I opened my eyes with a gasp and immediately cried out as my body glitched. My shouts reverberated within themselves and I rolled over in agony before catching myself on the floor. A hand steadied me, laying me back down against the floor and a makeshift pillow.
“You, ok?” a familiar voice said. I opened my eyes, looking up at Emi who knelt over me, a small slightly forced smile on her face.
“Yeah, I'm fine” I mumbled wincing, as I moved. “Give me an hour and I’ll be-”
I glitched again, the sensation far more painful this time. The feeling was sharp, like a knife cutting deep, all throughout my body. I gasped, spasming on the floor as I coughed hard, my lungs even rejecting the air I tried to breath. Then it was over, my breaths steady and slow, and my face planted firmly on the floor.
A slow breeze smoothed over me, flapping strands of hair away from my face as I rolled over. It cooled the sweat that’d formed on my face as winced. My front started to throb dully, as if my body were suddenly remembering the pain from the robot’s slash.
“Ow” I mumbled. I tried to sit up again, but Emi gently held me down.
“It’s ok” she said. “Just stay still for now”
I nodded, slowly becoming aware of slightly panicked voices all around. Emi glanced behind her and I looked too. The team was all here, except Mia. They moved around quickly, assembling various pieces of machinery into a strange metallic disk on the floor.
And Gwen was at the centre of it all, moving around the most frantically, as she worried herself, directing everyone to help her with the various parts and a few computers. A few kept looking over to each other uncertain, but they moved about with urgency, and grace the situation clearly dire.
I laid my head back down sighing.
“Looks like a kitchen” I chuckled.
“What?” Emi said.
“A kitchen" I mumbled to no response. "Like a restaurant's kitchen at opening? With everyone running around?”
She stared at me blankly, clearly confused.
“Ok. Don’t worry, wasn’t trying to be funny or anything”
“Oh, you were making a joke” she said, a grin slowly forming.
“Geez no need to rub it in”
We both chuckled before I broke out into a fit of coughing and clutched at my chest. Emi steadied once again, her face growing serious.
“Don’t joke if it hurts”
“It’s ok. I’m fine, I’m fine”
Emi nodded, still forcing her grin, but didn’t respond. The grimness hidden in her expression was all I needed to know. I looked down at myself. My injuries alone were enough to warrant a hospital visit, but if they’d brought me here – wherever here was. If the disk was what I thought it was, it meant this glitching thing was more dire. Shit. I lay my head back down against the makeshift pillow and let out a heavy breath.
“How long was I out?” I mumbled.
“Only about an hour” Emi said.
“Ok. Uh… did you pick up Reverso?”
“Yeah, Myles picked him up when he was taking Mia to the hospital, and put the NE limiter cuffs on him”
“NE?”
“Negative energy”
“Right. So... we really got him?”
“Yep. She took him straight to the police”
“Wow, you guys were hyping him up and I got him just like that” I chuckled. Emi chuckled too, before steadying me as I started to cough again.
"No jokes" she said firmly. "Seriously"
"Ok" I mumbled nodding. She looked at me, her expression shifting slightly then glanced behind her again. I watched her look over the others, her brows furrowing.
“Is... everyone ok?”
“Uh, yeah. Mia’s hurt, but it’s not too bad or anything” she said nodding.
“That’s good. And what about the TechHeads?”
“Athena stopped them. They didn't even make it past the front gate. Everything’s good”
“Perfect” I mumbled. "Perfect, perfect, perfect."
I winced slightly, and shifted my weight, moving as if to escape the pain. It only worsened, and I jolted before stiffening.
“Try to stay still” Emi whispered.
“Mhm” I nodded. After a deep breath I tried to relax, which was pretty difficult to do whilst stewing in the pain of broken bones and what was probably internal organ damage. So I switched to focusing on my breathing and the soft sound of the wind. I listened for a few moments, then glanced to the side, looking at our surroundings. We were atop a rooftop, one that felt somewhat familiar. Oh. It was my school rooftop.
Gwen had mentioned something about visiting this place. I couldn't remember what.
“Everybody step back” a voice suddenly said loudly. I turned, looking away from the edge and toward the centre of the building. Gwen and everyone else stepped back from the assembled machine. It was all metal, with a disk on the floor, surrounded by prongs and a somewhat large ring of smaller prongs suspended mid-air by strands of web.
Leads ran from the disk on the floor centre to the computer Gwen had and what looked like some kind of power source. Gwen stepped behind the computer and began tapping away furiously at the keyboard. The others watched with bated breath, before finally, she stopped and nodded muttering to herself.
