Chapter 3

Rick walked soberly back to his home, his head and shoulders slumping forward, his eyes cast to the stoney pavement.
SO THAT’S IT
FOUR MONTHS
AND ITS OVER
Rick kept walking forward, not entirely aware of where he was going. In a matter of minutes, he was downtown, shuffling past the strings of cafes and bistros. As people passed him, his shoulders collided with theirs, but he took no notice of it.
COULD I HAVE FIXED THIS?
WOULD I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO?
There was a soft murmuring around him, and Rick felt himself being drawn out of his self-involvement. He began to glance around himself and found the gaggle of people walking the streets beginning to cluster around him. All of them had their heads craned upwards, several pointing to the east. Rick looked up as well and saw a dark silhouette of a cape wearing man gliding in front of the tall buildings of the business district of the city.
Rick’s facial expression went from morose to bemused, immediately recognizing the sight before them all.
THE ULTIMATE MAN, OF COURSE
HE DOESN’T FLY OVER OUR CITY AS MUCH AS HE USED TO, SO PEOPLE AREN’T AS JADED ABOUT SEEING HIM AS THEY USED TO BE
Rick was about to turn and walk away when the air suddenly rippled around the Ultimate Man, causing him to tumble in mid-air. Several people in the crowd gasped as he dived downward, colliding into the plate glass of an office building before nose diving into the pavement below.
Instinct took of Rick by the stomach and he found himself pushing the people crowded around him aside with his one free arm. "Come on people, either get out of my way or walk faster!"
Clear of the group of rubber necks, Rick began to run before a stabbing pain erupted in his shoulder.
OKAY, MAYBE I’LL JUST STUMBLE SLOWLY TOWARD THE SCENE
Unexpectedly, a man pulled out the Gadgets Depot across the street from Rick aboard one of the elaborate, gyroscopic scooters that had made the news briefly several years ago. Rick blinked, hesitated a moment, then shuffled across the street. "Sorry," Rick told the man shoving him off of the scooter with his elbow and jumping onto the scooter himself, propelling himself forward at a brisk speed.
"HEY! YOU LITTLE RAT-BASTARD!" The man shouted, running after Rick furiously. Rick looked back briefly and turned the accelerator as high as it would go. That was, as Rick would reflect later, just slightly faster than a small child could run.
Just the same, in under a minute Rick was at the intersection the Ultimate Man had fallen upon. A large crowd of people were already surrounding the slumped, costumed man’s unmoving form upon the shattered pavement. Rick slid off the scooter and began pushing the concerned yet frightened people aside. "MOVE! COME ON PEOPLE! I KNOW CPR!"
Rick struggled his way through, finding the Ultimate Man was struggling to stand, with no success. "Ultimate..." Rick breathed, now was uncertain as everyone around him to approach this iconic figure, now seeming so weak in contrast to his impressive build and stature. He shook the feeling off and bent downward, gingerly taking the Ultimate Man by the shoulders. "Can you hear me? Are you able to stand on your own?"
"I..." the deep, yet bellowing voice cracked out from behind the Ultimate Man’s mask. "I don’t know. What happened to me?"
"Something hit you- I- I didn’t really see," Rick told him, trying in vain to lift him up.
GOOD GOD, HOW MUCH DOES HE WEIGH?
"My wrist-" Ultimate began to say.
"What’s wrong?"
"Hold my wrist up to my face, There’s a receiver tucked inside my glove." he explained. Rick didn’t entirely understand the request, but took hold of Ultimate’s bronze gauntlet, lifting his forearm upward to his mouth.
"Marcus, I need an emergency pick-up at the intersection of 5th and 7th. I think I may be injured." Ultimate said as clearly as he could muster.
Ultimate craned his head weakly toward Rick, his blank eyes staring intently at him. "I... know you, don’t I?"
Rick shook momentarily with surprise. "Yes- we met briefly, a month ago- The Atlas incident."
The Ultimate man paused, then looked away from him. "Yes, that must be it."
Over head, the tell-tale rumbling of a helicopter could be heard, the blades of the vehicle whipping the wind. "That would be my ride," Ultimate commented.
"Your- that was LESS THAN TEN SECONDS." Rick gaped at the helicopter as it landed within the street itself.
"Yes- well... it follows me within 3 miles," Ultimate said glibly as a pair of blue uniformed men sprang from the helicopter. Ultimate reached under his belt buckle and pulled out what appeared to small, embossed card. "Here, take this- it’s a 2-way communication device."
"So it’s a phone?" Rick asked.
Ultimate gave him another look as the uniformed men took both his arms and hefted him up. "Yes, something like that. I’ll be in touch." He said nothing more as the men took him to helicopter.
As the ariel vehicle lifted off, Rick looked down at the card, then glanced about.
SO, WHAT ELSE IS GOING TO HAPPEN TODAY?

