Yeah. It was only a matter of time before I did this. Though I'd be lying if I said I wasn't eager to get this story rolling. After all I've been talking to people and reading stories that's got me in a real good inFAMOUS mood. Some of those people and stories INCLUDE:

Krika1119: inFAMOUS story…"A New Age".

VERY Amazing friend that I'm glad I met! Now…his story is actually discontinued for the moment. The reason why is because I'm actually helping him out with another story that's going to kind of be AU for his stories, this story and my 'soon to be updated' story, "The Second Chosen". So far we've been working on this thing for a total of 9 MONTHS now and I have to say I've been so addicted to helping him get this thing together I need to force myself away to get other things done. But when we get this all typed out and our ideas sorted then it'll just take some good editing, a bit of copy and paste, more updates in our own stories and BAM! We'll both post them. "Them" because each one is going to be in our own perspectives. That way they won't be completely the same either.

UnitedHaruDinmarkOreo's Books: inFAMOUS stories…"The Second Kessler", "Glass and Hellfire", and "Alice in Wonderland".

Another great friend of mine, who I seem to help and converse more with life issues than story ones. Ah, who cares? That's what's more important anyway, isn't it? Thank this guy as one of the people to get my ass in gear on posting this. Mainly "The Second Kessler" has me wanting to do so. Of course there are his other 2 stories which ties into TSK but it doesn't stop there either. I mean this guy has inFAMOUS on the brain. Check out the end of his profile page and you'll understand what I mean.

DarkWolf Publications: inFAMOUS story…"Infamous: Twisted Metal".

Not really a friend of mine. Guess he's kind of an almost acquaintance, but we don't speak to each other. Though we both ARE friends of Haru. Yes…pay attention, it's the guy above this one. Twisted Metal is a DWP original but has integrated it into "The Second Kessler" and Haru helps to edit. See how much of a big production that thing is? All those stories converging in on that one. In actuality they all reveal the origins of what I assume are the important characters in TSK. Seems like it.

Superdale33: inFAMOUS stories…"The Electric Dragon", "The Electric Dragon: Into the Abyss", and the third one that's going to drop. I'll post the name when he does.

Yes! Another amazing friend! How can I favorite the third one if I haven't read it yet? Cause I enjoyed the first two, that's why. Now…these 2, soon to be 3, stories are special. They're crossover's…and WHO'S aiming to be the crossover king? Yes…me. These stories are INFAMOUS X The Legend of Spyro. I get it if you're in love with INFAMOUS….but unless you're a fan of the Spyro franchise too then you won't understand how incredible these stories are, so don't try reading them if you don't know or like Spyro. Also, I'm kinda helping him on the third story. He's gonna writing it of course, but I'm helping to provide ideas. I don't know what we got in total but I like it all so far. Though that'll have to wait until he finishes on of the stories he's working on.

Please look up these people when you have the chance. I mean, really now. How can you not? If I give anyone a shout-out- (Yes. I don't just give mellra shout-outs. Shocking, isn't it?) -then please look that writer up. I mean really, now. Do me a solid….Regular Show reference.

AptDeltoid: INFAMOUS stories…"INFAMOUS: Slack Line", and "Some Shorts or Sorts".

AAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHH! I love her! I mean she's not my girlfriend so don't get it twisted…but she IS a great friend. It'd amazing how ONE little comment on a story can become a full out conversation and then next thing you know…you're Pen-Pals. Plus…she gave me AWESOME inspirational music to help me write this. Oh and not only THIS….but now I'm going to listen to these amazing musical pieces every time I write…with a bit of stuff from my own library mixed in at times but still. I need to give her big props. She's been anticipating this the most so the least I can do is make this story as good as I can make it.

Now before any of you ask, no. This story doesn't revolve around Cole, Delsin or anything that takes place in those games. Yes there ARE going to be mentioning's of them. Mainly what happens in 'Second Son' but nothing going on in Seattle. Also not bashing anyone but some Infamous stories are not as interesting as they were when franchise was kinda new. Like 'Infamous 2' new. I mean if anything OC's should use, in my opinion, powers that hasn't even been mentioned or seen before. That would keep it interesting, don't you think? And Mimic Conduits? That power is super rare anyway and many other Conduits shouldn't even have it. Even if they do PLEASE use powers that haven't been seen or mentioned.

Side notes: Use to think 'Second Son' took place in 2016. But that's only because I mistook 'Infamous 2's' release date compared to when the game itself took place. It was released in 2009. The game took place in 2011. So 'Second Son' takes place in 2018. But this story is set 2 years before 'Second Son"...so this IS going to be in 2016. Also…for some reason I say the game takes place at the end of the year. Either September or October. I don't remember why I thought that. It must've been something I saw or heard in the game that probably brought that on. And no, it's not because of when Reggie said "Maybe next Halloween" to Delsin. I mean I pieced a timeline together but now….you know what? Never mind. It's not important.

The Transition

"Zzzz….Zzzzzz….Zzzzzzz….."

(SPLASH)

"DA' HELL!?"

He shot up into a sitting position on his bed, after being rudely awakened. The entirety of his face was wet with cold water, which seeped into his pillow. He rubbed his face immediately in an attempt the wipe it away but he was distracted by the laughter of someone in his vicinity. Particularly the one who he knew was obviously the culprit of this little stunt. Removing his hands and looking to the left he saw a boy that was visibly a little older than him, especially if the small moustache and beard growing in was anything to go by. His complexion was a caramel tone and his thick hair was black. His eyes were brown. He wore plain red short-sleeve Polo shirt, black jeans and black Nike shoes with white bottoms.

"Martin, you bitch!" The previous male yelled angrily before his mouth broke into a grin. He began snickering helplessly while Martin managed to calm himself down enough to speak, though he had a smile on his face too.

"I just couldn't resist. Mom asked me to get you up since she was making breakfast and I thought 'why not have some fun doing it'? Better than using an alarm, right?" Martin asked playfully.

The first guy swung his legs over his bed and stretched. "Well…it's more effective. I'll give you that much. Gonna kick your ass for this, just so you know."

Martin lazily threw the plastic cup at his face before it bounced off, onto his bed. "To that I say good luck. Hurry up J.D. Got like 15 minutes to get ready and eat before you gotta go to school."

"Right." The guy said before giving a yawn. His brother left his room closing the door in the process. Picking the cup up, he begrudgingly got out of bed and walked over to his dresser. He sat the cup down on it and looked at his reflection from the big mirror that was attached to it. His hair was short and colored light blonde. Though it was a bit messy from tossing and turning in his sleep. His eyes were a dull grey and his skin tone was a light tan. In case you were wondering his name is Jake Dalas, or as Martin calls him, J.D. 17 years-old and 11th Grade high school student.

"Uggghhh, I am so not ready." He said in a deadpan tone, as he looked himself over. Just a black T-shirt and some boxers. Opening up the highest left drawer in his dresser he pulled out his grey jogging (sweat) pants and hoodie before putting them on. He kept the hoodie unzipped showing off his undershirt. It was then a matter of him getting on his socks and light black Timberland boots. When he got himself fully clothed he grabbed his 'Apollo Secrets' hair styling gel and made his way to the bathroom.

Setting it down on the sink counter he turned on the faucet and let the cold water run a little. Jake turned the cap off and scooped a small amount onto his index and middle fingers. Rubbing his fingers through his right hand, he smothered the gel on it before he haphazardly ran it through the front and topmost part of his head. Then using both hands he grabbed random strands and spread them upwards, giving it a spikey tone. The rest of it was just a ruffled mess, which is how he liked it. After washing his hands and placing the gel back in his room, while grabbing his sling-backpack he headed downstairs towards the kitchen.

He took a deep breath as the aroma of an assortment of amazing food entered his nostrils. The kitchen was kind of a straight shot to the side of the steps, and from his position he could see his family already chowing down, without him. Well…more like his mother was the only one properly eating while his dad and Martin did the former. Like his brother his father, Donald or 'Don' as he liked to go by, was African American. Unlike his brother his black hair was nicely cut. He also had brown eyes. His outfit was a plaid shirt, blue jeans and regular white shoes.

His mother, Alice, was Caucasian. Obviously where he got his looks from. Her hair was a lighter shade of blonde than his. It was also a lot smoother and reached down to her shoulders. She wore a green shirt and blue jeans too. Also her eyes were light blue. Jake always wondered where he got his specific eye color from. No one his knew in his parent's family tree had it. He just assumed it probably did but skipped across generations or things like that. It's not much of a big topic but he couldn't help but think about it time and time again. If anything he thought it made him look cooler. He made his way over to the table which alerted the others.

"Hey, look who it is." Alice said with a little smile.

"Thought you'd never get up. You can sleep like a rock, ya' know?" Don said stuffing his face full of pancakes.

Jake grabbed a plate and began to place his food on it. "Only on school days. When it's the weekend I'm dead." He opened the refrigerator and brought out the half-a-gallon of orange juice. He grabbed a cup and poured him a glass.

Don took a sip of his coffee and sighed. "Yeah, I feel you right there."

"I don't get how you two can sleep the way you do. Maybe you just stay up late." Martin said chewing on a muffin.

"Martin, don't talk with your mouth full like that." Alice told him while cutting up some of her pancake. Martin just gave a 'humph' towards it.

Jake quickly brought his plate over to the table and sat down. He then began devouring his food as to make up for lost time. "I don't stay up late. I went to bed at 12 last night. I stay up late on the weekends though."

"That doesn't seem healthy. How you're able to sleep for 6 to 7 hours I won't understand." Alice said. Jake ignored her and stuffed the rest of his syrup covered pancakes in his mouth, while simultaneously drinking more orange juice to help it go down. He gave a hefty sigh after swallowing the food down before going to finish the rest of it.

Don smirked and said, "Whoa, what's the rush? Even I'm never in that much of a hurry."

Jake ate the last of his food and sighed once more. He took his plate over to the sink and placed it inside. He poured himself a half-cup of juice and drank it all down. "Of course I'm in a hurry! It's the last day of school! THE last day of school! Summer Break starts tomorrow! I have plans I have to make! Augh! I'm so ready!" He exclaimed excitedly with clenched fists and teeth. The others couldn't help but laugh at his display of eagerness but they could understand.

"And by plans you mean chillin' with Ryle, right?" Martin said.

"What?" Jake questioned with a shrug.

"You need more friends; especially ones your age instead of a 15 year old." His brother added with a little smile. Jake narrowed his eyes at him.

"You need to go to college; especially since you wanna become an Auto Technician."

Now it was Martin who was donning that look. "Shut up, I'll get there."

"Plus I have other friends! It's just….Ryle's just my coolest one, is all." Jake went over to the table and grabbed his backpack again. He brought the strap across his chest and slung the bag onto his back.

Alice smiled. "I'm still shocked that you're going to be in the 12th grade after Summer Vacation is over. My boys grew up too fast."

"Well they can't stay kids forever." Don said leaning back in his chair. Alice glanced to him. "I know that…but still."

Martin looked back to his little brother who was grabbing a Dr. Pepper bottle out the fridge and put it in his backpack for later. "You wanna talk about me so bad. What are you gonna do when you graduate?"

