Galen stood alone in the hospital in Roanoke. He’d had the opportunity to travel with a team of experts to aid in figuring out what Edward Watt knew about Bug, but he’d chosen to travel alone to meet Edward and his family. According to eyewitnesses, at the party trap that the Destructors had set for the girl, Edward had been ordered to pick Bug up off the ground. Immediately, for a few brief moments, they’d entered what witnesses described as some sort of vision. When the trance was broken, Edward had immediately turned against the Destructors, apparently defecting to whatever side Bug was on, attacking a few, including the leader, Greg, before fleeing. Now that Edward had been captured and brought to a mental hospital, Galen could attempt to figure out what Edward had seen when he was in that trance. Could the nature of the trance be a clue to Bug’s identity? It was a long shot, but he had hardly any other leads. There was so much at stake. The government wanted Bug, Nancy wanted Bug, everybody wanted her.

Galen sighed at the thought of everything that had to be solved within the next two days. Once Nancy died, the only thing keeping Coleman and his allies from taking the girl’s power for themselves would be Nancy’s son, Frederick. Few dared to challenge him. He was the war hero, the one who’d become Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in the Pacific and Indian theater of the war and the one who’d been able to broker a true, lasting cease-fire between all nations mere days before Bug showed up. Now Coleman’s actions threatened to break down the ceasefire. Plus, who knew what could happen if Bug lost control. If she became a supervillain through the actions of Coleman, the world would be fucked. There was no Project Eternity or Providence to keep them in check. In fact, Galen knew that they were living on borrowed time with Elias and Bug had the potential to be five times as dangerous.

Everything was so messed up, so this mission was essential. His phone beeped, Dr. Silas informing him that Edward’s family had arrived. Galen left the room and headed down to the main lobby, greeting Edward’s father, mother, and two older brothers, all non-superhuman. He knew that they did not like authority and silently supported the Destructors, but they also deeply cared for one another. Galen was hoping that the latter would influence their decision to let him speak to Edward. Unlike Bug, who was technically a ward of the Federal government due to her memory loss and the government’s inability to locate her biological family, Edward Watt had a family and his family had a lawyer highly versed in Agency policy and laws concerning superhumans, and they had immediately lawyered up. Galen couldn’t talk to Edward without his parents’ permission due to an annoying article in the Code of the Laws of the United States concerning superhuman minors.

Galen had come alone, but Dr. Silas had slipped away from Harrisonburg and made it down to Roanoke. She was just as curious about Bug has everybody else. So Dr. Silas joined him with the Watt Family, “Thank you for being here.” Galen said to Mr. and Mrs. Watt.

“Don’t bother with the pleasantries, Galen. We want our son released immediately on bail and we don’t want him talking to you,” Mr. Watt demanded.

Galen shook his head, “I’m afraid we can’t release him. While I cannot speak to him after he has lawyered up due to Article 51 of the Superhuman Protection Act, I can hold him as long as I need to under the emergency war powers and I will hold him until I get the answers I need.”

Mr. Watt grew angrier and spat at Galen, “No. I will not let my son be held like this. He is innocent.” Galen knew that Mr. Watt was more concerned about the charges that Edward faced than anything. As the only superhuman left in the family, should Edward get charged in connection with the Destructors, his future looked bleak. Good thing Galen had a backup plan for this.

“Mr. Watt, I know you are more interested in protecting your son due to his status as your family’s only superhuman than anything else. Now, before I tell you this, I need your two other sons to leave us. Trust me, I have good news, but I can only tell you and your wife,” Galen informed them. Mr and Mrs. Watt looked at each other, uncertain.

Finally, Mrs. Watt turned to her sons, saying: “There is a McDonalds up on Route 11, where we got off. Take the car and go get some food. Now, please.” The two sons seemed confused, but obeyed. Once they left, Mr. Watt motioned for Galen to continue.

“I’m certain you’ve heard what happened to the Destructors. About the bomb?” Mr. and Mrs. Watt nodded. Galen continued, “However, the government covered it up. What actually happened was that the Destructor’s leader attempt to get revenge against a certain girl. Somehow, someway, this girl defeated the Destructors and indirectly caused the explosion. Your son, Edward, was present and took part, albeit partly unwillingly, in this revenge scheme.” Mr. Watt seemed to be surprised at such a revelation, but did not say or do anything. “Now, with the Feds charging the Destructors for this and the Creators taking the opportunity to strike back against what remains, Edward remains in danger, both from the Creators and the charges the FBI and the Virginia State Police may press.”

“Wait, I thought you had good news?” Mr. Watt interrupted.

