"Trish? What's happening to me?" Trish didn't know- and it scared Cole. Because Trish was the smartest out of the three, and she always knew what was going on. But now she didn't and Cole was left alone with this new...side of him.
Whatever it was- it had allowed him to survive injuries any other would have perished from, it even healed him. Physically, he was completely fine, so the clinic's doctors released him. Trish volunteered to keep an eye on him, though she said she had no idea what was actually going on.
So they returned to their apartment, to their safehouse, as Zeke put it. Cole felt mentally drained, wasn't sure what was going on- but he knew that something was going to happen. This couldn't be a coincidence- the explosion and his abilities.
He remembered having been called by their client- this Kessler guy, and then...nothing. He could barely remember getting over Fremont Bridge.
The bridge- he swallowed hard- the bridge he destroyed. Or better- his powers destroyed. He couldn't remember much, but he knew he had been afraid as the lightning came down all around him.
That hadn't been some terrorists, that was him. He destroyed an entire bridge with his new powers. He had seen people die there. So he had killed hundreds. On accident.
He groaned and buried his face in his hands. He had murdered a whole lot of people. Sure, he couldn't be blamed for it- he had no control over these powers- but it didn't change the fact that a lot of people died because of him.
It would also mean that the blast was only because of it. Shit.
Cole remembered having opened that package, and the thing went up in his face. Everything had been melted, yet he managed to walk out of it with just some burns.
That hadn't been a coincidence. No. Somebody wanted him to get these powers, sacrificing thousands in the progress.
Kessler. He was the only one, but what the ever-loving Hell did he gain from it? Why him?
Damnit. Cole was certain that it was this weird orb thing that had caused the explosion- but he had been the one to carry it, he opened the package- and he also got some sort of powers while everybody else had died. That did look suspicious.
And it meant that Zeke and Trish could not learn of it. It wasn't his fault this happened, but would they see it the same way he did? He would need more information before he could tell them.
Kessler was his best lead.
"Zek?" He called out. Zeke's head snapped up. "Yeah?"
"You have contacts. Can you find something about a guy named Kessler?"
Zeke blinked. "Why?"
"He was the last guy to get into contact with me. He sounded pretty cryptic, but I'm sure it had something to do with..." He lifted his hand, focusing to create a few sparks "About this X-men stuff happening to me."
Zeke's mouth opened and closed a few times before he finally managed to speak. "So...does it hurt when you switch that on?"
Cole frowned. Did it hurt? "No. Not really." He created another bolt of lightning in his other hand. "Kinda tickles though. It's not bad...just really weird."
Zeke lowered his glasses to peek at him over their rim. "And that's it? No feelings of Sith theatricals?"
"No."
"Good. Because if you start monologuing, I'm outta here."
"Kessler, Zeke", Cole reminded him. He was about to turn and head back to the couch, when he paused and glanced at the closed door to his room. "Uh...I think I'm going to look after Trish"
"Yeah. Do that, man. She hasn't been herself since- you know."
Since Amy died. Cole sighed. Another victim because of him. He hoped she didn't had to suffer. Hell, he hoped that Trish wouldn't think of doing anything stupid. He hadn't been around for very long since the blast, but Zeke had told him everything.
He stopped in front of his door (now Trish's room because he insisted she'd sleep in a real bed and not that stupid moth-eaten couch) and rapped his knuckled against the wood. He didn't wait for her to reply, but rather opened the door and stepped half inside, clearing his throat.
Trish looked up at him from the bed, eyes bloodshot and hair tousled. She held the torn picture in her hand, while having both arms wrapped around her knees in an attempt to make herself as small as possible. At this point, Cole decided that he did not like desolate Trish. He slowly made his way over to the bed and carefully sat down besides her, noticing with a pang how she inched away from him.
"You're scared", he noticed. "Because of those...powers?" She didn't reply, which made him furrow his brows. "Look Trish- I'm still the same. I'm still Cole. Yes- something happened, but it didn't change me."
"I know", Trish whispered. She glanced at him, and he realized that she must have cried a lot. "I know you weren't the one to cause it- but I am still scared. There are things I don't understand, and things I do understand." She sniffed and rubbed her eyes. "You could be dead, Cole. Just like Amy."
He exhaled slowly, casting his eyes down. "I'm sorry I worried you", he muttered.
"Worried?" Trish shook her head. "That's not even enough. I was terrified when that explosion rattled the whole city, knowing you're out there somewhere. And then you quite literally crawled towards us with the last ounce of your strength before you went comatose. I have never been more afraid in my life." She sniffed again. "And then, when I was told about Amy- about her death- all I had left was you. And you were dying, Cole."
