THE ADVENTURES OF TEKEON

#9. THE DARKEST DAY: PART TWO

“An espresso for him too, thanks.” Ian said to the waitress when I didn't unglue my eyes from the screen. The urge to suit up wrestled with the urge to neglect. If the mayor thought he didn't need Tekeon, so be it. ‘Let's see how well they do without me.’

The news droned in the background as I wandered deep in thought. 'What if I did something else with these powers?'

“Jason,” Blitz said. “I must underscore you are behaving contrary to your nature when I first bonded with you.”

I replied to him mentally. “Yeah, well, inspiration comes and goes. They don't want me, but my friends do.”

“Oof, coffee isn't going to do it for you.” Tim nodded. “You look like you're trying to die by frowning.”

I chuckled with a low voice. “C'mon, it's nothing.”

“I know sorrow when I see it. A club recently opened downtown; what say you tonight?”

It was a tempting offer: party away to clear my head. After all, no one was paying me to save the day. 

“If you recall yesterday,” the news reporter said. “The chief of police gave a statement saying, 'We don't need Tekeon.’ A view that aligns with his close friend, Mayor Leron. The way this is unfolding, however—”

“Hey,” Tim said. “Ian and I were arguing before you walked in.” He leaned forward. “Help me tell him the truth.”

My focus shifted from the TV to my two friends from college. Their relationship was built on argument. From anime to pop culture to politics, you name it, they argued it. It was time to play mediator again. This is what life should be. Recognition and belonging. Not hostility and unappreciation.

A smile tugged my lip. I leaned back. “Ugh, what's the matter this time?” 

Ian stuck a thumb at Tim while looking at me. “This guy thinks Vince Hathaway’s acting was mid in ‘Punch Bar.’ Wait, tell me you've seen ‘Punch Bar’.”

“Pfft,” I scoffed. “Who hasn't seen ‘Punch Bar’?” Sweat beaded my temples. My nervous smile must have sold me out.

Ian’s forehead crinkled. “What's the first rule of punch bar?”

“Uh…”

On the news, an explosion had all heads in here turning. Silence fell as everyone watched closely.

A chopper view showcased an eight-foot bulky mechanical suit stomping across midtown. It was jet black with a large skull-shaped head. A trail of fire was in this crook’s wake. As well as overturned cop cars and sprawled bodies. An apartment building crumbled down behind Rogue.

“What have I done?” A guilty mutter escaped me.

Rogue scanned the news choppers hovering above him. The fingertips of his suit morphed into muzzles. He bellowed.“So that's what it takes to get some recognition in this town. A suit of armor!”

Spreading his arms wide, grenades launched from each muzzle, blanketing the street with explosions. 

“Thank you, Tekeon, for showing me the truth. If you're watching, I'd like to thank you in person.”

He aimed his armor's fingers at the choppers. Everyone in Klassik Koffee gasped as grenades flew and fire enveloped the screen. 

My eyes flashed with deadly realization. “That's the street where my parents live.”