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Prologue: ------Titan------
The relentless winter rain hammered against the grimy windows, each drop a ticking time bomb in Jay's spinning sanity. He stood rigidly still, brown calloused hands pressed against the ice-cold glass, eyes darting between shadowy alleyways of New Heaven, Kansas.
"Four years," he muttered, his shallow words barely audible above the storm's fury outside. "Four years of running, and for what?"
Sarah's reflection appeared in the blurred window, her light caramel eyes exhausted with perpetual anxiety. "Jay," she whispered.
"did you hear something?"
He shook his head, not trusting his voice's volume. Sarah moved closer, her delicate curls brushing against his arm. "Dashuan's asleep," she said, a hint of relief in her tone.
Sarah peeked through the same window, scanning the city lights that glimmered in the reflections of fallen water. "I think he was smiling."
Jay's jaw clenched at the mention of their son. "Did you lock the safe?" he asked, his voice tight. There was a silence between them for a moment.
Sarah's brown eyes narrowed. "Of course I did," she replied, exasperation coloring her words. "You don't need to ask every night."
"I do," Jay snapped, whirling to face her. "Because every night could be our last if we slip up." Their words hung heavy in the air, a chasm of unspoken fears between them.
"He's not a weapon, Jay," Sarah communicated as she pressed her lips together, tears glistening in her eyes. "Dashaun is our son. Our little miracle."
Jay's chuckle was bitter, bordering on hysteria. "Miracle? Is that what you call it when your 4-Year-Old can fucking bend steel with his bare hands?"
He pushed away from her gently, beginning to pace the small apartment space's grimy interior. "When he floats in his sleep for fuck's sake?!"
"It's a blessing, from god " Sarah demanded, her voice taking on a fervent tone. "Dashuan is the savior this evil world needed. The Messiah—"
"Stop it!" Jay was almost in tears now as well, hiding his eyes that flashed with fear-born outrage.
"Your Christian bullshit isn't going to keep us safe. It's not going to stop the government from turning our son into a lab rat or a killingmachine...We need more than--"
Their argument was cut short by a sound from outside—the screech of tires on wet pavement, car doors slamming, and the metallic click of weapons being readied.
"No," Sarah breathed, her face draining of color. "Not again. Not here."
Jay was already moving, snatching the go-bag from under the threadbare couch. "Get Dashuan. Now!"
Sarah sprinted to the bedroom as Jay retrieved their crisis cash and fake IDs from a hidden compartment under the sink. His hands shook violently as he stuffed everything into the tattered bag, his quick mind already planning their escape routes. A thunderous crash from the hallway sent Jay's heart into overdrive.
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"Sarah!" he yelled, abandoning all stealth. "We've got to go!" He cried as the safety clicked off on his stolen pistol. She emerged from the bedroom, Dashuan clutched to her heaving chest.
The boy was awake now, his unnaturally bright lilac eyes taking in the chaos with an eerie calmness that unsettled Jay which signalled his powers activation.
He hadn't uttered a word since his abilities manifested, and the silence was more unnerving than any childish babble could have been in this situation as it always was.
Before they could move, the door burst inward, spraying splinters like shrapnel during wartime.Black-armored figures swarmed into the apartment, their faces hidden behind opaque visors. "BREACH! BREACH! BREACH!" The shout was followed by the deafening pop of a flashbang grenade.
Jay's vision went seething white, his ears tingling as he stumbled blindly through the ruined apartment. He could hear Sarah shrieking, the sound muffled and distant, like he was underwater or behind a heavy cloth.
"Careful, this one is dangerous! ENGAGE NOW!"
As Jay's vision slowly returned in blotchy green patches, he saw Sarah huddled in the corner, shielding Dashuan with her body. The boy's eyes were intensely glowing, an unearthly gleam that cast eerie shadows on the wall behind the agents.
"Please," Sarah sobbed, her voice cracking with desperation. "He's just a baby. Don't hurt him."
One of the soldiers stepped forward, his rifle trained on the cowering pair. "Ma'am, step away from the Aberrant. This is your final warning."
Jay watched in horror as Dashuan's eyes erupted even brighter, and suddenly, the boy was floating, rising out of Sarah's arms like a vengeful specter of a haunted mansion.
"Dashuan, no!" Sarah cried, reaching for him with trembling hands.
It was too late. With a sound like a sonic boom, Dashuan shot forward, his small body moving faster than the eye could track.
The first soldier went down with a sickening crunch, his chest caving in from the impact and spraying blood from his eyes and mouth. His essence surged across the room, painting the walls a gruesome crimson.
The room erupted in chaos as the child made it's next move and the soldiers began firing wildly, the muzzle flashes illuminating the horror on the enlistees' faces as their bullets ricocheted harmlessly off Dashuan's skin and in different directions.
He moved through the squad like a Squelching wrecking ball, each impact accompanied by the horrifying bluster of bones shattering and armor imploding with bloody uproar. Jay and Sarah watched in stunned silence; viewing their four-year-old son, their little boy, tearing through trained killers like they were made of wet toilet paper in a hot porta-potty.
In less than a minute, it was over.
The apartment was silent save for the sound of Dashuan's feet touching down on the blood-slicked floor of the apartment, landing next to the severed head of the lead agent and crushing it after only moments of staring at it.
"Oh God," Sarah whispered, her tawny face ashen, hands clasped over her mouth. "What...what have we done?"
Jay felt hot bile rise in his throat, the stingingly guttural taste of fear and disgust overwhelming him as he wiped his face. He swallowed hard, forcing himself to move. "We need to go. Now." He grabbed the go-bag and approached Dashuan, who stood amidst the carnage, his eyes slowly fading back to their normal soft lilac color.
"Dashuan," Jay said, kneeling in front of his son, struggling to keep his voice steady.
"You can't... we can't let this happen again. Do you understand? You have to control it. You need to be careful with others." The young boy nodded solemnly, his eyes holding a wisdom far beyond his years.
Still, he remained silent, the weight of his actions seeming to press down on his small shoulders more so than his parents thought. Sarah joined them, her hands shaking violently as she reached for Dashuan.
"Baby," she choked out, large tears streaming down her face, "we love you. You have to make better choices. We... we need to teach you how to use your strength without hurting people."
As sirens began to wail in the distance, growing louder with each passing second, the small family made their way to the fire escape.
Jay paused at the window, looking back at the scene of carnage.
"We'll teach him," he said, more to himself than to Sarah, his voice thick with emotion. "We'll find a way to help him control it. We have to, or..." He left the thought unfinished, the alternative too terrifying to communicate.
Sarah nodded, clutching Dashuan close, her eyes haunted yet filled with hope. "We have to. For his sake, and for everyone else's. We can't let him become the weapon they want him to be."
With one last look at the home they were leaving behind, a gruesome presentation of their son's fearsome strength, the family disappeared into the rainy night and off into the streets of New Heaven.
The weight of Dashuan's abilities and the uncertainty of their future hung heavily upon them, a burden that threatened to crush them all if they had fully realized the full gravity. As they dissolved into the crowd of citizens forming outside, Jay and Sarah exchanged glances; not able to even speak as they covered Dashuan's cumbersome glowing eyes while maintaining a brisk pace.
They had to succeed in guiding their son, in teaching him control and compassion. The alternative was unthinkable-- a future where Dashuan's power went unchecked, where he became the very weapon they feared, capable of destroying not just a room of soldiers, but perhaps the world itself.
The rain continued to fall, washing away the evidence of their presence, but the memory of what had transpired would haunt them forever, driving them forward into an uncertain future.