

Prometheus 60

By Jamie Kirkland

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2011 Jamie Kirkland

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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*****

Prologue

I never thought it would end like this.

Here I am, standing in a large room of an abandoned factory. My clothes are scorched and tattered. The floor littered with debris and slick with blood. The roof above me and the walls around me are utterly demolished. There are three bodies in the room with me, two dozen others elsewhere in the building. Standing in front of me are seven men, each with guns trained on me. My eyes are red from crying. I'm scared of what will happen. I'm not ready to die, even though I likely deserve it. I really never thought it would end this way. But then again, since last week, my life has been anything but normal.

My name is Sam Stanton. This is the story of how I got here...

Chapter 1

It all started a week ago.

Back then, I was just another face in the crowd. An unremarkable person living an equally unremarkable life. An unremarkable life that had recently gone straight to hell, leaving me at the shit end of the stick.

I had a great family. A mom and a dad who were very loving and supportive, a 13 year old little brother who looked up to me, a surprisingly sweet 17 year old younger sister and my 25 year old big sister. She was older by two years, but she was engaged to be married and had a great career in law ahead of her. Doesn't sound too bad, right? Too bad my family had all been killed by some insane criminal a month before. The cops tell me I must have left the house no more than an hour before this sick bastard showed up and killed everyone. I don't know if that was supposed to comfort me.

Then, a few weeks after that, my girlfriend Amy left me. I always thought she was "the one", even though that sounds like romance novel bullshit. She told me that I was too nice. That she wanted someone more assertive, someone who could satisfy her. So, the girl of my dreams turned out to be a colossal bitch. I occasionally got the impression she had been cheating on me, but I didn't think she'd do that. Or maybe I just didn't want to believe that. I started seeing her with a new guy a few days after we broke up. What? It's not like I was stalking her. I just happened to catch sight of her outside her house a few times in the morning.

I was stuck in a job that I hated working for a man I hated even more. I drove a piece of shit car and lived in a piece of shit apartment. The only upside to my apartment was that I lived across the hall from a smoking hot girl. Not that I thought I had much of a shot with her, but it gave me something to fantasize about. Too bad I was still hung up on Amy anyway; otherwise I might have attempted something civilized with my neighbour. I was what I would call an average looking man. Some girls called me handsome, but most called me basic. Guess it was just some features that caught their eyes. Though, many of them commented on my eyes. Apparently, emerald green eyes are a real hit with ladies. And a lot of them said I was a genuinely nice guy. I'd been hearing that from people all my life. That, regardless of what happened, I was always nice. I guess that's something.

My life, I figured, had nowhere to go but up from there.

But life sometimes has a funny way of proving you wrong.

Chapter 2

I was just finishing my shift at the office where I worked. A half an hour to go and I'd be free from that squalled hellhole for another day. It was one of those cramped offices where everyone had their own tiny cubicle. I spent half my days on the phone with people who didn't want to talk to me, the other half talking to people who I really didn't care to talk to.

"You going out to the bar tonight?" My friend Rich asked, about the same time he did every day. Rich was kind of a stocky guy with glasses and shaggy hair. But, he always seemed to have great luck with the ladies. Must've had some impressive hardware.

"No." I replied with a sigh.

"Why not?"

"I don't feel like it tonight."

"That's what you've been saying, almost verbatim, since Amy left you."

"What's it matter?"

"You've got to get out there and sample some more tail, buddy. Nothing will get you over that bitch quicker than a blowjob from a hot Japanese college student."

"Tempting as that sounds, I'll pass. And I'll deal with my inner turmoil my own way, thanks."

"Whatever man. Just try and cheer up. It's getting depressing just being around you."

"Thanks."

Rich gave a mock salute and walked away. Maybe he was right. Not necessarily about the blowjob part, but about trying to find someone new to help me move on. Rich was never exactly known for his sage wisdom, but it could be worth a shot. I glanced over at the clock and saw it showing the golden time of 5:00 PM.

Time to go home.

I shut down my computer and grabbed my jacket off the back of my chair. As I left the cubicle and started walking down the hall, I heard my bosses nasally, irritating voice coming from a nearby office. He sounded like he was yelling at someone. Sure enough, after a minute or two, Samantha came out of the office. She looked like she'd been crying.

"What's the matter?" I asked, even though I was pretty sure she was the latest in Mr. Ashton's cost cutting measures.

"That stupid prick fired me!" She managed through the tears. "Five years working for the company, and I'm let go because that asshole can't live without his country club membership!"

"It's okay." I said, reaching out for her shoulder only to have my hand batted away.

"No it's not!" She yelled. "I have kids at home! I need a job!"

Normally I'd make a joke with her about servicing me sexually, but I knew full well that'd only make things worse. Instead, I kept my mouth shut as she walked away.

"What happened?" Rich asked, walking up behind me.

"Ashton canned her."

"That rat bastard!" Rich growled, louder than most would dare to.

"Wonder what his excuse for firing her was?"

"I don't know." Rich sighed. "He told Gregg his performance as of late was lacking. Apparently that's been the go to excuse."

"Greedy son of a bitch." I sighed, looking over at Samantha cleaning out her cubicle.

"No kidding." Rich nodded before walking away again.

I started walking out of the building. As I passed by Ashton's office, I saw him sitting behind his desk with a smirk on his face that I would have loved to have smacked off. That tall, balding bastard didn't care about anyone but himself. I debated about going to say something to him, but I thought better of it. He probably didn't need any excuses to get rid of someone else.

I made my way down to the parking lot and over to my car. As I pulled out my keys, I glanced across the parking lot to see Ashton's Lamborghini. I quickly glanced around before I made my way over to it. After another quick glance to make sure nobody was looking I raked my keys across the rear bumper.

Score one for the little guy!

I quickly made my way over to my car and jumped in as I heard someone coming. I started it up and drove away, not looking to see who it was.

Chapter 3

I drove along the city streets with my car radio turned up for the news. Same as usual as of late.

"Today police found and arrested business magnate, Walter Stevenson. Stevenson, a self-made billionaire, was arrested today without incident when police say his last victim regained consciousness and identified him as her attacker. Stevenson was wanted in connection with 27 rapes that occurred over a four day span."

They went on for a few more minutes. All about crime. This city was certainly not the safest place in the world to live. But, it was home. I continued on my way as the news came to a close. I drove along until I reached a small house located in a more rural section of the city. I made my way down the street and turned into the driveway of one of the lasts houses on the right. I hopped out of my car and made my way up to the front door where I gave a few loud knocks. It wasn't long before a woman wearing dark glasses came to the door.

"Who's there?" She asked.

"It's me, Aunt Abby." I answered.

Aunt Abby was my dad's sister. She was in her late forties, but you wouldn't know it by looking at her. Mom always used to joke that Aunt Abby found the fountain of youth. Aunt Abby used to joke back that it'd be hard for her to find anything, seeing as she was blind.

"Oh, Sam." She smiled. "Come in."

She moved back out of the way as I came in through the door. The house looked like it had just been cleaned. Aunt Abby took good care of the place. A few of the neighbourhood kids would help her with some of the around the house chores, but she could usually handle most of it herself.

"How are you today?" She asked. "Can I get you anything?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Okay, suit yourself."

She moved by me into the kitchen. I glanced outside and saw several kids walk by. They looked like they were high school students, except for one that looked older, likely college aged. Dressed like "gang bangers", or whatever stupid slang they used nowadays. They looked at the house for a moment before carrying on.

"Have you thought at all about moving?" I asked, watching the kids walk away.

"Why would I do that?"

"I don't like this neighbourhood. Bad crowds around here."

"You keep saying that. But you worry too much." Abby laughed. "The only people around here are those wannabe tough guy kids. I don't think they are twisted enough to do anything. Especially not to a blind woman."

"Maybe not. But there have been quite a few break-ins around here in the last while."

"Stop it. You're going to have me wanting to call the police at the slightest noise in the night."

"Okay."

I always stopped in at Aunt Abby's after work to see if she needed anything. Dad was the one who used to do it, but now I was the one who looked after her. She was the only real family I had left. She didn't deal with the deaths too well at first. She wouldn't eat or leave the house for the first week. I had to be strong for her. She would never say it, but I'm pretty sure I was the only reason she kept going. We both ended up having to be strong for each other. She was having trouble paying her bills too. That was part of the reason I stayed in that shitty job. So that I could help her as well as myself. Bills were hard for just me, and I really hated that job, but the pay was just enough to help us both. And I'd never let Aunt Abby down.

"Do you need anything today Aunt Abby?"

"No. I've got everything I need."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive." She responded with a slight chuckle.

"Okay. Well, I'm going to head home then. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay Sam. See you then."

I reached out and gave her a hug before turning and leaving. As I walked down to my car I glanced down the street to see the kids looking at some of the houses further down the street. The older one turned and stared at me for a moment before indicating for the others to follow him, which they did. I stood and watched them move down the street for a few minutes before getting in my car and driving away.

Chapter 4

I pulled into the parking lot of my apartment building around 7:00 PM. A little later than usual, but traffic was terrible. I got out of my car and locked it before heading towards the front doors of the building. As I walked, I remember having the distinct sensation that someone was watching me. I turned and looked all around the parking lot, but there was nobody out there, save for a few people walking down the street. I could just feel someone staring at me. It was an eerie feeling. I eventually shrugged it off and made my way into the doors. As I walked into the lobby, I was greeted by Mr. Carlson, the landlord.

"Ah, Sam." He let a wide smile crawl out from under his thick moustache. "How are you today?"

"Fine." I simply replied, waiting for the inevitable subject of rent to come up.

"Good to hear." He said, rubbing one of his large hands on his balding head.

"Well, thanks for the chat." I said before going towards the stairs.

"You don't happen to have my rent, do you?" He called after me, drawing me to a stop.

"Not yet."

"Oh. When will you have it?"

"It's not due for a week. I'll have it before then."

"I hope so."

"Don't worry Mr. Carlson. Stress will cause you to go bald."

Before he could respond I started up the stairs. I hoped I'd have the rent by the end of the month too. It was getting tight this month. Had some car troubles to deal with, which sapped some of my funds. I figured I'd end up having to pick up some extra shifts at work, to my chagrin. I got up to Floor 16 and exited the stairwell. As I made my way down the hall to my apartment, I saw my neighbour coming down the hall from the other direction. She was Latino, though I never asked where she was from specifically. She had shoulder length black hair and beautiful brown eyes. She was going to college to become a lawyer, but she modelled on the side to make money. Not that I'd blame her. Some women would likely pay a fortune to have a body like hers.

"Hi Maria." I smiled.

"Hi Sam." She smiled back.

"How was school today?"

"Hectic. What about work for you?"

"Boring."

"Same old, same old then?" She chuckled.

"Basically." I chuckled back.

"Would you mind holding my books while I get my door?"

"Sure."

I took the books from her and moved by as she got her key out and walked to her door. I'm not ashamed to admit it was to get a good look at her ass. She was wearing a very tight pair of jeans, and they did it wonderful justice. I quickly looked back up to her face as she turned around.

"Thanks." She said.

"No problem." I smiled back.

"I'll see you later Sam." She replied as she walked into the apartment.

