The next hour was hard for SteelStar.  Fortunately, there were no other casualties aside from Spectramancer and the man in the Black Sedan.  It only took a few minutes for the ambulances and police officers to arrive, their emergency lights shining and their alarms blaring.  Soon SteelStar sat on the rear of an ambulance and told Paramount what happened while a medic looked over SteelStar’s injuries.  Paramount was patient with this new young superhero, paying attention and asking questions as gently as possible.

            “I tried to stop him without hurting him,” said SteelStar, the medic looking at the bruises on his abs. “I did.  I just…I couldn’t get close to him, and nothing I did worked.  If I didn’t stop him then…then…”

            “I understand,” said Paramount. “There’s…a few things you should know, but we can talk later.  The police will want a statement, but after that, you should go home and rest.  Lord knows you’ve earned it.”

            “Okay,” said SteelStar. “Thank you.”

The police officers that eventually arrived at the scene were able to identify the man killed by Spectramancer, the one in the black sedan.  They used the license plate, melted and twisted though it was, and found that the man’s name was Manny Turner.  Somehow, knowing his name made things worse for SteelStar.

                After talking to the police, the paramedic looking him over concluded that SteelStar’s injuries didn’t look too serious.  SteelStar declined a hospital visit, knowing there was a Valtarian doctor in his neighborhood more familiar with his biology, and the paramedic at the scene recommended that the superhero get plenty of rest.  SteelStar turned to metal, but before leaving, he saw the other paramedics zip up Spectramancer’s body bag before carting him into the back of an ambulance.  SteelStar watched the ambulance drive away for a moment feeling overwhelmingly depressed.  He couldn’t stand there forever, though, so he looked away and flew into the air, heading home.

            After a long flight, retrieving his duffel bag where he left it, he landed in the woods behind his house to change out of his costume.  He walked out of the forest as Andy, wearing a t-shirt and jeans while carrying his costume in his duffel bag.  As he approached the house, his parents came out to meet him.

            The mere sight of him caused them to worry.  He’d shifted to his human persona, with black hair and normally tan skin, but now his face was sporting some ugly bruises.  He dared not show him the bruises under his shirt.

            “Are you alright?” asked Amelia, grabbing Andy’s face and looking him over.

            “I’m fine,” said Andy, “I’m fine, Mom, it’s not as bad as it looks.”

            That didn’t make her stop worrying, and she hugged him close.  Andy had to refrain from grunting as she disturbed the bruise on his stomach.  He really didn’t want her to worry more than she already was.

            John walked up and said, “Come on, let’s go inside.  You look like you could use a rest.”

Everyone kept telling him that, but as far as Andy was concerned, no one needed to.

***

Patrick Powell walked as fast as his legs would carry him.  The Hammerhead News station was frantic with movement, and everyone knew why.  A superhero was dead.  There was never any bigger news than that.  Patrick had seen scattered cell phone footage of a fight between Spectramancer and that new superhero SteelStar.  The few images of Specramancer showed him in a rage, shouting, destroying things with his mere presence.  Clearly, something had been wrong with him.  It was hard to make out details as most of the footage was taken by people running away from the scene, but it was alarming footage nonetheless.

            And this new hero, this SteelStar, had killed him.  Patrick couldn’t believe anyone would just kill a respected hero like that.  Even considering the destruction, Spectramancer was well respected.  Clearly, the man needed help, but what should Patrick expect?  This SteelStar didn’t expect others to use their powers responsibly.  Why should he behave responsibly with his own powers?

            Patrick reached the news desk to begin a very important broadcast.

***

After yet another long conversation telling someone what happened, the Gatlin family brought in Doctor Shelby, a middle aged Valtarian man, to take a closer look at Andy.  He still had some technology from Valtaria, so the examination only took a few minutes.  Doctor Shelby concluded that Andy wasn’t in any danger and just needed to rest.  Andy’s half Valtarian body would heal before too long.

            Later, Andy sat at the kitchen table, drinking some hot chocolate, his hair now Valtarian white.  Amelia had made the hot beverage to cheer him up, though it didn’t work as well as it used to.  What happened wasn’t a scraped knee or a runaway pet.  It was a lot worse, and Andy wasn’t a child anymore.  Not that he said no.  It was definitely reassuring to know how much she cared.  Samantha, Martin, and Abigail had asked him if he was okay, and he’d responded that he was fine, which wasn’t entirely true.

            As he sat there drinking his chocolate, he browsed videos on his phone.  Mostly a mix of music videos, review channels, and the news channels he followed.  As he browsed, he came across a video from Hammerhead News called “New So Called Hero Recklessly Hills Veteran Hero.”

