Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Columbia Pictures and to the writers and producers and whoever else I may have forgotten to mention. The only things I claim to own are my own characters and the plot of this story.


Beep... Beep... Beep…

Connor sighed but kept his eyes closed. It couldn't be time to get up already. He was still so tired, and there was a nagging ache in his right hand and left shoulder and knees and basically his entire body. The air that he took in was cold and sharp in his nose. And the alarm clock didn't sound right; it was soft and calm, not blaring and sudden.

After a minute of listening to the alarm, he finally cracked one eye open. Colors blurred and ran from the sleep he was struggling to hold onto, until suddenly, the world became clearer. White ceiling tiles, bright with late afternoon sunlight slanting in, floated above him. The beeping noise was coming from somewhere off to his left. As he came to full consciousness, the beeping grew slowly more constant.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Connor opened both his eyes and flinched. The bright lights and sunlight were too much of an adjustment for him. He closed his eyes again and took a deep breath. The sheets over him were too stiff and crisp. Now he could feel the oxygen line running over his cheeks and the gentle pressure of an IV line in his left arm. His chest itched from what he assumed were monitors for his vitals. He was in a hospital.

After a moment, he slowly opened his eyes again, giving them the chance to adjust. The blurry light eventually dimmed enough so that he could fully open his eyes. Once the world came into focus, he realized his initial assessment had only been half correct. Instead of a hospital, he was in a bed in the medical wing of Area 52.

He'd been there once before, just after he'd returned from the other dimension. They'd checked his vitals and given him physicals and test after test after test. But this time, he'd obviously been there for a while. His right hand was heavy, and he immediately noticed that it was encased in a bright red cast. Only his fingertips were visible, and they throbbed when he tried to wiggle them. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see white on his left shoulder underneath the hospital gown he was wearing. The doctors much have bandaged the cut there. The rest of his injuries were covered by the itchy sheets.

Something touched his hand and Connor jumped. The motion gave him fresh perspective on where the aches and pains were in his body.

"Connor? Connor!" came an excited whisper off to his left. "Oh god, I'm so sorry! I didn't know you were awake!"

Connor turned toward the voice and Jack came into view. Though his eyes were ringed with dark circles, his brother smiled. "Glad to have you back, brother," Jack said, giving Connor's hand a light squeeze.

Connor was too thirsty to try and say anything. He knew Jack understood. "I'll call the nurse to make sure you're good to sit up some. You know, if you want," Jack continued, and Connor gave him a brief nod.

Jack pressed a button on the side of the bed and stood up to walk over to the door. From elsewhere in the room, Connor heard a heavy sigh. Looking to his right was hard with the bandage on his shoulder and made worse by looking into the sunlight, but finally he made out a figure curled up in a nearby chair.

Beepbeepbeep!

His heartrate sped up as he recognized the person. Though she was ringed with a halo of bright light, he could tell the hand tucked against her chest was bandaged. Her usual blue jeans and t-shirt had been replaced with a grey pair of sleep pants and a hoodie that looked way too big for her. But he couldn't mistake her. It was Allie.

"You know, she's been here ever since the doctor released her? A whole 2 days she's slept in that chair," Jack said as he walked back over to the bed. "Ten stiches on a cut above her eye and a sprained wrist. Her left eye is swollen worse than yours and she's got a nasty bruise on her cheek. She's on Iodine treatment for the radiation exposure but hasn't shown any symptoms. Marsha said they'll probably take her off those tomorrow."

Jack cast another glance at Allie before turning back to his brother. "You know, she doesn't blame you. Told us everything, even about the issue at school. You beat her to hell and back and still she stayed. That's a true friend. Hell, I'm tempted to ask Dr. Grant if she can join the team if she can take a fight like that!"

The door to the room suddenly opened and one of the nurses hurried in. Behind her trailed Dr. Grant and Marsha. She smiled when she saw Connor. "I'm glad you're awake," she said as she leaned over to check one of the monitors beside him.

