The last torrential arcs raked the sewer walls. Churned and boiled the steadily flowing drainage, cracked concrete and stone in defining lines, and all flowed back toward its new master. His form hunched over the melting junction box as the arcs died down to a trickle. Darkness taking everything back but feeling and control. Returning with the last of the stray strands of electricity literally eaten. Heat rousing him from a restorative stupor, a little too much heat.

"ah h- hot HOT!!"

Smooth palms padded down his face and arms, singed skin demanding attention and allowing him a brief revel in relief. The rough char, or whatever had covered his skin, was gone. No existentially grotesque weight trailed behind him, no exposed bone adding edges to his fingers. A cursory pat of his jaw found his teeth covered back up by bare skin. And no more hole ripping through his chest. A cheerful lung full of air spreading that relief about.

He really didn't want to think about how he looked before, internally thanking this damp darkness for shielding him from a few more phantom scars. From no doubt seeing his connector suit melted into what could even be left of his skin, or hanging off from where the tail used to be like a pooled rubber tumor sucking on his tailbone.

But his thankfulness was short lived though as that same damp darkness nipped at a few things that he'd rather not get nipped. He was still naked in a sewer, a new rush of cold air flowing down with a returning water level, and sapping away the heat exuded. Those smooth hands wrapping around him, what body hair he'd had was gone. Understandable given the burned state he was left in, but it wasn't helping.

'Can't say I'll miss it, but still regretting this.'

His thoughts went unresponded. Poor taste maybe. He'd overdone things yet again, to a worse degree than usual. But repairing an entire body needed a lot of power. Too much maybe. The multiple proceeding near death experiences were also probably not helping the mood. How the hell he survived all of…

'Fuck… I still don't know what the fuck happened.'

He remembered losing graduation by the barest inch, there was no hope of forgetting that. Falling unconscious, like too many times before, and seeing Aegis… say something. Then… walking, seeing the foyer, seeing… Para. But then it just became incongruous, abstract. Pain, blood, cold, words. Then more walking, fire, and getting stabbed through the back all the way to his chest.

He rubbed his head trying to clear it up, but the cold wind on his bare ass was not helping him focus. An involuntary shiver broke it down completely, questions would have to wait for warmer environs. But under the rattling of his teeth came distant echoes. He snapped to attention, holding tight and listening. Metal ringing, footsteps, shouts. Someone was coming down looking for… him?

'Wait… why looking for me? I mean…uurrggghh'

A welling of subconscious guilt forced the issue. He was being hunted, he needed to get out of here.

"grr… Fuck."

Seth ran down a silent tunnel, avoiding puddles and the drainage canal as best he could. He extended out his senses, tried to find a line to follow out of here, but the once spidery cables were dim and drained. He felt about with his own power, focusing it out and throwing it into the wall to catch one of the buried cables. Three lit up, but soon terminated short. Melted sections segmented the lines at even, known, intervals.

'Crap.'

He threw and threw, lighting up segments as they came up, just so he could tell if there was a corner ahead or more wall. A line suddenly shot up as it accepted his charge, hands grasping at the wall beside it, banging franticly into metal bars neatly fixed to the wall. A ladder. He traced them up and grabbed the highest rung, cold metal stinging his bare feet as they slipped onto the lower set. The sounds of his pursuers echoing through the tunnels below as he climbed, blind to the-

*cack*

Lid above. He gritted his teeth and held his grip as the pain passed, a hand releasing to press the lid up. But it didn't budge. Hands and feet magnetized, locked in place as he pressed harder, twisting and testing the stubborn topper. But nothing budged, it was sealed up. The echoes grew a step louder below.

'Crap!'

