This is the result of my ADHD mind getting so off track the train has left the station.
I...
I...
Shining Example (WORM ORIGIN QUEST)
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0.0
IKnowNothing
....What?
- Location
- I got lost so.....Where are we?
This is the result of my ADHD mind getting so off track the train has left the station.
I remember all the things that I'm delaying, I'll get back to them. Until then, there's this.
****
The world changed when Scion arrived.
It was an average, normal day that no one cared about. But there he was, for the world to see. However, not many saw him for what he really was. The first hero, the first legend that would lead the world into a brighter, and crueller age. Normal men and women found themselves gaining powers and abilities that destroyed their very concept of reality. Now, men could fly, shoot lasers from their hands, summon fire, create technology beyond human understanding, change into the worst monsters, and heal any illness.
It was a world of possibility that suddenly opened up to those that realized what was beginning.
Some, turned used their knowledge to come together. They would one day create groups that would protect, others would create groups that would cause nothing but harm. Even more would fall somewhere in the middle, trying to find their way through this new world.
You... well god knows what you're going to do. No matter what you chose, it's going to be a Shining Example.
Whether it be for the good or the bad, well, that's your choice.
By the way, who are you?
Male [X]
Female []
And you are...?
[X] A kid, down on their luck. You didn't have much, but you never wanted for anything either. School was never an issue, and you were heading straight through the world like everyone else. Then, you were dealt a bad hand. How bad a hand? Cancer bad. Well, at least you had a friend to talk to while you waited for a cure.
[] Someone who really knew how to run a business. Superheroes and other such things were all fine and dandy, but the world still moved on. What better way to help it move by keeping the corporate machine running? It got you into contact with a... darker crowd. They offered you much, but they took much as well.
[] Someone trying to get by. You never really excelled at anything. You never needed the money, nor did you need to work really hard for anything in your life. Everything seemed to pass you by. The only thing you were really good at, was keeping your friends company. Even then, those friends managed to get into trouble...
[] A witness. Something crashed into your world. You, along with others, found this thing. You didn't know where it came from, but somehow, you knew what it was. Some part of you wanted to leave it alone. Every other part, well, it saw the chance given to it.
****
As one might surmise by the title, this is a quest in WORM, but my own personal take. You guys aren't starting at cannon, oh no. You're starting the story itself. Every choice has the chance to put you into a position where you can drastically change the events of Earth Bet, however, you guys see fit.
Become a founding member of the Protectorate and stand among capes like Legend, Hero, Alexandria and Eidolon?
Go for it.
Become a villain so powerful that your very name strikes fear into the hearts of every man woman and child?
Knock yourselves out.
Stay in the shadows and prepare for the time when the world truly needs you? You can do it, but all I have to say is this.
Good Luck.
I remember all the things that I'm delaying, I'll get back to them. Until then, there's this.
****
The world changed when Scion arrived.
It was an average, normal day that no one cared about. But there he was, for the world to see. However, not many saw him for what he really was. The first hero, the first legend that would lead the world into a brighter, and crueller age. Normal men and women found themselves gaining powers and abilities that destroyed their very concept of reality. Now, men could fly, shoot lasers from their hands, summon fire, create technology beyond human understanding, change into the worst monsters, and heal any illness.
It was a world of possibility that suddenly opened up to those that realized what was beginning.
Some, turned used their knowledge to come together. They would one day create groups that would protect, others would create groups that would cause nothing but harm. Even more would fall somewhere in the middle, trying to find their way through this new world.
You... well god knows what you're going to do. No matter what you chose, it's going to be a Shining Example.
Whether it be for the good or the bad, well, that's your choice.
By the way, who are you?
Male [X]
Female []
And you are...?
[X] A kid, down on their luck. You didn't have much, but you never wanted for anything either. School was never an issue, and you were heading straight through the world like everyone else. Then, you were dealt a bad hand. How bad a hand? Cancer bad. Well, at least you had a friend to talk to while you waited for a cure.
[] Someone who really knew how to run a business. Superheroes and other such things were all fine and dandy, but the world still moved on. What better way to help it move by keeping the corporate machine running? It got you into contact with a... darker crowd. They offered you much, but they took much as well.
[] Someone trying to get by. You never really excelled at anything. You never needed the money, nor did you need to work really hard for anything in your life. Everything seemed to pass you by. The only thing you were really good at, was keeping your friends company. Even then, those friends managed to get into trouble...
[] A witness. Something crashed into your world. You, along with others, found this thing. You didn't know where it came from, but somehow, you knew what it was. Some part of you wanted to leave it alone. Every other part, well, it saw the chance given to it.
****
As one might surmise by the title, this is a quest in WORM, but my own personal take. You guys aren't starting at cannon, oh no. You're starting the story itself. Every choice has the chance to put you into a position where you can drastically change the events of Earth Bet, however, you guys see fit.
Become a founding member of the Protectorate and stand among capes like Legend, Hero, Alexandria and Eidolon?
Go for it.
Become a villain so powerful that your very name strikes fear into the hearts of every man woman and child?
Knock yourselves out.
Stay in the shadows and prepare for the time when the world truly needs you? You can do it, but all I have to say is this.
Good Luck.
Last edited:
0.1: Character Sheets
IKnowNothing
....What?
- Location
- I got lost so.....Where are we?
Name: Alex Everett
Age: 17
Height: 5'11
Occupation: Student/Mailboy (former), Cauldron patient (Current)
Appearance:
You a normal, brown haired kid. Nothing really standing out. You would describe yourself as the kind of face that effortlessly blended in with the crowd. However, you notice that you've gained a little weight in muscle. Nothing huge, but something nonetheless.
Powers: After drinking from the vial offered from Doctor Mother, you gained some... interesting gifts.
Gravity Manipulation: According to Einstein, every object in the universe gives off waves of energy that pulse outward similar to the speed of light. These waves, dubbed gravity waves, are the base of one of the fundamental forces in the universe. With a thought, you can manipulate gravity with no limits from what you've seen.
A great power, now you just need to chose how to use it.
History: You were born in 1969 to James Everett and Robin Boyle. They were a young love couple, and in this world, that doesn't last long. They married due to Robin being pregnant with your old brother Clint Everett. They were married and raised Clint as their own until two years later, you came around. The next couple of years, your father doesn't like to talk about.
You've asked Clint about it, and the answer wasn't what you wanted to hear. Dad started drinking a long time before you started noticing the strange amount of bottles. Your mother wanted him to stop, to change his life around, but he didn't.
So she left.
She left you, your father, your brother, and your newborn sister with a father who barely knew how to take care of himself.
While that might sound like a recipe for disaster, you grew up in a house that promoted nothing but hard work and excellence. And the bottles, but you grew to ignore those. Slowly but surely, your father turned his life around for you and your siblings. He got a job, and kept the lights on in a small, almost rundown apartment on the edge of Los Angeles.
Your brother studied himself into the ground some nights in order to teach you and your sister the basics of schooling. You watched as he skipped three years of school, went to college on a full ride scholarship and earn his bachelors and masters in record time. You tried to follow his example, but apparently all the talent in the family was divided among your brother and your sister. You weren't bad, but you weren't great either.
You got a job as a mailboy, running around your apartment complex delivering mail for the local service. It wasn't much, but it helped out. With it taking up your free time, you settled down in class with a steady 3.1 GPA. You didn't have many close friends, but you chalked that up to you spending too much time working or studying.
Then, one day, when you were eating lunch, you started coughing up blood. You tried to get to the nurse, but you collapsed. When you woke up again, you were in the only hospital that your family could afford. Your doctor, Doctor Thomas, told your family what no one wants to hear.
You had Renal Cell Carcinoma, a type of Kidney Cancer. Normally, you could have been saved by removing the affected Kidney, but it had already spread to your lungs and bones. At the start of chemo, you were given six months.
And that, was three months ago.
So now, you're on your last legs, trying to keep fighting against the worst enemy you've ever faced.
But then, you got a visit from a strange Doctor. She calls herself Doctor Mother. She asked you if you believed in Superheroes, and you said yes.
In return, she gave you a choice between vials that held the cure to your cancer. You chose the golden vial, and after some strange occurrences, you woke up in a place named Cauldron cured from your cancer.
Age: 17
Height: 5'11
Occupation: Student/Mailboy (former), Cauldron patient (Current)
Appearance:
You a normal, brown haired kid. Nothing really standing out. You would describe yourself as the kind of face that effortlessly blended in with the crowd. However, you notice that you've gained a little weight in muscle. Nothing huge, but something nonetheless.
Powers: After drinking from the vial offered from Doctor Mother, you gained some... interesting gifts.
Gravity Manipulation: According to Einstein, every object in the universe gives off waves of energy that pulse outward similar to the speed of light. These waves, dubbed gravity waves, are the base of one of the fundamental forces in the universe. With a thought, you can manipulate gravity with no limits from what you've seen.
A great power, now you just need to chose how to use it.
History: You were born in 1969 to James Everett and Robin Boyle. They were a young love couple, and in this world, that doesn't last long. They married due to Robin being pregnant with your old brother Clint Everett. They were married and raised Clint as their own until two years later, you came around. The next couple of years, your father doesn't like to talk about.
You've asked Clint about it, and the answer wasn't what you wanted to hear. Dad started drinking a long time before you started noticing the strange amount of bottles. Your mother wanted him to stop, to change his life around, but he didn't.
So she left.
She left you, your father, your brother, and your newborn sister with a father who barely knew how to take care of himself.
While that might sound like a recipe for disaster, you grew up in a house that promoted nothing but hard work and excellence. And the bottles, but you grew to ignore those. Slowly but surely, your father turned his life around for you and your siblings. He got a job, and kept the lights on in a small, almost rundown apartment on the edge of Los Angeles.
Your brother studied himself into the ground some nights in order to teach you and your sister the basics of schooling. You watched as he skipped three years of school, went to college on a full ride scholarship and earn his bachelors and masters in record time. You tried to follow his example, but apparently all the talent in the family was divided among your brother and your sister. You weren't bad, but you weren't great either.
You got a job as a mailboy, running around your apartment complex delivering mail for the local service. It wasn't much, but it helped out. With it taking up your free time, you settled down in class with a steady 3.1 GPA. You didn't have many close friends, but you chalked that up to you spending too much time working or studying.
Then, one day, when you were eating lunch, you started coughing up blood. You tried to get to the nurse, but you collapsed. When you woke up again, you were in the only hospital that your family could afford. Your doctor, Doctor Thomas, told your family what no one wants to hear.
You had Renal Cell Carcinoma, a type of Kidney Cancer. Normally, you could have been saved by removing the affected Kidney, but it had already spread to your lungs and bones. At the start of chemo, you were given six months.
And that, was three months ago.
So now, you're on your last legs, trying to keep fighting against the worst enemy you've ever faced.
But then, you got a visit from a strange Doctor. She calls herself Doctor Mother. She asked you if you believed in Superheroes, and you said yes.
In return, she gave you a choice between vials that held the cure to your cancer. You chose the golden vial, and after some strange occurrences, you woke up in a place named Cauldron cured from your cancer.