He responded by putting an arm around her shoulders. She whimpered slightly from the contact before she settled down. "I don't know what I would have done if you had died too. I just-just love you so much."
"I won't leave you", Cole muttered. "Never. No matter what happens. And I will also never let anything happen to you." He smiled at her. "Because you are my whole world."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Trish unclenched her frame slightly, leaning against him. "You smell", she finally mumbled.
Cole chuckled. "Guess I do. I'll go grab a shower." He paused, then winked at her. "Unless you want to join?"
Trish punched his shoulder with a lopsided grin. "No. Get out of here, MacGrath."
Cole got up and walked to the door, but stopped and looked back at her. "I like you much better when you smile."
He collected a fresh track suit, then moved to the bathroom, took off his clothes and dropped them into the hamper. He stepped under the shower and turned on the water.
-----------------
"GAAAAAGH!"
A loud scream broke the silence, making Zeke and Trish jump up startled. The lights in their apartment fizzled off when the fuses blew out and there was a loud crash coming from the bathroom. "What was that?!" Zeke yelled.
"Cole!" Trish realized with a panicked voice. "Something's wrong!"
"Look after him!" Zeke ordered, jumping off the couch, "I'll check the fuse box, then I'll come too!"
Trish had already stormed off. Zeke swore and dashed towards the kitchenette, where the fuse box was. He swung the hatch open. The protection had worked and switched off the electricity, throwing their apartment into darkness. He grunted and flipped the levers, and the light fizzled back into life.
He slammed the hatch shut, then rushed into the direction of the bathroom. He nearly bumped into Trish, who stood in the doorway. She was frozen in shock, as was Cole.
Zeke blinked for a few seconds to take in the situation before him, before he doubled over laughing. In an instant, Trish and Cole both threw him a dirty look. But he couldn't help it. This was just too good.
The shower was running and in the corner furthest away from it stood a butt-naked Cole, pressed against the wall to get as much distance between himself and the plumbing as somehow possible. His skin was wet and there were sparks crawling frantically over his body. He also had a wonderful mixture of confusion, panic and utter disbelief on his face as he tried to comprehend what had happened. And Trish had gotten a free show on top. Of course this was funny as Hell.
"What's so funny?" Cole scowled, inching sideways to grab a towel to preserve what little modesty he had left.
"Sorry man- this is just-" Zeke cut himself off with a snicker, "What happened, man?"
"Tried to take a shower", Cole growled unhappily, "And suddenly zap. I jumped right out."
Zeke giggled. "Oh man. But you could maybe have thought about this." His face split in a wide grin. "What happens when you drop a toaster into water?"
Cole blinked, before he slapped his palm into his face with a groan. "Hell!"
"You just blew our fuses, too", Zeke added. He nudged Trish with his shoulder. "Looks like no more sexy shower time for you lovebirds, huh?"
Trish blinked in confusion until it settled in. Once it did, her eyes watered up and she collapsed against the door frame, laughing heartily. Zeke grinned wider. "There. Now she's happy again- and all she needed was to see you stripped and ridiculed." He paused, grin widening. "Hey, let's do it again!"
Cole's confusion melted into a scowl. "You are a dead man, Dunbar!" He roared, diving at his best friend. Zeke immediately ran away, heading towards the kitchenette to crank open the water tap and splatter water into his direction. As predicted, Cole dodged away from the sprays, shouting profanities all the while (losing his towel in the process, but not noticing it). Trish choked because she got no air anymore, nor could she remain standing.
But she was laughing again. And that made it all worth it.
-------------------
Empire City was turning more and more dangerous. Gangs started to take over the Districts- or they did in the Neon, at least. But if it looked like this here, then Cole held no illusions that it was any different in the other two districts.
And worse even, the gang that started to get a hold on the Neon was near unstoppable. Pretty much every cop had been killed by a militaristic looking unit of thugs. They called themselves the Reapers, and were not only dangerous, but also plentiful. Easily recognized by their red hoodies and their wordless snarls, these guys would swoop in and take the supply drops the government sent the city by force. Nobody dared to stand in their way- if they appeared, you better hauled ass. Cole had heard of people disappear- taken by the Reapers. They were never heard of again.
He was scared, not for himself, but for Trish and Zeke.
On top of that, he had some sort of unstable powers going on that did make some things in life weird or awkward. He wasn't sure what to do with them, or what they could do.
Trying to figure them out, he started with exploring his own boundaries. Water had been a shock, and a big problem. Initially.
Cole had quickly discovered that a light spray, or even a little bit of rain barely harmed him. He was perfectly fine with using a rag to wash himself or taking a very quick shower. However, he soon realized through trial and error that the more water he got into contact with, the more his own powers started to affect him, frying him from the inside. He had tried it out- two days after that shower incident, by jumping into the Smith Fountain.
