Daniel Peterson
I waited until nightfall. It wasn’t hard to find my way back to the Defenders’ Tower. In fact, I had memorized extensive routes throughout City 57. Most of them I had learned from sneaking out at night to raid for alcohol. But a few of them were for my popular penchant of jumping off buildings. Before I re-entered civilization again, I threw myself off a few skyscrapers for old times’ sake.
I tell you, it never ever gets old. There’s nothing like that rush. The wind pressing right up against you, it’s fantastic. It’s like speeding down a road in a car, except you don’t have a car, and you’ve got nothing to hold you back. Though this time did feel different. Before, I felt like I was trying to break free, and maybe that was still true. But now I just felt lost and hopeless.
I’ll admit, I’ve seriously considered letting myself hit the pavement before. A lot of times, actually. However, now it felt like the pavement was going to hit me no matter what I did. The ground was rushing up faster and faster. I would go splat, and that would be the end of me. Everything I dreamed of would fly from my fingers, leaving me alone, just another broken corpse in this city of corpses.
I opened my eyes, and I was fine. I was standing without a scratch on me in a deserted, ruined street. And yet, I still felt like I was falling anyway.
Teleporting through the buildings once more, I tried not to think about it. It was hard as I passed through the decay of City 57. There’s nothing for the eyes except more scenes of utter filth and crumbling ruin. Even when I reached the populated parts of the city, it was hardly any better. I stuck to rooftops and high floors, getting snapshots of a dark city smoldering with the soft lights of the slums.
Occasionally, I stopped just to look at it all. Every single day—back when I was a superhero—was filled with constant noise of building back better initiatives and new programs to help the poor. But here we were, nearly thirty years after the bombs fell, not much better off than when literal nukes were falling from the sky.
As someone who once stood on the top of the food chain of this broken world, I couldn’t help but think the problem wasn’t feeding the poor or building new houses (which fell down again in a few years anyway). Problem was that we didn’t believe in anything anymore. I mean, you look at old footage of Captain Eagle, and something just stirs in your soul. He talked about a future, something to look forward to, something to build not just for yourself but for your kids and grandkids too.
Something that would last.
I suppose that’s why they dropped a nuke on him. Kicked off a whole damn pointless war. Anything was worth it, so long as that dream was crushed in the dirt.
I teleported again. I had little difficulty traversing the city. Not so much as a single person noticed my presence, after all, I didn’t want them to. Pretty soon, I was in a building adjacent to the Defenders’ Tower.
The compound was just like most of the other buildings of this city—another ugly eyesore that no one wanted. It was twisted into this half-spiral half-rectangle that made it look more like a waste of money than anything else. Usually the place would be swarming with security drones, but I suppose Adam Mason took care of that problem.
The tower was mostly dark tonight, with only a few lights on at the penthouse suite. Somewhere behind those tinted windows was Walter and the team—if they weren’t out at another event anyway. If there was one thing that made me glad, it was that I didn’t have to deal with Walter’s tantrums anymore. I snickered to myself, imagining his reaction when he figured out what happened. Hell, he probably had some poor secretary begging for another nuke. Wish I could’ve been a fly on that wall. Would’ve paid good money to see a recording of him blowing it.
But I also felt more than a little guilty. I probably doomed the Urban Defenders with my stunt. I was a walking talking PR Rep’s worst nightmare. A Supe going rogue was the biggest no no in the entire world. It was the nightmare of every country’s leader. The image of Ultra-man or whatever casually assassinating the government made every normal piss their pants. It was why abnormals were cracked down upon so hard.
Walter wouldn’t just look incompetent—full-blown criminal investigations would be done. Inquiries would be conducted. He could wind up in prison. And for the team? Well, Gen Pop was a possibility, but they could also be recycled for other superhero teams. I hoped for the second option.
Either way, I had no stomach to go in and try to see them. They would hate me even though I saved their lives. My heart fell in my chest as I realized that Sarah would probably hate me too. If she got thrown back in Gen Pop, that meant she would be separated from her mother again. Yes, I stopped Adam Mason from tearing us limb from limb, but I also betrayed them.
