Descent Prologue & Ch. 1
#1 of Jason Wolfe: Descent
**Prologue: Not So Super Anymore
Paramdu National Cemetery, Private Lot**
Vale Riley was both hated and loved.
Hated for the fact that he was rich, powerful and one of the wealthiest men on Enria.
Loved for he was a husband and a father...
... sort of.
Jason Phoenix Wolfe stood numbly at the foot of Vale Riley's grave, watching the ivory and gold coffin slowly being dropped down into the six foot deep hole. He was unsure how to feel. Vale Riley had no relation to him whatsoever except for Kevin Riley, Vale's only son.
Looking over at Kevin, Jason felt his heart twist into knots.
The normally stoic even a little grouchy young man was staring into the dark hole with tears running down from his emerald eyes.
Or was that just rain?
Jason distinctly remembered Kevin stating how much he hated his father. It was an irrational hate as most of their other friends would attest although not to Kevins face. While Kevin's parents gave their son everything, Kevin saw it as a patronising act, coddling their one child. With an indomitable spirit of independence, Kevin wanted to make it out in the world on his own without the aid of his parents.
It was possible that Kevin wasn't crying at all... That it was just the rain...
Jason glanced at the sky and scowled slightly.
Thank you for that, by the way...
... Now Im all wet.
But he wanted to be here despite the weather.
Kevin had only asked one person to go with him to the funeral.
And that was Jason Wolfe.
Shuffling towards his friend, Jason wrapped an arm around Kevin's broad shoulders consolingly. A soft sniffle was his reply.
Yep, he's crying.
"Did you want to tell him?" Jason asked softly.
"Tell him what?" Kevin muttered in reply, the hate rolling off his lips.
"Whatever it is that youre trying to hold back."
Kevin gave him a sharp look like he had just blasphemed against the gods themselves which Jason did a lot. However, both of them knew there was something eating the young man deep inside... but both of them also knew this was neither the time nor the place to say...
It's just good to acknowledge it's there...
"Youve really changed, Jason."
"I could say the same thing about you. Never seen you cry before, bud."
"I'm not crying. It's the rain."
"And the sniffles?"
"A cold."
Jason reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. "Hankie?"
"Yeah, thanks."
Kevin took it and blew his nose. He offered it back to Jason.
"No, keep it."
Thunder rolled somewhere above them. Jason glanced back towards the sky and the rain seemed to intensify.
"Come on," he said, turning towards the waiting black cars at the entrance of the private lot. "Before you develop pneumonia."
Kevin nodded shakily. "Okay... Thanks." A shaky grin crossed his features. "Sorry to have dragged you out here, Jason."
"It's no problem. The more time I spend away from home, the better."
"You still have class tomorrow though."
Jason grimaced at the thought. "Dont remind me."
**Chapter 1: It's All Relative
Newroads High School**
"Uh... Jase...?"
Jason was barely listening. He was trying hard to focus on their pre-calculus teacher, Mr. Armstrong.
Calculus was easy for him.
So pre-calculus was a cake walk.
He was just hoping his focus could make their teacher spontaneously combust.
His morning had been pretty rotten.
"Jase...?"
Someone tapped his arm.
Jason's sapphire-blue eyes snapped towards the assailant and Connor Stark flinched. The young man's soft, emerald eyes filled with expression looked worried and that stopped Jason from wishing his classmate would explode in an unholy fiery conflagration.
"What?" he growled, through his fangs.
"Erm... You're going to break your pencil."
Jason glanced at his right hand and noted that the 2B pencil he held in his hand was on the verge of snapping.
"Oh. My mistake."
Crack!
He snapped the penicil in two.
Connor shrank back but didn't stop persisting. Cat-like curiosity from a tiger.
"Bad morning?"
"Terrible."
"What's up?"
"My dad made me waffles."
Ordinarily, that would be something any average Alderonian kid would love. Jason realised just how irrational he was being and wondered if some of Kevin's anti-father-hatred had transferred over to him.
"Umm... Were they bad?"
"No..." Jason muttered, his large, triangular ears flattening against his head. "They were great... Blueberry... my favourite."
"Then what's the problem?" Connor asked, clearly befuddled.
"My dad made them."
Most people in Newroads High didn't need to read minds to know Jason and his father got on together about as well as a DVD in a microwave oven. It was funny for the first few seconds... then someone gets hurt.
Jason used to be cheery, playful and one of those guys that you just couldn't quite hit because he was always so friendly. Then he came back after the summer growly, constantly angry and with his bright, sapphire-blue eyes obtaining a sharp, laser-like intensity. Several teachers expressed their concerned and had suggested to his father that he see the school's councillor.
It was a shock that Jasons father refused, saying that it was a family matter.
Maybe it had something to do with the fact Jason put on about a hundred pounds over the summer miraculously.
There were rumours of steroids but no one dared to say it to the near-seven foot wolf with jet-black fur.
"Is there a problem, Mr. Wolfe? Mr. Stark?"
Connor looked like a deer caught in the headlights of a speeding eighteen-wheeler.
"Um... Um..."
"You forgot to carry the two," Jason muttered.
Mr. Armstrong turned towards the board... and noticed his mistake. A slight blush crossed the cougar's tan fur before he coughed and continued with the lesson. There was a soft chuckle from the rest of the class.
"Wow... I didn't even see that..." Connor whispered.
Jason didn't reply.
He just continued playing back in his head those three weeks ago when he had arrived in what he thought was his apartment.
Jennifer Rose, a friend of his and former roomy, opened the door and looked liked she had just been kicked in the gut.
"Hey, Jase..."
Jason was just utterly confused. "What's wrong? Did someone die?"
"No... You're dad's here to pick you up."
As far Jason was concerned, his father was dead.
Ten years ago, at the tender age of four, his mother died of a mysterious illness. His father, stricken with grief, deposited Jason on the doorstep of an orphanage and left never to be heard from again. At that point, Jason really had no idea what was going on and thought he was just moving. When he didn't see his parents again... he started crying.
That pain never truly went away but Jason coped. He learned later on that his father was still sending money to the orphanage to keep him well looked after. Strangely, when foster families offered to take him, his father outright refused. The orphanage did nothing but accept... despite protocol.
Jason moved in with a friend from middle school Jennifer to leave the orphanage and hopefully the shadow of his father. While some part of him blamed his father for all the misery in his life, he wasnt about to let the remnants of his existence get turned into a living daytime drama and moved on. The money that appeared at his doorstep every week just went straight to charity.
