For the next two days, I spent all my time at the abondened factory, using my powers unitl I nearly fainted from the mental exhaustion. Still, the results were incredible and even better than I expected.
After only three days, I was as proficient as the alternative version of myself would be at his peak. This couldn't be explained with a simple memory transfer. This was my newly-gained adaptability and growth at work.
Over the past days, I also tried to keep my distance from Wanda, even though it pained my heart to do so. My feelings for her were a powderkeg and every minute I spent with her burned the very short fuse a bit more. I wasn't sure what would happen when it all blew up, or rather I didn't know if I could live with the consequences of what might happen.
Still, everytime I saw the sad and hurt look in her eyes these past two days, it teared at my heart. And I had a feeling that my resolve to keep my distance would crack rather sooner than later.
Pushing these thoughts and feelings aside, I concentrated on my mission tonight.
I had fashioned a face mask out of some old sheet metal, with some tools I 'borrowed'. Because even though I was fast, there was no need to take an extra risk and concealing your identity was like rule number one, when doing a heist.
I wore the mask, my black jeans and hoodie, while hiding my blond hair under the hood. At the moment I was standing in the shadows of an alleyway with a clear view of the neighbouring alley and the side entrance that led into the lair of the local druglord.
Turning my bracelets into two daggers, I readied myself for what was to come. Taking deep breaths – in and out, in and out.
Today I would kill for the first time. I knew it was inevitable. That I would have to do so in the future, as my plans simple required me to. And I would rather kill some criminals right now to get used to the feeling and cutting off any loose ends, than hestitating later on, when it really mattered.
I have prepared myself for this mentally for the last few days, but that wouldn't make it any easier. Taking a life, I knew it would change me. I simply didn't know yet, if I would come out of this stronger or just broken.
Seeing the door at the side being opened by someone on the inside, I knew that this was my chance.
Engaging my Speed-Mode, I could see time slowing to a crawl, and in a flash I crossed the street and appeared before the man trying to exit the building.
I knew him to be a member of the gang, and tonight that meant a death sentence. Kicking him back into the hallway, I followed and closed the door, not forgetting to lock it with the bolt.
In the hallway, I saw the man I had sent flying before still sailing through the air, two other men behind him. Readying my daggers, I drew them across their throats. One after another.
The feeling of cutting flesh, felt absolutely repulsive and made me nauseous. Still, I gritted my teeth so hard, I could almost feel them crack and continued on my way.
Every gangmember I met, I killed by cutting his throat. I made no difference between men or women. I had chosen this place for a reason. This gang was notorious for their cruelty and brutality, not even sparing innocent bystanders in their fight for territory and power.
There were a few prostitutes in some of the rooms, but I left them alone. They were innocent, at least as far as I was concerned.
Arriving in the office of the the boss, who was also present along with his wife and his right-hand man, I directly killed the right-hand man and took the weapons from both the boss and his wife.
With all that done, I stopped using my Superspeed.
A moment later the shocked and horrified cries of the prostitues, along with the sound of death throes from roughly fifty gangmembers could be heard.
"DIMITRI! What the fu-!? Who the hell are you!?", the ganglord shouted at me in anger and fear.
His wife was more composed, and just took a cautious step back, while trying to reach for the gun in her purse. Without success, I might add. The boss also quickly realised that he was unarmed and this time he questioned me with a bit less anger and a lot more fear.
"Who are you?! What do you want?!"
"I am Silver and you will open your safe for me.", I said with a calm and even tone, though the screams and gurgling sounds still echoed in my ears.
I supressed the disgust and horror, I felt at the thought of my actions. Though I knew that I had a limit, which was fast approaching.
"My safe? And what if I don't? You can't kill me, I am the only one who knows how to open it!", the gangleader tried to reason.
Sadly for him, while I may be an amateur when it came to crime and violence, I had something that he clearly lacked. I was a gifted observer, not only of myself, but also of others.
The moment he mentioned that only he could open the safe, I noticed his wife flinching for a split second, which may as well have been an hour for my eyesight.
Turning my head towards her, I spoke.
"You don't know how to open it, do you? In that case you are useless to me.", I said, still trying to keep my voice calm and even, while slowly apporaching her.
Her eyes widened in shock, before she just crumbled, the reminder of her fate, in the form of a corpse laying right next to her, was obviously too much for her.