            Andy had to read it again to make sure he’d read it correctly.  How could they say that?  Against his better judgment, Andy started the video.  He saw the Hammerhead logo first, a shark with a literal hammer for a head, followed by their tagline, “Hammerhead news, we hit the nail on the head.”  And then the video started.

            “Earlier today, tragedy struck the world when world famous superhero Spectramancer was killed in an incident just outside Partition City.  Witnesses at the scene describe the superhero as going on a rampage.”

            It cut to cell phone footage of Spectramancer glowing, looking around angrily.

Patrick continued.  “Famed superhero Paramount describes Spectramancer as being affected by some unknown force.”

            The footage cut to an image of Paramount in front of reporters, looking distraught as he said, “We don’t know what caused Spectramancer to get locked channeling rage.  All we know is that we’re…shocked by what happened…and saddened by the loss of a dear friend.”

            “Spectramancer,” Patrick continued. “Was ultimately stopped by a new superhero who calls himself SteelStar, who gunned him down like a rabid dog.”

            They showed More footage of Andy throwing blasts at Spectramancer, though it was from a distance and the footage blurry.  The person taking it was also clearly running away.

            “Quite a display,” said Patrick. “He could have, oh, I don’t know, tried to help him?  I mean, you see a well known superhero, someone who’s saved countless lives acting erratically, and your response is to just kill him?”

            “Andy?” asked Amelia, standing to the side, worry written all over her face.

            “That’s not what happened,” said Andy, unable to tear his eyes away from the video.

            “Did it not occur to this SteelStar that Spectramancer was being influenced?” Patrick went on.  “That he needed help?  No.  You just murder him without a second thought.”

            “That’s not true!” Andy almost screamed, clenching the phone. “You’re lying!” Andy looked up at his mother. “He’s lying!”

            A spark of electricity jumped across Andy’s hand, destroying the phone.  As the device lay in his hand, the screen cracked and smoke drifting off it, tears forming in his eyes.

            “It’s not true,” said Andy desperately. “How could he say that?  It’s not true.”

            Amelia hugged her son, holding him close as Andy cried, saying over and over again, “It’s not true.”

            “I know, Andy,” said Amelia. “I know.”

            And Andy wept openly, hugging his mother back.  To the side stood John, looking away as he clenched his fists.

***

The next day many people saw a certain video.  Spectramancer’s will instructed that this video be released to the public under specific conditions, and his lawyer honored that request.  Many news organizations showed the video, but many didn’t.  Hammerhead news was one that didn’t.

            The video showed Spectramancer against a grey background.  The elderly superhero, wearing his white cloak and mask, took a deep breath.

            “My friends,” he said. “I have a confession to make.  As many of you know, my powers come from emotions.  Channeling certain powers makes me feel a certain emotion, and when I channel anger, I can wield vast destructive power.  About a month ago, I had an incident where I lost control of my anger and went on a spree of destruction up in the rocky mountains.  There was a mutant attack involving a climber who was on his own and…and I couldn’t save him in time.  I arrived too late.  I was so angry and frustrated that I…lost control.  My powers went into overdrive, and I caused significant destruction to the forest.  Fortunately, no one was hurt, and I snapped out of it before taking it too far, but regardless, the incident did happen.

            “Since then, I have taken steps to manage my anger, and I believe I have it under control.  I am confident I can continue hero work without repeating that incident.  It has been pointed out to me, much to my chagrin, that I'm getting on in years and that I should consider that I might lose more control as I continue to age.

            “I do not believe this to be the case.  At this time, I believe this was a one time thing and that I’ve learned enough to avoid it in the future.  Some have suggested that I retire from hero work, but ultimately I cannot bring myself to do so.  If I’m just sitting on my thumbs and someone dies whom I could have saved, I don’t think I could live with myself.  For this reason, despite the concerns, I still intend to keep being a superhero.

            “That being said, I can see the concern and fear from my fellow heroes that in the unlikely event I have a relapse, one of them will have to stop me.  As much as I believe I can prevent that from happening, I cannot deny that this is a horrifying prospect.  To ease the minds of my friends and colleagues, I want to make something explicitly clear.  If I do, in fact, lose control and another superhero is forced to stop me, then whatever happens to me, I do not wish that hero to be prosecuted or persecuted.  This is only if it can be proven I lost control, but should I get seriously injured or even die because a superhero had to stop an outburst of mine from hurting people, then I do not wish that superhero to be held responsible for my death.  Whatever happens, this is my decision, and I take full responsibility for the consequences.

            “Thank you.”

            The video ended.

            Sitting at a desk, computer in front of her, Wendy Beaumont saw her father’s video end.  She was a beautiful young woman with platinum blonde hair and vivid green eyes currently dripping with tears.  She fell forward, resting her arms and head on the desk as she wept openly, an aura of blue surrounding her body.