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The Interview, Part Three

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The Ruins of Downtown Angel Falls

Carol was doomed. She knew that Concussion would make her kill her family, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. But she would never give up fighting…

“David, please stop this,” she said, tears streaming down her face. “Please, stop. I know you don’t want to do this.” It wasn’t the superhero American Mom confronting the supervillain Concussion, it was just Carol Marshall, making a heartfelt appeal to David Blake. “Please don’t make me hurt my family.”

“Why should I? Are you going to let me have my way with your hot body in return? Cheap slut,” Concussion spat contemptuously. He was still distracted though, he couldn’t see past the alternate reality he’d created, trapping American Mom and downtown Angel Falls in a bubble dimension. Someone or something was obstructing his vision. Who among the heroes in Angel Falls could do this? But he was too busy concentrating on American Mom; he was pissed off with her good looks, her smug self-confidence and smile, her superpowers, her stupid mask disguises snd he was going to take it out on this voluptuous raven-haired beauty by making her slaughter her perfect little family. She’d successfully pissed him off more than even the Soviet-Superwoman and the other Guardians…

Carol continued, shading her plea with the Voice. She’d developed it out of her subconscious power of persuasion which allowed her to fool those around her into believing she was who she disguised herself as, mixed with a healthy dose of the influence a mother has on her children. She’d successfully used it to talk down bad guys without having to throw a single punch, and she prayed fervently that it would work. Now, more than ever. She let it flow in waves through her body, letting the Voice wash over Concussion, engulfing him with her power. “If you make me do this, then you’re no better than your father when he killed your mother. You don’t want to be like him, you’re better than that.”

“Don’t waste your life like this by feeding your pain and anger, you’re better than this," Carol continued reasoning with him.

Concussion blinked at her, trying to clear his head. Her voice was fogging his mind, and he could feel his rage slipping away. He was in her mind, but she could also now see into his soul too. Carol watched David look on helplessly as his father murdered his mother, over and over in a twisted loop in his mind’s eye. And she felt his grim satisfaction as he took revenge on the man who brought him into the world; she could see the horror in the eyes of Aria, the woman he loved as he did it. He was trapped in that moment and forever doomed to repeat it; all his life-long feelings of helplessness and rage coalescing into the dark demigod Concussion who boiled to the surface whenever David lost control.

“We can’t change the past, David, “Carol said soothingly. “But we can change ourselves. Shape your own future, don’t let your past haunt you. You have to stop punishing yourself David; you have to stop living in that moment. You have to move on, or Concussion will always have power over you, and your rage will allow him to go on killing. You have to forgive yourself.”

Concussion shook his head, he couldn’t think straight. “Get out of my head, you bitch!” he growled.

“I can’t,” Carol said truthfully. “I don’t know how, but when you created a bridge into my mind, it became a two-way street.” Whatever you imagine in your mind becomes a reality, and Carol had learned to master and shape her inner reality. Her son Sean had taught her that.

American Mom burst free from her bonds, dropping gracefully down to the street. She carefully approached the confused Concussion, who just stood there glaring at her. He could atomize her, melt her into a gooey mass or turn her inside out. But he did nothing as she came closer.

Concussion saw his mother approaching him. “Forgive yourself, David. What’s done is done,” she begged him. She suddenly screamed in pain as a knife sliced its way through her throat and she collapsed wordlessly in a crumpled heap on the ground. A new figure appeared before him.

“I win kiddo.” It was his father, taunting him. “Can’t say I loved you very much, but I’m kind of proud of you. You’re a worse killer than I ever was. I mean, I only murdered your mother. You killed me, and then ran amuck over all existence, wiping out all life everywhere, butchering trillions." He suddenly changed his tone, "You let me ruin your life, and all you’ll ever be is a sad, angry vengeful little boy who hates his daddy, venting your rage and frustration on the universe. I win.” He folded his arms triumphantly and grinned at David. “You’re a pathetic little shit, Davey boy. Unbelievable.  All that power… wasted on a sad sack like you,” he shook his head in disapproval.

“I killed you!!” Concussion raged.

“Nope, sorry kiddo. I’ll never leave you as long as you let your rage control you.”

“I OWN your ass, BOY!!” David’s father roared, growing to gigantic proportions and towering over Concussion. He lifted a giant foot to crush him. Concussion’s eyes grew wide, and all of a sudden he was a scared little child again, cowering before his abusive father. He cringed, awaiting the killer blow…

It never came. A red, white and blue blur smashed into the giant’s head, sending it crashing into the devastated cityscape. American Mom turned to face the monster that just moments before had tried to get her to murder her family.

“David,” she said gently.

Concussion didn’t reply. He just stared at the ground.

“David,” Carol repeated, moving closer to him.

Concussion finally looked up at her, his eyes brimming with tears. “’Mom’…I’m, I’m sorry….” His voice broke. He dropped to his knees, sobbing. Carol hesitantly knelt down next to him. She was surprised when he wrapped his arms around her, but she returned his hug, holding him close. She let him cry his heart out. Sometimes even bad guys needed a hug.

