Life of a Teenage Alligator (Sam)

"Carl!" Mrs. Redmond called out from downstairs, eggs sizzling in the frying pan she was holding. "Breakfast!"  

"Coming Mrs.Redmond!" an adolescent, male voice called out. From around the corner came a 5+ foot alligator, lumbering down the stairs.

"OH!" Mrs. Redmond exclaimed in surprise, nearly dropping her pan.

"Sorry..." he said sheepishly, he knew she loved him, but the walking on all fours thing triggered some animal instinct in her, and he understood that. He quickly rose to his back feet, and stood upright, taking the shirt he'd been holding in his mouth and pulling it over his head. He began rummaging around the kitchen and living room, muttering to himself.

"Glasses are on the counter," Mrs. Redmond told him, laughing teasingly. "And Carl. Stop with the Mrs. Redmond, it's mom." She pointed the spatula at him and squinted, feigning anger.

He chuckled. "Sorry...mom." he said, smiling as wide as his face would allow.  He climbed into a chair and dug into his eggs. His father and brothers had already left for work and school, and while he loved Mrs. Redmond, Mom, he was tired of being confined to the house. It felt unfair that in this world of meta-humans and miracles, he should be forced to hide himself. Though he understood why. Even in that world he wasn't human and would never be treated as such...besides it's not like the last walking, talking, super-intelligent reptile had left a bad taste in the public's mouth, and he'd always have to work to distance himself from that. He scoffed. Freakin' crocodiles. He was an alligator, and more people needed to know the difference.  

"So, uh..Mrs...Mom?" Carl began, clearly working his way up to some sort of question.

"Mhm?" She responded, glancing up from her laptop which she was occupied with.

"I uh...I think I'm gonna go out today...the message boards have been pretty calm lately and I need to get out." he blurted all at once. His mother winced at the mention of the message boards, anti-Carl boards comparing him to the other walking lizard, calling for his death, and just being generally vile towards him. Upon discovering there existence, the Redmonds became increasingly protective of Carl, limiting the hours he could spend out of the house and where he could go. Carl knew they checked those boards religiously. He'd go so far as to say most of the comments supporting him were probably his parents. He loved them for it, and he let them know that. He loved all of the Redmonds, who treated him like he was blood, despite the obvious differences. It didn't change the fact that he needed to be free at times. He was 14 years old, watching his brothers go off to school, out to movies, or even to the park was something he rarely got to experience, and he was tired of it.

"Carl...honey," his mother said, giving him a sympathetic look, "Honey, we just...don't want anything bad to happen, okay?" She stood up and walked over to him, hugging him from behind while he ate, and kissing the top of his head. He shook out of the hug as any teenager would, making sure not to use much strength, and gave a low grunt of annoyance that she was all too familiar with.

"Bad for who? Me or...everyone else?" he asked, muttering angrily. "I'm not like my dad. Or my tribe. I'm smarter than them. Hell, I'm smarter than most of you humans!" he said angrily, slightly raising his voice. He noticed her flinch as his voice rose, and he felt a tiny part of his heart break. She seemed to notice, and pinched the bridge of her nose with a sense of exhaustion, but quickly turned it into a tired smile.

"Okay Carl. I trust you. But be back in an hour, keep your phone charged, and if you see danger...?" she said, ending on a question.

"Don't be a hero, get to safety." he grumbled, knowing full well he'd do just the opposite. She smiled, and gave him one more kiss on the snout.

"We love you Carl. I love you." She told him, hugging him tightly. He stiffened, worrying that his scales would irritate her. When he noticed her tighten her grip, he sighed, and returned the hug, hiding his goofy smile behind her back.

He quickly crawled over to the door and rose back to his hind legs, turning and waving to Mrs. Redmond, before scattering down the steps of their home, and out onto the sidewalk. No one was out in his neighborhood at the time, and that was good, the fewer people gawking , the better. He was out and about again and it felt amazing. Had he not been so distracted by every little detail of the outside, he'd have noticed he was being followed.

...........................................................................................................................

