After the recent discovery of Anta’s death, Ryan and Reyna were set on trying to find a worse case. A harder challenge.

‘Reyna, it’s been a while. We need something exciting again. Something to chase.’

Ryan was adjusting his blue flannel shirt, almost disappointedly viewing the evidence that caught Anta before she died: the small glass tube of sand.

‘Uh huh, yeah…’ the soft clicking of Reyna’s laptop and the mix of her mumbling was proof that she was not listening to a word he was saying. Ryan rolled his eyes.

‘Reyna. Reyna. REYNA!’

He had slammed his hands onto her desk, causing her cold coffee to spill and her to partially die inside.

‘JE-sus! What is wrong with you? I’m working on something!’ Reyna shook her head consolingly to herself, the click clacking of her laptop meaning she had resumed.

‘Oh- what are you doing?’

He peered his head over her shoulder nosily. Reyna slammed the laptop front down with an aggravated look drawn across her face.

‘I’m *finishing* the case files on Anta. Seeing if we left anything. If you had any decency, you’d let me continue.’

Ryan sighed.

‘Reyna, please. I’ve got an idea. There’s— apparently—‘ he was viewing case files on his laptop, ‘a bomb discovery near here. And it looks like a decent job. If we could take a look—‘

‘What’s going on with you? Ever since the Anta case it’s like you dropped a level in seriousness. That’s a bomb, it could KILL us.

It’s making me think you enjoyed the mission with Grayson.’

Ryan growled almost exact to the time when Grayson first arrived on the case. It made Reyna smirk.

‘No. I enjoyed that mission because it was fascinating—‘ (Reyna scoffed) ‘but, as you said, Anta’s.. dead now.’

‘Just.. let’s do the bomb discovery, all right? Then I’ll go back to — whatever I was like back then.’

Reyna folded her arms disbelievingly.

‘So you’ll go back to the Ryan that cares about his work, is grumpy all the time, and takes things seriously?’

‘No, no… probably not—‘

‘…’

‘All right, fine.’

The bomb had been discovered at a dinosaur exhibit somewhere eastern in the country. Ryan, as promised, went back to the regular Ryan, which surprised Reyna, but she went along with it.

‘So, uh, the bomb was discovered— here—‘

The instructor pointed at the map with a stubby finger— ‘and the bomb squad said it’s okay since you guys are… professionals.’

Reyna and Ryan eyed each other suspiciously.

‘Why’d you say it like that?’

‘Like what?— oops, gotta run!’

At this point, Reyna looked like she was fed up of everyone at this point.

‘All right, let’s just—‘

She groaned, watching Ryan speed walk his way towards the bomb.

‘He’s gonna kill himself without me.. oh god, Ryan, no, it’s a LEFT!’

‘THANK YOU!’

‘You forgot the— bomb kit…’

Beepbeepbeep.

The bomb’s fast ticking didn’t scare Ryan. Maybe because he wasn’t the one defusing it, but Ryan was Ryan.

‘All right, so there’s a red wire, yellow wire… black battery, hmm..’

‘Ryan!’

‘Right. So first you snap the red wire.’

‘What?! Are you sure?’

‘Idon’tknow— they say it in the movies.’

‘Ryan, I swear to god—‘

‘Okay, cut the yellow wire, please.’

Reyna cut the yellow wire anxiously. After the next few wires, the only two left were the blue wire and the red wire. She was hesitant, checking both wires carefully.

‘I’d be careful if I were you.. one wrong move and our planet gets wiped of all life..’

She glared at Ryan.

‘Careful? That’s rich, coming from you.’

‘Cut the blue one.’

Reyna cut the blue one. Distorted loud crashing noises invaded the dinosaur museum, and Ryan stood in confusion.

‘Happy birthday, Ryan. I cut the wrong one. You’re dead now.’