Jason’s first reaction wasn’t joy. It was anger.

“Do you have any idea what you did to me?” he demanded, his voice sharper than he intended. “You left, Erik. Mom died, Dad… lost it, and you just ran. You vanished. For years.”

Erik’s expression didn’t change, but there was a weight in his eyes. “I know,” he said quietly. “And you have every right to hate me for it. But I had my reasons. Important ones.”

Jason’s anger cooled just enough for curiosity to take hold. “What could possibly be so important that you disappear for over a decade?”

“Come with me,” Erik said.

He led Jason down a quiet side street until they were deep in the shadow of an alley. Then, without warning, Erik’s feet lifted off the ground. Jason’s eyes widened as his brother floated into the air.

“You can fly,” Jason breathed.

“I can do a lot more than that,” Erik said. “Because I was shot with the same kind of bullet you were.”

Jason’s pulse quickened. “An atomic bullet?”

Erik nodded. “Yeah. But no one ever came after me. No one chased me through the city in a metal suit. Which means… whoever is behind this? They wanted you in the open. Not me.”

Jason stared at him. Something about this didn’t feel right.

For the next week, Jason buried himself in research. Newspaper archives, obscure online forums, government databases—anything he could get his hands on. Again and again, the same disturbing detail emerged: the people who had been shot with atomic bullets… were Andersons.

One night, Jason sat across from Erik in a dim coffee shop, his laptop glowing between them. “It’s us,” Jason said finally. “It’s always us.”

Erik leaned back in his chair. “Then it’s not random.”

They decided to dig deeper, starting with the one person who might hold the key—their father. Garek Anderson had been committed to a mental hospital years ago, but when Jason and Erik visited, the staff gave them an unsettling answer: he’d been released two years ago.

Neither brother knew what to say.

They stepped out into the cool air, walking in silence for a while before Jason spoke. “We need to find him.”

Erik gave a short nod. “Yeah. We do.”

As they turned down the street toward Jason’s apartment, a familiar voice called out to him.

“Jason!” Adrianna waved from across the sidewalk, her smile wide as she jogged over.

Jason smiled despite himself. “Adri, this is my brother, Erik.”

Erik gave a small nod. “Nice to meet you. But I should get going.”

“Alright,” Jason said, watching him leave.

As soon as Erik was out of sight, Jason turned to Adrianna. “So… what movie are we watching tonight?”

A mischievous grin spread across her face. “Horror.”

Jason groaned, already regretting it. “Why do I let you pick?”