Chapter 4: the parentified sister

### PHO - *Public Discussion Forum* - Thread #7476

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*Topic: Michael Dallon - Healed Brockton Bay?!*

[Moderator Notice: Thread created due to overflow from previous discussions. Please remember to follow all rules. Violations will result in bans. Read the PHO guidelines if you’re unsure.]

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**Original Poster: Brockton_Boy**

*Posted on May 4, 2011*

Title: **So... Michael Dallon Saved Us All**

I don’t know where to start. A couple of hours ago, I woke up, and my scars were gone. GONE. I had them for almost ten years, from a gang fight back when I was a stupid teen. My leg... I don’t need my cane anymore. My knee hasn’t felt this good since before the Empire riots in ‘98.

Michael Dallon, the youngest amongst New wave... he healed us. Like, *the whole city*. Everyone’s talking about it. He just... triggered and BAM, next thing I know, people who were bedridden are walking, people with terminal illnesses are getting discharged from the hospitals.

I mean, holy shit. How are we even supposed to process this? A new cape’s first action after gaining power led to this? It honestly feels as something great had just begun.

**(500+ upvotes)**

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**Strider_Smiles**

*Posted on May 4, 2011*

What happened to privacy? I woke up to my phone buzzing like crazy because people I haven’t spoken to in years were suddenly “healed.” Good for them, but no one asked to be touched with cape powers. It’s not like I wanted or needed that. I’m healthy enough as it is, thank you very much. This could've gone wrong in a million ways.

Don’t get me wrong, I'm grateful. But... this kind of power in a *kid's* hands? Who’s going to control him? New Wave? The PRT? Feels like we dodged a bullet, but what if next time we don’t?

**(312 upvotes)**

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**Point_Me_@_The_Sky**

*Posted on May 4, 2011*

If you think anyone in New Wave *needs* controlling, you don’t know them. Michael didn’t choose this any more than any of us choose to breathe. You’re treating him like a bomb waiting to go off, and that’s completely unfair. He’s a good kid. *Always* has been. And now he’s done something none of us could’ve even imagined.

Maybe try being grateful before you jump to conclusions.

**(460 upvotes)**

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**KaiserShred**

*Posted on May 4, 2011*

Of course *you’d* defend him. Bet you’re one of those New Wave simps who think all capes are perfect angels. Don’t you get it? This kid just made all of us into lab rats. We got experimented on without our consent. What's stopping him from messing with our heads next? This is like something out of a comic book, except it’s real. If we don’t keep people like him in check, we’re just asking for trouble.

**(150 upvotes | 30 downvotes)**

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**[Moderator]:** *KaiserShred has been banned for inflammatory remarks. Please keep the discussion civil.*

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**LadyMacbeth**

*Posted on May 4, 2011*

Okay, first off, let's not pretend like every cape isn't essentially a walking consent violation waiting to happen. Every time Pyroclast does a burn-clear, I don't *consent* to having my neighborhood turned into a fire hazard. Every time an Endbringer fights, we don’t *consent* to entire cities getting wrecked. Powers don’t ask for permission. But healing? He *saved lives*. People are literally alive right now who would’ve been dead by this time tomorrow. So yeah, maybe he didn’t get an official permission slip signed, but I think it’s pretty clear he did more good than harm.

**(320 upvotes)**

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**Squishy_Sheep**

*Posted on May 4, 2011*

I’ve been living with arthritis for the past five years. I woke up this morning and the pain was *gone*. I get the whole consent thing, I do, but damn, I’m not going to complain. I feel like I’m 25 again. I look as if I’m 25 again. Maybe we don’t understand his powers yet, but this... this was a miracle.

Also, anyone else think he looks... like, *really* good? Not trying to be weird, but that trigger event changed more than just his powers. That boy looks like an actual angel.

**(230 upvotes | 15 downvotes)**

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**Zeus420**

*Posted on May 4, 2011*

@Squishy_Sheep Yo, chill with that. Kid's like 14 or something. Maybe don’t focus on his looks?