1:23:01 - @GatorHator99: The freak is out. I repeat, the freak is OUT!!1!
2

1:23:57 - @SkinTheLizard: Operation: Hero Fight is a fuking GO bois!
4

1:25:02 - @CarltheCunt: Mama needs a new purse
6

Sam never liked lectures or long briefings, especially when said briefings were about things he didn't understand or if they were just very repetitious. It had nearly been an hour since he arrived at the small office building at the edge of town, and ever since he arrived the three "scientists" (they looked nothing like Sam imagined they would) had not stopped talking. Talking talking talking, all about this supposed Alligator Boy and the benefits to the scientific community if Sam would be able to bring said boy here to this lab. The office building didn't look like a lab at all, it looked like cheap, rented out building, with a few cages thrown in, computers, and some tables and chairs. There was a back room labeled "Examining Room" but Sam wasn't allowed in there. He just had to endure with this meeting for now.

The pay had been good enough to catch Sam's eye and the promise of an Alligator Kid...well...that just sounded freaking rad! A person who was an alligator?! Sam needed to see this. It was too cool for him to just simply ignore. The scientists were a bit off-putting, but they seemed to know what they were talking about. How bad could they be? There was still something off about all of this, maybe the two or three armed guards, but for now Sam would play it by ear.

Once the meeting was all said and done Sam finally could leave that horridly boring place and begin the hunt! Finally, something to relieve that overwhelming sense of boredom. It was a relief. They had given Sam a general idea of where to Alligator Kid liked to hang out, where he was spotted lurking around and causing panic. They did try and sell Sam on the fact that the Alligator Kid was dangerous and he'd need to be careful, but, while Sam did take every job with a good level of seriousness, he would start off how he usually did during these kinds of jobs. He would have to introduce himself and befriend the Alligator Kid. It was the best way. How cool would it be to have an Alligator Person as a friend? The answer is...pretty freaking cool.

Sam quickly made his way to the location given to him and began to scope the area out. It was still pretty early in the morning, kids were heading off to school, and parents off to work, but no Alligator Kid. Shame...he'd love to see the Alligator Kid in some sort of classroom environment. He could see it now! He'd probably be the coolest kid, pretty smart, and popular. But sadly...there was no Alligator Kid among the students. He thought about asking around for him, but he figured that would just get unwanted attention and he'd be brought into another lecture about the Alligator Kid. He didn't want that, he just wanted to meet the guy.

An hour or so had gone by, and no Alligator Kid. Sam was beginning to think this was all some sort of joke, some random goose chase just to get a laugh out of him. He was gullible and wanted to believe most things, but pranks like this were just plain mean.  He let out a breath and turned the corner onto a new street and...Sam could hardly believe it. There he was. An Alligator walking about. He had a shirt on and everything. Sam quickly hopped behind a tree and peaked out, a huge grin on his face. It was cooler than he could ever imagine. An Alligator Person! He was nearly losing his mind at this. He had never met an animal based person before, sure there was Nicole and her bird powers, but she wasn't a bird person. This was so incredible. He wanted to sprint towards the Alligator Kid and barrage him with questions.

Wait...no. He had to calm down. He was a hero and he had to do this with a level of professionalism. He took a deep breath. He knew what he was gonna do...

Sam quickly opened a gateway in front of him and a few feet in front of the Alligator Kid. He stuck half his body through and waved at the kid, though...with the direction of the portal, Sam would be hanging upside down in front of the Alligator Kid, the only thing keeping him from falling onto the ground would be his other half on the other side of the portal, keeping him locked where he was. It was an odd feeling, have part of yourself be upside down, to be honest, he wasn't sure how it worked, but it was still cool as heck to Sam. He smiled brightly at the Alligator Kid. "Hello! My name is Samuel Grayson and I'm a hero! It's wonderful to meet you!" He said this in a loud and charismatic tone, he wanted to come off as friendly as possible.

There was a floating torso and head waving at him. Fuck. He knew he was gonna get a talking to tonight, Mrs. Redmond had been right, he should NOT have left the house. Carl stumbled back a bit, catching himself with his tail.

