What would you do if you found out that someone you thought you knew, really well, turned out to be someone completely different? What if you found out that EVERYTHING about what you thought you knew about that person, was a lie? And that in reality, that person was a monster, I mean, a complete, MONSTER. Would you try to figure out the exact moment it happened? Would you try to stop them? Any normal person would go to a higher authority figure. But here’s the thing, what if you were the ONLY one who could stop that person? What would you be willing to do to stop a monster? And how would you stop yourself from becoming one along the way?

 

“NNRRGG!!!” Chase punched the wall leaving a sizable dent

 

He was still in his red and black speed suit, only his mask was removed.

 

Wendy’s words kept echoing inside his head

 

“Be the hero Chase, please. Please! Don’t be like him, be the hero.”

 

So that’s what he had tried to do, but Tech was an extremely good villain, and heroes have to make choices.

 

He turned his attention back to his laptop, just as he thought. Tech had sent out a code into the satellite system, connecting to everything with wi-fi. And now everything with a speaker was emitting an extremely high sonic frequency. Chase growled, there was now nothing he could do short of blowing every satellite up to stop it now.

 

“Great” he remarked sarcastically

 

He looked around his apartment, searching everywhere until his eyes finally rested on the TV, it was attached to the left wall of the living room, but more specifically he focused on the speakers.

 

His eyes narrowed, and cautiously he walked over to them. He put his ear right up to it, nothing.

 

“Hmm.” He thought

 

Stepping back he closed his eyes and listened… Still nothing. His eyes opened. Chase had very sensitive ears, but this frequency was so high that nothing, not even he, would even know that it was there.

 

“But it is there” he thought out loud to himself “I just can’t hear it.”

 

“AAARRGGHH!!” Chase suddenly yelled as in an instant he drew his claws, and with a crash sent bits of speakers flying all over the living room.

 

“But why?” Shadow asked from the couch,

 

Chase turned and looked at him

 

“Why emit a frequency that no one can hear? What would even be the point of that?”

 

“Don’t know. It seems pointless.” Chase admitted angrily “But it’s always something with Tech.”

 

“So it can’t be nothing” Shadow finished getting up

 

Chase closed his eyes, remembering his last confrontation with Tech, right before the code went out.

 

Tech had gotten him to meet with him, he had stood there, looking out the window over Kennedy city.

 

They stood in the highest office of the new Tech Corp building in Kennedy City. It was only about three days earlier

 

“Tech” Chase acknowledged after a quick check around the room

 

“Chase” he replied turning his attention toward him “Please take your mask off, you should know that I don’t allow that kind of thing here.”

 

“Right” Chase replied sarcastically, sliding it off his face to reveal his messy hair

 

The two stood there at a standoff, neither saying a word, until Chase spoke up

 

“Is there a rea-” Chase began

 

“Why is it” Tech started cutting Chase off “that you are so set on proving that you’re so much better than I am?” Tech’s words felt dangerous, Chase wasn’t exactly sure how. He wasn’t angry per-say, but he certainly wasn’t calm.

 

“I don’t follow” Chase spoke warily

 

“I mean I understand that you’re going up against me now, I get that, and I’ve accepted it, but every move you’ve made in the last month, the way you act, all of it is to prove, either to me or to yourself, I’m not sure yet, that you’re better than me. You insist on playing the hero, and you insist on making me your villain. Why is that?” Tech finally asked

 

“From what I’ve seen you don’t need me to make you the villain” Chase retaliated, he couldn’t believe that Tech was about to try to give him a lecture

 

“Oh Chase, this is so disappointing!” Tech sighed “I thought I raised you to realize that the world isn’t so black and white”

 

“It’s not about black and white!” Chase shot back, “It’s about right and wrong! And from where I am, that definitely makes you the villain”

 

“And you insist on making yourself the hero, is that it?” Tech cut in exasperated

 

Chase said nothing

 

“Oh I understand of course” Tech sighed disappointedly “you’re trying to prove to yourself, or to someone, that you’re nothing like me, I’m the bad guy, and you’re the good guy. All the horrible things that I’ve done, you want to prove that in reality I was never able to teach you my ways. You want to prove that in reality, I haven’t turned you into the very thing you hate. Is that it?” Tech asked waiting for his sons answer, but Chase said nothing, he only held his glare. He was starting to wish that he had his mask back on.

