AN: So here's a thing I've never done before. The short version is, I have a pal named UnderratedHero. You might know him, he wrote a little fic called Requiem for a Loud, think it got a couple of views here and there. Anyway, since that fic's completion, Hero started writing another fic, Ace Savvy: A New Hope, which is an extremely ambitious start to a very ambitious series. And if you haven't already read what he's written, you should probably stop reading right here and go do something about that.
Anyway, Ace Savvy is a fantastic story, and I have the utmost confidence that its only going to get better. Buuuuut, whilst reading yon fic, it occurred to me that there were something that were great, but could stand to be...uh, Siegeified, just a bit. (Note to self, make Siegeified a word before publishing this.) So, to that end, I have essentially written a fanfic of his fanfic. This is in no way canon to Hero's story, this is just me picking up on a couple of things that I personally wanted to explore a little, and I have done so with Hero's blessing. But again, this story in no way reflects upon Hero's.
If people end up liking this, I have tentative plans for a couple more oneshots like this, but we'll see how things go. Anyway, while I tried to make this as new reader friendly as possible, it should go without saying that you're probably gonna be missing some context if you try reading this without first reading Hero's story. But this only draws upon material from the first two chapters, so you don't need to need to read too much of it. But you should, because as I've already stated, it's a great story. A greater story, objectively speaking. Great, in this context meaning "large or immense", since it's a much longer story than this one, but it's also good, quality wise. Anyway, that's probably enough rambling, enjoy.
Lincoln McBride glanced around the empty rooftop for the umpteenth time. Still just him. He looked to his watch, then to the sky, only the faintest tinges of illumination peaking out over the horizon as twilight stubbornly held its ground. Then he let out of soft, disparaging sigh. Why was he even here?
"He was there when Ace died. He feels like it was his fault."
He'd gone to the funeral, not entirely certain what he was expecting to find there. Closure? Maybe some kind of absolution? A great man had died on his watch, possibly the greatest man, and Lincoln had merely sat there, impotently, watching it happen. He supposed that by going there, by confronting what had happened, he might have hoped he'd find some kind of resolution. Instead, he'd found himself in the presence of a gorgeous, blonde superheroine. Two of them, in fact, which would be cause for celebration under literally any under circumstances. But—
"I just sensed him feeling guilty."
It was one thing to wallow in self-pity. Ruminating on your shortcomings, however dire they were, felt...noble, in a way. You could play up your remorse, your pathos, , and there would eventually come a point where you might be able to convince yourself that things aren't nearly as bad as you're making them out to be. But, it becomes so much harder to delude oneself when those same...concerns, those criticisms, are being echoed by another person. He knew Eclipse hadn't been passing judgment, she was a telepath, she was just reading the room, so to speak. But hearing those sentiments coming from another person makes them feel that much more real. Especially when, deep down, you believe them.
"I know its hard to believe it now, so soon after something really horrible happened, but we really mean it. You couldn't have saved him. You're just a kid, Lincoln."
Lincoln physically winced as that last, traitorous memory manifested itself. He knew Eclipse had meant well by that, but the reminder of his own helplessness hadn't done much to help his mood. The fact of the matter was that Ace Savvy was dead. Struck down at a time when he was needed most, and whether or not he was responsible, Lincoln was an accessory to the vile deed. Arrogant though it may be, he still held himself responsible.
His chance meeting with Nova and Eclipse had only reinforced those feelings. He didn't blame them, the girls were honest to God heroes in their own right. They had responsibilities far beyond minding the feelings of some random kid, but having his anxieties so easily dismissed with simple, objective facts didn't help his mood. If anything, it only exacerbated things. Truth be told, when it looked like the duo was ready to leave, their social obligations having been met for the moment, Lincoln had been a little relieved. His trial was over. He could return to the comforting embrace of his own, private self-loathing.
...And yet, just as she was about to launch herself into the sky, following her sister to whatever feat of superheroics was in store for them, Eclipse faltered. She'd turned back to Lincoln, and simply stood there for a few moments, studying the boy a small frown adorning her pretty face. Lincoln couldn't have said just how long the examination had gone on for, but he'd become flustered rather quickly. And who wouldn't, under the circumstances? Finally, she'd seemed to make up her mind about something, and with a silent, firm nod of affirmation, Eclipse had lightly touched down upon the ground once more, and strode over to Lincoln. In short order, Lincoln found himself looking up at the girl once more, Eclipse now strangely seeming significantly more imposing than she had only minutes earlier.
"...You have something to write with?" She asked.
