Prodigal Son

Chapter 23

(quick Author's note: Buckle in, folks. Accidentally farted out a HUGE ONE. Apologies for this being, like, triple the size of usual chapters XD)

14 Years ago:
Ezra Greene smiled to himself, as he leaned over the phone.
"It's gone well?"
"Better than well."
Charlie replied to him, his voice saturated with pure, unfiltered awe.
"Oh, Ezra... He's... He's beautiful..."
In the hospital, Charlie's face was split, a huge, unbridled smile on his lips.
His head was angled down, his ear pressed against his shoulder, his phone wedged in between.
But his eyes were trained down, entirely glued to the baby cradled in his arms.
So small....
So fragile...
"And? Did you decide on a name?"
Charlie smiled.
The compassion swelling in his heart, the love for this little being he'd help bring into the world...
Oh....
It was beautiful...
His eyes pricked with tears, pure, unmatched joy making itself known.
He cradled the baby, a soft, tender smile spreading across his lips.
"Welcome to the world, Cody Burns."
-
13 Years Ago:
Charlie didn't even feel his nails digging into the skin of his palms, as his feet heavily stomped across the hospital floors.
He felt numb.
Like the world was hollow.
Like a piece had been ripped from him.
Close by, Doc sat on a bench, slumped over. His head was almost in his lap, his face buried in his hands.
Both men were tired.
Broken.
But neither could avoid the gaping holes inside.
Neither could avoid the fresh loss tearing them apart.
Ezra looked up, latching on the other man.
Blood dripped from his hand.
He hadn't even noticed his nails piercing through the skin of his palms.
The silence was heavy. It was thick, palpable.
Finally, Ezra stood.
"... We both know, don't we?"
Charlie stared down the hall.
"... Yes."
"We both know. It... It had to be.... I just know it..."
Charlie pressed his head against the wall, his hands trembling as he gripped the frame.
".... I just checked the car this morning. You saw, you were there, IT WAS FINE. IT. WAS. FINE."
"It was sabotage. Plain and simple."
" ... God... How.... Why...."
Ezra breathed sharply, his eyes burning.
"... I knew that man was dangerous... But.... But... Over a job position...."
"I'm glad he ran."
Ezra bolted up, his eyes wide.
"... Why? Don't... Don't you want that monster to face justice?!?!"
Charlie turned around.
His eyes were hard as glass, taking on an expression Ezra had never seen before.
"You bet I do. Don't think for one. Second. That I don't want that man to ROT. but I'm glad he ran because by God, if he was still in town, he would not not be alive right now. And I'm not about to let my children be missing two parents. If that sorry excuse for a man was still here, I'd be in my own jail right now."
Ezra digested the information, then sighed.
He sank back into the bench, his voice... Broken.
".... Charlie.... What are we going to tell the kids..."
"... What can we say?"
He started pacing again, his hands shaking.
"What are we supposed to say? That we have no proof, but we know it wasn't an accident? That we know for certain that their mothers were murdered?"
".... Your kids are smart, Charlie. Kade, Dani, Graham... They'll figure it out."
"Yeah, and what about Cody and Frankie? They're barely a year old!"
"I KNOW!!"
Ezra shook, then slumped over in defeat.
"... what we supposed to do? How are we supposed to... To live..."
".... I don't know..."
Charlie walked over, slumping down next to Ezra.
"... I don't know. I don't know how to move forward. But... I do know one thing. We have kids that need us. The one thing we can do? Be fathers. Lord knows they need us now."
Ezra was quiet, then sighed.
"... They need us... And we'll be here for them."
Charlie nodded.
He raised his hand, his heart shattering as he gazed down at the wedding ring.
He squeezed his hand, his knuckles turning white, his grip clenching until the metal dug into his skin.
".... They need us. And by God... We'll be here for them.
-
10 years ago:
"Dad, you can't just dump me with him again!!"
Charlie sighed, running a hand through his hair. He'd been developing more grey streaks, a fine silver color that contrasted his brown.
"Kade, I'm sorry, but I really don't have an option!"