Jennifer's parents were more than happy to help him and the fact that one of his friends was the rich heir of a multibillion dollar corporation was a bonus.
When the news hit him, Jason just fumed.
How dare his father come back after all this time and just expect everything to go back to the way they were?
He was doing so well and then that bastard decides to come in and ruin everything... again.
Jason boiled with pent-up rage he never knew he had and he started hitting the weights hard. It was the only thing keeping him from committing murder.
"Jase."
He looked up and realised that class was over. Shaking his head, Jason swept up his books but not before he saw that he had scribbled, 'My life is a daytime drama' continuously over his notebook. As he towered over Connor by a few inches, the young tiger flinched with his sudden movements.
"What's our next class?" Jason asked, still unable to get his schedule right.
"Erm... Social Studies," Connor stammered.
It disturbed him that there was fear in Connors eyes.
I've got to learn to loosen up... I'm turning into Kevin...
... Though... That's kind of mean considering how Kevin's dad just died.
...
... I wish my dad died.
"Lead the way," he said, forcing a smile. It felt so terribly fake and he was sure he just ended up scaring Connor all the more.
"Sure," Connor replied, hurrying away.
Jason sighed and followed the smaller, thinner tiger through the hallways of Newroads High. Everyone gave him a wide berth. Perhaps it was the fact he had the appearances of a Neo-Goth as many put it. He wore a floor-length blue coat, denim jeans and a black shirt. While not entirely all black, it gave him the appearance of someone not to be messed with. The fact that he wore a silver chain around his neck with a golden pen hanging from it and a silver chain hanging from his left hip that had a black, unmarked book latched to it probably didnt help the image. He had thrown his physical appearance out the window for a while and stopped getting haircuts, letting his relatively short black hair to just droop over his features.
Many of the teachers had marked him as a troublemaker the instant he made his reappearance from the summer vacation.
Social Studies was taught by a tall human with thick glasses that coul'dve been used to focus a deadly doomsday laser. Mr. Laurence might as well have been a superhero/comic book fan that never grew up. Social Studies was taken up entirely by superhero worship. He constantly went on about how this superhero defeated that supervillain. Forget the scandals. It was all the good points.
Jason got an 'F' on his last report when he pointed out that Warhorse was having an affair with Guillotina (a supervillain) from his wife.
Dan (Jason's father) tried giving him a stern lecture that night but Jason just slammed his door on him.
Jason had no delusions about being able to take care of himself. There was a standing invitation from Kevin, Warren and Jen to stay with them if he ever needed. It was actually in a small gym Kevin had that he worked out ever couple of days. If he became desperate, he could always find a job...
He sighed...
... and it was one of those moments where everyone conveniently fell silent and his normally inaudible sigh became very audible.
Aw damn...
"Am I boring you, Mr. Wolfe?" Mr. Laurence asked sharply.
Quick! Think of something!
He pointed out the window. "Hey! Is that the Blue Wolf!"
Predictably, Mr. Laurence and half the class bolted towards the window with cameras in their hands They were snapping away at nothing but that didnt quell their excitement. The Blue Wolf was one of Newroads resident superheroes. A big, winged wolf with a mask that had a single horn on it. His weapon of choice was a strange, golden briefcase that could morph and change into whatever he wanted it to be. He was also one of the only superheroes that didn't wear any tights and that got Jason's respect.
Of course, the fact that the Blue Wolf was part of the Justice Guard negated that.
As Mr. Laurence went on to explain after the excitement and forgetting Jason had sighed loudly in class the Justice Guard was a community of superheroes that lived in a massive orbital space station above Enria. Hardly classical but still safer than being on Enria itself. They moved their families there if any and were paid a hefty salary.
The lunch bell hit and Jason removed himself from class faster than anyone else... or maybe it was just that everyone else didnt want to get in his way. As he purchased a pizza and some steamed vegetables he really wasnt paying that much attention to his order he noted that the cafeteria bore striking similarities to those stereotypical cafeterias in the high school dramas.
Same floor-to-ceiling windows, same unremarkable metal tables and chairs and same assortment of groups arranged in such a way that it became apparent who belonged into which clique. There were the jocks farthest from the door looking big, imposing and wearing the blue and yellow jerseys of the school. The cheerleaders were close by, bouncing their assets shamelessly. The nerds or geeks were on the opposite side of the cafeteria, as far from them as possible. Skaters and Goths were dispersed between. Muses (musicians) were somewhere closer to the geeks and then there were the army/air force/navy cadets that favoured the jock side.
Ignoring all of them, Jason stared at his food, took a bite out of the pizza and then threw the rest into the trash. He headed straight outside into the quadrangle and found the same, tree that he had been climbing for the past three weeks. It was nestled between the North and East buildings just far enough for no teachers to see but close enough that he could just walk back to class without having to rush.
He scrambled up the trees trunk, using his claws for leverage, and nestled himself on his favourite branch. There, with the sun's warm rays gently caressed him through the perpetual overcast that hung over Newroads, Jason picked up the black book hanging from his hip and opened it up.
Legacy, was a sort of autograph book given to him by R3 the Writer of Reality the powerful guardian of existence who governed the laws that bound Space and Time and leader of the No Ones. During the course of his life, Jason tended to get the people he cared about to sign the contents of the book with the golden pen hanging from his neck, Chronicle.
He was no superhero... but he could talk to the gods... and the gods talked back.
They helped him from time to time but Jason had learned not to rely on that help. He had to write his own story, as R3 put it. This was not their story to write. It was through the tutelage of the No Ones what the gods called themselves that he became so well adjusted.
... that is until Dan turned up again...
He flipped the book to the last filled page.
Warren, Kevin and Jennifer had written in it, wishing him luck as he headed to a different high school to them. Apparently, Dan wanted him to go to Newroads High where he attended instead of Starkholm which was owned by Kevin's parents.
"Despite being omniscient, I could never picture you as a Neo-Goth."
Jason nearly fell out of his tree at the sound of the artificial, metallic voice. "WHA!"
He glanced down, clutching his chest to keep his heart from leaping out of his throat.
