City of Meridiana - 5 days after the explosion

Lucas stared at at the word document on his computer, trying to will himself to focus on the article he was supposed to finish. Despite the compelling topic, specifically what the hell was that giant extraterrestrial squid thing that exploded over Meridiana five days ago, he still couldn't come to terms that she was gone.

Every day, he had scoured the city looking for Cybersix, hoping that she survived the blast. He should've left the city like more sensible people have done, but he couldn't leave without knowing. He dreaded finding evidence that proved otherwise, but it was better than the agony of purgatory.

He sighed and rubbed his sore eyes. He needed to finish this article this afternoon. He certainly couldn't rely on income from his teaching position with classes cancelled indefinitely.

At least he could get paid for trying to make sense of what the hell happened.

But where do you even begin?

Five days ago, a large landmass was spotted floating towards Meridiana. It overturned large commercial container ships and tidal waves wrecked havoc on the ports. Before long, pictures started to surface: the landmass had tentacles. When the landmass made landfall, it crushed everything beneath its massive weight and its tentacles made short work of everything else. Its initial trajectory seemed to be headed for central Meridiana, but somehow it changed course and went for the abandoned lighthouse park to the east, where it detonated. Twenty-three persons were reported dead and another sixty-five were still unaccounted for. The missing included Adrian Seidelman, his colleague, which Lucas now knew was really Cybersix.

It was all true. But how do you make it sound true for the rest of the world?

International news media were skeptical of the story and instead explained it away as a chemical explosion. The locals knew that it was real and saw it happen, even if divers and the city clean up crew couldn't find physical evidence of the squid. The national government refused to validate the story, attributing it to either mass hysteria or an well-orchestrated hoax by the city government in order to siphon emergency funds from the national budget. Then the story got lost amidst the Latin American news cycle, which was all too eventful as usual.

He hammered out the last couple of lines, proposing to call the squid the Isle of Doom. Would an international audience take it seriously? He shrugged. That's what everyone was already calling it.

He printed the article and looked for his keys. His flat was still a mess and he hadn't cleaned up since after the events of the Isle of Doom. Everything was left untouched, partly because the past few days were exhausting, and partly because he wanted to relive that final goodbye with Cybersix. They shared their one and only kiss, right in here in this flat. He could still feel her lips on his, but he had an irrational fear that if he didn't leave things exactly the way they were, that bittersweet memory would fade.

Lucas went through his pockets. First, his coat pocket and next, the pockets in his dirty laundry. Not there. He then went to the kitchen looked through his mini chemistry lab. Scrawled notes littered the countertop, and unwashed pyrex beakers were growing mold. He finally found the keys there.

Before he dashed out of his apartment, he looked out the window. Despite his better judgment, he still he held out the hope that Cybersix would walk through that window any minute now.

He sighed. That's what you get for pining after a superhero.

Lucas walked to the publication office, picking up the pace since it was closing in fifteen minutes. At least he still had freelance writing to rely on. He wished that he wrote on subjects more respectable than the science-conspiracy fare, but he couldn't help that Meridiana was full of weird shit.

He travelled through the parts of the city that were still left relatively intact. The air was dusty with the simultaneous reconstruction projects taking place, and the streets were busy with locals continuing to clean up.

Once he dropped off the article, Cybersix and Adrian were back on his mind. He knew that they were the same person, but they were two important people in his life, and that made it doubly harder to move on. Evening fell and cloaked the city into darkness, and he had to keep himself from instinctively looking for her in the shadows and on the rooftops. The night was quiet and he didn't know where else to go, so he settled for the cafe he frequented with Adrian despite the memories that lingered there.

The waitress came by and placed an arm around his shoulder. "Welcome back, big guy. Want me to get you something?"

He was tempted to smother his feelings with an extra large pizza but decided against it. He already ordered that yesterday. "Just coffee. Oh yeah, has the water situation improved?"

She shrugged. "Nah, it's still the same as the rest of Meridiana. Fishy, squidy—whatever. Can't even make yerba mate with it. We've been using bottled water for everything." She pointed her thumb back at the empty containers stacked in the corner, piled high up to the ceiling.

Lucas whistled. "That looks expensive."

"Could be worse. At least this brand is affordable even if it's tacky as hell." She showed him one of the bottles. The packaging read Truly European in bold capital letters with blue snow-capped mountains behind it, presumably the representing the Alps.

He chucked. "That is too aspirational, even for us."

"Right? By the way, will your handsome friend be joining you later?"

His heart sunk.

The waitress paused and straightened up. "I'll get your coffee."

Lucas became too aware of the empty chair in front of him, and the dark thoughts that threatened to break through the silence. He fingered Adrian's round eyeglasses—the only remaining proof of his friend. It was only now that he noticed that the glasses had no magnification; they were pure costume.

The waitress gave him his coffee and didn't say a word. He was silently grateful.

