Chapter Five (Aidan)
My head is killing me, everything is killing me, and I don't even know where the hell I am, right now. The sound of screaming and laughing though, starts to gain my attention and I manage to get to my knees slowly, but everything is too blurry to see anything clearly. The screaming though, that was starting to get clearer and clearer, I could hear something being repeated over and over again.
Then I hear it loud and clear and suddenly everything becomes clearer, and it's as if time started to stand still. I could hear her shouting his name over and over again, and I knew Lily was here, and I knew something had happened to Riley. So I slowly got to my feet, and the first thing I see is the guy that attacked me from behind, the guy who called himself Painbringer. It was such a shit name, and he was about to find out what pain was all about.
"What, the fu..." He begins to say, after I grabbed his arm and spun him around, but before he can even finish talking. I put my hands on his head and twist it to the side, snapping it and letting him drop to the ground. I rarely ever killed, in fact, I could probably count the amount, on the one hand, not counting accidental deaths, those happen, they suck, but it happens. This though, this was me killing someone and right now, I couldn't care less and slowly walked towards Lily, and where I presumed, Riley was.
"You killed him. You fucking killed him." I then hear someone say, but I didn't care, that prick wouldn't care, and he got what he deserved. "You fucking killed my friend. You fucking piece of shit." The guy then says, and I didn't have to be facing him, to know that he was angry and upset. I just didn't care though and even though it was a little bit of a shock to see, not only who was speaking, but how shocked he was. I still didn't feel bad.
"If you don't fuck off, Baine. You're next." I state firmly and while I would never talk like this normally. I was dead serious right now and didn't have time for this. I could hear Lily crying and saying Riley's name over and over again, and I knew he was dead, I could only hear one heartbeat from that direction, and it was Lily's, and I needed to be there, I had to be there.
"You couldn't take me before, Hero, and look at you now. We must have fucked you up really bad if you think you could kill me." He then says in response, and I will give him credit, he sounded confident and sure of himself. He was also right, I wasn't really in much of a condition to fight, but Riley was dead, and this bastard killed him. This fucking bastard, killed my best friend, my brother and he was going to pay, and it was going to hurt.
So without saying anything, I walk towards him. Well, it was more of a stagger, I was hurt and exhausted, but I was also angry, and I could feel the adrenaline pumping through my body and unfortunately for Baine. He was just too dumb to run, and he actually met me half way and attempted to take my head off with a massive right hook, but I saw it coming from a mile away and quickly ducked and moved around him. I doubt he even knew what was happening before I crushed his knee with a heavy stomp on it.
The big guy, may have been one of the toughest Empowered, but he still felt pain, and evidently, he screamed like a child, as he slumped down on to his side, cradling his knee. "You should have left when you had the chance, Baine. It would have only brought you a couple of days, but it's a couple of more days, that you will never see." I decide to say, as I slowly circle around him. I wasn't a killer and despite what I had just done to Painbringer and what Baine had done to Riley. I was a little calmer now, and the adrenaline was wearing off.
So it wasn't as simple as just snapping his neck or hurting him as much as possible, not anymore and I quietly cursed myself for not just getting it over and done with, a few minutes ago. "You're pathetic, Hero. You don't have the balls." I then hear him say, and straight away, I feel the anger return and quickly crouch down and take hold of his head. Although unlike Painbringer, I hesitate long enough, for Baine to reach up and grab my arms.
"You don't have the balls. I killed someone you obviously know, and you don't have the balls, you're a fucking..." Baine then starts to say, but he never gets to finish what he was going to say. He might be strong, but I was stronger, and it was as easy as it was, to snap Painbringer's neck. Only this time, it left a sick taste in my mouth. Yes, he killed Riley, but I was looking directly into his eyes, I saw the lights go out, and I don't think I will ever forget it. Maybe I shouldn't be able to forget it.