Chapter Two

Rick walked down the college campus street, his shoulders slumped and his head bent forward as the icy winter winds cut through his furred face.
I KNEW SHE’D CALL SOONER OR LATER
HONESTLY, SHE WAITED LONGER TO GET THIS OVER WITH THAN I’D FIGURED
Rick looked upward, glancing down the black paved street, seeing where it led off to a small, wooden bridge built over a slow running creek. Standing upon the bridge was a solitary figure, a slender girl with the visage of a white mouse, her raven black hair wafting in the cold wind, her cold blue eyes cast downward. Rick felt his feet become heavy, and his shoulders heavier still. His heart ached to see her there, and for a brief moment, he wanted to walk away.
AT THIS MOMENT, I’D RATHER NEVER SEE HER AGAIN THAN HAVE TO GO THROUGH WITH THIS
BUT THEN I’D BE AN EVEN GREATER FOOL
Slowly, Rick began to move forward again, walking onto the bridge. The girl felt the vibrations of his foot steps through the wood beneath her soles, turning tensely to face him.
"Hi, Ariel," Rick said, his mouth feeling very dry.
"Rick," Ariel greeted in an almost emotionless tone, here eyes still cast downward.
For nearly a minute, they both stood there, unmoving and silent.
THERE ISN’T ANYTHING LEFT TO SAY
Rick swallowed the dry gunk in his mouth down his throat, looking to Ariel.
BESIDES THE OBVIOUS
"Ariel, I’m sorry," Rick told her, the words burning as they escaped his throat. "You have every right to hate me for this. I wish I could have told you, but I didn’t know if I could-" Rick stopped himself, realizing what he almost said to her.
"If you could trust me?" Ariel asked coldly, still not looking at him. Rick found his own eyes casting downward, shamed.
"I did trust you, Ariel," Rick told her, finding the words he wanted to say become increasingly more difficult to express. "It wasn’t about trust. I was just... afraid. Afraid of what you’d think of me."
"What I’d think?" Ariel’s voice cracked as she raised her gaze to him, her face looking pained. "I’d think you were out of your mind. I’d think- that you need professional help." Ariel began to shake her head sadly. "Most of all, I’d think of you as one of the last people I’d ever want to be around."
Rick looked visibly pained, holding out a hand toward her. "Ariel..."
"I knew you were lying to me, Rick," Ariel continued, stepping away from him. "But... THIS. THIS?! Rick, this is beyond a LIE!" Ariel looked at him emphatically. "You’ve been living a double life! A life-" Ariel turned and supported herself on the railing of the bridge. "God, I don’t even know what kind of a life it is!"
Rick paused, then looked back up at her. "You’re not wrong. I kept a very big part of my life from you. And I more than understand if it scares you... it scares me more than you’d believe. But the only thing through all of the criminals and monsters I’ve faced that’s kept me grounded in the real world... is you. YOU are the only happiness I have, Ariel. You’re the reason I even BOTHER getting out of bed... you’ve made me happy in ways I didn’t know I could be."
Rick stepped closer to her, uneasily placing his free hand on her tense shoulder. "You were my first, Ariel. That means something to me...despite everything, doesn’t it mean something to you, too?"
Ariel bit her lip, her eyes beginning to water. "Of course it does. I’d be lying if I said you didn’t make me happy too, Rick.. If our nights together weren’t... the most wonderful of my life." Ariel’s head tilted down, the tears rolling down her lily-white fur. "But what you’re doing, Rick... being a vigilante... becoming the law... I can’t tolerate that. No matter what I feel."
Ariel looked back up at him, the sorrow in her face almost hurting him to see. "You know I want to become a police officer. You know who my father is- the law MEANS something to me, it has my entire life. What you’re doing- I can’t be WITH you, and tolerate that. I’d be... such a hypocrite... don’t you understand?"
Ariel stepped closer to him, her eyes yearning to see something in his. "I want to be with you so much, Rick. But not with this between us. Not with you... being who and what you are."
Rick looked away, trying to center his vision on the horizon beyond the city. "Ariel... please... don’t do this. Don’t make me choose. I can’t choose between you..." his voice became a hoarse whisper. "...and what I am."
Ariel wrapped her arms around his left arm, hugging herself to him and resting her head on his shoulder, small sobs interrupting her speech. "Then I’m the one who has to make the choice."
Rick leaned his face towards hers, almost desperately breathing in her scent, always sweet to his senses. "I’ll never tell anyone your secret, Rick. I can do that much for you." She slid her arms free of his, stepping backwards away from him. "But you and I... we’re done."
Before Rick was aware of it, Ariel was already gone, walking down the street of the campus, furiously wiping the tears from her eyes. Rick’s vision blurred as he stood stiffly upon the bridge, feeling paralyzed.
I LOVE HER
I LOVE HER, AND I NEVER SAID IT
I MAY NEVER GET TO
Rick turned his attention back to the horizon, the icy winds almost burning into his teary eyes.
I COULDN’T LET HER GO... AND I CAN’T CHANGE WHO I AM
IT REALLY WASN’T MY CHOICE TO MAKE, WAS IT?

