Third Annual OC Sentence Fiction Challenge
Title: Atomic County Blues
Author: Reed
Pairing: Ryan/Marissa; Ryan/Seth (eventually) Marissa/OMC; Seth/Summer
Rating: PG-13 to R
Summary: Written for The Third Annual OC Sentence Fiction Challenge. -Dr. Ryan Atwood and his wife of 10 years meet up with Seth after not having seen him for 15 years.-I messed with the years a bit, but this is in the Atomic County-verse. It’s f-ed up, cuz there is hardly any info about those characters, so I made it all up. Just go with it.
Disclaimer: I do not own the O.C. or any of it’s character’s. I make no money off of writing fanfic about them (although, if you feel like sending me some, I certainly won’t turn you away). Josh and McG own it all, (filthy, dirty bastards)
A/N: I figure that since Kid Chino is called Kid Chino cuz he comes from Chino, all the other cities in California must be that same as in real life. Only Orange County is different. It, of course, is Atomic County. So if anyone thinks to themselves, ‘Hey, wait! This is supposed to be in the comic world! What the fuck’s L.A. doing there!?’ well, hell. I tried. I was gonna call it Metropolis, but I understand that’s Superman’s gig. Gotham’s taken, and so is Townsville. Maybe if the show had included more backstory about the Atomic characters, they could have gotten their own city. And, I wouldn’t have had to use their ‘real’ names as their secret identities. You see, I can only work with what you give me, Josh.
A/N part duex: I apologize for the tardiness of this fic. The story I’d originally written for this challenge sucked hard, so I junked it two days before the deadline. I wrote this one after a plotbunny attacked me in my sleep. valkrys, this one’s for you.
Atomic County Blues
Fifteen years ago, Ryan Atwood left his home in Chino. At thirteen, he was burdened with a rare gift. A gift that was also very much a curse. Ryan, you see, had superhuman strength. His rough upbringing had equipped him with a boundless rage and a desire to aid the weak and defenseless. His powers went mostly unnoticed until one day, as he was riding his bike home after school, he witnessed a vicious attack on a small child by a couple of street thugs. His eyes glowed red with fury and he leapt to the kid’s side. Two short minutes later, there were two bodies lying on the ground, neither of them Ryan’s, or the child’s. An investigation into the incident led to a visit to the young man’s home by the CPS, Child Protective Services. They found Ryan’s mother in an alcohol driven stupor, and his stepfather passed out from drugs on the couch. His older brother was nowhere to be found, and after three days of searching, was reported missing. Ryan was promptly placed in foster care, in the Newport home of Sandy and Kirsten Cohen.
Along with their young son, Seth, he was raised as one of their own. Privileged, educated, and loved, Ryan had put the entire reason for his relocation out of his mind… that is, until Seth was jumped by a group of jocks from their high school. Without hesitating, the young man ripped their hands off his pseudo-brother and beat them all into bloody comas. This time, the authorities were not so inclined to forgive such an act of violence. What had only a few years before been dismissed as a unique demonstration of self-defense, was now seen as the unrestrained violence of a wild teenager. Ryan faced removal from his home with the Cohens, and possibly jail.
Ten years ago, Ryan Atwood left his home in Newport. Armed with thirty dollars and fists of steel, he took a Greyhound into the big city, with no intent to return.
***
“Run, Cosmo Girl! Take the boy with you!” shouted a voice from within the circle of combatants. The voice was barely distinguishable from the flat pop of fists striking flesh and the groans of those wounded. An angular woman perched high above the bloody fight nodded and grabbed the arm of the five year old next to her.
“You heard him, Parker, let’s go!” The woman snatched the boy into her arms and took off across the roof of the warehouse. She sped down the fire escape and into a blue BMW parked under a streetlight. They rocketed down the street, courtesy of the high-powered boosters in the engine.
