Every night, I dream you're still here.

The ghost by my side, so perfectly clear.

When I awake, you'll disappear,

Back to the shadows

Nate slowly entered the dark basement level. His ears picked up all the noises, or the lack of them. It was weird that the place was suddenly so eerily quiet. It made suspicion rise. Because it was supposed to be louder a bit. Maybe somebody was there and his gang went to hide. So Nate slipped again into shadows and took a sweep over the floor for good measure.

However it didn't quite happen that way.

He woke up with a start. Immediately pain exploded all over his body. His head felt like somebody took a hammer to his temple and his ribs literally wanted to curl up and poke some holes in his sides. What the fuck?

His mind went white for a while the second he tried to move. Something most definitely was wrong to a level he didn't approve.

But before his body recovered the hell broke loose..

"Hey, asshole, looks like you feeling up for a chat." Roland's voice cut in. Great, Nate almost wanted to facepalm himself. That meant something really was wrong. Great, he thought.

"What, you decided to become a bad guy now? Or did something fell on your head?" He was so close to just let go and show this scumbag how not to play games with a guy that has intense military training existing (or more like existed once on planet Earth).

"You, shithead, don't play with me!" The angry criminal yelled at the young thief who just rolled his eyes and got slapped for that. Well he'd just play along to see what the actual fuck and later will see how to move on.

"Well I'm most definitely not the one doing shit. It's you who suddenly decide to take matters in their hands while someone else is actually trying to stick to the plan and do stuff, unlike somebody else here!" And he snapped. It happens. It's kind of their thing back in the day. Him and Narcho screaming at each other until they loose their voices and fall into each other arms. They occasionally used to beat each other up during heavy fights but it was consented from both sides and how that one usually ended in their time was to stay in shadows.

"Don't play me stupid, boy! I know you've been up to some shit. I saw you mingling!" Roland was screaming at Nate the way he did moment ago. Still nonsense.

"What the fuck Roland? Cut the crap and spit it out." He was tired already. What the…?

*Bang!*

His vision whited out again and stars blossomed behind his eyelids or whatever.

"What the f..?" He gasped and lost the grip of reality once more due to another blow from the hand of the angry man.

More minutes in the whiteness and it was a moment that really made Nate start thinking what bullshit this was.

"You pathetic little piece of shit! How dare you?!" Roland was on the roll and more blows followed. His hand was hard and really heavy. It was clear something had set him up and he was mad like hell. But what it was still pretty much a freaking mystery.

"I have no idea what are you fucking even talking about so please do us all a favor and get the fuck off of me!" Nate yelled back with all his might. For that he felt really proud considering how bad his ears were ringing and head pounding. It was already really bad now it was shitty.

"You kid were becoming a problem. See, I was getting suspicious since I saw somebody here, in this building. But y'know I first thought it's just coincidence. Then you said to have all building cleared and now there are things changed in the locks and even down here. And you just go and run around now." The fake calm wasn't doing anything to impose the actual calmness. Nate just knew the man to be so eager to start yelling again and hit him again. "Now ya' here. But one thing." Suddenly a picture was placed under Nate's nose and in it was a man, young like him, with curly dark hair and strikingly impossible resemblance. His jaw dropped because how could there be another lookalike after all the years.

"Don't tell me it's not you lickin' up to some bong-pongs 'round here. And those folks so looked cops and whatnot I just can't let ya out of my sight now." Roland dropped the picture and hit Nate on the head so hard he actually felt his brain rattle before world slipped into darkness.

The man had truly believed he was a traitor and pulling some shit. How could he never noticed that there was a huge gaping discrepancy. What was wrong with the greedy man full of suspicion? But the thoughts had stopped at the man in the image. He very obviously looked similar but not really. Even blind could tell.

While the doppelgänger did have same eye color, shape and even eyebrows; while he did sport same akin to smile on his face and even expression, he wasn't Nate for few good reasons. One was that very obviously he had scars that marked his face. They weren't there during his con years and later those got covered by makeup if needed. Second was their hair had obvious differences like one's were pretty dark and curly while kept shorter, the other one's hair definitely had highlights from being in the elements and generally outside. Even third obvious thing was noticeable enough- physical body. What was so hard to miss? It was really really obvious to even a blind person that Nate was really wiry and skeleton-ish. He had an illness that made his body struggle more and let out lots of nutrients. Sure he was used to that but it just made him appear sick in general so when the pic was dropped it was shocking to see somebody with his features look so healthy and alive. Well, he did look much better than Nate. More meat on the bones, less hallowed cheeks and eye sockets, more care of his body. How can nobody see that?

Nate became desperate while even more angry so he let it out. Mistake for sure, but he was past that. The pain in his body took care of that.

Ever slightly out of reach.

I dream you're still here,

But it breaks so easily.

I try to protect you,

I can't let you fade.

This time it had taken longer for Nate to struggle his way back. And he hated waking up after such mistreatment. His head was impossible. Colorful spots dancing in his vision, changing to black and white every now and then. His face felt on fire and arms were singing pain ballads. He was zip tied and chained to a wall. Not a thing to break off while in such a weakened state. His limitations kept his body sag loosely in the restraints.

Pain in his head was the worst. It also was accompanied by many other things like noticeable pressure fluctuations inside his head, pulsing temples, blurred vision that cleared and blurred in and out. He knew that this most likely was a very deathly injury. If there will be enough energy and nutrition to his body systems healing may begin. If not, his breath hitched, he'd die from brain hemorrhage or something.

So far his head was the worst injured. Sure his ribs felt bad too but if he moved less a chance to not to do more damage was presentable.

Unless he's moved. He knew Roland was short tempered therefore could start psyching out. If the guy flipped on Nate he was doomed.

I feel you slipping.

I feel you slipping away.

Nate was not even realizing how bad his actual state was. Some weird reaction as he was being pulled deeper into the shadows. Maybe hope was still there maybe not because who ever knew what their actual limitations and capabilities were. The program surely predicted some help but what was that. No one could tell exactly.

But now his body had attracted a small vortex of shadow swirling around him. It swallowed the body of the meta human. And somehow the shadow moved it as if he was lightest of feathers. If anyone could see it they'd be paralyzed from fear and beauty that were held in this one moment of action.

And Nate never knew the full extent of his capabilities he'd never been awake for such ministrations.

His shadow, as he'd named it, took care when he could no longer.

Every night, I dream you're still here.

The ghost by my side, so perfectly clear.

When I awake, you'll disappear,

Back to the shadows