That...had gone over as well as a house on fire. He was just lucky Trish and Zeke had been nearby to rescue him from his self-experiment. After that, they both chewed him out as they dragged his sorry ass back to their apartment, Cole, being weakened from his stunt, offered no resistance. In the end, he had to promise them to never step into any body of water deeper than the length of his shins.
Electrical appliances were another problem. His phone, having shorted out when he collapsed, had been repaired by Zeke. However, this one fizzled out almost immediately as it got into his range, forcing Zeke to fix it again- and make it surge resistant. He also wasn't allowed near the TV anymore, or the microwave, or the gaming station. When he got upset, the lights would flicker.
But that didn't mean he was put off. He was determined to learn as much as he could about those powers. Light bulbs would light up when he only held them, and machines of all kind jumped to life when he merely touched them. If he focused, he could summon electricity into his hand and just aim it at a target, creating a lightning bolt he could zap things with. And the more he practiced it, the more he could fire before he was exhausted and needed to rest for a little while.
Trish assumed that the lightning was triggered by his overall state of emotion, the angrier he became, the stronger they were. But just exactly how they worked, she couldn't tell. At any rate, she doubted it was anything like electric eels did, since Cole was also able to literally sense other people and sources of electricity around.
Today, Cole and Zeke were on the way to a friend of Zeke's. The Reapers had gotten too bold, had tried to attack their safehouse, but they managed to drive them off with a mixture of throwing stuff at them (Zeke) or flashing some lightning until the guys ran away startled (Cole). But after that it became clear that they would need to arm themselves.
So Zeke pulled a few favors and set up a meeting with a friend in the Smith Park near the Smith Fountain. Cole noticed the dark smudges at the sculpture in the middle of it and grimaced. Jumping into the fountain without proper care had been pretty stupid, admittedly, and the scorch marks where his lightning had hit when he almost literally exploded in a shower of wild sparks were a silent warning.
With a shudder, he trailed after Zeke to meet his friend who was sitting on a terrace. Cole recognized him as Ned. Ned was a nice guy, better than Dwight, at any rate, but he was Zeke's friend, not his. So he couldn't say all too much about him.
Ned looked up when they approached. "Hey" He greeted. "So, you've come here to check my wares, right?"
"Yeah. We gotta be able to defend ourselves", Zeke explained. Cole sat down on the low wall at the edge of the terrace. "Cole's a good shot. We need something for him to blow Reapers away."
"That true?" Ned asked.
Cole shrugged. "I used to go hunting with my dad and brother", he said, "So I can use a gun."
"Cool." Ned reached into his pocket and pulled out a Magnum .375, while Zeke handed some of his homemade electronics over. Cole frowned. "Uh, just so we're clear- One a scale of one to ten, how illegal is what we are doing here?"
"Not higher than three", Zeke claimed, "Chill, bro. Empire's going down and I see no cops. Do you?"
"Nah. Just wondering." Cole shrugged. "I promised Trish I won't do anything with a scale of six or above- you do know my track record."
"So we cool?" Ned question.
"Yup", Cole replied.
"Lemme see the goods", Zeke asked. Ned handed him the gun. Zeke quickly checked it over, scanning for damage or anything of the like until he was satisfied. Only then he gave it to Cole.
Cole eyed it, flipped it over and cocked the hammer. "Nice", he said.
"Okay, so it's a deal", Zeke grinned, turning to Ned. "You always have the best toys."
Cole eyed the gun. They would need it to defend themselves against the Reapers. Life had started to become tough- supplies were getting scarce with only the government dropping in food and necessities from planes now and then. But most of those drops where taken by the Reapers. Now they could at least defend themselves if they got there before them.
He paused, sniffing. Something smelled...like hot metal.
With a start, he glanced down at the Magnum in his hand. There were sparks running over the metal, sparks that crept out of his skin.
"Oh." Cole blinked. "Uh-Zek?" The gun began heating up. Inductive heat, his college studies said. Cole swore and was about to drop the weapon when it exploded in his hand with a loud boom. The courier flailed back, shielding his face with one arm and realizing too late that there was a drop behind him.
He couldn't balance himself fast enough before he tumbled nine feet down, smacking head-first into a park bench and breaking it.
"Shit! Cole!" Zeke yelled, rushing towards the stairs, "Cole man, everythin' alright?!"
Cole groaned and rubbed his head. The bench was in splinters and the way he fell- he should be concussed in the least.
He wasn't.
