BioCrysis 2

Ana watched in tearful silence as James packed his stuff; she was unable to take her eyes off him, yet unable to look at him.  She wanted to stand in the doorway like a protester, bodily blocking him from taking that infernal suitcase downstairs.  As his taxi drove away, she felt as though her heart were attached to the bumper, being torn violently from her chest.  As it disappeared down the street, she ran back to her room, sobbing.

This last week, spent in James' arms, had been one of the best of her life; and the next few days, knowing he was traveling farther and farther away each minute, were some of the worst days of her life.  Ana could not find joy in even her favorite activities, and a serious depression gripped her.  At times, she found herself wandering up and down the hallways of the house, as though looking for something that she couldn't quite remember.  The possibilities of the life she might have shared with James tortured her endlessly.  The moments that she was missing, the precious, tender moments that made life worth living seemed to be slipping away, replaced by drudgery and loneliness.  Bit by bit her horrible reality weighed down on her, killing her soul, until she decided what must be done.

Her footsteps made no sound on the soft carpet as she stepped lightly down the stairs.  She brought her bed robe in closer around her shoulders, crossing her arms uncomfortably across her chest as the night threatened to be the coldest of the season so far.  Her dad was downstairs, watching the news as he always did after work.  Ana could hear the news reporter talking about a new generous donation to a children's library, and marveled at how the news lately had seemed boringly upbeat.  Her father was hardly paying attention, skimming through a news journal with an unimpressed expression on his face.

"Karen, can you get me some milk please?" he yelled towards the kitchen, and her mom responded with a "sure dear."  Ana walked slowly but determinedly towards his chair, coming up behind him like an assassin.  She hugged him gently from behind, her arms falling across his shoulders like a rustling wind, pleasantly taking him by surprise.  He squeezed her soft arm as she kissed his cheek.

"Hi, dad."

"Hi baby."  He sighed in irritation.  "I'm getting fed up with these news reports lately.  Seems each night they get more and more mundane.  The United States can't be getting along so great with every country in the world, now can it?  I say we start a war with Canada, just to keep things interesting."

"Daddy, can I talk to you for a moment?"

Her father sensed the seriousness in her voice, and turned in his seat to see her better.  He lowered his glasses like a doctor, as though analyzing her symptoms.  A frown of uncertainty crossed his face.  "Sure thing sweetie.  Something on your mind?"

Ana held her abated breath.  Then she decided she had to say it.  "I-I"ve decided to transfer colleges."

She felt like she had just announced that she was pregnant, certainly had this been the case it could not have felt more earth shattering.  Nor could her father have acted any more stunned.  He watched her intensely for a moment, unblinking, though she could tell he wasn't angry.  Not yet.  "Transfer?  Do you have a bet…different school in mind?"

It had come to this.  Time for the unwinnable battle.  Her father would never accept her decision t transfer.  Not without a solid argument at the very least.  "I like Boston University, but…it's not what I'm looking for.  It just doesn't suit me.  James told me a bit about San Diego University, and it sounds like…"

"More fun?"  Her dad's callous voice was questioning in the extreme.

"More…for me."

Ana felt a chill rise within her as she saw her father's nostril flare.  He raised his eyebrows, and turned back to his paper.  "So, you want to go to college in California.  Have you checked to see if the credits will transfer?  It might retard your scholarly progress.  And have you considered moving expenses?  Housing?  A job?  It's not as easy as just getting on a plane and going you know."

"I know.  I'll find a way."  Ana noticed her mom listening at the kitchen entrance, drying her hands on her apron.

"It's called planning, Sally Ane.  You can't just make major life changing decisions on a I'll-figure-it-out-later basis.  You got to 'find a way' before you go."  

Sally Ane.  This was the name her parents had called her since she could remember.  Especially her father.  Normally Ana loved to hear herself called by her pet name.  It was endearing, loving, and tender.  But hearing it in this tone of voice in this situation infuriated Ana.  It was her father's effort to make her feel like a child.  Ana flushed bright red, and her fists clenched.  A tightness in her chest made her want to cry.

Ana's father continued reading his newspaper.  "There's planning, research, counseling.  We got to investigate your new school, look for apartments, the whole works.  Ana, it's not a good idea to just jump into something without the foggiest idea of what your doing."

"Wow," said Ana feeling a tear emerging from her eye.  "You want to make this difficult, don't you."  Ana wiped a tear from her resentful face.  She threw her hands up in the air, mocking surrender.  "'It's so impossible!'  'There's no way!'  I'm going to California, dad, not Antarctica.  And I'm still a freshman in college.  I'm not going to waste that many credits."

