Agony 2.1.1

Jay dashed towards the catlike beast, each step taking him leaps across the concrete ground. The monster growled in response, its mane brown hair waving in the muted wind. It emerged from the shadows, revealing its bulk.

It was reminiscent of a lion, but the jutting jaws, bulging eyes, and gnarly fangs ended any further similarities. Patches of its fur had fallen away, revealing rugged and barklike black skin underneath. It towered over Jay, easily twice his height and hundreds of pounds heavier. Its low rumbling growl reverberated within the teenager’s own chest.

Leviathan continued to grin, his eyes wide and colored with an amber hue. He tug into the ground and sped forward, punching his tiny and puny fist into the monster's face. Blood splurted out of its eyes, mouth, and ears. Its eyes popped out of its skull and bounced across the floor.

Jay fell back down, covered in a brackish ebony fluid. He ran a hand through his hair, savoring the thrill of the hunt. The ground shook with the weight of the corpse. The animal’s insides slid outwards, coating the floor in pink brain matter.

The young man felt no mercy for these creatures. By large, these beasts and others were the reason humanity had been forced to live behind walls and scavenge for scraps. Without the protection of those that had Cracked, it was simply impossible to defeat them.

Jay recalled that during the early beast waves, humans had put up a valiant struggle. Guns, explosions, and bombs left innumerable beasts dead. Unfortunately, there was little that could be done when besieged on all sides. Animals covered the land, and when the beast waves first struck there appeared to be the hope of exterminating them all.

It was a foolish belief.

The animals that gained supernatural powers reproduced at an astonishing rate, spreading their physical capabilities and powers to the following generations. While not every creature was born with abilities, many of the offspring were left twisted or mutated.

Humanity was eventually overrun, and only thanks to the large powered presence in cities that some civilizations managed to remain. Smaller towns were wiped off the map, and those without an actual superpowered presence were forgotten.

The fight would never end until either side was put into the dirt. The monsters would still throw themselves at the walls of New Seattle, and capes and cowls would continue to fend them off. It was part of the reason cowls were given so much leeway, even after committing heinous crimes. As long as they fought on the walls, they weren’t worthy of death.

There were exceptions of course. Like Smog had warned Jay, become too much of a menace to New Seattle and Central would send their top dogs to finish him off. Refuse to fight in a beast wave? Grounds for banishment. New Seattle did truly live on a delicate balance, tipping it too much in one direction would send everything toppling over.

Which was why he didn’t hold back against these disgusting lions. The beasts were a scourge upon Earth and were also the reason his father was dead. They deserved no mercy or salvation, except in the confines of an eternal demise.

Jay stomped down on the head of the corpse, confirming its ending. Dozens more poured out of the factory, howling in anger and fury at the interloper that dared trespass on their territory.

Leviathan’s skin rippled, scales forming along his exterior, and his face elongated and revealed jutting fangs. He leaned forward, ready to leap and shift into his actual form-

“No transforming!” Smog shouted from the rooftop. Her voice knocked Jay out of the beginning of his bloodlust-induced frenzy. His features slowly reverted back to normal, baring a few minor features like his eyes and razor-sharp teeth.

Jay grumbled under his breath, not transforming in this state felt like wearing clothes that were several sizes too small.

He dug his feet and leaped towards the next monster. He jabbed his fingers into the yielding flesh and pulled. Muscle and sinew were shredded under his might. He flung the freed leg from the body and slammed it into the next enraged enemy.

Jay continued on like that, digging his bare palms into the bodies of those that dared to step in his way. He lost himself to the violence, relishing in the pain he was inflicting. Smog occasionally cried out when he was on the verge of shifting into his serpent state, but through sheer force of will Jay managed not to give in to the impulse.

Leviathan did transform, but not in the colossal serpent that New Seattle had seen. This was what could be called a partial shift. Jay’s humanlike features remained, but some of them were replaced by that of a monstrous serpent. It was like the teenager had suddenly combined with a snake, forming a mutant of flesh, scales, and claws.

He wasn’t sure, but at some point, Jay had started to feel rage bubbling upwards. Pure hate filled his thoughts as he fought the monsters.

