And Now, A Public Service Announcement:

After brushing your teeth, Do Not, I repeat DO NOT, drink orange juice...

Courtesy, Your Neighborhood Friendly Magna Man...

Chapter 18: Alone

As Chelsea slept quietly and without motion, Tyler tossed and turned as his subconscious flooded his mind with a dream–a horrible one.

Tyler stood in the heart of the financial district of San Francisco–at least what was left of the city. Shattered glass and miscellaneous other debris littered the streets and roads. Overturned cars, trucks, and busses roiled with smoke and fire. Worst of all–there were no signs of life, anywhere. Trees and other foliage that lined the boulevards and parkways were burnt to nothing more than charred remains.

Tyler pulled his mask down from his face as he had to see this carnage with his own eyes. The sky was a bloody orange color with black smoky clouds. He then looked down on the ground and before him, the charred, carbonized skeletons of lost souls lay, shattered and lifeless.

"Wha-what happened?" he asked himself.

Just then, Tyler heard an odd noise. At first, it was subtle as if it was off in the distance, but then it became louder. It was a stomach churning noise that sounded like liquid going through a clogged drain, mixed with a growling rumble. Fear began to build within him as though he could hear something, he couldn't tell where it was coming from, or what it was for that matter.

Then, off in the distance, he saw something. His vision zoomed in and focused on the object. It looked like a bobbing grayish-green mushroom with tentacles. He was shocked to see it since it was something from his favorite video game series, Halo and Halo 2.

"The Flood? But how?" he thought aloud as he watched the single bobbing organism jump and hop around.

More of the life forms emerged from over the hill and soon, one blossomed into hundreds, then thousands. Tyler remembered that in the game, the small pod-like things were easy to kill, but he then remembered about what those things could do to both people and the aliens in the game. Tyler was now terrified. If what he though had happened, actually occurred then...

Tyler's fear was confirmed as he saw dozens of humanoid-like organisms mass near the smaller pods. Their limbs were barely held together by rotting flesh that Tyler could smell from where he was, though they were blocks away from his location. Their heads hung limply from their torso's at odd angles with sensory probes ejecting from their necks. They were known as Combat Forms while the pods were known as Infection Forms.

Tyler took a small step backward, and en masse, the Flood zombies turned and faced him. There was no sound, except for Tyler's heart beat as he stared down the abominations, who stared right back at him, with the intent to make Tyler become their food. The creatures then began to advance, at first slowly. The combat forms then vaulted high into the air and landed a block from his position, their whip-like tentacles on their arms flailing wildly as they stampeded for him.

If they're anything like the Flood in the game, melee fighting won't do a thing, he thought to himself, pushing his terror to the back of his mind. He had to stop those monsters if there was anyone left, even just one person.

The closer they got, the more Tyler realized that these monstrosities were the people he swore to defend. One that was close enough let out a vicious swipe with his tentacles, sending Tyler flying into an overturned bus. Tyler screamed as the force of the blow felt as if it pulverized his bone–which was virtually impossible. He didn't have time to dwell on the hit. Quickly, Tyler sprang up, igniting his hands knowing that he'd just have to torch them all.

No! I can't, he then thought. Even though they wanted him dead, there was no way he could kill these people. He leapt into the air, but it was to no avail as a dozen combat forms leapt as well and grasped onto him, forcing him back down. Tyler struggled, trying to wrench his body free, then came to the conclusion of what he had to do.

"I'm sorry," he whispered as he let out two hellish beams of heat energy, incinerating the Flood forms latched onto his boots and cape, turning them to dust and ash.

Hundreds more Combat and Infection forms appeared, pouring out from buildings, jumping up from storm drains and man holes. Tyler was outnumbered 750,000 to 1. There was only one thing he could do: run. Tyler gathered some altitude and soon was up near the roofs of the towers in the financial district–only to find more Flood waiting for him. Combat form after Combat form leapt from the towers, many of them falling to the ground without a care. A lucky few, however, landed on Tyler's back and began bludgeoning him on his head, torso, everywhere, forcing him down as well.

Tyler, along with the Flood forms riding him, crashed completely through the Chevron Tower, bounced off an adjacent structure, and crashed onto Market Street, with the landing killing the Flood riders. More zombies emerged and a pair of them lassoed their tentacles around Tyler's neck, picking him up as if he was nothing more that a second hand rag doll. Two more Combat forms hobbled up, then lashed at his legs violently, causing Tyler to cry out with agony as his bones were being shattered with no remorse.

It was then he looked at what was left of the faces of these forms. Though they were decaying and badly deformed, he recognized them. The two that had him by the throat were Raven and Eddie while the two going to town on his legs were Jennifer and–

"Chelsea? Chelsea!"