"Uh..C..Carl.." he sputtered, before realizing the man hadn't even asked for his name. Social interactions weren't his strong suit. The man was a meta, and Carl knew it was no coincidence that he'd found him. Carl focused, taking in the situation and thinking it through. He knew who this was! Samuel Grayson, the name sparked his memory, a hero for hire. From everything Carl knew, Sam wasn't a bad guy. Then again, who is until they have to be? Carl knew how even the nicest person would view him...a monster, and he knew no amount of "super-heroiing" meant they'd view him the same. He stood tall, attempting to be intimidating. Sam made portals, and Carl knew that would make escape of any sort difficult, so perhaps he should focus on scaring him away.

"Can I help you?" he grumbled, attempting to look scary. He lowered his head forward in a threatening manner, and spread out his arms trying to look big. Would it work? He couldn't know for sure, Sam was a superhero, not a bear, though most people tend to be afraid of alligators.

"Why are you here...?" he growled.

Carl was even cooler up close. His name left something to be desired, but that was okay. Sam just so taken by the fact that he was in front of a walking, talking alligator. There was no part of this that wasn't amazing or that Sam disliked. Though...he seemed to be a bit on edge. Perhaps Sam's approach was miscalculated. He had hoped by showing off his ability that this Gator Kid would be more...accepting of his approach. He needed to think of how to get out of this. Start simple.

With a small hop, Sam pushed himself out of his portal and onto the ground in front of the Alligator Kid, doing a swift roll backward and jumping to his feet in a rather graceful manner. He smiled brightly at the Alligator Kid and brought his hand up to try and shake Carl's hand...or claw? Or...whatever Alligator's have for front legs which in this case was Carl's arms? It confused Sam on what to call it, but either way, he stuck out his hand for a shake. "Yes! Hello! It's great to meet you, buddy!"

Sam wasn't the type to be afraid of strange creatures or monster. Rather, he was interested and amazed by them, and it showed on his expression. A big bright smile and shining eyes. "As for what I am here for..." He cleared his throat, trying to seem at least a tad bit professional. He was on a job after all. "I was hired to find ya and bring to some...sciencey people? They said they know you, so I figured that you know them too? It sounded like it was something like a medical check up? They wanted to check a few things about you? I don't know all the details, the lecture was really boring." He gave Carl a bit of a confused look. "Does this ring any bells to you? Do you know who these guys are? And do you want to go with me?" He smiled, putting his hands behind his head, grinning brightly.

Carl accepted the hand reluctantly, shaking it. He frowned slightly listening to the man explain things. The only scientists who researched with him were Doctor Redmond's, his dad, and he knew they wouldn't send some super-person after him. He groaned, and pulled out his cell phone from his shirt pocket.

"Any of this look familiar?" He asked, exasperation in his voice. He showed Sam a post on the anti-Carl forum titled "Hey guys. I have an idea to handle the lil shit. Operation: Hero Fight". The post detailed how they'd hire some cheap meta to kidnap or kill Carl, and eventually settled to kidnap when they couldn't afford a more dangerous meta.

"They call themselves Carl Killers" he chuckled, a note of sadness in his voice. "They hate me. They've tried to kill me mannnyyy times." he said.
"I, uh..I'll pay you. Whatever they owe..sorry about this." He muttered. He hated this. Why couldn't they just leave him alone? He didn't hurt people, and only wanted the best for everyone. Why couldn't he just be happy?

He felt anger beginning to boil up inside, and his hands balled into fists.

"Actually," he began, "I've got a job for you. It'll pay well. Take me to them. It's about time I met these Carl Killers." He said through clenched teeth.

Sam looked at the phone, blinking once, twice, three times. He was...confused. He didn't quite get what he was reading. Carl was cool. Sam couldn't process how anyone could ever think otherwise, let alone want to hurt him. It was crazy! It was insane.

Sam shook his head. "Hold on hold on hold on!" He waved his hands, dismissing himself from going on. "W-why would anyone want to hurt you?" He motioned his hands up and down at Carl. "You're amazing! Have you seen yourself? You're the coolest thing ever. How could anyone ever want to do anything to you? I don't understand. And there is a...forum about this? No no. That can't be." There was no hint to sarcasm to voice, rather it was all genuine. Sam was honestly confused by all of this. He rubbed the back of his head, looking at Carl with a baffled look on his face.

