Mmmmmmmm solo hero fallen hero au:
-regenes are still a thing but they’re the only thing that resulted in super powers so they’re kept a secret so the government can keep their super soldier edge
-sidestep still escapes and eventually becomes a vigilante
-ortega (im using julia for simplicity’s sake and cause im gay) finds them half dead in alleyway by her apartment and decides this wet stray cat of a person lives here now
-maybe they room together, maybe they’re coworkers, maybe they’re friends who meet up a could times a month but step eventually meets anathema and chen
-anathema ends up step’s second favorite person and chen… is chen and they dont get along very well cause yeah step acts more than a little suspicious but they can tolerate each other at least a little bit
-anyway yeah step eventually starts goomg out to fight crime (i think itd be cute if they were inspired by super hero movies) and they try even harder than in canon to keep under the radar cause its be so easy for the farm to find them if they slip up
-and yknow maybe thats how things stay forever, step is able to help people and never get found, they get to live the life they wanted and everything is fine…
-…but i think we all know they’re eventually found out, and the farm comes for them, and anathema dies in the crossfire and its all their fault, and now they’re back in hell again
-and this time when they get out they cant stop themself, as much as they wish they could be the person they used to be step is too hurt to stop themself from lashing out and in a world like this, without widespread psychic blockers, its so easy to hurt the world and those around them, to be the monster they believe themself
-and it feels so good to embrace the monstrosity they were made to be, and no matter how hard they try and hold themself back from going too far, from hurting people who don’t deserve it, there’s always that voice in the back of their head telling them to take that final step, that they wanted a monster and step could shown them just how much of a monster they can be
-meanwhile julia knows, she saw step at that dinner and they told her about their powers in the years they lived together and really who else could this villain be. but despite everything theyre doing and ortega’s rational brain telling them to call the police and turn them in… all she wants is for them to come home…
anyway yea im done now its 4am and i got sleep to not have b0-0d











