THE MOMENT
"Congratulations," Orion shook Carter's hand while the rest of the group watched with pride for their friend. Five men, including Orion and Carter, stood in Orion's office as the executive announced their final rankings. Carter had won first place for saving the most people, and Darrin was hoping Orion would shake his hand next. He had to win second place, he wasn't a villain like Bobby or a mad scientist like Edgar. Many years ago, Darrin and his friends gained Superpowers. Carter wanted to 'save' the world while Bobby and Edgar had their own ideas to 'fix' it. Darrin decided to get rich and live for his own pleasure.
The gift of superpowers wasn't as free and clear as they might've hoped. Orion explained they needed to win a game to earn their powers on a permanent basis. And, he gave them almost a decade to put their powers to use. Now, the allotted timeframe was over. In the end, Darrin was confident he'd caused the least amount of damage, and that had to be good for something. Orion said they weren't competing with each other in a strict sense; there was the possibility of all of them earning the chance to keep their powers. He couldn't give away any tips, but advised them to use each other as a barometer to determine whether they could or should be doing something more.
"Bobby," Orion moved to someone else who wasn't Darrin. It was surprising, but everyone in the room was still happy for their friend. "You set out with a concrete idea to change the world. And though your methods are questionable, you never used violence or even destruction without reason. You didn't turn into one of those edgy supervillains that kill their underlings just because it's evil; you did well. Chroma Corp. has decided to allow you to keep your powers. Congratulations," he said.
"Damn You, Fiend!" Carter laughed and patted Bobby on the shoulder. They were great friends before they all got powers, and becoming Nemeses only drew them closer together.
"You'll see things my way one day," Bobby grinned with his reply while Orion moved on to the next person; it still wasn't Darrin.
"Edgar," Orion smiled. "You caused destruction you weren't even attempting. Then, you solved it, somehow sewing even more destruction in the process; but the survivors are doing pretty okay," he chuckled. "Not only do you get to keep your powers, Chroma Corp. wants to invite you to join our company directly. You've got a good mind," He said.
"It's just another Earth, I can still visit these guys, right?" Edgar gestured at his friends.
"Of course," Orion nodded.
"Yeah, I'd like to take advantage of that opportunity," Edgar replied quickly. Darrin was happy for Edgar, but he was even happier for himself. The pattern was clear, and Orion was obviously saving the best for last. Maybe he was going to offer Darrin a cash bonus along with an offer to join the company. But, probably not. Orion knew all of their histories over the years. He probably knew Darrin's stance on money. He'd decided to get rich and live for his own pleasure, but he wasn't greedy about it. He was rich enough and lived a pleasantly comfortable life. Just because he had superpowers now didn't mean he needed to change much of anything.
"Darrin," Orion finally walked to him with a neutral smile. "You and your friends gained superpowers. And now, here in the end, you caused the least amount of damage. I'm sorry, Chroma Corp. will be revoking your powers," Orion said. The effect was instant, and Darrin was suddenly more confused than he'd been in years. He couldn't think as clearly anymore, but he had a sense that he'd done something wrong. He tried hovering up off the ground and his body did not lift off.
"Wait.. what??? Why?? I didn't do anything to anyone!"
"Yeah," Carter chimed in with Bobby and Edgar also speaking up for their buddy.
"You didn't do... anything," Orion shook his head. "The game was your chance to show us what you'd do with superpowers, and your answer amounted to, 'Nothing'. You want to know something interesting?" Orion asked, then continued without Darrin's answer. "Bobby, as a Supervillain, has demolished entire villages. And, due to the way actions ripple out, he's actually saved more people than you have by 'doing nothing'. Sure, he's also hurt more people, and that kind of cancels itself out. But just from a technical standpoint, he's affected more lives."
"I don't want to hurt people!" Darrin replied.
"Neither does Carter, I'm sure," Orion nodded. "It's simple. They all did something with their powers, so they get to keep them. Everything you did over these past many years...," Orion shrugged and shook his head "...you could've done it all without superpowers."