Chapter One:

Chapter One:
It was a brisk winter’s day, the sky was clear of clouds, the sun was bright, and the ground crisp with frost alone. For the students of Demont City University, there couldn’t be a better day to begin their winter break.
Save for one, who was nursing a very deep, rather infected bullet wound.
Rick Maine tenderly sat up from his bed, his right arm throbbing. He rubbed his left arm across his short fur covered forehead, grumbling with a long felt annoyance.
I HAVEN’T SLEPT WITHOUT PILLS IN A WEEK Rick thought to himself, gingerly swinging his legs off of his bed and onto the floor. THE PAINKILLERS JUST AREN’T HELPING ENOUGH, AND THE ANTIBIOTICS ARE LIKE SWALLOWING STONES
Rick walked slowly out of his room as he fitted his right arm back into the sling the hospital had lent him. IT WAS ALMOST FORTUNATE THE BULLET THAT POLICE OFFICER SHOT ME WITH PASSED THROUGH MY SHOULDER- IT MADE MY EXCUSE THAT I’D BEEN HIT WITH A STRAY BULLET BELIEVABLE
Rick stepped into the bathroom and downed a capful of mouthwash, reflecting on his sleep deprived visage thoughtfully. ALMOST A LITTLE DEPRESSING THAT AN EXCUSE LIKE THAT COULD FLY SO EASILY IN THE INNER CITY
Rick spat out the mouthwash into the sink and proceeded to open the pill containers on the sink, grimacing at the size of the pink pills before snapping them in half and downing them with a glass of tepid water. DISGUSTING IN BOTH TASTE AND TEXTURE- I GUESS THAT’S HOW YOU KNOW THEY’LL WORK
Rick left the bathroom and tapped the door to the guest room across the hallway, gingerly laying his pointed left ear against the white painted wood. "Jack..." he spoke in a fairly loud, but soft voice. "Do you feel like coming downstairs for some breakfast today? Just breakfast. You can come back upstairs when you’re done."
There was a long silent pause before Rick heard a bit of shuffling behind the door. "No thanks, Rick." Jack’s voice called out, groggily. "Just bring me up some pop-tarts, I’ll be fine."
Rick was hesitant to leave, but did so just the same, walking down the stairs and into his living room. IF ANYONE WOULD WIN THE HORRIBLE BURDEN CONTEST IN THIS HOUSE, IT’S JACK, RIGHT NOW.
Rick passed through the living room and found Jamie, his house-mate and best friend, sitting at the kitchen table and eating the cold chicken left over from the other night. Jamie’s dog-like visage would lead one to believe he was as simple minded as the canine’s he resembled, but Rick had long ago come to realize his fellow animutate was much smarter, and far more troubled, than he let on.
"Jack’s still not leaving upstairs, is he?" Jamie asked, chucking a cleaned chicken bone across the room, into the waste can.
"Not as far as I can tell," Rick told him, slowly easily himself into the chair across the table from Jamie. "I don’t think we should we pressure him anymore, either. Given his- condition."
Jamie looked down with a bit of disgust at the unpleasant looking chicken wing at the bottom of the bucket, but began to gnaw at it just the same. "Yeah, I gotta admit, the side-effect of my sound powers as been no picnic, but Jack got the rawest end of the deal, not bein’ able to turn off his antigravity powers, no doubt there."
Rick frowned, taking the last drumstick from the bucket. "Jamie, do you think given the fact that I’ve been a costumed vigilante for half a year, and that you’ve gotten suprahuman powers, is starting to make us talk like- well... comic book characters?"
Jamie looked thoughtful, then continued to eat the chicken. "Well, what doya want, man? Our lives are fucking WEIRD."
Rick cocked his head to the side, then shrugged and begin to eat as well. "Yes. Yes, they are."
Jamie looked uncomfortable for a moment, of which Rick took notice. "What is it, Jamie?" he asked, a bit unwary.
Jamie put his chicken down, wiping his mouth off and looking uncomfortable. "Well- you got a phone call last night... it was Ariel."
Rick put down his own chicken and sat up straight in the chair, Jamie having his full attention. "And?"
Jamie held his hands out, looking a bit unsure of how to express himself. "She said she’ll be at the Alumni’s bridge, at the college campus today, around noon. Assuming you’re up to seeing her- she wants to talk."
"Talk?" Rick asked him "Or... talk."
Jamie gave Rick a sympathetic look, before repeating. "Talk."
Rick slumped back into his seat, touching his chin with his free left hand. "Terrific."