"Uh, hey!" I said before she closed the door. "Are you doing anything later? We could grab a bite to eat if you wanted."

"Oh, I don't know, I have a lot of work to do."

"Hey, that's cool. No problem."

"Maybe some other time."

"Yeah, maybe." I smiled before she closed the door.

If I had a quarter every time I heard that response from her, rent wouldn't be a problem. Not that I could blame myself. I imagine her standards were probably set a little higher than what I was at in her books. I walked over to my door and pulled out my key.

The feeling of someone watching me hit me again.

I turned and looked down the hall both ways, seeing nobody.

"I'm losing it." I muttered to myself before opening the door.

I came into the apartment and tossed my keys in a bowl near the door and threw my coat on a rack nearby too. I made my way over to the kitchen and whipped myself up a microwave dinner. I sat down on the couch and switched on the news.

Same headlines as usual.

Police had killed a guy who murdered 26 people at his workplace. Apparently he walked into his office and just started killing people. Not exactly the way I'd go about it. Police say they managed to get to the floor he was on after a half-an-hour standoff and shot him when he tried to attack one of the officers. Some people just snap, I guess.

I watched the rest of the news and finished my meal. I was feeling kind of tired, so I figured I'd have a little power nap. It was 8:24 when I closed my eyes.

Chapter 5

I was woken up by some knocking at my door. I slowly opened my eyes and glanced at the clock.

It was 9:30.

I had no idea who would come calling at that hour. I thought maybe it was Maria, that she changed her mind and wanted to go on a date. Then I remembered I lived in reality.

The knocking came again.

As I got up, I had the sinking feeling it was Carlson asking about the rent again. But even he wasn't that big of an asshole to start bugging that much when there was still a week before it was due. I got to the door and leaned against it.

"Who is it?" I asked.

"I'm from Pantheon Corporations." The voice on the other side of the door replied.

Pantheon Corporations was a billion dollar, multi-national company. This, of course, immediately had me wondering why anyone from there would want to speak with me. I had put in a resume there on a whim. Just for something simple like the mail room. But that was about three months ago.

"I wondered if I may have a moment of your time to talk with you about a new product we've developed." The voice said.

"Sure, why not?" I sighed before opening the door.

On the other side of the door was a tall man dressed in a black suit, trench coat, fedora and tie. His skin was a little pale, and he had grey eyes that looked at me from the shadow cast by his hat.

"Hello, Mr. Stanton." He smiled. His voice was very strong, yet not loud.

"Hello." I answered back. "May I ask what this is in regards to?"

"Of course. We at Pantheon Corporations have been selecting a lucky few people and giving them a chance to participate in trials of a new pill we've invented."

"A new pill?"

"Yes. May I come in? We can continue this conversation in your apartment, if you wouldn't mind."

"Sure." I replied before moving to the side and letting him come in.

Pantheon Corporations basically made anything and everything. Pharmaceuticals, technology, weapons for the military, you name it and they probably built it. I hadn't heard of them doing anything like this before, but then again, Pantheon Corporations usually kept new inventions on the down low.

"This is a nice apartment, Mr. Stanton." The man said, looking around.

"You can call me Sam." I replied. "And what should I call you?"

"Oh, of course." He smiled. "My name is Virgil Zeitler."

"So then, what would you prefer?" I repeated. "Mr. Zeitler?"

"If you'd like."

"Okay."

"Well, Sam, shall we get straight to business?"

"What business is this, exactly?"

"Pantheon Corporations is currently doing trials of our newest pharmaceutical creation."

"How come I haven't seen or heard anything about this then?" I asked. "Seems like something that would be more advertised."

"The nature of this pill is the cause for the secrecy, Sam." Zeitler replied with a grin. "It is something that we do not want to be known until the world is ready for it, as it were."

"I see." I nodded, even though he was giving off a used car dealer vibe at that point.

"It is a pill that, in a sense, could revolutionize the world."

"What does this revolutionary pill do?"

"It contains specialized steroids and enzymes that, when combined with the nanotechnological drones in the pill, allow one to unlock the potential of the mind beyond what a normal human would be capable of."

"Pardon me?" I asked, dumbfounded. "I failed high school science."

"In simple terms, it grants one superhuman powers."

"Wait, are you telling me this pill gives a person superpowers?"

"That's the basic way of looking at it."

"Why haven't you marketed it then? You could make billions off of a pill like that if it does what you say it does."

"It requires testing before it can be made available to the public."

"Don't you guys test shit like that on mice and chimps?"

"Pantheon Corporation doesn't participate in, or condone, animal testing."

"Sorry." I replied, thinking to myself that he sounded like a recorded message.

"And besides, a drug of this nature requires it to be tested on humans. They are the only ones with the...imagination to be able to use this pill to its max potential."

"I guess that makes sense."

"Consider yourself lucky, Sam." He smiled. "You are the first on the list. The first one to be offered this pill."

"But, why me? I'm nobody. Nothing extraordinary."

"That is the reason. We feel that an average person would be the best test subject for this pill. Someone who is, in a matter of speaking, generic."

"Thanks, I guess." I really wasn't sure if that was supposed to be a compliment. "But that still doesn't answer why me, out of all the average people in this city."

"Chance." Zeitler replied.

"Chance? What do you mean?"

"The reasons why you were chosen are inconsequential now."

Zeitler walked away from the window where he stood and pulled a container of pills from his coat pocket. He placed it on my dinner table and looked over at me again. You know how when you were a kid, you always imagined what it would be like to have superpowers? To be able to fly, or turn invisible. Well, here I was, about to make that dream a reality.

"Oh yes." Zeitler smiled. "I just need you to sign a few papers, if you decide to participate."

He reached into his coat and pulled out several papers that had been stapled together. He handed them over to me and gave me a pen.

"What's all this?" I asked.

"It just covers all the legality. If you should mention this pill, anything about it or Pantheon Corporation you will be charged to the fullest extent of the law. We'll put you away for a very long time. Let's just say, our influence is quite substantial."

"That seems extreme."

"We take this pill and the ramifications of what it can do very seriously."

"Very well."

"It also says that, should any adverse reactions be caused by this pill, Pantheon Corporation will pay you two hundred and fifty million dollars."

"What?" I shouted, with good reason.

"And, should the pill kill you, we will pay five hundred million dollars to your next of kin."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes." He nodded. "As I said, we would like to keep this pills existence hidden for now, and are prepared to pay handsomely, should any complications arise from taking it."

I sat down and thought about that for a moment. It seemed like a win/win situation at that point. If the pill worked, I'd be able to see what it was like to have superpowers. If it didn't, one way or the other, Aunt Abby would have nothing to worry about for the rest of her life. Neither of us would. Presuming it didn't kill me.

"So then, Sam Stanton," He smiled. "Would you like to see what it's like to be more than human?"

"Yeah." I smiled. "I do."

"Excellent. Just sign the appropriate spaces on the last page then."

As I signed my name, Zeitler reached into his coat again and pulled out a very thick book. I handed him the papers just before he placed the book on the table beside the pills.

"Congratulations, Sam Stanton," He smiled. "You are the first person to be able to try Prometheus 60."

"The pill is called Prometheus 60?"

"Yes. Do you know Greek mythology?"

"Yeah, I get the connection."

"Very good."

"So then, how do these pills work?"

"You simply place a pill in your mouth and bite down on it to break it in half. Then, swallow the pill and wait for two minutes. After exactly two minutes, the pill will be begin working. Each pill will give you one hour of use. Exactly one hour."

"So that's where the 60 comes from?"

"Yes." Zeitler nodded. "You will have 120 pills. After you have used them all, contact me at the number at the back of that book."

"What is that book?"

"The instruction manual." He plainly answered.

"Instruction manual?"

"Do you presume that you will simply be able to take the pill a know exactly how to use every power available to you?"

"Good point."

"Well then, Sam," He began, walking to the door. "I look forward to hearing your report."

"That's it?"

"Yes it is. Good luck."

With that, he walked out of the apartment and closed the door. I looked over at the pills and the instruction manual for a few minutes before scooping them up and heading to the roof. I figured, in case I screw something up, that'd be the best place to be.

Chapter 6

I made my way up to the roof fairly quickly. It was chilly up there that night. I carefully sat the pills down on an old table that was up there and began skimming through the manual Zeitler had given me. There were a number of powers that the pill would give a person. Flight, telekinesis, enhanced healing, teleportation, pyrokinesis, the ability to walk through walls, invisibility and fulgurkinesis. And that was just the first few of them. I grabbed the pills off the table and opened the bottle, sliding one of the pills into my hand.

"What's the worst that could happen?" I muttered to myself before popping the pill in my mouth and biting down.

Now all I had to do was wait.

After two minutes, I felt a strange sensation flow through my body. It's kind of hard to explain what it felt like. Like a surge of adrenaline would likely be the best description.

"Okay. Let's see what I can do." I said, retrieving the manual.

I flipped back and forth through the book before settling on telekinesis. The book said that telekinesis allowed one to move objects with their mind. It said that to utilize the power, one had to concentrate on an object and envision where you wanted it to go. You had to envision whether you wanted it to be hurled back with crushing force, or gently moved. It suggested that novices should use their hand to better focus the ability. I looked around the roof until I found an old beer bottle.

"Perfect." I smiled before setting it on the edge of the building.

I walked a few feet back from the bottle and turned back to face it. I closed my eyes for a moment before opening them and staring at the bottle. I envisioned it flying backwards, far across the street to the roof of the adjacent building.

Then I raised my hand.

The bottle hurtled backwards over the distance between the buildings, smashing to pieces on the roof of the next building.

"Holy shit!" I exclaimed, giggling like a fool. "I have superpowers!"

I hurried back to the book and flipped to the page that read "teleportation". It said that to utilize this power one must close their eyes, envision a location, then concentrate on that location for five seconds. I sat the book down and closed my eyes. I figured I'd start somewhere simple. I imagined the backyard at Aunt Abby's, particularly this old willow tree near the very back of her property. I concentrated on that location for five seconds. I felt a strange sensation, like driving down the road with your head out the window. When I opened my eyes, I was staring at the back of Aunt Abby's house.

"Sweet!" I shouted.

I saw Aunt Abby moving by one of the windows and quickly closed my eyes and envisioned the roof of my apartment again. Five seconds later, I was back there. I ran back to the book and skimmed to "invisibility". It said that one must concentrate, and pretend you aren't where you are. Sounded like some Chinese proverb, but I thought I could figure it out. It took me a while, but I managed to get the hang of it. I also learned that whatever I held would be invisible as well. Next was "phasing", as the book called it. It told me to move towards a solid surface and imagine it wasn't there. Well, it's lucky the healing powers worked automatically; otherwise I'd have had a concussion working that one out. But, I eventually got it too. The next one I wanted to try was "flight".

"Shouldn't be too hard." Was what I said after reading the manual on how it worked.

Would've been famous last words if not for the pills healing powers.

I positioned myself looking towards the building behind where I was. There was just a parking lot below, with nobody out there at this time. I ran towards the edge of the building and leapt off. I fell down and smashed hard into the ground, leaving an impressive dent. I slowly got back to my feet, feeling my bones and muscles moving back into their proper places.

Not a pleasant experience.

