Violence & Variations

by Thomas Shaw

  Laura didn't say anything at first. She was trying to work out what David meant. It hit her when he opened his hands and looked at hers, "How do-"

  "I'm like you" and as he said this, an arc of electricity jolted from one hand to the other. Laura whipped her glasses off and put them on the counter. Massaging the bridge of her nose, she walked to the other side of the room and back again.

  "The fact that I can do this is still impossible to me, but the fact that you can do it too-is just...I mean...wait, when did you find out about me?" She asked, pointing accusingly at David, "Did you always know?" She was getting worked up, not a good sign, Laura was usually very calm and calculated.

  "No, I found out near the end"

  "How near the end"

  David hesitated, "The end" his voice broke up as he replied.

  Laura just stood, looking at him with a blank stare. A brief pause later, "The end. That night you left? And you didn't think I deserved an explanation?"

  "I freaked out! I saw you using your powers and electricity doesn't exactly mix well with water, does it?"

  John smiled, "Water powers?" He said, he thought to himself but both David and Laura heard him.

  Now she was looking at him, "Not exactly" Laura corrected him with a sharp tongue, "I can manipulate water molecules. I can expel a bit of water from my hands, but nothing that amazing"

  He was feeling a bit awkward with the two of them but was still amazed that another person had, what he considered, superpowers.

  "Anyway David" She turned back to him. Still not happy, "What are you doing here? You leave, ignore my calls and messages for months, don't speak to me for a year and then randomly show up at my door with...with-"

  "John, his neighbor" John finished her sentence, raising his hand in a small wave.

  "Your neighbor. Seriously, what do you want from me?"

  "Earlier today, I was in the bank when this guy walks in, with six robot soldiers and-"

  "Robot soldiers?" Laura repeated, raising an eyebrow. She went back over to the counter and put on her glasses.

  "Let me finish. Anyway, the guy escaped with the money, but not before I'd unleashed my power in front of people trying to stop them" David finished. He waited for Laura to say something. She didn't, and she still looked very skeptical. David continued, "I'm thinking about hunting this guy down and stopping him from doing it again. Apparently, that wasn't the first time this has happened"

  "So, again, what do you want from me?" Laura asked, she was losing her patience.

  David took a deep breath, "You, me and two other people I know all have 'abilities' and I think we should put them to good use"

  "Two other people?" Laura looked at John. He shook his head, nervously laughing, "No, not me" she looked back to David, "Who else?"

  "Sam" Laura's eyes widened, "And Amy"

  Laura folded one arm and rubbed her eyes with the other hand, "This is insane. So one guy robs a bank and you're wanting to start a team?"

  "Hey, not my idea" David said turning to look at John.

  He held his hands up, "It's not every day that you meet people with powers like heroes in comics. I just think-"

  "That what, it'll be just like it is in comics or in the films? Here's some news for you, this is reality. Something like this isn't practical. We fight one guy and then what? We become this act? We start whoreing ourselves out to the media? We make our own enemies? Come under scrutiny from scientists? This isn't entertainment, this is real life" Laura sighed, her hands were now clenched tightly. John took a step back towards the door. Laura took a deep breath and closed her eyes, unclenching her fists, "I'm sorry. I guess I'm sick of comic fans wanting powers like ours to be real, when living with them means you can't have a normal life"

  David looked at his feet, "Can I count you in?"

  Laura turned to the window and looked outside. There wasn't much of a view, just one of the adjacent building, "Are the others in?"

  "Amy's eager"

  "Huh, I'm not surprised there"

  "But I haven't spoken to Sam yet, and let's just say, he'll be very valuable"

  Laura turned back around, "I need some time David. Let me think"

  David stood up and walked towards the door, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry about everything"

  Laura didn't say anything, her expression was one that either didn't believe him, or just didn't care.

  John opened the door and he and David stepped out. The door closed behind them and they headed for the stairwell, "Do you think she'll join?" John asked.

  David shrugged his shoulders, "I honestly don't know"

  Sam lived at the other side of the city so it took a fair bit of time to drive there during dinner time traffic. David was telling John about Amy,

  "...and since then we've been like brother and sister" David explained, "Our families have been friends for years and so you get that sort of bond when you grow up together. I think our moms thought we'd eventually get married, but I've never been interested in her that way"

  "She feel the same about you?" John asked.

  "Yeah, we both care deeply about each other but when someone asks if we're a couple we usually both laugh and say we're actually siblings"

  "So you have electric powers, Laura uses water and Amy has fire?"

  "When she was five I saw her burning her toys after getting angry at them or something. I stopped the fire and asked her why she was doing it. She said she had just got mad at them and fire had shot out of her hands. Amy being Amy thought that this was cool rather than scary" He grinned to himself, it was typical of her to find inappropriate things funny, "I was about eight at the time and had developed my powers at the same age as her. I had shown my dad what I could do but he had told me to keep it hidden. He said that my mom probably would've freaked out and wanted to get me to the doctors straight away. He was the one who told me that people in the world would want to use someone like me. He said to only use it in private and keep it to myself, only use it sparingly, like to charge my phone and the like. I explained this to Amy and got her to do the same.... for a while anyway"

  "Did she start using her powers in front of people?"

