Zane’s grip tightened atop his crossed arms.His fingers scratched the fabric of his jacket.
Considering that Rebirth had given him a mutation, there had to be potential to take one away.Bailey and Chris had already mentioned it, so they knew that was part of their end game, but so soon, and so successfully?
A twinge of guilt bit Zane’s nerves.All those years he was at Raiffel they were running tests—tests that would inevitably lead to a serum that would rip a part of someone’s very being away.The thought of it made him sick.
“To make matters worse, the Mutant Reform Society has their hands on the serum,” Damien spoke up, one of Paul’s officers that had been on the case for years.“There have already been meetings amongst the members to take it to the courts.To make it mandatory that everyone takes it and finally wipes out mutants all together.”
“That’s insane!”Natalia spat.“It would never happen.They can’t honestly believe that will work.”
“Honestly, I don’t think they care,” Damien answered.“They want publicity, to get the word out to those mutants who don’t want mutations.The M.R.S.are already trying to create centers to allow it, completely unaware that they are puppets on a string.”
“I’m sure they are aware,” Zane spoke.“Rebirth gave them the serum.They know damn well what they’re doing.They don’t care.The enemy of my enemy is my friend, or some bullshit.”
“These clinics.They’ll be shut down, right?”Natalia asked, squirming in her seat.
Paul shrugged.“I hear there are plans to pass laws to prevent it, yes.Doctors need to study this serum, see its side effects-—"
“But either way, after it’s studied, it will always be here and always be an option,” Zane interrupted, causing everyone in the room to look his way.“Meaning, whether or not we take Rebirth down, there will always be a cure.There will always be a chance of someone else getting their hands on it.”
No one wanted to hear that, but it had to be said.No one wanted to think about it but they had to do exactly that.Even after this battle, there was a war.A war that would probably never end.They had to be ready for it.
The following days only seemed to make things worse.M.R.S.had opened clinics that people were actually going to.Mutants freely gave up their powers with absolutely no idea of what the side effects would be in the long run.Lawmakers were quick to set strict rules, but society was already affected.In the end, Rebirth got what they wanted, at least part of it, and that only strengthened Zane, Natalia, and Nate’s resolve.
They were hot on Antoine’s trail, yet they were always too late.Even when they thought they had caught him during a weapon’s trade, it turned out to be a trap.No one was surprised.He had evaded capture for so long for a reason.He was a slippery snake, but everyone was determined to end this.
Zane was growing tired.Two months without seeing or hearing from Bailey made him want to rip his heart out.Not to mention all the battles.He was physically and mentally exhausted.Then there was the paparazzi.After a battle, reporters arrived.Though his identity hadn’t been revealed, he continued hiding his face in front of cameras.Reporters and influencers giggled over him and called him shy.In reality, he wanted to be left alone.Simple as that.
“You’ll get used to it,” Nate teased once, earning himself a kick to the shin.The boy yelped and never said it again, but he always gave Zane a look, like he was bragging because he had no issue in the spotlight.
“The eyepatch?Turns out people dig it,” he would say.
Zane never complained, since he was happy that Nate wasn’t too down about it.It was better to hear Nate joking over the matter.
Still, Zane wondered how long it would be until the chase ended.He had been on the road for so long that he was forgetting what it felt like to be home.Then again, his apartment had long since belonged to someone else.Even after all this ended, he’d have to find a new place.Maybe a bigger one in case Bailey wanted to move in.
He wanted to laugh about how those were the thoughts that got him through the day.It was so much easier to be unattached.Why couldn’t he be his usual lazy self and not care?Caring involved so much work and daydreaming.Oh, the daydreaming got bad sometimes.So unbearably cute, cuddly, and maybe a little spicy.
“Zane!”Nate shouted.His fist beat against the hotel room door.Before Zane got out of bed, Nate said, “It’s Antoine.He was spotted nearby.Get changed and hurry the hell up!”
Zane dressed himself faster than he thought possible.He hated he was getting used to the tights.
He rushed out of the hotel to meet Nate and Natalia outside.A car waited for them.Paul sat on the passenger’s side.Damien drove while explaining what the hell was going on.“We had some reliable tips that Law was coming to visit with Henry Kent.”
“As in the piece of shit senator that supports M.R.S.Henry Kent?”Natalia asked.
“The very same.We planned to have eyes and ears on them, hoping to get a clue to Antoine’s whereabouts.Turns out, Antoine visited the senator personally.”
“And what exactly are the chances of that?”Nate asked.“How do we know this isn’t a trap?”
“We don’t, but are you willing to let this opportunity pass you by?”Paul had a point, even if they all hated to admit it.
Antoine always escaped when they got wind of him.However, the senator’s home wasn’t too far out of the city.Even if received a warning of their approach, he shouldn’t be capable of getting far.It was a risk they were going to have to take.
There wasn’t much time to even think about what was to come.They arrived on the far outskirts of Senator Kent’s property, where there were already SWAT teams waiting to go in.Other heroes had been summoned, though they wouldn’t arrive for another hour.Paul didn’t wait.He gave the order that lurched Zane’s stomach.
It was too late to ask questions, like if they even had a warrant to be on Kent’s property or if they needed one.It was simply happening.Not even a minute after Paul gave the orders to move in, everything turned to chaos.
First, there were explosions.Senator Kent seemed a bit more fond of mutants than he claimed since he had a good many guarding his own home.Nate and Natalia were quick to handle them, telling Zane to go on ahead.They’d catch up.Zane wasn’t sure if he’d still be around in time for them to “catch up.”He needed to stop thinking so negatively, especially considering the situation.