So this was what being the adult in the room got you. I didn’t think it would hurt this much. And despite that, I didn’t really blame Mason for any of it. He was caught in this mess as any of us.
No, I blamed the man who ordered us to what would’ve been our deaths.
As much as I dearly wanted to pay Walter a friendly visit, that was too much of a risk. I would have to search the compound, and he certainly would have protection with him. Besides, I didn’t want to get entangled in any fighting tonight. Maybe my chance to hash it out with him would come, but it was not tonight.
I was here for someone else anyway. Also living in the Defenders’ Tower were all the personnel who worked for StarCorp in City 57. You had everyone from secretaries to personal chefs to intelligence analysts to security guards. The list went on and on. You also had a dozen or so fake jobs that went to high priorities as an excuse to give them money. That part didn’t really sting me like it used to. The biggest grifters were the ones in the penthouse suite—where I used to be.
I lowered my gaze down to the lower floors. Of everyone who lived and worked in the Defenders’ Tower, you also had chaperones.
I knew exactly where Jayne’s quarters were. The lights were off, but I didn’t know what that meant. Did they punish him for my behavior? Did they drag him off to an interrogator? Was he kicked to the curb? I hope not. I didn’t know what I would do if he had been hurt because of me.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Teleporting over to his darkened room, it hurt to be in here, knowing this was probably my last time in this room. It was a rather nice apartment. Single bedroom, single kitchen, a nice living room with all the amenities. It was about as good as someone in City 57 could ask for. Jayne and I spent long nights hanging out. He was the one relationship I was allowed to have that felt normal. And I didn’t have to break Walter’s rules either to do it.
I reached for the lamp and switched on some light. I would wait here as long as it would take—or until I got caught.
“Long time no see.”
My heart skipped a beat as I nearly jumped out of my skin. Turning around, I saw Jayne sitting in a recliner. He wore his regular blazer, but his white-collared shirt had the top three buttons undone. He looked ragged, more than he usually did. His hair was messy and his clothes rumpled. Worse, his patented fedora was gone.
“How’s life on the outside?”
I saw a bottle of scotch by him. He had been drinking here in the dark. I couldn’t tell how much, but he definitely had more than normal.
“It’s been… interesting,” I quietly said, unsure of what to say to him.
I was hoping for some more prep time. Suddenly, I was wishing I spent more time on the rooftop to steel myself. You have to understand. I couldn’t let this end badly, not like how I screwed up everything else in my life.
Was he going to be angry? Was he going to hate me too? If I explained to him, would he understand? Or would that just make it worse? There were few things that scared me in the world, that really scared me. The very top of that list was seeing Jayne hate me like all the others. I didn’t look at his expression. I wasn’t ready. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him measuredly stand up and walk over to me.
I tensed. That was all I could do after all the verbal lashings from Walter. It was damn muscle memory at this point. I told myself again and again that I didn’t care, but it still wears down on you. Day in and day out, always being a failure, even though you never signed up for any of this. Being judged by standards that weren’t your own, humiliated and ridiculed for never measuring up to a lie. It made me want to vomit. It was like every bad memory surfaced back, only to taunt me again and—
Jayne suddenly embraced me, and he sobbed.
“I was worried for you, boy.”
I slowly relaxed. I didn’t quite know what to say. Jayne and I were close, but I had never seen him open quite like that before.
“Yeah, I was pretty worried too.”
…
Jayne hadn’t been fired or blamed, at least not yet. Walter had been busy dealing with the internal chaos as his team came back with their tails between their legs. Already several B-Rank heroes were en route and would be here by the morning. The plan was to lie low and hope for another chance at Mason. Meanwhile, they were doing their best to hush matters about me switching sides. No one knew about my betrayal except for the team, Walter, and a few key personnel. The current story was that I went MIA during the fight with Mason, suspected of being taken hostage.
Jayne knew better, though. He always knew better.
I supposed that wasn’t the worst shitstorm that could’ve happened. Still, the Urban Defenders were on the chopping block as I feared. The public, or the part of the public that still gobbled up super hero drama, were furious that the Urban Defenders had been beaten. They demanded new gladiators for their bloodsport, and if Walter couldn’t give it to them, then it was time to replace the man whose sole job was to entertain them.