  David sighed, "Oh yes. She started making bets with people. You see, it's not like you think, a beam of fire doesn't come out of her hands, it's like an invisible ray of super heat that ignites whatever she's pointing at. She'd make bets with people that she could set things on fire with her mind and obviously she won every time. I got her to stop again, but not before she was chased down by the police one day after she blew up someone's car" He shook his head, "She can be reckless sometimes"

  They were close to Sam's place, and as they drew nearer, they heard the sound of a car crash, coming from the direction they were heading. They thought nothing of it and David found a place to park down the road from Sam's street.

  "What's so special about Sam then?" John asked as they walked up the road to the apartments.

  "Well-" David started but he was interrupted by the sight of a man in the middle of the road, holding up a car with his bare hands! "That answer your question?" David said to John and they started running towards the crowd that was forming around the scene. The man was shouting something but it was hard to hear over the spectators.

  As David wove in and out of the people, he could see two smashed cars at the other end of the street. The man was holding the car very steadily above his head, it looked like he was threatening to throw it at another man who was ducked behind another car.

  A blonde woman was stood by herself on the other side of the street watching the scene, her hands covered her mouth in shock. As David approached her she took notice of him pulled him closer by his arm, "David, you've got to stop him, he's out of control!" She pleaded with him. David placed his hand on her back in comfort, "Don’t worry Emma, I'll do my best" and he turned his attention to the man holding up the vehicle.

  "Sam!" He shouted. He didn't respond, "Sam! Put the car down"

  Sam gl
anced over at David. He was similar in age to David. His eyes were red and puffy like he had been crying. His white polo shirt was ripped across the middle, exposing a muscular chest. He didn't seem to be struggling with the car, "Oh, now you turn up!" He shouted, "I needed you earlier, where were you?"

  "I had my own stuff to deal with. Why don't you put down the car and we can talk?"

  Sam looked from him, back to the man he was threatening with the car, then back to David.

  The muscles in Sam's arms were bulging under the weight of the hatchback but he was holding it with little effort. His shaven head had beads of sweat forming, and his face looked bitter and angry. David knew that Sam had a slight temper, but for him to reveal his powers...something wasn't right. Police sirens drew nearer but David wasn't aware if Sam had heard, or even cared.

  "Sam. What's happened?"

  "I finally lost it at work yesterday. I quit, I'd had enough of them treating me like I was an idiot. Then I go and visit my mom" Sam looked David directly in the eyes, "She died this morning David. The cancer finally got her"

  The woman next to David covered her mouth again. David’s eyes widened, the news hitting him like a punch in the chest. When he was younger, he used to visit Sam's house all the time and his mother used to cook for him. He visited her a few months ago after hearing she had been hospitalized with her brain tumor but hadn't gone back.

  "Sam... I’m so sorry. Just...lets go talk"

  Sam eyes had teared up but he still held on to the car, he closed his eyes hard, attempting to get rid of the tears and his sorrow turned back to anger, "And then I come home to find this fucker in bed with her!" Sam finally threw the car across the street. It smashed into the car the other man was hiding behind but he dived out of the way.

  He stood up in the middle of the road and started walking towards Sam, "Look man, I'm sorry. We wasn't expecting you back till later"

  Sam shook his head and covered his mouth, "I'm so sorry!" He called in an obviously sarcastic manner, "I didn't realize I was getting in the way!"

  The police sirens were getting louder, David could hear the screeching tyres. The man was standing right in front of Sam now. David took a step forward, "Sam, come on, come with me"

  "Yeah man, go with your friend" The man said. For some reason, David thought, this man has just seen Sam lift a car and throw it at him, yet thinks the best thing to do is as him to walk away. Sam looked at the man directly in the eyes, and gave a sly smile. He turned as if to leave and spun right back around and punched the man straight in the stomach! David couldn't stop him quick enough. The man went flying down the street before landing with a loud thud on the tarmac!

  "Eric!" The woman shouted and Sam turned his attention to her, his eyes narrowed.

  "No! Stop now!" David shouted. He could see the anger, the hurt, the betrayal in his eyes. He had to stop him somehow. He was about to shock him to subdue him but watched as Sam walked past his fiancée and into the doorway to his apartment building.

  "David, please just-"

  "Don't talk to me" He stopped her and followed Sam. He noticed the 'Out of Order' sign on the lift and headed for the staircase. He could hear footsteps going up and started jogging upwards. He got to the fifteenth floor, Sam's floor, and opened the doorway into the corridor. Down the hall, Sam's apartment door was wide open. David walked in slowly. The whole apartment was trashed: Pictures formally on the wall were smashed on the wooden floor and grabbed glass crunched under David’s shoes as he walked further in. He saw across the living room Sam, stood on the balcony looking down at the crowd below.

  "They're probably gonna arrest me now" Sam said, not turning around, "And I'm the innocent one"

  "To be fair, you were throwing cars about" David said bluntly, "People don't take kindly to that. Not to mention, probably breaking that guys ribs"

  Sam hung his head, "What did I do wrong David? All I've done is try to keep her happy. I worked in a job I absolutely hated. A job where I tried my best but still was insulted day after day, just to be able to buy her nice things"

  "Sam..."

