Off Grid

Chapter 7: Two Can Keep a Secret

Seth kept more than his fair share of secrets. What he failed to realize was that his brother did too.

Seven Anderson didn't have much of an origin story. No spider bite, fall into toxic waste, or radiation exposure. That had always disappointed him, but it didn't make his abilities any less extraordinary and incredible to discover.

From the moment he found out what he could do, Seven knew what he would become. How could he gain powers and use them for anything less than protecting those who needed it?

Especially, Seven thought, with the way in which he and his brother had lost their parents. If someone like him had been around that night, his family would still be alive.

Family. That was why Seven had chosen to become Resonance in the first place, because everyone had a family that deserved to see them come home. It was why he hated Off Grid so much, so deeply. Off Grid used his powers to steal, and to destroy the lives that the citizens of Argent City had built for themselves.

Off Grid didn't care about family.

As Seven made his way home, he observed the city around him. The way so many homes now had bars on their windows, or high tech security systems. Nobody felt safe anymore. He wanted to change that, but Off Grid wasn't getting any easier to handle. He needed a new way to tackle the villain, and he needed it soon.

It was pure chance that Seven had decided to take a shortcut that day. Pure chance that he had been intercepted by a chatty teacher on his way out of school and hadn't started walking sooner. Pure chance that he was passing by the construction site when the beam started falling. Right toward an unsuspecting boy that was about his own age.

Since becoming a superhero, Seven had grown used to seeing people in perilous situations. Sometimes, he even went looking for it. What he wasn't used to though, was encountering such a situation when he couldn't do anything to stop it.

He didn't have his suit. More than that, he was too far away. He'd never make it in time.

Despite knowing all of that, he knew that he still had to try. Seven sprinted down the street with everything he had, messenger bag bouncing against his side. It was the kind of person he was. If it meant saving someone from certain death, he was willing to risk revealing his identity.

As it turned out, his help was never needed in the first place.

Seconds before Seven could get close enough to use his own powers, the boy threw his hands out, frantic, and the beam slowed its descent. Seven noticed that the way he used his powers was shaky. Unsteady and imperfected. Even so, he had managed to save himself, and that was more than enough to gain Seven's attention.

The boy hurried out of the way and let the beam fall harmlessly to the ground. He was visibly shaken, but he was definitely alive, and Seven was fascinated.

"Whoa. That was way cool," Seven gushed, unable to contain himself any longer. "How did you do it? It is like a slowing down time thing, or is it like a telekinesis type thing?"

When the boy spun around, Seven was pleasantly surprised to find that he recognized him. Not just him, but the logo on his school uniform. It was the same logo that Seven was forced to wear everyday.

"Either way, it was seriously wicked and you should do it again! Just, you know, maybe without the whole 'almost being crushed to death' part," Seven finished.

"Who are you?" Marcus demanded, his words verging on panic.

Everyone at school knew Marcus Blake. That didn't, however, mean that he knew who everyone else was.