SIXTEEN

Falcon had been disturbingly silent.

There were less people than usual at the large park within central Templeton Hills. Zach leaned against the park bench, catching his breath. Laughter played in his ears, voices interwoven in their melody, as his friends engaged in their carefree game of tag. His head tipped backwards all the way; he gazed at the nearby street. The skyrise of the city was upside down at this view point. There weren't many people on the sidewalks.

Sighing, Zach lifted his head and watched his friends. A wave of dizziness struck. He drew a knee to his chest and rested an arm there, putting a hand to his forehead. Nausea flooded over his senses; his hand slid over his mouth.

Good thing I skipped lunch.

Though Hikaru had given him a disapproving look, he had managed to get away with not eating. Zach swore it was one of her life goals to fatten them all up. If anyone of them skipped a meal, Hikaru always seemed to take great personal offense at it.

He hated disappointing her.

Zach sighed, pulling out a hard candy out of his pocket and unwrapping it. He popped it into his mouth, stuffing the wrapper back inside his pocket. So long as he controlled his sugar levels, his emotions would stay in check. He could eat later. Maybe his appetite would be better around dinner time.

He doubted it.

More than likely, his lack of appetite had something to do with his sleepless nights. Though he wasn't sure which had come first – at any rate, sleeping through the night had become a thing of the past.

He was just as on edge as the rest of this city.

A little over a week had gone by since that first attack by Falcon. There were no more sightings, no more little teasers about where the criminal would strike next, no more news – all information had ceased.

Radio silence.

Zach rubbed the goosebumps on his arms.

It was impossible to evacuate all of the clinics and hospitals. They couldn't shuffle people back and forth between facilities, wondering when an attack would strike next. One of the larger clinics, which was about a block away from this park, had been evacuated; but the hospital a few blocks further down the street hadn't been evacuated.

He couldn't stop thinking about all the possibilities. He couldn't stop thinking about the next fight, the next encounter. His phone had buzzed twice since that first fight and both times he'd been powerless against the fear that clawed at his heart and gripped his soul.

Is this it?

Is it Falcon this time?

His lack of appetite and sleepless nights had an even deeper root. Maybe if he stopped having disturbing nightmares about Falcon killing his team, maybe if he stopped having nightmares about losing his friends – maybe if everything stopped seeping into his dreams, then maybe he'd have a normal night's sleep.

Just maybe. It was a slight possibility. Mmm.

If he stopped thinking about Falcon, then maybe he could have some semblance of normalcy once again.

Zach snorted to himself. As if that would happen. No, his mind would continue to race with new plans, potential ways of bringing Falcon down – but they were useless within his nightmares. He would continue to lie awake at night, staring up at the ceiling, staring at his mother's painting on the wall, staring into the unknown and praying he could come out the victor.

It was better to be proactive.

Someone slumped onto the bench beside him; there was a loud exhale of breath and a low whistle.

"Can't believe they can still go at it," said Drake, nudging Zach and motioning towards the youngest two. Brielle and Jacob were still playing, abandoning Hikaru and Sevati on the grass; they chased each other with loud laughter in their wake.

"You sound like an old man," said Zach with a chuckle. He lightly punched Drake in the arm.

They fell into companionable silence, watching the others play for a time. After five minutes or so, Drake nudged him softly again. Zach looked at him; he grew nervous at the expression on Drake's face.

"So, what's going on with you?" whispered Drake.

His breath caught in his throat. Zach swallowed. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, come off it," said Drake, sounding frustrated. He glanced at the others before dropping his voice. "You know I can tell whether or not you're asleep by now, right? You've barely slept. You haven't eaten much and, honestly, I'm shocked Hikaru hasn't come down on ya like a Norse god or something for missing meals. So, what's up?"

'Have your powers returned yet?'

'…freak of nature.'

'…lucky to have this job.'

'A little hero like you could never understand.'

"Zach, hey, are you all right?" asked Drake, more urgent now. He gently pushed Zach on the shoulder, worry lighting within his eyes. "You're pale. Are you sick?"

Zach blinked, voices echoing in his mind with the destructive lure of a Siren's call. He smiled wanly. Drake's lips thinned.

"I'm fine."

"Bullshit."

Zach raised an eyebrow, almost impressed by his courage. Hikaru had the ears of a hound. Drake glanced at her, nervous guilt on his face. When it was apparent she hadn't heard him, he looked back at Zach with a relieved sigh.