Letting Baine fall from hands and to the ground, I take one last look at him, before turning back towards Lily and Riley. She had stopped saying his name now, although as I made my way over to them slowly, started to notice the other people around, people I actually knew, and I could see the unsure looks on their faces. The looks of understanding, the looks of shock and even fear, they saw what I did, they knew what I did, but they didn't know why.
They didn't know who I really was. They didn't know I was that little kid that they had seen grow up, the little kid whose parents abused him and treated him like shit, and they didn't know that I was Riley's best friend and that I just killed the bastard that killed him. They just saw Hero, the first and most powerful Empowered, kill two other Empowered, and I could tell that some of them didn't approve, that some of them, would probably be afraid of me and never see me as a Hero again. But none of that mattered, not now, not as I approached the only family I had left. It would just be Lily and me now, she was all I had left and I barely even registered the fact, that she was actually wearing a costume, as I knelt beside her and looked at my best friend, my brother. The only person I ever truly loved, and he was gone, and he was never going to come back.
It was just so surreal to look at him, he sort of looked peaceful, in a weird way. His eyes might have been bloody and bruised, but they seemed okay, and he didn't really look like he had… "What happened, Lily? What did Baine do to him?" I suddenly hear myself saying, as I interrupt my own train of thought. I didn't actually see or really hear what had happened and I needed to know. All I remember was that Baine was holding Riley up by his head and then Lily turned up. Then I must have blacked out because the next thing I heard was Lily screaming and knowing where Baine and Riley were standing and where Riley was now, it didn't make sense. I had no idea what I was thinking or what I was slowly realizing, but something wasn't right, and I needed to know, I needed to figure this out.
"What?" Lily quickly asks, and I could tell that she wasn't in the right frame of mind. I couldn't blame her, but I needed to know because Riley was just a normal boy, he wasn't an Empowered and if Baine had thrown or smacked him across the street and into a building. He would be crumpled and mangled, not just laying on the ground like he was. Sure, he was bruised, and his left arm and leg looked broken, and he had blood everywhere, by the looks of it. But I knew how hard Baine could hit, and it hurt and left bruises. So there is no way, that Riley would come out of this like he was. "Lily, just tell me, what did Baine do to him?" I quickly repeat as I look at her sadly. This must be so hard for her. It was hard enough for me, and all I wanted to do was hold and cradle him in my arms. So what she must be thinking, it must be a million times worse.
"Just answer the question, Lily. Please?" I then have to add, as I practically plead with her to explain what happened. While at the same time, taking the hand of Riley, that wasn't broken and holding my fingers over his wrist. It was a long shot, and there was a part of me that was aware of how ridiculous this was and that I had to accept that he was gone, but I couldn't help it. If there was a chance, even if it was minuscule, I wasn't going to give up on him.
"He lifted him up, and let him go and hit him across the road and into the wall, Aidan. Are you happy, are you fucking happy now, Aidan? Are you?" She then almost screams in response, and while her words hurt me, there was real hatred in them. I needed to know, and she would understand, I knew she would. Right now though, Riley was more important, and as I looked to where Baine had been standing with Riley, and where he was laying now, something wasn't right.
I could see the impact on the wall, and while it meant that Baine didn't use his full force. Riley's body should be mangled, in fact, even as I looked at him now, something was off, I just had no idea what it was. "Lily, if you or me, got smacked across the road, we might look like this. Maybe not as bad, but Riley is normal, Lily, he isn't an Empowered. He should be unrecognizable. He should just be..." I then start to respond, but before I can finish, Lily quickly interrupts me, and I just trail off.
"He's dead, Aidan. It doesn't matter if he's mangled up and unrecognizable, he's dead and nothings going to change that. You hear me, Aidan. He's…" She starts to say but trails off as I embrace her. Seeing her so distressed and breaking down, was just too much, and she wasn't wrong. I couldn't feel a pulse, as I held Riley's wrist, there was nothing.
