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

by Niall McCreanor

  Impatient with the recovery process and willing himself to heal faster he became frustrated and a restless energy built up inside of him. Lee needed an outlet to focus his attention on and build up the strength within him to face the task of exposing the atrocities that the United New World had been involved in and the subsequent cover-ups. Lee gathered the files that his brother uncovered from where he stashed them, under the floorboards in the spare room of his apartment, and began to work.

  Studying the notes, he learned the entire truth of what had been happening and how the government had been both dictating to and controlling the international media. He learned that there was a specific chain of command within the government and the cover-ups went right to the highest office in the land.

  Lee pieced all the information together and wrote his article, exposing the full extent of what happened with irrefutable evidence, including names of high ranking officials and specific events that were covered up and why. It explained that the media was fed mistruths about the state of things in the economy to ensure a stability mechanism.

  He worked tirelessly on his article day and night, writing and rewriting sentences. Changing the structure, the opening line, and the headline. It had to be perfect and there was no room for mistakes. After two weeks of constant grind he finally had a finished article. It extensively exposed all the corruption and cover-ups that were contained in the files. Rarely taking time to relax he seemed to use the article as a method of cleansing; a way to connect with Tom. A way to help him put some reason to his death and to help bring a little justice to what had happened.

  When finished, he informed his boss, Pete Laurie that the article was complete, informing him how long the article was and of the specifics of sneaking the article into the paper without raising any alarms. It was arranged that Lee would sneak into Pete's office on Friday; Pete would slip out early, before the paper went to print. That way he could insert the story and have it as the lead article for the weekend edition.

  Lee did this with relative ease and went home to wait and see what would come of his article.

  Going to sleep that night, he expectantly awaited the early edition of the paper to reach him by 7am. However, at 4am Lee heard a loud bang on the door and went to see what it was.

  Opening the door and peering outside, his eyes searched the area for signs of life, there were none to be seen anywhere. Looking down he saw a copy of the post with a note attached to it. Lifting the paper, bemused that it was there over three hours before it was due, he slipped off the band that held the paper folded and kept the note from falling away. At first glance the note was just a page folded in half. He unfolded it, looking to see what it said.

  It only had one word written on it.

  “RUN!”

  Startled by this, he turned his eyes to the paper gripped underneath the note. He quickly read the lead article headline and to his surprise it was not that article he had written, but rather it read, “Local man wanted for questioning over disappearing soldier and in relation to the death of brother.” and under the headline there was a picture of Lee.

  A gut wrenching feeling of panic set in Lee. Turning to go back into the house to wake Jennifer, he hesitated, thinking there was only a small window to get to safety. He considered that if he told Jennifer where he was, he would make her an accessory to any crime they were going to pin on him.

  Lifting his keys he drove off into the early morning. Driving straight to the cabin, it only took him a short time to get there. When there it was his intention to lay low and see how things would unfold over the coming days. He drove up the lane to the cabin, parking his car and walking to enter the house.

  Turning his key in the door his entire body palpitated with tremendous force as the door was blown out from the inside.

  Such was the force that it sent Lee flying back off the porch to land hard on the ground. Lee, in pain and shocked by the force with which he was hit, looked up at the house and saw a menacing and haunting figure appear from the darkness within.

  Lee was gripped with fear, unsure of who or what was there and waited for the figure to manifest. It was not the first time he saw a menacing figure appear from darkness and as he stepped out into the dawn’s dark haze, the shadows on his face fell away. Lee once again faced the man in the mask, the man who scarred his face and took his brother away from him.

  McKay had survived the gunshot and subsequent fall. Stepping out he slowly approached Lee. He was still rattled from the blow he sustained and could only ask, “How did you survive? How did you find this place?”

  “That is the least of your worries…”

  As Lee heard these words, the realisation of what was about to happen hit him. McKay was there to kill Lee.

  McKay spat, “You know there was no one to link you to any of this and you could have gotten away unknown? But no! You had to try and expose everything. You had to push your luck and write the article. Did you not think we would see it before anyone else could? Did you not think we would know where to look for you? I am glad I found you here, it saves me visiting your home and making a martyr of that lovely lady you live with. Would be a shame if anything were to happen to her, off course if anything did, people would think is was you that did it in an angry rage! I couldn’t protect my men because of your brother and now you won’t be able to protect her, in the same way you couldn’t save him.” He delivered these words threateningly as Lee got to his feet.