Leaning nonchalantly against the trunk of the tree was T13 the Traveller of Time... and one of the most powerful No Ones. T13 was dressed in a long, white and gold coat similar to Jasons only there was thick, black armour concealing his entire body. Orange circuitry ran across the surface of the armour. A large helm concealed his features, a V shaped, orange visor blocking anyone from seeing his eyes. Two, triangular antennae stuck out from the sides of his head making him look a little bat-like in appearance.
"You are mad at us for bringing back your father."
"Hell yeah!" he growled before he could stop to think.
"Two points," T13 said, raising two fingers. "Firstly, keep in mind that all of this" - he made a sweeping gesture with his free hand - "_is a world of your creation, of mortal creation. While we are mortals as well, we have completed our stories. We intervene from time to time just to make sure there arent any drastic losses of life but, overall, this world is yours.
Secondly, we did nothing. We did not force your father to return nor did we force you to go with him. After all, there is a simple word that could have alleviated you of these troubles and that is no. You did not have to go with Dan Wolfe. However, you did and that speaks volumes of what you truly feel."_
...
"It also vexes you that I am right."
"Shut up."
T13 chuckled softly and turned away, gazing out into the quadrangle. "The irony is, if I were to offer to change reality back to the way it once was, you will not take me up on my offer."
Again, T13 was right.
"Stop that."
"The best you can do is make of this what you can. Your current situation may have changed but there is no way you can return to the past and undo what has been done. Regret will simply consume you otherwise. Move forward."
Jason sighed and sat back into the branch, shutting his eyes for a moment.
If there was anything he learned from growing in an orphanage, it was to move on. Accept what had happened in the past, learn from it and use those lessons in the present to forge the future.
"I've been a real ass, haven't I?"
"I believe young Connor deserves your apologies. Most only people would have cut their losses and moved on but he has remained faithfully by your side regardless of your actions. You should speak to him."
Jason opened his eyes and frowned, peeking once more over the branch down to T13. "This is unusually clear of you. Normally you go on some psychological spiel that keeps coming back to haunt me later on. Whats up?"
"Reality has changed, Jason. And as a No One, I acknowledge that I too must change to benefit it."
"Jason?"
He glanced towards the cafeteria where Connor was just emerging from, looking a little worried. When he glanced back towards T13, the No One was gone... Of course.
Sighing, he leapt down from the tree and straightened himself.
Okay... Here goes... New Reality... Fresh start... sort of...
"Hey! Connor!" he cried, waving. "Over here!"
****
The rest of the day had been less eventful but certainly more tolerable. Now that Jason had actually stopped moping and fuming, he found that his classes were quite entertaining. Following Social Studies was National Languages and then Gym.
Except... he sucked at sports.
He loved soccer and excelled at it but when it came to anything else...
... well...
"Jason!" Dan cried as Jason entered their large, double-storey house in the suburbs relatively close to Newroads High. "What happened?"
"We were playing baseball in gym," Jason answered, pulling the icepack slowly from his right eye. Dan examined it and winced. "I kept my eye on the ball."
"You need more ice on that...?"
"I'm good."
He turned and headed up the stairs, Dan on his tail.
"Jason... Is something... different?"
Jason stopped halfway up.
He was always asked that when he spoke to the No Ones.
How could you explain that you spoke to the gods and they gave you life changing advice?
Without turning towards Dan, he said, "I still havent forgiven you for what happened all those years ago, Dan. But... I figure I might as well make the best out of this situation that I can. Just... dont screw me over."
"Oh..."
Dan still followed him into his room, probably feeling like it was his duty as the father to make sure his son was okay. Jason still felt awkward having blood relations to Dan but he had been a pretty rotten person for the past three weeks to everyone... and Dan deserved a break. All his father was trying to do was make amends.
The room he was allocated was actually the masters bed room. Dan chose a smaller room. Whether that was just an attempt to buy Jasons forgiveness or just how things turned out, Jason wasnt sure. Still, his room felt as alien as it did when he first stepped in. It was all blank... barren. His meagre possessions still sat in a small, cardboard box in the corner as if he was expecting to move out any second. His small computer sat on the large wooden desk, still yet to be activated and plugged in.
Geez... Ive been living like this for three weeks...?
It was like he was just waking up from a haze... a red haze of rage.
... and he felt terrible.
"So..." Dan began, shifting his weight awkwardly. "Did you need anything, son?"
It was funny how Dan could easily call him' son' and he couldnt return the favour by calling him 'dad'.
"What's for dinner?"
"Macaroni and cheese."
Jason gagged at the memory of the previous nights dinner... and the one before that... and the one before that.... "Oh god, not again. Isn't there some shake and bake anywhere?"
Dan looked like he was blushing and he rubbed the back of his head with his right hand a nervous gesture both father and son shared. "Erm... Well... The thing is... Your mother has always been the cook in our household... She did all the shopping..."
Jason got to his feet and deposited the ice pack on his large bed. "I get it. Ill see what I can cook up."
"You can cook?"
He gave his father a faint, shaky smile. The sensation and emotion was there but his face was just so used to scowling at Dan that it was hard to break habit. "I had to pull my weight around when I was living with Jen. It was only her and her brother, you know."
Still with Dan behind him, he went back down to the first floor and rummaged through the pantry and fridge. They were low on supplies but there was enough for a few battered chicken wings with saffron rice in a sweet, coconut curry sauce. As he began to chop up the herbs and vegetables, he felt Dan hovering over his shoulder.
It was like having a slightly taller, slightly more muscular shadow over his shoulder. Everyone said just how much they looked alike. They possessed the same fur-colour, same eye-colour and same hair. The only difference was that Dan's hair was greying at the temples and there was a deep gash running downwards across his left eye. The eye worked properly but there was a scar there that never truly healed.
"Can I help with anything?"
"No," he answered. "Just go sit on the couch and watch the game or whatever it is dads do."
I'm being unusually cold again, arent I...?
... or a bitch.
"Actually..." he amended just before Dan slinked away, "I do need your help with something."
Dans eyes lit up though he tried to hide his excitement. "Sure. Anything, son."
Jason inclined his head to the side, dropping one ear while keeping the other perked a classical look of canine confusion. "What was it like...? When mom was around, I mean? Obviously I have no memory of that stuff. The gods decided i'td be funny that I be kept out of the loop. I seriously think they've been laughing at me these past three weeks."
Talking to the gods constantly as if they were human gave him a sort of sacrilegious outlook on life. The No Ones told him they didnt mind. They constantly told him they didn't care what he did or what he thought because it was his story. As long as he didn't interfere with the stories of others, they were golden.
