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when the blood dries in my veinsand my heart feels no more painNathan hated being a dick but this conversation was already a few days too late. Earlier in the week he had met another super while under the guise of Justice. The heroine’s codename was Skye. The pair had met in Central Park while Nate was looking for clues to the whereabouts of his twin; Nick. He happened to stumble upon Skye after a cry was heard by a citizen who was being hounded by three men. The heroine was able to take down the three men with little difficult; which impressed the Legend. The pair spoke and created an alliance to find Nathan’s brother. Unfortunately the young woman revealed herself to be a true friend to Legend’s rookie Reboot and revealed information regarding the organization that she shouldn’t have possessed. This information was given to her by Reboot.There had been half a dozen times that Jimmy and Nate had passed one another in the hallways of the Legends Headquarters. Each case was a great opportunity for Nathan to speak up about meeting Cassadee and learning that she knew the identity of Nate’s closest teammate and ally; Serafin. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He liked the kid even though he was very green when it came to heroics. That and Sera seemed to trust him- which was almost ironic given the information Nate had received. The hero hadn’t spoken to the hero known as Tizona yet. He wanted to hear what Reboot had to say first.Entering the lounge of the headquarters Nate found it completely empty with the exception of one person; Jimmy. Having just finished a training session with Anderson Nate was already on edge. He and his handler didn’t see eye to eye on a lot of things and Anderson often pushed Nathan well passed his limits. The weakness Nate held seemed to be the button that his handler always wanted to push and since the hero couldn’t say much to the man it didn’t mean he wasn’t aggravated. Sadly Reboot was the first person Nate had seen after his session so this fact pushed him to finally say something. Moving over to a small sofa within the lounge he set himself down and swallowed a bit of water from a container he was carrying in his hand. His blue eyes examined Jimmy with caution; a look the boy wouldn’t have seen before from the normally friendly hero.”How are you settling in?” Nate broke the silence after looking at Jimmy for some time. He took another drink of his water as a bit of sweat dripped off his brow. ”It’s got to be hard,” he continued before Jimmy could answer his first question, ”being your age and having to keep this many secrets. When I was your age I only had to deal with keeping myself safe. Now you’ve got an entire team to look after. That can be a lot of weight to bear on the shoulders, isn’t it? So how you holding up?” He took another drink, this time giving Jimmy time to answer. Nate wasn’t sure if Cassadee had spoken with her friend before now but the older hero was almost giving the boy a chance to confess before he had to bring things up. It would make this conversation go a little bit better- not by much... but a bit.i hope somebody caresDESIGNED BY NODDING.ACQUAINTANCE OF CAUTION 2.0

Maybe I should cry for helpMaybe I should kill myselfIt was not that Jimmy made a habit of hiding in the lounge of the headquarters when he should have been working or training or pretty much doing anything other than goofing around on his phone- but he had so much on his mind as of late that doing anything else just seemed damn near impossible. He was receiving text messages from The Whisperer and the villainous technopath seemed to know more about Jimmy than made him feel comfortable. What if he found out about Cassadee? Or Dylan? Or any of the other people Jimmy knew the true identities of? It was unsettling to say the least. And then there was the not so small matter of his blossoming romance with Cassadee “Skye” Skylar. He cared about her- maybe even loved her- but was a romantic relationship really good for them? She was his best friend and confidante, Jimmy hated the idea of screwing that up because he was thinking with his dick instead of his brain. So with all these thoughts swimming in his head, Jimmy found himself relaxing in the lounge and doing some mild cyber stalking with his phone. Nothing too serious, mostly hacking into facebook accounts and reading all sorts of dirty gossip about himself. It was a stupid use of his abilities, but he was bored and looking for something to get his mind off of his real problems. He was so engrossed in his phone that the rookie hero had not even noticed Justice enter the lounge until the older man started to speak. ”Oh…uh…I guess I’m settling in alright,” he nodded, his blue eyes looking up at Nate suspiciously. They were on friendly terms, Jimmy was on friendly terms with most of the other Legends, but making small talk was not something they did- especially looking as serious and unhappy as Nathan was looking right now. ”I have been keeping more secrets than you can imagine since I was nineteen. I don’t think you have to worry about me going to the papers anytime soon,” he arched an eyebrow inquisitively. Had his team mate somehow found out about the text messages passing between Reboot and The Whisperer. ”Believe me, I have juicier gossip than the identities behind the masks,” he added, the corners of his lips twitching as he resisted the urge to smirk. Secret government weapons and other information he had been inundated with during his accident a few years ago was certainly more dangerous information, though Jimmy doubted he would make as much money off of it as if he betrayed his team and sold them out. Though that would be low, even for him. ”But let’s cut the shit,” he groaned, finally averting his attention completely from his phone and looking the older man right in the eyes. ”Just tell me what’s going on,” he added. Jimmy was too wrapped up in his own problems to notice anything different with Nathan over the last few days, but there was definitely something serious now and the young technopath was just waiting to hear what travesty he was committing now. Blame it on my A.D.D. babyDESIGNED BY NODDING.ACQUAINTANCE OF CAUTION 2.0

