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**Chapter 7: There's No Easy Way

Newroads Central Police Station**

It had to be the biggest media frenzy since Maximillian Devries got out of jail.

A super and one of the civilians who had helped stop the Descent Incident from escalating to catastrophic proportions had been caught literally with their pants down with an Alderonian Marine on private property. If the trespassing and public indecency wasn't enough, there was scorn for their choice of lifestyle. Religions were openly beating down the gay community, calling the world a 'sinful and dirty place' if public figures like Jason and Brett were openly gay and acting so recklessly.

It seemed like they had just ignited the barrel of gunpowder.

The world had taken a step back.

What made things worse was that sometime during the night, Jason had severely injured Brett.

Being compressed between two supers in the throes of lust was not a good place to be... especially when you weren't a super.

Jason sat in an interrogation room in Newroads Central Police Station, apparently a temporary place for him to sit and wait for his lawyer. Problem was... his lawyer was this father... and he both didn't and did want to see Dan right now...

He couldn't imagine the things that his dad would say... Dan had never raised his voice at him... never been angry... but this might just be that turning point...

The door swung open in the plain, black room with the one-way window. Warren staggered in, guarded by two, muscular men in military fatigues. Behind them was a racoon with the right side of her muzzle ripped clean off to reveal the flesh beneath and giving her a permanent scowl.

"Take a seat, Agent Bladebreaker," the woman said in a calm, silky-smooth voice.

"Tara, I can explain," Warren began.

"The seat."

Jason never took Warren for someone to bend so easily over someone but that was exactly what happened as this 'Tara' gave him an icy stare with her black eyes. Warren sat down beside Jason, shaking nervously.

The raccoon nodded and the two military men shut the door behind them as they left. Her eyes turned from Warren to Jason then back to Warren again.

"I don't think I need to tell you what a mess you've made, Warren."

"It was a set up!" Warren roared, leaping to his feet and slamming his fists into the metal table. The impact caused two sizable dents into the silvery surface. "That bastard Kyle Rose sent us there on purpose knowing it was filled with Descent-Tech!"

"We did not find any traces of Descent-Technology inside that warehouse."

Jason's jaw dropped slightly. What...?

"That's impossible!" Warren exclaimed, completely furious. "I felt it! Every bit of me was consumed by it!"

"Or perhaps it was simply the presence of two other men of similar orientation in a seemingly private area?"

"That's not it!"

"You are hardly making a convincing defence," Tara replied, her eyes narrowed. That stare caused Warren to sit back down and Jason to wonder exactly who this person was. "Apart from the fact that you broke into private property and engaged in indecent actions, you and your two other companions were also caught on camera breaking and entering St. Amira's. You were extremely reckless, Agent Bladebreaker."

"My friend -"

"Is missing, I can understand that. However, the first thing you should have done was reported it to us so that we can assess the situation and lend you aid. Instead, you took it upon yourself to pursue a vendetta against someone who could be completely and utterly clear of all charges."

Kyle...? Jason wondered.

Warren's eyes flashed. "That's bull -"

Tara raised her left hand and Jason realised that it was completely mechanical. While her right appeared completely normal, her left was made of machine. Her long coat prevented him from seeing the extent of the appendage but he guessed it must have been pretty significant.

"Your actions have not only put your accusation of Kyle Rose into question but also your entire investigation into question. Your reputation is on the line here, Agent Bladebreaker. I suggest you not say anything that will compromise your further."

Her eyes switched to Jason. "I suppose you have questions for me, Mr. Wolfe?"

Do I...?

What was there to ask?

He knew what he had done and he had gone with it completely and utterly. He had lost himself in hormones and sex... and he had literally ripped Brett's ass open... amongst other injuries. His mate was now in intensive care...

"I... I don't know..." he murmured. "How... How's Brett?"

Sympathy crossed her features and she said, "Stable. Placed him into an induced coma to prevent the pain. There were severe injures across his entire body and a few minor fractures. The doctors are confident they will be able to repair the damage. The Blue Wolf is currently at the hospital compiling a report to release to the media."

Release to the...?

"You can't release that!" Jason cried, shooting to his feet.

"The public deserves to know," Tara answered sadly. "Unfortunately, because of this, a formal investigation of all former superheroes is underway. Closeted superheroes are being exposed and pooled into the same rank as the two of you have been thrown into. What makes thing worse is that since Agent Bladebreaker is not a registered super, operations of the Militarised Supers is put under risk." She sighed and rubbed her mechanical arm. "We will have to doctor official records... ensure Agent Bladebreaker is now a registered super."

There was something off about that last sentence...

If they're going to doctor official records and make Warren a super.... then that means...

"Wait..." he began, jaw slowly dropping. "Does that mean -?"

"Yes," Tara answered grimly, her eyes darting back to Warren. "Consider this your official resignation, Agent Bladebreaker. You will be offered a sizable severance package. Your belongings will be returned to you. I suggest you try to take this public transgression in stride. It was bound to happen..."

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Warren boomed. "You wanted us to make asses of ourselves!? You wanted something like this to ruin our lives!?"

She stared sharply at him and Jason could almost see Warren shrink. "It was the risk we ran when we created the Descent-Technology from the scraps left over from the Descent Incident. We were aware that over-exposure to the formula would cause increased arousal and lowered inhibitions in supers. We saw this as a perfect anti-super weapon... of sorts.

"Should another Hero Wars have emerged, we simple re-release Descent into the ranks of supers and they will simply stop themselves... orgasming to exhaustion, as it were. It was a seemingly harmless biological weapon."

"Harmless!?" Warren repeated. The dragon looked about ready to launch back to his feet but Tara's gaze remained and he sat back down. "Our lives are ruined because of this!"

"That is not our fault. You were briefed completely on the effect of Descent-Technology, its side-effects and its flaws. It was foolish of you to think you could go into a warehouse that you suspected dealt with such technology unprotected. This was your fault, Agent Bladebreaker. Not ours."

