The cold rain was enough to pierce straight to Henry's bones. His legs were shaking. His heart was pumping. His mother was telling him off.
"What are you doing?!" She screamed, tossing a small chunk of the road at him.
Henry threw out his arm, knocking the piece aside with an arc of electricity. He didn't speak. He couldn't. If he did anything other than breathe, he felt like his lungs would collapse.
"They tried to kill you!" Repulser shrieked. She threw a couple more cracked bricks, trying to whip them over Henry's head and connect with Ryan.
Henry punched forward just as fast, blowing the bricks apart with a flash. The wind and rain came in a sudden gust, nearly blowing him off his feet. He stumbled a bit, chomping down on his lip to keep from crying out at the pain that sparked the moment he moved. He didn't want to give his mother any more incentive to become a murderer.
"You have to stop!" Henry cried, struggling to keep himself on his feet.
"They're killers!" Repulser waved her arms and little bits of the road followed her motion, rising and tumbling around her. Her wig was starting to slide off, something that had never happened during a fight before.
She's dying. Henry thought in a flurry of panic. Mom, you're dying!
"Please, Mom, stop!" Henry shouted, not caring for the fact that Ryan was somewhere behind him, fighting Captain Kilowatt.
"They tried to kill you!"
"Because of you!" Henry threw his fists down and small bolts of energy connected with the ground. "It's your fault!"
Repulser froze, her wig crooked on her head. He could see the shock in her eyes beneath the pink of her mask. Her mouth twitched but she couldn't speak.
Henry straightened his back, tears threatening to spill over onto his already wet face, adding to his soaked mask. "Why'd you do it?"
"Fuse..." He could barely hear her over the wind and rain and blood pumping in his ears.
"You gave me her old name, her old face...! Why'd you do it?" He blinked and the hot tears trailed down his skin, soaking into the cold of his mask.
"I...!" Repulser's lip was trembling and Henry couldn't help but wonder if it was because she was upset or freezing to death. "I needed you. I couldn't beat her by myself!"
"Then you should've just lost!" Henry argued.
"I couldn't lose her!" She scowled. "I needed someone with her powers!"
"Then find someone!" Henry threw up his arms. "Don't grow someone!"
"Fuse, you don't-"
"Don't call me that!" Henry shouted. "You couldn't even give me a real name! You gave me a villain name! I'm not a person to you, I'm expendable! I'm a sidekick!"
She brought her hands to her chest, shaking her head. "It may have started out that way but it's different now! I admit it, I treated you wrong at first! I told you I'd replace you, I made you do the things I didn't want to do, I hid what you are from you..." She stepped forward, furrowing her brow apologetically. "We built that machine. The three of us. Mostly Kilowatt... In case we ever needed more allies or... replacements. I thought I could just keep you around like a pet or something- Wait, no not like an animal-! Let me start over-"
"Just shut up!" Henry spat, glaring his mother down. Had he ever told her off like this before? He couldn't remember.
She ignored him, barrelling on. "But it's not like that anymore! You're not a sidekick to me, you're the son I didn't know I wanted! And I lo-"
"You just don't get it!" Henry almost laughed, swaying on his shaking legs. "I was perfectly happy being your sidekick! I liked testing my kinesis and fighting Kilowatt! I was fine being your sidekick; I hate being your personal Kilowatt clone! Now Kilowatt wants me dead, I feel like a freak-!"
A murderous rage took over Repulser's face. "That's why I'm going to kill her! She thinks she can just do whatever she wants, she's wrong!"
Henry raised his chin, shaking his head. "I can't let you do that."
Repulser's eye twitched as she clenched her jaw. "Move!" She threw her fists down and a ripple of invisible energy flowed out around her. Henry had barely opened his mouth to scream when he was knocked off his feet and sent sailing backwards, tumbling end over end.
He groaned, lifting his head. He saw Ryan standing with his arms held high, holding up a wavering wall of water. "Hey, how's it going over here?" He asked. He figured Ryan was having a tougher time than him. He struggled to his feet, doing his best to ignore the shaking in his legs.
"I'm doing just peachy, can't you tell?!" He didn't sound very peachy.
Henry struggled forward, pressing his back against Ryan's. "I think I've got an idea if you wanna hear it." He saw his mother send a clump of bricks flying at them and lifted his arm, knocking the bricks aside with a bolt of electricity. "It's not gonna be as fun as this, though!"
"I am so not having fun!" Henry could feel the way Ryan was shaking against his back. He prayed it was from the cold and fear rather than pain and exhaustion. "Hurry up!"
Henry did his best to explain his idea without sounding incredibly miffed. Just thinking about the last time he'd nearly drowned made him want to punch Ryan in the gut.
It was a learning experience. He reminded himself.
