“Hahahahahah!”

The cruel mocking echo of his laugh rings out through the deck, through the empty lake.

With nowhere left to go, I am subject to his changing whims. And oh do they change.

The reason T.V is so feared within the ranks is not simply because he’s right-hand man to Steve, it’s because of his powers. Even with his shades on you can never tell whether he’s poisoning you to your death with small doses of radiation. For this reason alone, even Steve fears him somewhat.

With the effortless way, he inspires fear and his powers, I often wondered why he wasn’t the one at the head of the gang, why he didn’t do away with Steve who often treated him as nothing less than a lackey. At the moment I don’t much care for any of that though.

Hearing the usually stoic man bellow out without reserve sends chills down my back, my hairs stand on end in his presence until he stops making the odd sound and looks at me.

“The same goes to you, Vern, I can’t say I’m very pleased to see you, to see you alive that is.” He gasps, a thought striking him, “How did you survive the drug? You should have burst a vein or something from that much juice. How exactly are you still alive and well, heh, very well from the sounds of it.”

I stare at him blankly for a moment until he snaps his fingers aggressively, “That wasn’t rhetorical, answer me.”

Just then the guard chooses to butt in, “I believe we’ve had enough of your theatrics sir, you’ll need to get off of the vessel, with or without the boy.”

Once more the security pull their weapons on T.V, I wish they’d shoot at him already.

I wish even more than that, I wish my powers would work already.

What I thought was excess adrenaline stifling my powers turns out to be something else, something unknown. My heart has long ceased its trumpeting in my chest, I’ve come to terms that I’m alone on this, I’ve got to face these bastards again. But why-

“Oh, would you shut up already?” T.V snarls, his lips curl in a familiar sneer, one I long learned is soon followed by-

With a single turn of his head a scalding heat beams across the space between him and me. I am quick to launch myself to the floor but I do not escape unscathed, my hair is singed.

Patting out the fire before it takes up all my hair, I rise once again to find that the men behind me, the guards, were not so lucky.

It smells of beef, there’s a pang of iron that somehow finds its way onto my tastes buds. Sickening.

I pinch my nose but my ears remain uncovered and harmed by the screeching sounds of horrified screams of the patrons still on the floor of the deck. Their saviours have been turned to bacon, I can’t say I blame them.

Bang! Bang!

“Shut the fuck UP!” There Neil goes again, hunched over drooling saliva, yelling at the defenceless and frightened.

Silence is quick to fall save for a few sniffles, I wait a moment, take a look back at the seared open men behind me and try my best not to gag. I’m glad Paige isn’t awake to see or smell any of this.

“Now then-”

“Let them go.”

T.V pauses, reeling even in surprise at my cutting him off, “Excuse me?”

I say it again, but this time I take my hand off my nose and let it fall beside me, balled up, “I said, let them go.”

T.V’s hands twitch and Neil makes his way to his side, reloading his weapon as he does, his intentions given away by his glare.

“Can I off h-'' He doesn’t get to utter another syllable as T.V raises a hand to silence him, the man’s attention solely on me.

Whereas my knees tremble and I can only hope that my display isn’t as transparent as it feels, I need to get Paige out of here, out of his line of sight somehow. I need to keep her safe even if I’m to share the same fate as those men.

T.V’s X-ray vision doesn’t only allow him to see through solid surfaces. As far as my education goes, I know enough to recognize X-ray as a sort of light, and light is a source of heat.

Heat he beams out of his eyes and at his enemies. Particularly, me.

But I don’t need Paige getting in the line of fire.

Strangely, he snickers, “The news said you are a danger to all that come across you, a vile character with an unflinching will to kill and maim people." He laughs cruelly, "Possessing a taste for shooting peoples knees and elbows out to oblivion...not some hero wannabe.”

His shoulders tremble and his hand slaps over his mouth, stifling another laugh, “Even Vertigo took some sense of pride in you. In hearing of your exploits. Drugs? Smuggling? Migrants? Incapacitating a great many of the Xoxia Police force, you did well for about a minute, that is, until he realized you were selling to the enemy. That you were helping our competitors with that terrifying mind bending power of yours.”

“Then he gave the order to kill you.” Neil says, joining in the conversation. The shorter man quickly receives a smack across the back of his head for this.

“Do I look like I need you speaking for me, Neil?” His lips begin to curl again.

“N-no, sir.” He can hardly look up at T.V, his head shrinking back like a turtle receding into its shell. Oh, how I wish I could shoot him dead.

But no matter what I do, even holding my breath, biting my lip or even praying to my one star above the sky. No matter what I do, I can’t seem to pause time, I’m defenseless.

For a moment I begin to wonder if T.V and Steve have some power dampener on me, one that restricts my powers specifically. But that’s absurd, what use would that serve to have me and my time pausing powers under their control and not exploit it to the fullest?

“Your arm in that sling tells me the encounter with the Police was not exaggerated, so does your presence here on this ship.” T.V says, temporarily deciding against cooking Neil, “I have a lot of questions for you, Vern.” He says with a sigh, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

“As do I.” I challenge, puffing my chest out as best as I can, after all, for all they know I’m still the powerful meta-human with mind bending abilities the news makes me out to be, I could just as well give an inspiring demonstration of my abilities if I so choose.

“Oh? And what are those?”

“For starters...how did you know where and when I’d get on this ship?”

A knowing smile graces his thin lips, he nods, “You want to know if you got sold.”

“Well, was I?”