“Ok, ok” Gwen said. She hit the button and sparks appeared in the air above the disk before it fizzled out. The shift in everyone's demeanour was like watching fans of a sports team lose to a buzzer beater. It'd almost be funny if it didn't directly relate to my life or death.
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“Work dammit” Gwen cried, pressing the button again. The machine buzzed louder this time, and the flickers returned. They fizzled a lot brighter this time and the air started to distort, but something went up in a puff of smoke and the distortion faded.
“Shit” Gwen cursed, rushing forwards. She pulled at a few of the smoking wires, then cursed again. She glanced back to me and Emi, her eyes widening when she realised I was awake. The others all turned too, looking at me.
“Uh… morning everyone” I mumbled. Instantly I glitched again, pain wracking me once again like a harsh shock of electricity. When it stopped everyone stood over me, their faces filled with worry.
“I’m fine, I'm fine” I coughed.
“Don’t talk if it hurts” Cindy said, kneeling down next to Emi as she pulled off her mask.
“It’s ok. Really” I said. Cindy nodded and clutched my arm tightly.
“We’ll get you home ok? You’ll be fine” she said, nodding to herself, her eyes slightly wet.
“I know” I mumbled weakly. Her and the others gazes only seemed to grow sadder. I forced a smile, suddenly wary of how my condition probably affected the others mental states. I needed to say something hopeful. “I... I’m just glad you guys are all ok”
They nodded, unsure how to respond.
“I’m fine guys. You don’t need to crowd around me” I wheezed, my eyes fixing on Gwen’s lens. I caught a reflection of myself, but even without seeing her eyes, I could tell see her uncertainty. But then she nodded, looked to everyone and cleared her throat loudly.
“Ok guys, enough chit-chat. Come on we need to get this thing working” she said. The group all nodded and turned, rushing back toward the machine. Emi and Cindy stayed at my side, and Myles hesitated, lingering behind too.
“You guys ok?” I mumbled.
“I… I can’t believed I slept through the damn alarm” Cindy said, the bitterness in her voice directed at herself.
“Cindy…” Emi muttered.
“Yeah, come on, you were hurt" Myles added. She continued to look at me, the regret in her face clear.
"It’s fine Cindy. Reverso probably would've just kicked both our asses"
She nodded, her eyes slightly tearful and clutched my arm tighter. My eyes stayed on her a moment, before flicking to Myles. His mask was off too, and he looked to me clearly unsure of himself.
“What's wrong?” I asked.
“Nothing. I just... uh… thanks back there man. For saving me and Mia, it… uh… it was pretty close”
“No problem man”
He nodded, unsure how to respond and glanced to Emi.
“It’s ok Myles. You too Cindy. Go help Gwen” she said her voice kind. They both nodded, then both rushed over.
I watched them go before looking back to Emi.
“You not going to help?” I asked.
“Well, someone has to stay with you. Make sure you don’t’…” she trailed off.
“I’ll be fine” I mumbled.
“You sure?” she mumbled.
“Yeah. You’ll only be like ten feet away. Go” I mumbled. She hesitated, then forced her signature grin and nodded, rushing away to join the others.
The moment she left I felt a coldness return to me, the familiar creeping sensation of loneliness that’d been with me for the past three and a half years. I tried to ignore it, but it flowed through me anyway, like a splash of cold water. My aches grew, the pains becoming sharper and my mind foggier. I coughed hard, and rolled onto my side, steadying myself against the ground.
After a few deep breaths I looked forward, staring out over the river to calm myself. The view from between the two bridges beautiful as always.
It was slightly different here, but it reminded me of the all the times I’d been up here back home.
Coming up here with Yerin right before this mess, those random sleepless nights after first quitting all those years ago, and the first time I’d come up here; the act of rebellion on my first day at school. It’d seemed so cool at the time, but now I just pitied the younger me. He’d just been scared and had chosen to try and run away. Just like always.
But with the pity, was a sliver of hate too. If I’d never gone up here, how much better would the world be? If I hadn’t gotten these powers so many bad things wouldn't have happened. So many people might still be alive.
But it was stupid to think I was the centre of the world. People would still die too. Ricardo would be bad with or without my powers, and others certainly would be as well. Sure, I wasn't the best, and it’d taken a while for things to change, but I was getting better. I didn’t want to just run away anymore, I wanted to help.
