Saving Supervillains 1 Chapters 26-28 (Patreon)

I stood dazed in The Spine as managers shouted out possible titans, ruling them out one by one.

“It’s the world devouring serpent!”

“No way it would come up from the sea and circle around before approaching the city. The warning is on the west side of the city.”

“What else would make such a track?”

Kim clapped her hands twice, and the whole room quieted down. She was wringing the metal railing before her. “Beatrix, can you pull up imagery from Fortress’ last fight twenty-five years ago?”

“Boss?” Beatrix frowned. “What for?”

“Just do it.” Kim barked, anger seeping into her voice.

The entire room was quietly watching her.

My jaw clenched. She recognized the blast pattern.

The left of the three large monitors came up with a similar cut out of the earth, starting just at the edge of the city.

“Compare the two.” Kim demanded.

We all watched silently as numbers and green lines arrayed themselves over the two images, and the analysts below typed furiously to run the program.

The grid lines stopped and flashed.

Beatrix leaned over her keyboard, looking intently at the information presented. “We have a ninety-seven percent match. The angle is different, and there is room for error depending on the body composition difference between Fortress and the unknown in the latest.”

“Give it to me straight.” Kim demanded.

Beatrix let out a long pause. “But it is highly likely to be the same.”

Kim put her head in her hands. “Turn off the goddamn titan alarms.”

“What?”

Kim ran her hands through her fiery hair. Her eyes shaking. “Turn off the titan alarms. It isn’t a titan.”

Beatrix cleared her throat. “There’s something else you might want to see.”

The director was less than amused, but paused, waiting for her to continue.

“The energy readings around the area…” Beatrix pointed at the screen. Where she pointed, there were oscillating graphs. “… they match the warehouse with Omnigirl.”

Kim’s eyes went wide, and the railing in front of her snapped in half as fire flickered off her hair. “For fuck’s sake. Please tell me this is a joke B.”

We all knew Beatrix wasn’t joking. Kim did, too.

“Sorry, Director. That’s what the data says.”

Kim held her head with one hand covering an eye. The other shook with very real fear. “Turn off the alarms and bring in all the top hero teams. We need an emergency meeting.”

Beatrix spun back around to her station, more than happy to get back to work and not face Kim right now.

The managers murmured among themselves.

I felt distant, cold, and dispassionate as Kim reacted to my power.

But anything would have to wait. I would hear her out. She had earned that much from me with what I’d seen so far.

Heroes started filing into the spine and joining their managers.

Stella and Melody joined me. Both squeezed my hands as they looked up and recognized the field where we’d been.

“The image on the right is what triggered the titan warning. The left one is from Fortress’ death.” Kim announced.

Melody suddenly had my hand in a vice grip while Stella leaned into me, trying discreetly to support me.

The door to The Spine closed, and Kim took a deep breath.

“Beatrix, seal The Spine.”

The head analyst paused for a moment before triggering thick shielded doors down on every entrance. Meanwhile, a familiar hum filled the air.

“We are sealed. Nothing in here is getting out.” Beatrix said slowly.

“Don’t worry everyone, I just needed absolute privacy for what I’m about to say.” Kim took a deep breath, steadying herself on the ruined remnants of the railing.

“First, I need to disclose the problem with Omnigirl.” She looked up at each of the managers. “Omnigirl may have just killed us all.”

There were gasps from the managers and heroes.

“We had detected that Omnigirl was roughing up men in the city, and it culminated when she tried to abduct two men.”

There were hisses from the managers, and I couldn’t help but watch Rocksolid to see his reaction. If he knew about her side dealings, he was an incredible actor.

“We had been monitoring her and were able to swoop in to stop her before things went too far.” Kim let out a sigh of relief. “Unfortunately, one of the two men captured was able to incapacitate Omnigirl, her manager, and escape before we arrived.”

I did everything I could not to let out a sigh of relief. The story of a second man captured by Omnigirl had now taken root.

Rocksolid raised his hand. “The person I fought in the medical ward was the same?”

“We believe that is extremely likely.” Kim answered before pointing at the two screens. “He is also the hero that created these two blasts.”

Rocksolid’s brow rose, awe painting his face. “That’s…” His brow pressed down. “That’s the date Fortress died.” He suddenly pointed an accusing finger at the second image up on the screens.