As he sipped his coffee, he thought about how stupid he was. He spent nearly everyday with either Adrian or Cybersix, and he didn't figure out that they were the same person. Come to think of it, when Adrian was new to the school, Lucas had wondered if he was transgendered or queer, especially since he was noticeably particular about bathroom privacy. But Lucas didn't bring it up since he didn't want to alienate a new teacher, and he forgot about it as their friendship developed.

The waitress poured him a refill. Lucas avoided eye contact and pulled out his notebook to look busy. He flipped through his notes. Hell, even his research ideas were all related to Cybersix and whatever monster of the week threatened the city. He also tried to study her, since no human being could drink that green sustenance stuff. It was so potent that a few drops burned right through his wooden floors. She hid the fact that she drank it, but he knew. The monsters also carried it around them in vials, and he had collected and studied a few samples without her knowledge. He figured out that it was a biofluid used for nutrient transport, but what nutrients stayed intact in that acidity was beyond him.

He knew she wasn't human, but he was in love with her anyway. But she was so otherworldly and mysterious that he couldn't make a move on her. It was as absurd as making a move on the moon. She was a caped femme fatale who jumped through his window whenever she pleased, and as long as she sought his company, he didn't think too hard about things.

And now she was gone.

Lucas gathered his things and left a large tip. Back on the street, he was supposed to be headed home when he caught himself walking towards Adrian's old flat. He stopped himself. He had already checked Adrian's flat and the explosion site this morning, and he knew he'd find nothing there.

But what about this time?

He sighed; it's not like he had anything else going on. Lucas continued towards Adrian's flat and turned a corner. There it was.

The light was on.

His heart pounded with hope, and it took all of his energy to keep himself from racing up the stairs. With every step, he tried to keep it cool and manage his expectations. It could just be the landlady, or heavens forbid a new tenant.

The door was slightly ajar.

"Adrian?" Lucas called out.

There was no response. Lucas pushed the door open and it gave a hesitant creak.

The light was on, but no one was inside. The bed was left unmade and the room had a combination of Adrian's and Cybersix's scent: the musk of second hand books, the smell of lycra damp from sweat and rain. English and Spanish-language books lined the shelves in disarray: novels, poetry, philosophy and plays.

There were only bags of tea in the cupboards and the kitchenette looked neglected. Unmarked school papers remained on the desk. Lucas would have thought that the scene indicated a life interrupted, but he knew better. He went through the drawers and they were empty of clothes and cash, and a suitcase was nowhere to be found. And there was a receipt for a one-way bus ride out the city.

She was alive.

Back in his flat, Lucas haphazardly threw clothes into his suitcase, wishing that he had more clean laundry. He had no idea where she was going, but he was prepared to drive all over the Americas to find her. He packed his clothes, passport and identification papers, and cash. Lucas was about to pick up the vials of sustenance he had hidden in the fridge when he realized that they were missing.

Alarmed, he checked the window. There were fresh shoeprints: Adrian's.

Lucas cursed. Cybersix came by and didn't even leave him a note.

He shoved his suitcase into the back of his Fiat and drove to the bus station like a madman. Driving like an asshole, he made it in record time, but reached a snaking line of cars waiting to enter the parking lot. Lucas groaned, did a U-turn amidst screeching tires and angry honks, parked on the sidewalk, jumped out of his car and raced to the bus station. Lucas pushed through the double doors and looked at the sea of humanity, undaunted by the scale.

Blood pounded in his ears but he wasn't out of breath. All those nights of trying to catch up to her must've helped his cardio after all. He pushed through the crowd, looking for a familiar face. What was he even looking for? Was she going to be Adrian, or did she have another disguise? Was she dressed like a man or a woman?

In the distance, he saw dark haired man with a slight frame, wearing a white oxford shirt.

"Adrian!" Lucas yelled, stumbling forward and grabbed a shoulder. The man turned around—an Asian man with furrowed brows. Lucas mouthed an apology as he turned around and looked for his next target.

This went on for the next twenty minutes. Women and men, he interrupted nearly everyone who was slender and had short black hair. Someone alerted the station's security guards, pointing to him.

Lucas evaded them by escaping through an emergency exit, and then saw a figure board a bus.

The real Adrian.

Lucas shouted Adrian's name, but Adrian didn't turn around. The bus doors closed and left the station. He rushed back into the station, and looked frantically at the signs. Adrian's bus was headed south, towards Patagonia. He dashed back into his car, mumbling apologies as he waved a traffic cop out of the way and sped towards the highway. He zigzagged in and out of lanes, squeezed past much larger cars, and sped past red lights, and did not release gas pedal until the bus was within his sights.

Author's Note 2017/04/03

If you're looking for closure to the 1999 animated series, welcome to the club. As an aging millennial with serious nostalgia feels, I'll do my best to wrap things up since RIP Carlos Trillo and Carlos Meglia and any hope of a 2nd season.

I went on a 5+ year hiatus from creative writing and fandom in general because of hella life events, but I look forward to writing regularly again because I miss the stuff. Feel free to comment away.