I looked back up at the roof from the parking lot. I could hear people coming to investigate what the bone-crunching thud was caused by. I closed my eyes and concentrated for a second before leaping into the air. I soared upwards, past the roof, and into the sky. It took a second to get control, but when I did, I was soaring around the skies. As I did, I glanced at my watch and noted I had only a few minutes before the pill wore off. I quickly descended to the roof and landed. I don't think it was possible to wipe the grin off my face. So, as the time on my first pill wound down, I felt the "adrenaline" feeling fade away. I walked over to the pill container and popped another one. I spent the next three hours on the roof, learning how to control and best use most of my powers with the pill. I couldn't get a handle on all of them, but I was happy enough with what I mastered. It was a very invigorating experience, to be able to do anything you wanted. I glanced at my watch and saw it was a little past 12:30. I walked over to the table and popped another pill. I wasn't done playing yet. There were a few more things I wanted to do. One more than the others.

I had invisibility and the ability to walk through walls. What do you think I was going to do?

Chapter 7

I made my way back to my apartment. After getting inside, I closed the door and locked it behind me. I put the pills on my dinner table, turned on the TV and put the volume up a little, so that it'd sound like I was there to any of my neighbours. Then I turned to face the wall between my apartment and Maria's.

Don't judge me. Not like any of you wouldn't do the same.

I concentrated and activated my invisibility before walking towards, and through, the wall. I slowly made my way through the apartment, making sure not to knock anything around. I eventually saw her walk out of her bathroom and towards her bedroom. She pulled down the covers on her bed before she took of her shirt and jeans, revealing a matching black lace bra and thong.

Yes, at that point a felt a little ashamed.

"Damn." I muttered to myself.

It was at that point I realized that, while she couldn't see me, she could hear me.

"Who said that?" She asked, turning and looking around the room. She quickly ran back near her closet and retrieved a metal baseball bat. She slowly started walking in my direction, looking around the room.

"Is someone there?"

As she drew closer, I turned and ran through the nearest wall. Which, unfortunately, lead to another fall to the parking lot. I slowly picked myself up and brushed myself off, trying my best to hold on to my invisibility.

"Okay, that was probably a bad idea." I grumbled. "Now, maybe I can try something more productive."

I hopped into the air and flew up towards the roof, smacking myself off the fire escape on the way up. I landed on the roof and looked around at the city below me. I took to the skies again and soared over the streets. It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. That feeling of freedom. I flew around for a few minutes, scanning the streets below me. As I did, I caught sight of a group of men beating up a guy with a girl huddled against the nearby wall.

Jackpot. If one has superpowers, one should act like a superhero. At least once anyway.

I flew down and landed on the roof of the closest building to the commotion. Five guys beating up one. That was something that I would step in on even if I didn't have superpowers. As I prepared to jump off the building, I realized that I'd need a mask. Something to protect my identity. I looked around the roof I was on for something to use. I eventually found a box filled with black garbage bags.

Not exactly what I had in mind. But I wasn't going to let that guy die on account of my fashion tastes.

I put the bag over my head and ripped two eye holes and a hole for my nose and mouth. I than ran to the edge of the building and leapt off, falling to the streets below and hitting the ground hard, drawing the attention of the thugs and the girl.

"What the fuck is this?" The one thug shouted. An appropriate reaction, I suppose.

"Leave him alone." I growled, trying to sound intimidating.

"Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Justice." I replied.

Yeah, I know it was corny. But I couldn't resist.

"Oh, really." The thug laughed. "Well, he owes me money, so I won't kill him. You, on the other hand..."

He and the others all drew knives. They began to fan out and move towards me. As they did, I concentrated on the thug to my left. I imagined him flying backwards into the wall with crushing force.

Then I raised my hand.

The thug flew backwards and smashed into the wall, cracking several bricks loose. Before the others could grasp what had happened, I raised my hands up and threw them all into the air. As they flew upwards, I pulled the one man down and slammed him onto a car. I then threw two of the others into each other before flying into the air and catching the lead thug out of the sky. I flew him up several feet before dangling him by one leg.

"No! No man! Please don't kill me!" He screamed.

"What if I let you go? You going to turn over a new leaf, or go right back to being scum again?"

"I'll turn over a new leaf! I swear!"

"We'll see."

I slowly lowered to the ground with him before dropping him near the rest of his gang, all of whom immediately fled, leaving their leader cowering on the ground.

"If I find out your doing shit like this again, I'll kill you next time." I said before turning to the man they were beating and his woman friend. I nodded my head at them before flying away.

That may have broken Pantheon Corporations rules, but it was fucking awesome. I'd have done it again in an instant.

I quickly landed on a nearby building and took a few moments to bask in my own glory. As I sat on the roof, I felt someone watching me again. I turned and looked around, but there was nobody around. I shrugged it off and glanced at my watch. I only had about five minutes of power left. I closed my eyes and was back in my apartment in a matter of seconds. I tossed my "mask" in the garbage before putting the pills in one of the cupboards and getting ready for bed. I wanted to get some rest.

Tomorrow was going to be a big day.

Chapter 8

I woke up early the next day and quickly got dressed. I made my way to the phone and called work, telling them I had to help my Aunt with something and wouldn't be able to make it in. They knew I had to help my Aunt with some things quite a bit, so they never questioned it. I put on the news and grabbed something quick to eat. Seven murders last night. I shook my head as I turned off the TV and retrieved the pills from the cupboard. I dropped one into my hand and put the bottle into the interior pocket on my coat.

"Time to have some fun." I remember saying to myself before popping the pill in my mouth.

Two minutes later, I was ready to roll. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the Giza Pyramids. I always wanted to go to Egypt. When I opened my eyes, I was standing on top of one of them. I took in that incredible view for a few minutes before teleporting to the ground below. Didn't want someone to notice me up there. I took in some sights for about ten minutes before teleporting to Paris. I spent the next six hours globe hopping, taking in incredible sights I'd likely never had seen before.

I stood atop Mount Everest, hovered above an erupting volcano, walked across the Serengeti and had a stroll through the Vatican. I rescued people from a flooded village in India and stopped a landslide in China.

Anything that I wanted to see, I saw. Anything I wanted to do, I did. I just made sure nobody saw my face.

I literally flew around the world. Twice. There were no limits to what I could do. No rules for what I couldn't do, and nobody who could make me stop. For the first time in my life, I felt true freedom. Freedom from control, from fear, from mortality. I knew what it felt like to be a god.

Chapter 9

I decided to stop off in Italy for lunch. Too bad I didn't realize the type of cuisine I was after would've cost an arm and a leg. I figured I'd just have to pick up some local money. I walked into a back alley and turned myself invisible before heading back out through the streets. I walked around until I came across some guy driving a Ferrari.

I figured he could spare some cash.

I followed him down the street until we were relatively alone. With a flick of my wrist, his wallet flew from his pocket into my hand. I was glad that worked, and didn't take his whole pants with him. I grabbed the large wad of cash he had in his wallet and pitched it on the ground. As I made my way to a nice looking restaurant, I felt someone watching me again. I spun around and scanned the area, noticing a few people looking at me. I suppose I might've stood out a little, but I started to worry that they may have noticed me take the rich man's wallet.

"Maybe paranoia is a side effect of the pill." I muttered to myself before going into the restaurant. As I walked up to the reception area, a man walked up to me and started talking to me in Italian.

Should've thought of that one.

After listening to him finish talking, I paused for a minute before responding. In fluent Italian.

"Excellent." He smiled at me. I understood him now. "Follow me and I will get you a table."

"Thank you." I responded.

He led me through the restaurant to a table and I sat down. He handed me the menu and asked what I wanted to order. I asked for a moment to look at the menu. He smiled again and walked away. I quickly pulled out the instruction manual for the pills and looked at the index. One of the abilities it granted was the ability to understand and speak any language. I glanced at my watch and realized I only had about two minutes left on my latest pill. I figured I'd better get another one before I stopped being able to understand what anyone was saying to me. I quickly took another pill as the man returned. I ordered the most expensive thing on the menu; once I was sure I had enough for it. I wasn't even sure what it was, but hey, it wasn't my money.

After having a delicious meal, I tipped the waiter handsomely and was off again. For the rest of the day I continued to jump around the globe. I think I visited almost every country that day. I definitely visited every continent. Antarctica was kind of boring. As I hovered above the Amazon Rain Forest, I glanced at my watch and saw that it was almost 7:00 PM.

I realized I should've been at Aunt Abby's about ten minutes ago.

I quickly thought of her front yard and was there. I wasn't sure how I was going to explain why she didn't hear my car, but I figured I could dance around the topic. I turned around and walked up to the door. As I approached, I noted the door was opened slightly.

"Aunt Abby?" I called out. "Did you forget to close the damn door again?"

No response.

"Aunt Abby?" I called again, entering the house. Inside, the place was trashed.

The furniture was thrown all over the place and the TV and stereo was gone, along with anything else that looked remotely valuable.

"Fuck." I cursed as I moved through the house. As I did, I heard something moving in the kitchen. I made my way in there and found Aunt Abby on the floor. Her clothes were ripped up and she was covered with numerable gashes and bruises.

"Aunt Abby!" I shouted as I ran over to her. She was alive.

"Sam..." She softly said, her eyes scanning around the room.

"I'll call for help!" I shouted in a panic before grabbing my cell phone and dialling 911.

"911, what's your emergency?" The operator answered.

I told them what had happened and they said they would send help. I stayed with her until the ambulance arrived. Once they took her away, I had to talk with some cops who also showed up. Once I was allowed to leave, I walked down the street, out of sight, and teleported back to my apartment. I put the pills back in the cupboard and grabbed my car keys before leaving again.

Chapter 10

I sat in the waiting area of the hospital, staring at the ground. They had taken Aunt Abby in, but I didn't even know how long ago that was. As I sat there, I heard footsteps coming towards me. I looked up to see a black man in a blue dress shirt, black coat and black pants walking towards me. I recognized him as the detective who worked my families' homicide case. Detective Mitchell Andrews.

"Hi Sam." He said as he approached me.

"Hi Detective Andrews." I replied.

"How's your Aunt?"

"I haven't heard anything yet."

"My condolences."

"Thanks."

"Is there anything you want to add to the statement you gave the officer before?"

"No. That's the story."

"Okay. I'll be back to talk with your Aunt when she's better. We'll get the guys responsible Sam."

"Like how you got the guy responsible for killing my family?" I asked, rather pointedly.

"Sam..." He sighed. "The trail went cold. We had leads, but..."

"Listen," I interjected. "I don't want to hear it, okay?"

"Yeah, okay. I'm sorry Sam."

"I've heard that a lot."

Detective Andrews shook his head before turning and walking away. As he did, I turned and looked down the hall, seeing the doctor walking towards me. I quickly got up as she approached.

"How is she?" I asked.

"She's fine." The doctor answered. "A few bad cuts and bruises and a broken wrist, but nothing too severe."

"That's good."

"But..." She started to add.

"But what?" I anxiously asked.

"She was raped."

"What?" I shouted.

"There was some bruising around..."

"Can I see her?" I cut her off.

"Yes, you can see her."

I hurried off down the hall to Aunt Abby's room. I moved in and up to the bed as she turned her face towards me.