"I'm okay", he called out, as Zeke and Ned reached him. "Nothing broken. Nothing hurts." He frowned. "That should have hurt, but it didn't."
Zeke gasped. "Shit Cole- your hand!"
"What?" Cole frowned and lifted his hand. He blinked, them grimaced. "Ow", he muttered. The exploding gun had driven shrapnel into his skin, one finger looked broken and his entire palm was covered in blood.
It didn't hurt too much though.
And then, suddenly, lightning rushed over his arm. Cole, Zeke and Ned watched in silent morbid curiosity how the bleeding wounds started to knit themselves together, broken flesh mending and pushing out the metal debris. There was a hollow crack and a pained wince from Cole when his broken finger snapped back into position and healed up.
The three stared at the hand for some minutes longer before Cole looked up at his best friend. "Guess I really am a X-man."
-------------------
Fourteen days. Empire City was still dying. Gangs had taken over- taken over the life of the people. Dana looked pale and overworked, but she was unwilling to give up. She tried to help the sick people, those injured by the criminals, even at the cost of her own well-being.
Alex was trying to help too- by hunting and devouring the scum whenever he met them. He had quickly realized that this wouldn't work the way he usually worked, he couldn't just chew his way through the chain of command.
Something was wrong with the Reapers.
Their brains were more like those of drug addicts, with massive holes in their memories and lack of coordination. But there hadn't been that many addicted before the blast, not to mention that all drugs should have been used up already- and yet, many of the Reapers he consumed used to be ordinary people before the blast.
Alex had been killing civilians left and right- civilians that had something in their blood that turned them into mindless drones.
Elizabeth Greene came to mind, and it left a bad taste in his mouth. But those people hadn't been infected with any sort of virus. No, what he found looked more like tar. An organic kind of tar that corroded their brains to the point that all higher brain functions had stopped, leaving the Reapers no more than rabid animals. The first few times he consumed one of them the tar had started to eat away his Biomass too, but he had long since become resistant to the stuff- unlike the people. Putting them down was the best thing for them, yet he wondered whether there was a cure for those that weren't as affected.
But something was directing them, turning a bunch of brainless beasts into a highly efficient guerrilla army.
And worse, they were actively targeting the clinics around the Neon, looking for easy prey to take- what for, he couldn't say, though he did assume to turn them into more Reapers. Alex had kept busy the last days, always rushing from one clinic to another and taking out the Reapers there. When it wasn't any longer enough to just do it during the night, he was forced to shift his focus to the day as well. He was adaptable after all, and careful enough to not appear in his usual appearance. While his face and body were the still his original one, he had long stopped 'wearing' his leather jacket and hoodie during the day, opting to run around with only his shirt. During the day, and often during the night as well, he also usually used the Reaper's own assault rifles to take them out and hide his tracks, and he had piled together quite an armory for the Neon's vigilantes who were supposed to hold the areas he already cleared of Reapers.
It was an uphill struggle, because as soon he was at the other end of the district, the Reapers would push the defenders back, forcing him to return and take them out once more. Luckily, most people didn't seem to realize that he was moving throughout the whole district in a startlingly short amount of time.
It was...exhilarating, for sure, but he was afraid what'll happen if somebody managed to get a closer look at him. What would happen if they finally send in the Marines to clean up the city? One of them was going to recognize him sooner or later, and that meant that they'll be up to their necks in Blackwatch troopers. Alex wanted nothing more than to take Dana, get her out of the city and start new, but Dana denied. She wanted to stay, wanted to help the people and figure out what the fuck was going on before she would turn her back on them.
So Alex stayed in the Neon, only rarely heading into the other districts to check up on the other two gangs there- the Dustmen and the First Sons. Both groups Alex didn't know much about- yet. As soon he had the Reapers subdued, he would take a good close look at them too, though. He glanced over towards the Warren, where a massive tower of junk metal was growing skywards. Maybe he should pay the Dustmen a visit first. They looked like the larger problem.
A cargo plane roared past overhead, though Alex only glanced at it indifferently. Cargo planes weren't dangerous to him, and during the past two weeks they'd been quite frequently in the sky. It looked like it was time for supplies again.
His phone chimed, making him flinch slightly. He frowned at it. Dana had given it to him so they'll be in contact, but it sat unpleasantly in his Biomass now and its fucking ring tone startled him every time. He answered it. "Yeah?"
"Hey Alex?"
"Who else?"
"The TV Jacker just made a broadcast."
"Let me guess- there's a supply drop?"
"How do you- Oh. I guess you've seen the plane, huh?"
"Yeah. Just flew overhead."
"Okay. There's a drop supposed to be at the Archer Square. Can you head over there and get one of the crates? We're running low on food here in the clinic."
