Down

Time slowed to a crawl. Felix could physically see the rubble crashing down on top of Johnathan, but it moved as if it were caught in molasses. A centimeter per second, maybe. It was only Felix that moved at a regular speed, and he carried a frozen Johnathan out of the way.

Without time to stop, for the whole building was on its last legs, Felix pumped his legs, ignoring the parade of angry goblins stabbing his brain. He practically flew down a set of stairs, and then another. Another. Again. Down.

Those thoughts consumed him, giving him a single goal. He had to make it down. He had to bring Johnathan down. Johnathan was as a board, his arms barely moving. It made it hard to carry him, but Felix had no opportunity to really consider the ramifications.

Bounding down another set of stairs, Felix felt the building start to give. They were still on the sixth floor…

If adrenaline wasn't already flooding through his veins, it certainly was now. His heart thumped with the beat of a war drum, and he heard nothing but its loud cadence. Tapping into hidden reserves, Felix got even faster.

He barely remembered the rest of his flight down the stairwell when he suddenly stumbled out into fresh air, in front of an assembled group of police officers, firefighters, and former hostages. Harper was there, somehow still displaying confidence in her Ironwill costume.

All of a sudden, whatever happened to him broke. The world resumed working at regular speed, and the tower came crashing down behind him. Felix lowered Johnathan to the ground, who stared at him with an open mouth.

"What was that?" he whispered.

"I don't know," Felix answered in equally a confused tone. Still, he had more important things to worry about. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, thanks to you," Johnathan said, slapping Felix on the back. It was only then that Harper noticed them, and she came running over with a broad grin plastered on her face. A troop of officers rushed to the scene of the downed building, no doubt searching for people trapped under the rubble, including Blast. Harper nearly tackled them.

"I didn't know if you two would make it out of there," she said, giving the pair of them a tight hug. "Thank goodness you did." For a time, the three of them were simply content to linger in the embrace, but that was quickly broken up by the police captain. Flanked by Sergeant Welters, he looked surprisingly indifferent compared to his still-smoldering subordinate.

He coughed, and the three Supers broke apart. "I hear from Welters that you were indirectly responsible for the collapse of the entire tower?"

Harper started to shake her head, but Johnathan answered before she could utter a word. "Yes. If it weren't for us, Blast may never had to resort to such an attack." Johnathan bowed his head in shame. "We apologize for that; we were only trying to do what was best for the people."

Harper whispered furiously, "we saved those people, Lift! There's no need to apologize to these assholes."

Johnathan stared at her, steely determination in his eyes. It was almost as if Johnathan were back in the building, about to take on Blast simply because his convictions told him he must. Johnathan didn't have any reason to go in there, not like Felix.

Felix helped because Kyle and Beth were in there. Harper… Felix didn't know what Harper's motivation was. But Johnathan? He didn't have any kind of ulterior motivation. There were plenty of other ways to look cool for his grandkid that didn't force him to go toe-to-toe with a supervillain. No, he went in because it was the right thing to do.

"We don't know what would have happened if we let them handle it. Maybe we saved all these people. Or maybe, they'd have been saved by the government and Thompson. All we know for sure is that we destroyed many of their home. And for that, there is much to be sorry for."

The police captain regarded Johnathan with a curious glance. "Lift, is it? I appreciate your apology, but I'm not the one you'll need to be explaining all this to. The government's sending in someone way above my head. Big brass."

"When will they be here?"

Felix didn't hear the rest. Now that he was out of the fight, his adrenaline crashed. It was as if he had used a lifetime's worth, and he was paying for it. His headache came back crashing down on him in full force. Slinking off to a side alley where – hopefully – no one would find him, Felix slid down to the ground.

His back resting against a cool wall, Felix struggled with pain and exhaustion. He couldn't go to sleep. If he did, the police would take him to the hospital, where they would reveal his identity. And now, he had more to think about than just getting put on some government list for being a Super. No, now he might potentially owe a large sum for the destruction of Eastman Tower.

Fighting a different kind of battle, Felix breathed with measured breath. However, this was one battle that he could not win, no matter how hard he struggled.

As his vision dimmed and his eyelids began to close, Felix saw a figure rush to him. Even through the mindfog, Felix could tell that there was worry on their face, and as they grew closer, Kyle was the last thing Felix saw before he completely collapsed.