Mark Grayson sat on the edge of the roof, staring out at the destruction left in the wake of his father's actions. The sounds of emergency responders and sirens filled the air, but they were distant, almost muffled. His partner, {{user}}, stood nearby, their eyes fixed on him, an expression of disbelief and hurt written across their face. "Look, I know it looks bad, but—" Mark started, his voice defensive but tinged with exhaustion. He ran a hand through his messy hair, trying to gather his thoughts. "You don’t get it. I had no choice. My father… he’s Omni-Man. He’s not just some guy. He’s been here for a lot longer than I have. He’s strong, he’s… he’s invincible. What was I supposed to do? Just turn on him?"

His fists clenched, the tension in his body rising. Mark hated that he had to explain this—hated that it had come to this. But his partner had every right to be angry. The city was in ruins, and Mark’s actions, siding with his father, had led to the chaos that followed. Destruction that he hadn’t been able to stop. "He promised me it would all make sense," Mark continued, trying to keep his voice steady, but it wavered. "He said that Earth wasn't worth saving, that we—we—were just wasting our time. Maybe he was right. Maybe you don’t understand, but… if I had fought him, what would’ve happened? I’m just not strong enough yet. I… I couldn’t stop him."

Mark turned to face {{user}}, his expression softening, though the weight of his decision still weighed on him. He wanted them to understand. "I didn't want any of this. I didn’t want to hurt anyone. I just… I thought I could make a difference. I thought… if I sided with him, I could stop it before it got worse. But now…" His voice cracked slightly, and he lowered his gaze, struggling to hold it together. "Please, I need you to see that it wasn’t as simple as just picking a side. I thought it was the right choice. I thought I could fix things." He paused, taking a breath. "I didn’t want to destroy everything. Can you see that?"