The night air hung heavy with moisture as Dashuan made his way through the familiar streets surrounding the stadium.

His footsteps echoed off the empty storefronts and abandoned buildings, a ghostly reminder of the life that once thrived here. He wasn't sure why he had come back to this place--

Perhaps some misguided hope for normalcy, or a desire to confront the life he had left behind one last time.

As he approached the looming steel structure of the stadium, memories flooded back.

The howl of the crowds, the smell of wet spicy hot dogs and wet buttery popcorn, the camaraderie of his fellow workers sometimes shared with him when their team won.

It all seemed like a lifetime ago now.

The security gate was locked, though with a gentle push, the metal bars bent like rubber, allowing him to slip through. He made his way towards the funky concession stands, his enhanced senses picking up the faint scent of stale beer and burnt grease from the gate.

"Who's there?" a gruff voice called out, startling Dashuan from his reverie.

A beam of light cut through the darkness, illuminating his face. "Dashuan? Is that you?"

Mr. Hernandez, the head of concessions and Dashuan's former boss stepped into view. His weathered face reddened as he took in Dashuan's ruddy appearance.

"Mr. Hernandez," Dashuan said, his voice soft.

"I... I'm not here to cause trouble. I just wanted to--"

"Stay back!" Hernandez shouted, stumbling backward.

"You... you're one of those freaks now! I've seen you on the news. You're dangerous!"

Dashuan felt a pang in his chest at the fear in his former mentor's words.

"Please, Mr. Hernandez. It's still me. I'm still the same person who worked for you all those years."

But Hernandez wasn't listening.

His eyes were wild with panic as he fumbled for something behind the counter. "You shouldn't be here," he growled.

"You're not welcome anymore. You're a monster, a danger to everyone!! How the fuck could you come back here?!"

"Mr. Hernandez, please," Dashuan pleaded, taking a step forward.

"I just want to talk. To explain-"

The sound of a gun being cocked froze Dashuan in his tracks.

Hernandez had pulled out an old revolver, his hand shaking as he pointed it at Dashuan's chest. "I said stay back!"

"I'll... I'll shoot! I swear I will! you fuckin' Freak!" Hernandez yelled, his voice bursting from quivering lips.

Dashuan could see the trembling of Hernandez's finger on the trigger, he could hear the rapid beating of the man's heart.

He knew he could disarm Hernandez easily or withstand the bullet if the man did manage to fire--

But he didn't want to hurt him, didn't want to prove right all the fears people had about Aberrants. "Mr. Hernandez,"

"You don't need to be afraid. I'm not here to hurt anyone. I just wanted to-" Dashuan said, his voice calm despite the turmoil in his heart.

The thunderclap of a gunshot split the air, but it wasn't from Hernandez's revolver.

The old forhead caved in, exploding hot chunky mist into the air and sending particles of brain matter all over the stands he had once worked.

His carcass crumpled to the ground, the unfired gun clattering from his lifeless hand.

Dashuan spun around, knowing what happened to the Mayor was not what happened here; Agent Cassandra stood there, her gun still smoking.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Derek was beside her, his face pale with shock as barred her chest with his arm.

"What have you done?" Dashuan roared, rushing to Hernandez's flank.

But it was too late.

The man who had given him his first job, who had been like a father to him, was gone.

"He was a threat," Cassandra said coolly, holstering her weapon with ease as she wiped her hands of residue. "We couldn't risk him harming you or exposing our presence here...Not with the summit so soon, you did agree--"

"He wasn't going to shoot!" Dashuan cried, cradling Hernandez's lifeless body and caking his hands in blood. "He was just scared! I could have--"

Derek stepped forward, holding a strange remote in his hand. "Dashuan, I'm sorry. We didn't mean for this to happen. But you have to understand, we're operating on a different level now. As sovereign citizens and diplomats of the highest order, you Aberrants have to make difficult decisions for the greater good."

Dashuan felt something snap inside him.

The doubts he had been harboring since agreeing to their plan crystallized into a hard certainty. These people, with their talk of a better future, were no better than the authorities they claimed to be fighting against if they saw no value in life.

"You're insane," he spat, gently laying Hernandez's body down.

Cassandra's eyes limited as she stared at him, pulling the gun to her side. "I think you're forgetting the bigger picture here, Dashuan. We're trying to CREATE a safe haven for Aberrants like you.--

"Sometimes sacrifices have to be made for the greater good." She stated matter of factly.

"Not like this," Dashuan growled, rising to his feet.

"I won't be a part of this. I'm done...Good luck with Arc; I doubt she will even listen to you sick fucks!"

He turned to leave. Dashuan needed to warn Arc and needed to find a way to stop these people before they could hurt anyone else without causing another scene like he had before.

"I'm afraid we can't let you leave, Dashuan. You know too much, and we've invested too much in you." Cassandra's voice stopped him cold.

Dashuan turned back, his fists clenched.

