Chapter 2

Close by the snowy mountains, not far from North City, there sits the large house of the Vires’. All seems a little too quiet in the windy mountains when;
“What?!” A sincere cry soared from the bathroom window of the house.
“Please tell me you’re joking…?” Lok’s voice bellowed from the doorway of the clean white bathroom. “I’m not…” Roselle stood against the sink, her face pointed to the ground as she replied to her husband. Lok paused for a moment, leaning against the entrance of the white room as if he was waiting for a bus; his right hand rubbing the back of his head, “So… what are we going to do?” he asked gently.
“… I don’t know…” She answered, now looking towards him. A smile lightly drew across her face; her eyes glistened like the moon. “Hmm…” Lok’s face now slightly grinning too. They both looked at each other and silently agreed on what they were both thinking. Roselle brought herself away from the porcelain sink and into Lok’s arms; “Well, looks like we’ve got a new addition to the family.” She said to him, their arms comfortably wrapped around each other. “I know…” Lok sighs, “… bloody hell.” He continues laughingly. “Hey I’ve just realized, how are we going to break it to Nash?” Roselle asked. “Oh… errm, well…” As Lok said that, the sound of a door closing came from the front room.

“Hey guys, I’m home.” It was Nash; he walked in, took off his tattered coat and T-shirt and placed it on the kitchen surface. He then strolled into the main room and carelessly fell back onto the sofa and switched the television on; placing his large damp bag just below his feet.
“Well… maybe we should leave it for a lil while, you’re only a month gone yeah?” Lok said carefully, incase his son walked in. “Yeah a month and 2 weeks I think.” She replied to him in the same tone. “Well we can leave telling him for a little while.” Lok cautiously murmured, still aware that Nash could walk in at any moment; Roselle nodded. They kissed gently and separated from there loving grasp. Roselle went into the kitchen to make supper for her family. She stumbled across the shredded T-shirt and coat that her son left for her to deal. “Nash… What have you been doing…?” She asked loudly towards the main room.
“What do you mean?” He questioned lazily, scratching his head slowly. “… You’re clothes have got a massive hole in the front…” She answered, holding the tattered T-shirt up towards the windows light. “Ahhh that… yeah there was a robbery taking place at Central City. So I stormed in and caught the bad guys. One of them shot me a few times.” He explained, eyes fixed on the television as he turned on his games console.
“What with…? A gatling gun…?” Roselle murmured rhetorically as observed the massive hole, making out the odd hole in the shirt that hadn’t centered on the chest area. She concluded to put both items of ruined clothing in the bin. “That was a good coat I bought you as well…” She shouted to her son, trying to speak over the gunfire sounds from the games console. “… Please be more careful with your clothes next time.” She continued, not hearing her son reply, she continued to do the supper she had planned to do in the first place.

Lok strolled into the main room where he found his 23 year old son playing on his Playstation 3. Nash stared at the 30 inch screen like a mindless drone as his fingers and thumbs rapidly pounded at the controller in his hand. Lok shook his head and sat down on the large single chair. “What are you doing…?” Lok asked disapprovingly, watching the screen to show a futuristic rifle shooting down anything its path, every kill with a headshot called out. “I’m blowing these guys heads off online, ha-ha. You should hear what these guys are saying on the microphones, ha-ha.” The game ends and shows that Nash is the top scorer of a free-for-all match against 30 other players. “Wooo! 237 kills; 235 headshots, 2 normal kills, but… them two kills was only to get warmed up… And… no deaths! Get in!” Nash throws the controller up in the air in celebration and continues onto the main menu.

Lok stared at his son disapprovingly before muttering the words, “Nash, why do you do this?”
“Come on dad, its Killzone 2… It kicks ass! No other reason for doing it.” Nash replied as he shot off another players head off. “Get in.” he continued.
“No I mean why do you still lounge about my house. You’ve done it for 20 years… why don’t you get a place of your own. Why don’t you move in with your new girlfriend?” Lok dictated. He could hear Roselle in the kitchen getting some food ready.
“I know, and I will soon as I get some money. Besides, Echa and I are still getting to know each other. She’s still new to this planet as well, remember.” He said reassuringly, his eyes still fixed to the screen.
“Yeah well don’t forget she tried to kill me, you and Roux, remember?” Lok’s eyes now fixed on the flat screen.
“I know but… I like that in a woman.” Again, Nash answered in the same low monotone voice as he slaughtered two opposing players; both with head shots. “Nice…” Lok approved, nodding his head. Nash looked at his father a little confused; he has hardly seen his father approve of anything Nash has ever done.
Lok realized what he said out loud and regained himself. “So… are you going to South City tonight with me and your mother? Oreganus and his partner, Cellerine are holding a little get-together aren’t they?” He asked, standing up off the chair and walking over to the book shelf. He glanced at the organised shelves of different coloured hard-backs and soft-backs; trying to find a book he hasn’t yet read.
“I don’t mind. To be honest, I don’t really want to. But Echa wants to meet all my friends and that, ya know?” Nash ended the game and turned to Lok, scratching his head.
“Well I’m not too keen on going either, but Oreganus is our friend and it wouldn’t hurt showing our faces.” Lok replied; his eyes still scanning each title on the shelves.
“I know, besides… it might be alright, have a few drinks; have a laugh, yeah?” Nash said, now turning off the console and checking what is on the television. His thumb was rapidly pressing the ‘next channel’ button, desperately trying to find something good on. “Ah! Here we go, the UFC. Let’s have a laugh.” He continued, sitting forward to observe the fight that was about to commence.
Lok ditched the idea of reading and sat back down, observing the TV and lightly grinning. “Look at these pansies; they don’t know the meaning of power and true strength.”
“Yeah, but still, it’s something to watch.” Nash said. A noise cluttered out of the kitchen as Roselle walked into the main room with a tray of food. She placed it down on the table and handed out a bowl of noodles each to her husband and son. “Here you go.”
“Thank you” Lok smiled and took the bowel. “Hey! What time is it?” Nash sat up quickly looking at the time. It was nearly six o’clock. “Oh man I gotta get goin’.” He jumped up quickly, ran into his room and pulled out a new top out of the wardrobe. He made his way to the door while putting on the clean T-shirt. “Goin’ to meet Godan, and then me and him are meeting Echa and then we’re goin to Oreganus’ later… so, yeah, later.” Nash rushed out with a different coat and shot off into the sky.
“Don’t ruin this coat!!” Roselle shouted after him. “Well it was nice seeing him for a whole 40 seconds.” Roselle said just as she settled down.
“I know” Lok agreed and started eating. “When do you think we should tell him he’s gotta lil brother or sister on the way?” He continued.
“… I don’t know, I’ll tell him closer to the time.” She answered, also starting to tuck into her bowel.
“Yeah… Because I couldn’t explain it to him… You know what I’m like.” Lok said. They cuddled up next to each other and watched whatever was on the TV.

Meanwhile, back at the battle scarred desert. Deep in the ground, about 20 miles below the earths crust. The remains of Deemer still lay, like a puddle of ink in the molten rock plates under the earth. His remains had been there dormant for three years. Suddenly, however, the puddle of black tar started to bubble slightly and from the middle, it raised up ever so gently. The black thick liquid ran down the mound fluently until it revealed two ghostly white pupils. The eyes looked around effortlessly, the tar still running down to reveal a cynical smile being drawn as the puddle looked up. A low breath was exhaled as a chilling voice whispered; “Almost…”