Hello, everyone! This is a story for Powerless by Matthew Cody.

Disclaimer: I own nothing

"He tried to keep from imagining what it would be like to fall over the edge. Was he high enough that the fall would kill him right away, or would he simply break every bone in his body and lie there helpless and alone?" -Villainous by Matthew Cody

Daniel should've known better than to come to the Old Quarry alone, but Daniel was the type that did everything alone, despite his better judgement.

After telling his parents that he was going to Eric's for the night (he hated to lie to his parents, but the less they knew about the Supers and the Shroud and Daniel's involvement in all of this, the better it was for everyone. It kept his family and his friends safe), Daniel hopped on his bike and disappeared into the woods behind Elm Lane. Once the lights from his street vanished, he navigated his way to the stretch of mountain road deep in the woods, utilizing the dim light from the circular bulb connected to the space between his handle bars.

In the approaching darkness as the dim glow from the sun set began to fade, Daniel desperately wished that he had someone there with him, but... who could trust him? Who was even willing to be around him? He didn't trust himself around Eric after Daniel 'borrowed' his powers. Twice. Mollie and Rohan were mad at him, and Daniel still hadn't managed to work up the courage to talk to Louisa after accidentally borrowing her powers before they disappeared. Possibly permanently. And he would never forgive himself if he left Rose powerless again. He wasn't sure if he would be able to forgive himself for rendering her powerless the first time.

Daniel was on his own.

As Daniel neared the Old Quarry, thunder boomed, and rain began to pour. This thunderstorm gave 'raining cats and dogs' a whole new meaning. Lightning flashed across the sky, and Daniel heard a crack as a tree hit the earth with a rattling boom.

Daniel considered going back home, but he couldn't even if he wanted to. He was closer to the Old Quarry than his house; the Old Quarry had caves he could take cover in until the storm passed, but he had almost no cover if he were to risk the ride back home. He'd need to hope that the Old Quarry was safer than the thunderstorm.

Daniel could see it looming in the distance, and he grabbed his flashlight out of the bag on his back and shown it ahead. He hopped off his bike and started edging his way in the direction of the Old Quarry. The rain was coming down so hard, even his flashlight didn't offer any help in seeing what was ahead of him.

That's why Daniel wasn't entirely surprised when he slipped, but terror overwhelmed him as he realized exactly where he'd slipped.

He'd slipped right over the edge.

Daniel was reminded of that life changing day a year earlier when he tumbled through the hole in the wall at the observatory, only to be caught by Eric and thrust into a world of super kids, nightmarish villains, and mysteries he couldn't even begin to comprehend.

The familiar feeling of falling filled his gut as he tumbled through thin air; the rain beat down on him, making him fall faster. Rain drops mingled with tears on his cheeks, and he could taste salt in his mouth. His scream couldn't even be heard over the sound of the thunder and rain, not that anyone was even around to hear it all the way out here.

Daniel knew the ground was nearing; he could see it if he turned his neck slightly. The ground was approaching fast, and he didn't have time to twist his body in mid air; he was going to hit the dirt head first.

Daniel took a deep breath (inhaling rain in the process) and prepared himself for the tsunami of pain to wash over him upon impact. If he was lucky, he'd die instantly, but Daniel knew by now that the the only luck he had was bad luck. Somehow he knew that he'd feel the hit, and he'd lie there in the rain, helpless and alone, and waiting for help that would never come.

With a dull thud, Daniel hit the ground.

For a moment, he didn't feel anything. Then he felt everything.

Unbearable agony coursed through his body like acid. He could feel warmth coursing down his skin- a contrast to the freezing rain- and he knew that it was blood. He could feel it on his face, his arms, his back, but the most was on his right arm; his right arm felt like it was completely submerged in warmth, and when the pain set in, that was where it was the worst. His chest ached as air refused to enter his lungs, and he felt something (probably a broken rib or two) pressing against his lung, and he tried to avoid breathing deeply, lest he puncture it. His legs hurt, especially his left ankle, and his back and waist were sore; his back and waist didn't hurt much, but that probably meant that there was so much pain, his body decided to be merciful and numb those areas.

Next to his right arm, the worst pain was in his head.

It felt like someone had clobbered him with a sledge hammer, and Daniel's mental state was rapidly detriating. His ears began ringing, and nausea overwhelmed him; if his body had the energy, he would've gotten sick.

The worst part of this, though, was the confusion. He couldn't remember where he was or what day it was or how he got here or what happened. All he remembered was his stomach dropping out from underneath him as he fell, but... where did he fall? Where was he? Why wasn't he home? It was raining, after all. His parents would never let him go outside in such a storm.

"DANIEL!" The voice pierced through the sound of rain, thunder, and the ringing in his ears. The voice was so familiar, but the memory was just out of reach.

Suddenly, hands were wrapped around him, and warm droplets hit his face, so much saltier and hotter than the frigid rain. Tears. The person holding him was crying.

Why? He wasn't hurt that badly, was he?

He tried to figure out who this person was, where he was, and how he got here. The pain in his head intensified the more he tried to think, and the few pieces he was finally starting to click together fell apart in his hands, breaking into smaller fragments as they did. More pieces to put together...

Why was it so dark? It was night time, but this darkness was absolute. He couldn't even see the reflective droplets of rain anymore.

"Daniel," a soft voice whimpered. Who was with him? How long had they been there? He couldn't remember.

His mind felt like a Jigsaw puzzle, but he couldn't put it together, and he wasn't even sure if he had all the pieces in the first place.

"Daniel, open your eyes!"

When had they closed?

"Stay with me! Come on, New Kid."

That's who was with him. Mollie. She was the only one that called him New Kid.

Daniel just had time to process that thought before the absolute, dreaded darkness clouded his vision, and Mollie's voice faded entirely.