“Now you see why I can’t go on living like this? It’s better if I was dead…” David sobbed.“There, there,” she comforted him. She should break his neck, end the threat now. But she restrained herself. She could feel it; David was back. Despite everything Concussion had done and could still do, the sheer depravity of this monster, she still couldn't bring herself to take his life if there was even a chance that David could be rehabilitated. She still believed in the inherent goodness of people, and that David could rein in Concussion. And she wouldn't give in to the darkness she thought she'd extinguished in the Canadian wilderness eighty years ago.

Carol wondered if she would later regret this act of compassion...

The moment passed.

“No David, as long as you are in control you can be a tremendous force for good . And you’ve got Aria, she’ll stand by you no matter what, and she wants to see you get better. She loves you, and I’m sure you two will find a cure. But the most important thing is for you to forgive yourself. Deprive Concussion of his energy, starve him until he can never take over again,” Carol said.

He nodded. “Can you forgive me for what I did?” David said meekly.

“David…I…,” Carol said slowly. “You threatened my family.”

“Family? What are you talking about, ‘Mom’?” David said, genuinely perplexed. “You mean I threatened the country and its people? Pssh, I do that all the time, somebody always stops me. The Guardians, Olga, you,” he said dismissively, trying to lighten the mood. He was worried because she seemed quite distressed.

Carol cocked her head, studying David’s face intently.

“I destroyed the city…” David started saying, then stopped. He looked around. Carol cautiously turned her head, unsure if he was really Concussion feigning amnesia to lure her into another insidious emotional trap…

The city was back to normal. Buildings untouched. Cars purposefully rolled down the streets, people walking detoured around David and AM as they sat together on the sidewalk. Some stopped momentarily, staring at them like they were Martians. Metahumans, or at least people who dressed up like metahumans. Nothing out of the ordinary here in Angel Falls.

“Did I just do that?” David asked, surprised. “I would’ve remembered. I mean, I know I…Concussion  destroyed the city, and cut us off in a bubble dimension.” And killed a lot of people, he thought bitterly.

“David,” Carol asked,” what do you remember about our battle?”

“I remember Concussion taking over during the interview. He was pissed off with your questions and blasted the Alicia Allen disguise off you. Then you fought. That’s it,” he replied.

“Nothing else? My… secret?”

“Nope,” David answered truthfully. “You’ve got some Chinese Walls in there, AM. I… Concussion couldn’t break them down if he wanted to…” And I won't let him, David thought to himself.

David shifted uncomfortably. She was still holding his hands and staring intently at him. “Look, AM, ummm…I think you should just tell your pal Alicia to scrap the interview. Maybe she can just have a chat with you instead? I don’t think you’d want to interview me after all that. Plus, my hanging around with you is bound to draw unwanted attention, and Aria’s waiting for me,” he said hurriedly.  “I’m sorry again for all this, really. I’ll try to make it up to you some day…”

“David…OK, stay out of trouble,” AM said reluctantly. She prayed to God her secret would stay safe.

Someone had reset reality, and even Concussion had been partly affected. Was it David finally reasserting control? Carol didn’t know, and she was afraid to press him. She didn’t want Concussion coming back…

They shook hands and parted. David smiled, feeling as if a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

Carol slunk into an alley and leaned against a wall. She needed to compose herself, get home and make sure Clint and the kids were alright. She needed to call Alicia, too. The ordeal Concussion had put her through was making her doubt herself. Should she continue being a superhero? Despite her precautions, an immensely powerful villain had tried to use her family against her, and she’d come so close to destroying everything she held dear in the world… And had she done the right thing by letting David live? Only time would tell...

Shell-shocked, she slumped to the ground and cried.

 

The Ripple in Reality

It smiled.

The entity blocking Concussion’s vision had also restored the city of Angel Falls to the exact moment David Blake was supposed to sit down for his online interview, subtly persuading David/Concussion to forget almost everything about his encounter with American Mom. No time had passed. It was lucky American Mom had distracted Concussion, or rather it had distracted him allowing AM's Voice to draw David out.  She'd done all the heavy lifting, enabling it to do what it did without revealing itself- it wasn't ready for a direct confrontation, not yet.  It had expanded a lot of energy in doing so and covering its tracks, but it was worth it. No one would ever know what had happened. David Blake was off to pursue a different path for his day, determined now more than ever to reclaim his life from Concussion- he was getting married. And even better, he had another positive anchor in his life he could fall back on - American Mom.

Everything was back to normal.  All except for American Mom.

‘Not good,’ it thought worriedly to itself. ‘She’s going to need some help…but she'll pull through. She's the strongest person I know...’

The ripple in reality expanded for a split second and disappeared without a trace.

 The End?

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This story was written by me and :iconandrewr255:.
American Mom, a.k.a Carol Marshall, Sean, Clint and Alicia Allen belong to me. 
David Blake, a.k.a Concussion belongs to :iconandrewr255:
Mentioned: The Dark Lord Xeranad Lekard and Aria Kahner belong to :iconxeranad:

This story appears in and is  a part of the :iconangel-fallsda: universe.

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© 2014 - 2024 johnnyharadrim
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Moms really are superheroes. Though in my case, when I think of a 'good mom', I secretly think of my aunt :love: She is the best, honest, wisest lady I have ever seen.