The story you're about to read is of my own creation. It is set in England in the near future, around 2036-ish, and all the characters are original as well. Other than that, the world of Helix: Ascent (in which the story mostly takes place) belongs to the amazing game creator FarmerJaller. Enjoy!

Chapter 5: Flashback (a week before chapter four)

When Max went to the cave like Rocky had asked him to, he didn't see his cousin there, which was strange. He walked around the cave a couple times, checking every corner for Rocky, then went to the cave entrance. He saw a greenish glint on the next hill over, then he saw the rest of a silhouette. It was… running straight for him. Max smiled and waited for his cousin to close the distance.

The silhouette punched the ground and was launched five metres into the air. He landed with a roll, right in front of his cousin. As the dust settled, Rocky stood up and lowered the hood on his suit, revealing a black balaclava behind green goggles. The hood blended perfectly into the night, but also into the scarf over Rocky's shoulders, which each had a couple of green stripes over what seemed like a black military uniform.

"Woah! You levelled up!" Max was incredulous.

"Thanks, Max." Rocky lowered the goggles and balaclava to his neck and grinned.

"The punching jumping thing was so cool, and the suit is so tactical… But why do you need these clothes, and how do you know you can do what you can do?"

"Max, in this city, there's an imbalance, and someone needs to restore it. The wicked run rampant, and it's time someone held them accountable for their actions. I make this city safer, I ensure that the good people here can live without fear. By confronting these criminals, I can bring about a change that's long overdue."

"That's all well and good, but aren't you taking this a little too far? This vigilante business is dangerous."

"They need me."

"Rocky, you need to stay alive. You're just a kid, leave the world-saving to the adults."

"I'm older than you, Max. Don't play the maturity card with me."

"You can't just punch crime away! This is reckless, and a very good way to lose your life. You've already lost your sense of self-preservation, apparently."

"Max, you can be selfish, or you can support the whole city by helping me. What good is self-preservation when nothing else is preserved? What good are my powers if I don't use them to stop thefts, drug deals, or murders? Just last night, I saved four lives. Would you have me leave them to die, just so I'd be kept safe, Max?"

Max shook his head and sighed. "No, Rocky, I wouldn't. I'm only saying you need to be careful. You can't save any lives if yours is taken first."

"What am I to do about that? I'm getting more powerful every day, no one can see me coming, and I hit hard as a truck."

"You just need to-" Max started, but Rocky turned and walked into the night, pulling up his mask and hood and eventually running downtown. Max looked up into the sky and spoke out into the night. "If anyone can hear me… please help him. Keep him safe. Let him keep breathing through all his recklessness."

Two people heard Max's cry for help that night… but only one was benevolent.