The situation was a lot worse than we thought it would be.

The hotel was ablaze as I ran forward. I had no idea how many casualties there were, but people were running out of the building, so there was some hope there. Flames flew out of the windows above me and glass fell in bursts as more explosions cried in the air. I ducked into the door and was immediately met with the worst case of sensory overload.

Around me, the smell of smoke, the sound of the flames roaring and explosions on different floors, and the foggy atmosphere made for a horrible time for all my senses. I closed my eyes and focused on the sounds of the heartbeats in the structure. Most were heavy, rapid. Terror was the first word to come to mind. I searched through the environment and eventually recognized one heart that was calmer than them all. It was the calm in the storm, and was multiple stories above. I raced through the halls and found the stairs. I swung open the door to more chaos, which I should have expected. I ran up as many stairs as I could before there was a gap between them. The steps had collapsed ahead. I could jump across, but the space between was too great. I had an idea, and decided to act on it. If I used my adrenaline, maybe I could propel myself further than I was usually capable of. I took a deep breath of smoky, disgusting air, and jumped forward. I landed where I had predicted I would and was safely on the other side. I grinned wide, and proceeded to make my way forward, using my powers at every turn it was needed. I grabbed the railing a flight of stairs above me and launched my body far above, landing on a railing two stories above. I was on the floor I needed to be at. I kicked the door open and entered.

In the center of the room was Tom, floating above the destruction in his full garb, mask included. He was standing on a single sheet of metal as he flung other large supports of the building across the large room. Before the fire, this would have probably been a ballroom of sorts. Nothing remained of it now. I walked forward slowly until he noticed me and acknowledged my presence. 

“Ah, James,” His voice changed with the mask. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

“I’m here to stop this, Tom. You got what you wanted,”

“Not yet I haven’t. And if you stand against me,”

He lowered and we were five feet away from each other. I clenched my fists and locked eyes with him. Tom pulled the mask from his face and stared at me with hatred. Before he could make a move, I lurched forward. I put all my strength into the leap, adrenaline included. I tackled him and punched at his face, the blows being blocked by Tom’s arms. I was thrown aside by a small chair. I landed crouched, one hand on the ground to keep stable and slid backwards a few feet. I rushed forward as he threw more objects at me. I dodged a few, then grabbed a small I-beam and twirled it back at him. He caught it in front of him and jumped aboard the beam. He flew forward towards me, causing me to backflip away. I landed and leaped to a pile of rubble and then jumped again to a high ground above the wreckage. I lost sight of him in the flames and peered around. I listened closely and didn’t hear much but the roar of the fire.

Suddenly, I heard his heartbeat behind me and jumped as high as possible. I landed onto the beam and grappled with Tom as we flew through the room. I managed to grab hold of his arm and jerked his hand down. The beam lurched down and we crashed through the floor. I felt a sharp pain in my side as I fell towards a thin catwalk below. It seemed we were above a small theater. Was there anything this building didn’t have?

I caught the metal path with my upper body and felt the wind get knocked out of me. I took a large breath in and climbed onto the walkway. I stood, grasping at my side. Blood slowly leaked from the wound, and wood splinters pierced multiple places in my body. I ignored the pain, which slowly went away and faced the direction of Tom. He was across the catwalk, standing at the edge of it. 

“Very clever, kid,” He laughed. “You’ll have to try harder than that to stop this,”

I grunted, and ran forward at the man, preparing for more pain. At this point, I didn’t care. I was going to stop him, regardless of the pain it caused me.

I jumped at him again and he was floated away by the floor he stood on. I was able to catch myself on the catwalk before falling onto the stage below that was ablaze. I pulled myself up and watched as Tom flew past on his conventional vehicle. I ran down the catwalk and propelled myself forward, grabbing the edge of the metal he flew on. I climbed aboard and grabbed at his arms once again. The catwalk below us lurched and we flew through a wall. Rubble rumbled around us as we flew to the floor of another room. We were in another hallway now, and the ground was a hard marble. I grumbled profanities as I forced myself up. I stood above Tom, who was still getting his bearings. My pain resistance was now on autopilot, I no longer needed to think to force it down. I trudged towards him and tugged at the gloves in his hands. I tried to pull them from him, but he clenched his fists around my hands. I clenched my teeth and clenched my own fists. I didn’t realize it immediately, but the bones in his hands had started to crack. I heard multiple snaps before he shouted in pain. I was surprised at first, then kept crushing his hands in mine. It was the only way to stop him from using his powers against me again.

I pulled the gloves away to reveal his fingers bent in every which way. His eyes filled with tears. He fell backwards, defeated.

“I just wanted to destroy what was left of his empire,” He cried, his voice cracking from the pain. “For my family,”

“And you caused so many other people pain in the process,” I said.

I turned away from him and thought for a second. I should let him die in here, destroyed by his own hand after the lives he had ruined. The amount of innocent people in the building was probably baffling. No, I was thinking like Raymond now. I wasn’t the one to decide that. Maybe I could help him, show him that he could use his powers for good. I turned to face him and noticed a few cracks forming behind him. I rushed forward and grabbed his forearm. The floor below gave way and I jumped, tugging him with me. We landed ten feet back, but more cracks formed on that side as well. There was no place to jump, not with Tom dragging me down. I punched the ground and my fist embedded in the marble. I grabbed a hold of Tom and the floor tilted and mostly gave way. I held him above a void of red and orange. Heat emanated from below, and Tom seemed to be panicking. I gripped his arm harder, but he wasn’t making an effort to hold on.

“Tom, you gotta help me,” I shouted over the flames.

“Let me go,” He pleaded, still in pain from the broken hands.

“I can show you how to use your powers for the better, to honor your family,”

“Let me be with my family now,” The tears in his eyes were now from emotional pain, not physical.

I scrunch my eyebrows, knowing I could not help him up on my own.

“I’m sorry,” I said.

He smiled a little, and seemed at peace for once in a while. I let go, and watched as he fell into the fire below. I felt multiple tears drip down my face, and started to look for a way out of the building.

I walked through the hallway, my disguise in tatters and my body beaten and bruised. I knocked on the door of Ben’s apartment, and was greeted by him. He looked worried, his phone in his hand and an angry look on his face.

“Where have you been? We just had a terrorist attack and-”

He looked me up and down and realized what I was wearing. I held up the mask I was carrying in my hand and he realized what was happening. 

He pulled me into the apartment and shut the door. 

“You, you’re,” He was speechless.

I lifted a piece of paper and handed it to him, giving him a sort of peace offering smile. Ben grabbed the paper and read it carefully. 

“You want me to-”

“Yes,” I said. “You are the only one that I would trust with it, and with this,”

I held up the mask again. He smiled and hugged me.

“You want me to be your dad,” Ben said, as if he couldn’t believe it.