His face was getting red too.  He pretended to turn the page of his newspaper, furrowing his brow.  His voice was getting louder, though he probably thought he was keeping his cool.  "Ana, you've got to be serious about your life.  You can't just skip town and start over every five seconds...we need to sit down and talk with representatives of the school…"

"We never did that when I applied to Boston University!" cried Ana, and she heard her mother say her name in a pleading voice from the kitchen doorway.  "Why now, huh?"

"We knew everything we needed to know about Boston University!  I went there for six years, I think I know the place pretty well!"

Now the tears flowed freely, and Ana was waving her arms in frustration, towering over her father.  He gave up pretending to read the newspaper, now taut lipped and staring back at Ana.  Her mother hovered nervously by the kitchen door, wanting to say something but no words were coming out.

Ana gasped as a sob broke her speech.  "And if you had graduated from San Diego University, suddenly things would be a whole lot easier, huh?  There'd be no problems with housing.  No problems with finding a job.  No problems with anything!  You'd be practically shoving me on the airplane with a hundred dollar bill in one hand and saying 'good luck!'"

Her father stood up, and Ana was surprised to see him so angry.  She had not fought often with her father, but when they did fight, it was usually ugly.

"I just don't want to see you throw your future away for some stupid boy!"

Ana froze, her eyes wide and her heart pounding.  Her hands balled into fists, and for the first time in her life, she wanted to slap her father.  Ana didn't know what hurt more, the fact that he had said it…or the fact that he was right.

"That's right, you think we're stupid huh?  That's the only reason you want to go to California, and you can just admit it.  Academics don't matter.  Jobs don't matter.  Not even your own father's counsel matters.  Just a stupid boy on the other side of the country.  Well that's marvelous Ana.  I'll tell you what, when you've grown up a bit more and realized that I know what I'm talking about, we can continue this discussion.  For now, you need to listen to your elders and stay where you are.  No one's going to California anytime soon.  There's plenty of time for happy reunions after you graduate from Boston University."

He sat back down and started flipping through his newspaper again, remembering suddenly that there was nothing of interest in it.  He threw it away with a disgusted grimace on his face.  Ana ran back upstairs, sobbing heavily, her sweater sleeve drenched with tears.









"Wow!"

"Did you just see that?"

"Awesome!"

James heard the voices of the teenagers before he saw them.  He opened the door to the roof and stepped outside into blinding sunlight, his eyes adjusting quickly.  Around him was the grand view of San Diego, a beautiful vista of skyscrapers and beaches.  The skyscraper where he stood was one of the taller ones, a hotel in the center of town, not far from San Diego University.

"We take it to the limit," said Zack, leader of The Next Level club.  He smiled arrogantly, and strutted past the boys, who were watching Drake show off the underside of his left arm.  Drake flexed and flashed a grin.  "Hey, look who it is, choke!  It's super boy!"

James flinched as Zack jumped on top of him, grabbing him in a choke hold and giving him a painful noogy.

"It's a nerd!  No, it's a geek!  No, wait, it's SuperBoy!"

Several youths laughed; James couldn't see who had made the jab at him.  He twisted and punched Zack hard in the ribs, making him cough and let go.  Zack held his bruised side and shot James an appraising look, and then nodded.  "Ok, ok, I was just kidding.  Relax SB.  Nice punch by the way."  He glanced back at Drake.  "Not quite enough to take me down though…huh?"  They both grinned, sharing a private joke.

They had all deemed James 'SuperBoy' after seeing he was strong and fast, just after he had been inducted into their club.  James tolerated the name.  Could have been worse. Most of the boys had nicknames, some much less presentable.

"Good thing you're here.  We're just about to make my boy Josh a new member."  One of the teenage boys looked excited at the prospect of joining this group of college students.  He was young, younger than usual, and he had two friends that James had not seen before.  They were gathered around Drake.  "You know the rule.  No one becomes part of The Next Level club without consent all of club members."

James nodded.  This might be fun.  James had been initiated almost five month ago, and he enjoyed watching newcomers.  Not every new guy made the cut.

Josh was nearly bouncing up and down on his heels.  "How do I sign up?  How do I sign up?"

It appeared that they had already shown them some of the things that The Next Level club did.  James remembered the first time he had seen Zack spot a coin nearly two miles away from the top of a skyscraper, without using binoculars of any kind.  And when Drake had lifted a car over his head…

"Whoa, hold on, we got one more demonstration to show you guys.  This will send you guys on a high for weeks.  Ready?"  The teenagers were practically peeing their pants crawling over each other to see what the next trick would be.  Zack watched their enthusiasm for a moment, clearing enjoying it, and then walked over to his backpack.  He opened it and pulled out a large hunting knife.

