Head Games part 1

“Wanna know the really weird thing?,” Ryan Bennings started to vape, as was typical during difficult conversations, “The copyright for the Brain Boy cartoon is reverting back to me now that Levison passed away. It was a clause in our contract years ago. Levison had the rights to it initially, but if he relinquished those rights or… y’know,… they’d go back to me.”

“So what’s that mean?,” Dante Greer asked.

“Not much. PrimeWatch doesn’t want to have it on their streaming service anymore and I think it’s been out of syndication for some time so there’s not much to manage. I not gonna bother giving the go-ahead for reruns, assuming any studios ask. I’m okay if it only exists on youtube and physical media from now on.”

“The show’s caused you a great deal of anxiety in the past,” Dr. Ansari reminded him, “Does having ownership of it give you some closure?”

“It helps,” he admitted.

“And how did you react when Craig Levison passed away?,” Dr. Ansari followed-up, “What’s the first emotion you think you felt?”

“Upon reflection, I think it was anger,” Ryan explained, “There were just a lot of bad memories, I suppose. Probably some resentment. The usual.”

Dante Greer adjusted his camera while lounging in his Baltimore home, “Yeah, me too. I kept thinking about the rest of the Upstarts and I just got real depressed like their deaths happened all over again. Levison wasn’t even responsible for all that but it just had me feeling a certain way.”

Dr. Ansari sat at her desk in her New York office, her laptop perched neatly in front of her, “I know neither one of you had much love for him but he had an affect on your lives for better or worse. This sort of loss creates a strange vacuum. There isn’t usually a lot of mourning but it dredges up old feelings.”

“I’ve definitely been visited by The Ghost of Childhood Past,” Ryan stood in front of a holographic screen in his lab in Boston, “Dante and I talked about this not too long ago.”

“Yeah, it’s kinda crazy,” Dante added, “With Levison gone, I’m the only one alive in the Upstarts cast. It’s a weird feeling.”

“It’s good that you’re talking to Ryan and that’s why I asked for this group session. Both of you have a shared history and your experiences can help you process this going forward.”

Suddenly, Ryan received an alert that a car was moving up the private road to his house. “Wait, someone’s here,” he told them.

“Got company coming over?,” Dante asked.

“None that I was expecting,” he began to disconnect, “I’m gonna see if it’s someone trying to kill me. Good talk, everyone.”

He disconnected and brought up the screen displaying a view of his front gate. The driver had stopped at the forcefield cutting across the private road and was getting out of his car. Ryan activated the intercom system, “Hi, can I help you?”

“Slinky-Blinkies!,” the short man was roughly in his late 50s and wore clothes more suitable for a teenager in the 90s – backwards cap, a Knicks wind breaker, and jean shorts. He peered into the camera, wide-eyed as if expecting Ryan to recognize him.

“Sorry, who are you?”

“You know me, dawg,” the older man said excitedly, “Patron Saint of Pop Culture, Lord of Geekdom, and Smoker of the Ganj.” As if referring to himself as a Smoker of the Ganj wasn’t obvious enough, he pressed his forefinger and thumb together and brought it up to his lips before inhaling.

“Oh wait,” Ryan snapped his fingers when he finally recognized the eccentric gentleman, “Bob Smythe”. In the 90s, Bob Smythe was an independent film darling who made a low budget movie entitled Cashiers about a group of young adults working in a department store. It was a quirky slice-of-life film that earned a cult following, particularly due to pop culture references and crude humor. A common catchphrase in those movies was “Slinky-Blinkies” which clued Ryan in to Bob’s identity.

In more recent years, Bob tried his hand at various horror films and sci-fi TV shows, but they weren’t as notable so he often went back to making sequels to his original film, never quite escaping the Cashiers franchise. “So I heard you were in the market for a new Brain Boy cartoon,” Bob started.

“I’m… not really,” Ryan gave him a confused look.

“There’s a lot of chatter online.”

“There is?”

“Yeah, Levison passed away so now your old cartoon’s trending and people are talking about how you got the rights,” he continued, “I saw that and was all like ‘that shit’s my jam!’ Y’know? Like motherfuck’n Labrat and shit? I wanna get in on the ground floor and ride that sweet bootylicious hype train, y’know? You and me teaming up is gonna blow the internet’s mind! I even started binging the show to get all nostalgic and shit. Like when I was a kid.”

“Weren’t you an adult in the 90s?”

“I saw the entire series in a couple days. Remember that very special episode about diabetes? When I rewatched it, I started fuck’n cry’n, dawg,” he took out his phone and displayed a selfie of his crying face.