"He's right, Jake. You need to start thinking about career plans and soon. Better to get them out of the way early than to rush and make mishaps at the last minute." Alice informed. Don didn't say a word and just sipped some of his own orange juice.

"Uhhhhhhh…don't know," he gave a grin, "become famous?"

"And how would you do that?" Martin asked with a skeptical look.

"No idea. Guess I'll find me something very important to do and then just go with it." Jake answered still keeping the grin.

"Like what?" Don asked.

"Dad, really? I just said I didn't know. But I'll think of something." He placed his glass in the sink. "Whenever that happens I'll let you know. Anyway, I better get goin'." He stopped. "Dad, shouldn't you be at work right now?"

"I've taken Sick-Leave, starting today." Was Don's answer.

Jake gave him a look over and said, "You don't look sick."

Don smirked. "I know."

It took Jake a few seconds to process that his father was playing extreme-hooky from work. He slowly grew a big smile and shook his head from side to side. "You're the coolest dad ever."

"I know that too but thanks." He replied gaining his own big smile.

Alice rose an eyebrow to him. "And how many days do you plan to do this? You know you only get 30 of them."

Don looked to her, not at all concerned about that look he was getting. "It's only until the Monday after next. So including today that gives me 6 free days. 10 if you count the weekends."

Not seeing a reason to continue the conversation Jake headed out the kitchen and made his way to the front door, but not before his mom called out, "And please try to not cause trouble today. Suspension carries over into the next school year, you know?"

"Really?" Jake answered back with a deadpan.

"You know how your mom is. Have a good day, kid." Don said. Jake may not have been able to see it at the moment but from the tone of his voice he could tell his dad was smiling, which made him smile a bit. Martin had already said all he wanted to say so he didn't expect anything more from him.

"I will. See ya' later." With that he opened up his door and walked outside. The sun was shining brightly and the temperature was acceptable for a summer's day. With how warm it was he didn't have to actually wear the hoodie. More could be said for the boots but they complimented his outfit. Nothing but black and gray which can go a long way in his opinion. He spread his arms out wide to stretch and took a big sniff of Denver air.

"Alright. Get through a full day of nothing and then it's a 3 month vacation of absolute awesome." He put his arms down and started walking. Not one for boring things, such as walks, he grabbed his Smart Phone from his pocket and Bluetooth earphones. The earphones themselves were connected to each other by a wire but there wasn't one that hooked into the phone. That's what the Bluetooth built into them was for, so he didn't have to worry about a cord getting in his way. Placing them in his ear he went through his music list and put on, "Two Steps From Hell – Dragon Rider". Then he made it so that his phone would cycle through songs when one was over. He unzipped his jacket pocket and placed the phone in before closing it.

He saw other kids headed to school too. Some walked and conversed with friends, some didn't and others looked as if they shouldn't have even gotten out of bed. Jake was starting to think the same for a bit. He didn't really have to go to school since he'd be doing nothing at all but he wanted to have something to do than stay home. He wasn't one to be bored for long. Of course this has gotten him into trouble on multiple occasions for different reasons but it was nothing he couldn't handle. Unless his parents had to get involved then there was problem.

He turned his gaze westward out towards the distance. There was a building that could be seen that was completely by itself, not surrounded by anything for a good half-a-mile 100 yards all around. The whole thing seemed to have been made of very smooth and sturdy earth with a mix of a lot of metal. The only entrance being the long front entrance. The big letters D.U.P. could be seen on the front of the building with the actual name, Department of Unified Protection, was in smaller letters under the bigger letters. Jake slightly glared at the concrete construct. The head of the D.U.P., Brooke Augustine, had gained government clearance to build small D.U.P. Stations in the states that was said to have had the most recent bioterrorist activity. Of course something like this wasn't world-wide since people could just pick up a phone and call you in but places that seem to be in constant alert? That's different.

Even though Jake wasn't one himself, at least he thought he wasn't, he didn't think the whole thing was fair. Yeah, there are those people that would abuse any kind of powers they got and use them for selfish actions. Those are the ones that deserve to be locked up of course. Like that one bald guy who robbed a bank near the area he lived about 1 year back. 'What was that power? I think it was Smoke or something.' He thought.

But it's different when you take an innocent person and lock them away. Especially if they didn't even do anything. Like this one report he saw on the news where this man was placed into the hands of the D.U.P. because he used some kind of Metal Manipulation to stop support beams from falling atop some construction workers. The beams would've surely killed them and what does he get as a thank you? A phone call to jail. Or at least…super jail. That wasn't the end of it either. Other people with powers either seemed to have been found out in Colorado. It's either been by them showing off powers or by those weird bio-scanner things.

Jake knew he wasn't one of the brightest of people out there but he knew short-sighted when he saw it. Hopefully others in the world did too but that had to be very few in number.

He could see his high school now and even more kids than before heading into the front doors. Some had gotten a ride or drove themselves. That was one things he was looking forward to doing over the summer. Getting his license. His attention was diverted when he someone waving. Just the guy he wanted to see. As he began walking over he took out his phone and turned off his music. He kept in the headphones though since there'd be no point in a teacher telling him to take them off since there's no work to do.

He got closer to his friend who wore a tie-dye pull-over hoodie, with the many multiple colors in a swirling pattern. Dark blue jeans and white sneakers. By his skin tone you could see his nationality was African American with short black hair. Though it was cut on both sides and the haircut ended right behind both ears. It looked like a wide makeshift Mohawk.

"Hey, Ryle." Jake said and slightly raises his hand in a still-wave.

"Man, I was waiting for you. You're slow as shit." Ryle responded. They both went to go sit on a bench. Most others went into the building but some, like them, decided to stay out until the bell rang.

"Right. Because I want to be an early-bird on the last day of school," he smiled a little, "shut up."

Ryle showed some teeth with his own little smirk. "Just kiddin'. I know how you can be. I'm ready for the day to be over too! Man, I can't wait!"

"You didn't have to come today." Jake said, as he took his phone back out, going through nothing specific.

"Well yeah, but I knew you'd be coming to school today, so I did too and then I had to wait."

Jake couldn't stop the smile from forming on his face. "You know, that sounds creepy as hell when you say it like that. 'I know where you go every day, all day, all the time.' That's so stalker-ish." He mocked, with a little laugh.

Ryle playful hit his head and said, "That's not how it is. You can just be predictable sometimes…and other times you're not."

"Then maybe you should stop saying you'd know that I'd do….whatever. Because I can just change it up and you'll be all confused." Jake said and Ryle gave him a deadpanned look.

"Then maybe you don't do that without me knowing, alright." He got excited again and decided to start up a new conversation. "Anyway, I was thinking about that thing that we keep talking about and I know for sure what I want."

Jake instantly got interested and put his phone away. Even took out his earphones and gave Ryle his full attention. They looked around to make sure no one was listening in on them. They had to be quiet or else they might attract the wrong kind of attention. More so, the kind that would probably report them to the D.U.P. or something along the lines. Jake looked to his friend and said, "Really? Okay. What did you decided you'd want your super power to be if you had the choice?"

"Alright…I've been thinking about it…and I thought having lightning powers would be the best choice." Ryle said, with a nod but he backed off a bit when he saw Jake frowning. "What? Is that bad?"

Jake sighed and leaned his back against the bench while closing his eyes. "Lightning? Really? Come on man, that's lame."

Ryle gave him a look and asked incredulously, "Wha-how is that lame? Lightning powers? That's one of the best ones! I mean…you watch anime and saw all the crazy things people do with it. Plus what about the 'Electric Man', Cole McGrath? He had those powers and from tweets and video clips on the internet he was fucking strong!"

Jake gave another louder sigh. "It's lame because it's overused. I mean lightning used to be cool but with everybody wanting it or using it, even in anime and other shows and games it gets boring. It's easily one of the most known powers out there."

Ryle crossed his arms. "And what's considered 'overused' to you?"

Jake sat up and placed his arms on his legs. "First…them Avatar: The Last Airbender powers. Fire, Water, Earth, Air and like you said, Lightning. Those are also the 5 Chakra Natures from Naruto. Manipulating plants, psychic powers of any form like Mind-Reading or Telekinesis/Psychokinesis. Turning into animals, Metal powers and Ice powers. I can't tell you how many times I've seen those two in like," he shrugs, "Whatever. In like a lot of things. And don't even get me started on powers that manipulates the body, like super strength or speed or even just being able to fly."

"Well…what about some other elements in Avatar? Like Combustion bending, Blood bending and…all those other ones." Ryle asked him, wanting to hear more of how his older friend put this together.

Jake pointed to him for a few seconds. "Alright, now Combustion is cool. Anybody can use that." He gained a deadpanned look. "Though I hope they, like…don't have to take deep breaths and blast it from their foreheads only. Whoever gets that power is going to have to do some new shit. Blood bending? Alright, now when I hear Blood bending my mind goes to 'Deadman Wonderland'. I'd rather use the blood powers from that show then to just control people with the bending."

Ryle's eyebrows scrunched upwards and he gave a few blinks. "Jesus fucking Christ. You compiled an entire list. Who does that?"

"Somebody who takes their super powers very seriously. If I see one asshole doing some Superman-type shit, like flying around and shooting heat beams out of his eyes I'm gonna rage. Seriously, if you're thinking of powers then stop thinking about the regular stuff. No elements man. At least…no natural overused ones. Think outside the box."

"Like what?" Ryle asked and Jake turned to him.

"Like that one bioterrorist who used Smoke powers to rob a bank around here, a year ago. I mean…Smoke? I bet you never even thought of that one, huh? That's an uncommon power I never really heard of." Jake explained.

"What about Smoker from One Piece?"

"Smoker uses actual smoke. Like the kind that you see from a dude huffing a cigarette or a smoke bomb. That bioterrorist used smoke that looks like it comes from a chimney or pipe or something, and it had embers mixed into it. Embers, man. That made it look even cooler…even though the camera's only caught a bit of the actions before he was caught by D.U.P."

Ryle thought back to that incident. His uncle worked at that bank when it happened. He came out of there alive, thank God, but he sure as hell was traumatized from the experience. Ryle can now say with certainty that his uncle doesn't like bioterrorist's any more than the rest of the world. "Fine…I guess I'll think about that a bit more."

Jake gave a big smile. "With how you like flashy colors so much you could have the same powers as that one girl that was seen in Seattle? You know? The one with the pink hair and the Neon powers. That's also uncommon."

Ryle's eyes narrowed in thought before he slightly turned his head to Jake. "Would me throwing around pink energy make me look…gay?"

Jake lost his smile momentarily and looked upwards. He blinked rapidly before turning to Ryle with his own stare and his mouth in a small "o".

"Of ALL the things that could possibly happen to you if that were true, that's what you're worried about? Not getting ripped from your family, not going to super jail, not even the worry of potential rape! But you're worried you'll look gay with pink powers? Bitch…you wear a tie-dye…hoodie! Plus you're black!? Do you know how fruity that looks by itself!? Who the…fuck wear's tie-dye anything?" He exclaimed, as he jerked his head a little bit forward.

Ryle sucked in his teeth and glared. "Really, nigga? You gotta go for the hoodie? And you're gonna call me gay? You're just hatin'."