  Lee stood, paralysed with fear; he was face to face with the man that ripped his brother from his world. He turned his face so McKay couldn’t see the scar he had left there. Lee knew that there was no way he could defeat McKay again as the last time they met only the intervention of Philip had helped Lee to survive. Panic set in and fear pumped through his body, he began to shake.

  And when he felt like giving up he felt the physical presence of someone else. A hand was placed on his back from behind and without looking he knew who it was. A soft and familiar voice whispered in his ear “You will be alright!”

  Fear turned into a burning rage over what had been taken from him and his eyes glazed over with a look of steely intent. The hand that was placed softly on his back then tightened and gripped the back of his top and strongly flung Lee towards McKay. Without hesitation Lee bore down on McKay and launched himself through the air at him.

  Immediately McKay was knocked to the ground and Lee began to hit him with his entire might. Sitting on top of McKay, he pulled the mask off his face and snarled, “No need for formalities.”

  Lee proceeded to unleash all the pain that was built up in him since losing his brother. Every time he hit him he had the fury of hell in his fists. He reigned down his punches on McKay; punching so hard he could not tell if the horrific noise of bone on bone was his hands breaking or McKay’s face shattering under the pressure of his might. Lee did not relent and did not tire until McKay's face became almost unrecognisable.

  When McKay was totally incapacitated, he put his hands around his neck and began to squeeze the life out of him. McKay was kicking his feet in an effort to shake Lee off, but his grip around the throat of the man who killed his brother only got tighter. Lee began to feel life slip from McKay's body and watched his eyes roll back in his head.

  Before the life had completely gone out of his body Lee began to think of his brother and the man that his brother would have wanted him to be. Tom would have wanted Lee to be forgiving and compassionate, so loosened his grip from McKay's neck and stood up away from him. Turning and looking at the cabin that had been his sanctuary, he now knew that is was no longer safe.

  He looked pitifully down at McKay on the ground, gasping for air and trying to get life back into his body. With aggressive intent asserting through deep breath and a grimace on his face, he spoke.

  “I can defeat you, no matter what you do. You see how easy it is for me, you are nothing, you are just a bully and I will haunt you for the rest of your days.

  Stay away
from my family, stay away from me and I won't kill you. Go near them and you will not live to talk about it. I knew the minute I saw you, you were evil and I should have trusted my instinct. Tom would still be here if I did…”

  Breathing heavily, Lee turned to see whose familiar hand had caressed his back and then launched him into battle. Turning, he found no one there. He was alone.

  Running into the house Lee wrote a quick note to Jennifer and his father. He grabbed all his bags of gear and threw them into the car that his father had recently finished reconditioning. He looked around to see where McKay was, but he had already disappeared from sight and with that Lee sped off into the morning.

  Jennifer awoke in the morning to find the place in the bed beside her where Lee would lie to not only be empty, but to be cold. She got up out of bed with a banging on the door. She went to see who was there waiting for her. It was the police looking for Lee.

  Jennifer told them she didn't know where he was or what was going on. The policeman let Jennifer read the newspaper, which was tucked under his arm. As Jennifer read down through the lies that were written about Lee she feared for his safety. The police stayed for a while and questioned Jennifer.

  Satisfied that she didn’t know where Lee was they took their leave.

  Within seconds of the door closing behind the police, there came another knock. Jennifer went to the door, cursing to herself as she expected it to be the police again.

  “I told you, I don't know anything…”

  As the door opened she saw Philip standing there with a tentative look on his face. Jennifer implored, “What’s going on Philip?”

  Philip gave no reply. Simply handed her the note that he retrieved from the cabin where he went expectantly to find Lee. All he found was his car, the letter and signs of a struggle. The letter read:

  Dad & Jenny

  I don't have long. I am safe. Don't worry about me. I have to go to keep you safe from what is happening. I will clear my name and blow open everything that has been going on. I have plenty of money and I am taking your car Dad, they will be looking for mine. I will be in touch, but right now I have to get away to keep you safe. Look after each other; you are all that I have.

  Love always,

  Lee

  As Jennifer read this, tears fell from her face for the man she loved. She was looking to Philip, who consoled her as best he could.

  She spoke with an overwhelming sadness in her voice. “We don't all get the happy ending we deserve.”

  Philip looked back with saddened eyes and a slight curve of a smile and said, “This is true, but this isn't the end… Is it?