"Bull crap," Drake amended with a flush. "Look, I know you like to bottle things up like this, but I really hate it, Zach." There was a pause; he ran a hand through his hair. "It scares me," Drake whispered.

Zach didn't answer immediately. He looked away. His eyes singled onto a billboard sign that glowed in the distance; ads interchanged every few seconds. An ad for parents came next: "Protect your future children from genetic diseases… Genetic Modification: Children of the Future."

The ad ended with the address of the clinic, which happened to be nearby.

Smoke and flames billowed in the distance.

'One hundred twenty-four to be exact.'

Will he crush my skull?

Zach sucked in his breath, dragging his gaze away from the billboard. Drake's hand was over his wrist. He didn't remember when the other boy had placed it there. He patted the hand lightly, trying to collect his thoughts.

"I have a lot on my mind," whispered Zach, looking back at Drake. The other boy had grown more alarmed. Zach sighed. "I'm sorry. You're right. I haven't been sleeping and it's affecting me. I'm just really tired all the time now."

Drake studied him, his eyes hard with their scrutiny. He blew out a huff of air through his mouth, his throat grunting with annoyance.

"You're not going to tell me, are you?" whispered Drake.

"No, I'm not," said Zach softly.

"You can talk to me. You know that, right?"

"I know."

"Then, why?" asked Drake, a hint of sadness in his voice.

"I know it looks bad now," whispered Zach. "But it will get better. I'll take care of it, I promise."

Liar.

You're lying to him. You can't fix anything. Stop lying. Tell him. Tell them. Stop holding back and—

"And I'll take better care of myself," said Zach, forcing a grin to lift his face. "Once things settle down, I swear things won't be so weird with me. All right? Trust me."

Trust a liar?

You're hilarious.

"It's nothing a good sleep and a good meal won't fix," said Zach, his fake grin becoming more believable.

"It's about Falcon, isn't it?"

"No, I don't think the Falcon problem will be solved with food."

They stared at each other for a long moment, before they both burst into laughter. The tension slid away, like cool water quenching the thirst.

You can't lie forever.

Oh, but he was going to try.

The laughter gradually died; the others stopped playing. Warmth encapsulated his side; hands slid around his arm. A head rested against his upper shoulder, bringing with it the familiar scent of Hikaru's shampoo. Drake slowly smirked at him. His eyebrows bobbed up and down.

Zach ignored him.

The others shuffled forward, gathering around each other at the bench. Brielle crouched in front and prodded Zach's forehead, keeping her finger poised for another poke.

"It's not as much fun without you," said Brielle with a haughty sniff. There was a light flush to her face.

Zach smiled.

Emotion rose in his chest. His jaw clenched.

He stood up, taking a moment to stretch his limbs. He wasn't going to break down. Not now. Not ever. Not in front of them. He ruffled Jacob's hair. He grinned at the others.

"I dunno about you guys, but I hear some mac and cheese calling my name."

As they walked home, the sun slowly waned across the horizon. The chatter of six teens added to the cacophony of the car filled streets. An ambulance sped by.

The air shattered. A blast blew over them. The ground shook beneath their feet. Screams warbled inside Zach's ringing ears.

His friends…

Screeching tires, honking horns, shattering glass – they crashed together with ear splitting proportions. In the chaos, Zach grabbed the nearest two and jerked them down to the ground; the others followed like dominos. The sound of flickering flames licked his ears; smoke and fire clogged his senses.

Glass struck the ground. A second explosion shook the evening. More screams. More chaos. Everything was happening so fast, yet time came to a brutal halt. There was a crackling noise nearby; it snapped. There was a tremendous, thunderous crash.

Debris came down all around them. In the disorder, Zach lost sight of all of his friends. He slammed a hand over his mouth and nose, coughing through the smoke. He groped through the smoke, trying to get clear of it. As he broke through, he gasped for breath, choking. His eyes burned. He quickly looked around.

The building closest had been old, made of faded bricks. The entire side of the wall had fallen, sections of brick lay scattered across the area and the road.

A rage of billowing black smoke and wild, untamable flames stood only two buildings down the street. If they had been any closer… They would've been at the danger zone. The heat was intense, meltingly hot as a desert sun. The warmth burned Zach's face, even from this distance.

The screams hadn't faded. It's the clinic… Falcon had targeted the empty clinic. Empty… Zach dragged his gaze away from the raging flames, with only one focus occupying his mind.

Where are they? Where're my friends?