when the blood dries in my veinsand my heart feels no more painThe kid had attitude. This would work for the Legends provided he was able to control it. Still, Nate wasn’t entirely sure that he still wanted Reboot to be a member of the Legends. All it would take was a conversation with Boone or Vance and Jimmy could be in some serious trouble. That being said; Skye could just as easily say that Nathan had exposed his identity to her which was the main reason that the hero known as Justice wanted to handle things personally with the boy. ”Cutting straight to the point,” he muttered as he kept his ocean-coloured gaze on the rookie, ”I can respect that.” Eye contact wasn’t lost on Reboot as Nathan shifted in his seat so he sat more forward- towards the man he was speaking with.”I ran into a friend of yours the other night. I met her as Skye- but I think you know her by a different name,” he started plainly enough but a hint of anger started to fill in his voice, ”She’s a strong girl- has a lot of potential to be a hero. She seemed to know a lot about the Legends- particularly about you and Sera. And yes, she didn’t say Tizona- she said Sera.” He stopped for a moment to calm himself before going any further. He thought back to the night in Central Park when Cassadee had first said his partner’s name. It was shocking and Nathan felt betrayed; even though he didn’t know where the source of the betrayal had come from at first. A public identity was sacred to a hero. Without it they would feel exposed to the world and everyone they cared for and loved would be in danger.Stilling locking eye contact Nathan shook his head in disapproval slightly as his teeth lightly started to grind together. The youth had talked about holding secrets since he was nineteen. Nate didn’t even bother asking where he acquired the secrets. Knowing his powers the veteran Legend wouldn’t have been surprised if Reboot had hacked into government systems to know all the dirty little tidbits that senators and the president were trying to hide. This wasn’t how Nate worked. He believed in Justice; and it was the reason he assumed that word as his codename; but the process behind justice had to be followed to the letter. Jimmy seemed the type to bypass protocol for personal gains. It was a large reason Nathan didn’t have Facebook or Twitter; too many men like Jimmy out there to break into other’s personal information.”And I’m having trouble understanding why you said it. Sera’s been nothing but kind to you. She gave you a chance to be something great- be a Legend. I don’t care how close you think you are with Skye- telling her Sera’s name was outing her,” he related the exposure of public identities to his own personal experiences with coming out, ”And don’t give me that bullshit about she won’t tell anyone. You weren’t supposed to tell anyone and you told one person. So what’s stopping Skype from telling one person- and then that person telling another one- and another one- and... fuck Jimmy. She’s got a kid and a husband she doesn’t see because she’s trying to keep them safe. It just takes one person to learn that connection and you’ve put a seven year old at risk. Can you even comprehend that? Or are you so absorbed in your virtual world that you think real life can just be reset if you lose? We’re not living an X-Box game.”i hope somebody caresDESIGNED BY NODDING.ACQUAINTANCE OF CAUTION 2.0

