A ton of thanks to Tigre Malabarista for not only doing the beta for me, but for creating a character that caught my attention so much that I wanted to write more of her story. If you haven't checked out any of the adventures of Aidan Hinkley by Tigre, please stop in and do so. If not for her help, you would not be reading this now.
Thanks to Stephen J. Cannell for creating the premise and universe that caught my imagination and taught me that it is 3 steps then jump hard!
I do not own The Greatest American Hero or any of the original characters. Aidan Hinkley is owned by Tigre Malabarista and is used with permission.
Enjoy
Prologue:
"All things truly wicked start from an innocence" - Ernest Hemingway
Pain seared Tyler's cheek once again.
'Just another few days,' he thought "Then it's outta Lake L.A. for good."
Tyler thought back to a time when his father would never have lifted a fist in anger at him. A time in a house filled with love.
That was before the explosion.
The High Desert of Southern California was a hub of advanced aerospace manufacturing. Tyler grew up surrounded by the sounds of sonic booms and jet wash. He loved the thought of flying through the clouds. Growing up, his family lived a comfortable middle class lifestyle. A nice house with lots of room for him and his sister to go out and stretch their imagination. His dad had all the prerequisite grown up toys that living away from the city afforded. There was rarely a weekend when the family was not out with the dirt bikes or quads or headed for the Kern river for a weekend on the boat. It was an idyllic life for the Ellis twins.
That all changed with the downturn following the attacks of September 11th. The aerospace industry continued on, but not at the pace of decades previous. Then the economic recession cost Nick Ellis his job. Like so many other families, bills backlogged as employment was scarce. Federal unemployment checks only went so far. One by one the extravagant items had to be sold just to cover basic expenses. Nick's despair grew as delinquent notices arrived.
Growing up in this area Tyler's dad was not naive to the underside of the small town, nor to its underground economy. The isolated nature of the community provided the ideal setting for illicit activities. Law enforcement had nicknamed the community the meth capitol of California. It was not difficult to find product when you wanted to. Needing money, Nick went looking. the results were devastating.
Prior to that fateful day, The Ellis home was a picture of normalcy. Nick and Mary never allowed the family finances to burden their children. Tyler and his sister had noticed that their dad had been more busy than usual. They hadn't been on a fun trip in months. Mary just told them their father needed to focus on getting back to his old work again. The longer this went on, the more agitated Nick grew. Mary Began to grow worried as Nick looked worse each day he came home. Mary placed her efforts into Tyler and Debra to avoid worrying about her husband. With bills overwhelming him and the bank account empty, Nick turned to home chemistry.
The throbbing of his nose pulled Tyler back to the present. Automatically inhaling, he nearly threw up from the smell of the carpet. Many drunken binges by Nick ended with him passed out here, often in his own vomit. Forcing down the bile caused his nose to shoot pain straight through his head. It didn't feel out of place when he touched it though. A fair amount of blood had poured from his nostrils and mixed with the other contents of the carpet. Tyler strained to pick himself up off the floor and his head spun momentarily. He had to brace himself on the counter to keep from toppling back down. Raising his head, Tyler saw his face reflected in the glass of the cabinet. Crimson streaks crossed his right side where blood had run from his nose. Little bits of fibers and crumbs were pasted to his face. He looked like something out of a horror movie, and a bad one at that. As he picked the carpet fibers out of the wounds near his nose, memories pulled him back to the past once again.
Tyler remembered his mother doing the same thing to his sister. She was washing the dirt and debris from a small scrape along Debra's forehead. Debra had been riding her bicycle out back behind the fence line. A little scrape was the least of the worries out in the desert this time of year. Mojave Green rattlesnakes were plentiful as were scorpions. The ever elusive sink hole swallowed bicycle tires without warning, throwing you straight to the ground. This is what happened to his little sis.