Jake placed his palms against one another. "First of all…only hippies would wear something like that. Second of all…you're the one who brought this upon yourself. Plus I'm just calling it as I see it." He removed his hands from one another. "Talking about looking like-and with the way you say it you make it sound like it's a bad thing. What'chu got against gay people?"

"I don't got anything against gay people! I just don't...I mean I wouldn't wanna have people-"

"Know that you're gay." Jake interrupted with a big toothy grin.

"Yes," Ryle blinks and then throws his hands up near his face, "NO! You bitch! Dammit!"

Jake shook his head from side to side. That grin never leaving his face. "Oh my god. You fall for that all the time; it's so funny."

Ryle glared. "No. It's not. Damn, I hate you."

Jake grin turned into a smile. "I know you mean love." He said in a high voice. Ryle rubbed his head, trying to calm down from his friends usual antics. It's something he just had to get used too. "I get it. You just don't want to have people believe you are. Whatever."

"Anyway…let's forget that…and get back to what we were on before."

Jake stopped smiling and nodded. Though he couldn't help but laugh lowly at himself. He can always make entertainment out of someone or something. Friend, foe… animal's. No matter who was on the receiving end, fun was fun.

Ryle ignored him and asked, "So…if you had your own super powers…what would they be?"

Jake crossed his arms and leaned back. He gave an 'hmm' and tilted his head backwards in thought. "Well…I tried thinking but I don't know for sure. I mean…I want something I can just…flow with, you know?"

The look in the younger teen's eyes didn't show he understood at all. "Elaborate, please?"

Jake sat up and gave him his attention again. "Alright. Like I want something that can free-flow and is easy to move around and use, like water," he made a wavy motion with his arm, "but I want it to also become strong and sturdy when I need it to be. Like…like Gaara or Sandman."

"So you want…Sand powers?" Ryle wondered.

"No, it has to be uncommon. Maybe something kinda like sand would be alright, I guess…but it can do its own thing. Like have its own special properties." Jake answered the best he could. When he saw Ryle nod he nodded himself.

"Alright…so let's get off Manipulations for a second. If you couldn't have that…then what else would you want?" Ryle asked and Jake was already on giving him an answer.

"Oh! A Mimicry power. Werewolf Physiology! All day, every day." Jake replied excitedly, making Ryle laugh a bit.

"You serious?" He said with a smile.

"I'm dead serious." He punched his left fist in his right hand. "I will turn into a werewolf and kill a bitch! Fuck that full moon shit, I can transform whenever I want!"

They both begun laughing louder, getting them a few weird looks from the other people hanging around the school yard away from them. It was moments like these that made school worth it in their opinion. The people who make it interesting. After they began to calm themselves down from the excess of laughter the bell rung, signaling the start of the school day. Though they weren't really concerned since they didn't have to do anything, besides empty out their lockers and collect or throw away useless projects and work that had to be completed.

Ryle takes a deep breath and stands up. "Well…you ready to get this last day over with?"

Jake stood up too. "Yes. Geez." He said in a half-sigh as they walked inside.

Sitting on a bench in the park, with his arms resting behind him Don gave a relaxing sigh. The family was either at school or at work and he was making the most out of his first day off work. Not getting many chances to do this he decided to make the most out of his free-day he had doing something productive, but also fun. So for today he was going to do nothing but relaxing things to take his mind off of the any kind of frustrations. He hasn't had many though problems have shown themselves. Mainly at work.

Nearly 20 people had been laid off or fired in the last 2 weeks. Normally that wouldn't even be ethical or even legally allowed without a good enough reason. But it seems that if they were tested positive for being bioterrorist's then its reason enough. Even though Don understood the reason, or at least some of the reason, why his boss would do that it was still unfair. It's true that at times things to blow up around bioterrorists but none of those people had even done anything wrong. Hell, they didn't even know what they were, themselves. To add insult to injury they had been reported to the D.U.P. by his boss as well and some of them ever friends Don had made. He had half a mind to punch his boss straight in the face but the other more rational half stopped him from doing anything that stupid.

"Not like I can do anything about it." He said to himself in slight disappointment. Of course he would like for a better change to happen between humans and the new species of sub-human but that was wishful thinking at its fullest. Of course all people wish for the best of the populace as a whole from time to time but none ever have the resources to do anything about it. And as far as he knew none certainly believed that bringing both of these types of people together in peace would even be remotely possible. Besides looks on the outside the differences on the inside were too big.

"I need to take my mind of that," he said getting up, "Maybe more walking will help." Don placed his hands in his pockets and began doing just that. He didn't drive his car. He felt more comfortable with walking on nice days like this. Even if he didn't do anything and he wasn't really planning to do so. Don was soon out of the park, heading nowhere specific though he was enjoying himself. His mood changed when there seemed to have been an explosion two blocks ahead of him.

"The fuck!?" He exclaimed, stopping immediately in his tracks. Anyone else that was near the vicinity was screaming their heads off and running away from the area. He was half-tempted to do so himself but he was curious about this sudden catastrophe. Though he got a better understanding when he heard a familiar siren going off, that was getting louder.

"D.U.P.?" There would only be one reason for them to be involved in something like this. They were fighting…or probably hunting a bioterrorist. Another explosion went off. The fire and debris were in a bigger quantity than the previous one, showing that it was getting closer. That was when he decided to turn around and haul ass away from there. Not a minute after another explosion sounded behind him and the sirens were louder. He turned around to try and catch a glimpse of what was going on behind him but wasn't prepared for the car flying towards him.

"FUCK!" His body acting on its own he stopped in his place and dive into a roll under the car. The crashed at the area he would've been if he had kept his pace. It rolled and caught fire before coming to a grinding halt. Don was sitting on his rear and had to catch his breath. Especially with how he had come so close to losing his life a few seconds ago. He placed his left hand against his chest, where his heart was to feel the rapid beating. The commotion behind him was tuned out before he regained his bearings. He got up and turned back around again, though he was now moving back in the other direction for safety. D.U.P. soldiers were running around the vicinity, brandishing their assault rifles and concrete powers. Don didn't know who they were attacking, since they were out of his view, but it damn sure had to have been one powerful bioterrorist for the super cops to be out in force like this.

Not wanting to stick around anymore to find out Don turned around and this time really made sure to haul ass. Other civilians were running the same way he was. The lucky ones found their automobiles and made their escapes that way.

"Of ALL the damn times I decided to not drive I get this!? Walks are officially dangerous!" He screamed though no one else bothered to pay him attention. But when he heard a gunshot and another man scream to the side of him he couldn't help but look. He gasped and nearly stopped when he found he had been shot in the back and was most likely killed right there. It was at that point the civilians began to yell coherent sentences!

"What the hell!? Why are the DUP's shooting at us!?"

"Aren't we supposed to be protected!? What's changed!?"

"They fucking shot Jeff!"

"What about the bioterrorist!?

To answer that question multiple drones of some sort began flying overhead. About the size of those strange quad-copters the D.U.P. sent out to monitor bioterrorist activity from the air occasionally. Then after the copters came, what Don couldn't believe, a mass of machinery. Computers, phones, cars, even the guns from the D.U.P. That would explain the gunshots as well as the lack of them. The civilians broke away and scattered. Don on the other hand was staring in complete shock at what he was seeing. He hadn't even realized he had stopped running and the D.U.P. vans rushed past him, shooting its turret while the soldiers hurled more concrete. Some even using some kind of Concrete Pillars to shoot themselves to higher ground for better range.

"There he is! Get him!" One of the DUP's shouted. Don moved his gave around the area. The tech was spreading out to different areas but standing on a mass of it…was a person. They were too high for an accurate description…but they soldiers did say the person was male. The super terrorist seemed to have raised his hand and the few parts of tech he gathered, mainly the useless broken ones, he threw down to the ground. Don began running again when he saw he was in the vicinity of the barrage. Some of the DUP's began running or making shield of concrete to protect themselves, but Don didn't have that luxury. He tripped over some concrete and tumbled down.

"Uh-uh! I am NOT going down like those fuckin' white people in scary movies!" Racist but…slightly true comment aside he scrambled to his feet and tried to run but machines were crashing into the ground. He looked up to see he was going to get crushed by a truck this time. "ARE YOU FUCK-REALLY, BITCH!?" Knowing he wasn't fast enough to escape this he could only crouch down and cover his head. His palms were unknowingly facing upwards as the truck almost crashed into him. Don closed his eyes tightly and grit his teeth, waiting for the impact…but it never came. He slowly opened his eyes and blinked. Angling his arms so that he could bring his head through he got, what even he was surprised by, the biggest shock of today. You would think that with random explosions, almost getting crushed and shot as well as a bioterrorist sighting in 7 minutes that was a case a mental trauma right there. But he most certainly never anticipated for a truck to be hovering literally a foot over his head.

He blinked multiple times as his heart rate began to increase. For a second he thought it was the bioterrorist again…but when he stood up…the truck moved with his own movements. He gasped again. "Am I…doing…this!?" He exclaimed. To be sure he slowly brought his hands down from above his head to in front of his body. The truck moved along with them before it set itself down onto the slightly broken road. The shock was too much to take and with a panicked yell he gave a hard thrust to the air in front of him. The truck, still in his control, was sent skidding across the ground with a strong force. Don fell to his behind again and brought up shaky palms to his face before looking back to the truck.

"Oh no. Oh no, oh no, no, no! I'm…not me. Not…not me!" He started to hyperventilate. The problems didn't end there when D.U.P. soldiers jumped down from the rooftops and pointed their guns at him.

"Bioterrorist! Freeze!" They demanded. More ran up from behind and did the same. Some had concrete flowing in their hands just in case things would get hairy. Don looked around and stood up. He turned his head to look at the 20 of them.

"What!? No! This is…you got it wrong! ," he slowly reached out, "I…I was-"

"I said freeze! Don't move a muscle!" The same one shouted. Now that Don got a look of him compared to the others he had on the most concrete and it was in a reasonable amount too. Squad leader.

"This…it's a misunderstanding! If you let me explain myself, dammit!"

"Stop and surrender! I'm not giving you another warning! Put your damn hands over your head and don't move!"

Don grit his teeth and clenched his hands into fists. These guys were really making him loose his temper. Hell, he was angry at himself. He mean to catch the damn thing! However he did it. It was just…he didn't know what it was! But…he couldn't deny that is was him who did it. Not the bioterrorist from earlier. Looking back into the air…he could see him and those machines were long gone. Sure, lose the previous guy but go for the runner up. How is that fair? 'So…this is how it feels for them, huh? I…never would'a guessed.'

"Now don't move…and come with us!" The leader kept yelling, as if trying to keep up the look that he was the one with the most authority.

But Don didn't care about that. He had to get away from these guys. He had to get back home. Get his family and go live somewhere else. Whatever it was, as long as they were away from Denver. It wasn't safe with especially knowing that he was a bioterr…err…a person with powers. Especially since these guys aren't willing to listen to him. Why would they?

"I SAID PUT YOUR HANDS OVER YOUR HEAD!"