Maybe I should cry for helpMaybe I should kill myselfJimmy’s blue eyes widened for a moment when Skye was mentioned. She had not mentioned meeting another member of the Legends. Why was she chatting with Justice of all people anyways? The guy was no fun with a capital N-O-F-U-N. He quickly schooled his featured back to the bored and somewhat petulant façade he kept up, especially around most of his teammates, no one needed to know that Jimmy Donovan was anything but a punk kid from the northside of Pittsburgh. ”She knows that there is a Sera here, not her codename, not what she looks like, nothing else. For all she knows Sera isn’t even short for any other name,” he shot back through his teeth. ”Skye knows me better than anyone else and she was confused as to why I would join this little organization- you know what? I don’t even know why we’re having this conversation,” he shook his head and returned his attention back to his phone momentarily. He had been vague the one or two times he had ever mentioned Sera to Cassadee, for all the red headed rogue knew, Sera was a government agent who busted him for hacking. She could have worked in IT with him for all the intel he actually let slip. Jimmy furrowed his eyebrows and looked back up at Nate. ”You know what I’m having trouble understanding, Justice,” he tilted his head to the side and pressed his fingers to his lips for a moment to add a dramatic flair. ”Why are we talking about this? You’re so convinced you know the whole story, why am I still here? Why haven’t I been kicked out yet for the heinous crime of admitting that I knew someone with the name Sera at this fine establishment? There is a Sarah in IT too- though she’s not as cool as Tizona,” he added, wondering if there was more to the meeting that occurred between the older man and his girlfriend. ”Skye won’t tell a soul because she doesn’t know enough of anything to tell anyone anything,” he groaned. The truth of the matter was that Jimmy was not even afraid of being kicked out of the Legends, he had always known it would be a matter of time. That was who he was, a failure. He only made it through high school because his teachers and counselors dragged him through it. He failed out of college because of some stupid accident. He was all but entirely kicked out of his own family because it was somehow his fault that his nephew went to prison. He was going to get kicked out of the Legends sometime, whether it was for this or some other screw up was yet to be determined. The same went for his blossoming relationship with Cassadee. He figured it was only a matter of time before she got over his ‘bad boy charm’ and realized that he was a screw up. Maybe it was time to meet with that Whisperer guy and see what it was he wanted. Jimmy had never considered himself to be a truly “bad” person, but maybe the Syndicate was where he belonged? He never wanted to hurt anyone, but it really seemed to be the only thing he was good at. ”If you knew anything about me you would know that I don’t think like that,” Jimmy stated darkly. ”But if it will make you feel better to think that I’m just some kid with my head stuck in a video game, then be my guest,” he added with a shrug. It would tear him apart to be kicked out of the Legends for something he did not even realize was wrong, but if that was going to happen he would be cavalier about it over begging for forgiveness that he knew would not come.Blame it on my A.D.D. babyDESIGNED BY NODDING.ACQUAINTANCE OF CAUTION 2.0

when the blood dries in my veinsand my heart feels no more painAs Jimmy spoke Nate was respectful enough to listen without interrupting. It seemed like he was becoming just as enraged as Nathan was; and appeared to have an excuse or reason for everything. Could he have been wrong about what Cassadee had said? Could Jimmy have actually met Sarah in IT? Doubt was beginning to plague Justice and he needed a few moments to contemplate everything that had been said once Jimmy’s jaw stopped moving. Pushing his body back into the comfort of the chair he thought through everything. This is what he did for a living; tried to see through the lies people told him. Jimmy had gotten defensive- much like Skye when Nate had approached the subject. It was a very common thing for young people to do- but most young people lied as well.If he had been telling the truth; from Nate’s experience; then he would have become offensive instead of defensive. Pushing forward scenarios of how his conversation with Cass may have (or should have) been taken often stemmed from inner guilt. Again, this was all just from the experiences Nathan had as a lawyer. Not to mention what Skype had said, ”...glad to see Sera has knocked some sense into him...”. Why would Sarah from IT knock some sense into him about being a hero? Pieces of the puzzle just weren’t making sense; but it appeared the direct approach was only making Jimmy harder to communicate with.”You’re not getting kicked out of the Legends,” Nate mentioned in a cooler voice; but still hinting at anger, ”If I wanted that then you would have been out already. You do good work- or so I’ve been told. I’ve never worked with you so I don’t know. I just need you to understand the seriousness of your situation. Put yourself in my shoes for a second, okay? Take someone you care about- Skype for instance,” though Nate couldn’t really know the true feelings Jimmy had for the redhead, ”How would you feel if I even hinted at her public identity to anyone? I’m not saying I would- but how would you feel if I did? Sure, Cass could stand for Cassandra but the thing is- it’s out there. There could be twenty thousand people in this city that Cass could be associated with- but you’re also removing several million people who aren’t her.”i hope somebody caresDESIGNED BY NODDING.ACQUAINTANCE OF CAUTION 2.0

