Strangers (pt. 1)

My head feels so light, I've been awake for the last 20 minutes but I haven't moved. I have to get up. C'mon... c'mon!

"Ah"— I gasped as I felt a sharp sensation in my chest, I'd only gotten half out of bed with my arms trembling as they carried the upper half of my body. I made an effort to keep going until I finally stood up, it's early even for me but I don't think I can go back to sleep.

I could already tell. This is going to be a long day.

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"Huh, already up?"— said Sgt. with the faintest bit of surprise.

"Uh-huh, since 4 am. Honestly I'm glad I woke up so early, got to look at a bunch of gigs from Benlist, I already have my schedule for the day."

"Are you finally paying your shrare of the rent?"— I'm three days behind.

"Sorry, not everyone has your digital expertise, or gets to work from home for that matter! So I have to get around the issue in my way, ok?"

"I mean, I'll feel better about it if you at least got a part-time job."

"You'd be surprised at the lucky streak I've got going on, a lot of people paying more than is expected for an odd job."

"Really? Still, it would be better to have a consistent payout-rate rather than getting anxious when you inevitably... y'know, become indebted"— Sgt. added. —"Anyways, I'll cover for you this time but remember to pay me back, the day you don't is the day you are out."

Geez, and to think he's my best friend! Though I get his viewpoint, sometimes I feel like a freeloader. —"Oh, by the way, there's no meeting this week, many of the guys said they are busy so it'll probably move til next week."— By that time Sgt. was surely brushing his teeth, unable to hear my announcement. —"See ya!"

I've been sutaining my lifestyle this way for quite while. Today I went to an event (not far from the apartment) that required help with the party decorations. I move around using Sgt.'s white van, but I guess calling it his isn't right since it's more of a family gift (that he doesn't use that often). I also need it for short-notice moving delivery and junk removal, though I'm less sought-after than others drivers because the van only has so much limited space as is, I get around it by doing 3 to 4 trips but I made sure to be upfront about the vehicle's capacity in the gig's description.

This time, I had to free up my afternoon schedule since from 11:00 pm to 4:00 pm I was going to be working as an extra for an independent film. I got there in time but the director wasn't liking how distracting my face was, saying things like "He looks out of place, he's ruining the whole vibe", what vibe?  We are filming in a cul-de-sac right next to the director's house. I made sure to bring appropiate clothing (more casual) but they kept going off on how weird it looked so I wore my usual business suit. In the end they couldn't find a way to put me in any frame so they scratched the idea and had me help with running some errands. For a minute I felt like an authentic PA... if that PA had $5 hourly rate, 25 dollars for 5 hours worth of work, wouldn't look good in a serious production. Just before I head out I pack some useful gadgets and tools into my suit. They make come useful if anything pops up.

It was a mentally-taxing day though I wouldn't put myself above people with actual jobs. I stopped at a convenience store to pick up a few supplies, after that, on to driving, that is, until my smartphone notifs started piling up. I parked on the streets and got out of the car, if it where an urgent situation I would've made an unneccesary move that added needless extra minutes, but since I hadn't traveled back in time at all during the day I guess it was an unconsious action. It had been two weeks since the encounter with the morphing power-user, hope there's no one wreaking havoc—

<Sgt.> we're out of eggs :P

...

<Me> ight 

Everything seems fine. No action for the day, this is what an average day of crime-fighting looks like to me. I don't interfere in any crimes that don't involve power-users, possibly because people with powers don't bother bringing extra weapons, their over-reliance on their abilities is the most likely cause of their downfall. But I guess it's also due to my principles. I was bestowed this ability (that I'm now losing) by chance, it shouldn't serve a bigger purpose than helping those who's life is ruined because a crazy power-user thinks he's above them. I'd never fight someone with my powers if that person doesn't have any, not because I think I'm special but because it wouldn't be fair in the slightest. Powers are abnormal, if normal people knew they'd freak out, that's probably a reason why the government keeps us as secret... The government? That's right the incident at the park was reported as an unindentified subject firing blanks in a public setting but... why are they covering for us? Why are they hiding us? Not a whole lot of people were present in the attack but I'd bet they went and spoke to their family about what they witnessed... what about those who were injured? 

I gazed at the murky sky, filled with grey clouds and light emanating from its crevices. Just what is going on in this city?

As soon as this thought entered my mind I heard a cracking sound, I turned my head sligthly to the front and I saw it. A building had just been cut in half, suddenly it fell in front of the steet parallel to the one I was in. It was a abrupth cacophany of car alarms and screams. I stood still and felt goosebumps all throughout my body. Things had become chaos.

This must be the work of a terror— no, a power-user?!

A lot of cars appeared in the sky out of nowhere as if they were baseballs thrown by a pitcher in a baseball game.