**(300 upvotes)**

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**HollowedWolf**

*Posted on May 4, 2011*

So it’s true, huh? Michael Dallon’s looks got upgraded too? I thought people were joking when they said he looks like something straight out of a Renaissance painting. Not gonna lie, kinda creeped out by that. Trigger events can mess with your body but this sounds next level. Makes me wonder what else changed.

**(200 upvotes)**

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**Sunshine_Victory**

*Posted on May 4, 2011*

It’s so gross how y’all are talking about Michael’s looks like that. He’s a *kid*. He just saved a city, and all people care about is how “angelic” he is? Get a grip. Also, anyone who’s saying he’s dangerous or needs to be controlled—how about you think for two seconds? You don’t get to ask a cape to “turn off” their powers just because it makes you uncomfortable. He *healed* everyone. If anyone should be afraid, it’s the villains who are probably pissing themselves right now because Brockton Bay just became a no-sickness, no-injury zone. Think about that.

**(510 upvotes)**

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**Fractured_Stars**

*Posted on May 4, 2011*

Sunshine’s right. He made the city safer just by existing now. Imagine a Brockton Bay where *every* injury and illness gets fixed in an instant. That’s a game-changer. I know people are freaked out by the scale of his powers, but maybe this is exactly what we needed. Brockton Bay’s been a shithole for years. With a power like his, things could actually start looking up for once.

**(470 upvotes)**

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**Empyrean_23**

*Posted on May 4, 2011*

I don't trust it. You know that old saying? "Too good to be true." That’s what this feels like. Healing everyone? Out of nowhere? Powers aren’t magic, people. They come with limitations, side effects. We don’t know what the cost of this is. He’s a Dallon. Sure. But New Wave doesn’t exactly have a great track record with restraint. Who’s to say this doesn’t go wrong in some way we can’t even predict yet?

**(300 upvotes | 200 downvotes)**

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**Sunny_Karma**

*Posted on May 4, 2011*

It's a goddamn shame how cynical some of y’all are. You see a kid, who just gained powers in a very traumatic way after being shot in the head before the entire world , and all you can think is "what’s the catch?" Maybe—just maybe—this is one of those rare moments where something genuinely *good* happened, and no one had to die for it. Take a breath. Enjoy the fact that people aren’t dying in hospitals today.

**(460 upvotes)**

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**SkyLancer**

*Posted on May 4, 2011*

New Wave deserves all the support they can get after this. For years, they've been fighting without masks, showing people that heroes can stand for something bigger. Now, with Michael... they just proved why they’re different. It’s not about punching villains or big flashy battles, it’s about helping people. Even if this was a one-time thing, New Wave should be getting a *lot* more respect.

**(510 upvotes)**

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**Dominator82**

*Posted on May 4, 2011*

For everyone celebrating like this is the second coming of Christ, what happens when Michael’s power starts having *side effects*? Every cape power comes with a price. Maybe the people who got healed today wake up in a month with cancer. Maybe the healed folks lose their free will. This is Brockton Bay. Nothing comes without strings attached. We should be asking questions, not worshipping him like a savior.

**(420 upvotes)**

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**[Moderator]:** *Dominator82 has been banned for spreading misinformation and fearmongering.*

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**Point_Me_@_The_Sky**

*Posted on May 4, 2011*

I'm honestly disgusted. People are already turning on him because they’re afraid of something they don’t understand. For anyone who’s doubting him, maybe try talking to the hundreds of families that don’t have to bury their loved ones this week.

Maybe think about how *lucky* you are that someone like Michael exists at all.

**(610 upvotes)**

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**AliceKisses**

*Posted on May 4, 2011*

He's a hero. That's it. That's the truth. He didn’t ask for these powers, but now that he has them, he’s *saving* people. And I think that’s beautiful. People are afraid because it’s new and scary, but give it time. The city just got a little brighter today, thanks to Michael.

