A/N: This is set after the canon ending for Second Son. Just a short prologue chapter to establish the character, so your comments are welcome and appreciated.
Curdun Cay wasn't quite hell, but it was close. Augustine had me trapped in her little palace for five years. Five years they experimented on me, ran their little tests, had me cornered like a rat. I never knew why they bothered with these tests either. Augustine was already a Conduit, everyone they brought under their bland yellow banner was infused with power. They had no need to try and steal mine. The world's known how Conduits were activated since MacGrath blew up Empire City. Still, experiments day in and day out. On everyone. It didn't matter how old you were, what you could do, or whether you had even been activated or not, you were under the knife. Delsin changed that, set us loose upon a world that was starting to realize that, just like in the movies, there were the superheroes and the supervillians. Don't know how they didn't realize after MacGrath saved literally the entire world, but whatever. Didn't really matter now, because I was going home. Yeah, I shook Delsin's hand on the way out. Yeah, the little cheat stole my power, but he did me a pretty big solid so I might as well return the favor. He could keep it, for all I cared. It'd caused me nothing but problems.
Caught a bus out of Seattle heading for Portland, seeing as SeaTac was still closed down for whatever reason they had concocted this week. Took a plane across the country, although security wasn't real happy to see me. Neither were the other passengers. They got over themselves about when we touched down and the plane was still intact, I guess. All I cared about was the view that was beyond the smudged and aged plastic window. It wasn't much, but that simple steel arch meant the world to me. Meant I was home. I stepped off the plane, took a cab into the city. Didn't bother heading for my apartment, because I doubted that it was still mine. He dropped me off at the landing, and I stood under the arch for a while. Lost track of just how long, but I didn't care too much. I had missed St. Louis, but I'd wager it hadn't missed me. I went for a walk through the city, meandering aimlessly through streets that had changed very little while I was gone. Walked past an anti-Conduit protest on the corner. One of the guys tried to get me to sign some stupid petition. I took his clipboard, smirked at him, watched his face contort in horror as it was engulfed in ephemeral green and evaporated. He nearly collapsed as he wheeled backward when I flicked sparks in his direction casually.
"B-b-bio-terrorist!" he cried as I strolled away casually. The thin crowd that had been heading my way had dissipated into ether. I didn't mind. It just meant that I could enjoy my walk a little more. I walked past a thrift store, then looked down at myself with a grimace. Still dressed in the last few pickings available to change into on the way out of Curdun. I rummaged through my pockets, found a wad of cash, came to the simple conclusion that it would probably be enough to afford a new wardrobe at a hipster boutique like this, and pushed the doors open. The girl at the register must've heard the protester squealing because she wore a look of morbid curiosity on her face as I entered.
"Did something happen out there? Is everyone alright?"
"Yeah." My voice cracked as I spoke for the first time in days. Cleared my throat. "It was just a little misunderstanding." I stepped over to one of the clothing racks as she started to drone on about "the bio-terrorist threat" or something that I'd heard a million times over from cable news stations and DUP broadcasts. Started to shuffle through hats as she asked me a question.
"Sorry, what was that?" I said automatically, not looking up from the ad-hoc collection of baseball caps and beanies that lay on a bare wooden shelf.
"Have you ever met one of those bio-terrorists? Are they as bad as the TV tries to make them seem?" Picked up a red beanie, kind of like the one Delsin wore. I smiled a bit, against my will.
"Nah, not all of us," I smirked as I turned to look at her. Her face was scrunched up, likely trying to process why the word 'us' was in a place where she had expected 'them' to be. I waved the hat toward her. "I mean, did you hear about that whole Seattle fiasco?"
"Oh yeah!" She chimed immediately, apparently forgetting why she had been confused in the first place. "That Rowe kid running around killing innocent people. That must be awful, I feel so sorry for them."
"Yeah, I met Delsin. Nice guy. Probably never hurt an innocent person in his life." Set my face into a glower. "Don't take everything that you hear on the TV as fact." She stammered a response but I wasn't listening anymore. Looked at the hat that I was holding still. Turned it over in my hands. Started thinking back to what Rowe had said to me on the way out.
"So, what were you in for?" he had quipped. I snapped my fingers casually and he chuckled as green sparks cascaded down. "Oh, I see. You can control... green. Neat."
"Nah," I laughed. Held my palm flat as a small orb sprung to life. "Life force." Beaned him in the face with it. He had a few cuts and scrapes on his face before, watched as they sealed up in a flash of vibrant life. He looked at me stunned, then started to laugh and extended a hand toward me.
"I'm guessing you know my name, so what's yours?"
"Aaron," I stated as I grabbed his hand, translucent energy blossoming around my arm. My vision started to grey as I gave him a parting gift. Started to get the feeling that he knew what I was about to say at this point. "Aaron Sauders."