"You can't stop me," His tone was blade-like, mirroring the cold drops of rain that began to fall.

Cassandra smiled, a cold, calculating expression that sent chills down Dashuan's spine. "Perhaps not. But Derek can."

At her words, Derek stepped forward fully as he pressed a sequence into the remote device.

There was a whirring sound, and suddenly his body was encased in a sleek, high-tech suit that soared through the wall to his left.

It hummed with energy, arcs of red electricity dancing across its surface.

"I'm sorry, Dashuan," Derek said, his voice distorted by the suit's speakers as it gleamed in the light of the city.

"But we can't let you jeopardize everything we've worked for. This suit... it mimics your powers, and Arc's too. We wanted to show you what we're capable of--" His suit began to discharge more electricity into the air, blazing the body of Mr. Hernandez to a charred skeleton.

"what we could achieve together. But if you won't join us willingly..."

"If you want a fight..." Dashuan growled, putting up his fists as the blood inside him seethed at the skeletal remains.

"Then you fucking have one--You son of a bitch."

Derek hesitated for a tense second, the suit's glowing crimson eyes fixed on Dashuan.

With a burst of speed that rivaled Dashuan's own, he blitzed forward with enough speed to rip the cement from the ground.

Derek's suit gave him incredible strength and speed, allowing him to match Dashuan blow for blow as the Aberrant tried to block his attacks.

Electricity crackled through the air, scorching off Dashuan's tough skin and leaving him gasping for breath as he was sent back. Derek followed with a flying knee that drove him into a nearby shopping mall.

Dashuan had trained, learned to push his limits--Yet he still couldnt stand up to even a human replicating his powers.

He dodged and weaved as Derek resumed his attack with a series of punches, and stepped back after taking the brunt of it to the chin.

Using his knowledge of the stadium to his advantage, He led Derek on a chase through the bleachers, using the tight spaces to limit the suit's mobility as they tore through the stadium's abandoned seats.

As he barely dodged swift kicks and chancing electric blasts, Dashuan could see the conflict in Derek's eyes through the suit's flashing visor. His former acquaintance was holding back, not using the full extent of the suit's capabilities.

"It doesn't have to be this way, Derek!" Dashuan shouted as he narrowly sidestepped a blast of crimson electricity.

"Every life matters!"

Derek's response was an audible grunt as he launched himself at Dashuan, the suit's enhanced strength sending them both crashing through a massive steel support beam.

They tumbled out onto the street, sending small explosions as they crashed into swerving cars.

Pedestrians fled in terror. The sounds of sirens filled the air as police responded to the disturbance.

Dashuan and Derek were lost in their own world, locked in a struggle that was as much about ideals as it was about physical prowess.

"I'm trying to show you!" Derek cried, his voice cracking with emotion even through the suit's speakers.

"Can't you see that? We're offering you a chance at a real life, a chance to make a difference! The greater good always wins!"

Dashuan rolled to avoid another attack, the pavement cracking beneath Derek's fist as he let out a hooked kick where Dashuan's head had been.

"At what cost?" he shouted back. "Look around you, Derek! Look at the destruction we're causing! Is this really the way to make the world better?"

Dashuan began to notice something.

Derek's attacks were becoming less coordinated, more desperate. The suit was pushing him to his limits, both physically and mentally as it seemed to almost be controlling him at times to compensate for the difference in sense.

Realizing that continuing to fight would only lead to more destruction, Dashuan made a decision.

He stopped evading, ceased even countering Derek's attacks. Instead, he stood his ground, absorbing blow after punishing blow that was dished to him.

"What the hell are you doing?" Derek cried, his fists hammering against Dashuan's face. "Fucking fight back!"

Derek slammed his fist across Dashuans face, almost sending him off skyward but he used his powers to anchor himself to the floor; creating a crater with each devastating combo that was let loose.

He only stood there.

his body battered and broken, but his spirit undefeated.

"No,"

"I won't fight back..." His voice was barely audible over the sound of another blast discharging into his body, sending scorched burn marks down his right arm.

Derek's attacks slowed, then stopped altogether.

He stood there as well, the suit's energy field subtly crackling around him, staring at Dashuan in disbelief as the building shook around them.

"Look," Dashuan said, gesturing to the devastation that surrounded them.

An entire city block had been reduced to basic rubble and molten pockets of debris. Cars lay overturned and roasting, buildings semi-crumbled and shattered.

In the distance, the wail of sirens grew ever louder.

"Is this the future you're fighting for?" Dashuan asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Derek's shoulders slumped with mechanical grace.

The suit powered down, its red glow fading until it was just a shell of metal and circuitry that encased the man. "I... I didn't mean for this to happen,"

"I thought we were doing the right thing, Cassandra and--" he said, his voice breaking.

Dashuan took a step towards his former lunch buddy, ignoring the pain that coursed through his battered body. "We can still do the right thing, Derek...We can still--"