He pulled out the tongue between the roaring jaws of the lion, it squealed in agony as it slid out. He imagined it was Jackson. His prey that had slipped away. He could taste the flesh of his victims and yearned to bite into it again. He smashed a hand into the monster, crushing its skull.

Another leaped out from behind the cargo crates. Its pawed smashed down on him, sending him flying away. He saw the fist of his mother, coming down for another strike. Vitriol spewed out from her lips.

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“You’re just like your father! Going to leave us too?” Her scream melded with the cry of the monster as he gouged out its eyes. He grinned manically as he shoved his fingers in deeper. He pulled the mane of hair and heard tearing, the pelt pulling clean off its muscles.

“You’ll never hurt me again!” He roared at the silent corpse. Another mutated beast swiped at him with its dagger-like claws. The natural weapons that would have shredded metal broke against his skin. The beast howled in pain, trying to limp away.

He saw the people who had seen him being bullied walking away, leaving him to the cruel mercies of his tormentors. He grabbed the beast’s tail and pulled. The entire appendage was ripped clean from the roots. It tried to flee but Leviathan was on it faster than humanly possible.

His jaw unhinged and tore into the neck of a lioness. Dozens of them swarmed him, tearing, biting, and gnashing upon his frame. None could even leave a mark. He slew them like all the rest.

Blood, fur, bone, and fluid were scattered around, painting the scenery with a gory sight. Jay stood in the middle, a mixture between man and monster. The super swiveled his head, searching for more bodies to crush under his hands. His eyes were crazed and bloodshot. It was as if the beast had taken over his personality, and all it desired was to spill more vital essence.

Smog whistled loudly, signaling the end of the fight. Jay twitched, registering the sound as another enemy. He blinked in realization and slowly came back to his senses, the pumping of the blood in his veins and the ache of his partially transformed features losing their satisfying pleasure. His hands were shaking with adrenaline, and his heart was pounding against his chest.

He took a deep breath and tried to calm down, reminding himself that he was not a monster. He had control over his actions, and he was out here for a reason. He wasn’t going to murder his mother, he wasn’t going to start killing innocents, he wasn’t going to abandon anyone.

He was not a wild animal!

He wasn’t some insect that they could step on!

He was human!

“If you are human, then what are they?” A dark insidious voice said. Something surfaced in his thoughts. The memory of Jackson breaking his fingers, his mother sliding the dagger across her arm and then his own, how helpless he was to do anything to stop it. “They are all MONSTERS!”

Jay gradually returned back to his normal state. The elongated fangs slipped back into his jaw, his scaly exterior rippled and sunk underneath his skin, and his clawed fingers smoothed out.

Smog jumped down from the rooftop and landed gracefully beside him. A cloud of polluted air slowed her descent until. She looked at him with concern in her eyes, and Jay knew that she was worried about his state of mind.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly.

Jay didn’t respond, not trusting himself to speak just yet. He needed a moment to compose himself before he could face her properly. He had no clue what had happened. It was unlike anything he had experienced. He had lost himself in the senseless violence, enjoying the thrill of the hunt.

The only time that had happened was when he had slipped below the waves and struck down the monsters in the deep. He had fought more like a monster than a man, and today was no different.

“What is it about the creatures that make me act like this?” Jay thought to himself. He searched inwardly, trying to find an answer to this dilemma. None came. He was forced to accept that it would remain a mystery.

Smog put a hand on his shoulder, giving him a reassuring squeeze. "You did well," she said. "But you need to learn to control your impulses. You can't give in to your inner demons, or whatever that was, like that. It's dangerous, both for you and for those around you."

Jay nodded again, feeling a sense of shame wash over him. He knew that she was right. He had to learn to control himself, to be more disciplined and focused. He couldn't afford to lose himself like that again.

It was strange. During his fight with Argo, and his transformation in Central Lane, he had been clear-headed the entire time. Sure, there was the intense desire to CRUSH THEIR BONES AND SCATTER- prove his newfound might, but that was just Jay’s awe at his power showing. Argo had been his first actual fight while his debut in Central Lane had him fleeing for his life. Hard to have any ideas other than survival in those situations.