Maybe I should cry for helpMaybe I should kill myselfJimmy clenched his fists tightly when Nathan mentioned Cassadee. Logically, he knew that Justice would not do anything to hurt Skye, but all the same the technokinetic was fast approaching fight or flight mode. ”Sounds like you have a little insurance if she does talk,” he stated in a dark tone. ”The difference between what you are implying and what I did is that Cass doesn’t know that Sera is Tizona,” he added, his knuckles turning white. He had never really considered how his feelings for Skye would affect his work, but the idea of someone outing her made him see red. If she was outed there was no telling what would happen to her. There were surely people who would want to hurt her, not to mention the crimes she had committed would certainly land her in prison. She did not deserve any of that. If Cass were to get hurt or imprisoned he realized then and there that no one would be able to stop him from tearing the entire city apart. He would make the Syndicate look like a bunch of kindergartners. He would have to have a little discussion with his girlfriend- wow that still felt really strange to Jimmy- about her run-in with the hero known as Justice. He found himself wondering if this relationship was a good idea at all. He had never really been very into comic books, but he had seen Spiderman once or twice- having a girlfriend did not seem like a good thing for a super hero to have. The fact that he was itching for a fight just thinking about Cass getting hurt could not bode well for their future. He could have punched Nate in the mouth for making him think about these things. He would just have to get back at the other man some other way, like hacking his e-mail or inundating his cell phone with dick photos. Maturity was never something the young hero was known for. ”I’m good at what I do, Nate, anyone who hurts the people I care about- Sera and Cass…they’d be in for a world of pain, you can be sure of that,” he stated, his pale blue eyes staring off into space. Jimmy wanted to do good in the world, but he was morally ambiguous enough to go in the other direction if he was given the right push. He stood up and slid his phone into the pocket of his jeans. ”I should…I need to do something,” he mumbled. It was a little early to go to the bar and pick a fight with a random person, hell- he was not even scheduled to get out of work for another few hours- but Jimmy needed to let off some steam and he was not about to do anything productive with the rush of adrenaline he was feeling by training with his handler. Though picking a fight with Chris did have a certain appeal to it…Blame it on my A.D.D. babyDESIGNED BY NODDING.ACQUAINTANCE OF CAUTION 2.0

when the blood dries in my veinsand my heart feels no more painJimmy spoke the words Nathan wanted to hear but there was something missing. The youth was looking off into space as if afraid to look Nate in the eyes. Or maybe he was saying the words because he knew it was what the hero wanted to hear but didn’t believe them himself. Reboot stood and started to make his way towards the door. This caused Nathan to stand and move so he could place a hand on the boy’s chest to stop him. Standing shoulder to shoulder the pair were facing opposite directions which caused Nate to have to look to his side to see Jimmy’s face. ”Look at me,” he spoke and gave the kid a few moments to comply. He automatically figured Jimmy wouldn’t so he repeated himself with a bit more force, ’Look at me!”Their eyes locked and Nathan held the gaze for a short while before speaking again. His words were true and filled with conviction, ”I don’t believe you.” He went back to simply staring at the rookie Legend to his right. He needed to believe Jimmy before he would let him go. Nathan needed to know that the kid really would do anything for Cassadee- and Serafin- if push came to shove. Tizona believed in the young man so Nate was trying to give him some credit. He leaned in slightly and narrowed his eyes. It was more than apparent that Nathan was looking for something in the kid. Something that was there but very, very faint. But where there was a spark there could always be a fire.”Tell me what you just said before. Only this time say it right,” he instructed as he released his hand from Jimmy’s chest and crossed his arms in front of him. He turned his body slightly so the pair were now standing face to face. There’s be little chance that the youth could turn and stare into nothingness now unless he moved. Nathan also stepped forward to invade Reboot’s personal bubble. He wanted the kid angry- he wanted that truth. i hope somebody caresDESIGNED BY NODDING.ACQUAINTANCE OF CAUTION 2.0

