I was propped up against a tree in an otherwise empty field. The rain had me completely soaked, but I didn’t feel cold at all.

“You really are useless, aren’t you?”

I looked toward the voice and saw the back of Vier’s head. He was staring off into a distance that I could never reach.

“That’s not true. I’ve got my uses.” Was I making that excuse for him or for me?

“But how useful are you really? We shouldn’t be wasting time on someone who can’t pull their own weight.”

Kanon responded to me from the front seat of Oliver’s car while I tried to find a comfortable way to sit in the back. I couldn’t catch a good glimpse of her face in the rear view mirror.

“Useful enough. It’s not like I’m perfect, but I can get the job done.”

“But I need perfection from you Alec.”

The Chief was yelling at me from the sidelines as I took my position in the combat room. She wasn’t that far away, but I couldn’t make out the details of her face.

“That’s not possible from me, but I’ll do what I can.”

“Will you? Isn’t that just an excuse to not try at all?”

Even as he spoke, I couldn’t get a good view of Oliver. He kept turning down a new flight of stairs before I could catch up.

“Try or not, I’ll still get done what I have to.”

“And what exactly is that? I wouldn’t even notice if you were gone.”

Nora was talking to me from behind a stack of papers.

“Come on, that’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?”

“But it’s true, isn’t it? We know it’s your fault we’ll never see Ace again.”

I was in my parents’ house and my sisters were speaking in unison. They wouldn’t even turn around to look at me.

“I’m sorry. I’m, you’re right. It’s my fault. I couldn’t do anything.” How true was that really? It’s not like I could go back and check.

“You’ve already done enough by killing him.”

I couldn’t see the kind of expressions my parents were making when they said that. My father wouldn’t look away from a picture of Ace while my mother’s face was covered by a black veil she wore to the funeral.

“I know, but, isn’t there anything I can do to fix this?”

“Never. You killed me Alec. No matter what you do that will never change. How dare you think about having a future after you took mine away.”

Ace was being crushed by a large metal support beam. His face was completely covered in blood, but he was talking perfectly.

My body was still pulsing with energy after I had actualized my augmentation for the first time. I was so concerned with myself I couldn’t think of anything to do for Ace.

Reliving that experience caused me to sit up in a state of panic. I was covered in a cold sweat and needed a moment to collect myself.