Ikaris’ and Goose2’s faces had hardened over the last ten minutes as Charlie drove them to the station. They had yet to enter prison, but they already felt as if a bandana had been glued to their heads as they debated which group was better – krips or bloods.

It took the duo all but five seconds to realize prison wasn’t their forte. Sadly, the moment they tried to spill their guts and confess to every crime ever committed, it became obvious that Ikaris had an unfair advantage – Charlie could actually understand him.

Goose2 wasn’t pleased – she could very well end up spending life in prison because humans were too stupid to understand her beautiful voice. Of course, she spent most of the ride to the police station lamenting how beauty had now become a curse.

That was what led to this unnatural silence.

Goose2 threatened to eat everyone and everything if Ikaris spoke without giving her a chance to plead her case as well; after all, if anyone deserved to go to jail, it was the person who blew up Waylon’s car and threatened the children with Cosmic Beam from his eyes.

As if reading Goose2’s mind, Ikaris frowned.

“You literally offered to kill everyone we come across.”

MEOW – MEOW (Translation: Planning to kill people isn’t a crime.)

“Of course, it is!” Ikaris argued. “It’s called conspiracy to commit murder.”

MEOW – MEOW (Translation: You can’t prove shit!)

The argument between the former companions turned fierce the closer they got to the police station. The friends were already turning on each other before the interrogation even began, and as unlikely as it seemed, Goose2 had the upper hand in the conversation.

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

Charlie more than once almost diverted his car from the police station to the mental health facility in Mason. It wasn’t every day he saw a kid arguing with a cat that seemed to have strangely animated responses.

It was almost as if the cat could understand Ikaris.

‘That’s impossible.’ The Cop chastised himself.

Of course, Charlie wanted nothing to do with the duo, but the longer he looked at the argument between the boy and the cat, the more he realized that Waylon may actually be telling the truth about something.

“You said your name was Ikaris, right?” Charlie inquired.

“Or Goose2,” Ikaris shrugged his shoulders. “It all depends on who's gonna be going to jail for stealing this stuff!”

HISS – SCRATCH

“OW!” Ikaris got an instant punishment for his blunder and decided to tell the truth – going to prison wasn’t so bad when he considered the alternative of being swallowed by Goose 2. “Yeah, the name is Ikaris.”

Charlie was about to continue the conversation, but the police station was in sight, and he knew there would be plenty of time to question Ikaris if the boy saw that prison was a very real possibility, even if it wasn’t at his age.

After all, this was just to give the kid a scare.

“I bet you’ll be willing to talk once you’re inside,” Charlie pulled into the parking lot, and the car came to a stop.

“I’ve been in worse places,” Ikaris murmured, brief memories flashing in his subconscious as Charlie opened the door and was escorted inside the police station.

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

POLICE CHIEF’S OFFICE

“Now, look kid.” Charlie leaned back in his office chair. “I technically can’t question you until a social worker or your parents show up, but you can choose to talk and I will listen, and we can solve this before everything turns into this official shitstorm.”

Ikaris quirked a brow. “You mean I will be free to go?”

“You’re a kid who stole clothing from thieves, and was previously seen walking around town in ripped clothing.” Charlie rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Even if you didn’t steal anything, you were going to end up here anyway. What’s a kid doing with his parents?”

MEOW

“I am a girl.”

“Wait, what?” Charlie stared at Ikaris from head to toe. “I guess your face is a bit androgynous at this age, probably gonna become more feminine later on.”

“No,” Ikaris shook his head and gestured to Goose2 perched on his right shoulder. “Goose2 is saying she is a girl. Earlier, you said his, but Goose2 is a girl so you can’t address both of us as the same person. She might eat you.”

“All of that aside,” Charlie started to scribble on a piece of paper, groaning as he did – it was clear he didn’t like the paperwork. “I have to write a request to get you tested for narcotics.”

Ikaris frowned. “You won’t like what you find.” He warned.

Charlie was a bit taken aback, thinking Ikaris meant the words as a threat, but of course, The Eternal was referring to the fact that his DNA might reveal him to be a bit more than an ordinary human.

Ikaris didn’t know for sure how different he was, but he had an inkling it was too fucking different.

“Listen…” Charlie chewed on his words for a while before asking. “You seem like a good kid, so all you need to say is you don’t know where the suitcases come from and you won’t have to spend any time in Juvie.”

“I doubt any prison for children will contain me for too long.”