The heroes began murmuring, some pulling out devices to double check that information. Others gasped. Overall, the vibe was very much that of a group with pitchforks and torches.

The words ‘vile monster’ were repeated several times among the crowd. I tried not to let it trigger me. I didn’t understand why everybody managed to remember those words from the news stations.

I worked to keep my emotions in check, but I desperately wanted to hit something.

It was only Stella and Melody that kept me grounded as old memories tried to creep up from the dark reaches of my mind.

“Everyone quiet down.” Kim was fraying at the edges. Fire flickered around her. “We don’t know anything about this super.”

It didn’t escape me that she didn’t use the word ‘villain’.

“Should anyone encounter this super, your orders are to evacuate and call me. I am the only person that should engage this super. Am I understood?” Fire flared around her, letting shadows play over her face.

Rocksolid punched his fists together. “No, I’ll handle them.”

“You will not, or I will have you buried in a grave. Omnigirl attacked this super who hasn’t made an appearance since Fortress. Think, people. They’ve been in hiding, lying low.” She shot a glance at me.

I thought for a second she was talking about me, but then I realized she was giving me credit for the theory. “That’s our best guess.” I agreed.

Several of the premiere heroes spoke out.

“We should avenge Fortress! He was the world’s hero.”

“Yeah.” Came a rallying cry from the rest of the heroes.

“Shut up. Think for a goddamn second.” Kim was rattled. “If there was really some terrible villain that killed Fortress, then where is he? Where did he go? He never appeared again before now. If you would all stop just repeating the lines from the nightly news and really think about it, it doesn’t make sense.”

Kim clenched her jaw and confirmed with Beatrix. “We have no military assets here, do we?”

Beatrix shook her head, pausing before typing on the keyboard again and giving Kim a thumbs up.

“Listen up. I need you all to quiet down.” She let out a slow breath. “It’s time for a story of how I got funding for the BSH, and what really happened on the day Fortress died.”

The room quieted quickly, and I found myself leaning forward. I was curious to hear her side of the story.

Kim moved, sitting on the edge of her desk with everyone watching. “It started two weeks before his death. Back then, the military ran the show, not us.”

She shook her head. “A call came through of a highly dangerous villain with the ability to poison the city. They found traces in a well that appeared to be a test, and they believed him to be a threat to the entire city.”

There was an appreciative inhale from the crowd.

“Of course, they pulled Fortress in for the job. They gave him the address and told him to go in hot. His orders were to knock the building down on top of them.”

The present heroes looked upset at that tactic, but Kim just shrugged.

“That’s how it was back then; we are better now. Following his orders, Fortress went in, smashing down the warehouse.” Kim let out a tired sigh that felt like it had been locked up for far too long. “What we didn’t know was that the warehouse had been converted to a nursery recently. The place was full of kids, no villain in sight.”

Beatrix knew exactly what happened. “It was the wrong address.”

Kim shot her a little finger gun. “Got it in one. Fortress managed to save fifteen of the little buggers, but eight died.”

The crowd in The Spine was absolutely silent at her words. There was a chill in the air as everyone realized they had been lied to about Fortress’ last days.

“I tried to tell the leaders that Fortress was in a terrible mental state after that. He needed a break and to get some help. Do you know what they did?” She asked a rhetorical question.

No one spoke, waiting for her to continue. Even I hadn’t known this part.

She air quoted. “They thought ‘keeping him busy’ would solve it. Fast forward two weeks, and he’s chasing down Mirage, a villain capable of making real life illusions. Put all of that together, and you have an absolutely unacceptable situation.”

“He lost it.” Someone said before she could continue.

Kim nodded slowly. “Yeah. Full on lost it. Mirage started throwing illusions of heroes at him. Fortress made a mess of the area, and we were all called in to help.”

There was a terrible shadow that fell over Kim’s face. “But by then he couldn’t tell the difference between Mirage’s illusions and the real heroes. It was a complete cluster fuck.”

Rocksolid raised his hand again. “Then who killed him?”

“Just some kid.” Kim said quickly. “A kid that had just come into his powers after watching Fortress in that state.” She took yet another deep breath, about to tell my story.

But I didn’t need her to. I remembered it like it was yesterday. That day had been burned into my mind.

