When Zaps, people who used electricity to fight their superhero battles, had been banned there had been one guy fighting back against the PTB Alliance to keep them legal. He'd been one of our own members, a well-known veteran of the Alliance that had spent years defending people all around the world. And he knew me on sight.
The power surged through me, making my muscles dance and causing me to piss myself on the spot. There'd be time for that later. I coughed a little cloud of smoke out of my mouth as I tried to recover, took a deep breath, and spoke. "Thought you'd been thrown in an asylum, Circuit. Went nuts, blew a whole city up. Wasn't that the story?"
"It's the bullshit the Alliance fed to the newspapers. I never did anything wrong."
Yeah, that was turning into a fucking theme. I staggered back to my feet and tried to shake off the pins and needles assaulting every inch of my body. "Yeah, I don't think I did, either."
Circuit, Rich Parker, sneered down at me. "Alliance scum isn't welcome here, Creed."
It was one thing for me to reveal him to the rest of the bar when he wasn't allowed to superhero anymore. His identity didn't matter, his foes long gone to ground or picking fights with bigger, better people than him. But turning me over to the public like that? I looked around the room and saw a half dozen people staring as if they were seeing me in a new light. That wasn't good.
Superheroes, like anyone else, make enemies. The thing is, our enemies tend to be the type with huge ray guns or enough firepower to kill millions at a time. Even if they aren't, they could still target those we love or our homes. It was why our secret identities were so important. And Rich had just blown mine for the hell of it.
You really should kill him for that, said a voice in my head.
I shivered. Was she going to haunt me for the rest of my life? Fuck off, Allison.
You should kill him and drag his guts all over the floor. Let him scream, show these worms what it's like to meet the bird. Teach them to fear the people that they use and throw away at their convenience.
"You gonna get out, or do I have to throw your ass out on the pavement?"
Do it, or I will.
I fought to maintain control of my own body, shaking my head. Slowly, my hands came up on either side of it and gripped my hair. The pain broke through Allison's encroaching attempt at seizing me, but it didn't do a damned thing to stop the second blast of electricity through my poor, battered self.
Down I went again, teeth chattering with the force of the blast. My vision went, my hands fell to my sides, and Allison tore my physical form away from me in that horrible moment. Gravity slid into my grasp, tightened, and Circuit's head popped like a watermelon hit by a sledgehammer.
The few patrons who hadn't been watching us damned sure were now. They shrieked, a stampede of them running past as Rich collapsed bonelessly.
It took you long enough, Allison said.
I shuddered and turned away from the crowd, running towards the exit. I didn't do anything. You did that. You did. I felt you steal control away from me!
Hearing voices in your head, killing people in bars, running into the night like you did something terrible. Goodness, Creed. It sounds like you're losing your mind.
My breath hitched in my chest and I stopped in the alleyway I was in. I didn't remember exiting the building, couldn't remember which way I'd turned or even where I was running to. I didn't recognize anything around me and I whimpered as I went to ground against a wall that'd been pissed on one too many times.
The reek of ammonia helped me get my head together. I'd just killed a man, as far as anyone else knew. Allison Clark was in my head, playing puppeteer with my powers. And instead of standing around and explaining the murder I'd just committed, live on closed-circuit security camera, she was right. I'd run off into the darkness like some kind of villain.
Oh, God, that wasn't good. The Alliance couldn't save people who did shit like that, no matter what the lawyers said. I searched my pockets for my phone and called the first person I thought of, the only one who would understand what being innocent in the face of guilt felt like.
"Hey, Adam. They got me out of the Dream. They've been grilling me for half an hour about what it's like to have you guys. I think Mom's jealous. What's up?"
Cassie's voice was like the sharp, vibrant clang of a bell in my mind. It drove away the shadows threatening to eat me alive and brought me to my feet. "You're at the Alliance building, right?"
"Yeah, they won't let me out of the room quite yet. They want to be sure I don't get dragged back in."
I shivered. "When they let you out, can you meet me at... at, um..."
"Are you okay?"
It took everything I had to swallow the sob in my chest. "I'm not. I don't know what's happening. Allison's still in my head, Cassie. She's there and she did something terrible. It'll be all over the news in a little bit. But she says it's me. She says I'm the bad one and that I did it. Cassie, I didn't. God, I swear I didn't-"
"Shh," she said, lowering her voice. "You tell me where you need me. I don't care if I have to kick their asses. I'll be there. I'll bring everyone."
