CW: Blood, Injury

Dad took a step forward. And another. His eyes trained on me, filled to the brim with pure fury. Any hint of pride I might’ve once seen had long since evaporated. All they held was singular, catastrophic rage. 

He knew. Sirens were wailing in the distance, but it felt like my world was ending right there and then.

I don’t remember falling onto my butt in the grass, but I must’ve as he had to bend down to wrap his hand roughly around the collar of my jacket. He yanked me back to my feet; his glare intensifying. I withered beneath his scrutiny as much as his grip on my coat would allow.

“Gavin’s girlfriend, huh? Bullshit.” His voice was calm on the surface, but turbulence and blustering anger weren’t hard to pick out. “Of course you’d choose an alter like this.”

“Th-that’s now how it w-works...” I mumbled weakly.

He disregarded my response and continued his beratement. He pulled my glasses from my face and examined them. “Glasses? The fuck is up with these? Gavin, nobody in our family needs glasses, not even your grandfather.” He tossed them over his shoulder onto the lawn. “So not only did you allow yourself to be influenced by whatever perversion of yours this represents, you went with a damn crippled one!”

Hexecute could take away my powers, but at least he’d probably kill me. Dad had the power to do everything but. Somehow, that was worse.

He pulled me closer with a commanding tug. “Gavin, you are a McArthur, not a cripple, not an invalid, and most certainly not a freak.” The way he lingered on ‘freak’ pierced right through my heart; it was clear he was certain I was.

“W-wait!” Kayden shouted from behind us. They sprinted over the lawn in our direction, growing in stature with each step. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Dad turned to cast an icy glance their way.

“You. You pretended to be him earlier, yeah?” he growled. His grip on my coat tightened. “You’re that shapeshifter runaway, from the Blois family.”

“Excuse me?” Kayden breathed, seemingly caught off-guard.

Dad fully turned and pointed in their direction. “Yeah, that’s right. You tried to change your face, but I still see your dad’s dipshit nose in there. Catherine— no, Caitlyn. Right? But you call yourself some other made-up name.”

Kayden began to stammer. “H-how do you—”

Dad ignored their question, instead casting an accusing finger towards them. “You think because you can change your face you can just do whatever you want? You think you can make me look like an idiot? I’ve got half a mind to sick the DMO on your ass here and now. Probably will if you lay a fucking finger on me, freak.”

Kayden’s voice caught in their throat. “I—” They abruptly cut off, their face pale and devoid of color. I’d never seen them so shaken, even amid a raging apartment fire. Their form shrank, slowly at first, from Dad’s height down to my height and below until they must’ve been no more than three feet tall. 

Dad smirked and shook his head. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Unfortunately, Kayden’s sudden withdrawal had allowed Dad to focus his attention onto his real target, me.

Where was he getting this information? Was any of it believable? I tried to lose myself in my thoughts as he continued yelling obscenities at me.

“You little freak! I’ll be a goddamned laughing stock if my co-workers hear my son’s alter has honest-to-god tits!” he screamed. “Well, no fuckin’ way. No son of mine is going to walk around with my name looking like some deviant slut in public.”

The front door of the house burst open again, Mom was storming down the sidewalk with Jules in tow a few paces behind. “Knock it off, Marv!” she shouted. Her hands were balled into a fist and her knuckles white, but not with anger, like Dad. She was scared, and I could see it the instant I caught sight of her eyes. “I knew this was a bad idea,” she continued, “you’ve never reacted so nicely to — “

“You needing my money?” Dad scoffed. “Delilah, obviously I love my kids. If you don’t have money because you lost your job, you could always come to me. I was always the breadwinner, anyways.”

I glanced between them, horrified that what Mel had said was right about Mom.

Mom rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. “Just go. Please.”

“Not a fucking chance in hell,” he retorted. “You turned my kid into a tranny, Delilah. A fucking tranny.” Dad’s eyes were nothing but disgust, hatred, and fury. Everything else seemed to fade to black as I stared into them. I never really understood why I’d clung to the idea that if I played the role Dad wanted me to play, he’d respect me. Or even care for me. But as he tore me to shreds in front of our entire family… no, I wasn’t a person to him at all, was I? I was just an inconvenience. Cracks swiftly spread in spiderweb-like patterns over the glass walls I’d built in my mind.

He didn’t care for me. He never did. 

I focused on the ground, trying to gaze past the blades of green grass to the brown dirt below as shame and humiliation began to swallow me whole. My throat was clenching up and my chest was warm and tight. I could feel my eyes beginning to water.

Don’t cry in front of him. Just don’t cry.

Mom closed the distance between us while glancing about the neighborhood. “Goddammit, Marv! The neighbors will hear you,” she pleaded.

“Oh, la-de-da, can’t let the neighbors hear you’ve been feminizing our son,” Dad retorted. “Whatever would they think?” I caught a glimpse of Kayden around the other side of Dad. They were keeping their distance, looking at us with a weary gaze. Why wouldn’t they help me? They averted their eyes once they saw me staring, instead focusing on the house as their frown grew deeper and deeper.

“How do you even know about her powers?” Jules replied with a nervous, shrill voice.

Dad reached behind him and pulled out an envelope from his back pocket. “Not that it’s any of your business, sweetie, but these showed up at my office today.” He pulled me in close enough for his disgusting cologne to envelope my senses. He began to pull items, pictures from the opened slit at the top. “Looks like you’ve been lying to me for quite a while, huh?” he whispered in a condescending tone. He held the first in front of me. It was a grayscale image, one of a bunch of students at school. I squinted and looked at the polaroid closely.

“Holy shit,” I mumbled under my breath, afraid to let Dad hear me. The picture showed me, in my default form, in the gymnasium at school. He pulled another out. This one seemed to capture me during partial transformation with white sparkles surrounding my body. The next one had no transformative effects and was essentially the same image as their first, however, instead it pictured me completely in my alter form. I turned away, afraid to face this situation any longer.

“Oh no, you don’t get to turn away now, son,” Dad scolded. His grip around me grew tighter as he looked up at Mom. “Best I can figure, they say alters look the way they do because of their feelings or whatever. What made you decide to make my boy into a girl, Delilah? Revenge? Pettiness?”

“Me?” Mom fumed. “I did no such thing, Marv. This is who she always was. She hid it from me too until a couple of weeks ago. I’m just letting her —”

“A couple of weeks?” Dad glowered deeply. “Then you better fucking switch to something less faggy now, you hear me?”

I’d never felt the energy in my chest so distant and out of reach. Its buzz was nothing more than a faint whisper of its usual presence. My eyes could hold back the damn no longer as tears began to erupt down my cheeks and onto my shirt. I clenched them shut so I wouldn’t have to see his face.

Dad groaned and let me drop into the grass.  “Just wait till child protective services gets ahold of--” 

 

I opened my eyes to find Parker standing between Dad and me, his fists raised in the air toward our father. Dad’s anger had been replaced by something else altogether different. Shock.

“P-Parker, did you just…?” he mumbled, taking a step back while rubbing at his cheek.