**Twenty-five years ago**

Ryan slung his arm over my shoulder. “I can’t believe you came back for prom.”

“I’ve only been gone for a couple of months.” I pushed his arm away so I could get my suit jacket on.

But his arm fell back over me. “Becky is a lucky girl.”

Snorting, I shook my head. “I’m the lucky one. Becks is amazing.” And I truly believed those weren’t just the words of a love stuck high schooler.

Becky Hanners was an S grade hero, strong enough that the current heroes of Point City had made an exception and already started training her while she was in high school.

We all knew that she was going to be one of the premiere heroes in the city as soon as she graduated.

With her tan skin and dark black hair, she was exotic and lovely in a way that made me feel a little silly every time I saw her again. I never got tired of looking at her.

“You have it bad.” Ryan shook me out of my daydreams.

“I’m just happy she invited me to prom. After I moved away, she’d kept our relationship quiet. I don’t think her parents even know.” I’d been worried that she wasn’t going to keep it going.

Ryan bounced his eyebrows. “Dude, she’s gorgeous, but most dudes are a little weirded out about her being so much stronger.”

I shrugged. I wasn’t sure if it had to do with my parents’ death earlier that year, but her strong powers were attractive to me. “Who knows what my power will be when I finally come into it?”

“Hopefully it isn’t too shocking.” Ryan made a spark jump between his fingers.

“What! You didn’t tell me.” I grabbed his hand, not worried. It was Ryan. He wouldn’t hurt me.

“Let go. It’s not too much, but I’ll never have to worry about charging my phone again.”

I laughed. Of course, that’s what Ryan would think about with his power. Not saving the world or solving some existential crisis of man.

He was just too lazy to do more with it than keep his phone charged.

His statement made me absently check my own phone. “We need to finish getting ready. The girls are going to be by soon to pick us up.”

“You know, before super powers, the guy picked the girl up.” Ryan threw out a useless factoid.

I shrugged. “I don’t much care who picks up who as long as I’m going to the prom with Becks.”

A little black sedan pulled up into Ryan’s drive as we opened the front door.

I could see Becks in the passenger seat and Ryan’s girl, Rena, driving.

They both slipped out of the car, but my eyes were only for Becks. A royal blue prom dress pooled out of the car as she stepped out with a pair of gladiator sandals.

“Miles!” She moved a little too quickly and shot across the yard, crashing into me and crushing me with a hug. “It’s so good to see you again in the flesh.” She pulled away, giving me a blushing once over.

Damn, I was a lucky man. Becks was beautiful.

Rena finished her less exuberant greeting with Ryan, turning to me. “I’m so happy to see you are doing well after—” She cut off the rest of her sentence.

Everybody danced around me ever since my parents had died. They just didn’t know what to say.

“My aunt and uncle are cool. Their place is by the beach in Coast City. I might even learn to surf this summer.” I’d used that line a lot lately to add a little pep into the conversation after my parents came up and the conversation lulled.

“Oh. I want to come. There’s training until July, but then I have a few weeks off before I officially start as a junior hero for Point City.” Becks jumped right on the opportunity.

I smiled, nodding. And it made me feel good to make plans and to know that someone like Becks was going to be there for me.

She’d scored second on physical durability. She was only second to Fortress himself.

If I was honest, I was always a little jealous of Fortress. The titanic man was an idol for many, including Becks, and I hated to say it, but there was always a worry in the back of my mind that Becks would fall for him.

I pushed all that away. “You should totally come to Coast City in July. I’ll teach you how to surf.”

“Alright, you two lovebirds, let’s get to the dance.” Ryan pushed us towards the car, shouting over his shoulder. “Bye mom, dad, we’ll be back super late.”

Rena got back in the driver’s seat as me and Becks piled into the back. Snagging my seatbelt and snapping it, I wrapped my arm around her as smoothly as I could.

She leaned in and laid a kiss on my cheek.

My mind screeched to a halt, and I imagined my heart beating out of my chest like a cartoon.

I did the only thing I could think to do and went to reciprocate the cheek kiss, but in my haste she hadn’t pulled away yet and I brushed my lips against hers.

To my surprise, she scooted closer and kissed me on the lips.

I savored it, lost for a moment, imprinting everything about her lips to memory.