**(400 upvotes)**

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**SharpestEdge**

*Posted on May 4, 2011*

Let’s be real, he’s a *kid*. A kid who just healed a whole city. That’s gonna mess him up. No one’s ready for that kind of responsibility. Even if it was a good thing, we should be cautious. Power this big has consequences. He’s not some divine angel; he’s human, and humans *break* under pressure.

**(320 upvotes)**

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**EyeOfTheStorm**

*Posted on May 4, 2011*

Anyone else think that the PRT or Protectorate are gonna swoop in to "handle" him? Kid’s a walking miracle, but I bet they’re already scheming to get him under their thumb. Heroes or not, the government doesn’t like powers this big running around uncontrolled. I’d keep an eye out for headlines in the next few days.

**(380 upvotes)**

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**Last_Word**

*Posted on May 4, 2011*

Bottom line, Michael Dallon’s a goddamn hero. Maybe some of you can’t see that right now, but history’s gonna remember today as the day Brockton Bay got saved by one of its own.

**(490 upvotes)**

**Point_Me_@_The_Sky** (Member) (Posted on July 16, 2011 | 4:18 PM)

I think we all need to stop speculating about what Michael’s powers are or what he’ll become. He’s a *person*, not a weapon. He saved lives. Isn’t that enough for now?

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[Thread Locked by Administrator | 3,204 Pages | 23,871 posts]

**Reason: Flame wars, baiting, and overall hostility. Keep discussions civil. Future threads on this topic will be monitored closely.**

*scene*

The computer turned off before her eyes. God, she could feel her headache coming in. Sure, she knew that she didn't have to answer to every idiot on the internet but the way they talked about her brother as if he was a dangerous thing, a threat infuriated her to the highest level.

She took a deep breath to center herslwd before raising from the chair. She could hear the voices of the other members of her family upstairs, near Michael’s room, near her brother who had almost died and who had triggered.

The last two days had felt like hell.

Victoria walked toward and stood by the window, her arms crossed tightly against her chest, staring blankly at the world beyond. It was evening now, but the sky was bruised in a way that seemed to mirror her insides. Everything felt raw, like she had been scraped hollow from the inside out. She had never felt so vulnerable, so small—so utterly useless. The image of her little brother’s body hitting the ground had been seared into her memory, his blood staining the pavement, his eyes wide open but lifeless.

She squeezed her eyes shut. The bile rose up in her throat again, and she swallowed it down, pushing the nausea away. Michael had been shot. He had died. He had died protecting Amy. He had stepped between her and that gun like it was the most natural thing in the world. Like it was his job to protect her, when it had always been the other way around, when he had been the one that should have always been protected, when she should have been the one to be between the bullet and her siblings.

Her stomach twisted with guilt. She was the oldest sister. It was her role to protect her siblings and she had failed. Failure tasted bitter and raw.

Victoria exhaled sharply, pacing back and forth across the room, her mind racing. It had been luck—nothing more. Pure, stupid luck that Michael had triggered. An astronomical chance, like a miracle handed down from whatever gods were watching over Brockton Bay. If he hadn’t triggered, if that golden light hadn’t exploded from his body… she would be at his funeral right now. Her little brother, cold, silent, lifeless in a coffin. The thought alone made her want to scream, made her want to tear at her skin just to release the horrible pressure building inside her.

Was this what her mom and aunt had felt like? Was this what the older members of New Wave always felt but worse? This overwhelming, gut-wrenching pain, this miserable, suffocating grief that clawed at you every second, gnawed at you until there was nothing left but an empty shell? Victoria shuddered. It had to be. This was the hole they carried with them every day, ever since Fleur had been taken from them. Maybe—maybe she should have been gentler with them all these years. Maybe she could understand, not forgive but understand why they had acted in such a way with Michael if he was like they said a living reminder, a perfect copy appearance-wise of her aunt.