"Will you just…SHUT THE FUCK UP!?" Don screamed having had enough with that idiot's yelling. In the process he threw his arms to his sides and released some kind of…invisible, crushing force. The ground under him cracked and some soldiers went flying back. Others having crashed into walls or broken things.

"OPEN FIRE! OPEN FIRE!"

Don could feel the bullets rip through his body mercilessly from nearly all sides. He's never once been shot in his life so a multitude of them was another plate of trauma to add to his list. His body was spasming uncontrollably from the constant barrage. The pain was so much he couldn't bring himself to scream and was on the verge of losing consciousness. He didn't even feel himself hit the ground, before he began blacking out. He could see the D.U.P. converging onto him and the fading voice of the squad leader talking through his com-radio.

The day progressed normally for Jake. It was much later in the day and school had been let out. His backpack was incredibly thin and very light, considering there was nothing in it anymore. Everything having been thrown away. Right now he and Ryle were walking down the sidewalk to go to their respective homes. They both came that same way, though Ryle would have to turn right in a couple more blocks to go to his.

"Man. Is it me or did today seem like…the slowest school day ever?" Ryle complained a bit. Jake had his earphones back in, though he toned the music down a lot so he could both listen to it and talk at the same time.

"Must be because it was the last day. I mean…everyone was waiting for it." Jake said replied back.

"Right? Anyway, what are you gonna do over the summer?" Ryle asked.

Jake paused his music and thought about it. "Well…I'm going to try and get my license. I mean I already went to Drivers school and everything. So I should be taking that test. After that…I don't know. I mean I hope me and the family could go to some places across the country or something like that. You doing anything?"

"Yeah, actually. Me and my parents are going to be taking a trip to California. It'll be so awesome!"

Jake sighed, "Lucky you. We don't have the kind of money to do something like that. At least not yet but dad says that he's going to do his best to make a family trip happen for us this summer."

Ryle laughed and punched his shoulder lightly. "Well you got nothin' to worry about. Knowin' your dad you'll get to go on an awesome family trip. He comes through like that all the time, right?"

"Only when he's sure of himself." Jake answered.

"Then you got nothin' to worry about. Anyway, I better head home. Since there's no more school in nearly forever there's a bunch of things I need to catch up on. Mainly YouTube and video games. See ya' later." With a wave Ryle turned the corner and jogged away. Jake stood there and watched him for a bit before turning his music up and heading his own way.

15 more minutes of walking and he was standing in front of his house. He unlocked the front door with his key and walked in. "I'm back!" He called out to anyone who could hear.

"We're in the living room! Hurry and check this out!" He heard Martin call out. Wondering what he was so excited about Jake walked into the main room of the house to see his mother and brother staring at the news intently. But only them.

"Where's dad? His car's in the drive." He stated and Alice answered.

"Oh you know how he can be. Must've went on one of those 'relaxing walks' of his." She answered back. Jake laughed a bit to her. That sounded exactly like something he'd do.

"Anyway…what's up? What are you looking at?" He asked.

Martin turned to him for an instant with a slightly worried look. "It was one of them. A bioterrorist attack."

"What!? Really!?" Jake shouted and Martin nodded.

"Yeah. Listen to this." He grabbed the remote and turned up the volume.

"Reports show that a rogue bioterrorist had been causing mass chaos near Chessman Park. The main confrontation happening on East 14th Avenue. Any actual attack locations appear sporadic but they mostly seem to be any location with an abundance of electronics. This seems to be the basis of their powers by the observations given by the D.U.P. Besides being classified as male the assailant is still unknown, since any cameras that were able to catch the bioterrorist in action were taken by said bioterrorist and other video feeds were either too far away or ruined."

"Jesus Christ. So that's what all of the rumbling was? Explosions?" Jake said to himself though the other two in the room looked to him confused.

"What? You heard them?" Martin asked him.

"I guess. I mean I didn't really hear anything but there was a slight tremor or two that was going on, through the school. People started thinking that we were having an earthquake for some retarded reason. And then you got those normal 'it's a bomb' thinking guys. But whoa. A few more blocks and that would be right outside our school. But anyway…this guy manipulates technology? I know this is serious and all…but that's kinda cool. "

Martin seemed a little disgruntled from that. "Of course you'd say that. I don't know why you think it's so cool. These people…they aren't like Superman or anything. They hurt people."

"Dude…don't be short-sighted. Yeah…some do hurt people. I mean…look at what's one the news. But there are some who get arrested and are hated just because. What if someone you knew was one of them? Then how'd you react?" Jake replied with a small glare. He knew his brother was too smart to honestly believe all people with powers were bad. But just like most of the world they can't help how they think. That's the way the media portrays bioterrorists. Apparently all are bad and none can ever do something good. It's Segregation all over again, except on a more global and nationally free scale.

"Well…I don't know…" was all Martin could say, before the news reporter began speaking again.

"Though even with all of the mess caused from this bioterrorist it would appear as though he had an accomplice. The D.U.P. had managed to discover and capture the second bioterrorist that was in the same location as the previous one. D.U.P. reported this man to have outright refused arrest and even went onto the offensive but was neutralized immediately. Miraculously one hidden video camera caught some of the confrontation on tape and the rest was from a D.U.P. soldier's hidden camera."

When the video feed began to roll the three couldn't believe the amount of destruction and disarray that was being shown. Cars, debris and other things getting tossed around. Stuff exploding and many people running for their lives. Something happened that was out of the camera's range but the civilians began scrambling even more, with some shouting or pointing at something. A few seconds after, flying drone-like machines of some sort flew overhead and some other miscellaneous machinery. Soon all the people were gone and the family gasped when they saw who was left.

Alice gasped. "Donald!?"

"Whoa, it's dad! Did he make it out of there!?" Martin exclaimed and Jake was silent. He didn't have any words to say right now but he watched intently to see what happened next. He was waiting to see when this second bioterrorist was going to show up and start causing hid own trouble. Though he couldn't shake the feeling that something very wrong was going to happen with each second this person didn't show up and only D.U.P. soldiers and his father was the only thing being shown on tape. The video was cut off from there since the feed became fuzzy and blackout. They news cast got the second one rolling. This time from a 1st person Point-of-view from the camera in the helmet.

Imagine the family's surprise when they saw the many troops surrounding Don, brandishing their firearms or powers.

Martin stood up quickly and said, "Hey! What do those guys think they're doing!?"

Jake found his voice. "I think…wait! You don't think they're accusing dad of being the other guy!? He's…..he never even…." He couldn't say more. Or better yet he didn't know what else to say. His mother was watching with bated breath and she looked scared.

'Is she having the same hunch I do?' He thought to himself. Glancing back to the television he saw a large amount of frustration and anger on Don's face. With a hard downward swing of his arms small parts of the area cracked and broke while the soldiers, including the one whose video was being used, got flown back and crashed before that video was cut off as well.

The television shut off. Martin turned it off with the remote before he slowly put it down. He had an expression that looked as if he couldn't believe what he saw was real. Alice had covered her mouth with her hands, with the same expression. Her eyes were wide opened before the lid's closed half-way. Jake himself had his own widened eyes and blinked a few times. The scene replaying itself over and over in his mind.

"Did we…did we just see what I think we saw?" Jake finally said. The other two were still in shock.

"I can't…no way. Not dad. W-why him!?" Martin said, clenching his knees.

"Oh…oh my god. D-Don. He's….he's a….he's one of them." Alice said but mainly to herself. She couldn't bear to call her own husband a terrorist of any kind, no matter what she just saw. "There…has to be a reason….right?"

"I…don't know what to think mom," he gave a small smile and looked to Jake, "Damn. You must be one hell of a fortune-teller in disguise or something. That "what-if" of yours was spot on."

Jake looked down for a while. Though unlike his brother he wasn't smiling, even if it was a humorless one. "So…what's your feelings about it? Still don't know?"

Martin rubbed his face, keeping his hands over his eyes. "You know how people say you never know how you'll react in a certain situation unless you're placed in it yourself? Well…I'm feeling a mass of shock and disbelief. There's other stuff too…but I don't know...how to put it in words."

Jake looked to his mother. "Mom?"

Alice blinked, her lip quivering slightly. "I…I-I don't…oh no."

Jake gave a growl. "I hate this! It's just not right! That was dad just now!"

Martin finally looked to him. "You think we don't know that!? I get that was dad…but I also get he's a biot-"

Jake stepped forward with a full glare. "Don't call him that. He's dad! That's all there is to it!"

"But…," Martin glanced back down, "Right. Sorry…but…it's still true. We can't say it's not. That…was most certainly him doing whatever he did."

"Well…yeah, but…"

"No." They both looked to see their mother glaring at the T.V.

"Mom?" Martin questioned, concerned.

Alice shook her head. "No. I can't just…"

Martin stood up. "Look. I get that this is hard to believe. Trust me, we know exactly how you feel. But denying it…well…"

"It's not that," she interrupted, "It's the fact that they took him into custody. He's…he's still my husband and your father. No matter…what he is that doesn't change anything. He deserves to be back with us."

Jake gave a big grin. "Yeah! That's right! No one's gonna break us up like that. Especially those DUP's."

Martin looked to them both. "Are you both serious? Look…I want him back just as much as you guys but if the D.U.P. have him there's no way they're going to turn him over. And even if they were what would we do afterwards?"

Alice clenched her fists on her legs. "I don't know. But…I know that we couldn't stay in Denver anymore. We'd have to move, first of all. Someplace where the D.U.P. aren't stationed. Then…whatever happens after that happens."

Martin looked at them both. "So what do we do then?"

Jake made a fist. "Well…I'd personally wanna kick the hell outta 'em for kidnapping dad like that. I mean, really."

His mother gave him a slightly hard look. "Jake, don't even joke around like that. You might do something very rash."

He crossed his arms and looked away with a pout. "It's true though. I can't help it. I really wish I could show them a thing or two myself."

"Well you're not the bioterrorist here. Dad's the one that needs help. And even if you were that'd be a stupid move. The D.U.P. are nearly global and are beginning to station themselves into other cities. You wouldn't stand a chance." Martin said, making Jake's head tilt to the side.

"Wow. Nice to know that I always have your full support, brother." Jake replied, sarcastically.

Both of their attentions were diverted when they saw Alice get up. She headed upstairs before coming back down minutes later, with a light blue jacket and her car keys. "Get in the car."

"And…where are we going exactly?" Martin asked.

"We're going to that command center and demand an explanation about Donald."

Jake grinned, liking that plan. "Alright, mom! Let's go!"

Martin stood up immediately and rushed over to them. "No, no, no! Mom, what's going on with you!? You'd never do anything like crazy! That's Jake and dad's job! We have to think carefully about this!"

Alice sighed, knowing her first son was right. "I know that, Martin. Really, I do. I mean you do get your cautiousness from me, after all. But without Don…I just…I don't think there's even a way around this. He's been captured. I…can't fool myself into thinking something else. Like this was a misunderstanding of some sort. You're right when you said whatever happened, was because he did it. And since that's the case the D.U.P. won't turn him over. But there has to be….something…anything I can do to at least…see him." Tears started to fall down her cheeks but she quickly wiped them away.

The brothers looked at each other for a while before looking back. Jake shifted his book bag. "Well…I know I'm with ya'. All the way, mom. I don't care what we have to do, but dads coming back with us."