But the moment was broken when Ryan whistled suggestively in the front seat. “Damn. We aren’t even at the dance yet.”

Becks pulled away, blushing, and Rena slugged Ryan in the shoulder. “Don’t be an ass. That was really cute.”

He rubbed at his shoulder, laughing.

I let my hand slide along the seat until my fingers found Becks’ hand and entwined our fingers.

It didn’t matter how much of a superhero Becks was, as long as she was there for me. It didn’t hurt to fall for an indestructible woman. I need that stability in my life.

She turned her head and stared into my eyes as a little smirk quirked on her lips. “What are you thinking about?”

“Just how lucky I am.” I spouted a corny line.

I knew Ryan would mock me for that one, but I didn’t care. The smile on her face was worth all of it and so much more.

“Okay. We are here.” Rena announced, breaking our moment.

I was shocked that we’d already arrived. Time had passed so quickly. I had really been lost in her eyes.

“Come on.” Becks pulled my arm, and we both hopped out of the car.

Students were streaming out of their cars and walking into the back entrance of the high school.

It was the end of senior year for most of us and there was some nostalgia for everybody, but I felt especially emotional. I hadn’t been back since I’d moved away.

Ryan and Rena had lingered in the car, and we left them alone, letting them have a bit of time for themselves.

I gripped Becks’ hand tight and pulled her forward. “How have classes been?” I tried to make conversation, though I’d already talked about everything with her over the phone these last few months.

“Boring. It’s like the teachers have given up here at the end. They’re just rubber stamping A’s and ready to ship us all off.” She shrugged.

“Is that Miles? I thought you died along with your parents.” A big square jawed and all too familiar face caught my attention.

“Kevin, that’s completely out of line.” Becks stepped forward hard enough to crack the concrete. She was pissed.

I put my arm out, slowing her down. I could fight my own battles. She let me pull her behind me.

“Kevin. I’d say nice to see you, but I’d been hopeful that I wouldn’t have to see your ugly mug again. I heard you got kicked off the football team for cheating. Can’t win a fair fight, can you?”

Kevin was just as tall as me, but where I was a beanpole stretched out by puberty, he was a star running back for the team.

He had at least eighty pounds on me.

“What did you say?” He rolled his shoulders as he stepped away from his date. I wasn’t surprised that he’d chosen a high maintenance blonde. And she didn’t seem concerned with him being a tool. She let out an exhausted sigh, inspecting her cuticles.

“I asked if you are capable of winning a fight fairly, or if you need to cheat.” I refused to back down, taking a step forward.

The tension was escalating. I could tell Becks was trying to trust me, but she was getting anxious.

A whistle rang out, surprising both of us enough that the tension shattered for a moment.

“Flag on the play.” A potbellied father gave a hearty chuckle at something only other dads understood. “Penalty box for two minutes. You, head on in.”

The man had a pin on his lapel that said ‘Chaperone’. He was waving Kevin to the side, while letting Becks and I head into the dance.

My pride was wounded at having someone else interfere, but at the same time, I was relieved that I didn’t actually have to fight. It would be a poor way to start prom.

I pulled Becks with me, taking the win for what it was. I was proud that I’d stood up to the bully that had plagued my school career.

“That was tense.” Becks said as we went in the main doors.

“Sometimes you just need to stand up to that sort of thing. He wasn’t going to hit me, not here.”

She nudged me with a hip, and a wicked grin spread across her face. “Who knows, maybe when you get your power, we could be an amazing superhero duo. You have the courage for it.”

I felt my cheeks warm and a smile plaster itself on my face. I’d team up with her any day.

Pulling Becks closer, I pecked her on the cheek as we walked through the locker lined hallways, heading for the cafeteria.

“That’d be pretty awesome. Who knows what kind of power I’ll get, though.” I hedged.

“I’m sure it will be something deserving of how exceptional you are. They say the later you get it, the more powerful it is.” She encouraged me.

“We both know there isn’t any actual evidence of that.” It was true there was no proof, but a part of me still hoped she was right. I wanted the kind of power that Fortress had.

Most heroes were women and were, on average, more powerful. It helped that they could have two different abilities. But there were always exceptions like the world’s hero, Fortress, who was a completely unstoppable force.

Even as we walked down the hall, I spotted two different posters with Fortress on them.

