Origin of Power

Chapter 7

The van jerked away, and I sensed Lightshow had done something with the light. Everything out of the front windows seemed blurred, I couldn't make out a thing. I took a deep breath, leaned back against the van wall and tried not to worry. The last thing I needed was panic influencing my judgment.

It was hard not to think of the fight in the silence. The killing. It wasn't something I thought I would have difficulty with. I was a logical person and killing Dusk was certainly for the greater good, but at the same time I couldn't help but feel I was just another part of the problem. The world didn't need more killers, did it?

I sighed, that was exactly what it needed. There was only one way to stop Titans like Dusk and that was to end them. Either he dies or many more become victims.

I imagined the HA were on the scene by now, possibly struggling to identify the body as Dusk's after his transformation. Unless they knew more than the rumours let on.

It was stuffy inside, even with the cold. I was on the left-side bench with Binder, behind Lightshow. Snapshot was opposite me, he had placed the two metal cases from the Drug Den at his feet. Shifter was beside him, the only person in the van that wasn't doing anything to cover up her face, which wasn't a good thing. She had her eyes drilled on me. None of them trusted me, but she was the only one displaying it with such hostility.

"How did the mission go?" Mia asked from the driver's seat. She sounded more mature than the others, more business. From the back I could see she had brown hair furled over her red puffer coat—one with the bubble-like bulges—at shoulder length.

"Dusk's dead, we're not," Shifter said immediately. "Good enough."

"That is good. Could I perhaps have some more details?"

Lightshow laughed. "It was a little more complicated than that."

"I gathered. The new guy took out Pocket Rocket?"

Lightshow nodded.

"Alone?"

"Yes. To be honest, we were lucky he was there."

"Too lucky if you ask me," Binder cut in. "Mia, you rushed this. Things could have gone very wrong."

"Oh calm down, Binder," Snapshot said. "The mission was a success, could you stop bringing everyone down."

Binder scoffed.

"You got a problem?" Mia asked.

I glanced at Binder out of the corner of my eye, staring at Mia out from his hoodie. "We can't be this careless again. We won't be lucky every time."

"You're right," Lightshow said. "We can talk about this later, but for now, we have an audience."

He paused, then nodded. "Fine."

"Impressive that you took out Pocket Rocket alone," Mia said, moving on.

I glanced at her and noticed her looking at me in the rear-view mirror. Why did vans without back windows have rear-view mirrors?

"You have some experience doing this?" she continued.

"Not exactly," I frowned. "I got him by surprise, and even then, he almost won."

"That would explain the blood," Mia said. "He's a veteran, and a good one at that. You don't get as high in the Drug Den as he did without having exceptional skills. Your win is an accomplishment to be proud of."

"Yeah," I muttered.

"Which leads me on to the question: what were you doing there?"

I took a deep breath, clenching my hands together and considering my response carefully. But what reply could I give that wasn't suspicious? From every angle I thought about it, I looked like a spy. I decided to be honest.