Empire City wasn't the only place to get hit by a Ray Sphere

It started as a normal day, the Sun was in the sky, the trees were swaying in the breeze and the birds were chirping. I walked out of my front door and down the street a few houses to my friend's house, passing Mr and Mrs. Rodgers house, both sitting on their porch. "Hello Mr and Mrs Rodgers, how are you today?" Mr Rodgers looks up from his lap due to the sudden engagement in conversation "Oh, hello Dante!" He replies back to me "We're both fine thank you, and yourself?" Mrs Rodgers turns around in her seat to get her drink; Lemonade, from my observation. "I'm fine thank you Sir" I reply giving him a courteous smile. "How is Kayla?" Mrs Rodgers looks at me with a cautious glare, concerned that I may have ulterior motives. "Kayla is fine, she is actually gone away for a few days, she has gone into the City to meet with a few friends." I tried to hide my surprise at what I was just told; both her parents have been known to be quite strict. "Well that's nice, I must get going, tell her I said hi when she gets back for me." With that I flash them one of my supposedly smooth smiles, and get under way.

I buttoned up my baseball jacket due to today being quite chilly regardless of the sun. I And jogged slightly to keep my warmth, it takes me about 15 minutes to get to my friend's house from mine and I've walked roughly 8 minutes along my street, singing songs in my head, kids run around screaming and shouting playing what I can only guess as Cowboys and Indians. A couple more blocks down the street some new people were moving in, a local transport company van is parked in the driveway of the house, the owners moving back and forth from the Door to the Van, carrying boxes of various sizes with them. I skip over a couple of boxes left out on the path and keep moving on my journey to my friend's house. I see a group of teenagers, younger than me playing Football in the street, one of them recognises me and shouts out: "Hey Dante! Coming your way!"

I look up to see a Football flying my way, instinct kicks in and I back flip kick the ball back to them, scoring a goal, they all stand there, their jaws on the ground, I chuckle to myself and keep walking.

I'm a couple of houses from my friend's house and out the corner of my eye I spot him in his bedroom window, water balloon in hand. I slow down slightly, looking for something to hide behind; I see a discarded piece of flimsy cabinet wood, left behind by the bin collectors, leaning awkwardly against the curb, one of it's corners aimed up into the air, I step within range of the water balloon, I hear a shout from above "Hey Dante! You're mine now!" I see the water balloon flying towards me, as it gets closer I stamp on the corner of the wood to flip it into the air, I use the palm of my hand to spin it across in front of my body, I feel the water balloon connect with the board and hear water splash around me. It stops spinning as it hits the ground, my palm resting on the top edge of the wood. I look up to my friend's bedroom window and see him there, staring in total disbelief at what had just happened. "Hey James! What am I again?"

I take the steps up his path, jumping up the last 3 to see him greeting me at his door with his arm extended towards me. I grab his hand, and pull him into towards me, embracing in a hug you tend to see "bros" do in High School films."Hey Dante, what's up?" We break the hug and proceed inside, "Not much man, you?" He closes the door behind him. "Not much really, just been waiting for you to get here so I could hit you with that water balloon. Thanks for ruining my fun by the way." He gives me a joking look, almost saying 'you're a bastard but I love you.' "Haha, no problem, at least now I can sleep peacefully knowing I've ruined your day." He punches my arm at that, not with any real strength behind it, I see his mother come out of her bedroom near the top of the stairs. "Oh! Hello Dante, I didn't come in, how are you love?" I look up at her "I'm okay thanks Mrs Derin, how are you?" She chuckles as she walks down the stairs, "Dante, Dante, Dante, how many times must I tell you" She places her hands on my cheeks and squeezes them slightly "You can call me Sandy. You've been James friend since you were in Primary school together. It's not something I'm going to tell you off about" I let out a slight chuckle "Okay Mrs Derin. Oh. I mean Sandy" With that she pats my cheek and gives me a wink and heads of into the Kitchen to make herself some breakfast. I look at James, come on, let's go play your xbox or something" and we head off up the stairs. "Dude... Your mum is hot." "DANTE!"

Following tradition as soon as we get to his room, we race to the xbox controllers to be able to play as Payer 1, tripping and pushing each other a we go I manage to get to a controller first. "Dammit, how do you do it Dante? How do you always get there first?" I smile and wink at him."I have studied the ways of the badass for many years" I drag him into a seat, "Now hush and stop complaining, it's about time that I destroy you on Halo." He scoffs, ha yeah sure, because I don't play this game everyday. You don't stand a chance mate" I give him a Death stare and say in a very serious tone, "Is that... A challenge?" He returns the stare and says three words, and only three. "Bring. It. On."

Hours pass and shouts of rage escape both our throats, I wouldn't be surprised if the entire neighbourhood heard us. But in the end, I'm the one who reigns victorious. I jump up out of the chair cheering at my victory. James sits there his head in his hands cursing both himself and me. I stop cheering and extend my hand, "Good game man. Really had me concentrating there." He looks up from his hands and takes mine, "The honour is mine oh mighty space warrior" We laugh and go downstairs to get something to eat and drink. We get to the bottom of the stairs and outside we both hear a very loud crash and some screaming. We both run outside to see an overturned Van and a smashed up Car, the hood of the car is on fire and is rapidly growing in strength. I run out towards the vehicles to get the passengers and drivers out from the wreckage. "James! Get these people out of the area, take them into your house and give them water!" He doesn't hesitate and does exactly what I ask. I get the people out the car first, as they are in the biggest danger, then proceed to the van which is on its side I pull myself up to the door and pull it open, the driver is heavily bleeding and is passed out, the passenger is struggling to get out of his seatbelt. "Sir calm down, I'm here to help you. James, get me a knife quick!" James darts into his kitchen and runs back out with a knife, he chucks it to me, knowing full well that I would catch it, and I do. I wrap the seatbelt around the sharp edge and saw against it, it only takes a second for it to snap and the passenger gets free.

I drop lower into the cabin of the van to get to the driver, James has taken the man I freed into his house. I lift up the drivers head who is still breathing, he wheezes at me with laboured breathing. "The cargo... Protect the Cargo" the man dies from blood loss. I pull myself out of the car and head for the storage area. I kick the door in and on the side of the van is just a spherical device, I go up to it, pulling the converse cover off of it. The Device activates.

I hear beeping machinery and the chatter of random people around me. I open slowly open my eyes. "I'm... I'm in a hospital?"