"So, Connor, how are you feeling?" Dr. Grant asked as he examined the chart the nurse handed him.

"Sore," Connor managed to say. "Can I get some water?"

Marsha handed him a cup he hadn't see on the bedside table and he took a long drink. "No dizziness, nausea, or anything like that?" she asked. Connor shook his head.

"No other ill effects? You know, besides turning evil and singlehandedly defeating your teammates and seriously injuring a civilian and causing a radioactive incident that polluted an entire building that now has to be demolished and buried under a lead shield?" Dr. Grant continued without looking up from the chart.

The room was silent then, as everyone stared at the scientist. The man finally glanced up when he didn't receive an answer and cleared his throat. "I'm just asking from a scientific standpoint!"

"No, sir," Connor said quietly after a moment.

"Alrighty then," Dr. Grant said cheerfully as he handed the clipboard back to the nurse. "Is there a way I could possibly take a small sample of hair to examine the effects of-"

"No," Marsha said sharply, cutting him off. "You're going back to the lab now."

She said goodbye to Connor and dragged the protesting scientist out of the room. The nurse adjusted Connor's bed so he was sitting up more comfortably. Then she too left. Jack smiled again. "Don't worry about the good doctor," he said jokingly. "Marsha won't let him probe you."

"I've got some paperwork to do to get my car back from the decontamination department, so is it okay if I leave you alone for a bit? Maybe you could watch some TV or something?"

"No problem, Jack," Connor said, returning his brother's smile sheepishly. "And I'm sorry for taking it."

"You had good reason," Jack replied, reaching over to tousle Connor hair before heading for the door. "I'll see you later, 'kay?"

The moment the door closed behind Jack, Connor leaned back in his bed with a heavy sigh. He'd royally messed things up. Again. His eyelids suddenly felt like weights, even as tears threatened to bubble out of them. How would he make up for his mistakes this time?

"That Dr. Grant is a real piece of work, isn't he?" came a soft voice. "At least he just asked you for hair sample. He wanted a full profile work up for me. Dr. Holloway wouldn't let him do that either."

He turned to find Allie awake. Shame rose as a blush on his face as he tried to come up with a response. Something to say how sorry he was, how terrible he'd been. But before he could say anything, she stretched in her chair and yawned. "Sorry, Iodine treatments tend to make me sleepy," she said.

"You've had them before?" Connor asked, suddenly curious.

"Yeah, a couple times. Some stuff in my Papaw's workshop ticked a Geiger counter more than some people where comfortable with. They put all the family that had been there that day on a preventative treatment just in case," she shrugged. "Nothing ever came of it."

"Dr. Ellis was your grandfather, right?" Allie nodded. "Why did he have radioactive items at his house?"

"Accidental exposure, I think it was? After he left here, he worked at the US Nuclear Commission for a couple years testing different Gamma isotopes. Must have contaminated some of his tools, which he brought home when he finally retired there. But forget that. How are you really feeling? Not that BS you told the doctors earlier."

She knew he'd been half-lying when he told them he was just sore. Inside, Connor felt like he'd been hit by a semi-truck. But worse of all was the guilt of his actions. He wanted to know how the rest of the team was. He wanted to know what had happened to Dahlia. And he wanted to know how Allie felt too.

So he told her. He told her how it felt like his very bones were screaming in protest at the slightest movement. How his shoulder ached and his hand throbbed despite the pain meds. He asked her about her own bumps and bruises, to which she jokingly replied, "We have matching black eyes!"

Connor winced when she said that, and her tone immediately sobered as she apologized. Finally, he felt courageous enough to ask about his friends. The corner of Allie's lip quirked up slightly, her eyes flitting briefly to the door. "They're alright, I guess," she said the moment before the door flew open.

A streak of blonde flew through the open doorway, finally landing on Connor's bed. Cindy's eyes were huge as she looked him over, but she had the biggest smile on her face. "Connor! You're awake!" she moved in as though she was going to hug him.