"I'm...sorry?" Lincoln asked. He hadn't been certain what he was expecting, but that...definitely wasn't it.
"You know, like...a pen, or something." Eclipse cleared her throat, and her posture relaxed somewhat. "I can't carry stuff like that. No pockets, you know?" By way of demonstration she patted her distractingly shapely hips, and it wasn't long before Lincoln could say with complete conviction, that she was absolutely right. She did not, in fact, have any pockets on that particular are of her costume.
"I t-think...yeah." Lincoln stammered, wrenching his gaze away from the heroine, for his own good, as he began to examine himself. Finally, he found what he needed, a single, solitary pen in his pants pocket. He silently offered it to Eclipse, this time extremely careful to maintain eye contact with her. Eclipse took the pen. To his surprise, she then grabbed him by the wrist, flipped his hand over, and began scribbling intently on his palm. She took a moment to examine her handiwork before nodding, apparently satisfied, then turned her attention back to Lincoln.
"Go to this address tomorrow morning." She said, using Lincoln's pen to indicate the top line of her scribbles. "Bright and early. Then, I want you to text me at this number." This time she gestured towards the second. "I can't guarantee I'll be there right away, but I'll get there as fast as I can. Promise."
"O...kay." Lincoln replied, blinking dumbly. This was beginning to feel more unreal by the second. "But why?"
Eclipse deposited the pan back in his hand, Lincoln's fingers instinctively clenching around the writing instrument. Then, the older girl threw her head back, causing her lustrous hair to flow upward in a dazzling golden arc, and she fixed the younger boy with a gentle smile. Lincoln was only barely aware of the fact that he was now clutching the pen that much harder.
"There's something I want to show you." She said, kindly.
And that was why he found himself. Here. At the crack of dawn. Standing atop some random apartment building. Which wasn't an easy feat to accomplish, you can't just waltz in and hit the stairs, he'd been forced to make use of a very rusty, very rickety fire escape to make it this far. Presumably, being able to fly made you less mindful of the fact that verticality tended to pose an obstacle for regular people. Especially regular people who weren't particularly athletic, and got easily tired out from physical activity. And had short, tiny little legs. People like him.
Regardless, he'd made it to the agreed upon location. And all that remained now, was the question of whether or not to go through with this. True, he'd already snuck out, ridden his bike a considerable distance, and made the perilous climb to the rooftop. And still, after all that, it would be so easy to simply...leave. The climb back down to ground level notwithstanding, he could just pretend this whole thing had never happened. And then he remembered that smile...
"There's something I want to show you."
Eclipse didn't owe him a thing. She had real problems to worry about. Grown up problems. Hero problems. And despite that, she'd still tried to offer him a hand up when he was at his lowest. How could he possibly turn her down?
...He couldn't. Sometimes, it really was that simple.
Lincoln pulled out his phone and loaded up the number Eclipse had given him the previous day. "I'm here." His text said, nice and simple. His finger trembled ever so slightly as it hovered over the Send button, but he pushed forward. And then the deed was done. Nothing left to do but wait.
Lincoln couldn't say how long he stood there. Wondering, worrying, desperately he wouldn't have to pee in the middle of...whatever this was. Finally, he saw her, soaring through the sky, her green and white bodysuit standing out in sharp contrast against the sky. She made her approach, Lincoln's heart hammering against his chest with greater speed the closer she got. Finally, mercifully, she touched down, only a short distance from him. And just when it felt like his heart would leap right up and out of his throat, she flashed him that same, reassuring smile.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." She said. She closed the distance, and took Lincoln by the hand. And it seemed as though the twilight around them grew just a bit brighter.
"...So." Lincoln ventured, dragging the word out for as long as he dared, hoping to fill the empty air for that much longer. "We're just gonna...sit here?"
"That's right." Said the blonde, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. Still wary, but relieved that there wasn't anything else expected of him, Lincoln allowed himself to relax, just a bit. Following her arrival, Eclipse had guided him to one corner of the rooftop and plopped down on the floor, facing outward to where the city lay. She gestured for him to join her, and Lincoln had done so. And ever since then, they'd simply...waited. Nothing more.
"Just to clarify." He added, immediately kicking himself mentally for not being able to keep his mouth shut. "We're waiting, here, at this location. For...something?"
"Yes." Eclipse replied. Much to his relief, there was nothing but patience, and understanding in the smile that she gave him. She was probably used to people being weird around her, the girl was basically a celebrity...albeit, one who could fling him from the rooftop with a thought. Somehow, that didn't ease his worrying in the slightest, and he found himself wishing they could have picked a vantage just a bit further from the edge. "Should be any minute now." She added, heedless of the tiny, white haired ball of worry fermenting right next to her.