A quick flick of his hand and an arc of electricity was burning through the seal, flashes illuminating the dark tunnel below. An equally quick run around, and the lid was ringed by glowing metal, no time for safe practices. A hand remagnitized to the lid and forced it up, barely time for it to screech like its brethren. A momentous clamber up and out saw the lid flipped back round and put back glowing side up, just short of clanging its return as he softly set it down. Seth demagnetizing his hand and sitting back, winded a little from the mild excitement. Soft, slightly melted, plastic carpet prickled him indecently as he took in his new surroundings.

Shadows congregated around him, vaguely human but thin and stilted. A few more human but posed and unmoving. A smell like stinging faux lilac and mothballs. He'd apparently snuck into a department store, and wasn't really complaining. He pulled himself off the dimpling plastic rug and made out the setting proper. The store was empty, shuttered. The lights were out, but the metal latticed glass façade let in dim light from the rainy sky outside. Soft patter resounding through the cloth filled silence.

'Well… it's a lucky break at least.'

A browse of the nearby clothes showed he'd come up in the men's section as well, tight fancy shirts and overpriced slacks. A cursory search found him underwear 'Thank god' and cargo pants that were more his style. Slipping them on, he couldn't help feel a pleasant tingle up his bare leg.

'Maybe I should burn all the hair off my legs more often, it's kind of nice.'

Again though his thoughts went unresponded to. No joining humor or disappointed cringe. The Garkah were silent… and devoid of their usual freely shared emotion. Seth was starting to fear he'd been shut out. Or they'd been closed off by whatever had happened. But that had to wait, he had to get out of here. And that meant more clothing.

A simple grey t-shirt to go with the brown cargo pants, socks and moderately cheap sneakers to match. But the cold outside needed a little more, plus he needed to hide. A sensible trench coat didn't seem out of the ordinary, a few brave passersby of the store said as much. A square cap to stuff his unsinged white hair into.

'Definitely need to hide that but…'

A look in a dim mirror showed he still had it all, despite or in spite of losing all the rest.

'Maybe that's why it never fucking changed back. Damn stuffs invincible.'

As he turned away though, a draped red form caught his eye. Stylistically frayed edges on both ends and cut short to get more product per yard. But it was the same vibrant red color. He was probably going to have to hide his face a little, so he respectfully scooped up the half price scarf, wrapping it around his neck and holding it close. There was quite a lot now that he could remember, that he somewhat wished he could forget again. But the fleeting feeling of his mother's warm scarf around him still brought back the pleasant memories. Even if its replacement was a little dusty.

'Guess we're two unwanted souls… or this place is going out of business.'

Set for a stealth mission, or at least a rainy city day, Seth snuck out the side emergency exit. The city seeming a little dry despite the weather, so he didn't need to worry about the alarm. But the-

*BOOooooooooooom*

Raucous thunder above kept his head down. As well as everyone else's. Quite a few people seemed to be hitting the streets despite the rain. A lot of stopped cars filling the road, a lot of… dead cars. Exacerbated commuters abandoning them and walking to wherever they intended to go. People crowding lobbies, way too many voicing their complaints without bothering to see the wider situation, others just happy to be out of the rain. And others looking lost and confused as to what just happened. A regretful weight keeping his head lower still.

'Fuck… yeah. I overdid it.'

Seth eyed around low under his stolen hat, but no one seemed to pay much attention. Too many other things to worry about already. A major disruption like this hadn't happened in quite a while. But people understood it was just a fact of life with people like him zipping around. Speaking of which, a few colorful suits stuck out among the dreary atmosphere and common warm clothing, supers patrolling and trying to help out however they could. Making sure that people understood that this wasn't permanent.

Looking like mostly tertiaries, C's or D's, no one with real power. He noticed some he almost embarrassingly knew, MaveRick and SpeedySister. Speedy running through the streets, combing about through the dead cars for any injured. Power steering and breaks not helping them avoid crashing. Mave flying over in lookout, so about the only thing he could do. Neither drew attention, just a usual boring day to see them about. Their powers too woefully limited to even get into the C teams and-

'Uggh… Why the fuck am I agreeing with goddamn Para right n-'

His inward thoughts finally found a response, but only from himself. Flashes back, to the crowded foyer, of a word dropping him out of himself and lighting the world on fire. Seth's steps slowed, couldn't stop seeing a moment bleed into too real knowing. Dodging an umbrella he saw himself crack Para's face open. Avoiding a huddled family he felt Para's barely conscious body get slammed about. He stopped dead, a new pain in his chest materialized, followed by-

"JUST FUCKING DIE YOU UNDESERVING BASTARD!!!"

