Indigo City...
From the flashing lights above me I'm going to assume my debut as a Superhero didn't go so well. Panicked voices, shouting... groans. I'm pretty sure the last part is coming from me. What do I remember? A few minutes (I assume its been that long anyway) a building somehow set on fire... I saved a couple of kids from burning to death and showed off in front of the News Crews. So that's good I guess. Thing is, I can't remember how I got knocked out.... that's when my eyes open and I realize I'm on a hospital stretcher inside an Ambulance. Two... Nurses? I'm going to call them Nurses even though they're male, are looking down at me.
"Uh... hi." I mutter before coughing my lungs up for a few seconds. "What happened?" One of the Nurses stares at me with a strange look on his face.
"You passed out." He says. "Smoke inhalation." I notice the Oxygen mask strapped to my mouth. Although my mask is still on. The Nurse seems to read my thoughts. "Don't worry. We didn't take it off. Couple of the CBTF guys wanted to though."
"CBTF?" That's when I hear the sirens behind me. "Who called them?" The other Nurse rears his head up.
"Nobody surprisingly." He comments. "They were responding to the Live feed from the news network. They tried to arrest you, but technically the only law you had broken was not having a Costume Permit for your... Gimp Costume."
I should be offended by that, but to be honest he's right. Without the trench coat I look like one of the many Undesirables that come out to play when the sun goes down.
"So what's happening?" I ask. "Are you guys taking me to the hospital?" The question sounded better in my head. Duh. Where else would they be taking me? That's when I notice the Syringe in the Second Nurse's hand. "Whoa! What the hell are you doing with that?!" I yell in surprise. The Nurse steps back nervously.
"You've inhaled too much smoke!" He replies anxiously. "You shouldn't be awake right now!" He's probably right. But I'm not in the mood to have the CBTF looking over me while I try to keep my mask on.
"Well I feel fine." I lie. I'm a bit drowsy and feel a bit sick. "I'm a Carrier." Well that's true I guess. "We heal faster then normal people." Also true! The Nurse shakes his head.
"Well we've been at this for a few years now." He points out. "Even during the Blight War... and we're used to dealing with normal people, like you said. We're USED to that procedure, so for NOW we're going to do what we're used to! Got it?"
Well. Looks like I'm gonna have to be a d!ck and teleport out. However just before I can do that my Super Hearing clicks on. Something attracts my attention... and by this point I swear my Super Hearing has become my own version of the Spider Sense.
"Yes sir. Initiating the retrieval now."
What the hell does that mean? I don't have time to ponder it as a gun shot rings through the air. It's clearly nearby since both the Nurses react to it. Half a second later a loud banging is heard and the Ambulance lurches forward through the air. Since I'm already stood up I fall backwards in the air towards the side of the Ambulance and in an attempt to prevent myself from being harmed I teleport outside. Bad mistake. The moment I teleport outside (a few inches above the ground I might add) I almost smash into the window of a car that had happened to be driving alongside. Luckily I manage to somehow miss it. Unluckily my left leg smashes against the side sending me tumbling to the ground. Surprisingly the only reaction I get from the Driver of the car is him pulling up next to the toppled over Ambulance and stepping out.
"Retrieval is imminent." The Driver mutters before pulling a Pistol from his jacket. Clearly he's the one behind the Ambulance toppling over. He's tall but thin and appears to be trying to cover up every part of his flesh. Hat to cover his hear, one of those hockey masks around his face, trench coat, jacket, gloves etc. He starts to walk towards me like the Serial Killer out of Halloween aiming his pistol at my skull in case I try to move. I'm betting his reactions are faster then my Teleporting.
"FREEZE!" One of the CBTF Trucks nearby yells at the Driver via loudspeaker. One of their Soldiers is leaning out the side with some kind of rifle pointed at the Driver's chest. "DROP YOUR WEAPON!" The Psychopath shakes his head and uses a small device he's been carrying in his left hand.
It's a Grenade Detonator.
Instantly the side of the CBTF truck explodes sending bright flames flickering across the night sky. The other Trucks follow shortly. Each time one of them is destroyed the explosion sends heated bits of metal flying through the night sky and the entire time the Driver watches the flames as though he's fixated.
"Now..." The Driver says calmly. He turns towards me as if he'd forgotten all about me. "Where were we?"
"I think I was just about to kick your teeth in!" I shout (well to be honest its more like a gasp) just before teleporting towards him. Since my leg's injured I practically stumble into him sending us both tumbling to the ground. The Driver falls to the ground in surprise before quickly pulling himself up and pulling a knife from his boot. I'm still trying to find where my leg is...
"Unimpressed." He states. Just that one word. Whoever this guy is... he's prepared. Skilled. He doesn't even have any Carrier Powers for f#ck's sake! Slowly I get up off the ground, my Wind powers aren't going to do a goddamn thing against him. I can tell that already. If I even THINK about using my more useful powers against him he'll parry against it with something else. That's when he hits me with the kicker. "Wind Duster." He sounds like he's about to laugh. Like I'm a small kid playing dress up."Do you think I'd attack you unprepared? I already know everything about you." He's trying to irritate me. Get into my head... and I can't tell if he's lying.
"Who the hell are you?!" I reply. The Driver shakes his head at me again.
"There's more then one of me, Duster." He says calmly. I can hear the Police Sirens nearby. The groans inside the Ambulance are growing louder. Somebody is alive in there. "You're the first. But by no means the last." He pulls his mask from his head revealing abnormally regular features. Brown hair, blue eyes, white skin... he looks like someone I could walk past on the street. "Tell me... Duster." He grins slightly. "Do you know if your family's safe?"
Daisy. He knows about her. Sirens pull up behind me, the Cops will help the wounded. I have to prioritize... Daisy. The second before I teleport away I see the smug grin across the Driver's face.
He knows.
Without a moment's hesitation I teleport as far away as possible. That happens to be several blocks away and as quickly as I can I follow it up with yet another teleport. This time I reappear inside my Living room.
"Daisy?!" I shout. She's nowhere to be seen. "DAISY?!" I shout again getting all the more frantic. I run towards her bedroom ignoring the pain in my leg. It's locked. I unlock it by smashing through it with my foot. "DAISY?!" I yell as I enter the room.
"Dad?!" The young girl lying on top of her bed yells in horror. She stares at me... the music from her headphones blaring loudly. "What the hell are you doing?!" She shouts. I run over to her and grip her firmly by the shoulders, pulling my mask off.
"Are you okay?!" I ask quickly looking her over. No bruises in the slightest. She seems perfectly fine. "Has anyone hurt y-"
"Dad what's going on?!" She interrupts. I realize I've started shaking her.
"You're... you're fine?" I ask her, taking a step back in surprise. I'd expected the worst. But somehow she hadn't been hurt in the slightest. "Nobody..." She opens her mouth to speak... but that's when I notice the blinking light on the back of my mask. I look closer and realize what it is. "Oh god..." Daisy sees him first. She points outside the window and I follow her gaze. The Driver smiles at me through the balcony. Without an ounce of remorse or hesitation I unleash a pure force of wind towards him smashing the window to pieces, knocking him over the side. "Dad?! What did you ju-" Daisy starts to ask.
"Stay here!" I shout at her before limping painfully towards the balcony. Not even thinking about the fact I may have just killed a man. His body will be down on the street... I peer over the balcony and almost vomit.
"Dad?!" Daisy yells. "What's-" I drown the rest of Daisy's sentence out of my head.
There is no body... and now this monster knows who I am.
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