Bryce and Spencer continued their walk home. It was somewhat funny really, whenever Spencer wasn't around, he was finishing his last year for his Computer science degree, and they had originally decided to room together so they could learn from one another. Now, the funny part was that the college student was getting tutored by Bryce, the high school kid. Rarely did Spencer ever teach anything new to Bryce, but it didn't stop them from laughing and having fun with one another like they were just ordinary people. Bryce would joke, Spencer would joke, then they'd laugh - Pretty normal for a college student and a genius.
As Bryce and Spencer approached their apartment (which was actually a Duplex, but because they shared the duplex, they called it an apartment), he glanced back up at the satellite dish again.
"Dude, why don't we just get cable. Satellite sucks." he muttered, Spencer's only response to Bryce's question being to shrug and keep walking. They passed the cars in the driveway (Hyundai Sonata which was Bryce's, and an Oldsmobile Alero which was Spencer's) and made their way to the door. Spencer reached about in his pockets for a moment until his fingers traced the familiar shape of the house keys.
"Open sesame!" Spencer laughed as he pushed the door open. Bryce laughed and playfully shoved Spencer, although the college student stumbled into the wall. "What, you know i'm fuckin' hilarious." Spencer added as he followed Bryce inside. As always, the house smelled faintly like weed and strongly like lemons and/or limes. They were both responsible for the strangely pleasant smell in the house, the weed was just there, and Bryce greatly enjoyed eating lemons and limes. There was a barking and Bryce chuckled, kneeling down as a small border collie puppy dashed at him from where it had been hiding behind the sofa. Picking up the small pup, he made his way upstairs to his room.
Closing the door, he set the puppy on the floor. After all, he knew Fluffy Destroyer of Worlds wouldn't break anything in the room, ironically. Setting his backpack on the floor, he looked around the room. The room was a disaster. His bed was a mattress set on the floor in the corner of the room, he had two chests of drawers, on against the wall at the foot of his bed and the other next to the computer desk, which was covered in wires and circuit boards. Random books about technology and advanced mathematics and sciences lay all around the floor of his room between the various pieces of notebook paper with hand drawn equations and diagrams that littered the floor until you couldn't see what color the carpet was (It was a light gray if anyone cared to know, though). Looking over to above his bed, where a small alcove was, he made his way over and stepped up, opening the window and looking outside.
Oh yeah, that meteor shower was supposed to be tonight! Wasn't it supposed to come soon, too? Well, he might as well fix the satellite with a view! Taking a quick detour to the drawers next to the computer desk, he fished out a small box of tools before pulling himself out of the window and going out on the roof. As he made his way to the satellite, he could see the shower starting. With a small smile, he began working. He began to open the dish up and mess with the writing, able to see the reflection of the flashes in the sky in the wires.
Just a moment later, he glanced up and as particularly bright flash caught his eye. Suddenly, Bryce blinked. The flash kept catching his eye... but there wasn't any flashing anymore in the sky! At least, not like the big one! He stared at nothing, realizing the glow in his vision began to grow larger and brighter. Starting to become worried, he looked back at the dish, eyes wide. Yet there is remained. Then, a blast a blinding light whited out every bit of his vision. With a gasp, he reached up to his eyes and tried to rub it out, but realizing that all that happened was that a terrible pain began to throb inside his skull. He pressed his hands over his ears and pressed hard, eyes wide and his green eyes glowing a very subtle emerald color as he cringed.
Suddenly, more flashes. There was the school, there was the lake just outside town, there was his broken metal sculpture peeking out of the pocket of his bag, a flash of Paige writhing in what seemed to be pain, then Virgel gazing up at the sky - Flash after flash after flash, picture after picture, image after image. Abruptly, he stood and let out cry of surprised, panic, and a bit of pain. What the hell was happening!? He struggled to keep his balance on the roof as he made random, flailing movements in attempt to find something to relieve the agony and terror running through him. Oh god, he hoped it wasn't that crazy genius syndrome he'd head about! Someone becomes a genius abruptly and then suddenly they die just as randomly - Oh dear lord! With another thrash, he fell back onto the roof, barely managing to not roll down, but having to remain careful.
What was happening to him!?