The eldest burns sibling sighed.
"I have a life, dad! I'm not saying I don't care about him, but it's been on me to watch him every night this week!!"
Charlie sighed, gathering up paperwork.
"Kade... I know... I am so, so sorry. I promise, I'll make it up to you. But the mayor will have my head if I'm not at this meeting, and I'm already running late."
Kade stared at the paperwork spread across the table.
"Dad, I'm almost ready to get certified in firefighting. I need to be focusing! Isn't there anybody else at all that could watch him, just for tonight?!"
Charlie hesitated, but looked at the time, and sighed.
"... I... Have to go. Kade. I'm sorry."
He gathered up his things, and briskly left.
Kade watched the door slam shut, and practically growled under his breath.
"Unbelievable."
Suddenly, soft footsteps caught his attention, and he cringed at a soft voice.
"... I'm sorry...."
Kade felt the anger drain out of him, replaced by guilt as he slowly turned around, seeing Cody peeking out from the hallway.
His eyes were wide, his small face twinged with sadness as he just barely peeked out.
"... I'm sorry... Please don't be mad..."
Kade sighed deeply, getting down on one knee.
"Buddy.... I'm not mad at you... I'm sorry for making you think I was, okay?"
He peeked out further, then glanced at the door.
"Daddy's gone."
Kade sighed, rubbing his neck as he tried to shove aside any bitterness.
"... Yeah... He'll be back later."
"Are you mad at him?"
"... Kinda. But not because of you, okay?"
Kade looked at the paperwork on the table, before looking over at the clock, taking in the time.
"... Almost dinnertime. You hungry?"
"Yes."
Kade shook his head, trying to ignore the paperwork.
"Okay, how's Mac and cheese sound?"
Cody beaned, finally running out into full view.
"Yay!!"
Kade laughed, standing up to walk over to the kitchen.
"Can I help?"
"Sorry bud, but as somebody studying fire safety, I'm not about to let a five year old near the stove."
"Aww..."
Kade chuckled, opening up the cabinets.
"But, you can go get the pot."
He instantly heard tiny footsteps race into the kitchen, throwing open the lower cabinets.
Kade chuckled, tossing the box of noodles down on the counter as he walked over to the fridge.
He grabbed the milk and butter, then scooped up the pot, which Cody was holding eagerly.
"Thank you...."
He filled up the pot on the sink, and flicked the stove on, placing the pot on to boil.
Cody watched him with curiosity, eyes wide as he asked,
"Why doesn't the house catch on fire from the stove?"
Kade chuckled again, then pointed at the blue flame.
"This is a controlled fire. It could burn the house down, if we don't watch it. But right now, it's safe."
"What makes it burn?"
"Fire needs three things to burn. Fuel, Air, and ignition. In this case, the fire is fueled by gas. I click on the nob, that gas gets ignited, and fuels the fire, until I turn the stove back off."
"Gas?"
"Yeah. A special, flammable gas fuels the stove."
Kade dumped the pasta into the pot, and gave it a stir.
"What else fuels fire?"
"Lots of things. Oil fires or grease fires are very dangerous, you can't put those out with water."
"Why not?"
"The water only makes it worse. It superheats, and can make the flames bigger."
"Oh. That's bad."
Kade laughed, watching the bubbles in the pot.
"Yeah, really bad."
He gave the pasta another stir, just quietly thinking to himself.
"Are you scared?"
"Hmm?"
He glanced behind him, Cody's eyes still firmly fixated on the stovetop fire.
"Are you scared of getting hurt?"
Kade's brow creased, an eye raised.
"Where's that coming from?"
"Daddy says firefighting is dangerous."
Kade rolled his eyes.
"No more dangerous than being a police chief. But it's not about that. It's about helping people."
Cody was quiet for a second, then asked,
"Dani wants to be a doctor, right?"
"No, she wants to be an EMT."
"What's that?"
"It stands for, Emergency Medical Technician. They arrive on the scene of emergencies to help people that are hurt."
Cody pulled a chair away from the table, before clamoring on.