The boys stopped bouncing around and gaped at the knife.  A tension filled the air, and Zack gazed at the boys seriously.

"You ever killed a man, Josh?"

James shook his head.  These games were getting worse each time.

Josh looked back at his friends, who only returned the dumbfounded expression.  "N-no.  Why?"

"Guess this will be your first time then, right?"

"Huh?"

Drake stepped forward, and ripped his shirt off in a showy display of strength.  His ripped abs were exposed now.

"In order to join the Next Level Club, you have to prove you're a real man.  Here…"  He handed Josh the knife, who took it and seemed not to know what to do with it.  "You're gonna have to kill Drake.  Stab him through the belly."

Drake, despite these words, seemed unconcerned.  Josh's friends backed off, but Josh looked at Drakes taunt stomach.  James watched without saying anything. He knew Drake wasn't in any real danger.  Odds were the boy wouldn't even do anything.

The others of the Next Level club started to cheer Josh on.  Zack nodded hopefully, and Josh seemed torn between right and wrong.  James could almost see the fight between the little angel and the little devil sitting on his shoulders.

"Josh…come on, let's go.  Don't do this, man."  His friends looked worried.

"Go, go, go!" chanted several members of the Next Level club.

"He's not gonna do anything, is he," sneered Drake, hands behind his back.  "Come on, you momma's boy."

James sighed.  These games were getting too intense for James' comfort level.  "Ok guys, that's enough," said James sternly.  He stepped forward to take the knife from Josh.

The boy gulped, and then to everyone's surprise, lunged forward and stabbed.  His friends cried out as the knife cut deep into Drake's belly, sending sprays of blood into Josh's face.  Drake grimaced in pain, but did not scream like the poor boy and his friends did.

Josh's face went pure white, as though he were an albino.  His lower lip trembled.  "Oh, I'm…I-I'm sorry!" cried Josh, struggling for breath, panic tripping his speech up in a sickly comical manner.  "I-I thought he'd block it or something!"  Josh staggered back, his eyes fixed on the hideous flesh wound on Drake's belly.  "I didn't…"  He fell down, and then started to cry bitterly.  James shook his head in disgust.

Drake was much calmer, given that he had just been stabbed through the guts.  James couldn't help but laugh.  The fleshy wound wasn't bleeding anymore, and Drake pulled the knife out with a slight grunt.  The boys watched in terror as the wound began to shrink and close, and within seconds it had closed completely.  There was still a white scar, but the scar was also disappearing quickly.

"You see," said Zack compassionately to Josh, like some kind of demented, caring mother.  He stooped down and put his arm around his shoulder, but his display of affection was more to mock the boy's terror.  "We take it to the next level.  Are you ready to take it to the next level too?"

He pulled Josh roughly to his feet, and Josh swayed for a moment, unsure of what had just happened.  Flabbergasted, Josh nodded stupidly, his terror being replaced with awe.  "Y-Yes."

Zack looked to Drake and a smile crossed between them.  

Zack's extended his hand, as though to give Josh a handshake.

Josh stared at the hand, unsure what to do.  Zack nodded for Josh to go ahead and take his hand.  Josh backed off, no longing trusting Zack's sly smile.  Zack snorted.  "Well, do you want to take it to the next level or not?  Come on, I'm not asking you to do anything hard.  Just a simple handshake…"

An unknown voice caused every head to turn suddenly.  "For being on the next level, you sure stay in the same place.  Don't you ever get tired of doing circus tricks?"

There was a man perched on the rooftop edge, his manner calm, his face unimpressed.  He reminded James of a hall monitor that had just caught truant students.  Three other men stood with him, watching the crowd intently.

Zack's happy mood was ruined as his eyes fell on the man.  "Hank?  What do you want?  We're a little busy righ…"

"So are we.  Looks like you've forgotten what it means to be a BioCryis.  In truth, you've forgotten, because you've forgotten who created the BioCryis in the first place.  You know what's coming, and you can't turn your back on us forever."

James had never seen the man, yet he spoke with a conviction that made James feel inspired.  And uneasy.  What was he talking about?  What exactly was coming?

"How many times do we have to tell you idiots 'no'!" said Zack coldly, his eyes narrowed.  "We've got our own club, our own friends.  We don't want anything to do with you guys.  We don't owe you squat."

Hank shook his head.  There was sadness about him, as though the weight of the world was upon his shoulders.  He spoke again, his voice so sincere that James could not doubt that Hank was trustworthy.  "There's a war coming.  And you know that.  The Vision is out there, and they've already begun to kill.  People are dying, and you want to play freak show with your little buddies."  Hank shook his head again, and Zack rolled his eyes.  "That's just great.  But I'm not here to speak with you.  You've already made it clear you won't fight.  I'm here to make the same offer to the others."

