Gigaheroes

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen: Daniel Peterson

It wasn’t hard to find my way back to the compound. In fact, I had mapped out extensive routes throughout City 57. Most of them I had learned from sneaking out at night to raid for alcohol. But a few of them were for my unpopular penchant for jumping off buildings. Before I re-entered civilization proper, I threw myself off a few skyscrapers for old times’ sake. 

I tell you, it never ever gets old. There’s nothing like that rush. The wind pressing right up against you, it’s fantastic. It’s like speeding down a road in a car, except you don’t have a car, and you’re racing to see how fast you can go. Though this time did feel different. Before, I felt like I was trying to break free, and maybe that was still true. But now I felt lost and hopeless. 

I’ll admit, I have seriously considered letting myself hit the pavement before. However, now it felt the pavement was going to hit me no matter what I did. The ground was rushing up faster and faster. I would go splat, and that would be the end of me. Everything I dreamed of would fly from my fingers, leaving me alone, just another shattered corpse in this city of corpses. 

I opened my eyes, and I was fine. I was standing without a scratch on me in a deserted, ruined street. And yet I still felt I was falling, anyway. I took to the buildings once more. When I started reaching the populated parts of the city, I stuck mostly to high floors or rooftops. 

Don’t ask me how it works, but right before I teleport, I see a snapshot of everything around me as far as I can go. In that moment, I sense everything that I need to, and then I just go where I think would be best. When I’m in a fight or in danger, that sense dials up and takes me away before I even realize it. 

I had no difficulty then, traversing the city. Not so much as a single person noticed my presence. After all, I didn’t want them to. Pretty soon, I was in a building adjacent to the compound. The compound was just like most of the other buildings of this city—another ugly eyesore that no one wanted. It was twisted into this half-spiral half-rectangle that made it look more like a waste of money than anything else. 

In it lived all the personnel working for the Urban Defenders. Or rather, the personnel the Urban Defenders worked for. They surprisingly needed a lot of people to manage the operation they did. However, I suspected more than a few of them were high priorities given fake jobs as an excuse to give them money. It didn’t really matter to me. The biggest grifters were the ones in the penthouse suite, where I used to live. 

I saw the lights were on, even though I couldn’t see behind the tinted windows. I knew my former team was probably in there somewhere. If there was one thing that made me glad, it’s that I didn’t have to deal with Walter after everything that happened. I snickered to myself, imagining that. I would’ve paid good money to see a recording of him blowing it. 

But I guess I also doomed them. I was a walking, talking PR Rep’s worst nightmare. Walter had been made to look absolutely incompetent. Inquiries would be done, let alone the disaster that would be unfolding on social media. I could see it now: the reactions, the views… 

I had no stomach to go in and try to see them. They would hate me even though I saved their lives. My heart fell in my chest as I realized that Sarah would probably hate me too. If she got thrown back in Gen Pop, that meant she would be separated from her mother again. Yes, I saved their lives, but I also betrayed them. 

So this was what being the adult in the room got you. I didn’t think it would hurt this much. And despite that, I didn’t really blame Mason for any of it. He was caught in this mess as any of us. No, I blame the man who ordered us to what would’ve been our deaths. 

As much as I dearly wanted to pay Walter a visit, that was too much of a risk. I would have to search both the compound and his office building, and he certainly would have protection with him. Besides, I didn’t want to get entangled in any fighting tonight. Maybe my chance to hash it out with him would come, but it was not today. 

I lowered my gaze down to where Jayne’s quarters were. The lights were off, but I didn’t know what that meant. Did they punish him for my behavior? Did they drag him off to an interrogator? Was he kicked out to the curb? I hope not. I didn’t know what I would do if he had been hurt because of me. 

I teleported over to his darkened room. It was a rather nice apartment. Single bedroom, single kitchen, a nice living room with all the amenities. It was about as good as someone in City 57 could ask for. I reached for the lamp and switched on some light. I would wait here as long as it would take—or until I got caught. 

“Long time no see.”

I jumped in my skin as I turned around, and I saw Jayne sitting in a recliner. He wore his regular blazer, but his white-collared shirt had the top three buttons undone. He looked ragged, more than he usually did. His hair was messy and his clothes rumpled. Worse, his patented fedora was gone. 

“How’s life on the outside?” 

I saw a bottle of scotch by him. He had been drinking in here in the dark, though he wasn’t drunk by any means. Unlike me, he never abused the substance. 

“It’s been… interesting,” I quietly said, unsure of what to say to him. 

Was he going to be angry? Was he going to hate me too? If I explained to him, would he understand? Or would that just make it worse? There were few things that scared me in the world, that really scared me. The very top of that list was seeing Jayne hate me like all the others. I didn’t look at his expression. I wasn’t ready. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him measuredly stand up and walk over to me. 

I tensed. That was all I could do after all the verbal lashings from Walter. It was automatic reaction at this point. I told myself again and again that I didn’t care, but it still wears down on you. Day in and day out, always being a failure, even though you never signed up for any of this. Being judged by standards that weren’t your own, humiliated and ridiculed for never measuring up to a lie. It made me want to vomit. It was like every bad memory surfaced back, only to taunt me again and—

Jayne suddenly embraced me, and he sobbed. 