Name: Rebecca Costa-Brown
Age: 17
Height: 5'7
Occupation: Student (Former), Cauldron Enforcer (Current)
Powers: Superhuman Strength, Advanced Cognition, flight.
Rebecca, to put it bluntly, is a hero straight out of a comic book. She can fly faster than the eye can see, display levels of strength that no normal human can ever hope to achieve, and her memory is perfect. Any event that she has seen is recorded and can be remembered at a moment's notice.
History: In 1969, a normal girl was born to unremarkable parents. A single child to parents who loved her with all their hearts. It was a recipe for a simple childhood, devoid of hardship and filled with memories that a little girl would cherish forever. And she did. Rebecca loved everyday with her parents, and they showed that love to her everyday.
However, while they loved her, their love for one another was not as strong.
One day, after school, Rebecca walked in to her mother screaming at her father. She called him a faithless bastard. She didn't know what that meant, but she knew the pain in her mother's eyes. She watched as her mother threw her father out of the house, and slam the door behind him.
After that, her mother told her not to open the door for him anymore.
She didn't know why her mother was angry, but she followed instructions like a good daughter would. After that day, Rebecca noticed her mother starting to be more... open to men other than her father. She would tell Rebecca that she was going on dates, that she wasn't old enough to understand. Her mother took on one date after another, no matter how kind they might have been to her or Rebecca.
This went on for a while, so Rebecca ignored it.
Then, a few years later, she got a call from her father. She had a sister now, but, not a real sister. The term she found described the girl as her half sister. He tried to get her to agree to a meeting. He sounded so happy that he was with her.
Her name was Rachel.... Rachel Brown.
Rebecca asked her mother, but she wouldn't let her go meet her. She tried for what felt like a hundred times, but the answer was always the same.
She got letters from her sister every birthday. She would write her, telling about how nice her mother was, and how many gifts that her father had given her. All the while, her mother finally found someone to keep around. His name was Max, and he was kind enough to Rebecca.
For a time, the three of them were a family. For a time, her mother would see something other than her father when she looked at her.
It was the happiest time of her life.
Then, she got a half brother. And Rebecca started seeing less and less of her mother and stepfather. It was because they had to keep track of her little brother, she was old enough to take care of herself. Once again, her mother didn't want to look at her anymore, her first daughter.
Neither of them noticed when she came home from school with perfect grades.
Neither of them noticed when she qualified for state in the track team.
She called her father, but he was too busy with work or his family.
No matter what she did, neither family noticed. They said they cared about her, but she had trouble believing that.
But when she collapsed on the floor one day, they noticed. When she was dragged to the hospital, they noticed. And when they were told that she had cancer, they finally cried for her.
Rebecca didn't want them to cry. They didn't need to cry over her. So she took her books, and she studied. She buried herself in books, and smiled when they came to visit her. She never let herself look weak, she never let herself look like something worth forgetting.
But, eventually, they stopped coming as regularliy as they once did.
Her brother was growing up, so it was understandable. In that hospital room, she vowed to get through this, to live beyond this sickness. So she asked the doctors about her condition, the ins and outs of it all so that she could have hope that she could survive.
Only, they didn't give her hope.
She never got better, she was only getting worse and worse everyday. And to make it worse, the doctors only lied to her. They said it was going to get better, but it never did. It hurt, every time she had to hear that she was getting better, when everyone knew that she wasn't.
They didn't care that it was hurting her.
They didn't do anything to make her feel any better.
In that room, Rebecca Costa-Brown wanted to die. Save the doctors the trouble of having to talk to her everyday. Save her family, from pretending that she was still their daughter.
But she didn't die, she kept on living through a month of that hell. She kept on living, until she was told that she was getting a neighbor in the intensive care unit. He was just as old as her, but that just made her sadder. Someone else didn't need to go through this. She might have cried for him, but she was done crying for anyone.
Then, when she least expected it, he came into her room. He was a shaking, nervous boy who barely managed to introduce himself. Alex Everett, an interesting name. He talked to her about what it was going to be like living here, about his parents, and what their lives were like. It must has lasted two hours, but Rebecca didn't mind.
It was the first conversation that didn't hurt.
He left, and Rebecca figured that was all that was needed. But, he came back the next day. And the next, and the next. Soon, she couldn't remember what a day in the hospital was like without Alex coming to visit her. His hair fell off, his skin turned pale, and he started getting weaker and weaker. But he never stopped coming, he never stopped looking at her like a friend, instead of someone that needed to be pitied.
If that wasn't enough, he brought his family along with him sometimes. Clint, the older brother, wise and caring to her like she was his own sister. Danah, kind and full of ideas. She would always give Rebecca little secrets to boss Alex around, and books, piles of them. Slowly, the idea of keeping up her grades fell back in her mind. She didn't need grades, she needed to read the books that were so kindly delivered to her. She had to talk to the boy who was kinder than anyone else. The boy who helped her hope again.
The boy who she fell for.
One day, Rebecca was visited by a woman who called herself Doctor Mother. She said she could cure her, that she could live beyond these walls if she was willing to work for her. At first, she didn't want to trust her. It wasn't the first time that a doctor had lied to her.
But when she heard that Alex had taken the promise, she relented.
She reached out, and grabbed the red vial. It was like drinking solid rock, but Rebecca managed for force it down her throat. Nothing happened at first, but then, she fell back on her pillow, and she saw nothing more. When she woke up again, her hair had grown back, and she could run like she could in her prime.
She met with Doctor Mother, and she was told where she was. Cauldron, a place dedicated to saving the world against people with powers. People like her. When she first flew, Rebecca didn't leave her room for a day. She was scared, she didn't know what to do.
Then, the Deputy Director showed herself. She talked to Rebecca about her place, her position, her responsibility. She could be a hero, someone that was loved by everyone in the world.
And if that wasn't enough, she was told her best friend was only a few doors down. She couldn't visit him, no matter how much she wanted to. Contessa gave her a job, a position in Cauldron, and Rebecca found herself trying to distract herself just like she tried to distract herself in that hospital room.
A day turned into a week.
A week turned into a month.
And a single month turned to four.
In that time, Rebecca trained. She traveled the world with Contessa and Doctor Mother. She met others like her under Cauldron's care. But during all that time, she never even thought of telling her family where she was. It was poetic, in a way. She forgot her family, the family that tried it's hardest to forget her.
She only called the Everett Family, to tell them that their son was still alive. She told them that he was sleeping, that he might never wake up. She didn't want to say that to them, but she was done telling lies.
Now, she's in Cauldron, with her best friend, and a way to be remembered.
Age: 17
Height: 5'7
Occupation: Student (Former), Cauldron Enforcer (Current)
Powers: Superhuman Strength, Advanced Cognition, flight.
Rebecca, to put it bluntly, is a hero straight out of a comic book. She can fly faster than the eye can see, display levels of strength that no normal human can ever hope to achieve, and her memory is perfect. Any event that she has seen is recorded and can be remembered at a moment's notice.
History: In 1969, a normal girl was born to unremarkable parents. A single child to parents who loved her with all their hearts. It was a recipe for a simple childhood, devoid of hardship and filled with memories that a little girl would cherish forever. And she did. Rebecca loved everyday with her parents, and they showed that love to her everyday.
However, while they loved her, their love for one another was not as strong.
One day, after school, Rebecca walked in to her mother screaming at her father. She called him a faithless bastard. She didn't know what that meant, but she knew the pain in her mother's eyes. She watched as her mother threw her father out of the house, and slam the door behind him.
After that, her mother told her not to open the door for him anymore.
She didn't know why her mother was angry, but she followed instructions like a good daughter would. After that day, Rebecca noticed her mother starting to be more... open to men other than her father. She would tell Rebecca that she was going on dates, that she wasn't old enough to understand. Her mother took on one date after another, no matter how kind they might have been to her or Rebecca.
This went on for a while, so Rebecca ignored it.
Then, a few years later, she got a call from her father. She had a sister now, but, not a real sister. The term she found described the girl as her half sister. He tried to get her to agree to a meeting. He sounded so happy that he was with her.
Her name was Rachel.... Rachel Brown.
Rebecca asked her mother, but she wouldn't let her go meet her. She tried for what felt like a hundred times, but the answer was always the same.
She got letters from her sister every birthday. She would write her, telling about how nice her mother was, and how many gifts that her father had given her. All the while, her mother finally found someone to keep around. His name was Max, and he was kind enough to Rebecca.
For a time, the three of them were a family. For a time, her mother would see something other than her father when she looked at her.
It was the happiest time of her life.
Then, she got a half brother. And Rebecca started seeing less and less of her mother and stepfather. It was because they had to keep track of her little brother, she was old enough to take care of herself. Once again, her mother didn't want to look at her anymore, her first daughter.
Neither of them noticed when she came home from school with perfect grades.
Neither of them noticed when she qualified for state in the track team.
She called her father, but he was too busy with work or his family.
No matter what she did, neither family noticed. They said they cared about her, but she had trouble believing that.
But when she collapsed on the floor one day, they noticed. When she was dragged to the hospital, they noticed. And when they were told that she had cancer, they finally cried for her.
Rebecca didn't want them to cry. They didn't need to cry over her. So she took her books, and she studied. She buried herself in books, and smiled when they came to visit her. She never let herself look weak, she never let herself look like something worth forgetting.
But, eventually, they stopped coming as regularliy as they once did.
Her brother was growing up, so it was understandable. In that hospital room, she vowed to get through this, to live beyond this sickness. So she asked the doctors about her condition, the ins and outs of it all so that she could have hope that she could survive.
Only, they didn't give her hope.
She never got better, she was only getting worse and worse everyday. And to make it worse, the doctors only lied to her. They said it was going to get better, but it never did. It hurt, every time she had to hear that she was getting better, when everyone knew that she wasn't.
They didn't care that it was hurting her.
They didn't do anything to make her feel any better.
In that room, Rebecca Costa-Brown wanted to die. Save the doctors the trouble of having to talk to her everyday. Save her family, from pretending that she was still their daughter.
But she didn't die, she kept on living through a month of that hell. She kept on living, until she was told that she was getting a neighbor in the intensive care unit. He was just as old as her, but that just made her sadder. Someone else didn't need to go through this. She might have cried for him, but she was done crying for anyone.
Then, when she least expected it, he came into her room. He was a shaking, nervous boy who barely managed to introduce himself. Alex Everett, an interesting name. He talked to her about what it was going to be like living here, about his parents, and what their lives were like. It must has lasted two hours, but Rebecca didn't mind.
It was the first conversation that didn't hurt.
He left, and Rebecca figured that was all that was needed. But, he came back the next day. And the next, and the next. Soon, she couldn't remember what a day in the hospital was like without Alex coming to visit her. His hair fell off, his skin turned pale, and he started getting weaker and weaker. But he never stopped coming, he never stopped looking at her like a friend, instead of someone that needed to be pitied.
