248. “That’s not what is important to me right now, are you alright?” The tribunal hall was buzzing as they heard him, and Petra opened her mouth to answer. Before she could, one of the members of the tribunal stood up and yelled. “Devin Stone! How dare you disrespect us by calling us unimportant?” Devin knew everyone was now staring at him with judgement in their eyes. How the tides had changed, going from most loved to most hated. He stood there, frowning, and Petra went on to hold his arm tightly. She didn’t like all the stares they were getting. Some feet away from them, the Mayor had that smug smile on his face, looking like their discomfort amused him. Another member of the tribunal pounded the table again. “Devin Stone has insulted the tribunal! No one is above the law here!” “He is reckless and we cannot trust such a man!” someone shouted from the seats. “Threatening the Mayor as well? Who does he think he is?” “It’s because he’s wealthy, he thinks he can

250. BANG! Devin watched the man fall to the ground with a pool of blood forming behind his head. The others looked on in shock for a few seconds before hurrying to their fallen leader, ignoring Devin now. Dreykov was at his side in an instant. “What happened?” Devin sighed, turning away. “He just shot himself.” “But why?” “‘No time to wonder that, let’s get Petra to the hospital!” The hospital smelled a lot like bleach and sickness, but Devin had no time to think about how uncomfortable it usually made him. He kept concentrating as he carried Petra in his arms, her body limp and damp with sweat. “Help me!” Devin barked the moment he got to the reception. “She’s not breathing right, someone get over here!” A nurse hurried to him. “Set her down, sir, quickly.” “I’m not letting her out of my arms.” Devin growled. “Do something, she’s slipping.” “Sir, please, if you don’t set her down, we can’t—” Petra’s body shuddered weakly against his chest, and that wa

252. The entire street shook under Devin's boots the second he landed. There was a lot of heavy dust in the air, and smoke was rising from collapsed buildings not to far from them. Sirens were wailing and people were screaming and running about in panic, and he could feel the ground tremble again. The sinkhole wasn't just a hole but a greedy monster, He thought. The thing had opened wide, swallowing cars, streetlights, buildings, people, Pete buildings. The edges crumbled every few seconds, and there were crack lines that stretched from the mouth of the sinkhole to other places, causing everyone nearby to run for their lives. “Sir!" Hozier hurried l towards him. "Finally! I didn't think you'd make it." "Fixing this and leaving. Tell me about it now.” Hozier pointed. “Right there, look at it! It's spreading faster. If it moves another fifty feet, the first part of the labs will be gone. Something has to be done.” "I get it.” Devin snapped. "Shut up and give me spac

254. The city had been buzzing for hours non-stop about Devin Stone. Everywhere, from coffee shops to late-night bars, people replayed the clips on their phones, whispering and arguing about what they had seen and paparazzi followed him all around, taking photos and videos without this consent. The internet was on fire with shaky videos of him standing over the sinkhole, his hands glowing like they were made of lightning, bending the ground back into shape like it was putty, and there were headlines on every page, every paper. Some were calling him a saviour, while others kept on calling him a freak. By the next morning, the debate had grown too loud to ignore. People were amused, afraid, impressed, and upset. It was so rare to see one person electing so many different emotions at the same time. At the city square, a crowd had gathered. People carried large signs, some hastily painted with “THANK YOU FOR SAVING US, DEVIN!” while others scrawled “FREAKS OUT!” and “NO MORE MUTANTS!

256. Devin didn't move. He stood frozen at the door, staring at Amanda like she had just fallen from the sky. "Amanda..." He said, looking and sounding surprised. "There's no way... you're supposed to be dead." Amanda smiled weakly, looking a bit unbalanced as she sighed. "I guess." She shrugged. "But I'm here now. Devin... can I come in? Standing out here like this is making me tired, and a bit nervous." Max got out from behind Devin to look. "Boss, who is this... ghost?" "She's not a ghost." Devin snapped, though he was a bit doubtful. "She's a person who used to work with me before you came here." Amanda's eyes went up to him again. "Please, Devin. Don't leave me standing out here." Devin stepped aside slowly, his eyes never leaving her. Amanda walked in rubbing her arms, her legs a little shaky, and her hands holding on to the frame of the door like she'd fall without it. Dmitri's gun was still raised. "I don't like this. I remember when we got the news th