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chaniters · 5 years

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Epilogue

Post-Retribution AU (Chapter 9)

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An epilogue for this series. It was a lot of fun to write! Hope you enjoyed it!

Heroes and Villains receive a second chance, after Heartbreak is finally defeated.

Spoilers!

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“Sidestep! Are you ok?”

His body was shaking uncontrollably and seemed to be about to fall down as Charge got hold of him. “Cyrus... it’s over. He’s gone. You’re fine”

He didn’t seem to be saying anything resembling words. Ortega quickly pulled up his mask, revealing the tears. He was clearly having a panic attack.

His friend set him down over a corner, sitting by his side, trying to calm him down, full of worry. He wrapped an arm around him, letting him cry over his shoulder.

The older man couldn’t take his eyes off them, and the tenderness of the gesture.

Charge and Sidestep. Inseparable. Trusted allies. Heroes. Closest of friends, and maybe even more. All is how it used to be, but he’s an outsider now.

Just a witness.

What about the other one? He wasn’t even sure what he should call him.

412? Cyrus? Retribution? Heartbreak?

No. There was only one real word for him in the end.

Monster.

He looked down the window. The familiar ambulance was already there. His skull was cracked over the pavement, his body in an unnatural pose. Unlike Sidestep, Heartbreak wasn’t wearing a protective suit and didn’t survive the fall. He was clearly and irrefutably dead.

The false paramedics hurried to take him away. The sense of relief that came as they did so was a surprise. He couldn’t help realize he had grown afraid of him too.

“Is everyone alright?” Steel entered the room, very pale, his face covered in sweat.

His gaze went from the man on the Raincoat to Charge and Sidestep, sitting on the corner. Sidestep was still whimpering inaudibly.

“It was a telepath… tried to make Cyrus kill himself. I think he wanted to do the same to all of us… like he did to the civilians”

Steel grimaced

“It’s over” Charge managed to speak “The… the new guy, he...” he said looking at his older self “...he pushed him off that window. “

“Oh,” Steel said taking the newsin. “I’m… sorry… I couldn’t… I just couldn’t” He started, obviously ashamed he wasn’t there. “I’m sorry… I should have been here but..”

“Don’t” Sidestep pulled from Charge’s shoulder, taking a few long breaths before speaking, his voice still shaky “Don’t be sorry. We’re lucky to be alive...That psychic was so fucked up… things like this shouldn’t even exist. It’s wrong.. They shouldn’t… ” and he starts breaking down again.

Charge pulled him closer once more, repeating reassuring phrases about everything going to be fine. Over, and over, as many times as he needed to hear it.

“I’ll be right back” Steel spoke with sudden worry. Leaving the three of them alone in the room.

“Who are you?” Charge asked, lifting his gaze. “Are you new?”

He stood motionless. Petrified. He wasn’t sure what to tell his own old self about this.

“Yes. I’m new”

“What do we call you?” Sidestep asked.

He fought the urge to just run away. This was too fucking much. Like he was an intruder in someone else’s story.

“I’m fine! I swear I’m fine!” The familiar voice caught him unprepared. He forced himselt to look away not to show them his tears as Steel came back up helping Anathema walk.

“Geez, I told you I’m fine Grandpa! I’m invulnerable!”

“I know. But I saw how it shook you. And I know what it did to me. So stop the bullshit and don’t pretend you’re fine!” Steel retorts.

“Fine!” Anathema complains. “Ok, maybe I’m not that fine. Maybe just 40% fine ok? But still functional. And I’m still going to get over it. Is that what you wanted to hear?”

“Yes,” Steel said giving him a grin.

“You guys ok there?” He asked Sidestep and Charge.

Charge looks at Sidestep, and he gives Anathema a weak nod for both of them.

“New guy shoved the freak down the window and saved the day” Charge step summed it up in a few words.

And then all their gazes turned towards the old man.

“So, how do we call you, new guy?” Anathema asked.

He tried to speak but no words come out.

“Are you alright sir?” Steel inquired. Always worrying about civilians..

No, he wasn’t alright. He was very NOT alright. He had just killed his best friend, but said friend was still alive, behind him, how could he be alright?

But he had to give them some sort of explanation.

“You can call me… Time Guardian” he said, making up the first hero name he could think of.

“What like you have time powers?” Anathema asked.

“Yeah… I can freeze time… and a few other tricks” He explained. That much was true, as long as he had the Hourglass “Anyways … uh… I Don’t like paperwork. I bet you guys can handle it?”

Wow. He sounded like Sidestep in his vigilante days.

“Yeah, leave it to us. It’s the least we can do” Ortega answered.

“Good,” Time Guardian said. He started walking towards the door. He needed time to think. To figure out what the hell had just happened.

“It’s a mess out there. Can’t believe he killed that many people” Chen went on.

“Agreed...I’ve never seen a mind so twisted.” Sidestep nodded as Charge stood, helping him up in turn..

Time Guardian stopped before crossing the door… and then turned walking straight towards Sidestep.

