HERO

60 / Age is Just a Number

The speakers in the laboratory, or Office, as Iain had called it, were some of the finest on the market. Iain had always loved listening to music while he worked here was no exception. In his enforced solitude, he would have the volume high enough to feel the thrum of the bass or the shiver of the strings through his body. He preferred no specific genre of music over another, so classical could be followed by rap, with indie and punk vying for airplay afterwards.

Their volume, given they were almost exclusively used for music, was therefore rarely turned down. Being alone, Iain had no one to either speak or apologise to.

When David's voice leapt from them, it brought a force with it that shook the occupants of the room to their core. The vibrations caused Thomas to wince. The booming, deep timbre made Iain's teeth feel as if they could shake free. The darkness of the voice, emphasised by the volume, made Bren gasp.

The Spotters' leader appeared on the screens, at first as multiple smaller faces repeated across the wall, then with the faces swirling and joining to be one, super sized visage to match the voice.

"I'm enjoying this," he said, smiling.

Iain jabbed at the air and, when David spoke again, it was more bearable.

"Come on, guys! Don't stop on my account!"

"What do you want?" Iain said, standing and holding his torn arm.

"Well," David replied, still smiling. "I did come for your son there, but I think I'd best take the girl too, don't you?"

"Fuck you," Bren spat. She was back to her usual form, with the bristles and claws gone, but her fangs remained. A reminder of who she could so easily become.

"Shut your dirty mouth," David snarled, his smile vanishing for a brief moment, to be replaced by a vicious sneer. The smile was quickly back, but its falsehood was now clear.

"Like I said, fuck y..."

"Bren!" Thomas interjected.

Bren spun to face her friend, her fury evident.

"What??"

"We're not like him. He's just baiting you. Don't let him."

"He wants to kill you! Both of us!"

"So? He hasn't managed to yet, has he? That's thanks to you. So don't let him get to you."

Bren relaxed, though only slightly. She nodded and turned back to the wall featuring the massive head of David.

"You can't have them, David," Iain said. "They're mine now. I'm going to put it all right."

"We're nobo...!"

"Put it right?" David said, cutting the girl off. "What needs putting right? It's all pretty good, thanks. Sure, a few kids have to die, sorry guys, but collateral damage is acceptable for the greater good."

"Collateral damage? Murdering children is acceptable?" Bren said, managing to keep her voice steady.

"You say murdering, I say giving the public what they want. Anyway, just play amongst yourselves, sweetie. The grown ups are talking."

Bren gritted her teeth, something that felt odd with her fangs still showing. She remained silent, though, allowing reason to curb her temper. Let them talk. She and Thomas could take the opportunity to plan their next move. She knew her friend was resistant to her desire to take away everyone's powers, but was sure she could bring him round. As young as she knew she was, he was younger. He was driven by the pain he'd endured from being an outsider. Being different. He was, however, smart. He would see the problems inherent in the world as it was. A world that was in decay. He'd see the madness in his father's dreams.