"I will."
"Great! But remember: Only one. There are more hungry people around."
"Don't worry. You guys can deal with your own safety?"
"Yeah. Those fucktard hoodie bastards will swarm to the drop zone anyways."
Alex frowned. "Fucktard Hoodie Bastards?"
Dana giggled. "Don't tell me you like them stealing your style."
"Huh." He paused. "Never looked at it that way."
"Now go before they pick up all the food."
Alex huffed out and put his phone back into his Biomass, then turned and jumped to the roof of a low building, pushed off and soared through the sky to head to the Archer Square.
------------------------
It was in the morning hours when Cole headed up to the roof. He had made sure Trish had gotten to work at the clinic safely before he returned. They hadn't made any plans for today, so he just wanted to see what Zeke was doing.
He found his best friend stretched out on the couch, reading a book.
Cole frowned. "I thought you were going to watch TV?"
Zeke lowered his book and glanced at him. "Eh. Batteries are dead again." He paused, then arched an eyebrow. "You mind puttin' on the freak show?"
Cole shrugged, creating arching lightning around his forearm. "Sure. Glad it's good for something." He didn't mind being called names by Zeke. Except for Trish, nobody else knew about his powers and he didn't fancy them knowing. But that also meant he didn't really know what to do with them. All he used them for was to recharge Zeke's batteries to keep his roof television running. Energy had been rationed, could only be used for the most important things. Most people had generators on their roofs too, but Zeke had a mobile generator for a best friend.
"I guess-" He drawled out, "I have to charge them all, haven't I?"
"Yup", Zeke grinned, "TV's a hog." Yeah. Not only the TV. Cole thought with a glance at his best friend's stomach. They were just glad his own requirement of food had decreased ever since he got his powers, or else Zeke would have to actually go on a diet. He started zapping the batteries, listening to Zeke's enthusiastic whooping. "Good job man! Boob tube's working!" Sure. That's all he was worried about. But this was Zeke.
Sometimes Cole wished he had his 'I don't give a crap' attitude, but then he remembered that then he would become Zeke and that scared him off. He'd rather be the grumpy stubborn bastard.
But something felt strange. Every time he zapped something, his body started to feel stronger and stronger. However, this time, he was positively brimming with energy. He tested it by shooting a bolt of lightning at one of the mannequins Zeke had put up to discourage robbery, watching in amazement as it shattered into many pieces.
Wonder why I didn't notice that before.
He frowned at the shattered remains before he turned to fry every other dummy, much to Zeke's chagrin (as he would have to tidy up later on). If it was that easy grilling mannequins...then Reapers wouldn't be much trouble either.
An excited grin came to his face. He had never seriously contemplated using his powers against the gangs, but it seemed that he should have done this from the very beginning.
A loud engine roar made him pause and glance up, where a massive cargo plane was flying overhead. Zeke whooped. "Whoo! You see that? Flyin' so low, I thought it was going to crash into us!"
Cole rolled his eyes. Only Zeke would be excited about stuff like that. Those planes had been very frequent in the last days.
And they usually meant supply drops.
The TV beeped, making Zeke sit up enthusiastically. "Hey, it's the TV jacker! Man, I love that guy."
Cole frowned at the figure appearing on screen. He didn't like that guy, but he had to admit that the information about where the planes dropped their cargo was useful. And it certainly helped getting some of the stuff before the Reapers got to it.
But everything else he said? That the government had abandoned them? Sounded like garbage. Or goading the people into disobedience. But if they did, then there would be military- and military guys usually made no difference between angry and starving people and Reapers.
Cole glanced at Zeke. "I told you they'd drop food."
Zeke scoffed, complaining that this was a PR stunt. That the feds didn't give a crap about the people of Empire. To Cole, it sounded suspiciously as if the 'Voice of Survival' had already succeeded brainwashing his best friend, though it was obvious that they didn't want to get them out of the city. Or else there wouldn't be a lockdown at Stampton bridge.
PR stunt or not, it wouldn't stop Zeke from pigging out. He asked him just that and Zeke shrugged. "Hell no it ain't. Zeke's gotta eat." Sure. Out of the three of them, Zeke was the only one who could probably survive without any food for the next few weeks. Cole usually took away some of Zeke's portions and handed them over to Trish. She had gotten thinner, worry and the lack of sleep taking their toll on her.
Better get some of the food then. Cole glanced at Zeke. "You take the stairs", he said. "I'll take the express elevator." He didn't hurt himself anymore when jumping from great heights- which was pretty awesome for an Urban Explorer- and he used every moment to test those abilities out.
