I arrive at ground zero.
From behind me, I hear the man behind it all, Kessler.
“And here we are, back where it all started. I was so worried that you weren’t going to live through the blast. But you were fine. More than fine, actually,”
Being in this location and hearing Kessler speak had kicked off a sudden realization.
“I remember your voice now. You were here. The one who whispered that cryptic bullshit in my ear before I woke up,”
“I’ve always been there, Cole. Through every step of your life,”
After he says that, he vanishes in a blur.
I get knocked down from behind and kicked in the stomach that sends me flying.
While I’m midair he uses electromagnetic energy to slam me down into the ground.
The wind gets knocked out of me.
Kessler starts talking.
“Your mother is ashamed of you. She lies, tells people you’re a teacher. No one respects a bike messenger,”
I try to stand but he’s already on an all-out assault against me. He launches powerful bolts at me, I try to power through but it’s difficult with the immense force behind all of his attacks.
He talks again.
“You’re weak. A failure. All of this has been for nothing,”
He sounds disappointed. Does he really want me to win?
Amidst all the chaos, I hear someone running in. Do they have a death wish?
From the rubble, I see Zeke running in.
“Get your hands offa him! Cole, make a run for it! I’ll take care of this gas-bag!”
Kessler turns to him.
“This doesn’t concern you,”
Kessler lifts his hands and causes a shockwave that launches Zeke into a nearby building.
“АНН!”
Kessler turns back to me.
“No one is going to save you this time,”
I grit my teeth.
“You’re not going to be so glib when I ram my foot up your ass,”
I run at Kessler and throw a fast punch. Kessler backpedals and throws a powerful shockwave and knocks me back.
He speaks.
“That the best you can do? Granted you’ve had your powers for a few weeks now, but your mastery of them have greatly improved,”
“I, however have had them for decades. Many decades,”
He stomps the ground and sends a shockwave through it. I hop over the shockwave and land a clean hit on Kessler. He stumbles and then smiles.
“Your old man carried a picture of Trish in his wallet, telling people she was the daughter he never had. Did you know that he couldn’t wait for you to marry her?”
I ball up my fist and rush towards him.
I uppercut him with all of my strength and summon a lightning bolt down on him with all the power I had.
I stand over Kessler. I had won.
I hear Kessler whisper.
"Trish, I love you. Please forgive me,"
After he says that he lunges towards me, icy fingers digging into my face.
As Kessler’s secrets played out in my head, I finally began to understand. I saw his nemesis, a beast intent on extinguishing all life.
In those early days Kessler could’ve used his powers to stop it but instead he fled with his family, leaving others to fend for themselves.
He was hunted for years, Kessler and his family watched as the rest of the world went to hell. But after all that running his family too had died. It was too late, too late to fight, too late to save anyone.
In that moment of failure and grief, he used his newest and most dangerous power, he went on a one way trip back in time attempting to rewrite history. Kessler seized control of the First Sons and accelerated the Ray Sphere’s development. Decades spent plotting the blast, organizing the quarantine, and finding me.
But the thing that drove him forward, Kessler’s sole link to the past was a picture from his wedding day, when he married Trish, with Zeke as his best man. My brain lurched, unable to accept that Kessler and I were the same person that he’d come back in time to mold me into the savior he failed to be. Going so far as to kill the woman he loved, I loved, so that I wouldn’t be tied down by emotions. Kessler wanted me strong, ruthless, so that when I faced the beast I’d be capable of making impossible decisions, all for the common good.
Kessler released my face and fell onto the ground, dead, while his final message burned into my brain.
I take one last look at my future self and turn away.
I see Zeke approaching and he starts talking.
“So, what the hell happened?”
“It turns out that Kessler and me are the same person,”
“What? Really?”
“Yeah, he organized everything that happened here. Me getting powers, the quarantine, everything,”
“That’s wild,”
“Yeah. He also had a nemesis. A beast that intends to end all life,”
“Damn. I’m guessin’ he wants you to take care of it,”
“Yeah. I hate everything about Kessler, but when I fight the beast, I will be ready,”
Zeke sighs.
“Cole, man. I’m sorry. For everything. I know you probably want to kill me right now for everything I did,”
I walk up to Zeke and hug him.
“Zeke, you’re the only person left alive that’s on my side. You’re like a brother to me. Brothers have disagreements sometimes,”
Zeke hugs me back.
“Heh. That’s good to hear brother,”
I break the hug and talk to Zeke.
“We should get home. We can drink for a while since I have nothing else to do,”
“Whoo, I need a good drink after all that,”
Me and Zeke head over to the rooftop to drink the night away.
YOU ARE READING
The Legacy of Cole MacGrath
ActionOn another typical day in Empire City, a bike courier, Cole MacGrath, is delivering a package that would change his life permanently.
