Ryker managed to turn his head away from Gary's body before he retched. After the initial volley of vomit, he dropped to his knees and dry-heaved a couple more times. His entire body was shaking afterward, a combination of adrenaline loss and exhaustion.

For the first time, he noticed how sweaty he was as it dripped into his eyes and made them sting. He wiped his eyes the best he could with his shoulder, but it didn't help much. Ryker kept his head turned away from Gary as he tried to get up. He didn't need to throw up more; the strain would probably cause him to pass out.

His legs felt like lead as he slowly plodded toward the exit. He couldn't believe the almost instantaneous change. Still, he couldn't stay in the room anymore; his only goal was to leave. Sadly, he wouldn't get the chance.

"What?" he mumbled.

The door he was heading toward opened, and Pixie Dust's petite frame entered. His initial assessment of her height seemed accurate.

"Your assessment," Ryker thought.

Pixie Dust came into the room fast and hard. She didn't know the villain's status since she had taken a blind shot. When Ryker had pinned him to the glass, Circuit Board had lost control of the swarm. She noticed the window cracking and decided to take a chance and shoot a condensed version of her laser into the area.

She had dismissed her hammer when coming to the breakroom since it wouldn't be conducive to the tight space. Her shield wouldn't have been bad, but it was too bulky to fit through the door. She decided to prepare an attack in case Ryker had been dead or injured instead of the villain.

As Ryker listened to the voice, his anger began rising to untold heights. She hadn't even known where she was shooting and didn't even care if he was the one that got hit. Ryker was so angry, he considered attacking her. His leaden arms would barely move, though, and the woman didn't give him much chance because he had to dodge.

Ryker jumped to his left, although it was more of a fall. However, the move did what he wanted as a laser wave flashed by him. He hit the ground hard and rolled around until he faced Pixie Dust. He also maneuvered to a kneeling position to dodge again or attack if needed.

"Sorry about that," Pixie Dust said. Ryker didn't think she looked sorry, though. She barely even spared a glance at him. She focused her eyes on Gary's prone form. "Is that him?" she asked.

"She must be an idiot if she couldn't tell based on the pile of discarded tech he was lying in," Ryker thought.

Ryker was much too tired to say or do anything to contradict his superpower's assumption. He also happened to agree with it. Pixie Dust finally deemed him worthy of her attention when he didn't confirm her question.

Ryker nodded.

"Right, er," she hedged, "What's your name?"

"Ryker," he said, barely holding in a sigh.

"Ryker, what?"

"Ryker Stone."

"Stone? Really?" she asked in disbelief. Ryker nodded. "You better not be lying."

"Ryker," she said, then pointed over to Gary. "He was definitely the reason for the strong magical blocking field. I'm going to pop over to HQ really quick and get some assistance over here if they haven't already been dispatched. Wait here for me; we have some things to discuss." Without another word, she shimmered red for a moment, then disappeared in a flash of red light.

Ryker pulled himself stood and trudged over to one of the break tables. He didn't have the energy to do more. He sat there for about five minutes thinking about absolutely nothing when Pixie Dust abruptly blipped back into the room.

"Glad to see you listened and didn't try to leave," she said while sauntering over. "I need some information on the situation. First off, I need to know what happened before I arrived."

"Do we have to do it in here?" Ryker asked. "I'm not really comfortable with a dead body over there. Not to mention that it's someone that I know."

"I understand that it's difficult, but here is the best place. Personally, I don't care one way or the other. I just thought you might mind, considering the use of your powers. I checked the registrar when I popped back. There is no Ryker Stone who has a registered superpower. The investigation team will be coming in shortly, and depending on how this conversation goes, we could be making a trip down to the police station, or maybe we can work something else out."

"So now you're an altruist who's thinking about me?"

"Let's not jump to conclusions. Like I said, I don't care, one way or the other. You did help me out, though, so I thought I would help you out."

Ryker scoffed. "Well, unfortunately, I don't have a power."

"I haven't been in this job for too long, but I can tell the difference between a superhuman and an ordinary one. Not even mentioning how I saw you conversing with yourself, which indicates either you have a superpower, or you should be institutionalized. Your physical abilities went far above those of the average human."

"I'm above average," Ryker snarked with a double eyebrow raise. Pixie Dust didn't seem to be amused, but he didn't really care.

Ryker was currently in a loophole regarding having, registering, and using his power. Possessing a superpower wasn't against the law as long as it wasn't used. Regardless of the power or its current threat level, it's illegal to use powers without being registered.

