It had been three days since John returned from his trip to Reapers Island and Dr. Lee’s unknown facility. He noticed that most of the snow was gone. He was walking alongside a large fence on a cold afternoon. One hand was in the pocket of his hoodie while the other was holding a blue rose. He sighed as he looked up at the gate opening of the cemetery. John had been away from Darko city since he’d graduated in twenty sixteen. This would be the first time he stepped foot into the cemetery since leaving. His hand shook nervously as he took a step forward and walked through the gate. 

He strolled down the path passing headstones of people he didn’t know. John walked for at least a minute before seeing someone standing by themselves. As he got closer he realized it was Gizmo but he noticed him holding something. John realized he was holding a bottle of liquor. He sighed as he walked over to where Gizmo was and stood beside him. Gizmo sighed as he shifted slightly as the two stood silently. John placed the flower at the foot of Mrs. Valentine’s headstone.

“I never told you my reason for blaming you…” Gizmo said as John sighed while looking away. He glanced over to see Gizmo take a sip from the bottle. John was disappointed Gizmo would drink at his parent’s grave.

“It’s not important…” John trailed off as Gizmo shook his head. He grunted as he turned and faced John revealing the drunk look on his face.

“It’s important to me. I blamed you because I resented you for being like superhumans…” Gizmo trailed off as he almost stumbled over. John tried to help him but Gizmo backed away. He shook his head as he took another sip of the liquor.

“I honestly don’t know what you’re trying to say Gizmo. I will say I’m tired of being blamed for what happened.” John said as Gizmo stared at him for a moment before laughing hysterically. He stumbled around like a fool causing John to wonder if anyone could see.

 “Superhumans have these amazing powers but only help people when it benefits them. You had all this training from an assassin but only decided to use it after it was too late.” Gizmo said as he stared at John with a stern look on his face. John sighed as he looked down and started to remember the day Mrs. Valentine died.

Flashback 

John stood frozen as the sight of red caused him to have a mental breakdown. The lifeless body of Mrs. Valentine laid sprawled seven feet away from him. His hands were shaking as he heard the sound of a gun being reloaded. As he felt sweat fall from his face he moved effortlessly. He evaded two gun shots as he lunged at the thugs. 

This rage spiraled inside of John as a bullet struck his arm. He barreled his way into the first thug knocking him over. John turned on his heels as the gun came to his head. His left pushed it away from his head causing it to hit the wall behind him. John turned with the thug’s arm in his hand as he used his own weight to flip him over. The thug hit the ground crying out in pain as John snapped his fingers. 

John yelled angrily as he lunged forward at the other thug slamming him into the wall. He pummeled him with a flurry of punches to the ribs. John kicked the thug’s knee out of place as he was grabbed from behind. He wasn’t able to counter as he was thrown out of a window. 

Present

John looked up at Gizmo with a sorrowful look on his face. He hated being reminded of the day because deep down the thought made him feel guilty. John shook his head as he took a deep breath and sighed as he looked up to the sky.

“As long as I live… I have to live with the fact I should’ve done something earlier. Although, you have to live with the fact you didn’t do anything… for your mother.” John said as Gizmo appeared shocked as John saw his shoulders drop.

 He realized Gizmo was suppressing his guilt as well. The way they were handling their feelings both were destructive in their own ways.

“She was all I had… My father was unfaithful and didn’t even treat me like a son. When you came to stay with us I began to live in your shadow.” Gizmo said as a tear formed in his eye. John could see the anger forming in his old friend’s eyes.

“Mrs. Valentine wasn’t all you had. You were like a brother to me…” John trailed off as Gizmo threw the bottle on the ground causing it to shatter. They both stepped back as they stared at one another.

“A brother? You were nothing but a charity case to my father.” Gizmo said.

John dropped his arms to his sides. He sighed as he looked away unhappily as he heard Gizmo laugh.

“You think I never felt that way? Your words don’t mean shit to me.” John said turning back to Gizmo with a determined look on his face. He could feel the tension between them growing.

“Then I thought I at least had Melina, but I never truly had her. Seeing you two talking again reminded me that heart belonged to someone else.” Gizmo said as he clenched his fist as he trembled. John’s expression changed again as he stared at Gizmo confused.