If that wasn't enough, he brought his family along with him sometimes. Clint, the older brother, wise and caring to her like she was his own sister. Danah, kind and full of ideas. She would always give Rebecca little secrets to boss Alex around, and books, piles of them. Slowly, the idea of keeping up her grades fell back in her mind. She didn't need grades, she needed to read the books that were so kindly delivered to her. She had to talk to the boy who was kinder than anyone else. The boy who helped her hope again.
The boy who she fell for.
One day, Rebecca was visited by a woman who called herself Doctor Mother. She said she could cure her, that she could live beyond these walls if she was willing to work for her. At first, she didn't want to trust her. It wasn't the first time that a doctor had lied to her.
But when she heard that Alex had taken the promise, she relented.
She reached out, and grabbed the red vial. It was like drinking solid rock, but Rebecca managed for force it down her throat. Nothing happened at first, but then, she fell back on her pillow, and she saw nothing more. When she woke up again, her hair had grown back, and she could run like she could in her prime.
She met with Doctor Mother, and she was told where she was. Cauldron, a place dedicated to saving the world against people with powers. People like her. When she first flew, Rebecca didn't leave her room for a day. She was scared, she didn't know what to do.
Then, the Deputy Director showed herself. She talked to Rebecca about her place, her position, her responsibility. She could be a hero, someone that was loved by everyone in the world.
And if that wasn't enough, she was told her best friend was only a few doors down. She couldn't visit him, no matter how much she wanted to. Contessa gave her a job, a position in Cauldron, and Rebecca found herself trying to distract herself just like she tried to distract herself in that hospital room.
A day turned into a week.
A week turned into a month.
And a single month turned to four.
In that time, Rebecca trained. She traveled the world with Contessa and Doctor Mother. She met others like her under Cauldron's care. But during all that time, she never even thought of telling her family where she was. It was poetic, in a way. She forgot her family, the family that tried it's hardest to forget her.
She only called the Everett Family, to tell them that their son was still alive. She told them that he was sleeping, that he might never wake up. She didn't want to say that to them, but she was done telling lies.
Now, she's in Cauldron, with her best friend, and a way to be remembered.
Last edited:
1.1: It Starts with a Question
IKnowNothing
....What?
- Location
- I got lost so.....Where are we?
[X] Male
[X] A kid, down on their luck. You didn't have much, but you never wanted for anything either. School was never an issue, and you were heading straight through the world like everyone else. Then, you were dealt a bad hand. How bad a hand? Cancer bad. Well, at least you had a friend to talk to while you waited for a cure.
"The best thing about the worst part of your life is that you get to see the true colors of everyone else."
Well, isn't that just depressing. Why did you read this again? Oh, right, you have nothing better to do.
You close the book and throw it on the ever growing pile of books next to your bed. You had a cart full of them once upon a time. Now? Now they're just lying atop one another in a disorganized pile. Reading was the only thing that you could do to pass the time, given your current condition. That or listen to the rhythmic sound of your heartbeat over a monitor.
It wasn't hard to remember, the hospital was kind enough to give you a mirror just so you can take a look when you wanted to. You were completely bald now, and you barely remember that you had brown hair. You haven't shaved in months, but no facial hair had grown in. You can still remember how happy you were to show your family the little stubbles when they came. A sign of growing up, a point signaling that good times were ahead.
It was cruel just how wrong that guess was.
Glancing at the books, you see another pile. This one is actually organized in neat ordered pairs. You might be slowly dying from some long named cancer, but you sure as hell aren't going to destroy your siblings hard work.
You pick up one on the top of the pile, and like all the others, it's from Danah. Opening the folded curves of the note, you're reminded that no matter how many letters she writes, your little sister's handwriting is probably never going to get better. At least you're used to reading it. The letter had come with the morning batch of food but you hadn't read it till now. Save the best part of the day for halfway so you have something to look forward to.
'Dear Alex,
I'm sorry we couldn't come visit like we promised, but Clint had to make yet another speech. It wasn't so boring this time, he made a lot of jokes to keep the mood light. If you're wondering what it was about, it has something to do with radiation coming from stars or something. I can't remember, the cake was fantastic and I might have spaced off.
And I know you're rolling your eyes right now, stop it! Eating cake is a lot better than hearing my older brother explain the science of the universe.
In other news, dad finally got that promotion he was working for. It doesn't give a lot, but it sends the extra dollar to your treatment.
Speaking of that, you're still getting up and walking right? You're not skipping any of the medicines the doctors have given you right? I know you don't like to take pills, but it's for your own good. If you have, sorry I'm yelling at you through this paper. If you haven't, take them you idiot!
If you haven't, I'll find out the next time we come visit. That should be next week sometime, hopefully. See you then.
Sincerely, Danah
P.S Can you say thank you to Rebecca for me? I've finished the books she recommended and I wanted to say thanks as soon as possible.
P.S.S Clint says hi.'
You smile at the letter. Danah really knew how to ramble in everything, didn't she? You place the letter atop the pile and make sure your IV was connected correctly before swinging your feet over the edge of your hospital bed. The action makes your thigh sore, but that's normal.
The next bit is the hard one.
You take a deep breath, and count.
One.
Two.
Three!
Your feet hit the floor, and your left leg nearly gives from the effort of keeping you up. It only lasts a second, but it's noticeable. Breathing a sigh of relief, you disconnect your IV's from your bed. Using the IV pole as a crutch, you head out of your room. The door is light, but every day it feels like it's getting heavier. You try to ignore that and head out into the hallway. It's empty, as usual. There are only two of you in this ward who actually needed the level of care this wing provided. As such, you could only see Mrs. Reece at the end of the hallway working on a paper.
She sees you, and waves with a gentle smile. You wave back and turn down the hallway. There are other rooms in your wing, about a dozen, but the only other one that was occupied was a few doors down. Not a long trip by any stretch of the imagination, but your condition really didn't care about your wants or needs. So it made even walking to the bathroom a pain.
You keep to the right, making the journey a little easier by leaning against the wall. Your hand nearly brings down the calendar, but thankfully it doesn't. You take the chance to read the date, August 19th, 1986. Was there something important happening this year? You don't remember. You never really kept up with that sort of thing.
And for the last few months, you haven't bothered keeping track.
You've already entered the routine. Sleep, eat, take medicine, listen to doctors, read, maybe take a walk, repeat. Today, you're doing the walk in the middle of the day, just to spice things up.
Plus, anything to delay the lies.
You reach the last door in the wing. It's propped open with a chair, and inside, you hear the sound of paper being turned. Guess she's reading another book. You wheel your IV inside and push the door open.
Inside, the room is a carbon copy of your room, with the only exception being that instead of a huge pile of letters, Rebecca has school books sitting on a food tray next to her. She had an school textbook in front of her, but it seemed almost too heavy for her, so she propped it against her leg so she was more comfortable. In her hands, there was a notepad with a series of notes scribbled into perfect rows.
Like you, she was as bald as they came. Apparently, she once had black hair, but you've never seen it. But unlike you, she had little to no visible muscle on her arms and chest. Her skin was also a few shades above the degree of pale that you were sporting, but she had been on treatment for a few weeks longer than you.
She glares in your general direction, but it softens when she realizes it's you and not the doctors.
"You're early Alex, I thought you were still..." She coughs into her hand. The sound is sputtery and broken, but she's able to keep it down.
"...going to visit me after the talk like normal."
The talk was when the doctors came in. They smiled, gave us the reports, and said that it was going to get better. Every time they came in, the worse it got, and they still smiled like nothing was wrong. It was easy for them, they just had to say it was getting better.
But it wasn't, they knew that, you knew that, but they still lied anyway.
You once joked that you and Rebecca should make a game out of it, keep spirits up. She didn't like the idea, but she at least laughed a little.
And when you've got less than six months, laughing at anything is a miracle in it of itself.
"I thought I would mix it up today, visit you before my talk showed up."
"You're going to ruin your whole day you know."
Your shrug and take a seat in the visitor's chair "Probably, but Danah wanted to say thank you. I couldn't stop myself from delivering the message, sorry."
Rebecca blinks, surprise clear on her face even without eyebrows. The surprise effortlessly slides into a glad smile.
"She finished the books?" She asks.
You nod "Yeah, she said she really enjoyed them. And you know how tough Danah is on books."
Rebecca let a soft smirk "I guess I'm just a bit better at recommending books than you."
"That we already know."
"And I can still focus on school work instead of reading all day." Rebecca says, pointing at the book beside her.
"You mean reading the mountain of books that you recommended I read?" You ask.
Rebecca waves your question off and turns back to her AP book. She lapses into silence, reading the book and taking notes. The reading part however is a lot faster than the writing. She could only write effectively in small bursts, so she stopped to rest her hand. Those were normally the times that she talked to you.
She set her pencil down and glanced at you, "You wouldn't happen to be any good in history would you?"
"Depends on the history." You answer.
"American."
You blink, but honestly, what were you expecting her to study?
"What time period?" You ask.
"Revolution."
You shake your head "Sorry, but I scattered through that unit with barely a C, I don't think your perfect A's would get much help from me."
Rebecca rolls her eyes "Then why did you bother offer?"
"It's better than nothing?"
Rebecca stops, and stares at you and shakes her head "I guess so." She whispers.
At this point, you'd probably force a chuckle. But unless you actually meant it, it wasn't going to do any good. Besides, you don't want to lie to your friend like everyone else. There was another bout out silence. Rebecca goes back to her book, and you just lean against the back of the visitors chair.
You must have dozed off, because you open your eyes to the sight of Mrs. Reece shaking your shoulder.
Rubbing the sleep out of your eyes, you use your IV as a crutch to get up. It's shaky, and Mrs. Reece tries to help you, but you wave her off.
"It's ok, I got it." You say indignantly.
She's uncertain of you, as always, but she doesn't say it. She opens the door, and you slowly wheel yourself towards the open doorway. You stop at the edge and glance back "See you tomorrow Rebecca."
Rebecca takes her eyes off her book for a second to give you a farewell glance "Bye."
You wheel yourself out of the room, and slowly make your way back to your designated room. Every step is harder than the last, and yet somehow you manage to make it without asking for help. You could make the journey on your own, but Mrs. Reece is still standing behind you, waiting to help. It's a nice gesture, but you were tired of it. She runs in front of you and opens the door. You give her a thank you smile as you head in.
Sitting down on your bed is a lot easier than getting out of it. You just let your legs fall like they've been wanting to, and half the battle is done right there. Mrs. Reece hooks your IV's back into the console, and just like that, you're back to hearing the sound of your own heartbeat. Mrs. Reece nearly sprints out of the room, but she conceals it with the intent of finding Doctor Thomas.
You lean back in your pillow, and prepare yourself for the newest batch of lectures. Your lungs, your bones, your kidneys, what is going to fail next? You had money on your liver, get another vital organ out of the way.
The door clicks open, and you try to sit up for your newest talk. You're halfway through the action before you stop dead in your tracks. You don't recognize this doctor. She had a clipboard in one hand, and a suitcase in the other.
She looks at you with a dead expression that held no emotion towards you whatsoever.
"Mr. Everett?" She asks, although, you feel like it's more of a statement than a question.
"That's me." You confirm.