“Cosmo Girl, wait! Go back! We can’t leave Kid Chino behind!” Parker yelled desperately. The woman driving ignored him, and took a deep drought from her magic flask. As the rich alcohol, a substance not unlike elixir to the superhero, burned it’s way into her liver, she scanned the GPS console in the dash. Kid Chino, it seemed, had narrowly escaped the enemy and was now hurtling his way on foot toward their hideout.
“Don’t worry. He’ll be fine.” She grinned. They had been ambushed by Parker’s kidnapper, or rather, his kidnapper's goons, but even so had emerged victorious. A couple new scrapes and bruises, but Parker was safe, drifting to sleep in the passenger’s seat, and the goons were probably regretting their very existence. Cosmo Girl swerved to avoid a slow truck and pulled into the apartment complex where she and her partner were staying.
“Come on, kid. Let’s get you into some jammies and into bed, huh? We’ve had a busy day.” She carried the sleepy boy upstairs, to the penthouse, where Kid Chino was already waiting for her.
“What took you so long?” he asked, giving Cosmo Girl a kiss. He winced when the sharp stone in her circlet poked him in the forehead.
“Not all of us are super speedy, Chino. We took the freeway.” she replied with a soft smile.
“You guys okay?” Kid Chino lightly patted the sleeping boy in his partner’s arms, being extraordinarily careful with his super strength. His rough leather wrist guards got tangled in Parker’s shaggy hair. He cursed softly and started unbuckling his crimefighting costume. His partner of six years looked on with mild interest as the transformation took place. As Kid Chino became Dr. Ryan Atwood. Sure, she’d seen him transform hundreds of times in their years together, but still, the dichotomy of his personalities intrigued her. A few semesters of psych in college had given her a certain curiosity about the human mind, and her partner was a subject fit for the most insightful of head shrinks.
“Go ahead and put Parker to sleep, kay? I’ll change out of this and meet you there.” she said. Ryan nodded and gently carried his son into his bedroom. The walls, which were covered in wild west murals and paintings of mustang herds, was familiar and soothing to him. His boy was home safe, and if the pattern of the past five years proved to be reliable, it would be a few months before he got kidnapped again. Plenty of time to get him ready for preschool. Ryan smiled down at his only son, a smile which grew when he was joined by his wife, Marissa.
Out of her costume, Marissa had an air of fragility about her. She looked like a strong wind would blow her away. Ryan, of course, knew the truth. She was a whirling dervish of spindly legs and arms when in combat, and a sharp, strong woman in bed. He loved her with a calm intensity. They had joined each other in the battle against Count Chaos, and after a year of constant stakeouts and fights to the death, they defeated him. Their victory celebration had resulted in Parker, and they’d been together ever since. Their alter egos, Dr. Ryan Atwood, mild mannered pediatrician, and Marissa Cooper, spoiled L.A. rich girl, got married in a lavish ceremony attended by celebrities, millionaires, and the bride’s disapproving family. Ryan’s family had been killed in a car crash, or so he told everyone. Even Marissa didn’t know about the Cohens. His shame of the accident ten years ago stayed with him, and he never spoke of them. His best man had been Marissa’s cousin, a small, stocky man from Oakland.
Over the years, they had fought villains, thieves, evil politicians, and even a sorcerer who wanted to take over the East L.A. hooker district for his own nefarious purposes. They were an unstoppable duo, and even though they had arguments: Marissa’s abuse of her magic flask, Kid Chino’s short temper, the fact that they had quite a few secrets from one another; they had managed to build a life together, a life that was flawed, but functional. And in the society in which they lived, functional was about all you could hope for. Cosmo Girl watched Kid Chino’s back, got him out of trouble when his temper made him rash, and Kid Chino took care of Cosmo Girl during her frequent burn-outs. They lived, loved, and tried to raise a little boy in their harsh world, doing everything they could to shield him from their super personalities. Of course, after his third kidnapping, the boy caught on. Parker was a bright kid and took to the idea well, he never told a soul who his parents really were, and when one or both of them missed a church play or a meeting with his bible school teacher, he just said that his daddy was saving lives and his mommy was in Milan. No one ever questioned him further.