"We're not electro-retardant on the inside! If Kilowatt shocks herself now, she'll be out like a light! If you can put water in her lungs, it'll conduct the electricity and she'll go down!"
"Are you crazy?! This is Captain Kilowatt! You want me to drown my own mentor?!"
You didn't seem to have a problem with drowning people when I was your victim.
"Can you keep them busy for two minutes?" Henry locked eyes with Ryan. The sidekick in blue was gritting his teeth, hesitating. Henry could see the wheels turning in his mind.
Don't tell me you still don't trust me.
Ryan's hesitation didn't last long before he threw his head back, groaning. "Make it the fastest two minutes of your life!"
Henry didn't waste a second. He took off as fast as his butchered legs could carry him, slipping between two buildings and climbing over a fence to reach the adjacent street. He hadn't taken a step onto the sidewalk before he saw the flashing of lights and finally took in the wail of a nearby siren.
Henry poked his head into the street and sure enough, he was met with the sight of a group of cops, armed and ready to take down the nearest villain they saw.
Henry quickly moved back, pressing himself against the wall of the building. He bit his lip, looking around for a solution. He briefly considered trying to sneak down the street under the cover of the thunder and rain but ruled it out immediately. If even one cop spotted him, there was no way he'd be able to outrun them.
No fire escapes like in the movies. Henry looked around for some other way out. No doors. No climbable walls. I really shot myself in the foot; why didn't I run the other way?!
He glanced down at his legs, wincing at the sight of the red that discoloured his bandages. He would definitely be taking a trip to the hospital once this was over.
Kilowatt, why'd it have to be my legs? Why not my arms? And didn't you only need one needle?! Why so many?!
Henry seethed in his momentary hatred of Kilowatt until an idea sparked in his brain. He looked down at his hands, wondering if they would be able to do what he wanted in such a poor state.
If I'm a clone of Kilowatt, that means I can do whatever she can. Yeah, I haven't had years of training and experience but... Desperate times call for desperate measures! If Kilowatt can punch through a wall, so can I!
"Come on, Henry, come on, Henry!" He hissed under his breath. He pulled back his fist, bouncing on his heel and closing his eyes before throwing it forward.
His hand exploded with pain as it connected with solid brick. Henry bit into his lip to keep from shouting, cradling his hand to his chest.
"Ow!" He squeaked, kissing his knuckles for comfort. "Oh, that was a bad idea..."
He let out a breath, glaring at the wall and pulling back his other fist. Let's try it again.
He was far too lenient last time. He wasn't controlling the energy in his body. He wasn't even sure if he'd used it at all. He had to be more forceful.
Treat the electricity as a tool. He thought. A barrier between your hand and the wall. You own it, not the other way around. Now, let's do this!
"Come on, Henry, come on, Henry!" He pulled his fist back, picturing the electricity glowing on his arm. All he needed was power. More power.
He threw his fist forward and heard a distinct crack. Miraculously, the sound wasn't that of his bones but of the wall gaining a small hole.
Barely put a dent in it. Henry thought, dejected. He stared at his hands, flickering with electricity. There was no way he'd be able to punch through the wall like Kilowatt could.
"Okay, improvise." Henry pulled back his fist and plowed it into the wall a couple of feet above the other hole. He punched another hole closer to the ground. Within moments, he was scaling the wall, using the holes as rests for his hands and feet and punching new ones as he climbed.
This is a bad idea, this is a very bad idea! He thought as he neared the top of the building. His legs were shaking and he was sure he was going to plummet to the ground, break his neck, his mother was going to murder Ryan, and Kilowatt was going to murder Repulser.
"Fuse! It's Fuse!"
Or I get shot. Henry didn't dare look down to the street and instead punched a final hole in the wall, reaching up and pulling himself onto the roof of the building. He flopped onto his back, breathing heavily, silently praying he'd be able to stand up again once he got his breath back.
The cops can totally climb that wall after me. He thought. There's no way I can outrun them. Do I really care, though? Besides, what can I do about it?
He could hear voices shouting from below and quickly pulled himself to his knees, wincing at the pain that burned through his body.
I really hope Mom's not dead right now. Henry forced himself to run, focussing on his ragged breathing rather than the pain. He ran right to the edge of the building, taking a mad leap and regretting it the moment his feet connected with the roof of the next one. He rolled over onto his chest, gasping for breath.
"Ah-! Oh, ow. Ow." He stayed on the ground for what wasn't nearly a long enough time for him to rest, tasting the gritty water that touched his lips, unable to raise his head any longer.
Save Mom. He had to remind himself. Save Mom. It took all the effort he had left to stand and face the next building. Save Mom... but land lighter this time.
He ran. Jumped. Landed. Pain. Ran. Jumped. Landed. Pain. Pain. Pain.
