A SAD LITTLE MAN

It was 5 years ago...

His dad stopped at a local gas station to buy some groceries. His mom could've done it but she said the two needed hang out more.

He used it as a good excuse to buy some beer.

Luckily the two could use some space.

With his dad gone, he was alone in the car, outside the gift shop, and across the street was a homeless man being beat up.

By a group of teenagers no less.

Jake was furious alright but his parents warned him about getting involved with business that didnt concern him.

He tried to look away and block out the sounds using imaginary boxing gloves. Something he did to supress that urge. It was seemingly working fine.

Until he looked at the the old man and a sudden urge to do something about the situation enveloped him.

Where did this urge come from? Well, Jake would find his urge from looking at one thing.

His eyes.

Just like many times before, Jake stared into his eyes. A common thing he did when he saw people for the first time. Something he suppressed greatly later in life.

Until recently.

Without realising what he had done, he knew it was already too late.

Hey!" He shouted, already out of the car. At a distance close enough to catch their attention but far enough from the car that running wasn't an option.

Look at this shrimp!" One of the assailant said, making Jake realise his frail stature to late.

Hehe! I guess he wants to be a hero?! Hey kid, leave before we get mad! It's for your own good." Another assailant said. Jake knew this was his chance to walk away from all this. His chance not to get brutally beaten up.

And he ruined it after looking at the man's face.

Cold and nearly dead. It was clear this wasn't his first time being treated like this.

And Jake had to make sure it was his last.

He didn't say a word, all he did was charge towards them. During his charge, he felt something he hadn't felt before. A strange feeling of satisfaction. As if he found his place in the world. Something he had been thinking about for a long time.

A feeling that would return 5 years later.

There were three assailant in total, and all three went to town on him.

The first assailant punched him across the faxe sending him staggering into the hands of the second, who he tried to punch but got blocked and tripped onto the floor, only for the third to smack him on the back with a wooden plank he found nearby more than fifteen times. Once the Plank broke, the trio ganged up on the beaten down boy.

Punching, kicking and smacking him all over, all Jake could do was scream in pain.

But he didn't.

Suddenly, they stopped. Suddenly, they ran away. And suddenly he appeared.

Grabbing Jake and carrying him back into the car, he looked at his son in immense anger and disappointment.

God damn it kid! This is the third time this month! You're not a hero! How many times do I have to tell you that?!"

But the boy didn't even look at him. He looked at where the old man was. He was long gone.

In the confusion he escaped his assailants.

Or rather, Jake helped him escape.

All he did at that moment was smile. Angering his dad even more.

Your mother is gonna kill me." He said as he put his bruised and battered son into his blue little car.

Jake had no idea why he had that memory but there it was, playing in his mind. All the way to the part he blacked out. He didn't remember much of what happened though. And he didn't want to. What he wanted to know was why he had that memory in the first place.

That's when he realised why he had that memory. He was looking into Luther's eyes. The same eyes that led him to what he is now.

Not some hero of justice, but a symbol. A guy who wants to help people. A guy who wished people did the same.

Before he could think any further, Luther spoke.

Jake was running along a long narrow white corridor of the Animal farm with Ivy on his back and Luther who was holding his unconscious on his tail. They were trying to escape the Mr E's madhouse before any of his monsters found them but it was pretty clear they had no idea where they were going.

Hey man... you know where you're going?" Luther asked, sure Jake was leading them nowhere.

Uhhh... no, not really" Jake said, so embarrassed that he couldn't even look Luther in the eye.

Figures. Cmon, I knew it was a bad idea to have you lead." Luther said and took the lead. As the two ran along the corridor, an awkward silence caught up to them.

So... are you gonna talk about.. well..." Jake was finding it hard to talk. He had no idea why. It's not like he knew him from anywhere.

Unless...

What's there to talk about? My son is a muman now. So is your girl. All thanks to that psychopath. God, I wish I never worked for him. Put his filth into my body." Luther said, a sarcastic grin on his face.

Hey... look, we'll fix this. They're back to normal now. Maybe the effects of the drug have worn of. You never know... m..maybe.."

Except I do know!" Luther shouted, stopping in his tracks.

I know because I took that drug myself. Back when I used to work for that bastard Flathead. Back when I needed to feed my family. To raise my kids! That is until that last job. We were sent to steal something from a Miltron labs shipment, but we botched the job. Some supers appeared. None that I've ever seen. They got us pretty good. My partner, Snek, a real nasty kid, took them all on and pumped a shit ton of that mutoxin trash into him. Turning him into some kind of..."

Snake man?"

H..how did you.. you were one of them weren't you? The one with the super speed and blue stuff around him right?"

Yeah.. I knew you guys weren't stealing it for anything good so me and my friends stopped you. No hard feelings. "

Luther gently put his son on the ground and sat next to the nearest wall. Soon after this he let out a hard laugh while tears dripped slowly down his old tired face.

H..hey man. We need to move. Look, I'm sorry I..."

Hey! No! This isn't your fault. It's mine! I'm the lunatic who thought I had one more job left in me. Once I got my adrenaline back after that Hawk knight incident I.. "

Hawk Knight incident?"

Luther's body immediately tensed up and he quickly picked himself off the ground along with his son. Before Jale could ask any questions he already started moving.

Jake decided it was best to ask him another time.

Or maybe, ask someone else.

As the two ran through the long corridor, suddenly, a large tremor could be felt from all directions. It was powerful, but just as quickly as it came, it disappeared . Jake felt an insane amount of energy coming from the other side of the white wall to his left and couldn't resist it. Was it his curiosity? Was it his muman ability kicking in? He didn't know but whatever this was, his senses were in overdrive because of it.

He oudhed Ivy to his right side and placed his now free left hand onto the concrete wall

.

He punched through the advantagem wall with all his strength only for it to give him a slight crack for his efforts.

Knowing this wall wasn't going to budge on conventional means, he slowly placed his arm on the wall and began moving it up and down at a steady pace.

Luther stopped in his tracks and curiously watched Jake rub his hand on the wall. Soon he began to notice the blue glow from Jake's pitch black shadow armor.

As Jake moved his hand, the faster he got.

And faster...

And faster...

And suddenly, in just a matter of seconds, Jake's hand was moving so fast not even he could see it himself.

Then suddenlthe hand stopped. Luther watched the scene unfold like he was in a trance. Jake placed his index finger on the wall and in a flash, it was gone, all that remained was a large hole and small chunks of rubble all over the two men.

Followed by a large gust of burning smoke.

Jake looked into the room producing the smoke and in a distance, he saw something which he hadn't been so happy to see.

Behind the thick smoke was something blue and calm. Similar to what lay behind the recesses of his mind.

The ocean.

There it was, in all it's beauty and glory. Behind thick cloud of smoke. Behind the rubble for what seems like a large explosion, there it was.

Luther rejoiced as he ran to his freedom which was only a few metres from him, shouting to his son, who was too unconsciousto hear him, that they were home free. Long tesr drops dripping down his face.

Jake followed suit, until something caught his eye. A large rock. A piece of exceptionally large debris among the many scattered across smoke engulfed field.

However it wasn't the rock that caught his attention, but the thing leaning on it. Small and a little insignificant, it was only when he got a good look that it he realised why it caught his attention in the first place.

It was a human

Or at least, what was left of him.

But it was no ordinary human in fact.

It was Ace.

To be continued...