Luke should be ecstatic right now. He should be over the moon. He should be jumping for joy at getting such an amazing and unparalleled win for his team.
But he couldn't. Because he knew, without a doubt, he had cheated.
They'd been playing against the Gregory Ford Chasers, a team they'd lost to the previous year. An exceptionally good team. Luke knew going in that it wasn't going to be a good match.
For the past week, he'd been struggling with what he'd done in the last game. He could have helped his team to victory, made sure that they had won. But he hadn't, instead letting them lose. He'd let everyone down because he'd been afraid of using his power.
Yes, using his power was cheating. But, it was still his. He could have used it just a little. Given them enough of an edge to win. Not enough for it to be really be unfair. But he still felt that guilt eat away at him at the thought of using it to win the game. And because of that, they'd lost badly.
He'd tried to get over it. Work harder than he ever had before. He'd trained his ass off, trying to ensure that he would never let his team down like that again and that he wouldn't need to rely on that power of his to win. For hours a day, before and after school and throughout the weekend, he'd trained, not using his power once in the hopes that ignoring it would make him less likely to use it.
Before the match with the Chasers, his foot wouldn't stop tapping. He'd never been more nervous. He'd pushed every thought about his powers, about Swarm, about the others, about everything to do with that out of his mind, wanting to maintain his focus. This match, he was determined for it to be all him. But he still couldn't shake the image of their loss last week.
Or the idea of how he could have done more.
He'd barely heard Coach Beatriz's speech but made sure to listen to her game plan. He couldn't mess up even once. But, of course, life didn't work that way as things went wrong almost immediately. Andrew had thrown the ball and before Franklin could grab it, an opposing player intercepted and the game reset. Luke grimaced and cursed himself. He hadn't been able to do anything there but he made a promise to do more the next time.
He deeply regretted that promise.
Andrew threw the ball again, making a feint for Franklin before throwing it to Luke, something he must have hated. And judging from the player jumping to intercept, something he regretted. Except something amazing happened as the ball flew right out of the player's hands and into Luke's where he proceeded to run faster than all the others and make it to the end zone. He should have been ecstatic as the points were counted. But he'd broken his word and used his powers. He couldn't do that again.
But he did. Because every time he saw one of his teammates stumble or trip or fumble or make even the slightest mistake, that image of their failure from last week hit his mind and he knew he couldn't let his team down. So he helped them, subtly shoving the opposing players out of the way or causing them to trip or guiding the ball as it flew across the field. Every time he did it, he felt that same twinge of guilt, but he also felt joy when they were able to score points. He didn't use his power the entire time, letting the other team rack up their own points. But he did his very best to make sure they won.
And they did. By a landslide. He made the final push, running across the field. No one could touch him. He wouldn't let them. He just ran, leaping ahead of everyone else until he reached the end zone and made the touchdown. The whistle rang and the side of the Jets roared in victory.
Luke didn't hear any of it. He didn't really notice the others around him, congratulating him, because all he could see were the looks of the Chasers. Crestfallen at being handed such a humiliating defeat. By him. Using his powers.
He offered a smile that he hoped no one would notice was fake and just bore through it. His friends cheering him on, his father praising him, his sister saying he was the best. All of it just felt knives in his chest. But he kept going right up until they got home. He told his parents he was tired after the game and went straight to his room.
The second he was inside, he collapsed onto his bed and screamed into the sheets.
He had so wanted to skip today. Just call in sick and avoid everyone. But he didn't want to do anything to alarm his parents or his friends. So he pulled himself together and walked to school, trying to stamp the feeling of guilt out. He'd helped his team. He'd done the right thing there. They had won because of him.
And the other team had lost. All because of his power.
"Damn it," he muttered.
He didn't know how he made it through the day. He'd honestly just been in a daze for most of it, stumbling from one class to the next. He didn't even know what they had learned. He just knew that he wanted it all to be over with.
At lunch, he engaged with the others as little as possible. He laughed at times, smiled when necessary, but otherwise kept to himself. He saw Ralph shoot him some looks but he ignored them. He tried to enjoy himself as they all reminisced over the previous night's victory, but every time they talked, he remembered what really happened. How they really won.
And the guilt just grew stronger.
"Hey," Ralph said as they walked out of their final class, "are you ok?"
"Of course," Luke said, hoping it didn't sound false. "Why wouldn't I be? We just won a big game after all."