 

“Well?” Tech asked again, this time more threateningly

 

But Chase said nothing

 

Techs temper was rising “ANSWER ME WHEN I AM SPEAKING TO YOU!!!” he erupted!

 

Chase stood still unfazed, finally he spoke.

 

“You’re sick Tech, and I’m gonna make you pay for everything you’ve done.”  It was a bit cliché sure, but it had the desired effect.

 

Tech shook his head, and his expression grew dark “You wanna play hero? You wanna make me the big bad villain? Fine. But remember…Heroes have to make choices.”

 

Chase’s claws came out, he didn’t like where this was going “what does that mean?” he questioned starting to get annoyed with how many times he had said that sentence, he didn’t like to not know the answer. But Tech ignored him.

 

“I’ve gone easy on you these past couple of months, as a warm up, so to say. But now the warm up is over, and if you’re going to play this game, then you’d better step it up. Fast”

 

Now Chase was angry “This isn’t a game!” he fumed “knowing you, this is people’s lives!”

 

“Ahh yes. There it is” Tech mocked “The ‘I’m better than you attitude’. I know I can’t stop you from going against me, I accepted that quite a while ago, but if you’re going to oppose me, at least do it right!”

 

“What does that even mean?”

 

“Like I said I understand and accept that we’re against each other now, just so disappointed that you are insisting on making it hero vs villain” Tech finished. “So I wanted to give you some advice. Don’t play the hero, it doesn’t suit you.”

 

Chase stared at Tech, “I think this conversation should end, now.” He emphasized drawing his claws once more

 

Tech held his gaze, as Chase walked over to the private elevator revealing itself next to the entry door.

 

“Y’know, I had hoped that you would be a good opponent. But that obviously isn’t the case”

 

Chase looked back at Tech, his eyes burning with hatred

 

“Goodbye” he stated as the elevator started to close

 

But right before the doors closed Tech threw something small and black through the ever closing crack, which Chase caught without even looking.

 

“Give up the charade and play the game. It’s your move”

 

The doors closed

 

Chase stood there for a second, burning at what he had just heard.

 

But suddenly he became aware of the thing he was holding. Slowly and deliberately he looked at his hand, inside was a single Chess piece, the black king to be precise.

 

“Your move”

 

Chase opened his eyes

 

“Your move” he growled again

 

Chase looked over to the laptop, still connected to his “backpack” honestly it was more of a portable computer, but it still was able to do the job of a backpack just as well, he got up and went over to it, and pulled out the black king. A chill went up his spine as he held it, it was cold to the touch, made from marble, and if the circumstances where different, it would’ve been quite beautiful. If the circumstances where different. But now just holding it seemed to make the room grow darker.

 

“What are you planning?” Chase asked, more to himself than anything

 

He knew that this piece showed how his father viewed the world, to him it was made up of important pieces and disposable ones, pawns and kings. To him, the entire world was just one big game of chess. And Chase himself was just one of the pieces.

 

He had used to be that way, but no longer. Like Tech had said, he was the good guy now, and good guys don’t view lives as pieces on a board.

 

“Be the hero” he told himself.

 

Suddenly something dark moved in the corner of his eye, only for a split second, but that was enough

 

He whipped around claws drawn and ready for battle, but the room was empty.

 

FWOOSH!!!!

 

The entire apartment was filled with sharp gusts of wind as Chase instantly searched everywhere just to be sure of that fact. But the truth remained the same, the apartment was empty.

 

“That was wei-“

 

BOOOOMMMM!!!!

 

The sound echoed through New York, at least to Chase it did, breaking apart his chain of thoughts. Immediately he had his mask on, and quickly rushed to the roof of the building. Franticly he scanned the city it didn’t take long to figure out what the noise was.

 

Chase's fist tightened

​

Times Square was on fire.