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Green Defender #9

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Salt In The Wounds Part 3


I sigh, leaning back on the tree and looking up into the sky. The sun and moon have gotten closer to each other, almost like they're jockeying for position or something. I look to my side and see Sugar sitting and leaning against the tree herself.

"...Y'know," I finally say, "the more I think about it, the more I realise just how many times this has happened. It's like a running gag. I watched Dr. Randals die, I watched you die. Hell, I came real close to watching Cassie die when Haphephobia stuck her on that rooftop...I just watch people die."

I hear Sugar sigh. "...Silly doofus. What were you gonna do, blast Throttle? You know the kinda blast that would've been required to stop her."

"I know," I reply, "but I still let you die."

Sugar sighs again, sounding exasperated. "You know, this is the WORST purgatory EVER. I honestly have to listen to you moan on and on about this was all your fault for all eternity?"

I glare at her angrily. "Well, what was I supposed to do?! Dammit, what could I have done that would've made the difference?!"

Sugar just stares into my eyes. "...Has it never occurred to you that maybe, just maybe, there was nothing you could've done that wouldn't have resulted in someone dying?"

I look down at my fists, clenching them. "...Well, there's that deflector shield thing I used earlier, but...I can't figure out how I did it!"

"And just where do you think you learned how to manipulate the green voltage?" Sugar asks me, eyes peering into my soul. "For that matter, how do you think Salt all of a sudden learned how to manipulate her own mental powers to peel back people's mental walls?"

I just blink, jaw hanging open like I want to say something, anything, but I can't, so Sugar just smiles and stands up in front of me. "...Geoffrey, look at what obsessing over my death has done to Throttle. Do you really wanna be like that? Oh, and side-note? While you're here agonising over that, your friend is very likely hurt and needs your help."

I look back to the sky, eyes narrowed as I glance to the emerald sun. "...What do I do?"

"Well, I think the biggest thing is you need to put a stop to the killing," Sugar says to me. "...Oh, and you might also wanna pay attention to the road."

I blink. "...Huh?"

"Geoff, pay attention!"

My eyes widen as I look ahead, seeing the eighteen wheeler peeling towards me and just barely steering around it on the Emeraptor. I let out a harsh sigh, glancing to my side just quick enough to see Reacher on an ATV, with Wishingstar riding behind him.

"Geoff, are you alright?!" Wishingstar demands. "...Maybe you should sit this one out! Salt's mental attack on you is still effecting you!"

I shake my head, my eyes focused back on the road. "...No! I'm alright! In fact, I think I just realised what I need to do to stop all this insanity!"

___________________________________________________________

I step out onto the field of the New Simone Arena, Wishingstar and Reacher at my sides. Sure enough, standing there in the centre field is Salt, smirking at me as she stands before Outrun, who's been chained to the ground, along with a few heavy looking crates. My eyes narrow as Salt takes a few steps forward.

"Well, well, gang's all here!" Salt says, coming to a stop. "...Isn't that right, Throttle?!"

I stand there, confused, until I see a spotlight come on, aimed at the scoreboard, where Throttle is chained up. I clench my fist, realising exactly how she knew to prepare for Throttle: Because I tipped her off earlier.

"So, I was thinking," Salt goes on, "with all the craziness the past month or so, we haven't really had a chance to catch up. Liz, how are you? Trying to keep the corrupt, bull crap League from falling on its ass? And Reacher, how are my fellow classmates? Have they figured out the truth yet, or do they still buy the bullshit you fed them?"

"You won't distract us, Salt," Wishingstar says, drawing her sword as it glows pink. "I'm onto your little trick, and it won't work on us anymore."

"Oh, that's right, your holy sword," Salt says, her smirk vanishing. "Tell me something, that God you've gotten so close to? Have you had a chance to ask him why Sugar had to die?"

"Enough!" I yell, stepping forward. "...You wanna know something, Salt?! I am sick of playing the blame game about Sugar!"

Salt smiles evilly at me. "Really? Go on."

I don't even look. I just KNOW it's coming, and I know Reacher and Wishingstar do too, which is why I don't bother trying to deflect or dodge the exercise equipment that gets flung my way with Salt's telekinesis, instead letting my friends take care of it.

"...Y'know, Salt," I go on, "I actually should be thanking you."

Salt lets out a laugh as she lifts some of the crates behind her. "Really! Thanking me! Wow, and why is that?!"

I raise an arm as the crates come at me, shattering them with green voltage as I roll around them. "Because for the past month or so you were talking about? I've been nothing but angry. Angry, yelling at people, being dismissive of my friends, just inching towards mental breakdown."

I duck down as Salt's eyes fire a freezing beam, then roll forward and deliver a kick to her gut. She staggers backward, losing control of some of the random objects she'd been flinging at Reacher and Wishingstar.

"Then you pull your little trick on me," I continue to explain, dodging punches from Salt, "and suddenly I'm seeing Sugar in my head. And the funny thing is, the more I try not to think about her and what happened, the more I wind up obsessing over it."

"That's all well and good, GD," Salt growls at me, "but I don't pay by the hour."