Henry couldn't feel the tears pouring from his eyes or the blood pouring from his legs. He only felt the bitter bite of the rain and heard the roar of wind.
Just one block. He thought, crawling to his feet for one more jump. You can do this. Don't stop.
When his feet hit the roof of the final building on the block, his ankle rolled and Henry collapsed. He yelped, balling his hands into fists in attempt to deal with the new sensation. He wanted to grab his ankle but resisted, knowing that if he touched it, he was probably only going to hurt himself more.
He gritted his teeth and dug down with his fingers, crawling along as best as he could. He could see the beam of a flashlight from somewhere behind him. He paid it no mind as he reached the edge of the building and gripped the ledge, lowering his body as best he could. In his brilliant plan to get to the top of the roof, he hadn't thought of a way to get down.
His feet dangled in the air and for a moment, Henry could've sworn the rain stopped falling.
Please don't let me break my legs. He closed his eyes and let go of the roof, locking his jaw and letting the electricity light up along his arms as he dug his fingers into the bricks.
He hit the ground with a thud that was much lighter than Henry had expected. He was thankful that he somehow hadn't broken his legs but he couldn't seem to pick himself up from his heap on the ground. He tried to dig his fingers into the wall and pull but the electricity had faded and he only succeeded in sliding to the floor, lying defeated in a puddle.
No more. He sniffled as he finally registered the hot tears falling from his eyes. No more.
"Sorry, Mom..." His words came out quiet and slurred by the water he was lying in. He almost wished he could drown in the small puddle to make the pain in his body go away.
"Fuse!"
Oh, come on. He took in a sharp breath of air, closing his eyes. Just arrest me already.
"Fuse!" He felt hands on his arms and did his best to work with whatever officer was arresting him. He wouldn't be charged with evading arrest, no sir. Only minor property damage, if anything. "Are you okay?"
Strange. The police cared for his well-being?
Henry finally opened his eyes and lifted his head, meeting the familiar face of Kuma's friend. The darker skin that reminded him of Ryan but that Kuma said was nothing like it, the long hair that looked like it was trying desperately to be curly, and that line above her lip that might've been a scar.
"Lina?" He muttered, letting her help him to a sitting position. "Didn't R- Angler tell you to get away?"
She nodded but didn't elaborate as to why she hadn't taken her leave immediately. "What happened?"
Henry really didn't feel like explaining every ache and scratch on his body at the moment. Ryan couldn't hold up against both Repulser and Kilowatt forever, he needed help and needed it now.
"I tripped. Anyway, do you know how to drive?" Henry shook his head at the mere suggestion. Lina was even younger than he was. "Uh, never mind. Stupid question."
"I have a bike," Lina said, pointing over her shoulder towards a discarded bicycle. "I was riding it when Repulser started going crazy."
I can't bike like this, my legs are totally messed up. Henry bit his lip. And I've never ridden a bike before... "Do you know if the busses are still running?"
"Where are you going?" She asked, pushing her wet hair out of her face. "What's going on?"
Henry pointed up the intersecting street. "One block that way. I'm trying to help Angler."
"Here, get up, I'll take you." Henry blinked, bewilderment in his eyes as he allowed Lina to help him limp towards the bike before she picked it up and gestured to the frame. "You can sit on the handlebars."
"That seems like a really bad idea," Henry exclaimed, staring at the frail looking bicycle.
"Come on, we have to help Angler!" Lina insisted, setting herself up to ride. "Get on!"
Somehow I think this is going to be worse than riding on Ryan's personal rollercoaster waves. In spite of how much he would rather take the bus, Henry perched himself on the handlebars and nearly screamed when Lina started pedalling with an insane amount of force, taking them up the street as fast as a bus could.
"I knew you weren't as bad as my mom says!" Lina shouted as they raced down the street. "I knew it!"
Henry said nothing, using every ounce of will in his body to keep from falling off the bike at top speed. He reached out and grabbed Lina's arms for support. Did everyone with a connection to Ryan drive like a maniac?
Henry threw an arm out once they reached the end of the block, pointing frantically at a large fence. "There! Stop!"
Lina brought the bike to a halt, grabbing Henry to keep him from tipping to the ground. Henry wanted to thank her but was more focussed on the new problem confronting him. "I can't climb a fence that tall. Not like this."
Lina helped him down from the handlebars. "Oh, there's a hole in it around the side. People go in and drink sometimes. I can show you."
Henry met her eyes and smiled for the first time in what felt like an eternity. He gripped her shoulders tightly. "Thank you. You're a lifesaver; let's go!"
Lina grinned broadly, grabbing one of Henry's arms and pulling it across her shoulders. It wasn't as much help as it could've been had Henry been a couple feet shorter but he was grateful for it, needing all the support he could get just to stand.
