Prologue
A lightning storm rolled into the city of Ringworm. The thunder echoed in Ty's ear, awaking him from his sleep. He really didn't want to wake up. He just wanted to continue sleeping with his wife's warm body pressed against his own but during later years thunder had taken on another meaning for the couple. Ty sat up just as Naomi awoke with a stir.
"Is it thundering?" Naomi asked.
"Yeah." Ty replied tiered.
"You can go back to sleep. I'll check on him."
Ty looked at her with a sly boyish smile, and that was pretty impressive considering he now was 28. "Don't you have a meeting at nine tomorrow?" It was a rhetorical question. He kissed her cheek. "Make sure to get some sleep honey, you'll need your strength. I'll see if Ray is alright."
Naomi smiled and laid back down, tugging the pink sheet over her. "Thank you." She mumbled sleepily. Ty patted her back before getting of the bed and put on a pair of soft pants and glasses.
Ty had changed quite a bit since high school. He was still rather slim but his shoulders were broader, his arms more muscular, he wore glasses now and a five o'clock shadow graced his face. Naomi hadn't changed quite as much. She had of course gone thru all the normal changes all women goes thru when maturing and she had taken up the habit of keeping her hair at shoulder length.
Ty walked out of the room, out to the corridor. They lived in a conventional two story house now, not so different from one that Ty had grown up in. Ty came to a white door and opened it slightly. There, on a bed in the room's corner was Ty and Naomi's son Raymond Archer or Ray for short. He sat up, wearily looking at his lap while nervously twiddling his thumbs. His night lamp was on. He looked very similar to Ty with black spikey hair but he had his mother's sage green eyes.
Despite being nine years old, Ray suffered from a severe case of Astraphobia so it was not unusual for him to be awake during thunderstorms. Ty still remembered all the times Ray had jumped into his and Naomi's bed when scared of the thunder. He didn't do that anymore but it wasn't certain if it was because Ray was less scared nowadays or if he was simple embarrassed of his phobia. Ty put on a smile as he entered the room. Once he flicked on the ceiling light he could see the floor was littered with toys of famous superheroes, Dinosaurs and most promptly Japanese kaijus. The walls were covered with posters of Spider-Man and Jurassic Park as well as a chart showing the different species of North American snakes. Ray was a nerd just like his old man.
"Hey buddy. Can't sleep?" Ty asked friendly.
Ray looked at his dad. "No."
Ty sat down next to him on the bed. "Are you afraid of the thunder?"
"I am not afraid of anything." Ray argued rebelliously. As if on que the lightning struck. Ray yelped and hide under his sheets.
Ty smirked and tilted his head. "Yeah, I can see that."
Ray came out from under the blanket. He pouted at his father and punched him in the arm. It was hard to tell if he had meant it to hurt or not but Ty didn't feel much.
"You know it is okay to be scared sometimes. I am scared of clowns, aunt Abby is afraid of leeches, I even have a friend that is afraid of the outdoors." Ty explained.
Ray's expression soften and he dropped the sheets. "Really?" He sounded surprised.
"Yes, yet there's no reason to be scared of any of that."
The boy thought on it for a moment. "Well, my fear is different. The lightning is dangerous. It can hit you in the head and kill you."
"Not this lightning. This lightning is about four miles away." Ty exclaimed smiling.
Ray blinked confused. "How do you know that?"
"I counted the seconds between each lightning flash and the thunder noise. For every fifth second you can count one mile distance to the storm." Ty explained.
"So you counted twenty seconds so the lightning is four miles away?" His son guessed.
Ty nodded.
"How do you know such things?" Ray sounded almost in awe.
Ty smiled proudly. It wasn't easy to impress Ray. "I have taken my time to learn these things. The more you learn about the world the more you can help it and in return it will help you."
Ray tilted his head, looking confused. "I don't get it."
"You'll figure it out. You are really smart." His father said and Ray smiled at the compliment. "So, do you think you can sleep now?"
"Hmm, can you give me my King Ghidorah?" He pointed to the floor. The problem was that there were several toys there and Ty had no idea which was which.
'I seriously need to remind the boy to pick up his toys.' Ty picked up one of the monster toys and showed it to Ray while giving him that is this the one-look.
"No dad, that's Rodan." Ray exclaimed.
Ty placed the toy on a nearby shelf. He then turned to the floor with his fists against his hips. "So which one is King Fedora?"
"It is King Ghidorah dad. It is the dragon with three heads." Ray pointed out. He tried not to laugh at his dad's stupidity.
Ty saw the toy and picked it up. He wondered where his son had developed this odd interest. 'Right, Andy and his daughter gave him one of these action figures for his seventh birthday. Candice, what a nice girl.'
He handed Ray the doll. "Thanks dad."
"You're welcome buddy." Ty gave his son a big warm hug which Ray returned. He slowly let go of Ray and headed for the door. "Sleep tight son."
"Good night dad."
