David woke to the sound of explosions.
Not real explosions, he realized after a heart-stopping second of clarity, but the kind of explosions that came from his phone vibrating itself across the nightstand with enough force to eventually launch it onto the floor. The device buzzed angrily against the carpet, its screen flashing with notification after notification, and David groaned and rolled over to grab it.
The moment he touched the screen, the holographic display activated on its own, flooding his small bedroom with light and noise.
"—unprecedented awakening continues to dominate global headlines," a news anchor announced, her face projected above his phone in crisp high definition. "David Ashborn, the eighteen-year-old orphan who shocked the world with dual S-rank abilities, has not yet made a public statement. Meanwhile, crowds have gathered outside his apartment building, hoping for a glimpse of the young man being called humanity's greatest hope—"
David sat up so fast he nearly fell out of bed.
He stumbled to the window and pulled the curtain back just enough to see the street below.
It was packed.
Hundreds of people, maybe thousands, crowded the sidewalk and spilled into the road, forcing hover-vehicles to reroute through alternative lanes. News drones hovered in a thick swarm above the crowd, their cameras all pointed at his building. People held signs with his name, his face printed on posters, messages like "ASHBORN FOR PRESIDENT" and "EARTH'S STRONGEST" and one that just said "MARRY ME" in glittering letters.
David let the curtain fall and stepped back.
"What the hell."
His phone continued buzzing, messages flooding in from numbers he didn't recognize, interview requests, sponsorship offers, threats even, all mixed together in an overwhelming stream of chaos. He silenced it and sat on the edge of his bed, head in his hands.
Twenty-four hours, Director Chen had said. Twenty-four hours before the world came knocking.
It hadn't even been twelve.
A knock at his door made him jump, and for a wild moment he considered pretending he wasn't home. But the knocking continued, rhythmic and insistent, accompanied by a familiar voice.
"David! Open up! It's me and I brought food and also I may have accidentally told a reporter that we're best friends and now they're following me, so open up before I become a spectacle!"
Lucas.
David crossed the apartment in three long strides and pulled the door open. Lucas stood in the hallway, looking frazzled in a way David had never seen, his hair even wilder than usual and his shirt inside out. He held a bag of something that smelled delicious and behind him, down the hall toward the stairwell, David could hear the distant rumble of the crowd.
"Get inside," David said, grabbing Lucas's arm and pulling him through the door. "Now."
Lucas stumbled into the apartment and David slammed the door shut, locking it, bracing it with the chair from his small kitchen table for good measure. Then he turned and looked at his friend.
Lucas looked back.
They stared at each other for a long moment.
Then Lucas burst out laughing.
"This is insane," Lucas wheezed, doubling over, the bag of food nearly falling from his grip. "This is absolutely insane, there's a mob outside your building, like an actual mob, with signs and everything and I saw at least three marriage proposals and one guy was holding a sign that said 'I WILL COOK FOR YOU' and he looked really serious about it, like professionally serious, like he'd been training his whole life for this moment."
David pressed his palms against his eyes. "It's not funny."
"It's a little funny."
"It's really not."
Lucas straightened, still grinning, but his eyes were softer now. "Okay, it's not funny, it's terrifying and also kind of amazing, because you, my best friend, the guy who once fell asleep in a movie theatre and snored so loud they kicked us out, are apparently the most famous person on Earth right now."
"That was one time."
"Three times, I counted, but again, not the point." Lucas set the bag on the coffee table and started pulling out containers. "I brought breakfast, my mom made it, she said and I quote 'that poor boy needs a proper meal before the vultures descend' and I was like 'mom they're already descending' and she said 'then feed him before they do.' So here we are."
David looked at the containers, at the eggs and meat and fresh bread, at the care someone had taken to make sure he ate. His throat tightened.
"Your mom didn't have to—"
"She wanted to, we all want to." Lucas sat on the couch and patted the spot beside him. "Come eat, we'll figure out the rest after."
David sat.
They ate in silence for a while, the sounds of the crowd drifting faintly through the windows, the phone buzzing occasionally on the nightstand. It felt almost normal, almost like any other morning, except for the part where David's life had completely exploded.
Lucas finished his food first, naturally, and leaned back with a satisfied sigh. "Okay so plan, what are we doing?"