“I… Why would you take a picture of that?”

“Yeah, I took that photo while I was on set of my new movie. I’m sure you heard but I’m filming Cashiers 7 right now.”

“There’s a Cashiers 4 through 6?”

“Yeah, man! Wanna do a cameo in the new one?”

“I’m not much of an actor.”

“Suit yourself. I’ll just ask if Sarah Michelle Gellar’s free. So anyway, as soon as we wrap, I’d like to get started on the Brain Boy reboot. I got a few show ideas I wanna bounce off ya. Like, for the first episode, it starts with Brain Boy com’n outta his lab and there’s smoke and shit and he goes ‘I gotta invent a cure for the munchies’. Ya know what I’m talk’n about don’t ya?”

Ryan was growing increasingly exhausted, “I’m aware of the effects of marijuana, yes.”

“Hells yeah! I knew the world’s smartest mother fucker tokes it up! Slinky-Blinkies!”

“Look, I can see you’re excited but I’m not interested in a Brain Boy reboot.”

“Wait, I didn’t tell you about the episode where Labrat gets a boner.”

“I’m sure it’s… a script you wrote. I really don’t wanna waste your time, so maybe -”

“Nah, I got nothing else to do this weekend. We can watch Star Wars in my hotel room.”

“No thanks.”

“Wanna get high?”

“Thanks for stopping by.”

He sighed and shut the screen off. The Brain Boy cartoon had a cult following but he didn’t expect any creators would be interested in a revival anymore, especially with the controversies surrounding him and the Commission. It was odd that his public image was seemingly beginning to shift due to Craig Levison OD’ing in a cheap hotel. He wanted public opinion to change but he didn’t like that the focus was on his cartoon rights. He briefly considered putting Brain Boy in the public domain but he was sure the results would be even worse than allowing a reboot. The thought of a Brain Boy horror cash-in made him shudder. His thoughts were interrupted by yet another alert on his system. “What now?,” he said aloud. He brought up another screen and saw that an object had entered the atmosphere over New York and touched down in Times Square. He decided that, whatever dangerous thing was awaiting him in New York, it couldn’t be any worse than the conversation he just had. He got ready to leave.

Hyperion’s Light hovered over the area minutes later and he kept the ship entirely cloaked for the moment. Labrat sat beside him, wearing a Star Trek shirt. He looked at the screen displaying an aerial view of Tomes Square, “Do you see anything down there, Ryan?”

“Nope, but I know something touched down,” Ryan said as he prepared his gear, “This city’s seen enough craziness lately. I’m gonna check it out.”

The Tractor Beam dropped soon after and Ryan casually stepped out of it and continued down the street. He had the point of impact mostly pinpointed but plenty of cars were passing by so it was difficult to see it. He wondered why and how people were still driving through the area. “Ryan Bennings!,” the voice was loud and it came from behind. When Ryan turned, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

The large, muscular man was supposed to be dead. And yet, he was storming down the sidewalk toward him. Ryan hadn’t seen the Energizer since he was a child and considering he watched him leave the atmosphere, he didn’t expect to ever see him again. Years earlier, Craig Levison had worked with the NYPD to set a televised trap for the supervillain as a way to reignite interest in the Brain Boy franchise. Ryan obliged and Energizer was sent into space through a contraption of his own making. The reality that Energizer likely died in orbit didn’t set in until years later and it was one of many situations that caused Ryan a tremendous amount of guilt.

“I was alone in the dark!,” Energizer roared, “I don’t even know long I was up there! I just kept spinning and I couldn’t stop!”

“I’m sorry,” Ryan spoke softly despite the rumbling of the street, “I didn’t think about the consequences.”

“You never do!,” Energizer moved like a foot ball player going for a field goal.

Fortunately, Ryan had raised his forcefield just in time, sheathing himself in a bubble that was sent into the air. Several stories up, he smashed through an outer wall, crashing diagonally through an office before exiting out the other side of the building. Once he got his bearings, he ignited his jet pack and hung in the air. A moment later, a car came into view and he barely had enough time to swerve out of the way. As he dodged the thrown object, he caught a glimpse of Energizer bounding over the rooftops to his location. Ryan wasn’t as agile this time around and large hands clamped down on either side of the forcefield, then both men plummeted. Energizer carried Ryan through the upper level of a parking garage and embedded him in the concrete floor below.

The force field flickered out due to the impact and while Ryan wasn’t seriously injured, getting jostled about took its toll. He was out of breath and dizzy from the attack, laying helplessly atop shattered concrete as Energizer loomed over him.

