It was dark, not quite pitch black, but it was certainly difficult to see. That was the first thing to come to the young, college age man's mind as his eyes creaked open. He couldn't remember much about what had happened, except that he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head.
With an exasperated gasp, the young man craned his head upwards. Though it was difficult to distinguish, he could tell that he was inside of some abandoned warehouse.
"This is pretty cliche." the man clicked his tongue to the top of his mouth. "Abandoned warehouse? Night of a full moon?"
"Honey!" a feminine voice shrieked from his right.
"V-Vanessa!" the man yelled, trying to move his limbs.
His futile effort came to an immediate halt, the restraints on his wrists and ankles digging into his skin. Growling, he realized that his efforts were only making his situation worse.
There was some innocent whistling, the sound of high heels gently clicking on the concrete floor beneath them. The man's eyes immediately slipped to the shadows, scanning for any sign of the source.
"I never meant to call you out~." another feminine voice, yet familiar, called in a sing-song voice. "I've always seen behind your smoke and mirrors~"
"Ch-Charlotte?!" the man growled, struggling against his bonds. "What are you doing?!"
"Oh sweetheart." the girl, Charlotte, giggled. "Please don't yell at me."
The young man growled as she stepped into the natural moonlight, illuminating the black haired young woman in a frilly red dress. Sequins within the dress glimmered in the blue lighting. Sauntering towards him, Charlotte made sure that her hips swayed sensually left to right, as if some desperate ploy to get his attention.
Closing the distance between them, she smiled as her bright green eyes scanned his dirty, sweat covered forehead.
"Why weren't you honest from the start?" she asked. "I'll save you."
"What do you mean?!" he said, Charlotte turning around and slowly sauntering to the middle of their area. "V-Vanessa!"
"Stop calling her name!" Charlotte hissed, turning to him, before regaining her composure. "You said you'd always be my friend; that'd we'd get married when we both got older."
"I had never heard those words before." she mused, gently biting down on her index finger. "Then this bitch tried to steal you from me."
"I'm a human being Charlotte." the man sighed. "I'm not property."
"You're right, hon!" she squeaked, as if receiving sick pleasure having her name spoken a loud. "I would never think of you as anything less than my equal!"
She stopped smiling suddenly, as if her personality had flipped on a dime. She stared at him with sullen eyes, suddenly taken aback.
"What's with that look?" she asked, stepping back once. "Do you really think I'm out of line?"
It was then that the young man saw the silver instrument of death in Charlotte's off hand. His eyes widened at the pistol, the light of the moon reflecting off of it's hammer.
"N-No." he shook his head, as Vanessa glared at him.
"Oh, good!"
She began to pace, flipping the pistol expertly in her hand, catching it without once pulling the trigger. As she paced, he briefly took a glance at Vanessa, blood was trickling down her forehead, matting the dark brown hair at the crown of her head.
"I'm not asking much!" Charlotte stepped towards him. "Just give me your heart!"
"Put no-one above me!" as she spoke, she took drastic steps towards him. "Go on! Say that you love me!"
The man mumbled his words, he wanted to play along in hope of saving Vanessa's life. "I love you."
"Take my hands in yours and tell me that I'll always be the one." Charlotte said, before placing her free hand gently on his chest, sliding it down. "Without you... my life means nothing."
Abruptly, she backed away. With the same stone faced expression, she pulled the action back on the pistol, priming it to fire.
"Say that you love me... and if you lie-" Charlotte snickered, before aiming the pistol at Vanessa's forehead. "This poor girl will have to die!"
The man stared grimly as she continued to point the pistol at Vanessa's forehead. His eyes quickly took to her left hand, with a ring of solid gold with a lone emerald as the stone was fit snugly on it.
"So, sweetie." Charlotte said. "What will it be? Who do you choose?"
Out of a mixture of fear for Vanessa's and his own life, the man stammered. "Y-You, I choose you. I love you so much! J-Just let her go! Don't hurt her!"
Charlotte's face immediately lit up, as she kicked her heels up. She celebrated, deciding to act in such a way as a spoiled kid getting what she wanted. She strut her way over to Vanessa, as if to rub it in that her man was now Charlotte's.
