The Dustup

"I.. Izac… wh…what are you?"

I felt nothing but atrocity. A horror that I cannot explain.

Agent Greffin discovered my hidden secret.

I saw fear in his heart.

I can no longer trust him!

I didn't expect how easily a human heart changes.

I must flee away!

I quickly stood up and run away from him.

"Izac! Wait!"

As I stepped out of the alley, those things called droids suddenly appeared.

"Facial identity confirmed! Criminal No. 001-2020-0163! Halt!"

Red and blue lights suddenly flashed and a siren started to resound all over the whole area.

I did the first thing that came into my mind.

I run.

"Fugitive! Halt!"

I didn't look back and just continued to run away.

I run and run like there's no tomorrow. I did my best to escape from the sight of this droid tailing me.

"Please, stop chasing me!"

I begged it.

It didn't give any response at all. I run and run until I reach an area where people are gathering. I lost my balance out of surprise. I didn't expect that there are people in this area. There were no people on the street where I came from. Yet here, it's the opposite.

I scrape my knees and elbow because of the fall.

Ugh, it hurts.

I quickly stood back on my feet when I quickly scrambled after seeing a hand reaching for me.

"Hey, kid are you alright?" a man asked. "Hey, Andrew!"

"Wait, I think I have a first aid kit in my car. I'll go grab it," another man said.

I was frozen still.

Fear, anxiety, and helplessness are all I felt.

"Are you—"

I was suddenly pinned down on the ground.

"Hey, what are you doing with that kid?" the man complained.

A crowd began to form. Murmur and whispers were heard. They're looking at me.

I panicked.

"Please refrain from interfering with the duty of a Security Droid. Any intervention would result in possible detention which may lead to imprisonment."

I heard people talking all around me. Their voices are deafening my ears.

Stop!

No more!

Please!

"Hey, could you at least lighten the pressure you exert? It looks like the kid is in pain," a woman implored.

Their voices are making me go crazy!

Stop!

Memories flash onto the lenses of my eyes. Despair, torment, and pain, all of it, I endured because of abuse.

Everyone who knows my secret used me. They killed people close to me because of their selfish desires. I cannot let that happen again even if it means fighting back at them.

I don't want to go back to that kind of life ever again. I already survived and escaped from that life. I have already learned who are the people I need to protect. I chose to save those people from their demise but now, I'm willing to suppress this fear for me to save myself. I can no longer be a victim. I need to fight back just like I did for Euro and the girls. I save them because I chose to and if I decide to fight back to save myself then…

No one will ever make me suffer again.

A desperate scream silenced the crowd. I screamed as I desperately opposed the strength of the droid pinning me down from the ground. Little by little, I push back its strength which gave me a chance of escape and broke out from its pressure.

It was the first time I fought back to save myself.

The crowd began to back away in shock and surprise. I saw their faces made an expression of surprise and alarm after seeing me outpowering a droid.

"Hostility detected. SD-217: requesting for back-up."

I felt an intense eagerness of hitting this droid with my own hands. I felt the surge of energy flowing from my body.

I never felt this kind of feeling before. The feeling of fighting back. This sensation I feel is different from that second life where I saw Euro and the girls die. This feeling is more like an easing sensation where I can totally control my actions and reason.

The droid suddenly came at me, rushing towards me.

I look at my hand and clenches it into a fist and punched the charging droid with all of my might.

Its head flew off a couple of meters away from its headless body which dropped down in front of me. The crowd disperses as they flee away out of fear.

I stare at my fist and felt intense satisfaction.

LUB! DUB!

What is this feeling?

LUB! DUB!

It feels good.

LUB! DUB!

Is this how it feels to be able to protect myself?

But in exchange for this, I left a horrified expression from all the people who saw me.

Are they scared of someone with insane physical power?

I can no longer undo it. I've already rolled the dice and let people know my secret.

I can no longer control the outcome of what I did. This turn of events forced me to realize that I must fight back not only for the people I cared about but for my survival. All I did was endure and let them use me. Now, I understand that I must fight back if I want to free myself from abuse.

Suddenly, a punch connected to my face which flung me away.

Three more droids arrived.

I urged myself to stand back on my feet and survive this by fighting back.