"Good afternoon, my name is Doctor Mother, I will be filling in for Doctor Thomas today. Is that acceptable?"
Again, it's more of a statement. It's like she's going through a check list. One, state the time of day. Second, introduce herself. Third, say what she's here for. Finally, ask if it was ok for her to take over a job that you had little to no idea the specifics of.
"Yes?"
Doctor Mother takes a seat in the visitor's chair. She pulls it up next to you bed and snaps a look at your face before clicking a pen in her hand and writing some notes. She keeps writing, almost like you're not even there. After what feels like forever, she clicks the pen and looks at you.
"I'm going to be asking you a series of questions, Mr. Everett. They will be forming the basis for the types of treatments that will be best for you. Do you understand?"
You nod.
"First Question, do you believe in Superheroes?"
... What?
That... is an interesting start.
[] Answer yes. Police, Firemen, good men and women who risk their lives to help others.
[] Answer No. Superpowers, heroes, they don't really exist. If they did, they would help someone like you get through this.
[] Dodge the question by asking where Doctor Thomas is. And what kind of name is Doctor Mother?
[X] A kid, down on their luck. You didn't have much, but you never wanted for anything either. School was never an issue, and you were heading straight through the world like everyone else. Then, you were dealt a bad hand. How bad a hand? Cancer bad. Well, at least you had a friend to talk to while you waited for a cure.
"The best thing about the worst part of your life is that you get to see the true colors of everyone else."
Well, isn't that just depressing. Why did you read this again? Oh, right, you have nothing better to do.
You close the book and throw it on the ever growing pile of books next to your bed. You had a cart full of them once upon a time. Now? Now they're just lying atop one another in a disorganized pile. Reading was the only thing that you could do to pass the time, given your current condition. That or listen to the rhythmic sound of your heartbeat over a monitor.
It wasn't hard to remember, the hospital was kind enough to give you a mirror just so you can take a look when you wanted to. You were completely bald now, and you barely remember that you had brown hair. You haven't shaved in months, but no facial hair had grown in. You can still remember how happy you were to show your family the little stubbles when they came. A sign of growing up, a point signaling that good times were ahead.
It was cruel just how wrong that guess was.
Glancing at the books, you see another pile. This one is actually organized in neat ordered pairs. You might be slowly dying from some long named cancer, but you sure as hell aren't going to destroy your siblings hard work.
You pick up one on the top of the pile, and like all the others, it's from Danah. Opening the folded curves of the note, you're reminded that no matter how many letters she writes, your little sister's handwriting is probably never going to get better. At least you're used to reading it. The letter had come with the morning batch of food but you hadn't read it till now. Save the best part of the day for halfway so you have something to look forward to.
'Dear Alex,
I'm sorry we couldn't come visit like we promised, but Clint had to make yet another speech. It wasn't so boring this time, he made a lot of jokes to keep the mood light. If you're wondering what it was about, it has something to do with radiation coming from stars or something. I can't remember, the cake was fantastic and I might have spaced off.
And I know you're rolling your eyes right now, stop it! Eating cake is a lot better than hearing my older brother explain the science of the universe.
In other news, dad finally got that promotion he was working for. It doesn't give a lot, but it sends the extra dollar to your treatment.
Speaking of that, you're still getting up and walking right? You're not skipping any of the medicines the doctors have given you right? I know you don't like to take pills, but it's for your own good. If you have, sorry I'm yelling at you through this paper. If you haven't, take them you idiot!
If you haven't, I'll find out the next time we come visit. That should be next week sometime, hopefully. See you then.
Sincerely, Danah
P.S Can you say thank you to Rebecca for me? I've finished the books she recommended and I wanted to say thanks as soon as possible.
P.S.S Clint says hi.'
You smile at the letter. Danah really knew how to ramble in everything, didn't she? You place the letter atop the pile and make sure your IV was connected correctly before swinging your feet over the edge of your hospital bed. The action makes your thigh sore, but that's normal.
The next bit is the hard one.
You take a deep breath, and count.
One.
Two.
Three!
Your feet hit the floor, and your left leg nearly gives from the effort of keeping you up. It only lasts a second, but it's noticeable. Breathing a sigh of relief, you disconnect your IV's from your bed. Using the IV pole as a crutch, you head out of your room. The door is light, but every day it feels like it's getting heavier. You try to ignore that and head out into the hallway. It's empty, as usual. There are only two of you in this ward who actually needed the level of care this wing provided. As such, you could only see Mrs. Reece at the end of the hallway working on a paper.
She sees you, and waves with a gentle smile. You wave back and turn down the hallway. There are other rooms in your wing, about a dozen, but the only other one that was occupied was a few doors down. Not a long trip by any stretch of the imagination, but your condition really didn't care about your wants or needs. So it made even walking to the bathroom a pain.
You keep to the right, making the journey a little easier by leaning against the wall. Your hand nearly brings down the calendar, but thankfully it doesn't. You take the chance to read the date, August 19th, 1986. Was there something important happening this year? You don't remember. You never really kept up with that sort of thing.
And for the last few months, you haven't bothered keeping track.
You've already entered the routine. Sleep, eat, take medicine, listen to doctors, read, maybe take a walk, repeat. Today, you're doing the walk in the middle of the day, just to spice things up.
Plus, anything to delay the lies.
You reach the last door in the wing. It's propped open with a chair, and inside, you hear the sound of paper being turned. Guess she's reading another book. You wheel your IV inside and push the door open.
Inside, the room is a carbon copy of your room, with the only exception being that instead of a huge pile of letters, Rebecca has school books sitting on a food tray next to her. She had an school textbook in front of her, but it seemed almost too heavy for her, so she propped it against her leg so she was more comfortable. In her hands, there was a notepad with a series of notes scribbled into perfect rows.
Like you, she was as bald as they came. Apparently, she once had black hair, but you've never seen it. But unlike you, she had little to no visible muscle on her arms and chest. Her skin was also a few shades above the degree of pale that you were sporting, but she had been on treatment for a few weeks longer than you.
She glares in your general direction, but it softens when she realizes it's you and not the doctors.
"You're early Alex, I thought you were still..." She coughs into her hand. The sound is sputtery and broken, but she's able to keep it down.
"...going to visit me after the talk like normal."
The talk was when the doctors came in. They smiled, gave us the reports, and said that it was going to get better. Every time they came in, the worse it got, and they still smiled like nothing was wrong. It was easy for them, they just had to say it was getting better.
But it wasn't, they knew that, you knew that, but they still lied anyway.
You once joked that you and Rebecca should make a game out of it, keep spirits up. She didn't like the idea, but she at least laughed a little.
And when you've got less than six months, laughing at anything is a miracle in it of itself.
"I thought I would mix it up today, visit you before my talk showed up."
"You're going to ruin your whole day you know."
Your shrug and take a seat in the visitor's chair "Probably, but Danah wanted to say thank you. I couldn't stop myself from delivering the message, sorry."
Rebecca blinks, surprise clear on her face even without eyebrows. The surprise effortlessly slides into a glad smile.
"She finished the books?" She asks.
You nod "Yeah, she said she really enjoyed them. And you know how tough Danah is on books."
Rebecca let a soft smirk "I guess I'm just a bit better at recommending books than you."
"That we already know."
"And I can still focus on school work instead of reading all day." Rebecca says, pointing at the book beside her.
"You mean reading the mountain of books that you recommended I read?" You ask.
Rebecca waves your question off and turns back to her AP book. She lapses into silence, reading the book and taking notes. The reading part however is a lot faster than the writing. She could only write effectively in small bursts, so she stopped to rest her hand. Those were normally the times that she talked to you.
She set her pencil down and glanced at you, "You wouldn't happen to be any good in history would you?"
"Depends on the history." You answer.
"American."
You blink, but honestly, what were you expecting her to study?
"What time period?" You ask.
"Revolution."
You shake your head "Sorry, but I scattered through that unit with barely a C, I don't think your perfect A's would get much help from me."
Rebecca rolls her eyes "Then why did you bother offer?"
"It's better than nothing?"
Rebecca stops, and stares at you and shakes her head "I guess so." She whispers.
At this point, you'd probably force a chuckle. But unless you actually meant it, it wasn't going to do any good. Besides, you don't want to lie to your friend like everyone else. There was another bout out silence. Rebecca goes back to her book, and you just lean against the back of the visitors chair.
You must have dozed off, because you open your eyes to the sight of Mrs. Reece shaking your shoulder.
Rubbing the sleep out of your eyes, you use your IV as a crutch to get up. It's shaky, and Mrs. Reece tries to help you, but you wave her off.
"It's ok, I got it." You say indignantly.
She's uncertain of you, as always, but she doesn't say it. She opens the door, and you slowly wheel yourself towards the open doorway. You stop at the edge and glance back "See you tomorrow Rebecca."
Rebecca takes her eyes off her book for a second to give you a farewell glance "Bye."
You wheel yourself out of the room, and slowly make your way back to your designated room. Every step is harder than the last, and yet somehow you manage to make it without asking for help. You could make the journey on your own, but Mrs. Reece is still standing behind you, waiting to help. It's a nice gesture, but you were tired of it. She runs in front of you and opens the door. You give her a thank you smile as you head in.
Sitting down on your bed is a lot easier than getting out of it. You just let your legs fall like they've been wanting to, and half the battle is done right there. Mrs. Reece hooks your IV's back into the console, and just like that, you're back to hearing the sound of your own heartbeat. Mrs. Reece nearly sprints out of the room, but she conceals it with the intent of finding Doctor Thomas.
You lean back in your pillow, and prepare yourself for the newest batch of lectures. Your lungs, your bones, your kidneys, what is going to fail next? You had money on your liver, get another vital organ out of the way.
The door clicks open, and you try to sit up for your newest talk. You're halfway through the action before you stop dead in your tracks. You don't recognize this doctor. She had a clipboard in one hand, and a suitcase in the other.
She looks at you with a dead expression that held no emotion towards you whatsoever.
"Mr. Everett?" She asks, although, you feel like it's more of a statement than a question.
"That's me." You confirm.
"Good afternoon, my name is Doctor Mother, I will be filling in for Doctor Thomas today. Is that acceptable?"
Again, it's more of a statement. It's like she's going through a check list. One, state the time of day. Second, introduce herself. Third, say what she's here for. Finally, ask if it was ok for her to take over a job that you had little to no idea the specifics of.
"Yes?"
Doctor Mother takes a seat in the visitor's chair. She pulls it up next to you bed and snaps a look at your face before clicking a pen in her hand and writing some notes. She keeps writing, almost like you're not even there. After what feels like forever, she clicks the pen and looks at you.
"I'm going to be asking you a series of questions, Mr. Everett. They will be forming the basis for the types of treatments that will be best for you. Do you understand?"
You nod.
"First Question, do you believe in Superheroes?"
... What?
That... is an interesting start.
[] Answer yes. Police, Firemen, good men and women who risk their lives to help others.
[] Answer No. Superpowers, heroes, they don't really exist. If they did, they would help someone like you get through this.
[] Dodge the question by asking where Doctor Thomas is. And what kind of name is Doctor Mother?