“Get the hell out of here, Dad,” he commanded. “And stop hurting my sister.” Kayden, seemingly no longer frozen in place, grew back to size and dashed over before wrapping their arms around me protectively.

“You little shit,” Dad growled. “What are you, fourteen? Think you can take your old man?” Dad angrily marched towards him angrily, his hands balled into fists. My muscles must also have thawed themselves like with Kayden as instinct pushed me to get between them. Kayden, however, held me back firmly.

“Don’t,” they whispered hurriedly. “You’re his kid, but you’re also an alter and your dad strikes me as the kind of person to call the cops on his kids.” Grudgingly, I held back as Dad snatched at the neck of Parker’s shirt and pulled him in towards him. He had height on Parker but not much else. Clearly, our lankiness didn’t come from Mom.

“Parker!” Mom gasped in horror.

“Well?” he snarled, roughly smacking Parker’s cheek. “Not so tough now, huh? You trying to protect your tranny brother?”

Parker narrowed his eyes. “Like I said, my sister. I don’t let bullies pick on either of them, that’s my job.”

“Oh, a bully?” Dad mocked. “Ouch, stop, that stings! Wait, no, that’s this —” He landed a solid slap across Parker’s face, causing him to wince and drop to his knees as he cradled his face. While he did, he looked back up.

“That’s the thing with bullies, Dad,” Parker calmly retorted from the ground. “They always try to pick on someone smaller than them. That’s what you’re good at, right? Except in this case, the little guy happens to be your kid.” Dad’s eyebrows furrowed before looking past Parker, Kayden and I, instead focusing on Jules who, to my surprise, was holding her phone up with shaking hands. “Got it, Jules?” Parker asked.

“Y-yeah,” she replied in a quivering tone. “Got it a-all.”

“You little —” Dad began to quickly stomp in Jules’ direction, but he may have well been crawling compared to me. With a resounding clap, the bolt in my chest burst back to full strength as protective instincts took over. I zipped past him and snatched Jules’ phone before making it clear to the other side of the driveway.

“Up for a game of keep-away?” I asked, squinting my eyes at him.

“Gavin, give that fucking phone to me. Right. Now,” Dad snarled.

“No, Marv,” Mom stepped between us. “Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to leave, or I’m calling the cops and showing them that video.”

“Since when did you grow a spine?” he scoffed.

Mom stared him down unblinkingly. “Since I had to be my kids’ only parent.”

Dad glared at her, his loose-fitting suit jacket somehow appearing more and more ridiculous the longer I observed him. “You wouldn’t call the cops,” he retorted.

Fuck, my dad was a huge fucking tool, wasn’t he?

“Try me,” Mom replied sternly. She pulled her phone out and began to dial.

“Fine,” he eventually grunted, his tone coming off as more petulant than anything. “But this isn’t over. Not by a fucking long shot.” He turned around and began to trudge back towards his car. Thinking quickly, I sprinted towards him and swiped the envelope he’d stuffed into his pocket. I raced back before he noticed, hiding the envelope behind my back when he looked over us.

What he said next didn’t matter, it only resulted in him climbing into his car and speeding off down the quiet suburban street. Neighbors began to peek out in our direction, so Mom ushered us back inside. I watched Dad’s car disappear around the corner until he was out of sight.

Mom’s relieved expression immediately transmogrified into a deathful glare in my direction.

“In the house. Now,” she commanded.

I zipped from the sidewalk straight into the house, taking care to slow down on the linoleum so I didn’t burn any more holes into the carpet. Leaning back against the staircase banister, I waited for everyone else to join me. From my periphery, I could see that that television was on, though muted. As I turned to take a look, I had to stop my jaw from dropping through the ground.  Displayed on the television screen was the scene from downtown, except from the angle of what I guessed to be a helicopter. Crescent City Tower was engulfed in a raging inferno, much worse than Kayden and I had seen it only a few minutes earlier and was surrounded by fire trucks and emergency responder vehicles. Smoke was drifting around the surrounding buildings and even from this high up, you could still see the debris littering the ground. The windows of several buildings immediately adjacent to the tower were riddled with holes, likely from pieces of the tower blowing outward from the force of the explosion.

Still clearly visible were those same words Hexecute had carved into the building, burning brightly at the top of its rise. The ticker at the bottom of the screen had just updated:

 

Reformed hijacker/technomancer Melora Alfonse, A.K.A. “The Mechanic,” suspected of detonating explosive devices within Crescent City Tower. Several confirmed dead and thirteen injured. Story developing…

 

Hexecute was framing Mel. That’s why he put her name on the building. Was that why Starburst and Verdant were also targeted? Or were they the main targets and Mel’s supernym just a diversion to cover his tracks?

“Gabrielle,” Mom began slowly, interrupting my train of thought as she entered the house with the others. Parker handed my glasses to me and fled to the safety of the couch on the opposing wall. Mom closed the door behind her almost methodically, causing the tension in the air began to heighten. “Do you have anything to do with this?

“W-what?” I replied, desperately grasping for even the shittiest of lie I could. She bent down, lowering herself to my level and, in the process, unnerved me far more than she had in years and rendered my thought process moot. 

Yeah, okay, clocking in at 5’6” came with unforeseen disadvantages.

“I said, ‘did you have anything to do with this?’ I know you just came from downtown. Minutes before all of this happened,” she fumed, gesturing at the television. 

“Mom, no, we weren’t —”

Mom continued her interrogation. “You and Kayden tore into the front yard like bats out of hell, despite what I’ve begged of you for weeks. You were terrified of something before you ever saw your father. What. Is. Going. On?”

“N-nothing,” I assured her, hoping she’d let up. I couldn’t let her know about the text messages or what I’d seen; she already knew Hexecute was targeting me, telling her he had the capability to blow up the city’s heroes would only freak her out more. “We were at the library and Dad sent me a text that he was coming to the house. I raced over, hoping we could set up for him like we did last time, but he was already here.”

“When did he send you that?” she asked. “He demanded to come inside make you admit to all the ways you’d been lying to us. Sure seems like he expected you to be here.”

“It must have been before that, I don’t know,” I said. My story was growing thinner and thinner, I needed to figure a way past her mom-radar.

She held out her hand. “Show me your phone, then. You’ve lied so much, show me your phone so you can prove that this isn’t just another tall-tale.”

Pain lashed out within my heart as her words landed like body blows against my chest. She didn’t trust me. And she was right not too. I wasn’t sure which hurt more. Even still, before I could stifle them words vomited forth from my lips.

“Why can’t you just trust me for ONCE?!” I screamed, shocking myself with the volume of my outburst. “I’m telling you the truth, Mom. We didn’t have anything to do with this! You didn’t act on any of those signs you noticed when I was younger that I might’ve been a girl, and now you’re not trusting me. Again.” My burst of anger immediately began to waver as soon as the look in her eye changed.

Pain. Hurt. Grief. Instantly, I knew I’d brought some of her worst regrets right to the surface. 

