When Heroes Fall

Chapter 20

In through the nose. Out through the mouth. Try not to vomit despite the turning in your gut. Hold it together. Matt repeated the mantra to himself as he waited for the world to stop spinning. Gravel crunched beside him, footsteps approaching. Slowly, he raised his head. In front of him, Chaos stared down at him, her lips pressed into a grim line. Her ponytail hung lower than when their fight started, and the cut on her upper brow was still bleeding bright red blood. She ignored it, holding out a hand to him. Her black gloved were covered in dirt and grime, but then again, so was all of him.

"You okay, Matt?" she asked.

From behind his visor, Matt's eyes widened. Matt gawked at Chaos. A smirk pulled at the corner of her lips.

"Lien?" Matt sputtered, feeling like he would rather take another beating from Gea than admit how long it took him to piece that together. Chaos—Lien—threw her head back with a dry laugh. Instead of saying anything, Matt took her hand and she hauled him to his feet.

Letting go of her hand, Matt rolled his shoulders—it didn't relieve the tension coiled around his back, but something popped back into place and he released a long, low hum.

Lien nudged the fallen villainess with the toe of her steel-toed boot. "So, what do we do with her?"

"Turn her over to the APD. They'll put her on trial and sort it out."

Lien scoffed. "Those idiots? You trust them? After everything?"

In part, she was right. Matt understood that now, something he should have seen before Aiden's death, but he had been blind to by the privileges of herodom. The days of white knights were over though. It wasn't as simple as good and bad; it never had been. Matt pursed his lips, glimpsing down at Gea.

"It's not perfect, but it's the only way to hold her accountable for her crimes," Matt turned to Lien, placing his hands on his hips, "but we aren't stopping there. You're right."

"I am?" Lien drawled.

"Yeah, you are. How about we start making a real difference?"

Lien furrowed her brow. "What are you talking about?"

"You've been trying to dispense your own justice, but it's only ever a temporary solution. You help me protect this city from attack, and I help you root out and expose the corruption that's been going on." Matt held out his hand. Lien's eyes widened.

"You know, they'll never consider me a hero after my history. I'm not about to join the coalition of jerkwads," she stared at his hand, still unmoving.

Matt shook his head. "I'm not asking you to."

Lien bit her cheek. Matt could see her expression shift as she mulled over his proposal.

"We did make a good team," Lien broke out into a smile, taking Matt's hand, "Starlight."

Matt's mouth twitched, a laugh bubbling up in his throat as they shook hands. Lien caught the sparkle in his eye, and it ignited something in her. Suddenly, they both erupted in laughter. Lien leaned forward, clutching her stomach. Tears sprung up in the corner of Matt's eyes. As the dust and dirt settled, the afternoon sun peaked out from the clouds, brightening the chilled day.

They won. Them. Two kids with a couple of sticks against a world of metas and brutality. For the first time since Matt watched that news clip of the Comet's broken body, he felt alive. Everything inside of him thrummed. It buzzed in the air, echoing in their laughter.

"Excuse me." A microphone shoved in his face interrupted Matt. Staring cross eyed at the microphone, he stepped back to see who it was. Following the microphone up to an arm, he met the face of Carl Kennedy. The reporter stood rod straight with his suit neatly pressed and his hair slicked back. "Nightstar, can you tell us what happened today? Have you defeated Gea?"

He looked out of place against the ruined street and crumpled cars. Matt felt his whole-body spasm. He slapped a hand over his mouth. Lien whipped a tear from under her mask, sighing as she stood up straight—though a smile still tugged on her lips.

"Gea is defeated," she spoke, her voice strong and steady, "But the fight is not over. Gea's attacks revealed the failings of this city—we must hold one another accountable. We must hold one another to a higher standard of peace and kindness."

Her words rang through Matt's ear, and he found himself stepping to her side. "This city's hope doesn't rest in the hands of heroes or the coalition, it rests in the choices of everyday people doing what's right. We don't fight for justice alone," Matt bit the inside of his cheek. For a moment, his breath stopped. He glanced down to see Lien's hand by his side. Before, he had Aiden to help him, to carry him alone. He tried fighting alone, but the weight crushed him. Shifting, he curled his hand around Lien's fingers, lacing his own between hers. He looked back up at Carl Kennedy. Lien squeezed his hand, "We fight together."