"Oh my goodness!" Charlotte bubbled. "I'm so ecstatic to hear you finally admit it to me! Oh yes! Let's get married, tonight!"
"U-uh what?!" the man cringed as she said this.
Suspecting something, Charlotte turned her attention to Vanessa's left hand, noticing the ring. Her green eyes crept back to make contact with his, as a sly smile formed at the corner of her mouth.
"Y-you weren't lying were you? You do love me, right?" Charlotte pouted her bottom lip, before pointing to the ring. "Then what's that?"
"S-" he started. "She and I are engaged to be married."
Vanessa's eyes widened as Charlotte's glared back at her with malicious conviction. He felt the room around him decrease to a much more uncomfortably cold atmosphere. Suddenly, Charlotte's hand lashed out and scratched Vanessa down the face with her filed, elongated nails. Vanessa screamed in pain, the man's heart racing at her pained expression.
Charlotte began to laugh like a mad woman, throwing her head back much like a wolf braying to the moon. Her haunting laughter echoed throughout the warehouse, a sickening follow up to Vanessa's pained shrieks. Suddenly, her head returned to it's normal position, as she smiled brightly at him.
"No, I won't fall for this again." she chuckled, gently biting her bottom lip. "I'll always see behind your smoke and mirrors~."
"W-wait!"
"I know you love me deep in side." Charlotte replied hysterically. "B-but you're caught up in her lie. So... I'll cut you free myself."
"Charlotte." Vanessa shook. "P-Please!"
Before he could react, the deafening sound of the pistol discharging blasted inside of the warehouse. He felt a warm, yet sticky liquid splatter on his face, his right arm, and his torso. As Vanessa's blood gently slid down his face, his eyes widened, his pupils dilating. Charlotte stood there, fingers to her mouth to suppress a feign 'accidental' giggle.
The next sensation was the welling of fresh, warm tears in his eyes as the love of his life was gently running down the length of his cheek. His body shook in agony and grief, the feeling of a hundred holes burning in his stomach caused him to wretch on the floor.
In his peripherals, he watched as she walked up to him. He felt her soft, yet cold hand touch his cheek, wiping some of the blood off. Like the sick demented freak she had proven she could be, she put the fingers to her mouth and licked. Her eyes rolled with bliss, as if she had just tasted a fresh cinnamon roll.
"Why?" he said meekly, as she gently stroked his cheek with the back of her hand.
"I'm not asking much, just give me your heart." she cooed. "Put no-one else above me. Take my hands in yours and tell me you'll always be the one."
"Without you, my life means nothing." she began to cry herself. "So please just say you love me!"
The overwhelming grief continued to hit him, as he avoided her gaze. The tears flowed down his cheeks, as his body convulsed with each sob. Suddenly, her gentle stroking became a sharp slap on the cheek, his eyes turned to face her. She glared at him, and he offered the same.
"Come on, what's the problem?!" she snarled. "Quit your crying, be a man!"
Stepping backwards, she chuckled as she ran Vanessa's blood down her cheek. She then proceeded to run her hand through her hair, biting her bottom lip as she glared at his face. Her face stiffened again, as she bared her teeth.
"Surely she couldn't have meant THAT much!" she snarled. "Let me give you MY love!"
Closing the distance between them, she grabbed his shirt by the neck and pulled his face to hers.
"Take my soul, my heart and body! Yes, I'll give them all to you!" she hummed. "If you still won't accept it, you're gonna regret it!"
Suddenly, she pushed herself off of him, taking a few steps back. Regaining her composure, she smiled warmly again.
"I hate to play these game, you know." she pouted. "It pains to me see you suffer so much, but you're driving me to drink."
"Won't you tell me that you'll stay?" she asked, before turning towards Vanessa. "Now that SHE'S not in the way?"
"Never." he growled. "I should have let you die that day, at least then I could have been happy."
Charlotte took a step back, covering her mouth with her hand. Tears began to flow down her cheeks, as she sank down to her knees. She grasped at her temples, before tugging at her hair. She glared up at him with a look of surprise, his eyes locking with hers. Blood began to flow from her nostrils, as her head began to shake.
"Y-you're trying to use your powers on me."
Coldly, the man's mouth opened in a cocky grin. "Try? No."