"Not all of them would've been laughing," Dan answered softly. "But... When your mom was around... It was the happiest Ive ever been. We were complete, you know? Mother, father and son. I miss her every day..."
Jason returned to his slicing. "Too bad. Its all a memory now."
He could almost hear the dagger that plunged into Dans heart and instantly regretted it but he didnt have the strength to take back his words... mostly because they were how he felt.
"Just because its just a memory, doesnt make it true."
"Reality isn't the air your breathe, the soil you stand on or the flesh you inhabit, "Jason recited, recalling something R3 constantly drilled into him. "It's the world you see around you. It's how you see the world. Reality is subjective."
"Yeah... I guess it is..." Dan stood awkwardly at the door for a moment. "Was there anything else...?"
"Is there...?"
"Yeah, can you beat some eggs for me?"
"Erm... Okay."
They worked together to get dinner ready. It took longer than expected mostly because Dan had no idea what he was doing and Jason had to redo everything he did. Strangely, the latter didn't mind. There were a few laughs shared but they quickly died and fell back into awkward silence. Eventually, they retired to the dining room and sat on opposite ends of the long - infinitely long, it seemed - mahogany table.
Silence ruled for the most part as they ate.
"So..." Jason said, prodding his chicken with a fork." I don't suppose you heard about those two years when I was running around being the bad guy, do you?"
Dan gave him a slight smile. "I know about it..."
"Oh..."
For the short time before Jason had lived with Jennifer, he had run with the wrong crowd. A small gang that bullied and even dealt in some drugs. Some of their views rubbed off on Jason, giving him the instilled hatred for all superheroes. While Jason got out of the gang nice and early having figured out he could talk to the gods at that age he still carried that loathing around with him. No longer just a hatred for all law and order but more because the superheroes he saw in the news constantly were just massive glory-hounds that only saved people who could pay for them.
Even the Blue Wolf worked on a commission basis set by Newroads on top of an enormous salary given by the Justice Guard.
To Jason, the true heroes were the No Ones.
They let people do as they pleased, only aided and stopped when life was truly at risk and didn't even ask anything in return. The No Ones got their name because no one worshiped them. They were literally no one. Most mainstream religions didn't even acknowledge their existence and those that did pegged them for 'mischievous spirits' or 'tricksters'.
"You know..." Dan said, tearing his gaze away from Jason and regarding his half-finished meal." I was honestly surprised that you ended up going straight. I thought I'd come home to an unruly, law-hating child! And here I find myself living with a hero!"
Jason rolled his eyes. "The world doesn't need more heroes. There's already too many people running around in spandex thank you very much." He jabbed his chicken with a knife. "I just do what needs to get done. Besides, it was just something stupid... nothing really..."
Back in middle school, he nearly died when one of the students decided to go on a shooting rampage after he was constantly bullied by people bigger than him. He didn't count on Jason who could speak to gods and ran with a gang... a gang with guns.
Jason fought the guy and eventually stopped the rampage.
Ten people died that day.
Two teachers and eight students.
Jason was shaken and was on the verge of committing suicide when W7 the Blade of the World the No One that controls Souls arranged a meeting for him with the souls of the deceased. They all thanked him for stopping the deranged student and asked them to give their loved ones some messages. Jason felt like he was this kid in a distant movie he recalled about a child being a spirit medium and setting the souls of the deceased.
The title had something about the senses?
Fifth Sense?
Something along those lines.
Silence for another few seconds or so...
"To be honest..." Dan began. "I think youve got what it takes to be a superhero. You're brave, strong and you've certainly got the heart for it."
"I don't want to be a superhero," Jason interjected.
"Still... You could get some superpowers, you know. Theyre selling them now."
Jason snorted and licked his claws as he finished his meal. "I don't think the public wants a former gang member to be protecting them. Besides, the superheroes that get their powers from those places aren't that respected."
It was really a sweet deal for many companies to employ private superheroes or give super powers to people who wanted them. Each company had their own way of giving powers. There were rumours of gamma-ray exposure, a mysterious meteor from space and even beseeching the gods themselves. The companies never really told anyone how they did it.
Market competition, after all.
But supers that bought their powers were just 'cheap imitations' as many would put it.
Real supers - even Jason had to allow - got their powers complete with a rich back story.
Most superheroes got their abilities because they are really aliens from another planet sent to Enria in a last bid attempt to keep their race going and they conveniently looked like either like a human or Animarian. Or there was some sort of experiment they were involved in and they were drastically changed forever.
Or the offspring of a superhero.
Wait a second...
He thought about what he could do... Even just talking to the gods personally...
Oh god, I'm turning into a superhero!
He groaned and buried his head in his hands.
"Jase!? Whats the matter!?" Dan exclaimed.
"I just realised Im doomed to wear spandex and go around the world like a caped idiot shouting stupid catchphrases that will be plastered all over the city in billboards and cereal boxes..."
"Well... You already sort of have the cape with your coat..."
Jason straightened and stared at Dan incredulously. For as long as he remembered, he had been wearing the blue cape no, coat!
Gah!
"You think there's a clothing store open at this hour?"
****
"Jase?"
Jason beamed and Connor looked horrified. "Hey, Connor."
People were probably starting to think that he had multiple personality disorder by now. Coming to school in an entirely new wardrobe had sent so many shockwaves through the social ladder that Jason was pretty darn sure hed be ostracized for the rest of his high school career.
But here he was, dressed in a pair of blue, denim three-quarter shorts, a white muscle shirt with a silhouette of a wolfs head on the chest and a red, short-sleeved jacket trimmed with yellow. A white scarf was wrapped around his neck, the long, silky ends billowing right beside his wagging tail.
And he also got a haircut.
The messy, black hair had been transformed into a short, upswept style with a golden forelock.
"When did all this happen?" Connor asked, dumbstruck.
"Between five and six this morning," Jason replied with a shrug, still grinning. He couldnt help it. Everyone was so shocked. "I had to toss a bucket of water onto Jen to wake her up but it all worked out. He placed his knuckled against his hips, flexing. Being quite athletic already and rock-hard abs that many of the football players yearned for the fabric strained slightly.
Whatcha think?"
"You should be a jock... "Connor murmured. He shook his head. "Erm, I mean, you should join the football team. Im sure Coach wouldnt mind if you didn't try out..."