Debra hated it when Tyler referred to himself as the older one. Technically he was, by only 3 minutes. Though, the way Tyler told it, he was far older than his twin. Such remarks only garnered nasty looks from Debra. Laughter was present more often between the siblings. It had been this way since they were toddlers.
Tyler's mother kept a full stock of supplies in the medicine cabinet. This included Bactine. It had a smell that imprinted itself on ones memories. Whenever there was the slightest emergency, out came the Bactine. Tyler heard the sniffling coming from the bathroom and went to investigate. He could hear his mother comforting Debra as she sprayed the disinfectant on her cuts and scrapes. Leaning in the door frame, Tyler saw Debra sitting on the sink with several road rashes on her arm and face.
"Oh sis... That's gotta suck?" he said with a wince. The tears welled up in her sapphire eyes. Spilling over, they left tracks down her cheek.
"Why don't you go get me a clean washcloth?" his mother asked.
Tyler retrieved a fresh washcloth from the linen closet next to the garage door. He could here his dad pulling away in his truck.
"I wonder where he is off to now?"
He turned the corner near the washer and dryer cupboard and was walking back to his and Debra's bathroom.
"Hey Mom, where is dad..."
The room suddenly felt thick and heavy and the world went silent. The searing wind at his back lifted him off the ground. He rushed headlong into the wall at the end of the hallway.
His nose itched. It itched bad, and he wanted to scratch it. Tyler went to fulfill that desire and found he couldn't raise his hand. It was stiff and there was something attached to it. He opened his eyes to see what was wrong with his arm and immediately shut them. The brightness of the room hurt his eyes. A groan escaped his mouth.
'OK, that sucked,' he thought.
Tyler now focused on the noises around him. The room had that empty sound to it. Subdued talking and quiet electronic beeps came from all sides. He opened his mouth to call out hello for someone and all that came out was a small croak. His throat was dry and it hurt to make any type of noise. The effort drained him and he soon was back unconscious.
The next time Tyler was aware of anything, he heard a sliding sound. He opened his eyes out of reflex and quickly blinked. The light was softer and didn't hurt as much as earlier. There was also a woman at the foot of the bed looking at him. When he focused on her, she smiled at him.
"Hello Tyler," she said softly.
Tyler tried to speak and again the croak came out of his throat.
"Don't try to speak now. You've been asleep for a few days." She said as she came to the side of the bed. She took a small pad with buttons on it and pressed on. A voice immediately came back through the unit.
"Yes Lauren?"
"Page Tyler's doctor and let her know that he's awake." She said.
"Of course" came the reply.
The woman turned to Tyler and smiled again.
"You're probably a little confused. Don't worry, you're safe and in the hospital." Her voice was friendly enough. "My name is Lauren and I'm your nurse until the afternoon."
Tyler blinked at the news that he was in the hospital. He had surmised as much with the look of things around him. It was still a bit disturbing to have it put into words.
He wanted to ask a million questions though. And it was as if she could read his thoughts.
"You look like you have a lot of questions in that head of yours," she said, still smiling at him. "The doctor will answer all of them when she gets here." And she picked up the clipboard from the end of his bed.
About 5 minutes later, a woman pulled aside the curtain. She was wearing a white lab coat and had on blue scrubs under it.
"Hello Tyler, I'm doctor Maggie. I've been taking care of you since you've been brought in," she said as she came to stand next to the bed. "I'm glad you finally decided to wake up. Can you talk?"
Tyler opened his mouth and only a whisper came out. He tried again with the same results.
The doctor put her hand on his shoulder. "It's OK, it's not unusual for your voice to be a bit scratchy right now." She stepped back and looked out the curtain. "Can I get some ice chips here?" and turned back to Tyler.
"Now let's take a look at you." And she took out a small pen light.
"Do you know where you are? You can just nod your head for answers right now."
Tyler shook his head to indicate no.
"Well, you're in Palmdale Regional Hospital. Do you have any idea how long you were out?"