The girl shrieked as she scratched at her scalp. Blood began to trickle down as she sliced up her scalp. Her head twitched to the right, before she stared at the pistol. He watched as her eyes tried their hardest to avoid contact with his.
At this point in the process however, it was too late. She continued to shriek, attempting to resist the outside force acting on her body. However, her efforts were short handed. She seized the pistol, attempting to point it towards his face. Before she could pull the trigger, however, she felt her right hand betraying her.
"I-I just wanted you to love me."
"There were better ways you could have gone about that." he snarled.
"Bryce... please!" she screamed, as the barrel turned to her temple.
"Funny." Bryce was cold, his eyes unmoving from hers. "She said the same exact thing."
Blinking his eyes, he heard the deafening sound of the pistol discharging again. It was soon followed by the sound of a corpse crumpling to the concrete. When he opened his eyes again, he saw Charlotte's corpse lying on it's side, five feet from him.
Of course, he thought it was a corpse, until he began to sense the gamma signals in her brain. The shot hadn't killed her, but it had definitely did a number to her cognitive function. He watched as her body twitched. Once again, his eyes made contact with hers, as she aimlessly tried to avoid his gaze.
However, the effort was fruitless on her end. Even though the bullet had cut her own brain off from the body, his mind was easily able to bypass it. Charlotte's body began to stand, before walking over towards him with his influence.
Her hands made quick works of his restraints, before he dropped to the floor. Slowly, he walked towards Vanessa's corpse. Dipping his head low, he gently pulled the ring off of her finger. Pulling her hand to his mouth, he gently kissed it, before running out of the warehouse.
He didn't want to stick around, not just because of Vanessa. It was the after party he expected he didn't want to deal with.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
[Five Years Prior]
"Crisis City?" Bryce sighed. "Really Dad?"
"Listen, Bryce." his father sighed. "Sacrifices have to be made in a divorce."
"It was less of a divorce though." Bryce sighed. "You know as well as I do that she didn't want me around."
"To be honest, I'm honestly surprised she didn't turn me in sooner." Brent shrugged. "I guess you having powers was finally when she had enough."
"What kind of sick bitch can't love her child, though?" Bryce grunted.
"Ask the alienated LGBT members, it's not uncommon for them." Brent sighed. "Anyways, Crisis City is a good place for us Metas. The City is so saturated by Meta activity that we'll blend right in."
"It sounds more like we're flies headed straight for the flytrap." Bryce clicked his teeth. "How can you be so sure?"
"Our powers are in check. We just read minds. Anyone that encounters us will figure that we're just street performers or something like that."
"Some people don't have the luxury of being able to hide their powers. I heard there was some guy running around with four arms in Crisis City." Brent shook his head. "I think he's known as the Dragon, or the Goon? Hell if I remember anything anymore."
"Guess I can feel safer knowing the 'Goon' is keeping us safe." Bryce chuckled.
The father and son duo had been walking down the street. In fact, they had actually been walking for quite a few days straight, stopping anywhere they could for a rest. They once lived in Palmer Brook, about fifty miles east of Crisis City.
They were battered, beaten, and tired. Worst yet, they were still dirty and covered in sweat, having lack of showers for the past few days. Unfortunately, they were forced from their house by Bryce's mother. They weren't allowed to take any belongings, as they knew she would turn them in to Terra Co.
Not much was known about the company, other than it's slogan was; Building a better world; together. Both Bryce and his father knew better than that. They didn't care about the betterment of Earth. They cared about subjugating innocent people with powers, out of fear for the things they don't understand.
"It seems you two young folk are in dire straits." a slightly raspy voice said behind them.
"Oh no, I think we can manage." Brent held his hands up. "Please, pay no mind to us."
"I can't." the man smiled. "You two have been circling my apartment complex for the past hour. I figured you were bonding, but based on your appearance, I thought you might be in need of help."
"I'm sorry for such a bold assumption." the man bowed. "My name is Gregory Watkins. I run this complex in my retirement as a means to keep myself busy. Please, I would like to offer you a place to stay."