They had to crawl through the hole in the fence but it wasn't much of a hassle once they were inside. Lina helped Henry walk in the direction he pointed. "What're you gonna do?"
Henry let out a breath, briefly wondering how much trouble he'd be in with the police once the whole mess was over. "I'm gonna knock down the water tower."
Lina stumbled a bit but kept helping Henry along. "What?! But-"
"Angler needs the upper hand and this was the best thing I could come up with; do you have a better idea?! Because I'd love to hear it right about now!" Lina said nothing as she finally let Henry go at the base of one of the legs of the water tower. Henry put his hands on the metal, praying with all his might that he could get enough control over his kinesis for his plan to work.
Hold on, Mom, just hold on.
Henry let out a breath and gritted his teeth, letting electricity flow into his hands. He forced it to gather and gather; more and more until his hands were glowing. He narrowed his eyes, doing his best to force the invisible particles to heat.
Snaps of electricity jumped to the ground and up into the air. Lina stepped back, watching Henry with wide eyes.
Friction. Friction. Henry rubbed his hands along the metal with seemingly no effect. He groaned before grabbing at the fingers of his gloves, tugging them off and freeing his hands. He tried again. The energy flowed, lit up.
If Kilowatt can do it, I can do it! He pressed against the metal with all his might. Come on, you stupid kinesis! You're mine! Now work with me!
Like a miracle, the metal around his hands began to glow. Henry ran his hands around, heating whatever he could reach. All he had to do was snap this leg of the tower and water would flood the streets. All the citizens were safely out of the area thanks to the alerts and he had faith that Ryan would save the police officers along with his mother.
"Won't that make it fall?!" Lina exclaimed.
"What part of knock down the water tower didn't you understand?!" Henry shouted, pushing into the metal until he heard a loud creak and saw the metal bending under the weight above.
Lina shouted, "Won't that fall right on us?!"
Henry's eyes widened.
Oh no.
"Run, Lina, run!" Henry exclaimed, pulling his hands away from the metal. It was going to collapse at any moment.
He was shocked when he felt arms wrap around his thighs, picking him up and tossing him over Lina's shoulder. "What the hell are you doing?!" He shouted, slapping his hand against her back. "Put me down and run!"
Lina wasn't listening to his voice of wisdom and held him tight, racing under the water tower as fast as she could with the giant boy over her shoulder. Henry called her name but couldn't seem to get through to her.
He heard the loud snap and saw the leg of the tower crash down. The tower above them began to tip. Henry held as still as possible, trying to keep from hindering Lina's running.
Henry watched in abject horror as the tower crashed down towards the ground just as Lina reached the hole in the fence and dropped Henry down. She pushed him through the hole and crawled after him, picking him up on the other side and sprinting away from the inevitable wave of water that was about to wash them away.
Lina ran and ran before quickly changing directions and stopping between two buildings. She put Henry down and they pressed themselves against the wall, waiting for the sound.
The boom sounded louder than a crack of thunder. The sound of crumbling buildings and cracking metal overpowered the rain and wind and blood wailing through Henry's ears. The streetlights went out instantly, powerlines snapping under the tower. A small rush of water flowed past the buildings, the bulk of the wave having crashed off down the street towards Ryan.
The water drowned his already soaked shoes but Henry only smiled in relief, sliding down the wall and sitting in the flowing water. Lina crouched next to him, her brow furrowed in concern. "Are you okay?"
Henry let his marred legs stretch out, finally releasing the tension in his body, allowing the pain to pass through him with a dull throb. He was calm until he realized he was probably on his way to dying of blood loss.
"Thank you for your help." Henry gave Lina his best attempt at a smile, reaching out a hand before realizing he wasn't wearing his gloves. Lina didn't seem to notice the added risk of getting electrocuted with ease and took his hand in her own, shaking briskly.
"Thank you for helping Angler." Lina's lips turned up in a wide grin. "I knew you weren't really as bad as people say!"
"Um... Welcome, I guess." Henry shrugged. "You'd better get going. You won't wanna be here when things blow over. Wouldn't wanna be associated with Repulser's sidekick."
Lina nodded, snatching Henry's hand and giving it a final shake. "Good luck, Fuse."
She held his hand longer than Henry thought was appropriate so he clapped her arm, waving her off. "Get outta here, kid!"
With a final nod, Lina took off, keeping her pace slow to keep from slipping in the water. Henry watched her until she was out of sight before closing his eyes and leaning his back against the wall. His legs throbbed and he did his best to breathe, the freezing water sending chills straight through to his bones.
He couldn't tell how long had passed before he heard the wail of sirens. Henry felt relief flood his system. A police escort to the hospital sounded delightful.