The young Cyrus looks a bit intimidated at the closeness. Time Guardian whispered a few words, before turning and walking out for real this time…

“Hey what was that about?” Steel asked.

“N… nothing, just some… advice” Sidestep answered awkwardly.

“Well let’s go back down, get this done,” Anathema said. “There’s going to be a lot of funerals to organize and people who will want an explanation.” he grimaced “I can’t believe what this fucker did”

As they left, Ortega approached Sidestep, speaking in a hushed tone.

“Hey... What did he say?”

Sidestep hesitated for a moment.

“He told me to let go of my secrets and trust you.”

Ortega chuckled. “Well, that’s some darn good advice for a change. Did he say anything else?”

“Yeah…” he laughed nervously for a moment “He kind of threatened me?. I think it’s some sort of joke.”

“What was it?” Charge asked.

“ He also said if I don’t do it, he’ll have no choice but to end up tossing me down the window too.”

…………..Later that very night………………...

“I almost die… If you hadn’t shown up, I would have pulled that trigger…”

“Hey, that’s what I’m here for. To fix your mess” Charge says with a smug smile.

“Stop joking. I’m trying to be serious.”

“Right right.. I’m sorry. I just never saw you like that. I guess I got really scared? This was worse than Psycopathor.”

“It was way worse… but… Look, I want to show you something. Maybe you’ll understand me a bit more after this. Maybe you’ll hate me. I don’t know… I just don’t want you to find out after I end up dead fighting some random freak villain and you finding out after I’m dead.”

“I’m not going to get mad at you. What could you possibly ….” His voice trailed off.

Oh….”

Ortega went speechless as Sidestep removed his pants, shirt and nanomesh, exposing his tattoos.

The awkward moment extended long enough for him to draw some conclusions.

“I’m sorry,” he said “I’ll just take my coat and go... I understand. No need to make this more uncomfortable than it needs to be”

He turned to leave, tears already falling down his cheeks … but at the last moment, Ortega reached out, holding his hand.

“What are you…”

And he kissed him.

HIs legs trembled, but Ricardo held him tight.

“Thank you. For trusting me” he said in the end.

And somehow… he knows it’ll all be alright.

……A few days later after the Heartbreak, the farm received unwelcome guests.………………...

“You can’t do this!” Regina complained as they removed the plaque from her office. “Don’t you know who I am?!”

“Honestly? You’re lucky you’re not going to jail, ma’am” the young agent barke back at her.

“This project is crucial! It can’t be stopped!”

“About 839 dead civilians say otherwise. A single one of your clowns did it, and then he cracks his brain like a nut on the pavement making any further research impossible. Won’t lie, if you had caught him alive for study, we could have a different story. Maybe some politician could salvage your chain of clusterfucks, but being as it is… You’re done, Regina. They are pulling the plug.”

“This has to be a mistake! Who gave the order?”

“Here. Read and weep” the older man agent said giving her a copy of the executive order, the president’s signature clearly visible.

“Maybe you should go back to teaching.” The younger agent said, amused “Because you sure can’t do”

Her face was quickly becoming a mask of despair

“What are you going to do with the subjects?”

“None of your business really. But if you must know, the ones that you haven’t damaged will be absorbed into government programs. The rest are going into institutions. And the prisoners, they’re all going back to jail.”

“What? But this place is all they know!”

“That’s right, and it’s such waste. We’re going to find them real jobs. Where they can make a difference”

“Tax-paying jobs.” His partner replied. “That’s the kind the government wants after having to make reparations for all the families.”

“One thing,” he said turning. “You do have a boost that can control technology, right?.”

“Subject 411? Advanced technokinesis. She’s clearly a demonstration of our excellent pro..”.

“Good. We’ll be taking her with us. She’ll start outright on a new division.”

“What!? Where?!”

“New government agency. It’s going to absorb all of your funding and then some.”

“Called NASA” the younger one comments before going back to his binder to-do list. “Also, I want to know how many of runaways are there out in the wild coming from your little house of horrors.” He flips a few pages. “Seems to me security is an epic fubar disaster in this dump”

A pair of scientists move past them, moving Heartbreak’s corpse into storage.

The older agent stops them, and takes a peek under the white sheet, and then studies the binder attached the side of the stretcher.

“Well, that’s one we don’t need to look for anymore. Cross 412 off the list Mike. It’s a perfect DNA match. And seems to be suffering premature aging too. Another flaw in your work Regina. How disappointing. Look at the state of it! But then again that’s what you do, isn’t it? Eat up taxpayer dollars and play Frankenstein all day?” he said doing the frankenstein-arms motion.

She felt her heart sinking, as they walked back into her office, intent on destroying her life’s work.

…A few years go by….

Cyrus rests on Ortega’s arm, extended over his shoulder, on the back of Steel’s SUV.

The two of them are on the back row, along with Herald, the newest team member.

He’s storming them with questions, and they don’t mind answering. He’s over the moon.

Anathema and Argent are on the next row, talking about a guy they met. Saved him from a freaky villain with a death touch, who decided not to try her luck against Anathema’s acid touch.

