Gus sat there, silent as the truth bomb exploded right in his face. After a long while he responded, “I don’t know, Dave. Maybe I was caught up in second chances, since I’ve felt like I’ve gotten a second chance with this whole superpower thing. Part of me feels like I should act differently now that things are different. I used to dream about this happening.”
“Well, you were always the one with the most potential, having supers in your family and all,” Dave said.
“You remember how our bosses usually acted. Like we were disposable to them. Even my brother changed after just a little while with powers. I don’t want to be that kind of person, powers or not.”
“I guess I get that. But real talk, here. Don’t be a dumbass. Life is not a comic book. Get hard and get hard now. Don’t be so noble you get your ass handed to you.”
“Get hard, huh?”
“You know what I mean. I’m going to be pissed if you get yourself killed out there. Promise me that if anyone comes at you down there, just like those pirates—they’ve made their choice. You use that Leech power and rip and erase any power or ability they’ve got. Neuter anyone who has the balls to step foot on the island. Get strong and kick some ass! Will you promise me that?”
Gus sighed; he was often very good at making bad decisions that seemed right at the time. Half the things he had done were so dumb when you looked at the big picture. He thought he was getting the hang of this super thing, but Dave was right. This was war. The time for pussy-footing around and being a nice guy was over.
“Yeah, I think I can do that.”
“I hate to go medieval on you, man, but I love ya, and you need to know when you’re being an idiot. Hell, I wouldn’t be in the place I’m in if someone would’ve called me on my crap a long time ago.”
Gus quirked his head. Something was definitely up with Dave.
“Now you have someone to run this stuff by if you need another point of view. Are we cool?” Dave asked.
“Yeah, we’re cool. Thanks.” Gus bit his lip, wondering if he should broach the topic. As he was about to get enough courage to ask, Dave continued, taking the opportunity away.
“Since we’re talking about uncomfortable, awkward situations, how has your dad reacted? Was he stoked?”
“Actually, I haven’t told him. You’re the first person who I’ve talked to since this whole thing has happened. I’m still on the island, and don’t have a way to get back just yet. I’m sure as I work on my Basic Flight skill that will change but, like I explained, there are a lot of people who want this manor. I’m going to have to defend it, and I don’t know if I really want to have my father’s help or the strings that will come along with that. Especially if Purple Faction is involved.”
“You might have to, depending on what they throw at you. Half of something is better than nothing. Don’t let your ego get in the way. I guess it’s easy for me to sit back and be an armchair quarterback, though.”
There was an awkward pause, and Gus rushed to fill it. “Dave, I’m so glad I got to talk with you again. We’ll have to keep in touch more. Being isolated on this island was good at first, with my whole introverted thing, but it can wear on you too. I thought about you guys a lot. It kind of brought out some things, and made me reevaluate how I have been living my life. I’m sorry if I’ve been distant or standoffish in the past. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to hang out, I just have always been pretty protective of my ‘me time.’”
“Hey, no problems. I think we all understand. I don’t think anyone was offended or anything. I get that way too sometimes, but probably not to the same extent or for the same reasons. We dragged you along because we knew you needed to get out sometimes. I think we all need that support, sometimes. I’ll admit I miss having the gang all together as well. We’ve kind of been split up and with Jim’s accident, things have just been weird. We all thought you were dead too, so that was the start of it all. Then Jim’s accident and then my personal stuff.”
Seeing his opportunity, Gus asked, “How have you been doing, man? Everything alright?”
“I guess I might as well tell you, but I’ve been fighting with some alcohol stuff and recently got into some trouble. It’s super embarrassing, and I hate to admit it to you, but I can’t keep pretending that it’s not something that’s screwing up my life. If you try to reach me and I’m not available, then don’t think I’m dogging you, man.”
“What do you mean?” Gus asked, concerned at the sudden shift to a serious tone. Dave was never serious.
“I have a court date next week, and it could be bad. I may not be available to talk for a while. It’s all up in the air, and it kind of sucks, but I keep telling myself that things happen for a reason, right?”
“That’s heavy, dude. I feel guilty that I wasn’t there for you. I’ve had to deal with depression issues in the past, myself. What’s your story? What happened?”
“Well, long story short, I had a bit too much to drink and I got into an accident. Luckily, no one was hurt, but I got taken in and charged. No excuse for it. I was over the limit, and the enforcers caught me red-handed. Just trying to keep a positive outlook, because I don’t know how this is going to go. The magistrate said that I might have to serve a new type of rehabilitation
