Arlo and Rein put their fists up, Arlo strikes Rein but misses, Rein strikes back landing a sucker punch, for Arlo wasn't in the present moment, as memories of his childhood with Rein flood his mind.
Ten years ago, one year before shit went down. Arlo is heading into his first day of second grade.
Teacher: Now class, let me introduce you to our new student.
Arlo heads up to introduce himself. His ability and its current level.
Student number 1: Aww man, another high tier.
Student number 2: They're mean, I don't wanna be near him!
Later that day on the playground Arlo is sitting by himself.
Rein: Hi there, I'm Rein,
Arlo looks up as Rein stands over him and smiles down.
Rein: It's okay, I also get bullied by them.
She smiles at him giving off a warm vibe. The randomness of her sentence almost makes him giggle, except for the fact that what she said was so true.
Arlo: Yeah, my mom said we were gonna move because the neighbors don't like us that much. She says it's because I'm a high tier, she wants me to be around my peers.
Rein: Hey, what's your ability?
Arlo: Oh, I can make force fields, they're not that strong yet, but my mommy said one day I'll be really strong. What's yours?
Rein: Oh, I can create bug legs. I'm the itsy bitsy spider.
She activates her ability, two small legs come out of her back, the two laugh together.
Arlo: So, you didn't mention your ability level.
Rein: Does it matter? Mommy said it was why people fight all the time around me.
Arlo pauses as he is introduced to a new thought concept.
Arlo: Oh, well what if we are all the same power level, then we wouldn't have to compete.
Rein: Yeah. That would be nice.
Present day: Arlo and Rein throw consistent punches, Arlo throws a direct hit to Rein's nose, causing her to fall. Rein's eyes stop glowing from her exhaustion, Arlo starts to shrink his Barrier on Rein.
Arlo: This is it Rein, no more praying on low tiers. Time I started to act like a king.
Rein's eyes widen, no energy left to fight, scared out of her mind from death that approaches her.
Rein flashes back to when she was in the second grade.
Rein: Hey Arlo?
Arlo: Yeah?
Rein: Don't the other kids bother you?
Arlo: What do you mean?
Rein: Well, we already have a basic control of our abilities, but we are somehow the bad guys.
Arlo: Yeah, and?
Rein: Well, shouldn't they be ashamed of themselves, they don't even have an ability yet?
Arlo: Well, yeah it stinks that we get left out, but we're in a low tier town, my mommy told me that it's often the other way around in high tier towns. So maybe we should just leave.
Rein: Yeah well, that's good, it's their fault they're so weak, they deserve all the pain they get.
Arlo gives Rein a concerned look. Like he's not talking to a little kid anymore.
Arlo: What do you mean? That doesn't sound fair, it's not our fault we have better abilities nor is it their fault they are weak. We should just do what we can to benefit so-si-soci-. Ugh, order and heiarc- I don't know, my daddy used big words that confused me.
Rein: Yeah well, we're born special, that's what my daddy told me.
Arlo: Yeah, so it's our job to help those under us, to run the government , to keep the social hierarchy, we may look mean but if we don't then people go around and hurt each other and themselves. If there wasn't a power class, people who are weak would challenge a strong person and get bawdly hurt.
Rein pauses for a second before she replies.
Rein: Yeah well, when I grow up, I'm gonna make every person who was mean to me pay.
Arlo: What?
Rein: Back in my homeland, there was a party of people, they ran our country, they tried to take our powers away, and give them to soldiers, then they would bully us, my mom snuck me out as a baby, but stayed back to fight all the bad guws.
Arlo: Wait, a whole country ran by cripples.
Rein starts to get a little emotional.
Rein: No, they took powers from the people, turned them into cripples, but they are the real freaks, that's why when I grow up, I'm gonna kill every last weakling!
Arlo stares in horror, her words struck him like a knife, he doesn't move out of fear. Rein's eyes start to glow uncontrollably, kids around her start to glow as well, their eyes blue as a blue jay. Rein pops out six blue legs, her eyes now red among the army of blue kids. Arlo watches and activates his barrier, the weak force field was enough to knock Rein to her feet and give her a scrape on the knee.
