Ken took a moment to gather his thoughts and slipped his phone back into his pocket. His mind was racing to conclusions based on the intel he received. "Thank you for letting me know." He was polite but his voice carried a lace of concern. Glancing out of the stor window he scanned the dimly lit parking lot. Derek is on the run. How do I reach him?
Turning back to the woman Ken paused for a moment. "
Was there any indication of where he was going?"
The woman put her finger on the counter tapping is lighting. "Not really," she echoed tilting her head and smacking her lips. "Wait…he did say something about getting out of sight. His behavior was a bit erratic like he was paranoid of something."
Ken felt a now in his throat. 'Thank you again. For your troubles." Ken pulled out a crisp twenty-dollar bill and laid it on the counter.
The woman let go a gently wave. "No trouble at all. I hope your friend's okay."
Ken left the store, stepping into the cool night air. His car sat idle in the lot, but the surrounding countryside was quiet too quiet for comfort. Derek had been here not long ago, but he could have gone in any direction. The faint glow of the overpass lights in the distance caught Ken's eye, and he realized it was as good a place as any to start looking.
Sliding back into the driver's seat, Ken revved the engine and peeled out of the lot, his tires kicking up gravel. He couldn't shake the gnawing feeling that Derek was in way over his head. He'd known his best friend for most of their lives, and while Derek wasn't exactly the most responsible guy, he wasn't one to fall into serious trouble. Whatever was going on, it was unlike anything Ken had ever seen.
As he drove toward the overpass, Ken turned off the radio and let the hum of the engine fill the silence. His thoughts raced. Why did he sound so scared?There was a separate sound to his words. Powers, his veins growing. Now it looks like the police are going after him.
Ken's car went up the hill with no problem. Reaching the top of the overpass he pulled over putting on his double flashers. The wind tugged at his jacket as he walked to the edge of the overpass. It smells like exhaust and the earth are mingled together. Scanning the area he tried to spot Derek amongst people passing by. He's not here.
The moonlight glistened as leaned against the driver side door. A faint vibration rustled in his pocket. Pulling out his phone, the number was unknown to him. "Hello," his voice sharper than usual.
"Ken, it's been a while." The voice was tender but familiar.
Ken hesitated. "Marissa is that you?"
Marissa sighed. "Yes, I'm sorry to reach out to you.
"Hard to forget," he replied bluntly. "The last time I saw you was on the news. You were arrested for some sort of protest…What do you want."
Her voice had a slight edge to it. "I am proud for what I believe it, Ken. Our world is on the cusp of change and there are those who can stand for themselves."
"Yea..yea," Ken hissed. "What does Derek's heartbreaker want with me?"
There was a pause on the line. "Have you seen the news; Marissa questioned.
Ken shrugged his shoulders a gentle breeze caressing his cheeks. "No, I haven't. What's up?"
Marissa's voice dropped to a low whisper. "Can you come over? Do you still have my address?"
"Yeah, you're still in that spot near the supermarket, right?"
"I'll text it to you just in case." Marissa paced back and forth.
"No need," Ken said curtly. "Derek wouldn't stop complaining about you after you broke up, so your address is seared into my brain."
Marissa sighed on the other end. "Thanks, Ken. I... This means a lot to me."
"This better not be a waste of my time," he muttered, pushing the end call button.
The driver seat of his coupe was warm. Taking a seat Ken leaned his head back trying to collect his thoughts. Pulling back into traffic he turned off his hazard lights and made his way through the city. There is the old pizza place we went to back the. A gentle smile graced his face that was lacking emotion. My stomach hurts. I need to get something to eat.
As he passed the police station, he caught a glimpse of the crowd gathered outside. Something big had happened. He thought back to Marissa's call, unease prickling at the back of his mind.
Pulling into the cul-de-sac the quiet stillness of the evening eased his nerves for a moment. I'm surprised that there are still kids playing basketball early into the evening. Here home hasn't changed much. He took a moment to survey the two-story home with a few potted plants in the front. Walking up to the door he taps it twice with his fist.
Marissa opened the door her face a mix of tension and relief. "Ken, thank you for coming. I wasn't sure you would."
Ken crossed his arms. "I'm here. But let's be clear this isn't about you. Derek's my priority. So, what's going on?"
Marissa bit her lip, glancing over her shoulder before stepping aside to let him in. "It's... complicated. But you need to know the truth about what's happening."
Marissa pulled back, her expression tense. "I don't know what to do. I don't want to hurt him, but…" She trailed off, pulling up the rug from the middle of the floor.
Ken looked back at her, his eyes a mixture of confusion and frustration. "What are you showing me?" Ken's eyes widened as he noticed the massive hole in the concrete beneath. His breath caught in his throat. "Who… or what did this to your apartment?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Marissa's face twisted. "I couldn't believe it…but Derek did this."
Derek? "Wait you meant Derek made this whole in the floor? What type of power would need to do this? I cannot believe it!" Sweat formed at the edge of his brow.
Marissa leaned down toward the hole in the floor her hand shaking. "When did you last hear from him?"
Ken crossed his arms feeling a bit lightheaded. "Umm it was around two hours ago. It was only for a few minutes. He was scared, didn't know what to do, and felt like someone was coming after him."
Marissa scoffed. "That bumbling idiot… The police are after him. I saw it on the Evening News they showed him breaking some guy's arm. A guy named Deshawn, I think. Derek apparently ripped his elbow out of socket, messed up the rest of his arm too. It was on at 6:00 tonight, I saw it with my own eyes. Then, Derek came here. I just exploded on him, told him to get out. As you can see this is the result of that conversation."
