The front door opened before he’d reached the porch. A familiar voice, Malcolm’s own voice, came from within the house.
“Please, come inside,” said Second Wind. “We have so much to discuss.”
Malcolm’s confusion only lasted until he entered Tapestry’s living room, and saw what awaited him. Second Wind sat next to Tapestry on the couch. Tapestry was clad only in her nightgown, eyes red from crying, face set into a hopeless expression of despair and numb shock. And it was obvious, at a glance, why.
Second Wind had done it. His skin was pale white and ghostly, like fresh ash from a dead fire. He’d shaved off all of his hair, which made the regular, rough bumps along the crown of his skull that much more pronounced. He was a demon, and he was grinning at Malcolm, savoring his reaction like fine wine.
“You’re a fucking idiot,” said Malcolm. “How could you be so fucking stupid?”
“The polite thing to do would be to say hello,” said Second Wind. “Ask me how I’m doing. Make small talk. Warm up the room, before jumping straight to questioning my decisions.”
“Your decision?” asked Malcolm. “Your mistake, you mean. Your foolish, idiotic, mistake!”
He gritted his teeth. There was something else about Second Wind’s demeanor that unnerved him almost as much as his copy’s radically altered appearance. He seemed to be in control, relaxed, even. He seemed to have his faculties about him, which was rare for a demon, but virtually unheard of in one that had just turned.
“Not a mistake,” said Second Wind. “A decision. One that I came to after a lot of careful thought and planning.”
It was only then that Malcolm noticed Second Wind’s wrist. His grey metal champion stabilizer had been removed, and replaced with a black band similar to the stabilizer, but wider, it extended over half of his forearm.
“It’s Multi’s design,” said Second Wind. “That’s part of where I’ve been recently. Testing this little doohickey. He still calls it a stabilizer, and the name is actually appropriate. No bomb or tracking device, just an emotional control system. To let me think and feel as I should, and take full advantage of my new abilities.”
He stood up and took a few steps toward Malcolm.
“I think it’s time that we end with all the secrets. For everyone’s sake. Don’t you?”
Malcolm glared at him. He could see the confidence in Second Wind’s eyes. He had no idea what sort of tricks his copy might have up his sleeve, now that he’d gone over to the metaphorical dark side.
“Tapestry…” said Malcolm. “I’m sorry.”
He pulled off his mask. Tapestry’s reaction was muted. She blinked a couple of times and slowly shook her head in disbelief. Malcolm felt his heart breaking as he looked at her, but there was also a weight that slid off his shoulders. He was finally giving up the lies, and it felt right, if also painful.
“I… can’t handle this,” she said.
Second Wind laughed.
“Why don’t I answer a few of the questions I’m sure you have?” he offered. “He was the original. Created me right before the incident that destroyed Rain Dancer, expecting to die.”
“Stop it,” said Malcolm. “This is cruel.”
“Oh no, I think keeping this from her was cruel,” said Second Wind. “See, Tapestry, for the past few weeks it’s mostly been me. The one that courted you properly, that was me. The one that didn’t work so hard to push you away, also me. The one that you had sex with most recently, however…”
Tapestry clamped her hands over her mouth and slowly shook her head. Her eyes filled with horror and disgust… and tears.
“I thought you might react like that!” said Second Wind. “I know, it’s messed up, isn’t it? Good thing you can tell us apart now.”
Second Wind’s grin was an evil thing. Malcolm took a step in Tapestry’s direction. She immediately held up her hand, warning him to stay back as though warding off a rabid animal.
“No…” whispered Tapestry. “How… could you do something like this? I thought… I thought I was in love. Now I don’t even know with who, or… what.”
“I know,” said Second Wind. “Oh, how well I know your pain. Identity… existence. It’s a complicated thing. But since we have so much more to discuss, I’m going to leave this conversation for the two of you to finish later.”
Malcolm felt emotion surging in his chest, anger and frustration. It was for Second Wind as much as it was for himself. There was no real distinction between the two of them, as far as his feelings were concerned. Second Wind was just the long fermenting crust of one of his most profound mistakes.
“I think what we need to discuss now,” Malcolm said, carefully, “goes beyond words.”
He lunged forward, pulling the taser from the cargo pocket of his pants and stabbing it toward Second Wind. It was a surprise attack, but one he’d used before. Despite that, Malcolm expected it to work, and at least in execution, it almost did.
The taser never made contact with Second Wind’s shoulder. An ethereal green appendage grabbed it before it came within a few inches of his skin, glowing and vibrating with power. Second Wind grinned at Malcolm, and after a couple of seconds, gave a small shrug.
“Multi took some blood sample from dozens of other champions, sprytes, and demons,” said Second Wind. “Apparently, that’s all I need now. It’s like my power mimicry is on steroids. Just ask Tapestry.”
Tapestry’s eyes widened suddenly, as though she’d remembered something important, something that cut through the fugue of her confusion and pain over the identity of the man she’d fallen in love with.
“Malcolm!” she shouted. “Get back! Don’t let him touch you!”
“Too late.” Second Wind grinned as he took hold of Malcolm’s hand. Malcolm felt an odd tingling sensation, similar to his power mimicry, but in reverse. It was immediately followed by a sudden cessation of awareness, as though he’d just closed one eye, except it was his superpower that was gone.
“I absorb abilities for keeps now,” said Second Wind. “And not just one at a time. Tapestry’s will prove to be the most useful. Yours… I’m just taking it to spite you.”
His smile was a cruel thing. Malcolm let out a roar of pure anger and took a swing at him. Second Wind slammed him against Tapestry’s wall with the wind, and Malcolm crashed hard enough to leave an impression.
“I’ve already become more powerful than I can explain in the time we have,” said Second Wind. “More powerful than Savior was. More powerful than anyone will ever be able to match. And I’m going to do what you never could. Set the world onto a new path.”
“A new path…” said Malcolm. He shook his head, though part of him held a desperate hope that there was enough of himself left in Second Wind to give him a moral compass.
“A new path,” repeated Second Wind. “Of course, first I’ll have to knock it off its old one.”
He nodded one last time to Malcolm and Tapestry, and then flew from the house in a sudden burst of movement. The stillness left behind by his departure made Malcolm aware of the pounding pain in the back of his skull.
“…Tapestry,” he said. “I am so sorry.”
She wouldn’t look at him. She slowly shook her head. Melanie had been awoken from the commotion, and was making her way downstairs slowly, only half awake and confused.
“What’s going on?” mumbled Melanie.
As though in response, the ground began to shake underneath their feet, and light flashed through the windows. Malcolm walked outside onto the lawn and stared up at the sky. Mushroom clouds were rising from three separate explosions on the horizon. Another blast created a fourth. The lights of the neighborhood flicked off, though the ambient glow of Armageddon was easy enough for them to see by.