"I know, but what if..." I then begin to say quietly, but quickly trail off, as I feel her pushing me back and looking at me sharply. "I know, Lily. I fucking know, but just look at him. You're Empowered as well, Lily, so just look at him and tell me that something isn't wrong. Tell me that he looks exactly the same, as when you first came over here. Just look at him, Lily. Please." I quickly plead with her. I know that I was clutching at straws and if I were an onlooker, seeing this unfold, I would be feeling sorry for me. I would pity me and hope that they just accepted what had happened.
But I wasn't an onlooker, and I wasn't just anyone. I was Hero, I was the strongest Empowered and even as I looked at my seemingly dead best friend. Something wasn't right, something was off and even though I couldn't explain it or begin to even process it. Something was happening, and I had to know that I wasn't the only one who could see it, I had to know that I didn't imagine it and that I wasn't having some kind of emotional breakdown. I had to know.
"Aidan, he's gone." I hear her respond, but even as she speaks, I see her looking at Riley and not just a quick look. She was studying him, and even though it could have just been her looking at her dead little brother and mourning him, I think she was actually doing as I asked and I could see her expression change a little bit. "He's still dead, Aidan." She then says in a sad tone and despite wanting to respond straight away. I embrace her instead. We may not have been seeing eye to eye recently, but none of that mattered now. Riley was what was important and her grief. Our grief was real, and we were both experiencing it.
"Lily, you don't heal, when you're dead." I then say, after slowly releasing her. I wasn't sure what I was really saying, but if she saw the same thing I had, then I didn't imagine it, and I wasn't going to ignore it, not without at least seeing what it meant. "I don't know what is happening, but you see it too. You see it too, Lily, I know you do." I then add, deciding just to come out and say it. Not that I knew what this all meant, but I had to believe, it meant something.
"He has no pulse, Aidan. I saw you check for yourself. He's gone, Aidan." She responds back and while I appreciated her trying to comfort me because she was. I knew I had to keep pushing, even if she got angry with me. It was Riley, and he would never give up on me, and I wasn't going to give up on him. "Aidan, please stop. I want him to be alive. He's my little brother, and it's my job to protect him, and I failed. I want him back more than anything, but he's gone, Aidan. He's gone." She then adds, and it would have been so easy to give in and just let her hold me and comfort me, but I couldn't do it.
"Maybe he might be an Empowered, Lily, you are, and you're his sister. So maybe it's now kicking in, and he will be okay, he's healing, Lily. We can both see it." I quickly state almost pleadingly. I knew that once she made her mind up about something, it was almost impossible to change it. I just had to hope that Riley's life, would be enough for her to listen to me.
"Are you able to get him to the Facility?" She then asks, and I couldn't help but be a shocker. Not that I wasn't hoping she would come round to what I was saying, but because she questioned whether I could get him there or not. Of course, I could. "Aidan, don't give me that look. You're exhausted and hurt." I then hear her say and despite wanting to protest. Hearing her say it, I suddenly realized, just how tired I was and I was hurt, and as I brought my hand up, after inspecting the injury, it was covered in blood, and I knew it was my own.
"I can still take him, Lily. I can do it for him." I then say, after looking around and then back towards her. I knew one of us would have to stay and clear up, and with no other Empowered turning up, one of us had to do it and to be honest. I didn't know if I was up to it and add in the fact that I didn't want to stay here, as the people silently judged me, for killing Baine's team, well, Baine and Painbringer. I wasn't sure about the other two, they hadn't returned to the fight, so they were either dead, knocked out, or they ran.
"Take him and don't leave his side, Aidan. If you have anyone look at your injuries, have them do it in the same room." Lily then says, and I quickly let out a sigh of relief. I knew it would make me look a little weak, but I couldn't help it, and from her expression, I think she knew why I was relieved and she wasn't judging me for it. "I know that I don't have to say it, Aidan, but I am both of yours, legal guardian. So just listen and do as I say." She then says with a forced smile. Which, given the circumstances, was probably all that either of us could manage right now.