Martin sighed and rubbed one of his temples. "Well…I don't think I can stop you guys. I mean…now that I think about it probably asking the D.U.P. to at least let us see him might seem like a safe bet. Pretty sure we can't bust him out or anything. And I know I don't want to see him shipped off to that prison for bioterrorists, Curdun Cay. Let's…do it, then."

"Awesome!" Jake exclaimed, slapping his brother on the back, making him cringe.

"Hey, easy! That hurt, dammit!"

Jake blinked but began smiling broadly. "Hahaha, right. Sorry. I forgot I'm stronger than you are."

Martin rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Not all of us are athletic."

Jake laughed, shaking Martin's shoulder slowly but with a bit of force. "I get it, now! So if it comes down to it, it'll be up to me to kick around some Dup's while you and mom make a get-away!"

Martin smiled at him and lightly punched his head. "You can throw those kicks of yours as much as you want at normal guys. But against ones with guns and super powers, you'd stand no chance."

"Says you."

"Says logic." Martin said, lightly punching his head.

"Okay, that's enough playing you two. We need to go," she walked to the front door and looked back, "now." She said with a bit more force.

"Yes ma'am." Jake said, still grinning. They followed her out the door. She locked it before they got into her car. The vehicle started up, before she backed out of the drive and they were on their way.

Martin was in the front and Jake was in the back. Martin soon lost his own grin though as he remembered exactly what they were planning to do. He couldn't help but feel nervous. No, more o he was scared. His father had just been taken away by the D.U.P. and now his family of now three were going to their command center to give their complaints. Something told him the odds weren't going to be much in their favor. He looked at Jake through the side-mirror and saw he was still grinning, though it decreased in size. But Martin could tell he was putting on a bit of a facade. Jake was just as worried as he was. When he saw his little brother sigh and space out for a moment he knew he was right.

"Jake…how you holdin' up?" Martin asked him, wanting to know at least some of his real thoughts. Jake likes to play games with people too much and would usually say or do things that made no sense to others. Kinda makes it hard to get a real feel for him unless he makes it obvious.

"Honestly…I'm worried. I mean…I am for us. But it's more so for dad. This ain't right." Jake responded, not bothering to listen to his phone. He wasn't really in a mood for music. He was actually getting a bad feeling in the put of his stomach that he couldn't shake off.

'I hate it when I get a feeling like that. Am I nervous? Or…am I scared? Maybe it's me not knowing what's gonna happen that got me all shook up.'

One look at his hands and he found them shaking. He's tried calming himself down by taking a few deep, quiet breathes but it didn't seem to help. Glancing at the other two he could see they felt their own amount of tension, coming to the conclusion it was the same feeling he felt. It's true he talks big and part of that is because he's the only one of the three of them with any kind of fighting experience. But even he knew that wouldn't mean anything compared to a Concrete Blast.

"Martin…Jake…," Alice started, "no matter what happens…"

Martin gave a small worrying smile. "Geez, ma' don't start talking like we're about to go to war."

Alice smiled herself and gave a little laugh. "Sorry. Guess I'm just…well…."

"We know, mom." Jake reassured her. Alice sighed and nodded, the tension slightly less apparent than before. The command center came into view, in all of its isolated glory. A few D.U.P. trucks were stationed here and there, while a few normal cars were parked outside of it too. Mainly for regular, non-soldier people who worked there or others to fill in complaints of something bioterrorist related. They drove along the thin strip of road at the front of the building, compared to the other two at the left and right sides. Camera's watched as the car pulled in and parked.

Everyone inside took a deep breath as they prepared themselves. They all stepped out of the car and were walking towards the entrance. Though as they got to the front door they saw that covering the door, at waist height was a gate. The gate was connected to one of those Bio-Scanners.

"Hey check it out." Jake said pointing to it.

"Yeah, it's a Bio-Scanner. Smart they hooked it to the front door. That way bioterrorists can't sneak in." Martin stated, while looking it over. "First time I've seen one up close actually."

"Yeah, me too. So…you think any of us…might also be…" Jake tried to say but couldn't. This made the other two think.

"Well…no turning back now. Guess we just have to…try our luck." Alice said, walking up to the hand scanner.

"And if luck's not on our side?" Martin wondered but Jake hit his back again. Though a lot softer than before since he didn't want to hear Martin complaining.

"Then…we haul ass outta here. Nothing else we could do, right?"

"Right. No point in having the D.U.P. catch another one of us."

"Please place your finger on the scanner." The machine spoke, in its female robotic voice.

Tired of stalling Alice took another deep breath before she placed her finger on the scanner. It beeped as green light shone of her hand.

"Processing…"

With a light *beep* a green check mark flashed on the black screen above showing Alice was a regular human. The gates opened up, making her sigh in relief. She stepped through before they closed again. Alice chose to not go through the door until both her sons made it through as well.

"Well…guess I'm up next." Martin said as he walked up to the machine.

"Please place your finger on the scanner," he did so, "processing…*beep*"

"'Kay, I'm good, too." He said. The gate opened for him and he stood next to Alice. Now they were both looking at Jake, who was looking at the scanner. He clenched in fist in uneasiness.

"C'mon, you can do this bro. You're all that's left." Martin tried to reassure him, but Jake's eye twitched.

"This isn't something that's up to me you know!?" He barked back, while Martin rubbed his head in slight embarrassment. Jake had a point. He couldn't control his genes…he just had to be lucky to get through.

"Please place your finger on the scanner," steeling himself he did so as well, "processing…bzzt…processing…bzzzzzzrrrrtttt….error. Please place your finger on the scanner…"

Jake withdrew his hand and gave the scanner a weird look. "What? Is this thing shorting out or somethin'?"

"Maybe…maybe you should try it didn't give a definite evaluation after all." Alice said.

Jake looked to her. "Uh…okay." He placed his finger on the machine again.

"Processing…..bzzt….*beep*"

The gate opened and he walked through. Martin placed a hand on his chest and gave a big sigh. "Man…I was so worried for a second. I mean I never had a machine make me suspenseful like that. Thought for sure it was going to say you were a bioterrorist."

"You? I was the one feeling the pressure, there. They need to get that dumb thing fixed." Jake said, placing his hands in his pockets.

"Now for the hard part." Alice said, opening up the door. She held it open for Martin and Jake to head through while she went in last. The main room was bigger than they thought. Multiple people were here, just as they figured. D.U.P. soldiers stood guard at the two doors to the back, on the left and right. There was a big long counter with receptionist, who wore a black and yellow shirt. The prime colors for this organization. Some stood in a line to wait their turn for whatever reason and others sat on the booth-like benches against the walls. They were bent into the corners and continued on the next wall before stopping at a certain length.

Some muffled noises could be heard behind the doors that the soldiers were protecting but they didn't seem worried at all by it.

Martin spoke lowly. "They seem to be guarding where they keep the bioterrorists, if I had to guess."

"So you think dad's back there?" Jake asked him.

"I hope so. At least he wouldn't be off to the alps."

"What the hell is all that noise in the background?"

"They must be trying to contain them, or…whatever."

"Maybe I should ask," Alice said, looking at the long service area, "but getting to have any of these guys talk about other things…that's going to be tricky."

"Should we come with you?" Martin asked but she shook her head.

"It's alright. I know how to tread lightly on subjects. If it seems I might be too suspicious then we'll just have to leave. Can't risk the D.U.P. thinking we're collaborators of some sort." She responded before she got into the shorter line. Only 4 people were in front of her but it seemed like the first one was finishing up his own business. When he walked away that just left three more.

Martin sat down to the booth on the left wall. "Guess there's nothing to do but to leave it up to her."

Jake sat down next to him. They continued to speak lowly, among themselves. "I don't like this. I mean…we just leave if she doesn't get anywhere? That's it?"

"Well what else can we do? There's a chance that if we asked to see him they wouldn't be privy to let regular people back there and I sure as hell know they won't bring one of them out here."

"Maybe they have some way to…cut off their powers? How else would we have a prison for them, even a small place like this until they're picked up?"

"It'd still be iffy to let one out. I think they're fully against it actually. Can't chance it, especially with any people in here. They'd be thrown into a panic."

Jake lightly punched his left fist into his right hand. He set his elbows in his legs and set his forehead in his joined hands. "I hate this. Feeling helpless, I mean. You know how long it's been since I've ever felt like that?"

"Years, right? Like when you were getting bullied." Martin sighed.

He remembered that all too well. Him, Alice and Donald seeing his brother come home with dirty clothes and bruises on his face and body. It wasn't fear that stopped him from telling anyone but pride. Jake just didn't want anyone to fight a battle he couldn't…even though he got hurt in the end. He got that from their dad. He even took care of the problem immediately and had Jake learn to fight, who chose to study Taekwondo. From then on he defended himself…or attacked others outright. Even if he got into trouble for getting into more fights he was just glad that he wasn't helpless anymore.

But this was vastly different. The D.U.P. aren't some regular street punks or school bullies. Unless you were lucky, or unlucky depending how you look at it, enough to have powers doing battle with them would probably end in your own death. Weapons, concrete super powers and heavy artillery? Just fighting one soldier would be near impossible for even a champion fighter of any kind. If they were forced to leave here today, which Martin was sure would happen, then that would be it. Their father would be taken away and they couldn't do anything about it.

There were more muffled screams behind the back doors. The guards guarding the left door spoke through their built-in helmet-coms. to the ones on the right. One on each side went back there, while the remaining stood at their posts.

"You heard that? Those noises were a bit louder." Martin said to Jake who nodded.

"Must be doing one bad job to stop some sorta riot, or whatever."

Martin looked up to the desk to see Alice was talking to one of the employers. A woman about her age with burgundy hair. He tapped Jake's shoulder and directed his attention to her. "Alright…guess it's all up to her."

"I wanna say so far, so good…but…"

Martin nodded. "Yeah….I know."

The sounds behind the door became even louder, which got the attention of everyone in the room. The remaining guards watching the doors turned their heads, curiously at them. They were about to go inside until there was a rumble that shook the place. Two soldiers went flying out of the doors, breaking them. They slid against the ground either knocked out or dead. It was hard to tell with those masks. The other shoulders took out their guns and began firing at something that no one else was able to see. They walked in while continuing to shoot but they too went flying out and the building shook again. Things began to fall over and even crack. Civilians began screaming and scrambling for the door.

Jake and Martin stood up abruptly and tried to keep their balance.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!?" Jake screamed over the mass hysteria.

"WHO CARES!? JUST GET OUT OF HERE!" Martin screamed back. He and Jake turned to the door, to which became crowded but Martin stopped, not seeing his mother. He turned back to the reception area to see her ducking under the table.

"MOM!" He rushed over to her, while the building began shaking again. Some parts of the walls and ceiling even started to break away or fall. Martin covered his head as he weaved his way from the falling debris. He rushed down to her and grabbed her arm, making her look up to him.

"Martin!" She yelled as he stood her up. He then gasped and gave her a hard pull from a piece of metal that was going to fall on her.

