Hardly A Hero [REWRITTEN ON NEW ACCOUNT]

Chapter 32: Back to Square One

I took another long, slow breath, trying to remain seated and calm instead of picking up the phone and calling TerraStorm.

It made sense. All those times I had felt inclined to follow Ben, to forgive him, it was his powers. Every suspicion that caused such high-alert was rolled into felt and melted, all at a glance. That evening when both he and TerraStorm confronted me in my HQ, where I made the decision to stay, was all at the hands of his abilities.

It just so happened I made it into Chilton Academy of Media and Journalism, which topped off the whole thing.

I had decided to stay and it was the wrong decision.

Again, Sebastian paused. He flattened the paper with his palm once more.

"About your powers," he started, coughing slightly before continuing. "You may or may not know that your father sold you to an organization that did illegal drug-testing and other unauthorized experiments. That's where they experimented on you and thousands of other children and babies. Unfortunately, only an estimated 13% of those tested on gained abilities. The others were left crippled or... worse.

"I have news about NASEB and their plans. They intend to wipe out Supers, or have them suppress their power and never procreate, in fear that the abilities are transferable. This includes your friend TerraStorm and his group of villains. They intend to kill them, Rose, the next chance they get."

In the pause he took, I had already started cooking up a plan, trying to think of an event that they would make themselves vulnerable and, therefore, put themselves at huge risk of NASEB catching them. But Sebastian beat me to it.

"I decided to do some research. It wasn't entirely legal but please don't tell my mother." He coughed a chuckle, which died behind a daunting look of fear. Did he come to the realisation he may never see her again? I couldn't help but think that was exactly what he was thinking. "Anyway, the group of them are planning a robbery at Great Bartholemew Hotel. The address and date is in one of the files on this USB. I hope you get this in time.

"Lastly, I made something for you. I figured your disguise would be a little small and outdated by now. Not to mention I made it with the intention of you using it as a ComicCon costume." We both laughed. "It's in a rented out storage facility... along with a few other things you might like. The details are in a word file on here."

I stared blankly at the screen and he reciprocated the same look back. It was as if we were saying goodbye, like he wasn't already... gone. I traced my finger across the screen, over his face, which grew paler and colder by the second.

"I'm sorry, Rose. I wish there was more I could do."

He intertwined his fingers and I could tell the lesson was over. I just wished it could have been real.

"I hope... I hope I've helped. Even if it makes a microscopic difference. Please... if NASEB are truly what I'm only just coming to believe they are, don't let them get away with it. Please."

Without realising at first, I nodded.

I won't. I promised myself, and him too. I'll make sure of that.

I checked the date of TerraStorms planned heist. 8 days from now. I had time, enough to find out exactly what NASEB planned to do.

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I decided to go home that evening and let TerraStorm's master suite see an empty night.

But what I walked in on was enough to drive me away once again.

Winchester orbited my legs, barking at the unfamiliarity of the place and bringing an amused grin to my face. Fumbling with the keys, I held my shoulder bag close to my hip and pushed through the door with a victorious sigh, relieved to be home.

My eyes met a messy living room; a vase had smashed on the floor, the vibrant lillies pooling on the ground in a depressing mess, the TV beaming blue light into an otherwise pitch black room and, perhaps the most chilling sight of all; the bottle.

A limp hand lay slumped over the edge of the sofa, an empty, glass container clasped between the fingers.

I dropped my bag, tread quickly to her side and picked up the bottle, staring at the label with a cold rush spreading across my back.

She had relapsed.

"There's my super girl." My mother's eyes were widened and eerily awake. She pushed her chest off the sofa with two, shaking arms. "Been out for a real long time there. Who'd you save today, super power lady?"

She dropped her weight onto the armrest, sitting crookedly upright and staring at me.

"Why? Why did you do this?" I questioned, my eyes flooded with anger and fear and upset. My stomach churned with the realisation I couldn't do anything for her. I had given her my faith, my secrets, and here she was spitting them out like nobody's business.

"Oh, honey, I met the mayor today. He took me for a drink, that old charmer."

It was like she was picking out random words from the air and forming a sentence based on concrete intoxication and a huge lack of shame.

"I don't care." I spat, a tear slipping desperately across my cheek and down to my jaw.

I felt the past few days slip between my fingers. The moments of laughter and soberness all had a timer on them and it had run out.

"No, honey, don't be like that! He could be your new father!"

The memory of the masquerade ball he had hosted slipped into my mind, particularly him hiding behind the bikini-model. His wife.

I didn't reply with anything, despite how much it disgusted me and urged me to break every damned object in the house.

Shaking the terrifying thoughts from my head, I paced to the door and slung the bag over my shoulder.

"Whoosh! There she goes again to fly off into the night! Watch out, people!"

Winchester didn't make any noise and followed me out. I slammed the door behind me and ran away, for the first time in 5 years.

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A/N:

Hey everyone!
I hope you guys like this slightly shorter chapter and I can't wait to hear what you guys think of it.

I know a lot of people are going back to school now and I hope it is going well. I still have 3 weeks left of my summer holiday, in which I'm getting my GCSE results in, so I'll have plenty of time to keep writing.

Until next time,

~SkyHunterXoX