𝙉𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙡 (𝙗𝙭𝙗)

Chapter Sixteen

"I see; well, thank you, Deputy Chief Manson, for your time," Helene said, standing to shake the man's hand and shooing him off the screen. "In other news..."

I turned the television off, no longer interested in anything that plastic woman would have to say. Of course, the police don't care; in reality, they see all superpowered people as threats, heroes or not. Heroes shift the public support away from the police simply because of the efficiency that heroes hold in resolving high-risk situations that the police otherwise would have been less effective and often result in higher casualties. So no, the police aren't worried or investigating anything because they don't care.

It was frustrating to hear, even for me, given how much some of the heroes in this city fight to maintain what little structure they can against people like my parents, only for the same city they are protecting to turn their back against them. Maybe I wasn't the right person to be harboring their frustration for them, given how I walked on the fragile line between heroes and villains. It made sense that the news didn't address the villains disappearing as much as they did the heroes. In the eyes of the people, villains weren't their neighbors or friends; they were the enemy, people who kill people for fun. In all honesty, they were likely happy about the disappearances of villains, even if it meant that heroes had to disappear as well. It was an odd two-way cycle that often doesn't end favorably for either side.

What's worse, all of this stuff had to begin popping up the moment I was not allowed outside the boundary of my room.

"Dinner." It was an artificial voice, which gave away who it was automatically. There was a single knock that was followed by my door opening up, and a physical robotic invention with Liam's AI interface entered, efficiently bypassing the barrier that had been teasing me for the past week. This, of course, was how my parents were going around interacting with me by sending Liam to deliver my meals. I had been subconsciously taking out some of my anger on Liam by throwing things at the bot and screaming at it, which is nowhere near as satisfying as it would be if I were throwing and screaming the same things at my father. While I know Liam doesn't feel human emotions, I always feel bad afterward. "Tonight's meal consists of cedar plank salmon, a roasted butternut squash salad, a side of rice pilaf and grilled asparagus, and a small blackberry cobbler drizzled in caramel. Is there anything else I can get for you this evening?"

"My freedom, perhaps?" I snap. A luxurious meal for a child they apparently dislike, how ironic.

Liam pauses for a second, sitting the meal down, before turning to address me once more. "I'm sorry, Cody, I cannot allow you access outside of this room. Is there anything else I can assist you with?"

"Then what good are you?" I sigh, knowing he'd say that, as he has said something along those lines each time I have asked.

"I have numerous uses; I can cook high-class meals, I can deep clean all surfaces, I can adju-"

"I get it, just... just get out," It was frustrating; everything was. The ache in what felt like my soul, the growing loneliness, my anger, everything felt like it was weighing me down, and I couldn't go anywhere to get away from it all. Liam stopped his explanation, beeping for a second before his previously blue eyes flashed yellow.

"Dakoda, how is your solitude going?" This voice startled me. It had been a week since I'd heard from one of my parents, and something about hearing my mother's voice felt surreal. On the one hand, I wanted to snap at her and scream about how much I hated being trapped, and on the other, I knew that such a reaction would only hurt me in the long run.

"Horrible."

"It was planned to be that way; it definitely wasn't going to be a vacation. You really angered your father, Dakoda," She stated. You really angered your father, huh?! I wanted to scream at her about how he almost got me and my friends killed, how neither of them understood my side of things, but I already knew how that would go.

"Well, he upset me," I pause, contemplating what I'd say next. "When am I going to be allowed out of here?"

It went quiet on her end for a second before she gave me an answer.

"Like I said, you really angered him, so I'm not sure when he plans to let you out. My estimate is another week, but knowing your father, it could be much longer; he is a spiteful man. Well, I just thought I'd check in... Oh, and I thought I'd let you have these," With that, a click sound came from Liam as one of his hatches opened, and inside was my laptop. "Use them responsibly; I'd hate to have to take them away again. Well, good night." Her voice cut off, and Liam's eyes returned to the usual blue.

"Good night, Cody." And with that, Liam left, and unlike the other times, I wasn't completely alone. 

A/N: The major conflict is on the horizon. ;)