It was true...

... painfully true.

They had been idiots to just go in there without telling anyone... Driven by their need to save Jen... they had thrown caution into the wind and charged head-long into battle without considering the consequences or the danger. Now, they were suffering those consequences...

Brett more than anyone.

"Jason..." Optimist began, back to normal.

He growled at his subconscious entity.

I don't want to talk to you! Any of you!

"But..."

Just... Just leave me alone...

They all receded... Horndog casting a glance over his shoulder and whispering 'sorry' softly before vanishing into the recesses of his brain.

"So... What happens now?" Warren snarled. "You cut all your ties from us and forget we ever existed!?"

"One man is not worth the safety of the entire world, Agent Bladebreaker," Tara answered, turning her back towards them. "This incident was your own doing. I suggest you attempt to fix it as best as you can without catching others in the fallout."

The door swung open before she could reach it and she instantly froze.

Her eyes went wide.

"Dan..."

Jason braced himself. This was it...

... the nuclear bomb was about to go off...

"Tara," Dan said, his voice cold and unforgiving, filled with disappointment.

"Not even you can ease the impact of this," she said darkly. "This incident not only affects your son but the entire super community. You will have a fight on your hands."

Dan's lips twitched slightly. "I was never one to give up."

"No..." Tara answered, slipping past him. "No you weren't."

Jason couldn't look his father in the eye and just found interest in his reflection on the surface of the metal table. He sensed is father walk over to stand on the opposite end of the table and just stand there, ignoring the chair. It felt like a true interrogation... Him and Warren... the criminals and Dan... the good guy trying to get a confession.

He got ready for the berating... the yelling... the accusations and eventually the disowning... That would probably be welcome right now... He didn't want to bring down his dad with him... Knowing that there was probably a whole host of gay supers out there ready to beat him to a pulp, he didn't want his father standing in the way...

I deserve what's ever coming to me...

Dan sighed really heavily...

"Mr. Wolfe," Warren began, "it's not his fault -"

"I know that, Warren..." Dan answered in a calm voice. "I... I've been informed... For what it's worth, I believe you when you say there was Descent-Tech in that warehouse."

Jason's head snapped up to meet his father's gaze. Dan looked terribly worried but also... disappointed.

"Why didn't you call us, Jason...?" Dan asked, pouncing at the moment their eyes met.

Jason instantly dropped his gaze again. "I... I didn't want to ruin your date with Chris..."

"One night is not worth this sort of mess. Do you know what they're doing out there?"

He guessed Dan was pointing outside.

"There are hate mobs out there, claiming that you and Brett are bad influences on their children. There are rumours and accusations of homosexuality against countless heroes and everyone out there is saying that you're not allowed to be gay... Not when you're a role model."

"That's not fair!" Warren bellowed, slamming his fists into the table again, almost smashing it completely. "We're mortal too! We deserve the right to choose how we live!"

"Do you think that will convince those people out there?" Jason murmured grimly. He felt tears well up in his eyes but he pushed them aside, unwilling to let Dan or Warren see him cry. "Our world is screwed up, Warren... People say they're okay with people being gay as long as it's not someone close to them. People look up to supers and claim them as their own. How do you think painfully straight people will react when they realise that their greatest hero is actually gay?

"Their friends are going to accuse them of being gay because their idol is gay too... Parents are going to burn every comic, movie or magazine article on gay heroes just to 'protect their children' and religions are going to ostracise us without directly telling us it's because we're gay while claiming they're 'trying to save us'.

"All this hatred has been kept inside for a long time, Warren... We just ignited the barrel of explosives..."

Warren calmed slightly, cursing under his breath. "It's still not fair..."

"No... No it isn't," Dan sighed, shaking his head. "A good friend once told me that all mortals are born in darkness... but it is the light that we introduce that makes us divine." He gazed out the window. "However, we're still all dark inside. When something threatens us... we don't use the light to fight... We revert back into the darkness and use that hatred and rage to hide the frightened cowards we really are..."

Dan shook his head. "This is going to be hard... Brett's injury only supplements their case against you, you know. People are going to be accusing you of being nothing more than a sex-crazed pervert whose very actions are driven by his dick." Dan finally took that seat and stared directly across the table as Jason. "I need to know you'll be able to hold your own in that case, Jason. You can't let any of that get to you."

Nodding slowly, Jason said, "Yeah... I'll try..."

"Good... Now come on. No one has pressed charges yet but they will soon. I think the only reason they're hesitant to is because it'll take some time before Tara can make it look like the government has nothing to do with you." Dan stood up, regarding Warren. "Unfortunately, I can't let you near my son, Warren. It's purely on a professional standpoint. People will be asking why you're staying with us and that'll just bring up more rumours. It'll also lower your credibility."

Warren nodded. "I understand, Mr. Wolfe. I can find accommodations somewhere..."

"I'm not heartless," Dan said, digging into his pocket and taking out what appeared to be a small pamphlet including a set of keys. "I booked you in for five nights in a motel a little bit away from the city. Easy access to public transport. If the charges aren't pressed by five nights, we should be worried and I'll set up someplace for you to stay."

Taking the pamphlet, Warren said, "Thank you, sir. I won't forget this."

"Don't thank me until I clear you of the charges... Which will be hard considering there's no evidence this Descent-Tech ever existed or that it was in that warehouse."

The big dragon stared at Dan, perplexed. "Then how'd you know about it?"

The answering smile on Dan's face said it all. "I have my sources."

AKA the No Ones.

"Right..." Warren turned to Jason apologetically. "I'm sorry man... This is all my fault..."

It kind of is...

... but I was a willing accomplice... and there was something else there...

"Yeah... sure..." he murmured softly.

Warren left looking sullen.

