Duncan crawled out of the manhole, bruised and bloodied. He understood their anger, but something deep inside him still whispered that they were in the wrong.
He drove home in silence, his face completely expressionless.
Sitting on his bed, instead of feeling sadness, he felt overwhelming regret for betraying Conrad. He shook his head, slapped himself, and gripped the bedsheets tightly. He imagined a different life — partying, hooking up with women, drinking champagne — if only he hadn't turned against Conrad.
Then a bold, dangerous idea entered his mind.
Duncan shook his head. "No… that'd basically be fucking suicide…"
The idea vanished for a moment. But then he reminded himself: he was already at rock bottom. He had nothing left. Soon enough, he'd probably end up among the poor and get killed anyway.
That night, Duncan made a reckless decision. He snuck into HEX HQ, wearing his old night guard uniform.
He made it to the lab, sweating so heavily that large stains had formed on his uniform.
The doors slid open. Another night guard stood there. They stared at each other awkwardly.
The guard laughed. "Sorry, man. Didn't know my shift was over."
Duncan chuckled nervously. "Yeah… yeah, your shift's over."
He only felt relief when the elevator doors closed.
Duncan wasted no time. He searched frantically until he found what he was looking for — Composite V and Vivex.
"Here we go…"
He immediately injected himself with Composite V. The familiar surge of power rushed through his body once again.
On his way back to the ground floor, he ran into the same night guard again. They stared at each other awkwardly once more.
"Uh… what are you doing here? Your shift just started…"
Duncan scratched the back of his head, laughing nervously. "Yeah… I just needed a bathroom break."
"There are bathrooms all over the building. Why'd you come all the way to this floor?" The guard's eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"I just wanted to take a little stroll. It's boring as hell down there!"
The guard's eyes suddenly widened in shock as he recognized Duncan's face.
"You're Duncan Shines! What the fuck are you doing here?!"
Before the guard could alert anyone, Duncan grabbed him in a chokehold. The man struggled desperately, trying to pry Duncan's arm off.
After a few moments, the guard's body went limp.
Duncan didn't waste a second. He shot out of the building and into the sky.
He opened the manhole and dropped back into the sewers.
---
"Hey, wanna take a little stroll?" John asked.
"Sure. I don't wanna end up getting too fat," Hannah replied.
They walked together through the tunnels, making sure not to stray too far from their base.
"Wait. We should leave marks so we don't get lost," Hannah suggested.
"You're right. But how?"
Hannah smiled. She began punching craters into the walls as they walked, creating a trail.
After twenty minutes, they had left multiple marks along the tunnels.
"One day, all our food and water are gonna run out," John said.
"Yep," Hannah sighed. "Then we'll have to become cannibals because that's the only way we'll survive."
John nodded. "Benjamin probably wouldn't mind eating raw meat… because, well, he's Benjamin."
They both chuckled lightly.
Hannah suddenly remembered something. "I think there's something you should know."
John raised an eyebrow.
"Aya liked you. Not as a friend… you know what I mean." Hannah nudged him. "But you kept ignoring her! You never even talked to the poor girl!"
"Yeah, I know."
"YOU KNOW?!" Hannah pushed him. "You knew the whole time and still decided to ignore her?! If you weren't interested, you could've just said so instead of shattering her heart!"
"No! It's not like that, okay? It's way more complicated than that."
"Oh yeah? Then tell me."
Before John could explain, a hand suddenly grabbed him from behind in a tight chokehold. Hannah was caught off guard.
Hannah punched the attacker in the face. John pried the arm off and elbowed the person hard.
"Who the fuck are you?!" John demanded, pinning the attacker down.
Hannah pulled the mask off. "Duncan…?"
"I'm sorry! Please, let me go!" Duncan pleaded.
John slowly released him. "What the hell were you trying to do?"
Hannah scoffed. "That's a dumb question."
Duncan roared and threw a punch at John's face.
"Stop." John caught the fist effortlessly. "I don't want to hurt you."
Duncan gave up, collapsing to the ground and crying loudly. "Just fucking kill me already!"
Hannah no longer saw him as a threat. She knelt beside him and gently rubbed his back.
John knelt as well. "Hey… what's wrong? Were you forced to do this?"
"No… This was all me."
They looked at him, confused and shocked. "Why?" Hannah asked. "Did we do something wrong?"
Duncan shook his head.
"Then why?"
"I was punished for betraying Conrad," Duncan said, voice breaking. "I got fired. Lost my powers, my status, my credibility… everything. I was at rock bottom. I had nothing!"
He stood up, wiping his tears. "So I thought if I killed one of you, they'd forgive me and give me my life back."
John sighed. "I understand how you feel. But this isn't the way. Going back to them will only make your life worse."
"No, it won't!"
"Yes, it will. You'd have to sneak around everywhere, hide your identity from your own friends, and constantly watch your back. You'd probably get bullied and humiliated every day."
Duncan looked up in shock. "No! That's not what happens!"
John only stared at him softly.
Duncan grunted. "How do you know?"
"It's obvious, Duncan. These people only value strength and power — and most importantly, money. You said you had 'nothing' left. That made it even more obvious."
"Join us on our journey to end this inequality, Duncan," Hannah said gently.
Duncan thought about it for a moment. He was tempted. But then—
"No. I can't."
"You don't have to be scared," Hannah comforted him.
"But I am! And you all should be too!"
They looked at him curiously.
"You beat Conrad so badly that his powers became destabilized. But once he recovers, he will come for you. And don't think about assassinating him — he's under Sovereign's protection now."
"So what if he comes? I'm much stronger than him."
"It's not him you're going to have to face."
John's heart dropped as he realized. He hit himself in the head. "Dammit! I'm so fucking dumb!"
Hannah grabbed his hand. "Hey! Calm down! What's wrong?"
"That day… I let Conrad go. I should've killed him right then and there!"
"It's okay. It's not your fault." Hannah turned back to Duncan. "How is he going to find us?"
"Conrad's ability lets him view the past — like rewinding a video. His limit is ten hours."
"Ten hours? It's been days since the incident. He can't find us."
"Conrad has an incredibly good memory. He can remember things from before he turned five."
"So why hasn't he found us yet?" John asked.
"That… I do not know." Duncan exhaled, "I'm gonna go."
Hannah grabbed his arm. "If you go back, they'll kill you for stealing Composite V!"
"I know. That's why I'm going back."
Hannah was surprised by his words. She pulled him into a tight hug instead.
"You still have a lot to live for, Duncan. Don't throw your life away like that."
Duncan cried in her arms. "I don't have anything left… This is what ruined my life…"
Hannah hugged him tighter, looking him in the eyes. "We are something. Not nothing. And this isn't what ruined your life. The world above ruined your life. They taught you the wrong things — the evil things. They tried to turn you into a ruthless murderer like everyone else. But you're different… because your heart rejects that nature."
She pulled back slightly. "So please… don't go back. Join us."
Duncan nodded slowly, twice.