I felt pain all over my body. What just happened? My eyelids feel heavy, even if I wanted to open them in the first place. I felt pretty relaxed despite the intense pain all over my body. It wasn't just painful, it felt hot.
Think of lying on the hot sand as the sun cooks you in a heatwave, it's like that, but multiply that by twenty. Still it doesn't answer the question, what just happened and why am I in pain? How am I even hurt? I'm invincible. Then it hit, memories from today played in my brain like a movie.
The last thing I remembered was an intense bright light along with immense heat hitting my body. It was so painful that I was knocked unconscious, but I awoke a few seconds later, falling. Though it didn't take long to be knocked out again, as I crashed to the ground. How long did I pass out? Did I manage to put the bomb away so it wouldn't harm others?
There were so many questions, it kind of hurts my head. Am I dead? I don't think so, I feel very much alive, I know this because being alive is painful. And currently, I'm very much in pain. That's surprising, I thought the explosion would've killed me, I guess I'm tougher than I thought.
Regardless, I do want to go back to sleep. I'm so tired and in so much pain. It's best for me to stay unconscious. I relaxed my body and tried to sleep, though it's a bit difficult with my body feeling like this. I ignored the pain and tried to sleep, only for an odd noise to come.
I let out a pained groan, shutting my eyes even tighter to voice my discomfort. The sound didn't leave; in fact, it got even louder. With some effort, I opened my eyes to see who was making that racket. To my surprise, I see a helicopter descending. It didn't take long for it to land, and there steps out a familiar man.
"Oh god, Ben!" Gavin cried out.
He rushed to me, and reached touch but hesitated. What's his problem? I don't have a weird skin disease, do I? He bit his lip, and sadness and frustration were plastered on his face.
"It's going to be okay, kid. Just stay with me..." He choked.
Those were the last words I heard before I was forced into unconsciousness.
RED
Later...
JUSTICE
A pained grunt escapes my lips. The pain was still over my body, though I noticed it wasn't as painful as...well, whenever the heck I last woke up. This time, I found the strength to open my eyes. I stared at the ceiling for a moment before turning my head to look at my surroundings. I'm back at Gavin's basement.
I had a soft comforter wrapping itself around my body, it felt nice against my aching form. I tried to push myself up, but the pain made me hiss and drop back down to the sofa I was currently lying on.
"I don't recommend moving just yet, you haven't recovered completely."
I shifted my eyes to the owner's voice, which was Gavin. He was giving the toothiest grin.
"Thought I lost for a second."
I pushed myself into a sitting position, hissing in pain as I did so. I ignored the aching of my body, after all I had a lot of questions brewing in my mind. I needed answers.
"H-how long was I out? What happened? And how did I survive?"
Gavin chuckles, handing me a glass of water, which I took quickly before chugging it down greedily. The cool water felt nice, it certainly helped my current condition.
"Well, it's been three hours since you went to the sky along with the nuke, which blew up."
I wiped the water from my mouth. "But that's fine, right? I was far enough away so nobody would get hurt, right?"
"Yeah, kid. Nobody got hurt, the radiation is too far in the atmosphere for it to be a problem, still, the Canadian Government ordered everyone in Toronto to evacuate the city for the time being."
I let out a deep sigh in relief. That's good news, I felt some strength return to me and the pain slowly but surely vanished, I removed the comforter to get up. Only to find myself shirtless and the only thing covering me is the destroyed remains of my black pants, that were now shorts rather than actual pants.
"What the heck happened to clothes?"
"Aw, gee, it couldn't possibly because a nuke blew up in your face!" Gavin says, sarcastically.
"Oh right..."
That means, my red hoodie was reduced to atoms unable to be repaired. That's a shame, I actually like the design of the hoodie ignoring all the bad memories that came with it. Speaking off, why aren't I burned to a crisp or even vaporized by the explosion.
"Wait, how did I not die from the explosion? That's a nuke!"
Gavin shrugged. "Honestly, I didn't think you would survive, especially the state I found you in."
"What do you mean?"
Gavin bit his lip, hesitating. "Well, have you watched Attack on Titan?"
"Titan-what?"
"Never mind. Well, when I found you didn't exactly have hair or skin, for that matter. All I could see were your burned, exposed muscles."
I blinked before recoiling in disgust. Vaguely remember the muscular system in science class. And you're saying I look like that, but I was cooked into medium-rare steak. Just imagining it made my stomach twist.
"That's pretty gnarly."
"Tell me about it, I thought you died. I was about to be take you to the hospital, but after an hour, you healed pretty much everything. You even grew back your hair."
I touched my hair and my skin in shock. I noticed my skin was a bit redder than usual but other than the pain in my body I was absolutely fine.
"Woah...healing factors are busted."
"Yeah. Too bad for Atlas that he doesn't have that power despite injecting that thing in his body."
Atlas? Wait, Atlas! Gavin noticed my worried expression, which made him grin before ruffling my hair.