  "And then I come home and find her in bed with the guy across the hall. I mean, of all people, him?" Sam turned around, "So now I have no job, no money, no home, no Fiancée. And worst of all, no parents. My mom’s gone, the person I'd turn to in these situations"

  "Sam" David was sounding more urgent.

  "Oh, and I'm about to be arrested. So what's the point?"

  David looked past Sam, he knew what he was planning, "You know it won't solve anything"

  "It might. I'm sorry" Sam turned and jumped over the balcony. There were screams, a thud then the sound of shouting from outside on the street. David shook his head, sighed, and walked to the edge calmly.

  Below, on the ground, Sam lay face down on the road. His eyes shut tightly. Around him police, armed with rifles gathered around him. Sam's eyes opened and he lifted his head. He looked around and groaned, "Why is he always right?" He was dragged to his feet by police officers and was approached by two men in suits. They said something to the police officers and they started dragging Sam to a police van.

  David saw all this from the apartment balcony. He heard crunching glass from behind him and turned to see John entering the room.

  He looked pale and his eyes were wide, "Is...is he going to be ok?"

  "Sam? Oh yeah, he'll be fine. Probably knocked him for six, but he'll live"

  "What do we do now?" John asked as David walked past him to leave the room.

  David opened a cupboard by the door. Inside was a fuse box and he stuck his hand on top of it, "Well after I've blown all of Emma's fuses, we should follow to where they're taking Sam. Looking at those two agents, I've got a feeling they're not going to simply throw him in a regular jail cell"

  Following the police van that had Sam inside, David’s thoughts were confirmed when they drove immediately past the police station and headed out of the city. They were heading north. John checked his phone for any other police stations or jail facilities in the area, so they could work out where Sam was being taken. But they couldn't find anything.

  After an hours drive it was starting to get dark. They were heading into a valley and traffic was now vary sparse. David held back as he didn't want to give away their presence. The van turned off onto a narrow road, heading between two steep hills. John showed David his phone with the GPS map on. The road didn't show up. David parked the car up nearby and they both got out.

  "Where do you think they're taking him?" John asked, he was rubbing his arms to keep warm.

  David looked down the road, where the van had traveled down. Either it's lights were off or it wasn't there anymore, David couldn't tell.

  "I think we should go down there" David suggested. He looked down at his watch, it was getting late but David didn't want to leave Sam behind.

  "Come on then, let's hurry up"

  David locked the car and they headed across the street and down the road the police had travelled. Between the hills and with no lampposts it was very dark. Both men took out their phones and turned on the flashlights. The road turned a few times and David noticed that the valley between the hills wasn't natural, it had been constructed. After another turn they could see the end of the road. And at the end was a security barrier with a little hut. Inside sat a man, reading something on a computer tablet and so he hadn't seen them. David and John chose to climb up the hill and go around the barrier.

  "What's the point of the checkpoint if you can just bypass it?" John said to no one in particular.

  After a brief bit of walking they could now see where Sam was taken.

  In the valley bellow was a large black building, illuminated by floodlights on the ground around it. It was large, flat, maybe as tall as a two-story building but as wide as a street of seven of them. The walls slanted inwards and it was almost black as the night. Sat on top of the building were two helicopters and a few people walking around with searchlights, maybe guards.
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br />   David and John noticed the police van was parking up in a compound next to the building. They saw them open the back and escort Sam out of the vehicle, and marched him across the yard and into the building.

  Apart from the roof, there wasn't much activity around the building. They could see the entrance which seemed to be a set of double doors in the center of the front wall. There was quite a bit of field space around the building as well, but David couldn't make out if there were any buildings in these bits. The building itself didn't really give out any light, there were no windows or signs at all. It was just one black square in the middle of nowhere.

  "What do you make of it?" David asked John.

  John surveyed the area, trying to focus in the dark, "Lets come back tomorrow"

  "I'm not leaving Sam in-."

  "Dude, there's nothing you can do, come on. That place looks locked down as tight as Buckingham Palace!"

  David stood, still staring at the building. He knew John was right, but at the same time, he felt it was his job to get Sam out. After a brief moment, he turned away and they both headed back to the car.

  After another hours drive the two men arrived home at the apartment building. John went inside his apartment, his fiancée probably wondering where he'd been for the last few hours. David apologized for keeping him as the door was closing and he turned around to enter his own apartment. He glanced at the burnt card reader and sighed, smiling to himself at his own drunken stupidity. He pushed the door open, and was surprised to see the lights on. He slowly and quietly closed the door and headed towards the living room. He could hear glasses clinking together, as if someone was going through his cupboards. David took a deep breath and pushed the door open hard, with arms raised, ready to electrify the intruders. He immediately stopped charging his hands as quickly as he had started as he saw that it wasn't anyone stealing from him, in his kitchen stood Laura and Amy. Laura was leaning against the dishwasher whilst Amy was currently rooting around in his fridge. She turned and looked at David, "Ah, perfect" she smiled, closing the door of the cupboard, "Where's the alcohol?"