CHAPTER 28: MILE HIGH CLUB, PART 1
Passion.
It is a product of the human psyche which acts as a driving force for many actions that might seem unimportant or insignificant to survival are treated as if they are. The banal, the menial, the meaningless are all given meaning to the interpretation of the individual who sees it alone, a rare beauty in the eye of the sole beholder, turned to rituals that are an extension of their egos and themselves.
For the surfer, the act of surfing itself is what is his passion. He is but a human being, his true needs are the fundamentals of food, water, and shelter; his body has no need for swimming or surfing, and the action of doing so is as absurd as it seems to the rest of the universe, which passes on in ignorance and indifference to what he does.
There is no true purpose in what he does that would serve and progress his own self-interests. It will not produce or forage more food for him, it will not provide him with any home that will keep him safe from the elements, it will not win him a mate to reproduce and perpetuate his own species with...
...but in his own mind, he is convinced that what he does is as important as those other tasks, and that is functionally enough to make it as necessary.
He goes out once again into the breach, he goes and takes to the waves once more which have betrayed him and brought him out into unfamiliar territory. He knows that these waves threaten to only push him further away from what he knows as home, or might even potentially destroy his body and put an end to his life...
...but in his own mind, he is convinced that not doing so will be the end of his life all the same, and he will be dead in function as if he were dead in form.
As he swims out, another wave starts to form, rising up as the tide is pulled back from the beach into the ocean. The saltwater comprising the ocean bay coalesces and congregates to form a large wave that grows even larger by the second, each passing moment drawing more water to feed its mass and fill its body.
It rises slowly out of the water, its growing size slowing its movements as the body has grown so large that it can no longer move through time at the same speed that it did moments ago as a smaller entity. Has it spiraled out of control like some monster that grew too big for its environment and no longer belongs, or has nature merely run its course with the wave and allowed evolution to bring it to its intended final state?
Neither theory matters to the surfer, who has one concern and one concern only. He only cares about riding this wave, to master it himself and succeed at his one singular passion. If it is an abomination of nature, he will defeat it as a hero to its villain. If it is a progression of nature, he will overcome it as another form of life trying to survive.
Taking to his board once again, he ventures back into another chance for the thrill he craves, swimming up to the massive wave. He comes into its rising wake, allowing himself to be brought into its fold as he rises a deadly amount of feet in the air. A drop from this height alone would kill him, and he could drown if he were to fall under the wave. All odds are stacked against him, and it is more than likely that this will be his death...
...but in his own mind, he is convinced that he will succeed.
Death has come to Ocean Shores.
It has been brought in the form of a young man named Lars Rodriguez, a sociopath with little future and less care. He has spent most of his life committing petty crimes and selling drugs, with the occasional assault and even rape, but what he has done today undoubtedly trumps all other wrongs he has committed.
After being given a weapon in the form of a cybernetic arm loaded with various instruments of death such as a machine gun, a flamethrower, a chainsaw, and grenade launcher, the once-famous Ocean Shores Boardwalk has been stained with the blood of the innocent, forever tainting what purity it once had in the minds of those who walked on it.
As the horrific carnage of the massacre on the beaches of Ocean Shores began its cleanup, the various emergency workers keeping up the task of trying to collect and identify human remains without losing control of their stomachs or their hearts, the terror wrought out was covered nationwide, caught on the various news stations that were present to report on Alex Gravity's plans for the city.
Appearances would seem to spell that this massacre has put his plans on a severe left turn for the worse, and that is one of many other thoughts on the mind of Dax Jett. The other thoughts revolve around his own guilt for affiliating himself with the millionaire and carrying out crimes at his service, as well as frustration over his concerns over Lars never having been heard by his employer.
All of these thoughts lead to one logical conclusion to take now:
Get out, and get out now while he still can.
Rushing into the VIP section of Zero Gravity Zone, Dax, carrying on his lover, Wes, made his way to their living spaces, immediately taking out bags and stuffing them with whatever he deemed necessary for the two. While Dax wasted no time to see their escape be hasty, Wes caught his breath from the heavy running they both had to endure, simultaneously trying to overcome his own stress.