Jason was vaguely aware that Dan had helped him to his feet and led him out of the interrogation room, out of the police station. He heard his father continue to whisper reassurances to him but all that was drowned out in the murmurs and stares of the officers around them. There were accusing stares... disgusted stares. He thought he had pushed aside the thoughts of being afraid of being branded 'gay' and an 'outcast' but now there was a fresh wound.

This wasn't just high school... This was the entire world lynching him for being who he was... Religions, communities and little children were using him as an example against the entire gay community.

It hurt.

Hurt like hell...

Regret burdened his heart... weighing it so far down that he was dragging his feet through the front doors. The flashes of cameras, demands of news reporters and rallying cries of anti-gay activists battered down on him... but he was too numb to register it all.

The world had turned against him.

And he didn't even have Brett to lean onto...

He felt alone...

A man pushed through the crowd dressed in the priestly vestments of a church Jason barely recognised. That same man threw a bucket of 'holy water' at him, calling him an abomination and a sinner. Children he passed pressed against their mothers, afraid that if they looked at him, they'd turn gay as well. Teenagers the same age as him pointed and called him 'unclean'.

All those nightmares and fears had come to fruition.

They were real now... and he felt lost in their darkness...

"Jason Wolfe!" a reporter shouted, pushing past the policemen guarding them. "Is it true that your fiancé is actually a gay porn star!?"

He ignored that question.

"Jason! Jason! Is it true that your old boyfriend, Connor Stark, died from a degenerative disease you gave him through sexual intercourse!?"

That hurt... but he still pushed towards the car waiting at the base of the station's steps.

"Jason! Is it true that you and your father sleep together?"

He froze... and whirled around.

"What did you say!?" he growled.

"Jason, let it go," Dan said firmly.

But he shrugged off his father and made a beeline straight for the report, all other reports pulling away in horror. He loomed over the human, growling deeply and baring his fangs.

"You leave my dad out of this," he snarled.

"But do you sleep with him?" the reporter persisted, unfazed. "Was he your first sexual partner? Was he the one that turned you?"

"Jason!" Dan barked. "Ignore him and come on!"

...

Jason was tempted to summon Genesis and stab that pitiful reporter there and then, obliterate him completely and destroy everyone here... But he pulled away and stormed straight to the car, the reporters resuming their barrage, all of them now asking about him and Dan. No doubt there would be rumours and reports of them now... giving more ammunition for the religions and anti-gay activists.

He jumped into the car and shut his eyes, trying to block all of them out... While he could dull the bombardment of accusations from outside... he couldn't stop the stabs from inside. Dan started the car and drove off but the pain in his heart wasn't dulling.

All he could think of was seeing Brett being carried off in that gurney, bleeding and severely injured... the faces of those people who he thought would accept him for who he was... but still didn't when everything came out in the open. The world that he thought had evolved had rapidly devolved into a hateful place because of one mistake...

He wanted to argue that it wasn't his fault, that it was the Descent-Tech... but was it really?

If he had been stronger... if he was more than just a horny, perverted, cock-loving faggot he could've stopped it... He could've found the will to pull away and escaped. The instant Horndog began talking, he should've just found a way out of that warehouse... Excused himself... He put Brett in danger and ruined Warren's life...

It wasn't entirely his fault...

... but it was his fault that he didn't put a stop to it...

... so he came to a decision...

"Jason... We're home."

He pulled out of the car, slipping away from Dan before his dad could catch him. Without thinking, he was through the door and headed up towards his room. Dan was calling him but the sounds of his name was drowned by the accusations ringing in his ears...

... and they weren't coming from the memories of those people back at the station.

... they were coming from him.

He collapsed into his bed.

For the first time ever, the stink of sweat and sex that hung around his bed disgusted him.

"Jason," Dan began. He was standing at the door. "I know this is tough for someone so young but I'm here. Brett is too. We'll work through this..."

The anger and frustration came boiling out.

"But what's to stop this from happening again?" he snapped, so harshly that he might as well have cracked a flaming whip over Dan's head. "I keep telling myself I don't want to be one of those stereotypical gays that jumps anything with a pulse and chases tail all the time but that's exactly what I am! I keep saying that I'm more than just a gay guy but that's all I've become!

"And now it's hurt my... It's hurt Brett, my best friend, my family... Everyone... Even the memory of my past boyfriend..." He growled in frustration and gnashed his teeth. "Dad... I just... I just don't know what to do..."

His heart was breaking, the bloody shards digging into his gut and twisting his stomach into knots. The pressure from the world against him was pressing at his body from all directions, trying to crush him into oblivion. Despite having been well rested and properly clothed, it felt like he was naked and terribly exhausted. Hot brands were pressing against his fur, marking him as 'queer' or 'gay'.

No matter how much he kept saying 'life isn't about sex', it seemed that his life was just about sex.

Dan sat down next to him, stroking his hair gently. "Jason... There are only three people that I truly admire in all existence. The first is your mother. She saw through me... Brought light back into my existence and taught me to love.

"The second is you. Despite all you've been through, you've always been able to stand strong against the tide. There was a time when the odds were against you and you stood firm. Your legs were shaking after being struck by loss but you still stood tall and fought hard for everyone.

"The last person I admire is R3. Despite his power to control all existence, he doesn't rule. He lets people rule their own realities and he emphasises choice. That, in my eyes, is a true god. He doesn't ask or demand people to worship him. He lets them find their own ways whether it's against him, with him or away from him. He gives everyone their choice... and you have the power to carve your own destiny as well.

"There's always time to change..."

Jason took in his father's words. There was indeed a time when the odds were against him but those odds were still smaller than these odds. This was the entire world gathered in hate against him. He doubted even the gay community would support him after he was so reckless...

But there was one part of that speech that encouraged him

Yeah... There is always time...

"Doesn't R3 always have a plan or something? Can't he see all possibilities?"