"Let's get out of here!" He yelled, pulling her along. They saw that most of the people had exited already, even going as far as to knock down the already malfunctioning Bio-Scanner. Trampling all over it broke it some more. Back inside Jake rapidly waved his hand over as Martin and Alice came running through.

"'C'mon!" He yelled to them. They rushed through the door with Jake about to follow, until he heard another loud scream. He stopped in his tracks as his eyes widened. He turned around and held onto one of the booths to steady himself.

"Was that…dad!?" He turned his head back to the door but turned his head to the back area. Even with all the noise he was sure that was Don screaming just now.

Jake blinked and said to himself, "Wait…is was eh the one yelling all this time? Is…is HE doing all this!?"

Jake's body then began to move to the sound. He made sure to avoid any falling debris and steady himself against things that wasn't falling over. He rushed out to the back and saw a bunch of yellow cages with tight locks on the doors. Though the cages were empty and some were smashed. Jake found a mass of broken machines over the place. There was one big truck-looking things that seemed to have been busted from the top. There were some glowing blue things over the place that he didn't recognize. There were also about 2 of these smaller boxes that looked similar to the big van-like thing. Though they had a mass of blue mist coming from their blown-off tops.

"The fuck is all of blue stuff?" He wondered. Disregarding them he slowly tried to make his way through the shaking and breaking building. "Dad! You there!? DAD!?" He stopped and listened for any kind of response and was surprised when he actually got one.

"Jake!? Was…that…you!? What are you doing here!?"

Jake gasped as he tried to move forward again but a big piece of rubble fell down, making him jump back to his original position.

"Dad, where are you!? We need to leave! Just tell me how to get to you! Everything's coming apart!" He was going to move but Don called out to him again.

"NO! You need to leave! It's not….safe around me! I can't….I can't stop this! Go…go back, Jake!"

"NOT WITHOUT YOU!" Jake moved over the concrete and moved around as best he could. Another shake and he fell face-first. Right in front of one of those glowing pieces of…what looked like rock.

"THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR YOU TO BE STUBBORN! GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HERE!" The building began to rumble and shake even more. Jake was knocked back onto his behind, not able to get to his feet. He saw a path that led to somewhere. Thinking that's where Don was he tried to crawl his way over…until he found himself floating. He gasped and looked around the whole room, seeing the same affect happening to everything around him.

"What the fuck is this!? What's…whoa…," he gasped trying to steady himself, "Okay…this is freaky. There's, like….NO kind of gravity."

A humming sound echoed out through the room and everything, Jake included, stopped moving in the air. Ye they stayed in place. Before he could even say something else a mass of intense pressure exploded outwards and propelled everything with a very dangerous force. Jake only had an instant to see the phenomena take place before he lost consciousness.

'Wha….where am….what just…ugghhhhh,' Jake thought as he slowly, opened his eyes, only to see black, 'Am I….are my eyes open? They…they feel like it…but it's….it's so dark. Something…..what's that….what's that "something" I feel?'

His could see a blur of colors begin to mesh his vision. The black slowly faded away and his eyelids were heavy. Though he could tell for sure they were very much open. Though he was currently so discombobulated that he couldn't make out what it was he was staring at. He slowly blinked before his vision cleared a bit more. The whole facility…was in complete ruin. Nothing remained as it was. Just the heat from flames, the smell of smoke and he seemed to have been laying on something hard. He couldn't make out every little detail…but everything was gone. He knew that much.

'What happened to me? That "something"…my chest? Why does…my chest feel so….it…stings," he blinked, 'No…it's more than that. It's…I can't even...feel it.'

Choosing to glance down, his eye-sight still a slight blur, he was a big jagged but pointed piece of concrete where his chest was. The tip all the way down was covered in a red liquid. He slowly raised his left hand to the piece and grasped it weakly. He tried to move but he gasped in absolute pain that ignited his whole body and brought tears of fear to his eyes. That action forced his eyes wide open and he glanced down completely. Only now realizing that the concrete speared him from the back and punctured through his chest. No doubt breaking through all his ribs and some important organs.

"W…w-what? N-no. No way…this can't…" He gripped the piece harder and started to hyperventilate but it slowly calmed down as he felt himself growing weaker. His hand began to shake and he started to loose feeling in his body. "How…could this…h- *cough* *cough* happen?" He began to cough out globs of blood and even felt some trickle down his face. Pretty soon he was feeling too tired to even be scared of his own eminent death.

He couldn't even think straight anymore as his head began to drop down. His eyelids fell and his hand fell from the concrete and hit onto a loose piece of metal. The metal slipped away and sent a small pile of rubble falling. From the rubble came one of those blue glowing rocks, landing right onto the back of his still hand. After a minute or so the rock pulsed as the blue energy seemed to be pulled from it and seep into Jake's skin. The energy traveled up his arm and slowly transferred through his body. When it was all sucked away the rock became black.

Slowly Jake's wounds began to heal. The bleeding from his head had stopped and so had the bleeding from his chest. Something else began to take place. The area around his chest began to change into some grayish grainy substance. This slowly stretched out from there to the rest of his body before he slid right through the concrete, onto his side. His body de-materializing at the small impact. A few seconds after the grey substance began to gather and swirl around itself, making a light grinding sound, as the mini vortex grew taller. Pretty soon Jake was standing in his place, then fell to his hands and knees. He gave multiple harsh coughs before taking some very deep breaths.

"What? What just….happened? I'm…I'm alive!?" He tried to stand up and lost his center of gravity, a quarter of the way up. He feel to his side and breathed more. "Did I…was I dreaming? I mean…it felt real…but…was it?" He wondered. He felt his chest and winced when it stung. He pulled up his shirt slowly to see a very nasty looking scar, where the initial size seemed to be 8 inches in diameter. He gasped and turned his head to the same earthly spike he was impaled on. Hard to miss it since it was covered and dripping with blood.

His mouth was in a similar position to "The Scream" and he gave a bigger gasp. "OH MY FUCKING GOD, I WAS KILLED! I…THEN I CAME BACK LIKE COMMANDER SHEPARD AND SHIT! BUT WHAT THE FUCK JUST…I MEAN, HOW DID I DO IT!?"

He screamed at the top of his lungs, which also felt sore but not so much. He glanced down to the base of where he previously was to see one of those weird rocks. He goes to pick it up. "How come this thing isn't glowing? Wait…did this thing heal me or something? Is that what they are?" He dropped it. "There were more of those things. They should be around somewhere."

He climbed on top of a mound of rubble and broken items. From this new vantage point he could see all the other rocks scattered about. He even found one inside the broken scanner, showing they used those rocks to power them. "There's about…7 more. The one that healed me up must've been the 8th one. I'm sure as hell going to be taking those with me. Damn if those rocks could like…heal up something like that then that's what these doctors need. Cure cancer and STDs, please?"

He ran down the pile and moved to grab the first one. Though as he made an attempt to grab it the energy flowed from the rock to his palm, surprising him. The rock then turned black and Jake felt a small rush of…something through his body. Like a surge of adrenaline but with a more powering and simultaneous soothing effect. When the feeling came and went Jake was busy looking to his hands.

"Whoa, what was that!? I just…absorbed it! Something tells me something like that isn't normal."

He gasped again but this time it was much smaller. A sudden thought passing through his head that was full of bottled up excitement. "Wait…does this mean…am I one of them!? I never heard of people absorbing energy!"

He looked to his hands for a bit and made them into fists. With a grunt he punched the air expecting for something to happen but nothing did. He then went for a straight kick but the same result was met. "Heh…alright then. Guess that rules out whatever the hell of dad was doing or some kinda sonic blasts." He took a deep breath and blew out all the air in his lungs hard, before sighing. "Well…so much for spitting fire or wind. Even though…I'd be pissed if I had those powers. Already gave Ryle that rundown. Ugh, I'll figure it out later. If I do have powers, which I'm about 95% sure of now, it HAS to be something awesome."

It took 10 minutes for him to get all of the rocks and absorb them. Each time he felt more and more rejuvenated than normal. Still there was no progress in finding out what type of powers he had. With a grunt he sat down in another pile of scrap, agitated. "Well this day turned out great," he said sarcastically. "Find out dad has powers and he gets kidnapped by DUP assholes. We go to this crummy-ass base and find him…only to get blown away by some kind of crushing force and die. THEN I get brought back by these weird-ass blue rock things. I find out I have powers too…and I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THEY ARE! AAGGHH! THIS IS KILLING ME!"

He began to slam the back of his hands against the rubble behind him and made some of it crash down. He managed to move out the way but a wave of dust was kicked up, into his face forcing him to cover his mouth. "Dammit."

He waved his right hand left and right trying to blow it away…until he felt the same sensation in his palm as he did with those rocks. He removed his other arm from his face to see the dust vanishing rapidly. Looking back at his hand he saw the grey-ish substance swirl itself into his palm, removing it from around him. When it was gone he broke out into a smile before holding his right wrist.

"My power…is Dust Manipulation!? Oh my g-yo! Bad-ass! I have NEVER heard of something like that! Oh! And it's a free-flowing power! Wait…I just fucking absorbed it! I can do that!? Oh my god…how do I use it?"

He caught onto the sound of a slight humming. He looked back to the destroyed rubble to see some blue mist linking from it. "Oh, another one?" He said as he proceeded to remove the scrap away. His eyes widened when he saw it was actually that black machine from before, giving off the blue mist and in larger quantities.

"Oh it's this thing…..A Core Relay, huh?" He said, reading the words etched into the machine. He held out his hand to the mist and it shot to his hand forcing him to step back. "Hey! Whoa!" The energy forced its way into his body and lifted him up into the air. He grunted, trying to not be overwhelmed by the power he was feeling until he began to see things. He saw himself shooting what seemed to be small but compact shots of dust. He was then breaking down into the substance itself and moved from place to place before reforming himself. Next he was falling from a high altitude before blasting dust in all directions when he hit the ground. Then as quickly as it started it ended. He fell back down and tried to balance himself.

"Whoa…that was…EPIC!" He began to feel a tingle in his arms. He lifted them to see dust swirling around them. "Oh my god," he slowly broke out into a massive grin, "Oh my GOD! (Gasp) I need to test them on something."

He jumped when he heard a crash and objects moving and falling behind him. Jake turned to the left to look and saw two pairs of glove-covered hand break through some debris. He narrowed his eyes and leaned in a bit, curious as to who it was. Though when the two got more of their bodies out and was sporting black and yellow armor Jake leaned back with a surprised look. He then blinked and covered his mouth, to stop himself from smiling at finding the perfect practice dummies.

One D.U.P. soldier got out completely and helped his comrade stand up. The same one saw Jake in his peripheral vision and gasped before raising his rifle. The other one did the same making Jake loose his grin.

"What the hell!? I didn't even do anything!" Jake yelled in a disbelieving tone.

"It's another Conduit. Like those last ones weren't bad enough." The soldier on the left said to his companion but Jake heard him completely.

'Conduit? Not bioterrorist? Actually…that sounds a lot cooler than bioterrorist. Never liked the term anyway.' Jake chose to speak again. "Wait…how'd you know that I was-" he caught wisps of grey from below him. He found dust trailing from his arms, making him raises them. "Oh…haha," he laughed with a grin. "Need to learn to get that under control."

