Protectors- Consequence

Chapter Three: 2041, The Year It All Changed Again

The once-heroes had gone about their lives once more, but this time, they all lived in the restored Oughton Estate, which Noctum had purchased as a place to live and train. Noctum had learned of Hannah's death after Apis was crippled, and briefly fell into another deep depression, even more than after Grayson had passed away, but he had held it together for his friends, opting to join the police force as a 'superhuman consultant' for a few years, before recently moving in with a woman he had met, leaving the estate to the others legally in 2040. Spirit had continued to fight crime full time, living off the money that came from the SD and Draedon's will, as he had left a lot of money to the group. She had never felt more alive than when her powers grew even further, and it was obvious to criminals that when they saw the purple glow, they had nowhere else to run. Zachary had remained with the force, being promoted to a chief inspector and working alongside Adam to crush the remnants of corruption in Perth, and although the journey hadn't been easy, and there was nowhere else in the world with more crime, steps had been taken in the right direction. Including the arrest of the corrupt mayor of the city in 2038, and the arrest of over a hundred superhuman drug rings that had popped up using Chrysalis dust, the remains of The Stranger's grand creation, which scattered the powder across Australia after his death. Zachary had also managed to get married over this time, and although his wife had a FIFO job which kept them apart for weeks at a time, they were still on very good terms. Shaine had moved on from casino work, opting instead to chase a career as an artist, with Wraith's skill and precision helping the duo create masterful pieces in mere hours. The casino had to be shut down, unfortunately.

It was a normal day in the Swan Valley, a peaceful calm, with light clouds covering the sun and offering some much needed shade from its relentless heat. Noctum was indulging in a cappuccino, something he had not consumed for many years when he received a visitor,

"Simon?" Noctum greeted, unsurprised, the slight smile on his face in stark contrast with his normal brooding demeanour, "It's been a while,"

The two men shook hands as Simon took a seat, ordering a piece of chocolate cake from the waitress as she came around to their table. Simon took in Noctum's appearance. He was fairly skinny now, the muscle that came from the gruelling training of his youth having faded in place of lean, wiry arms and legs. Simon supposed that this was brought on by Noctum's powers, which had grown to the point where he would have to attract a lot of attention to lift the kind of weights that would tear his muscle fibres enough for growth or maintenance. He seemed happy overall, that would probably be down to his new relationship, which had been going strong for a couple of years by that point, but Simon could tell that something was seriously wrong with the guy,

"How've you been?" Simon asked Adam, as if he hadn't been keeping tabs on Noctum throughout the years, "life treating you well?"

"Best it ever has," Noctum smiled, taking a huge gulp of his beverage, "how about yourself? Surely running the SCD has brought about its fair share of challenges,"

"It's called the SD now," Simon corrected, making a mental note to test Noctum's memory soon, as he wasn't the type of person to forget something like that, "but yes, it's a fair bit easier than avoiding sleep as to not awaken a homicidal superhuman being that lives in my body,"

"The cake," The waitress announced, handing a chilled plate to Simon, along with a fork to eat his dessert with,

The chocolate cake was moist and rich, as opposed to the light and fluffy sponge cakes that Simon usually liked to consume, but as the sweet taste hit his mouth, he was blown away by the staff at Yahava. He took a second forkful before looking up, preparing the next question he would have to ask,

"You've heard of the recent shooting at the foreshore, right?" Simon asked, 

"No," Adam replied, staring off into space as if he wasn't all there, "I don't think I have,"