Chapter 168: 165 Interlude: Poe 2 Electric boogaloo
Oakland, California, December 5th, 00:23.
It's been four days since he spoke with that strange woman Selene, and despite himself, he has taken her advice, keeping an eye out for this 'peripetia' of his, but so far there has been nothing of note, except for a slight increase in crime.
However despite not speaking with her since then, Poe is pretty sure that he's seen her about, but she seems to disappear every time he tries to approach her.
He's even spoken with Director Simmons about it, not out of worry, it simply came up in conversation with his old friend. He may not be a part of the Protectorate, but he would have had one hell of a time restoring the city without Director Simmons' help.
Of course, knowing his own power, she was not worried for his safety, but rather simply teased him about having a stalker with a crush, likely a parahuman one if her disappearing means anything.
But despite the teasing, she still ran Selene's information through the system, but there is only one Selene in the city and they are a seventy year old African-American woman, making her an unlikely culprit.
Either way, all she seems to do is watch from a distance as he solves crimes, leaving right after, or if he tries to look for her.
He doesn't understand what is going on through her head, but the simple possibility that she is a parahuman makes him want to find and help her. Not out of favouritism to the powered mind you, but because parahumans tend not to have the greatest mental health at the best of times.
He's already reached out to Dragon to do a more extensive search for Selene, however she is a busy woman, and even if they are both members of the Guild and close friends, that doesn't mean that he should expect her to drop everything just to search for one mystery woman.
However he is determined, if only to prove to her that stories of Heroism are not tragic, but hopeful.
Poe's earpiece buzzes, and he's brought out of his thoughts by another report, this one of raised voices and screams, causing a feeling of urgency to grow in his chest.
Getting the location, six blocks north, he arrives in less than six seconds, soon locating the source of the screaming to be a dark alleyway.
Arriving above the scene, Poe focuses his mind, twisting the world above him in an application of his power that he only learned to do a couple of years ago.
In a sudden burst, like a silent explosion, 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 comes into being above his floating form, silhouetting his form to the people below him who are forced to squint as they stare at what is effectively the sun.
At least in terms of brightness, the actual heat being released from this technique is practically non-existent.
The scene that the light illuminates however, is far less awe inspiring, and it is a cause of deep sadness to Poe that it is not nearly the first time he has seen such a scene.
Of three men holding down a lone woman, clothes ripped and face bruised. He knows what was going on here, he's seen it all too many times before, and though his voice hardens in anger, the truth is that all he feels is sorrow.
That this is something that still happens, that this woman has been forced to experience it, or, even worse, the knowledge that things like this happen all across the world, every day, and he can do nothing about it.
But he can do something here.
It's like starfish. He can help this one, and that's enough.
"Move to the front of the alley immediately and lay on your stomachs, hands on the back of your head." Sensing his unwillingness for games right now, two of them obey.
However one of them seems to think he can run.
The other two don't bother joining him, or yelling anything. Anyone who's lived in this city for long enough should know that they can't escape him.
With a simple wave of his hand, the runner suddenly loses traction and starts floating into the sky as if gravity released it's hold over him. With another simple flick of his wrist, the runner flies to the front of the alley and crashes into the ground, face down.
Perhaps he landed a little bit harder than necessary, but powers are difficult, sometimes people make mistakes and if he broke his nose then that's just too bad, isn't it?
Ignoring those three for the moment, but not taking his attention away from them, Poe floats down to the woman, who is curled up into a ball and shielding her eyes from the light he's generating.
Right as his feet touch the ground, the light dispels, and though it takes her eyes a moment to adjust to the change in brightness, the woman doesn't hesitate to lunge for Poe, wrapping her arms around his chest almost desperately as she starts to whimper and cry.
All he can do, is hold her close and whisper comforts to her, telling her it's okay now, that she's safe, that he's here and he'll protect her.
But it all feels hollow to him, the smile she gives him feels like a knife to his heart.
Because this never should have happened in the first place. This woman should not have to bear this burden at all.
He only wishes he could do more.
Soon enough the police arrive and take the three men away, and Poe waits with the girl, Catherine, until her mother arrives to take her home.
Like with her daughter, the mother's profuse thank-yous only fill him with guilt, and soon enough, he is left standing alone in the night.
𝘉𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯, he thinks to himself as he prepares to take to the skies once more, only to be stopped by a familiar, ethereal voice.
"That was a close one my Tragedy," Her voice sounds out, unfocused, as if she is speaking to the world itself, "if you were twenty seconds later, that girl's Fate would have been very different."
Spinning around, Poe looks up to see Selene on the roof of one of the alley's sides, lying on her stomach with her head propped up on her arms and her legs kicking in the air behind her.
"How long have you been there," he demands as he raises himself to her level and crosses his arms.
"Since the beginning," she answers as she leans to one side and reaches an arm back to grab her phone, on which she shows him her call logs, "who do you think called it in?"
However, what sticks out to Poe is that her phone only has two calls logged, both for nine-one-one, but only one is dated for a few minutes ago, while the other four days ago, when they first met.