"He can," Dan replied with a faint smile. "He steers the course of destiny towards the end that he wants but everyone always has the choice to say 'No' and take their own path. He always gives people a choice. Good or bad, valiant or evil... there is always the choice. It isn't always life or death either. Sometimes there is redemption to be had... but R3 always gives people the choice.

"So always remember, Jason, you can choose your path. If you want to be a stereotypical gay guy, you shouldn't be ashamed of that. That's your choice."

Jason slowly rolled onto his side, staring at his father. There were no tears in his eyes.

"I don't want to be gay anymore."

Dan looked horrified but that quickly passed. "Jason... I don't..."

Jason shook his head and sat up. "You don't need to say anything dad... Those people out there... They're not right but they're not wrong either. It's not their right to tell me who I can and cannot be. But this..." He gestured at himself. "It's not me either... I'm not a sex-crazed, cock-sucking faggot."

"Jason, it wasn't you. The Descent-Tech -"

"You don't believe that, dad," he interrupted. He looked into his father's eyes... saw the doubt there. "You doubt me too... There's this little bit of you that thinks that it wasn't the Descent-Tech... That it was just me losing control like those many times before... The movie theatres, the carnivals, the dinners, planes... It was all me... Descent-Tech just makes you super horny... but it still gives you the choice to say 'No'."

He could see his words sting Dan.

"Dad... I... I'm not going to be gay anymore..."

Dan reached for him "Jason, you're not -" He fell short... completely lost for words.

"I'm also going to see a psychologist..."

"What!?"

"I bet if I had stayed with those shrinks back in high school, they would've treated my sex-addiction... I also don't want to talk to the No Ones anymore. Can you... Can you tell them not to contact me anymore?"

Dan was unsure what to say. "I... Jason... I..."

"Not you dad... I still want you around... Just... Not everyone else. I... I wanna be as normal as possible."

"Normal doesn't mean 'straight', Jason."

He realised his dad was still thinking he was blaming just his choice of orientation. "It's not about that!" Jason barked. "It's.... It's a whole mess of things... I... I just can't deal with it right now, okay? Can... Can I just be alone?"

Looking like he had just been speared in the heart, Dan nodded and turned... heading for the door. He stopped there... and glanced over his shoulder.

"I love you, Jason."

...

"Yeah... I love you too, dad..." But there was definitely a change in that exchange... It was no longer a bridge between father and son that should not be crossed... It was hollow... More an exchange of 'Goodbyes' than a true trade of affection.

Dan left, shutting the damaged door behind him.

Jason collapsed back into his bed, just staring absently into the ceiling. He wasn't sure if he had fallen asleep or was just hallucinating but he ran through all the memories he had of his time being 'gay'. As much as he rejected having sex in public places or just having sex against his will... he never said 'no'. He just acted reluctant but eventually gave into the temptation.

He was just like one of those stereotypical gays...

Not that there is wrong with them...

... but it's just not who I want to be...

Not if I end up hurting the people I truly care about... because of it...

Then the tears started. He was crying for several reasons.

The first was because he had severely injured Brett... Jason had become nothing more than a slavering animal looking for sex and release... In the process, he had hurt Brett so badly. Now, he feared that Brett - having been exposed to the Descent-Tech - might not be a super as well. That was going to cause rapid changes... and a lot of agony in the long run...

Secondly, he felt like he had wasted so many people's time... If he had just been honest with himself maybe he could've changed sooner. If he had realised that he was just a horny pervert, maybe he could've worked a lot sooner to better himself... to become man instead of a child driven by his dick. It was like he betrayed Connor's love... by being someone he really wasn't.

And lastly... He was angry at himself... for being so stupid and not having the power to say 'No'.

Tap-tap...

He glanced towards his window and nearly cried out in horror.

There was a young man in his late teens grinning at him, tapping at the window. His eyes were sapphire-blue but with pupils shaped like eight-pointed stars.

Great... Just when I told dad I didn't want to see any No Ones...

He growled and turned his back to the window, ignoring R3.

Tap-tap-tap.

"Go away!" he snapped. "I don't want anything to do with you!"

Tap-tap-tap-tap...

"Oh for the love of -" He leapt off the bed and stormed towards the window, wiping away his tears. He threw open the window and was about to push R3 off the ledge... when he realised there was no ledge. R3 was hanging from the roof one arm.

"What do you want?" he snarled.

"Two things," R3 said, lifting two fingers. "Firstly, I respect your choice. If you don't want us to interfere any further, we won't. And secondly, I have the reference number of a very good psychologist if you want it. Works cheap too."

"Go away!"

He pulled down the window to shut R3 out but the No One quickly swung through the small gap, slipping into his room and rolling on the ground, deftly rising in a small crouch. The No One looked quite fit and limber. Not overly muscular but definitely athletic. He was wearing black cargo shorts with white trimmings, a black jacket of the same design and a white shirt with a blazing emblem with the words 'Wildog Pax' on it. He was also wearing two belts instead of just one, the ends being abnormally long and trailing him like twin, leather tails.

"I don't care if you control all reality," Jason snarled, stomping towards the No One. "I'm going to throw you right out that window if you don't get the hell out of here!"

R3 stood up and dusted himself, grinning broadly. "Can I at least say what I came here to say?"

"You said it! Now get out!"

The No One raised his hands in surrender. "Okay... Look, I know what you're going through."

"Of course you do. This is all going according to your plan, isn't it!?"

"Maybe," R3 answered enigmatically with a similarly mysterious smile. "But the fact is, there are several problems with you, Jason. Three of which are the three little subconscious voices bickering away in your head." R3 placed a finger right on Jason's forehead and the latter pulled away in surprise.

"What? What do Horndog, Optimist and Pessimist have to do with this?"

"Yeah!" Pessimist shouted. "We're part of him!"