"If you keep building these walls... rip every tower so tall... Soon, I won't see you at all... til the concrete angel falls." -"Concrete Angel" by Christina Novelli

Mollie wasn't sure which she'd do first when she found Daniel- hug him or punch him. Probably the second one.

Mollie needed to talk to Daniel. This Shade business was getting more dangerous by the day, and Mollie needed to make up with Daniel, even if it meant swallowing her pride and leaving the past in the past... At least until this shade situation was resolved. Then she could take the time be mad at Daniel for lying to them, for lying to her.

Mollie wouldn't admit it, but she wasn't mad at Daniel for hiding things in general or hiding things from the Supers as a group. She could get over that. She was mad because... he hadn't told her. Of all people he could've told, he didn't tell her.

Mollie didn't know why she was so upset about it. As much as she wanted Daniel to consider her his best friend, Eric or Rohan probably took that spot (since Rohan was also mad at Daniel, as of now it was probably Eric).

Mollie told her parents she was heading over to Daniel's to go over a homework assignment, and she slowly floated up to Daniel's window as the darkness of the approaching night covered her like a sheet. Slowly and hesitantly, she knocked on Daniel's window, the tink-tink-tink of her fist ringing in her ears.

No response.

Mollie peered inside and glanced around the bedroom. No Daniel.

Mollie sighed. Looks like she had to do this the old fashioned way.

Her feet touched the cool concrete in front of the front door, and her fist rapped against the cold material, which was opened shortly after by Daniel's father.

"Hello, Mollie," he greeted.

"Hello, Mr. Corrigan. Um, may I speak to Daniel?" Mollie asked.

"I'm afraid he isn't home right now. He's staying at Eric's."

Mollie nodded. "Okay. Thank you, anyway."

"Come back tomorrow. He should be home by noon."

Mollie nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Corrigan."

"No problem," Mr. Corrigan told her as he shut the door.

Mollie frowned as soon as the door shut. That was strange. For as long as she had known Eric, he'd never had friends sleep over. He'd allowed them over for an hour or two, but to stay the night? She'd never seen him do that.

Mollie didn't want to admit it, but she was a little worried. Daniel did occassionally go looking for trouble (or just as often, it found him).

Maybe she should call...

Trying to brush off the cold dread settling into her bones, she dialed Eric's number and placed it against her ear.

"Hello?" He said.

"Eric, is Daniel there?"

"No. Why?"

"He told his parents he was going to your house," Mollie stated.

She could hear the frown in Eric's voice. "No, he isn't."

"Eric, meet me at the Old Quarry. Knowing Daniel, he went looking for answers by himself, just like he always does," Mollie muttered.

"You wouldn't trade him for the world," Eric pointed out.

"Aw, shut it," Mollie said as her ears turned red, and she hung up before taking off into the sky like a rocket.

While Mollie was flying, rain began to pour. This was the kind of rain that felt like bullets piercing your skin, the kind of rain that made you feel like you were drowning, the kind of rain that caused floods. Lightning streaked across the sky, striking trees left and right, and thunder rumbled, causing the earth to shake with each jaw rattling boom.

Mollie landed beside the Old Quarry and nearly tripped over Daniel's bike. The bulb between the handle bars was a pinprick in the midst of the frigid rain. Mollie was soaked to the bone and could barely walk because her clothes had retained enormous amounts of water, weighing her down.

Mollie toed her way through the woods, stretching out her leg to check for the side of the Quarry. She didn't want to fall in; at this height, a fall like that could break her neck.

She found the edge and turned on the flashlight on her phone and shined it throughout the Quarry, looking for Daniel. When she didn't see any signs of life, she took a deep breath and looked down.

She nearly got sick.

Lying at the bottom of the Quarry- at least four stories below her, probably more- was Daniel. He was lying on his back, and although she couldn't make out any details, she saw an ocean of red pouring out of his right arm.

Mollie leaped over the side, plummeting downward before slowing down directly beside Daniel, screaming his name as she approached his fallen form.

She cradled him in her arms, supporting his head with her elbow like you would with a newborn. Tears dripped down her cheeks, a warm contrast to the frigid rain that continued to pour. They hit Daniel's bloody face, falling into his glazed over eyes, which wandered in confusion, as though not truly processing the world around him.

She couldn't lose him. He was the best friend she'd ever had. He even beat Michael in that department.

Dare she say it... this feeling inside of her... she knew what it was. The way she thought Daniel was cute when she first saw him, the way she laughed and snorted at his jokes, even when they weren't funny, the way she hated him for putting himself in danger so often, for risking his life every other day because he refused to accept help from anyone- The Supers, his family, her. This feeling was love.

She couldn't believe it. She had a crush on Daniel Corrigan, and now, she may never get to see where it goes.

Daniel's eyes started to slip closed, increasing Mollie's panic tenfold.

"Daniel, open your eyes!"

Daniel didn't obey.

"Stay with me! Come on, New Kid."

Daniel didn't wake up.

Mollie sobbed as she withdrew her phone from her pocket and dialed 911.

"911 operator, what is your emergency?"

"Please, my friend... he fell over the side of a Quarry, and he got hurt, and he isn't waking up."

"All right, how far did he fall?"

"At least four stories, probably more," Mollie responded.

"Okay, I have your location, and an emergency helicopter is on the way."

"Thank you," she said before hanging up and placing the phone back in her pocket.

She stared at Daniel's face, soaked in scarlet and covered in cuts and bruises. He looked pale as a ghost and still as death.

She leaned her forehead against his, listening to his alarmingly shallow breaths whisper against her skin. At least he was still breathing.

"Please stay with me, Daniel," she begged. "I can't do this without you. I love you."

The thunderstorm continued to rage around them.

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