“I was worried for you, boy.”

I slowly let myself relax. I didn’t quite know what to say. Jayne and I were close, but I had never seen him open quite like that before. 

“Yeah, I was pretty worried too.” 

…

Jayne hadn’t been fired or blamed, at least not yet. Walter had been busy dealing with the internal chaos as his team came back with their tails between their legs. Already several B-Rank heroes were en route and would be here by the morning. The plan was to lie low and hope for another chance at Mason while doing their best to hush matters about me switching sides. No one knew about my betrayal except for the team, Walter, and a few key personnel. The current story was that I went MIA during the fight with Mason, suspected of being taken hostage. 

Jayne knew better, though. He always knew better. 

I supposed that was better than what I was expecting. Still, the Urban Defenders were on the chopping block as I feared. The public, or the part of the public that still gobbled up super hero drama, were furious that the Urban Defenders had been beaten. They demanded new gladiators for their bloodsport, and if Walter couldn’t give it to them, then it was time to replace the man whose sole job was to entertain them. 

As for the team, Jayne hadn’t talked to any of them. I wished he had gotten a chance to discuss with Sarah, but that was not meant to be. If I was going to find out what she felt, I would have to talk to her face-to-face. As much as I wouldn’t be looking forward to that conversation, I didn’t know if I would even get the chance. 

“So what are you going to do?” I asked, still concerned about what might happen to him. We sat in two chairs opposite of each other. 

I knew Jayne was an old man. He wouldn’t survive trying to make a living out on the streets. And the worst part was that there was nothing I could do for him, not without putting a huge target on him. Right now I might be publicly MIA, but there was no telling when that would turn into “wanted fugitive”. And that’s ignoring who Walter would secretly set on my trail. 

“Lay low, probably try to transfer out of the city. Don’t worry about me; I know how to take care of myself. What are you going to do? You’re with that Adam Mason guy, right? Do you have a plan?”

I shook my head. “Listen, I’m sorry. Walter didn’t give me a choice. He was going to order us to our deaths! I didn’t mean any of it! I just did what I could to save—”

“It’s all right,” Jayne cut me off with a reassuring voice. I just stared at him with a broken expression on my face. That was the thing I loved most about the man. Unlike to so many people in my life, I never once had to justify myself to Jayne. 

“But you need to start thinking carefully. You need to get out of City 57 and fast. Go southwest. It’s dangerous outside the cities, but it will also be harder to track you. With your power, you could probably cover several hundred miles a day. Head for the Mexican States and keep running until you reach Panama. The independent city hates the Democratic Union. They won’t try to extradite you, and they’re more lax about people with super powers. Not great, but it’s the best option you have.”

I had no idea Jayne was so knowledgeable about the world. It was certainly a side he had never hinted at before. “But won’t I have to cross cartel territory?”

“Yeah.” Jayne admitted. “But it’s still your best bet. Don’t try for a boat. The Democratic Union has its hands in most of the smuggling operations, and that’s how they catch so many runaways. Besides, it’ll only restrict your powers. You need to stay mobile and land-based. Stay off the roads as much as you can. If government convoys aren’t passing through, then it’s the bandits.”

“But if I go to Panama…”

“Yes.” Jayne nodded, already knowing what I was going to say. 

I would never see him again, or anyone, for that matter. Running to Panama met severing ties and starting over. No, it wouldn’t just be starting over. It would mean losing everything I still cared about. Maybe that was just Jayne and Sarah, but that was still too hard an ask. Tears welled up in my eyes. 

“I don’t know if I can do that.”

“You have to,” Jayne insisted. “They’ll get you. They always do. I’ve worked for the ASA for decades, and I know they’ll hunt you down.”

“Well, maybe this time I’ve got someone who can fight back. I talked with Mason. He hates the ASA as much as anyone. Maybe, maybe I can stand my ground. If I just—”

“You don’t understand!” Jayne pleaded. “Mason is going to drop dead any day now! You have to run while he’s still kicking! He’s your only distraction.”

I looked at Jayne in shock. So, he figured out about the enzyme. And worse, that clock was a lot shorter than we thought. 

I glanced over to the window, knowing Mason was out there somewhere in the city, not realizing he was a dead man walking. 

“I have to go tell him,” I said, horrified. “He doesn’t know…”

“Do that,” Jayne agreed. “And then, I beg you, run.”

I looked back to Jayne, and I think he knew exactly why I just couldn’t. In fact, I told him so before on several occasions. If I ever ran away, I was terrified I wouldn’t ever stop. I didn’t want to lead that kind of life. I wasn’t ready to, and I don’t think I ever would be. I knew I did not want to spend my remaining days on this planet looking over my shoulder. If I was going to die, I would much rather go out spitting in the ASA’s face than wallowing in some bombed-out shelter. 

“I can’t protect you.” Jayne spoke with a broken voice. I had never seen such guilt on his face before. “I’m sorry… but I can’t protect you from this, not while the ASA is hunting you.”

“It’s all right,” I told him. “I’ll be fine.”

Jayne wiped away his tears. “If you’re going to stay, whatever you do, keep your head down.”

Link to Chapter Fourteen