“I do. I can’t go into exact details, but the girl responsible for the Destructor’s downfall is at the center of a Federal investigation. She is a mystery beyond anything we know and your son just happens to know something. According to witnesses, when he grabbed hold of the girl, they experienced some sort of trace or vision. Moments later, when the connection was broken, your son turned against the Destructors and attacked them. That defection is enough to allow a deal to be made. Under this deal, your son’s future looks a lot better. In fact, compared to all the other Destructors there that night, he far better off. However, there are two conditions to this deal.”

“What are they?” Mrs. Watt asked.

“One, you are not repeat anything of what I just said about that night and about the girl. If anything about that night is leaked to anybody, including to your other sons, the deal will be dropped and Edward will face the same punishment the other Destructors are receiving now. The second condition is that I be allowed to speak to Edward alone about that night and what he saw. He may hold crucial information about the girl.”

Mrs. Watt squeezed her husband’s hand. They were both uneasy, “What do you know about the girl?” she asked.

Galen sighed. “Let’s just say the little that we do know about her makes everything that we don’t know about her much more terrifying.”

Mr. and Mrs. Watt both were taken back by Galen’s words. Both knew that Galen was telling the truth. “Holy shit,” Mr Watt quietly muttered. Looking to his wife, who nodded, he sighed in resignation. “Alright, Galen. It’s a deal.”

Galen shook their hands, solidifying the deal. “It’s done then. Once I’m done questioning him, he will be checked over by Dr. Silas, then released into your custody.” With the deal squared away, Galen left them and headed into the upper levels of the hospital, to where Edward was being held. “How is he doing?” he asked Dr. Silas as he walked into the observation room.

“Not sure. Whatever he saw didn’t end up shattering his mental state, but he’s on the edge. While I am certain he will recover, I don’t know how long it will take and anything can cause everything to come crashing down. He may not be able to answer your questions,” Dr. Silas replied.

Galen studied Edward, noting the similarities between what he was seeing through the glass and a time when he’d seen a former Navy SEAL mentally reduced to nothing. Only this time, he wouldn’t have Dr. Robert Sykes to help out. “I’ll take my chances.” Entering the holding room, Galen took a seat across from Edward Watt. “Hello, Edward. My name is Galen. I would like to ask you a few questions about that night involving Claire and the Destructors.” Edward looked up at Galen, but didn’t say anything. It looked like he had been sobbing. “Edward, please.” Galen tried to be calm and sensible. He didn’t need him to freak out.

“Why?” Edward asked so quietly that Galen barely heard it.

“Why what?” Galen continued in an attempt to get more words out of Edward.

“Why do you want to know about the girl?” Edward demanded with a sudden forcefulness to his voice. “Do you realize the trouble she has caused?”

Galen nodded. “I do. Everybody does.”

Edward wiped the tears away from his eyes, staring off past Galen, as if he was looking at a figure that no one but him could see. “No… no you don’t.”

Galen quickly realized what Edward just implied. “What do you mean?”

Edward just kind of sat and stared, his face and eyes silent, as if he was reflecting on something deep. “When Greg wanted to gain revenge against her, everybody agreed, except me. I touched her once and saw beyond. I saw a dark place, full of emotions, anger. But when I touched her the second time, I saw and fully realized what Bug was. To think we had any chance at winning against her. We were fools… we were all fools.”

Well, Galen had succeeded in getting Edward to talk, but it had taken a lot less than he or Dr. Silas had expected. “Edward, I need you to tell me what you saw or what you know that would make you think like that.” Galen had gotten a taste, now he needed more.

Edward turned and looked Galen straight in the eyes, tears beginning to form. “You really want to know that badly? Are you prepared to know the truth? Are you prepared to have your world get torn apart?”

Galen immediately nodded, telling Edward that he was, in order to learn more about Bug. Edward then motioned for something to draw with. Standing up, Galen walked to the door, opening it just enough for Dr. Silas to hand him a pen and a piece of paper. Handing it to Eddie, he motioned for him to draw whatever he wanted to draw to get his point across about who Bug was.

Edward took the pen, but motioned for Galen to turn away. He clearly wanted some privacy to draw what he needed. Galen knew he needed the answers, so he obliged. But as he turned his chair away from Edward, facing the mirror, he found himself second guessing his drive to learn more about Bug. The kid’s words had given him pause. To him, the mystery behind Bug was a war mystery. Perhaps Bug was created as a weapon, or an experiment gone wrong. Edward’s description on the other hand seemed to describe something… else. He remembered how Dr. Silas had theorized that Bug could be something new, and at the time, it had seemed to be the most logical explanation. Now, though, that didn’t seem right. Edward knew exactly what Bug was and from his words it seemed like Bug wasn’t something new.