Connor was on Newroad Highs football team, being the wide receiver. While shorter tiger was starting to show signs of a developing build, he was nowhere near as bulky as the other football players... or Jason.
"Nah, I may be canine but I dont have a ball fetish," Jason answered." Come on, well be late for math."
Jason spent the day being far more social than he had been in the past three weeks, making up for the damage he had done to his social standing. The berth that everyone gave him was startling to close in and people were bumping into him and apologising instead of giving a soft squeak and running off as fast as they could.
When Social Studies came around...
"Mr. Wolfe," Mr. Laurence began. "Care to deliver your report?"
Jasons heart plummeted.
Aw crap!
In the hustle and bustle of the previous night, he had completely forgotten to do his report!
"Erm..."
Great... Here comes another F...
I bet Dan will have a few choice words for me...
And now that he was actually rebuilding the relationship with his father, he was unsure if he could cope with a berating.
He was just about to deliver an excuse about how a monstrous dog mutated by some supervillain ate his homework when -
He caught something from the periphery of his vision.
"Hey... Is that the Blue Wolf?"
"Oh no, Mr. Wolfe. I am not falling for that again. You report?"
"I'm serious!" Jason exclaimed, peering through the window. "On the football field! Look!"
Everyone did... and everyone saw.
The Blue Wolf with his golden briefcase was facing off against some creature of pure shadow.
Mr. Laurence was the first out the window not the door, the window. He charged through the glass and bolted straight for the football field. No one else followed his example and chose the conventional way to get to the field.
Jason was silently hoping this would prove to be an ample distraction... and if worse came to worse, he could always make the excuse that he was so taken by the events on the football field that he decided to come up with a report about the Blue Wolf on the fly. Laurence would probably give him an A if he didn't bag mouth the superhero.
"Oh boy! "Connor exclaimed, bouncing right beside him as they bolted through the hallways.
Other teachers were poking their heads out of the hallways and asking what the ruckus was about. When mention of the Blue Wolf came about, they didnt hesitate the join the crowd.
"We get to see an actual superhero in action!" Connor squealed.
"Sounds to me like this is your first time."
"It isn't for you?"
Remembering the comic books on his shelf which he still left untouched, he said, "In real life. Seen them in comics."
Jason and Connor were the second to reach the football field Laurence was the first. The Blue Wolf lashed out with his golden briefcase and the gold transformed and shifted into a large bazooka.
BOOM!
The explosion hit the grandstands and just went through the shadowy figure.
This doesnt look good...
The shadow lunged forward and completely encased the Blue Wolf.
"No!" Mr. Laurence cried. "I'll save you, Blue Wolf!"
Oh you've got to be kidding...
The balding man was taken into the shadows alongside the Blue Wolf.
"For a Justice Guard, he kinda sucks..." Jason observed.
"Do something!" Connor exclaimed. Countless others were crying and cheering on the Blue Wolf. It was kind of sad no one thought about reaching into their pockets and calling someone.
"Why me?" Jason retorted. "I'm just a kid!"
A kid who can talk to the gods...
He could just feel the eyes of the thirteen No Ones on him.
Oh, fine.
Jason bolted forward just a short distance away from the shadow. He leapt into the air and began waving wildly.
"Hey! Ugly! Look at me! I'm the Blue Wolf without the costume!" It seemed a logical assumption. They looked relatively the same except that the Blue Wolf had black wings on his back. "Come and get me!" He stuck out his tongue at the creature.
Whatever that shadow was let out a tremendous roar and lunged towards him.
"Yipe!" he yelped and bolted down towards the ruined grandstands. He checked over his shoulder to see if Mr. Laurance or the Blue Wolf had been deposited. No such luck. It seemed that this creature, whatever it was, was dragging the two along with it.
Damn... Okay, gotta go somewhere out of sight.
He leapt into the debris of the grandstands, heading into the underside of the structure...
... and froze.
Dead end.
The shadow creature seeped into the stands.
He glanced up at the sky between the bleachers. "Aw come on! Give me a break here!"
Crrack!
One of the rows above their heads snapped and dropped onto the creature. It just went right through.
Not exactly what I had in mind...
Jason backed away, pressing his back against the rear of the grandstand. The creature was rapidly advancing. He shut his eyes and prayed, begged, the No Ones to do something. A soft growl escaped the creatures shadowy mass and he could feel it creeping towards him, a foul, rotten stench filling his nostrils. His tail tucked between his legs and he had to fight hard not to wet himself...
...then...
"Hrmmm... Curious."
Jason dared to open eye one.
The beast was staring back and he saw the shadows slowly reform into the visage of a jet-black lion with a mane of twisting, curling shadows. The Blue Wolf and Mr. Laurence lay behind the powerfully built creature... that was completely nude. Jason had to fight hard not to look at the nether regions of the fearsome creature... but he was having just as much difficulty keeping his gaze on the monsters eyes.
"Hmmm..." the lion rumbled. "Boy... What is your name?"
Jason squeaked.
"Hmmm..." A big, broad grin crossed the lions features, looking impossibly wide. Sharp, white fangs glistened against the darkness of his body. "Do I scare you boy? That is good. Fear separates the men from the maggots."
Sirens and the thump-thump of a helicopter filled the air and the lion glanced over his shoulder with a scowl.
"Bah... Maggots." The creature turned back towards Jason. "Hmmm... We shall meet again, boy. But tell this hero when he wakes up that Bane Bloodbath is far from done with this city."
Jason just whimpered.
The lion exploded into a cloud of black shadow that dissipated into the light.
When the last, black particle had vanished, Jason felt his knees go weak and he collapsed to the ground, eyes wide. He was even barely aware of tears rolling down his cheek, being soaked into his black fur.
Everything was a daze... Not the same red, hot daze of his raging days... a daze of black fear... marred by two, burning, red eyes....
But amidst all that darkness... he couldn't stop thinking about his dad...
****
"Jason!"
Dan came running out of his sleek, black convertible, leaping over the doors and bolting up the football field. Jason was sitting on the back of an ambulance with a blanket over him. Even if it was just entering autumn and the temperature was still relatively warm, Jason felt so bitterly cold. The hot chocolate wasnt helping either.
Some police officers stopped Dan from getting through.
"I'm his father! Let me through!"
They did and Dan came skidding to a halt in front of Jason, kneeling in front of his son.
"Are you alright? Are you hurt?"
He shook his head.