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1.2: It Begins with an Answer
IKnowNothing
....What?
- Location
- I got lost so.....Where are we?
Out of all of the questions doctors have asked you, this is the strangest one yet. By far. They normally asked things like, how are you feeling? Do you need something? Do you want me to explain something from your report?
Simple things.
Not questions about your opinion.
It was a interesting change.
You blink at the thought. Just… whoa. Three months doing this, hearing statistics and bad news. But hearing someone else ask you for how you feel about something that isn't related to cancer is strange to you?
Suddenly, it feels like you've been in this bed for a lot longer than you remember.
Doctor Mother's expression hasn't changed. She waits, pen in hand, looking at you with the same passive expression. She looks like she could wait years for you to answer her question. You on the other hand, didn't have that much time.
The question itself is simple, yes, or no. But Doctor Mother looks at you like this question was as important as 'What is the meaning of life?'. There was purpose to this question, beyond the yes or no. She clearly expected you to think on it, given how long she's waiting for you to answer.
But off the top of your head, you have no idea. Is she talking about comic books? No, that's stupid. People flying around in skintight outfits? Who would think about that?
Then again, what kind of doctor is named Doctor Mother? That sounds like something out of a comic. You give her a wayward glance, but her expression remains set in stone.
"Yes." You say.
Doctor Mother clicks her pen, quickly your answer down along with a series of other notes that you can't check. She looks back, and slowly raises an eyebrow. It's the closest thing to a change in expression that you've seen from her so far.
It stays there, her expression going back to it's same motionless state. You blink in confusion "Do you want me to explain?"
Doctor Mother's expression doesn't change, but you get the impression that she thought it was obvious. Ignoring the growing feeling of embarrassment, you press on.
"Well, when I think of superhero, I don't really think of impossible things like stuff out of comic books. I think of people who have a choice to throw themselves into danger or run. They can chose not to help, but they do anyway. Police, fireman, they don't do it for the pay. They risk their lives and save people simply because they want to. They're good people, just trying to help."
"You sound hopeful." Doctor Mother identifies.
"I have three months to live," You say, the words feeling like acid on your tongue "My family still has hope, so I still have to. Anything that helps is ok by me."
Again, Doctor Mother records your answers with the same expressionless efficacy.
"You want to live because of your family?"
You blink. Her expression was still emotionless, her tone neutral, but it sounded like she was questioning if you had any other reason to live, beyond your family.
"Well… that's part of it yeah." You say "I want to see my brother get his doctorate, I want to see my sister graduate high school, I want to go to college. I can't do that if I die."
"Yet you don't believe you will make it?" The Doctor asks.
"I have cancer." You say, stating the obvious.
"I've heard of five year olds defeating cancer. I've seen reports of elderly men defeating this enemy." Doctor Mother says, "What makes you think that you can't?"
"I can beat this," You say, definitely, but your outburst only lasts so long "But after looking at the same report for the last few weeks.... I'd just rather have someone tell me the truth than feed me lie after lie."
Another note taken "What kind of lie?"
You stop and vaguely gesture at Doctor Mother "Well, no offense to you, but every time that a doctor sits down he tells me that they're working as hard as they can to cure me. But every time they tell me how I'm doing, they say I'm getting worse, not better."
Once again, a note is taken.
"Second to last question," Doctor Mother says "If I told you that I could cure you, what would you say in response?"
"I'd say that you're lying."
You don't need to think about it too hard. There was no cure to cancer, that's why it was called terminal sickness. Doctor Mother took another note and set her clipboard down. She grasped the handle of her suitcase, and propped up onto the table next to her.
"Acceptable. Now, final question. If, hypothetically, I was telling the truth, what would you be willing to do for me?"
You blink, where was this going? You wait for the other shoe to drop, for her hard exterior to drop and for her to apologize for all the seemingly random questions. A second passes, then a minute.
But nothing changes.
Your IV beeps louder as your pulse races in your chest. She… she's serious. She didn't admit it, but she was basically promising you that she could cure you.
No, she wasn't promising, she was guaranteeing that you would be saved.
The feeling triggers a chain reaction of emotions that feel almost foreign to you, like you haven't really felt them in years.
There's happiness, excitement, fear, trust, anticipation. They all come together to form a completely new emotion.
For the first time in months, you feel new.
You feel hopeful.
"If you could cure my cancer, then…"
The words die in your throat. Thoughts, visions rush to you. First, you're standing next to your father in a bar alongside your brother, celebrating your 21st birthday.
Clapping congratulations to your sister as she receives her diploma for graduating high school.
Talking to your mother for the first time in years.
Meeting a pretty girl, falling in love, and starting a family of your own.
If you could see all of that, experience all of that, have all of that, then…
"It would be a shorter list of the things I wouldn't do." You say.
Doctor Mother's lips curl, the barest echos of a smile fighting its way in. But she snuffs it out just as quickly as it comes. The suitcase opens with a click, and she turns the contents around towards you, holding it so the contents are within arms reach. Inside, you see eight vials filled with different colored liquid.
At least, you think they're liquid.
Each one of them seems to shift, morph or change altogether the longer you look at it. Just focusing one is enough to give you a headache. You redouble your efforts on Doctor Mother, sitting patiently behind the suitcase. She simply inclines her head, and waits for you to make a choice.
You get the feeling, no matter what you choose, Doctor Mother's promise would remain the same.
Then again, something else might come with it. You're not even going to bother asking her the side effects.
On the other hand, you have cancer. How much worse can it get?
You reach out, and pick the…
[] The vial that's pitch black. There's nothing special about it, it's just completely black. But you feel almost… In awe of it for some reason.
[] The Neon vial. It constantly shifts colors, vibrant reds, shining blues, almost like it was pulsing with some sort of power.
[] The clear vial. It's perfectly clear, with only a few air bubbles within it. However, the air bubbles are traveling in a circle up and down through the tube.
[] The green vial. The color seems to go from light, to dark, to emerald, always changing into a more complete version of the color than the one before it.
[] The silver vial. It looks like liquid metal, but within, you see it shift. One second, there's an orb, the next, a square.
[] The gold vial. It seems to almost shine with power, but it behaves strangely. The air bubbles seem to be trapped at the bottom of the vial, unable to rise to the top.
[] The blue vial. The liquid seems to swirl in it's own miniature whirlpool, spinning around and around with no stop.
[] The red vial. It looks completely solid, as if it could remain the same and strong even after the end of the world.
Simple things.
Not questions about your opinion.
It was a interesting change.
You blink at the thought. Just… whoa. Three months doing this, hearing statistics and bad news. But hearing someone else ask you for how you feel about something that isn't related to cancer is strange to you?
Suddenly, it feels like you've been in this bed for a lot longer than you remember.
Doctor Mother's expression hasn't changed. She waits, pen in hand, looking at you with the same passive expression. She looks like she could wait years for you to answer her question. You on the other hand, didn't have that much time.
The question itself is simple, yes, or no. But Doctor Mother looks at you like this question was as important as 'What is the meaning of life?'. There was purpose to this question, beyond the yes or no. She clearly expected you to think on it, given how long she's waiting for you to answer.
But off the top of your head, you have no idea. Is she talking about comic books? No, that's stupid. People flying around in skintight outfits? Who would think about that?
Then again, what kind of doctor is named Doctor Mother? That sounds like something out of a comic. You give her a wayward glance, but her expression remains set in stone.
"Yes." You say.
Doctor Mother clicks her pen, quickly your answer down along with a series of other notes that you can't check. She looks back, and slowly raises an eyebrow. It's the closest thing to a change in expression that you've seen from her so far.
It stays there, her expression going back to it's same motionless state. You blink in confusion "Do you want me to explain?"
Doctor Mother's expression doesn't change, but you get the impression that she thought it was obvious. Ignoring the growing feeling of embarrassment, you press on.
"Well, when I think of superhero, I don't really think of impossible things like stuff out of comic books. I think of people who have a choice to throw themselves into danger or run. They can chose not to help, but they do anyway. Police, fireman, they don't do it for the pay. They risk their lives and save people simply because they want to. They're good people, just trying to help."
"You sound hopeful." Doctor Mother identifies.
"I have three months to live," You say, the words feeling like acid on your tongue "My family still has hope, so I still have to. Anything that helps is ok by me."
Again, Doctor Mother records your answers with the same expressionless efficacy.
"You want to live because of your family?"
You blink. Her expression was still emotionless, her tone neutral, but it sounded like she was questioning if you had any other reason to live, beyond your family.
"Well… that's part of it yeah." You say "I want to see my brother get his doctorate, I want to see my sister graduate high school, I want to go to college. I can't do that if I die."
"Yet you don't believe you will make it?" The Doctor asks.
"I have cancer." You say, stating the obvious.
"I've heard of five year olds defeating cancer. I've seen reports of elderly men defeating this enemy." Doctor Mother says, "What makes you think that you can't?"
"I can beat this," You say, definitely, but your outburst only lasts so long "But after looking at the same report for the last few weeks.... I'd just rather have someone tell me the truth than feed me lie after lie."
Another note taken "What kind of lie?"
You stop and vaguely gesture at Doctor Mother "Well, no offense to you, but every time that a doctor sits down he tells me that they're working as hard as they can to cure me. But every time they tell me how I'm doing, they say I'm getting worse, not better."
Once again, a note is taken.
"Second to last question," Doctor Mother says "If I told you that I could cure you, what would you say in response?"
"I'd say that you're lying."
You don't need to think about it too hard. There was no cure to cancer, that's why it was called terminal sickness. Doctor Mother took another note and set her clipboard down. She grasped the handle of her suitcase, and propped up onto the table next to her.
"Acceptable. Now, final question. If, hypothetically, I was telling the truth, what would you be willing to do for me?"
You blink, where was this going? You wait for the other shoe to drop, for her hard exterior to drop and for her to apologize for all the seemingly random questions. A second passes, then a minute.
But nothing changes.
Your IV beeps louder as your pulse races in your chest. She… she's serious. She didn't admit it, but she was basically promising you that she could cure you.
No, she wasn't promising, she was guaranteeing that you would be saved.
The feeling triggers a chain reaction of emotions that feel almost foreign to you, like you haven't really felt them in years.
There's happiness, excitement, fear, trust, anticipation. They all come together to form a completely new emotion.
For the first time in months, you feel new.
You feel hopeful.
"If you could cure my cancer, then…"
The words die in your throat. Thoughts, visions rush to you. First, you're standing next to your father in a bar alongside your brother, celebrating your 21st birthday.
Clapping congratulations to your sister as she receives her diploma for graduating high school.
Talking to your mother for the first time in years.
Meeting a pretty girl, falling in love, and starting a family of your own.
If you could see all of that, experience all of that, have all of that, then…
"It would be a shorter list of the things I wouldn't do." You say.
Doctor Mother's lips curl, the barest echos of a smile fighting its way in. But she snuffs it out just as quickly as it comes. The suitcase opens with a click, and she turns the contents around towards you, holding it so the contents are within arms reach. Inside, you see eight vials filled with different colored liquid.