Ken clenched his fist. "Based on this evidence in front of me my best friend might be a deviant."
Marissa let go a solemn nod. Maybe…Deviants are usually born not made. That is what I protest. There are experiments being done to tamper with a person genetic code."
Ken's shoulder flinched. "You don't think so?"
Marissa looked frustrated. "You don't think that with robots rising and humans falling behind, with deviants developing powers that defy nature, that something's shifting? Humans are being left behind. All these people with superhuman abilities… It's scary."
Ken shook his head. "The last thing I want to hear about is politics. This is my best friend and your former lover."
Marissa paused for a moment. "You speak with such sincerity. Former lover is the key word. I don't appreciate your tone with me but I'm glad you saw this. I wasn't sure where to turn. Sure, I knew he was a mess before, but now… now it's like he's a mess with powers. And I'm scared. There's a small part of me that's worried about him. What happens if we don't intervene? What if it's too late?"
She buried her face in her hands, looking down at the hole in the ground. "What are we supposed to do, Ken? Do you have any idea what he's capable of?" Her voice cracked. "I felt horrible kicking him out."
Ken took a deep breath. "I just came back from where he said he was going to be. I talked to him on the phone he's out on the outskirts of the city. There's a gas station off of Route 58, where it leads into the countryside. You know, where we used to go for joyrides when we were younger."
He chuckled bitterly, his frizzy blonde hair bouncing as he tapped his foot anxiously. The gaping hole in the floor beckoned him. Kneeling down he brushed his thumb on the edge of the hole. Can't be to safe since there could be some sort of contagion amiss. "This still doesn't seem real."
Marissa exhaled. "Do you know anyone who could help us? Maybe we can track him down."
Ken raised an eyebrow. "Calling in a favor this late at night is going to cost me. I'm going to have to put in extra hours for that."
Marissa gave him a pointed look. "Well, it's for Derek, right? And I don't know where he is. You can't just leave him out there."
Ken sighed, stepping back from the hole and leaning against the doorframe. "I'll try calling him first. Just give me a moment." Glancing around the apartment. "Is your plumbing still working, at least?"
Marissa gave him a dry look. "I'm honestly not too worried about the plumbing right now."
Marissa chuckled weakly. "Well, the faucet leaks a little, but that's the least of my worries. At least the insurance is covering it."
Ken took another deep breath. "Alright, so Derek's on the list of suspects, and he might have supernatural powers. The police are after him too, and we've got that to worry about. The moment he laid a hand on that rich man's son…he became a person of interest."
Marissa looked up at him, her eyes filled with uncertainty. "I just… I don't know anymore, Ken. I just don't know what to do."
Ken nodded slowly, a mix of frustration and sadness in his eyes. "We'll figure it out. We have to."
Ken ran a hand through his hair, his fingers gripping the ends of his frizzy blonde locks, frustration mounting in his chest. He was trying to wrap his mind around everything about Derek, the hole in the floor, the police, Marissa's fear.
"The best we can do is help right? Ken voiced was strained as he gulped. "We still don't have all the information."
Marissa felt a tinge of blood form at the edge of her lip. "I don't want to see Derek hurt anyone else, but I also don't want him to hurt himself. He was never like this before. I don't know what's happening to him, but I don't think we can just sit back and let him spiral out of control."
Ken's mind flashed back to the conversation he had with Derek just hours ago how scared he sounded, how desperate. There was no denying it: Derek wasn't the same person he used to be. Something was happening to him. Something beyond their control.
"That's the thing," Ken said, his voice quieter now, more thoughtful. "If he's really developing powers, and the police are after him… if he's truly becoming a deviant… I don't know if we can stop him from hurting someone else. He's losing control, Marissa. That's what scares me."
Marissa felt moisture starting to form in her eyes. " I mean he's still Derek. He used to be my special guy. Powers or not I know at the core of who is…he is not a monster. We can have to help him before he spirals!"
"People don't wake up one day with powers. Something triggered it, something we don't understand yet. Maybe this isn't just about Derek being scared of what's happening to him. Maybe it's about him choosing who he becomes next. And I don't know if we can afford to let him make that choice, not when the police are hunting him." Ken took a deep breath.
The silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating, both of them caught in a whirlpool of uncertainty.
Marissa nodded keep her eyes locked on the Ken. "I'll help you track him down. I don't care how many favors we have to call in, or how many lines we have to cross. We can't let him get lost in this... whatever it is. If there's a chance he can still come back from this, we need to find it."
An emotionless smile graced Ken's face. "This is going to be risky? You sure about this?"
There was a glint of determination in her eyes. "Right now, the only one that matters is the one to help Derek. Even if we don't understand what's happening to him, even if we can't fix it, we can at least try."
Ken stood there for a moment, looking at her. Her words were like a spark that reignited something inside him. A sense of purpose that had been flickering out ever since Derek had come to him for help. Maybe they couldn't fix everything but right no they had to try.
Ken straighten up. "Alright I will get to work on tracking his phone. Finding where Derek with is priority number one."
Marissa felt the strain in her face soften for a moment. "And if he's really a deviant now?" she asked quietly, almost as if the words pained her.
Ken sighed, rubbing his temples. "Then we'll deal with it. But we're not giving up on him, not yet."
With a heavy heart but renewed determination, Ken turned and started toward the door. Pulling out his phone he strolled to the bottom of his contacts and pressed the called button.
"Derek..please don't make us regret this." Marissa stood by the window watching Ken make his way to the end of the driveway.
There was a brief silence followed by Ken's voice determined but concerned. "Hey it's me..and I need a favor like..right now.