“What’s Fortress like?” I asked, bringing him up with Becks for the first time.

“He’s a pretty normal dude. Stupid busy, though. The government has him flying to something like a dozen saves a day.”

I let out a soft whistle.

“That’s even when there isn’t an emergency. A titan lands somewhere and he’s off to go fight the most dangerous monsters in the world. That’s a ton of pressure on his shoulders.” Becks shook her head, making her curly hair dance along her shoulders. “No wonder he’s had like three divorces.”

“Really?” I was surprised, thinking any woman would cling to him like glue.

“There is such a thing as being too busy.” Becks said. “But enough of Fortress. I want to dance with you.”

She dragged me further ahead, looking back over her shoulder with a smile that would have gotten me to follow her anywhere.

We came up to the cafeteria and the parent taking tickets recognized Becks, waving us forward without checking for tickets.

Becks didn’t waste a second, pulling me onto the dance floor and picking up the beat.

I joined her and wasn’t half bad, or at least, I hoped I wasn’t half bad. I’d been watching videos the past few days, hoping to be able to be competent enough.

I wanted the night to be perfect for Becks.

We held hands and moved along the dance floor, having the time of our lives.

Her smile and sparkling eyes under the shifting lights were my sole focus. It was like everybody else melted away.

When the music finally slowed down, I put my hands around her waist, pulling her close while she put her arms on my shoulder. The two of us got lost in each other's eyes.

She leaned towards me, kissing me. I sank into the moment.

After everything that happened to me that year, Becks had become my rock. She’d helped me heal from my parent’s accident, and I was excited about what the future would bring the two of us.

And based on the way she stared into my eyes all night, she felt the same.

When the music picked back up, we broke the minute long kiss.

“I’m thirsty. Want to grab a drink?” I nodded towards the punch, thinking maybe we could go for a walk of the school and I could tempt her into a dark corner. I wanted to continue what we’d started.

“Yeah, I’d like that.” She leaned in to whisper in my ear.

She didn’t need to tell me twice. I pulled her out of the dance floor over to the punchbowl that I hoped wasn’t spiked. I was already drunk enough on the chemistry between us.

“Miles.” Ryan reappeared with Rena, pulling a flask from his pocket and dangling in offering.

“No, I’m good. Thirsty for actual water.” I had to yell over the music.

“Saw you two out there. Go get ’em tiger.” My friend encouraged me with a wink, leaning in to whisper. “I have some spare condoms if you didn’t come prepared.”

“Ryan.” I pulled away, a bit shocked. But that didn’t stop my mind from imaging the entire thing.

“Actually.” I leaned in, grabbing my friend by the shoulder, considering if I should take him up on his offer just in case.

A crash sounded, the floor rumbling and my hand shaking on my friend’s shoulder.

Becks blurred in front of me and slammed her heel down on the ground, reacting far faster than anyone else in the room.

My brain was slow to catch up, trying to make sense of what was happening.

A slab of concrete broke from the floor and flipped up as a shield.

In less than a second, the rumble escalated to full on destruction. A blast wave tore apart the area around. Rocks, lockers, and books were flying past me as I was shielded by the slab that Becks had raised to protect us.

“Mi—” Ryan coughed, splattering my face with blood.

My arms were around his shoulder, but I realized I was supporting his weight. He felt a whole lot lighter than he should have.

Several wet plops sounded at my feet and it was with horror that I looked down.

There was a reason that I was holding his weight, or more appropriately, half of it.

From the waist down, Ryan was gone. His guts were falling out of his chest as he looked at me in stunned horror. The slab of concrete hadn’t been big enough to protect him.

“Ryan.” My voice was hoarse, cracked. The words tore themselves out of me.

“Miles.” Becks grabbed my shoulder. “We need to go. Now.”

I heard her words, but I couldn’t even process them. My mind wasn’t working, still focusing on Ryan as the life faded from his eyes. I stood there holding his torso, unable to move.

I just continued to stare, refusing to admit I’d lost another person.

“Miles.” Becks shook me. “You’re in shock, but I need you with me.” She pulled my head away from Ryan, and I dropped him. He didn’t even groan.

That’s when I realized the damage.

My high school was gone, reduced to a pile of rubble. Among it, a few students groaned and shifted in the chunks of concrete, barely clinging to life.