Jay walked back to the pier in silence, the weight of his actions heavy on his shoulders. Jay knew that they had done what they had to come here to do, but it still didn't make him feel any better.

He didn’t feel sympathy for the destruction he had caused. The animals deserved every bit of his judgment that they got, and more. He would have faced down hordes if it meant putting more into the ground. Every dead mutant monster was a good one.

The young man worried what Madok might think. Would the gang leader determine he was too dangerous to keep on the team? Was he out of the game before he had truly even stepped foot into it? What about his brother.

“I need to strike fast, take out Madok when I meet him next, and then I-”

“I wouldn’t worry about this,” Smog whispered next to him. The woman’s voice was soothing and Jay unconsciously relaxed his shoulders. He looked into her eyes clouded by the dark smog and saw concern in them. His heart clenched and his vision blurred slightly.

“It’s good that we discovered this feature of your abilities before we did something that matters.” She gave him a gentle nudge on his arm. “Everyone starts somewhere.”

Her body turned towards the ocean. The wind was blowing across the water, and waves crashed into each other, releasing foam that would drift away.

Jay found peace in the scene. Water could do so much. It could hide, clean, and protect him from those that would ever mean him harm. It calmed his racing thoughts and absolved him of all his preconceived sins. He yearned to slip into its embrace, but he knew that he still had matters to handle here and now.

“Do you know how I Cracked?” Smog suddenly asked. Jay glanced at her in confusion. The woman hadn’t been forthcoming with details about her personal life, but neither had Jay. In all honesty, the two hardly knew each other. The older woman was here to make sure he didn’t mess up, not as his therapist.

The teenager shook his head. Not commenting on why or how he would know that. He had known enough about The Drowned’s supers in order not to cross them if he ever met them in person. Back when he was unpowered, that sort of preparedness was mandatory. He was starting to think that sort of mentality should extend to his current life too.

“I had been locked in a cage by my mother when I was five. She said it was for my own good, so I didn’t run off and get taken. This was before the beast waves but the streets were still crawling with monsters,” she grimaced and clenched her hand like she was strangling some unseen being.

“She was an avid smoker. Would go through a pack a day and then leave immediately after she was out to get another. One day she leaves a cigarette burning next to the trash. The garbage caught fire faster than I had thought possible. I screamed for help, but we lived on the outskirts of some town that doesn’t even exist anymore. No one was near.

“Suffice it to say that it was either pull out some miracle or burn to death. I smothered the flames with its own smoke in a degree of control that took me years to replicate.” Smog looked over at Jay. The boy was unsure of how to respond. She continued before he could.

“Our powers don’t come with an instruction manual. It takes trial and error, along with a mountain of mistakes, to understand them. Learn to accept that, because we must.” She looked back at the carnage that Jay had wrecked with the beasts.

“None of us are perfect, Jay, but we cover for each other’s faults. You’re Drowned now, part of the family.” Smog pulled Jay into an embrace. It was cool, the perfect counter to his intense heat. The woman smelled like ash and pollution, but her emotions and sincerity were anything but foul.

“Things may seem strange, but I am here if you need me. Don’t push away the beast, control it instead. It is a part of you. Accept it. Do not hate it. I’ve seen so many others lose themselves to their powers. Do not follow in their footsteps. Your rage is a part of you, but don’t let it consume you.”

Jay stayed in her embrace until his tears had stopped flowing. The woman’s words and sentiments were tinged with her past. A history that Jay could understand. They eventually separated, Jay wiped away the trail of tears from his cheeks, unwilling to let Smog see him like this.

“You said you practiced your control? How?” Jay attempted to divert the topic, not wanting to go deeper into his sudden rage-filled slaughter. There were demons and ghosts that lurked under his psyche that he wasn’t ready to face.

Smog didn’t push, which Jay was grateful for.

“When I control polluted air, it's like I’m waving around a mass of water with my mind. I kept doing it over and over again until it eventually got easier. I recommend you do the same. Transform over and over again and find out what happens,” she paused and tapped the end of smoke obscured face. “In fact, we have time until we need to get back. Why don’t we practice now?”

Jay and Smog spent the rest of the day at the rundown processing factory. They returned back to The Docks late that night.

Madok called.

It was time to meet the junior team.