"What about Graham?"
Kade snorted, rooting around for a strainer.
"Graham's weird. He wants to be an engineer."
"He wants to make cars go?"
Kade dropped the strainer, doubling over as he howled with laughter.
"HA! OH, OH THAT IS TOO GOOD!"
Cody groaned, and Kade got the last of his laughter out, but still smirked.
"No, not engine, engineer. They build things."
"Oh. Why is that weird?"
Kade lowered the heat, before carrying the pot over to the sink, where he drained most of the water into the awaiting strainer.
"Dad, Dani, and I all want to be out there, helping people. Graham says he can help people too, but it's a lot different than us."
He brought the pasta and the remaining water back over to the stove, where he poured in some milk, butter, and the cheese power.
Cody mused over this, then said,
"I wanna help people too."
Kade stirred the mixture around, shrugging absently.
"I'm sure you will."
The sound of a door and footsteps caught both of their attention, and Dani yelled,
"WE'RE HOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMEEE!!"
Cody giggled, and Kade rolled his eyes.
"About time!"
"Hey, it's not my fault SOMEBODY took an extra hour at the library!"
Dani and Graham entered the living area, and Kade glanced up, before doing a double take.
"... DID YOU DYE YOUR HAIR?!?!"
Dani only beamed proudly, shaking the orange streaks in her dark red locks.
"YUP! I was bored."
" .. WHY?!"
"It's called living, you should try it sometime. And besides, I'm thinking of getting it chopped off anyway, like a pixie cut or something."
"Why would you dye it if you're just going to cut it??!!!"
"Hey, a girl's gotta have fun!"
Kade was stunned for words, but shook it off.
"Ooooooookkkkaaayyyy..... I made Mac and cheese."
".... Awkward...."
"Why?"
As if on cue, Graham strolled up the stairs, one hand holding a book, the other clutching a paper bag.
"Got the burgers!"
Dani winced, as Kade groaned.
"You should've called!"
"I didn't know you were making dinner!"
Kade sighed, and Graham plopped the bag down on the table, continuing to pore over his book as he took his seat.
"Burgers for us, chicken fingers for Cody."
Kade sighed, then stared down at the gooey pasta.
"... Grab some paper plates, get it all ready."
Dani walked over to the cabinet, as Kade killed the heat.
She handed him a plate, and he heaped on some of the hot pasta, before handing it back to Dani.
Graham put his book down, emptying the bag.
He pulled out a small paper sleeve, and after Dani placed the plate down, he dumped the chicken on the other side of the plate, then pushed it over to Cody.
Kade dished out three more plates, and everybody took a seat, passing around the burgers.
Cody blew on his spoon, before taking a large bite.
Kade shoved some into his own mouth, saying,
"Dad's at a town council meeting, don't know when he'll be back."
Dani unwrapped her burger, eyes raised.
"Really? They just had one last week!"
Graham glanced at his book, commenting,
"Maybe it's about that bridge collapse?"
"Y'know, maybe."
Cody grabbed one of the chicken fingers, looking over at Graham.
"Are you gonna build bridges?"
"What?"
"Kade says you're gonna build things, because you're an... Engine... Engineer."
Graham shrugged.
"Maybe. Engineers do a lot of things. A lot of important things."
Kade smirked, then tousled Cody's hair.
"Squirt here didn't know what engineer meant, thought you were gonna be a car engine!"
The older three laughed, and Cody only frowned at them all.
"It's not funny!"
Graham laughed, only finding more humor in his grumpy expression.
"Heh, sorry, bud!"
Cody's attention turned to the book, and he pointed at the word on the over.
"What's that word?"
"Oh, that's Robotics."
"Robots?"
"Kinda. It's like... a different type of engineering, focused on computer science."
Cody looked down at his shirt, at the little graphic design of a smiling robot.
"What am I gonna do?"
Everyone looked over, Kade asking, "What do you mean, Cody?"
"You're gonna be a firefighter, Dani's gonna be a...."
"EMT."
"EMT. And Graham's gonna be an engineer. What am I gonna do?"