David stared at his eggs. "I don't know."
"Well, that's honest. I appreciate honesty." Lucas grabbed another piece of bread. "Here's what I know. Becca called me this morning, like six AM, which is insane because she seems like the type who values sleep, but she called and said her family wants to meet you officially at noon today and she wanted me to tell you because you're not answering your phone."
David glanced at the buzzing device. "It's a little overwhelmed."
"Understandable. Also, Erica's been monitoring the situation, because of course she has, and she says there are at least three different groups trying to figure out which apartment is yours. The building super is holding them off for now but that won't last forever." Lucas ticked off fingers. "Also, the government sent another message, something about protection details and relocation options. Also, some clan called the Vane Clan, I've never heard of them, but they're apparently rich and want to 'discuss opportunities.' Also, there's a guy outside with a guitar singing a song about you. I don't know the words but the tune is catchy."
David put his fork down. "A guy with a guitar."
"Very committed to the bit. I respect the hustle."
Despite everything, David felt a laugh building in his chest. It came out as a snort, then a chuckle, then something closer to actual laughter, and once it started he couldn't stop. Lucas joined in, and they sat there in David's tiny apartment laughing like idiots while the world went crazy outside.
When they finally calmed down, David felt lighter. Not better exactly, but lighter.
"Okay" he said. "Okay, let's think."
Lucas nodded seriously. "Thinking? I can do that, i'm very good at thinking."
"You once tried to open a door by pushing when it clearly said pull."
"That was one time."
"Three times, Lucas, I counted."
Lucas grinned. "You're learning."
David stood and walked to the window, peeking through the curtain again. The crowd hadn't shrunk. If anything, it had grown, more people arriving, more signs, more drones. He spotted at least three news crews setting up equipment on the sidewalk.
"They can't stay forever" he said quietly. "Eventually they'll get bored, move on to the next thing."
"Or," Lucas said, coming to stand beside him, "eventually you'll have to go out there and face them. Make a statement, do an interview, something. That's what Director Chen was talking about, right? Being a symbol, an asset. You can't hide forever."
David looked at his friend. "Watch me."
Lucas met his eyes and for once didn't joke. "You could try. But you'd be hiding alone. I'm not going anywhere."
The words hung in the air between them, simple and huge.
David nodded, not trusting his voice.
His phone buzzed again, louder this time, and when he glanced at it he saw Becca's name on the screen. He picked it up, swiped to answer, and her face appeared in holographic form, sharp and focused.
"You need to get out of there," she said without preamble. "My family sent a car. It's waiting three blocks east, away from the crowd. If you can make it there without being spotted, we can talk somewhere private."
David looked at Lucas, who shrugged. "Better than being serenaded by guitar guy."
"Give us ten minutes," David told Becca.
"Five. The crowd's getting restless and I don't trust the Vane Clan not to make a move."
The call ended.
David and Lucas looked at each other.
"Five minutes," Lucas said. "We can do five minutes. I've done more with less."
"Have you?"
"No, but confidence is key."
They moved.
---
Getting out of the building required creativity, luck, and Lucas's willingness to cause a distraction.
While David slipped down the service stairs at the back, Lucas walked out the front door, waving at the crowd like a celebrity, stopping to sign autographs for people who had no idea who he was but were too excited to care. By the time anyone realized the actual target wasn't there, David was already three blocks east, sliding into the back of a sleek black hover-car with tinted windows.
Becca sat inside, her expression unreadable.
"You made it."
"Barely." David collapsed into the seat beside her as the car lifted smoothly into the air. "Your family sent a car. That's... something."
Becca didn't look at him. "My family sent a car because they want something. They always want something. I'm telling you now so you're prepared."
David studied her profile, the sharp line of her jaw, the tension in her shoulders. "What do they want?"
"To evaluate and test you to decide if you're useful to them." Her voice was flat. "They'll be polite about it, offer resources, connections, protection. But underneath all of that, they're calculating and that's what my family does best we calculate."
"And what do you want?"
She turned to look at him then, really look, and for a moment the mask slipped. He saw something vulnerable underneath, something tired and young and scared.
"I want you to survive," she said quietly. "Whatever that takes."
The car hummed onward, carrying them toward the Moon Clan estate, toward whatever waited.