Zack Macarthy

I looked at the stubs that used to be my legs, I moved off of my bed using my one working arm. my wife left me after New York, after I got injured. Ten years of marriage didn't seem to mean shit if I didn't pull a paycheck. Oh I got benefits, PRT looked after their own, especially people injured in Endbringer attacks, but once the going got rough she got going. Took the kids too, and suddenly after paying child support I was on food stamps.

Fucking judge, fucking bitch, I wheeled myself over to make some oatmeal, when the door bell rang.

"I'm coming."

My electric wheel chair sputtered and I opened the door.

"Zack Macarthy, can I come in?"

A suit, PRT.

"Sure, come in."

I let him in and he took a seat.

"So what do you want?"

The man fixed up his tie.

"Would you like to walk again?"

I stared at him.

"Of course, let me guess this is some sort of tinker tech thing right?"

The man grimaced.

"No...look, you remember Seattle?"

"Yeah I...we...we got their medic..."

The man nodded.

"Yes, Mr. Macarthy we have their medic, he now works for us."

I looked at my stubs, at the burns that still covered my body.

"And you want it to cure me?"

He nodded.

"He has been cooperating with us, and well he has agreed to start healing for us."

"Your going to trust a fucking endbringer?"

i felt tired, angry.

"We're giving him one chance, we are watching him."

"You're talking like it's a person."

There was a pause.

"This is a matter of national security Mr. Macarthy. I know you have reservations, especially considering his brothers' actions."

"AN ENDBRINGER TOOK MY FUCKING LEGS!"

I yelled.

"And an Enbringer can give them back to you, look we're not asking you to forgive Behemoth, or trust Leviathan, we're not even asking you trust this Endbringer, but we need to test his powers."

"So I'm a guinea pig?"

"Yes, I'm not saying this is safe, you will have to undergo some master stranger protocols afterwards, that said you have a choice, you can say no. I can walk right out of this apartment and you can remain in that chair, still have those burns, and still only have one working arm. Or you can take a chance and come with me to Seattle and get your life back."

I stared at my legs.

"I'm in."

I didn't have a whole lot to pack, the PRT got us a private plan, I saw a lot of guys who were in New York during the attack. I saw others who had also gotten injured. Some from a supervillian, from accidents, or they just got something nasty. One guy looked completly fine, but he apparently had Aids.

"So where we going?"

"Seattle."

The man next to me was missing his eyes.

"They tried moving him out but congress freaked out, the senate freaked out, so they're keeping it in some kind of Tinker tech warehouse in the city."

I nodded my head, they kept us in the dark, and we were placed in a dorm.

"Fresh meat huh?"

I looked up there were others here.

"Welcome to the prep area."

"Prep?"

"Yeah, they wheel us in one by one to get healed, some of us have been here for days."

I saw a few people playing cards they waved.

"Figures it can't be simple."

"Nothing ever is, but hey you wouldn't be here if you weren't desperate. We're a vertible island of the PRT's broken toys."

He paused.

"Thing is the doctors are going to have a look at you, really look at you, tinker tech and everything, then you have to sign forms, and then you have to get the speech."

"The speech?"

I gripped my chair with my working hand.

"Yeah, the don't be mean to the Endbringer speech."

"It's a fucking Endbringer."

The man shrugged.

"Yeah, and do you honestly want to piss it off? Look I know you're angry-"

"They took my fucking legs."

The man waved, I noticed he had a hook for a hand.

"I get it, I do but the brass wants us to play nice with Mr. Big and scary and that means no insults. Look just be smart ok? Go into the room get healed and then get the fuck out."

We took the advice and started the long process of waiting, the food was shit, hospital food, the conditions bland and I was poked and prodded. Eventally though I was given a speech on being polite and wheeled into the monsters lair.

I looked up, the creature sat in some kind of wooden throne.

"Hello human."

It wore the same purple coat it worse during the surrender, I noted there were a few patches. The creature looked like a robot, with a circular television for a head, the screen shifted between different images.

"Why?"

The question came unbiddened.

"Why what?"

"Why New York, why?"

The creature looked at the man.

"Am I allowed to tell this one the truth?"

The orderly sighed.

"God d...yes."

"Entertainment."

I blinked.

"New York was attacked, so many people died all of this because you ASSHOLES WERE FUCKING BORED?"

The monster shrunk into itself, clearly looking ashamed?

"I'm sorry."

"SORRY DOESNT BRING BACK THE DEAD!"

"I'm trying to make things better, change."

"WELL LA DI FUCKING DA!"

"We told you no insulting the..."

The creature held up its hand.

"He is right to be upset, I will heal him."

"Why didn't you help before? huh? HUH!"

The monster kind of slumped.

"I was afraid, I was a coward...I'm sorry."

The room was silent.

"Fix my damned legs."

I watched as my legs grew back, as my arm grew back, as my burns vanished I was helped to my feet and walked out to the other side of the room. The door shut and my cheek stung as I was slapped.

"One fucking rule Macarthy."

The orderly looked pissed.

"You think you're brave? Badass orgininal? Fucking hell a bunch of other guys have said what you said. The big guy just took it and healed them anyways, healed you anyway. I know you're pissed about New York, fuck a lot of people are, but look at the big fucking picture!"

"New York was attacked because some shit wanted to be entertained how am I supposed to take it?"

"Look, Mr. Big over there? He admits that Behemoth's an asshole, that Leviathan's an asshole, he's trying to stop being an asshole please don't make that process fucking harder because you have a grudge."

He sighed.

"Put him into master stranger containment, he gets the shitty food with all of the other idiots."

I was led to a room with other men and they looked at me the door slammned.

"Mouthed off to the Endbringer?"

I nodded they made room for me and I continued waiting.