The cold sensation of adrenaline leaving my veins washed over me. The room was dead silent, everyone else hoping to merely stay out of the line of fire.

I’d just used my most personal and meaningful trauma to… what? Further a lie? The same one I knew she felt endlessly guilty over.

Queasiness quickly began to fester in my gut as I realized how awful what I’d just said to her was. I was shamelessly guilting her, calling her out on her biggest regret without a second thought.

Mom, for her part, was still recoiled from my outburst. After a brief pause, her expression took on a somewhat contemplative demeanor.

“Fair point,” she replied in a small tone. She stepped forward and pulled me into a tight embrace. “I… believe you. Sorry, honey.” I tentatively hugged her back, staring at the far wall with coldness in my eyes as she rubbed my back. I’d lied to Mom before, but never once did I feel like as much a scumbag as then.

 

* * *

 

The rest of the night passed more stressfully than even my interrogation as we watched the news unfold from the couch. The only additional news received on the status of Starburst and Verdant were that both were alive, but one was still in critical condition. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who that was. Verdant’s screams were still haunting me, visceral and nearly inhuman as they were.

The fire inside the Tower was eventually put out, but it wasn’t of much help. The building was a total loss, and would need to be demolished, at least according to several pundits that spewed their opinion of the attack, eager to have a new story to jump on during an otherwise lagging news cycle. 

Mel’s name was dragged through the mud so many times over the course of the night it was impossible to completely contain the boiling of my blood. Mom seemed to pick up on it, but incorrectly attributed it to a betrayal on her behalf. I forced myself to nod and agree; if I offered a different version of events, Mom would instantly see through my earlier lie. So, like a good little speedster, I stayed quiet and kept my thoughts to myself.

Cass immediately began to blow my phone up with texts about the incident, to which I reassured her that I was only tangentially involved and would give her the full story the following day. 

Despite initially sleeping on the couch at Mom’s tired instruction, Kayden eventually snuck up to my room. I gladly flung back the comforter and welcomed them in, eager to have someone else in the room with me. They didn’t say much at first, which I was fine with. But as a few minutes turned into thirty, I grew worried. I turned to face them.

“You okay?”

They were staring at the ceiling, unblinking for who knows how long. As if flipping a switch, light flooded back into their eyes as they heard my voice. “Huh? Yeah, I’m good. Why do you ask?” they quickly replied.

“You uh... seemed pretty thrown off by what my dad was saying earlier. Wanna talk about it?”

They shook their head. “Nah. It’s all good, your dad just reminded me of someone I didn’t think still had a hold on me.”

“Who?” I asked quietly.

Their gaze broke from my own. “Doesn’t matter. Nobody important.” They pulled the envelope I’d taken from Dad earlier out from under the covers and began to pull items out of it. “Sure would like to know how that asshole knew who I was, though. My dad doesn’t even work in marketing.”

I looked between their eyes and the envelope. “Were you holding onto that all this time?”

They gave me a withering look. “Yes, Gabby. It kinda has my secret identity in it, so I’d like to keep it close for the time being.”

“Fair,” I replied. “But what about downtown? What the fuck was that? Is Mel dead?”

Kayden’s brow creased. “I don’t know.”

“Hexecute must’ve done it, that’s why we saw him. Do you think he wrote Mel’s supernym so publicly to frame her?”

“I don’t know,” Kayden repeated, their tone harsher this time.

“And how Mel mentioned Pelican Bay?” I added. “That has to factor into this.”

“I don’t know, Gabby!” Kayden snapped at me. “I don’t know.” Their expression grew troubled as they returned their attention to some photos they had pulled out of the envelope.

“S-sorry,” I mumbled in reply. They ran their hand up the bridge of their nose in frustration.

“It’s fine. You’re fine. I’m just — I’m not really at peak operating capacity right now. None of this makes any sense.” They scooted themselves up in the bed and laid the pictures Dad had shown me down onto the comforter. “For instance. These look like they were taken from the rafters of the gymnasium, at least from what I remember of the place.

I leaned in to get a better look. “Huh. Yeah, I guess you’re right. But who could’ve taken a picture from up there without being caught? Hexecute certainly hasn’t taken any invisibility powers as far as I know.”

Kayden nodded. “Exactly. But the photographer was focused on you. They specifically wanted to catch you transforming.” They sorted through the envelope before pulling out a sheet of folded paper. They opened it up and quickly scanned the contents, a frown growing as they did. Before I could ask, they promptly shredded the paper in front of me.

I said nothing as they brushed the pieces onto the floor. Rage swirled through their eyes, even as they released a deeply-brewing exhale from their lips. 

“That asshole had all of my personal information, Gabby. Not just my name, but my address, my grades in school, my run-ins with the cops. How — how the fuck did your Dad get this?”

“I… I don’t know,” I replied quietly. There was something going on with them, and not just what dad had done, or said. Looking closer, I could see it wasn’t just rage I could see in them. 

Conflict.

It was clear as day, even in the dim light of my bedside lamp. Running my hand across their forearm in a gentle caress, I luxuriated in the sensation of their arm hairs running beneath my touch. As I tried to be comforting, their demeanor began to change. They looked over to me, their eyes inspecting my own.

“Hey.”

“What’s up?” I asked.

“Are you okay?” they inquired in a soft voice.

I opened my mouth to reply, but held back. I replayed the day's events in my head.

Dad. Mom’s job. The tower. Mel. Verdant and Starburst. My lips began to quiver, emotions until now held back were beating against my ribcage.

I shook my head instead.

“Is it your mom? Or what your dad said?”

I forced my lungs to release the air they’d been holding. “Can we go to sleep? It’s been a long day and I just — I really want to feel safe tonight.”

Kayden’s expression turned soft, a small smile sprung to life from beneath their worry. “Of course,” they whispered. After turning off the light, they pulled the bed covers up and snuggled into me. Arms that weren’t my own wrapped around my sides and settled at my stomach. Sleep came silently, easing me down to the sensation of Kayden’s breath, a calming presence on the back of my neck.

 

* * *

 

School started on something of a dour note the next day. Everywhere I went, everyone seemed distant, lost in their own world. Collective weariness drifted over the students and faculty alike. The protectors of Crescent City had fallen, and nobody was quite sure what that meant moving forward. It was unusual for entire teams to be taken out in one fell swoop, and when they were, heroes from neighboring areas were usually waiting in the wings to cover while other heroes could be sourced and brought into the fold officially. Generally, the heroes that provided temporary support would mainly focus on bringing the creep in question to justice while keeping the peace.

While it was true that the commute to the school this morning had seen a handful of new brightly costumed figures around, there weren't anywhere near as many as I had expected. Apparently, after searching the wreckage of the tower, only pieces of Mel’s exoskeleton could be found. This led credence to a prevailing theory that she had detonated the bombs remotely, a position which several alters had taken as license to track her across the state instead of holding down the fort here in the city.

The worst part, as was no doubt planned, was that while they were looking for Mel, if she was even still alive, they turned a blind eye to the menace that was already haunting Crescent City. Hexecute had gotten off, scott-free.

