Capes 1: Charge

Chapter 37

Saving Summit City might take a lot for Lockey to do, but he wouldn't stop and take his ability for granted when he knew he could do better than just whining about what the government was trying to do to their people. Whining won't make a change, so he needed to start taking one.

"Lockey, before you do anything, I want to let you know that Summit City Government wouldn't just give it all up. We might take over the Summit Mountain Hideout, but they were always one step ahead of stopping anyone before they could even do their second strike. I watched it all. I was there. . ."

"You were there. . . All this time?" Lockey asked. "I don't understand why you left us and made me believe you don't care about me anymore. I thought you also died. . ."

Napahugot na lamang nang malalim na hininga si Greta. She couldn't even look straight into her eyes' son. It was something she had been longing to look at, but couldn't even do it as regrets came crashing in.

"It was a long story. I will tell you all of it once we are safe and get you out of this place."

"No one's getting out of this place safe and sound."

Mabilis na napatingin sina Lockey at Greta sa taong nagsalita. Pagkalingon nila ay nakita nila ang lalaking nakasuot ng isang grey metal-texture balaclava. Hindi nila kilala kung sino ang taong nasa likod ng maskara na 'yon, pero ramdam ng dalawa na hindi nila ito kakampi.

Hinawakan ni Lockey ang kamay ni Greta at dahan-dahan nitong ipinapuwesto sa kanyang likuran. Tinanong ni Lockey kay Greta kung kilala nito kung sino ang nasa harapan nila. Umiling ito dahil hindi pa niya nakikita ito noon. Hindi siya kabilang sa mga nabihag sa tunelled cell. Walang ideya si Greta kung sino man ito kaya puno ng pangamba ang kanilang dibdib kung anong gagawing susunod na hakbang.

"We don't want to fight," panimula ni Lockey. "If you want to help us get out of this place, please. . . Help us."

Lockey was sincere in the way he reached out to him. Obviously, he doesn't want to fight anyone else right now. Getting out of this place and bringing his mother into safety would be his top priority, but now that there was someone who would stop them at all costs, he was concerned for their life.

"I don't want to fight, too," he said, walking slowly in their direction. "But you've been the worst person that I've known for my whole life. . . Lachlan Chapmann."

Lockey's eyes widened when the man in the mask mentioned his name so casually that he knew, just like what he said, for his whole life, but Lockey had no idea who this person was. Not even a clue.

"What you've done and the effects of the bad decisions you made put us all through hell, so once and for all, I need to stop you here. You don't deserve to be called a hero when you can't even save your own father. . ."

"Who are you?!" Lockey shouted, hearing his father and putting him in the conversation triggered him. "What do you want from me? What have I ever done to you? I don't even know you. I haven't met you. Maybe if you would take that mask off your face, I would be able to know your name. But I have done nothing wrong to anyone."

"Not yet," the man in the mask uttered. "What you would do will be this world's destruction. The chaos you started, the power you couldn't even control. You thought you were a hero, saving all these lives. Praising and worshipping you like a God. You were loving it. You thought you kept Summit City a safe city, but it was only for your own good. You did it just to prove you weren't just like anybody else. You wanted not to be associated with your father's legacy you were wiping out the world's existence. . . Do you think I don't have enough reason to stop you here?"

"I wouldn't ever do that," Lockey said, defending himself. "I wouldn't do that to my father. I would never be the person you were talking about. You might be referring to anyone else, but that wouldn't be. Never will be."

"And that's where you are wrong." Ngisi pa nito. "Good thing, your father isn't here anymore to save you. But do you remember your lovely best friend, Keith? Well, he was just one of the casualties. I didn't mean to kill him, but I guess, it was. . . Okay, since that made you feel hopeless and helpless. . . And then I made my way to infiltrate your normal, so-called humble life."

"Who are you?" Lockey asked as his eyes were now creating sparks of lightning.

"I wouldn't tell you, boy! You have to find that out. . . Well, if you can catch me."

Ikinagulat nina Lockey at Greta na makitang mabilis na naglaho ang lalaki sa harapan nila.

"Go on, run after him. Catch him. I'll be fine here. . . I know my way out. Save Summit City."

Tango na lang din ang naitugon ni Lockey at mabilis na tumakbo para sundan kung saan nagpunta ang lalaki. He quickly searched for areas to find the man, but as soon as he found him, he ran away.

"If you want to stop me, you don't have to run away," Lockey said, telling it to the man in the mask. "It shouldn't be the other way around. But if this is what you want, I will catch you."

The man in the mask was faster than he thought it would be. He doesn't know how to run fast and be able to catch up with this man. It took them at least running around the same places fourteen times until they reached the rooftop of the building where it was freezing cold. Lockey followed the man and finally confronted him.

"It should end here," Lockey said. "You're gonna pay for what you've done to Keith. I lost my best friend because of what you did. I lost too many people I care about, and I don't want to go through that again. You can't harm any people I love anymore. . ."

"Are you sure about that, Lockey?

"I am. . ." Lockey ran towards him, but he quickly ran away from him and they just ran circles on the rooftop. As both were trying to run from each other, lightning started to appear in the dust that had been lifted from the ground. He put his focus on the man who had white strikes of lightning coming from him. He imagined he was able to catch up with him. He made himself believe he could do it until he felt a different power inside of him that charged him up to get faster. As soon as that happened, he was able to catch up with the man and grabbed him by his arm resulting in them stumbling and rolling on the ground.

Hindi na naghintay si Lockey nang paibabawan ang lalaki at kanyang tinanggal ang maskara nito sa mukha. Ikinagulat na lamang din nito na makilala kung sino ang lalaking pumatay sa kanyang matalik na kaibigan.

"You caught me." Ngisi pa nito. "Hello, Lockey. . . I'm Bullet. . . Your auntie's boyfriend."

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