"Aunt Abby..." I quietly said.

"Sam." She replied.

"What happened?"

"There was a knock at the door. I thought it was you. They forced their way in..." She closed her eyes and bit her bottom lip. I took her hand in my own and held it tightly.

"It's okay. Your safe now, Aunt Abby. Get some rest. You need it."

"Okay." She softly replied.

I let her hand go and moved back from the bed. I felt a seething rage burning deep inside me. I turned and walked out of the room, my hands clenched into fists. As I walked down the hall, Detective Andrews was walking down towards the room.

"Sam," He said, grabbing my arm. "I talked to the doctor. I know what happened."

"So what?" I said, trying my best to hide my rage.

"I know that look in your eyes Sam. This isn't something you can deal with. You have to leave it to the police."

"Because you guys did such a fucking impressive job last time, right?"

"Sam, I know you're angry. You have every right to be. But..."

"But what?" I growled.

"Just...don't do anything stupid."

"I'll take that under consideration." I said before walking away.

But Detective Andrews didn't have anything to worry about. What I was about to do was going to be the most sensible thing I'd done in years.

Chapter 11

I got home from the hospital and immediately took a pill before flying out around the city, looking for any information. I searched for three hours, but didn't turn up anything. I took a few moments to let myself calm down and realized it'd be better to rest up, gather some information and go after these bastards tomorrow. I got back home and waited for the last Prometheus 60 to wear off before I went to sleep.

The next morning I woke up and quickly went on my computer to look up information on gang activity and anything else crime related from Aunt Abby's neighbourhood. There were three gangs active in that area, but I'd have to tear through each one without any other information to go off of. As I continued to look for information, there was a knock at the door. I got up and walked over to the door, looking through the peephole to see Rich standing on the other side of the door.

"Hi Rich." I greeted him as I opened the door.

"Hi Sam." He replied.

"What's up?"

"I'm just here to offer my condolences. I heard about your Aunt on the news last night."

"Thanks."

"They know the sick bastards who did this?"

"I haven't heard anything yet."

"That takes a special kind of fucked up to do anything to a blind woman."

"I know."

"My grandparents used to live in that area. They moved out a few years ago. Crime was a problem there. Little punk ass kids."

"Kids?"

"Yeah. Apparently some of the gangs there would use the high school kids to scope out potential places to rob. They'd pay them in money or drugs. It's a pretty messed up neighbourhood."

I thought for a moment and remembered seeing the kids walking by Aunt Abby's the other day when I was there. I figured that might be a good place to start looking.

"And, I know it's not something you'd be worried about, but Ashton keeps cutting more jobs around work." Rich started up again. "If it wasn't for this shit happening with your Aunt, he'd likely have canned you for not being there yesterday."

"Well, tell him I won't be in today either. I've got things to sort out."

"I figured. Well, I've got to get to work so I'll let you get to it. I'll see you later."

"Yeah." I smiled. "Thanks for stopping by Rich."

"No problem." He smiled back before turning and leaving.

I turned back into the apartment and closed the door. Then I walked over to the cupboard and retrieved the pills. I took one and before I left I grabbed a ski mask from my nearby closet. Figured I should try and keep my identity a secret, just in case. I quickly pulled out the instruction manual and skimmed through to "pyrokinesis". I read it over before finding a picture of myself and Amy that I still had.

"Perfect." I sneered before concentrating on it, causing it to erupt into flames, which I extinguished with a wave of my hand. I walked out of my apartment and down out the front door, past Mr. Carlson and his inquisitions about the rent. I rounded the corner to a back alley where nobody was. I then closed my eyes, and in a few seconds, I was at Aunt Abby's. I took a quick look around the house before heading off down the street. I knew there was a high school around this area, but I couldn't remember the name of it so teleporting was out of the question. After a few minutes of walking, I came across a group of kids wearing backpacks. They were walking in the same direction I was, so I simply followed behind them. They eventually turned down another street that I saw lead to the high school. Classes were just starting, so I turned on my invisibility and followed them into the school.

"Dammit." I muttered as I looked around the crowded foyer. As the crowd disbanded, I decided to start sweeping through the classrooms floor by floor. I took me two hours, but I managed to find one of the kids from before. I recognized a bandana he wore around his neck. He was in Grade 9. He had to be no older than fourteen. That was fucked up. So I followed him around until the lunch period began. The kid and a few of his friends went out behind some of the bleachers by the football field to smoke weed. They then unsuccessfully tried to hit on some girls before wandering back to the bleachers. They were talking about a few robberies and the like, but not Aunt Abby's. Eventually, most of his friends left, leaving the boy and one other behind.

Now was as good a time as any, I figured.

With a flick of my wrist, I threw his friend into the bleachers, knocking him unconscious. Before the boy could react, I pulled him towards me with another movement of my hand. Before he could do anything, I grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the ground, pinning him against a nearby tree.

"P-please..." He whimpered. "Don't hurt me."

"That will depend on how helpful you are." I growled from behind my ski mask.

"What do you want from me?" He sobbed.

"There was a robbery the other day. 1356 Amber Hills Road. A blind woman was beaten and raped. What do you know about it?"

"I don't know anything." He replied, trying to gain back his composure. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I don't believe you." I sneered before causing my hand to erupt into flames. "Care to try again?"

The kid began to scream, so I tightened my grip on his neck, choking his cries. I felt someone watching me and looked around. There were some kids off in the distance, but if they were looking, they had turned away. I pulled the boy off the tree and carried him deeper into the small wooded area before throwing him to the ground.

"Now, tell me the truth or I'll barbeque you and then move on to your family." I said, my hand still smouldering.

"Okay!" The kid shouted. "Just don't hurt me!"

"Then talk."

"I didn't have anything to do with that! It was my friend Chris! He's really big into that gang that runs out of the abandoned warehouse on Redson Street! One of the gang members had him scoping the place before hand! That's all I know, I swear!"

"Redson Street?"

"Yes."

"Okay then, I'll check it out. But if you're lying, I'll be back for you."

"I'm not lying."

"I hope so. Now get back to class. And don't mention me to anyone. Got it?"

The kid nodded before he turned and ran away, back towards the school. I watched him go before I took another pill, turned invisible and flew away.

Chapter 12

It took me a bit longer than I thought it would to get to Redson Street. Navigating the streets from the air is difficult. I landed on the other side of the fence surrounding the warehouse and circled around, making sure there were no guards outside. There was nobody, so I jumped the fence and made my way to the building. I opened the front doors and walked right in. No need to be subtle, I figured. Inside I found around twenty people standing around, all of them turning to face me as I entered.

"Who the fuck are you?" The closest man greeted me when I entered.

"Where's your boss?" I asked.

"Who wants to know?"

"Tell me where he is, and your death will be quicker."

"Okay. That's it." He growled before drawing his gun.

"Wait!" A voice called out before he could fire. Everyone turned as tall, muscular man walked down the stairs from the back of the factory.

"You the one in charge of this gang?" I asked.

"Yeah. Name's Malcolm. Who the hell are you and why are you here?"

"You the son of a bitch who robbed the blind woman on Amber Hills Road?"

"What's it to you?"

"Answer the fucking question!" I screamed.

"Calm down, kiddo." Malcolm replied, mockingly. "Maybe I know something about it. But it doesn't concern you."

"Why's that?"

"Because you're going to die." He said before signalling to his men to draw their guns. With a wave of my hand, I sent several of them flying backwards. The others began shooting at me to no effect, besides tearing holes in my clothes, as I formed a fireball in my hand and hurled it at a man. The orb of fire erupted on him and bathed him in flames.

"What the fuck?" Malcolm screamed as he and his men started to scatter.

"Get back here!" I shouted before throwing a crate at him, knocking him to the ground. His men began firing at me again. I picked up two of them and smashed one headfirst into the ground before impaling the other on an old forklift. The others scattered again as I hurled fireballs at them, engulfing several of them as they fled for cover. A man must've got behind me when I wasn't looking, as I felt a searing pain shoot through my shoulder. I looked to see the end of a rusty pipe sticking through my arm. I turned around and hurled the man into the wall, breaking his back. I pulled the pipe out of my arm and, as it healed, I killed all the other men in the room except for four who ran further away. I turned to see Malcolm recovering. As he looked down at me, I levitated the pipe off the ground. Malcolm's eyes widened in fear as a pulled my arm back.

Then the pipe fell to the ground.

I tried to levitate it again, but nothing happened. Malcolm started to laugh as his men ran back into the room. I dove for cover behind a pillar before grabbing a pill from my pocket and taking it. I heard him coming down the stairs as I started to count in my head.

"One, one thousand. Two, one thousand..."

"I don't know what the fuck you are." I heard Malcolm say as his voice started getting closer. "But now you're going to die. Maybe I can send your body to some government facility for a reward."

I ran from my cover to a large slab of concrete, barely dodging a hail of gunfire.

"Since you're going to die anyway, why don't you tell me how you got those powers? Radioactive animal? Space radiation?"

"I'd tell you, but I'm under contract not to." I managed a smart ass comment as my heart pounded in my ear.

"Seventy-six, one thousand. Seventy-seven, one thousand..."

"Funny. For a man who's only got a minute more to live."

"That'd suit me fine." I quipped. I quickly looked over the slab, seeing Malcolm and his men very close.

"Ninety-six, one thousand. Ninety-seven, one thousand..."

I went to run, but I was shot in the leg by one of his men. I fell to the ground in agony as Malcolm slowly walked towards me. He pointed his gun at my stomach and smiled at me.

"Wait!" I shouted, my heart racing. "Just wait a second!"

"No." He grimaced.

He fired his gun, hitting me in the stomach. I screamed in pain as blood flowed from the wound. Malcolm laughed to himself as I writhed in pain on the floor. I don't know if he noticed it before I did, but suddenly, the wound stopped bleeding. Before Malcolm could react, I threw him back against the pillar. I then picked up several pieces of loose metal and rocks before hurling them at his remaining men, killing them. I walked towards Malcolm as he tried to stand and grabbed him by the arm before igniting my hand, searing his arm almost to the bone.

"Now," I began as he howled in agony. "I believe you were going to tell me something about the Amber Hills robbery."

"Okay!" He screamed through the pain. "I'll tell you!"

"Good." I replied, dousing the flame. "I'm listening."

"It was one of my boys! Trevor White!"

"Is he one of these bastards I killed?"

"No! He's out right now! On the streets!"

"Where?"

"I think he's around the construction yard at Grave Street!"

"Thanks." I smiled before dropping him to the ground. I turned to walk away as I heard him moving on the ground.

"So...are you going to let me go?"

"No." I smiled.

Before he could react, I pulled the glass from every window nearby onto the ground. I then forced him face first onto the ground and dragged him across the glass. When his screaming and flailing stopped, I tossed his body to the side.

Now I had someone else to hunt.

