"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!" Somebody shouted as they entered the area, continuously being beaten by a shoe, "ow! Ow! Ow! Ooww!!"

"That's. What. You. Get. For. Pushing. Me. Down. A black. Hole!" Ryan ridiculed, smacking in between words.

"Okay okay, I get it, stop!" The alternate pleaded, annoyed. Ryan eventually listened, sticking his left sneaker back on his foot. His 'twin' sighed, relieved that was over, "now, you want your surprise or not?"

"Yes, but will it convince me to help you? No." Ryan retorted.

"Oh I think you're wrong." The duplicate doubted.

Rolling his eyes in disbelief, Ryan watched his alternate use his powers to show him the present. A huge, technology created barrier was spread from wall to wall. Inside were three, unconcious prisoners. The pilot was both astonished and confused.

"Surprise!" The clone exclaimed.

"How'd you-"

"They're amateurs really," the clone responded casually, "our powers did this. It's unbelievable really, I had no idea this was possible until I learned," He turned around, now walking away from the captured villains. Ryan kept staring at them and the barrier, still astounded by what he was seeing, "so, we'll make sure we aren't followed and swipe the vile in Sector 49. It'll be SWEET when we're invincible at all odds."

"What part of no don't you understand?" Ryan asked, whipping his body around angrily and catching up to the alternate, who turned back to look at him, "what's the point anyway? I'd only be using it for my own reasons and then what? I'd be stuck with a power that could possibly KILL ME!"

The double glanced to his left, sucking his teeth a little before facing him again, answering with, ". . .so?"

"So? What do you mean so?" Ryan inquired incredulously.

"You're a mutant, you could probably just manipulate the substance somehow and stop it from killing you." The alternate explained.

"Probably? Are you nuts? There is no 'probably'. It's called NO. N and O. We're not going through with this," Ryan stuck by his choice. He turned his attention to the three, dead looking bodies surrounded by the barrier, "but we're letting them get arrested."

"With our police force? Have you seen these types of situations? It's clear what they have in common: cops SUCK at their job." The alternate pointed out.

"It's not like they know what to do about ooze monsters or people who find unnatural resources to hurt us." Ryan defended the authorities.

His clone shook his head in disbelief, more irritated than he was before, "why are you so safe?"

"Safe?" Ryan questioned.

"Safe! Safe as in not willing to risk anything so everything will be picture perfect! Life isn't like that!" The alternate hollered.

"I know that, but I'm not going put other people in danger for what I want!" Ryan shouted back.

"The same people who bully you?!" Alternate Ryan yelled, "the same people who have no idea who you are?! The same people who couldn't give two craps about what happens to you?! Those people?!"

"Yes those people!" Ryan retaliated loudly.

"Screw them! Okay?! Screw it. They care about Mech X4. They care about what he does and I guarentee if they ever find out it's you, they'll be so fake because that's what people do man!" The duplicate ranted. Ryan shut his mouth for a moment to listen, "they can hate you for an eternity! They won't give a darn and then when something good happens to you, they turn around and act like your best friend to get what you have! Accept it! This is how the world is and it's not worth pleasing!"

Ryan paused, contemplating over what had just been said for a minute. His clone, full of anger, walked passed him and looked at the adults again. He sighed, closing his eyes for a second to calm down before turning back around to look at the actual person he was always inside of, "you deserve so much more and you're the only person holding yourself back."

Ryan did not move, looking at the ground. His doppelganger moved closer towards him, "forget about the world, forget about your friends, forget about your family. This is about you...hell, it's always been about you hasn't it?"

Ryan's fist balled up as his alternate was behind him, looming like a shadow, "your power is so strong, good or evil you'd be unstoppable," he said, "and at this point, being evil doesn't sound so bad."

"Heh, it doesn't does it?" Ryan asked, not completely dismissing that option.

"Nope, you are Harper's son," The alternate remined him, making Ryan cringe. He continued, "so why not live up to it?"

"What about everyone else?" Ryan quizzed, now turning around.

"They'll understand, after all, it's all about blood, right?" Alternate Ryan queried back.

Fear grew inside of the young pilot. The fear of the consequences, the fear of handling this responsibility, the fear of failing, the look on his doppelganger's face that held no remorse. Would he have resorted to this if not for the people around him?

"They're my family," Ryan stood up for his loved ones, "they will always be my family-"

"You were never part of that family!" His clone roared.

In a fit of rage, the real Ryan puched his duplicate in the face, sending him to the wall. He was flabbergasted, slowly standing up from the sudden outburst or strength and force. Both boys stared coldly at each other, and at once, fought.