Chapter 18: Fallout

The helicopter hovered in silence now, its rotors still slicing through the heavy air above what remained of Galewood, but the tension inside was palpable. Lisa Warner sat stiff in her seat, her hands trembling as they hovered over the controls for her mic. The broadcast had ended just moments ago, but the weight of what they had shown the world lingered, pressing down on her like a physical force.

The Academy.

Rick had turned off the camera, his hands still gripping the equipment like he was afraid to let go, as though doing so would release all the horrors they’d just witnessed. He stared out the window, his eyes wide, his face pale. There were no words.

“They’re going to come after us,” he finally said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Lisa didn’t respond immediately. Her mind was spinning, trying to process the events that had just unfolded. The world had watched as two survivors—a metahuman duo, no less—had been brutally neutralized by the Academy’s forces. The insignia had been clear, visible on every soldier’s uniform. No more hiding. The Academy’s methods had been exposed in front of millions of viewers.

“I… I don’t know,” Lisa replied, her voice shaky. “What could they even do at this point? The world’s seen it. Everyone’s seen it.”

But the fear in her voice betrayed her uncertainty. The Academy wasn’t just any organization—they mostly operated in the shadows, far from the public eye. And now, those ruthless actions were just laid bare for the world to judge.

“We showed too much,” Rick said, his voice thick with anxiety. “They’re going to shut us down. They have to. I mean, we basically just exposed one of the biggest secrets in the country, maybe the world.”

Lisa’s grip tightened on her microphone. She couldn’t argue with him. He was right. There was no telling how the Academy would react to the broadcast going public. But she knew one thing—they had to keep the story alive. They had to make sure the world didn’t look away.

“We need to land,” she finally said, her voice steadying as she forced herself to focus. “We need to get back to the station. We have to follow this story. We can’t let this disappear.”

Rick glanced over at her, his expression uncertain. “What if they come for us?”

Lisa took a deep breath. “Then we deal with it. But we can’t let what happened down there get swept under the rug.”

She leaned forward, giving the pilot a signal. The helicopter began its slow descent, the ruined city below them fading into the distance. Lisa’s heart pounded in her chest as the adrenaline coursed through her veins. Whatever happened next, there was no turning back.

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Meanwhile, at the Academy’s Headquarters…

The sterile, dimly lit halls of the Academy’s secure containment facility buzzed with tension. Word had already spread about the live broadcast—the capture of two metahumans, one of them confirmed to be at the center of the Galewood disaster. But inside the facility, what the public’s reaction was of little concern for now . What mattered now was the containment of the two survivors.

Dr. Marcus Vance, head of the Academy’s Metahuman Research Division, stood in front of a wall of monitors, his gaze fixed on the live feed showing Jake and Levi being wheeled in on gurneys, each bound with restraints designed to suppress their abilities. The soldiers flanked them on either side, ensuring there would be no further incident.

He watched in silence, his hands clasped behind his back. This was what he had feared—an uncontrolled event, broadcast to the world. The Academy thrived on secrecy, on controlling the narrative surrounding metahumans. And now, they had lost some of that control.

“They’re here,” came a voice from behind him.

Vance turned, acknowledging the presence of Agent Talia Reed, one of the Academy’s top field operatives. She had led the strike team herself, and despite the successful capture, the look in her eyes told him she wasn’t pleased.

“We had no choice,” Reed said, her voice low. “They are too dangerous. The metahuman—Jake—he was too unstable, hes too unpredictable. I couldn’t risk the lives of my team. And the other one, the empath… well, it’s hard to say what he’s actually capable of. You saw what happened.”

Vance nodded, his gaze returning to the monitors. “Yes. But the broadcast… the world saw it. They saw us.”

Reed’s jaw tightened. “I’m aware.”

There was a long silence between them as the monitors flickered, showing the two captives being transported to their holding cells. Jake was still unconscious, his body slumped against the restraints, while Levi’s head lolled to the side, his glowing red eyes dim and unfocused. Whatever damage had been done to him, it had clearly left him broken, both physically and mentally.

“Where do we go from here?” Reed asked, her tone neutral but edged with concern.

Vance didn’t answer right away. His mind was already racing, calculating the next steps. Damage control was essential, but the real question was how to handle Jake and Levi. The public would demand answers. The media would pry. And the Academy could no longer completely hide behind closed doors.

“We’ll study them,” Vance said finally, his voice calm. “We need to understand exactly what they’re capable of, especially the empath. He survived something… that no one else could have.”

Reed nodded, though there was a shadow of doubt in her expression. “And the public?”

Vance’s eyes darkened. “We’ll find a way to control the narrative. We always do.”

He turned back to the monitors, watching as Jake and Levi disappeared into the depths of the Academy’s facility. The world had seen some of the Academy’s true face today. Now, they would do whatever it took to keep the rest hidden.

Elsewhere: The Public’s Reaction

On screens across the country, the footage of all the destruction and Jake and Levi’s brutal capture played on loop. The world had watched in stunned silence as the Academy’s forces neutralized the two men, their insignia unmistakable. Social media exploded with outrage, fear, and confusion.

Who were these men? Why had the Academy acted with such force? What exactly had caused the destruction of an entire city?

In living rooms, cafes, and offices, people gathered to watch the news coverage, their faces pale as they discussed the implications of what they had seen.

“It’s terrifying,” one woman said, her voice shaking as she watched the footage for the third time. “They didn’t even try to help them. They just… beat them into submission. Why, they are just kids right?”

A man beside her shook his head. “They’re hiding something. I bet those two were involved in the explosion. Metahumans are dangerous—we all know that. But… why didn’t they just, ya know, detain them? Why make such a spectacle?”

The debate raged on. Some feared the metahumans, calling for stricter control and containment. Others were horrified by the Academy’s violent tactics, demanding answers from the government.

Protests were already forming outside the Academy’s public facilities, and the footage from Galewood had only added fuel to the fire. The world was no longer in the dark about some of the Academy’s methods. And for the first time in decades, the balance of power between metahumans and the authorities was shifting.