Needless to say, the two strongly disavowed Lars' actions, and in turn the decisions of their employer, Alex Gravity, but where Dax is the first to act with an escape plan from the group, Wes is the first to question what Dax is currently doing, and questions what will come ahead of that.
"Dax, what are you doing?" Wes asked.
"What's it look like I'm doing, babe? I'm doing what I should've done in the first place. I gotta get us the fuck out of here." Dax said.
"Get out of here and go where?"
"Does it matter? You were right, this whole thing was wrong. It was my idea to stay here and keep going for Alex Gravity, dumb fucking me. I thought this whole thing could work out. Instead, I stayed in and helped people get killed."
"Dax, you can't blame yourself for that. If you weren't there to bring Lars to Alex Gravity, the other two guys would've brought him in without you. And you were the only one trying to keep things in order."
"But I still agreed to his stupid fucking plan to let Lars go loose. I should've known that he was gonna kill all those people. I fuckin' knew it. Listen, I don't wanna hear it right now. You can say you were right later, we just gotta get out of here right the fuck now. I gotta get out of here and... and get away from all this shit... all the dead bodies... the dead people... Oh, fuck..."
Unable to cope with his self-inflicted guilt over the massacre, Dax stopped packing and holding up his stoic facade for action, falling down to the floor and beginning to cry. Before Dax could cry any further, however, Wes knelt beside him and pulled him tight for a kiss, temporarily ending his troubles of the massacre.
Dax is able to find a piece of solitude in the moment with the one person he considered important in his life, managing to put aside his fears and worries just for the moment given to him. His own philosophy of self-reliance and independence begins to melt away, and remembers the importance of the company of others, especially his lover.
After their kiss is finished, Dax let out soft pants and cries, coming to a state of reasonability and communication.
"Goddammit... I really thought I could make this work... I thought I'd never need anybody ever again... I thought we'd never need anybody ever again..." Dax cried.
"All we'll ever need is each other. That's the deal we made when we both ran off from home, right? Just you and me against the world." Wes said.
"Oh, fuck... We were supposed to use our money to get the fuck out of here and have our happily ever after. What the fuck are we supposed to do now?"
"Look, don't worry about it. We've been doing this for years, remember? We've always found a way to make it work. Maybe we work a small job here and there, maybe we have to steal something. It doesn't matter. We've always found a way to find our endless summer."
"I know, I know. But no matter how bad the things we did were, not once, not once, did a single innocent person get killed. We always worked non-lethal. That's how we stayed so good. Besides, seeing that... that thing just burn up all those people like that... I've never seen a person die, especially not by being burned alive like a goddamn war zone. All those people..."
"I don't like the fact that innocent people are dead any more than you do, but there's nothing we can do about it now. I always told you, 'look to the future'. There's no use dwelling on the past."
"I know that, Wes, but... but I helped bring him here. It might as well have been me that gave him all those weapons. I should've known better. I should've known from the moment I saw him. We should've kicked his ass to the curb when he crashed the damn board!"
"He was just a punk. You couldn't have known that he was capable of that. This isn't Hillwood, not all people just go up and start killing out of nowhere here."
"Well, maybe it is Hillwood. I mean, that place is ground zero for all these superheroes and supervillains popping up everywhere. Maybe it's some kind of domino effect, making all these people like Lars turn crazy. I should've seen it."
"Hey, just forget about all that. We'll get out of here, just like you planned. We'll take what we have, move to someplace small, where there's not a single corporate interest for miles, and we skate and surf our hearts out."
Wes took Dax's hand and held it tightly, once again reinforcing his sentiments and encouragement.
"Just the two of us. Like old times." Wes said.
Dax contemplated Wes' words for a moment, as if trying to carefully take in and appreciate all that he said. The advice has all gone to his head and taken hold as it was meant to, but it is not the content of the words themselves that he focuses on. He is again given a strong reminder of the importance of a significant person in his life, a person that, for lack of a better word...
...is his family.
Beginning as his best friend at a young age, a concurrent discovery of compatible sexualities had brought the two closer together, but further apart from the world they were born into. Taking to the streets, the two have been a pair of bandits and lovers living for each other, and trying to balance survival with living.