Chapter 13

As I flew over the construction yard, I saw several people gathered in the center of the area. I descended to the ground to the far side of the property before pulling out the bottle of pills. All the while I was flying, I couldn't stop thinking about the pain and the fear I felt back at the warehouse. I couldn't stop thinking about how weak I felt. I couldn't shake that feeling, no matter how hard I tried. So, I decided I wasn't going to take any chances. It hadn't been an hour since my last pill, but there was nothing in the manual about the dangers of taking another before the last Prometheus wore off. I took the pill and waited for two minutes before walking into the construction site. There were about fifteen people gathered in the yard. As I walked towards them, I saw some of them pointing me out. As they all turned to notice me, I thrusted my hand forward and hurled six of them backwards, sending them crashing to the ground. The others went to draw their guns, but I tossed anyone who grabbed a gun into the air, letting them crash back to the ground.

"Anyone else care to try something stupid?" I asked as the remaining people moved their hands away from their weapons, faces awash with fear.

"What the hell are you?" The one at the center, a tall guy with a wiry build, asked.

"That's none of your concern."

"You...you killed them." The youngest member of the group stammered.

"I don't think they're all dead." I plainly replied.

"What do you want, man?" The wiry guy asked.

"Are you Trevor White?"

"Yeah."

"The same Trevor White that robbed the blind woman on Amber Hills?"

"Why?"

I thrusted my hand forward and threw one of the men beside Trevor backwards, impaling him on some construction equipment. The others screamed in terror as Trevor turned back to me with fear flashing in his eyes.

"Answer the question!" I yelled.

"Okay, yes!" He shouted. "It was my boys and I!"

"Is that this group here?"

"Yeah."

"And you, kid." I said, pointing to the youngest one. "Are you Chris?"

"Yes." He said, his voice trembling.

"Are you the one who pointed the house out to them?"

"I, I didn't..." He stuttered.

"Answer me!"

"Yes!" He sobbed. "I did!"

"Why?" I asked, shaking my head. "Why hang out with these sick bastards?"

"Because...because..."

"Tell the truth." I calmly said.

"Because I...it's to show that I'm tough."

"Fair enough." I shrugged. I then ripped off the hubcap of a nearby car and whipped it at him, severing his head.

"What the fuck?" Trevor screamed. "What the fuck is wrong with you? He's just a kid!"

"He was guilty. Like all of you."

I began lifting up everyone but Trevor, one-by-one, and smashing them into the concrete or impaling them on construction materials. When it was just down to Trevor and I, I threw him to the ground and dragged him across the dirt to my feet.

"So, now you're going to kill me too?" He asked, sounding rather calm.

"Yes I am." I replied. "But, tell me one thing first."

"What?"

"Why? Why do something like that to a blind woman?"

"Easy." He said, letting a sickening grin crawl across his face as he got to his feet. "She would never be able to ID me."

"Oh..." I said, nodding my head. "Well, if that's what you're concerned about, then neither will the police."

I snapped both of his knees forward, so that his toes kicked his chest. As he fell to the ground screaming, I snapped his elbows backwards. He howled in absolute agony as I created a whirlwind of fire around him. As he continued to scream, the flames enveloped him. I let the tornado of fire rage for several minutes before extinguishing it. There was only ash left. I smiled to myself before I flew off into the sky again.

Aunt Abby had been avenged.

Chapter 14

I teleported to my apartment and got a change of clothes before heading to the hospital. I figured walking into a crowded building with more than a dozen bullet holes in your clothes was a good way to draw attention to yourself. I flew to the hospital and landed out of sight of anyone that I could notice. I made my way into the building and up to Aunt Abby's room. There was a nurse exiting the room. She told me that Aunt Abby had just gone to sleep. I went into the room anyway, simply sitting and watching her sleep for a few minutes. I told her what I did for her, only because I knew she wouldn't condone my actions, regardless of what motivated them. I kissed her gently on the forehead before leaving the room. As I walked down the hall, the doctor from before walked towards me.

"Hello Mr. Stanton." She greeted me.

"Hello, Doctor..." I paused, realizing I never got her name last time.

"Dr. Kitamura." She smiled.

"Thanks. Sorry."

"No problem. You've had a lot to deal with."

"No kidding." I sighed.

"Unfortunately, I have something else to discuss with you that may cause more stress."

"What?" I asked, anxiously. "Is it something about my Aunt?"

"No, your Aunt is fine." She said, reassuringly.

"Then what?"

"I was wondering about how you will pay for this?"

"Excuse me?"

"I know this is a bad time to discuss something like this, but as you may know the hospital is going through some hard times and..."

"Yeah, I get it."

"All I really need to know is if you will be able to pay. Otherwise, I'm afraid we'll have to send your Aunt home sooner to free up her room."

"I'll be able to pay." I firmly replied, noticing some items on the table behind her shake as I did.

"Okay." She smiled, somewhat nervously.

"I'll bring the money tomorrow."

"That would be great." She smiled before walking away.

It would've been great. But I pretty much knew that even combining what money I had, minus what I needed for rent, with what Aunt Abby had, we wouldn't have enough money. We were both barely getting by as it was. I was going to need to find another way to get that money.

Unfortunately, I had what I thought was the perfect idea.

Chapter 15

I woke up the next day and went about my usual morning rituals, chuckling to myself when stories of Malcolm and his gang's deaths came on the news. I then put on all black clothes and grabbed my black ski mask before taking a Prometheus and pocketing the bottle. As I waited for the pill to take effect, I noticed I was feeling very fatigued. Very weak. That didn't make any sense since I had just woken up from a good night's rest. As I became more aware of this weakness, I became anxious, waiting for the pill to take effect. Finally, the rush of adrenaline surged through my body, reinvigorating me. I then closed my eyes and when I opened them, I was outside the local bank.

"I wish there was another way." I remember quietly saying to myself. But maybe I just hope I did.

I made my way into the bank and had a quick walk around, taking note of where things were. I noticed that several guards were making their way to a stairwell and going down it, likely to the vault. I then glanced at my watch and then pretended to make a withdrawal at the ATM, so I didn't look too suspicious.

Then again, who would peg me for what I was going to do?

I left the bank and went to the nearest alley before turning myself invisible. I made my way back to the bank and phased in through the doors. I cautiously made my way over to the stairs, careful not to bump into anyone or anything. Not that they'd suspect an invisible bank robber if they saw a table get knocked around on a security camera, but I figured it was best to be cautious. I made my way down the stairs and took a brief look around. I wasn't sure where anything was down there, so I simply waited until a guard came down and followed him. After waiting for him to chat up a cute secretary and use the bathroom, he led me to the vault.

"Jackpot." I quietly said.

When the guards looked away, I phased through the bars outside the vault door before phasing through the vault door itself. Inside were several carts filled with money and even more bags of cash, as well as some security deposit boxes. I had a look around at all that money before grabbing one of the sacks of money.

No need to be greedy, I figured.

I phased out of the vault and slowly started to make my way down the halls. As I made my way to a long hallway, I saw a door in front of me open and a security guard walk out. As he walked by me, I heard him talking with another guard behind me. I started to feel someone watching me. I turned around and looked behind me, still walking forward, seeing the guards still talking. As I turned around, I bumped into something. I wasn't sure what it was, but it was enough to cause my concentration to break.

My invisibility dropped out.

There I was, standing in the basement of a bank with two security guards and bag of money slung over my shoulders.

"Where the fuck did you come from?" The one guard yelled, noticing me and drawing his gun.

"Put the money down, now!" The other one yelled. "Hands in the air!"

I didn't want to hurt them. They were just doing their job. But, if I used my powers and didn't kill them, they'd report it to the police. Then I'd have Pantheon Corporation on my ass. Something tells me they wouldn't be pleased if their miracle drug was being used for a bank robbery.

"I said drop it!" The guard yelled again.

I turned around and started sprinting away. I heard one guard start chasing me while the other radioed for back up and for the police to be called. I went through the door at the end of the hall and found the stairs. As I started up the stairs, I heard several people coming down towards me.

"Shit!" I growled before turning around. The guard chasing me came through the door at the bottom of the stairs as I reached it. Before he could do anything, I kicked him hard in the stomach and hit him with the bag of money. I made my way past him and started running down the halls again. The other guard that spotted me was still there, and opened fire on me as I entered the hall again. I simply ran towards him and body checked him into the wall as I went by.

I hoped he'd just chalk that up to a bulletproof vest.

I continued through the halls with the guards in pursuit. I eventually bumped into a secretary cowering behind her desk.

"Where's the nearest exit?" I screamed.

"That way!" She responded, indicating a hall to my right as she ducked down.

"Thanks." I answered back before running down the hall. After a few minutes, I was out on the streets, where I was greeted by a very large contingent of police. I knew they had a good response time in this town, but that was ridiculous.

"Drop the bag and get on the ground, now!" A cop with a megaphone screamed.

I simply turned and ran down the alley. I could hear several cops coming after me. I ran down the alley and hopped a fence at the end before arriving on the street. I ran into the traffic and used my telekinesis to stop a car. I ran up to it and opened the door, throwing the driver to the ground. I quickly drove off down the street, lots of cop cars in my rear view mirror.

"Damn it." I muttered.

I figured I could try some creative uses of my powers to keep them off me and get away. As we tore through the city streets, I used my telekinesis to rip the cargo loose from a passing truck, sending several large sections of pipes into the road. It stopped a few cars, but there were still more than enough on me. As they continued to chase me, I pulled a car from the oncoming lane behind me, causing several of the pursuing cop cars to swerve out of the way or crash. There were still a few more after me.

"Persistent bastards." I growled. I looked ahead of us to see a school bus coming up the oncoming lane. I yanked it into my lane behind me and flipped it on its side so it took up as much of the road as possible. That took care of the last of the cops. I drove away down the streets until I found a garage to drive into. I figured there was likely a helicopter after me, so I'd give them something to chew on. I grabbed the money in my hands and closed my eyes once I was in the garage. When I opened them, I was in my apartment.

"Not quite the heist I was hoping for." I grimaced. "But, if it works, it works."

Chapter 16

Now that I had then money, I figured I'd get the important things out of the way. I paid my rent and the hospital bills first. The look on Mr. Carlson and Dr. Kitamura's faces were priceless. I didn't know what to do with the rest of it, so I just stashed it away in my apartment. I figured I earned a little vacation, so I grabbed a few Prometheus pills and made a few more trips to different countries around the world. After getting my fix of exotic locales I teleported back to my apartment to get some dinner. I felt like something simple after a lunch in India. I walked over to the fridge and grabbed one of my microwaveable dinners and heated it up. As I sat down to eat I turned on the TV. The tops story on the news was the bank robbery. I would have laughed, if I didn't hear what the reporter was saying first.

"Several dead or injured after a high speed chase."

My heart sunk in my chest. I watched as the footage showed the destruction on the streets. The flipped bus, the destroyed cars and people being loaded on to stretchers. I turned off the TV and sat quietly in my apartment. I didn't know what to do. I'm not even sure exactly what I was feeling, but it wasn't good. I didn't mean for anyone to die. I couldn't even remember why I did those things. As I sat there, going through the emotions, I glanced over at the bottle of Prometheus 60 on the table.

"Maybe I've had too much of that." I said to myself. "Maybe I need to cut back."

I think I might have just been making excuses for what I did. But, looking back, I still don't know if it was the pills that made me do it. I contemplated my options for several minutes before picking up the pills container and putting it away in the cupboard. I thought I could use a break from that vice for a while and get back to my mundane life. I decided to go out and run some errands.