"You…don't move!" The other soldier ordered but Jake just kept grinning. Now that he had a means of fighting back with these guys…

Jake began to walk forward quickly with that same toothy grin. "Me…have fun...with the two of you."

"Shoot him!" The two soldiers began to shoot Jake with a barrage of bullets. He wasn't prepared for this as he was shot continuously in the chest and legs for a few seconds. They stopped shooting and Jake feel to his back. He blinked as the pain racked his body, though they felt like annoying bee-stings. And he would know. He's been stung by a bee 4 times in his life. Though even with the shots rattling him it still wasn't worse than being impaled.

Then a few seconds later the pain stopped. He looked down to his body to see dust strands covering it and then vanishing. He felt as good as new. "I can heal fast? So that's how I survived being killed back there." He tried to get up but his body acted for him. He burst into dust and soon he was on his feet. "Whoa! Okay! That's…alright!" He exclaimed in surprise, not knowing the words to describe that.

"Keep firing!" One of the DUP soldier shouted.

"Oh hell no! I think I can do this, now!"

This time he broke into a run for the soldiers. They began to shot once more but Jake wasn't having any of that. He remembered that feeling from a few moments ago and managed to break down into a mass of dust heading right for one of the soldiers. The dash lasted for 2 seconds at the most before he transformed back to normal. Though as he did he socked one of the soldiers in the face with a straight punch, making him stumble. The other came up from behind and tried to hit him with his rifle but Jake ducked and sent a kick to the man's stomach, making him hunch over. With his left leg he gave a raising kick to the man's face, making his upper body shoot up. Jake then turn into dust and rushed him too. He turned back to normal and had his head in both hands, before bringing a knee to his face, knocking him down but not out.

"Alright. I need to name that something….like…like 'Dust Dash'. Oh yeah, that's nice! I'm calling it that!"

He was forced from his musings when he was blasted in the back by something hard and sent to the ground. Dust healed the pain a few seconds after. He looked back to the see it was the first soldier, slightly glowing yellow with concrete. Jake dashed back to his feet and gave him his full attention.

"You're not the only one that can shoot shit!"

Like he saw in his vision he held his palm out to the soldier and feeling a slightly different sensation began to fire fast but hard shots of dust to the DUP. He was bombarded by the assault with Jake not stopping for anything until he was knocked completely on his back, unconscious. Or dead…Jake wasn't too sure. Jake heard the other one groaning before he slowly got to his feet. Jake just nodded once and rushed to him. The soldier's arms glowed yellow before he threw a barrage of concrete in one shot. Jake just dashed through the multiple rocks, as they passed through the cloud. He reappeared with both legs in the air. He drew his right one back before sending a straight kick straight to the man's face, knocking him down again. Jake walked over to the still conscious DUP soldier and held his hand out to him. He slowly broke out into a grin as he began to fire multiple rounds of dust into the man's back, until he literally couldn't do it anymore.

"That was for my dad, bitch. Heh, and big bro said I couldn't take you guys down with my kicks. I'm going to call that 'Dust Shot.'" He drew back his hand and looked at it for a bit. "But I can't shot dust anymore? Did I run out?" He snapped his fingers making small dust wisps appear and vanish shortly after. "Wait…is that why I can drain it? But…where does a person find dust?"

As to answer his question he looked down to his clothes, as well and the down DUP, to find both sets covered in the stuff.

"Huh. So I just…"

He slowly raised his hand and saw the dust pull from the clothing, right into his palm. He felt the energy flow through him again as his arm was swirling with it.

"Oh my fucking God. This…is the best thing that could've happened to me. I have fucking powers. REAL POWERS! I took DOWN D.U.P. agents and even got some power-ups!? I…LOVE being a Conduit!" He exclaimed, testing out the new word. He instantly got a good feel for it.

"I wonder what else I can do," he shook his head, "but wait a second, what about dad? I can't believe that he was here…and now he's not. Did he head back home…or…" Not entirely satisfied with small information he made sure to cover the area where he believed the extra room was. The one where he wasn't able to get too. There didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary. No signs of life or clues Don could've left behind, though he still checked the ground thoroughly.

He stopped when he spotted something black on the ground. He picked it up to see it was a smartphone. "This is dad's phone. Man, this thing has seen better days." The screen was covered in multiple spider cracks. When he tried to turn it one he only got light but nothing else. "At least it still turns…I should get back home. Man, don't I got one hell of a story to tell." He said.

He placed the phone in the smallest pocket in his backpack and made his way out from the destroyed area. Though before he could go anywhere he heard sirens. Out to the distance came a fire truck and police cars. "Damn it! Guess I gotta go around or something."

He turned to the left and began to run that way, since all the cars were coming from the right or down the center roads. But it was also kind of a risky thing to do. He would most certainly be seen, running in the open and running from the scene made him look very suspicious. Though his main focus was getting back to his home. A rumbling went off in his jacket pocket. His running became walking and unzipped it, taking out his phone.

"Damn…5 missed calls from Martin?" He dialed back and placed the phone to his ear. He waited for a bit before he heard the other phone pick up.

"JAKE! JESUS CHRIST!"

"Whoa! Stop screaming, dammit! I can hear you just fine!"

"Well excuse me! I mean I only LOST contact with my brother right after that command base up and exploded! Me and mom, plus all those people, got the hell outta there quick, but you were nowhere! We fucking thought you died, Jake!"

Jake blinked a couple times. Well…that was one thing he wasn't going to tell them. A slight breeze passed through and Jake felt a small chill. He looked down to see his shift had a big hole where that spine pierced him, fully showing his new scar. He turned his head to see the same hole on the back of his jacket. 'Wow…and I never noticed those? Damn.'

"Anyway…where the hell are you? Me and mom should come and pick you up."

"Actually, I-" He was cut short when he heard the short but loud beep of a siren. He turned to the right to see a police car riding up to him, making his newly healed heart jump in his chest. "Aww, shit."

"What? What's going on? Jake?"

"You know what, I'm coming back myself. Just gotta...take care of something first."

"What? Jake, wait-"

He hung up and placed the phone back into his pocket. He sped up his pace, trying to make it to the side walk. He turned his head the other way and placed his hood on. He knew about the camera's they keep at the front windows. The hood was just a precaution to make sure he wasn't recognized in case he had to do something super. "Ha. I sound like I'm from 'The Incredibles'. "

The police car sped up more and stopped right in front of him. He still kept his head turned, not wanting to look him in the eye. 1, because he also didn't want the two men in the front seat to remember any specific details of his face and 2, since he had powers now he strangely felt pressure in the face of authority. He may not have been above the law but he is above regular people. He could easily make a get away from two cops with his new Dust Dash ability.

The one that was driving rolled down his window and spoke. "Hey there, boy. You mind if we talk real quick?"

"Alright. What about?" Jake said, still not looking at him. He figured to keep his responses short and sweet to not give much away. Though he was good when it came to quick and simple lies.

"It's just, uh…you're looking kinda suspicious."

"Suspicious, how? I was just walking around."

"Uh huh…from where the D.U.P. Command exploded." He said with a raised eyebrow.

"Wouldn't you be curious about seeing something like that? Fine….I was checking it out."

"And you put on your hood when you saw us coming? What's the reason for that?"

Jake began to sound bored now. "I like hoods. You just conveniently strolled up when I was doing it."

"Can you tell me your name?"

"My name?"

"You do have one, right? Or do I need to call you 'boy'?"

"My name's…hmm…..Cipher."

The policeman looked skeptical. "Alright, you just made that up. And what kind of nickname is that?"

"I hate solving them 'cause they're fuckin' annoying…but I'm good at it. That's why."

The officer gazed down at the hole in Jake's shirt. He winced at the noticeable scar. Jake managed to catch of glimpse of him staring at it, so he proceeded to zip up his jacket. "That's a pretty nasty scar you got. How'd that happen?"

"An accident from a long time ago."

"And how come your shirt has a hole in it the same size as the scar? I don't think anyone would walk around like that 'because it looks cool."

Jake crossed his arms. "It does look cool."

"There's also some blood on your hoodie. Was that from a long time ago?"

"No, man. If it was it'd be dried but it's recent. I got cut and blood got on it; the bleeding just stopped." On the inside Jake was growling. 'Nigga, if you don't get the hell outta here...I don't got time for this!"

"And…is there any particular reason you're not looking at me? Maybe you don't want me to see what you look like?"

Jake smiled and his eyes showed some mirth. Alright, maybe just one joke. "Maybe you're ugly as hell."

The other cop snickered a little bit before he was given a glare by his partner. The other one stopped snickering but the smile was still there. He sighed before turning back to Jake, who was picking inside his ear. "You know…some people believe that there's a rogue bioterrorist on the loose. I mean…it would explain how the command center was destroyed. No one would be able to sneak a bomb of the necessary size and power to do what happened here. It's also common knowledge…"he looks back to where Jake's scar was, "that bioterrorists are able to heal very fast and are very durable. So much so they can apparently fall from a building and be alright."

"Yeah, I already knew about that. I saw it from videos on the internet." Jake tensed his legs as he got ready to move. He was now completely sure these cops weren't going to let him go. Now all he was waiting for was a signal of some sort to make his get-away.

"Ah, so you do, huh? Well…I don't want to sound like I'm accusing…but the scar, the secrecy, and I saw you running away from the place when we all came by. I'm sure if you come with us and explain your story at the station-

Right there. That was the cue he was waiting for. He sprung from his legs and jumped onto the hood of the car before hopping off the other side. He then began to run away as fast as his legs could carry him, which was pretty darn quick thanks to his leg strength. Though he wasn't able to outrun a police car speeding right towards him. People moved out the way when they realized that he was their target or he shoved them aside. One woman feel hard onto the ground. If he wasn't running he'd most certainly laugh at her.

"STOP RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE!" The policeman yelled over the speaker phone. Jake knew he wouldn't get anywhere like this. Instead of rounding another corner he ran through an alley way. The police car stopped right at the entrance, since it wouldn't have been able to fit through. The two officers got out the car and ran right after him, though Jake got a head start plus he was faster. He knocked down things to block their way and slow them down but when he came up to a wall he cursed his luck.

"Fuckin' shit! Really!? What is this!? Some cliché chase scene, from a movie!?" He exclaimed until he heard the rush of footsteps getting closer. He felt a small rush of hot air blow behind his knees. He looked to see a rectangular vent and an idea popped into his head. He wasn't too sure it would work but when you have to go for broke…he backed away from the wall and faced it. With a few steps he executed his Dust Dash and flew right into the vent, right before the cops came around. All he felt was a bunch of warmth for a while until he came shooting out from the vent on top of the building.

"Holy…fucking shit!" He yelled, flailing a bit before falling back to the roof. He gasped to himself before he began grinning again. "The epicness….just doesn't stop." He looked down from his place on the roof to see the cops looking around confused. Fading wisps of dust could be seen near the vent before disappearing.

"Find him! He couldn't have gotten far!" The main cop said, as he as his partner took off the other way.

