Chapter 1: A Likely Partnership

Two years later

A city smoldering, 

Izle fires a bolt of lightning at Donovan, knocking him back briefly

“let's see you get up from that one," shouts Izle 

Donovan rises to his feet, takes a deep breath, and begins to charge at Izle and Zada

families livelihood fractured beyond repair, 

Donovan smacks Zada sending her flying into a nearby wall, 

“you can't stop me. You never could... Donovan declares as he glances over at Zada  And you never will.”

Izle fires another bolt of lightning at Donovan. This time; it doesn’t knock Donovan back; instead, he absorbs the energy sending it back at Izle

Blood spilled by blood. 

Izle goes flying backward down the street, slamming into cars, telephone poles, and anything else in his path

“you won't win Donovan, I don’t know what you’ve become, but we will stop you. Zada bellowed

Donovan slowly walks over to Izle and picks him up by the neck, Izles legs dangling, gasping for air, his face turning purple

“you. Cant. Stop. me.” Donovan maintained

Present time

(hours after the events of Scourge)

Donovan Kane sits in his wheelchair, looking out and recounting the destruction caused by Scourge and Izle as his father Shepard’s blood continues to spill towards Donovan's feet.

“Nurse,” Donovan calls out, ringing a bell

Donovan waits a moment, but no one arrives

“Nurse, I need someone to come clean this up,” Donovan calls out again, this time with a little more volume

Donovan waits for a nurse to arrive, but none do. Donovan then faintly hears some commotion from down the hallway. Wheeling over to the door, Donovan opens it and enters the hallway

“Hello? Can I get a nurse or a doctor in here?”

Suddenly the head doctor comes flying through the hallway, landing at Donovan's feet.

Donovan looks up, confused by what is happening. Nurses, doctors, and other patients run in a panic past Donovan

“What’s going on?” Donovan frantically asks one of the patients running past

“He’s back!” the patient screams, tearing their arm from Donovans grip

“Who’s back?”

Suddenly a large shadow begins to emerge down one of the hallways

Donovan turns his wheelchair around and races back to his room.

‘What the hell is going on?’ Donovan wonders to himself.

He can hear the footsteps getting closer and closer and the door handle slowly turning.

“Stop right there, or I will shoot!” Donovan commands, pointing his father's gun at the door.

The door handle continues to turn.

Donovan fires the gun.

Silence. For a moment.

Donovan finds his breath and begins to calm down, when like a gust of wind, the door flies open, revealing a man that everyone thought had been dead for nearly five years.

“You nearly took my arm off, boy.”

“D..Dr.Lecram?”

“In the flesh. now put that thing away, and let's talk.”

Donovan slowly lowers the gun.

“You’re supposed to be dead,” Donovan stuttered 

Dr. Lecram begins patting himself down, poking at his skin.

“Am I?” Dr. Lecrams chuckles “then why aren't I?”

“How the hell would I know, it was all over the headlines, ‘boy with lightning powers defeats crazed doctor’”

“It’s sort of comical how the word defeat for some people means death. But for me.”

Dr. Lecram walks over to the window where outside Izle, Zada, and Denson are still outside, trying to help clean up the mess they made.

“It’s an opportunity”

“an opportunity for what?” Donovan asks

“To learn from your mistakes and grow from them, to learn about the mistakes your enemies have made, and learn from them, to find allies, and learn from them.”

“So, what do you want with me?”

“Not want, need.”

“What do you need from me then?”

“For you to be strong again, for you to become a true symbol for this city, and to annihilate Izle and his merry band of do-gooders.”

“and how do you expect me to do all of that?”

“Simple, run for Mayor and turn the people against Izle and his team.”

“How would I do that? The people love them.”

“Love is a strong word. I’d say they are more intrigued by them. I mean, who wouldn't be? The kid can shoot lightning out of his bare hands. But that’s it. They are just intrigued, but they don't love. But they do love you. As far as they’re concerned, you are still the Chief of Police, and you risked your life trying to defend it.”

“So then how would I turn the people against them?”

“Remind them of what life was like before Izle got his powers, tell them about who I was before all of this, open their eyes to what Scourge did and show them who brought him here. Once they see that all of the bloodshed in this city is on Izles hands, then your work is done.”

Donovan glares down at Izle, his knuckles squeezing tight.

“When do I start to run?”

“Soon, but first, you must learn to walk before you can run.”