Someone behind her cleared their throat. Summer shook her head at Cindy as she made her way to the bedside. "Careful," she cautioned, although her own quiet smile relayed her happiness.

Then Dylan and Tucker were also crowding around the bed. They were all talking at once. Cindy was proudly showing off her new battle scars. Dylan and Summer were commenting on Connor's injuries. Tucker was saying something about the thieves and jail and school.

Finally, Summer noticed how overwhelmed Connor was looking, and quickly hushed everyone. "I'm sure you've heard it a million times by now, but man, are we glad to have you back!" Dylan said as he ran a hand through his shaggy hair.

The rest of the team quickly agreed. "Guys," Connor started before pausing. "I really don't know what to say. I'm just glad you guys still want to talk to me."

All of them laughed for a minute before Cindy piped up, "Connor, why wouldn't we want to talk you? You're our friend."

"Eh, we all know that's the Gamma radiation. It's not like we haven't seen it before," Tucker added. "Can't be a good team if we haven't seen each other at our best and worst." Dylan and Summer nodded in agreement.

The heart monitor beeped a bit quicker as Connor worked up the courage to ask the question that had been nagging him since he'd woken up. "What happened after- after I passed out?"

Dylan motioned in Allie's direction. "Well, little Miss Hero over there tried to drag you away from the crater the explosion left. I had to help her because she wouldn't leave."

Allie blushed, the cheek not marred by a bruise turning a bright red as Dylan continued. "We managed to get you out into the hallway. She didn't look so good, so I sent her to a different room. Put a few more concrete walls between her and the radiation. Summer had Cindy and Tucker was limping out on his own. Couple of the thieves got a head start, but they've all been picked up now."

Summer picked up the rest of the story, telling him how they'd been found by agents from Area 52. They'd helped get the team and Allie outside and done what they could to decontaminate them. Then they'd all been loaded up in a helicopter to return to base to be checked out.

"And we've just been waiting to hear you woke up since then," she finished. "I've got a minor concussion and a sprained wrist. Dylan has a hairline fracture on his kneecap and his dislocated shoulder is healing nicely. Cindy's got quite the bump on her head and a few scratches and bruises. Tucker twisted his ankle and jammed his hand. But we're tough."

When everything grew quiet again, Connor couldn't help but yawn. By the clock on the wall, the team had been there for around an hour and a half. Dylan must have noticed the yawn, because he repeated the action himself. "Well guys," the team leader said as he stood up from the chair he'd pulled over. "I think it's time we let Connor get some more rest. Dinner should be ready soon."

The rest of the team agreed. Dylan gave him a gentle fist bump, while Summer and Cindy gave him a kiss on the cheek each. Tucker carefully patted Connor on his good shoulder. Summer said they would stop by the next day to check in and then they were gone.

In her chair off to the side, Allie had curled herself into a tight ball and had dozed again. But she woke up when a nurse's aid brought in two trays of dinner a few minutes later. Connor dug into his food immediately. His stomach had been letting him know it was empty for a while, and the sight of a ground beef patty and vegetables was more welcome than he ever thought they'd be. When the plate was empty, he pushed the bedside table away and leaned back into the bed with a content sigh. A couple minutes later, he heard Allie's plastic silverware clink against the plastic as she finished her own meal.

"So you tried to pull me away from the crater?" He finally asked.

"I mean, I figured it wouldn't do any good to have you standing right next to an open source of gamma radiation. No offense, but you don't exactly react the best to that stuff," she replied before standing up and scooting her chair closer. "But what do you really want to ask?"

It might have been a trick of the last rays of dying sunlight reflecting through the room, but Connor could have sworn her eyes glinted under a quirked brow. She tilted her head slightly and her loose brown hair fell over one shoulder. The action brought back a fleeting memory from his fight with her-

"I don't like to fight with it lose. Tends to get in the way."

"What happened to Dahlia?"

Before answering, Allie shifted in her chair and swung her legs over one of the cushioned arms. "Well, Miss Isotope is being held in a high security prison over in the state capital right now. Got herself her own room, isolation. Although, that could partially be because of her current level of radioactivity."