It had been so sudden.

If not for Becks, I’d be dead too.

I was glad that she was safe. I found myself thankful that she was an S Class super and trained as a hero.

“What do we do, Becks?” I finally pulled myself out of the shock, at least for a moment.

A yellow flash shot past us from somewhere behind the concrete slab that Becks had used to shield us.

Thunderwoman wheezed, her chest caved in. Blood dribbled out the side of her mouth. She turned and saw Becks trying to say something, but no words came out.

Two more heroes joined Thunderwoman, crashing into the remnants of the high school. Both of them were almost dead as well.

Becks tossed the stone slab aside. “Miles, I need you to get down.”

“What are you doing, Becks? I thought we were leaving?”

She shook her head, tossing her black hair. “I can’t, not now.”

I crouched, unable to look away from everything around us. The disgusting carnage was somehow fascinating, while at the same time, it made me want to curl up in a corner and hurl.

Becks tossed the slab aside, and as she did so, a broad-shouldered man pushed his way out of the rubble.

Fortress rose, his red cape billowing out behind him. He wore his black uniform, which had a big red stylized F across his chest designed to look like some sort of fort.

His suit was torn in a few places, scorched in others. But that was the only real damage. Through it, you could see the massive muscles he had underneath.

“Miles, I need you to run.” Beck’s voice was cold.

“You’re here and so is Fortress. I’ll be fine.” I pointed to the world’s strongest superhero. My voice was full of hope that whatever had happened would be solved by the two of them.

“Miles, something is very wrong.”

I couldn’t figure out what she was talking about, but then I watched as She-Hawk swooped in on white feathered wings trying to grab Fortress.

He didn’t even budge. Instead, he reached up and grabbed her taloned leg before it reached him, snapping it and pulling her down.

Fortress systematically broke every bone in her body with a crushing grip as he moved his hands along her body as if she was a rope.

She-Hawk screamed, but it was no use.

Fortress utterly crushed her. When he got to her torso, she wasn’t screaming anymore, just puking blood.

I realized Fortress’ red gloves were darker, soaked in blood.

“Okay, we need to go. What the fuck!” I cursed, grabbing Becks and trying to pull her away. But she was rooted fast to the ground.

“I can’t go, Miles. I have to help.” Becks replied. I stared at her, hoping I’d misheard her.

“That’s fucking Fortress!” I blurted out. The horror of seeing him dismantle She-Hawk had sunk in and any shock I had was gone, replaced by fight-or-flight instincts. And my instincts were screaming for flight.

“Exactly. They will need every bit of help they can get to stop this.” Becks tried to gently push me away.

I shook my head, refusing to admit the truth. “Becks, come on. You aren’t even a hero yet.”

I still couldn’t reconcile what I believed to be true about Fortress and what I’d just seen. “Maybe something happened to the other heroes. You don’t know which is the right side.”

Three more heroes squared up around Fortress and attacked together.

It was a brutal one sided battle as Fortress literally tore them apart, dismantling them emotionlessly. He smashed their body parts into the remaining rubble of my school.

I knew then that there wouldn’t be any survivors if Fortress could help it. We needed to get out.

Wrath rode in at that moment, her dark red flames rocketing down into the mess. “Becks.” She saw my date. “We need your help to contain Fortress.” Wrath’s suit was torn with sizable holes that showed off her pale skin.

Wrath had no doubt healed from some terrible injuries prior to this, based on the holes in her suit.

When Becks tore the skirt of her dress off, I knew I wasn’t going to get her to leave. Wrath had asked her to stay, and she wouldn’t ignore that plea.

I crouched deeper in the mess, praying that Becks would somehow come out alive. I couldn’t lose another person… that I loved.

It hit me at that moment, emotion rolling over me. I loved Becks, and I hadn’t even told her.

Wrath stepped forward, throwing a meteor sized ball of dark red fire as the same fire wreathed her.

Fortress’ head turned almost mechanically. It was eerily inhuman. Then he raised a hand, catching the massive fireball and punching out with the other, shattering it and splashing fire all over.

The dust and the wood in the surrounding rubble caught fire, only making matters worse for me.

I couldn’t run at that point, even if I wanted to.

But I didn’t want to move. Some part of my human brain had rooted me in this spot, almost forcing me to watch. I couldn’t leave, not until I saw Becks was okay.