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

A drained car on the other side of the street blared its alarm, surviving streetlights and interiors flashed. Power flaring out unconsciously as he gripped at that phantom hole in his chest. He shut his eyes as tight as he could, breathed as hard as gritting teeth allowed, forced back what he didn't need right now. Forced down what was flaring mindless. The lights died, the alarm eerily trailed off, and the hole filled in as he took in heavy breath after breath. A rising fear tried to well up and drive him to run.

But… but he felt no eyes on him, no odd extra sensory warning of carelessly expressed emotion. No fear or anger loosing his way. He pulled himself up and looked around, but his position was blind to the surprised crowds. And most everyone's heads were turning up to the rising drone filling in for that echo.

A League VTOL slowly hovered along above the high roofs, scanning the streets and relaying the state of the city no doubt. To Seth it was more hunters seeking to bring him in for what he'd done. But to everyone else it was a sign. If they survived the siphon, then the Hill must still have power. A few heads turned back down and headed off downtown, desperate for news, or safety, just answers to it all. Seth dodged the less considerate among them and continued on, he had to get out of the city before it was locked down completely. But a nagging feeling kept his senses high.

'This… this is way more than Para. What the hell did I do?'

His inner monologue went unanswered again. Deafeningly so. He was alone with this blind guilt. And from the tacit, unspoken, scared, and angry faces that blindly beat against his extra sense, he was the only one who didn't know.

Traveling along, the faces headed toward him trailed off, and a solid herd was headed in the same direction he was. The main bridge over the Terrace River looming ahead, people looking to cross funneling to it from the other streets, but were in turn met by concrete slabs and soldiers. A checkpoint. Not as stringent as an id scan, they didn't have any working scanners anyway, but they were checking faces. And lifting hats.

The three thick line to cross queued to bursting the right sidewalk from the ensuing jam, while only a trickle of people came over from the other side. The rain was slowing down, but the world was still wet, and the sky still perturbed in its demeanor. And a crashed car had jammed itself into a signpost opposite. A dystopia in all but action.

Seth allowed himself to be subsumed into line, it was too late to change directions anyway. Too many eyes scanning the hats and umbrellas that inched forward. At least he matched most of the flock. It can get cold and wet in Kadia quickly this time of year, so most prefer to keep warm clothes at the ready. A nonchalant face buried in a scarf was far from unexpected.

As the line trudged along though, it was clear the disguise was not long for this world. The three wide turned to one, each man of a certain age range told to show their face and remove any headwear. Begrudgement slowed the line down, but collective pressure forced the issue. It gave Seth time to think, and focus.

He felt out, the lights were all busted, wires melted, and buildings dark. The soldiers had some hardened radios so they were prime targets, but would only distract a few and not completely. The only thing left then was the car. Anomalous electrical phenomena would definitely draw some-

"Hats off!! Scarves down!! Umbrellas up!!"

The checkpoint was already upon him, only a few people ahead, no time to focus, he had to do something. Something a little too drastic. Three ahead of him, he felt out for the car's radio, circuits were fried and there was no stations online. Two, the battery was melted down to the oil pan already. One,

'damnit damnit DAMNIT!!'

The person ahead drew eyes away, hat turned up and face clear as day. Seth drew his hand out of his pocket, pointed across himself at the car, and hopped for the best. Power focused far purer, a connection trailed as the man ahead walked away. Soldiers turned back to the line as positive ions were made in excess, back to Seth left with no other options left. As some bits of grade school and Speaker's lectures made themselves indispensable. And the sky voiced its agitation.

