Powerless: In a world of superpowers, what happens when you have none?

by Niall McCreanor

  McKay spoke through the rain below. “Well if he has the files then I don’t need you…” He ran at Tom, throwing him into the base of the tree under which Lee was camouflaged.

  When Tom struck the tree the earth seemed to move, causing it to reverberate upwards and it resonated up through the wood and into Lee’s body. Looking down he saw there was still a sign of life in his brother who looked up at him from below and smiled through all the pain and blood.

  McKay then began to walk towards Tom saying, “Wow, you are strong. I wonder how much you can take before you die. I'm betting not much. You know all those deaths are on you. You get that right?”

  Unable to move, Tom tried to rest his body in hopes his strength would return. “I was getting my men out. I was on the bridge about to save them, and guess what happened…” McKay was now moving around Tom as he spat all his pent up hatred at him.

  “The bridge blew up; I would have saved them all but I was on the bridge you blew up. Next thing I realise I am being carried away, while they die.” Pausing and for the first time letting his human side be seen, he continued. “My men died, because of you. 14 lives all on you.”

  It was clear McKay didn’t believe his own words and they were seeped in guilt, blaming Tom for his own failing. Guilt fuelled his anger once more and he turned his attention toTom’s broken body at the base of the tree. As McKay approached Tom, instinct took over Lee’s body as it did all those years before and he launched himself from the tree and flew through the air towards McKay. As he fell he grabbed McKay by the neck and used his own momentum to throw him across the clearing and away from the injured body of his brother.

  Lee now stood between Tom and McKay, staring McKay in the eyes and vowing with steely intent, “Try your best, but you will not put your hands on him again…”

  He stood and waited for McKay to attack and as McKay advanced towards him, he walked out to meet him without any fear in his heart for his own safety. He was not fighting for himself, but rather for his brother and if needed he would willingly die to protect him. In this moment his motivations weren’t for a greater good. His hunger wasn’t to expose a cover up, and even his beloved Jennifer fell from his mind as he thought only about protecting his brother.

  McKay swung to make contact with Lee but ducking under his punch he jumped into the air, throwing a punch of his own back. It connected with McKay’s face in the exact same way that Tom had done moments before, but this time the result was different. Lee struck McKay who in turn fell to the ground clutching his jaw. McKay felt something he had never felt before, actual physical pain. He roared in anger and confusion, he could not grasp what had just happened or how it had happened!

  Looking up in disbelief at Lee, he echoed the sentiments of Jennifer all that time ago when she first touched him, “What are you?”

  Lee was offering no explanation, but from what he had heard while taking cover in the tree he knew that the reason McKay was unable to use Lee's power against him was simply because he didn’t have a power. He didn’t have a weakness either, so in facing McKay his power counted for nothing. McKay found his feet and engaged him in a fight. Every time Lee landed a punch on McKay his face was a mixture of disbelief and pain. But for every blow that Lee landed McKay returned with one of his own. The two men fought a bloody fight, neither one of them wanting nor willing to give any ground to the other. They fought and fought for what seemed like an age, each equal to the other. Both men, bloodied and bruised, began to tire.

  As the two men battled it out, Lee’s mind was moving at a thousand miles an hour, trying to get to grips with this feeling of strength. To be the one with the power over this monster was an overwhelming feeling that he just hadn’t expected. He’d spent his entire life feeling like a failure, like somehow he deserved to live an unfulfilling life because he didn’t have the one thing that really defined you in this world; a power. After spending years with this belief firmly etched into his personality like a tattoo, now he was overcome with a feeling of pride as he came to accept that he was not powerless. He was the only one who stood a chance of defeating this monster.

  Walking over and grabbing McKay, who was hunched over and sucking in air, Lee pulled him up straight and was about to deliver a knockout blow. McKay in desperation extended his hand out and grabbed the knife that Lee had sitting on his hip, pulling it out and slicing Lee deep in the face. He fell back clutching his face as blood began to pour out. This seemed like it would be the end of the fight as Lee could not see or think of a way out.