At least, you think they're liquid.
Each one of them seems to shift, morph or change altogether the longer you look at it. Just focusing one is enough to give you a headache. You redouble your efforts on Doctor Mother, sitting patiently behind the suitcase. She simply inclines her head, and waits for you to make a choice.
You get the feeling, no matter what you choose, Doctor Mother's promise would remain the same.
Then again, something else might come with it. You're not even going to bother asking her the side effects.
On the other hand, you have cancer. How much worse can it get?
You reach out, and pick the…
[] The vial that's pitch black. There's nothing special about it, it's just completely black. But you feel almost… In awe of it for some reason.
[] The Neon vial. It constantly shifts colors, vibrant reds, shining blues, almost like it was pulsing with some sort of power.
[] The clear vial. It's perfectly clear, with only a few air bubbles within it. However, the air bubbles are traveling in a circle up and down through the tube.
[] The green vial. The color seems to go from light, to dark, to emerald, always changing into a more complete version of the color than the one before it.
[] The silver vial. It looks like liquid metal, but within, you see it shift. One second, there's an orb, the next, a square.
[] The gold vial. It seems to almost shine with power, but it behaves strangely. The air bubbles seem to be trapped at the bottom of the vial, unable to rise to the top.
[] The blue vial. The liquid seems to swirl in it's own miniature whirlpool, spinning around and around with no stop.
[] The red vial. It looks completely solid, as if it could remain the same and strong even after the end of the world.
0.2: What Could have Been.
IKnowNothing
....What?
- Location
- I got lost so.....Where are we?
Now, as promised, what could have been.
[] The Neon vial. It constantly shifts colors, vibrant reds, shining blues, almost like it was pulsing with some sort of power.
This one, that most could guess, was a Blaster power. But not just any Blaster power.
The Blaster powers that would make this guy famous. That's right, this would have made you the Blaster of Blaster by giving you the "Coruscant Knave" shard. A shard whose function I have no freaking clue what it does because it was never explained from what I could find.
Given how it's a canon power, I'm not going to explain how this is basically "Shooting all of the lasers!" the power. So let's move on.
[] The clear vial. It's perfectly clear, with only a few air bubbles within it. However, the air bubbles are traveling in a circle up and down through the tube.
This vial would have given you the "Structure." Shard.
It would have made your mind a literal bunker against mental attacks, making you laugh at the powers of Stranger's and Master's. However, what you guys would have liked, would be the part of the power that allows you to fist fight Alexandria level brutes and have a really good chance of winning.
For you see, the main power that comes with this vial would have been Density Shifting. On one end, you go straight through attacks like you're nothing but air. On the other, your fist is the equivalent of a mountain slamming into someone's face. It wouldn't have given you flight however, so you would have to get Doored everywhere or have someone carry you places.
Originally, entities used this shard to give themselves forms that were helpful to the environment they arrived in.
[] The green vial. The color seems to go from light, to dark, to emerald, always changing into a more complete version of the color than the one before it.
This vial would have given the "Temporal" Shard. It would have allowed you to, with a single look, manipulate the perceptions of anyone you've met with a thought. This, would be your fridge horror/master power. You could change peoples emotions, actions, and make them see and feel things that weren't there.
Heartbreaker +1 in other words.
The hidden meaning being that perfection is in the eye of the beholder, and the color shifted to a closer version of Alex's perception of perfect, if you're curious/wondering how that tied in.
This shard allowed the entities to communicate, or in Eden's case, seduce the populace into believing whatever it said or did. Obviously, Scion's shard is not working too well.
[] The silver vial. It looks like liquid metal, but within, you see it shift. One second, there's an orb, the next, a square.
This vial would have given you the "Reconstruction" Shard. Once you realized you had powers, you would become the permir Tinker's alongside Hero.
What would have been your specialization?
Nanobots.
You would have been able to program nanobots to do... whatever the hell you wanted actually. Now before the Metal Gear memes get here, I'm moving on.
[] The blue vial. The liquid seems to swirl in it's own miniature whirlpool, spinning around and around with no stop.
This vial would have given you the "Traveler." Shard.
It would be the shard that the entities use to get around. Damaged, making some things harder than others, but you would have been able to get anywhere faster than anyone. You would have had control of forces like acceleration, to the point that you could keep yourself together no matter how fast you went. And you would have been able to teleport.
[] The red vial. It looks completely solid, as if it could remain the same and strong even after the end of the world.
This would have given you the "Stasis" Shard, allowing you to become the Brute of Brute's.
I'm pretty sure that everyone got this one.
You probably know the drill. Flight, superstrong, can't be hurt by anything unless they say "Fuck you." to the laws of physics.
Or something drowns you, but that would never happen.
[] The vial that's pitch black. There's nothing special about it, it's just completely black. But you feel almost… In awe of it for some reason.
Now this one, oh boy this one, this vial is the one that will get the most salt I feel. This vial contained the High Priest Shard, or the Control Shard. Or in other words,
Dwell on that, dwell on that fact.
Note: All of these vials have sub powers, but given how you won't be using them, I won't bother going into detail.
Now, you guys have the Intensity Shard. Take a guess what this entails while I get to work on that next chapter.
Except for @Takoe, for his memes have already unlocked the truth!
[] The Neon vial. It constantly shifts colors, vibrant reds, shining blues, almost like it was pulsing with some sort of power.
This one, that most could guess, was a Blaster power. But not just any Blaster power.
The Blaster powers that would make this guy famous. That's right, this would have made you the Blaster of Blaster by giving you the "Coruscant Knave" shard. A shard whose function I have no freaking clue what it does because it was never explained from what I could find.
Given how it's a canon power, I'm not going to explain how this is basically "Shooting all of the lasers!" the power. So let's move on.
[] The clear vial. It's perfectly clear, with only a few air bubbles within it. However, the air bubbles are traveling in a circle up and down through the tube.
This vial would have given you the "Structure." Shard.
It would have made your mind a literal bunker against mental attacks, making you laugh at the powers of Stranger's and Master's. However, what you guys would have liked, would be the part of the power that allows you to fist fight Alexandria level brutes and have a really good chance of winning.
For you see, the main power that comes with this vial would have been Density Shifting. On one end, you go straight through attacks like you're nothing but air. On the other, your fist is the equivalent of a mountain slamming into someone's face. It wouldn't have given you flight however, so you would have to get Doored everywhere or have someone carry you places.
Originally, entities used this shard to give themselves forms that were helpful to the environment they arrived in.
[] The green vial. The color seems to go from light, to dark, to emerald, always changing into a more complete version of the color than the one before it.
This vial would have given the "Temporal" Shard. It would have allowed you to, with a single look, manipulate the perceptions of anyone you've met with a thought. This, would be your fridge horror/master power. You could change peoples emotions, actions, and make them see and feel things that weren't there.
Heartbreaker +1 in other words.
The hidden meaning being that perfection is in the eye of the beholder, and the color shifted to a closer version of Alex's perception of perfect, if you're curious/wondering how that tied in.
This shard allowed the entities to communicate, or in Eden's case, seduce the populace into believing whatever it said or did. Obviously, Scion's shard is not working too well.
[] The silver vial. It looks like liquid metal, but within, you see it shift. One second, there's an orb, the next, a square.
This vial would have given you the "Reconstruction" Shard. Once you realized you had powers, you would become the permir Tinker's alongside Hero.
What would have been your specialization?
Nanobots.
You would have been able to program nanobots to do... whatever the hell you wanted actually. Now before the Metal Gear memes get here, I'm moving on.
[] The blue vial. The liquid seems to swirl in it's own miniature whirlpool, spinning around and around with no stop.
This vial would have given you the "Traveler." Shard.
It would be the shard that the entities use to get around. Damaged, making some things harder than others, but you would have been able to get anywhere faster than anyone. You would have had control of forces like acceleration, to the point that you could keep yourself together no matter how fast you went. And you would have been able to teleport.
[] The red vial. It looks completely solid, as if it could remain the same and strong even after the end of the world.
This would have given you the "Stasis" Shard, allowing you to become the Brute of Brute's.
I'm pretty sure that everyone got this one.
You probably know the drill. Flight, superstrong, can't be hurt by anything unless they say "Fuck you." to the laws of physics.
Or something drowns you, but that would never happen.
[] The vial that's pitch black. There's nothing special about it, it's just completely black. But you feel almost… In awe of it for some reason.
Now this one, oh boy this one, this vial is the one that will get the most salt I feel. This vial contained the High Priest Shard, or the Control Shard. Or in other words,
Dwell on that, dwell on that fact.
Note: All of these vials have sub powers, but given how you won't be using them, I won't bother going into detail.
Now, you guys have the Intensity Shard. Take a guess what this entails while I get to work on that next chapter.
Except for @Takoe, for his memes have already unlocked the truth!
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1.3: A Choice is Made
IKnowNothing
....What?
- Location
- I got lost so.....Where are we?
For a single second, the thought occurs to you that you could just reach in and take more than one. Taking a quick glance at Doctor Mother, you figure that probably isn't the best idea. Her face seems emotionless, but you get the feeling she's ready to shut the case the second you step out of line. She was the doctor and you the patient; She needed to show you your place. It was subtle but at least she wasn't insulting you by lying to your face.
So you reach out, your hand hovering over each of the vials. With each one of them, you feel something different. Pulsing energy, flowing feelings, even something that made you feel like you could bench press a mountain. But your hand stops over the vial that shined with an almost gold hue. It seems… alive. You touch it, and you feel something more.
Power.
Raw, unexplainable power.
You fingers find themselves wrapping around it, your body not waiting for your mind to reach a decision. It's heavier than you thought it would be, but then again, your muscles have seen better days.
The second your hand is clear of the case, Doctor Mother snaps it shut. She sets the case by her side, picking her notepad up once more as you work on the cap for the vial. It pops off almost effortlessly. It occurs to you that it was probably made like that so you could get it off easily. But it probably wasn't a good idea to keep something that can cure cancer in such a loose container.
The cap falls to the floor and neither of you bother to watch it fall. You stare at the liquid within for no other reason that you can. Shaking the vial a bit, you see that it doesn't move like a liquid. It stays perfectly still, with the bubbles at the bottom of the cannister moving being the only indication of change.
"Do I just… drink it?"
Doctor Mother looks at you with the same passive stare.
You nod "Got it."
Then just for fun, you hold the vial up like a glass towards Doctor Mother "Cheers."
The Doctor's expression doesn't change, a shame, that was kind of funny. Holding back a sigh you take another look at the liquid.
This… this is going to cure you?
It was strange. A few seconds ago you were ready to believe anything. But now that you have the one thing that you've wanted for the last three months of your life, you're hesitating. It's stupid, honestly.
So what if this is some kind of trick? It's not like you can get any worse, you can't exactly top cancer in terms of life threatening conditions.
Swallowing your fear you lift the vial to your lips. You point the bottom to the sky, allowing gravity to take hold. You feel, rather than see, the golden liquid slowly make it's way down your throat.