"Hats O-!!"

*CRACKABOOOOOM*

A bolt of lightning split the air down onto the abandoned car, windows shattering and partially filled gas tank igniting as its energy spread through. Blinding out the world in fractions of a second. The crowd left to scream and ripple, heads covered away in reflex or back toward in surprise. With one head disappearing from the line in that flash.

Soldiers ducked and reeled and scrambled back up, tried to keep what little peace they could. But the sounds of that short sudden fear died down as Seth rolled over the lip above the bridge maintenance catwalk. Feet rattling the hollowed out walkway as the first yells came over the terrified screams, desperate for calm and order. He hugged the wall, a few heavy breaths trying to calm his own nerves. Hiding in plain sight was one thing, and active sneaking was a new thing for him. But really…

'Please don't let anyone be hurt, PLEEAASE don't let anyone be hurt!'

His own trepidation locked him down, but a short calm second got him moving again. He always wondered if he could do that, but it seemed too fanciful. The realm of more specialized heroes who literally did that as action rather than caused reaction. And how easy it was to cause…

At any rate he was moving, getting over this bridge should be the only hurdle left. Though the river below was not making it feel easy. Once out of the mountains, the Terrace turned rather choppy close to the banks, boring a deep wide rut that no one dared swim in. And it was always very cold no matter the season. Seth walked the platforms above quickly, but stuck to as many walls and shadows as he could. It may be a treacherous river, but it still needed to be patrolled. But all eyes seemed distracted, a little close call with some lightning certainly drew the will to help out of people, and made a great distraction. A final rusty ladder climb and quick low slip over the lip gave him freedom. No checkpoint on this end, no need. And far fewer eyes to follow him along.

The spattering of rain died its last as Seth climbed into the foothills, the north side of Kadia decaying in its development swiftly once away from the river. A stout suburb subdivision and some enclosed high class neighborhoods forming a strip of civilization here. The forested hills surrounding the city rising like a spotty three sided bowl, tall trees growing in line with the skyscrapers below. Yet very few cars traveled the road up and out north, freight and lucky commuters coming in, even less flowing out. With unfortunate reason.

But despite the free reign, Seth's own fortune slowed his pace. He was freed of his pursuit, but not of his guilt. He stopped short of the tree line, uneasy breaths the only outward tell of his state. He turned back, the dark city flickered in partial restoration as the clouds overhead began to stay their gloom. The Hill shining bright over everything.

Another life was lost to him without knowing the full reason why, though he could scarcely say it was not his fault. Subconscious guilt higher than it had ever been, eating away at him, demanding restitution for something it wouldn't reveal. Kept him looking back at what he'd done for some hint as to his ultimate crime. But all it did was hurt more. Add more. Drop more on to his back than he was already carrying. So…

He shut his eyes again, and tried for the first time to force that guilt away. To shut it out. He had more pressing issues. The immediate and the things he could actually know as he started moving again. Like where he was going to hide and make sense of all this.

Home wouldn't be safe, his application had his address, though Para had stymied his official records so maybe they didn't know. But he still thought better of risking it. Besides, he was already on the road to the one place he felt he belonged. For that same unfortunate reason. He was on his way to what could be called a true black spot among Kadia's sprawl. And the dumping ground for too many of its failed heroes.

It was known as Eagleville, an off shoot neighborhood hemmed away close to that northern city limit. Seth could just about see the new sprawl spread out ahead of him between the grand privacy fence that was this forested ridgeline. From a distance it seemed little more than bunched up rows of block houses and low scale tenements. But as the distance shortened, the true picture came into being.

Dilapidation, degradation, not mismanagement but no management. An arguably abandoned sector left to its own devices and allowed to wallow in the filth it produced. A product of slapdash policy, desperate squalor, and bad blood. And only kept afloat by simple stubbornness and low priced housing. Very low priced housing.