Probably just the way he preferred it.

I didn’t keep my lips sealed around Cass, Sammy and the others like I had with Mom. I wasn’t going to let Mel’s name be dragged through the mud, not if I could help it.

They all looked at me with dumbfounded expressions after telling them as much over lunch.

“Why the fuck you tellin’ us?” Sammy objected, “If Hexecute’s blowin’ the shit outta buildings, shouldn’t you go to the fucking cops or something?”

I groaned and shifted my weight back. “What am I gonna tell them, Sammy? ‘Hey, I was racing around town using superpowers when I wasn’t supposed to and suddenly Crescent City Tower, the building I was interrogated in only a few weeks ago, blew up in front of me. Oh, and I don’t have any proof but the culprit is Hexecute, the guy trying to steal my powers for some bullshit plan of his. Definitely not Mel, the person whose name is carved into the building itself.’ Would that work?”

“It… does seem less than believable,” Cass admitted. “But you have to tell someone about it, Gabby. If you don’t tell anyone, we’re all sitting ducks while Hexecute plans his next move.”

“Actually, I think I know what his next move is,” I replied, mowing down an apple in the span of a few seconds before continuing. “I was thinking about it all last night and this morning. Mel told me that she was detecting some weird signals around Pelican Bay.”

“That prison up by Smith River?” Angus tilted his head in confusion. “Did she think it was Hexecute?”

“At this point, what isn’t,” Mona lamented.

I excitedly snapped my fingers in Mona’s direction, eliciting a blush and squeak from her. “Exactly, Mona! Before these last few months, everything was more or less peaceful. It stands to reason that anything odd we’re seeing now has a halfway-decent chance of being tied to Hexecute.”

Cass didn’t sound as sure. “I mean, maybe a week ago. But the HQ of the CCC just got blown up, Gabby. Every nut-job with a dream of infamy has their eye on us now.”

“Right — I mean, yeah, that’s true. But Mel got this signal yesterday before everything went down.”

She furrowed her brows. “Huh. I suppose that’s true…”

Sammy let out an annoyed-sounding growl. “What the hell would Hexecute want with a prison twelve and some-odd miles away? Is he scoping out his future digs or something?”

“That’s only if Hexecute’s a man, she m-might be a woman,” Mona timidly chimed in. “Well, I-I mean, nobody’s seen their face. I c-could probably tell if I s-saw them with my alter…”

Kourtney began to laugh. “Now that I’d love to see. I bet you’d say something to the effect of ‘By the gods! This is a turnabout most perplexing, Hexecute! It would appear you have breasts!’”

All of us burst out laughing, including Mona. The melancholy of the weary day finally began to lift somewhat as I laughed alongside my friends. 

“Still can’t figure out why Hexecute would go to the prison, though,” Sammy said. 

I leaned in close to her and lowered my voice. “Probably looking for a little back ball that nullifies superpowers, the same kind Mel mentioned he’d been looking for.”

“Clelium,” Cass answered immediately.

“Yep,” I nodded eagerly. “He’s been looking for some and —”

Cass sat back, her face scrunched in thought. “Didn’t we watch something in civics a couple of weeks back about Pelican Bay? They had clelium for alters who received their altercation while in jail.”

“That’s what I think he’s going for,” I concluded. “The clelium at the prison.”

Courtney shook his head, clearly confused by the train of logic I’d laid out. “Wait, you think he’s gonna rob Pelican Bay?!” he repeated, much too loudly for my comfort. A few other students looked our way, prompting us to hurriedly shushed him before he could say anything else for others to overhear.

“I still think the character development in that show sucks,” Cass suddenly piped. We turned to her, staring in bewilderment. “You know, that show?” Her eyes darted around nervously. “I just don’t think it’s very well-written.”

“Oh!” I exclaimed, catching on suddenly. She was relating Courtney’s outburst to some television show. 

Very clever, Cass.

After waiting a few seconds, I continued in a quieter voice. “He might. I don’t really know.” In all honesty, Hexecute could be anywhere. He could be outside my house this very second and I wouldn’t know. “But it makes sense that if he was going to do it, he’d do it right now while there was no official protection for the city. No established channels for the good guys to quickly respond to.”

Angus, ever the curious one, pressed for details between bites of his PB&J sandwich. “I guess, but what are you going to do about it? Aren’t those no-capes still watching you? I’m sure if you burst from your house in your cape gear they’re going to have serious questions.”

“Yeah, but they’re getting pretty lax, lately. They were cool with my leaving yesterday to go into town.”

“After which Crescent City tower blew up,” Angus continued.

I found myself slumping down into my chair. “Right. Forgot about that.”

“If I were you,” Courtney began, giving Angus an affectionate rub on the head. “I would just tell them I was going on a date with Angus. Older straight people are weird here; they’ll simultaneously support queer stuff in theory and pat themselves on the back for doing so, but also turn a blind eye to us so they don’t have to see it in public. Blah, blah, blah, not in my face or whatever. They’d probably just let you slip on through.

I looked up at Courtney, his idea piquing my interest. “You think that could work?”

“Gabrielle, we live in northern California. Trust me, it’ll work,” Courtney replied, winking on the final syllable.

I stroked my chin thoughtfully. “Huh. Guess I just need to find a girlfriend.”

“Shoot, if you’re gonna twist my arm about it,” Sammy spoke up through a grin. She shot me an appraising look and laughed.  “No skin off my bones to take a cute little thing like you out on the town. Added bonus that I’d get to kick Hexecute’s ass makes it doubly worth it.”

I averted my eyes, my chest starting to tingle somewhat. “Clam it, Sammy,” I retorted.

“Bashful, too,” Cass excitedly added to the enjoyment of the rest of the group.

“T-that’s my thing, Gabby.” Mona smiled. “Get your own!”

“Anyways,” I interjected, hoping to steer us back to the topic at hand. “Sammy, I’m sure that we’d look great together, but I still don’t know how your powers work, and honestly?” I cast a furtive glance down at her bracer. “They kind of freak me out. How strong are you with that thing?”

Sammy took a sip from her energy drink. “Very.”

I blinked. “Right. I think I’m going to need to get Kayden on board.”

“Shouldn’t that be easy?” Cass asked. “I thought they were already a vigilante.”

“It’s a whole thing,” I sighed. I had little doubt Kayden would act on my hunch and would head straight for the prison if I revealed it to them; if our conversation the previous day still held true, however, I was positive they wouldn’t let me tag along. Maybe they’d say yes if I said pretty please?

Cass brought her hand to my shoulder. “Just, whatever you do, please be careful, Gabby. If he’s capable of taking out the Crescent City Capes, he can hurt you, too,” she pleaded somberly. I glanced around the table and found everyone else nodding and sharing Cass’ somber, worry-filled expression.

“Don’t worry.” I smiled. “Careful is my middle name.” The lunch bell rang not long after, cutting our conversation short. Deciding to take a shortcut to my next class, I cut back through the gymnasium and turned into the hallway. I pulled my phone out and scrolled through my feed as I walked.

