Thaddeus listened to the rustling of the trees, closing his eyes as he drifted lower. Was this how Superman felt when he flew? Thaddeus doubted it- the alien had been flying long before he had, he probably didn't even give it a second thought. The man frowned at that as he opened his eyes, reaching out to brush his hands across the leaves closest to him. Would he think about flying like that one day? He hoped not. This was special- he never wanted it to lose its wonder. Thaddeus angled downward, smiling at his own gentle landing. The first one had been... well... he was just glad no one had been around to see him. Still, he was getting better at this. Rising into the air once more, the man slowly made his way through the thick thicket of trees. He pulled out his phone, glancing at the time. He had three more hours before Billy's school got out- good. Thaddeus slipped the phone back in his pocket, slowing to a stop several feet above the ground as he carefully held his hands out. He'd gotten better at flying, but the lightening... The blueish white sparkles jerkily danced along his fingertips, elongating into full arches as he carefully focused his power. The man gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the little voice in the back of his head that screamed 'danger!' whenever he summoned the lightening. It'd be fine, he snapped at himself. The Sins had given him this power, it wouldn't hurt him! Thaddeus shook his hands out, extinguishing the power to run a hand over his face. Of all the things the stupid little monkey part of his brain could have insisted on being scared of, it just had to be the lightening! Flying? Totally fine, fun even. But lightening coming from his hands? Oh no, lightening was bad, lighting could hurt him!
"I'll be fine," he hissed at himself, knowing he was accomplishing absolutely nothing by doing so. The man felt the Sins stir slightly at that, their phantom amusement making him frown.
"Practice more," the voices told him, "with practice you will be perfect." Yes, he knew that, that was why he was out here! Still, Thaddeus thought to himself, it'd take more than just a few hours a day to perfect this kind of power. Thaddeus suspected it could take months, perhaps even longer, for him to fully grasp it. Even worse, he wouldn't be alone out here for much longer. Once winter had fully passed, the families would return. Children, couples, the elderly. Did he want witnesses to his power this early on? If not, where would he practice then? His cellphone rang, and the man sighed as he landed and pulled it out.
"Thaddeus Sivana," he said, waiting for a reply.
"Doctor Sivana?" Dr. Crosby? He hadn't been expecting her.
"What is it, Doctor Crosby?" he asked the woman, and he heard her clear her throat is discomfort.
"I... um, I'd like to speak with you, if that's possible," she said, and he frowned at her odd tone of voice.
"Lynn, what is it?" he asked her again.
"Look, I-" The woman heaved a heavy sigh. "It's about Project Grey Stone." Thaddeus raised an eyebrow at that- had she somehow gotten the news early that he intended to shut it down? "Could we talk about it, face to face?" she asked.
"Of course, Doctor Crosby," he agreed, "I'll meet you at Sivana Enterprises in-"
"No," she cut him off, and he frowned down at his phone. "I don't want to do this there." Do this? What was she talking about? "I, uh, I'm actually a few blocks away from your apartment, would you mind if we talked there?"
"Lynn, just tell me what this is about," he said.
"I'm sorry, Thaddeus," the woman replied, "but I respect you too much to do this over the phone. Please, will you meet me?" Thaddeus sighed, she wasn't going to budge on her mystery issue.
"We can meet at my apartment," he conceded. "I'm a ways out, though," he told her, "you'll have to wait for me."
"Thank you, Doctor Sivana," Lynn said, "I will. Goodbye."
"Goodbye," he replied, frowning down at his phone when she hung up. What on Earth had gotten into the woman, and how did it tie into the Project? Shaking his head, the man put his phone away as he started back towards his car.