Zeke threw his arms up, complaining how he got to hog all the fun and went away to head down the stairs, while Cole rolled his shoulders and glanced around lazily.
He paused when he saw a dark spot flit over a flat roof. It looked human, but was moving too fast. Then it suddenly jumped off, crossing a distance of nearly half a block in a single bound before vanishing around the corner of another building.
Cole blinked. What the Hell had that just been?!
He watched for another moment before he turned, headed to the opening in Zeke's chain link fence and jumped down, hitting the ground with a resounding thud, flinging up some of the trash that had collected there and wasn't collected anymore. He grinned, dusting himself off. "Now that's what I'm talking about."
It took Zeke half a minute to join him. He was panting and looked a little bit envious. "Whoo. That was one Hell of a jump, man. Wish I could do something like that- runnin' down all the stairs sucks donkey balls." Cole arched his eyebrows. Donkey balls. Really? He looked around worried. They weren't the only ones on the street. Many more where heading to Archer Square, hoping to get some of the food, but too many were just sitting in the streets, looking apathetic with the lack of nourishment. He frowned, wishing he could help them. But he had no idea how- maybe give them food once they got it?
Zeke frowned at them too, then turned to Cole as they both started to jog down the street. They couldn't help them if they couldn't even help themselves. "Hey Cole. Before we head over to Archer, I need to pick up a new six shooter." Cole arched his brows. A new one? Did Ned actually hand them another one after what happened to the last one? He groaned, but Zeke grinned.
"Man, that was bad-ass. The second you touched it, the electricity in your hands cooks off the gun powder and the whole thing goes KABAM! The look on your face was priceless."
"Damn near blew my hand off", Cole growled.
"Which is why you won't be touching the new one", Zeke lectured him, panting, "Traded him one of my home-made batteries for it."
"The ones that explode when you use them?"
"Hell, he doesn't know that." Cole rolled his eyes. Was he really serious about this? Zeke panted a few times, then added "C'mon. He told me he was going to leave the gun in the parking lot." A few blocks. Cole shrugged. He could easily reach that without even breaking a sweat, though he did wonder if Zeke could, too.
They jogged past an abandoned Pizza store, to which Zeke sighed longingly. He commented how badly he missed eating Pizza. Then he started ranting about one of their encounters with the police force. Cole acknowledged them with a grunt, remembering the way Zeke peed all over the guy when he flailed. Then they've stolen his patrol car and went on a joyride (again, Zeke's idea). They ended up in a holding cell for a few days after that.
"Bummer we won't be doin' that again", Zeke finished.
"Yeah", Cole snorted. "Not unless some genius invents a car that won't explode when I sit in it." That had been another surprise/shock for them when they discovered that the static electricity that was constantly around Cole ignited gas just as it did gun powder.
He just wanted to take a quick drive when the whole car exploded into a glorious fireball around him. He survived only slightly singed, but after that, he vowed to never get into a car again. Whiiiiich did kinda put a damper on the idea of taking Trish to a trip around the world.
They stopped at the parking lot. Cole frowned, Zeke wailed. "Awwww. C'mon! He told me he was going to leave it under a car. I figured there'd only be one, but now? We're never gonna find it!"
Cole tilted his head. Maybe Ned knew about the explosive side of Zeke's batteries and was just screwing him over for it? At any rate, there were only about six parked cars. It would be easy lying down and looking under each one. Or...
Cole smirked. Or he could try something. Cars were made of metal. Metal was magnetic. Could he push metal things away with his electricity?
He focused on the closest car and flung his hands out, slamming a force of near invisible energy into the vehicle. The car was send flying. Cole blinked, then whooped and repeated the move a few times until all cars were wrecked.
Zeke had first stared, then he cheered happily. "Hellacious! I didn't know you could do somethin' like that!" He went to pick up his gun and cradled it against his chest like a newborn.
"Me neither", Cole admitted, panting. The blasts did take quite a lot out of him. He was beat like running for three miles straight at his top speed. "There was this...surge."
Zeke frowned at him. "Hey man, you don't look so hot."
"Drained", Cole groaned. Something tugged at his senses, drawing his attention to the fuse box at the wall. He remembered being hit by those charges at Ground Zero, and wondered whether he could replicate the effect. He stopped about three steps away from the outlet and focused, trying to get a feeling for the energy within.
Lightning surged out of the box and into his outstretched arms. Unlike at the parking lot, it didn't even hurt. It tickled.
Cole drained the electricity out of the fuse box for a short moment longer before he stepped back and stopped it.
And wow. He felt completely fine. Better even. He felt alive. He had been a little bit tired from the early morning, and hungry, but those were both just distant memories now.
