Off Grid

Chapter 6: Damsel in Distress

Seth Anderson knew to always expect the unexpected. Life had certainly thrown him more than his fair share of curve balls. He'd dealt with everything from dead parents to the development of superpowers.

Even so, nothing could quite have prepared him for his walk home from the park.

Seth had, in recent days, been going out for strolls around Argent city. He still hadn't returned to work, since he assumed that it would seem strange for him to go back so soon after his encounter with the gunman, so he needed something to kill time.

Normally, he supposed that the free time would have led to less time as Seth and more time as Off Grid. He would have liked for that to be the case. After the discovery of Resonance following him though, he needed to play it as safe as possible. That, unfortunately, meant temporarily distancing himself from his mask.

Which was always more difficult in practice than in theory.

It had only been a few days, and already Off Grid was antsy, itching to cause trouble.

He was sure that Seven had picked up on his odd, restless behavior, but the kid probably chalked it up to a side effect of Seth's almost being shot at work.

Since the incident, his brother had been very clingy and careful around him. He'd been texting constantly to check in when Seth went out, and waiting on the couch whenever he got home.

It wasn't that Seth didn't appreciate it, but he was hoping that Seven relaxed and went back to normal very soon. The last thing Seth needed was for his kid brother to baby him. He was, after all, a grown man. He was used to being the parent in their strange brother-guardian relationship. Seth could very well take care of himself.

It's just that, more often than not, he didn't.

Although highly protective of his brother, Seth had always been reckless when it came to his own health, and even his life. As a supervillain, and even before then. When he was Seth and only Seth.

Be it drugs, alcohol, leaping from buildings, or fighting his super powered nemesis, it was all the same to him. His well-being had always been a secondary concern. Naturally, that recklessness caught up to him in what was perhaps the stupidest way it could have.

Seth's eyes were on his cell phone and his latest text from Seven. It was dumb, really, and it didn't require his immediate attention. His brother was just asking if he was on his way home and what he wanted for dinner.

It could have waited. Instead, Seth decided to reply.

He did glance up, but not for as long as he should have. Only long enough to take note of the crosswalk and start his way through it.

He didn't notice the car turning the corner to his left. Too fast. Not until someone on the other side of the street called out a warning and it was too late to avoid it.

Even if the man behind the wheel hit the breaks, the vehicle wouldn't stop soon enough. Seth knew that. He figured that the driver must have too.

He'd probably panic and keep driving once it happened. A hit and run. It was dark enough to make it difficult to catch his plates. It's what Seth decided he would have done in his shoes.

Maybe the man would lose sleep about it, the guilt eating at him slowly. Or maybe he was like Seth. Maybe he wouldn't care. Either way, it might not matter to Seth. Not if things ended in the way that he fully accepted they might.

So he closed his eyes and braced for the impact.

And something did slam into him, but it wasn't the car. Of that he was fairly certain.