Upon receiving a superpower, it is customary that the individual registers with the proper authorities. However, current United States law dictates that registration isn't required until eighteen. So, as a minor, he doesn't have to register, and he can still use his power while not being subject to arrest, as long as he isn't committing a crime. Although, accusing him, or anyone, of committing a crime was easy if the government wanted.

Ryker raised his eyebrow in thought at the last comment. He hadn't thought of that and decided to tone down the teenage angst a little.

"If you want to play the game that way, then we'll just head down to the police station, and we can have you tested." She looked at him, waiting to see his response. She thought she had Ryker backed into a corner, one where she could manipulate him to do or say what she wanted.

"For your information," Ryker said with a grin. He was excited to burst her bubble. "If," he paused for emphasis, "I had a power, it wouldn't be registered. That is because I wouldn't be required to register. And that is because I'm a minor." He leaned back and crossed his arms.

Ryker could see the anger in her eyes, he thought he might have made a mistake, so he walked it back a little.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Listen," he said. He held up his arms placatingly. "I'll be honest with you. Today has been a really crazy day for me. The manager has my files in his office, which will confirm my age. It also confirms my address which I can tell you is an orphanage on the city's outskirts." Her eyes softened a little at his declaration, which was what he hoped for. "To top off everything that had happened here, I literally just received my power today, and I don't know what it is. I exercise, so I was in good shape, and the initialization of my power helped, but I'm dead on my feet right now."

"And you expect me to believe that?" she asked. Although, Ryker could tell that she did believe him. He didn't know why she was pretending not to, probably to still manipulate him somehow.

Pixie Dust was hoping she could find something to get him to cooperate with her on the situation of what happened in the store. The fact was that the amount of damage was highly unacceptable. The protection agency made its money by ensuring the safety of the store's goods, and most of them were destroyed during the fight. She needed him to make a statement that told the story she wanted, one where the villain destroyed everything and where she wouldn't lose her job from negligence.

"You can check the manager's office for my information if you want." Ryker pointed over to the door. He decided to give her what she wanted since she could still make life hard on him. He just wanted to get out of there. "You'll see I'm not lying when you check. I promise I won't go anywhere, and afterward, we can discuss what to say on whatever report I need to make. I just want to get as far away from this place as possible."

Pixie Dust was sure that Ryker had a superpower after that display of knowledge. She felt a little bad for him, too, because it seemed like he had some type of prophetic power. Once that was discovered, his life would never be the same.

"It's too bad, too," she thought. "He's kind of cute."

Ryker's eyes bulged, and he gulped hard. Thankfully, Pixie Dust was rising to her feet, so she didn't notice. She headed to the manager's office to check the files on him. She believed him but thought it would be best if she double-checked.

The door opened with a creak, then abruptly slammed shut. Ryker hadn't been looking and twisted his head over when it slammed. Pixie Dust leaned against the door, retching silently. After a moment of working to keep the bile from spewing out, she breathed deeply from her nose.

"How many people were on shift today?" she asked.

"Twelve, not including the manager," Ryker said after a moment of thought. Then he realized why she asked just before she gave him the answer.

The next few hours seemed to crawl by like a turtle lost in a desert. After discovering the bodies of the other workers, Pixie Dust agreed to take him out of the breakroom. Unfortunately, the only other place to go was the hallway or the back alley of the store. Ryker opted for the back alley. The building was swarming with law enforcement. The store had been barricaded from others, but a large crowd, along with reporters, had descended on the building in that time. Ryker sat down against the alley's wall while Pixie Dust and he talked.

They corroborated a report that put the blame for all the dead, as well as the destruction of the store, on Circuit Board. Ryker decided to refer to him only by his supervillain name. Anything else, and his brain would shut down.

"Do you need me to transport you anywhere?" Pixie Dust asked. It was still a veritable zoo outside the building, and she mentioned she could teleport him a few blocks away.

"Nah. I'll just hop the wall here and head around to the exit."

"Well, then, if we need anything else from you, someone will be in touch. I think our report should be good enough." Ryker didn't say anything. He just stared at the ground. His mind was already on where he was going next and how to get a replacement job. "And, uh, I thought we worked pretty well today," Pixie Dust added. When he looked up, Ryker could see that she looked uncomfortable. "What do you think about trying out private security? Once you turn eighteen, of course."

"I never really thought about it," Ryker stated. He did need a job now that his was destroyed, but if the supers under the security firm were like Pixie Dust, he wanted no part of it. He could see that he couldn't say that to her, though. "I'd be willing to check it out."