Fortress was in the middle of the crater one moment, then holding Wrath up by the throat the next.

Becks slammed into him, and for the first time, he stumbled.

Hope flared inside of me. Maybe she was strong enough to take on Fortress.

Fortress ignored Becks for a moment, throwing Wrath hard enough against the ground as blood splattered out against the rubble.

“You.” He turned slowly to Becks.

She wasn’t idle, her fists blurring. Each hit created a small shock wave, and Fortress was forced to take a step back, a single step with each hit.

But it wasn’t enough.

Fortress caught Becks’ fist, bending it and forcing her to her knees. “You were never enough. None of this was enough. You aren’t a hero. YOU CAN’T FOOL ME!” He screamed as he ripped Beck’s arm off.

Her tough body tried to hold on to it. Ligaments stretched even under Fortress’ impossible strength.

I couldn’t look away, my entire body frozen.

The hero worshiped by so many had just ripped off Becks’ arm mercilessly. He was supposed to be one of the good guys.

Becks jumped to her feet, clocking him in the face with her remaining arm, even as she bled out.

She was trying, even in her dying moments, to stop Fortress.

She was a hero, but that wasn’t enough. At least, it wasn’t enough to survive that day. She was tough, but she wasn’t immortal.

Fortress caught her next punch and his other hand emerged from her back in a spray of blood. He finished her by grasping her spine and ripping it out of her chest.

Becks hung there, her head lolling back and our eyes met for just a moment. She was terrified, but yet she still fought.

The horror in her face was enough for me to take a deep breath and stand up.

I didn’t have anything to live for in the world anymore. And I was going to do what I could to avenge her, even if it meant my death.

Fortress saw me and cocked his head as he tossed Becks to the side like a piece of garbage.

“Kid, what are you doing?” Wrath screamed, holding onto her side. It was gushing blood even as her skin knitted back together.

Truthfully, I didn’t fully know what I was doing.

But I had so much rage building up inside of me. I had to do something. I felt this force in me, deep down. It was like a volcano on the verge of erupting. I just had to do something.

Fortress had a snug grin as his shoulder drew back, his fist crackling tight in perfect clarity before it disappeared.

I raised my hand, and all I could think about was how Fortress didn’t deserve his power. He was a monster.

His fist stopped in my open palm. It wasn’t exactly like I’d caught it. At least, I hadn’t caught it with my fist, but I’d done something to stop his fist.

A tremendous rush filled me. I had survived.

And now I was pissed.

Fortress’ focus was entirely on where our hands met. His face was a mask of shock.

I wound up my other arm, punching what felt like a normal punch.

At the moment, I realized I didn’t have a physical superpower, but something was riding on my arm, a force I didn’t understand.

Not caring what it was, I focused on what did matter. I was going to give Fortress what he deserved.

My fist landed squarely on his chest and his body disappeared, hurtling far off into the distance and taking a chunk out of a skyscraper as he went.

The shock wave came next, and I put more of this force between me and it.

Everything exploded around me as the earth underneath where I hit Fortress pressed down a dozen feet into the ground.

There was so much pressure from my attack that it compressed the concrete and the earth below it to a degree enough to cause the trench.

“Kid.” Wrath wheezed. “Hold up.”

“No.” I said, staring down at my fist as my resolve tightened. “I need to finish this. He needs to pay for what he did.”

“Wa—”

I didn’t stay around to listen to her. She’d failed me; she’d failed Becks and everyone else that had been at the school.

She wasn’t a hero.

Whipping my arms down, I threw more of the force at the ground and launched myself high into the air after Fortress.

I knew he was the most durable hero in the world. There was no way my one punch finished him.

Hovering in the air, I reached for my blossoming new super power and wrapped myself in the force, pushing myself forward.

The sound barrier broke around me, booming in the middle of the air as I rushed faster than my brain could process in a series of quick bursts.

I spotted the edge of the city and a fresh crater just beyond it. I headed that way, knowing that was where Fortress had landed.

I used whatever force was powering me again, sending myself down to greet the son of a bitch.

Just before I hit, I reversed. My stomach did somersaults that nearly made me puke.

Sirens were going off in the distance, and people were peeking out of their homes, venturing to the edge of the city to see what happened.