“What do you want me to say?” John asked with a confused look on his face. Gizmo sighed as he rubbed the back of his head as he looked at John.

“There’s nothing for you to say on that matter. Now about the night at my home, Melina got hurt but she’s okay. Also, two little girls came saying a young man saved them from a fire. You wouldn’t know anything about that would you?” Gizmo questioned as he stared at John appearing to be waiting for a reply. John stood silently as he stared at Gizmo for a long time.

“No… I didn’t help anyone. Also, I’m glad to know that she’s alright.” John said slowly as he noticed Gizmo’s expression changed. 

He watched Gizmo lower his hands before disappearing leaving behind a cloud of dust. John took in a deep breath as he turned around but no one was there. He looked up to see a figure above him causing him to jump out of the way. Gizmo foot crashed into the ground with a small concussive force. John stumbled back as he stared at Gizmo with a surprised look on his face.

“Like I said dude, you’re just like superhumans.” He said as he lunged forward at John who side stepped. 

Gizmo stumbled passed John who now appeared calm and focused. John stood with his hands in his pockets as Gizmo teleported again. John did another sidestep evading an attack from behind. 

Gizmo glared at him angrily as he yelled sounding frustrated. John continued to toy with Gizmo when a figure appeared on the path. He looked over to see Dr. Lee standing with his arms folded. John stopped Gizmo’s punch without looking as he turned toward Dr. Lee. He took a step forward before pushing himself off the ground. John moved faster than expected as he appeared in front of Dr. Lee prepared to deliver a devastating blow.  A cloud of energy appeared as Dr. Lee disappeared.

 “Please… I’m here to inform you two of Dante’s possible plan. I think he may be planning to set off explosions in the city.” Dr. Lee said as John noticed Gizmo disappear. 

He appeared above Dr. Lee and withdrew a blaster out of his coat pocket. He fired it but Dr. Lee had already moved out of the way. Dr. Lee sighed appearing to be annoyed as the blaster hit him. John saw the energy blast be absorbed. He realized Dr. Lee could absorb many forms of energy but he knew there had to be a limit.

“You’re coming to the Decagon for questioning. Dr. Lee.” Gizmo said standing at a distance from John who stood silently.

“I think you’re far too drunk to be able to take me down.” Dr. Lee said in an overly confident tone of voice. John was trying to figure out how he could take out Dr. Lee. He began to wonder if there was limit to how much Dr. Lee could absorb.

“Why don’t you stop your son yourself?” John questioned as Dr. Lee and Gizmo both look at John. Dr. Lee sighed as he walked over to John.

“I have other matters to attend to at the moment. Now…about the young woman you took from my facility. I need you to know she is dangerous and you need to protect her.” He said as he disappeared leaving John and Gizmo standing confused. John was unsure of what Dr. Lee was implying about Rena.

“Who is this woman he’s talking about John?” Gizmo asked as John turned away and headed down the path.

 He shoved his hands in his pockets as he headed toward the entrance of the cemetery. John sighed as he looked around at the busy streets. People seemed so oblivious to the daunting dangers coming. John had this bad feeling that everything was setting up for something worse. 

The sky was gloomier than usual making John wonder if it would rain soon. He wandered down the street looking around at the places on this side of the city. All the small businesses, clubs and restaurants where many gangs lurked. Giz-tech was a building visible anywhere in the city. 

The eye sore but one of the biggest sights to see in Darko city. He sighed as he continued walking aimlessly hoping to pass time. The walk back to the bunker would was going to be fairly long. John refused to pay for cabs no matter where he went.

 He always walked or ran to his destination. In high school he ran cross country and track so running was nothing to him.  As he continued walking he wondered why Dr. Lee said to protect Rena. Was Dante going to come after her in the future he wondered? 

He figured it be best to keep those questions to himself. John felt it be best not to alert the others without gaining more information.  He rubbed his stomach as he realized he was growing hungry. The walk to Zestro’s pizzeria was far but he figured he’d stop to see Briana. John strolled silently from street to street glancing at the odd faces he sometimes came across. Some superhumans risked walking the streets while others usually waited until night to come out. When John still lived in Darko city laws were being for superhumans.