And the very sight of Wes and his words are all that he can focus on now, leading him to kiss him once again.
"God, I'm such a fucking shithead for all the shit I say." Dax said.
"How's that?" Wes asked.
"All I say about family not being important or not being real. You're the realest thing to me, Wes. I was always too much of an asshole to realize that."
"But I still love you. And we can always learn from our mistakes and grow, can't we?"
"Yeah. And I'm gonna start with this one. Get up, start packing your bags."
The two quickly finished their packing and proceeded to head to the back door to Zero Gravity Zone, ready to leave behind Alex Gravity and the Rippers once and for all. Before the two could reach the door to the VIP section, however, it opened up on its own, with the multiple figures heading inside.
Stepping back to give room to the new arrivals, Dax and Wes were met by the rearrival of Alex Gravity, Mike, Jared, and, last but not least, Lars Rodriguez, the latter smiling smugly after wreaking his carnage. Hoping to avoid the group and quietly depart from the park before they could be caught, their escape plans had been put to a halt.
"Oh, perfect. You two already packed. You're one step ahead of me, I like the initiative." Alex Gravity said.
"What? What are you talking about?" Dax asked.
"I promised you young men your payday when all your hard work was done, and I plan to deliver on it. First things first, here's your reward for such a job well done."
Alex Gravity, carrying with him a briefcase, subsequently set it down on a table, reaching in and grabbing multiple bundles of cash, sorting out two distinct piles for each of his employees. Closing the case up, he then grabbed both stacks of cash and handed them to Dax and Wes each.
"Here's your money, as promised, all in full. Don't forget to count it." Alex Gravity said.
"What the fuck is going on?" Dax asked.
"What's it look like? I told you that you boys would be paid handsomely after your hard work, and here it is."
Dax and Wes took their payments with caution, continuing to look to Alex Gravity with uncertainty.
"Well, aren't you boys going to count it? Always a good habit." Alex Gravity asked.
"You said you were gonna pay us when our work was done." Dax said.
"I did, and it is. Thanks to your valiant efforts, Ocean Shores is now mine in its entirety. That means you boys are no longer needed, and you get paid. Oh, and let's not forget your little exit bonus."
Alex Gravity then reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of plane tickets, presenting them to the two.
"Now, the particular work you've been doing for me, you're going to want to lay low after all the hard work you did. That's why I've arranged for you to have a full vacation, all expenses paid, in a lovely luxury hotel in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil?" Alex Gravity asked.
"Yeah, man, this is gonna be good. He hooked us up with all the good shit." Jared said.
"Not to mention all the big-booty bitches with cunts de-carpeted like scorched Earth, whoo!" Mike cheered.
"Yeah, and I imagine that a super-badass infamous Mexican like me's gonna fit in nice and easy in Brazil. Well, except maybe the Mexican part, I can't speak Portuguese. It feels weird, being around brown people that don't speak Spanish." Lars said.
The initial shock of Alex Gravity's sudden offerings soon lost its hold on Dax, who took the greatest offense with the very idea of being around Lars any longer.
"You... You're giving us a vacation, and you expect us to spend it around... this motherfucker?" Dax asked.
"Well, the latter offer is a take-it-or-leave-it deal, but I figured you two fine young men would enjoy some time in the sun together." Alex Gravity said.
"So you faggots can buttfuck on the beach. Minor warning, though, make sure you do it on a towel. Sand in any hole whatsoever hurts. I may or may not know from experience." Lars said.
"With... THIS MOTHERFUCKER?!" Dax repeated.
"I admit his presence can get quite annoying over time, but I'm sure you can look past the homophobia and-" Alex Gravity began to say.
"No, no, no. I mean the fact that he killed so many people. After he already did once, and I agreed to let him do it again. You should have known he was gonna do it again!"
"Of course I did. That's why I let him do it."
The next news brought even further shock out of Dax, looking back at Alex Gravity with a growing sense of anger.
"What?" Dax asked.
"I did give him that arm with all those weapons in it. What, you don't expect me to give him a hammer without expecting him to hit some nails, do you?" Alex Gravity asked.