Maybe I should cry for helpMaybe I should kill myselfJimmy allowed himself to be stopped by the taller man but he did not want to look him in the eyes. There was too much going on in his head, he did not want to show even the slightest bit of weakness to Justice. He could not show any chinks in his armor to anyone. It was not until the second, more forceful, insistence that he look at Nate that Jimmy turned his light blue eyes up at the older man defiantly. ”I don’t care if you believe me or not,” he growled through his teeth and pulled away from Nate’s hold on him. If it was a fight Nathan wanted he would get one from Jimmy. The young man had a bad habit of never backing down even when it was in his best interests to. Should he tell Justice what he really felt? Would that even be a good idea? The guy’s alias was “Justice” for crying out loud- he probably had strong moral convictions that lined up nice and neat with the law. Reboot’s sense of justice was probably very different and dealt in a lot more moral grey area than Nate’s. ”Sera and Cass are the only two people in this godforsaken city I give two shits about. If anything happened to them I would unleash anarchy and there is nothing you or anyone else could do to stop me,” he confessed, his blue eyes blazing with conviction. ”Now that might not sound very superhero-like, and it might not fit in to how we do things around here, but it’s the truth. Sera is more of a mother to me than my own ma and Cass…well…everyone falls in love at some point, right?” Jimmy grimaced and looked away from Nate. He had never admitted his true feelings for Cass out loud, not even to her. She knew he had feelings for her- feelings that she shared- but he had never admitted to being head over heels in love with her. As it stood now he could hardly hold himself back from completely destroying the lives of her negligent foster parents for the way they treated her. If anyone had actually caused her true harm there was no telling what Reboot would be capable of. ”So go ahead, tell me that I’m a piece of shit who doesn’t deserve to be here. I won’t lie, when I say anarchy- I’m talking massive black outs, erasing everything I can from bank records…who knows what else I could do if I was pissed enough,” he clenched his fists. He was so angry at that moment that the lights in the lounge flickered.Blame it on my A.D.D. babyDESIGNED BY NODDING.ACQUAINTANCE OF CAUTION 2.0

when the blood dries in my veinsand my heart feels no more painDonovan tried to act touch and not let his emotions show. The trouble was- the more he tried to push passed his feelings the more apparent they became. He was angry sure, but there was a frustration to him as well that would have only shown if he actually did care. But he said that he didn’t care- or at least he stated the words so either Nathan or him would believe. Nate had to assume it was actually for both individuals. ”I think you do care,” the Legend softly spoke as he moved in front of the youth and asked him to repeat himself. To say what he had said before but with conviction and honesty. It wasn’t Nathan intent to push the kid to his emotional breaking point but it would help. Jimmy was a good man- but lacked maturity which needed to be built up if he was ever going to join the ranks of the founding Legends. Nate had worked hard to get there and sometimes he still felt like he had a long ways to go.And then it happened. The emotional rant that Nathan had been waiting for. It showed the hero that the kid definitely had potential to be something great and protect those he cared about. And who he cared about was Sera and Cassadee. It was directed in the right place- towards the people he should want to protect. Sure, he went a bit overboard by saying he would fall into complete anarchy if something were to happen to the women he loved but it was a step forward in the right direction. If truth were being told Nate might feel the same way if anything happened to Sera. She was his best friend and partner with the League of Legends; losing her would be like losing a limb.He moved to the side when Jimmy finished and extended an arm towards the door as if offering Jimmy to go. He had done well and Nate actually believed every word he said the second time around. So much in fact that it almost scared him; but he took the young man’s age into consideration and figured the destructive talk was merely a way to asserting himself to the older man. ”Good job,” he stated plainly, ”You know, Carter should push you harder. You really could be something great soon.” Although Nate wasn’t one to talk. He and his handler; Anderson; could barely see eye to eye on anything. But Anderson also pushed Nathan passed his limits because he enjoyed watching the super suffer. It was his own sadistic torment and jealousy for not having his own powers and being a baseline.i hope somebody caresDESIGNED BY NODDING.ACQUAINTANCE OF CAUTION 2.0

