Heroes of The Collective Volume One : Resentment

16. Proten #1 : Reaching Out

This issue contains a discussion of suicide.

If you are struggling or finding something difficult, please reach out to someone.

In the UK:
Samaritans: 116 123. Lines are open 24 hours.
www.samaritans.org/
Dial 999 in an emergency, ask for the ambulance.

In the USA:
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline : 1-800-273-8255.
988 has been also been approved and will reach the NSPL.
http://suicidepreventionlifeline.org
Call 911 in an emergency

For anywhere else, try https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_suicide_crisis_lines
It is not known how up to date the information on this link is so please check before. 

***

Clestin, California. Five months later.

Brad and Lucas found a free booth and waited for their order number to be hollered at them.

"I just had you down as a vegetarian," mused Brad, shifting the drawstrings on his grey hoodie.

"Vegetarian? How have you not noticed the extra pepperoni I always order on my pizzas at The Facility?" Lucas responded.

Brad shrugged a shoulder and a minute of awkward silence followed while they each fiddled with their drinks. Truth was, Brad didn't pay much attention to him.

"ORDER NUMBER 86 AND 87!" came the shout that broke their silence.

Thank God! Brad moaned internally. "I'll collect them," is what he actually said, escaping the awkward confines of the booth.

The silence that continued to follow as they ate their burgers and fries was mutual and respected, no one particularly keen to break it.
Ever since their little fall out five months ago, they had both started to make an effort with each other- Madam Secretary swearing blind she hadn't intervened. On reflection, Brad thought he could just shut up with the unnecessariness and Lucas hadn't followed him into the bathroom since. But it was still difficult. Brad hadn't really started to like Lucas any more than before, but he was tolerating him more. They weren't ever going to be best friends again.

"Heyyy, best buds!" Brad and Lucas both looked up. "You ordered without me!" Dylan Petersly joked, scootching into the booth next to Lucas.

"Dyl, you're half an hour late and you live here. We came from Kansas and we were still early," Brad pointed out with a mouthful of burger.

"Don't act like your journey was a long one boys- it takes you an hour to get here in the jets," laughed Dylan.

It's true. The Facility where The Collective operated out of was in Lebanon, Kansas- located due to its relative seclusion and being the most central point of America. It also made it easier for the nationally located members of The Collective who were all spread out in key major cities to all get in for meetings and the such. To get around, each member was located within six miles of an airfield which allowed them access to jets that were capable of high speed travel, so it did only take Brad and Lucas an hour to get to California.

Lucas offered the chips to Dylan. "I'm good thanks mate, I grabbed a bite to eat on my way."

"This place was your idea though."

"And I bet you're glad I had it!"

Dylan was the youngest member of the Enhanced Beings Collective registered with the US Government. He was seventeen years old, unusually accelerated to college a year earlier on a gymnastics scholarship; a role especially for him that came with teaching responsibilities alongside his studies.

He was in the bottle green tracksuit of the college's athletic programme, zipped all the way up. It had the letters D-P stitched in big letters on the right breast underneath the fiery comet that is the college logo.

"So I did all of the digging on your guy. Impressive stats, good records. His socials are what you would expect," explained Lucas. "Not your smartest tool in the box but what he lacks in brain he makes up in brawl."

"I'm bustin' for you to see him and tell me I am on to something with him. The damage I swear he caused looked like it could only have been done by him."

Dylan was talking about Oliver Hogon, a fellow Clestin College peer who was above average in height and muscle. For a nineteen year old, he was stacked. A man mountain. The damage in question was caused to the car of a love rival he thought was trying to steal his girlfriend. Who ever tried to go against Oliver would have to be an idiot though because he could break every bone in your body without breaking into a sweat.

"Any idea where we'll meet him?" Brad asked.

"Duh, the gym, obviously. He's a total gym nut. A proper man mountain. That's why I call him Mount Hogon," Dylan laughed, but Brad and Lucas had the same thoughts.

"Lame!" they said, in unison. Dylan rolled his eyes and stole a couple of fries from Lucas.

"Well come on, let's go see for ourselves."