  Lee looked to where his brother lay unconscious and felt alone and unprotected. Bleeding heavily from his face and knowing that McKay had his knife in his hands and would delivery his final strike, it was only a matter of time until his light was extinguished permanently.

  Battered, bloody, bruised and exhausted Lee found his way to his knees. He seemed to just lie there as if to accept that there was no way back for him, resigned to the inevitable. McKay looked at Lee, certain he was defeated.

  “It’s a pity really. I'd love to know what you are…” He raised Lee's knife up over his shoulder, pointed it down at him while continuing to talk. “Well I suppose it doesn’t really matter now any way. The better man won…”

  Lee looked up at him through pain and anguish with rainwater diluting the blood that ran from him, and simply laughed at McKay. Laughing in his face like he had no regard for anything McKay could say or do.

  Faced with Lee’s repugnance, he faltered in his delivery of the fatal blow and roared, “Am I missing something?”

  Lee replied while opening his jacket. “I'm pretty sure you did…” Lee's jacket opened and revealed he too was wearing a small GPS device.

  McKay looked though rain soaked eyes and with a look of contempt on his face said, “Yeah… and?”

  Lee smirked. “Look down…”

  On McKay’s chest was a small red dot from a hunting rifle. McKay took one look at this and tried to land a fatal knife blow to Lee. As he raised up the knife a shot rang out across the night and the bullet struck McKay on his chest close to his shoulder.

  McKay, clutching his shoulder, turned and ran for the ridge edge. He seemed to throw himself off and disappear into the darkness below. Lee sprinted after him to the edge, gazing down, but there was no trace or sign of him in the misty night below.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Lee heard a noise from behind him and turned to be greeted with a familiar embrace. It was Philip, tracking his two boys once more like he did all those years ago. As Philip threw his hands around Lee, Lee fell under his own weight from a mixture of exhaustion and pain, caused by the battle he just fought. Lee whispered softly in his father’s ear, “You took your time…”

  Philip was concerned, asking his badly beaten son, “Are you okay to walk?”

  Lee pulled himself together, composed himself and judging himself fit enough to walk said, “I think I'm okay dad, go help Tom…”

  Philip let Lee go and turned his attention to Tom. He quickly ran over to him and threw the bag off his back to the ground beside where Tom was laying. Wiping his son’s face, he shone a light into his eyes and then turned to look at Lee and with subdued reverence voiced his fears. “This isn’t good…”

  With white knuckles, Philip seized the bag again, tossed it over his shoulder and took a firm hold of Tom. He lifted him up from the ground and threw him onto his shoulder with ease, telling Lee, “If we are to save him we need to move fast. We need to get him to the cabin where he will be safe…”

  The three men made their way back to where Philip had left his car. It was much closer than where Lee had left his so the two men ran all the way back. Philip carried Tom and Lee struggled to carry himself. After what seemed like a marathon distance run the two men made it back to the car. Philip secured Tom in the back; Lee climbed into the back with his brother and rested his head on his lap.

  Philip jumped into the front and started the engine, before pulling out he turned to Lee han
ding him a phone.

  “Call Jennifer and tell her to get my big medical bag and bring it to the cabin. Tell her to hurry and to be wary, she might not be safe…”

  Lee did as his father instructed, taking the phone and keyed in Jennifer’s number, listening for it to ring.

  The phone began to ring, but before it was able to ring a second time Lee heard the soft voice of his love on the other end. Lee told Jennifer what his father had said. “Jennifer, I need you to listen very carefully,” he instructed. “I got Tom, but he's in a bad way. We are taking him up to the cabin; you remember how to get there?”

  “Yeah, I know…”

  “Well, I need you to go to Dad's house and get his big medical bag from his office, and Jennifer I need you to be mindful. We don’t know who is watching…”

  “I’ll be careful, you be careful too and I love you and I’ll see you shortly…”

  Lee told Jennifer that he loved her too and hung up the phone.