As for the team, Jayne hadn’t talked to any of them. I wished he had gotten a chance to discuss with Sarah, but that was not meant to be. I don’t know what I was hoping. A message to be passed along? I thought about asking Jayne to reach out to her, but that would put him at further risk. If me and Sarah were to meet again, it would probably have to be when the Urban Defenders were finally sent to take me in.
“So what are you going to do?” I asked, still concerned about what might happen to him. We sat in two chairs opposite of each other.
I knew Jayne was an old man. He wouldn’t survive trying to make a living out on the streets. And the worst part was that there was nothing I could do for him, not without putting a huge target on him. Right now, I might be publicly MIA, but there was no telling when that would turn into “wanted fugitive”. And that’s ignoring who Walter would secretly set on my trail.
“Lay low, probably try to transfer out of the city. Don’t worry about me. I know how to take care of myself. What are you going to do? You’re with that Adam Mason guy, right? Do you have a plan?”
I shook my head. “Listen, I’m sorry. Walter didn’t give me a choice. He was going to order us to our deaths! I didn’t mean any of it! I just did what I could to save—”
“It’s all right,” Jayne cut me off with a reassuring voice. I just stared at him with a broken expression on my face. That was the thing I loved most about the man. Unlike to so many people in my life, I never once had to justify myself to Jayne.
“But you need to start thinking carefully,” he said. “You need to get out of City 57 and fast. Go southwest. It’s dangerous outside the cities, but it will also be harder to track you. With your power, you could probably cover several hundred miles a day. Head for the Mexican States and keep running until you reach Panama. The city hates the Democratic Union. They won’t try to extradite you, and they’re more lax about people with super powers. Not great, but it’s the best option you have.”
I had no idea Jayne was so knowledgeable about the world. It was certainly a side he had never hinted at before. “But won’t I have to cross cartel territory?”
“Yeah.” Jayne admitted. “But it’s still your best bet. Don’t try for a boat. The Democratic Union has its hands in most of the smuggling operations, and that’s how they catch so many runaways. Besides, it’ll only restrict your powers. You need to stay mobile and land-based. Stay off the roads as much as you can. If government convoys aren’t passing through, then it’s the bandits.”
“But if I go to Panama…”
“Yes.” Jayne nodded, already knowing what I was going to say.
I would never see him again, or anyone, for that matter. Running to Panama met severing ties and starting over. No, it wouldn’t just be starting over. It would mean losing everything I still cared about. Maybe that was just Jayne and Sarah, but that was still too hard an ask. Tears welled up in my eyes.
“I don’t know if I can do that.”
“You have to,” Jayne insisted. “They’ll get you. They always do. If not the ASA, then StarCorp.”
“Well, maybe this time I’ve got someone who can fight back. I talked with Mason. He hates the ASA as much as anyone. Maybe, maybe I can stand my ground. If I just—”
“You don’t understand!” Jayne pleaded. “Mason is going to drop dead any day now! You have to run while he’s still kicking! He’s your only distraction.”
I looked at Jayne in shock. So, he figured out about the enzyme. And worse, that clock was a lot shorter than we thought.
I glanced over to the window, knowing Mason was out there somewhere in the city, not realizing he was a dead man walking.
“I have to go tell him,” I said, horrified. “He doesn’t know…”
“Do that,” Jayne agreed. “And then, I beg you, run.”
I looked back to Jayne, and I think he knew exactly why I just couldn’t. In fact, I told him so before on several occasions. If I ever ran away, I was terrified I wouldn’t ever stop. I didn’t want to lead that kind of life. I wasn’t ready to, and I don’t think I ever would be. I knew I did not want to spend my remaining days on this planet looking over my shoulder. If I was going to die, I would much rather go out spitting in the ASA’s face than wallowing in some bombed-out shelter.
“I can’t protect you.” Jayne spoke with a broken voice. I had never seen such guilt on his face before. “I’m sorry… but I can’t protect you from this, not while the ASA is hunting you.”
“It’s all right,” I told him. “I’ll be fine.”
Jayne wiped away his tears. “If you’re going to stay, whatever you do, keep your head down.”
“I will,” I promised. And even though I really meant it, for some reason, it felt like a lie anyway.