"I will keep him safe, I promise, Lily." I quickly respond and although that was never in question, as far as I was concerned. I understood why she said it and it just showed how much she loved Riley and trusted me. I then turn my attention to Riley and carefully and as gently as I could, lifted him up and held him in my arms. He felt cold against my skin, and that worried me, but he also looked a little better, he still wasn't breathing or moving, but he definitely looked better.
"I know that it's our headquarters, Aidan, but don't let him out of your sight. I don't care what anyone tries to tell you unless it's me in person, don't leave him alone." She then says, after surprising me by grabbing my arm. I could hear and see how serious she was and I couldn't help but wonder what was going on, and I think back to the last week and what had happened. They had to be connected, and I started to wonder if the Facility, might not be what I thought it was, much like the realization that Lily wasn't the person I had thought she was.
I then study her for a few more moments, as I try to understand what she was telling me and processing what it means for the future. If she didn't trust them with Riley, then something was off, something big, and needed to find out what that was. "Understood, Lily." I then find myself saying, and I can see straight away that my response caught her off guard. It wasn't something I had done on purpose, but her reaction was clear, although she only nodded in response. I knew that she understood that things were different now and that I wanted answers, I just had to hope so didn't just feed me more lies.
With nothing else to say to each other, I make sure that I have Riley firmly in my grip, take one more look around and slowly fly upwards and then head towards the Facility. Although despite being worried whether I was really grasping at straws with Riley, my mind continued to drift to Lily and more importantly, the Facility. For as long as I had been aware of it and been taken under their wing, they were the good guys, and they were there to protect humanity and stop anyone who threatened it.
Now though, I wondered who they really were and what their goal was. They had helped a lot of people, stopped a lot of bad people and bad things from happening. They had a lot of other Empowered working for them, just like me. Empowered who I knew were good, but were they all good, did some of them know that the Facility wasn't as good as it appeared, did all of them? These were questions I needed answers for, and the only person who might give them to me was someone I wasn't sure I could trust either.
I loved Lily, I really did, maybe not the same way Riley loved her, but to me, she wasn't just someone who looked after me. She was like a mother to me, and she cared for me more than my birth mother ever did, and I can't just turn those feelings off, it doesn't work that way. So I had no idea what I was supposed to do, she had lied to me before, maybe the entire time that I have known her. How was I supposed to trust her now?
My only hope was that for Riley, she would tell me the truth. She wouldn't have said what she did about not leaving him alone. If she wasn't planning on telling me something, she could have come up with something that wouldn't have made me suspicious, and it was clear she was good at that. So the question was, why didn't she. Why did she decide now, to start being honest with me, because it wasn't a slip of the tongue and it wasn't because she was emotional, she knew what she was saying and how I would react.
The weight of what I had done to Baine and Painbringer, was also playing on my mind. It was either them or me, but I still killed them, when I could have just knocked them out and let the authorities deal with them. It would also be all over the news and the internet, and I wasn't sure what would happen and how it will affect me. I don't even know if I killed the other guy, I know I didn't kill Venim, he was knocked out by the time I really regained consciousness, but the other guy, I think his name was Brutus. I could only hope he ran off or something. I'm not sure I can deal with killing three people, two was bad enough.
The other thing was just how tired I was and how slow I was going as a result. I am sure to others, I am still going fast, but I was struggling, and as the Facility came into view, I actually heard myself sigh in relief. I needed to rest and have someone look at my injuries. We Empowered had a faster regeneration rate than normal people, and it took more to hurt us, but we weren't invincible and couldn't heal every wound and injure ourselves.
It would be nice, but it didn't work that way. Although that thought, made me look down at Riley again and he was still starting to look better and better, or I guess, it looked like he was healing and that confused me, he was still not breathing, he didn't have a pulse, but he was definitely healing. The problem was, he wasn't an Empowered, and even if he was, we didn't heal like this, especially without a pulse, that's unheard off, and I couldn't help but wonder what was going on.