"Hmm. It's just…the way you're saying that doesn't really add up to how…"
"Just forget it Ralph. Look, I didn't want to say anything in front of the others but the truth is I…sort of…hurt myself," he said, thinking fast. "Yesterday, on the field. Sprained ankle. Not too bad but it still hurts quite a bit and it's been bothering me all day. I thought I could just tough it out for today but it's proving to be a bit more troublesome than that."
"Oh my god, I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it. Like I said, not too bad. I'm just looking forward to this weekend. I always did hate it when the games came on a weekday and not a Friday."
That part, at least, was true. It was finally the weekend. He didn't have to worry about anything for the next two days. He could just relax and come to terms with what he'd done, and make a vow to never use his power in a game again.
Just like last time.
He clenched his fists in his pockets, his nails biting deep into his skin. He wished he'd never gotten this stupid power. It had completely ruined his life, ruined the game he loved so much. He barely recognized himself anymore.
He kept walking, thinking about what he was going to do next, when he suddenly came to a sudden stop, hearing a loud "hey!" He looked up and his eyes widened as he saw Andrew Stroneman splayed out on the floor, Luke having apparently walked right into him and knocking him down.
"What the hell Decker?" Andrew cried, leaping back up.
"Sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going," Luke said, holding up his hands. "It was an accident, I swear."
"Yeah, well this won't be!"
Luke saw the fist coming at him and ducked aside. Unfortunately, at that exact moment, Mr. Warners came out of his classroom just for the fist to strike the large box he was carrying, knocking it out of his hands and sending small pieces of metal scattering across the ground. At the same time, Luke stumbled to the side and knocked into a small blonde kid, sending him crashing to the floor. Luke kept tripping though, slamming into the lockers behind him. "Ow," he mumbled. He looked down and spotted the kid, feeling a fresh but different wave of guilt. "Hey, are you-"
"Hey!" Luke looked up to see Mr. Warners glaring at both him and Andrew. "What the hell is going on here?"
"Ask him!" Andrew cried out, pointing right at Luke. "He's the one who pushed me!"
"Dude, I accidentally ran into you and apologized for it and then you tried to punch me!"
"Yeah well, you shouldn't have-"
"Enough, you brats!" Mr. Warners practically yelled. Luke blinked, never seeing his teacher like this. He looked almost…ferocious. "I don't care who's at fault here, you both just knocked 3 months of work and double your parents' salary across the floor." He pointed at all the pieces of metal which, now that Luke was getting a better look at, looked like the kinds of thing you might find in the insides of a computer. The kind of stuff that was super fragile and super expensive.
"Oh," he mumbled. "Sorry. But again, he's the one who-"
"If you've even scratched it, I promise you will pay for it!" Even though Luke was pretty sure what Mr. Warners meant was they would have to pay with money, from the way he was talking it almost sounded like he was going to finish that sentence with 'in blood!'
Andrew gave Luke one last sneer as Mr. Warners picked up the pieces before leaving, probably trying to escape punishment. Luke just sighed, shaking his head. He was tempted to help his teacher out since it was kind of his fault. But when another student kneeled down to help, Mr. Warners snapped at her to leave it. Apparently, he preferred to do it himself.
"Maybe it's best we just leave," Ralph said quietly.
"Yeah, that sounds right," Luke agreed, turning to the exit. As he did, he noticed the blonde boy he'd knocked over standing by the lockers, fist clenched hard. Luke grimaced and walked over to him. "Hey," he said. "Look I-"
He didn't get to say another word as the kid just ignored him, walking away.
"Hey, wait up!" Luke said, hurrying after him. "I just want-"
"To knock me over again?" the kid asked, shooting a hate-filled glare over his shoulder. "Yeah, no thanks. You people are all the same. Just do me a favor and leave me the hell alone, asshole!"
Luke stopped, shocked. He watched as the kid shoved the doors open and left, not sure whether or not to chase after him again. He'd just wanted to apologize. He saw a vaguely familiar girl running after the kid, calling him 'Eustace' but he didn't reply.
"This is really not my day," Luke mumbled.
