Little Alex, who was just twelve years old, took comfort in his late grandfather’s tiny, messy garage in the middle of the busy metropolis. There he found an antique chemistry kit amongst the neglected trinkets and dusty tools. His curiosity sparked, so he started experimenting with different chemical combinations, creating exciting potions that fizzed and burst.

What was once just a straightforward pastime soon changed. At the age of fourteen, Alex had developed a brand-new paint removal mixture that worked wonders and didn’t hurt the environment. Inspired by his achievements, he started selling it to nearby hardware stores. As the money came in, Alex’s goals increased.

There were new opportunities and challenges in high school. At seventeen, Alex recognized he could use his understanding of chemistry to his advantage in more lucrative endeavors. He created a powerful but undetectable euphoria enhancer that became well-liked by his classmates very fast. As word got out, Alex quickly became the town’s most trusted provider.

There was no need for college. Alex was eighteen and had accumulated a small fortune. In order to help spread his product, he enlisted the aid of a few reliable acquaintances, growing his network to include nearby cities. His kingdom expanded thanks to accuracy and secrecy. He stayed well out of the way of the police so that no evidence would point to him.

By his twenties, Alex’s empire had developed into a highly developed enterprise, complete with underground labs and a state-wide distribution system. He was now a mysterious person revered and feared in the underworld, not the young kid fiddling around in his grandfather’s garage.

Even with his wealth and influence, there was a part of Alex that missed the ease of his childhood. But the empire he had created was a living thing that needed merciless judgment calls every moment. He had developed into a kingpin, his reign distinguished by both cunning and notoriety.

Alone in a high-rise penthouse one night, gazing out over the city he had once cycled around, Alex wondered at the transformation from inquisitive youngster to head of a criminal enterprise. The chemical set, the garage, and his innocence were now only memories, eclipsed by the empire that dictated his every action.

And Alex knew that the empire, like all great things, was doomed to collapse as the distant sirens began to get closer in their mourning.