And the questions began.
Over the next half an hour Tyler was examined and put through a battery of questions. The ice chips helped soothe his throat. He could now get out some words without much pain. He learned he had some third degree burns on his back and suffered from several broken bones. This was all the result of an explosion in the garage of his house. He learned that he was going to be transferred to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in the morning to begin burn treatments. The one thing that didn't get answered was where was his mom and dad.
Tyler motioned for Doctor Maggie to come close so he could ask her a question. She brought her ear close to his face.
"Where is my mom and dad?"
She stood back up and a look of concern came to her face.
"We'll talk about that in a little bit. Let's finish up with my exam." And she walked out of the curtain for a minute.
His eyes had finally adjusted to being open. He looked around the room he was in. The gentle glow of the day suffused the room. He could tell it was morning. The freshly risen sun gave everything a look of newness to it. He first noticed it while helping deliver papers with his mother. She had always thought the dawning of the day refreshed the desert scenery. Tyler had come to appreciate this aspect of mornings too. It was their special time together. The vivid colors of the land never failed to bring a smile to her face. Tyler thought she glowed just as warmly as the sun. She always thought the afternoon sun gave the desert a washed out and used up appearance. Tyler believed the sun baked the vibrancy out of everything that existed there. His mother tended to agree.
Thinking about his mother brought him back to the room. A lump formed in his chest. He started to put together several things the doctor had said. And fill in the blanks with what she didn't say. An explosion in his house? That look when he asked about his mom? This was not making sense. He could not remember anything from what she was talking about.
Another fifteen minutes passed before doctor Maggie came back in. By her side was the pastor of Tyler's church.
"Hello Tyler." He said.
Tyler glared up at his father. Anger flashed in his eyes. He felt his skin heat up with the rush of blood.
Nick stood towering over the teen.
"Don't just lie there, get up and finish cleaning up that crap you called dinner."
Nick sank back into his chair. The ever present cup of Scotch, Whiskey or Bourbon suddenly appearing in his hand.
Tyler noticed a distinct throb in his left knee.
"Must have gotten that when I fell after that first hit." he thought to himself. "Good thing I'm not trying out for soccer this year."
He really enjoyed playing on the schools sports teams. It was a bonus that it took him out of the trailer. He would have to wait to get settled before he could enroll in college and tryout for a team again. Plenty of time for his knee to heal if need be.
Tyler turned back to the sink and began washing out the pans.
"Hey Boy, get me some more ice." Nick bellowed from across the room.
Tyler turned his head in the direction of the living space. He felt the blood rush to his cheeks.
"Get it yourself," he barked over his shoulder.
Instantly he regretted it.
Nick came off the chair and nearly fell. There was a crazed look in his wide eyes.
"What did you say to me?" his voice was ominously quiet. "Your mother didn't even talk like that to me."
Hearing his mothers name pushed Tyler over the edge. He stopped washing the pan and turned to his father.
"Maybe if she had, her and Debra would still be alive and not dead
because of your lack of being a man!" he screamed and moved out from behind the counter.
"And we wouldn't be here in this crap hole of a mobile home and you would have a job and..." Tyler never finished the sentence.
Nick connected with his son's face. Tyler held fast to the counter. The solid surface helped him remain standing. Bright lights flashed behind his eyes. Pain shot through his temple and his head throbbed. clenching his fists, he felt the cool metal of the frying pan he was washing. Blind fury took over.
Tyler did not remember the swing. The pan connected with Nick's head with a ring. His father crumpled to the floor and was still.
"Oh my God!" was all he could utter. Astonishment flooded him. However, the anger did not abate.
"That's what you deserve!" Spit was coming from his mouth as he screamed. Tyler felt his heart pounding in his ears.
Tyler heard the groan come out like a whisper. Straining, he bent slightly to look for signs of breathing. Now anger was being replaced by fear. Fear of what his father would do if he ever got up again. The shift of his leg and arm accompanied by another groan startled him. This was Tyler's moment of decision. At this point everything changed regardless of which way it went.
