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So close. He was twenty feet away- twenty feet.
But no. Heroes had to be heroes and save everyone, even if that someone was the cause of their own destruction.
Jack was crying. Not him Jack, the baby Jack. He could practically feel the fear, automatically leeching off his emotions because they were one and the same. He doubted he was physically capable of crying anymore anyway.
Stendeval threw up a shield to cover himself and the baby while Legend circled around, shooting at Jack wherever there was an opening.
A hole through his chest from the back. Right under his core. Jack hissed in pain. Hurt like hell even if it'd repair itself. Metals flew from a nearby downed hover car to replace the pieces burnt too much to fix as he swatted away an energy beam from Stendeval, before gritting his teeth.
"Listen! I don't want to hurt you, but I need that baby." Stendeval scooped the baby up without breaking contact with Jack's mask.
"Why this baby in particular?" Legend shot his arm off, and Jack couldn't take it anymore. He sighed and pulled his mask off with his remaining arm as the other reattached itself. Both heroes gasped at his pale- but human- face.
"Because it's me. His name is Jack, and I'm him. I came back through Jonas Smart's FutureScope so I won't exist." Legend quirked an eyebrow.
"How can we trust you?"
"I know you. Stendeval and Legend. You were my heroes growing up. I lived in a foster home on the edge of Hightown, and spent afternoons at SeasonStill park. It was renovated in 2004 to add some plant from Valor. Would a Rustov controlling me know that?" Legend looked at Stendeval, then back at Jack.
"And you plan to kill your past self?"
"I'd be saving millions. I was born and raised here, but my power to control machinery..." Jack held out a scrap-metal hand. "The Rustov used me to kill or capture as many as possible, all over the galaxy. What I've seen... What I've done...I'm saving everyone else."
"Everyone except him." Stendeval's eyes drifted down to the baby still in his arms. Baby Jack turned to look at his older self, and blinked a few times before opening his mouth and reaching out his hands. Jack stepped forward, arm cannon charging, but Legend stepped in front of him.
"The future isn't set in stone. By coming back, you may have changed the past. You can't just murder an innocent child!"
"He's going to grow into a killer!" Tears of frustration pricked at Jack's eyes. Huh. So he could cry. "This is only the first wave. The Rustov will be back, and he'll lead them against you all!"
"The future is always changing," Stendeval said firmly. "We can't let you do this."
"You can't stop me," Jack hissed, and closed his eyes.
Initiating Omega Protocol.
He was going to die anyway, might as well go out with a boom.
"I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no-" Jack was cut off mid-sentence as Legend flew straight at him, knocking him back into a building.
"Stendeval- go! Hide him somewhere they won't look, keep him safe!" Jack rightened himself in time to see Stendeval fly off, with his past self in his arms. Jack moved to fly after him, but Legend wrapped his arms around Jack's bulky metallic body.
"Sorry, Jack. But the people always come first." Jack struggled fiercely as Legend flew them both up, but the hero was simply too strong.
"You're condemning them to infection or death... You can't- I won't-" Jack tried to fire some kind of weapon, but Legend had him pinned, and then he was on fire and then after an explosion that blew out his optics and echoed in his ears there was nothing at all.