He ran his hand through his hair, still trying to get this. Finally, he just let out a breath, his usual happy expression failing to come forward. He just seemed thrown by this. "Yeah, I can take you to these guys I suppose. I'm curious about this as well. I want to know exactly what they had planned and if they really do hate you. Them using me for their plans doesn't bother me so much, rather just their plans in general bother me..." He shook his head again and smiled at Carl. "Yeah. I'll take you to them. Don't worry about payment. I'm a hero after all. This is what we do!" He gave Carl a thumbs up, a sudden aura of confidence around him. His mood certainly changed fast.

He turned and started down the sidewalk, looking over his shoulder. "They were in an old building at the edge of town. It looked like they had rented it out or something. Not sure if that rings a bell. Either way, I'll bring ya to where they're hanging at. We can have ourselves a nice long chat!" Sam continued down the sidewalk unless further stopped. He'd bring Carl to an alleyway a few doors down from the building, they should at least think of a plan before charging in. Right? That was the professional thing to do...at least, that's what Sam thought. They did have armed guards too...that bit was concerning and Sam didn't want this kid getting hurt. It was hard to tell because of the...well, being an Alligator, but Carl seemed young. Sam hadn't actually got his age, but he was assuming young by the clothes, the way Carl talked, and the tone of Carl's voice.

Carl couldn't help but smile at Sam's innocence...or perhaps it was naivety. Whatever it was, Carl knew that he was being genuine.

"Definitely," Carl said "We need a plan." Carl rubbed his "chin", and began to think.

"We make it seem as if you've defeated me in battle, then bring me in while I pretend to be unconscious. Let's see how they react." Carl says, sounding mischievous. He scratched the man across the arm, just enough to make a visible cut.

"Sorry," he began, slapping his forehead out of frustration "Totally should have asked first. I want it to look convincing...I can go home and get some bandages and rubbing alcohol!" he says, gesturing back towards his home.

Sam flinched at the cut, but managed to keep his smile. He gave Carl another thumbs up. "Don't even more worry about it. If think it'd look better with more cuts, by all means. This is all to get them, right? We can wait on the bandages and rubbing alcohol. It might look better if I rushed ya there, I doubt I'd have time to treat them with you detained. If that makes sense? Since...like....I would be worried about you breaking free while I was tending to my wounds." He cleared his throat once, a bit unsure of his plan. He wasn't one that usually made plans and he wasn't too sure of himself in that regard.

"I say...you beat me up a bit, then I'll bring ya in and we...go from there. Read the situation, see what they want to do and when we see a good opening, we spring the surprise? Get them in a corner and ask them questions then? Maybe. I'm all ears to other suggestions and plans. I'll listen to whatever you think is best, kid." He chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. "I can also tie ya up with a fake knot. Looks like it is tied tight, but really with a simple pull in the right way it can come undone. We did that a lot in the circus, at least the escape artists did. That way you can break out at any moment you want." He looked down the street, looking each way. It seemed a bit weird to be plotting with an alligator kid in the middle of the sidewalk, but then again...he'd been through weirder.  At least this would make a cool story at the end of the day.

He looked back to Carl and gave a small shrug. "We should probably be careful once we get inside. There were about three guards who were armed and a few scientist looking people. I don't think the scientists will be an issue, but still. They might have a sciency thing that can be used against ya. I'm guessing they had some plan for you and to keep you down. At least, that makes sense, right? I doubt they'd just try to keep you there without some sort of sleep...drug or...way to keep you still? I think..." Again, Sam was not good at this planning thing. He was more so of an improvist, figuring things out as they happened. He was bad at plans. He looked at Carl with an uncertain look, hoping Carl was better with plans.

Despite the mans reassurance, Carl still felt bad about the bite, and apologized again before beginning to further work on the plan.

"Well," he began, "I think that scratch was probably enough, they're not the smartest...though you said they've got a lab?" he began to scratch his chin.

"Interesting..." he shook his head, as if to clear it. "Whatever, let's do this." He figured he'd adopt Sam's way of doing things and improvise.

