CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Three Months Ago

Jack made his way across the roof. The police had shown up long after he escaped the neighborhood. Now he had explored all the way up the Manhattan isle, to the scrapers. He climbed the hundreds of floors with ease. Like a cat he mounted the corner and grappled his way to the top. Now Jack rested on the perch. He sat and he watched the sun rising. It was a new day, a first day. The first morning he had felt good since he could remember.

Jack could feel it. He had power. He looked at his own hand. He looked across the sky at the next skyscraper. It was the Empire State Building. Jack focused on the observation deck platform and closed his eyes. He jumped off the adjacent rooftop and right before he began the descent of his arc, he teleported. When he materialized, Jack was standing on the observation deck platform. His cape waved in the wet cloud air. Alarms sounded off. He must have tripped a security measure.

Jack jumped over the jagged gates and slipped down the corner. He sprawled out and remained close to the Empire State Building as he fell through the air. He pictured his bed, as clear as he could, in the apartment with Dr. Randolph. Jack dematerialized.

When he came back into reality after the flash-jump, Jack found himself sitting in his bed. Dr. Randolph was startled off his seat upon Jack's arrival.

"Sorry Doc."

The kind Doctor examined Jack's state from his seat. He took a break from his dubious work to check up on him.

"That's some get-up" he diagnosed.

Jack didn't answer but laid back in the bed and effortlessly passed out. He claimed victory over this day. Tomorrow was already shining through the cracks of the blinds.

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Two Months Ago

The kids ran into the alleyway wall. Their hair was grabbed, and their heads were thrust into the bricks, breaking their faces. Jack appeared in between the kids and the muggers. With his back to the muggers, he wrapped his hand around the kids faces and teleported out of there. He landed on the rooftop across the street. It was a two story church. Jack healed their faces and sent them on their way. They did not say a word. A young couple, guy and girl, nearly being killed, desperate and grateful to walk out of the entire encounter unscathed. Jack showed them the door inside and teleported back to the alleyway. The two muggers were already fleeing. He caught their trail and got ahead of them.

Jack tripped one with the other and hung them both up upside down in the alleyway. When the police would eventually find them, they would find drugs and stolen goods in their pockets. Every thug was dirty down here. It was never going to get better. No matter how powerful Jack became. It would never be good enough.

He went back to training on a rooftop in midday. He was fine-tuning a new power. He had triggered a camouflage reflex like that of a chameleon only a couple of days ago. Now Jack was learning how to reflect the light into focused rays and send it out in a burst.

He was learning quick that his powers were constantly evolving. It made him feel uneasy. Like he was being equipped for something far greater than all of this. Jack feared that Fitzsimons was still planning something somewhere. He wanted to go home and see his family, his wife. That hadn't changed. And he didn't think it ever would.

Jack went invisible, drew the light together and down, then in, focusing it and exploding it out in a wild burst of white hot sunrays. It glistened before it ignited. After the light from the flash faded there stood Jack once again visible. He still could not remain invisible after letting out the burst. But his Sensei's training had taught him how to eventually master his skills.

Word was spreading of Jack's presence. Petty thieves and bums left the neighborhood, leaving only the gangs. Some say it was worse after that. Gunfights in broad daylight. Drive-by's in front of schools and churches. murders and rape reported every day. He destroyed one small time sect. He needed a much bigger plan to eradicate the major city gangs. Jack would have to do some research first. He slowly came up with a plan over the next couple of days as he mastered his camouflage flash.