She smiled at him, and for the first time, Ryker could actually see how pretty she was, at least on the outside. He smiled back, hoping that she didn't realize he was lying.

"Okay," she said with a wink. Ryker wondered if she was trying to be cute. "Well, when you're old enough, expect me to find you." She put her hands on her hips and beamed a smile in his direction. Then, she twirled, making her frilly dress rise to show her tightly covered behind. She looked back to see if he was looking, as if she expected every guy to drool over her. However, it didn't even seem like she noticed that Ryker wasn't fazed.

He stood there for a moment after she headed back into the building. He didn't feel like jumping over the wall quite yet. As Pixie Dust was walking in, two police officers were walking out, casually talking. They either didn't see Ryker or didn't care that he was there.

"What did they say his name was?" the first asked.

"Circuit Board."

"I've never heard of him."

"Me neither, but I heard he had a bounty on him." The first officer's eyes widened. "Nothin' too large, though. And it's not like it matters now that him and his gang are dead. The security agency is going to get the money and that super girl will probably get a bonus."

When Ryker heard that, he abruptly turned and hopped over the wall. Pulling himself up and over was even easier than he remembered it ever being, probably because of his enhanced physiology. He was dead tired after his fight, but just a few hours later, he felt better than he had in the morning.

He dropped down to the other side and paused momentarily with his back leaning against the wall. He wondered if he had heard those two guys correctly. He didn't initially react because it didn't process, but they had said everyone on Circuit Board's team was dead. Ryker hadn't killed them. It could have happened accidentally during the fight with the villain, but he had a bad feeling it was due to Pixie Dust. He would have to stay as far away from her as possible.

It was still early in the afternoon. Usually, Ryker would have a couple more hours left in his shift, so he had some extra time. He had a few things to do, but first, he wanted to get some food. He didn't usually splurge, but he felt he needed it.

"That wasn't my first thought, but you make a good point," Ryker said. He knew a small, locally owned burger joint a few blocks away. He headed there, ordered his food and ate it while trying to keep his mind as clear as possible. His body might recover quickly, but his mind was a different matter.

When he was done with his meal, he set off to his next destination. He needed to get his rifle from the Armory because he had to make sure he was well-armed when heading to his next job.

“No,” Ryker said aloud. "First, I need to find a secluded place and figure out this power. I'm not going to go into another situation while not understanding what is going on with it."

Ryker considered it again and decided that he would be fine and that he didn't have to worry. His superpower was surely strong enough to see him through any situation that might arise.

Despite the protestations of his superpower, Ryker walked toward a small park in the area.

Although he really thought that he should reconsider his timeline for learning more about his power.

"I think I have plenty of time."

Ryker got the sense that his power thought it best if he waited, at least until he recovered his weapon. If he delved too deep into the true scope of his power, it might take a while for his psyche to recover, and then the Armory might be closed.

Ryker stopped abruptly. "Seriously? What kind of power is this? I thought it was an advanced prophetic power."

Ryker's superpower didn't speak more on the matter directly. Ryker waited for something more to come from it. He wanted at least a little more information before acquiescing. The two appeared to be at an impasse.

In order to move things along, the superpower decided to throw Ryker a bone. The conversation was going nowhere, and the superpower was struggling to push past this block. Besides his psyche, it was better for Ryker to get his weapon because the conversation would take a long time, and there isn't enough space in this chapter.

"Space in the chapter?" Ryker was confused at what the superpower was talking about. He wanted to ask a whole lot of other questions but decided against it. He would do what it wanted this time, even though he wasn't happy about it.

Ryker adjusted his direction and headed to the Armory. *

Ryker's vision swam briefly, followed by a brief pain in his temple. His earlier assessment was correct. The knowledge influx caused pain when it was information he already knew. He once again considered why his superpower would give him information that he already possessed. Then the words from his superpower echoed in his mind.

"If it isn't for me, then who is it for?" he thought. He wasn't sure he would like the answer.

*In the rise of the state's power, Reno became an open-carry state and changed into a place dominated by the rule of power and the way of the gun. Still, corporations didn't always look kindly to those ways. Private businesses could still ban open carry in their stores. One bright, young entrepreneur created the Armory. It was a place where a person could store their weapon, short or long-term, for a fee. In Ryker's case, it was the only place he could store a weapon since taking one to the orphanage wasn't allowed. Since he opened an account with them, he received a discount. It was still a drain on his funds and wasn't ideal, but it was his only option at the time.