Several boys from the Next Level club looked down at their feet and shied away, including Drake.  It was the first time James had seen Drake afraid.

"What's going on?" asked James, stepping forward.

"Something big," replied Hank.  "Something that could end all human life if we don't stop it.  It's called the Vision.  And it's poised to attack on a world wide scale soon. We're mounting a resistance, with anyone who will be a part of it.  We're trying to gather the BioCryis.

James looked over at Zack, who gazed back bitterly.  But something else was written into his face.  Fear?  Zack shook his head vehemently, and the message couldn't be clearer.  James understood that he was not to join with this man, or any resistance.

James looked at the man, admiring the bravery that seemed to emminate from him.  He almost stepped forward, almost offered his services in defense against this Vision thing, but he remembered Ana, and remembered that he had joined the Next Level club.  He could not break his loyalty to those who had made him a BioCryis.  And after all, he had known Zack longer.  

He turned his back and walked away.

"I'll join," said Siren.  He stood up and walked towards Hank.

"Then consider yourself out of the Next Level club," spat Zack furiously.

"I already do," returned Siren smoothly.  "I never imagined you were all such cowards.  I wouldn't want to be known by your name anyway."

Hank shook Siren's hand, and then addressed the rest.  "Anyone else?"  No one moved.  Hank scowled, and then addressed Zack.  "So be it.  When you see San Diego blazing with fire and death, you just remember what you chose.  That goes for the rest of you as well."

James felt an urge to call out and join, but without more information, he could not make a better decision.  Hank leapt off the building and was gone.

So was Josh and his little friends.  


* * * * *


"Don't you ever get sick of Ramon noodles?"

Barbara fixed her best friend since junior high school with a stern look, without ceasing to stir her dinner.  "Hey, if you're having a bad day, don't take it out on the Ramon noodles."

A slight of a forced grin crossed Ana's face, but it faded as easily as a wisp of smoke in the night.  "I'm not having a bad day, I'm fine."

Barbara licked the spoon, and then poured a bit of the food into a bowl.  "So this look of a depressed war victim is your happy face?  Because to me it looks like a woe-is-me face."

Ana sighed.  She knew it was useless to try and hide her feelings from Barbara.  Her best friend knew her too well, and Ana had always been a lousy actor.  She hugged one of Barbara's couch pillows in her arms and started to cry.

"Oh, sweetie, tell me everything that happened."  Barbara abandoned her steaming noodles and sat next to Ana, bringing her to lean on her shoulder.  "Wow, I haven't seen you this messed up since Jake Smith made fun of your power puff girls tee shirt in seventh grade.  What happened.  Tell me everything."

Ana allowed a few heavy sobs before finally speaking.  "It's my dad…my stupid power hungry, overbearing, controlling dad!  He thinks he's king of the universe, and that all must worship every utterance that comes from his big mouth."

Barbara was fairly alarmed.  Ana had not spoken ill of her family since as long as Barbara had known her.  Ana rarely spoke bad of anyone.  She was such a sweet person, kind and understanding.  Although Barbara knew that it was easy to hurt Ana, and Ana was not the most forgiving person in the world, however something terrible must have happened.

"Did you guys fight?"  Ana related the whole bloody story, how her father had tried deliberately to prevent her from switching colleges, and how he had said things against James.  Barbara listened intently.

"If I want to switch colleges, that's my right, isn't it?" asked Ana, as though unsure of whether it were or not.

"Of course honey.  It's your life, isn't it?"

"That's what I thought too!"  Ana stopped suddenly, feeling dizzy.  "Do you have something for headache.  My head's exploding."

Barbara got up and rushed off to the bathroom, returning quickly with aspirin and a cup of water.  "I have a question though.  You wanting to go to California…this isn't because of James, is it?"

Ana took the medicine, stared at it in her palm, took the water from Barbara's outstretched hand, and then gulped it down with the water.  "No…well…maybe."
"Probably," said Barbara wisely.

"But I wouldn't be throwing away my life going to California!" said Ana defensively.  "San Diego University is a nice school!  Respected, even.  It's not like Boston University is the only option out there you know!"

Barbara raised her hands in surrender.  "Ok, I know.  I agree with you.  It's your life, you should be able to make decisions for yourself."

"That's right!" said Ana, rising up and speaking to the air as though addressing a vast congregation.  "I'm an adult now.  I have every right to live my life the way I want to, and if that means going to pursue my academic career in California…"

"…or pursue anything else…"  Barbara gave Ana a knowing look.