It's almost chunky, as if ... a joke and in truth it was a collection of shattered somethings. Despite that you force it down your throat. It doesn't have a taste, and when you get the last of it you feel nothing.
Disappointment is the first thing that comes back to you. You open your eyes, and check on the vial. Sure enough you took in every last drop. You look to Doctor Mother, still writing away on her notes. She clicks her pen, and quickly pulls your pillow from under your back and setting it back on the edge of the bed where it belongs.
You raise an eyebrow, or you would have if you still had the hair required. The good doctor remains passive "It's for when the Agent finds it's way."
"Agent?" You ask.
Doctor Mother nods "Indeed, I said Agent. It is currently worming its way through your bloodstream. In a second it will reach your brain."
She clicks her pen and rises from her seat, picking up her suitcase along the way. You reach for her, to try and ask.
And then it happens.
The first part of you to go is your arm, the same arm that you used to reach for answers. It crashes to the covers of your bed, leaving you staring at the limb in shock. Your finger's and tendons twist and crack, jerking in unnatural angles. But despite seeing it happen right in front of you, you can't feel anything. Then the same starts happening to your legs. You see them shift under the covers, probably working the same grotesque motions that your arm is moving in. Then your back gives out, forcing you to fall back onto your bed.
A second later, every part of your body is affected but you can't feel a thing. The only thing that you can still do with clarity is breathe. Air goes in and out of your, faster and faster, as the beeping of your heart moniter gets louder and louder.
Panic takes you, pushing rational thought out of your head as instinct takes over.
You're going to die aren't you?! You were tricked, somehow this was supposed to happen!
You're going to die, and there's nothing you can do.
The sound of your heartbeat in the monitor grows into a symphony of artificial noise. It gets faster and faster, as if it was racing towards the end without your consent.
Your eyes force themselves shut, and you can't see a thing. If that wasn't alarming enough, you hear the sound of the door locking behind you. Doctor Mother she's... she's leaving you to die isn't she?
Cold, dreadful fear takes hold of you, replacing the panic in its entirety. You try to move, but you can't. That realization only makes the fear grow colder.
You can't see, you can't move a muscle, you can only hear the sound of the IV signaling the sound of your heart breaking itself apart.
The sound of it consumes you. There's nothing you can do, there was no fighting this. There was only the sound, counting down until your heart couldn't beat anymore.
In a cruel twist of fate, you feel a tear make its way down your face.
What did you to deserve this? You only had three months yes, but you still wanted to live!
You were just joking, things could get worse. You know that now, so please, for the love of god, stop this!
You still had things you needed to see! You needed to be there when your sister made her way in the world! You needed to be there when you brother made his mark! You had to forgive your father for his faults! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO DIE BEFORE YOU COULD DO ANY OF THAT!?
You don't know the answer, you don't think anyone knows.
Beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep.
Be-
The sound cuts off and you can't breathe anymore.
You hear the sound of the door opening, and then…
Nothing.
You're.... are you dead?
When you finally come to the first thing you notice is that your head is beating like a freaking drum.
In hindsight, it's a good thing that the first thing that you feel confirms that you didn't just die. But it didn't help the fact that it still hurts like hell.
You slowly get up, pushing the thick covers off of you as you rub your head. You try to fight down the migraine, your fingers running through your hair as you wor-
Instantly, the migraine is forced out of your head as another realization comes to you. You run both your hands over your head feeling the wiry sensation of an unkept head of hair.
You… you have hair?
How long have you been out that you're hair could have grown back?
No, better question. If your hair was back, did that mean...
A sound comes out of you, something between a shocked gasp and barking laughter. You don't know what it is, but you find yourself making the same noise over and over again as your hands continue to confirm the hair on your head.
You sit there doing nothing but reveling in the confirmation that you were cured. It's true, it's fucking true! Every inch of you buzzes with excitement as it hits you.
YOU WERE GOING TO LIVE!
To say that you're happy is an understatement. You're ecstatic, you're ready to jump and run around the world just because you have the time to do so. You're teeming with the prospect that you can live the life you wanted.
You can see your family achieve their dreams, you can achieve your own! Who the fuck cares what happens next, you're alive!
You hoop, holler and scream for all you're worth. The sound is huge, healthy and full of life. That realization only cements the smile on your face. You beat the covers of your bed like a child in the sandbox. If there was a girl in the room, you would have kissed her without a fear in the world. You would jump off a damned cliff into the sea! Why? Because cancer couldn't keep you down, you were here to stay!
You don't know how long it takes you, but the high finally lowers itself enough for you to look around the room.
You thought you were in your hospital bed, given the sheets, but now that you look around you have no clue where you might be. The room itself is as big as your old classrooms with enough accessories to make you feel like you stole a billionaire's fortune and bought yourself a house. The entire right wall next to your bed is one big window looking out over the ocean. The other had a open door, leading into a walk in closet with more clothes than you ever remember having. Another wall had a huge, theater sized tv, along with a work bench that held a mirror and a few phones.
Looking up, you see that the lights seem to be adjusting to your vision, helping your eyes take in the entire room. You also catch a few cameras. Normally, you'd be surprised, but the hospital had cameras, this isn't much different. Beside, given how much money went into this room it was reasonable for someone to keep a close eye.
Looking down, your bed looks straight out of a rich man's home as well. It was the size of a car, in both directions. Throwing the covers to the side you test your legs. They hit the ground, and instead of the crushing weight of your body they feel nothing.
In fact you feel lighter than you've ever felt before. Despite yourself, you jump a little, and everything lifts off the ground effortlessly. Checking your arms, you see that they've gotten their hair back as well. A smile worms its way onto your face and you sprint to the desk with the mirror. It's bolted to the desk, making it harder to get a good angle of your face. But you manage to look into the mirror and your old face looks right back at you.
You're grinning like an idiot, but you don't mind.
You look around the desk and something gets your attention. In the center there's a handwritten note taped to the top of the desk.
You glance up at the cameras, everyone of them now trained on you. Then you look around the room. Wait no, your room. There's probably a lot of things in the cupboards, and you also spy a remote for the tv. Then, your eyes land on the door leading out of the room. No limits to where you can and can't go huh?
You've been given freedom to do whatever, so you...
[] Stay in your room and wait for the Cauldron staff to come get you.
-[] Spend your time going through the ins and outs of your room
-[] Spend your time watching some tv, listen to the news or something, get your mind off of hospitals and cancer.
-[] Write in
[] Head out of your room
-[] Go looking for someone, see if they can explain any lingering questions you might have.
-[] Go looking for nothing in particular, just start exploring.
-[] Write in
So you reach out, your hand hovering over each of the vials. With each one of them, you feel something different. Pulsing energy, flowing feelings, even something that made you feel like you could bench press a mountain. But your hand stops over the vial that shined with an almost gold hue. It seems… alive. You touch it, and you feel something more.
Power.
Raw, unexplainable power.
You fingers find themselves wrapping around it, your body not waiting for your mind to reach a decision. It's heavier than you thought it would be, but then again, your muscles have seen better days.
The second your hand is clear of the case, Doctor Mother snaps it shut. She sets the case by her side, picking her notepad up once more as you work on the cap for the vial. It pops off almost effortlessly. It occurs to you that it was probably made like that so you could get it off easily. But it probably wasn't a good idea to keep something that can cure cancer in such a loose container.
The cap falls to the floor and neither of you bother to watch it fall. You stare at the liquid within for no other reason that you can. Shaking the vial a bit, you see that it doesn't move like a liquid. It stays perfectly still, with the bubbles at the bottom of the cannister moving being the only indication of change.
"Do I just… drink it?"
Doctor Mother looks at you with the same passive stare.
You nod "Got it."
Then just for fun, you hold the vial up like a glass towards Doctor Mother "Cheers."
The Doctor's expression doesn't change, a shame, that was kind of funny. Holding back a sigh you take another look at the liquid.
This… this is going to cure you?
It was strange. A few seconds ago you were ready to believe anything. But now that you have the one thing that you've wanted for the last three months of your life, you're hesitating. It's stupid, honestly.
So what if this is some kind of trick? It's not like you can get any worse, you can't exactly top cancer in terms of life threatening conditions.
Swallowing your fear you lift the vial to your lips. You point the bottom to the sky, allowing gravity to take hold. You feel, rather than see, the golden liquid slowly make it's way down your throat.
It's almost chunky, as if ... a joke and in truth it was a collection of shattered somethings. Despite that you force it down your throat. It doesn't have a taste, and when you get the last of it you feel nothing.
Disappointment is the first thing that comes back to you. You open your eyes, and check on the vial. Sure enough you took in every last drop. You look to Doctor Mother, still writing away on her notes. She clicks her pen, and quickly pulls your pillow from under your back and setting it back on the edge of the bed where it belongs.
You raise an eyebrow, or you would have if you still had the hair required. The good doctor remains passive "It's for when the Agent finds it's way."
"Agent?" You ask.
Doctor Mother nods "Indeed, I said Agent. It is currently worming its way through your bloodstream. In a second it will reach your brain."
She clicks her pen and rises from her seat, picking up her suitcase along the way. You reach for her, to try and ask.
And then it happens.
The first part of you to go is your arm, the same arm that you used to reach for answers. It crashes to the covers of your bed, leaving you staring at the limb in shock. Your finger's and tendons twist and crack, jerking in unnatural angles. But despite seeing it happen right in front of you, you can't feel anything. Then the same starts happening to your legs. You see them shift under the covers, probably working the same grotesque motions that your arm is moving in. Then your back gives out, forcing you to fall back onto your bed.
A second later, every part of your body is affected but you can't feel a thing. The only thing that you can still do with clarity is breathe. Air goes in and out of your, faster and faster, as the beeping of your heart moniter gets louder and louder.
Panic takes you, pushing rational thought out of your head as instinct takes over.
You're going to die aren't you?! You were tricked, somehow this was supposed to happen!
You're going to die, and there's nothing you can do.
The sound of your heartbeat in the monitor grows into a symphony of artificial noise. It gets faster and faster, as if it was racing towards the end without your consent.
Your eyes force themselves shut, and you can't see a thing. If that wasn't alarming enough, you hear the sound of the door locking behind you. Doctor Mother she's... she's leaving you to die isn't she?
Cold, dreadful fear takes hold of you, replacing the panic in its entirety. You try to move, but you can't. That realization only makes the fear grow colder.
You can't see, you can't move a muscle, you can only hear the sound of the IV signaling the sound of your heart breaking itself apart.
The sound of it consumes you. There's nothing you can do, there was no fighting this. There was only the sound, counting down until your heart couldn't beat anymore.
In a cruel twist of fate, you feel a tear make its way down your face.
What did you to deserve this? You only had three months yes, but you still wanted to live!
You were just joking, things could get worse. You know that now, so please, for the love of god, stop this!
You still had things you needed to see! You needed to be there when your sister made her way in the world! You needed to be there when you brother made his mark! You had to forgive your father for his faults! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO DIE BEFORE YOU COULD DO ANY OF THAT!?
You don't know the answer, you don't think anyone knows.
Beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep.
Be-
The sound cuts off and you can't breathe anymore.