“Done.” Edward finished up, drawing Galen out of his thought process. .

Turning around, Galen looked closely at what the boy had drawn. Immediately, Galen felt his heart literally jump out of his chest when he realized that he recognized what Edward had drawn. A circle with four triangles attached with a star in the middle of the circle. The symbol of the ages and most importantly, what had brought down the superhero team Providence. Galen’s thoughts strayed to the team’s last surviving member, Susy. He was so taken back that he never noticed Edward move until it was too late. He grabbed Galen’s shirt and yanked him out of his chair to within mere inches to Edward’s face. It was so quick, Galen didn’t have any time to react.

Edward was standing at his full height, lifting Galen off the ground, his eyes blazing into his soul. “You really want to know what I saw, you damn ass fool? You really want to know?! I. SAW. JUDITH!”

With that, Edward let go of Galen, dropping into the seat and covering his head with his hand, sobbing.

Galen, on the other hand, couldn’t quite catch his breath. He felt panic beginning to rise up, fear breaking through the cracks. For the first time, Galen was truly afraid, and for good reason. Looking back at Dr. Silas, who had run into the room to stop Edward, he saw that she was the same way. Both were ready to have a heart attack. Out of all the things that Edward could have seen, he’d just happened to see Judith. Freaking Judith. Galen’s panicked eyes fell onto the drawing Edward had done. The drawing and Judith, two vastly important things in history and for the superhumans. At that moment, it clicked.

“Oh my God!” In the mists of his panic attack, Galen finally understood. He made the connection. After all this time trying to figure out what Bug was, he finally knew. It made everything far worse. But now, he had a clear picture of what was going to happen in the next few hours. All the firepower Coleman was going to bring to retrieve Bug, it wasn’t going to be enough. It would never be enough.

Galen immediately rushed out of the room, heading to the exit. He tried calling anybody on his way out, ignoring Eddie’s parents and leaving them to Dr. Silas, but no one picked up. It figured that Coleman would have blocked any attempts to stop his mission. But Galen still had the Creators. Dialing their leader as he reached his car, he had only mere seconds to jump out of the way when he saw a dump truck with a snow plow barreling down on him.

Landing hard on his side, Galen watched as the dump truck slammed into his car, completely totaling it and pinning it against a concrete barrier. A figure walked up behind Galen and crushed his phone with their boot.

Another figure stepped out of the dump truck and laughed, “I don’t know what that kid told you, but we can’t have you stopping the mission.” Galen recognized the voice immediately. It was Bobby, a level two and Coleman’s personal lapdog. That would mean that the other figure was Hannah, another super-strength level two and also another of Coleman’s lapdogs.

Hannah grabbed Galen’s arms and lifted him to his feet, keeping him from escaping or grabbing his gun. “Sorry, Director, but we have orders.”

Bobby walked up and removed Galen’s gun, disarming him, “Yeah, we do,” he said, then seconds later, punched Galen, knocking him out cold.

-----------

So I started this dark evening out by saying hello to a cat, getting pissed off at the old lady and walking out the house, into the woods, then getting attacked by Greg, tricked by Cole, then attacked once again by Geg. To make matters worse, I was ‘rescued’ by my worst enemy, Frank, who says that he has been trying to help, not to mention he brought along a superhero team called the Creators and they were lead by Sybil. What a night.

“You seem like you have some questions for us, uh… Claire… Bug,” Sybil said.

I frowned at Sybil. “No shit. I have no idea what’s going on, so it would be nice to know pretty much everything right now.”

“I would love to tell you, but frankly, we don’t have the time. The Destructors are going to be here any moment and there is a problem.” Sybil turned to Frank, “Your son has brought along a Siphon Destructor.”

Frank took that revelation hard, as did his two buddies. Even for the Creators, nervousness had taken hold and left me wondering what was a Siphon Destructor? I started to ask, but Frank noticed and motioned to Sybil.

“Oh, sorry, Bug. I forgot about your memory problem. I’m certain that you are aware of Lhasa. See, when the war started, and even before then, violence was geared at the superhumans. So they did what they’d done during World War II. Millions of them just packed up their families and headed to Tibet and Eastern China, becoming home to nearly 65 million superhumans in the decades before the war, although for the longest time, very few went to Lhasa.”

“Why?” I asked, curious as to why superhumans would choose to go there of all places.