"Don't worry about that guy anymore. Remember the guy who called me? Well, I told him to send in Canadian Soldiers to apprehend the Titans and Atlas, once the Nuke was flying to Toronto."
"They got all of them?"
"Yup, don't worry about them, they won't be bothering anyone anymore."
"That's a huge relief."
I allowed myself to drop onto the sofa. Staring at the ceiling. I opened my mouth.
"What happens, now?"
I said, my eyes drifting to Gavin, who seems to be caught a little off guard by my question though he composes himself quickly.
"Well, I guess you do whatever you want now."
Wait, that's it, I got back up again. Looking at Gavin with a raised brow.
"Seriously? You're not going to tell your government buddy about me?"
He snorts. "First of all I'm not a tattle teller and second of all, I'm retired from any soldier slash government crap. This was just the exception."
"Aren't you the least bit concerned about not telling someone about a kid who is basically Superman?"
"Nah, it's cool, I could trust you."
I raised my brow further, that sounds sarcastic or that could be just my imagination. But I guess, yeah this was it for Super Secret Spy Big Justice and back to superpowered but average ten-year-old Ben Armstrong. I can't help but think that I'm missing something important. My mind replays the scientists and the security's grateful looks and cheers.
Then to the nuke, where I felt an odd feeling. I felt happy despite thinking I was about to die, no-happy was the wrong word. I felt fulfilled. Like I did something meaningful for the first time. I would imagine it would be a similar feeling an author would feel after finishing writing a long novel. I don't understand why I am feeling this way.
I don't even understand how I feel. I looked at my hand, sparks of red electricity crawled on my index finger before vanishing. Well, whatever, I guess.
RED
A Few Moments Later...
JUSTICE
After waiting a couple more hours, my parents barged into the shop along with my sister and dog. Thankfully, I was fully clothed; it would be a pretty bad look for Gavin. They had heard from the news that a nuclear bomb nearly hit Toronto if it weren't for a mysterious figure grabbing the bomb and making sure it was far away before it detonated. And so they rushed back home, worried for my safety even though I was an hour away from Toronto.
Though their embrace felt nice. I still had to be careful how to touch them, afraid I would hurt them accidentally. It was nice talking to them, after thinking I would ever see them again, when I held that bomb in my hands. I'll admit, my eyes became watery when I felt their warm embrace. Now I find myself back in my room, chilling as I read Manga.
Try as I might, I can't seem to be invested in the story. Not saying One Punch Man is bad, in fact the opposite, but I'm just distracted. By what? That's the million-dollar question. I sighed, dropping my notebook before I opened my window to go flying to clear my head.
It was nighttime, and everybody should be asleep at this hour, so I shouldn't be worried about my parents checking on me. I bit my lip. What was wrong with me? I zoomed aimlessly, but it turns out I wasn't. Because somehow, I unconsciously led myself to Toronto. For the first time, my senses weren't overloaded by the silhouettes of thousands.
I would say there were only a hundred down there, who were hazmat suit dudes and a couple of people in suits. The whole city was evacuated, and it was closed off for the time being. Thankfully, I've heard from the news that people who have no place to stay were given temporary homes in multiple large buildings. I heard it was uncomfortable, especially since families would have to sleep with strangers, but it certainly beats getting cancer!
"Woah..."
I have never seen the city at night. Well I do, but not in the sky where I can view anything. It distracted me momentarily before that odd feeling hit me again.
"Dang it, what do you want?" I said, but as expected, nobody answered me.
I lay flat to stare at the black sky. It was kind of eerie, but beautiful at the same time. I retrieved my phone before searching up the news and played that one video I find myself replaying all day. The video showed a reporter interviewing the scientist woman who saved me.
"Incredible, so you're saying this person managed to get you and other hostages out of there?"
The woman nods. "Y-yes, it was so honestly incredible how he performed these amazing feats."
Her face suddenly turned to a sad one, her gaze looking at the ground, dejected. "He didn't just save us, he also prevented thousands of deaths. It's too bad, he...isn't here anymore."
Oh, right, everybody thinks I died from the explosion. Can't blame them, I can't believe I survived either.
"What would you say if he were here and still alive?" The reporter asks.
"I would say thank you, about a hundred times. It's thanks to him that I'm able to see my nine-year-old daughter. He saved a lot of people today."
The reporter continues to talk to the woman, while I just floated there, the odd feeling coming back stronger. That strange feeling, fulfillment as others would call it. Yes, I felt fulfilled, happy. I look at my phone to stare up at the moon. I think...I think I know what I want to do now...
RED
The Next Day...
JUSTICE
I said goodbye to my family, after that I walked to Gavin's shop. The sun was going down, he wouldn't have many customers at this time. Not like he gets a lot in the first place. I walked right in, Gavin was sitting on the cashier desk, reading manga as per usual. He quickly put it down, putting on his customer service smile before he saw me, his obnoxious fake smile was replaced by a more casual one.