Rein: Arlo, why?
Arlo: Rein, all youw've been talking about hurting people, but I don't wanna know what would happen to me if I turned out to be a weakling too?
Rein: Arlo, I.. you know I like you. I'll protect you. You can be weak because you're nice.
Arlo: Yeah well, I don't wanna do this anymore!
Arlo runs home crying, the nightmare he just saw scared him too much. He bursts into the house and tells his parents everything.
Arlo's mom: Sweetie, I know you're scared, but we can't move just yet, we aren't high tiers like you, you're gonna grow up to be something great son.
Arlo's dad: Yeah son, my barrier didn't develop until middle school, and your mom's reflective ability didn't develop until middle school.
Arlo's mom: High school sweetie, remember?
Arlo's dad: He-he, sorry about that. Oh remember honey how we met, we were brawling and....
Arlo's mom: You pinned me with your barrier, so smooth.
Arlo: Stop it! I don't have time for this, Rein's scawy, I'm not going back there anymore.
Arlo rushes up to his room.
Arlo's dad: Honey, what are we gonna do with the boy?
Arlo's mom: I don't know, something must have happened at school that really spooked him.
Arlo's dad: I'll have a talk with the headmaster tomorrow.
The next day Arlo and his dad see federal agents carrying Rein out the school in cuffs. It's 7am and school starts the following hour. Following the federal agents is some homeland security.
Arlo's dad: What is going on here?
Officer: Sir, take home your son, school is closed today.
Arlo's dad: Why?
Officer: Sir, our suspect made a threat to the district and due to her abnormal ability circumstances we have no choice but to act, I am not allowed to give any further information so please return to your residence, we will inform the district if we have any important information.
Rein is heard yelling in the distance.
Rein: Hey, what the? Stop it! This isn't fair!
Rein in her head: Everyone was hypnotized yesterday, they weren't supposed to remember unless...
Rein remembers her Aunt's words to her from last night. "Now remember, no hypnotizing low tiers, if anyone above a level 5 spots you, you'll get in serious trouble.
Rein: YOU!
She looks at Arlo, who's staring right back at her.
Arlo (from last night) Hello?
Operator: 911 what's your emergency?
Arlo: I'm scawed, I saw a scawy lady do things at my school yesterday.
Arlo starts to cry.
Operator: Stay calm, tell me everything that happened.
Cut back to present day.
Rein: I knew you would turn, the moment we talked on those swings, you looked at me like I was some kinda freak.
Arlo: You talked about murder, in the SECOND GRADE!
Rein: YEAH WELL I LIKED IT, EVERY LAST MINUTE OF THIS CITIES DESTRUCTION!
Arlo: YOU KILLED MY PARENTS, I WATCHED YOU DEVOUR MY MOTHER AT THE BORDER!
Rein: Oh yeah, she tasted real nice, the way I crunched...
Arlo throws a devastating blow to Rein's chest, she coughs up some blood and flies to the edge of the barrier.
Arlo: I get prejudice against low tiers, it's not right but it makes sense, but terrorism.
Rein: Shut up, the government doesn't care about anyone, not even high tiers, they just want control, people they can pay off, people to help them control the world, as soon as your powers get to a certain level they just toss you like trash and treat you like a freak.
Rein flashes back to when she was in the "correction classes".
Rein: Mommy! Daddy!, I miss you!
Rein begins to sob as soon as Keon enters the room.
Keon: So, you're being charged with hypnotizing your entire school, while conspiring to cause carnage in your current district to another acquaintance.
Rein: No, I was just...
Keon: So, I suppose this video of the incident caught on school security cameras just made it all up then, huh?!
Rein keeps on crying, unable to speak out of fear.
Keon: Well, I'll have to call your parents and inform them of your current charges, I'm afraid you can't return home for a while.
Rein starts to cry even harder.
Keon: Take the rest of the day to reflect your behavior.