 The laws made it harder for them to get decent jobs as well as decent housing. Society was falling apart and the tension between races was worse than ever. John continued to brood as he walked when he saw Diane. She had a serious look on her face and her arms were folded over her chest.

“You didn’t come to our funeral for Shane…” She said sounding disappointed. John sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

“I know…I’m sorry.” John said as he shoved his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. Diane sighed as she turned as John stepped passed her. She walked beside him with her hands in her pockets.

“Its fine… soon I’ll have to go tell my cousin and Shane’s sister. I’m not looking forward to seeing them heartbroken by his death.” Diane said as John glanced over at her and sighed. All he could think about was the strange man that was at the facility. Bezad was his name and his presence almost frightened John.  

“Your cousin?” John asked as she nodded slowly. They crossed a street before cars came speeding through the light.

“She was Shane’s girlfriend and she’s looking after Shane’s sister. My cousin has a younger brother and sister. I met them all through Shane. Shane was like a brother to me and now…” She trailed as she raised her left hand to wipe her eye. John didn’t know what to say or how to comfort her. He figured the best he could do was listen to her.

“I know who killed him…I plan to find him once we take care of Dante and Dr. Lee.” John said as mentally vowed to find Bezad. 

He planned to figure out why he attacked the facility and did such a horrendous thing. John stopped as he realized why they were at the facility. They were looking for Rena and John had to figure out how to keep her safe.

“We definitely need to deal with those two psychos.” Diane said as they finally arrived to Zestro’s pizzeria. Diane appeared to be confused as she stared up at the building. John grabbed the door and held it open until she finally stepped inside. 

The place was fairly busy as John let the door close behind him. John looked around until he saw an older man emerging from the back. He was around six foot three and had slender build. He had dark brown skin and black hair with a few gray patches showing. The man stopped with a surprised look on his face before he started to smile.

“John? Boy, it’s good to see you.” The man walked over and embraced John who stood awkwardly for a moment. John noticed Diane staring with a faint grin on her face as she folded her arms over her chest.

“Is good to see you too, Mr. Zestro.” 

John nodded as Mr. Zestro pulled away from John. He continued to smile as he looked over at Diane and stared at her for a long time. John glanced at the watch on Mr. Zestro’s arm surprised that he still possessed it after all these years.

“You wouldn’t happen to be related to Ms. Earnheart in some way, would you?” Mr. Zestro asked as he pushed his glasses up on his face. 

Diane shook her head as she appeared to be confused. She glanced at John who stood silently unsure of what to say. Mr. Zestro sighed as he pointed over to a table causing John to make his way over. John sat down as Diane sat down as well and stared at him.

“Who was he talking about?” Diane asked as John sighed unhappily. He truly didn’t want to answer her question but he figured he’d have to at some point.

“She was someone I was close to a long time ago before I left. You have a faint resemblance to her. I’m starting to think the DNA Dr. Lee used to formulate the super serum came from her.” John said as Diane stared at him frozen. She didn’t say anything for a long time as she stared at John.

“I guess that explains why I look biracial. Is she still alive?” Diane asked as John sat silently for a moment as he stared at the tabled.

“I doubt anything bad has happened to her. She’s probably still in college.” John said as he sighed when Mr. Zestro appeared. 

He had a notepad in his hand while a pen was in the other. John noticed Briana working at the front register.

“Could I have water, please?” Diane asked as Mr. Zestro nodded. 

John looked up at Mr. Zestro who smiled at him before turning away. He knew Mr. Zestro would get him his usual soda. John sighed as he returned his attention back to Diane.

“We need to have a talk with everyone when we get back to the bunker.” John said as he leaned back in his chair.

 He knew things were only going to get worse from here on out. John needed to learn more about his powers and who he was. His powers seemed to be inconsistent at the moment so he’d have to learn to control it. If he planned to face Dr. Lee he’d have to be able to go at him full force. 

Dr. Lee was a being of energy at this point and if he wanted to he could level the city possibly. John felt like the odds weren’t in his favor. He felt this way all the time and John hated it. John didn’t want to try to be a hero but he didn’t want anyone to die either.

To him a survivor sometimes was nothing more than a coward. A hero to him was an idiot who got way in over his head. What was John and how would it effect his fate?