Sybil shook her head. “Why? It doesn’t matter anymore. It doesn’t matter to millions of superhumans who are now dead because they left their countries and homes, and headed to Tibet and Western China for safety and neutrality in some brewing war. The Siphon Destructor? The enemy, the ones responsible for the genocide, built it, a weapon capable of cutting down level 4s and 3s like paper. The strongest superhumans, reduced to nothing. When the attack started, the enemy cut communication, then used the weapon to kill those living in Western China and the borders. After that, once word got out, the other superhumans, in absolute fear, fled in the only direction they could go, Lhasa. Imagine that, Bug, 60 million people, crowded in one city. All that chaos, all that hunger, death, confusion, terror.” Sybil’s eyes glistened with tears. “In a matter of hours, these… monsters sent 60 million people rushing into a city that could barely handle a million. Then the monsters came for the city and the Siphon Destructor did the same thing it did to those along the border. Out of 60 million people, only 5000 survived Lhasa’s destruction. And then, to add insult to injury, they framed the Chinese for the attack. I doubt the world will ever be able to make up for believing that horrible lie ”

I turned away to comprehend what I was just told. I’d never realized that Lhasa was that bad. Plus, learning that Lhasa wasn’t some refuge for millions of superhumans. I understood now, it was simply a city that monsters used for a trap. “And the weapon that Greg used to shoot me?”

“A mockup version of the Siphon Destructor,” Sybil replied.

There will be time to really think about this later. Right now, I need to focus on the task at hand. While I didn’t feel like it was true, everybody seemed to think I was a level 4 superhuman and the Destructors had brought along a weapon designed specifically to kill people like me. However, I thought back to Cane’s words about me. I knew he was he was lying about me being the product of some project, but he claimed to know who I was and where I came from. If I was so important to him, he wouldn’t attempt to kill me. He said that someone wanted their weapon back, which was me. This meant that Cane had brought the weapon to kill the Creators. He wouldn’t dare fire on me. I was safe, which meant I had the advantage. “Cane told me he worked for the Agency, but he also said some things that were lies. So who is he really working for?” I asked, taking the conversation away from the genocide weapon.

“To the best of my knowledge, he is working for Coleman,” Frank replied.

Uhh…. “Who is that?”

“Albert Coleman, Secretary of Defense,” the girl who’d lost her uncles and brother said without making eye contact.

Hmm… I recalled learning about this position in one of the unimportant classes at Providence Meadows. But it did lead to more questions. Questions about my past, who I really was, who Cane was working with… “This is giving me a headache,” I muttered, rubbing my head in frustration.

Sybil shrugged. “In today’s world, politics gives everybody a headache.”

I eyed her, but didn’t correct her. I really didn’t think Sybil would understand what I was really dealing with. Sighing, I rubbed my arms to warm them up. Despite all the issues at hand, I knew a few things. I knew from Cane that someone horrible wanted me or something. But this also meant that he wouldn’t use the superhuman killing weapon on me or any weapon that could break whatever shielding I had. This meant I could protect everybody here long enough to get Wren and not have to use any of my power and risk an Oversleep. “Alright, what do you need me to do,” I asked Sybil.

“Stay right here,” she replied instantly.

“What?” Even Frank was surprised at this.

Sybil walked up to me, making me finally realize that I was a bit shorter than her. “Look, Bug…” It is curious that she knows about my nickname. “Here’s the deal. Everybody here knows that you are the most powerful person in this forest, probably even this country. But Frank has also told us that you don’t have much endurance and we witnessed the hits you took from Greg. Plus, there is the nature of your memory loss and the fact that you aren’t trained. This weapon channels the energy of multiple abilities into one blast and we’ve been trained to avoid this weapon’s destructive blast, but you haven’t. You would be in danger and one blast from that thing and that’s it, you’re dead.”

I looked around to the other members of the Creators. Their faces all said the same thing. They didn’t seem to know that Cane wouldn’t shoot at me with this weapon and that I could protect them. They saw me as someone who needed to be protected. Even Frank seemed to agree with them, despite his previous need for me, making it clear that he also didn’t know about the advantage I had. “But I can help.”

Sybil simply shook her head. “Once we rescue Wren, you can help by taking her back to your caregiver so she can be safe. Can you do this?” I really did want to protest, but before I could, Sybil walked away, giving orders to the other members of the Creators. She really wasn’t concerned if I didn’t want to stay put. To her, the decision was made and the rest of the Creators and Frank’s group agreed with that decision. I was a liability to them, despite my power. “Selena, stay with the horses and Bug,” she ordered the girl who’d lost her brothers and uncles in the war. But I was still curious as to how she knew my nickname.

The Creators and Frank’s group readied themselves, leaving without another word to me. Only the guy I hated, Frank, glanced back at me before heading in the direction of the Destructors and probably certain death because I wasn’t there to keep Cane from killing them. I’d really misunderstood Frank when I first woke up. I’d thought he was an asshole and maybe he was a bit of an asshole, but he did seem to really love his granddaughter and was very concerned about her safety. What little I knew of Wren, she seemed very sweet and probably had no idea what her older brother and father were doing. But with the Siphon Destructor, did anybody actually stand a chance against them? Would Cane and Greg not even give enough of a damn to keep Wren from getting caught in the crossfire?

