Tim throws a baggie onto the ground under a hose nozzle, then stamps at it until it rips. He turns the nozzle on then watches as the content washes into a nearby storm drain. When he raided this jacket and jeans for a new “costume” he was in a hurry to make up for the lost time he spent with Jane, so he didn’t check them as thoroughly as he should’ve.

  “I need to get better at opening up my senses.” He grumbles as he shakes a green spray can and holds his breath, finishing his crude art work he started on the way to dock seventeen. He crushes the empty can and scoops up the plastic on the ground and tosses them both into a dumpster, then leaps into the air.

  He transforms and glides onto a crane that towers far above the docks and turns back into a human, zooming his vision onto the large group of people below. Already hard at work unloading the drugs, Tim recognizes more than a few faces, people who’ve walked in and out of his life as his family bounced between shitty living situations, though it's mostly strangers.

  Just how many people does Robert have working for him now? Tim knows he basically runs the meth industry in the city—that has to take a ton of manpower, but something about this feels different, grander. He thinks back on the conversation between Robert and his mother that let him know about all of this, and things start to click together.

  “Bobby,” Beth said, the sound of her taking apart and putting back together her handgun clicking in Tim’s ear. “I want back in, let me oversee this.”

  A chair creaks as Robert leaned back in it, “No.”

  “No?” Beth said with no small hint of venom.

  “That’s what I said.” Robert affirmed, “Your reputation as ‘Death Beth’ has held here, and with our generation, but the people bringing in the shipment are young, new blood. They might have heard of you, but they think you’re yesterday's news.”

  “I’ll teach them then.” Beth scoffs.

  “Why do you even want to do this now?” Robert asked. “Timmy isn’t out of the house yet, and you already lost Ben.”

  “I didn’t lose shit, Ben walked out on me, his sister, his little brother.” She hissed.

  Robert groaned, “Regardless, Timmy isn’t out of the house yet, and you’re already on track to losing him, so why dig yourself a deeper hole?”

  She paused for a long while, “Let him leave, he has actual dreams to chase. I don’t mind if he writes us all out of his history.”

  Robert snorted, “And?”

  “And because I'm tired of this, I’m hungry Bobby, and I’m ready to eat.”

  Tim’s mother really is a sleeping dragon, and with Robert doubling down on saying no, looks like she’s going to stay hibernating. Still, Beth managed to get plenty of info from her old friend, and unknowingly gave it all to Prehistoric Kid.

  Location, the kind of drugs they’re bringing in, mostly cocaine and heroin, and the fact that this shipment is a big deal. Robert is expanding his horizons, partnering with more people that are, somehow, even worse. If Tim has to give it his best guess, this shipment is coming from some Cartel looking to move product into the States.

  It’ll definitely work, after all, plenty of cops in San Diego buy from Robert’s meth supply already. Hell, there’s even patrol cars nearby, with officers walking amongst the men and striking up conversation. Tim spots two he knows by name. One is Clarence Tim remembers him stopping his sister in stolen cars that she would take him on joy rides in when he was little and didn’t know better. Clarence would let her off the hook just about every time, and be in an especially good mood when she would hand him something, likely meth.

  The other was a newer customer at the house, Josh something or other, and he had an obvious crush on Delilah. Whenever she added another new boy to the toy pile it made Tim’s eyes roll so fast they’d produce their own centrifugal force, but at least Josh brought his dog, and the puppy is very cute.

  Well, if the cops won’t stop this shit at least Tim will, no, Prehistoric Kid will. Best to start calling himself that in his head while on the job, makes it less likely he’ll slip up. Plus if he runs into a mind reader one day it’ll probably help if he doesn’t think about his real name.

  PK rolls his neck and bounces on the crane, hyping himself up. He takes a step off, falling for just a moment before he catches himself underneath the huge neck of the machine. He flicks his wrist and launches himself high into the air, waits for what he pictures as a great shot of him in front of the moon, then transforms into his microraptor.

  The black, iridescent bird glides silently onto the roof of a warehouse, then transforms into a compsognathus. He scurries across the roof and hops off onto the rim of a trash can, with two armed guards by it. Tim gives them a few whiffs, dedicating the individual scents to memory. If he’s going to dismantle a Cartel, it’ll be huge to be able to track all its members after all.

  He makes his way all throughout the dock, collecting scents familiar and new while transforming between small runners and gliders, sticking to the shadows and remaining undetected. He feels like an expert at this already, excitement swelling as he ducks and weaves like a ninja through the dockyard, taking in all the sensory information. Something stifles the building anticipation in his chest though, as he catches a different smell in a crate being moved off the ship.

  PK makes his way over to a vending machine and slips into the back of it, pulling out a soda can then jumping back onto a roof. He stalks the men moving the new crate until they reach a point where they have to lift it off the dolly it sits on, and then PK chucks the can.

  It bounces into a roll and goes under the foot of one of the men, making him slip and drop his half of the crate, the other man releasing it and jumping back. The crate falls on its side and the top pops off, packing cushioning falls out, as well as grey metal that glints in the moonlight.