“Okay, that’s it.” Charlie rose out of his chair in exasperation and escorted Ikaris through the door and into the lockup area. “Maybe this experience will humble you a bit. Remember, this could be your life as easily as blinking.”

CLANG

The cell was shut and locked, and Ikaris leaned against the wall in relief, finally having somewhere secure to sleep after such a long time of running, having injuries, and keeping one eye open at all times.

The Eternal slid down the wall as he drifted into a comfortable sleep.

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

THIRTY MINUTES LATER

“It’s you!”

“I know it’s you!”

“Don’t pretend to be asleep, Devils don’t need to sleep!”

The frantic shouting continued until Ikaris wasn’t able to tolerate it any longer. The Eternal’s eyes snapped open with a distinct golden hue gathering inside, but it was quickly quelled.

After all, it was an unconscious reaction to minimal danger.

Anyone else would have dismissed the golden hue as an illusion of the eyes, but Ikaris was confronted by the one person who knew the kind of damage his Cosmic Beams could do… after all, The Eternal had disintegrated the entire front part of the man’s car.

“Wale?”

“Waylon,” The bitter old man corrected. “It’s Waylon.”

“Oh…” Ikaris scratched the back of his head, trying hard not to bother Goose2 who was still asleep on his folded legs. “What do you want? And try not to make noise or my cat will eat your brains.”

It was meant as a joke… sort of, but Waylon shivered as he knew the cat eating his brains was a distinct possibility. Waylon had seen beams of death shoot out of Ikaris’ eyes, so at this point in time, he wasn’t about to underestimate anything… even a cute creature.

“Charlie! Charlie! Charlie!” Waylon pressed his head between the bars in a maddening fit of frustration. “This is the kid I told you about! This is the kid! Ask him, ask him what happened that day! Ask him about the lasers! Check his DNA or something, I swear this is Super Man’s son!”

“I don’t wear a cape.” Ikaris justified.

MEOW (Translation: I can barf up one if you want.)

Ikaris rolled his eyes and Waylon continued the shouts for another couple of minutes, becoming more and more unstable as time passed. Eventually, Charlie was forced to check on things personally.

“This is the kid! This is the kid,” Waylon clung to the bars as Charlie opened the cell. “Everyone thinks I am a drunkard, but I swear I stopped two months ago. This kid… I don’t know what he is.”

“Let’s go, the social worker has arrived.” Charlie opened the cell and Ikaris slid outside without sparing the despairing Waylon even a second glance.

Ikaris wasn’t surprised nobody believed the man since it was definitely a lie that he’d been sober for two months when they met. By The Eternal’s calculations, Waylon had been sober for about a week when they met, and even then, there was liquor in the car.

He was probably moments away from falling off the wagon.

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

POLICE CHIEF’S OFFICE

“Please, sit!” Charlie made the gesture and the dark woman, Ikaris’ social worker, took her seat at his side, leaning protectively over the little boy.

“Now that you have a representative here in the absence of the parents we could not locate, nor have any record of…” Charlie clarified each of his words, showing he had been doing this for a very long time. “Now, you can speak to me about what’s happening. Keep in mind, you’re not in any serious trouble and all of this is a matter of formalities.”

Ikaris glanced at the social worker on his right, and the dark woman gave him a slow nod that indicated it was safe to speak, not that he required her permission in the first place.

“I retrieved the suitcases from three teenage boys who I have now come to believe had stolen them from somewhere else. At first, I wanted to return the merchandise and pay for the clothing I had dawned on, but as I was unable to find the origin of the suitcases, I proceeded to make my way to the police station. But you picked me up on the journey here.”

Charlie and the dark social worker wore shocked faces as Ikaris completed his explanation because they couldn’t find anything to disprove his story at first glance, but they could obviously tell the child was bullshitting them.

COUGH

COUGH

Charlie coughed and glossed over the matter since calling Ikaris out on the bullshit would just leave more paperwork – paperwork he wasn’t willing to file for what was basic teenage angst acting outwards.

“And your parents?”

Arishem flashed in Ikaris’ mind for a moment, but there was nothing solid that could help him understand the image.

“I don’t think they’re in the picture anymore,” Ikaris mumbled, nursing a building headache. “I am not even sure if I had parents to begin with.”

“How about siblings?” Charlie was growing more concerned by the second. “Anything at all?”

