The Metahuman Agency: The Superhuman War

The Build Up

Although feeling a little demoralized after seeing the memorial, the group nonetheless decided to continue their exploration of Washington D.C. They went down the streets, stopping for coffee once (just for Laureen, neither Jason nor Hiroshi drank the stuff). They reached a more crowded boulevard of the city. Jason, used to this, easily shoved his way past other people, as did Laureen, but Hiroshi was knocked down and nearly got stepped on. Jason managed to haul him back up and kept him fairly close as they kept going through the crowds, before finally popping out into a square.

There, they caught a glimpse of the International Spy Museum. Supposedly a must-see landmark. But the line was too long and Laureen thought that the tickets were going to be overpriced anyway. So they kept on walking. Passing crowds of people, tourists and more. Jason noticed some specks of graffiti coating the buildings. He grimaced when he saw what it depicted. Images of monsters standing amidst the ruins of the White House, their fangs and claws coated in gore. A burning American flag sat at the monsters's feet. Underneath the image was written "METAHUMANS ARE AMERICA'S CANCER."

It was a bit on the nose. And totally inaccurate. But it hurt all the same.

They walked for a bit longer after that. Tried to get into a random museum they found. But once they found out it was an art gallery, all three lost interest. Hiroshi expressed hope they might find a comic book store or something along those lines. But they never did. Laureen kept an eye out for a GameStop but that also failed to materilize. Jason didn't particularly want to find anything. In fact, the more time they were spending outside, the more bad memories were being dredged up. They have saved Washington but everyone seemed to hate them for it. He didn't understand it and was getting pretty pissed off. He tried to hide it but Laureen must have noticed at some point, as she suggested going back to the hotel sometime around one o' clock. Jason agreed and Hiroshi did too, so the trio started walking back. They did, however, stop at a food cart on the way.

Jason took the sandwich from the vendor. He had ordered a turkey sandwich and as Laureen handed the vendor his money, took a big bite. It wasn't band, although the turkey seemed a bit bland. Nonetheless, he began to chew.

"How is it?" Laureen said. She was clutching a bag chips, a soda, and a burger.

"Mmm hmmprf," Jason replied through his full mouth. He sprayed crumbs everywhere. Laureen raised an eyebrow.

"Dude...I know you're from the streets but come on man. That's just fucking rude."

Jason swallowed. He smirked and said, "Sorry" before taking another bite. "I'll try to follow your example next time, Ms. I-Leave-Crumbs-Everywhere."

"Hey!" Laureen pointed a finger at him. "First of all, those are gaming snacks. I can't help getting a little messy when I'm gaming. Its how these things work. Besides, I clean up after myself." Jason gave her a look. "...Sometimes." She coughed awkwardly and began to rip open her chips, sliding the burger and soda under her arm.

Jason took another bite of his sandwich. He glanced over his shoulder. Hiroshi was standing a few feet away, watching cars go by. He had been mostly quiet during their walk. Jason guessed it was because he was still uncomfortable around them and perhaps because he was in a new place.

Jason approached him and swallowed a hunk of the sandwich. He placed a hand on Hiroshi's shoulder. Hiroshi flinched and glanced at him. "Hey," Jason said. "You okay?"

Hiroshi frowned. He shrugged. "I guess...I didn't know how much people got hurt by us." He squeezed his eyes shut. "Man. I really scared a lot of people when I was running around. I mean, I know I didn't hurt anyone..." He bit his lip. "That I saw, anyway. But I blew up homes, buildings. I probably inflicted so much fear in people. God...I probably wreck whole lives with my actions." He kicked the road. "I'm partly the cause of people hating us, aren't I? Me and my stupid powers."