Suddenly, all the fallen parts of the crates float up and sail at me, looking to crush or even skewer me. I close my eyes, calming myself, and let loose a massive burst of green voltage, creating a barrier around myself that fries the wooden planks to cinders.

"See, here's the kicker though," I go on, seeing the frustration get stronger in Salt's eyes. "The truth is, and I'm sure you know this since you were in my mind, I blamed myself this whole time for what happened to Sugar. Hell, I'm willing to bet Throttle, under all that murderous rage, blames herself too. And you, you've been taking that self-loathing and putting more pressure on it. Like salt in the wounds."

Salt's face contorts with anger as she backs away. "So the hell what?! Why are you telling me all this?! Are you trying to bore me to death?!"

"No, I'm just telling you what it took you digging into my head for me to realise," I explain, "that Sugar's death was an accident. No one person was responsible. Me, you, Throttle, and even Sugar herself, we four made mistakes that led to her dying."

Salt just stands there, frozen, her eyes closed shut. "...If that's true...if you don't blame me..."

Salt's eyes open again, glowing bright blue in rage as she fires her ice beams. "...Then why won't any of you people LEAVE ME ALONE?!?!"

I throw my hands forward, pouring on the green voltage as the two blasts press on each other. Finally, after several moments of pressing on each other, I finally let out a yell as I run forward, the voltage forming a shield that instead knocks the icy beams away as I charge straight through, smirking at Salt's bewildered expression before punching her lights out. She staggers backward a bit before collapsing to the ground, eyes glazed over as she stares up at me.

"...Because you're still a criminal, Sally," I finish. "And I'm the Green Defender. I stop criminals."

Salt makes like she's about to say something, but her eyes shut as she falls unconscious. I look over to Outrun as Wishingstar finishes cutting through his chains and helps him to his feet.

"...Nice hook," he says, smiling at me.

"Did all that flying crap really keep you guys distracted for that long?" I ask Wishingstar.

"Nah," I hear Reacher say to me as he slaps my back from behind. "But we figured you had some stuff to get out. Why butt in?"

I glance back at him and smirk. "Gee, thanks. What wonderful friends you all are."

"You know it," Reacher replies.

"Hey, guys?" Wishingstar interrupts. "Wasn't Throttle chained to that scoreboard?"

I look over to the scoreboard, seeing the chains dangling from it and sighing. "Guess she split. Probably better than taking all four of us."

"She'll be back, y'know," Outrun says. "You know her, she won't stop till the job is done."

I nod. "Yeah...but whether she likes it or not, this is one job I'm not letting her finish."

___________________________________________________________

"Salt's being taken to a high tech prison for superhumans," Liz explains as the four of us sit in a small apartment, sipping hot coco. "Special wing for telekinetics."

I nod, taking a sip. "Might wanna tell the guards to watch for that new trick of hers."

"Speaking of which," Stan interjects, "we ever figure out how she learned that?"

I sigh, putting my mug down on the table. "...I do. It was Sugar."

"EH?!" Stan exclaims.

"He's right," Jeremy says. "I did a full scan on Sally AND Geoffrey. Their powers have been altered, enhanced. So I cross-referenced a few of the scans I've taken of people and kept on record. As near as I can figure, the change happened right around the time of...the incident."

Stan scratches his head, still confused. "...Okay, wait. How did Sugar do that?"

"Sugar's powers allowed her to mentally bend the elements, alter objects, even effect the way people's powers worked, though that was usually temporary..." I explain, sighing. "...Somehow, someway, when she was dying, her mind reached out to the two people she felt closest to, her best friend and her mentor, and gave us the ability to warp and manipulate our own powers."

Stan leaned back in his chair, his eyes wide. "...So, what does that mean about you two? Will you keep on getting new ways to use your powers?"

"I don't know," I answer honestly. "This could be the extent of it, or I could learn whole new tricks. Anything could happen."

Liz gives a small chuckle. "Well, isn't that our lives in a nutshell? That anything could happen?"

I sigh, looking down at the table. "...You guys...You know, I don't regret leaving the League. But I do regret trying to cut you guys out of my life. That was stupid for more reasons than I even wanna bother to count here."

"Aww, c'mon," Stan teases, "I wanna hear you count 'em."

I smirk at him for a moment before turning serious again. "Well, I will say one big reason: Because I'm pretty much hopeless by myself."

"Kicked Salt's ass," Jeremy notes. "Can't be doing too much wrong."

"Yeah," I admit, "but I still got a ways to go and a lot to learn about being a hero on my own."

"You'll figure it all out," Liz says suddenly, without even the slightest hint of doubt in her voice. "I always believed you would."

"Speaking of which, don't you have a partner and a city to get back to?" Jeremy asks.

I smile at my friends one by one before standing up from the table. "...Not yet. Still one thing I gotta do..."
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Okay, so first off, I would just like to note that I am generally against men hitting women, but considering this is an evil psychopathic criminal, I kinda decided to let that slide. Second, yes the scene where GD is talking to Sugar was inspired by Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, so don't even bother bringing that up. lol Third, is Sugar really inside Geoff's head?...That's an interesting question...Okay, so comment below! :P
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NHarmonik's avatar
Whoa. Nice character development.