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Three days. That's how long it had taken to safely stake out Devoe's house without arousing his suspicion. As it was, I was floating inside a bubble of wind way up in the air. The guy had hidden eyes all around the neighborhood. The only reason I had even detected anything was because of the electric signals emmited from the small surveillance drones. The electric sense was a minor power I had acquired from Weather wizard.

His security was top of the line, in the sense that I wasn't even sure how to break into his house. The air was the only place I could be. I was in a somewhat awkward position with a sniper rifle in my hands.

I was watching Devoe through the optical scope waiting for a chance to pull the trigger and blow his head off. I was feeling kinda frustrated that evening. Funnily enough, it wasn't because of Devoe's outrageous security systems. Did I mention about the camouflaged weapons waiting to immobilize anyone dumb enough to close the perimeter? Sometimes I'm thankful for my water sense.

The reason I was frustrated was because of Iris. I had had a talk with her earlier on in the day, which still bugged me.

(Flashback)

Sex with Iris was nothing short of amazing. We had been screwing like rabbits every chance we got. We were cuddled on my bed when she said.
"So…Jin. What is this?"
I turned my eyes to look at her.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, what am I to you? Are we dating or something?"

I rose an eyebrow and actually thought about it. Did I like Iris? Yes, verrry much. Did I want to keep on seeing her? Sign me up. Do I want to start a relationship with her? Huuhh, i…
"I don't wanna label it."
I immediately regretted saying that. Iris rounded up to glare at me, angry.
"You don't want to label it? Really?"

"That's not…"
"I can't believe I trusted you! You just wanted to have sex with me, didn't you?"
I raised up my hands in a placating manner.
"Don't you think you're overreacting a little?"
"Overreacting? Ugh! All guys are the same!"
My words fell on deaf ears as she wore her clothes and left. I was silent for a while, stunned. What had just happened?

I tried calling her phone, but she didn't answer. That's where my frustration stemmed from. I knew it was partly my fault though. Even with my past relationships, emotional commitment was always hard for me. It wasn't a reason for my ex-girlfriend to cheat on me though, so fuck that bitch. The only upside to Iris' and I brief lover's spat was that she gave me an out which I didn't want but definitely needed.

I was going to leave this dimension after a while, in search of more power and finding out what had happened to Alfred. So why should I commit to a relationship that was doomed to fail eventually?

I shook my head to get out of my funk and sighed. Devoe was a surprising careful person. I still couldn't get a proper shot. That coming from someone who could sense the surroundings in a wide area, was a big deal.

There! I caught sight of Devoe as he was about to close the curtains. Without waiting another second, my finger pulled the trigger. The bullet raced through the air and Devoe's face got a small hole on the forehead.

I waited a minute and sure enough his wife appeared next to his body screaming loudly. With a heavy heart, I pulled the trigger again and killed her. Grimly, I flew and descended towards the house. A wall of ice stopped the light beams, from the concealed futuristic weapons around his house. I kicked the door open and made my way to where Devoe had fallen.

Arriving there, I saw a different view from the one I was expecting though not surprising. I had been tricked. Devoe and his wife's bodies were nowhere to be seen, which meant…plan b. I allowed the dart to land on my neck and immediately my body felt sluggish.

And sure enough, before I lost consciousness, The thinker wheeled in, his wife following closely behind.
"Checkmate."
Was the last thing he said before I closed my eyes. Deep inside me however, I smiled.

(Elsewhere)

(Jin's Mind-scape)

The blue egg sitting at the deepest part of the brightly glowing pool of water, cracked just a little.

(General Eiling)

Eiling was skeptical as he looked at his soldiers. The word soldiers being used loosely here. He wasn't a 100% sure they were loyal to the cause. His cause. After all there was no one else more loyal to his country than Eiling himself.

The one thing he was entirely sure of was the fact that, wars in the future, would be fought not through conventional weaponry but by Supermen. He himself, was just lucky enough to be at the forefront of the dawning age.

He looked at his new taskforce. The first, Bette Sans Souci alias Impact was a career soldier, who had proved a bit rebellious but was now fully under his control. Tony Woodward alias Iron Edge, was even easier to acquire. Nothing a little manipulation couldn't solve.

The last member was Farooq Gibran aka Blackout. This was where things had gotten a little tricky. Luckily, with Wells' help a solution to his electricity hunger had been found in the form of a containment suit. The details were a little foggy for Eiling's non-scientific mind.

