Superheroes, Super Problems

*12* Death

I was more on edge than I thought I could be. During dinner, Vixen and I sat in the living room as informal as usual, but as the seven o'clock news came on, the report on the Dagger/Cavalier situation was making it difficult for me to swallow my food.

"Last week the commissioner held a press conference declaring the high possibility of Cavalier's identity to belong to Declan Thorne, a seventeen-year-old senior at Diamond High School who was later abducted by Dagger," the anchor recalled and they showed a nice picture of Declan that showed the world just how handsome he was. "Earlier today authorities were alerted when a rescue mission occurred at the abandoned Crystal Rim amusement park including Thorne, Dagger, and Cavalier's sidekick, Boon."

"He's not a sidekick," I breathed light enough under my breath to avoid Vixen looking over at me while she ate. They revisited the events of last year and the death of Diana Carlson that led to the plummeting of the Crystal Rim business and eventual closure.

"Authorities were able to get an aerial view of some events between the metahumans and as of now, we are waiting for any further information," the anchor concluded before the station played a video that was slightly unstable likely due to helicopter turbulence.

Below, there was a dark and most-likely dirty lake beneath the infamous roller coaster. It was strange because of the pulsations causing small waves in the water, but from what? The ride hadn't been operated in over a year, but the odd formations looked as if they were from electric currents. The camera focused on a floating body (face-up or face-down I couldn't tell) and I was met with pure horror. Though relatively small, another pulsation waved through the water as if it was coming from a source and then when the ripple reached the body, it twitched. I still wasn't relieved.

Then, a figure landed on the top of the rollercoaster's biggest loop, causing the camera to move. There wasn't any audio because if there was, you'd only hear the helicopter's propellers or a probable screaming news commentator, but you could tell the shadowed hero on the ride was speaking down to the dark figure that was planted firmly on land. Sooner than expected, Boon seemed like a dark angel, projecting himself from the ride to the land-claimer's chest with one swift move, only the takedown wasn't too easy.

Everyone knew Dagger was a master of combat so he wasn't thrown off by enough. The two fought until Boon had diverged from the fight in order to bound atop the old ride-operating station and tamper with a panel before the water stopped moving. At that, two bodies moved; the one in the lake began rolling over and the one on land began charging at Boon.

Like many pictures or videos in the media, Boon aimed one fist at his target before circular concussions ejected from his body, down his arm, and over to Dagger to force him off his feet due to the impact. Boon's powers were offensive. A couple of concussions were all he needed and in any other situation, that's when he usually left because authorities could handle criminals who were knocked on their asses. But now, Boon took the attack personally because he began approaching Dagger, hitting him again and again with a force each time Dagger looked to gain composure. But on the right of the screen, the body that had been floating in the water had somehow made it to the lower part of the tracks (a part in the ride when the cart would graze the water in order to splash a few victims) and hoist himself up limb by limb and he was so fatigued that I wanted to climb through the TV and help him. To my surprise, a feminine looking person arrived to the side of the screen nearest to the loading platform. But it wasn't Siren.

Like Boon, she extended her arm, but instead of a fist, her hand was palm-side-down with her fingers spread and then the liquid image of the water went white. Boon turned his head and noted the female hero beginning to walk on the solid water towards the struggling Cavalier who was trying to gain his footing. She made it over to him and came to his aid, but partially lost her grip on him when the shaking of the frozen lake occurred when Boon concussed Dagger into the ice and you could see from above that cracks began forming. Then, Boon rushed over, placed his fist against the ice in order to use his power to create a legitimate gap to the liquid water and began pulling Dagger by his foot until sliding him into the lake. It was clear that Boon's shoulders turned to the girl and Cavalier and they seemed to be arguing through gestures—and then Boon and the girl suddenly ran towards the control panel as if it was important...as if Boon's rage was causing him to send electric through the lake to kill off Dagger and the girl wanted to prevent it. Both of them reached for it while still at large distances but then a red energy level emitted from Boon at the same time as an icy sheet headed in the same direction.

Their powers struck the platform at the same time and the combination shot up so fast that it hit the helicopter and the footage went out.

I stopped eating and went to my room, trying to call Leighton, but she didn't answer. I even tried Sutter, but not only did he not respond, but his phone was out of order. That didn't surprise me. I hadn't tried to contact him in a year; of course he could have a new number. But this was important. I wanted—needed to know if Declan was even still alive.

Vixen was concerned with my abrupt sign of worry in which I had to lie and say I forgot I had a project due this week and I had to leave and go work on it with Leighton. Vixen, the nerd that she was, allowed me to do so and her only concern was whether or not I was able to drive myself. Of course, in this moment, my PTSD about the Explosion accident was put behind me and I grabbed the keys.

Though I had never been invited, I knew where Declan's house was. Everyone did. Even if I didn't, once I reached the neighborhood adjacent to the halted construction site of the old Hydrogen Project, there were police cars and news vehicles congesting the street in front of the Thorne residence. I figured they just saw the broadcast and wanted their answers too. I noticed a pair of police officers and Emma's dad approach the door and remove their hats upon the door cracking open to reveal not only Declan's mom—a beautiful middle aged woman who was forever dependent on the crutches attached to her forearms thanks to the Hydrogen Project—but also Kimber who immediately saw the authoritative party and began crying. The men were let into the house to escape the press and I felt a tear fall down my cheek before hearing my phone ring. I didn't even check to see who it was before answering.

"Amery?" Leighton's voice asked as if she was in pain, but then I remembered that she had gone home sick today. "What's wrong?"

"They found Declan," I choked and that's when all the floodgates broke free.

"They? Who?" she croaked.

"Boon—and some other girl," I clarified. "I...I can't talk right now—"

"Amery, but there's something important—"

"I can't, Leigh," I lastly said before hanging up on her. I rested my head on the steering wheel and felt my world collapsing at the thought of Declan's death. I wanted to know what happened after the footage went off, but the arrival of police officers and the commissioner didn't look too optimistic on a happy ending.

Now, I knew I loved Declan. I didn't care if anyone thought it was stupid to love someone whose identity had been a secret because they didn't know the bond we had within the last year and the promise within our interactions each time he held my hand or looked into my eyes to such a degree that prevented me from wanting to look anyone else in the eyes for fear that they could be more beautiful than his. But that was in the past.

If Declan died...he's gone. There was no me andhim. There could never be a "me andhim." We'd never have a discussion about whether or not he'd want to continuewhatever we were due to safety. We'd never have to face a school of peoplewondering how the hell the Human Error andthe Bulletproof Superhero ever gottogether—or how he'd choose me over Emma. Whatever the outcome could've been,couldn't happen. Declan wouldn't charm others with his smile, comfort hissister with his friendship, play college football or lead the world to a betterplace. None of it.