'Kill or be killed' that was the way of the wild. And so it was in Jump City. His city. How ironic that he used to think that saving the world was fun. Sure, it was great being the hero, the masked wonder who always beat the bad guys; to be inside his bubble of illusions where truth and justice always prevailed. Then one day his bubble broke. And he saw the world for what it really was.

Petty thieves, serial murderers, terrorists, rapists, con artists, suicide bombers...the list was never-ending. It was difficult at first, to accept the harsh truth of reality, but he had finally acknowledged the fact that crime would never be completely stopped and that there would never be a perfect, fair world. Ever. But reality didn't prevent him from trying. It didn't stop him from striving harder, from pushing himself to higher limits to meet his own expectations, from always endeavoring to be faster, smarter and stronger. Now that he knew he couldn't save everyone in the world, he was going to save as many people as he could.

He supposed he couldn't have done it without his friends...especially her. It is strange how they got along so well together, being so opposite in so many ways, yet opposites do attract. And lately, all he could think about...was how attracted he was to her. It was she that gave him the determination and strength to hold onto his futile dream of a better world...so that he could make a world without pain, without anguish, just for her. And hopefully, he would be part of it...not that it mattered actually, since she would never know just how much he felt for her. He could never tell her how he felt. He had too much pride and stubbornness in him to suffer her rejection. Besides, it was against proto-call to have that kind of a relationship with a team-mate. And who knew if she felt the same way about him...