So much could go wrong and I couldn’t do a thing... Or could I…? I’d never liked to listen to the old lady, or to anybody for that matter. I smiled, immediately hitting on a plan. I knew Sybil, but we had only known each other for two days, so it’s not like she was my best friend who knew everything that I could do. Also, it seemed like she was the leader of the Creators, but I wasn’t part of the Creators. If I wasn’t part of her little gang, that meant I didn’t have to take orders from her. Frank wanted my help and he’d certainly gone through a lot to get it. Treating me like he did, then coming crawling to me for my aid seemed to make everything he said legit. Sybil, on the other hand, had refused my help, overruling Frank, and grounding me. This futhered my belief that I didn’t owe Sybil jackshit. Well, guess what, Sybil, two can play at this game. But still, I waited for around fifteen to twenty minutes, working out the probability of our survival. I’m not completely sure why, but perhaps I thought Frank would come back to me or Cane would pop up behind a tree, having used a distraction to get around to me.

But that never happened during the time I waited, so I hit on my awesome plan; I grabbed a tiny stick from the snow and turned to Selena, who was looking away from me at the moment. I prepared to knock her out… with a tiny stick. But then as I really thought about it, it became clear that this was an incredibly stupid idea. I had no real control over how much force I used when hitting. If I did this wrong, and I was prone to doing things wrong, it could seriously hurt Selena or worse, but before I could drop the twig and come up with a better idea on how to get away and help everybody, Selena turned around and crossed her arms, “Really, Bug? A twig? That’s the best you got?” I hesitated, giving her a nervous look. She raised an eyebrow. “Seriously, Bug…”

“Uh… hi,” I sputtered, immediately dropping the twig and bolting in the opposite direction. Of course she would notice the stick before I had a chance to drop it and figure out something else. How could I hoped otherwise? Running and running, I came to a stop a bit later, the sound of gunfire off in the distance jarring me. It seemed that the Creators and Frank’s group had attacked what was left of the Destructors. If everything they said was correct, Frank and the Creators wouldn’t last long against them, so I needed to get to them quickly. I still had enough energy in me to more than deal with Cane, Greg, and the Destructors.

Checking, and realizing that I had put considerable distance between me and Selena in such a brief time, I started to head off in the direction the Creators and Frank went, but stopped when I heard something. It was very faint, almost undetectable. I looked around for its source, walking in the direction I thought it was coming from. Arriving at a fallen tree, I found the source. It was a cat, one that I recognized. “Woodsy?” I stared in disbelief; that black-furred cat had not only found me, but had followed me from the old lady’s house, “Woodsy, what do you want?” I reached over, but Woodsy jumped off the fallen tree stump and wandered a bit up a somewhat broken path. After a bit, it stopped and turned around to face me, as if it was beckoning me to follow it.

The gunshots in the distance died down some, but Woodsy paid no attention to them. The cat just wanted me to see like it wanted to show me something. I really wanted to go help Frank and the others, but Woodsy, despite the cat’s silence, seemed to stand on the higher ground, as if what it had was more important. “Fine… Woodsy.” I gave up, following it, for a few moments anyways. It walked down a path for a bit, coming up on some rock formation, then stopping. “Wood…” I choked on my own words as something grabbed my jacket and lifted me up to nearly the top of the tree.

“You really don’t like listening to people,” a voice whispered in my ear as I gasped for air. I looked as I was rubbing my throat and discovered that the voice belonged to the same guy that had dropped down from the trees and had knocked out the two Destructors. I started to reply, but he held up a finger to my lips, telling me to shut up. So he gets to talk and I don’t? I gave him a look and raised my fist to punch him. Instead of defending himself, he pointed at something.

To my surprise, this guy was pointing at Greg, another Destructor, and a little girl that could only be Wren. The Destructor and Greg were talking, ignoring Wren, who appeared to be crying. They were too far away to for me to hear was they were saying, but against all odds, me and this boy had found where Cane was keeping the Destructors. A place in the opposite direction from where Frank and the Creators had gone. And speaking of this boy, I guess the reason he’d done what he did, suddenly grabbing me and lifting me into the tree, was solely to keep me from tipping off Greg. Sighing, I lowered my fist, then gave him a look, as if asking him how he found them.

He understood and pointed to Woodsy, who just happened to have climbed the tree and joined us watching Greg, the random Destructor, and Wren. Not only had Woodsy led me to them, the cat had done the same for this guy.