I spent the next few hours going from place to place around town, doing some shopping and other odd jobs. That whole time, I felt weak. For some reason, doing something fairly simple like lifting a case of beer took a lot out of me. Even pushing a shopping cart around seemed to be much more difficult than it ought to have felt. I thought it must have been the pills. But, the manual said nothing about any side effects or any addictive ingredients. I ended up sitting in my car for about twenty minutes to try and regain some strength. Afterwards, I decided to head to the hospital to visit Aunt Abby again.

Once you know what it's like to soar over the streets, you really begin to appreciate how aggravating traffic is.

When I got to Aunt Abby's room, a nurse was just leaving. I entered the room and she turned towards me.

"Who is it?" She asked.

"It's me, Aunt Abby." I replied.

"Hello Sam. How are you doing?"

"I was coming to ask you that question."

"Oh, I'm doing okay, according to the doctors."

"That's good to hear. But, how do you feel?"

"Well, I'd be lying if I said I was fine."

"That's to be expected, I'd say."

"I just keep thinking...I don't know what I'm going to do when I leave here."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't think I can go back to my house. Just thinking about going back there feels...terrifying."

"You know you can always stay with me, if need be."

"Oh, I wouldn't want to impose."

"Don't be ridiculous." I scoffed. "You've done enough for me over the years. I think I can start returning the favour."

"Thank you Sam."

"No problem. I'll be there for you when you're out. Count on that."

"Your father would be proud of you Sam." She smiled. "Now, I think it's time for me to get some rest."

"Okay. I should be coming by tomorrow."

"I'll see you then." She said.

"Goodbye, Aunt Abby." I said before walking up and kissing her on the forehead. She smiled at me again as backed out of the room. I slowly closed the door behind me as I left before turning and walking down the hall.

And before that day, I had never lied to Aunt Abby before.

Chapter 17

I got back to my apartment and collapsed onto the couch. I could have gone to sleep right then and there if I had wanted to. Instead, I got up and retrieved the Prometheus manual. I flipped through it, reading every page thoroughly. There was nothing at all about adverse side effects or any addictive properties. Nothing about paranoia being a side effect either, I noted as I felt someone watching me again.

"Maybe that's why they gave it to me." I remember thinking. "To test and see if there's any side effects before the mass produce it for the public. Great, so I'm a guinea pig."

A knock at the door drew my attention away from the book.

"Hey, it's Rich!" Came a shout from the other side. I put away the Prometheus manual before walking over to the door and opening it.

"Come on in." I said.

"Thanks." Rich replied before walking in.

"How've you been?" I asked.

"Not bad." He replied. "More importantly, how's your Aunt doing?"

"She's doing well."

"That's good to hear. Unfortunately, it's not the only reason I'm here."

"What's up?"

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but you'd do well to show up for work tomorrow."

"What?"

"Ashton is still chopping jobs when the opportunity provides itself. If you didn't have a damn good excuse for not being there, what with what happened to your Aunt, he'd have canned you already. But, I think he'll get rid of you soon, regardless of reasons."

"Fucking bastard." I growled.

"That's basically become his name around the office." Rich chuckled.

"Okay. I'll be in tomorrow then."

"Okay, I'll see you then."

"Thanks for the heads up."

"Don't mention it. Well, anyway, see you tomorrow." Rich said before turning and leaving the apartment. I walked over to my bathroom and looked in the mirror, seeing my reflection staring back at me. It looked fine, like I always remembered it. No circles around the eyes or anything. I didn't know why I felt so tired. I walked back out to the kitchen and grabbed the manual. I flipped it over and looked at the back. There was Zeitler's number at Pantheon Corporation. I walked over to the phone and dialled the number, waiting two rings for an answer.

"Pantheon Corporation, Virgil Zeitler's office." A female voice answered.

"Uh, yes, may I speak to Mr. Zeitler?" I asked.

"May I ask who is calling?"

"It's Sam Stanton."

"Ah yes, Mr. Stanton, one moment please."

The line went quiet for a second before some eerie piano music began to play. Sounded like some weird lullaby, which didn't help my fatigue at all. As my eyes began to slowly close, the line clicked.

"Hello Sam." Zeitler's voice came on the line. "Have you finished all the pills already?"

"No." I answered. "I actually just have a question for you."

"Which is?"

"Do the Prometheus pills have any side effects?"

"None that we are aware of. Why do you ask?"

"It's just that I've been feeling really fatigued since I've stopped taking them regularly."

"As I said, there are no known side effects." He repeated. He sounded sincere. I still didn't buy it though.

"Has it been tested on anyone else before?"

"No. I told you, you were the first."

"Then how would you know there are no side effects?" I asked. "If I'm your first test subject, and you don't test on animals, then how would you be sure?"

"Because," he began before a slight pause. "The pill was put through rigorous research before it was even decided that it should go to the testing phase. Trust me Sam."

"You make that sound easy."

"It could just be that you're not used to what your body is normally capable of after having used Prometheus. But, I tell you again, there are no side effects. And it's not addictive."

"You say that, but..."

"I'm sorry Sam, I have to go."

The line went dead. I sat listening to the line beeping for a moment before hanging up the phone. Maybe he was right, I thought. Maybe my body had just gotten used to being superhuman, instead of just a regular human. I sat on my couch, staring across the room, unsure of what to do.

I don't even remember what time it was when I fell asleep.

Chapter 18

I woke up the next morning feeling a little bit better. But the lingering feeling of fatigue still hung over me. I was tempted to take a Prometheus, but I relented. I caused enough chaos with those things, and I wanted to avoid something like that again. I had breakfast and watched the news. Police caught a woman who was responsible for a spree killing. She was a mailwoman.

Go figure.

I got my stuff together and headed down to the parking lot. As I got to my car, I heard someone walking up behind me. I turned around to see a man in a red hoodie with a knife in his hand.

"Wallet and car keys." He simply said.

"Come on," I sighed. "Don't do this. Not to me. Not today."

"Wallet and keys." He repeated.

I let out a long sigh before lunging for his knife. He moved his hand out of the way and hit me with several hard punches, knocking me to the ground. He fished around in my pockets and took my wallet and keys before driving off in my car. I felt a simmering rage inside me, but there was nothing I could do about it. I looked at my watch and realized I'd have to run to catch the bus to work. I ran as fast as I could, but missed the bus by two minutes. The rage in me continued to boil as I cursed several times before hailing a cab. It took me ten minutes to get one, and then I was on my way. Luckily I had some extra cash in my coat pocket to pay the cabbie. I entered the offices and went to my workplace. Halfway through my shift, Ashton called me into his office.

"What do you want?" I growled.

"Have a seat, Sam." He said with that sickening grin of his.

I sat down and he went over all the things I had been doing wrong over the past while, including taking too much time off to tend to my Aunt. I tried to explain things to him with a cool head, but when he said he didn't care, I punched him in the face.

Needless to say, I was fired.

Rich asked what happened, so I told him. I told him how I wanted to strangle Ashton to death for being a number-crunching, cold-hearted motherfucker. Rich told me to calm down and told me there was nothing I could do about Ashton. Security escorted me from the building and tossed me into the street. Since I was out of money, I had to walk home. On my way home, I saw some guys beating up another guy. I tried to help and got my ass kicked for it. The one thug told me I should have minded my own business and that there was nothing I could do.

I continued on my way home. And guess who I bumped into on my way? Super bitch, Amy. She told me I looked like shit, though at that point, I did. I tried to be as nice as I could, but she kept being sarcastic and insulting, saying she was much happier with her new boyfriend, because he could satisfy her properly. I was tempted to take a swing at her too, but then I realized I'd just have to let her walk away.

Nothing I could do.

I finally made my way to my apartment. I slowly walked up the stairs to my floor and shambled down the hall to my apartment. As I closed the door, I saw some buff guy storming down the hall toward me. Wouldn't have surprised me if he was coming for me. Instead, he started pounding on Maria's door, yelling for her to open the door and calling her several names while doing so. I closed my door and stood there, listening to the commotion. Maria soon started yelling back at him, telling him they were through and that she'd call the cops if he didn't leave. Suddenly, I heard the sound of her door being broken, followed by the sounds of screaming and struggling. Despite the beatings I had received that day, I opened the door and rushed over to her apartment. I entered and saw her lying on the ground, crying.

"What the fuck do you want?" He snarled at me.

"Leave." I said as firmly as I could.

"Fuck off!" He yelled before turning back to Maria.

I was nothing to him. I wasn't even worth his attention. He took one look at me and figured there was nothing I could do. I was consumed by the rage that had been building in me all day. I charged forward and jumped on the guys back, knocking him down. I started hitting him repeatedly, but he seemed to shrug off the blows and instead began pummelling me. After several blows, he was stopped by Maria, who hit him with her baseball bat. While he was distracted, I punched him in the groin, dropping him to the ground. I then pulled myself to my feet. I was barely able to stand, fuelled by my fury alone. I took the bat from Maria and hit the man. I kept hitting him, again and again, until Maria pulled me away.

"Stop!" She shouted. "You'll kill him!"

Even though I wanted to, I relented. The man slowly pulled himself to his feet and staggered out of the apartment. I collapsed onto the ground, not even able to stand. Maria helped me to her bed where she let me sit down. She thanked me for helping her, telling me I was very brave. She talked a bit more before kissing me. I then kissed her. Then my hand grabbed her breast. I started shoving her down onto the bed, she didn't resist at first. Then she started pushing me off, but I kept pushing back. She managed to shove me off and delivered a hard punch to my face, sending me off the bed, onto the floor.

"I'm sorry..." I quietly said, lying in a heap on the floor. "I...I don't know why..."

"Just leave." She said, tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry." I repeated as I pulled myself to my feet. I limped out of the apartment and returned to mine. I collapsed on the floor after I closed the door. I lay on the ground for several minutes, weak and defeated. In one day, my life went to shit. And through it all, I kept hearing the same phrase going through my head.

Nothing I could do.

Except, in my case, there was.

Chapter 19

I staggered onto the roof of the apartment, carrying the bottle of Prometheus in my hands. I fell to the ground again and lay there, staring up at the night sky. I just kept thinking about everything that went wrong that day. How I was powerless to do anything about any of it. How I just had to sit there and watch everything fall to pieces. I was angry. Angry that I had to just accept what had happened to me. I thought about how, in all my life, I had to just sit back and watch things happen. My families' death, Amy, when I was bullied in the fourth grade and every other time I was a victim of chance, I had to simply accept that what happened to me couldn't be changed. But, chance had also given me something else. Something that I could use to alter my fate. To fight back against the chaos in my life. It helped me fight back against chance for what happened to Aunt Abby. Now I would use it to fight back against what happened to me.

I took a pill from the bottle and put it in my mouth. I bit down and waited two minutes. The adrenaline surge rushed through my body, filling me with energy again. I looked at the cuts and bruises on my arms as they slowly faded away. I stood up and looked out across the city, my rage still seething inside me. I took flight and soared around the city.

I knew exactly where I wanted to go first.

