Entropy [5]

Here I Am

04
Here I Am

Alister landed in the maze that was a self-storage lot. He found the correct shed quickly. He reached for the lock.

"Please be here," He whispered. He looked over both shoulders. When he was sure no one could see, he broke the lock.

Alister lifted the garage door in one throw. Dust tickled his nostrils. He swiped his nose and clicked on a light.

He wrapped his arm around himself. The sight of Carter and Sheyara's things made his stomach curl. The room, albeit musty, smelled just like them.

It was all he had left of them. Furthermore, these things were all he had left of Thanagar. He breathed out to steel himself.

"Okay, Alister, you're here for one thing. Don't get carried away." He mumbled.

Alister squeezed through the narrow passageway between the boxes. He bumped into an unstable box. It slid over and hit the ground.

"Damnit," He hissed.

Alister knelt down. He set the box upright. Picture frames scattered across the floor. One picture in particular caught his eye. The frame was shattered.

He lifted the photo to the light. Carter and Sheyara stood behind him, smiling wide. He stood front and center. A half smile on his face.

He remembered the day they took that picture. A few weeks after he landed on Earth. They insisted on taking the photo. To make them look like an actual family.

He stroked the photo. That day was a good day. One of the first good days he had on Earth. The day that led to the night he met Dick Grayson. The night he met the love of his life.

Alister sat the photo down in the box. He pushed the box aside and kept on through the storage space.

"Come on," He said. "Where are you? I know they kept you." He added.

Alister came across a black sheet covering a pile. He pulled the sheet back. What stared back at him, was the very thing he came for.

"There you are," He said through a smile.

The blinding blue glow of the Absorbascon was a sight for sore eyes. He started to reach for it but his hand fell back.

He could hear Dick's voice in the back of his mind. Telling him "Don't do anything stupid."

What he planned to do was very stupid. Touching Carter and Sheyara's absorbascon could be destructive. His mind would essentially be merging with their thoughts.

That could either send him mad or kill him. He sighed. "It's the only way," He said.

"Be strong. If anyone can handle this it's you." Alister said to himself.

He reached for the device again. Just as his fingers started to graze the golden handles, a powerful explosion shook the walls. Boxes toppled over and crashed to the ground.

"What the fuck was that?" He asked aloud.

Gar bounced around the arcade like a kid in a candy store. "Let's play Halo, Ooh no, let's race—wait let's play pinball or-"

"Gar, take a breath. We can only play one game at a time. So choose which one you want to play first." Calvin said, squeezing his shoulders.