Hearing the world siblings caused an image of the other Eternals to flash through Ikaris’ mind for an instant, but once again, he could not hold onto the memory… the memories of them… the memories of her.

“I am not sure.”

“This is concerning,” The Social Worker intervened in the questioning. “Perhaps our priority should be getting him to the hospital where his mental issue can be diagnosed. The last thing we want to do is trigger something.”

Ikaris fully agreed with the social worker since he could already feel the heat in his head rising – a prelude to a pair of Cosmic Beams that would render everything into ashes. Of course, The Eternal didn’t want that, but his control was lacking at the moment.

The Social Worker rose from her seat, tugging Ikaris along as they headed for the door. Of course, Ikaris had no intention of making it to the hospital. In the end, it was easier to give the social worker a slip than it was to give a Police Chief the slip.

“Wait…” Charlie hesitated a bit before speaking. “I have a friend in lockup, Waylon. Do you know him?”

“Nope.” Ikaris would never admit to it.

“Please… Waylon is looking at serious charges for an accident. We know he is a bit of a drunkard but it has never been a problem. Then, a month ago, he got into an accident with a couple of chickens. It was no big deal so it was easy to let him off the hook for something so small.” Charlie explained. “He was released on the condition he took counselling and stopped drinking. Recently, there was an accident and he claims to have been sober at the time, but due to the nature of the accident and this being his second strike, he will be transferred to a state prison in a couple of hours.”

Ikaris quirked a brow, feeling a bit guilty. “What does this have to do with me?”

“I am gonna have to send him to prison and chances are, he will get five to ten years when he goes to court… unless.”

“Unless?”

“Unless there is someone who can confirm parts of his stories, not lasers and Superman and whatnot… just tell us what really happened in that accident. Nothing is making sense.”

Ikaris resumed walking even as Goose2 tugged on his ears pitifully.

“Please…” Charlie pleaded once more. “I know Waylon – the man is a drunkard, sure… but he would never put others in danger by driving under the influence.”

Ikaris took a deep breath and sighed.

“I was there.”

“Can you tell us what actually happened?” Charlie was hopeful.

“Can this be recorded?”

“Sure.” Charlie clicked the recording button on the nearby camera.

“I was confused when I exited the forest near the Fork’s Welcome Sign. Waylon met me there and offered me a ride which I gladly accepted.” Ikaris showed the appropriate facial expressions to sell the story. “Halfway through the journey, we started experiencing car problems. Waylon asked me to get out, and we both did. As soon as we were out, a laser-like blaze exploded from the front of the car and then, it shot into the distance. Everything was so loud that I got frightened and ran away. That’s how it happened.”

Charlie sighed. “Thank you.”

“I used to think that the price of being powerful is that sometimes you step on ants. It is not something one could help.” Ikaris felt the statement resonating with his heart even if the memories were no longer there. “But recently, or maybe it's right now, I have come to understand that nothing ever ends okay, but most of the time if it’s not okay – then it’s not the end.”

Charlie and the social worker stared at Ikaris as if they were seeing him for the first time.

MEOW

“May we use the bathroom?”

Ikaris’ question broke Charlie and the social worker out of their daze. Charlie pointed The Eternal in the direction of the bathroom, and as soon as he left, the duo started speaking in hushed whispers about Ikaris’ absurd maturity.

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

POLICE STATION KITCHEN

Of course, Ikaris didn’t head to the bathroom – far from it, he headed to the only place that could guarantee his immediate escape. Honestly, he would have preferred to escape from the hospital, but the longer he stayed with the social worker, the more complicated things would become.

MEOW

“Right there?” Ikaris questioned. “Are you sure, I can’t see anything?”

MEOW

“Okay?”

Ikaris raised his hand to the spot on the ceiling Goose2 had specified and started to channel his Cosmic Energy, directly converting it into heat. It happened almost immediately.

BEEP – BEEP – BEEP

BEEP – BEEP – BEEP

The smoke alarm inside the police station blared to life – everyone started to evacuate. Ikaris was no different, slipping out just as Charlie and the Social Worker started to frantically search for him.

‘Easy.’ The Eternal thought haughtily until he realized Goose2 was no longer on his shoulder, then he was forced to dart back into the police station, constantly dodging Charlie and the Social Worker as they searched for him, and he searched for Goose2.

As for the feline in question, she sat atop Ikaris’ head the entire time, wondering what it was the Eternal was searching so desperately for.