Tonight, however, marked one more in a series of kidnappings by enemies of Kid Chino, trying to suss out his secret identity. It was known by many that Kid Chino and Dr. Atwood were acquainted, as they were often seen leaving the same apartment building. The abducting of the man’s son was a surefire way to get Kid Chino’s attention, and was a very popular method amongst low-end criminals. It was getting worrisome. The frustrated parents were frightened for their child’s life, for who knew whether or not the next villain to capture Parker would be as kind to the boy as the others had been. Marissa mentioned a move, Ryan mentioned more security, but the decision was made for them with the arrival of an old friend, and a new enemy.
***
A battered figure trudged down the side of the dirty highway. He hoisted his ratty backpack over his shoulder and stuck out his thumb, trying to flag down a car in the pouring rain. He looked rather pathetic standing there. A car whizzing past splashed him with muddy water that was indistinguishable from the layers of mud caking his clothes. He cursed the car, his luck, his mother… basically anything that had ever done him any imaginable harm, he cursed. He was just getting to Buddha and the Dali Llama when a semi-truck’s bright lights managed to illuminate him long enough for the driver to see him and pull over. The hitchhiker picked up his step, rushing to the side door.
“Can ah getta ride inta town?” he shouted into the open window, over the rain. The driver waved him inside, and he climbed into the cab of the truck.
“Thanks man, it was gettin rough out there!” he grinned at the trucker.
“It’s gonna get rough in here, too, boy. A ride comes with a price.” He conveyed his meaning with a leer and a downward yank on his pants zipper. The hitchhiker rolled his eyes at his benefactor’s words and leaned down, well accustomed to paying for things with his mouth or his ass. The driver of the semi groaned with pleasure, and after a few short minutes, came deep within his passenger’s throat. There was silence for a few moments, the only sounds, the man's heavy breathing, the windshield wipers and the steady beat of the rain.
“Will that be enough?” asked the drifter, wiping his mouth on a wet sleeve. The trucker just nodded and zipped himself in. He pulled away from the shoulder and pointed his truck in the direction of Los Angelus, California.
***
TBC
Author: Reed
Pairing: Ryan/Marissa; Ryan/Seth (eventually) Marissa/OMC; Seth/Summer
Rating: PG-13 to R
Summary: Written for The Third Annual OC Sentence Fiction Challenge. -Dr. Ryan Atwood and his wife of 10 years meet up with Seth after not having seen him for 15 years.-I messed with the years a bit, but this is in the Atomic County-verse. It’s f-ed up, cuz there is hardly any info about those characters, so I made it all up. Just go with it.
Disclaimer: I do not own the O.C. or any of it’s character’s. I make no money off of writing fanfic about them (although, if you feel like sending me some, I certainly won’t turn you away). Josh and McG own it all, (filthy, dirty bastards)
A/N: I figure that since Kid Chino is called Kid Chino cuz he comes from Chino, all the other cities in California must be that same as in real life. Only Orange County is different. It, of course, is Atomic County. So if anyone thinks to themselves, ‘Hey, wait! This is supposed to be in the comic world! What the fuck’s L.A. doing there!?’ well, hell. I tried. I was gonna call it Metropolis, but I understand that’s Superman’s gig. Gotham’s taken, and so is Townsville. Maybe if the show had included more backstory about the Atomic characters, they could have gotten their own city. And, I wouldn’t have had to use their ‘real’ names as their secret identities. You see, I can only work with what you give me, Josh.
A/N part duex: I apologize for the tardiness of this fic. The story I’d originally written for this challenge sucked hard, so I junked it two days before the deadline. I wrote this one after a plotbunny attacked me in my sleep. valkrys, this one’s for you.