Kade smirked, rubbing his head again.
"Squirt, you're not old enough to use the stove, you've got plenty of time to figure out what you wanna do with your life."
"Can I help people too?"
Graham smiled, unwrapping his burger.
"I'm sure you will, bud. I'm sure you will."
"Oh! I just remembered!"
Dani suddenly bolted up from the table, running down the hall.
"I was going through some things earlier, found something!"
Graham looked at Kade on confusion, who shrugged, before Dani stomped back down the hall.
"This is too small for me, I thought you might like it! It's a little big, but you'll grow into it."
Cody got out of his chair, as Dani held out a jacket.
The style was a Bomber jacket. It was light brown color, with white fur around the neck, and orange and grey circular patches around each shoulder.
He walked over, and Dani held it up next to him, before chuckling.
"Well, maybe a lot of growing..."
He slipped it on, and it draped around him, more like a blanket than a jacket.
Kade snorted,
"Dani, it's practically eating him!"
Cody held out his arms, the sleeves flopping over his hands.
It was more than a little big, but even so, he smiled.
"I like it."
Dani shot a smug look at Kade, and he stuck out his tounge in retaliation.
Cody turned around, looking at everybody as he snuggled in the jacket.
"I am going to help people. Just like you."
Kade nodded, grabbing the burger.
"Of course. That's what this family does."
Cody nodded.
"Then that's what I'll do."
-
8 Years ago:
"KAAAAAADDDEE!!!!"
Kade cringed, just knowing from his dad's tone of voice, he was in trouble.
Rain thudded against the windows, the sky dark and gloomy.
"Kade, I told you to pick your brother up from school!!!"
Kade rubbed his eyes, standing up to stretch.
"I said I would! But that's not until-"
He froze as he saw the clock, and cringed.
Oh crap ...
"Woah, how is it three thirty already?!?!"
Charlie rounded into the main area, his face rife with anger.
"Kade, do you see the weather out there?!?! Doc noticed him WALKING home in the pouring rain!!!"
"I was going to, honest!!! I just... Fell asleep, I was up all night with that brushfire!"
More footsteps entered, and Kade felt intense guilt, seeing Cody absolutely DRENCHED.
He was leaving a small puddle behind him, his jacket a darker brown from the water, and drippy bangs framing a glare on his face.
"You forgot me!!"
"I-I didn't mean to- I just..."
His dad sighed, then bent over, patting Cody's shoulder.
"Go change into dry clothes, okay? I'll make you some Hot Chocolate, to warm up."
Cody looked a bit happier at the promise of hot chocolate, but gave Kade one last glare, before storming off down the hall.
"Dad, I-"
He raised a hand, sighing as Kade cut himself off.
"Just... I understand, alright? I know it was an accident. But... It's not the first time this has happened, Kade."
"... I... I know. I really screwed up, okay? And I'm sorry!"
His dad only sighed, then walked over to the cabinet, pulling out the hot chocolate mix.
"Just... Could you mop up that water? Please?"
"Yeah... On it."
Kade went to grab a mop, cleaning up the puddles Cody had left behind him.
He dragged it around, feeling guilt pang at him all the while.
"... You bonehead..."
-
7 years ago:
Kade leaned against the wall of the Bunker, watching Cody eagerly talking with Boulder, his face beaming as they gushed about the the freshly painted Autobot Insignia on the wall.
He heard large footsteps to the side, and didn't even need to turn.
"Amazing, right?"
Heatwave looked at him quizzically, and Kade gestured outward.
"Look at him. He doesn't even know, what almost happened to him last night."
Heatwave sighed, nodding.
"Yeah... But maybe it's best he doesn't know. All he wanted was for us to talk, right? Maybe it's better if he doesn't know that happened because he almost took a lava bath."
"Maybe, maybe..."
Kade sighed, then looked up at Heatwave.
"This still doesn't make us friends, or anything."
"No, of course not."
"But... Looks like we both have one thing in common, huh?"
"Heh... Guess so..."