  Weapons? Robert and his mom didn’t mention anything about guns coming in, how many crates of guns are already off the boat? Out of the docks? How strong are they? Tim doesn’t know much about guns but he can tell that these ones aren’t just simple pistols for home defense.

  This just got a lot more dangerous for just about everyone in the city. It's about time to get to work. Prehistoric Kid shifts human and starts looking around to decide where to start, when he hears something from the parking area nearby that makes his stomach sink.

  An engine dies down as a car door slams shut, and Delilah’s sigh reaches PK’s ears.

  “Mom, how many times do I have to tell you too not slam my fucking doors?”

  “Quiet D, not here.”

  “Fine.” Delilah shuts her own door. “Where’s Clarence and Josh?”

  “They’re coming, then we can go and properly introduce ourselves.”

  Shit, shit, what kind of power play is this supposed to be? Why is Delilah here too? What are those two idiots thinking?

  Tim scans around for Clarence and Josh, hopping up onto a higher vantage point when he doesn’t spot them. Uh oh, they’re almost to the lot where Mom and Delilah are waiting. He doesn't want them to get caught up in this, he wouldn’t have come if he thought there could be a chance of them getting hurt.

  Maybe, maybe he has time? He’s so strong, so fast, that maybe he can finish this before they even make their way over? Only one way to find out.

  Tim leaps into the air, the pressure wave rattling the roofs of the surrounding warehouses. His eyes lock to the water next to the ship, he twists in the air and punches towards the sky, the force rocketing him down towards the water. He straightens his body into a diving form and pierces the surface of the ocean, sending up a spout of salt water that briefly rains upon the workers unloading the venomous cargo. The ship rocks as a wave laps against it, displaced by a serpentine shadow that leads to a large, flippered body.

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  The men stop what they’re doing and gawk at the appearance of the shadow, a few run away screaming, but still more try to get a better view, trying to figure what kind of “whale” has decided to come greet them. Unfortunately for them, PK is much more of a sea monster.

  The Elasmosaurus has one of, if not the longest neck to body ratios of any known animal, and PK shows off all twenty three feet of it as he rises from the water and lets out an eerie wail that sends a chill down even his own spine.

  He swings his neck towards the supply carts being wheeled down a ramp from the ship, his horrible, needle-like teeth piercing into the crates on a cart before he yanks it into the air. One of the men fails to let go and is dragged up into the air, and then down into the water as PK submerges with the weapons and drugs.

  This guy is definitely walking away from here with thalassophobia, and Tim is keen on making it worse. He lets out the eerie wail again as he whips his neck towards the man, jaws wide open. Bubbles fly up from his mouth as he gurgles a scream, trying to swim backwards, only for the plesiosaur jaws to wrap carefully around him.

  Tim lifts him out of the ocean, sending salty sea spray over the panicking workers, and the man screams and begs as PK throws him up, catches him, then tosses him towards the nearest roof.

  The man lands in a roll, getting scraped up but is otherwise unharmed, and looks to Prehistoric Kid in fear and confusion, before he falls on his back, shaking from the sheer adrenaline dump.

  Tim gives as close to a chuckle as he can, before warm metal begins to pellet his face. He looks over to at least a dozen armed guards, all firing their useless guns. He lets out a low hiss and lays his neck on the ground, sweeping it towards the men. He collides with most, some firing shotguns point blank into him, and still he feels no pain as he carries them across the ground and flings them into the wall of a warehouse.

  They really can’t hurt him, and those who remain realize it. They either freeze in terror or take off running, now all PK has to do is destroy all the cargo. Unfortunately though, not without dealing with his family, as he spots his mother walking into view, armed with a RPG, Delilah and the corrupt officers not far behind her.

  His mother fires at his neck, and PK quickly lifts it out of the way, the rocket colliding with the ground and blowing apart concrete. PK’s senses kick in, and he can tell a few chunks are going to be deadly, so he quickly sweeps his neck down, blocking shards from flying any further. Unfortunately, that gives his mother a nice, clean shot at his head, and she fires again.

  This time PK shrinks down into a human, ending up midway down his neck, and the rocket flies right past him, but as he’s about to leap away, his vision is guided towards the rocket. There’s another ship further out, heading to dock, and there’s people on it, and they’re going to die.

  He’s not sure if his jump can catch up with the rod of explosive death, but he’s damn well going to try. He transforms into a T’Rex and uses his behemoth leg to jump, and as soon as he leaves the ground he goes back into a human. He shoots forward, quickly gaining on the projectile, moving faster than it by some significant amount. He twists preemptively, bringing his leg around and, as he reaches the front of the missile, kicks it off course.

  It looks like it's going to fly off into the water, but PK must have kicked it too hard, and it explodes. The shrapnel shatters harmlessly off his body, and the engulfing flames only burn away his clothes, but the sound? The sound of the explosion rocks his skull, makes him see stars, stunning him. He plunges into the dark waters, sucking it into his lungs as he tries to process through the pain in his head. The sensation of drowning sobers as much as it sends him into a panic, and he manages to come up with the shortest solution to the problem.