More importantly, I wondered if Lily knew what was happening, there had to be a reason she had obviously gone to great lengths to keep Riley away from the Facility and not letting me tell him who I was, even though he already knew. That train of thought, however, would have to wait as I approached the Facility and felt the familiar vibrations, as I crossed over and passed the protective shielding around it, and I could already see a couple of Empowered, hovering just outside the front entrance, looking straight at me.
"Aidan?" The closest Empowered calls out as I come to a stop in front of them both. To my relief, it was two people I knew well and got on well with. "Seriously, Kyle? you're using his real name?" The other Empowered then says, and I just about managed a small smile. Kyle and Sandy were always like this, and if you didn't know them, you would assume that they were brother and sister, they were just that close.
"You just..." Kyle then begins to say in response, but he quickly trailed off, as he looks at me and sees who I was carrying. "Oh fuck, is that Riley?" He then says, and I can see the look of shock on both his and Sandy's face. To a normal person, they might have assumed that Riley was unconscious, but with their abilities, they could tell that he was dead, and I could only assume that my expression would have confirmed that.
I really wanted to say something, anything really, but even though I believed that Riley would somehow be okay, I had been through a lot, and it was starting to catch up to me. "Aidan, we're sorry." I then hear Sandy say and when I feel her hand on my shoulder, I quickly force myself to stay strong and just concentrate on getting Riley to safety.
"I can't explain anything. It's too hard to explain and so much has happened. I just need to get him to Dr. Wilkins, can you get me through, without having to go through all the checks?" I then ask in response and while I wanted to explain it to them. I had no idea what was happening to my best friend, and I didn't want to take any longer than I had to, to get him to Dr. Wilkins, if anyone could figure this out, then it would be him, and I knew they would understand.
"Follow us, and we will let the other patrols know that they need to cover us." Sandy quickly responds after a few moments of silence. I could tell that they were both shocked by what was happening, but I knew they would help me and I was again grateful, that they happened to be patrolling this area. The other Empowered were okay, I was good friends with most, but most of them were more by the book than others, and even with Riley in my arms, they would have slowed me down.
"Does Lily know?" I then hear Kyle ask, his voice was barely above a whisper, and I could see the hesitation on his face. I couldn't blame him, I certainly wasn't coming across as chatty, for obvious reasons and if Lily didn't know, then that could be hard for everyone, as she wouldn't take it well and no one wanted to see her distressed. To everyone here, or at least to most of them, I doubt they know the real Lily. They just knew the Lily I thought I used to know and she was liked by near enough everyone.
But I don't respond, and thankfully, neither of them try to talk to me or ask me any more questions. I could tell that they wanted to, but they respected the fact that I wasn't in the mood and as much as talking might actually help me keep my mind of everything that had happened, I just couldn't do it. So we just made our way to the base and through the various checkpoints in silence, until we eventually approached the entrance to the medical wing of the Facility.
And although it's called the medical wing, it operates as a research and development wing as well. Dr. Wilkins and his team are amazing at what they do and are the worlds leading experts on the Empowered, and if anyone knew what was going on, it would be him and his team. "Thanks, guys, you're awesome, and I promise to explain everything later. But I just need to get Riley to Dr. Wilkins, you understand, right?" I then decide to say, as I look at my two friends. I still felt a little bad for not speaking to them until now, but I just couldn't, and hopefully, they respected that.
"It's okay, Aidan. It's what friends do." Sandy responds with a sympathetic smile. I could tell that she wasn't sure what was going on and the fact she kept looking at Riley and then back at me, told me that she thought I was in some kind of denial. But she was a good enough friend, to keep that to herself and I was grateful to her for that.