Both went quiet, absently watching Cody grab a paper, attempting to draw the symbol himself, with Boulder's guidance.
Heatwave sighed, then looked back down at Kade.
"Look, I know neither of us are too happy about this "partner" arrangement. But... Both of us were ready to die last night, huh?"
"Of course. He's my brother."
"... I don't know what he is to me. But I do know one thing. He tried to help us. He just... Wants to be like you. And I know, from the bottom of my spark... I would do anything for him. Anything. Because I couldn't live with myself if something happened to him."
Kade nodded, his eyes softer.
"Truce? For Cody?"
Heatwave nodded, the faintest hint of a smile on his features.
"Truce."
-
6 years ago:
Kade's hands shook as he stormed around, all but screaming under his breath.
"What was he THINKING?!?!"
Dani groaned, looking over to where Doctor McSwain was checking Cody over.
".... I... I don't know!"
Graham was quiet, gazing into the room, really looking over his bother as he answered a few of the Doctor's questions.
Graham stared at his tattered "Superhero" costume, then sighed, turning back.
"... He was just... Trying to help."
Kade's hands shook, his jaw tight.
"Doesn't he know that jumping into the line of fire is OUR job?!?! He's just a kid!!"
Dani nodded, pointing over at Kade.
"Yeah, yeah!! I can't be mad at him for wanting to help, but.... That badge could've killed him!! It's a MIRACLE the electrical discharge from the disconnect didn't kill him, and a bigger one that he doesn't have some kind of injury from having the shit zapped out of him!!"
Graham sat down on the bench beside the door, pulling off his glasses as he rubbed his eyes.
"Yeah, he's just a kid. And maybe that's why he did it. Kids don't think about getting electrocuted by their own powers, he thinks about.... I don't know, stopping a bank robbery or something! But... Did you notice?"
"Notice what?"
"Did you notice the way everybody looked at Cody? The way Huxley kept telling him he had "fans", the way he smiled when people kept cheering for him? It's because, for the first time in his life, people called him a hero."
Kade and Dani both looked guilty at that, and Dani sighed.
"... I guess.... He does feel pretty left out, when everybody's celebrating us, the "Burns Family Of Heroes", when he's cooped up in the command center."
Graham nodded somberly.
"He just wanted to be like us."
Kade sighed, his head bowing low as he slumped over.
"... Doesn't that Squirt know he's our hero?"
-
Charlie paced around the hallway, his phone pressed to his ear.
"Doc!!! You promised me that thing would keep him safe, not put him in MORE danger!!!!"
"I thought it would, honest!!"
"McSwain and Dani have no idea how he wasn't seriously hurt. I.... Good God he scared me.... He scared me so badly, Ezra."
"I'm afraid Cody appears to be a regular danger magnet, Charlie."
Charlie sighed, then chuckled bitterly.
"You're telling me.... Cody's a good kid. A real good kid. I'll never understand how he gets into so much trouble. It's like it's looking for him."
"Funny, usually it's the other way around."
Both chuckled bitterly, but Charlie rubbed his head.
".... I know why he did it, Ezra. He liked being a hero, whatever that means."
"He just wanted to be like you, I'm afraid."
Charlie sighed, his back slumped against the wall.
"I know... I know... He's got a big heart. But... I just... I just can't seem to tell him."
"Tell him what?"
Charlie stared down the hall, blankly gazing at nothing.
"... That I go out there and risk my life, because I don't want him to do the same. I love that big beautiful heart of his, I really do. It's in all my kids, that compassionate desire to help people. But lord... He's too young... He's too young... And I can't loose anybody else."
-
4 years ago:
"Cody? You okay?"
Cody blinked, realizing he'd been zoning out.
"Oh, yeah. Sorry, did you say something?"
Frankie nudged the pocket watch in his hand, saying,
"I'm surprised you still have that, after getting stuck in a time loop and all."
Cody shrugged, absently running his hand over it as the two made their way down the street.
"Eh, I think it's safe now. Graham took out that crystal, and replaced it with a regular battery."
"Still. Who would've thought that little thing would cause so much trouble?"
