TWENTY-THREE

What?

Zach could only stare, his mouth opened wide. The kind, gentle man who had saved their lives was also the one and only Falcon.

The frick is going on?!

This doesn't make sense!

"Are you going to remain plastered to the door or are you going to come in?" asked Hawke, his head tilting to the side.

Zach's chest lifted in a deep breath.

Falcon was Hawke.

Sebastian Hawke was Falcon.

He was the same man who had saved them. He had been there, near them, when the explosion had gone off. Watching us? He had pulled Zach away from a falling wall. He had saved his life. What was this man playing at? He'd been the cause of the explosion in the first place. Why save them when his track record was covered in blood?

Zach studied the man, looking for any hint of an answer.

"You are a very brave young man."

Zach blinked. Though the man's expression had turned impassive, neutral even, there was an intense amount of emotion whirling within his eyes.

This is still Falcon.

Don't let your guard down.

Hawke gestured towards himself. "Come along when you're ready. Take your shoes off, though."

The man walked down the hallway. He turned to the left and disappeared. Zach didn't move, rooted to the spot. This wasn't going how he had imagined it. This wasn't how the villain blackmailed the hero. But Falcon wasn't doing anything. He hadn't forced Zach to follow him. He hadn't thrown out any threats nor demands.

Zach gritted his teeth. He'd been expecting a more villainous lair, not this inviting hallway with beautiful landscape paintings on clean white walls. It was too…

Normal.

Criminals weren't supposed to be normal people.

Zach sighed, the tension fading in his body. The pressure lifted from his heart. He shouldn't let this rattle him. It was a plan constructed by Falcon: show his human side to make himself more relatable.

Courage moved his body.

Zach bent down and pulled his shoes off. He set them aside, before stepping up into the hallway. His socked feet slipped slightly against the wooden flooring. At the end of the hallway was a large clock on top of a shelf filled with books and knickknacks. Zach gazed at the paintings on the walls in the hallway. The style looked rather familiar, but he wasn't sure where to place it. They were beautiful, though… something nostalgic about them.

As Zach reached the end of the hallway, he looked to his right. There was a bathroom with the door ajar. To his left, the floorplan opened up into a large living room and kitchen combination. A desk with a computer sat on the right side of the room with a sofa and coffee table to the left. The area was furnished with everything one could want in a home.

Falcon had lived in Templeton Hills long enough to get settled.

This wasn't just a house, a place of dwelling. It wasn't a lair or a temporary place to sleep before going to the next town.

This was a home.

Hawke was sitting at the desk. There were quite a few machines on the desk, a number of them reminding Zach of a hospital. There were numerous vials – is that blood? – syringes, needles, and other things on the desk.

Wonderful.

This man was going to experiment on him, wasn't he?

Hawke turned in his chair; a light lift of his lips played across his face. "So," he said, amusement in his tone. "You finally came inside. I thought you'd stay at the door for another ten minutes at least."

Zach grimaced. Conflicting emotions burned inside his heart. This man is Falcon. Saving our lives doesn't erase all the others he's taken.

It was difficult to separate the two, though.

"Cat got your tongue?"

Zach swallowed back the bile in his throat; he licked his dry lips. Questions stormed his mind, but the flurry couldn't be puzzled through. The tension in his body had returned in full strength.

Stolen story; please report.

The man let out a low sigh. He rubbed his face. "Listen, whatever is going on in that brain of yours—" Hawke motioned with his fingers. "—forget it, all right?" he said, his tone demanding. It softened a moment later. "I'm not going to hurt you."

How can I believe that?

Yet, against his will, something relaxed inside his chest. Crap. How was the man doing that? He wasn't speaking in that silky tone, like he had the night before. This was his 'Mr. Hawke voice.' Hawke only had to say the right thing and the tension would fade away.

It was a trick.

Don't believe anything. Come on!

"Really now, kid, calm down," said Hawke, shaking his head. He stood up. Panic struck. Zach took a few steps backwards. Hawke let out an exasperated huff. "Listen, despite everything, it was never my intention to harm you. I swear it. If you're so afraid, why would you come?"

"I'm not afraid of you," snapped Zach, embarrassment warming his face.

"Really?" A smirk lifted the man's features; his eyes flicked up and down. "You're terrified—"

"Uh, hello?" cried Zach, gesturing wildly. "You're the one who blackmailed me!"

"—but brave. Very brave. I'm impressed."

His chest constricted.

"What do you want?" asked Zach. No more being afraid. He would be cautious; he would be careful, but fear wouldn't paralyze him any more. "I'm here. So, talk."

"You're such a brazen child," drawled Hawke. "And here I thought you had come for a pleasant visit." He snorted. "You can't even enter my living room, kid."

And there was Falcon.