  His attention then turned to his brother, whose head was still resting on his lap. Lee looking down at Tom who just lay there completely still, with signs of life ebbing from his face.

  Bloodied, bruised and unrecognisable to Lee, this gave him a numbing feeling of pain right down to his core, deeper than he had ever endured anything in his life. It was strange for him, knowing his own body was full of pain and numbness,watching his brother laying there fighting to live, he felt useless, unable to help him. Given half the chance he would have willingly taken his place.

  Lee sought some comfort that the expressionless man that laid there was in fact his brother, as the reality of what he was looking at was completely alien to him. How could the strongest man in the world to him be so close to death? Lee ran his hand through Tom’s hair, feeling that familiar texture of his hair passing through his fingers. It brought the realisation of what was happening, that this was in fact his brother, his best friend, his hero and he was dying right in front of him.

  Lee kissed his brother softly on the forehead and felt a chill in his body as no warmth emanated from it. Lee feared he was already gone.

  Through an empty stare he tried to catch his father’s eye in the mirror and tell him that his son had gone. He looked up, but was unable speak; no words would form on any breath leaving his mouth. Each time he drank down air to tell Philip what was happening and nothing would come out. So Lee once again ran his fingers though his brother’s hair and whispered in his ear.

  “Come back, please come back, I need you! You’re my hero and my best friend and I just can't go on without you in the world…”

  Gazing up to the heavens, with tears flooding from his eyes he saw the boy that had helped to bring him up and look after him in school; the young man that told him how to speak to girls; the man that laid down his own life to protect his brother and was now unable to hold his breath, imploring to the heavens above, “Please take me! I will willingly take his place if you let him stay…”

  Suddenly Tom coughed as if choking on something and a large amount of blood exited both from his mouth and nose.

  Lee roared to his father, “Hurry up dad, we don’t have long…” Philip accelerated hard and drove with no caution or consideration to anyone or anything that was on the road. The one concern and one concern only was to the wellbeing of his son who was in the back of his car, struggling to live. Making it to the cabin and abandoning the car where it stopped; he could see that Jennifer was already there as her car was in the drive. Philip jumped out from the driver’s seat and lifted Tom from the back of the car and headed for the house.

  Going towards the house, Jennifer came out to meet them. She carried a look of intense concern on her face as Philip heaved Tom up the steps onto the porch where she stood. Philip looked at her and urged, “Help Lee inside…” Jennifer ran down to the car to look for Lee, peering into the car she saw Lee struggling to move with his injuries and exhaustion.

  She threw his arm over her shoulder, helping him find his feet and aiding him up the stairs and into the cabin. They entered the cabin just as Philip threw everything off the table onto the floor to clear somewhere to place Tom. Philip laid Tom down and began to examine his son. Calling for Jennifer to help him; she did as best she could.

  All Lee could do was sit and watch as his body would no longer respond to his will. Sitting, he watched his father and his partner fight to save Tom. After an hour Jennifer came to check on Lee.

  “Lee, are you okay?”

  Lee broke down and tears began to flow from his face and through the numbing pain and anguish he was suffering he turned to her and begged, “This can't be happening, there can't be a reality where I have to live without him. He is my best friend, my hero and my big brother. Without him I am not whole, I am empty and lost, he’s the guiding star by which I live my life. I would willingly take his place if it only gave me a minute more with him, just to talk, just to chat about something… nothing… anything… I need to hear his voice. I need his advice. He is my best man and if he's not here, nothing will make sense anymore…”

  Hanging his head to his hands and with tearful sorrow he sobbed. “I just… I just need my big brother…”

  Jennifer listened to Lee’s barely coherent desperation and saw the pain in his face and leaned in to kiss him softly. She placed the palm of her soft hand on his face to comfort him, and then brought his eyes to meet hers. She softly wiped away the tears from his face with a loving caress and began to cry herself. This man that she loved more than herself, more than anyone before him, was in so much pain she could see him cracking before her eyes. She knew that he had already lived with so much pain inside him and although she might not know the full story yet, from this intense evening unfolding around her, she knew it was serious and she had to give him everything that she had to give.

