Chapter Twenty-Nine: Leo

Mars 4 May 24th

“What do you mean, she isn’t in this time?” I demand, glowering at the guard.

“We’ve tracked a power signature in her cell, and it leads to… Earth, 2017,” the guard explains. “She time traveled.”

“Impossible! I took her power!” I start pacing back and forth, anger and frustration growing.

“She must’ve had some left…” the guard trailed off, slowly backing away. “Sir? Are you alright?” I’m boiling with anger, I know I’m glowing with power too, but I don’t stop it. I let the power overtake me, and there’s a huge blast of light. When I’ve blinked the spots out of my eyes, I see a pile of ashes where the guard had been only seconds before. I smirk. Somehow, this brings me a sense of… I don’t know how to describe it, but it feels good. I think… Power. Yes, I feel powerful. Arx can wait, I must discover this new power, this power that came from the ones I collected, this power that seems like a hundred different Mutations fused together... This… this is real power, real control.

“Leo? Is everything ok?” Roki peeks around the door, her gaze landing on the guard-shaped pile of ashes.

“Sort of,” I am pulsing with power, I can hardly contain it. “My powers have fused,” I tell her. “Arx is missing.” Good news, then bad news. The power I now have can destroy Arx, and all of her friends. I just have to wait for them to be in the same place. I was told that power corrupts, but it doesn’t. It does so much more. My power has taken any feelings of guilt, of hesitation, of grief. I have nothing to hold me back now. Nothing can stop me.

“Wow!! What does this one do, exactly?” I point to the pile of ashes as an answer.

“That was a guard, and that’s only a fraction of the power I hold,” I brag.

“Let’s go catch them,” she says, smiling. I take her hand, gather my limitless power, and make the jump.