"That may be so," R3 responded, apparently speaking directly to the subconscious part. He was even staring directly at Jason's left shoulder where Pessimist was standing. "But the fact is, you've evolved into a separate entity now. All three of you have. Jason" - he turned he attention back to Jason - "you are giving your subconscious too much control over you, particularly Horndog. What's the point of having them around when you only ever listen to the one entity anyway?"

"How else are we supposed to be?" Optimist countered. "It's how we give him good advice! Based entirely on who we are without being tainted by other parts of his subconscious! And Jason does listen to other parts of him... rarely..."

"They give me good advice!" he protested.

"There you go again. Treating them like separate entities. You walk into court like that and you'll likely get off with an insanity plea." R3 shook his head. "Jason, they are part of you. But they are relics, an old part of you from when you were a teenager and growing up with your insecurities. You're mature enough now to be able to make your own decisions. You don't need to listen to parts of your brain that you've partitioned off to act in accordance to specific guidelines.

"You are more complex than that. A mortal is not just part optimist, part pessimist and part horndog. There are also other parts like the romantic part, the intelligent part, the nerdy part, the obsessive part, the dreamer, the realist, the really-bad-joke-teller and the sinner. Colours, Jason. Every mortal is made of different colours. Not just light, dark and grey."

Jason regarded Optimist, Pessimist and Horndog... fully capable of seeing the light, the dark and the grey in them. Optimist... the bright in his life who was capable of seeing the good in everything... Pessimist the entity who darkened his existence by causing him to doubt and fear... and lastly Horndog... the moral grey in him that did things that were neither light nor dark...

But that wasn't just him...

Just like he wasn't just gay...

"You want me to let them go...?"

"Well..." Horndog began softly, regarding the other two regretfully. "Maybe it is time he started making his own decisions based on all of us... and not just one of us... You saw how much trouble it gets him when just one of us takes over...'

R3 shrugged. "It's not a matter of what I want. These are just my thoughts. Hell, I think it'd be fun to see how you'd cope with about two dozen 'little Jasons' running around trying to dictate what you'd do." R3 frowned slightly and stared off to the side. "Though... That'd be rather difficult for the author to write..."

"What?"

The No One flashed him a grin. "Nothing!"

Weirdo...

He stared at HOP... and sighed softly.

I'm sorry guys... But he's right...

It's time I grew up... Time I started making my decisions not just based on your input... but on who I am...

Favouring one of you over the others creates an imbalance... And... My life isn't just light, dark or grey...

Strangely, his three subconscious parts just grinned, beaming proudly. Optimist was actually crying.

"We're proud of you, Jason," Pessimist said, smiling genuinely for the first time. He faded with that smile lingering in Jason's memory.

"You've really grown up..." Optimist sobbed. He waved at Jason as he faded, the remnants of his tears sparkling in the darkness of Jason's room.

"You'll always have our weapons if you need them, bud!" Horndog encouraged. "Just remember my Infinite Bukkake Cannon, okay?"

Jason grinned.

I will...

The last of his HOP vanished...

It felt like... Like he had really grown up all of the sudden. But it all made sense... R3 had been telling him that all along... Light, Dark and Grey... He should've listened a long time ago... He thought the lesson only affected those around him... but even he had to learn that lesson eventually...

"Thanks..." he murmured softly. "I... I guess I needed to grow up a little... I was listening to them too much... relying on them to make my decisions for me..." He raised his hand, regarding it with opened eyes. "I... I was being a child... thinking my road was just straight... but it curves and twists upon itself... I guess if I had learned that lesson, I wouldn't be here, right?"

"Yup," R3 said with a chuckle. "If you were mature enough to have accepted your mind as a single entity and taken my lesson into heart and applied it to yourself, Horndog would never have driven you to those insane levels of sex. You were actually fighting back, showing that spark of true maturity but you just let Horndog take over and you fell."

The No One patted his shoulder, R3's hands being covered by black, fingerless riding gloves. "But there's no way to change the past now and the important thing is that you've learned your lesson. Will still be a long time before you stop being that 'stereotypical gay' you fear so much but hey, the first step is always a good step, right?"

R3 pulled open the window.

"H - hey!" Jason stammered. "Where are you going?"

The No One flashed him a grin. "To get some closure. I'm going to go find Jennifer Rose. Wanna come with?"

****

R3's current incarnation was something else. Jason drove along the streets parallel to the No One after having snuck out of the house while his father was working on his case back in the study. However, as fast as he drove, R3 ran and jumped alongside with frightening agility. It was like watching a grasshopper leaping from leaf to leaf.

The No One soundlessly ran from rooftop to rooftop in the suburbs, his form a blur as it moved. When they hit the city, he ran across the glass surfaces of the buildings, guided only by the streetlights in the darkness of night, his body parallel to the ground. As they reached the docks, R3 ran right beside Jason's car.

Then he signalled to Jason and the latter slowed the car.

Emerging from his car, he saw that he was once again in front of the very same warehouse he had been caught in just this morning.

"Here?" he asked. "But there was nothing here. Tara's group looked into it. Not a trace."

R3 grinned. "Exactly. Since it's been cleared, what better place to smuggle illicit products?"

Actually... that is true...

Jason took a step towards the warehouse but R3 grabbed his shoulder, stopping him.

"Whoa! Are you seriously going to barge through the front door?" the No One asked.

"Um... Yeah...?"

Rolling his eyes, R3 said, "Superheroes these days. All brawn and no brains. Come on, muscles. We're going around the back."

Hey... What's that supposed to mean...?

He followed R3 around to the side of the warehouse in a small alleyway between two depots. Lightning fast, R3 leapt at the right wall and kicked off, launching towards the left wall. He vaulted from wall to wall, working his way upwards skilfully until he was on the roof.

How the hell am I supposed to get up there?

Jason noted there was a stack of crates that rose up close to the roof and he groaned as he carefully scrambled over the miniature-pyramid to the very top. He had to jump a bit to grab onto the roof. He pulled himself up over the ledge, placing his knee onto the slanted roof -

His knee slipped.