  Gills replace his lungs as he transforms into his oldest creature yet, the Dunkleosteus, an ancient fish that likely predates amphibians, let alone dinosaurs. The sensation of breathing through gills is a disturbing, alien one, but at least PK doesn’t feel like he’s drowning anymore.

  He carefully surfaces, transforming into human while still in the water. Unfortunately, what little shredded clothing he has left doesn't include his mask, and he dunks his head into the water and curses.

  The cursing doesn’t stop as he hops onto land as his Compy, the dock now nearly empty with only a few cars burning rubber out of the warehouses. They were well prepared to take off in case something went south, and it looks like they got away with a lot of their merchandise too.

  Tim makes his way into the ship and destroys what little is left, and then clears what equally little is left in the warehouses, a poor consolation prize. With nothing left to accomplish he begins to make his trek home, red hot heat pushing on the inside of his chest.

  His sister’s car isn’t back by the time he arrives and slips through his window, ripping off his burnt clothes and tossing them to the ground as he wriggles through his drawers to collect new ones.

  He paces what little walkway is in his room, back and forth, stirring the sizzling anger in his gut. The Cartels? They’re not exactly a fixation for Tim, but he knows just how evil they can be. His mom is ok with that? He’s heard the stories of “Death Beth,” what a menace she was. An enforcer for some drug lord down in LA, she was someone even law enforcement feared.

  Even with the stories and her reputation, a still lingering one, he always figured they were exaggerations. After all, tweakers did that shit all the time, and even if someone was genuinely pathetic, with a good enough story and enough charisma, plenty would believe they were the genuine article. But how can someone that dangerous have put him and his siblings through so much their whole lives? How could someone ok with such horrific shit be so... pathetic? And how can Delilah be ok with it all too?

  Tim balls his hand into a fist and pushes against his wall, slowly putting pressure on the plaster until he makes a large dent. He sighs and pulls his fist back, then collapses on his bed. What a complete shit show.

  He opens his senses and lets everything pour in, listening for the car to pull into the dive way, and he perks up when it does not long later. He listens to his sister and mother’s footsteps as they walk through the door, the pounding of their heartbeats, and smells the adrenaline in their sweat. They’re both still excited, happy, and that pisses Tim off all the more.

  “Well, you owe Deke an apology.” Delilah says after they enter Beth’s room and do the classic tweaker sweep for bugs.

  “I’ll give him a bigger cut with his next sales.” Beth laughs. “Good call sticking with Alejandro, we’re definitely in now.”

  “I’m good at those.” Delilah laughs. “Got plenty of their numbers too, always good to make friends.”

  So that’s what took them so long, even with Tim’s powers clearing the ship and warehouse of the abandoned contraband took plenty of time, he was surprised that he beat them home.

  “Good job baby.” Beth kisses Delilah’s forehead. “First step to getting everything we want.”

  “Mhmm, new cars, better food, get Timmy out of here for his last couple of years before college.”

  Tim tears a chunk off his blanket and suppresses a scream. How dare she uses him as an excuse to smuggle fucking Cartel drugs and weapons into the country. So many lives ruined, ended, and she wants to put it on wanting to give him a better life? How did she end up just as bad as mom?

  “Second step though, is figuring out how to kill that thing.” Delilah says.

  “I blew it up, it's dead.” Beth says, her bed springs creaking as she sits.

  “Mom, it was changing into shit from Timmy’s books, and guns didn't do shit to it. I doubt it's dead.”

  Beth remains quiet, until the living room door slams open, its hinges creaking and threatening to break.

  “There’s Uncle Bobby.” Delilah says while flicking on a lighter, the scent of fresh nicotine mixing with the old that always lingers in the air.

  “I was expecting him to beat us here.” Beth says, getting up and making her way out of the room.

  “Everyone out!” Robert roars to the tweakers in the living room as Beth steps in. Tim hears the sound of heart rates rising and cups being knocked over in the ensuing panic until there’s only two bodies left in the living room.

  “Beth,” Robert grins his teeth, “I told you, I fucking told you not too.”

  “It's a good thing I didn’t listen! Isn’t it?” Beth yells. “Who knows how much shit that monster would’ve wrecked if it wasn’t for me. Face it Robert, I’m your fucking hero.”

  Tim leaps to his feet as he hears Robert cross the room and backhand his mother. He nearly rushes out to attack Robert, but he hears his mother spit, and chuckle.

  “Say thank you.” She demands.

  “I told you no Beth, I told you no to protect you, your family.” Robert growls. “The game is different now, more different that you can possibly imagine.”

  “Say. Thank. You.” She repeats.

  Robert stays quiet, grinding his teeth, until he finally lets out a low, angry, “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “I hope you’re ready, you and Delilah both, they want to talk to you. Death Beth coming back into the game by fighting off a sea monster, and her daughter helping move the cargo? Well, it has people talking.”

  “Good, can’t wait to get started.”

  Tim puts a hand over his eyes and grips his temples. As if the failed raid wasn’t enough, now his family is part of the Cartel, and it's his fault.