Still no news on Mel. Starburst and Verdant had been taken to Sutter Coast Hospital downtown, one of the best hospitals in the county. It was a multi-story affair, one of those ultra-modern hospitals that Mom said was only for bougie people. Starburst looked to be in stable condition however there was still no update on Verdant. Judging by the media circus surrounding the building, it was a safe bet they were still there.

Engrossed as I was, I didn’t realize my way had been blocked by a taller figure. Before I could collide with them, a pair of hands sturdily caught me by the shoulders.

Nurse Prim looked over her own glasses down at me. “Gabrielle! A pleasure to see you, as always. Are those new glasses?”

“Oh, hey Nurse Prim.” I adjusted the spectacles, pulling them back up my nose. “Yeah, I got them a few days ago”

“Well, they look lovely.” She glanced around the empty hallway and looked back at me. “I wanted to ask, is everything alright with your father?” she said, her voice low and quiet.

“My dad?” I replied. My chest began to tighten as the events of the previous day began to unfold.

She nodded. “Yes, your mother informed me some sort of incident had occurred and I wanted to make sure that you were okay. Parental conflict, especially involving children can cause a lot of emotional distress for someone your age. How are you holding up?”

“I — fine, I mean, I’m good,” I swallowed, hoping to relieve the tension building in my throat. “My mom told you about that?”

Nurse Prim rubbed a comforting hand over my shoulders. “She was very concerned about you, Gabrielle.”

I shrugged her hand off and forced a smile to my cheeks despite the deepening tension growing in my chest and stomach. “Nah, I’m fine. You know me, I bounce back like rubber.” I moved to pass her in the hallway. I needed to get away from this conversation.

“You certainly seem to project that kind of an attitude,” Nurse Prim replied in a mournful tone. “My door is always open, Gabrielle. Let me know if you ever want to talk, okay?”

I gave her a thumbs up. “Will do.” I hurried around the corner and forced a few breaths of air into my lungs. I couldn’t think about Dad. I needed to focus on the task at hand. The prison was the only place I could think of where Hexecute might actually appear. It was the last clue Mel gave, so I owed it to her to follow it up. Maybe if I asked Kayden really nicely?

 

* * *

 

“Absolutely not,” Kayden snorted. “You’re not going to the prison.”

“Why not?” I snapped back. “It was my idea, dude.” I fell back onto my bed petulantly.

“It’s a stupid plan,” Kayden mused.

“Then why did you look like you were considering it until I said I wanted to go?”

“I wasn’t —”

“And you’ve been grouchy ever since my dad showed up, so obviously something’s going on.”

“Gabby that’s not —”

I stood to my feet in a flash. “Kayden, look at me! I’m a speedster, I’ve already done this kind of thing with you before. I can handle myself.”

Kayden’s hands wrapped around my arms, gripping them tightly. “But what if you get hurt? What if I can’t protect you?”

I shook free of their grip. “Kayden, nowhere is completely safe. At least this way we can try to stop this tonight, instead of waiting for him to make whatever move he’s planning.”

Kayden scoffed. “This house is much safer than anywhere else, Gabby. You won’t have the no-capes at the prison. I’d even hazard a guess that it’s safer for you here than the school at this point.”

“What makes you so sure? Couldn’t Hexecute just blow the house up like the tower?”

“I —”

I shoved my phone in their face. “You know as well as I do that these god-damned text messages are from him. He’s taunting me. He could get to me anytime he wanted to.”

Their jaw clenched. “Then why hasn’t he?”

“I… I don’t know. But who’s to say he hasn’t already done so? How did he know about my dad yesterday?”

A spooked look ran across Kayden’s expression. Abruptly hurrying over to the window, they peaked out at the otherwise normal suburbia beyond the window pane. They turned back, lost in thought. Our eyes met.

“Okay. But we’re doing this carefully.”

 

* * *

 

“A date?” Mom shrieked over the hum of the television. Kayden and I had hoped we could slip out without much fanfare.

So much for that.

 “Oh my goodness, my baby is going on a date?”

“It’s not that big of a deal, Mom.” I blushed. “We just want to clear our heads.”

She nearly picked me off the ground in a giant hug. “Not a big deal? Gabrielle, I have waited so long for you to go on your first date!” She concentrated on Kayden. “I have to admit, while I didn’t care for you at first, Gabrielle has certainly taken a liking to you, Kayden. No offense.”

“N-none taken,” they tittered nervously.

Mom grinned. “If you break her heart, though, I’ll kill you.”

Kayden’s expression sank. “I — uh, wha— no, I promise I won’t, ma’am.

“You better not.” Mom patted their shoulder. “So you’re just getting pizza?”

“Yep!” I replied. “And maybe —”

“Just the pizza,” Mom remarked, catching me off-guard.

“Huh?”

“You’re coming back here after the pizza. The less time you’re outside these or the school walls means the less chance you have to get attacked out there. That equals less existential worry for me.” Kayden and I exchanged a worried glance. “Is that going to be a problem?”

“No, no,” I insisted. “Just pizza.”

“Good!” She clapped her hands together. “Now don’t let me stop you two.” She ushered us towards the door as Kayden and I followed along uncomfortably. “Now, make sure to text me when you get there and when you’re leaving.”

“Okay,” I groaned. Tentatively, I grabbed at Kayden’s hand and wiggled my fingers between theirs. They responded in kind, clasping my hand in a gentle, warm hold.

“Oh! One more thing,” Mom called to us. I turned to respond.

Flash!

“Sorry! Needed a picture!” Mom gleefully apologized.

I rolled my eyes and pushed Kayden out the door. “Thanks-Mom-love-you-bye!” Kayden and I emerged onto the sidewalk, allowing me to take a breath of fresh air.

“Wow,” Kayden chuckled.

I wiped at my forehead. “I know, that went better than I expected.” Kayden shot me a disbelieving look. “Trust me, you should’ve seen her when Jules made the cheer team.”

 

* * *

 

After making a quick diversion downtown towards Mr. Stavros’ place via the bus (at Mom’s insistence), Kayden and I raced down the I-101, pie in tow, towards Pelican Bay state prison. The no-capes hadn’t pursued us, thankfully, leaving Kayden and me to our business. They had shrunken themselves down enough that they fit comfortably in my backpack as I sped over the asphalt and around the passing traffic. Since I couldn’t get to my suit, I was sticking with the domino mask I’d used back before Mel had created my goggles along with a fitted jacket and jeans. The mask paled in comparison to the comfort of my goggles, but it was still serviceable. Kayden wore their costume, including that same mouthless mask that’d swept me off my feet so long ago.

According to some research Kayden had done, Pelican Bay was originally supposed to be built closer to Fort Dick, but was moved north due to the increasing population of the city. Apparently, the optics of a maximum-security prison being anything less than ten miles from the city made the governor queasy about his re-election chances. As we began to near Smith River, we turned right off onto a fork in the road, handily marked as the access road towards the prison. 