Sam nodded confidently. He liked Carl's attitude! He was kind and he seemed very sure of himself. If not for Carl's age, Sam would be confident that Carl would be able to be a hero! He had all the right traits, though...a secret identity may be a hard one cover. How do you even mask an alligator? Who would fall for that? (Sam probably would). No matter. They had a task at hand and Sam was getting to distracted by inner thoughts. "Alright...let's get the show on the road!" He took the rope from his bag and began to tie Carl's hands together, as well as his jaw. It was all done with a fake knot, something that could be easily undone with a simple tug of a hanging string or if enough pressure was applied, something Carl should be able to do easily, at least with his hands. (Hands=whatever Carl calls his hands).

Once Carl was all good to go, comfortable with the knots and wasn't pressured at all, Sam brought him to the door of the lab. It was an office building, and for the most part...it looked rundown. Sitting to the right of the door in a cheap folding chair was an older man, maybe late forties, sleeping. He had holstered pistol and police baton, and he was wearing some padded clothes, probably a bullet-proof vest underneath it all. Either way, Sam decided it was best to not wake up the man and just walk in. The door was unlocked after all, and they didn't really tell him the procedure once Sam had finally gotten Carl.

Sam brought Carl up a flight and stairs and to a wooden doorway. Sam gave Carl a nod and slammed over open the door, the door swinging on its hinges and hitting the doorstop with a loud prang! Sam triumphantly marched in, bring Carl in tow. "Well guys! I did it! I got the Gator Kid, he put up a fight, gave me a nasty scratch or two, but...well..." He pulled Carl gently forward, careful not to undo the know. "Here he is!"

As Sam brought Carl forward a few scientists, still a bit shaken from the door slamming, slowly approached Carl, one of three scientist carrying a large needle. They seemed cautious, almost in disbelief that Sam had actually managed to do something they had been too scared to do. The two guards in the room, two men, each with a pistol in their holster and a taser in hand readied themselves, also being a bit too cautious. No one said anything during this sequence, there was a tension about all of this. But that tension was finally broken when the scientists wielding the needle finally spoke. "Nice going, Sam. You're sure he can't escape?"

Sam nodded and looked to Carl. "Nope! He can't escape! Isn't that right, buddy?" He patted Carl on the back, but was looking to the guard on the right, then to the one on the left, ready to go after whichever one Carl did not choice, if Carl chose to attack at all. Sam was still playing it by ear, he wasn't sure if Carl wanted to wait to attack if this was the time...

Carl could feel anger bubbling up inside of him at the site of his wannabe captors, but he allowed for them to come close to inspect him. They were armed, and had the good sense not to get close enough for him to take a bite. Not that he would've...maybe. He nodded slowly as Sam pat him on the back, then turned to face the nearest captor.

"Now." he growled, tearing free from his bonds, Carl lurched forward and managed to bite down on the arms of the nearest guard. The man screamed out in pain, dropping his gun, and Carl rose to his hind legs, before tackling the man.  

"We've got some questions for you assholes.." he growled at the man.

Sam watched this situation unfurl, he watched the rope come undone, Carl free himself, and...and Carl snap down onto the man's arm and bring him to the ground. Sam raised his hand towards Carl, slightly in horror, slightly in a motion to stop him, but he didn't do anything further. Instead, he just crossed his arms and frowned at Carl. He understood having to beat up villains to stop them or to get answers, but the way he acted, the way he attacked the man...it seemed to come out of hatred and not out of a heroic notion to stop this. Maybe it was a combination, but still...hatred was not a good route to go.

"Oi...buddy, Carl..." Sam cleared his throat. "Go easy, alright? We're just here to get the questions answered and get them to stop chasing you, don't need to seriously hurt anyone. We're heroes, not some violent...uh..." He stopped for a moment, trying to think of the right word. "Vigilantes? People? Avengers? I don't know, but...just be careful, buddy. I don't want to do anything against ya." Sam looked towards the other scientists in the room who had all frozen with fear. The remaining guard had started to raise his gun, but Sam opened a portal on it, then closed it, cutting the gun in two. He looked back to Carl. "Alright, ask you questions and try not to hurt anyone, alright, buddy?" Sam's smile returned, but he was still a bit worried. He had forgotten that Carl was just a kid...he probably didn't know how to control himself very well and probably needed help. Sam would need to help him through this, probably.