Anger won out as Tyler chose to break the cycle. He moved closer to the prone form of Nick Ellis. He drew back his foot.
"Never again!" Gritting his teeth, he let loose with a kick.
Turning to the door, Tyler never looked back. He took the stairs with a leap.
"Screw waiting another three days, I'm out of here now!" and he grabbed the helmet off the seat of his dirt bike.
Speeding along the dirt roads of the Mojave was cathartic. The events of the past half hour played repeatedly in his mind. He pushed aside the sight of his father laying on the carpet. Tears ran down his cheeks. Flashbacks to happier times replaced those of the last moments.
He saw the candles of the cake being blown out for his and Debra's birthday. He saw his mom clapping and whistling for him at his second grade play. He saw Debra in the ballet tutu she hated so much but their mother loved. He saw the funny smile on her face when she got a dollar after her first tooth came out. Then he
saw his mother's coffin being lowered into the Earth. He saw the smaller coffin of his sister resting next to hers in the chapel. He saw his father sitting next to him and could smell the faint remnants of liquor still on his breath.
The anger took hold again as the Sagebrush blurred past him.
"I should have stayed and made sure he wasn't going to get back up." he thought.
He screamed at the heavens at the injustice. He screamed for all he once had and was taken from him.
The ground came up fast. His front tire found one of the sink holes that dotted the desert. He felt himself turn upside down. His back hit the ground hard. His helmet pulled off his head with the impact. In his rage Tyler had forgotten to connect the chin strap. The jolt pushed the air from his lungs and left him gasping. Tyler opened his eyes to a vision of the stars of the night sky.
"Knocked to the ground again."
After a few moments, he was able to draw a shallow breath and noticed his surroundings. The rattling sound at his side sent him into a panic. Growing up in the high desert there are a few noises you learn. The one near his right side was danger. He turned his head and realized his mistake. The fangs pierced his jeans into his thigh. his second mistake was to slap at the sting. The fangs sank into his hand this time.
"Don't move you idiot!" His brain now kicking in.
He forced his body to lie still. The venom was spreading from two places.
"Dumb, dumb, dumb," his anger grew into fury. He realized that it may be the last injustice he suffered.
"I finally get away just to have this happen," he laughed inwardly. "At least I won't have to see that bastard of a father again."
He reflected back on his childhood again. This time the tears were for the father he lost. The time he taught Tyler to ski. Showing him how to fix a flat tire on his bike after patching up a dozen before. Taking him on a tour of the airplanes at the air museum near his work. The time he scored passes to get him to see the space shuttle land at Edwards. He was Tyler's hero. It made his fall that much worse.
It wasn't Nick who failed, it was a father in the eyes of his son that failed
.
Tyler turned his gaze to the sky. The clear view of the constellations from here was spectacular. His mother would take him and Debra out in the backyard and pick out things. His mother loved the stars. He liked to think her and his sister were there looking at him after the explosion.
"Oh look, a shooting star, they're supposed to be lucky," he mused at the irony. He watched it grow larger against the backdrop of the Milky Way. Within a few seconds it no longer resembled a star. It now appeared to be something like a neon Frisbee. Tyler squinted to get a better look at the strange object.
"Didn't think a snake bite would give me hallucinations." The burning in his leg and hand reminded him that he would not last much longer.
The object was coming closer, and he could now see a distinctive circle of lights around a hollow central section.
"This has gotta be some kinda joke," he thought out loud as he now felt the venom reaching his heart. The pain was excruciating.
"At least it's a cool hallucination!" he chuckled, which caused him to wince and gasp.
A bright light shot out from the underside of the ship. It enveloped Tyler in warmth.
'And no one is here to see this with me...' was Tyler's last thought.
The venom took hold and Tyler's heart stopped.