Mama Adams always chided Trinity for rushing headlong into danger. Her brave, curious, and stupid little boy. Although not so little anymore as puberty had hit the then African American boy like a speeding locomotive. Now at twenty-three, the man stood at a towering 6' 4'' – his mother, naturally, still insisted otherwise. Even more impressive considering the bulk he built after an unsuccessful attempt at a knockout MMA career. He still had a foot in the door as a part-time sports commentator for a local radio station and as a sparring partner for a few more promising young adults attending his gym.
But his work at the oil drill paid the bills, supplementing his mother's income as a government clerk in some obscure department. Neither of them was entirely sure exactly what it entailed, but Taniyah had recently secured a promotion, so they joked she had to do something right. They already had plans to celebrate it later in the week. And his nineteen-year-old sister was arriving directly from her St Louis university's archaeological dig site in New Mexico for Spring Break. Serenity had sounded so excited on the phone; something about a glass shard or crystal.
Cleaning one of the used drill pipes and hearing the noise of the machinery thumping in his skull had his attention elsewhere. They would have all of tonight together as a family.
“Just a big rock, the survey team said they saw a massive rock at this level and only 100 feet lower a large deposit of crude oil. Give it more power!” Trinity paused, casting a glance toward their chief then at the operator. After flashing a thumbs up shuffled away. He had been only standing a handful of feet away from the drill itself. He rolled his shoulders and swept a soapy yet grimy palm along his shaved head, grateful for the momentary pause. Once Frank confirmed it was safe, then he'd--
The swamp barge creaked. And the groan coming from the steel rig made it sound as if it were in pain. It was over in a moment when the swamp itself quaked. The drill launched into the air with an ear-shattering scream. “What was that?” Something warm flowed from the sides of Trinity's head, muffling all the other sounds as a rush of kinetic force swept him off his feet, breaking the calm. Standing the closest by far, Trinity bore the brunt of it. He skidded against the decking, tearing up the back of his clothes and skin. Others were not so lucky.
Trinity's vision swam. Blinking only made it worse as the light stung his eyes. But seeing Frank limply hang over his control with a gash pumping blood like the Mississippi River, he fought through the throbbing pain and stood on a pair of wobbling legs. When he stumbled over the drill hole his disorientated mind barely registered it. If he took his focus away from the indistinct, fuzzy lump at the center of his darkening vision then he wasn't sure if he could keep going.
“Come on, man! Hold it together! This ain't nothing!” Trinity heard a deep voice coming from... somewhere. His voice, he realized belatedly. The last few seconds were shrouded in darkness. Trinity's mind ached when he tried to recall them. He was standing by Frank, holding a torn piece of fabric against him. It had to be enough for the moment; the man was breathing, hacking and coughing mostly, but breathing! And the wound was shallow. With his eyesight nothing but a blur of shapes and colors, Trinity used his hands to explore his co-worker for additional injuries.
Frank let out a groan whenever he pressed too roughly. The pain was a good sign. It meant he was still alive. “Chief! Anyone, call 911 and... and get a helicopter here!” Trinity reached a rough patch that cut through the haze gripping his mind by its sheer oddness. Pulling away as much of the shirt as he could, he could see a billowing wave of dark green spreading across Frank's skin. Curious fascination overtook fear as he explored it further. The hardened skin was ridged, lumpy, and almost overlapping in places like plated armor or scales. The last time he had felt anything close this was in the Reptile House at Audubon Zoo...
Trinity did not have long to linger on his discovery as a surge radiated through the his body. He felt his bones crack and shift. Sinew and muscles rippled, stretching and contracting without rhyme or reason, paralyzing Trinity as he fell, spasming, onto the barge's deck. “Mama!” As Trinity cried out, his plea become a feral snarl midway through.