Zach strode into the living room and whirled around, folding his arms near his chest. "Look," he snapped, lifting his shoulders. His arms tightened. "I'm in the living room. Now what?"

"So impatient. So anxious."

Annoyance pricked at him.

"What, am I supposed to guess, then?" asked Zach with a derisive laugh. "Okay, how about a long winded speech about how you're a misguided asshole, who has all of these pathetic reasons justifying why he's a mass murdering psychopath? No? That isn't why I'm here?" Zach snarled. He lifted his hands into the air and made air quotes. "What, no villain monologue?"

Hawke let out a low chuckle. "You watch too much TV, kid."

And there it was again. 'Kid.' It was almost endearing. The man wasn't angry. He didn't even bat an eye at the insults Zach had thrown at him. He was amused. The man thought this was funny.

Hawke stepped forward; alarm flooded through Zach. He was a number of inches taller than Zach, his presence daunting. The man's upper body was bulky, his fitness prevalent throughout his chest and arms. Hawke leaned over slightly, looking down at him with those bright eyes. Zach lifted his head, jutted his chin out, and eyed the man back with all of his defiance. No matter his feelings, he would not show them. He refused to be intimidated by Falcon.

"You're a walking dichotomy," said Hawke; an eyebrow rose. "You came, despite your fear, despite all your preconceptions of how it would be, you still came."

A bird of prey. The man started to circle him. Zach followed the man with his eyes at first, his head slowly turning as Hawke moved out of eyesight. His head whipped around to the other side when the man was out of sight again.

"You didn't come just to protect your friends, now did you?" whispered Hawke. His eyes gleamed. "You were drawn to me. You wanted to know more. You wanted answers."

Zach stiffened. The man paused in front of him, staring down. "Don't kid yourself, Falcon," he growled.

Hawke raised an eyebrow; his mouth lifted in that ever annoying smirk. "No?" he drawled. "Despite the dangers, you came anyway—"

"Because you threatened them!" cried Zach.

"—You wanted to know," whispered Hawke, his low voice a roar inside Zach's ears. "You didn't just come because you're on a self sacrificing hero mission. No. You're so curious, so determined to take me down, you were willing to sacrifice yourself for it."

Zach dropped his gaze. The man's words burned like a scorching inferno. His hands curled into fists. This man knew what buttons to press. Yes, Zach wanted to know more. It didn't take away from the fact that he was also here for them.

Both were valid.

"Are you going to get to the point yet or are you just gonna taunt me all evening? I said it before: you need a hobby."

Hawke chuckled. His lips thinned and he looked away for a moment. There was a flash of uncertainty in his expression, but it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Hawke took a deep breath; his head dipped to the side.

"You're aware of how they test for paternity, yes?"

Okay, that's a weird question.

Zach frowned. Seriously? This was the topic now? He nodded, not knowing what to say.

"It's easy to do nowadays," said Hawke softly, each word spoken carefully. "With the right equipment, you can do all sorts of things with DNA, right in your own home. And with enough money, the possibilities are endless."

Zach's eyes wandered to the man's desk, gazing at the items there. So, he's experimenting with DNA with that stuff? Is that how he has powers?

"I wish to test it."

His eyes flicked back. Test what? The man wanted what? He wanted to take a paternity test? And why was Zach needed for this?

"I don't understand," said Zach.

The man shifted his weight. There was a long pause. "I wish to do a testing," Hawke said finally.

"You said that," said Zach, annoyed. "I still don't understand. You're trying to find out who your parents are?"

"No, not mine," said Hawke, breaking eye contact.

It was getting more weird by the second. Everything in the man's stance had weakened. He had become neither Falcon nor Hawke. It was uncomfortably out of character from what Zach had seen so far of this man.

"Mine? I know who my parents are."

Hawke let out a ragged sigh. "No, I want to test my DNA."

Alarm bells were ringing in the back of Zach's mind. The man was still not getting to the damn point. Was this going to be an ongoing problem with Falcon?

"Falcon, get to the point," snapped Zach.

"And yours."

More cryptic nonsense. Zach took a full minute trying to decipher the man's broken thoughts. He struggled. He wanted to test their DNA to see their parents, then? Is that what was going on?

"Why?" asked Zach. "Why do you need to test mine, too? I already said I know my parents. Is there a point to this? Get to the friggin' point, Falcon, would you? Quit dancing around here. I can't read minds!"

Please tell me he just wants to experiment with my DNA and use it for evil. Please tell me he wants my powers for nefarious reasons.

He's not… trying to say what I think he is…

Please, no.

Hawke inclined his head slightly, considering for a moment. The blood roared inside Zach's ears.

"I want to test your DNA against mine."

What…?

What?

"To see if we're related… To see if I'm your father."

WHAT?!