"We couldn't possibly accept." Brent shook his head sternly. "We have no money to pay you back with, or-"
"Hmm." the old man smiled warmly, chuckling sagely. "That won't be a necessity. I was a good businessman in my youth, I have more than enough wealth to house you and your son here for many years, and not even notice."
"A good businessman wouldn't give out his product for free, though."
"Consider it an extended sample then." the old man chuckled. "Please, I would be more offended if you refused."
"You'll have to excuse my father and I." Bryce piped up. "We're not used to getting assistance from others."
"I understand completely, it's an idea of pride." the old man nodded, placing a hand on Bryce's shoulder. "Pride and self worth are temporary. It's the memories you made in life that are eternal."
"I will tend to your living quarters, you won't worry about paying me rent, electric, or water." Gregory said. "We even have washers and dryers in each condo, including a television set with all the greatest and latest channels."
"All you and your son will have to worry about is food." the man held up a finger, as if to continue. "I'd like to send your son to College, so that he might learn a trade and discover his future."
"This is all too generous." Brent said, as a tear began to flow down his right cheek. "Why? We're total strangers."
"I loved a meta human once." the man sighed. "She was taken from me because I was too busy focusing on my career and not spending enough time supporting her. In my last few years, I want to ensure that no others suffer like I have."
"I overheard you two talking about your 'powers', and I could tell by this young man's shifty gaze that he-"
"OH MY GOD!"
The abrupt scream echoed down the street. Bryce, Brent, and Gregory turned to see a woman standing in the middle of the road, pointing at the top of the two story building neighboring the apartment complex.
Their eyes followed the woman's finger to a young girl, no older than Bryce. She stood on the edge of the building, gazing down as if she was planning on jumping. He watched as her blackened shoulder length hair billowed in the small gust of wind.
Suddenly, she leaned herself forward. His eyes widened, before he sprinted in the direction of where she was going to land. Pitching his weight backwards, he slid on his hip, using his mind to slow her descent enough so that he could catch her without harming either of them.
With a slight grunt, Bryce felt her land in his arms. She stared at him, her eyes wide with confusion. Suddenly, her eyes welled with tears, before she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"A-are you okay?" he asked.
"I-I dunno."
"Well, what's your name?" he asked, as she sobbed into his shoulder.
"Ch-Charlotte."
With an exasperated gasp, the young man craned his head upwards. Though it was difficult to distinguish, he could tell that he was inside of some abandoned warehouse.
"This is pretty cliche." the man clicked his tongue to the top of his mouth. "Abandoned warehouse? Night of a full moon?"
"Honey!" a feminine voice shrieked from his right.
"V-Vanessa!" the man yelled, trying to move his limbs.
His futile effort came to an immediate halt, the restraints on his wrists and ankles digging into his skin. Growling, he realized that his efforts were only making his situation worse.
There was some innocent whistling, the sound of high heels gently clicking on the concrete floor beneath them. The man's eyes immediately slipped to the shadows, scanning for any sign of the source.
"I never meant to call you out~." another feminine voice, yet familiar, called in a sing-song voice. "I've always seen behind your smoke and mirrors~"
"Ch-Charlotte?!" the man growled, struggling against his bonds. "What are you doing?!"
"Oh sweetheart." the girl, Charlotte, giggled. "Please don't yell at me."
The young man growled as she stepped into the natural moonlight, illuminating the black haired young woman in a frilly red dress. Sequins within the dress glimmered in the blue lighting. Sauntering towards him, Charlotte made sure that her hips swayed sensually left to right, as if some desperate ploy to get his attention.
Closing the distance between them, she smiled as her bright green eyes scanned his dirty, sweat covered forehead.
"Why weren't you honest from the start?" she asked. "I'll save you."
"What do you mean?!" he said, Charlotte turning around and slowly sauntering to the middle of their area. "V-Vanessa!"
"Stop calling her name!" Charlotte hissed, turning to him, before regaining her composure. "You said you'd always be my friend; that'd we'd get married when we both got older."
"I had never heard those words before." she mused, gently biting down on her index finger. "Then this bitch tried to steal you from me."
"I'm a human being Charlotte." the man sighed. "I'm not property."
"You're right, hon!" she squeaked, as if receiving sick pleasure having her name spoken a loud. "I would never think of you as anything less than my equal!"