Even more Combat forms entered the fight, and Tyler recognized them as well: Mr. And Mrs. Wallace, the acquaintances he made in Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, and in San Francisco, Sabrina–Lithium Flower, Lonestar. And worst of all, his grandparents and his own mom, Eva. The mental anguish of him losing everyone he cared about, especially Chelsea, hurt more than the forms beating him into a pulp. He no longer had the will to fight.

There was nothing left to fight for.

Then, something he had never done in his life happened. Tears began to form in his eyes, then trickled down the sides of his face. For the first time in his life, he was crying; hurt that he lost the ones he loved and cared for. More than anything, he wanted to be put out of his misery and die, but even with the constant bombardment of tentacle and now Infection forms using sharp spikes to bore into his chest, he continued to suffer. Not from physical pain, however, from emotional.

A voice then boomed through the atmosphere, causing the beating to stop.

"My, how you've grown, Subject Zero Four Four," the voice announced.

The voice was one Tyler thought he would never have to hear again. "D-Dupont?"

"You are correct, Zero Four Four."

"Just put me out of my misery you sick son of a–"

"No. I will leave you, but your misery shall continue. My Flood forms with beat and batter you. And you shall stay alive to feel it."

"Please? Just kill me!" Tyler begged. "I don't want to be in this world anymore."

"Begging? Like a dog?" Dupont taunted. "I see things like friendship and love have made you soft."

"Please? Kill me. Kill me! Please!"

"You are weak, Zero Four Four. Begging for mercy," Dupont hissed. "I never taught you such a thing. I showed you how to be strong."

Tyler panted. "You only sh-showed me how to kill and murder–"

"I showed you strength!" Dupont's voice roared. "I showed you survival of the fittest. And you thank me by running away. It was I who created you. You're nothing more than a personal object. A tool."

"Then get rid of me," Tyler snarled.

Dupont scoffed. "Now why would I just throw away such a valuable investment? Besides, you wanted to be free. Well then, welcome to the world!"

Tyler awoke, sweating and breathing hard. He placed a hand to one of his eyes and felt moisture.

"Was I...?" he thought aloud.

Next, he looked over at Chelsea, who was still sleeping and didn't look deformed or anything. He breathed a sigh of relief, then sat on the edge of his bed. Never had such a thing rattled him so much. Feeling extremely hot, he kicked off his pants and socks, then quietly went upstairs to get some ice water.

Tyler pulled up a stool and sat at the counter. He knew a dream like that could never happen, but with all of the things that have been happening, particularly with him and the fact he had super powers, such far fetched things might be possible.

"Note to self: lay off playing Halo for a while," he said to himself, taking another drink of water, then burying his face into his hands.

He ran his fingers through his hair and tried to think about something other than the nightmare. It didn't work as he would get brief mental images as if he was receiving periodic burst transmissions. He needed to clear his mind, maybe get some air, but leaving the house was out of the question as Chelsea could wake up anytime, even though it was around 3:00 in the morning.

"Tyler?" Chelsea yawned as she stood in the doorway. "What are you doing up?"

"Huh?" Tyler gasped, startled. "Oh. I had a bad dream."

She walked up and put her arms around his shoulders. For a second, the image of tentacles clutching his throat flashed through his mind, causing him to jump, which Chelsea noticed.

"Are you okay?" she asked in a caring manner.

""Just a little on edge I guess," he noted.

"Oh. Well okay, but one more thing: where'd your pants go? 'Cause this is the most of you I've ever seen." she smirked.

Not quite understanding, Tyler cocked an eyebrow, until it dawned on him that she was talking about the fact that he was only in his underwear and a shirt. "Well, you know, I got kinda hot plus you're half naked and-and I didn't want you to be the only one in their under roo's 'cause that's no fun for–"

Chelsea pulled his head down so he was staring up at the ceiling. She then leaned in and gave him a kiss, upside down–at least in his point of view–shutting him up.

"I haven't worn under roos since pre-school," she grinned after pulling back from the kiss. "Now, I wear panties because I'm a big girl."

Still looking up at her, he had to agree. "That you are."

He then lost his balance and crashed head first into the tiled kitchen floor with a thud.

"That did not feel ples–" his train of thought trailed off as he had a clean view up Chelsea's night gown, viewing not only her panties, but the bottoms of her breasts.

Chelsea knelt down and kissed him one more time. "After seeing Spider-Man, I've always wanted to try that."

She then giggled at the intoxicated gaze on Tyler's face as he remained on the ground. Next, he quickly hopped up.

"I gotta work on my cool," he groaned.

"I kinda like the awkward clumsy side of you. I think it's cute." Chelsea sweetly stated. "And I know you were looking up my nighty too."

Tyler nervously chuckled as Chelsea walked to the doorway back to his room, then let a shoulder strap on her nighty, fall loosely. Next, she let the other strap slip off, then took cover behind the doorway, only showing her face.

"If you wanna see more, follow me." she enticed.