"Ah -"

A hand grabbed his and held him in place.

R3 grinned at him.

For just an athletic guy, he was pretty damn strong... But really, that wasn't surprising.

R3 pulled him up to the roof. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah..." Jason said, glancing over the edge and noticing just how far he would've fallen. He shuddered. "How'd you get so strong...?"

The No One shrugged. "Trade secret."

Without another word, they crept across the roof silently until they came to a skylight over what appeared to be an office. Jason guessed that had he not been overcome by the Descent-Tech, he would've been able to get up here.

Speaking of Descent-Tech...

"Um... R3 what if...?"

"If you're exposed?" the No One asked, a slight smirk on his face. "Take this as your trial by fire, Jason. You seem to be in a capable enough mental state. If you can fight through this even if you are exposed, then you're on your path to recovery. Besides, it took them all night to ship all the Descent-Tech out of the warehouse while you were curled around Brett and Warren. They haven't been able to transport it back in here yet. All the crates inside are empty just like how the investigators found it. By the way, look..."

He turned to where R3 was pointing and his eyes went wide in horror.

Through the glass, he could see the office... and tied to a chair and gagged in the middle off the office was Jen.

"Jen..." He glanced at R3. "Can I bust in now?"

"I don't see any other way in unless you wanna try the front door."

Message received.

Jason growled and summoned Genesis, his combat costume appearing around him in a flurry of light. He was surprised that it was perfectly fixed after it had been shredded to bits the previous night but he didn't let that thought consume him.

Jen was within reach!

It hurt knowing that he had been so close to saving her but became so overcome by lust that he failed...

No time for regrets!

Got to make it through this!

He took a deep breath and leapt at the skylight, smashing right through the glass and landing a few metres away from Jen. She instantly looked up, her eyes wide in shock. There were cuts all over her face and arms, her eyes red and puffy.

I swear... if they... he quietly fumed.

"Hold on, Jen," he said, quickly striding over to her and slipping Genesis under the ropes biding her to the chair. "I'll get you out of here." He heard R3 land behind him just as he sliced through the ropes around Jen's arms.

Once freed, she instantly reached for the gag and yanked it off.

"It's a trap!"

R3 grinned broadly. "I know."

Uh-oh...

The office doors suddenly burst open and five, huge muscular men came bursting through. One was covered in flames, another in pure electricity, another in rock, a fourth hovered in the air and the last had massive, blade-like knives poking through his flesh.

"Too easy," one of then laughed. "And look who it is, guys! It's that horny bastard that came in here last night and ended up talking the fall for us!"

"And he brought a friend again!" a second chortled. "I wonder how long they'll last this time."

"I'm betting two minutes."

Jason growled and pushed Jen behind him.

R3 flicked his short, blonde hair, still grinning broadly. "Sorry, Jason just isn't my type."

Huh... R3 has a 'type'...?

"Ha!" the one crackling with electricity laughed. "Let's see if that holds up, kid!" The super-charged human pulled out a small canister in one hand and a gasmask in the other.

Crap!

Jason readjusted Genesis, the blade twisting and reforming into the shape of a three-bladed shuriken. Before he could throw it, the man covered in flames threw a huge fireball in his direction. He threw himself to the right, barely dodging the exploding ball of flame and threw Genesis in his flight. The spinning blade sliced right through the canister and spraying a thick, white gas in all directions. The five supers coughed but quickly pulled their masks over this faces.

He realised that he didn't have the benefit of the mask and instantly took a breath of that same dusty-book smell. His arousal quickly grew but he ignored, pushing it aside and leaping back to his feet, catching Genesis on its return flight.

Jen and R3!

Jason took a step back and was relieved to see R3 was placing a gas mask on Jen's face as she staggered back in fear, pressing her back against the wall. R3, however, was left exposed... and yet he wasn't affected.

Really... No surprise there...

"Clocks ticking, kid," one of the supers laughed. "You ready for this?"

"More than ready," Jason snarled, fighting that yearning sensation for touch across his entire body. The guys looked hot - smoking hot - but they were his enemies. He focused himself, steeled himself against the desire for release and lust. Jen was in need of saving.

"Why don't I take care of these guys, Jason?" R3 suggested, taking out a thick, blood-red book with a white rose drawn on the front. "Get Jen out of here. Those gasmasks only have about ten minutes of air anyway."

"Cocky bastard, aren't you?" the super with the spikes snarled, the protrusions all over his body growing. "Whatcha gonna do with that book? Read us a story?"

"Nope," R3 answered with a grin, light spilling from the book as he opened it. He thrust his entire forearm into the tome and slowly pulled out a long, blood-red sword with a silver edge. The instant that sword came free, a flurry of luminescent, ruby rose petals exploded from the book. His grin instantly faded and he stared gravely at the five supers in front of him. "I'm going to end yours."

"Nice lightshow," the flaming one chuckled. "Here's a better one!" The super thrust his hands forward, a torrent of flames shooting from his palms and streaming straight towards R3.

Jason leapt back, wrapping Jen protectively in his arms and gritting his teeth against the pressure building in him from the Descent-Tech gas. R3 moved at the same time, leaping several metres into the air and somersaulting to land directly on the column of flame like it was solid! He bolted down the flaming length and lunged towards the flaming super.

Time seemed to slow as R3 swung his blade. "Bloodnight: Arterial Strike," he cried.

The fire-throwing super instantly gagged and the flames around his body dissipated as a massive gash appeared across his neck, bursting in a shower of blood that splattered the walls and his companions. R3 landed in their midst just as the flaming super fell, his blade slicing out and cutting into the other supers with frightening ease. He stuck out his tongue at them as he shot through the door, taunting them and bolting down the exit.

The hostile supers instantly went after him, ignoring Jason and Jen.

"Oh my god..." Jen gasped, staring at the dying super in front of them. "He... He..."