Has she not called anyone else in that time?
"This isn't the first time you've been present while I've been doing my job. How come you always seem to be here before me?" He asks, airing his suspicion, only for her expression to not change slightly.
"Because I am waiting for you of course. You're the Hero, not me. I can only watch," she answers, but before Poe can even begin to question her words, she speaks again, snapping him out of his thoughts, "don't you think they got off too easy?"
"What do you mean?"
"Those men," she clarifies with a wave of her hand, "they didn't technically commit rape, so they will likely only get two to three years in prison at most. Do you think that they will simply give up? That they will try again? They will get out of prison, and next time you might not be there to stop them in time. Don't you think a more, 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘯𝘵 measure should be taken for men like them?"
Despite her words and the topic of which she speaks, her voice doesn't once change from that same soft, unfocused tone.
However Poe doesn't hesitate with his answer.
"No. I believe everyone deserves a second chance, and I would never kill anyone out of anger. I would only end a life if doing so is imperative to saving the lives of innocents."
She seems to mull over his answer for a moment, before a pure, joyful smile takes over her face.
"Of course you would say that. You really are amazing, you know that? It's a shame your story is a tragedy, I would love it if you could have a happy ending instead, you deserve it, perhaps more than anyone."
Once again, she speaks as if his life is a story, one that she has already read through.
"So you say, Selene. But I will prove you wrong. My life will not end in tragedy, I assure you."
"I love to hear your optimism Poe," she says, abruptly changing the conversation, "I love how you stubbornly fight your Fate, but Fate is not something you can fight. I only hope you manage to find some happiness before your peripetia comes."
Deciding to steer the conversation away from that, Poe gives his own non-sequitur, "are you a parahuman Selene? Because if you are, how would you like to join me? You could become a Hero yourself, and I can show you the truth, that helping people is not something that ends in tears, but in fulfilment."
With her endearing smile still on her face, Selene raises a hand to cover her mouth as she lets out a soft giggle in response to his words.
"Oh my dear Tragedy, don't be silly," she says, her soft voice holding a hint of humour, "I am nobody, nothing. I could never be a Hero. It is not my Fate."
"You speak of fate a lot Selene. If my fate is to be a tragic Hero, then might I know what is your fate?" His words, asked with the hope of better understanding the woman before him cause her smile to gain a melancholic tint to it.
"My Fate? I'm afraid it is much the same as yours, Mister Poe," she says, before turning to stare intently into his eyes, with an intense gaze full of emotion, "my tragic Fate is loving you."
Momentarily stunned by her confession, Poe fails to respond right away, but right as he is about to, he is interrupted once again by the call of duty.
Raising a finger to his ear for Selene's sake, he listens to the report of another robbery nearby and then turns back to Selene, hesitating only for a moment before handing her a solid white card with a single number written on it.
"I want to help you Selene, to show you that there is more life than tragedy. If you need anything, or just want to talk, 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 call me."
"Stay safe my Tragedy, I look forward to our next meeting," she answers, not quite acknowledging his request but taking the card anyway.
With one last nod, Poe shoots up into the sky, pausing once he reaches his usual hight and turning back to give Selene one last glance before heading on his way.
Only to find the roof empty, and Selene nowhere in sight.
That all but confirms it in Poe's mind that she is a parahuman, and if his guess is right, she's likely a Stranger.
It's something she said that stood out, or rather 𝘩𝘰𝘸 she said it, talking about how she is nobody, nothing. Poe thinks that she was being more literal than just saying she isn't anyone important.
Part of his reasoning is that a Selene her age, doesn't seem to exist, nor anyone with her looks. He thinks that her power 'erased' her from existence in simple terms.
It wouldn't be the strangest thing to happen, and it would explain the lack of digital records, as well as how no one seems to pay attention to her when he does see her in crowds, as well as how she disappears so effectively.
With a deep sigh, Poe shakes his head clear of these thoughts. His shift ends at three, he can spend his time thinking about Selene then, right now he still has a job to do
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A/N: He~llo! Dear readers!
Man, what's with this side story right? Who even is this Selene? Who is Poe? Are either of them actually relevant to the story or am I just absolutely fucking with you all by writing a completely random side story with people who won't matter in the actual story?
Who knows~
though I get the feeling a lot of you might be thinking that Poe is going to die, maybe even Selene too. But I am insulted if you think such, because I did that with the Xiao Long, and I don't intend to repeat myself too much, that'd be boring.
Or maybe you're right and I'm bullshitting? Who knows~ who knows~ ;)
Also, you know that feeling when you say a word too much and it starts to sound weird? It's called semantic satiation, and I got it with tragedy while writing this lol
Also, WHAT THE FUCK IS WITH ALL OF Y'ALL NOT BELIEVING ME WHEN I SAY POE IS JUST A GOOD GUY!! I'M NOT THAT UNRELIABLE!! I CAN WRITE NICE, STABLE AND WELL ADJUSTED PEOPLE TOO!! NOT EVERYONE HAS SOME HIDDEN PSYCHOSIS! POE IS JUST A GOOD GUY!!
XD
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