A sudden loud booming sound and a gust of warm wind came over from the direction I’d walked from. The sudden explosion caused me to lose balance on the tree. The boy attempted to grab me, but a sudden blast of energy caused us both to fall out of the tree. He was lucky; he landed on his feet, while I hit every single possible branch and then fell flat on my face in snow. “The Destructor…” I heard the boy whisperer while I sat up and made sure I wasn’t bleeding or otherwise bruised. “We must hurry.”

I silently agreed, getting up to leave quickly, but the boy grabbed my arm. “What… we need to help them?” I quietly whispered so he wouldn’t shush me again. But he shook his head and pointed at Wren.

“Cat led us here, we do this first,” he replied, albeit very quietly. I glanced at Wren, seeing that she appeared to be crying harder, then sighed and nodded okay. “Good. Name’s Ryu. You distract them, I hit them in back with bo staff.” He reached down and pulled out a long staff from the snow. He gave me a thumbs up, then snuck around behind the trees and into the snow covered bushes. Just great, I have to distract the guy who wants to kill me. Unbelievable.

Getting up and brushing the snow off my pants and jacket, I did the stupid thing. I wanted to get back to the others, considering that there was a massive explosion, but I guess Ryu wanted to rescue Wren first, since getting her was what Frank had originally wanted me to help with. So I did the only sensible thing I could think of. I skipped up to Greg, the other Destructors, and Wren, and giving him the biggest smile I could muster, I waved and said, “Hello, jerkface.”

To say Greg jumped like a monkey is an understatement. Wren on the other hand, immediately perked up, smiling, “You!” she cheered between sobs.

“Me!” I gave her a thumbs up, just like Ryu had done to me, at which she clapped in response.

“Cutter? What the hell? How did you find us?” he demanded. A meow from a cat wandering up to me and sitting at my feet answered that question. “A cat? A fucking cat?” This was amazing. Greg finding out that he had been outsmarted and found by a cat of all things. What was even better was Ryu popping out the snow like a daisy and whacking the one Destructor in the head with his stick, immediately knocking him out cold. Ryu then turned his attention to Greg, staff at the ready.

Greg glanced around a bit, then pulled out a gun and pointed it at me. He didn’t seem to have the weapon that he’d been using before, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t here. “You really think it’s just me and Matt guarding Wren? Ha, we Destructors always come prepared.” I heard something move behind me, while Wren became terrified, her previous perked-up attitude disappearing. Someone else in front of me emerged and put a gun to Ryu’s head.

“Drop the staff,” the figure demanded, a guy obviously with the Destructors. Ryu turned his head to face the him, glaring daggers at him, but he refused to drop his staff.

“Heya, you little bitch. Time to die,” I heard someone say behind me. Now it was my turn to face the trap that had been sprung. Holding the mockup version of the Siphon Destructor to my head was a rather large and tall girl with piercings covering her face. “What, no words? Oh, well.”

Greg pulled a handgun from his jacket and pointed it at me. “You see… Bug, and yes, I know about your little nickname as well, things in this world have a way of working out to one’s benefit. And I surely believe that this will work out for the benefit of the Destructors. I know my father said what he said, about someone wanting you back. But for you and me, it’s personal. So I’m just going to have that fine gal over there overload that weapon and blast your head off. Problem solved.” I took a quick glance at Wren, who was so terrified she couldn’t move, sob, or barely breathe. She was just watching me with terrified eyes. I couldn’t help but feel they reminded me of something. “Blair, Damien, you know what to do.”

My eyes wandered back to the girl who appeared to be Blair. I heard her charge the weapon, but before she could pull the trigger, a massive snowball just shot out of nowhere and hit Blair with enough force to pin her against a tree, immediately knocking her out and breaking the weapon in two. This sudden distraction allowed Ryu to twirl the staff, hitting Damien square in the forehead, who was out before he hit the ground. Ryu then brought the staff down hard on the gun Damien had dropped, shattering it. Now my turn. Moving at incredible speed, I grabbed his gun and forced Greg down to my eye level, forcing him to look me in the eyes. I held nothing but rage and hatred towards him, for doing what he’d done to me at the farm, for putting me and others through hell at the school, and for doing something unforgivable to his sister. “I believe things will work out to my benefit,” I mocked. He let out a cry as I shattered the gun like a piece
of glass, then kneed him in the groin. Ryu finished the job by smacking him on the back the head with the end of the staff. I stepped back and let the unconscious Greg fall hard onto the ground.