With the light still being generous enough to traverse the woods, we detoured away from the road before making it too close to the complex, opting instead to set up on a small tree-dotted ridge a good distance away from the imposing fence of the prison itself. The bushes and trees surrounding us kept us shielded from sight, thankfully. The prison was huge, as big as a small town and with a population size to match. 

Towers with gigantic search-lights interspersed the area behind the fence, each of their white-hot beams focused on the inside of the prison. The one nearest to us didn’t seem too intimidating; if I squinted it almost looked like the guard was on their phone.

Way to stay vigilant, Columbo. Wait, was Columbo a prison guard? Or was he like a renegade cop? Whatever, in any case the guard be lazy.

I also could make out orange-clad figures in the distance in the… recreation area? Is that what the grassy areas were called? They were playing basketball and chatting with one another. If those lights turned our way I wasn’t sure if we’d be visible or not. Trusting my gut, I retreated a bit further into the woods just in case.

“This should be good. Nice view of the prison, and far enough away from their exclusion zone that they shouldn’t look in our direction unless we’re idiots.” Kayden hopped from my bag and grew back to their usual size. Extending a leg into the dark and grassy soil, they began to delicately stretch their muscles in the fading light. “I’m never going to get used to moving at the speed you do, Gabby.”

“Don’t hate,” I snarked, taking a seat on the grass. “At least it’s near-instantaneous for you. According to Markus, I could give you speedster powers too if I wanted. Not sure how that would affect your powers, though.” The pizza in hand, I began to dig in. They joined me and watched as I worked my way through most of the pie. “What?”I mumbled through a mouthful of dough and cheese.

“Nothing.” They smirked. “Never change, Gabby.”

I gave their shoulder a light smack. “Shut up.”

“Nah.” They snagged the last slice for themselves. I looked down at their ungloved hand planted in the grass. Green blades rose from between their fingers and around their palm. 

It had been so warm when I held it earlier. Before I could stop myself, my hand wandered over, cautiously at first, before settling fully onto theirs. Kayden glanced at me after this. It wasn’t a cold or torn glance; their eyes were warm and that balmy amber color shone brilliantly in their eyes. They turned their hand over and allowed our palms to meet. Thinking quickly, I maneuvered my fingers towards theirs and interlaced our fingers.

It was warm. They were warm.

We didn’t say anything for a while. Despite the otherwise unnerving location, it strangely felt more like we were sitting in the park. Chirping birds sounded overhead and animals scurried around in the surrounding underbrush. The sun continued to set on the horizon, eventually descending from sight beyond the distant redwoods. My eyes flitted back to them for but a moment, taking in their tranquil presence.

“I think I love you,” I blurted out, keeping my gaze firmly ahead, too terrified to see their reaction. “I know I’m barely seventeen, and I know that we’ve only known each other for a small amount of time. But to me…” I inhaled deeply to negate my tightening throat. “It feels like you were the first one to get it —  to get me. And that just… that makes this feel like I’ve known you for years.”

Kayden kept quiet, their hand still stationed solidly overtop of mine.

I continued, my words beginning to border on a ramble. “I just — this is how I feel. I feel safe with you. I feel right with you. And — and I want to keep feeling this way.”

They were quiet. Frustratingly, maddeningly quiet, even as they bit at the inside of their cheek.

“Do you know why I changed my mind about coming here, Gabby?”

“Because my house wasn’t as safe as we —” I attempted to reply, but they held up their hand to silence me.

“Let me ask a different question first. Did you know Hexecute has a bounty on his head right now?”

“N-no,” I said.

They brushed a stray lock of hair from their eyes. “Well, he does. Worth fifty thousand dollars. Given either for more information on his whereabouts or his arrest.”

My stomach turned. “And you wanted this money?”

They turned to me, their voice straining. “Yeah. For you.”

“For me?” I asked, confused by what they’d meant.

They began to drum their fingers against my hand. “I know how upset you’ve been about your mom, Gabby. Even though it goes against my best instincts, when you came at me with this theory of where he’d be… I just couldn’t resist it. If I have the ability to help you, I want to do it.”

“Then why bring me?”

They winced, seemingly pained by my question. “Because I can’t beat him on my own. And you’re the only other cape I trust.”

“Kayden,” I replied. “Why are you telling me this now? You didn’t have to — ”

They gave the back of my head a playful smack.

“Because I love you too, you dingus. I thought that was obvious?”

I leaned over, closing the distance between us. 

Were they wearing cologne? Or a musty perfume? Whatever it was, it smelled good.

“Are you going to stare at me all day, or...?“ Kayden snickered.

“This is hard!” I asserted with a pout. “This is my first kiss!”

“Kiss? So forward!”

Blood rushed to my cheeks. “I was just kidding! I never wanted a kiss.”

“Sure you didn’t.”

“I bet you’re the one who wanted a kiss, you pervert!” I fumed.

Kayden burst into laughter. “Pervert? Where the hell did that come from?”

I shrugged and giggled alongside them. “Just popped into my — ”

BOOM

A thunderous explosion ripped through the air, prompting several birds to take flight in the same way they had the previous night. Kayden and I snapped our attention to the prison. Dotting the area behind the fence were scattered fires encircling a large plume of smoke rising from a mangled portion of the fence, coincidentally facing the service road we’d come down earlier. The guard tower lights had gone dark and were now motionless. I could barely make out shapes on the guard platforms moving erratically, couldn’t glean any further details. The social media-scrolling guard closest to us was scrambling down their tower ladder, but it was clear they wouldn’t be able to stop the plethora of inmates scrambling towards the gnarled, twisted opening in the fence.

Recollection of the previous night flooded into my mind as distant figures were already dashing out from the ruined gate towards the highway.

“Go time.” I jumped to my feet. Kayden wasn’t far behind and grunted in agreement.

We hurried down the grassy side of the ridge towards the prison. I didn’t see Hexecute, but that didn’t mean he wasn't here. Somewhere.

Dirt and dust clouded the air in my wake as I blocked the stampede’s path.

“Stop!” I shouted with all the authority the voice of a teenage girl could muster. The horde of prisoners only momentarily halted their advance, exchanging concerned glances. To their credit, a few immediately turned tail in the opposite direction and headed back towards the prison.

“Hell no. Ain’t fightin’ no alter bitch. Parole hearing ain’t too far away, anyways,” one of them mumbled as he ran. The others looked, well, less convinced.

“She can’t get all of us! Let’s kick her ass!” another shouted. Seemingly roused, the others agreed with this sentiment and continued their charge towards me.

“Plan?” I shouted to Kayden as we entered the fray.

“Knock ‘em out. There’s too many to secure otherwise.”

“You’re the boss,” I declared mid-punch of the first prisoner who got close. Using his knee as a launchpad, I planted my first beneath his jaw and rocketed into the air. After flipping in the air several times he landed with a loud grunt in a cloud of dust. A large pair of hands encircled my waist, ripping me off my feet into the air.