Prologue

Tales of the Ram

Book One: Chimera’s Curse

Prologue:

In an alleyway between two run down buildings a young girl warmed her chilled hands over a fire of newspapers burning in as waste bin. Winter weather was always bitter cold in Demont City, the winds coming in from the ocean being to blame. The girl’s coat was more suited for fall season, and did little warm her. She rubbed her arms furiously with her bare hands and looked over at her brother, standing on the other side of the waste bin and looking as miserable as she was.
"Nuh-not quite a Texas Christmas, eh Muh-Maria?" The boy said with a weakened smile, his sister only rolled her eyes and rubbed her arms more furiously.
"You need to stop talking about Christmas as if we’re going to have one," she snapped, looking down at the fire, her brow furled beneath her wool cap strands of her long, black hair falling in front of her eyes.
"Don’t be like that, Maria," the boy half plead. "I know this isn’t what we expected to happen when we ran away from the group home, but-"
"What we expected was to find our dad and live a normal fucking life!" she shouted, causing him to jump a little. "But Mom never bothered to tell us he came here to sell drugs and got busted for it!"
"She didn’t know..." The boy responded in almost a whisper, looking down at his feet.
"Like hell she didn’t, she just didn’t want US to know..." Maria folded her arms and looked away.
A black sedan pulled up at the end of the alley, Maria looked over at it and bristled. "God, it’s him again. Let’s go."
"But he might have food," The boy reasoned. "And it’s gotten impossible to get into the soup kitchens, since the holidays started..."
"Diego..." Maria growled as a tall, lanky man in a black coat, wearing thick, round rimmed glasses stepped out of the vehicle.
"Maria, Diego..." the man called out to them as he stepped slowly toward them, hefting a thin cane in his left hand. "Aren’t you tired of living like this, yet?"
"We’re living just FINE, thank you..." Maria said, gritting her teeth and trying not to look in the man’s direction.
"My offer still stands, you know," the man told her, pulling his gloves further up his wrists. "My employer can offer you a warm bed, three squares a day, money- all for doing nothing but taking a few, harmless medications. Is your pride worth so much more than that?"
"It’s worth more than being a lab rat!" Maria snapped. "If you don’t make tracks now, I’ll-"
"You’ll what?" The man asked her, tapping his cane against the cold cement. "Scream? Who would hear you here in Shinbone who would bother to help?"
"Maybe... we should at least LISTEN, Maria," Diego reasoned.
"I suppose I should come to accept your sister will NEVER listen, Diego," the man told him as he turned back to his vehicle. "She’d rather take her chances out here, on the streets."
"You’re damn right I would," Maria remarked, clapping her hands over the fire.
"Yes, you have such a bright future ahead of you," he spoke as he walked slowly toward the car. "Maria, you have no doubt been approached by the, shall we say, "escort services?" Yes, the money a girl your age would make for them is shamefully large."
Maria’s face turned somber as Diego looked aghast. "Of course, no doubt a number of men have already tried to take what they can of you for free, a pretty girl like you amongst men of the street." The man continued, his cane tapping as he walked. "But I’m sure your twin brother will protect you just fine, a strapping lad like him, a boy of ten facing throngs of grown men."
"Yes, you’ll do just fine," he said, opening the door to his car and sitting inside. "Of course, if you ever change your mind..." his voice trailed off, the passenger side door slowly opening.
Maria and Diego gave each other defeated looks, the man’s words stinging in their minds. Neither said anything as they walked slowly to the black vehicle, the ocean winds blowing cold and sharp against their skin.

Setting the Stage

Anyone who happens across this blog may not understand what I'm doing with it. "Tales of the Ram" is a continuation of a web comic I used to do for Modern Tales imprint Graphic Smash. I had to stop drawing Saga of the Ram, but wanted to continue the story for the readers who express disappointment to see the comic end as abruptly as it did. "Tales of the Ram" picks up where Saga of the Ram left off- for the most part. The stories are within the same continuity as the comic. A new chapter will be posted once week.

For those new to things, a link to the comic itself
http://www.graphicsmash.com/series.php?name=ram&view=current