"And the local superhero appears before my humble shop. What can I do for you?"
I shifted anxiously, I thought of the words to say the whole day, however, now that I'm here, I seem to forget everything.
"Hey, Gavin..."
He gives me a confused expression mixed with worry and curiosity.
"What's up, kid?"
"..Well, it's...is it cool with you if we talk in private?"
He slowly nods. "Yeah...alright."
We find ourselves sitting on top of the roof of his shop. Both of us were silent as we watched the sun slowly die down. Gavin was the first one to break the silence.
"So, what's this about?"
"Well, this might seem like an odd question, but why did you become a soldier?"
"What brought this on?"
"Just answer the question, please?"
At first, Gavin didn't say anything for several moments. He scratches his facial hair before sighing deeply. I looked at him, and a mix of nostalgia and regret was on his face.
"Uh, you don't have to," I tried to say, but was quickly cut off by Gavin.
"No, it's fine..." Another sigh escapes his lips.
"When I was a kid, I admired my Mother, she was a soldier from the UK."
I blinked. "Not your Dad?"
"Nah, my old man was a toy manufacturer, in fact this building right here was his workshop. Anyway, my parents wanted me to follow Dad's footsteps, but I always wanted to become like my Mother. They knew they couldn't stop me so I joined the military."
"But why did you want to be a soldier?"
Gavin became silent again before speaking once more.
"Because I wanted to do something in my life. I was nothing but a screw-up as a kid. Poor grades, not many friends, nothing going for him. After seeing old tapes of my Mom fighting against the enemy, seeing her get praised and awarded many medals, I wanted to be like her."
"...You wanted to be something bigger than yourself." I finished.
He wasn't surprised at my delcration instead, smiling softly at the memory. "Yeah. I wanted to be a soldier to prove to everyone that I was here, that I existed, that's why I became a soldier."
Gavin turns to me. "Why do you want to know?"
I hesitate before taking a deep breath and summoning all the courage I have.
"I want to continue being a superhero." I declared.
I expected a disappointed look from Gavin, maybe even anger. Instead, his face remains neutral and soft.
"Why? You know firsthand what could happen. YOU get hurt, you could get SOMEONE hurt. Why go through all the trouble of doing it?"
Yes, I understand now. Back then, I just thought being a superhero is just saving people and posing for the camera, it's more than that. It takes responsibility and courage to become one. Not only that it's going to be hard, the incident with Atlas and the nuke was probably a taste of that life. Despite that, my heart seemed set.
"Because I finally found a reason to live."
"What do you mean?" he inquires.
"Every day, I feel like I'm just going through motions, just being alive but not living. I don't have many hobbies or any passion to pursue, maybe that's why it's hard for me to connect with people, because unlike them, I feel hollow."
"...What about now?"
"Now, I feel alive, I feel like I'm doing something worth it. I don't want to be a hero just because I enjoy saving others. It also makes me feel fulfilled. That's why I wanted to ask you to help me become a superhero."
Gavin's eyes widened in surprise at my statement. "Me?"
"Yeah, I realize now, I still have no clue what to do. And I'm still scared of hurting people accidentally. You've been through combat situations and are very experienced in all kinds of stuff, please guide me!"
I look him directly in the eye. I tried to summon my best serious face to show that I wasn't kidding. Gavin gives me a long stare before smirking.
"Sure, why not? Besides, I could smell money on this..."
I couldn't help but return the grin. "Yes! I'll be in your care!"
RED
Elsewhere...?
JUSTICE
A man looks at the news, which he has been watching several times now. A figure able to catch the bomb just as it was about to hit the building. Whoever it was, he shot up to the sky just before it exploded. The distance was far enough for the blast not to hit anyone and too far for the radiation to be a problem. There was another person next to him who scoffed.
"Atlas failed. Shocker."
The last man in the room just silently watched the two, his expression utterly devoid of emotion. The old man sighs.
"We'll need to break him out."
The metal man scoffs once more. "We don't need that weakling, we're enough to complete our mission."
The old man turns to his robotic comrade with a stern expression. "What if that...thing returns?"
"Impossible, nothing could survive a nuclear bomb, especially with how close that guy is!"
"Perhaps, but if they could possessed the ability to fly without the aid of technology or at least from what we could see and fast enough to catch up with the bomb. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that this fellow is still alive. Who knows what kinds of powers this being have." Explained the old man.
"While you're correct, Atlas is weak, but right now, he is the only person who has encountered this person. Regardless, let's focus on bringing SURVIVOR M4 to Russia for now."
Metal man grumbled before leaving the room, along with the silent man. His orange eyes looked at the image of the figure holding the rocket to the air, his face obscured, only showing his destroyed hoodie and black hair. Assuming that this person is still alive, he is a threat to their cause. Threats will be eliminated, no questions asked.