Atomic County Blues
Fifteen years ago, Ryan Atwood left his home in Chino. At thirteen, he was burdened with a rare gift. A gift that was also very much a curse. Ryan, you see, had superhuman strength. His rough upbringing had equipped him with a boundless rage and a desire to aid the weak and defenseless. His powers went mostly unnoticed until one day, as he was riding his bike home after school, he witnessed a vicious attack on a small child by a couple of street thugs. His eyes glowed red with fury and he leapt to the kid’s side. Two short minutes later, there were two bodies lying on the ground, neither of them Ryan’s, or the child’s. An investigation into the incident led to a visit to the young man’s home by the CPS, Child Protective Services. They found Ryan’s mother in an alcohol driven stupor, and his stepfather passed out from drugs on the couch. His older brother was nowhere to be found, and after three days of searching, was reported missing. Ryan was promptly placed in foster care, in the Newport home of Sandy and Kirsten Cohen.
Along with their young son, Seth, he was raised as one of their own. Privileged, educated, and loved, Ryan had put the entire reason for his relocation out of his mind… that is, until Seth was jumped by a group of jocks from their high school. Without hesitating, the young man ripped their hands off his pseudo-brother and beat them all into bloody comas. This time, the authorities were not so inclined to forgive such an act of violence. What had only a few years before been dismissed as a unique demonstration of self-defense, was now seen as the unrestrained violence of a wild teenager. Ryan faced removal from his home with the Cohens, and possibly jail.
Ten years ago, Ryan Atwood left his home in Newport. Armed with thirty dollars and fists of steel, he took a Greyhound into the big city, with no intent to return.
***
“Run, Cosmo Girl! Take the boy with you!” shouted a voice from within the circle of combatants. The voice was barely distinguishable from the flat pop of fists striking flesh and the groans of those wounded. An angular woman perched high above the bloody fight nodded and grabbed the arm of the five year old next to her.
“You heard him, Parker, let’s go!” The woman snatched the boy into her arms and took off across the roof of the warehouse. She sped down the fire escape and into a blue BMW parked under a streetlight. They rocketed down the street, courtesy of the high-powered boosters in the engine.
“Cosmo Girl, wait! Go back! We can’t leave Kid Chino behind!” Parker yelled desperately. The woman driving ignored him, and took a deep drought from her magic flask. As the rich alcohol, a substance not unlike elixir to the superhero, burned it’s way into her liver, she scanned the GPS console in the dash. Kid Chino, it seemed, had narrowly escaped the enemy and was now hurtling his way on foot toward their hideout.
“Don’t worry. He’ll be fine.” She grinned. They had been ambushed by Parker’s kidnapper, or rather, his kidnapper's goons, but even so had emerged victorious. A couple new scrapes and bruises, but Parker was safe, drifting to sleep in the passenger’s seat, and the goons were probably regretting their very existence. Cosmo Girl swerved to avoid a slow truck and pulled into the apartment complex where she and her partner were staying.
“Come on, kid. Let’s get you into some jammies and into bed, huh? We’ve had a busy day.” She carried the sleepy boy upstairs, to the penthouse, where Kid Chino was already waiting for her.
“What took you so long?” he asked, giving Cosmo Girl a kiss. He winced when the sharp stone in her circlet poked him in the forehead.
“Not all of us are super speedy, Chino. We took the freeway.” she replied with a soft smile.
“You guys okay?” Kid Chino lightly patted the sleeping boy in his partner’s arms, being extraordinarily careful with his super strength. His rough leather wrist guards got tangled in Parker’s shaggy hair. He cursed softly and started unbuckling his crimefighting costume. His partner of six years looked on with mild interest as the transformation took place. As Kid Chino became Dr. Ryan Atwood. Sure, she’d seen him transform hundreds of times in their years together, but still, the dichotomy of his personalities intrigued her. A few semesters of psych in college had given her a certain curiosity about the human mind, and her partner was a subject fit for the most insightful of head shrinks.
“Go ahead and put Parker to sleep, kay? I’ll change out of this and meet you there.” she said. Ryan nodded and gently carried his son into his bedroom. The walls, which were covered in wild west murals and paintings of mustang herds, was familiar and soothing to him. His boy was home safe, and if the pattern of the past five years proved to be reliable, it would be a few months before he got kidnapped again. Plenty of time to get him ready for preschool. Ryan smiled down at his only son, a smile which grew when he was joined by his wife, Marissa.
