He must have let a sliver of Pollux edge into his tone, because Yaz’s lips curved in a quick, sharp grin.
“That’s the attitude,” she said.“Just remember, the point is not to leave a crater.”
“I’ll do my best,” he replied.
Doors ahead of them slid open.A staffer in a crisp suit motioned them forward, his eyes flicking nervously between Gray and the visible current drifting along his forearms.Gray dialed the visible display down a fraction.Not because he was ashamed, but because he didn’t want this man’s terror to derail what they were here to do.
Hannah’s hand tightened in his as they stepped into the Senate building’s main hall, the roar of the crowd dimming behind them.
The real storm was waiting inside.
The Senate chamber looked more like an arena than a place of governance.
Half-moon rows of polished desks faced a central dais, the overhead lights bright enough to make Gray’s eyes sting.Senators filled most of the seats, aides lined the walls with tablets ready, and along the back, camera crews from every major network jostled for space.It was a circus disguised as a deliberation.
As Gray stepped through the doors with Hannah beside him, the room shifted.Conversations halted.A ripple moved across the chamber like wind traveling over tall grass.
Some faces registered shock.Some, relief.
But too many reflected fear.
The kind of fear Gray had spent ten years trying to ease.
Hannah’s hand squeezed his again, steadying him.It helped him hold his shoulders straight even as the weight of a hundred eyes pressed down like a physical force.
“Mr.Spark.”Senator Caldera rose from the dais, her tailored suit immaculate, her expression cool but not unkind.“Ms.Charge.Thank you for coming on such short notice.”
Gray inclined his head but didn’t speak.He wasn’t here for pleasantries.He wasn’t here for apologies or excuses.He was here because the world would either begin healing today or slide into open war.
They were directed toward a pair of seats behind a long testimony table.Gray didn’t sit until Hannah did.His senses sharpened as he scanned the room.The exits.The vantage points.The electrical signatures buzzing beneath the floor.He cataloged it all, not out of paranoia, but instinct.
A Pollux instinct.A battlefield instinct.
He didn’t try to hide it anymore.
Caldera cleared her throat as she addressed the room.“Given last night’s events, the committee has agreed to reopen discussion on the power-removal initiative.Before we proceed, Mr.Spark has requested the opportunity to speak.”
Requested was generous.Rick had informed them Gray would be speaking.
Gray stood, hands braced lightly on the table.
“I didn’t come here to defend my existence,” he began, voice even but strong.“I came because the people trying to destroy us will not stop unless you stop them.”
Several senators stiffened.Caldera gestured for him to continue.
“You’ve been shown carefully edited videos,” Gray went on.“You’ve been told that supernaturals are inherently dangerous.That we’re unstable.Violent.A threat waiting to happen.”He let his gaze sweep the room.“But last night, when humans rioted in the streets—when Protogenus operatives incited violence—every supe who could risked their lives to protect humanity.We defended the people who were trying to kill us.Because we choose restraint.Every single day.”
A murmur spread through the chamber.
"There's a two-year-old girl in our care," Gray continued, his voice hardening."The first child born to bonded variant parents.She can already float her toys across her nursery.And Protogenus has had her on a capture list since the day she was born."He let that sink in."She's not a weapon.She's not a threat.She's achild.And you're debating whether to strip her of her very DNA because you're afraid of what she might become."
Hannah stood slowly beside him.She didn’t speak, but her presence spoke enough—calm, luminous, resolute.The senators watched her more closely than they watched him.She looked like any of them: neat hair, steady gaze, composed posture.A woman who could have worked in any office in this building.
And that was the point.
Caldera nodded.“Some will argue that the very reason we need regulation is because the variant population contains unknown factors.That your powers make you dangerous.”
A sudden flicker interrupted her.The chamber lights dimmed.Static buzzed overhead.
