Chapter Six
Dorian
“Grab this and try to bend it in half.” I held up a piece of rebar to Ajax, a veteran who lost everything he had once he came home. He had volunteered to host unlimited strength.
The man worked out nonstop and was very large, with black, shaggy hair and a dark beard. One would say in the old days that he looked like a pirate.
His big hands gripped onto the metal, and his muscles flexed. Slowly but surely, the metal began to bend and then snapped in two.
Excellent.
I’d created my own version of the Hero Society, and soon I was going to unleash them. Those do-gooders were no match for these better versions. Not clones, but now I had the same powers they possessed in my army. The strength, the empath, the shifter. I even had a computer geek, and a killer of my own. The only one I was missing was the magic, and I had little use for that. Magic was no match for the power of the gods.
Phillip’s powers came from my father, Apollo, and I was privy to the same power, along with some handy others. But it wasn’t constantly on like his was—mine was more like a TV that I could turn on when I wanted, checking the futures and following my own path that led where I wanted. His sights were set on the future where people like them were the heroes. They would be safe and live out their lives saving humans and protecting them. A happy ending.
I wanted to set them all free. No more hiding, no more fear. We were powerful and shouldn’t belittle the gifts that were given.
“Keep practicing, making sure you gain control over these new powers,” I said and moved to check the others’ progressions.
Everything was moving along smoothly, and I had begun to realize that letting Emanuel fall to the heroes had been a positive development. He was wasting time, when all we needed was some blood from Draco. Years wasted.
But now, things were as they should be.
I checked into the future for a moment to see that no one would be in my office at the hospital as I flashed in.
The hospital was getting busier from the hate brewing outside, a perfect time for me to persuade others to join my side and be free.
I looked over the patients that had come in, and saw two had been documented as having powers, but only one had been checked in.
Without wasting time, I left my office and walked to the boy’s room.
“Ron Presley.” I grabbed the charts at the end of his bed and looked at the man in his twenties before me. He wasn’t much to look at as far as build—definitely no fighter—but he was here because of a fight. He’d asked to be admitted for the night, and someone approved his stay. Odd.
He didn’t say hello to me but stared at me with narrowed green eyes.
“I’m in,” he said, and I tilted my head to the side, interested in what he was agreeing to.
“Care to elaborate?”
He looked out the window for a moment, lost in thought, before turning back to me.
“I’m tired of hiding and being hated because of my power. I’m not evil. I just wanna be me and not worry about being in a fight because of people being scared. So, I’m up for what you came down to ask.”
This morning was interesting already.
“I read minds. I knew what you wanted when you came in. Figured I’d save you the breath.”
The kid had spunk, I’d give him that. Mind reading was definitely a power I could use.
“When the time comes, I’ll come to you,” I said, and looked over his paperwork just in case.
“Is there a reason you decided to stay overnight? Your wounds hardly need any attention.” I was curious, not that I had an issue with it. Wasn’t my money he was wasting, so I couldn’t care less.
He shook his head.
“I didn’t want to go back to reality yet. It sucks out there.”
It sucked everywhere, no matter the reality. I saw his head nod in agreement to my thought. Just as I was about to say something, someone knocked on the door.