"Yeah..." Jason whispered, frightened at the ease R3 could dispatch a person and end their story. He shook his head, grabbed Jen by the hand and ran through the same door R3 and the supers had escaped through. "Come on, Jen. Let's get you out of here."

"Wait! Jason!" Jen cried, staggering behind him as he hauled them over the dying super and down the stairs out of the offices. The stairs led them down to the warehouse floor. Lights illuminated the area so most of that crate-filled maze was revealed. The stench of the Descent-Tech was gone, giving Jason a breath of fresh air.

He saw R3 leaping from one tower of crates to another with inhuman agility and speed as lightning bolts, metal spikes, gales of wind and shards of rock hurtled towards him. The No One easily sliced at them with his red and white sword, causing them all to dissipate in a shower of those luminescent rose petals.

Suddenly, R3 spun his sword expertly in his hands. "Bloodnight: Final Flay!" A bolt of evil, red and black energies shot downwards into the maze of crates and there was a blood-curdling scream following by a sickening splat.

Jason didn't even want to think about what had happened there.

"Jason! Stop!" Jen begged.

"We can't!" Jason said, desperation rising in his voice. "We have to get out of here before R3 blows up the place!"

He had this eerie feeling that R3 would destroy them all for some reason...

"Bloodnight: Fatal Haemorrhage!"

Another terrible scream but this one was long-lasting... Like the person hadn't died instantly... and was suffering terribly.

Oh god...

Jason was starting to feel sick.

On the plus side, he wasn't aroused anymore.

They entered the maze, making a beeline for the exit as much as possible.

"Please, Jason! Listen!"

He stopped and turned to Jen, stopping at an intersection in the crate-maze. "Okay. What is it?"

Her eyes were wide in worry and horror. "It's -"

"Gotcha!" a booming voice bellowed and that big rock guy came around the corner, wrapping his arms around Jen's torso and lifting her into the air.

"Hey!" Jason shouted, lashing out with his sword. But the rock-covered super pulled Jen in front of him and Jason barely managed to steer Genesis away at the last moment to prevent himself from accidentally cutting his friend.

"Ha!" the super laughed triumphantly. "Now you can't -"

Swish!

The man's eyes went wide in horror and he instantly dropped Jen who scrambled towards Jason, hugging him tightly for protection. R3's red sword was sticking out from the man's throat. Jason held back the bile rising from his throat as blood from the super's body began filling the blade, turning the silver edge into a sickening crimson.

The rocky super toppled to the ground, R3 standing triumphantly over the super's back, regarding his blade curiously.

"Yeah... This'll do..." the No One said with a grin. He winked at Jason. "Watch this."

Before Jason could even register that R3 was moving, the No One had jumped into the air and that crimson blade glowed an eerie red. "Bloodnight: Valorous Vitae!" He swung the blade around him and the blood absorbed into the blade sprayed our around him, forming the vague outline of a rose around him. "Funeral Rose!"

Each droplet of blood instantly transformed into a long, crimson blade similar to the one R3 held. Jason's jaw dropped as each blade shot out towards the exit. He heard a man scream... only for that scream to be cut off replaced by the sound of metal piercing flesh.

Jason could just imagine those sword plunging into the body of their poor victim... turning the super into a living pincushion... He felt sick... but more over... he felt angry... If R3 was meant to offer everyone a choice, why was he killing people!? Wouldn't there be a choice for them to join him!? To repent!?

R3 landed in front of him with little more than a soft thunk of his sneakers hitting the concrete floor.

"What was that!?" Jason demanded, holding himself back from striking the No One. He was angry... but afraid as well. If this was the power of a No One...

"Oh this?" R3 said absently, regarding the sword. "Her name is Rose Krimsonhart. I call her Bloodnight in this form. She was a girl who fell into a love triangle between a vampire and a werewolf. She thought she lost her husband because he was turned into a vampire and was forbidden to see her and then she found a werewolf who comforted her and then a lot of tension arose after that. I sort of came into the picture when I knew her life would end in tragedy if I didn't step in.

"Trust me, getting caught in a threesome with a werewolf and a vampire isn't a good thing." R3 rolled his eyes. "Anyway, long story short, she died to stop the two men she loved from killing one another. For her sacrifice, I offered her the chance to forge her own reality. She refused. I asked her if she wanted to be a No One. She didn't want that either. She wanted to make her own reality but would wait for the two men she loved to earn the same right as she did.

"So, she accompanies me as Bloodnight until that time. She's my Advocate."

A chill ran down Jason's spine.

Advocates were like special knights of the No Ones, people who temporarily abstained for the chance to forge their own realities and pledged their loyalty to the No Ones. At any given time, they could quit, but they were powerful warriors for the protectors of all Existence.

That said, the power R3 displayed was not his own...

... it was the Advocate's.

That still left him wondering... How powerful was R3?

"I didn't mean that!" Jason snapped, ignoring the fear in his heart. "Why did you kill all those people!? Don't they get the chance to make amends!?"

R3 shrugged. "Nope."

"Why not!? What happened to you offering everyone the choice to make their own destinies!?"

"They made their choice and you'll see why they are beyond redemption when I get hit hard by a massive bolt of darkness."

...

"What?"

WHAM!

R3 was suddenly struck from the left and hurled through stack after stack of crates, slamming into the far wall with a thunderous bam. The crates around Jason and Jen were suddenly hurled into the air, inky darkness seeping along the ground around them.

Jason instantly clutched Jen tightly, feeling a familiar chilling feeling consuming him. With all the crates in the air, he could suddenly see the entire floor of the warehouse... From the bodies of the four supers becoming consumed in the darkness and rising again as shadowy beasts with red eyes... to where R3 was grinning as he emerged from the small hole he made in the wall...

... and finally to the dark creature that stood at the entrance...