"But why the fuck would you let him kill all those people? It was all over national TV, they'll know he's fucking shit up. No one'll come to your park."
"On the contrary, they'll be begging me to build the park. They've seen for themselves how unsafe the town is all on its own, no more business or citizenry leading to crime of these proportions, and the superhero nonsense in Hillwood is only helping put things in my favor. No one wants to live in a city with a supervillain running around causing terror, so that leaves me room to clean the city up, re-brand it, and declare it safe, making me, in unofficial terms, the hero in this situation. In fact, it was actually Hillwood itself that gave me the idea for this little project. Alphonse Scheck, I believe his name was, head of Future Tech Industries. Some football-headed kid named Arnold put it to a stop, and his company got bought out by Membrane Labs. Who would've thunk it?"
"Goddammit, you let, what, a hundred people die by now for your fucking park?!"
"Remember what I said about those workers in China? Do I need to add other countries to the list before you get the picture?"
Seemingly unable to reason with Alex Gravity into a moral stance, Dax did nothing more than scoff, no longer wishing to carry on his attempts for empathy.
"I gotta hand it to you, Gravity. You're the best businessman in the world: Completely amoral, and you never let anything stop you. But me? I'm not cut out for the corporate world. If this is how it all works deep down, I don't want anything to fucking do with it." Dax said.
Dax then threw the money back in Alex Gravity's face, refusing to take his cash, and in turn leaving him standing astounded at the angry response he received.
"Keep your fucking money. Me and Wes are done." Dax said.
Once appearing to appear shocked and in disbelief over Dax's reaction, Alex Gravity instead turned to a smile, stepping out of his way from the door.
"As you wish." Alex Gravity said.
Once again unsure what to make of Alex Gravity's expressions, Dax looked at him in confusion, skeptically questioning his motives.
"You serious?" Dax asked.
"Yes. That's the wonders of capitalism: I have every right to run my business as I please, and my employees are free to follow along, or leave as they please. If you want to leave, go right ahead." Alex Gravity said.
"You're really serious?"
"Yes, I am. Go ahead. I won't stop you."
Looking back to Wes, Dax then looked back to Alex Gravity and began walking to the door. Wes, after throwing his own money to the floor, followed close behind.
"I wish you the best of luck on your future endeavors, gentlemen." Alex Gravity said.
"Yeah. This is the part where I'd say 'see you', but, since I don't ever wanna see your face ever again, I'm just gonna say: 'Go fuck yourself'." Dax said.
"I will. And after I'm done fucking myself, I'm going to have Lars and the Rippers take care of Otto."
Now, with yet another vital piece of information given, one that spelled another potential on his hands, Dax turned back to Alex Gravity, carrying more anger than before.
"What did you just say?" Dax said.
"Lars here informed me that Otto had, in fact, started to sit on the fence as far as where he stands with us. After you left the show, he also jumped on Lars' back and tried to stop him, so I'm inclined to believe him after what I saw. That also means I'll have to kill Otto and tie up the loose end while I can." Alex Gravity said.
"Over my dead body, motherfucker. There won't be any more deaths in Ocean Shores as far as I'm concerned."
"I had a feeling that you were going to say that. Lars? I'd like you to kill Dax and Wes."
Despite the order to kill them both, Lars appeared to be in a state of indecision towards the fate of Dax and Wes, scratching his head in thought at the order.
"Well, I'm not sure I can do that, man. I was just starting to like these guys. Plus, if it wasn't for them dragging my ass back here, I wouldn't have gotten this cool arm." Lars said.
After finishing his protest, however, Lars immediately changed his arm to its gun form and aimed it straight at Dax, preparing to end his life.
"Psyche. Just fuckin' with you, ese. I'll take any excuse to kill these faggots I can get" Lars said.
With no hesitation following the end of his sentence, Lars fired a shot straight for Dax, ready to end his life and watch him die.
Before the shot fired, however, Wes immediately stepped in front of Dax, sacrificing his own life to save that of his lover. The act of seeing his own beloved, his own proclaimed family be murdered right in front of him, is a realization that takes a short time to settle in, but it feels like an eternity to Dax Jett before horror and despair follow.