On his way home, he found himself kicking a small pebble around, trying to see how far it would go with each blow. It was nice not to think about anything, just focus on that little pebble. Not about how much his life sucked right now, or about how much an asshole Andrew was, or about how he'd for sure cheated his team's victory, spoiling their victory. The worst bit about that last one was even though he felt so guilty he wanted to go confess to his coach, he couldn't. Because she would need proof of his cheating and he had none since he couldn't show his powers to her. He was stuck with the guilt, just eating him alive. And he also still felt guilty about not using his powers last week, making them lose. The two sides were literally tearing him apart.
He took a deep breath, reaching a fork in the road. One way would lead him home and the other would lead him…somewhere else.
He eyed both roads for a moment before heading down the somewhere else route. He couldn't face his dad right now. Not after today. He needed to decompress. And he knew just how to do it.
If there was one good thing to come out of all this, it was the new ability he'd discovered during the battle with Swarm.
Flying.
"Wahoo!" he cried out, souring through the air. There was this old basketball stadium a couple miles from his home that had fallen into disrepair and was scheduled for demolition in a couple weeks. But until that happened, Luke had free reign over it and he was going for it.
He closed his eyes as he flew upwards, coming to a brief pause right before he hit the ceiling, a wide smile sliding across his face. This was what he needed. When he was doing this, the guilt and pressure of the last few weeks just faded away. It was like none of those problems had any real weight over him up here. He could just be free.
He dropped down, deactivating his power. He felt his stomach flop around, like in a roller coaster. His grin got wilder as the ground came rushing to him, threatening to smack into him.
"Yowza!" he roared, taking off again just before he could strike, zooming just above the floor and forming a large gust of wind in his wake that blasted all the dust aside. He flew in circles, doing a loop-the-loop even, before finally coming down and letting his feet touch the ground again.
He grinned, stretching. He wished he could do that outside more. It was way too confining like this. But a flying man would certainly draw unwanted attention. He was tempted to get a bird costume just to try and avoid that, but the ones he'd found online were too embarrassing for him to even consider right now.
Of course, as soon as gravity set in, all the old feelings he returned and he sighed. He wished he could stay up there in the air forever. No responsibilities, no problems, just him in the open sky. Yeah, that sounded fantastic. But that wasn't how life worked. And as amazing as this was, it was time to get back to the real world. He pushed through the exit and walked across the empty parking lot. He blinked, surprised to see how dark it was. He then felt a buzz in his pocket and pulled out his phone, cursing as he saw the messages from his dad. He'd apparently been here for several hours. So not good, especially since he hadn't told his dad and they always did training together when he got home. He'd been so lost in the events of the game that he hadn't even thought about it.
He huffed, beginning the trek home, feeling more drained than he'd ever before. Couldn't his dad just cut him a break once. Sure, he knew he had to stay in peak condition for football, but that didn't mean he had to train all the time. Wasn't he allowed a break now and then? And he definitely needed one right now. It wasn't just the game either but Swarm…
"No," he said, stopping. He couldn't deal with that. That…that was something he wanted no part of. As long as he stayed out of it, there shouldn't be any problem.
At least, that's what he told himself.
About a half hour later, he arrived back home, pushing the door open softly, hoping no one was around yet.
"Woof!"
Luke grimaced but let out a small smile as he pet Buster's head. He was a pure bred German Shepherd puppy that they'd gotten Amy for her last birthday, named for the dog in Toy Story since Amy loved those movies. Luke still had no idea what buster meant but he didn't look it up since sounded kind of cool and he was worried the reality would ruin it.
He took a brief look around and saw that thankfully no one was here. Maybe he could just sneak up to his room without anyone…
"Hey Luke!"
Luke grimaced again before turning to face his sister as she ran into the hallway. "Hey Amy. How was your day?"
"Fantastic! When I was playing on the swings in recess, I actually jumped off at the highest point and went so far! And then, I made the landing. Like this!" She made a crouching position that honestly looked more like she needed to go to the bathroom. "It was so cool. Everyone cheered."
"That does sound cool. Good job. Now, I need to-"
"Where have you been?"
Luke grimaced for a third time as his dad now joined in. "Hey dad. Sorry, just wanted to do some training at school today instead."
"I figured that might be the case but why didn't you send me a message?" his dad asked, holding up his phone.
"Uh, sorry, I just forgot. I know I should have told you, but…"
"Yes, you should have. You know better. Now come on, outside. Let's do 15 laps around-"
"Dad, can we not do that today."
"You want to be the best right?" his dad asked, raising an eyebrow. "So no arguing, let's go."