It only took me a few minutes to get to my offices. I landed in the alley beside it and walked into the main lobby. I made my way over to the receptionist and asked if Mr. Ashton was still there. She told me that he was up in the boardroom, in a meeting with several company executives, and would be unavailable. I thanked her for the information, left the building and returned to the alley. I then soared up to the roof and ripped the door inside off its hinges. I made my way down to the floor the boardroom was on and walked over to the doors. As I stood outside them, two security guards came up the stairs and looked over at me. Before they could do anything, I slammed them both into the ceiling before flipping them upside down and smashing their heads into the floor. I then turned back to the door and lifted my hand, sending the doors flying into the boardroom, drawing screams from all inside.

"Hello, Mr. Ashton." I said as I wandered into the room.

"Sam?" He said, with a mixture of fear and puzzlement.

"Yes." I smiled.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm here to talk about my termination from the company. As well as other issues I have with the way this business is being run."

"I'm calling security." One woman said before reaching for the phone. I picked up several letter openers from across the table and sent them flying into her chest and throat before she could reach the phone.

"Jesus Christ!" Ashton exclaimed as everyone else stood from the table.

"Sit down!" I yelled, forcing them all down into their chairs.

"What happened to you?" Ashton stammered.

"I had some issues in my life that a little medication cleared up." I sneered.

"Let us go!" One of the other board members shouted. "We have families!"

"So did Samantha Martin. But her life at this company was ended, as well as countless others, for no good reason."

"There was good reasons!" Another board member spoke up. "Just let us..."

"No!" I shouted, cutting her off. "I'm not here to listen to you justify your actions. I'm here to punish you for them."

"Think about what you're doing Sam." Ashton said. "Do you really want to do this?"

"At this point, yes." I replied. I outstretched my arms and began lifting up board members form their chairs. I then shattered the large window behind Ashton and turned it into a whirlwind of broken glass, slicing and impaling all of the board members as they floated amongst the dervish. When they were all dead, I let them fall to the ground, leaving just Ashton and I.

"My god..." He quietly said. "You killed them."

"Yes."

"Why? Why do all this? Because I fired you?"

"Mostly." I said with a sick grin.

"You sick fuck!" He sneered.

"Now, for something I hoped you'd hear many times. Mr. Ashton, you're fired."

With a flick of my hand I ignited him in flames. As he stood, screaming in agony, I flicked my fingers forward and sent him hurtling out the window behind him, sending him screaming to the pavement below. I sat down in his chair, looking at the blood slicked room before me. I felt good, but it wasn't as satisfying as I thought it would be. There was still an empty feeling in me. I figured that meant there were more issues I needed to work out. So, I took another Prometheus, and flew off into the night sky again.

Chapter 20

I spent the next several hours flying around the city, even going to different parts of the country, venting my rage on various outlets. Old pains that had stuck with me through the years. I destroyed anything and everything to try and fill that emptiness in myself. But, no matter what I did, that emptiness remained. I didn't know what I could do to make it go away. I wondered what was causing it, why it didn't leave me, no matter what I did. I tried to think of something that might be causing it. Something that would make me feel this empty and alone.

Then I thought of Amy.

I looked at my watch and realized it was around noon, so she should be heading back to her house for lunch after work. I flew to her house in a matter of seconds. I hovered above it until I saw her and her boyfriend walk into the house. I slowly descended to the ground and took another Prometheus before turning invisible and sneaking in the back door. I walked into the living room and heard them going upstairs together. I slowly made my way up and found them in their bedroom, kissing each other. She said she wanted to have a quickie before going back to work. As they continued to make out, she told him how she was so happy with him. How he made her feel appreciated and loved.

"I remember when you told me that." I said, still invisible.

"Sam?" She said, looking around the room in a panic.

"When you did say it, I thought it meant something. I hoped it meant something. But, now I realize it was just a lie. That I was nothing to you."

"Where the fuck are you, you freak?" She snarled as she looked around the room. When they both turned their backs to me, I appeared behind them.

"Now I realize you're just a bitch."

"What are you doing in my house?" She screamed after turning to face me.

"Am I right? Was it all just lies?"

"Get out of my house, Sam!"

"Answer my question."

"Hey, buddy," her boyfriend said, stepping forward. "Get the fuck out of here."

"And him," I said, indicating towards her boyfriend. "You leave me for some moronic jock. Why? Cause he'll bend you over and fuck you four times a day? Is that it?"

"Listen, you son of a bitch, get the fuck out of here now." He said, walking towards me. With a flick of my wrist, I turned his head backwards, causing Amy to scream in horror as his body fell to the ground.

"You killed him!" She shrieked. "You crazy bastard!"

"Answer my question, Amy." I simply said.

"You killed him!" She repeated.

"Amy," I said before throwing her back against the wall. "Answer my question."

"You were just not right for me, Sam!" She screamed, getting to her feet. "You were a nice guy Sam! You always were! We had some fun together, but I found out I didn't want a nice guy! That's it Sam!"

"So, you never loved me?" I said, my voice slightly quivering.

"No." She said, her rage sounding like it had subsided slightly.

"And him? You were cheating on me with him for the last few weeks, weren't you?"

"What does it matter?"

"Answer me!" I yelled, the whole house trembling as I did.

"Yes!" She shouted back. "Okay? I was cheating on you! I wanted something more Sam! I wanted someone more assertive! Someone who wouldn't be so nice! Who would be exciting! Okay? Are you happy now?"

I screamed in rage and flipped her into the air, sending her crashing onto the bed. As she slowly tried to stand, I forced her back down onto the bed.

"Too nice?" I roared. "I was too nice? That's the reason you crushed me like you did?"

"Sam, please..." She whimpered as I approached the bed.

"I loved you, Amy! I loved you! And you left me because I wasn't exciting? Because I wasn't assertive? Well, I'll show you assertive!"

With a flick of my finger, her jeans ripped off her body and flew across the room. As she screamed in terror I flipped her onto her stomach. She pleaded with me to stop as I twitched my fingers and spread her legs. She kept screaming and crying the whole time.

Until I made her stop.

Chapter 21

I teleported back into my apartment. I slowly looked down at my hands, covered in Amy's blood. I collapsed onto the floor as I stared at my blood soaked hands. I buried my hands in her blood, sobbing uncontrollably. I stood up, ran to the bathroom and began scrubbing my hands to get the blood off. I looked up as I did and saw my face in the mirror, blood dripping down my cheeks. I screamed in fury and punched the mirror, shattering it to pieces.

"What have I become?" I said to myself as I slumped to the ground. I sat alone in the bathroom for almost an hour. The emptiness was still there. It felt worse than ever. Then the fatigue began crawling over me again, and I slowly pulled out the container of Prometheus. I looked at the pills still in there. I slowly got to my feet and made my way to the kitchen area. I looked into the sink at the gaping drain. I reached for the switch to turn on the food disposal. As it whirred on I lifted the container above the sink. Just as I prepared to dump the pills, I looked over and saw a picture of me with my family. I stared at our smiling faces before lowering the container.

"I might as well do something worthwhile with these things." I said before putting them back in my coat pocket. I then walked over to the photo and told them they would be avenged. I took another Prometheus and set off. Night was falling as I soared around the city, trying to find any information I could on who killed my family. I found nothing.

Then, I thought of a better place to look for information.

Detective Andrews was just leaving the station for the night when I arrived. I flew above him as he drove home until he was at a more secluded area. Then I pulled his car to a stop. As he tried to figure out what the problem was, I landed behind his car and walked towards him.

"Sam?" He said after turning to face me. "What are you doing out here?"

"I wanted to talk to you." I said.

"About what? Listen, my car's stalled or something and I need to get it working."

"Don't worry about the car. I just want to have a quick talk."

"If this is about the attack on your Aunt, we're still investigating."

"It's about the murder of my family."

"Sam, we've been over this a hundred times." He sighed. "It's a cold case."

"You must've had some leads."

"We did, yes, but they didn't pan out. I told you."

"Who was your lead suspect?"

"Sam, I really can't discuss that with you."

"Just tell me, Mitchell." I said, firmly.

"Sam, I can't tell you anything like that."

"Get out of the car."

"What?"

"Get out."

Detective Andrews had a puzzled look on his face. But, for whatever reason, he stepped out of the car. After he did, I lifted the car into the air and bent it in half.

"What the fuck?" He screamed as the wreckage fell to the ground.

"Tell me who the lead suspect was."

"What the fuck did you do?"

"Focus." I said before lifting him off the ground. "And tell me who the lead suspect was."

"Sam, what's going on?"

"Noting that concerns you. I don't want to have to hurt you, but I will. Just give me a name."

"Okay, fine! The lead suspect was a guy named Isaac Kanden."

"Who is he?"

"He used to work for your dad. He was fired. We interviewed anyone who your dad had fired in the last week leading up to his death. Something seemed off about Isaac. But, he had witnesses putting him across town around the time of your families' death."

"Where is he now?"

"Last we heard of him, he was running with some street gang out of Steele Street."

"Then I guess I'll start there." I said before dropping him to the ground. "Thank you for your help. And don't tell anyone about me. Let me handle this."

I flew off into the sky, leaving Detective Andrews lying in the street. Now I was going to find Isaac Kanden.

Chapter 22

I made my way to Steele Street and found out that Isaac wasn't there from some of his associates. It took a little persuasion, but they told me he was going to be making a few stops throughout the night and into the morning, selling some illegal merchandise to other gangs. They didn't know his route, but they did tell me his last stop would be an abandoned factory at the north end of town sometime early tomorrow morning. So, I flew over to the north end of town and located the factory they told me about. An old smelting factory. I stayed there the rest of the night. I kept thinking about Amy, about what I did to her. I hated myself. I wanted to do something right with these powers before I got rid of them. What I did for Aunt Abby was right, but then everything else washed that away. I had to do something to make it right, at least for myself.

At about 7:00 in the morning a thunderstorm started and several cars began showing up. Twenty-seven people in total got out of the cars before they went into the factory. I took a Prometheus and made my way over to the factory. I quietly made my way in to the building and made my way to where everyone was gathered. They were looking at cases filled with illegal weapons and exchanging money.

"Isaac Kanden!" I yelled, causing everyone to turn around and look at me. "I'm here for Isaac Kanden!"

"Who the fuck are you?" One of the men asked. I raised my hand and hurled him across the room into the wall.

"Which one of you is Isaac Kanden?"

The group all turned to face a tall man with jet black hair. As I walked towards him, he told everyone to shoot, yelling that I was a cop. As the other men opened fire, I began hurling flames at them and tossing them around the factory. Isaac turned to run, followed by several men. I pulled down the ceiling on all the remaining men as I moved after Isaac. As I rounded the corner, his men fired on me with heavy machine guns. One of them armed a rocket launcher as I walked forward, firing it at me when it was ready. I hurled the rocket back at them and killed them. I caught a glimpse of Isaac and two men running to another room. I ran into the room just as the door closed, picking up two pieces of concrete and smashing them into the two men who were with him. Isaac dropped to his knees as I walked towards him, my hands engulfed in flames.

"Oh my god." He said in awe. "He found you too."

"What?" I asked, confused by why he wasn't terrified by my display of powers.

"He gave it to you too."

"What are you talking about?" I demanded.

"Zeitler." He said, causing my heart to sink. "Zeitler came to you."

"How do you know that name?"

"Because, he gave me those gifts too."

I stammered back from Isaac, my head spinning. Was he telling the truth? He had to be. How else would he know about Zeitler and Prometheus 60? Dozens of questions flooded my mind as Isaac got to his feet.

