Average Joe (2018)

51

"What are you doing?" Cora complained.

"Something's wrong," Tori whispered to her. Bryan stood there, his arms opened wide.

"I'm back! I escaped!"

"That's Bryan," Cora told her.

"It is, but... his eyes, there's something wrong with him."

"You're being paranoid!"

"Cora, look at his eyes!" Cora focused on him.

"Something's off," Darwin admitted.

"Guys, come on!" Bryan exclaimed. "I know where Norman is!"

"Norman's not in there," Cora finally said. Bryan reached behind him.

"Down!" Darwin screamed, pushing the two girls to the ground.

In one swift motion, Bryan pulled a Glock with a long silencer, three shots flying at them. A bullet narrowly swiped Darwin by the sleeve of his jacket.

"What the hell, Bryan!" Cora screamed. "You were trying to stop the Chronicle!"

"I was trying to get vengeance for my brother." Bryan reloaded. "But I got something better. I got my brother back."

"It must be that drug," Tori said. "The one Sabrina used, they must have drugged him with it."

Bryan aimed the Glock at them. Cora flashed, reappearing behind Bryan. Bryan turned, and Cora curled her arm around his, forcing him to drop the Glock to the pavement.

Bryan elbowed Cora in the jaw, crimson lining her lip as she stumbled back. In retaliation, Cora punched him in the face, his nose opening with blood. Bryan punched back but Cora saw it coming. Cora grabbed his wrist as he punched, using his weight and momentum to throw him to the asphalt. Bryan's head smacked against the pavement, his form slumping against the ground. Cora huffed, blood dripping from her mouth. Tori and Darwin stood. The two looked at Bryan and then at Cora. Tori frowned.

"Watch out!" Tori shouted.

Cora turned, a red flash striking her in the chest. Cora felt a pulse hit her body, stabbing her to the bones. Cora screamed and fell against the asphalt, convulsing. Tori and Darwin rushed to her as she shook violently in their arms.

"Cora!" Tori pleaded.

Darwin and Tori glanced upward. Mathew Everdale approached them, his steps clicking on the asphalt. His black-on-black suit roared with power, and his eyes glowed blood red like fluoresce. Red electricity twirled around his arms, jagged, and uncontrollable.

"Well, well, well," Everdale smiled. "The vigilantes."

"Why are you doing this?" Darwin demanded.

"Let me answer your question with a question. Why do you get up in the morning knowing that there are people superior to you? People like Tori or Cora, or... me. You see, my father knew I wasn't good like Tori or Cora. So he changed me and made me better. I just want the world to feel safe again, and once people like Red Flame and Cold Front are dead, the world will feel that again. They'll feel safe and they'll be back at the top of the food chain. You should be pleased, Darwin. I'm doing this for people like you, and when the mutants of this world are dead, you'll see that. Now it's time to save the world."

Everdale raised his arms and concentrated. Energy cracked around him, his red eyes burning with fire and darkness. Tori grabbed her head, a blinding pain hitting her, almost like her head was in a clamp. Tori slowly felt her powers be sucked from her body, almost like a blood transfusion. Tori knew it hit Cora as well, as her eyes snapped open and she groaned in pain.

Bryan and Darwin seemed to be unaffected.

"What's happening?" Darwin questioned.

"It's Mathew!" Tori grumbled. "He's killing us! Once he takes our powers permanently we die!"

___

On the top floor of the building, Sabrina fell to the floor mid-punch. Ted dropped to his knees, his flames sputtering out.

Across the city, dozens of mutants felt the wave of Mathew's power. A man with superpowers on the subway fell over and convulsed. A group of superheroes sitting on a rooftop swapping war stories fell over and started to yell. A supervillain robbing a woman started to seize.

___

Tori felt herself slipping away. She fell to the asphalt, right next to Bryan and Cora. She felt her life essence burning away, yet she found herself welcoming the warm embrace of death, even though she knew others out there were dying... screaming.

"I am God," Everdale smiled.

"Or just a dude in a cheap suit. Really, man, the school janitor wears nicer clothes than you."

Everdale turned to Darwin and Tori following his gaze. A hooded figure stood amidst the blaze, his form muscled and tall, a dark hood shadowing his face. Tori almost didn't recognize Norman Knight at first, but that's because it wasn't Norman Knight. It was the Guardian of New York City. The figure stepped from the flames and into the shadows. Everdale watched him darkly.

"You were supposed to be dead," Mathew spoke.

"You're one to talk."

"You can't stop me now." Everdale held out his hands and jagged, red electricity cracked between them. "You're powerless."

Norman held out his arms, letting his electricity crackle. Norman's electricity was different from Everdale's. It was a natural blue and more controlled. Norman's eyes started to glow like Everdale's, which shocked Tori. His eyes were blue like his electricity.

"You still can't stop me. I'm already more powerful than you are. Even without the enhancement." Tori suddenly realized there were jagged marks on Everdale's neck much like the ones that were on Bryan's. Everdale started to hover above the ground. "And that's not the only power of yours that I borrowed. With the enhancement drug, I could take your powers away again and kill you."

"You mean like last time? Oh, wait a minute..."

"You have no sense of danger. Or when you're facing a superior." Norman peaked behind Everdale.

"Is the 'superior' behind you?" Everdale smiled.

"I'm going to have fun killing you a second time."

"And I'll have fun kicking the crap out of someone who tried to kill me twice and failed."

"You know what they say... third time's a charm." Everdale soared straight at Norman.