I always had in the back of my mind, but now I had the strength to actually do it in the face of adversity. I’d rescued people here today, saved lives. And it’d felt amazing. It’d felt right, even if I’d been scared. It’d been so much better than just running away.
And now it might be over. I might actually die. Like a sick joke, as soon as I’d started to improve, to help, it’d all just get ripped away from me? I clenched my fist tightly, my bloodied hand shaking.
Was this punishment? For all the lives lost by my years of refusal to help? For the Bederson Incident? For Amy? For killing Ricardo and all those people in Chelsea?
Maybe the death of my parents wasn't my fault, but the trauma I'd carried with me, the scars the accident had left had led me to hurt others. Directly and indirectly. I'd killed someone because of guilt and anger at myself, for fucks sake. He was a bad person, but I hadn't had to kill him. My parents blood might not have been on my hands, but his was.
I knew it’d come back for me one day, but now? Here? Was this really it?
“Shit” I whispered, clenching my fist tightly as the cold began to grow more.
I guess in a way I deserved it. But still, more than anything, right now, I wanted to live. I looked down at my hands, then back up to the river, the light of the sun sparkling off the surface. It was funny in a way, ironic, that this whole thing started and ended here too.
I watched it for a few moments longer, my mind empty as I struggled to grasp what was really happening to me. The sound of a few frustrated cries echoed from behind me and I turned back to see the machine fizzle out again.
My body glitched again, the feeling more violent, my being grating against the rest of the world like nails on a chalk board. It stopped and Emi kneeled next to me, her hand steading me again as I gasped for air, my body growing colder now.
“Lucas!?”
“It’s… it’s ok” I wheezed, struggling to breath. “Can you… can you help me stand?”
“What? No. Just lay back down on the jacket and-“
“Please” I said, grabbing her hand desperately. She looked to me, then glanced back and cursed to herself before putting my arm over her shoulders. She lifted and I stumbled slightly but caught myself. My entire body felt heavy, my feet clumsy.
“Is this ok?” she mumbled.
“Over there” I motioned further inward toward a ventilation pipe on the roof. She frowned, confused, but nodded leading me forwards anyway. Our steps were slow, dragging, and I leant against Emi hard, smearing blood against the white of her suit.
“Thanks” I mumbled. ”For earlier. It… it helped a lot… to speak with someone about that”
“It’s ok Lucas”
“You’re… good. Really… good” I mumbled. “I would’ve… I would’ve liked being friends with you”
“H-hey. Don’t talk like that. You’re gonna be fine” Emi said. “And when Gwen figures this portal thing out, we can be. We'll be able to talk whenever”
“I… hope your Lucas makes it back… so you can talk to him” I responded, ignoring her.
“Lucas stop it” she said firmly, coming to a stop.
“Let's keep going... Please”
“No. I don’t like this or the way your talking”
“Please” I mumbled. “Just… behind the vent. Put me… behind the vent”
“What? Why?”
“Please” I urged.
“Why?”
“I don’t… you shouldn’t have to watch… no one should” I muttered, clutching my side. Her expression grew even sadder as she looked to me, tears sparkling in her eyes.
“If… if it works after I… can you tell my family?” I mumbled. “I know it’s a lot but…”
“I will” she nodded, wiping at her eyes.
I suddenly I stumbled and fell. Emi caught me, and tried to force me up, but my legs didn’t respond and I slumped against her. My grip on her costume felt weak, feeble and I started to slip further as she readjusted her grip on me.
“Shit” she mumbled. “Lucas? Lucas?!”
Her voice sounded distant, far further away than it should’ve. I looked to her, then beyond at the others as they tried desperately to start the machine yet again.
Gwen hit the button and a distortion appeared over the disk. It lasted longer this time, clearly fighting to survive, but began to fade just like the others.
Then, suddenly, another distortion appeared next to it. It was faint, far fainter than the first, but with each second it grew in brightness.
The twin distortions remained for a second, then eventually started to fizzle out. But as they did, they pulled at each other, and started to grow. My eyes widened as I watched them continue growing and growing until they tore at the fabric of space, finalising as a constantly shifting mass of glowing orange with flashes of other colours.
Emi lifted me into a bridal carry and started forward quickly, but Gwen stopped her.
“Gwen?!”
“I don’t know where that second portal came from. Let me test it first” Gwen. But before she could do anything, a head poked through, a red mask with large white eyes. It looked around at all the spider people confused, then locked eyes with me.
“Lucas?” a familiar voice said. I grinned to myself. Goddamn. I really was a lucky bastard.
“Hey Pete”