"Who are you?" He asked. "Did he send you to kill me?"

"You killed my family!" I screamed, my thoughts refocusing. "My name is Sam Stanton!"

"Stanton." He said with recognition.

"You remember?" I snarled. "You remember killing him? And my mother, sisters and brother?"

"I am so sorry." He said, tears welling in his eyes. "I didn't mean to."

"You didn't mean to?"

"I know it sounds like a foolish thing to say. But it's true."

"What happened then?" I yelled, my hands igniting again.

"I was working at the building where your dad was a manager. My wife just recently found out she was pregnant, so I was putting in all the hours I could. One day, your dad called me into his office and told me I was being let go. I begged him, pleaded with him to let me stay, but he said it was out of his hands. I spent the next few days looking for a new job, but there was none to be found. That's when he found me."

"Zeitler?"

"Yes. He told me that Pantheon Corporation had invented a new pill, and that I had been selected to try it out. He gave me the pills after I signed the papers. I figured I had nothing to lose. The pills worked. They gave me amazing powers. So, in order to provide for my family, I used them to rob the Eleventh Street Bank. I took the money home and showed my wife what I could do. What the pills allowed me to do. She was horrified. She told me she wanted me to leave. She said she didn't want our child raised by a monster. I...I lost control. I threw her across the room into the wall. I didn't mean to. But, she was dead. So was my baby girl inside her."

"But why did you kill my family?"

"I just...I needed someone to blame. Someone to punish for my own crimes. I went to your families' house. I just couldn't control my anger. I kept thinking that he took away my family, so I should take his away."

I collapsed to my knees as Isaac finished his story.

"Then I ran. I teleported away, got rid of the pills and I ran. That's how I ended up here. I am so sorry, Sam." He said through the tears. "I am so very sorry."

As the anguish washed over me, I screamed at the top of my lungs. The building shook as I stood up, Isaac staring at me. I roared in fury as I clenched my fists together. I saw Isaac's eyes close as the pain surged through his body. But on his face was a look of relief. I pulled my arms apart, and ripped Isaac in half down the center of his body. I fell back to my knees and began crying. As I sat there, I began to feel someone watching me again. I turned to my right to see Zeitler standing in the doorway nearby. He wore a long black trench coat, dress shoes, leather gloves, dress pants and a wide brimmed hat.

"Hello Sam." He said, sounding eerily calm.

"You!" I snarled as he walked into the room. "You motherfucker!"

"Careful with the insults, Sam. You don't know the whole story. Only what he told you."

"Why would you do it?"

"You want to know?"

"Yes. I want to hear the truth from you before I kill you."

"Very well." He said with a chuckle. "Pantheon Corporation had been working on a pill that would re-grow limbs and repair damaged muscles. In the process of working on that pill, they stumbled onto what is now Prometheus 60."

"It was an accident?"

"Many great things were. The board of executives immediately began salivating at the thought of how much money they could make by making this pill available to the public. But I advised them that it would be far too dangerous to release it to the general public. They refused to listen, until I brought up the notion of lawsuits. I proposed that I would be given a limitless supply of Prometheus to conduct experiments to prove my point to them. If I proved that the pill was too dangerous to give to people, they would destroy it all. If I was wrong, they could market it as they saw fit?"

"So you started giving Prometheus to people?"

"Yes. I gave it to people old and young. Rich and poor. Men and women. Any and all walks of life."

"What point were you trying to prove?" I asked.

"Abraham Lincoln once said, 'Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power'. I wanted to show them that, no matter who I gave the pills to, they would eventually use it to act out their darkest desires. I wanted to show them that the only reason we all don't act like monsters, is because we don't have the power to. We humans are pathetic, weak, petty and greedy. Giving anyone that power would allow them to turn their darkest selves loose. That's what I proved, time and time again."

"You made the pills addictive, just so you could prove a point?"

"They weren't made addictive, Sam. The only thing to get addicted to was the power. I watched you all this time. I saw you, just like all the others, struggle with what to do before succumbing to your own selfish desires. You weren't addicted to the pills. You just didn't want to go back to being weak again."

"So, all those people died, just so you could prove that humans are easily corruptible?"

"They all died, so that I could protect the world from this pill. The Pantheon executives would have unleashed it on the masses. The destruction would have been catastrophic. They died to serve a higher purpose. Those hundreds died so that millions could live. That's an acceptable loss."

"Not for me." I said as I stood.

"Your family died, so that millions of others could live. Do you not take solace in that?"

"Fuck you!" I screamed as I charged towards him. As my fist hurtled towards his face it stopped dead about an inch from it. I couldn't move my arm at all. Fear swept over me as I looked into Zeitler's grey eyes.

"Did you really think I would go near someone like you without taking precautions to protect myself?" He said before I was hurled backwards into the wall. As I slowly leaned up, the Prometheus pills flew from my coat pocket to his hand.

"You bastard." I growled.

"This experiment is over, Sam." He calmly said as he put the pills in his coat. "Thank you for your help."

As he turned to walk away, I lifted up several slabs of concrete and hurled them at him. He spun around in time to throw most to the side, but one struck him in the chest and knocked him over. As we both got to our feet, he tilted his head slightly, causing the dust to shake loose from his clothing.

"You want to fight me, Sam?" He mockingly asked.

"I want to kill you." I replied.

"Very well. You are welcome to try. But do not think you are the first to attempt it."

I hurled several more slabs of concrete at him, as well as some chains and equipment. They all stopped before hitting him and were flung back at me. I tried to knock them away, but several struck me and sent me crashing through the wall behind me. As I tried to stand, Zeitler outstretched his hand and fired a bolt of lightning at me, knocking me to the ground. He sent out another bolt as I lay there, electrocuting me. Through the pain, I lashed out with my hands, sending a plume of fire at him. He simply waved his hands and caused the flames to dissipate. Then, without even moving his hands, Zeitler brought the wall down on top of me. I used my one free hand to throw the debris off me. As Zeitler hurled more projectiles at me, I charged forward, tossing them to the side. I tackled into Zeitler and sent him flying backwards. As he came to a stop, I brought down part of the ceiling on him. The rubble exploded after a second, Zeitler walking towards me and brushing himself off.

"Impressive." He snickered. Before I could react, he hurled me up into the air before flying forward and punching me through another wall.

We continued to battle, decimating the factory as we did. Eventually, Zeitler slammed me to the ground and dragged me across the floor to his feet. As he reared up to crush me under his foot, I hurled him into the air, then launching myself upwards and taking him through the roof into the stormy skies above. We continued to battle in the storm, grappling and pummelling each other repeatedly, neither doing any damage thanks to our Prometheus pills. As the battle raged on, I could feel my fury being overtaken by fatigue.

My pill was wearing off.

Zeitler took advantage of me momentarily dropping my guard and grabbed me, hurling me towards the factory below us. As I plummeted to the ground, he flew down and thrust his hands forward, sending a large bolt of lightning from the storm into my chest. The bolt sent me towards the ground at an even greater velocity. I slammed into the hard factory floor with immense force, creating a crater that was several feet deep. Zeitler slowly descended to the ground as I pulled myself out of the crater. He adjusted his hat as he walked towards me.

"It seems your pill is almost out." He said. "You may only have ten or twenty minutes left."

I thrusted my hand towards him, but he only moved back slightly, as if hit by a strong gust of wind.

"After an exertion of that level, you'll need a few moments to rest for your powers to recover. I guess you missed that part of the manual."

"Why me?" I asked.

"Pardon?"

"Why did you choose me?"

"Because, you were a good guy Sam."

"What?"

"No matter what happened to you in life, you never pushed back. You always stepped away, let it roll off your back. No matter what happened to you, you remained unfailingly nice. I was interested to see what someone like you would do with these pills. It was just chance you were the first file I found. The first one I started following. Your connection to Isaac Kanden was an unfortunate oversight on my part. Though it did yield interesting results."

"What happens now?" I asked, kneeling on the ground in front of him.

"I go back to Pantheon Corporation with my findings. Then they'll shut down production of Prometheus 60 and destroy all of the pills. You may not think the sacrifices were worth it, but they were Sam."

"Spare me your noble intentions." I groaned, tears forming in my eyes as I thought of my family again.

"As for what happens to you, that's for you to decide."

"What do you mean?"

"I hear the police coming, Sam. A gunfight such as the one you instigated with them was bound to get a few people to call the police."

"So I go to jail?"

"It depends. By the time they get here, there is a chance your Prometheus might still be working. Only a small chance, but a chance nonetheless."

I started laughing to myself when he said that. Zeitler walked over and patted me on the shoulder before turning and walking away.

"Thank you again for your help." He said. "The world will be a better place for it. Goodbye Sam."

With that, he faded from sight. I knelt there on the ground, thinking about my family, Amy, Aunt Abby, even Mr. Ashton. I thought about everything I had done with those pills. I wondered if Zeitler was right. Did the pills make me a monster, or just give me the ability to act like the one I was on the inside. As all the events from the week and the dozens of other thoughts I had floated through my head, I buried my head in my hands and started crying. As I did, I heard several footsteps coming down the hall behind me. I slowly got to my feet and turned around as six heavily armed SWAT members came into the room. As I looked at them, Detective Andrews emerged from behind them.

"Mitchell?" I said, surprised to see him.

"Don't move Sam." He simply said.

"How did you find me?"

"I had everyone I could looking for information on the Steele Street Gang after our talk last night. Eventually, we got a tip they were going to be in this area this morning. When we started getting calls about a large gunfight, I had a feeling we'd find you here."

"Mitchell..."

"Don't move." He said, raising his gun. "If you move even a finger, we'll have to shoot."

Chapter 23

That's how it happened. That's how I went from my boring, uneventful life to standing in a ruined factory surrounded by corpses and armed men. In one week, my life changed in ways I could never have imagined. I don't know what you think of me now. Am I a monster? A victim? Was Zeitler right? I don't even know what I think. All I know is what I did. And that I was here because of chance, and the choices I made.

"You're coming with us Sam." I hear Detective Andrews saying.

Now all I have left to think about is what I deserve. I may not be ready to die, but do I deserve to? Or do I deserve to be taken in and locked away in a government lab for the rest of my life? Or maybe, do I deserve to get away? To leave this place and go somewhere else? To live out the rest of my days as I choose? Zeitler said there was a chance my Prometheus could still be active. A chance is all it took for this to begin, so why not let chance decide how it ended. I look up at Detective Andrews.

"Don't move Sam!" He shouts, backing up and aiming with his men again. "There's no getting away."

"No chance." I say with a slight grin.

I close my eyes for a moment, thinking of my family. I think of what my life could be like if I get away. What it could be like if these pills were never discovered, if my family were still here with me today. I think of what will happen if I do this and the pill has worn off. I open my eyes. I'm ready, whatever the outcome may be. I look at Detective Andrews and his men. I imagine them flying backwards onto the ground. I stare at them for a moment before I take a deep breath.

Then I raise my hand.

###

Now that you are done, take a moment to ask yourself:

What you would do with those powers?

Discover other titles by Jamie Kirkland at Smashwords.com:

Thelnwen Tales: Forever Night - http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/85694
