The sound of a door opening and closing wakes me from my sleep. I wriggle out from underneath scratchy bedsheets. Two blurry figures walk by exchanging unintelligible whispers. My eyes adjust to the light and I see Doctor Hsu distributing breakfast sandwiches to Keith from a greasy brown bag.

“Hey,” I say weakly. “I hope you got me something too…”

They turn to me with visible surprise.

“Ayden!” says Keith joyfully. “How are you feeling?”

“Starving and sore,” I grunt as I sit up from the narrow bed. He hands me a sandwich which I graciously devour in three bites. The sausage and egg goodness replenishes my soul. I glance around the room, taking note of the medical equipment nearby.

“So what happened last night? How’d I end up here?”

“You passed out shortly after the Pyrokinetic fell,” replies Doctor Hsu. “You’re eyes rolled to the back of your head and you fell flat on the floor like a plank.”

“Oh…” I reply somberly. “I killed him, didn’t I?”

“You didn’t, the fall did,” replies Doctor Hsu bluntly, followed by a shush sound from Keith. I sink into the mattress from guilt.

“Ayden, don’t let what happened last night wear you down,” says Doctor Hsu. “Edrys Idella was a vile, serial arsonist. If he escaped, he could have killed hundreds of people overnight.”

“You saved a lot of people yesterday,” says Keith. “Your name is on the tip of everyone’s tongues right now. You’re a hero.”

My heart swells with pride.

“Thanks…” I say. “It just feels so weird. I didn’t mean to kill him, I just… lost my grip…”

“It’s okay, Ayden. Just relax for now,” says Keith.

“But what about the others? And the pregnant woman?”

“They escaped,” Doctor Hsu replies plainly. “The Arcathian Bureau of Investigation seized all security footage this morning and are working to find the true identity of the pregnant woman.”

“She called herself Lupo,” I say. “She can’t really be Lupo can she? She would’ve been a child when the bombing happened!”

“She’s likely just be a copycat using the alias to stir political drama,” replies Keith. “You heard her ranting when she hijacked the news broadcast. She sounded like a total extremist!”

“We won’t know until we know,” says Doctor Hsu. “My biggest concern is what she plans to do with those Gifted inmates.”

“Right. It’s like she’s building an army for her cause,” I suggest.

“With power like that, it’s going to take more than regular ABI operatives to properly take them down,” says Doctor Hsu. “I’ll give it a few days before the DSSO take over and dispatch a few Gifted operatives to hunt them.”

The three of us hear a commotion from outside the room. The door opens and two men clad in pressed suits and body armor enter the room.

“Secure the perimeter,” says the bald one. The other man pulls out a handheld scanner from his vest then pans it around the room. A little light on the device flashes yellow then blinks green.

“Excuse me,” says Doctor Hsu angrily. “Just who are you two?”

The air shifts and the potent scent of aftershave creeps from the corridor into the room. It’s an all too familiar odor. Prime Minister Cain enters the room waving his hand like a member of royalty. Tucked underneath his other arm is a long, red box wrapped in a white ribbon.

“Good evening, folks,” he says with a charming grin.

“All clear, sir.” says his bald secret serviceman. The Prime Minister nods in approval then dismisses his men outside of the room to watch the door. Cain turns to Doctor Hsu and Keith. Keith smiles with a slight bow while the Doctor pouts and crosses her arms over her chest.

“It’s good to see you two again given the grim circumstances,” he comments. Doctor Hsu rolls her eyes. The Prime Minister turns to me with a wide grin.

“Greetings, Mr. O’Hara. It’s good to see you awake. How are you feeling?” he asks in an overly cheery voice.

“I’m feeling alright,” I reply with a modest shrug.

“Excellent! I came here to personally thank you for saving the hostages. I think I speak for everyone when I say your actions were most heroic.”

He hands the present to me which is heavier than I imagined.

“A little bird told me your cybernetic arm wasn’t working so I contacted my dear friend, Richard, and got you a new model.”

I hastily unwrap the gift then gaze upon a new cybernetic arm from CyberWear, the leading manufacturer of cyberware technology. A model such as this can easily go for twelve thousand credits. I gawk at the sleek design and run my finger across the smooth carbon fiber finish.

“I can see you approve,” chuckles the Prime Minister. “Why don’t you try it out?”

I detach my old limb then attach the new one into my empty shoulder socket. The new limb springs to life the moment it connects with my neural chip. The mobility and response time of this arm is significantly better than my previous which was clunky and slow like two toaster ovens joined by a rotator cuff.

“This is amazing! Thank you!” I say graciously. I flex my new arm towards Keith with a playful wink. He smiles bashfully but gives two thumbs up with approval.