Give him an army and he'll lead. Give him a stethoscope and he'll hit someone with it. He was wary of trusting Wells but with the current circumstances, Eiling had to try and be flexible. Plus, Wells had been the one to set Eiling up with the identities of the Meta-humans for his Taskforce. He was still one person short of the full package however. The first abnormal human subject. The one with the most potential. Jin Anderson.

Eiling smiled. Soon, he would have him and after that, the ball would start rolling.

(Jin's P.O.V)

I woke up to a headache. Outwardly, I gave no sign that I was aware. I tried to connect with the water molecules in the air but a stabbing pain shot through my ears, making me lose focus and gasp.

"Oh, so you're awake. Not that I wasn't already aware of that. High intellect comes with the added perk of noticing small things. For example, your breathing, the twitches of your nose and the movement of your eyes behind the eyelids. Things that the brain normally dismisses." The thinker in his mad cap said his attention somewhere else.

"Ugh", I groaned. My hands were shackled to metal cuffs on the wall and I registered the stiffness of my legs. Looking down they were fastened by belts to prevent movement. Devoe was studying 5 marble balls on the table between us. I clamped down on the urge to shout, 'mine!'
"Fascinating."
He said before turning his attention to me with a small smirk at the corner of his lips.

"26.3%."
At my blank look, he continued,
"That was the probability of an attack before the culmination of my life's purpose. In other words, I know the impact my plans will have on the current social order. Seems fitting that fate would deem me dangerous and try to throw a wrench in them. That beggars the question however, of why you, Mr.Anderson?"

He didn't wait for my response. Instead Devoe pressed something on his wheelchair and the section of the wall I was cuffed on broke off. It lowered me to a sleeping position before the upper part bent and suddenly I was sitting.
"Hover tech. The least of my wife's many many talents. Now, let's chat."

I cracked my neck and let out a sigh at the relief in my joints. Now that I could properly see, there was a thin metallic collar on my neck. I tried using my powers and bit back a curse at the pain.

"It's a device that detects abnormal brain functions and produces a low-frequency sound that messes with your focus, hence no nifty abilities. I could have probably done more to restrict your powers but this is the first time I'm interacting with another powered person besides myself. Doctors can't operate on themselves, you understand."

'So it's not a power dampening collar huh? Just as I'd hoped'. I could probably blast the collar off me before the pain gets too much but letting out such a minute but focused shockwave will wear me down too much to fight him but hopefully, I can take him out with me if things get extreme. And letting him see more of my capabilities will ensure that he comes up with contingencies to them.

For now, he knows I have abilities (duh) but he doesn't know how strong they actually are. I'm betting on him spying on me through hidden cameras in Star labs. It would make much more sense. So he probably knows I have hydrokinesis. If that plan fails then I have a second option though I'm wary to try it. Having his wife here with him would be a bonus but if I get the chance I'm taking it.

"You talk too much."
I said. He gave no outward response except to smile.
"Indeed I do. It's necessary to educate those of lower brain functions."
"You know my name, have you been spying on me or something you freak."
He rolled his eyes.
"Oh c'mon Mr.Anderson. you broke into my home after trying and failing to assassinate me and you're spinning this around? And in case you're wondering, what you hit were hard light constructs."

"If so, why didn't you hand me over to the cops? Keeping me here is serving you no purpose and if you think about it, the only thing I did wrong was trespassing."
"Let's not kid ourselves. I want to know your motive for trying to kill me. Were you sent by someone? Is it a personal grudge?"
I chuckled.
"Why don't you use that big brain of yours to find out?"

"I tried. No one contacted you to order a hit on me and we've never interacted before. It's like you woke up one morning and said, 'hey let's go try to kill Devoe but ultimately fail' to yourself."
He said coming closer to me. Good, he's close enough…
"Funny. If you really want to know why, I'll tell you but first let me ask you a question myself. What do you think of the saying, survival is for the fittest?"

"A classic Darwin enthusiast. True but lacking in depth."
"Oh, then you're gonna love this. You see, I tend to take that saying quite literally. Using intelligence to break past obstacles is well and good but sometimes it matters to have overwhelming power on your side and are capable of taking just as much as you can dish out. And believe me, you're smarter than I'll ever be but I've got the power and the durability to survive what comes next. Brace yourself."

I ignored the pain, relishing the dawning look of realisation on Devoe's face and let loose.