There stood a sickening, slug-like creature with a porcine body oozing dark globules and with shadowy tendrils seeping out from its back. Twin, blazing, red eyes burned on what must have been its face. It didn't seem to have a mouth, however.

He knew what type of creature it was...

... he had faced one before... the same creature that was behind Descent...

It was a Malefactor.

"R3!" the Malefactor bellowed in a deep, rumbling voice that echoed into Jason's very soul. "You have broken our deal! You are interfering!"

Deal...?

What deal?

R3 chuckled and dusted himself off. "I think you're mistaken there, Sloth."

"We were allowed to infect the entire world without No One interference!"

Jason's heart froze. He had seen the destruction a single Malefactor had wrought... seen how much damage it had caused. Just hearing the 'we' in that sentence told him there was more than one Malefactor out there.

Worse... The cogs began ticking away in his head as R3 and the Malefactor, Sloth, continued.

"But I'm not interfering," R3 chuckled, his grin broadening. "I just happen to conveniently be here. All your troops attacked me and I just defended myself. And concerning Jason, I asked him if he wanted to come along. It was his choice. I didn't drag him here." R3 regarded Jason and Jen, smiling. "For the sake of our audience, remind us again of that deal."

"What makes you think I will reveal our plans!?"

R3 shrugged. "Well... Because I already know those plans. It's either you say it or I do. Our audience is waiting."

Sloth grunted. "You allowed us free reign on Enria. We are given the power to infecte people without the need for highly concentrated aspects that we represent so long as our hosts come from the list of people our brother, Pride, has come in contact with. We were given a time limit of one month to extinguish every source of light on this planet. Should we succeed, we will be allowed to consume this entire reality in our darkness. Failure will lead to our extermination."

Jason took in all those words... took in R3's body language... and felt betrayed.

Crushed... Helpless...

Was this what Dan meant when he said R3 offered everyone a choice?

Was R3 offering even the Malefactors - sources of true evil - the chance to redeem themselves?

How...? Why...?

It's stupid! They would never turn away from that deal! They'll try consuming us all in darkness, causing countless people to suffer!

Why would R3 do that!?

"And you've done that how exactly?" R3 coaxed, smiling slyly.

The Malefactor snarled, the four dark aspects of the supers it had infected moving to flank him. Malefactors were sheer evil, entities that epitomised the darkest aspects of all mortals. Once, there were countless Malefactors and their infection caused the Hero Wars. Those infected would become consumed by the Malefactors, eventually becoming nothing more than a slightly weaker form of that Malefactor.

However, R3 and the No Ones destroyed most of them...

... but now R3 was... aiding them?

"We needed to ignite the greatest controversy in Enria. A superhero caught engaged in an act of lust that would give rise to hatred stemming from old prejudices. The wrath of the masses shall be great. As the old superheroes fall, the distribution of the Descent-Tech shall bring about the rise of new heroes.

"Governments were our next target. We encased them in greed and gluttony as they hoard the technology to themselves and attempt to gain more power. Normal citizens, learning of this will hoard to the get the technology from the underground, the mob. Consumed by envy but being too slothful to undergo to rigorous training the governments place their troops under, they become untrained, willing servant to us. A new Hero Wars will rise from the chaos but this time, there will be no distinction between 'supers' and 'civilians'. All will be empowered and all will be consumed by our darkness!

"What we needed was someone to merely ignite the flame."

...

Jason's heart stopped for a second.

Then it started again, filled with rage, his heartbeat pounding in his ears.

"You used me!" he roared.

Sloth laughed, that jelly-like body jiggling with the gesture. "That we did! We had hoped for the Blue Wolf or some other high-profile superhero but you did just nicely. The damage you dealt to your mate was an added bonus and so was the interference of that meddlesome Warren Bladebreaker. Even more people were enraged because you are homosexual! The government is thrown into doubt as well because of Bladebreaker and there will be those that doubt the capability of their leaders to ease them out of this plight! They will attempt to take power themselves!

"In the anarchy, mortal nature will show itself! Darkness will rule and there shall be no speck of light in this world!"

So that was it...

... it was the Malefactors... Malefactors unleashed by R3... They had used him... The Malefactors were spreading the drugs and Descent-Tech through all of Enria, bringing their plan into fruition. At the same time, they were using the government's greed and paranoia to further the dark nature of mortals. The last stage of their plan was to bring down the superheroes who were the pinnacle of virtue and light in the world...

By causing Jason to become the centre of a scandal, they had caused all superheroes to fall into doubt.

The rage of the public would be unholy as they attacked Jason and all superheroes, gay or not.

Jason felt angry... He was fuming that he had been used by both R3 and the Malefactors! He wanted to unleash his unbridled rage upon them all...

But something worried him...

... something that stemming his rage and filled him with dread...

"Why kidnap Jen...?" he asked softly, fearing the answer.

"She as coming to close to the truth," Sloth answered. "She was starting to realise our plan and that I played a pivotal role in it as a distributor of the Descent-Tech. She needed to be eliminated."

Sloth mentioned that they needed someone to 'ignite the flame'...

... They had planned to have the Blue Wolf be the centre of the scandal and Jason guessed that they planned to have him call Chris. In that scenario, Chris would be the one overtaken by lust...

... but instead... it was him...

... and there was only one person who led him to that end...

"Why don't you show us your face, Sloth?" R3 said, smirking. "I think we deserve that at the very least."

Jason ignited the flame when he came to the warehouse and became consumed by the Descent-Tech... But he targeted the warehouse because of one person.

"Very well," the Malefactor chuckled.

...

"No..." Jason whispered.

The gooey exterior of the Malefactor melted... and in its place was the face of the man that Jason once admired and looked up to... The man that had taken care of him and had once been a father-figure to him...

... the same man who told them about the warehouse...

... the man who was dealing drugs for the mob... the very same mob that was involved with the Malefactors...

... the man who was Jen's brother...

...

Kyle Rose.