“Alone in the dark,” Energizer repeated, “What did I ever do to you?”

“Levison…,” Ryan croaked, “… Set us up.”

“You could’ve said no!”

“… Just a kid.”

Energizer let out one final roar before bringing his foot down. Ryan clenched his eyes shut and waited for the inevitable, but there was no impact.

When he opened his eyes, he realized he was still standing on the sidewalk in Times Square. A few passers-by slowed down to gawk while Ryan checked his surroundings. There were no signs of the Energizer or their battle. The fact that no one else had been reacting to what was going on up to that point led Ryan to a conclusion. “Someone’s screwing with my head,” he said to himself.

Later, Ryan paced around the bridge of Hyperion’s Light while Labrat watched. “You think someone made you see things?,” Labrat asked.

“That seems to be the case,” Ryan explained.

“Professor Cady has mental powers,” Labrat said helpfully, implicating the former Harvard professor who recently tried to kill him.

“He’s a telepath and has a special place in his heart for me, but he’s also in the Ice Box,” Ryan explained, “His telepathy had limitations and the Himalayan Mountains are pretty far away. Additionally, I imagine he’s been on more pills than a depressed soccer mom to dull his powers.”

“Who else could it be?”

“Keep in mind, I’m not ruling Cady out. This is absolutely his MO but I just gotta make sure. In the meantime, I gotta do something I should’ve done a long time ago.”

“What’s that?,” Labrat noticed Hyperion’s Light was clearing the stratosphere.

“Years ago, I sent Energizer into space. I’m sure that, even with his powers, he didn’t survive but it’s possible his body’s been in orbit this whole time. The hallucination I experienced really got to me. Maybe if I recover his body and give him a burial, it’ll help clear my conscience a little.” A drone was fired from the ship and quickly cleared the atmosphere before circling back into the planet’s orbit. “The drone should pick up any organic matter within a ten mile radius,” Ryan explained, “With any luck, it can eventually pick up what’s left of the Energizer.”

“And clear your conscience?”

“With any luck.”

“What about the other lives you took?,” Labrat asked in a low tone, “Will your conscience ever truly be cleared?”

Ryan turned to his friend. Two large, brown eyes stared back at him but he knew they now belonged to someone else. “Professor Cady I presume?,” Ryan began confidently.

“You knew from the start so there’s no reason to hide,” came a voice from Labrat, “With rats having a different brain chemistry than humans, I wasn’t sure I could speak through him but I’m pleasantly surprised I can control him. Your experiments made this happen, mind you.”

“How about getting out of his head and back in mine?”

“Oh, I will eventually,” Labrat began pacing around the bridge, “There are many weapons on this ship, aren’t there? You’ve always been good with weapons, though,” he turned and smiled, “The US military certainly knew it to be true, didn’t they? I wonder how much guilt you could contain until you end it?”

“So that’s it, huh? That’s the plan? Putting me on a big guilt trip until I eat a bullet?”

“I’m only stating my observations,” Labrat moved toward a console that contained emergency energy rifles, “And as I am not close enough for you to shoot me, I like my chances this time around. Speaking of shooting,” he slipped one of the rifles in hands, “What do these do?”

“They do exactly what you think they do,” Ryan tried his best to mask his fear, “Again, if you wanna come after me, I’m right here.”

“Yes, but I can’t help but torture you a little,” Labrat placed the barrel of the rifle under his chin and pulled the trigger.

“No!,” Ryan shouted as he lunged forward.

Labrat’s lifeless body lay on the bridge with an increasing mess spilling out. Ryan dropped down at the dead body in speechless dread. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. As he stared at his friend, one final alert appeared on the bridge.

Labrat was calling him from his house. Ryan blinked at the screen in disbelief before accepting the call. Labrat appeared onscreen, clearly still in his bedroom and very much alive. “Hi, Ryan,” Labrat greeted him casually, “Can you bring home some cheese? We’re all out.” Ryan continued to stare at the screen in disbelief and then looked back to where Labrat’s body was supposed to be – it was nonexistent.

“Ryan, are you okay?,” Labrat asked.

“Yeah, buddy,” Ryan answered softly, “I’ll pick up some cheese on my way back… See you soon.”

“Bye.”

Ryan sat down in the pilot’s seat. If Cady was responsible for the hallucinations, he needed to find out how he was able to reach him from across the globe. If it wasn’t Cady, he needed to know who was making him hallucinate and why. Unfortunately, he couldn’t rule out the possibility of his own mental faculties failing as well. In any case, he knew his first course of action.

He was going to prison.

Continued…