Okay, here's the fic I was hoping to make.
There were..... gunshots....
Why is Mother bleeding? I thought we were safe behind the wall?
I'm afraid I can't help you. It hit too many arteries. And I have no tools. If only I had some medicine and bandages.....
Why can't you help me? Why couldn't the government help us? Why did we have to live like this? Why did Leviathan destroy Japan? Why couldn't the heroes stop them it? Why couldn't they give us new homes?
I'm sorry, kid. Its just that.. we're not all powerful. We have limits.
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I awoke.
It was that same dream again. The day I got my powers. The day i got the strength to change the world. Sitting up from my bed, I walked over to the other side of the shack, which was my home. My mother lay there, sleeping. The gunshot wound had healed over, with the bullet removed. Her clothes were still stained red with blood, but underneath the bandages, there was no bleeding. I watched her for awhile, marveling that she was still alive, listening to her breathing steadily. Then I walked out of the shack, preparing for a new day.
The town, or if I was honest, the refugee camp or slum, was a mess. Populated by people who had their homes destroyed by Leviathan, it was populated by Japanese. When Leviathan sank Japan, many people fled their homes, journeying to America in hopes of finding a better life.
They did not.
America itself was falling apart, torn apart by civil unrest and villains. There was no money, no space, no help for Japanese refugees who could find no work, not speak the language, and had nothing with them other than the clothes on their backs. They had no place for them in cities, either. So the refugees were given tents and other equipment, and then told to wait. They pitched their tents, dug wells, and waited for an opportunity. Or for help. Or something that would save them from destitution.
Nothing came. There was no political will to help these strangers from across the sea. And most people didn't have the money or resources to start. So they stayed there, living off charity and food drops from other people. Without employment, unrest started. The situation became worse. The heroes barely patrolled here, and there were no police. No police, and gangs started to form. Currently, the camp was ruled by a parahuman, Push, who got the power to fire away blasts of telekinetic energy after recharging. He and his gang ruled the place, grabbing the food and forcing people to pay in things like cigars, beer, or.... other things.
Walking past a Doctor Beer's tent, I saw a long line of people, and couldn't help but smile. Doctor Beer was a friend of my mother's who had met her in the camp. He was a general doctor and a surgeon, and usually tried to help others using his medical expertise. Though he was often hamstrung by his lack of tools and medicines, he still had saved several people from cholera. And now the lines of people outside his tent were longer than ever. They must have realized, that he could now do far more than an ordinary doctor. Good for him. And good for me, too. Since they all think that its him that's the parahuman.
Walking several more hundred meters, I walked into the tent of another person. This was Kimura, a man who used to be a soldier. He had left the military before Leviathan came, and had come here in search for work. Sadly, he found none, and had been staying here with his brother. A brother who had been killed by Push's gang a week ago.
Opening the flap and walking inside, I looked up at the 2 meter tall sniper put on my best smile. Making myself sound as confident as possible, I asked. "How would you like to get the power to avenge your brother?"