  Philip came over and sat by Lee, breathless and seeming to battle with the words escaping his own mouth. From behind watery eyes, he forced himself to acknowledge the truth. “There is nothing I can do, Lee. I think we have lost him!”

  Lee took a deep breath, trying to process what was being said. But he could not.

  Jennifer once drew his attention back to her and earnestly asked, “What would you do to have him here?” Lee simply answered, “Anything!”

  Again Jennifer kissed Lee, this time she whispered, “I might not be able to take your pain away, but maybe I can give you your brother back…” She stood up and walked towards the table where Tom was lying on his deathbed. Making her way around to the other side so she could look Lee in the eyes warmly, lovingly, fondly and she affirmed, “From the moment I met you, I knew you were different. I didn’t know how, and I still don’t, but one thing I know is I love you with every breath I have. Every beat of my heart beats for you. I loved you when I said hello and I still love you now at the end, when I say goodbye…”

  Lee heard these words, stood straight up through any physical pain he endured; it was secondary to what he had heard. Trying to make a dash across the room to stop Jennifer, but he was too late. She placed her hand on Tom’s head and light fused her palm to his forehead. The skin on her face began to age and weather as if she were an old woman, the only thing that stayed unchanged were her eyes, which she kept firmly locked onto Lee’s. Her hands must have only been on Tom for a few seconds but these seconds seemed painfully long. Breaking her gaze away from Lee her eyes rolled back in her head and with that she collapsed on the floor.

  The cabin around Lee froze for a moment and all he could see was the bodies of Tom and Jennifer lying in front of him. The pain in his chest overcame all the other injuries that his body was suffering from and for a second his worst nightmare played out before his eyes. To lose one was unthinkable. But to lose both of them would surely break him in two.

  Lee ran over, grabbing her as she lay on the floor, pulling her up close to him. Lee was beside himself fearing he was losing her as well, but instead of looking to a past already experienced as he had when Tom lay on his lap
, he looked to a future that he was going to be denied if Jennifer died. Seeing the kids they were going to have; he saw the day they would get married with Tom by his side as his best man. He saw them growing grey together and he saw this disappearing.

  Philip also ran across the room. Taking Jennifer out of Lee’s arms, he blew into her mouth, doing this a few times until Jennifer let out a gasp for air as if taking her first breath after drowning. Her youth came back with each breath taken. She struggled to catch her breath for a moment or two and then focused on Lee.

  “It's too late, there’s nothing I can do, I can’t bring him back…” It was right then that Lee also knew why Jennifer found him so special and different to touch. It was then Lee got a better understanding of what Jennifer’s strength and weaknesses were, he could see it was tied in with her lifeforce and how it flows through her, but this was not really his concern at that moment.

  Lee and Philip stood up and walked to the table where Tom was. Philip began to work on his son again to try to save him. Tom was so strong that even for Philip giving CPR was like trying to give CPR to a wall. Philip wouldn’t let his son go and kept fighting to save him. His arms got tired and he could hear Tom’s already broken ribs crack under the pressure of Philip’s robust hands on his chest.

  Tom’s eyes opened and he looked at his brother and father. Looking them both in the eye without talking, he told them to stop and let him go. And they did. Philip’s hands fell down by his side and he just stood looking at his big strong son. Tom’s eyes rolled back in his head, and giving out a soft breath, he was gone.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Lee and Philip stared at each other in disbelief at what had just happened. Collapsing to the floor as his whole world fell apart in that moment, Lee couldn’t believe what was unfolding. Sitting on the ground by the table where his brother lay, he tried to accept that he was there but he wasn't, refusing to believe that this could actually be reality.