But before descending into this urban decay, Seth came upon a last vestige of modern convenience. A gas station. A few quick glances, and liberal redirecting of the outside cameras, and he was nonchalantly huddling in out of the clouded cold. The clerk paying little mind, but Seth nodded what slight hello felt warranted to keep the ruse. Because he was going to be needing a lot from him. Or more specifically his store's ATM.

After another video signal was redirected and 'lost', and maybe a small dose of casual bank fraud. He had access to his old account, but didn't know how long it was going to stay that way, and he definitely didn't want a trail leading this direction. So spoofing and deleting the records on this machine was pretty necessary. His account was still fairly stacked, the stock options, an in demand position, and some ridiculously low price accommodations certainly left him with plenty of savings. And he was certainly going to need the cash now.

The machine ran its mint fresh bills out with way more chalance than he wanted, but a few well-placed low count bills should hide the fact that he just emptied the machine of all of its hundreds. An inner pocket stuffed tight, a few singles spared for concessions, and his gambit was left up to chance. A small soda and cereal bowl up as conciliation for the inevitable fallout for the clerk. He hadn't even realized he was this hungry till he scanned over the aisle. Seeing a nice pack of cinnamon frosted oat flakes definitely brought it to his attention though. No time for breakfast, or even dinner, when you're apparently fighting for your life. A nice rest bench outside helping him take one last stock of his situation, and one last inward hope that he wasn't permanently cut off.

Through the crunch of his first meal in three fourths of a day he focused, listened, tried to reach out to the Garkah in his head. He sought out any emotion shared between them, any conversation to listen to, any feeling transmitted amongst the collective thought he'd lived with all these years. But… all he found was silence. And distant approaching sirens. Quiet reflection wasn't in the cards right now, and he was too close to being in the clear. No one would look for him once he was in. Not after all this place had gone through.

Seth quickly disposed of his hasty brunch and slunk off into the woods, the road ahead too straight and clear to just walk down. And thankfully these woods held less death than he'd been afraid off. Another memory he could do without but at least it was tame. A nice side street that backed into the forest allowed him easy entrance into the neighborhood, though by this point there was little worry left. No one lived here any more.

Trash was strewn and desiccating across the abandoned sidewalks, grass spreading and splitting the concrete slabs. The long left abandoned homes losing their structure and livability. But then again these were here before the crisis. Once the refugees came flooding in, these people saw little reason to stay as their precious property values plummeted. The side street finally intersected the main, sign posts and street names either long forgotten or not even bothered with. Though it was clear to see that this was the main street, being the only one evenly populated.

Flashing neon and handmade signage, mild throngs clustering around the shops deeper in, and a general attitude of "it's a living at least". Just ignore that the flashing was because of poor wiring and a few of the clustered throngs were just leaching the news from the only surviving TV store. But the attitude still persisted, a mild happiness won against the surrounding decay. Rooftop gardens and built up balconies watched as the street below stretched out ahead, greying brick and molding mortar losing more and more color with distance. A large building at the end of this semi grand street the only bright spot it seemed. White, blocky, and waiting for the inevitable. A hospital, the only hospital for this… place. This last ditch accommodation, this final resting place for the down trodden and unlucky. This all too perfect hiding spot.

A long dead and cut away tree marked the entrance to an apartment block. Nice big "For Rent" sign hung by the door. Not too conspicuous, but at least a good standard in comparison to the overall contemporary. From the outside.

The owner barely looked at Seth as he accepted the counted wad of cash for the outrageous five months of upfront rent. But then again it was barely a dent in his coffers. A creaky flight of stairs later and he was turning the key to his- *snap* rusted shut apartment.

"Huugghh."

Thankfully rust meant it was metal and magnetically pliable. And now only he had the key for it as well. So that was… something. But this was a new life that really didn't need more hardship. Things just felt like they were going to get all the worse soon enough.

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