Ana sighed and looked pleadingly at Barbara.  "Is it that obvious?"

"Girl, you are so smitten that I'm scared to show you a picture of James.  I think you'd probably explode."

Ana cracked a smile.  Barbara had always been able to get her to smile.  Something about the way she said things just seemed to make Ana laugh every time.

"I…I love him.  I want to be with him.  This is torture being apart.  We've been friends since we were five.  I was there when he lost his front teeth, and he shared the money the tooth fairy gave him buying ice cream with me.  He helped me make that stupid science fair project where we built a giant volcano that didn't go off until just the moment when James decided to climb up it and poke his face inside.  I was there when he made the basketball team, and I cheered him on almost every game.  We have a history, I can't lose that."

"So what's the plan," asked Barbara, who had returned to her now cold ramon noodles.  She spooned a large bite into her mouth.

"I'm gonna start making my own decisions," said Ana firmly.  "No more Sally Ane.  No more will my parents choose my clothes or my schedule or anything.  I'm in control now.  I'm gonna make my own decisions."

Ana moaned as her headache throbbed suddenly, and she nearly toppled to the ground.  Barbara rushed to help her, and for a moment Ana lost sense of where she was.

"Are you alright?" asked Barbara nervously.  "You're all sweaty and pale."

"I think I'll just head home and crash," said Ana weakly.  "Could you give me a ride home?"  Barbara nodded and set off to find her keys, leaving Ana to look at the pin point red mark on her right palm, just below the thumb.


* * * * *


Ana felt sure she would die on the way home.  Every little vibration of the car rattled her sore brain and made her stomach roar with the desire to vomit.  Barbara kept feeling her forehead, each time mentioning that Ana didn't have a fever.  At least her forehead wasn't hot.  Maybe she had some kind of bacteria or something.

Ana wasted no time getting to her room, and threw herself onto the bed without changing clothes.  She laid there, starting to recover a bit, when a knock at the door woke her from nearly falling asleep.

"Sweetie?"  It was her mom's tiny voice, and the door opened slightly.  "Are you alright?"

Seeing her daughter sprawled helpless on her bed caused her mom to worry further.  She entered as Ana moaned in response to the question.  She sat next to Ana, and started to run her fingers gently through Ana's long brown hair.

"Maybe I'd better call a doctor…"

"No," said Ana in barely a whisper.  "I'm ok, really.  I'm feeling better already.  I just need some sleep."

Her mom seemed to be fighting her better judgment, but decided not to rush out the room and call a doctor.

"Ana, I wanted to talk to you…about what happened tonight.  I just want you to know that we support you, whatever your decision is.  If you really feel you need to go to California…then you should go.  But just…think it through first, ok?  I don't want you rushing into anything.  Take a few weeks to think it over.  Make a pros and cons list."

"Mom, I'm done taking orders," said Ana, her voice low but calm.  "I'm going to be more independent from now on."

"And you think going to California will solve anything?" asked her mom, not challengingly, but sincerely. "You are more than capable of making your own decisions here."

"You don't understand," said Ana.  "All my life Dad's told me what to do.  Where to go.  How to dress.  But now…I need to be my own boss.  I need to live my own life.  Just like you and dad do.  No one bosses you around."

Her mom sighed, and then wisely considered the comment for a moment.  "Well, it would be nice if it was like that, but it's not always so simple."  She ran a finger along Ana's back, drawing invisible letters in a massage that Ana had always loved.  "You see, we all have to listen to someone.  I have to listen to your father.  Your father has to listen to the board of directors of his company, and the investors.  If he were to make all the decisions alone…well, you get the idea."

"I just need independence.  I saw that tonight.  I think going to California will be an important first step."

"Funny."  Her mom seemed lost in thought.  "I remember when you were little.  You were very different.  You were very dependent on us.  More so than other children.  You were a very needy little girl you know."

"Things change."

"But the heart does not.  I don't care how old you get, or how society creates new and improved ways to make life easier, or if every sports team in American recruits new players, you will always be my little Ana.  Sally Ane.  That will never change.  Going to California won't change who you are."

"Maybe I need to experience this for myself," said Ana, sitting up.  "Maybe I need to know that I can.  I don't know how to explain how I feel, I just feel it.  I know it doesn't make sense.  But I need to go."

Her mom nodded, and then kissed Ana on the cheek.  "I know.  I love you.  You know that?  I love you Ana.  Don't get so independent that you forgot that, ok?"

Ana smiled.  "Ok."

Then pain gripped Ana like she had never felt better, and everything went black.