"Yeah..."
He eyes the pocket watch again, tracing his thumb over the engraving in the back.
"Hey, Frankie?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you think he's really gone?"
"Who- Oh. ... I don't know. He has the habit of showing up when we least expect him, right?"
Now that he knew the engraved symbol was there, he couldn't believe he'd missed it before.
Morocco's emblem, a small dot engraved into the watch's back panel.
"It's weird. What are the odds that I found this? Why would a pocket watch have a time travel crystal in it?"
"Yeah, that is pretty weird."
The two glanced across the street, checking it was clear before crossing.
"I just... Don't understand. I broke the loop, but I also started it, didn't I? If I hadn't carried the watch go the clocktower, time wouldn't have looped in the first place, right?"
"Well, it's not that simple. There's also the power surge, from the squirrel chewing on the wires. It's a lot of different factors working together."
"Yeah but... I don't know, I just... Have this weird feeling. Deputy Barney said that the watch was in the lost and found for a really long time, a couple years. That's why he gave it to me, he figured nobody was coming for it. But... What if Doctor Morocco planted it in there? He knew somebody would eventually find it, and something weird would happen?"
Frankie just shrugged, readjusting her backpack as the two turned a corner.
"Maybe... But there's no way he could've known about the clocktower, or that you would get it."
"Yeah ... I just.... I just have this weird feeling. Almost like... I helped him."
Frankie looked over at him, a reassuring smile.
"Oh, please. You of all people helping Morocco? Never!"
Cody laughed, trying to shake off the weird feeling.
"Yeah, you're Probably right. Yeah... Like I'd ever help Morocco!"
-
3 Years ago:
"Are you sure, you'll be okay out here alone?"
Cody smirked, holding up his bag.
"I'm fine! Look, I need to stay out here alone overnight for my Lad Pioneer test. But c'mon, I've seen way worse than this! Remember when we got shipwrecked on that island?"
From the console, Heatwave rolled his eyes.
"Oh, don't remind me. But you did handle yourself pretty well, and you were just eight, right?"
"Yup!"
Kade watched the trees through the window, before glancing back at Cody.
He latched onto his green shirt, and his bare arms.
"Oh, squirt. I... Uh .. I know your birthday's not for a few weeks, but... Heatwave and I got you something."
Cody paused, from where he'd been checking his supplies.
"Wait, really?"
Heatwave chuckled on the screen, before the back seats suddenly tilted up, and Kade reached back, pulling out a small package, wrapped in yellow paper.
"Surprise, kid."
Cody's face lit up in a smile, as he looked up at Kade, silently asking permission. Kade nodded, as did Heatwave, and Cody tore open the paper.
It was a dark, brownish red jacket.
It had a white collar, white rings around the shoulders, and red and grey circular patches on the sleeves.
"... Woah... Thank you!!"
Kade chuckled, leaning over to tousle his hair.
"Hey, we noticed you were bummed when you outgrew that old Bomber jacket."
Cody laughed, then plopped his bag on the floor, moving to try the jacket on.
"I had my old one since I was like, five! Dani gave it to me, right?"
"Yeah, it was a hand-me-down."
Heatwave pulled to a stop, having arrived at the campsite.
"So? How's it feel?"
Cody only smiled.
It fit great. It was snug, while leaving plenty of room.
"Perfect!! Oh, thank you guys so much!"
Cody gathered up the bag, and Heatwave popped his door open.
"Now, be careful. Don't get eaten by a bear or anything!"
Cody smirked, rolling his eyes.
"Go on, get outta here! I'll be fine, I promise. And besides, it's just for a night."
With that, he closed the door softly behind him, waving as he threw the bag over his shoulder, then walking to his spot for the night.
Heatwave slowly turned around, then headed back to the main road.
"Think he'll be okay?"
"Eh, probably. If he can survive a deserted island, he can survive being in the woods with a ton of supplies, and a phone for emergencies."
"True, true."
The two shared a laugh, as Kade gathered up the ripped paper.
"It's crazy, right?"
