"Is he going to ambush me?" Tyler thought, shifting The Sanguine Sludge's weight to his back heels, ready to liquefy and counter.
But Kevin didn't attack. In a move of pure, frantic desperation, the boy slammed his feet into the floor, pivoted, and dived headfirst through a side window. He hit the pavement rolling and sprinted into the New York night like a world-class athlete fueled by pure terror.
"Monster! BLOODY MONSTER!" Kevin's scream echoed down the alleyway.
"Uh..." Tyler stood frozen in his viscous red form. "I think I overestimated his 'defiant' spirit. He's just a kid who saw a nightmare and decided he was done with this zip code."
Ben and Gwen stepped out from their cover as the red fluid receded, returning Tyler to his human state. The remaining gang members were pale, shaking as they looked at the spot where the Blood Demon had stood.
"He's gone... Kevin's actually gone," one of the punks whispered.
"Good riddance," Ben said, dusting off his hands. "You guys were bullying him, and now you're complaining he's gone?"
"You don't get it," the leader stammered, his eyes unfocused. "Kevin is a freak. He's going to come back for us. Fifth Street is doomed."
An hour later, back at the hotel, the arcade trip was a bust—every nearby shop had shuttered their doors after the "Blood Demon" sighting. Ben approached the hotel bodyguard again, his shoulders slumped.
"Hey, big guy... please? Can I just check out the Sumo Slammers trial? I promise I'm a fan."
The guard's face softened. "Look, kid, it's not you. Someone just boosted a crate of limited-edition cartridges from the back. They're reselling them on the black market for thousands. We can't let anyone in until the inventory is cleared."
"Who'd do that?" Ben asked.
"A kid," the guard sighed. "Maybe your age. Fast, knew the vents, didn't care who he hurt."
Tyler's expression went cold. "A kid our age with that kind of skill... that's Kevin."
"Wait, you think the scrawny kid did that?" Gwen asked.
"If he has the money from those games, he isn't just a runaway anymore," Tyler said, his mind racing. "He's arming himself. He's going to finish what those gangs started. Grandpa, we have to move. I think we just let a super-criminal loose on Manhattan."
Tyler played the only card he knew would work on Max: "With great power comes great responsibility, Grandpa. We broke the plot—we have to fix it."
Max didn't hesitate. "Get in the Rustbucket. If there's a gang war brewing, we're the only ones who can stop it."
Fifth-Fifth Street: The Slums
The air in the crime district was thick with the smell of smoke and ozone.
"I told you idiots!" a gang boss roared at his subordinates. "Kevin is out there with a pocket full of cash and a grudge! Get your guns!"
But as they reached for their weapons, a shadow fell over the alley.
"Looking for these?"
Kevin stood atop a pile of rubble. He wasn't the scared boy from the arcade anymore. He had hijacked a power transformer, and thick, bucket-sized arcs of electricity danced across his skin. He had used the stolen money to buy high-end firearms, which were strapped to his back, but his hands were his real weapons.
"Kevin, wait—"
CRACK-BOOM!
High-voltage lightning erupted from Kevin's palms, turning the gang members into charred silhouettes before they could even draw. Kevin didn't look back at the bodies. He walked toward a van loaded with industrial batteries.
"I'm going to flatten the biggest syndicate in this city," Kevin hissed, his voice distorted by the energy. "Then I'm taking the rest of the money and leaving New York in ashes."
As the Rustbucket pulled onto the street, Tyler saw the devastation. Houses were burning. The gang members weren't just beaten; they were neutralized with a lethal, professional efficiency.
[Ding! Without Ben's moral influence, Kevin has become New York's most terrifying criminal. Plot Altered Significantly. Progress: +1%]
[Template Mastery: 17/100. DNA Unlocked: THE ABYSS-JAW (Ripjaws) and THE WRECKING STAR (Cannonbolt)!]
Tyler stepped out of the RV, the Carnitrix pulsing a violent crimson. He looked at the trail of lightning leading deeper into the slums.
"I broke him," Tyler whispered, his eyes hardening. "Now I have to take him down."