Standing in shock over his lover, Dax watched Wes turn back to face him, delivering one last message as blood spurted from his chest.
"Run." Wes choked.
As soon as Wes' body fell on the floor, Dax followed through with his best friend's last words, immediately running out of the building. Lars, not ready to let him get away, pointed his arm at him with the intent to fire, but Alex Gravity stopped him by lowering his arm, allowing Dax a chance to run out.
The preventative action is as incomprehensible to Lars as it is enraging, expressing his anger at Alex Gravity for his interference.
"What the fuck was that?! I had him right in my sights!" Lars shouted.
"Now he's gonna get away and warn Otto." Jared said.
"I know. That's the plan." Alex Gravity said.
The Rippers all shared looks between each other, each nonverbally trying to comprehend their employer's reasoning and plans.
"Uh... Didn't you just tell me to kill the fucker? And what's to stop him from sicking Otto on us? Or calling the goddamn F.B.I. and sending 'em after us?" Lars asked.
"He'd also have to confess to his own crimes if he went to the F.B.I., that's not a concern. And him going to Otto is exactly what I'm counting on." Alex Gravity said.
"And why exactly do you want him coming back with some buddies, boss?" Mike asked.
"Because Otto was kind enough to inform me that one of his 'buddies' happened to find a way to miniaturize the technology behind the boards and make it run on a non-nuclear power source. That's a money-saver and a further string of patents for me to get my hands on. I have a feeling that he'll be bringing him back with us, perhaps even show off some of the toys he made in order to try to fight us."
"How the fuck do you know all that's gonna happen? You're acting like this is a fuckin' superhero movie or some shit." Lars said.
"First of all, Lars, we're already in a superhero movie. Just refer to the Green Eye and crew down in Hillwood. Second, even if it wasn't, there's always an idealist in the world who thinks that he's in one, and he's the hero. I'm reckoning that Otto's starting to feel that little heroic spark right now, particularly the redemption arc. Third... I'm a businessman. It's my job to figure out what happens 10 steps ahead, respond to it accordingly, then plan another 10 steps. I didn't make a successful skate park out of nothing, you know."
"So, now what, then?"
"Well, your flight for Rio de Janerio leaves in a few hours. How about you boys relax with a movie until our guests of honor get back?"
For years, the abode of the Rocket family has been home to all of its current lineage: Raymundo, Otto, and Reggie. It was after several years of being a widow that Ray decided to add a new mother to the mix, taking the hand of Noelani Makani in marriage and providing his two children with a step-mother.
Despite having the challenge of filling a hole in their hearts that they believed only their own biological mother could fill, Noelani proved herself capable of overcoming it, and in turn becoming a positive and important influence on the lives of all the Rockets. Just as husband's own happiness was fulfilled, so, too, were the children.
Years she served as a step-mother to the children before Reggie finally moved out, and then Otto as well a few years after, and was eventually left to serve as wife to Ray. Their existence together, though occasionally interrupted by work or chores, is no less healthy than any other marriage, and the two shared an unbreakable love as she helped Ray learn to love again as well.
She was also the last person to know regarding his death, and received the news almost immediately upon the entry of the Rocket children, Sam, and Tito, receiving only a few seconds of time to question the absence of Ray. When given the answer, her reaction is as expected as any loving wife would be in her situation.
Immediately does she fall into her cousin Tito's arms, weeping into him as she tried to overcome the pain of her loss. Otto and Reggie are each given their chances to comfort her from the pain, though Otto's efforts are combined with a strong guilt of his own, making it hard to provide his full sympathy to her when he cannot even be sympathetic with himself.
The Rocket family has yet another widow, and this time the children are left orphans.
The emotional turmoil is enough for everyone to fall to the floor, all doing their best to process or maybe even try to get over the tragic events of the day, all mourning the loss of their beloved Ray Rocket. There is a dead silence for the dead, and the family is so overwhelmed with heartache that none can speak, but only continue to fester in their emotions.
This leaves more room for contemplation and self-introspection, which Otto takes full advantage of, for better or worse... though his thoughts lean mostly towards 'worse'.