"Did you see that?" He asked Zeke.
"Man!" His best friend realized. "You're a walking battery! Must have to recharge when you fire off a bunch of juice."
"I can feel the electricity", Cole explained, "Surging through me. Almost...like I'm being healed by it." Okay. That would explain why the Hell he survived the entire explosion thing. He was healing himself with electricity. Or more like- the electricity increased his natural self-healing abilities to inhuman levels- and supplied his body with energy, so he didn't seem to need to sleep or eat as much anymore. Holy shit, that's convenient.
"That rocks so hard!" Zeke whooped. He nodded over his shoulder. "C'mon. Let's haul tail over to the Archer Square 'fore someone takes all the brewskis."
He hurried off and Cole followed him. His phone rang, followed by Trish's voice.
"Cole, you there?"
Cole clicked the answer button. "Hey babe."
"You hear they dropped some food?"
"Yeah. Zeke and me are heading over there."
"How are you feeling?" She asked. Cole knew she was, like always, worried about him. But he was fine. Better than fine actually. He had finally figured out what those powers were best used for.
"I'm great", he explained, "Power's all over the place. You remember I used to be barely able to power a light bulb. But now?" His voice turned giddy. "Now I'm jumping off of buildings and fry the junk on Zeke's roof!"
There was a short pause, then Trish's voice turned accusing. "You jumped off a building? What were you thinking?"
"Relax", Cole chuckled. "I'm fine."
"Just take it easy" Trish mumbled. "After what happened to Amy, I couldn't..." She trailed off, voice turning distant.
"Yeah", Cole muttered. He felt horribly sorry for Trish. After all, Amy was Trish's sister- they lived together, had been together forever.
Trish swallowed and tried to sound positive again. "See you at Archer Square. I love you."
"You too", Cole whispered before he clicked his phone off.
Zeke and him jogged through the trash-cluttered street in silence, until the massive statue at Archer Square came into view. A crowd was already present, looking defeated.
They stopped at the entrance to the park to survey the situation. The supply box's parachute had snagged at the statue's outstretched hands. Cole groaned.
"That box's stuck up there", Zeke pointed out helpfully. "Uh- hate to say it pal, but you're the only guy here who'd live from a fall like that." He turned to him, shrugging. "Gotta climb up there and knock it free."
Cole frowned. Climbing was one thing, but displaying his powers so openly?
Well, someday they would figure out- he wasn't exactly subtle, after all. Might as well go all out then.
He jogged towards one of the flag poles and latched onto it, easily climbing up.
"What's he doing?" Somebody in the crowd asked. Cole could hear them whisper and murmur. Well, looks like it was time for a show then.
"Look!"
"Is he crazy?"
Cole reached the top of the pole and pushed off, landing on top of the pedestal. A broken cable allowed him to reach the swirling decor that wrapped around the sculpture, and from there on it was a literal walk in the park. He reached the snagged box without any problems, listening to the people benath. First, he tried tugging at the parachute, but realized that this wouldn't work. He stepped back with a sigh and pointed his palm at the mount of the box. One bolt was enough to send the people startled back- and the box dropping to the ground. It split open, spilling crates full of food everywhere. Cole grinned.
But then his face fell and settled into a scowl. "Damn", he growled. "Too late."
A group of guys in red hoodies suddenly appeared out of nowhere, snarling and growling as they closed in on the civilians, shooting their assault rifles into the air to make them scatter. Reapers.
Before the blast, they were just junkies dealing drugs, but now? Now they own the Neon District.
Cole scowled and stood upright, lightning arching along his arms. He had walked away for too long. He had powers now. Those bastards wouldn't even know what hit them.
The Reapers were rushing into the plaza, and Cole acted. He jumped off the statue, grit his teeth and focused his entire energy.
Lightning roared around his body, enveloping him. When he hit the floor, all of it discharged at once. Three Reapers went down immediately, smoldering. Cole didn't know whether they were dead or not, but he couldn't find it in himself to give a damn.
Those bastards had hurt a lot people, had taken their food and left them to starve, had murdered even more just for shits and giggles and abducted a whole lot of civilians. And before that, they had been scum anyways.
Time to clean up.
Cole lunged to the front, grabbing a Reaper and sending a surge through his head. The man convulsed before he collapsed. The remaining Reapers now turned their attention to him, aiming their rifles. Cole immediately dove for cover.
The Reapers snarled and tried to round on him, trying to take him from both sides. Cole ground his teeth together and leapt into their direction, downing two guys with bolts of lightning. Their buddies opened fire.