Dan threw his arms around Jason, holding him tight. It didnt bother him that scalding hot chocolate had just spilled over his clothes. "Oh god... Dont ever scare me like that again!" He pulled away, holding Jason at arms length. "What were you thinking going in like that? You could've been killed!"
He must've gotten word of what happened from the news...
There were countless news crews already onsite, many of them interviewing any witnesses. Some had tried to interview him but the Justice Guard argued against it, Warhorse bellowing that he be left alone. So they targeted the students instead. Blue Wolf was gone, whisked away in the Justice Guard helicopter.
"I thought the Blue Wolf needed help, "Jason offered meekly.
Dan gave him a shaky smile. "I thought you hated superheroes."
Painfully aware that the towering Warhorse was just around the corner, Jason said, "Hate is such a strong word..."
"You dont like supers, kid?"
His heart sank.
Warhorse peeked around the corner of the ambulance. The titan was last recorded at eight feet tall and reports suggested he continued to grow. An equine bursting with tremendous muscle, Warhorse was one of the global superheroes who extended their reach beyond just the one city and all over the planet. He was well known.
Really well known.
The red and blue spandex costume he wore left nothing to the imagination either...
Jason had to work hard not to look at his crotch.
"Erm... Just... Dont like them as much as everyone else."
Warhorse grinned sportingly. "From what I hear, you certainly got the guts for the job. Maybe not the power but the courage. Bet you'd make a good protector of Newroads."
"I bet I'd make an even better cab driver," Jason answered, feeling his aversion to supers creep up again.
"Don't sell yourself short, kid," Warhorse laughed, patting his shoulder. "The sheer force of the gesture almost shoved Jason off the ambulance. Anyone can be a super."
"Right... So if everyone's super, then no one's special."
****
Jason was excused from classes for the rest of the day. His father was fussing over making sure he wasn't psychologically traumatised and only now accepted the schools offers to let him see a psychologist.
His first appointment was tomorrow.
"Wow... You must be really screwed up."
He was sitting in the large tree that had grown in the backyard of their household. Often, he had retreated into this private sanctuary and his father could never find him. Looking at the entire home, Jason realised that their family was actually quite well off... and he should be more appreciative of his father...
Right now...
"I'm here, sitting in a tree, talking to a god," he said. "If I'm not crazy, I'm a prophet."
H2 the Harbinger of Havoc and the No One that governed Chaos rubbed his chin thoughtfully. It was impossible to truly tell what H2 looked like. It was impossible for most of the No Ones since all of them hid their features somehow. H2 was covered in head to toe with red-black belts making him look like a walking mummy. There was even a cape made of belts that hung from his shoulders. Only a single, yellow eye was exposed to the elements as well as his short, white hair.
"Hmmm... Prophet. The Prophet... That sounds like a pretty fitting superhero alias, dont you think?"
"Ugh...Don't go there."
"I honestly don't see why you hate superheroes so much, Jason," H2 said with a shrug. He leaned against the trunk of the tree and sat down at the roots. "They're doing good even if it is for monetary gain. There are even some out there who have mild-mannered alter-egos... of course those dont necessarily last but the intention is there."
"So you're saying that if I destroy the world with the best of intentions, I'm still good?"
"Depends on the situation, but yeah."
Jason realised H2 was really the worst person to be talking about destroying the world. The No One was mostly involved in creating anarchy for the purpose of expansion. The No One often joked that it was him who caused the extinction of the dinosaurs to allow evolution for humans and Animarians. And all those civil wars and revolutions... all H2.
"I don't even have any powers."
"You can pray really hard."
Jason rolled his eyes. "Great. So as the world is about to come to an end, I bend down on one knee, clasp my hands together, close my eyes, bow my head and utter a silent pray. Then, a beam of light cuts through the dark veil of evil and focuses upon me like a spotlight of heaven. The armies of heaven charges in, defeat the bad guys and I give some heart-warming speech about how the gods are always looking out for us.
"Is that what you were thinking?"
"That... and the fact that your death will probably be caused by the gods betraying you... Maybe some climactic battle at the end of the world where you sacrifice yourself for all mortals and thus teaching the gods that mortality is indeed worth saving." H2 shrugged. "I don't really know. T13 is the one that can see into the future. Not me. I just make the present hell."
"Yeah... I'll bet."
A thought occurred to Jason.
"Hey, who was Bane Bloodbath anyway?"
"A Malefactor."
Not exactly clearing anything up here...
"Can I get something more?"
"Sure."
...
Jason sighed. "May I get something more?"
H2 chuckled. "A Malefactor is a person that has become so consumed by a single ideal that they have become that ideal itself. They feed on that one ideal. Bane, for example, epitomises fear."
Jason recalled Bane mentioning about how fear separated men from maggots.
"Malefactors will find someone and sink their fangs into them. Slowly, that person will have the ideal that the Malefactor feeds on grow within them until they become a physical representation of that ideal much like the Malefactor... only smaller and weaker. They become Malefic. Troops for the Malefactors.
Jason felt fear grip him... and remembered that Bane epitomised fear and feared he would become a Malefic and -
H2 laughed. "Don't worry. You're not infected. Bane can't touch you."
"Why not?"
"Duh, because of us. Bane can kill you but no Malefactor can touch someone blessed by the No Ones."
"Oh... Well..." Then Jason remembered the Blue Wolf and Mr. Laurence. "Wait, what about the other two that were attacked?"
H2 shrugged. "Possibly."
Jason had no love for superheroes or Mr. Laurence for that matter but he was worried. Regardless of what their occupation was and how they thought of him, they were people too. If there was something he could do to help them, then he would.
"Is there any way to stop them from turning into Malefic?"
"Either stop them from displaying that ideal that the Malefactors represent, kill the Malefactors or..
."
He didn't like how H2 was pausing.
"Or...?"
"Or kill them."
Jason froze. He wasn't sure if he could kill anyone. Sure he acted tough when he was in the gang but even after that nutjob in middle school shot up ten people, he couldn't bring himself to kill the guy.
"Are they that much of a problem...?"
H2 shrugged. "Nothing the superheroes can't handle. Try not to worry your average little head over it. Just worry about making it through high school alive."
"How am I average if I'm talking to you?"
H2 shrugged and stood up. I dont know. "Could be that this is all in your head and were just imaginary friends you concocted to cope with the fact that your mother died when you were four and you were abandoned by your father. You did cope very well, you know."