"How are they going to keep here there?" Connor asked. "What if she just asks a guard politely and they waltz her out the front door?"

"Oh, that's where it gets interesting," Allie smiled. "Turns out, she attacked some place called Datatech or something. They're working on an advanced power nullification serum and are more than happy to lend out the newest formula to be used for her."

She laughed when she saw his jaw drop. He'd known there had been research and development on different nullification serums since before he went to the other dimension. But to hear that one had actually been developed and was in use was a bit of a shock. His back stiffened. For a brief moment, a voice of fear rose in the back of his mind. They'll use it on you, it whispered. Then Allie smiled again, and the voice went silent.

"Don't worry," she said, obviously having seen his emotions on his face. "It's nowhere near ready for mass production, and this one was made specially for Dahlia. It won't be used on anyone else. And she'll be on court-ordered doses for the rest of her life. Charm is done."

Charm was done. The rest of the thieves were in jail. The Zenith Team was together again. Allie was his friend again. And Gamma Connor had been banished back to the other dimension.

"Hey, maybe when you get outta here, you could come visit my family's farm?" the change in topic was sudden, and Connor cast a surprised glance at his friend.

The blush was rising on her face again. She was twisting a strand of hair in between her fingers and held her gaze on it, waiting for his response. Connor smiled. "That would be awesome!"

She looked up at him, her smile growing again. Before she could say anything else, there came a knock on the door. Jack and Marsha appeared. "Okay you two lovebirds," Jack teased. Allie's blush deepened and Connor felt heat rising in his own cheeks.

"Time to get you back to your room, young lady," Marsha told them as she walked over to help Allie up. "I think you're both going to want some good rest tonight."

She nodded and thanked him. "Good night, Connor!" she called as Marsha escorted her out the door.

Connor waved and relaxed back into the bed. Jack stood beside the bed, waiting until the door was closed to speak. "I think you've got a good one there, bro," he said quietly. "Anyway, I came to say goodnight and make sure you have everything you need."

"I think so," Connor replied. He didn't want to ask his brother what good one he was referring to. Jack made sure the water and a couple snuck in snacks were well within reach. Once Connor was comfortable, his brother gave him one of his trademark goofy smiles and they shared a goodnight.

And then Connor was alone. But for the first time in so may months, he knew that no matter what, his friends always had his back. They'd seen each other at their best and worst. He had things to look forward to now. As he pulled the warm blankets up and settled down to sleep, he thought that maybe Summer's words on the bus that first morning were mostly true. High school wasn't all that bad.


Author's Note: Alright, y'all. This is it! The last chapter of Hero. I can't believe it is finally here.

This has been a multiple year journey- 8 years to be precise. I still feel the same excitement posting this final chapter as I when I posted the first chapter (original version) on January 11, 2013. Over these 8 years, I hope you, the readers, have enjoyed this story. Thank you to those who have stuck with me from Chapter 1 and to those who have joined along the way. Thank you to those who kept reading the earlier chapters during the long times in between posting. Thank you to everyone across the world that has read this story, even if it was just a chapter. Thank you to everyone who has followed and favorited and reviewed. It's that encouragement that people are reading the words I wrote that keeps the keys on my keyboard clacking.

I would like to give a special Thank You and recognition to guest reviewer Mia. Honestly, when I posted Chapter 3, I had no idea where this story was going, but your review inspired me and helped shape this story into what it has become. Thank you!

As of right now, I have plans for a sequel. However, I do not know when that will be posted as I would like to get it completely written out before sharing it. I don't want y'all to have to wait 8 years for it, haha.

And as always, feel free to message me or leave a review if you have any thoughts/ideas/concerns/etc. I'm always looking for new ideas that I can use in the sequel! I love reading comments and they really give me encouragement to continue writing. Also, thanks again to everyone who has reviewed and followed! Every email that I get saying the story has a new follower or review or favorite motivates me to finish another chapter! ~NightRider