Swords and Shield

Chapter 3: Natural

Whenever DC tried to remember the time before the age of heroes, he couldn't make up much in his mind. All he could remember was that they had rose from the ordinary people like gods and started to take over every single aspect of people's lives for decades. Just like all he could remember about his past was how much he despises them. Most people worship them, consider them the gifts that destiny had given to them, to save this world from evil. But they never experience his childhood, and never actually understood the so-called heroes' true colors. They never had the entire world taken away from them by the hands of the ones calling themselves saviors.

They could have saved him. And his family. His father, his pregnant mother and his two-year-old sister. They were on a field trip, traveling on a small van to the suburb to enjoy the peace and quiet of the green field in a small farm house when it happened. One second ago, it was just some friendly neighbors from the other side of the street coming over to ask for some sticky tape, and one second later, it became three robbers with guns coming in to take all of their money and valuable belongings. He remembered his father stepping forward to shield his wife and children from the largest gun seven-year-old DC had ever seen in his life, and calmly told the robbbers to take everything they wanted and leave. His father even told the demons that they could kill the man, but they didn't have to kill the woman and children, because they wouldn't tell. The young and naive mind of small DC was still frozen from fear, seeing his father's hidden tremble, fearing for his family's life, and his mother squeezing his hand tightly in hers, vision blurred with tears. And then he appeared. Python, the greatest superhero this city had ever known, with the ability to shift-shape into anything, any creature he could think of. He had been all over the news with his saving the innocent and defending the weak. Everywhere DC went, he saw the hero's face. Rescuing people from a burning building. Helping with the construction of a monument. Visiting the New Castle General to see the sick children there, and inspire them to defeat their illness. And modelling for thousands of different advertisements and banners on the TV and on the streets. That face appeared right at their rented farm house's doorstep when one of the robbers shouted at his mother to put her necklace into his bag. DC thought, finally, they could be saved. Finally, he could take down the criminal and handed him over to the police without them being harmed. Obviously his parents had the same thought, because they started to ask Python for help desperately.

At first, he did. He swooped in and slapped the gun out of the robber's hand. He turned into a huge panther and knocked the robber right in front of DC to the ground. The second thug managed to fire at him, but he shifted into a snake so fast the boy's eyes couldn't quite catch, avoiding the attacks and launched himself at the criminal, turning into a lion at the same time. The second one was down, blood poured from the wound his sharp fangs caused, stumbled into the pile of luggage the small family had put nearby, and made all of their belongings falling out on the floor. They were holding each other and cried in relief, knowing that in just a few minutes, after Python had handled the last robber, that they could be safe. But then he stopped when he saw the laptop and business card falling out of DC's father's suitcase. The hero crouched down to pick the card up and narrowed his eyes at the letters on it. Somehow, the boy knew that the company's logo triggered the dark side.

"So, Moore Corp, huh." The superhero looked at his father and slowly walked closer. His gentle, friendly expressions on all of the pictures now turned into a cold snarl. He circled the family with long footsteps and looked them down. "And the Head of research? Robert Morrison? Wow, what kind of lucky day is this?"

"What—what are you talking about, Python?" His mother's voice was shaking violently as she clutched his father's hand.

"Why don't you ask the husband yourself, sweetie? About the little project that us heroes had tried to stop but he still keep doing it." The hero glared at them, and all looks went to his father. The man gritted his teeth, every word out was difficult.