She stopped smiling suddenly, as if her personality had flipped on a dime. She stared at him with sullen eyes, suddenly taken aback.
"What's with that look?" she asked, stepping back once. "Do you really think I'm out of line?"
It was then that the young man saw the silver instrument of death in Charlotte's off hand. His eyes widened at the pistol, the light of the moon reflecting off of it's hammer.
"N-No." he shook his head, as Vanessa glared at him.
"Oh, good!"
She began to pace, flipping the pistol expertly in her hand, catching it without once pulling the trigger. As she paced, he briefly took a glance at Vanessa, blood was trickling down her forehead, matting the dark brown hair at the crown of her head.
"I'm not asking much!" Charlotte stepped towards him. "Just give me your heart!"
"Put no-one above me!" as she spoke, she took drastic steps towards him. "Go on! Say that you love me!"
The man mumbled his words, he wanted to play along in hope of saving Vanessa's life. "I love you."
"Take my hands in yours and tell me that I'll always be the one." Charlotte said, before placing her free hand gently on his chest, sliding it down. "Without you... my life means nothing."
Abruptly, she backed away. With the same stone faced expression, she pulled the action back on the pistol, priming it to fire.
"Say that you love me... and if you lie-" Charlotte snickered, before aiming the pistol at Vanessa's forehead. "This poor girl will have to die!"
The man stared grimly as she continued to point the pistol at Vanessa's forehead. His eyes quickly took to her left hand, with a ring of solid gold with a lone emerald as the stone was fit snugly on it.
"So, sweetie." Charlotte said. "What will it be? Who do you choose?"
Out of a mixture of fear for Vanessa's and his own life, the man stammered. "Y-You, I choose you. I love you so much! J-Just let her go! Don't hurt her!"
Charlotte's face immediately lit up, as she kicked her heels up. She celebrated, deciding to act in such a way as a spoiled kid getting what she wanted. She strut her way over to Vanessa, as if to rub it in that her man was now Charlotte's.
"Oh my goodness!" Charlotte bubbled. "I'm so ecstatic to hear you finally admit it to me! Oh yes! Let's get married, tonight!"
"U-uh what?!" the man cringed as she said this.
Suspecting something, Charlotte turned her attention to Vanessa's left hand, noticing the ring. Her green eyes crept back to make contact with his, as a sly smile formed at the corner of her mouth.
"Y-you weren't lying were you? You do love me, right?" Charlotte pouted her bottom lip, before pointing to the ring. "Then what's that?"
"S-" he started. "She and I are engaged to be married."
Vanessa's eyes widened as Charlotte's glared back at her with malicious conviction. He felt the room around him decrease to a much more uncomfortably cold atmosphere. Suddenly, Charlotte's hand lashed out and scratched Vanessa down the face with her filed, elongated nails. Vanessa screamed in pain, the man's heart racing at her pained expression.
Charlotte began to laugh like a mad woman, throwing her head back much like a wolf braying to the moon. Her haunting laughter echoed throughout the warehouse, a sickening follow up to Vanessa's pained shrieks. Suddenly, her head returned to it's normal position, as she smiled brightly at him.
"No, I won't fall for this again." she chuckled, gently biting her bottom lip. "I'll always see behind your smoke and mirrors~."
"W-wait!"
"I know you love me deep in side." Charlotte replied hysterically. "B-but you're caught up in her lie. So... I'll cut you free myself."
"Charlotte." Vanessa shook. "P-Please!"
Before he could react, the deafening sound of the pistol discharging blasted inside of the warehouse. He felt a warm, yet sticky liquid splatter on his face, his right arm, and his torso. As Vanessa's blood gently slid down his face, his eyes widened, his pupils dilating. Charlotte stood there, fingers to her mouth to suppress a feign 'accidental' giggle.
The next sensation was the welling of fresh, warm tears in his eyes as the love of his life was gently running down the length of his cheek. His body shook in agony and grief, the feeling of a hundred holes burning in his stomach caused him to wretch on the floor.
In his peripherals, he watched as she walked up to him. He felt her soft, yet cold hand touch his cheek, wiping some of the blood off. Like the sick demented freak she had proven she could be, she put the fingers to her mouth and licked. Her eyes rolled with bliss, as if she had just tasted a fresh cinnamon roll.
