was Dan.
As soon as he touched down on the fields, the flame that had been enveloping him dissipated, returning him to his previous, less flamboyant form. He walked across the vibrant yellow and green field, his fingertips tracing through the ears of corn when suddenly, he was plagued by a stream of memories. These were memories of his parents.
When Dan got to the house's front porch, he stood there and stared at the vast expanse of land he had inherited from his father and those who came before him. He muttered to the heavens as the glimmering light from dusk touched the crops in the field.
"Mom! Dad! Wherever you are, I promise to continue to make you proud. Even though I'm facing difficulties with paying the rent, trust me. You've placed the farm in the best hands."
After a loud ignite in the sky, a tiny charcoal black spaceship descended into the cornfields. The propellers exerted considerable heat around the small circular land they'll land on. Not only that, but the force expelled from the thrusters flurried a large chunk of the cereal grass from their soil and roots.
Once the ship landed, the thrusters were switched off as the rear ramp descended to the ground. As the back door opened, two soldiers in black armor emerged with artillery. Seth followed behind while Dan assumed a strong stance by clenching his fist. Cautiously, he approached Seth with methodical steps.
Seth smiled when his eyes met with Dan, "Brother!"
"What do you want? Dan asked with a stare that bordered on heated.
"My, What an uncooked tongue, brother? Nevertheless, given your upbringing, I will indulge you," Seth stated as he glanced around the field with a repulsive gaze.
"I'm not gonna ask you again; what do you want"?
"You," Seth said.
"Me?" With a look of disbelief etched on his face, he pointed at his chest.
"Yes, brother. We have a common...." Seth said.
"Look, man, I get where you are coming from. As for me, I'm not in the mood for this whole Codex situation, alright. I just wanna be left alone," he said with his hands raised out.
Dan then turned his back against Seth and faced the porch.
While doing so, Seth added, trying his best to convince him.
"I saw it in your eyes, brother, your anger. It burned intensely, especially when I told you about our father's execution."
Dan tucked his hands in his pocket and pursed his lips, looking down at the ground. He reflected while Seth continued speaking.
"Codex is our shared enemy. We must go there to avenge our father; is it difficult to ask?"
"Enemies?" Dan responded as he looked up.
With a somewhat perplexed expression, Seth answered, "I don't understand, brother. Doesn't this infuriate you? Especially since Gordon is the one who put Caldor to death."
Quickly, Dan turned to face Seth once he heard of Gordon's second misconduct. He unclenched his fist as a look of intrigue filled his face. Without a doubt, a seed of hatred toward Gordon had now grown into a small plant. He planted it not long ago; this all began when Gordon ambushed them that night in Sam's plane. Over time, when Gordon's skeletons were exposed to the light from the closet, little did he know that he was watering and nurturing the seed into its current state.
"I suggest that we start with Gordon before moving on to Codex," Dan stated, placing a straw between his lips.
With a smirk, Seth answered with a nod, "I wouldn't have it any other way."
The two shook hands after Seth extended his hand.
************
The following morning, the breeze moved clemently across the city, carrying a small portion of dust particles and leaves.
The citizens filled the sidewalks, advancing to their workstations in great pursuit—meanwhile, the streets were occupied by a sea of laggard cars. You might've sworn that these were not cars, especially at the rate of their sluggish movement. Relatively, one might mistake them for a dole of turtles.
Amidst the traffic jam, Diana glazed through the window of a cab. With her arms crossed, she drummed her left wrist with her fingers and reflected upon what Sam said.
"You know what, I can't believe I was such an idiot to think that finding you guys would fill the void in me!"
He beat his chest proudly with his right hand.
Unbeknownst to him, he failed to realize that his words were like a sword, driven deep into their hearts.
"I was wrong. Forget everything that happened to us for the past couple of days. You're all...."
He cleared his throat while he spoke... "Let's face it; we don't trust each other. So please, leave me alone and return to your pathetic lives!"
"Mam, mam!" The driver exclaimed.
She snapped out of it and looked forward while he turned to face his back, as his left arm rested on the steering wheel, while his right arm rested on his chair.
"Oh, um, sorry..." she shook her head.
She climbed out of the vehicle and took her luggage out of the bag. She hauled it towards the entrance of a nearby building.
The building stretched towards the grey, dull sky as she looked up.
From inside the building, a porter rushed to her.
"Good morning, mam," he said.
"Morning," she replied.
"Let me carry that for you," he gestured at the luggage.
With a smile, she responded, "Thank you."
As he hauled her luggage, they walked toward the entrance, gracing the red carpeting on the ground that led to the reception with their footsteps.
*********
Sometime later, they arrived at her room. Once they entered her room, the potter neatly placed her luggage on the floor. He stuttered and tapped the floor with his foot.
"Could you perhaps give me a tip?"
She delved her hand into her brown, furry coat. Once she searched it, she took it out and handed him a coil of paper money.
"Thank you," With a smile, he said. He shook her hand and walked away after that.
Later, after settling in, she hurriedly left for the shower. While inside the two-sided enclosure, the shower head poured down on her; each droplet exploded against her hair and trickled down her body till it reached her toes.
She then cocked her head upward, welcoming the pleasurable sensation that was accompanied by the water's temperature.
After taking a shower, She wrapped herself in fresh clothing. She wore a long brown coat, a white sleeveless shirt, and black boots. She pottered toward the door and opened it. As she did that, a particular foe stood in her path, staring intensely through her eyes. Diana's eyes grew disproportionately large in response to that. She retreated a few steps as her heartbeat gradually accelerated.
"Seth?" She croaked
"Ms. Livingston," he smirked and stepped inside her room.
Her mouth gaped with great wonder as she inquired, "How did you...how...how do you know where I live?" She stuttered.
"How can I not know where my long sister lives? Let's talk," he said as he touched her shoulder.