Cole bit back a pained yell when the bullets bit into him, forcing him to get back into cover. It burnt like fire, blood was spilling from the numerous wounds they'd torn- but within moments the injuries closed themselves off and pushed out the metal balls while at it, leaving only phantom pain in their wake. Cole growled and moved again, this time ducked lower to the ground. He wasn't keen on finding out whether he had a limit of bullets he could take nor did he want to get shot at again.
He threw his arms up, slamming a shockwave into the two closest Reapers in front of him, sending them flying back. One cracked his head against the ground, and stayed down, the other was writhing in pain until Cole zapped him once.
More bullets thudded into his back, making him dive to the side with a swear. A lamp post next to him took his attention for a second, so he could drain it and heal right back up. Then he flung himself back towards the Reapers, arms blazing with electricity. Those bastards were going down!
He fried three more, until only two remained.
Cole scowled and turned to them, lightning arching around his body. The Reapers backed off, snarling and growling like dogs. He growled right back and moved closer in a threatening manner. But then the Reapers lunged. Not at him, but rather at a civilian who was casually walking towards Archer Square. For a second Cole wondered under which rock the guy's been, because everybody else was cowering behind cover to avoid being shot at.
Then he suddenly realized that the Reapers now had a hostage. And idiot or not- he was innocent.
Cole snarled and backed off when they pressed their rifles against the man's head. Lightning was still surging around him, but he couldn't get a clear shot at them without hitting the guy.
The guy-who looked mildly annoyed, if anything. He was a thin one, maybe three inches taller than Cole, but lacking his built shape. He wore a pair of worn jeans, designer boots and a white shirt. There was an assault rifle slung over his shoulder.
The Reapers growled and waved their weapons into his face. Cole noticed the man's cold blue eyes narrow.
Then the guy lifted his hands-
And smashed the Reaper's heads together. He didn't knock them out, though.
No.
Cole watched in horror as the Reaper's heads exploded like ripe melons, sending shards of skull, teeth, eyeballs and brains flying everywhere.
"Holy shit"
-------------------
Alex had been mildly interested when he heard the sound of gunshots coming from the direction of Archer square. Reapers, by the smell of them. He had hurried there, hoping he'd get to take a few pot-shots at the guys, when he noticed a man shoot lightning out of his hands, driving the Reapers back.
It wasn't just any man, though- it was the courier that had torn down the Fremont Bridge. Looks like he got his powers under control then.
It appeared he had the situation under control too, and Alex was intrigued and had wanted to watch for a little while. The courier was strong, firing bolts of lightning everywhere. It made his skin crawl, because electricity wasn't exactly one of his favorite things, but as long it wasn't directed at him, he could enjoy the show.
Until these two brain-dead morons decided he was a worthy hostage. Alex frowned as they stuck their rifles into his face, snarling and growling.
He may have used a bit too much strength when dispatching them, though, because now he had brain matter sticking on his chest, hands and face. The courier (and the people in the background) stared at him in horror.
"Holy shit"
Alex snorted and moved towards the man, who backed off in a defensive stance. Alex glanced at him bored, but didn't pay him any attention apart from the initial eye contact. Dana had told him to get a crate, and he would do so.
The nurse, the courier's girlfriend, approached him, but backed off fearfully. She huddled up to the courier, who scowled openly at him and was producing those sparks again, but didn't dare coming closer at the moment. Alex assumed they were put off from his display of power and the sight of the stains on his outer layers of Biomass. Eh. He could clean it off as soon he wasn't in public places anymore. But it would be better if he didn't lingered any longer. Somebody might recognize him.
Alex inclined his head and grabbed a crate, easily hoisting it over his shoulder before he turned on his heel and went away. He had no interest in these people here. Not as long he had a job to do- though the courier was interesting with his abilities. He would need to study them further, because they also seemed to have healed him. He did get hit by some bullets, and asides from holes in his jacket and pants, there wasn't a single scratch on him.
But he wasn't infected like he was, wasn't a Runner. He was something else.
And Alex would figure out what exactly he was.
There was a sharp beep that made him shiver involuntarily. His ears were too fine for this crap anyways, but it did tell him that this 'Voice of Survival' guy was on show again.
The screen atop a tall building flickered, showing a grainy picture.
"Take a look at this, Empire City", the VOS claimed, "This is the security footage taken shortly before the great blast." Alex's eyes narrowed. It was the courier, standing at the street with a package in his hands. He set it down and opened it, then everything went white. "If you know who he is, or know where he is- let me know", the guy said, "Because we have to take this terrorist down! He has to pay!"
Alex slowly turned, glancing at the courier. The man stood there, eyes wide, fists clenched at his side.
Their gazes met. Alex tilted his head. The courier stared at him, realizing that he recognized him. Very interesting.