"Why?" he said meekly, as she gently stroked his cheek with the back of her hand.
"I'm not asking much, just give me your heart." she cooed. "Put no-one else above me. Take my hands in yours and tell me you'll always be the one."
"Without you, my life means nothing." she began to cry herself. "So please just say you love me!"
The overwhelming grief continued to hit him, as he avoided her gaze. The tears flowed down his cheeks, as his body convulsed with each sob. Suddenly, her gentle stroking became a sharp slap on the cheek, his eyes turned to face her. She glared at him, and he offered the same.
"Come on, what's the problem?!" she snarled. "Quit your crying, be a man!"
Stepping backwards, she chuckled as she ran Vanessa's blood down her cheek. She then proceeded to run her hand through her hair, biting her bottom lip as she glared at his face. Her face stiffened again, as she bared her teeth.
"Surely she couldn't have meant THAT much!" she snarled. "Let me give you MY love!"
Closing the distance between them, she grabbed his shirt by the neck and pulled his face to hers.
"Take my soul, my heart and body! Yes, I'll give them all to you!" she hummed. "If you still won't accept it, you're gonna regret it!"
Suddenly, she pushed herself off of him, taking a few steps back. Regaining her composure, she smiled warmly again.
"I hate to play these game, you know." she pouted. "It pains to me see you suffer so much, but you're driving me to drink."
"Won't you tell me that you'll stay?" she asked, before turning towards Vanessa. "Now that SHE'S not in the way?"
"Never." he growled. "I should have let you die that day, at least then I could have been happy."
Charlotte took a step back, covering her mouth with her hand. Tears began to flow down her cheeks, as she sank down to her knees. She grasped at her temples, before tugging at her hair. She glared up at him with a look of surprise, his eyes locking with hers. Blood began to flow from her nostrils, as her head began to shake.
"Y-you're trying to use your powers on me."
Coldly, the man's mouth opened in a cocky grin. "Try? No."
The girl shrieked as she scratched at her scalp. Blood began to trickle down as she sliced up her scalp. Her head twitched to the right, before she stared at the pistol. He watched as her eyes tried their hardest to avoid contact with his.
At this point in the process however, it was too late. She continued to shriek, attempting to resist the outside force acting on her body. However, her efforts were short handed. She seized the pistol, attempting to point it towards his face. Before she could pull the trigger, however, she felt her right hand betraying her.
"I-I just wanted you to love me."
"There were better ways you could have gone about that." he snarled.
"Bryce... please!" she screamed, as the barrel turned to her temple.
"Funny." Bryce was cold, his eyes unmoving from hers. "She said the same exact thing."
Blinking his eyes, he heard the deafening sound of the pistol discharging again. It was soon followed by the sound of a corpse crumpling to the concrete. When he opened his eyes again, he saw Charlotte's corpse lying on it's side, five feet from him.
Of course, he thought it was a corpse, until he began to sense the gamma signals in her brain. The shot hadn't killed her, but it had definitely did a number to her cognitive function. He watched as her body twitched. Once again, his eyes made contact with hers, as she aimlessly tried to avoid his gaze.
However, the effort was fruitless on her end. Even though the bullet had cut her own brain off from the body, his mind was easily able to bypass it. Charlotte's body began to stand, before walking over towards him with his influence.
Her hands made quick works of his restraints, before he dropped to the floor. Slowly, he walked towards Vanessa's corpse. Dipping his head low, he gently pulled the ring off of her finger. Pulling her hand to his mouth, he gently kissed it, before running out of the warehouse.
He didn't want to stick around, not just because of Vanessa. It was the after party he expected he didn't want to deal with.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
[Five Years Prior]
"Crisis City?" Bryce sighed. "Really Dad?"
"Listen, Bryce." his father sighed. "Sacrifices have to be made in a divorce."
"It was less of a divorce though." Bryce sighed. "You know as well as I do that she didn't want me around."
"To be honest, I'm honestly surprised she didn't turn me in sooner." Brent shrugged. "I guess you having powers was finally when she had enough."
"What kind of sick bitch can't love her child, though?" Bryce grunted.
