LIGHTFOOT (ONC 2021)

8.1| doctor who?

A bald dark-skinned woman with violet eyes, a wide nose, and plump lips appeared, looking to be in her forties. She wore a white long-sleeve sweater and black pants.

"Who are you?" Saint-Max asked, his hands clenched, ready to fight in case she was an enemy. But neither his gut nor consciousness alarmed him about her.

The woman had a calm demeanor like she was there to help and not hurt them. "Relax, Lightfoot. I'm not here to fight you." She turned to Janice. "You too."

"Not unless you tell us who you are," Janice replied.

The woman flicked her right hand, and three chairs materialized out of thin air. One stood behind her, and the others beside them. "Sit," she said, taking her own seat.

Saint-Max and Janice exchanged glances before sitting.

"Who are you?" Saint-Max asked.

"I'm Dr. Iness Johnson."

"What happened to the villains and customers?"

"They vanished."

"Are you responsible?"

"Yes." Dr. Iness crossed her right leg over her left.

"Where did you take them?" Janice asked.

"Nowhere. They weren't real. Just constructs I made."

"Why?"

"To train you."

"For what?"

"You need to be prepared for what's coming."

"What about the time loop?" Saint-Max inquired.

"I'm responsible for it too." The doctor smiled. "Instead of asking all these questions, you should thank me."

"Thank you?"

"Yes. If it wasn't for me, you," Dr. Iness pointed at Janice, "wouldn't have unlocked your dormant powers. And you," she pointed at Saint-Max, "wouldn't have grown past using your superspeed. It was holding you back from greatness."

Saint-Max scoffed. "I was already great."

"You don't believe that."

"Don't tell me what to believe."

"Ok." She raised her hands. "So hostile. A seasoned superhero would've figured out the robbery scene was fake, seeing as the biggest priority during a kaiju attack is evacuation. Didn't you wonder where the security guards were? There was no sign of them. Not even their blood."

"They could've been knocked out and hidden somewhere," Saint-Max said.

"Why didn't you check?"

Saint-Max opened his mouth but had nothing to say. She was right. He was so focused on figuring out how to end the time loop, basic questions like that escaped his thoughts. He should've checked the whole bank and assessed the situation before stopping the villains. Maybe then he'd have found her.

"Why did you trap us in the time loop?" Janice asked.

"I wanted you to upgrade your levels. You may not know this, but you're on the lower side of Class-1. You'll see when you take the tests. Well, when she," she pointed at Janice, "takes the tests."

"What about me?" Saint-Max asked.

"You have a bigger role to play. You shouldn't take the tests."

"Why?"

"Because..." She scratched her neck, seeming to be caught in two minds. "Because..." She glanced at Janice, who stared at her, and then back to Saint-Max. "Because." She shrugged.

"That's not helpful."

"I know." Dr. Iness uncrossed her legs, leaned forward, and covered her face with her hands. "This whole mess is your doing, and I'm the one who has to clean it up."

"I didn't do anything."

"Not yet."

"Can you stop the vagueness and tell us the truth? We've been in thousands of loops. It's the least we deserve," Janice said.

"You're right." Dr. Iness leaned back and crossed her legs and arms. "I come from The Dark Future."

"The Dark Future?" Saint-Max asked.

"Yes, and I need your help to prevent it from happening?"

"You're from the future?" Janice asked.

"That's what I said."

Saint-Max looked at Janice. "She's from the future?"

"That's what she said," the reporter replied.

"Tell us more about this Dark Future," he said.

"A war between powerful superheroes erupts, killing ninety-nine percent of the population, and leaving the Earth inhabitable."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"Why would I go through the trouble of helping you two develop?"

They had nothing to say.

Dr. Iness continued. "I came here to make sure you became powerful early on. In the future, Janice, your powers activated in a near-death situation. A villain was about to kill you when you screamed, destroying him with your ultrasonic sound. And Saint, you develop by fighting powerful supervillains from across the world. It's why I created the time loop. For your benefit, and Earth's."

"Why us? There are powerful superheroes who'd love to help you," Janice said.

"Do you really believe that?"

Janice bit her upper lip. "No."

"It's why you need to take the hero tests, Janice. Once you do, you'll be able to infiltrate their ranks and discover their secrets using your journalistic skills."

"You never explained why I shouldn't take the tests," Saint-Max said.

"You have another mission."

"What mission?"

"In my timeline, The Watchdogs approached you after hearing your statement about the superheroes of Gluevale and asked you to join them. You refused. That decision was a key moment that led to the Dark Future. But now, you're going to say yes. Don't let the media lie to you about them being terrorists. They're fighting the same battle as you, trying to remove corrupt superheroes from positions of power. The Hero Business isn't the same anymore; people get into it for fame and money. They don't care about saving the weak and innocent. It's why we have to do something about it."

"Why can't it be both?" Janice asked. "Why can't people seek money and fame, and save innocent lives?"

"Because life doesn't work that way. When you save a rich person, they'll tell everyone. That'll bring special coverage to you, attracting more sponsors and advertisers. It doesn't work that way when you save poor people. So, when that happens a few times, you start focusing on saving the rich because it guarantees you more money, leaving the poor to fend for themselves."

"I see your point."

"I still don't understand. How does it get to the point of world destruction?" Saint-Max asked. "Can't the superheroes reach an agreement and stop fighting?"

"They almost did, but one of them wasn't in the right state of mind, ending up killing all of them and destroying the world."

"Who is it?" Janice asked.

"Him." Dr. Iness pointed at Saint-Max. "He destroys the world."

Total Words: 14,850.