Having sided with the Rippers for several days now, he took his father's death the worst out of the family. Not only had he been working with the very people bent on destroying Ocean Shores, all in service of the purpose of turning the city into a giant theme park, but never had he the chance to made proper amends with his father after their tumultuous relationship.
He is among the first to finally speak, only able to state the obvious and his own feelings regarding it with a broken voice.
"I can't believe he's dead. I just can't believe he's dead." Otto said.
Noelani, still trying her best to be a good mother to Otto, removed herself from her seat and sat down next to him instead, grabbing him by the shoulders and gently rubbing them. Her motherly efforts are an attempt to try to support him through his loss, while trying to find support for herself in her own.
"Otto, it's okay, it's hard for all of us too. It'll be alright, we're here for you." Noelani said.
"No, it's not okay, Noelani. This shit is all my fault. None of this would've happened if I'd have just tried to stop the Rippers like I was supposed to. I mean, these were the bad guys, I knew they were the bad guys, and still decided to join them. I tried to get in with the Rippers to try to find out more stuff to stop them, but then I got in with them too deep, and they started to draw me in deeper. They were telling me all about how family's bullshit and I should do whatever I want, but we were still being used by Alex Gravity, but we were okay with that because we knew it going in. They told me all about not being held back for anything, how the city's going downhill, and Alex Gravity's trying to make it better, and he's gonna pay us for what we're doing. I thought I what I was doing was still right in a different way, but... I shoved all of you guys off because I thought they were my real friends. Now, because I did that, dad's dead. I never even got to make things right with him. All for a... a fucking theme park."
"Otto, you can't blame yourself for what happened. We saw what happened. It was all Lars. What happened today was his fault, not yours."
"No, no, I've had enough of this. It doesn't matter whose fault it is. Ray is dead. You know what the last thing I said to him was? He was trying to save my life, and I still said to his face about how he did me wrong, or so I thought. I couldn't decide whether to side with him or not, even when he was trying to save me from Lars. What kind of an asshole does that? I wanted to still be angry at him and Reggie and everyone, but I didn't want any of this shit. But he always thought I was a loser and made me feel like I wasn't part of the family, so... So I... I guess I tried to just look for a family somewhere else, and that's what led me to the Rippers. But I didn't find one. All I found was a big fucking lie. And I feel like shit. He hated me. I'm sure that he hated me for saying that. You... I... I don't even know anymore. It's like I don't belong in this family anymore. "
"That is not true. He sacrificed himself to save you. I think that's a pretty good sign that he still loved you. And even if all of the worst things you thought were true, you are still a part of this family, and you always will be."
Hearing enough of her share of Otto and Noelani's conversation, Reggie, sitting with her face planted between her knees, looked up to him to voice her discontent.
"Fuck you." Reggie said.
Recognizing the situation and trying to diffuse it as quickly as possible, Sam immediately laid his hand on Reggie's shoulder to silence her.
"Reg, I know you're not feeling okay, but this really isn't the time-" Sam began to say.
Shoving off his hand, Reggie reached for a nearby trinket and threw it at Otto, forcing him and Noelani to shield themselves from the incoming object.
"Fuck you! FUCK YOU! Everything's your fault, Otto! You said it yourself, if you hadn't joined the bad guys in the first place, none of this would've happened, and dad would still be here." Reggie shouted.
"Reggie, please, I don't want you two to fight, no one here is to blame-" Noelani began to say.
"Don't fucking baby him, Noelani! He doesn't get a 'Get Out Of Jail Free' card for this!"
Tito then stepped in to intervene, putting himself between her and Otto.
"Cuz, that's enough. We're all hurting here. Don't go saying anything that you'll regret." Tito warned.
"And why are you just now acting like you care, Otto? You couldn't care less about him, you never did. Especially as shown by our last dinner party. You straight up said 'fuck you' to his face! Is that the kind of thing a beautiful and loving son does? And now you wanna act like you had some kind of deep, personal connection with him?! I actually tried my best to be a good person, and kept in touch with him way more times than you ever did! I actually have more reason to care than you! He was my father!"
"Goddammit, he was my dad, too, Reggie! You always were the biggest fucking suck-up in the world! Do you always have to make everything about you?!"