Suddenly, Jason was afraid again.
"Wait... Am I just crazy?"
"Jason!"
He glanced towards the house and could see his fathers silhouette move from room to room in the windows looking for him. H2 was already gone so he quickly hurried back into the house.
"Here, Dan!"
Dan came rushing down to the kitchen where he waited. There was a baked lasagne on the counter. The look of relief on Dans face was confusing.
"Something the matter?" he asked.
"Just thought you disappeared, thats all," Dan said, trying to still his heavy breathing. "Hey, dinner's up."
"So I see..." Jason responded, regarding the lasagne. He picked up a fork from the cupboard and jabbed it into the middle of the lasagne. When he pulled it back out, the end of the fork was stone-cold.
"Erm... Dad... It's still not cooked."
"What?" Dan exclaimed, grabbing a knife and cutting through the middle. "It's been in the oven for over thirty minutes!"
"How long was it supposed to be in there for?"
Forty-five but I figured if I put the oven up to full blast, it'll cook quicker.
Jason chuckled. "Never works out that way, dad. Come on, lets just get a bit each and microwave the bits individually. It'll be quicker."
Dan seemed really disappointed.
Jason supposed that after having his son nearly taken from him, Dan must have wanted to act like the real father.
Suddenly, his father straightened, a frown on his face. The blue eyes they shared locked with his.
"Did you just call me dad?"
...
Jason felt a smile tug at the corner of his lips but he still couldnt smile properly. "Yeah... I guess I did."
****
Vice-principal Norwood was probably the last person Jason wanted to see just before he entered his first session with the schools psychologist. The big, imposing man had a big, round gut that looked like had filled with the countless degenerates that he threw into detention every week. Jason was sure he could hear a couple of them screaming now...
But it always annoyed Norwood that Jason managed to avoid detention. It was a well-known fact that Jason had run with a gang and had saved his school once before. However, Norwood only focused on the gang bit and forgot the saving hundreds of lives part. The vice-principal had his sights marked on Jason from day one and it was probably a triumph for him knowing that the one that got away was finally going to be reformed.
"Finally gonna get something out of you, Wolfe," Norwood huffed, grinning broadly.
Jason didnt reply with more than a soft, 'Yes, Sir' and entered the office of Mrs. LeTombe... a cobra. The instant she saw her, sitting behind her desk with a pair of sunglasses on despite being indoors he had the sneaking suspicion she was a super in disguise and used her mesmerising stare to enthral her students into submission.
I'm having second thoughts about this...
She looked up just as Norwood shut the door behind him.
Uh-oh...
"Ah, Jasssson. Pleassse, have a sssseat."
She gestured with a long, manicured hand at the steel chair sitting in front of her. There was a part of him that suspected the instant he sat down, metal restraints would pop out of the armrests and legs of the chair, pinning him to the chair.
"Um... Okay..."
He sat down but kept his hands on his lap to make sure he didn't get pinned down.
"Now," LeTombe said, slowly taking off her sunglasses.
Dont look! Dont look!
He looked.
No! My free will!
My soul!
"Jassson, how have you be adjusssting to Newroadsss High sssschool?" she asked, worriedly. "I underssstand thisss isss a ssstep up from what youre ussed to."
Jason raised one eyebrow. "What?" he asked.
LeTombe opened a file on her desk. It actually looked quite thick. "It sssayss here that you previousssly went to Arkton Middle Ssschool, yesss?"
"Erm... Yes..." He had to stop himself from extending the 's' sound in his words.
"Hmmm... How are your classsess? Not too hard?"
He realised that she was taking him from some out-of-town hick!
Arkton wasnt exactly known for the intelligent students they pumped out but it gave Jason a time he wouldnt trade for the world! Hell, Kevin Riley son of a highly wealthy man went to Arkton...! Though that was only to annoy his parents and it was part of his third runaway attempt...
"I think theyre stupid," Jason answered truthfully. LeTombes bright, green eyes lit up. "I can do pre-calc in my sleep. My Social Studies teacher is biased and would go to bed with any superhero that asked! National Languages Im okay with."
"And gym?"
...
"I suck at sports."
"Ah..." LeTombe regarded the file again. "Contrary to that... Thisss sssayss you can be quite agile when you want to. Many recommendationsss from many ssuperss.."
Jason felt like he had just been kicked in the gut. "What?"
"Ever sssince that incident at Arkton lassst year, ssseveral sssuperheroess have taken an interessst in you."
He dearly wished she would stop dragging out her 's' sounds. He was on the verge of doing it himself.
"They have?"
"Yesss... Warhorsssse for one. The Blue Wolf too." She regarded him curiously. "What isss your opinion on sssuperheroess?"
"I hate them."
"Hmmm..." She closed his file. "Well, Jassson, Im ssstarting to think that your classsesss dont sssuit you at all."
Hallelujah!
"Thatsss why Im putting you in the remedial classesss."
WHAT!?
"What!?"
"You've been failing your Ssssocial Ssstudies classess and your math classess as well."
"But I know I keep getting the answers in math right!"
"You're cheating."
Jason was livid. He never cheated! People cheated off him!
"I dont' -"
LeTombe lifted her hand, demanding silence. :I've made my decissssion. Thisss is your new classss ssschedule." She handed him a slip of paper. "I will sseee you the ssssame time next week. Have a nice day."
Jason shot to his feet, fuming with rage. "Why don't you just shove - "
Someone grabbed his arm and yanked him towards the door.
"That's all, Wolfe," Norwood growled, unable to hide the sheer joy in his voice. "Come on, to your new classess."
Someone kill me now...
And yet... the No Ones didnt answer.
****
WHAM!
Jason stormed up the stairs and he got halfway up before Dan poked his head out from the lounge.
"Jason? Is something wrong?"
Every ounce of him wanted to spin around and roar at his father... It didnt matter what he roared... just... Anything, really. But, he reigned himself in and turned around. His claws were digging into his palms, drawing blood but he ignored it.
"I just got put into the remedial classes."
Dan took a few seconds to register that.
His roar shook the entire house and actually caused a vase to fall off a table and shatter on the floor.
"WHAT!?"
Jason suddenly felt like a puppy again.
"Erm... I'm failing Social Studies and the say I'm cheating in math. I guess because I was involved in a gang as well they think... well... They think I'm bad news."
Dan was on a rampage and made a beeline for the phone.