"Sweet dreams Raymond." Ty said warmly with a smile as lovingly as a father's could be before closing the door behind him.
Ty started walking back to his and Naomi's bedroom, seeing forward to go back to sleep. Suddenly Ty was struck with severe inner pain. He got vertigo, tripped onto his knees and dropped his glasses.
A dark voice inside his head murmured. 'Fah-fah-fah-fah. Ty-Ty-Ty-Ty-Ty. Fah-fah-Ty-Ty.' "No, not the voices again." Ty lamented. He had heard this voice for a few years now but it had often been quiet, unclear and wasn't really often heard but this time it turned from a murmurer to a whisper. 'Ty-Ty, you can't prolong this any longer-longer. It is time-time. Tear down the old and let the new grow-grow.'
He put his glasses back on and sat against the wall as he started panting and sweat cold. He was obviously not just mentally troubled, there was some wrong with his body as well.
Ty got to the kitchen and swallowed some special pills. LabRat had developed the pills especially for him to help him with the voices. He was the only one that knew since Ty didn't want to worry his family. They used to work but lately their effect had started to fade.
'I should probably ask LabRat to prescribe me something else.'
'You are so naïve Ty-Ty. Did you ever think that the pills never worked? LabRat's magic pills was never anything but a placebo. A farce to make you believe that all your problems could be easily solved but it can't-can't.'
'Is that just my doubt talking or am I really going insane…or maybe it is something else?' Ty looked at his reflection in the kitchen window. He gave it a stern glare.
'Do what you were always meant to do-do. Tear down the old and let the new grow-grow.'
"What does that even mean?" Ty realized as soon as the question left his mouth that he should not encourage the voice by engage it in a conversation but it was to late.
'Destroy everything that is you, everything that is holding you back. Destroy Naomi and Ray-Ray.'
Ty was shocked. Now he knew these thoughts were not his own. They couldn't be. He loved his family more than anything. He had sacrificed a lot for them and he was ready to give up much more.
Naomi was asleep in their double bed when a half packed traveling bag landed with a thud on the bed, immediately waking her up. She looked surprised at Ty as he ripped clothes out of their wardrobe.
"Ty, What are you doing?" She asked alarmed.
"You and Raymond need to leave the house for the night. I want you to stay with my sister until everything is safe." Ty replied as he laid clothes and other requirements in the traveling bag.
"What? What do you mean? What is happening?" Naomi was shocked.
Ty sighed defeated and lowered his head. "It-it has to do with the bureau." He lied but it was the easy answer. Naomi had known about his secret life as a Grossologists since high school, she had even stepped up to be part of missions when necessary and she had learned not to ask too many questions. Ty didn't know if what was happening with him had anything to do with Grossology but he needed to get his loved ones out as fast as possible. "I don't know all the details."
"Then why can't you come with us?" She asked.
Ty sat down next to her with a sad expression. "Because whatever is going to happen is because of me. I am sorry but this is one of those times when you are not safe with me." He felt horrible and he regretted he had never been able to give his wife the safe life she deserved.
Naomi laid her hands gently on his and looked him in the eyes. "Then I'll stay here with you. I won't leave you in your time of need?" Her voice was so filled with compassion and concern that it made Ty smile, it reminded him why he loved her so much.
"Naomi, you know I can handle anything, I have for years. The only thing I can't handle is seeing you or Raymond get hurt." He cupped one of her cheeks. "You need to keep him safe. You know how much I love you."
"I love you too." Naomi said, now understanding what she needed to do. The two lovers kissed each other passionately.
Naomi shacked Raymond to wake him up. "Ray, Ray, wake up Ray."
Her son groggily woke up. "What is it mom?" He asked tiered.
"We are going to a sleepover at your aunt Abby." Naomi said innocently happy.
"In the middle of the night?" Ray asked confused.
"Is there a better time for a sleepover?" Naomi replied. She forced him to sit up. "Put on your clothes Raymond."
He could see that his mom had laid up a set of clothes for him on the edge of the bed. "I don't want to."
"I thought you liked sleep overs with your cousin Zoey?" Naomi kept up her happy front.
"I do but not this rash. I need notification and time to pack my stuff." Ray explained.
Naomi let out a sigh. "Your medicine and toothbrush has already been packed and you don't need any of your toys. We will be back tomorrow."
"Then why do it?" He asked puzzled.
"Put on your clothes and I'll tell you on the way." Naomi said sternly, her happy front now torn down by tiresomeness and the seriousness of the situation.
Not wanting to anger his mother any further Ray changed into his day clothes and Naomi handed him a bag with some of his stuff before dragging him by the hand out of the room and down stairs.
"What is happening mom? Why do we need leave?" He whined.
"We um, need to leave the house for a bit. It is something wrong with it." Naomi replied.
"What wrong? Is there a gas-leak or-or is there a problem in the structure?" Ray asked frightened.
"Um, yes. Correct." Naomi answered. Sometimes it was hard to argue with a son that in so many ways was smarter than herself.