But still, she reminded herself, she had been lucky. She didn’t have to live through the pain her mom and aunt had. Sure, the idea of Michael being out of her sight, even for a second, filled her with a dread so thick and tangible it felt like she was suffocating. And yeah, she would probably never look at guns the same way again, probably recoil at the sight of them forever. But she still had him. Her little brother was still alive, still breathing. That was something.

More than that, he hadn’t just survived. Michael had triggered with a power so immense, so world-shaking, it left her speechless. She could still remember it vividly—the golden light that had burst from him, soaring into the sky, piercing the clouds. It had covered all of Brockton Bay, washing over the city like some kind of divine healing. And it hadn’t just healed—no, it had done more than that.

Victoria looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was thicker, shinier than it had ever been. Her skin—perfect, smooth, without a trace of acne scars or blemishes. She looked… radiant. Even moving, thinking, using her powers felt easier, lighter. It was as if she had been weighed down by invisible chains her whole life, and now they were gone.

And it wasn’t just her. The other members of New Wave had noticed it too. Her dad, who had always been a hollow shell of a man, lost in his depression, was different now. He was smiling. He was moving with purpose, not the lethargic shuffling she had always known. He was being a dad, for once, really being present.

Her mom—God, her mom. The frown lines had vanished from her face, and she looked… peaceful. Like a burden had been lifted from her shoulders. And even though Michael was still resting, still unconscious, her mother hadn’t hesitated to be close to him. Normally, she was distant, reluctant to show affection toward him, but now? Now, she was sitting by his bedside, holding his hand, brushing his hair from his face. It was like a piece of her had been restored, something she had lost years ago.

Victoria knew things weren’t perfect. She wasn’t dumb, no matter what people thought of her. Blonde didn’t mean brainless. She understood that things wouldn’t just magically get better overnight. But there was hope now. Whatever shadow had hung over New Wave for years, it was gone. And that meant they could move forward, rely on each other. They had to. After what had happened, they couldn’t afford to be distant anymore. They couldn’t risk another close call like that.

And Michael… Michael’s power was something else entirely. It was almost like a combination of all their powers rolled into one. She couldn’t shake the feeling that what he had done—what he had become—would put them all in the spotlight, in a way they had never been before. There had been whispers, even within the family, that Michael’s power might be on the same level as the Triumvirate.

Victoria didn’t know what to do with that information. The idea of her baby brother being Triumvirate-tier… it was overwhelming. It made her heart race, not in excitement, but in fear. What would happen to him now? What would people try to do to him, to abuse his powers?

She needed to clear her head.

With a sigh, Victoria stepped out onto the patio, the cool evening air brushing against her skin. In the distance, she could see a sea of paparazzi, held at bay by an angry-looking Manpower. Her uncle was a force to be reckoned with when he wanted to be, and tonight, he was all business, keeping the vultures at bay.

This was hell.

The sliding door opened behind her, and Victoria turned to see Amy stepping out, a cigarette hanging loosely from her lips. Normally, Victoria would have badgered her, lectured her about how smoking was bad for her health, how she should take better care of herself. But not tonight. Tonight, she let it go. After all, it had been Amy’s hands that caught Michael’s limp body when he collapsed. Amy had tried—she had tried so damn hard to bring him back before the trigger, and Victoria knew that failure had to be eating her alive.

There were a million things Victoria could have said to her sister, things to comfort her, to offer support, but none of the words felt right. So instead, she just stepped closer, wrapping one arm around Amy’s shoulders in a silent hug.

For a moment, Amy stiffened, but then she relaxed, leaning into Victoria’s side. The silence stretched between them, heavy but not uncomfortable. Victoria heard the soft sound of sniffling and turned her head slightly, catching sight of the tears tracing down Amy’s cheeks in the moonlight. She didn’t say anything. What was there to say?

They stayed like that for what felt like hours—just the two of them sitting on the patio, the world continuing to move on without them, trying to find some semblance of peace and comfort in each other. The weight of everything, the trauma, the grief, the fear—it was still there, but for now, in this moment, they weren’t alone.

And maybe, for tonight, that was enough.