“It’s the least EvGeni can do for your selfless act,” says the Prime Minister. Doctor Hsu scoffs, and the Prime Minister turns to her.

“Excuse me doctors, but would you mind giving Mr. O’Hara and me a moment to ourselves? I’d like to speak with him privately.”

Doctor Hsu raises her eyebrows skeptically, as do I.

“It’ll only be for a moment.”

Doctor Hsu lightly taps Keith on the side, encouraging him to follow her out. They do, and the two servicemen close the door. A red flag raises in my subconsciousness as the Prime Minister assumes a more relaxed poise, as if his kindness were just an act. He then laughs to himself.

“I watched the security footage of your battle in the lobby. You handled those convicts with absolute finesse and control. You were a natural! Where’d you learn to fight with your telekinesis?”

“I got into a bad crowd living on the streets of the Neon District,” I reply truthfully.

“Ah, the Neon District. That’s a rough area. Have you always lived there?”

“Only briefly until I was six or so, then again when I turned eighteen.”

“I’m all too familiar with the area. It’s a gangster’s paradise now. I remember a time when the Eastern Fringes were a safe place for young families. However, that was long ago before the war.”

His eyes drift in deep thought for a moment. He bounces back then quickly glances to me.

“I want to discuss something important with you, Mr. O’Hara. That’s why I asked to speak with you privately. It’s about the future of this planet. I believe the people of Arcathia need a new hero, someone to look up to in dark times.”

I raise my eyebrow skeptically.

“I believe that someone is you,” he says with a wide grin. “Watching you fight was inspiring! That’s why I want to recruit you into the task force I’m assembling.”

I stare blankly like a deer caught in the headlights.

“The what...?”

“A Gifted task force to deal with Lupo and the convicts,” he replies confidently. I silently reflect on the evaluation Friday and his peculiar interest in my powers.

“I knew something was fishy about that evaluation Friday! You were browsing candidates, and now that you’ve witnessed first hand what I can do, you try and butter me up with this new arm!”

I hastily detach the new arm from my socket and toss it back into the box.

“Mr. O’Hara, I assure you it is nothing like that,” says the Prime Minister calmly.

“Then what is it?!”

Suddenly, I come to a revelation. It fills me with seething rage.

“That means you knew about Lupo’s involvement with the mine collapse! You knew for an entire week! Why didn’t you say anything?!”

“I didn’t want to start a panic. If word got out—”

“No! My father was seriously injured in the bombing Friday! If you’d said something—anything! Maybe he’d be alright!”

“Ayden…”

I clench my teeth and ball my hand into a fist. It takes every ounce of willpower I have to not throw this gelatinous fuck out of the window. The frustration quickly reduces me to tears and I hide my face behind my hand helplessly.

“I’m sorry, I can’t do this right now,” I say. “Petyr is the father I never had. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost him too.”

“No, I should be the one apologizing. It was insensitive of me to make such a loaded request considering what you’ve been through these last few days… and you’re right. I should’ve told the public sooner.”

“Then why didn’t you?” I growl.

“I needed to be one hundred percent certain about what we were dealing with,” he replies. “I didn’t want to cause unnecessary alarm with rumors and speculation of Lupo’s return.

I roll my eyes sarcastically.

“I wish things had gone differently for you, but I’m offering a chance to fight back. Aren’t you tired of being the victim?”

I glance to him venomously, then suddenly, an old saying Petyr would tell me comes to mind.

“Don’t let anger define you, it’s a treacherous path to self destruction,”

I mull over the phrase. He’s said that to me about a million times before, but for the first time it feels like I’m actually hearing it. I take a deep breath to clear my mind.

“I am tired, but I’ll have to decline,” I reply. “My father is going to need me when he recovers, and I can’t abandon him.”

“I understand,” he says casually. He feigns a smile to mask the disappointment in his eyes. “I appreciate your time and consideration, but if you ever need me for anything or just want to talk. Reach out to my secretary and she’ll patch you through to me.”

He hands me a business card for his secretary. “Take care, Mr. O’Hara. Until we meet again.”

He turns heel to the door but stops midway. “Oh, and Ayden. I’d appreciate it if this conversation stayed between you and I. I wouldn’t want the wrong idea to spread with the media.”

He leaves with his entourage of servicemen.

“What was that all about?” asks Keith as he and Doctor Hsu return. The conversation with the Prime Minister drained me, and I’m too tired to recap.

“He was praising me for my heroic deeds,” I reply somberly. Keith and Doctor Hsu tilt their head doubtfully.

“Can either of you discharge me? I’m ready to go home now.”