“Don’t know what the fuck is goin’ on, but a nice treat for the road should do nicely,” the man chuckled.

“Conjugal visits are Saturday, asshole!” I screamed, driving my elbow into his sternum. He tumbled backward gasping for breath. Another guy probably twice the size immediately replaced him, running at me from the opposite direction with his arms spread wide.

“This’ll teach ya for hurtin’ Charles, ya little bitch!” he roared. Thinking quickly, I dropped to the ground and avoided his grab. When I gave him a firm kick on the ass, he hastily found himself tumbling down onto his friend rather roughly. 

I glanced over my shoulder and searched for Kayden, finding them clothes-lining a group of guys. Against Kayden’s increased size, the men fell to the ground as if they had run into solid metal. 

Grabbing a fist full of orange tunic, I pulled another prisoner off their feet and tossed them into the air. He bounced off the ground and tumbled against the fence, right at the feet of a guard, surprisingly. Must’ve been the guard from the tower. Her uniform consisted of a bulletproof vest, a holstered and probably heretofore unused gun and a taser. Her back against a still-standing portion of the barrier, she was terrified and very likely a newbie. She reminded me of myself of not so long ago.

“Nice throw!” Kayden called to me from within a group of guys forming around them. “The judges give full marks.”

Looking back towards the guard, I locked eyes with her. “Stay down,” I commanded. “We’ve got this.” Pulling energy into my legs, I took off and zipped around the impromptu arena, landing blow after blow on the escaping prisoners and ensuring none of them made it very far. We’d done a pretty good job of containing them, only six were left, then five, then four —

I was blindsided by something hard and shiny colliding against my head with a loud crunch, throwing off my balance and driving me into the dusty soil below.

“What the hell?” I attempted to recover, pushing myself back to my feet. Daylight had faded considerably with the sun now below the horizon, and the smoke in the air certainly didn’t help any. Through still-fuzzy vision, I could no longer make out where Kayden was. Orange figures too were racing past, heading straight for the highway.

“Hello again, Gabrielle McArthur,” a mechanical voice croaked. I squinted, focusing my vision on a twisting shape in the sky.

No, that wasn’t a single shape. It was a bunch of shapes. A faint amethyst glint caught my eye.

“Hexecute!” I shouted back at him.

“The one and only,” he laughed. “Long time, no see. Well, that’s not exactly true. I’ve certainly seen a lot of you over the past few weeks, haven’t I?”

“Come down here and fight me like a coward, asshole!” I screamed back. With my vision finally cohesive enough to perceive him, I readied myself.

Hexecute hovered slightly lower to the ground, his swarm of bots all focused on me. “I don’t think that’s how it goes, little runt,” he snickered. “Did you want to try that again?” A shape suddenly rocketed out from inside the plume of smoke and dropped towards Hexecute. Kayden, looking somewhat bloodier than I remembered, landed on Hexecute with a loud crash and tore him from his drones, sending both of them into the dust.

“That’s for Mel, you motherfucker!” Kayden growled. They pulled Hexecute back and locked his head between their bicep and forearm.

“Unhand me, you little face-stealer! That hag got what she deserved! Murderers do not deserve to walk free,” Hexecute roared. Drones around us began to twitch and turn in our direction. 

“Uh, Kayden,” I nervously motioned in their direction. Kayden’s free hand slammed against Hexecute’s mask and began to pry at its seams with reckless abandon.

“No more hiding! I want to know whose ass I’m kicking!” Kayden buckled down.

Hexecute needed no further invitation. “To me!” he screamed. 

With lightning speed, they all rushed towards Kayden asynchronously. Thinking quickly, I kicked off the ground and began to circle Kayden. I tore into drone after drone, letting their scrap pile up at my feet. They looked different from the other times I had encountered them. Sleeker, more compact. Almost like — 

Kayden abruptly flew from the ground and landed against my left arm, throwing my pace and sending my body flying through the air and across the ground. I gripped at the grass as I slid, slowing myself to a stop a few dozen yards away. When I looked up, Hexecute was back on his feet but wasn’t heading for the drones. Instead, he was walking towards me. Kayden was in the midst of picking themselves up and was about fifty yards away from us.

My ankle howled in pain from taking the brunt of my fall, but I pushed the pain aside. I slid back on my butt, scrambling away as he stalked towards me.

“To think such a simple miscalculation forced me to wait so long to claim my prize.” He clicked a few buttons on his gauntlet, heightening the pitch of its whirring. 

“What, me or the clelium?” I spat. He turned his head to the side.

“Both, actually.” One of his hands disappeared behind him before reappearing, holding a familiar shining back orb. “Is that why you thought I’d be here, Gabrielle?”

My eyes widened. “What do you mean? That’s what you’ve been after, right? The clelium?”

“Yes and no, Gabrielle. Hm, that’s what you’re calling yourself these days, yes? I can certainly see why; Gavin lacks a certain… panache that Gabrielle possesses.”

“Answer my question!” I yelled back at his masked face. “And stop saying my name! You don’t deserve to say it!”

He broke out into rough laughter, his voice modulator swiftly raising the pitch into an unbearable squeal. “‘Why wouldn’t I call you the name you yourself requested I call you?” He slowed his prowl, stopping directly in front of me. Kayden was beginning to lift themselves off the ground in the distance, though they were partially obscured by passing prisoners. 

“What the hell does that mean?” I retorted, hoping to keep him busy.

“Well — ” he replied before abruptly halting. He raised his gauntlet, aiming it directly at me. “Ah, ah, ah, Gabrielle. You’ve got me monologuing, haven’t you?”

Shit. I didn’t dare avert my gaze from him lest he figure out what I was buying time for.

“Clever. Don’t worry. I’ll tell you everything after I get what I’m after. Let’s call it a tra—” Kayden barrelled into Hexecute from behind, cutting him short. They flew overhead into the grass behind me, Hexecute letting loose several expletives as Kayden forced him into the dirt, face first. I placed some weight experimentally onto my ankle while they struggled. It felt better, but something was still off. I didn’t have time to test it any further, Hexecute had changed positions with Kayden and was raining blow after blow onto them.

I had to help! I had to get up and — Several gunshots rang out through the air, immediately followed by sparks raining off Hexecute’s armor. I swung my head in the other direction as if on a swivel. The guard from earlier had her gun out, and it was pointed directly at Hexecute.

“Enough!” she screamed. “Hands on the ground, now!” Hexecute rose to his feet and stared down the guard.

“Enough of this!” He reached into his belt and ripped something from one of the pouches. “Here’s a parting gift from Explo-Dirk! An idiot with a talent for bomb-making!” With a swift throw, he launched the item in the guard’s direction.

Wait. Explo-Dirk? His whole thing was — fuck! Bombs!

BEEP.

Time slowed to a crawl. I could see it clearly now; a white, blinking sphere-like shape was snaking its way through the air in the guard’s direction. Persisting through the pain emanating from my leg, I jumped to my feet and raced towards the bomb. This was just like the bank. Sparks bursting from my body, I crossed the field and wrapped my fingers around the bomb. 

