Wait wait wait, don't stick me just yet! I can explain! Right after I posted the last chapter, I got super sick. Still am, though it's a little better. I might have pneumonia, so I'm going to the doctor tomorrow. There should be more chapters now that I've got it a little under control, but if it comes back, I might have to take some more time off, don't hate me!

On a side note, big new project with AaronDragon coming soon ;)

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The next few minutes were spent in relative silence. Not that they could chat while the ground was smashing apart around them.

It gave Simon time to think.

This new world was dangerous. He knew that now. He had an idea of it before, but now he was certain. He would need to get stronger, need to learn how to use his power, before he was no longer able. If gangs like the Blue Bloods were given power enough to take over entire sections of the city without worry, then Simon dreaded to think of the kind of things a real terrorist organization might try.

If people, regular people like him, were given power enough to topple police forces, militaries wouldn’t be much use, unless they were powered as well. The world was changing, and Simon knew it well. Soon the ones making the decisions would no longer be democratic leaders or large countries, it would be whoever held the stronger power. The stronger power and the greater number of people with powers.

If he wanted to live, if he wanted his family to live, Simon needed an army. And he had a few ideas on how to use his power to get one.

Simon made a decision, then. Deep underground, traveling at god knows how mant miles per hour. Simon knew, then, that he would be a leader. At that moment, his future looked clear. He knew what he had to do, and how to do it. All that was left was the action itself.

Simon closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them, they were filled with determination. Hundreds of feet underground, in pitch blackness, a new world power was born.

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The surface broke, allowing sunlight to spill onto the steadily rising figures of Simon and Thomas. Simon covered his eyes, reminded that despite all that had happened, only a few hours had passed since the start of it.

He looked around, and noticed they had come up in a mall parking lot of sorts, except all the cars were either on fire, flipped, or smashed in some manner. Simon didn’t recognize the shopping mall in front of them, and from their surroundings he assumed they were a little ways out of the city.

The windows of the mall were covered in metal shutters, though Simon could see a few places where the metal was smashed through and improvised barricades blocked the way instead.

His brother stretched in the sun, making awkward moans and grunts whle Simon checked out the surroundings.

“Phew, man, being a human subway is hard work. Ahem. You have now arrived at your destination. Please follow instructions on leaving the train.”, he said the last part in a robotic voice.

“Thomas, where are we?”, Simon asked him, ignoring his attempt at humour.

Thomas looked dejected for a moment before answering, “This is where I came from, some cool guy named Elliot drove off the looters and set up the mall as a safe zone. Mom’s here too.”

Simon frowned at the mention of the guy getting rid of looters.

“He’s powered, isn’t he? What does he have?”, Simon asked.

“Something to do with magnets or something, I think. I didn’t ask, but I heard some guys talking about it.”, Thomas told him, before beginning to walk towards the mall.

Simon sighed. After what he’d seen on the way over, he wasn’t entirely confortable with super powered gang leaders.

Reluctantly, he followed his brother over to one of the “entrances”, basically just a few chairs piled into an opening in the metal shutters. Simon noticed the metal looked as if it had been peeled apart like a banana.

Thomas cleared his throat loudly, and took a deep breath, before shouting at the top of his voice, “I FUCKING LOVE TEA”.

Simon heard someone swear and a loud crash came from inside. One of the chairs near the top and he saw the face of an older man with a white beard peer out.

“Fock, did ya ‘ave tuh shout it so damn loud?!”, he said angrily at Thomas. He spoke in a thick British accent.

Thomas smiled widely, as if to mock him, and said, “Jerry! My pal! I’d like you to meet my good brother, Simon! He’s the brains of the family if you can’t tell by the fancy dress.”, and put his arm around Simon.

Simon shrugged his arm off and nodded at the man behind the chairs.

“Nice to meet you sir.”, he said confidently.

The man gave him a once over and grunted, before saying, “Roight, get it in ‘ere then, be’ore some-un sees.”, and began pulling away chairs.

It didn’t seem to be a very effective barricade, since it was pulled away easily in a few seconds, but Simon supposed it was the appearance that mattered most. Now that he was inside, he could see the old man guarding the door in full. He was a tall man, but with a deep slouch, making him appear shorter than he was. As it was, he was almost Simon’s height, 5’11”. He wore a security guard’s uniform, and Simon assumed he was mall security before the riots.

After they had replaced the flimsy chair barricade, old man Jerry turned to them.

“Hm. Elliot’s up’n the first floor, in th’ Walllmart. You’d be wantin’ ta see ‘im, he wants tah meet all th’ new arrivals.”, he said dismissively.

“Thanks for your help, sir. I’ll be seeing you around I suppose.”, Simon said to him. His only reply was a grunt as he went back to a seat near the entrance.

“Yo Jer, I’ll see ya later, man.”, Thomas said to him. He was ignored, and Simon just sighed and started walking away.

As they made their way deeper inside, Simon was shocked at the sheer number of people in the mall. There had to be thousands, at least. People lined the walls, and when there was no space against them, they sat on the floor. There were families huddled together, people curled up in sleeping bags, even a few tents scattered around here and there. The place looked like a refugee camp, though the people seemed relatively positive, happy they were at least safe. There wasn’t a lot of chatter, though a low drone of talk drifted throughout the place. Thomas greeted a few people here and there, typical of his friendly nature, as they walked through the mall. They made their way up the non-functional escalator, and found there way to the Walllmart, at the other end of the mall.

Simon was surprised to find himself not greeted by cheap clothing and discount cereal, but a command center like something out of a war movie. There were serious people rushing here and there, dodging groups of people huddled around various different tables. A few had maps of the area, but most were filled with an ungodly amount of paperwork.

Thomas stepped forward and raised his hand in greeting, shouting over the din, “Yo Elliot! I made it back, and I’ve got my bro!”.

A few people looked at them tiredly, apparently used to Thomas’ shenanigans, but on man in the middle, who was previously peering over a large map table, turned completely and gave them a charismatic smile.

He was tall, even more so than Jerry, should he have stood up. Simon figured he was around 6’5”, or something similar. He had long blond hair, flowing down past his shoulders, and wore a tight t-shirt and skinny jeans, showing off his body. He was muscled, but not overly, just enough to know he worked out regularly.

“Welcome, and welcome back!”, he said in a confident voice. “Please, come with me. If Jerry sent you here, you must have a power of some sort. Let us talk about it.”

Simon blinked.