Keith glances to Doctor Hsu, who nods silently with approval. I glance down to my arm with a lack of enthusiasm, questioning the legitimacy of this expensive gift despite what the Prime Minister insisted. I decide it’s not worth the troubling myself over “what if’s”, and initiate a data synchronization between both arms. Keith completes the necessary discharge forms from his tablet. Doctor Hsu helps gather my belongings and just as the three of us are about to leave, there is a gentle knock at the door.

“Who the hell is it now?” I grunt.

Doctor Hsu opens the door and is visibly shocked. She takes a step back and allows the guest to enter. A beautiful woman with dark hair sheepishly walks inside. I hear Keith gasp behind me. It’s not until the woman looks to me with emerald colored eyes do I recognize her to be Keith’s mom, Kimberly.

She glances to her son with tears of relief glistening in her eyes. Her lips quiver into a smile and then into a deep frown.

“My baby boy, I’m so sorry…”

Keith embraces his mother in a moment of wholesome tenderness. They rock back and forth in each other’s arms, his mom breaking down into utter tears of joy. Doctor Hsu pats my side.

“Let’s give them some space,” she says. We walk into the corridor and wait on the other side.

“So what did the Prime Minister have to say?” she asks. Distracted by Keith and his mother reuniting, I only hear half of her question. I glance back to Doctor Hsu befuddled and she rolls her hand impatiently.

“Well? What did he say? You seemed bent out of shape earlier.”

“Oh… that,” I sigh tirelessly. I glance around the corridor then lean towards her. “The Prime Minister knew about Lupo since the mine collapse. He hid it from the public. Plus he tried to recruit me for a Gifted task force to stop Lupo and the convicts.”

“Are you shitting me…?” she wipes her face with her palm before rubbing the side of their temples with her thumb.

“What’s the matter? That’s good, right?”

“No,” she replies sternly. “That’s not good. Please tell me you declined.”

“I did, but why isn’t it good?”

“It’s nothing you need to worry about,” she replies. “But I thank you for telling me. I’m assuming he wanted to keep it a secret between you and him?”

“Yeah,” I reply, glancing over to check on Keith. Things seem to be going over swell. They are both smiling with tears in their identical eyes.

“I only found out about his relationship with his mom a few days ago. Has he ever talked to you about it?” I whisper.

“I was aware,” Doctor Hsu replies with a slight shrug. “But Keith does a really good job separating work from home. He hardly ever vents about family here.”

Keith and Kimberly hug each other once more and then step into the corridor.

“Ma, let me introduce you to Ayden,” says Keith. Kimberly pats her cheeks try with a handkerchief before extending a well manicured hand to me.

“Hello, Ayden,” she says with joyous, white smile. “My name is Kimberly, but I go by Kim.”

I find myself starstruck. Photographs and holographic projections hardly did any justice in capturing her exceptional beauty. From the supernatural green glow of her iris down to her lush pink lips. Every feature about her complimented one another, as if her whole face and body were carved by the gods. We shake hands, which is incredibly soft to the touch.

“I understand you’re the one romantically involved with my son.”

“I, uh—yeah,” I clear my throat. “Yes, ma’am.”

My heart kicks into high gear and I feel my palms get clammy. Our hands still locked; her eyes dart quickly up and down, silently judging my appearance. She couldn’t have picked a worse day to come. I look like I've been through hell and back. The expensive new arm is merely silk on asphalt, and did nothing to conceal the caked on dirt, sweat and blood that covered my skin.

“It seems like Keith snagged a good one, and Doctor…” she turns to Doctor Hsu, a twinkle in her eye. “Thank you for saving Keith. I don’t know how to repay you.”

“Just doing my job, Kim,” she replies confidently. “I’ve gotta get going now, I have a lot of work to do. It was good seeing you, Kim. Ayden, Keith, you have my number if you need anything.”

“Thanks, Doc,” I reply. Keith and Kim day their goodbyes and Doctor Hsu trails away.

“Are you boys hungry?” asks Kim.

“No thanks, ma. We just ate,” replies Keith. “We ought to be going home. Ayden’s had a rough few days and needs time to recover.

“We let me take you home. I’d like to get to know Ayden a bit more.”

“Sure,” replies Keith. He glances to me for affirmation. I nod.

“That’s fine, but I was going to request if you could take me to my father's house instead. It’s closer to the hospital my father is.”

“Hm?”

“Ayden’s father was also injured in the bombing Friday,” chimes in Keith. “He’s staying at Aclespius.”

“Oh, I am so sorry, Ayden. Of course I can take you there. Where is your father’s house?”

“In the Eastern Fringes near the Neon District,”

The light vanishes from her eyes but she puts on a brave face however it’s obvious she isn’t entirely thrilled.