“Well, that was unexpected,” said a voice I immediately recognized. Turning my head, I saw Selena walk up the path, following, not surprisingly, Woodsy. The cat must’ve snuck away when Greg had sprung his trap and led Selena, who no doubt followed after me after I took off, right where we were, allowing her to knock Blair out of the game.

“You have snow powers?” The question was meaningless, I already knew. Who else was around who could’ve done that.

“Yeah… and you apparently…” Selena watched as Woodsy wandered up and rubbed my leg with its body, “have a very loyal cat.”

I reached down and gave the cat a rub on its chin. “It seems so.” A single cry reminded me that it wasn’t just Ryu, Selena, and me here. Wren had finally had time to catch her breath, after which she started sobbing, tears flowing uncontrollably. It was at this point that I finally noticed a horrible truth of her capture: Wren had her hands bound together by rope. Ryu pulled out a knife and freed Wren, who immediately jumped up and hugged me.

Ryu showed the rope to Selena. “What kind of people do this to someone, especially a child?”

“People like Greg and his stupid insane father,” I muttered, still hugging Wren. For such a small and young girl, she was strong. Her hug was literally choking me, but really, I didn’t mind. Right now, she felt safe and that’s all that mattered at that moment. We had done it, we had saved Wren. But now, my thoughts drifted to what had happened a few moments earlier. “That explosion.” I shuddered, thinking of what condition Frank and the Creators were in.

Ryu and Selena glanced at each other. “That was the Siphon Destructor.”

I sighed in resignation. “So, that is what they are capable of.”

“Bug…” Selena started, but I held my hand up to stop her.

“There are many questions I have about tonight, including how you all know about my nickname. But right now, your teammates are in serious danger and it’s because of me. This is my problem; I started this when I woke up on that farm. So I will finish this; whether you agree or disagree, I’m helping and that’s final,” I demanded with an authoritative tone, all the while giving them a look of daggers.

Selena smirked. “This is coming from the girl who earlier tried to knock me out with a tiny twig…” she muttered to herself. Glancing over to Ryu, who simply shrugged, apparently not having an opinion on this at all, Selena relented. “Alright. First though, we need to get Wren to safe…” She stopped mid-word, her eyes focusing on something behind me.

I immediately felt the presence, right behind me, one threatening and ready to attack. I knew at that moment that it was Greg. Fucking hell, this guy doesn’t know when to stop. He had recovered from Ryu’s hit to the head and was about to try something again. Wren didn’t seem to notice, having her face buried in my shoulder. Moving at quick speed like before, I jerked my arm around and intercepted the crashing arm with a knife in the hand.

Immediately, when I made contact with his arm, I was no longer in the woods, nor was Wren hugging me. Instead, I was somewhere else. At first, I thought I was in the Dark Place, but when the light pierced the darkness, I was overcome by the sheer strength of the emotions in this place. Pure rage, anger at everything. I heard a voice from the emotions, Greg’s voice. It was Earth-shattering and garblish. The walls, or at least the structure I was in, was black and red static, reaching out to grab me. I could barely concentrate here and had to cover my ears for any attempt to think straight. It was overbearing. A sudden figure appearing shook me to my core and snapped me away. I don’t know if it was my ability or something else, but the room suddenly went silent and I could think clearly. The figure itself twisted as it crawled its way to me, but I was not having it.

I’d had it. I reached out my hand, as if to order it to stop. “ENOUGH!” I screamed. Without warning, a blast of light erupted, the creature screeching painfully as it disintegrated. The light spread out, breaking and destroying the static. The colors shifted, from the dark and corrupted red and black to a more peaceful white color. As quickly as it had emerged, it disappeared and everything fell away and I found myself some place I recognized immediately.

I was in the same farmhouse that I had run into to hide when I first woke up. In front of me was a small boy that I recognized to be a much younger Greg, hugging someone who was wearing a flowering dress and had a suitcase next to her. This was obviously his mother. “Why must you leave, Mommy? I want you to stay and read to me,” little boy Greg asked his mother. It was clear as day that Greg had been sobbing. He didn’t want his mother to leave.

His mother broke the hug and wiped the tears from his eyes with a tissue. “Greggy, I’m sorry. But Mommy has to go. The people of Lhasa, they need my help. So… it’s time for Mommy to go be a hero them, just like you will be.”

“Just like me?” Greg repeated, seemingly wanting approval.

His mother gave him a warm smile. “Just like you.” They hugged again, not breaking for some time. I felt a pain in my heart. For a long time, I’d wondered what real family looked like. I guess I had my answer. After the hug ended, Greg’s mother and her suitcase vanished and the door, previously opened, slammed shut on its own, leaving Greg alone.

He sobbed a bit, then transformed into the fucker I knew today, “That was the last time I ever saw her. She died at the Battle of Lhasa, murdered by people long forgotten.” He looked at me, tears in his eyes. “I’m so sorry.”

