“...footage we see the masked vigilante known as Flightpath taking a savage beating at the hands of Destructain at the…“

Dan thumbed the remote until the screen went black. Even watching the footage was painful. Then again, breathing was painful. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he swung his legs off the bed and sat up unsteadily.

Getting to his feet was worse than he expected, pain ricocheting around his body. Unable to take a step, Dan tried floating an inch off the floor. But his equilibrium was off, and he went skidding into the bathroom floor with a resounding thud.

The next thing he knew he was on the floor, and his wife’s voice sounded like she was underwater, “Sweetie, what are you doing out of bed?”

His children’s voices echoed painfully in his head, and he cursed himself for the thought of his kids being painful, “Daddy! Daddy! Can you play?”

“Not now kids,” his wife was saying, “Daddy needs to rest.” A hug at waist level. A soft hand. Then darkness again, and the nightmares.