"I DO KNOW! I KNOW HOW TO OPEN IT! PLEASE, DON'T KILL ME! PLEASE!", she screamed in horror.
I simply vanished for a moment and her husband joined the other man on the floor, before he had time to say another word.
His wife meanwhile had frozen in fear, seeing the events unfolding before her eyes.
"Open it and you can go.", I promised.
At my words she broke free from her shocked state and ran to the side of the room, where she pushed aside a painting and hurriedly typed in the code, all the while sobing, trembling and shaking in abject horror.
After she managed to open it, she turned to me and tried to say something, but my blade was faster than her words and so she joined her husband.
I had no mercy with her, as I had no mercy with the rest of the gang. The stories they told about her cruelty were even more horrible than the ones told about her husband.
Mercy was a privilege of the powerful and in this universe I wasn't powerful, not yet at least.
Transforming the dagger back into a braclet, I got to work. Opening the bag I brought, I just emptied the whole safe with my fastest speed, before leaving the place.
I just wanted to go home. I wanted some peace and quiet.
Leaving the building the same way I entered it, I didn't look back and directly went a few rounds through the alleyways and backstreets, before heading straight home via a different route.
Wanda's and my apartment was on the other side of the city, as I had chosen this place exactly with that in mind.
When I was just a few minutes on foot away from home, I stashed away my mask and dropped the hood, before disengaging my Speed-Mode.
The closer I got towards the apartment, the worse I felt. The screams of terror and wet gurgling sounds echoing in my head, while I couldn't help but recall how it felt to cut through the flesh of all these people.
The urge to throw up, became nearly overwhelming when I had finally reached the door. I fiddled with the key, but couldn't seem to get the door open, as my sight was slowly getting more and more hazy.
Thankfully Wanda opened the door from the inside, right when the world around me started to spin.
"What are you doing ou-..Pietro!", stopping midway through her sentence, Wande cried out in distress, when she saw my ashen face, noticing that something was wrong right away.
I didn't have the leisure to answer her though and simply used my Superspeed to move past her and into the bathroom, throwing off my bag along the way.
I knocked into the walls of the hallway a few times, but managed to reach my destination just in time. What followed was me vomiting my guts out for what felt like an eternity, which quickly turned into dry heaving, as I had completely emptied the contents of my stomach.
At one point Wanda appeared behind me and held my hair back, while rubbing my back soothingly. She was also constantly telling me that everything would be alright and that she was there for me.
Her presence in this moment of weakness was like beacon of light for my lost self.
After my stomach had calmed down somewhat, I weakly pulled at my hoodie, trying to take it off. Though I felt so drained of strength, I could hardly move.
"Let me help you." Wanda's voice sounded out from behind me, before I felt her hands helping me to take off my sweater.
Meanwhile I managed to unbutton my pants and using the wall managed to pick myself up with her support.
"What are you doing?", Wanda asked unsure what I wanted to achieve.
"...shower...", was the only word I could squeze out of my dry throat, while simultaneously kicking off my pants and shoes.
Not bothering to take off my socks and underwear, I simple moved into the shower. Slowly feeling my physical strength returning, even though my mind was still a mess.
As I was about to turn on the faucet, Wanda appeared and pushed my hand away, turning on the water herself.
Even in my state, I was still shocked to see her standing with me in the shower in nothing but her underwear.
Suddenly feeling warm water washing over my head, then back and down to my legs, I immediately felt more 'clean'. Raising my head, I welcomed the jet of water, hoping it would help me in washing off the stain on my soul for all the people I had murdered today.
…
As Wanda stared at her brother's raised face, she couldn't help but tear up. The look of relief and distraught on his face telling her that something terrible had happened to her brother.
The moment she had opened the door and seen his ashen face and empty gaze, her heart had constricted at seeing him this shaken.
His following display of speed had also shocked her, but her worry for him had quickly won the battle against her shock. Especially when she had heard him throwing up in the bathroom.
Together with the past few days of him keeping his distance and staying out the whole day doing who-knows-what, Wanda felt her heart nearly breaking as she saw him kneeling on the bathroom floor.
Clearly something major was happening to her brother, the only person she loved and cared about. And she was powerless to help him.
She herself didn't know what compelled her to undress and move into the shower with him, but she just wanted to be there for him in this moment, where he clearly needed her help.
"Let me be there for you. I beg you, brother."
With tears in her eyes, she pressed herself into his back and hugged him from behind, as she pleaded with him.