John hovered out of the elevator as the doors slid open. He remained airborne, careful not to leave any traces.
"I'm not worried about the cameras in here — I won't be around once this is over. But taking down the hallway cameras and sensors was essential to pulling off the theft," John said.
He made his way toward a heavy door marked with a sign that read:
High-Tech Gear Assets. Staff Only.
The door was locked.
"Damn. Smashing through it would cause too much noise. You have any suggestions?" John asked Mark.
"Not really, sir. Smashing through it is truly the only solution. The alternative would be stealing the keys, which is practically impossible," Mark replied.
"Yeah, I know that," John sighed. "Well, guess I really don't have a choice."
He inhaled deeply before slamming through the door. For a second, he froze, afraid the loud crash might have attracted attention.
Surprisingly, no one came. John's eyes widened as he took in the hundreds of high-tech gears and weapons laid out before him.
"It's like having a feast right in front of my eyes…" he muttered.
John opened the metallic cylinder he had brought with him. It expanded into a large briefcase capable of holding far more than its size suggested.
He quickly grabbed three lightsabers, three neuro-disruptive rayguns, a laser cannon, neuro-disruptive electric batons, cuffs, and — most importantly — the high-tech armor gear that scientists used for protection and self defense since they had no powers.
The briefcase contracted back into a compact metallic cylinder, now significantly heavier. Of course, John lifted it with ease.
He continued exploring the laboratory and discovered several major details: variations of Composite V, plans for improving Obedrex, and — most intriguingly — ways to make Composite V deadly specifically for the poor.
"That makes no sense. We're all the same species with the same functions. How can you make it deadly for the same species specifically for those who have no money…?" John muttered.
He kept searching and soon found a cabinet filled with tubes of Compound V. He knew the crew wouldn't want powers, as it went against their morals, so he left them untouched.
"Alright, time to go," John said.
Suddenly, his heightened senses picked up footsteps from upstairs heading toward the elevator. He stayed still, thinking someone might simply be moving around. Then he heard the elevator descending toward the laboratory floor.
John immediately hid in a dark, cramped corner.
It was a security officer performing a routine check for suspicious activity.
The officer's flashlight swept across the laboratory, narrowly missing John.
Then the officer noticed that several high-tech assets were missing. He quickly called in his partners to seal every exit.
The officer clicked his radio. "There's a burglar in the building. Make sure to close off every exit and catch the culprit."
He continued searching the lab. John shifted slightly, and his leg accidentally knocked over a glass tube. It shattered loudly on the floor.
The officer's head snapped toward the sound. He clicked his radio again. "They're here…"
He slowly approached the shattered glass and spotted John standing in the shadows. A single streak of light revealed John's eyes, fixed directly on the officer.
"Who are you?" the officer demanded.
"I'm the burglar," John answered boldly.
The officer scoffed. "Yeah, no shit. Turn around and put your hands behind your back."
"No, Duncan," John replied, reading the name tag on the officer's uniform.
Duncan looked confused. "No? What do you mean 'no'? And there was no point in saying my name!"
"I mean no," John said calmly.
"If you're not going to turn around and put your hands behind your back…" Duncan dropped into a fighting stance. "Then I'll have to force you."
Duncan's eyes hardened. "You're not getting out of he—"
A strong gust of wind blew across Duncan's face as John vanished right before his eyes. "And he's gone."
The elevator doors slid open. John flew out in a hurry, desperately searching for an exit.
"Stop!" Three guards blocked his path. "Where are you going?"
"I'm, uhh…" John sounded nervous. "I'm going back to my room, obviously."
"Yeah, right. Why do you sound so nervous?" one of the officers asked.
"I don't know — maybe because there are three big dudes standing right in front of me who might just beat the shit out of me!" John snapped.
The three guards glanced at each other, then shrugged and let him pass.
The elevator doors opened again. Duncan burst out. "THAT'S THE BURGLAR!!"
The three guards' eyes widened. They immediately flew after John. John shot out of the exit, but all four men were still chasing him through the sky.
Citizens who were still awake looked up in shock as four people pursued one man through the night air.
"Just leave me alone!" John shouted.
"What the fuck are you talking about?! Are you stupid?!" Duncan yelled back.
"I mean just let me have it!" John exclaimed.
"What?! Obviously not!" Duncan shouted.
John sped up, zooming through the city. Duncan managed to keep pace, but the three other guards fell behind.
"I'm sorry…" John whispered to himself before stopping abruptly and punching Duncan square in the face.
Duncan's body plummeted to the ground, leaving a deep crater.
"Burglar…" Duncan groaned, his voice weak and broken.
More citizens shot into the sky to chase John, but he was far too fast. He pushed himself above hypersonic speeds, disturbing and awakening the entire city.
Fortunately, no one was nearly fast enough to even perceive him.
"Phew, that was close!" John said.
"You're very fast, sir," Mark complimented.
"Thanks."
"Do you see what's happening to you?" Mark asked. "You're already vastly stronger than everyone else, sir. No one could keep up with your speed. Your power is growing as fast as bamboo."
John eventually made it into the sewers but quickly became lost.
"I can only tell which way to go when I'm near the manhole close to HEX…" he muttered.
"Use your abilities, sir," Mark suggested.
"What?" John said, confused.
"Aside from heightened senses, were there any other extraordinary occurrences you experienced, sir?" Mark asked.
"Now that I think about it… yes, there were. I remember being able to see through a wall and accidentally watching a woman taking a shower," John explained.
"I thought I was hallucinating or having some kind of wet dream. Fortunately, it only lasted a few seconds." John continued.
"You have X-ray vision, sir. All of your abilities are still extremely unstable. You need to learn to control them if you want to find the others," Mark said.
"Even if I could, how would that help me?" John asked.
"You could see through walls to locate them. You could hear or smell them from afar. This place isn't that far from HEX, sir."
"Yeah, I know. I was flying away from them but still trying to keep my distance from HEX so that once I lose them, I can make my way back quietly," John said.
After twenty minutes of trying, John still couldn't get a grip on his abilities. He grunted in frustration. "It's never gonna work!"
"You need to keep trying, sir," Mark insisted.
"No! I don't have to listen to you! You obey and listen to ME!" John snapped.
Mark remained silent for a moment. "Understood, sir."
John exhaled heavily. "I'm going back to HEX…"
He took the risky choice and flew at high speed back toward HEX and the familiar manhole. He burst open the cover. Just before he descended, a little girl standing across the alley stared at him with wide, shocked eyes.
"What are you doing, mister?" the girl asked, her voice curious and innocent.
"I'm doing what's right, kid. And I wish you could realize that… but the world destroys innocent minds like yours," John replied.
"And what's that right thing you're doing, mister?" the girl asked.
"Restoring equality."