Out of her costume, Marissa had an air of fragility about her. She looked like a strong wind would blow her away. Ryan, of course, knew the truth. She was a whirling dervish of spindly legs and arms when in combat, and a sharp, strong woman in bed. He loved her with a calm intensity. They had joined each other in the battle against Count Chaos, and after a year of constant stakeouts and fights to the death, they defeated him. Their victory celebration had resulted in Parker, and they’d been together ever since. Their alter egos, Dr. Ryan Atwood, mild mannered pediatrician, and Marissa Cooper, spoiled L.A. rich girl, got married in a lavish ceremony attended by celebrities, millionaires, and the bride’s disapproving family. Ryan’s family had been killed in a car crash, or so he told everyone. Even Marissa didn’t know about the Cohens. His shame of the accident ten years ago stayed with him, and he never spoke of them. His best man had been Marissa’s cousin, a small, stocky man from Oakland.
Over the years, they had fought villains, thieves, evil politicians, and even a sorcerer who wanted to take over the East L.A. hooker district for his own nefarious purposes. They were an unstoppable duo, and even though they had arguments: Marissa’s abuse of her magic flask, Kid Chino’s short temper, the fact that they had quite a few secrets from one another; they had managed to build a life together, a life that was flawed, but functional. And in the society in which they lived, functional was about all you could hope for. Cosmo Girl watched Kid Chino’s back, got him out of trouble when his temper made him rash, and Kid Chino took care of Cosmo Girl during her frequent burn-outs. They lived, loved, and tried to raise a little boy in their harsh world, doing everything they could to shield him from their super personalities. Of course, after his third kidnapping, the boy caught on. Parker was a bright kid and took to the idea well, he never told a soul who his parents really were, and when one or both of them missed a church play or a meeting with his bible school teacher, he just said that his daddy was saving lives and his mommy was in Milan. No one ever questioned him further.
Tonight, however, marked one more in a series of kidnappings by enemies of Kid Chino, trying to suss out his secret identity. It was known by many that Kid Chino and Dr. Atwood were acquainted, as they were often seen leaving the same apartment building. The abducting of the man’s son was a surefire way to get Kid Chino’s attention, and was a very popular method amongst low-end criminals. It was getting worrisome. The frustrated parents were frightened for their child’s life, for who knew whether or not the next villain to capture Parker would be as kind to the boy as the others had been. Marissa mentioned a move, Ryan mentioned more security, but the decision was made for them with the arrival of an old friend, and a new enemy.
***
A battered figure trudged down the side of the dirty highway. He hoisted his ratty backpack over his shoulder and stuck out his thumb, trying to flag down a car in the pouring rain. He looked rather pathetic standing there. A car whizzing past splashed him with muddy water that was indistinguishable from the layers of mud caking his clothes. He cursed the car, his luck, his mother… basically anything that had ever done him any imaginable harm, he cursed. He was just getting to Buddha and the Dali Llama when a semi-truck’s bright lights managed to illuminate him long enough for the driver to see him and pull over. The hitchhiker picked up his step, rushing to the side door.
“Can ah getta ride inta town?” he shouted into the open window, over the rain. The driver waved him inside, and he climbed into the cab of the truck.
“Thanks man, it was gettin rough out there!” he grinned at the trucker.
“It’s gonna get rough in here, too, boy. A ride comes with a price.” He conveyed his meaning with a leer and a downward yank on his pants zipper. The hitchhiker rolled his eyes at his benefactor’s words and leaned down, well accustomed to paying for things with his mouth or his ass. The driver of the semi groaned with pleasure, and after a few short minutes, came deep within his passenger’s throat. There was silence for a few moments, the only sounds, the man's heavy breathing, the windshield wipers and the steady beat of the rain.
“Will that be enough?” asked the drifter, wiping his mouth on a wet sleeve. The trucker just nodded and zipped himself in. He pulled away from the shoulder and pointed his truck in the direction of Los Angelus, California.
***
TBC