Soon, the hero they once knew and trusted would attack them. He needed to be put down.

Fortress was dazed, but as I approached he was pulling himself out of the hole his body had made.

I looked him over. He was unblemished except for a bruise starting to form on his cheek from where Becks had punched him.

That reminder was all I needed.

Reaching for everything I had, I drew all of my new ability forward into my fist.

Wind picked up around me, the ground compressing downward and static filling the air.

I opened my palm, finding a little black bead forming. Somehow, all the power I’d gathered was within that little bead, and I could feel the intensity of it.

Pushing it as far as it would go, little jagged black cracks broke out from the bead. I paused, some instinct in me telling me that it was beyond where limits should be pushed. But then I remembered Becks, and I didn’t care.

Holding up the bead, I let it float above my palm, then pointed it towards Fortress.

My vision went white, and the world roared.

I was able to keep my focus on Fortress for a moment, but then he was washed out in the blast as well.

It only took a moment before the blast was over.

My vision came back slowly, my ears ringing.

Where Fortress had been was now a channel. It looked like a titan had drawn a line in the dirt. The ditch was massive; there was just nothing for miles.

I took turns staring at it and staring at my hands. Somehow, I’d done that; I’d just killed Fortress.

Everything inside of me chose that moment to give up. I sagged, falling to my knees as I puked.

My mind was a mess of grief and fear. I had no idea what I was going to do from that point forward.

I emptied my stomach again, my entire body in revolt, until I ran empty.

Out of the corner of my vision, flames carried Wrath down to the ground near me. She was still clutching her side, but she was almost healed.

“Kid, put your hands on your head.”

Her words were enough to snap me out of my shock as it turned to outrage.

“You want to arrest me?” I screamed it at her, throwing a wave of the force out from me and knocking Wrath back. I had saved her from somebody who was supposed to be a hero. It was easy to place my pain on her. “I should decimate you and every other pretend hero in the world.”

But most of all, I wanted out of there to leave this behind me.

Slamming my hands down, I launched myself up into the air, spreading my arms and legs, trying to stabilize myself.

I wobbled, still getting the hang of whatever my abilities were controlling. I spun a bit, but it didn’t take long to spot a few landmarks of the city. “If that way is north. Then…” I turned ninety degrees. “Coast City is that way.”

Slamming this new power over myself, I launched myself across the sky, still not understanding just what this power was or how to use it.

Trying to fly gave me something concrete I could focus my attention on, burying the feelings and the horror of what had just happened.

I flew in the air for a long time, not worrying about being efficient.

When I finally touched down, it was dawn the next day. The sun was just beaming between the leaves.

Landing in the nearby downtown area, I saw myself in the glass reflection of a shop. I was a mess, dust ridden with a suit torn to hell.

The news was playing inside the shop, and I watched as Wrath got up on stage.

“A terrible tragedy has occurred today. Fortress was killed by a new villain…” I didn’t hear the rest of the broadcast as I lost control of my power and the entire storefront exploded. Turning and stuffing my hands in my pockets angrily, I got out of there as fast as I could.

I was not the villain, he was. After what he did to my high school, how could I be the villain?

I walked the couple of blocks to my aunt and uncle's house. They’d left the back door open, and I slipped in earlier than they were expecting.

I was supposed to stay the night at Ryan’s, so they didn’t expect me home until later. But I assumed they’d see the news.

“I can’t believe it. What sort of vile monster would kill Fortress?” My uncle was shouting at the TV.

It felt like someone had just shoved a pick into my heart. Logically, I knew he wasn’t talking about me, at least not knowingly. But I froze there and listened.

The story on the news was nothing like what had happened. They were blaming everything on some new unknown villain.

On me.

And that included the destruction of my high school and the deaths that had occurred there because of Fortress. They were blaming it all on me. Wrath stood there, lying to the world.

She stood there telling the world that I killed Becks and Ryan.

“Wait, was that Miles’ old school? Oh no. We have to call Ryan’s parents.” I could hear my aunt scrambling to grab her phone.

I slipped back out the back door, deciding it was best if the kid they knew had died in the attack.

I stole money, a surfboard, and a wetsuit. Then I found a dude on the beach and paid for surfing lessons.

After that, I used my powers to make sure I lived comfortably, not caring who it affected.