The exciting second episode of The Hybrids. Read Ep 1 here.

I stop running once I reach one of the ridges overlooking Tokyo and look out over the distance as I go over what had just happened to me. It is really hard to fathom the idea that I had fallen into a tub full of chemicals and not only stayed alive, I’d gotten powers. I needed answers but knew not to go to the doctors or hospitals. I tried to think of anyone that could help me in my predicament.

Where does a college drop out go for help understanding superhuman powers? College. This science prodigy from college popped into my head. I decided to go for a visit. He probably wouldn’t believe me. A Superhero Movie stuntman really gets superhero powers? Right. For now though, I had to get cleaned up. Walking around with chemicals on my shirt and an empty belly would not help me get any answers. I start walking down the dirt trail that lead back to the city. It took me half an hour to get back to the city; it was a very welcoming sight due to the bright lights of the buildings that illuminated the night.

As I entered the city, I saw the crime. Criminals vandalizing buildings with vulgar drawings, waking up homeless people to mock them, and the police doing nothing to stop it. I felt a strong urge to go, but I brushed it off. “I don’t want to bring attention to myself until I know what I cando” I thought. I gave a dollar to a homeless man and kept walking. I couldn’t be a superhero. I couldn’t have powers. I walked down the street to my apartment. I had to go home.
A warm greeting from George, the building’s manager, was waiting inside the door to the building. “Hey, Riku! Rare to see you out this late.” I turned my head to see him. He wore his usual red, carefully ironed, dress shirt. From what I could tell, this one had black paw prints on it; there was always some pattern. His tie matched the paw prints and his mustache. “How’s it going?” he asked. I looked down and traced the pattern of the hall carpet to avoid eye contact. “Swell, it was a hard day at work today…I got a few bruises to show” I answered. He came up to me and looked at my shirt for a second. “What’s this on your shirt?” His hand slowly moved toward the dirty neon green stains still damp on different areas of my shirt. “WAIT, DON’T TOUCH THAT!” I cried; the sudden outburst causing him to recoil. “What?…Why?” he asked, stepping slightly back. “Because…I uh..” How do you tell someone you have radioactive chemicals which may give them powers on your shirt? I came up with a really bad answer…“some darn bird was aiming just for me…some bird…splattered onto my shirt…they say it is good luck I guess…gotta go…” I mumbled as I brushed past. I ran up the stairs as fast as my feet could take me and took a sharp left.

I walked down the familiar hallway lit with electric lamps whose light hit the top of the blue wallpaper in a way which gave you the feeling that you were up at the top of the sky; I stopped walking when I reached 407. “Home, sweet home” I said to myself. I pulled out my keys and flipped around for the one to the door. It was difficult due to the fact that I had about twelve keys, one including the key for my trailer, one for the door to the warehouse, another for the storage room at the movie set, and another one for the yellow Ducati motorcycle with black racing stripes, in the parking lot of the movie set. It was a superb machine and one of the only perks to being a stuntman. You could drive around the movie set with the movie vehicles while the movie was on location. It made up for people not even knowing you are in the movie.

I open the door; everything is just as I left it. I walk through the kitchen, grab a glass bottle of Coke, and walk down the hall to my bathroom. It is a small room with the bare essentials: a toilet, a shower, and a sink. I set my Coke on the sink. I have to get this stuff off of me right now.  After about fifteen minutes in a hot shower, I start to feel cleaner.  I get out, towel off, head to my room, and put on some clothes: red converse, blue jeans and a yellow t-shirt with a red hoodie over it.

I head back to the kitchen with my bottle of Coke to heat up some food; I pull out a microwave meal and heat it. As it dings ready, I sigh and pull it out. I stab half sauced chicken chunks and look out my apartment window. I don’t even try to eat the vegetable mush on the side. I throw out the tray and plop down on my couch. I turn on the TV; it is a news report about the incident at the power plant, even the rolling headlines on the bottom of the screen were about the aftermath of the chemical spill. “Earlier today there was an incident at the local power plant causing the immediate area surrounding the plant to be evacuated. Scientists and government officials are currently looking into the situation and tracking the area for any radioactive concerns. More at 10pm, from downtown Tokyo, this is Sekushi Akira, Channel Ten News” said the voice on the TV.

I get up and head out the door. I hope he still remembered me. I hope he still dabbled in the art of science.