I rushed back to the droid who punched me and return the favor. My fist pierced its body. I pulled back my fist as another droid tried to land a hit on me. I manage to dodge it and attacked it by doing the same thing I did with the second droid. I poked a hole in its chest and grab the thing that powers it and crushed it with my hands.

I felt the power surging in my body. A feeling that satisfied my thirst for freedom.

"Hostility level rising detected: Initiating ranged weapon installment."

A weird-looking weapon appeared on its shoulder and began shooting me. I wasn't fast enough to dodge it and I was electrified by sharp bullets that puncture my body.

It was painful but the pain I feel every time a sudden burst of powers occurs is even more painful than this.

I grab the bullet and threw it away. Another set of flying metals appeared on the scene. They started to fire those same bullets at me again which I tried dodging. Several bullets hit me but I didn't show any reaction of immobilization. It still stings every time it sticks on me but I've suffered a lot of tortures more painful than this before which makes these bullets a child's play for me.

I've been hit multiple times by the bullets and keep getting electrified as intensity increases. As more bullets hit, I slowly get used to it which made the next bullets meaningless against me. I no longer feel the pain from these bullets and their electrification. Despite that, they kept firing at me. I was getting annoyed about it when I decided to give them the taste of their own medicine. I focused my energy to produce the same thing I expelled during the first time I arrive here. I felt the air vibrating just like before. I glared at them and showed a smile of fulfillment.

An electrical surge burst out from me. All droids on my sight drop dead.

I did it.

I manage to control it.

The cracking of fire, the whistle of the wind, and the silent night returned.

No one was around.

It's all dark and cold.

It's peaceful and quiet.

Is violence the key to achieving my goals?

I felt great.

I felt pleased.

I felt amazing.

Inflicting fear is all it takes to stop people.

I felt great satisfaction.

What is this emotion?

Heavy breathing was heard. I look towards its source as it caught my attention and saw the same man who lends his hand to me earlier.

He is in a bad state.

I saw bitterness in his eyes.

As I observe him, I saw a metal rod piercing his left arm.

Am I the one who did that?

With that thought, I snapped out from the satisfaction that I was savoring. I later realize that I harmed an innocent man. Pleasure is a dangerous feeling that will blind you from reality. And because of my naiveness, I cause destruction and harm without accounting for the people around me.

Whether I fight back or not, I always cause danger to everyone.

What kind of fate is this?

I calmed myself.

I need to leave this place as fast as I can.

I was about to leave the scene when I heard the man grunt in pain. I saw him putting pressure upon his arm which is bleeding heavily. As I continue gazing at him, I later realize that his right leg was crushed by a massive object.

It looks broken and burned.

I felt great guilt.

I rushed towards him and lifted the object away from the man. My body isn't that strong enough to lift such a heavy object. Since the beginning of the commotion, I have consistently let the force of nature run through my whole body which enhances my physical attributes, allowing me to lift the thing away from the man.

"You're pretty strong for a kid, eh?" the man uttered as he breathes slowly. "Is that the reason why those droids are chasing you?"

I didn't reply to his questions as I focused my attention on his condition.

He is in a bad shape.

He might not walk again if I don't help him or worst, die. It's my fault why he's in this state.

"You should leave now. I deserve to be like this, for being worthless."

I have no idea what he is talking about but I cannot leave an innocent person who I harmed without helping them back. Healing them is all I can do in return. I think restoring his leg wouldn't be enough. I then remembered the necklace I found and decided to give it to him as compensation.

"Give me your hand."

The man was a bit confused and hesitant.

"Just give me your hand, please!"

The man lend his hand to me and gave the necklace to him.

"Now, I want you to close your eyes, please."

As the man shut his eyes, I then felt the man exhale his last breath. I carefully pulled off the metal rod as fast as I can to save him. I have to remove the rod first before healing him. I'm panicking since the man is no longer responding but I didn't let it hinder me and quickly use my healing abilities to save his life.

You will not die in my watch!

I quickly laid my hands over his right leg and focused my whole energy to repair it. A surge of regenerative energy flowed towards the man and began restoring his leg. I felt his heart start to beat slower. I kept insinuating more and more healing energy to save his life.

As I continue healing him, his wounds started to rejuvenate and slowly got better. I sensed his heart beating normally again.

He's saved.

I back away as I felt exhausted from using too much energy to save this man. Right after I restore the man, a familiar voice spoke from behind.

"Izac, how did you do that?"

It was Officer Greffin.