They got to the hall and Ray started putting on his shoes. Ty approached them. "Hey son. Have fun at your cousin." He said.
Ray blinked surprised at his father before turning to his mom. "Isn't dad coming with us?"
"Um, no. He will stay here to look after the house." Naomi replied in a sad tone. This caused Ray to look concerned at his dad.
Ty faked a smile. "It will be okay buddy. We'll see each other tomorrow, I promise."
Ray quickly ran over to his dad and hugged him tightly. He didn't like being confused and right now his parents confused him a lot.
Touched by his son concern Ty bent down and hugged him back. Gently squeezing him while shutting his eyes, trying not to cry. 'When will I be able to hold my son again?' They reluctantly let go of each other and Ray went back to his mom. Naomi and Ty exchanged glances one last time before she and Ray walked out the door. The last thing Ty saw before the door closed was his scared son looking back at him.
Next Ty went to the kitchen and grabbed a cold can of beer from the fridge. He then walked into the living room. On a small table were a couple of framed photos. He picked one of them up. It was a picture of them, his family. He and Naomi stood next to one another in the photo. Ty had his hand on her waist and Naomi held Ray in her arms. He was only a few months old back then.
"As long as I know you are okay nothing that happens to me is too bad." He placed the picture back on the table and turned to walk away when something else caught his eye. It was another framed photo next to the one with his family. He picked it up. It was of him and his sister Abby at their high school graduation. They wore black & white robes and graduation caps. They smiled and had their arms wrapped around each other's shoulders. The picture caused Ty to smirk and he affectionately stroked his thumb over Abby's face. "You always did come to save me, didn't you sis." He placed the picture back on the table and sat down in an armchair. He opened the can and took a deep sip of the cold liquid.
"Okay Brain Ghost, Jack-in the-Box, Kid Rot 2.0 or whoever you are. I am ready for whatever you got so bring it on." He exclaimed daringly.
Naomi was driving away in her car with her son in the backseat. They were less than a block away from the house. Out of curiosity Ray sneakily unlocked his seatbelt and turned around to look back at their house. To his shock he saw smoke pouring out from every opening in the house. The windows, the crevices and from under the roof planks. Ray knew what smoke meant.
"FIRE! FIRE! MOM, THE HOUSE IS BURNING! MOM!" He screamed.
Naomi got shocked, stopped the car dead in its tracks and looked out of the window. The sight of the smoke made her terrified. She started up the car again and drove back as fast as she could.
'What was I thinking? How could I just have left him when I knew something bad was going to happen? Why can't I ever say no to Ty?' She scolded herself.
She stopped the car outside their house. She then turned to her son. "Now, no matter what happens Ray, I want you to stay still in the car. I am going to look for dad."
"But I want to help."
"RAY! STAY IN THE CAR!" Naomi commanded.
"Okay." He said with a nod.
Naomi ran out of the car and just to be on the safe side she locked the doors with her electric-car key. "TY, TY!" She shouted as she ran towards the house. When she opened the door she was meet with a wave of thick dark smoke rushing past her. It stung her eyes and made her cry but she still continued inside.
"TY! *cough* TY! TY! *cough, cough* TY! *cough, cough, cough, cough*!"
As Naomi ventured further inside the smoke got thicker and her coughing more violent. She was practically blind. Suddenly, something hard hit her in the chest, knocking the air out of her. She stumbled backward out of the house and fell unconscious on the grassy lawn.
"MOM!" Ray screamed terrified from inside the car. He hammered his fists against the window and tried desperately to open the door to but no avail.
"MOM! MOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Author's Note:
So, this is was the genesis of my new fanfic. Grossology: Evolution.
The real story starts in the next chapter which takes place seven years after this event. Of course Ty's disappearance will play a major role in the story but it will mostly focus on Ty's son Ray and his cousin Zoey becoming Grossologists as well as two of their close friends (which I won't reveal until later). More than developing these new characters I will also explore how the old characters and the world from the show has developed in this rather distant future. There will be new heroes, new villains, old heroes, old villains, mysteries, action, intrigues, romance, drama and of course a lot of grossness.
I will write this fanfic like a TV-series since that is the format I am the most familiar with. Each episode will be between 2-4 chapters long.
This might be my biggest undertaking yet on this site so hopefully the entire project won't just crash and burn after just five chapters. I am hoping for lots of views and if I am really lucky some reviews.
This story is completely unrelated to any of my other Grossology-fanfics. My other big Grossology story Rot in Paradise will continue unaffected by this one with its own continuity.
So, let's talk about this prolog. Being a father is a position Ty has never been in before so hopefully I managed to portray him as a likebull or at the very least a realistic father. I will go in more on Ray's character in the next chapter when he has grown and gotten more of a personality but in this prologue I tried to make him into at least a semi-realistic kid. I always hate it in stories when the writer portray little kids as perfect little angels so I made Ray a little bit rebellious and awkward here.
Your reviews are greatly appreciated.
