by Danny
Danny Hearn:
Nowhereman's words were ringing around inside my head. "We're changing the future!" And he seemed so happy about it.
Eurostar is talking to this reptile kid. Jason something, I think his name is. This team already has a guy who can turn his skin into lizard scales, thank you very much Mister Jason Something.
"You know, Velo," I say softly, while Eurostar spoke to Jason, "the history books said seven men died. I remember that now. But they didn't say there were only seven men on the team. Only that seven died."
"So there could have been some survivors? There's no way of saying how many people will be on the team by that point, people who could have just slipped away after they survived the battle," Marv Velo replies.
"Exactly," I say.
"Interesting," he says, nodding.
"We're changing the future!" Nowhereman's words still echoing in my head. Why would we want to change the future? The future is my time. My world. My home. Everything I am has already happened. My parents, my friends, my school. What happens to my past if these guys change their future? How would you like it if someone told you your past had never happened? That something else... some "alternate timeline"... had just come along and replaced it?
I overhear Eurostar talking to Jason.
"We're sorry, Jason, but that's a risk we can't take. We're in a dangerous situation right now, and, well... we can't take the chance of an inexperienced young man getting hurt."
So why the hell am I here?
"It's simply far too dangerous."
But I'm not a metahero. I'm not trained. I'm not experienced. I'm just some guy. I'm just me.
"I would advise you to just go home. You can't follow us, I'm sorry."
A hero is brave. Noble. Strong. Fearless. I'm none of those things. What am I? A freak with voices in his head who can grow fur. And here I am, about to charge into a heavily fortified government building to do battle with the bad guys and rescue a kid. This is not me.
I'm only here because I have nowhere else to go. Because the only place I come close to fitting in is with other freaks. I'm only here because I'm scared to be anywhere else. But where else could I be?
"We're changing the future!" My own home could well be gone.
Jason slinks off into the night, disappointed.
"Okay. There's the entrance. Let's go," Eurostar says, marching forward. At least he's confident.