"Make it about me? HA! Have you taken a look back at yourself for a single second?! It's about YOU, Otto! Everything's always about you in your own mind!"
"Dad's dead, Reggie! How the hell can I possibly make this about me?! It's you who's making this about you right now! I may not have had the best relationship with Dad, but at least I tried something!"
"No, you didn't! You never did anything useful in your whole life! It was you who constantly got into trouble! It was you who sabotaged every attempt to bring some sense of peace to this family! It was you who tried to get rid of Noelani for your own sake! You wanna act like you hate yourself for selling out to Zero Gravity Zone, who's the one who wanted to go to throw her wedding with dad to go to Zero Gravity Zone?!"
"What peace in the family are you talking about? You were always busy with your face buried in your work, and you lied to dad's face when you got fired! And you didn't even bother talking to any of us until all the shit with the Rippers went down! You only give a fuck about whatever problem there is until it applies to you, bitch! And you wanna accuse me of trying to get rid of Noelani? Who was it who said she couldn't replace mom, and nearly have her leave us and make dad miserable, you delusional cunt?!"
With Otto's last argument infuriating her to a point of no return, Reggie immediately tackled Otto with an angry scream, punching him several times in his face. The attack immediately gained an intervention by the other family members, who jumped in to try to separate the two.
Otto, trying to get Reggie off, returned with by grabbing her fist and kicking her off, jumping on her and strangling her on the floor, with Reggie strangling back. Neither side was ready to let the other win just as neither side would willingly admit their positions were wrong, so the two siblings began to turn their fight into a vicious struggle of kicking, scratching, and pulling, both parties tumbling on the floor.
As the two siblings fought each other with murderous intent, Noelani, watching the fight from the sidelines, lost all composure of herself, beginning to cover her ears and cry, unable to withstand the sight of her family fighting. All the while, Tito and Sam, trying to stop the fight, found great difficulty in doing so, as Reggie was far too enraged to be feasibly taken back.
However, the effort was soon no longer needed; as Tito and Sam tried to pull Reggie off again, they stopped upon seeing she did next. Instead of continuing to attack and fight Otto, she embraced him tightly, crying into his shoulder and letting out her emotional pain.
Though temporarily surprised at the change of intent, Otto returned the hug, letting the two siblings help ease each other's pain over the loss of their father.
"I'm sorry, Otto... It's not your fault about dad... I shouldn't have said that... I'm fucking sorry... I am a fucking bitch..." Reggie cried.
"No, Reggie, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those things, either." Otto said.
As Otto and Reggie began to make amends with each other, the rest of the family came to ease, allowing themselves to sit back and mourn in peace once again. What passes as an acceptable display of emotions continues on again, and without any bodily harm coming to another.
But Otto is still stuck with guilt, and he has a need to see his guilt countered by action and a chance for redemption.
"Listen. We can go on and on about how fucking sad we all are... but that's not gonna bring back dad, nor is it gonna solve any problems. We need to do something." Otto said.
"Like what?" Sam asked.
"Alex Gravity has all of Ocean Shores, and he's gonna do god-knows-what in order to get the rest of the people here out in order to build his park here."
"The plan was to get evidence of him sending out the Rippers, and we never got it. We don't have any other means of taking him down."
"Yeah, we do. We can find the guy... and kick his ass."
The idea floated brought the attention of the rest of the family, who put an end to their mourning and gave Otto their full attention, listening for more.
"But, cuz, that's not gonna actually lead to him behind bars, you know that?" Tito asked.
"Or worse, it'll lead with you in jail. Nobody here wants that." Noelani said.
"Doesn't matter. We'll beat a confession out of him and the other Rippers for the shit they did. We win by beating the bad guys." Otto said.
"Otto, are you listening to yourself? You're acting like they're supervillains or something. This is real life." Reggie said.
"Yeah, and in real life, we got superheroes and supervillains. Down in Hillwood, we got the Green Eye and the Freak. The Freak was a bad guy causing problems for the city, and the Green Eye beat the shit out of him and won. Maybe it's about time..."
Otto smiled as he prepared the next sentence out of his mouth, as if feeling a righteous indignation that put him on the right path of life.
"...we became superheroes, too." Otto said.