"Hmm?"
Heatwave sighed, a smile twinging at him.
"He's growing up."
Kade sighed, leaning back in the seat.
"Yeah... He really is.."
-
Six Months ago:
"So, that was weird, right?"
Frankie nodded, sighing as he looked over the arcade computers.
"Really weird. It was like seeing a ghost, or something."
Cody took a seat next to her, musing I er the situation.
"Yeah, a ghost. I... I really thought we'd seen the last of him. Now I wonder if we ever will."
Frankie chuckled, but it was bitter.
"Maybe he really is like a ghost. He's just going to keep showing up forever, never letting us forget him."
"Yeah, of all the ways I thought he might return, I never expected a computer virus!"
Frankie paused, commenting,
"You... Thought he might come back? But, we sent him to the future."
Cody sighed, shrugging.
"Sometimes it feels like he'll always come back, somehow. You said it yourself, he's like a ghost."
Frankie shrugged, then smiled, as the computers checked out.
"Servers are completely clean. Looks like Morocco looses again."
"Do you think he'll come back again?"
"Nah. After all, what's he gonna do now?"
Cody nodded, but hesitantly.
"Yeah. What could he do now?"
-
Now.
Dani sighed as she creaked open the door to Cody's room.
It felt weird, being in here now.
She cautiously entered, followed by Graham.
"So... What all do we need?"
"Clothes, and a couple things to maybe make him more comfortable."
Dani eyed his bookshelves, then carefully cracked open a drawer.
"Comfortable? How? I doubt a couple comic books will make him feel better."
"Yeah... But, it'll at least give him something else to think about, right?"
"I guess..."
Graham started sorting through some of his books, while Dani took a long, hard look around.
Several photos were taped to his walls, a couple of Boulder's paintings hung up.
But one thing there was plenty of, were newspaper articles.
Articles about them.
"... Woah..."
Burns family of heroes save day again
Burns Family stops toxic spill
Burns family saves embarrassed Mayor
And they just kept going.
Just. Kept. Going.
"... Uh... Dani? You... Might want to see this..."
She looked over, where Graham had pulled a small box out of the closet.
He set it on the bed, and Looked up at Dani, before reaching inside.
She recognized it imedianty as he pulled out Cody's old jacket.
The old jacket, while loved, had seen better days.
Still, she smiled, taking it gingerly.
"Well... Haven't seen this in a long time, huh?"
"Yeah..."
It seemed a lot smaller than she'd remembered.
Graham continued poking through the box, and froze a bit.
"... Oh...
The next item pulled out, made Dani do a double take.
".... Woah."
The original Rescue Boy costume. Now that, she REALLY hadn't seen in a long time.
Graham pulled out some papers that'd been tucked away with the costume, and his brow creased, a deep frown on his face as he read them aloud.
"Rescue team shaken up by arrival of unexpected Superhero! Griffin Rock welcomes RESCUE BOY as new hero in town."
He shuffled through all the old articles, reading the slow shift in tone.
Rescue Boy one ups rescue team! Chief Burns refuses comment.
Rescue boy needs rescued!! Superhero in peril after power malfunction.
"Rescue Boy has been retired from the force", comments Chief Burns, in aftermath of power malfunction.
Youngest Burns no longer super, rescue boy in exile.
Graham sighed, throwing the old papers down.
"... It's always been the same, hasn't it? All he'd ever wanted is to help. To be just like us... And we kept pushing him away."
Dani looked down, her face morose.
"How's that saying go? Those who do not learn from history, are doomed to repeat it?"
Graham pulled one more item out of the box, sighing deeply.
"I feel like that's a little too literal, in this case."
The old pocket watch.
Dani had too look away, not even needing to see the back.
"... We didn't learn. We just... Repeated our mistakes, and he paid for it."
"You say that like it's too late now."
"... I don't know anymore."
The two went quiet, haunted by the past.
They had failed.
Made the same mistakes again and again.
But now...
All they could do, was hope that maybe, just maybe, it wasn't too late.
Against all odds,
They wanted to be better.