"You know, we used to live here." Eclipse continued. "Me and Lo—err, Nova." Her face reddened in embarrassment as the faux pas, but Lincoln chose not to acknowledgement. Eclipse and Nova were entitled to their private lives, the least he could do was try to respect their privacy. Eventually she seemed to pick up on this, and favored him with a grateful look, before turning her gaze back outward.
"It's tough, growing up meta." She went on. "People think its fun to have powers, and it is. But the problem with super powers is that the more powerful you are, the harder it is to control those powers. Sometimes..." She swallowed, her shoulders sinking just a bit. "Sometimes...really bad things can happen. Sometimes, those things are totally out of your control. But you still feel like its your fault. Like, there had to be something you could have done. But sometimes..."She exhaled, deeply. "Sometimes the truth is...you couldn't. It's hard to own up to it, because we want to feel like we could have done better. But that just how it goes sometimes. And no amount of beating yourself up is going to change that."
Now she was looking at him directly. Her voice kind, but firm. "Ace wouldn't want you to to feel like this, Lincoln. He was a good man. A good hero. And it wasn't because he had powers, or cool gadgets. It's because the thing that mattered most to him, was saving other people." She reached out and slid her arm around his shoulders, and instinctively, Lincoln found himself leaning into the comforting, welcoming warmth. "People like you." She added, giving him a comforting squeeze. "I know in my heart, that Ace wouldn't have regretting trading his life for yours. Not for a second."
"But now there isn't an Ace." Said Lincoln, desperately he could just take the pretty girl at her word, but being unable to help himself. "There's going to be other people in danger, just like I was, and now he won't be there to save them."
"But we'll be there." Eclipse replied. "Me. And Nova. And others. We'll pick up the slack. We'll save those people, just like Ace would have."
"But your job is only going to get harder. Because of me—" He cleared his throat. "Because of...this."
"Well...yeah." The older girl shrugged, conceding the point. "But you don't become a hero because its easy. We'll make it work. We'll find a way."
"How can you be so confident about that?" Lincoln asked. With her free hand, Eclipse pointed outward.
"That." She said. "Look over there."
Lincoln complied, looking in the direction she'd indicated, and his breath caught in his throat. As they'd been talking, the darkness had slowly begun to recede, and now the sun was beginning to rise. It wasn't a fast process by any means, not the glorious, instantaneous transformation one would expect to see in a movie or something. But from their vantage, he could see the sun's rays spilling out from the horizon, shedding their light and warmth upon the city below, and only growing stronger with the passing of time. The effect was literally radiant, a quiet, understated beauty, and the sort of thing that he'd never had the opportunity to appreciate before.
"Whenever things got really bad for me, whenever I felt like you feel now...I'd come up here, to this very spot. And I'd watch the sunrise." Eclipse said, softly, as if she was afraid to ruin the moment. "Because sitting up here, and watching the whole thing from start to finish taught me a very important lesson. And it's something that, I think we all need to be reminded about sometimes."
"And that is...?" He asked, haltingly.
Eclipse giggled, the sound strangely, beautifully melodic. "That the sun always rises, silly." She pulled him close, and rested her head upon his own. "No matter how dark it gets, no matter how terrible and scary things may seem, the sun will always come up. And when it does, things won't be so bad. That's something you can always count on."
Lincoln laughed, in spite of himself. It felt...off, and he realized that he was probably a little out of practice by this point, but it felt good just the same.
"It's really that simple, huh?" He asked, looking up at the older girl.
"Totes." She replied, nodding solemnly. "Now sit there and keep on watching the sunrise with me until you feel better."
"Alright." Lincoln said, settling in. It seemed like this was going to take a while, but at least he was in good company.
"Hey...Eclipse?" He ventured a few moments later, a thought suddenly occurring to him. "Any chance you might be able to help me down from here? I don't know if you're aware of this, but that fire escape is a death trap, and I—" He stopped abruptly as the older girl pressed one finger against his lips.
"Anything you want, Lincoln." She said, winking at him. "But you've gotta finish watching this sunrise with me. That's the deal." And for the first time, in what felt like quite some time, Lincoln McBride felt a smile working its way onto his face.
"Fair enough." He replied, turning his attention from the radiance within the rooftop, to the radiance without. It might take a while, but he had to hand it to Eclipse. This definitely looked like a show that was worth seeing through to the end.