Without hesitation, Tyler vaulted over the kitchen island counter, knocking over a bowl of apples. Quickly, he gathered them, placed them on the counter, though a few rolled back onto the floor, and he bounded down the stairs, listening to Chelsea laugh and screech as she dove under the covers of his bed. Tyler followed suit as he slid in past her feet and took a position on top of her, his head popping out above hers.

"Hello there," she said smiling.

"Hola," Tyler smiled.

The two stared into each others eyes and interlocked their fingers together.

"I love your eyes," Chelsea cooed, enjoying the moment.

"I love yo' face," Tyler added in.

Chelsea beamed hearing those words from Tyler. Tyler, on the other hand, grinned because he could feel her bare bust against his chest, like a pair of cushions with two tips that poked him in an appealing way. Because of this, and the fact he was with her, the thought of his nightmare went away.

Through the windows in Tyler's room, rays of sunlight poured through. Groggily, Tyler awoke, only to find Chelsea still fast asleep on his chest and wrapped in his arms. Slowly, he turned his head to check his alarm clock. It read 6:27 A.M. Tyler then looked back at her and moved some of her hair from out of her face, where he noticed dips of drool from her mouth pooling on his chest.

Okay, Tyler, you love this girl, but that is nasty, he thought to himself, slightly cringing his face.

Keeping his eyes affixed on Chelsea, Tyler cautiously took his other arm off her and felt around on the floor beside his bed for his shirt to mop up her mouth water. Hmm, this'll do, he thought as his hand found a piece of cloth that was too small to be his shirt. Making sure his movements were slow, he lifted it up and found that the piece of cloth was something much more important.

And it definitely didn't belong to him.

He then placed his hand on her back and carefully ran it down the incline of her spine. When his hand approached her ticklish spot, she began to fidget and let out soft moans, effectively making Tyler freeze without any motion. When she settled back to sleep, his hand continued its voyage down her curvature until it reached the small of her back. Taking a deep breath, he allowed his hand to proceed up the incline of her soft–

"Mmm, Tyler? Is your hand on my butt?" Chelsea asked, waking up.

Playfully, she swiped her hand across his face. "A certain someone told me that you'd like me as a birthday present. I hope you plan on using the other hand."

Tyler's eyebrow shot up. "Oh really? Well who would this little birdie be who spilled the beans?"

"Oh it was no bird. It was Jen. Unless she's one big bird." Chelsea stated. "In fact, my Cousin Earl has a parrot, it'll talk your ears off."

"Well, Jay's no bird–at least I don't think so. But she yammers just as much," Tyler mused, then placed his other hand on Chelsea's rear, "but she was right about me wanting to unwrap you."

"Well, I must say you've done a great job."

"Why thank you, Chelse. I try, y'know." He relished, then gave her a small peck on her lips. "I love everything about you"–

–He gave her another kiss–

"From your hair– "

–Followed by another–

"To your eyes 'cause they're brown, like me"–

–Followed by another kiss–

"To your... you know what's, and down your tummy and legs and toes and back again.

"Chelsea? I love you."

Completely taken by what he had just said, Chelsea became misty eyed, never hearing anything say something so sweet to her.

"Oh come on now. If you cry then... then... Oh man, I-I think I got somethin' in my eye," he goofed, then bawled in a joking manner, thus causing Chelsea to laugh, just one of the things about her that he loved and lived for.

Five hours went by as if it was a blur. Tyler loaned Chelsea one of his old flight suits from when he was ten years old due to the fact that all she wore to his house the night before was that nighty and a jacket, then walked her home in the nearly noon time light. Once back at his house, he checked the messages on the answering machine, the majority of them being "Happy Birthday, Tyler."

Once he went through all the recordings, he finished what he started earlier: opening his last two gifts. He didn't expect much, especially after receiving a motorcycle as well as Chelsea in all her glory. His last two presents were a royal blue full face helmet with a silver tinted mirrored visor and integrated intercom headset allowing him to talk to someone else without the noise of the engine or listen to music on a CD or Mp3 player. He also got a somewhat large model kit of a B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber–a plane he knew he would fly someday–from his Uncle Reese and Aunt Gwen, who lived in Chicago.

All in all, Tyler couldn't have asked–no, dream, of a better birthday. He wished his mom was here since they had a tradition ever since she took him in, where they would go around town, just the two of them, and do fun things like catch a Mariners game at Safeco Field, or stroll through Pike Place Market or the Waterfront back in Seattle. And the first time Eva and himself went to Disneyland and Universal Studios when they lived in Los Angeles.

Now, thing were changing as Eva was off somewhere in the world. He was okay with it, however, knowing that sometimes change was good–not to mention that he now had another very special person in his life. As he thought about her, Tyler then thought about himself–particularly about his origins, and how he would tell Chelsea. She more than deserved the right to know, but how she would take it was the heart of Tyler's reluctance.

Some Notes: I'd like to give a special Ooh Rah to avdpteatime. Thank you so much for the kind words! You is awesome!

Semper Fi