"Dad, it's been a really long day and I could use…"
"What you could use is a way to let off steam, which this is perfect for."
"Dad, I'm really not in the mood," Luke tried again.
"Oh you're not in the mood, huh?" his dad replied in a slightly sarcastic tone that pissed Luke off. "Well, I'm so sorry that I didn't notice. We can just take it easy and relax and let your future just-"
"Really dad?" Luke asked, exasperated. He seriously did not need this right now.
"Really," his dad told him. "What, you think just after that win yesterday you're ok to take a day off? Once that happens, you'll want to relax all the time. No, trust me, your training should-"
"Dad, just stop!" Luke said. Or, more accurately, he yelled. Even he was surprised, not quite sure what he'd done. He'd never yelled at his dad before. Buster let out a soft whine and Amy stared at him with wide unblinking eyes while his dad's mouth was making an O shape.
"Ok, Luke, this is not like you. What's going on with you? Because…"
"Dad," Luke said, softer this time but no less firm. "Please. I…I don't feel good right now. I just need time to myself. Please."
His dad stared at him for another few seconds. "Ok, you can go. We're going to talk later though about all this, but I'll leave you alone for now."
"Thanks," Luke said, trudging up the stairs. He heard Amy say something behind him but didn't listen. He just kept walking until he reached his room, shutting it firmly behind him. He then kept going until his legs hit his bed and he toppled into it. He didn't even try to move after that, letting the blankets soak him in. Before he knew it, he was asleep.
He didn't know long it had been, but his mind woke to the sound of voices talking. His eyes refused to open though, preferring to stay in the darkness. If he opened them, that would mean having to wake up again and he wasn't ready for that.
"…going on with him?"
"I don't know, but he's not acting like himself."
It sounded like his parents. He was tempted to get up and talk to them but the comforts of sleep kept him down.
"Do you think it had something to do with last night's game?"
"Maybe. He was acting strange. But why would winning affect him like that?"
It was how I won, Luke thought bitterly.
"Should we wake him up."
Luke groaned inwardly, not ready yet.
"No, let him sleep. We'll talk to him tomorrow and sort this out."
"Alright."
He heard the voices fade away and sighed in relief, the bliss of sleep taking him over again, leaving the world and all his problems behind.
This time, when he woke up, he knew more time had passed. He blinked and groaned softly, but the fatigue he'd been feeling all day had faded. He slowly got up, stretching a little, before looking around. He hissed when he saw the time on his alarm clock. It was past midnight. He had completely missed dinner. And everything after that too. Everyone must be asleep already.
He looked back at his bed, wondering if he should go back in but he didn't really feel tired anymore. He honestly felt hungry. So he carefully opened his door and, making sure not to make too much noise, he made his way down the stairs towards the kitchen.
Luke smiled when he saw the note on the table in his mom's handwriting.
'Luke, there's some leftovers in the fridge in case you get hungry. Love, Mom.'
"Thanks mom," he said, opened up the fridge door and spotting a plate with a chicken leg and rice along with a bowl of salad. He put the plate in the microwave while setting the bowl aside. As he listened to the hum of the microwave, he thought about the day he'd had. Definitely not one of his best. Honestly, probably one of his worst, though nothing would ever beat May 16th. He shuddered at that memory. Still, not great. And it wouldn't get any better until he did something about all this guilt inside him. He just wished he knew what.
The microwave dinged and he walked over, shaking off those thoughts as he removed the plate. As he did, he heard a slight creaking noise behind him. He turned, almost expecting one of his family members to appear but there was no one.
"Weird," he mumbled. "Must have been the wind or-"
CRACK!
He froze, hearing that sound. But…what the hell was it. It sounded almost like an egg cracking. Except it came from the hallway. Why would there be eggs in the hallway?
He heard it again and slowly walked over, his power flaring up. He turned the corner, looking around wildly. Nothing. He couldn't see anything out of place.
But before he could even think about feeling relieved, he heard it again. Much louder. He turned and felt himself go cold as he saw the stone-tile floor rising up next to him. Or more accurately, part of it was. A part of it that was forming a head with large jagged teeth, huge limbs that looked like they could tear him apart, and…were those wings?
The creature stood up straight and its eyes opened, staring right at Luke.
"Oh you've got to be kidding me," he muttered hoarsely before the monster attacked.