Needed to get it away from the guard. If I planned it right, I could slap it right back in Hexecute’s hand, grab Kayden and let Hexecute take care of himself. I’d made it nearly the entire way back when the pain in my leg intensified, crawling up into my hip and tickling my ribcage. This wasn’t from the fall, this was — 

No. No, no, no, no. Not now! Not now!

BEEP.

Time was speeding up, returning to its normal pace. Bomb still in-hand, my feet gave way and fell out from under me. I flew a dozen or so yards from Hexecute and Kayden, landing on the ground with a rough THUD, the bomb only a few feet from my face. The beeping of the device resumed but I could barely make it out. Glitching pain wracked my body, far worse than it had been in weeks.

BEEP.

“Gabby! Move!” Kayden screamed. I rolled over, but couldn’t summon the will to move more than that. “Gabby!” they stressed. I opened my eyes in time to see — 

BEEP.

A white gloved hand scooped the bomb from in front of my face, racing away in the opposite direction.

BEEP.

“Kayden!” I howled in vain. They shot one final glance back towards me, those amber eyes sparkling brighter than I’d ever seen.

Blinding light filled my vision, followed immediately by a ringing pulse pounding in my ears. Nearly unbearable heat overtook me but for a moment before passing just as quickly. I shifted in the grass, overwhelmed by the loss of breath. Desperately rubbing at my eyes, my eyesight partially returned and allowed me to survey the scene.

Where Kayden once stood now resided a small crater of blackened dirt. A dark figure lay crumpled inside the ring of the crater. Urging my muscles to move, I forced myself to crawl closer. Their suit was torn to shreds, revealing dark pink and black skin and deep wounds running along their left side with blood spilling down onto their pants. Their left arm, the one they’d grabbed the bomb with, was missing; blown off at the shoulder. A wave of nausea immediately passed over me, necessitating conscious effort to not retch pizza onto the grass. With a jolt, they regained their senses and stumbled onto the edge of the crater, propping themselves up with their remaining arm, scaring the shit out of me in the process.

“K-Kayden!” I screeched, rising myself on shaky legs.

“H-healer… remember?” they croaked in a low, gravelly tone. The left side of their face was a patchwork of gashes and burnt skin, making it unclear if they still had a left eye. Rising slowly, they took a step from the crater. 

Right! They were a healer, they could come back from this! Even now, the blackened, cracked skin seemed to be moving and peeling off. 

“Not this time,” a robotic tone screamed. A black blur bounced off Kayden’s exposed chest. Their determined expression was quickly overcome with horror before their body was engulfed in smoke.

The clelium.

I was helpless as the smoke cleared, unsure what to do as Kayden came back into view. Except… it wasn’t Kayden. A small girl with hair the same color as Kayden’s lay bloodied and covered with soot in the grass. I glanced panickingly at Hexecute, my mind unable to comprehend the situation unfolding in front of me.

Another gunshot pierced the still-ringing echo in my ears. Hexecute doubled over; clutching at his leg.

“You fucking bitch!” he hissed at the guard who’d shot at him earlier. Her gun was smoking, and she looked more terrified than ever. The gunshot must have helped clear my ears because sirens were suddenly audible in the distance. Hexecute stared at me for a long moment before extending a blood-covered hand to his gauntlet. He pressed a few buttons on it, but I wasn’t able to speculate before more an ear-splitting alarm erupted from the prison.

“What are you doing?” I screamed at him over the noise.

“Opening the cages,” he replied cheekily. A dozen drones materialized from the woods and surrounded him. He weakly pulled himself onto them as they hovered away from the ground. The police sirens were drawing near closer. True to his word, I could see orange-clad figures beginning to spill out from the prison entrance, sprinting full force towards the now wide-open gates. “See you soon, Gabrielle.”

I needed to get away. I needed to get Kayden help. I nervously scooped their body into my arms and kicked up a cloud of dust in my wake as I dashed from the scene. I passed incoming state troopers on the highway but paid them no mind. Shapes became blurs as I ran faster and faster.

As I grasped their body, I was overcome with a sense of foreboding. Somehow, I could tell they were slipping away from me. I had to get Kayden to safety. Only one place registered in my panicked mind. After entering the city limits, I rushed towards Sutter Coast Hospital. My hands clutched at Kayden’s body firmly, even as blood coated my arms and hands. They were so limp; if I loosened my fingers for even a second, they’d fall away from me.

I didn’t stop outside the entrance to the hospital. I didn’t stop at the door, either. I tore inside and slid against the carpet, routing all remaining strength into my calves to prevent too much turbulence for Kayden’s sake. Other patients and bystanders in the waiting area scrambled away from us as we slid to a stop. A lone security guard stood among them and reported our presence on his radio.

A nurse looked down at Kayden and me on the floor, white as a sheet.

“Help them!” I sobbed. “Please — help them!”

The nurse scrambled away, frightened by our appearance and the entrance I’d made. I screamed again for help, but the others in the waiting room kept their distance, afraid to intervene in a scene involving an alter and someone who was half-blown to hell. A cold hand grazed my cheek.

“Ga...bby…” Kayden whispered, their voice rough and gravely. I looked down at them, grateful to see them awake.

“Kayden!” I breathed, “It’s going to be okay. We’re in the hospital — it’s gonna be okay.”

They smiled. Their eyes, no longer amber but instead a dull green, still held a bit of that familiar twinkle.

“I’m… happy I got to s-save you… one more time… S-sorry about your d-dad.”

I held them tighter to my body. “Don’t say that,” I quietly replied, fighting against a lump forming in my throat. “We’re gonna keep doing this, you and me. This isn’t — “ My voice caught in my throat. “This isn’t it. Just change back and you can heal and we can walk out of here.”

Kayden’s fingers curled against my cheek as they struggled to speak.“S-sorry, Gabby. D-don’t have it in me. I can’t…” They drifted off for a few seconds before lucidity returned to them. “The people,” they continued, fighting for each word as they spoke, “P-pr-protect them, Gabby. The people of this city. P-please.” Kayden struggled for breath in between a sudden coughing fit, leaving their teeth and lips red with blood. “T-they’re all I have.”

“Kayden,” I sighed, tears finally breaking free and pouring down my cheeks.

“Please, Gabby,” they begged. “Promise me.”

“O-okay,” I nodded. “I’ll protect them. I promise.” Even if it took the last of their energy, they found it in them to smile wider.

“I believe in you, Gabby,” they said, their voice barely a whisper. I closed my eyes and gripped them tightly, refusing to acknowledge what was happening.

Their hand limply fell away from my cheek. The tension in the rest of their body seemed to evaporate as well and… they were gone. Kayden was gone.

I lowered my forehead to theirs, and let loose the dam of emotions welling within my heart. Kayden couldn’t be gone. They couldn’t be. Howls of pain and sorrow rattled against the walls of the room; my body racked with sob after sob. The tile floor splintered from the impact of my fist against it as I screamed Kayden’s name.

Again, after everything, I was alone.