Hey! It's me! The author! I actually drafted two versions of this chapter, with very different endings. Here's the version that WASN'T fueled by 2AM depression!
Detroit, Michigan, United States of America
Three years ago
"You can't keep focusing on this sort of thing, Victor."
"The hell I can't. It's my life."
Silas Stone and his son Victor were standing in the empty parking lot of Victor's high school, arguing. Again.
An hour ago, Victor's track and field team had done exceptionally well at their meet. And his father had missed it. Again.
This, of course, had led to another argument about the subject they disagreed on most: Victor's future.
"It may be your life, son, but it's my name. My reputation."
"Why does your reputation depend on me!?"
"Because you have so much potential, Victor! Everyone raves about how smart you are. Everyone can see that you're meant to do great things! But if you waste that on a career in sports, you might have fans, son, but the people that matter will blame me for not pushing you towards science. People will ask, 'Why did Silas let his brilliant boy grow up to be another ball playing thug?'. Is that what you want?"
"But I don't care about science, dad! How come just because I'm good at something, I have to like it? Why can't you be proud of me for being good at something else? Something I do like? Everyone else's parents are at every meet cheering them on. During football season too. But where are you? Working. It's like you love your job more than you love me!"
"I have had it! You are seventeen years old, Victor! Grow up!"
Victor didn't answer. He was tired of this argument. It was the same thing every time. Jaw set, brow furrowed, he started walking to his father's car.
Silas thought about saying more, but he held his tongue. After thinking for a moment, Silas joined his son in the car, and started the engine.
As Silas was driving his son home, there was silence. The two loved each other. Nothing could change that. But things had been different in the years since Victor's mother died. There was a lingering sadness that neither of them could escape from, and it affected every aspect of their lives.
After a while, Silas finally spoke. "We're going to have to go through the city proper. Car needs gas."
More silence. Then, when they were stopped at a light, it was Victor who spoke. "Dad, look!"
Silas looked up to where Victor was pointing, and they were greeted with the sight of a man flying through the sky.
"That's him! Superior Man!" said Victor, visibly excited.
"Figures that a white guy with abilities like that would call himself superior," Silas scoffed.
"They say that he was raised on an island by gods."
"That's ridiculous."
"How else do you explain the man flying?"
"Flying a little close, if you ask me."
Silas was right. The so-called "Superior Man" had gotten closer, and it didn't look like he was stopping. In fact, he appeared to be losing control.
"Victor, get out of the car," Silas suddenly said, unbuckling his own seat belt.
"What? Why?"
"Come on. He's coming right at us. We can't wait for the light. Let's go!"
For once, Victor tried to obey his father's orders, but he wasn't fast enough. While Silas and a few others made it safely away from the street, Victor hadn't completely gotten out of the car in time to avoid the falling Superior Man.
The front end of Silas's car was ruined, and Victor surely had broken bones, but he still appeared to be mostly okay.
"Victor!" Silas shouted. He started to run to his son, but someone stopped him.
"Don't go out there! Look!" Silas heard a voice behind him say.
"Your time has come, Superior Man!" came a booming voice from the sky.
"Let me go! My son-" Silas said, trying to break free from the stranger's grip.
The Superior Man had gotten up by now, and he flew up in the direction of his attacker, dodging a weapon that had been thrown at him. A weapon that exploded the second it hit the ground.
"VICTOR!"
As the smoke from the explosion faded away, Silas finally managed to break free and run to where his son had been standing. He could tell by the smell in the air that the weapon hadn't been an ordinary bomb. There were chemicals in the explosion that might have done a number on the Superior Man.
Making it around to the other side of the car, Silas was simultaneously disgusted and amazed by what he saw. Victor was writhing on the ground, his flesh boiling and his limbs curled up. He was obviously in great pain, but he was alive.
"Son," Silas said, kneeling down.
Victor managed to turn his head and look at his father with his one working eye. He opened his mouth, and let out a barely audible plea, "Dad?"
Silas closed his eyes. He was on the verge of tears. His son had nearly died, and the man who called himself Superior was responsible.
…
Detroit, Michigan
Eighteen months ago
"We're doing what!?"
"You heard me, Victor. We are moving to Washington, DC."
"Why?"
"I should have told you this up front, but it was part of the deal for getting your cybernetics approved."
A year and a half ago, Victor Stone had nearly died in an incident involving the arrogantly named Superior Man. Silas had been able to save his son's life by enhancing, and in some cases replacing parts of Victor's body with experimental technology. Both arms, both legs, his left eye, even one of his lungs, it was all robotic now.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Victor demanded.
"Because I didn't think you would overreact, son. Your life won't be that different. You'll still have plenty of time to sit in a lab and tinker, you'll just be a little more… exposed."
"What does that mean?"
"It means that I'll be working very closely with the government, and from time to time, they might want access to you."
"And what if I don't want to give them access?"
"Please don't make this any more complicated, Victor. I'm not too happy about it either. I would love to stay here. I would love for you to stay in your comfort zone and keep making progress."
Silas was referring to the modifications Victor himself had made to his robotic parts. Victor had a lot more free time than he used to have, and he spent a lot of it in his father's lab, improving his cybernetics and the capabilities that came with them. By now, he could do things like lift almost a thousand pounds, fire deadly lasers, and wirelessly tap into most computer systems.
"I don't want to move, Victor," Silas continued, "but it isn't my choice. And if you don't come with me, then we're both in big trouble with the government."
Victor was angry, but he wasn't surprised. He knew that his father had owed some people favors after what it took to approve the procedures that saved his life, but it was just like the man to keep it a secret that he owed service to the United States government.
All the same, Victor knew that resisting could only lead to bad news. "When do we leave?" he sighed.
…
Washington, District of Columbia
Present day
"Mister President, Slade Wilson may be a soldier, but he's hardly capable of working with others anymore."
"We'll make him capable."
Victor couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had listened to this conversation between President Luthor and his assistant Mercy Graves a dozen times, and he still was dumbfounded by Luthor's decision. Did the man not trust him to be a capable leader? Sure, he was only twenty years old as opposed to Wilson's fifty-something, but eavesdropping aside, Victor was clearly a better candidate to lead the team that the President was planning to put together.
And it wasn't even that Slade Wilson had been chosen instead of him. No, Victor had to look forward to the indignity of working with the disgraced soldier. But the real kicker was what came next.
"Does Stone know about Wilson?"
"I should think so. He's probably listening to us right now."
So the President knew that Victor would find out this way. The man apparently relied on being spied on, instead of having the guts to tell Victor to his face.
"Part of me wonders why we trust him, too," Victor heard the assistant ponder.
"Me too, Mercy," Victor said quietly. "Me too."