Sumin sat in the hospital room, listening to the BEEP…BEEP…BEEP of the heart monitor. They didn't know why they felt the urge to come here today. They hated seeing her like this. Her skin so pale, her expression blank, her hair fallen around like overcooked spaghetti. It was depressing. And yet, here they were. They hadn't been here in weeks, hoping to avoid it for now. Because every time they came, the fear of whether or not they would be here when the monitor showed a flat line arrived in full force. She already looked dead. They didn't need the confirmation to go with it.
Even her hand felt delicate and fragile in Sumin's, like it could be crushed without any effort. Sumin sighed, not wanting these depressing thoughts to parade their mind but it couldn't be helped. The entire atmosphere of the room was, as their grandmother would say, 'just plain old bad mojo.'
A funny term for a very unfunny place.
They stayed silent for a few minutes longer, contemplating on what they should do. Again, they wondered what had prompted them to come here. The looming threat on the horizon? The eventual sale of their home? The fact that everything they knew was coming undone around them?
Or maybe they just wanted to see her again.
"I…" Sumin began before stopping, unsure of themself. They'd made it a point in their life to not say anything unless it was worth saying. Too many people out there spewed out nonsense that usually caused confusion or discord, Dredden being a prime example. Sumin liked to think before they spoke, to make their speech clear and concise so people knew what they were talking about. But now, they felt like that too much to say and it was all getting stuck in the entrance, nothing able to get out.
Sumin sighed, unsure of themself. Maybe this had been a mistake. Maybe they were just wasting their time. When Althea had first been admitted, they'd visited her every chance they got. But over time, the oppressive weight of her condition just pushed down on them until they couldn't take it anymore, putting off seeing her like this as often as they could. It was just too much. And they could still feel it now, so much so that it was hard for them to even think straight.
"I…" they tried again.
You can do this, Sumin thought. "I…I'm sorry, Althea. I should have come sooner. It's just so hard to see you like this. You were always my anchor and my lighthouse. You helped me realize who I truly was and that is something I can never repay. I don't even know if you can hear me. The doctors here keep urging us to not give up hope but it's hard when you show no signs of life. I hope you can hear me though. It would be nice, like in the movies, you used it as a lifeline to find your way back to us."
They took a long shuddering breath before continuing. "A lot has happened since your accident. We, well our parents, have decided to put the house for sale. Part of me wants to blame them but I know I can't. With everything going on, it was only a matter of time. But don't think I am putting this on you. Sadly, these things happen." Sumin sighed deeply. "And yet, that is not the worst news. For some strange reason, I have superpowers." They held up their hand and an image of a prancing unicorn appeared in their palm. They weren't sure why, it was just the first thing that popped into their head. "And others do as well. Especially one man, Swarm. He…well, the gist of it is he a bad man who is trying to kill us. We haven't seen him in weeks but he will come. I know that much. Part of me hopes that whoever is in charge of these super powered individuals will take care of him before he does anything, but I doubt it. I fear it will be up to us."
They paused for a moment, collecting their thoughts. At this point, they were wondering if they even wanted Althea to be able to hear all this, to know how bad things really were. Would she even want to wake up to that? Would it motivate her to wake up?
"I fear that…I will soon take up a place beside you soon. Or worse, that you may one day wake up and find out that I did not survive my own disaster. I don't know how I am supposed to deal with all this. It is…unthinkable. And yet, here I am, forced to come to grips with the fact that I might very well die soon and make things so much worse for the whole family. You would think having superpowers would make this all easier, like I could snap my fingers and wish it all away. Instead, I am faced with worse problems than I ever could have imagined. I feel like I am in a sailing into a storm except without a sail, a compass, or even oars. Just waiting for everything to come crashing down and drag me to the bottom."
Sumin looked closely at Althea and before they could even think it, an indigo mask took the place of her face, one that showed her as they remembered. Smiling broadly with a devilish look in their eye that promised mischief. Seeing it caused a sharp pain inside them but also a warm feeling that already eased the burden. "But I will weather this storm," they promised. "I will not die. No matter what happens, I will not go down. I can't do that to your or our parents or anyone else. I don't know why I have this power or what I'm supposed to do with it. But what I do know is if Swarm comes looking for a fight, I will make sure to uh, as they say, kick his ass."