Maybe I should cry for helpMaybe I should kill myselfJimmy was getting more and more irritated by Nate with every passing moment. The older hero was playing with his emotions and Jimmy had fallen right into the trap. He had not only actually admitted to truly caring about anyone but himself, but he had admitted to being in love with Cassadee Skylar. He had never admitted that out loud to anyone before and he spilled the beans to Justice of all people. ”Carter pushes me plenty,” he rolled his baby blue eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. Truthfully, as hard as Chris pushed Jimmy in their training sessions, Reboot almost always seemed to have the upper hand. If his handler did something he did not care for there would be retribution later, and it was always well worth any trouble Jimmy could get into. He crossed his arms over his chest defensively, the young technopath hated it when people commented on his potential for greatness. ”I’ve heard that before…” he groaned. He wondered if he truly did possess all this great potential, why it was that he never seemed to go anywhere with it. High school guidance counselors, teachers, social workers- they all told him he could go on to do great things with his brilliant mind and intellectual curiosity, and he had started on that path. He had not only been accepted into college, but he had been accepted into a top engineering school. His professors were impressed with him, though sometimes bemoaned his attitude, he made good grades, he worked in the lab- and that was where things went wrong. After his accident, Jimmy was sure he would never have another chance to be something great. When his powers manifested it had been especially difficult to do the things he loved, having your computer constantly talking to you and anything electrical you touch going haywire made for a terrible IT person or engineer. It had not been until recently when he started hearing that awful word again- potential. What people did not seem to realize was that he tried so hard to do the right thing. “The Greater Good” had never really been anything Jimmy gave much consideration and being a super hero would mean making sacrifices. Would he be able to put innocent bystanders and “the greater good” before himself- or Cassadee and Sera for that matter? ”I’ll talk to Cass. Make sure she knows not to say anything to anyone,” he nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets before walking away. Cass already knew the stakes, she knew not to open her mouth, but she had also revealed herself to a virtual stranger like Nate and told Justice about her acquaintance with the hero known as Reboot…Blame it on my A.D.D. babyDESIGNED BY NODDING.ACQUAINTANCE OF CAUTION 2.0

when the blood dries in my veinsand my heart feels no more painEnding Thread with this PostJimmy seemed to understand the conversation; but the more it continued the more of an asshole Nathan started to feel about himself. Instead of talking plainly to the youth he attacked him with his own ideals and morals. It was almost as if Nate had wanted to push everything that he thought about being a hero onto the kid; without allowing Reboot to learn and experience his own ideals in the meantime. Yes, Nathan Samuel had been a dick the last few minutes but he couldn’t apologize now. Doing so would remove any of the progress the pair had made during their talk. He’d have to make it up to the youth later. Perhaps Jimmy and Cassadee would receive an all-expenses paid dinner to one of New York’s finest restaurants. Of course Donovan may have to borrow a suit for the occasion as the hero known as Justice doubted the young man had one of his own.Taking his hand and resting it on Jimmy’s shoulder he looked into the other man’s eyes with a softer gaze. Jimmy mentioned that he had heard the word ‘potential’ a lot in his life. But his tone indicated that he didn’t believe it. ”You’re a great Legend already Reboot,” Nate didn’t smile when he spoke- their conversation was still seriously after all, ”You’ve already saved this city more times than the general public knows.” And he left it at that. Nate couldn’t force Donovan to believe in himself. He had to learn to see his worth for himself.Stepping aside Nathan moved completely out of Jimmy’s way so he could leave the room. Hell, there wasn’t anything else keeping Nate here so he’d head home shortly anyways. ”Skye’s a hero. She’ll keep her mouth shut. Maybe the three of us can patrol the city some night. I think I’d really like that- and might show me how well you two work as a pair together. After all, every Legend needs a partner to work with and I don’t think we’ve assigned you one yet, have we?” He smiled again, patting Jimmy’s shoulder as he walked by him and left the room. He’d leave it to the technopath to figure out actually what he was getting at. In truth, Nathan had already begun the paperwork to begin the recruitment process for Donovan’s girlfriend.i hope somebody caresDESIGNED BY NODDING.ACQUAINTANCE OF CAUTION 2.0

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