"AHHH!"— I begun to run. I had to assess the situation, in the case of nightmare scenarios I have to make sure I find the user who's causing all of this but—

"Augh!"— Cars were falling from the sky, I just kept running forward while avoiding being crushed to death. I ran and ran, and kept running. The streets were full of hazards and rubble, the attacks were incessant, same with the sound. My head was going in circles, I did no longer recognize what street I was in, it all looked like the aftermath of a natural disaster. I reversed time mere seconds after I got pierced by broken glass or sustained considerable damage from falling objects. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Others weren't as fortunate, the wave of attacks only got more hectic and violent the closer I was to the target. Some buildings collapsed inwards violently, but rather than imploding it was as if a giant held them in their hand and crushed them.

I saw what appeared to be a small plaza, completely decimated, a figure standing alone in the middle of everything. THERE YOU ARE. My clothes were jagged and my face dirty. I needed to take out this guy inmediately, in times where I'm near the power-user I try to gather intel so as to go back in time with a sure-fire way to beat them, only in sitautions like the last fight do I go in blind but I make sure to gather allies. Seems like I'll make an urgent notice to all contacts in the city, thankfully I've stored 4 hrs and 30-something minutes since I've used my ability efficiently while evading obstacles. 

I just need to get a sense of what we are dealing with.

I move towards the figure and then... a truck hit me at full force. Mere moments before the impact I saw it, no driver. The power-user is wielding a kind of telekinetic power. If it wasn't for my reaction time I wouldn't had slowed down time just as my ribs pierced my organs, I felt something burst inside of me, it was an indescribable pain, air escaped from my lungs. I couldn't think straight but I needed to stay concious, the pain hadn't fully set in in the brief window of time that had transpired (roughly 0.5 seconds) but had it been too late I would've died.

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My body was trembling and I began to vomit, I had made it back a few seconds before the impact, the truck went flying in front of my eyes. I couldn't control my nerves. Settle down. Settle down. Settle—

"Blargh!"— my breathing hadn't relaxed, I was hyperventilating with tears flowing down my face. My body fixed in an fetal position.

I don't want t-to be hurt. I-I d-don't want to feel pain.

WhydoIhavetodothis?WhydoIhavetodothis?WhydoIhavetodothis?WhydoIhavetodothis?WhydoIhavetodothis?WhydoIhavetodothis?WhydoIhaveto—

...

It felt as if everything went silent for a minute. Images flashing in my head, all the people suffering, all the people who unjustly died. Why do they have to live through this? Who does this person think they are?! WHO AM I TO BACK OUT!

I stood up. My breathing had mostly returned to normal, my hands felt cold. I look at the figure with hatred. I need to see their weakness.

I rush at some nearby rubble, large enough to hide and wait to strike. I keep moving towards the figure. I get at an alarmingly close distance, I plan to jump at them when they turn their back but they are flailing their arms indiscriminately, making different gestures. It seems that for cutting the power-user slides their hand as if they were a karateka chopping a wooden board, for crushing they opened their hand and made a first, and to move things they'd use a grabbing gesture, that must be their placebo. I peek out but then I see... crying, no, it doesn't matter. I charge at their back and quickly put them in a headlock.

"WHO ARE YOU? WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?"— I said as I struggle to make them fall down until both of us do —"WHO ARE YOU?!"— I scream, I bring my elbows together as the power-user begins to scratch my arms.

"I-I'm sorry..."— they whimper. I kept one arm around their neck and take some duck tape from out my suit, I have the advantage here. I take their hands and tie them together, then I kick their body with my foot.

I quickly get up.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA ABOUT WHAT YOU JUST DID!?"—  I yell at them, but they keep their sight to the ground, so I grab them by the face. —"HEY, LOOK AT ME WHEN I SPEAK! "

The girl was looking at me with a stream of tears going down her face, and an absolutely terrified expression. What is going on?

 "Do it!"— she yelled —"I've done something unforgivable!"

It was the first ever time any power-user I've faced ever expressed regret. No wait, it could all be an elaborate act!

"You got that right! You just committed a massacre with those powers of yours."

"W-what do you mean?"

"YOUR POWERS! YOUR RAMPANT ARM FLAILING CAUSED ALL OF THIS!"

"I see... I see, I... turned into a monster."

Turned?

I have to keep things moving if I want to make it in time. If my assumption is correct, this girl just awakened her powers. Even then I have to confirm it.

"So, you are saying you didn't... have these abilities before?"

"NO! No I didn't! But it doesn't matter anymo—"

"Hey! What made you do this, tell me!"

"A-Ah, just do it!"

"Not til I get what I want so: OUT WITH IT!"

"Ah-ahm."— she seemed to have trouble remembering what happened , her eyes were going from side to side, her breathing was anything but calm, then it hit her —"Yeah. That's what happened. I was working my shift and then- and then- they arrived- and... and they kept bringing up how- how"— she gasped, her breathing got heavier.

"Relax, ok?"— I can't asses the situation properly.

"I couldn't defend myself, they wouldn't let me speak, but then I raised my voice and... she slapped me and grabbed my hair and..." —I noticed her nose was full of cuts once she mentioned it. How didn't I see it before?

Her voice's volume went down, she looked to have remembered it all.

"That's when I snapped..."

...

She hadn't calmed down as I thought, she looked to be in the brink of fainting.

"End this. Please."— plead the girl.

...

I hope I'm not making a mistake.

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