"D - Dad!" Jason cried, scrambling after him. "What are you -?"
"I am going to call your principal and I am going to give him a piece of my mind!" Dan roared, jamming his fingers into the phone. Jason jump back in horror when the receiver snapped in Dans hand. His father snarled and threw the phone at the wall, shattering it to bits. "No son of mine is going to be put in some remedial class!"
"Dad, I -"
There was no stopping him.
All Jason could do was watch his father snatch the upstairs phone, dial the schools number and roar into the receiver for what seemed like an eternity. He sat in his room, shaking with every boom from his father's voice.
"Wow... He seems mad."
V10 the Valiant and the No One that controlled the Mind hovered listlessly in the air on her back. She was one of the stranger No Ones Jason had met. Her entire body was made of some sort of organic metal. It was like her entire skin was made of the strange, black steel. Circuitry ran through her entire, nude body and her face was completely featureless save of the two, electric-yellow eyes she possessed. When she spoke, it was like she was speaking directly into his brain.
"He's just pissed that I'm such a screw-up."
"Don't you think its funny how when youre really bad, you get punished and even when youre really good, you still get punished?"
That was basically this situation in a nutshell.
Jason was failing Social Studies... and he got perfect marks in math... People just couldnt accept that was just how he was. So... they thought he was cheating...
"I'm not laughing..."
"Jason," V10 said, swimming through the air until she was right in front of him, peering up at him until they were almost nose to muzzle. "People will screw you over. It's a fact of life. In order to progress in this world, someone has to fail. The problem with you, is that you're pushing yourself to fail. What you need to do is stop looking at where you've been and start looking to where youre going."
He regarded her curiously. "Huh... T13 said pretty much the same thing..."
"Did he now?" V10 straightened, rubbing her chin. "Huh... I must be catching up to the old bat..." She regarded him with mirth in her eyes. "You know, I think you understand that you're not at all like everyone else, right?"
"I can talk to the gods."
"Right. But you're even more special than that, youre just not admitting it to yourself and that's what's troubling you."
He was confused. "What?"
She suddenly swept up right next to him, rubbing her naked breasts against his chest and nuzzling his neck. Blood rushed to his cheeks as she slid her arm up and down his thigh.
"Well... If you can't get excited when you get a naked woman pressed right up to you, you're very different."
He realised what she meant.
"Wh- What!? I -I'm not -"
She laughed and drifted back. "Jason, there is no use lying to someone who governs the minds of all mortals." She winked at him. "Just keep this in mind, okay? You can't start moving forward unless you know how to move your feet."
His room was suddenly filled with blinding light as the door open.
V10 was gone but his dad stood in the doorway.
"Jason, I spoke with the principal," Dan reported. There was a shaky grin on his face. "He said none of this went through him and it sounds like the vice-principal just made a call without consulting him or going through the proper channels. He said you can go back to your normal classes. But youve got to start picking up your grades."
Jason returned his own shaky grin. "I- I will dad, thanks."
Dan inclined his head to the side and frowned. "Is something wrong, Jason?"
Erm...
"Just wondering, Dad... Uh... How did you and mom meet?"
Dan got a strange, distant look on his face. "In high school, actually... She was beautiful... a reporter for the school newspaper. Really smart and a little shy."
"I heard you were the star quarterback for the school," Jason said, trying to force his mind away from what V10 had told him.
Im not...
Im not g -
He couldn't even get himself to say the word in his head.
It was like something in his subconscious was stopping him.
... because its true...?
He froze up.
Oh god... I am...
Now that he thought about it... All those mens fitness magazines he had stashed away... When he looked up explicit material, he was always more interested in the guy than the girl... And when he worked out, he had to hide the boner he got when he watched Kevins muscles flexing.
"Jason?"
"D- Dad..." he whimpered, feeling his heart about ready to explode. It felt like if the gods knew, the whole world knew. He just needed something to tell him that he wasnt really what he thought he was... someone.
Dan sat down right beside him and the sheer proximity of another male made him instantly yelp and leap to the other side of the bed.
"What's wrong?" Dan asked, completely worried.
Um...
Jason couldn't look his father in the eye... So he went directly to his fathers footpaws...
Wow theyre big...
He wondered how such big paws could be proportional to his fathers face... So he checked.
Damn!
His dad's eyes were so worried...
Jason looked back down... Those footpaws were actually pretty proportional... especially attached to those thick, muscular calves. He felt a lump in his throat as he turned away from the sight and found himself staring at his fathers large, biceps.
Crap!
Everywhere he looked or averted his gaze, he only found more of his fathers body. From the broad thighs Dan had built over his football years, the wide shoulders, luscious muscular pecs and abs that put his own to shame.
Some part of him begged to look in the opposite direction.
But there was another part that was much bigger and much more in control.
"Jason... Is something wrong with your eyes?"
"D-Dad..." he stammered.
Dan moved closer. They were side by side now and Jason had no escape. Their bodies were pressed up against one another and the warmth from his body was seeping into him, urging him to give in to his hormones.
I... I cant...
"Dad... I... "Tears began welling up in his eyes.
Comprehension suddenly filled Dans eyes and his father sighed, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and holding him tighter.
"Jason... I think... I think I understand."
Somehow... I doubt it...
"You do...?" Jason asked, barely keeping in his sobs.
"Yeah..." Dan locked gazes with his son. "I do."
Jason would remember the next few seconds for the rest of his life.
Those few seconds when his lips and those of his fathers locked.
****
"Wooohooo!"
"He shoots! He scores!"
"Pay up, D8."
"Damnit..."
R3 the Writer of Reality watched with amusement from his throne as the remaining No Ones cheered over outcome. A small smile crossed his features as his sapphire-blue eyes with pupils shaped like eight-pointed stars watched as Jason Wolfe and his father extended their kiss into something... a little more intimate.
The reactions of the No Ones were just as amusing.
Many were rather conservative in their views... others, more liberal.
R3 didn't care.
The lives of mortals was not theirs to tamper with... unless it was absolutely necessary.
If this was what made those two happy, who was he to argue?
He turned the book resting on the armrest of his throne, that smile growing ever so slightly.
"Who wants me to read the next chapter?" he asked loudly.
"Ssssh!" L4 the Liaison of Life snapped. Her eyes widened. "Oooh! Thats creative."
R3 rolled his eyes and regarded the contents of his book.
"Your story has just begun, Jason Wolfe. Try not to screw it up."