They slowly got up, letting the mask fade away. "I promise to visit again soon. Perhaps before the battle with Swarm, if that happens." Even saying it felt false. At this point, there didn't seem to be any real chance of avoiding it.
They took one last look, hoping perhaps that in those precious few seconds that a glimmer of life might appear. Then they turned and left the room, that burden still weighing down on them.
They were so lost in thought that they didn't notice what was happening until it was right on top of them.
"Move! Move! Move!"
Sumin stumbled back, snapping out of their daze as a trolley sped past them, the doctor moving as fast as he could. Sumin gasped when they saw the man on the trolley, his right forearm now nothing but a bloody stump.
"Make way!"
They turned and saw more trolleys coming. A few of them followed the first, heading down to the main operating rooms Sumin presumed. But others were moved more slowly in another direction, sheets covering the victims' faces. "What happened?" they muttered out loud. They didn't like it, but their eidetic memory was able to recall every detail of those men's injuries. It looked like they had been stabbed, gouged, and practically ripped apart. But what done that?
"It was…so horrible…"
Sumin's gaze swung over to the most recent trolley. This one moved a tad slower and Sumin could see that the victim was not in as bad condition.
"Don't worry sir, the meds will be kicking in soon."
"He was…a monster…"
Sumin couldn't help but look at the man, spotting several tattoos around his arms and neck that seemed like it would belong to a gang member, though they didn't want to assume. The man was bleeding from a puncture wound on his shoulder and had a bandage around his head but he didn't seem too bad. Still, what was he talking about?
"We…couldn't…do anything," the man muttered, his eyes becoming unfocused.
"Don't worry, you're safe now."
"No one…is safe from that…monster," he gasped.
Normally if someone said that, Sumin would think they were either talking metaphorically, about something fictional, or about a dream. But now they focused in on that word.
"He…was so powerful…his limbs…his creatures…"
Sumin felt their hair stand on end.
"Sir, we just need you to calm-"
"He took us out without a second thought!" the man suddenly screeched, sending many people jumping and crying out. "He's…not human! It was like…like a swarm of bugs eating us alive! I barely made it out of there!"
Sumin didn't hear what the doctor said next as they were too focused on that one word.
Swarm.
It couldn't be, could it? There was no way he was back now? But…why not? None of them knew why he was gone for as long as he was. Sumin had suspected the man was healing from the injury Travis had dealt him as well as trying to get more powerful than before, although they hoped the latter proved to be incorrect.
The man in the trolley was drawing everyone's attention now. The doctor seemed to be trying to calm him down, trying to move him to the hallway where the others had gone but he was fighting back, still crying out.
"There's no stopping him!" the man screeched. "I saw them drown! My friends! My crew! He killed them all!"
"I need some help over here!" the doctor cried out.
"We shouldn't have helped him!" Tears were pouring down the man's face. "The money…it wasn't worth it! He…he was…he just kept making them…more weapons…more creatures…it was a nightmare come to life. We couldn't stop them. No one can."
Several nurses had rushed over and one finally injected him with something.
"The…the kids," the man mumbled, eyes drooping. "He's…after…the kids."
"The kids?" one of the doctors asked.
"Get a police officer here ASAP. This man will obviously need to be questioned later. For now, let's get him out of here. Come on."
"Sorry about that everyone," another doctor came forward, plastering a reassuring smile on his face. "It's all under control now."
Everyone slowly began to go about their normal business, some quicker than others as many individuals came through the doors like that.
One person remained still. Sumin didn't think they could even breathe.
"He's back," they murmured. They were all out of time. Which meant they needed to warn the others right now.
Except they'd never actually gotten anyone's contact information.
And they didn't know where anyone lived.
"Althea," they mumbled, terrified out of their mind. "What do I do?"
Now it is time, the voice said.
He smiled in relief. He had been waiting patiently, suffering all the while. Forced to plod along his meaningless life, awaiting his time to shine. And now it was here. Nothing would stand in his way.
No, your power is incredible. It will make you a living god. And I will help you.
"Thank you," he told the voice. But first, there were a few things he needed to take care of. Or, people, he needed to take care of.
Yes, the voice urged. Show them your might, your power. Show them who you really are.
He would. He would show the whole world, starting with the ones he loathed most. Stroneman, Decker, and of course the one who ruined his life in the first place. They would all fall.
Good. Now let us begin.