I was disgusted. “So fucking what? You do all that shit to all those people. You try to murder me and Lacey a bunch of times. You put your sister through absolute hell and what, suddenly, you’re sorry?” I flailed my arms up, showing Greg how unbelievable I thought the situation, despite having just moments earlier vaporized some mind creature.

Greg lowered his head. “What you know wasn't me. My father, Cane, his ability is mental corruption. He corrupted me into what you know. He locked my good heart away, the one my mother believed in. Bug, he himself is insane. All those years, he abused me beyond belief. He turned me into something else. He created that creature you destroyed by warping my anger and my grief over the loss of my mother. And you set me free from that, from the pain and hate. Thank you.”

I was very much unsure of myself and my opinions of this guy at that moment. The Greg in front of me was certainly not the Greg I knew. I could feel it; the anger and rage once radiating off of him was completely gone, apparently destroy by me. How though? Where did that power come from? “Alright, but you do know about everything you have done?”

Greg looked at his hands, tears falling into the palm. “I am aware of all it. I am beyond redemption, I am beyond forgiveness. It is far too late for me.” Greg looked at me with determination. “But not for my grandfather and sister. I can never face her again, but with your help, she can have a life with my grandfather. She loves him and cares for him, and Frank, despite his issues, will love her back and give her the life she deserves.”

Oh great, another person asking for my help involving Wren. Still, the way Wren is around me makes me feel happy and calm. “Fine…. What has to happen?”

“In order for Wren, my grandfather, and you to be free, you must kill my father. He is an evil beyond anything. He will destroy everything to get to you and he will use Wren and anybody to succeed at that. And before you say anything, nothing he said about you can be trusted. From what I can understand, he doesn’t actually know who you are. You’re not the person he remembers. It’s because his ability is a double-edged sword. While he has been corrupting my mind for the last ten years, his own mind has met a fate worse than death. While you may have freed me, there is nothing that can be done for him.”

“Okay, but I can’t kill him,” I protested.

Greg walked up to me and placed his hands on my shoulders, his touch reassuring like a sibling rather than revoting. The old Greg was truly gone by my hand. “Bug. I know you have a good heart and I know there is much you do not understand. But my father needs to die and the answers you seek, you won’t find with him. I know some, but there is no time. Right now, Cane has captured my grandfather and the Creators and will soon kill them. Get Wren to safety, then you and your two friends need to go and rescue them. My grandfather will do what must be done. You just have to free him and others.”

He stepped back, allowing me to process what he wanted of me. “I can’t believe I’m saying this… but I’m slightly sorry for kicking you in the groin.”

Greg smiled. “Don’t be. You may have destroyed the old me, but I deserved all of it and much more.” He raised his hand up. “I know you have the power do this. I wish you good luck, Bug.” Then he snapped his fingers and we ended right back in the forest mere seconds after he’d attacked me, with me holding Greg’s hand that held the knife. He jerked back, tossing the knife as far away as he could, then giving me a quick nod of approval, his face changed, released, he sprinted away.

Both Ryu and Selena, completely unaware what had happened, moved to go after him, but I held out my arm to stop them. “Don’t. I know you won’t understand, but he is no longer a threat to us at this time. Trust me. We have more important things to deal with.” I lifted Wren off me and stood up. “Cane and the remaining Destructors have captured the Creators and Frank and his team. If we don’t rescue them soon, Cane will kill them without a second thought and then will come after us and maybe even kill Wren.” Ryu and Selena glanced down at Wren, who was rubbing her eyes to clear away tears, “I know this is crazy, but it’s come to this. Cane must die for Wren to be safe and I know that Frank will handle it, but we have to free him. Look, I understand we are going into this very short handed and outgunned, facing the Destructors and the Siphon Destructor alone, but I also understand, despite not knowing how or why, that I’m capable of things that are beyond belief. They tell me that I’m a level 4, but I know that not to be the case. I’m something else. But because that, I’m damn certain we can defeat Cane and the Destructors once and for all.”

Ryu and Selena stood motionless for a few seconds, taking it all in. “Alright, Bug. If you say we have a chance to win and finally defeat the Destructors, then I’m in. Let’s do it,” Selena finally answered.

Ryu laughed a bit. “This is crazy as the monkey king. I’m in too. Let’s go beat their asses into the next world.” Both Selena and Ryu held up their fists to give a fist bump. Lucky for me, I had seen this on TV, so for once, I knew exactly what to do. I returned it.

We all turned to where the explosion had occurred. For the first time since I woke up, I was fully determined to see this through. “Alright. Let’s go.”