Steel is alone on the front row, focused on driving.

“So how did you two meet?” Herald asks.

“He broke my car!” Ortega accuses Cyrus.

“THat’s not how it happened!” he complains.

“OH?” He asks amused. “Then how did it happen?”

“I spied on him for two weeks. And THEN, I broke his car. It was a thoroughly planned sabotage mission”

Ortega laughs it off, squeezing him fondly.

Chen stops the SUV, for another passenger to come in.

“Hey, Fernando!”

“Hey. I’m bringing tequila” he said leaning over the window.

“Then bring it inside!” Ortega yelled from the back.

“YES!” Anathema and Argent joined in

“No drinking in the car. Ever again!” Steel grunted.

“The bearded man removes his hood and smiles, sitting beside Chen along with the bottles in a case..

“How’re you doing?” Ortega asks

“All’s good. Just some minor skirmishes with Bug-master”

“Not that bastard again. How is he still alive?” Argent asks.

“Well he has all the powers of a cockroach so even after you squish him, he can still..”

“Eugh, don’t elaborate” Anathema complains

Tonight was game-night. And he was going to bet hard. They always complained he was using time powers. But he wasn’t. He was just lucky nowadays.

He leaned back on his seat.

His timeline’s Sidestep and Mortum had both been so wrong. Time didn’t correct itself or fall into paradoxes. The universe was under no obligation to make sense to anyone. He changed the past, but he didn’t get magically teleported to a new life, nor did reality get destroyed.

He had toyed with the idea of using the Hourglass to get back into the corrected future. That’s what his Sidestep wanted. But he didn’t. He wanted to see it with his own eyes. He didn’t want to live a life that wasn’t truly his.

So he just stayed. Stayed and formed a new life. He eventually revealed his secret to Chen.

Of course, he had chosen a very bad timing, since Chen had just kissed him for the first time.

Funny. He had never noticed how hot Chen was before. Of course, it was different now. He was a stranger. With no baggage.

They agreed not to tell anyone else. No need. And no one was after him.

Chen helped him get a new name. A social security number. And he was probably going to join the Rangers in a few months if paperwork went through.

Regenes were eventually absorbed into the civilian populace after the Special Directive was officially disbanded, provided they registered their biometrics and that they behaved. And unlike the other one, this Cyrus was a fucking saint. Made him wonder how could they have been the same person at any point.

A law provided monetary retribution for damages for them so they could build new lives. And Cyrus was rejected since he was reported dead already. They had to start a lawsuit. When he said he was going to the City hall to demand his “Retribution” he had a hard time keeping a straight face. The other Cyrus had just torched the building instead... They were definitely not the same person anymore.

He had grown to like his new identity. Fernando Ortiz by day, Time Guard whenever trouble presented itself. It wasn’t half-bad.

After all, Fernando always got to sleep over at Chen’s house after game night, when everyone’s gone, complaining about his house being too far. He wondered if Chen would ever want to reveal what was going between them to the others. Probably not, until they were caught. Now that would be funny.

With the mustache and beard, he didn’t look that much like the younger shaved Ortega, and he was Older. He could hide in plain sight.

Ortega and Sidestep were a couple, and since he was a friend of both, he could visit him often and see his mother. It was strange to see her like this… But it worked.

And Time Guard... he corrected things. He fixed so many mistakes the Rangers made after Heartbreak. He told them he had time powers, and in a way, he did have a very accurate form of precognition. The Hourglass armor gave him a whole different powerset. It’s time jump function, he had only used a few times though. Jumping to the past or future was a temptation, but he only did it to fight crime. Best way to keep safe.

And Cyrus…

It was so weird. He couldn’t quite mourn his death while he was very alive right behind him. And so much happier than he had ever seen him. His own Cyrus had turned into a vengeful shadow, going down with the blaze of insane destruction consuming him.

But in some weird way, he had done what he set out to do.

Set things right.

He…

He looked down startled. Chen was holding his hand.

He was so glad he was at the front, where no one could see him blush.

Game night was going to be great

………….Deep below ground, someone observed them in silence………..

The drones were relaying visual constant feed on their vehicle.

He toyed with the controls, making sure not to steer too close.

It was only a matter of time before he unraveled Time Guardians secrets, and once he did, he would have the means to defeat all heroes in his way.

It was his genius that would be the fall of the rangers in the end.

Only his.

Lord Mortum will rule Los Diablos one day!

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My fanfics: https://chaniters.tumblr.com/post/181692759294/my-fanfiction-for-fallen-hero

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fan fiction using characters and the setting of the Fallen Hero: Rebirth and upcoming Fallen Hero: Retribution games written by Malin Riden. I do not claim ownership of any characters from the Fallen Hero wold. These stories are a work of my imagination, and I do not ascribe them to the official story canon. These works are intended for entertainment outside the official storyline owned by the author. I am not profiting financially from the creation of these stories, and thank the author for her wonderful game/s, without which these works would not exist.

#fallen hero: rebirth #Au Post-Retribution #epilogue #chargestep #Chargesteel #fallen hero spoilers

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