I wasn't quite as grateful to Kyle though, after he punched me in the arm, in what was obviously an attempt to be cool and supportive, in a guy way. Which would have probably worked better, if he didn't hit me so hard and if I wasn't already pretty much exhausted and beat up from my battle with Baine's team. "Cheers, Kyle. Next time though, turn off the super strength, I am a little beat up right now." I then say with a slightly forced smile. I wanted to get Riley to Dr. Wilkins right now, but I wasn't going to just leave my two friends, they didn't deserve that, and I wanted to make sure they knew I appreciated their help.
With everything going on in regards to Lily and the Facility, I needed friends, and I needed to make sure those friends knew that they could come to me if things warranted some kind of action. Of course, I could be completely wrong and barking up the wrong tree, but on the other hand, if I was right. Then I needed to be ready and willing to do what I needed to do, and I couldn't do it alone, I would need allies, and I was pretty sure, I could count on Kyle and Sandy.
"Sorry, Aidan. I was going to ask you about what happened, but..." Kyle then begins to say in response, but he trails off, as he looks at Riley and then looks over my visible injuries. I couldn't blame him, and I already guessed what he was going to say before he continued, and I appreciated it. "We're here for you, when you're ready to talk, Aidan. We have your back. You know that." He then says and thankfully doesn't give me another punch, I'm bruised enough as it is.
"We finish our shift in a couple of hours. We'll be in the Rec room for most of the day after that if you want to talk." Sandy then says with a sympathetic smile, before giving Kyle a nudge on the arm. I knew they were supposed to be on patrol and they needed to get back before someone decides to make a big deal about it. The chance of being attacked we slim and the higher-ups weren't that strict with the patrols, but if someone were having a bad day or just wanted to put on a show of authority, then they wouldn't hesitate to come down hard on someone, no matter who they were.
"Thanks, guys and see you later, or tomorrow, I promise." I quickly say in response, before giving them an appreciative smile. I would have shaken their hands or something like that, but with Riley in my arms, that wasn't going to happen, but it didn't really matter, they both smiled back, before walking away. Leaving me to turn back towards the door and pushing the button to open the doors with my elbow.
I then wait for the doors to open and walk into the waiting area of the medical wing and look around for one of the doctors or assistants. Surprisingly though, no one seemed to be around, which wasn't that unusual, but I was hoping someone would be in here. "Hey, is anyone around. It's Aidan, and I need help." I decide to then call out, as I make my way through the reception area and into the hallway, leading to the various other rooms in the wing.
"You know, Aidan. It's protocol to use your alias when inside the Facility." I then hear from behind me, after walking down the hallway for a few moments and turn around to see Dr. Erickson, standing there with an inquisitive expression. Fortunately, I knew her well enough to know that she wasn't being serious and I manage to smile her way.
"I need Dr. Wilkins. Is he around here somewhere, Susan?" I quickly ask, ignoring her attempts to be funny. "Sorry, Dr. Erickson." I then just as quickly add. I knew she was more relaxed than most of the staff around here, but I could see that she was about to say something, and I knew exactly what she was going to say. As I said, she was one of the more relaxed members of staff, but while working, we were encouraged to keep things formal.
"That's better, Hero." She then says with a slight smirk, before frowning slightly as she looks at Riley in my arms. "What happened?" She then asks curiously, as she walks towards me. Everyone knew who Riley was and I could see the concern grow on her face, as she realized who I was carrying and more importantly, that he wasn't moving at all.
"I need Dr. Wilkins. I will explain, I promise, but I need to get Riley to him before it's too late." I respond as calmly as I could manage. This was hard for me, and I felt like every second that went by, I was wasting what little time Riley had. Not that I had any idea what was happening to him, but I was convinced he wasn't completely lost, he may look and appear to be dead, but he was also healing and that had to mean something. It had to.
"Follow me, Hero." She then says with a look of concern on her face. I wasn't quite sure if it was for Riley or me though, but I didn't have time to think about that and instead, followed her towards the ward in silence. Until we eventually walked through the door and saw Dr. Wilkins and another doctor, called Dr. Denver, standing over a bed, with a girl that I could have sworn I recognized from somewhere, laying on top of it.
To be continued...