Sam continued to scope around the room, trying to watch the spots Carl may not have noticed, making sure no one would go in for a backstab or try to get him off guard. They seemed pretty low-tech here, so all in all...they probably wouldn't try anything. Sam was the person they were counting on to get Carl in the first place, so the two of them had the upperhand, but...something still seemed off. "Let's try to put a hurry in our steps, I don't like this very much..." Sam whispered, mainly to himself, but hoped Carl picked up on it as well.

Carl eased up on the mans arm, but only a bit. Sam was right, of course, they shouldn't be too violent, however Carl couldn't deny the urge he felt to just tear the man apart right then and there. He growled again, before releasing the mans arm fully. The irony, sickly sweet taste of blood became present on his tongue, somewhat snapping him out of his anger. He hated that taste, it reminded him of all the things he didn't want to be.

He rose to his hind legs again, and patted down the creases in his shirt, before fixing his glasses and clearing his throat.

"What do you want from me?" he asked in a more calm manner. The man was still clutching his arm in pain, and simply spat in response. Carl sighed. He lowered himself onto his four legs and crawled over the man, staring down at him.

"This can go one of two ways," he began. "You can make this easy, and just tell me what I want to know..." he said, his snout open above the mans face, making his many sharp teeth visible, "Or I can show you the side of me you all fear so much..." he growled. He'd hoped it was convincing enough, yet also not so convincing that Sam felt the need to intervene. He had no intentions of maiming the man, hell, he didn't think he had the stomach for such a task, but they didn't need to know that.

"So I ask again, what do you want from me? Answer quickly, because this 400 pound alligator is losing his god damn temper..." he growled. He'd exaggerated his weight, but he hoped it made his threats that much more effective.

"O..ok..." the man stuttered. "They..they want to run tests on you. Bad ones...cut you open, see what's going on in that lizard brain of yours.." he said, struggling to catch his breathe at points.

"They...they want to torture you...m...make and example out of you. For all the...freaks." he finished, pointing at Sam when saying freaks.

Carl was taken aback. Not so much by their plans for him, as he'd heard such things for as long as he could remember, but the part about being an "example for freaks" interested him. He meant the other superbeings. He glanced at Sam, curious as to what his reaction would be.

"What are you planning?" he asked, a look of understanding beginning to form on his face.

The man chuckled.

"Oh, it'll be huge." he said, his voice dripping in hate and excitement.

Just then an explosion went off from behind them, throwing everyone forward a good 10 feet. A man in what appeared to be some robotic form of medieval knight armor. He brandished a sword that seemed to be made of plasma, but looked much like that of a knight. Several soldiers in all black gear swarmed from behind him, carrying automatic guns of a variety unknown to Carl. They were in trouble.

Sam let out a relieved sigh as Carl eased up. He didn't like the threats he was making, if anything, Carl should've been trying to prove that he wasn't the monster people thought he was. He was still young and had ways to go, but for now Sam would have to let it go. This was Carl's fight and he wanted to see what the "scientists" had to say. As much as Sam disliked the way Carl was acting, he did dislike the scientists more.

That dislike of them grew more and more as they spoke. It was disgusting that some people could be like this. Sam wasn't one to give into his anger easily, but these lot were pushing him. He kept an eye on the rest of the scientists, making sure the rest of them weren't getting into trouble or trying to sneak around. He thought he saw one start to do something, but before he could do anything...the explosion happened. Sam, like everyone else was scent forward. It took him a few moments to come to his sense, but when he did he could see it all. The soldiers, the knight...this was bad.

He looked over to Carl and smiled nervously. "I think that's our queue to leave!" Quickly, very quickly, he opened a portal under himself and Carl, hoping that Carl wouldn't make a move to not fall through. The connections point to the portals was right outside the window, which, yes, on the second floor, but the fall wasn't too bad. Luckily there was a pile of garbage bags to break their fall. If they both fell through Sam would be quick in closing the gateways, hoping the soldiers and guards wouldn't be able to follow through or figure out where they were. Desperately, Sam looked to Carl. "I think we should head out."