He walked from the edge to the center of the roof and said, "Yeah. You just try and find me, bitch." Jake made a fist, dust flowing from it. "That was…this is…oh man. I may not like how I got 'em…but I'm so glad I do!" He smiles and throws his arms into the air. "I'M GOING TO FUCK THINGS UP!" He dropped his arms and sighed. "But now I gotta get back to the house. I kinda don't wanna risk taking the streets though."

He walked to the other side of the building. He saw other buildings separated by roads, some smaller ones right below him or next to him with small jumpable gaps. "Well then…guess I'm taking the rooftops. Heh, never thought I'd hear myself say that."

Deciding to start off easy he headed to the building off to the side with the jumpable gaps. His walking became jogging and he made the hop. He landed on the next building as he built his jogging into a run the more he went. There were a few wooden boxes leading to a higher ledge. With a big step he hopped onto the first, then the second before jumping of his left foot and springing up. He grabbed the ledge and swung his legs up second. He was slowed from the action but he picked up speed again, until he slowed down at the edge of the roof. He looked over to see the civilians walking back and forth, while the cars did the same on the streets.

"Damn. No way, I'm makin' that." He said. A rumbling-hum caught his attention. He looked to the vent that was giving off the noise and felt the heat it was blowing out. "Huh…I used it as a getaway. What if I try something else?"

Shrugging his shoulders he walked back from the ledge to get some distance from the vent. With a running start he headed straight for it before executing his Dust Dash again. This time he could feel himself get sent soaring into the air again, like when he came out from the vent. "Oh yeah!" He yelled as he was launched over the edge of the building. Though the experience was short lived when he was he was losing height and began falling. With quick thinking he used his Dust Dash again, heading for the other building. He was in the process for a full-total of 2 seconds before he was forced to come out from it. He rolled on his sides before propping himself up.

"Alright….now that was kinda close. But it was awesome." He said before continuing on his way. The rest of the way was just a repeat of free-running, climbing, dropping or using vents to propel himself higher and farther. If that wasn't enough he'd dash to gain extra distance. Soon he was standing on one more rooftop. His house was right below him, and luckily no one was walking around. He contemplated just dropping to street level…but that's easier said than done since he was up 15 stories and he hasn't made a drop like that.

"That's…pretty high. Alright, so...if I'm getting this...I'm not supposed to die. 'Cause...Conduits are like, super physically durable and shit." Taking a deep breath he moves to the edge of the building and crouches down. "Well livestream videos don't lie. Now...how did it go again?" he said as he pulled his hood over his head more and smiled. "Oh man, I always wanted to do this."

He gazes around the area, not leaving out a single detail. Even though he's well aware of everything in this vicinity, it was mainly done out of nostalgia. Nodding once he was done 'synchronizing' he sprung from the rooftop. His arms behind him before they came forward. He rolled and flipped his body over. Though since he wasn't falling into anything soft he tucked his legs in and curled up, flipping around completely. Letting his body loose he landed on the pavement. His left foot and right hand were on the ground while his right knee was on the ground and his left hand was in the air. There was a slight tingling he felt from the height but he didn't really feel anything at all.

"Oh my god, I just did a Leap of Faith. I did a real…Leap of Faith!?" Jake stood up and grinned. "With the hood on and everything! Yo….I'd be an awesome Assassin, like the ones mom used to talk about! Wait, a Conduit Assassin!? Who's ever heard of something like that!? I'd be the first!" He ran over to his house, still basking in his nostalgic moment. He got to his front door and went to turn the knob when his hand stopped. He took a deep breath and collected himself before opening the door.

"Guys! I'm home!"

He was met with basically a hug from Martin, who he didn't see coming. Martin let go and held Jake's shoulders.

"Jake, thank God! What the hell happened to you out there!? You just hung up on me!"

Jake patted his brother's shoulders. "Like I said, I had to take care of something. Where's mom?"

"She left out looking for you! I called her back telling her you were okay so she should be making her way back. But still, about you just disappearing like that."

Jake walked forward. "Yeah, that. Well…uh…"

"HOLY SHIT! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOUR BACK!?" Martin screamed. Jake stopped in place and put his head down. He looked over his shoulder to see the same size hole that was cut through the back of his jacket and shirt, showing yet another nasty scar.

"Damn. Uh…forgot about the back. I was focused on the front."

Martin rushed up to him with an incredulous stare. "The front!?"

As to emphasize, Jake unzipped his jacket and removed it. He then took off his torn black shirt, showing his bare, lean toned upper body. He turned around to show Martin the scar on his front making his brother gasp and jump back. "WHAT THE FUCK IS ALL THIS!?"

Jake picked up his clothes and said, "Yeah, uh…it'll take a while to explain. Can ya' come up to my room? I need to change a bit."

Jake led the way, while Martin was still a bit stupefied. But he followed none the less. Once they got to his room, Jake threw out his ruined upper clothing and brought out a new shirt and jacket. Another short-sleeve black shirt but this one had a logo on the middle of it that looked like a "A" but the ends were curved. This was the Assassin Logo he's seen a lot when his dad took him on couple trips to Abstergo Entertainment, to use one those popular Animus system. On the back of the shirt was a circle of Arabic writing. The writing said, "NOTHING IS TRUE, EVERYTHING IS PERMITTED". He got another grey jacket but on the elbows and shoulders were light grey pads of a sleeker material. Martin was sitting on the bed, still tanking in the view of his little brother's awful new injuries, every second. Even after Jake put on the new clothes he couldn't get the images out of his mind.

"Jake…just…what the hell is up? I mean…the base exploding, you disappearing, those scars. I mean…something like that just doesn't…." He trailed off, n

Jake smoothed out his jacket. "You wanna know what's up? Well…" He held out his arms and let wisps of dust flow from them. Martin gasped in shock and sprung from the bed, away from Jake, who was chuckling at himself. He held up a fist and stopped the dust. "Is that awesome or what?"

"JAKE!? NO WAY!" Martin holds his arm out to him, with wide eyes. "Y-YOU…YOU'RE…YOU'RE A-"

"Conduit? Yeah…I know, right?" Jake interrupted him.

"Conduit? What?" Martin said but he only got a nod from Jake.

"Yup. That's what we're called. No more of that 'bioterrorist' shit."

Martin adopted a bewildered look as he began to stammer a little. He finally collected himself after a minute or so. "Jake…do you even HEAR yourself!? How can you be so accepting of something like this!? Nothing good has ever come out of it for anyone!"

Jake placed a hand on his hip. "Is that right? No good at all? Well…how about being a Conduit helped me survive getting stabbed by a big-ass piece of concrete through my damn back and out my chest. Yes…that' where the scars came from. I mean I was caught in a damn explosion. Being a Conduit allowed me to fight off two DUP assholes and win. Being a Conduit allowed me to escape the police when they suspected me of being one. And finally…being a Conduit allows me to do this." He raised his arm and dust that gathered on his T.V., wooden desk and even his PlayStation 4 was lifted right from them. Every single grain of it traveled to his hand as he absorbed it all.

"Oh my god." Martin said, to the feat.

Jake stopped the flow of dust in his hand. "See that!? I don't EVER gotta dust my things anymore…because my power is dust…and I can absorb dust. My power….is awesome."

Martin seemed to calm down a bit, but he was still a little edgy. "I can't believe….you were in that explosion!? And running from the police!?"

With a groan Jake went into quick detail on how the events in the past hour had occurred. From when he made contact with their dad to fighting the DUP's after getting some power-ups of some sort and so forth. Martin was so engrossed that he hadn't really noticed both him and Jake were sitting down on his bed together, while he listened. Jake showed more than enough times of his obvious love for his new traits but Martin still didn't see it. Even though he knew that Jake liked to talk about powers and things along the line nonstop. But Martin's attention was really drawn to the broken phone that used to belong to their dad, who vanished without a trace. He didn't even call of anything and that worried him too.

"That's…that's some story. I…what do you plan to do now? I mean…this is…something HUGE." Martin asked.

"What do you think I'll do? Dad just freaking disappeared on us. So I'm going to go find him and bring him back home." Jake replied to which Martin shook his head.

"Are you serious? He could be anywhere. I mean the D.U.P. could've caught him again and even if they didn't how do you expect to find him?"

Jake shrugs. "I have no clue. But hey, that's what an adventure is all about. Venturing out into the unknown…plus…" He gives a big-toothy smile, "I'ma go kill things...unless I like 'em."

Martin gave him a deadpanned look. "First of all…it freaks me out that you can just say that with a smile. Second of all you can't just up and leave me and mom like that. I mean we already lost dad, how do you think mom will fell when you go missing too?"

"I won't go missing." He laughed. "I'll call, like, every 2 weeks! It's like being in a video except better!" He let dust flow from his hand again. "Yeah…WAY better than video games. Unless this IS one."

Martin tilted his head a little. "…you ever hear yourself when you talk?"

Jake gave a dumb stare. "It varies…you're just jealous I'm my own main character."

"Wha-," Martin tried to say but he rapidly blinks, trying to process what his brother just said. "This isn't a fucking game!"

Jake leans in creepily and whispers to him, "Ya' just gotta believe."

Martin stood up and pointed to him. "You're a fucking freak for one. And for another, no! You're not going to go anywhere! Mom's going to come back soon and we're going to have a big talk about this."

"A what!?" Jake scoffed and he got off the bed too. "A big talk!? With mom!? About this!? You know she won't let me go! I mean its Summer Vacation! I don't have any school for three months! And if I have to even DROP school to find our own DAD then I guess it's just something I'll have to do!"

"Nothing to worry about!? Mom!? Me!? US worrying about you!? And now you're even talking about becoming a drop-out? How can you be so damn hard-headed!? You have a family, you own future, to think about. Not just a stupid way to get kicks out of being a biote…I mean a Conduit! Traveling to god-knows-where, not knowing what could happen. Plus the D.U.P. are going to be on your ass all the way now!" Martin rounded.

"But what about dad!? You say I'm not thinking about family but I am! Him! We need him and you know that! He's like our anchor…to ALL of us! At least with these new powers I can protect myself! So can dad…I hope." Jake responded back to him but Martin shook his head.

"If that's the way you think then it'll be better if you stay here and let dad come back home by himself. Not to mention you sound too cocky as it is. You get some powers and all of a sudden you can take on the world. It's not that easy and you need to wake up and realize that. Oh and I'm going to keep my room door open so you can't sneak out downstairs." Without any more words Martin closed the door behind him, leaving Jake standing there.

"…..idiot." Jake mumbled to himself. He un-clenched the fists he unknowingly made and looked towards the window. He looked over to Don's phone and picked it up. "I don't know…maybe if I can just get this thing fixed somehow. Fuck…after what happened back there…I don't think dad's going to be coming back home so easily. I mean I didn't even get to see his face one last time. Just him yelling and boom."

Jake grabbed his book bag and placed the phone inside of it. He placed the book bag over his back and grabbed his own phone and earphones, placing them in his jacket. His phone charger went into his bag and his wallet was in his other jacket pocket. He turned off the lights in his room and opened up his bedroom window. A light breeze came through making his hair waver a little.

"Damn jerk. I'll show YOU whose gonna take on the world. I'm going to flip the bitch upside down if I have to but I'm getting our family back to the way it's supposed to be."

With that he jumped out the window.