Hero X Villain

entire day?”  Yeah, Nic was not stupid.  Obviously he was going to be watched wherever he went.  Still, the thought of getting to go out appealed to him.  He watched Crane nod and he slowly inhaled.
“What do you need from me?”
“More blood.”  Ah.  Nic had a feeling this was coming.  He’d always known it would end up coming to his blood eventually, just like with the League.  He’d give it freely for a day off at this point.  Nic didn’t care if that made him brainwashed; he was ready for pretend freedom at this point.
“Okay,” Nic said.  And that was the end of it.

CHAPTER II
Nic was given a whole twenty four hours of ‘freedom’.  He was dressed in real clothes, a linen shirt and pants, with a grey jacket and grey shoes.  They were the first real clothes he’d worn in a year, his hair freshly cut while he was blindfolded.  This was the start of his new life serving as Crane’s personal… whatever he was.  His trophy, there it was.  Nic remembered then as he walked down the sidewalk.  Yes, he was the trophy, the captured hero that Sebastian Crane had prettied up.  Nic would do his bidding or else his home town would go boom.
Nic didn’t care.  He was happy to have this and he wasn’t going to waste his time.  His first stop was a Denny’s that was open 24 hours.  He ate a breakfast platter and drank two Cokes, and then he was off to his next destination.  Nic wandered to his old apartment in the city and took a nap in his bed.  He savored it, as it would be his last one.  Crane was taking total control of his life, and soon Nic would be in a new hideout and he’d be sitting pretty in his gilded cage there.  It was going to be super awesome.
Nic dreamt of food and grassy hills, and when he woke up he felt a bit better about allowing himself to basically just be a pawn in the schemes of others.  He sat up and debated making a stand for two seconds, and then he concluded that would be a bad idea.  Nic shrugged to himself and resumed his nap for another two hours.  When he woke he stretched and left the apartment for the last time.  He didn’t even bother making the bed.  He left everything behind.
Lunch was his next priority.  Today was an aimless day, his one day to truly be free of all expectations.  Nic savored it as he bit down on the second half of the best cheese steak he’d ever had.  No mushrooms, extra cheese, extra mayo, the onions grilled to the point of almost jammy and the meat perfectly tender with the bun toasted just right.  It was the best damn sandwich he’d ever had.
The credit card and phone were given to him by Crane.  Gifts to start his new life as Crane’s property, the illusion of freedom with a bank account and phone number both in his name, but with every aspect under Crane’s control.  Nic wasn’t going anywhere.  He blinked as he pushed his empty plate away.  A tiny camera drone buzzed by outside the window.  Nic thought about waving to it but he decided not to get weird in public.  There was a thin line he was allowed to walk if he wanted to have something resembling a life.
Crane was probably expecting Nic to run to the police, to the League, to anyone who might listen.  He could even use his powers to prove his identity, and surely someone would hear his pleas, right?  Nic snorted to himself and downed the rest of his coffee.  It was good and black and bitter, which was just what he needed as he got up.  A hefty tip scrawled in black ink sat pretty on the line, and Nic felt more like a hero for that one mindless act than he had for all the people he’d pushed out of harm’s way.
What do I do now?  What’s my purpose?  Nic shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked out.  He thought about how utterly filled with spyware his phone must be.
To the next key lime pie, if I remember correctly.  There was no way he’d try to contact the League.  They probably wanted him gone, and letting the Order take him seemed to work out just fine.  Fuck the heroes and the villains, Nic thought as he strode down the sidewalk.  The sun felt good on his skin and he felt actually awake now.  There was still plenty of time.  I’m just me.  I’m a prisoner but I’m still me.
He went for a walk in the park downtown.  The sun’s warmth filled him up, and Nic thought that he might survive another year in that damn hospital bed after all.  He could hear the tiny drone behind him, his every move being watched.  Surely Crane and his lackies were waiting for Nic to make the wrong move so they could snatch him up.  Maybe they were hoping he’d use his powers and freak out, or that he’d run to the media.
No one cared when Nicholas Wren went missing a year ago, Nic thought to himself as he paused on the little wooden bridge and looked out at the pond.  The drone was still behind him, Tony and unseen by the average person.  He’d had cameras on him for so long that he knew immediately where the damn thing was.  I’m sure the League is glad to be rid of me.  His powers were considered… unsettling, by some.  Nic really wasn’t ever accepted as a hero despite his penchant for helping people.  I should have become a doctor.
There were koi fish in the pond.  In the distance there was a jazz band on the street corner, a woman taking her baby out to socialize for the very first