[ WP ] The supervillains have won , and they turn out to be amazing leaders . The lead humanity into a golden age , eliminating poverty , war , and hunger . Now , the true supervillains are the superheroes , who want to tear it all down .

I unfolded a cardboard box and laid down a blanket in my new and final home, in a high alcove of an abandoned warehouse on the edge of the city. The alcove faced east, towards the city, so the morning light would wake me tomorrow. 
 
 I was running out of places to settle. The military had become shockingly thorough at sweeping the city of vagrants. Everyone they found was identified ( if possible ), implanted with a tracker, and put into basic housing. To live off the grid as a citizen was impossible. I had never been implanted, so technically I was not a citizen. 
 
 Even though it was now dusk, the city roared with activity like never before. Projected advertisements adorned nearly every highrise: a beautiful woman presenting skin cream; a clothing line for pets; a travel ad for Mars; a new drama to premier tomorrow at some chain theater. 
 
 Rising from the center of it all was the Halls of Justice. What was once a humble office and court house was now a towering seven-sided spike that dwarfed all structures around it. I used to be the chief of police there, before people like myself, those born with superpowers, were hunted down and given an ultimatum: submit, or die. 
 
 Splashed across the sides of the spike were not ads, but propaganda for the new government, all prominently featuring the face of the new ruler: Clarice, `` Whose sight is true; conscience, clear; and words, trustworthy'' one side said in vertical glyphs. She had a sickening fancy for grandiosity. 
 
 How could the people put their faith in someone so arrogant, who rules with absolute power? Has her brainwashing made them forget the people who used to serve the city with humility? Still, though they reject me for now, I have n't forgotten my duty to the city. 
 
 Each day, I find a different ATM and, using only my fingertips, force an electric pulse near the bottom left of the number pad. The ATM spits out exactly four $ 20 bills every time. It is a weakness in the machines that my unique superpower allows me alone to exploit. 
 
 I next seek out members of the resistance. Each deal I make with the underground puts me a step closer to the moment I confront Clarice and kill her. Day by day, I am racing against time before Clarice's military finishes off the resistance, and any support I might find, for good. 
 
 Even during Clarice's coup, when I first fought her, her superpowers were shrouded in mystery, for she was careful not to leverage them too much. I've learned from the resistance that she has incredible senses. There is no detail too small for her to see, nor whisper too quiet for her to hear. She can even perceive the slightest nuances of posture and intonation, such that even a brief conversation conveys to her more information than one may intend to say. This information comes from a superstitious lot that grows smaller each year, granted, but it explains our first battle. She always knew where I would strike, even without looking. I'm surprised I escaped with my life. 
 
 Tomorrow would be different, however. After ten years, I finally have a first-class government access card. It is the only type of access that will allow one to enter the Halls of Justice unsupervised. It's paired to an implant that was salvaged from a deceased government official. Even if I keep the implant in a shirt pocket, the scanner will be none the wiser. One of the turnstiles on the south side of the building with ignore my `` deceased'' status, but only between the hours of ten and eleven, after the morning rush. During that time, I can take an elevator to the throne at the top without interruption. In this matter, I'm putting my faith in the resistance to have executed this correctly. 
 
 I fully expect her to become aware of my presence before I reach the top. It wo n't matter. If she finds herself in the same room as me, her death will be inevitable. Each day since the coup, I have charged more electric potential than I expended. I will hit her with a lightning bolt containing nearly a decade's worth of charge. 
 
 I could barely contain my exhilaration as I tried to sleep amidst the light and sound of the city. 
 
 The next day, the sun woke me up. I had no watch, but I knew it was seven. 
 
 I found a new ATM. Fingers shacking, I directed a small jolt into the machine, and it ejected four $ 20 bills, as usual. Just in case the government was monitoring the ATMs, I wanted today to look as normal as possible. 
 
 Hours later, barely a minute past ten, I forced my legs forward to the correct turnstile. I held up the card, and the machine beeped positively. I walked in unhindered to an empty lobby and took an elevator. 
 
 The sudden acceleration of the lift upwards almost threw my trembling legs off balance. I felt for the charge within my body, readying it. Barely ten seconds later, the elevator already reached the top floor and opened. I dashed out and rounded a corner into the grand hall. 
 
 There she was, sitting at one end, me standing at the other. Without a word, or a moment to think, I cried out as I let the entire charge leave my body, striking forward. 
 
 Clarice remained slouched in her throne, still as stone, bearing a haughty smile. 
 
 `` That was cute,'' she remarked. And finally I saw. 
 
 A metal mesh, like a bird cage, sat over her. In my haste I had n't even seen it. `` How?'' I asked, still trembling. 
 
 `` You should really open your eyes more,'' she said. After a delay, she answered, `` I was with you every step of the way. I was even in the room when you bought your access card.'' 
 
 A moment passed. I had already fallen to my knees without knowing. We were still alone; she had n't even called for help. 
 
 `` There is nothing you can do that is hidden from me,'' she continued, still smiling. `` I can see every citizen from here. I can see right through these walls. I could feel your heart beating from the moment you left that warehouse.'' 
 
 I almost mouthed a response, but she answered before I uttered a sound. 
 
 `` I'm not omniscient. I could n't tell who specifically was part of the criminal underground. I'd thank you for finding them for me, but I already paid you. Eighty dollars a day seemed fair to me, at least.'' 
 
 I heard the elevator ding behind me. My attack left me too powerless to resist now. I knew Clarice had absolute power over my fate, no matter what I did. I let the guards take my limp body away without a struggle.