"Ask the alienated LGBT members, it's not uncommon for them." Brent sighed. "Anyways, Crisis City is a good place for us Metas. The City is so saturated by Meta activity that we'll blend right in."
"It sounds more like we're flies headed straight for the flytrap." Bryce clicked his teeth. "How can you be so sure?"
"Our powers are in check. We just read minds. Anyone that encounters us will figure that we're just street performers or something like that."
"Some people don't have the luxury of being able to hide their powers. I heard there was some guy running around with four arms in Crisis City." Brent shook his head. "I think he's known as the Dragon, or the Goon? Hell if I remember anything anymore."
"Guess I can feel safer knowing the 'Goon' is keeping us safe." Bryce chuckled.
The father and son duo had been walking down the street. In fact, they had actually been walking for quite a few days straight, stopping anywhere they could for a rest. They once lived in Palmer Brook, about fifty miles east of Crisis City.
They were battered, beaten, and tired. Worst yet, they were still dirty and covered in sweat, having lack of showers for the past few days. Unfortunately, they were forced from their house by Bryce's mother. They weren't allowed to take any belongings, as they knew she would turn them in to Terra Co.
Not much was known about the company, other than it's slogan was; Building a better world; together. Both Bryce and his father knew better than that. They didn't care about the betterment of Earth. They cared about subjugating innocent people with powers, out of fear for the things they don't understand.
"It seems you two young folk are in dire straits." a slightly raspy voice said behind them.
"Oh no, I think we can manage." Brent held his hands up. "Please, pay no mind to us."
"I can't." the man smiled. "You two have been circling my apartment complex for the past hour. I figured you were bonding, but based on your appearance, I thought you might be in need of help."
"I'm sorry for such a bold assumption." the man bowed. "My name is Gregory Watkins. I run this complex in my retirement as a means to keep myself busy. Please, I would like to offer you a place to stay."
"We couldn't possibly accept." Brent shook his head sternly. "We have no money to pay you back with, or-"
"Hmm." the old man smiled warmly, chuckling sagely. "That won't be a necessity. I was a good businessman in my youth, I have more than enough wealth to house you and your son here for many years, and not even notice."
"A good businessman wouldn't give out his product for free, though."
"Consider it an extended sample then." the old man chuckled. "Please, I would be more offended if you refused."
"You'll have to excuse my father and I." Bryce piped up. "We're not used to getting assistance from others."
"I understand completely, it's an idea of pride." the old man nodded, placing a hand on Bryce's shoulder. "Pride and self worth are temporary. It's the memories you made in life that are eternal."
"I will tend to your living quarters, you won't worry about paying me rent, electric, or water." Gregory said. "We even have washers and dryers in each condo, including a television set with all the greatest and latest channels."
"All you and your son will have to worry about is food." the man held up a finger, as if to continue. "I'd like to send your son to College, so that he might learn a trade and discover his future."
"This is all too generous." Brent said, as a tear began to flow down his right cheek. "Why? We're total strangers."
"I loved a meta human once." the man sighed. "She was taken from me because I was too busy focusing on my career and not spending enough time supporting her. In my last few years, I want to ensure that no others suffer like I have."
"I overheard you two talking about your 'powers', and I could tell by this young man's shifty gaze that he-"
"OH MY GOD!"
The abrupt scream echoed down the street. Bryce, Brent, and Gregory turned to see a woman standing in the middle of the road, pointing at the top of the two story building neighboring the apartment complex.
Their eyes followed the woman's finger to a young girl, no older than Bryce. She stood on the edge of the building, gazing down as if she was planning on jumping. He watched as her blackened shoulder length hair billowed in the small gust of wind.
Suddenly, she leaned herself forward. His eyes widened, before he sprinted in the direction of where she was going to land. Pitching his weight backwards, he slid on his hip, using his mind to slow her descent enough so that he could catch her without harming either of them.
With a slight grunt, Bryce felt her land in his arms. She stared at him, her eyes wide with confusion. Suddenly, her eyes welled with tears, before she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"A-are you okay?" he asked.
"I-I dunno."
"Well, what's your name?" he asked, as she sobbed into his shoulder.
"Ch-Charlotte."
.