Rein starts to think to herself: It's not fair, ever since I moved to this new country, they've only treated me like some freak, despite my high tier rank, they act like I'm some enemy spy. The Northern republic party and the Southern Republic party have always been fighting. So the Northern Republic closed their borders, and starved us out, making their own people work to death. So when I was born, my mother sent me away to have a better life than to live in her crime ring, and when they found out about my ability, how I age, everything. They just...
Rein can't continue to finish her thoughts, her eyes start to glow brighter, she starts to feel a sharp pain in her back. Horrible memories of her new home start to flood in, her aunt and uncle beating her, the bullying from her cousins, people on the street looking at her funny for her behavior.
Rein: I can't help I was born this way, I NEEDED TO EAT!
Memories of Rein in an alleyway pop up, she's hiding in a corner, blood is dripping from her clothes.
Rein: I NEEDED MEAT!
Rein starts to power up, her ability loses control and she starts to float. She turns into a giant bug-like creature.
Meanwhile Keon is outside New Oklahoma city correction classes. He sees the giant bug start to form. He signals his men to get in the chopper and call the military.
Keon: Looks like I set her off, this can't end well.
Soldier: We are gonna have to report this you know.
Keon: I understand.
Rein's screams can be heard from a distance, her bug creature grows into a 60 meter monster. Soldiers are seen shooting at it.
The rest goes as follows, thousands were hypnotized within a couple of seconds, they put on blue robes and priest wear, they took their neighbors to the street and hacked them, chaos was all around and suffering filled the air.
Present day.
Rein: No, mom, dad, I miss you.
Arlo: Shut up you monster, you're nothing but a freak who eats people.
Rein stays silent.
Arlo: Well, do you have anything to say for yourself?
Rein: You didn't know half the shit I went through!
Arlo: Does it really matter anymore, you've destroyed an entire city, abused your powers, and tried to kill my friends, who stupidly only wanted to help others, to use their powers in the service of others, not many high tiers do that these days.
Rein: Yeah well...
Rein starts to smile, her teeth are all sharp and rigid, her eyes glow black and red.
I'm done with you pathetic humans, you're nothing but inferior FOOD!
Arlo starts to shrink the barrier, closing in on Rein she panics, banging on the barrier as it slowly closes on her until everyone around hears a loud crack. In the distance John is seen walking back with Sera. Elaine is healing Blyke and Remi for their injuries, leaving just Isen, Arlo, and John. Isen takes Sera and the five (minus John and Arlo) head back to John's house to heal up. John starts to follow back when he hears Arlo's name.
Arlo: John, a word?
John walks back over.
John: Yeah what's up, decided to join the party last minute.
Arlo: Why did you leave, Sera had that under control?! You put her over the mission, what happened to being a hero?
John angrily walks toward Arlo, grabbing him by the collar and raising him.
John: WHY DID YOU ALMOST BAIL OUT, FOR NINE YEARS WE'VE WAITED FOR THE AUTHORITIES, NOTHING, SO WHEN WE DECIDE TO FINALLY TAKE THINGS INTO OUR OWN HANDS, YOU PRIORITIZE SOME STUPID MAFIA GANG AT SOME RETARDED SCHOOL OVER AVENGING EVERYTHING YOU LOST?!
Arlo doesn't respond.
John: WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!
He lowers Arlo, dropping him to the ground.
John: I'll show you how to run a school, through fear, terror, you treat them like criminals in the streets, stop acting like you run a kingdom, these are bratty spoiled rich kids, not your average mid tier citizens. So get your shit together!
Arlo: Yeah, well why don't you become king, then you can figure shit out.
John: No, I'll be in your stupid hierarchy, but not as a king.
Arlo: Well, if you wanna prove Cecile is somehow the Bounty Huntress you're after, King privileges are gonna help.
John: How the?
Arlo: We literally talk with the same friends, I know.
John: Yeah well, I don't need to be a King in the hierarchy!
Arlo: Oh yeah, and what makes you so confident?
John: Because I already have a role in it waiting for me....
I'm the Joker.
The End
Or is it?