You hear the sound of the door opening, and then…
Nothing.
You're.... are you dead?
When you finally come to the first thing you notice is that your head is beating like a freaking drum.
In hindsight, it's a good thing that the first thing that you feel confirms that you didn't just die. But it didn't help the fact that it still hurts like hell.
You slowly get up, pushing the thick covers off of you as you rub your head. You try to fight down the migraine, your fingers running through your hair as you wor-
Instantly, the migraine is forced out of your head as another realization comes to you. You run both your hands over your head feeling the wiry sensation of an unkept head of hair.
You… you have hair?
How long have you been out that you're hair could have grown back?
No, better question. If your hair was back, did that mean...
A sound comes out of you, something between a shocked gasp and barking laughter. You don't know what it is, but you find yourself making the same noise over and over again as your hands continue to confirm the hair on your head.
You sit there doing nothing but reveling in the confirmation that you were cured. It's true, it's fucking true! Every inch of you buzzes with excitement as it hits you.
YOU WERE GOING TO LIVE!
To say that you're happy is an understatement. You're ecstatic, you're ready to jump and run around the world just because you have the time to do so. You're teeming with the prospect that you can live the life you wanted.
You can see your family achieve their dreams, you can achieve your own! Who the fuck cares what happens next, you're alive!
You hoop, holler and scream for all you're worth. The sound is huge, healthy and full of life. That realization only cements the smile on your face. You beat the covers of your bed like a child in the sandbox. If there was a girl in the room, you would have kissed her without a fear in the world. You would jump off a damned cliff into the sea! Why? Because cancer couldn't keep you down, you were here to stay!
You don't know how long it takes you, but the high finally lowers itself enough for you to look around the room.
You thought you were in your hospital bed, given the sheets, but now that you look around you have no clue where you might be. The room itself is as big as your old classrooms with enough accessories to make you feel like you stole a billionaire's fortune and bought yourself a house. The entire right wall next to your bed is one big window looking out over the ocean. The other had a open door, leading into a walk in closet with more clothes than you ever remember having. Another wall had a huge, theater sized tv, along with a work bench that held a mirror and a few phones.
Looking up, you see that the lights seem to be adjusting to your vision, helping your eyes take in the entire room. You also catch a few cameras. Normally, you'd be surprised, but the hospital had cameras, this isn't much different. Beside, given how much money went into this room it was reasonable for someone to keep a close eye.
Looking down, your bed looks straight out of a rich man's home as well. It was the size of a car, in both directions. Throwing the covers to the side you test your legs. They hit the ground, and instead of the crushing weight of your body they feel nothing.
In fact you feel lighter than you've ever felt before. Despite yourself, you jump a little, and everything lifts off the ground effortlessly. Checking your arms, you see that they've gotten their hair back as well. A smile worms its way onto your face and you sprint to the desk with the mirror. It's bolted to the desk, making it harder to get a good angle of your face. But you manage to look into the mirror and your old face looks right back at you.
You're grinning like an idiot, but you don't mind.
You look around the desk and something gets your attention. In the center there's a handwritten note taped to the top of the desk.
Master Alex Everett, if you are reading this, then you have at last awoken from your slumber. Do not be alarmed about your surroundings, they were intended to help ease the transition to the fact that you have been moved to our facility.
If you have any questions, simply speaking into the phone provided will contact you with one of our personnel.
Our staff have already been alerted by your awakening, so if you wish you may remain where you are. Or, if you wish, you may explore the facility. We ask that you do not enter any of the occupied rooms, as the other patients might still be resting. Beyond that there is no quarantine room in the entire building.
Explore the building if you wish, or remain in your room. As one of the few chosen, the choice is yours to make.
Thank you for trusting our good Doctor Mother.
Welcome to Cauldron.
If you have any questions, simply speaking into the phone provided will contact you with one of our personnel.
Our staff have already been alerted by your awakening, so if you wish you may remain where you are. Or, if you wish, you may explore the facility. We ask that you do not enter any of the occupied rooms, as the other patients might still be resting. Beyond that there is no quarantine room in the entire building.
Explore the building if you wish, or remain in your room. As one of the few chosen, the choice is yours to make.
Thank you for trusting our good Doctor Mother.
Welcome to Cauldron.
You glance up at the cameras, everyone of them now trained on you. Then you look around the room. Wait no, your room. There's probably a lot of things in the cupboards, and you also spy a remote for the tv. Then, your eyes land on the door leading out of the room. No limits to where you can and can't go huh?
You've been given freedom to do whatever, so you...
[] Stay in your room and wait for the Cauldron staff to come get you.
-[] Spend your time going through the ins and outs of your room
-[] Spend your time watching some tv, listen to the news or something, get your mind off of hospitals and cancer.
-[] Write in
[] Head out of your room
-[] Go looking for someone, see if they can explain any lingering questions you might have.
-[] Go looking for nothing in particular, just start exploring.
-[] Write in
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1.4: Strange New World
IKnowNothing
....What?
- Location
- I got lost so.....Where are we?
Your room probably has more goodies than you could have imagined being crammed into even the most luxurious hotel room, but you're heading towards the door before you can stop yourself. You're in the middle of some unknown facility with free access to do whatever.
This is the closest thing to a First Class ticket that you've ever gotten in your life.
Each step is easier than the last, to the point that when you get to the door you feel almost weightless. You touch the handle of the door, and it swings open by itself. You lean out into the hall, checking if anyone is there. But you don't see anyone else other than yourself.
The halls are lined with bland white walls on all four sides. The only change that you can see is the corner at the other end of the hallway. With nowhere else to go, you start walking. The steps continue to get easier, probably your muscles finally being able to move like they were supposed to after all this time. You pass a door leading into another room. It's still in the same hallway as your room, so it was probably for the other chosen that the letter talked about.
It also said that you weren't supposed to disturb them. Either way, you're probably going to meet them some time later. You've got time now, might as well use it. Continuing on, you pass by two other rooms before turning in the available space. The second you round the corner, you're forced to stop as it becomes a dead end. An elevator is etched into the wall. You take a step forward, and it opens for you.
Well, doors seem to be very nice here.
Setting your musings aside, you head into the elevator and check the available buttons. Instead of floors, there is simply labels and a list of different numbers. Of the labels you can read you see Lab, Testing, Food, Main Office, Directors Storage, and finally Quarters. That one is still blinking red, probably indicating that's where you were.
Well you haven't had breakfast yet, might as well change that.
You press the Food button and the light starts blinking yellow before flashing red.
"Food courts not in operation during training hours."
The disembodied voice comes out of seemingly no where, making you jump and scaring the crap out of you. The lights above you intensify for a second as you try and make sense of what you heard. You check for speakers, but you can't see a thing. Then again, this place has cameras, hidden speakers aren't that far a step up.
With Food out of the picture, you're left with the other options. You could pick one of the number buttons, but that sounds like a good way to get lost.
Oh to hell with it.
You reach out, and press the closest button on the panel. Looking down, you see the button labeled OT-3 blinking a soft green light. OT? Observation? Bit of a stretch yeah, but it's better than nothing. The elevator doors slide to a shut, hissing as they seal themselves shut. The light above you flickers for a second, but then returns to normal. The ride… down? You really don't know what direction you're going. The elevator is seamless, no jolting or sound of any kind coming from the machinery. It seems perfect, at the peak of technology.
The doors hiss once more as they open, revealing the most open room you've ever seen in your life. It looks something straight out of the spy movies your dad liked to watch. Mirror polished floors, more space than you can care to fit anything in, along with windows lining all four walls. All you needed is a giant round table with evil business people sitting around it and it would be perfect.
You step out of the elevator and the doors slide back into place. It could be going up or down, but you have no idea. You check around the room, the windows more specifically. This place is supposed to be observation, probably just the vista. You head to your left, picking the direction at random. As you get closer, you start to see the vibrant blues and silver winds of the ocean staring back at you.
The sun is shining perfectly overhead, framing the sight in an almost perfect rainbow hue. Pressing your hand against the glass, you stare out at the sight before you. You weren't just overlooking the ocean like you thought back in your room, you were overlooking the ocean from atop what looked like a mountain. The sheer drop of the cliff is so big that you can barely see the bottom. In fact, you can only see the bottom because it's surrounded by ocean.
The cliff face seems to just drop to the waters below, but you can see a small silver circle at the base. Is it a landing platform for a helicopter or something? Weren't those things supposed to be on the roof of something?
You see something reflect the light on the platform.
Wait is that coming clos-
You're thrown back as something rushes past the window, shaking the entire building on its way by. Your ears scream as the unholy screeching threatens to break them apart. You're thrown backward, and you land hard on your back. But it doesn't hurt as much as you'd think it would.
You reach for a hand, trying to get up, but your head is still ringing from the sound. You put one foot under you and push, but you only manage to turn yourself over. You force your eyes shut, desperation to speed the process of regaining your bearings becoming the top priority. You manage to get one foot under you. It's shaky, but you manage to stand.
Only to immediately fall down once again as the shaking returns to the building. You manage to slam your face onto the plane of glass on the other side of the room. Man, that blast threw you pretty far. You rub your temples, trying to get your vision back. It's faster this time, given the blow isn't as hard. Your head is still ringing slightly, but at least you can see inside the observation window.
And what you see makes your jaw drop.
It's a large open room, not unlike the one you were in. It looks like a giant cube with silver tiles covering the surface. There were several targets lined along the edge of the room, making it seem like a very expensive firing range.
Now, that would be fine.
What wasn't fine was the fact that there was a guy fucking flying in the center of the room.
You blink, rub your eyes, pinch yourself, but the sight doesn't go away. Hovering in the center of the room, you see the back of a man in a tight fitting nylon suit that covered everything but his head.
He's flying…
How is…
What?
What is going on?
People can't fly? How the hell is he flying?
You're dreaming, that's is the only explanation. You're actually just on some sort of bad acid trip and you've been hallucinating all of this. Yeah, that explains the flying men and voices out of nowhere.
The man in a suit raises his hand, his fingertips charging with energy. You can hear a faint humming through the glass. Is that… coming from him?
The energy grows until it fires in twin lances of blue and white energy that hits the targets. One is frozen solid, another is on fire.
… he just shot lasers… how did he shoot lasers?
Yep, you're definitely on acid.
Just go back to your room, lie down, and wake up in a place where things make sense. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.
Your legs move on autopilot, guiding you away from the glass and back to the elevator. The second you're close enough, you press the call button as fast as you can. It flashes green and then to yellow. You don't know what that meant but it doesn't stop you from pressing the button faster.
You don't care if it was bad, you're getting the hell out of this crazy place!
A second passes, than another, but still no elevator. The flashing yellow light goes red, and you hear some kind of spark. It flashes over the button, and the light promptly shuts off.
... oh god please don't be dead.
You press the button, but all you manage to do is elicit the clicking sound of it going into the wall socket. You try again, and again, you're met with nothing.
You're stuck here, aren't you?
...shit.
The sound of fire and explosions forces you to turn back to the room with the flying man. Risking a peak, you take a step back towards the glass and you notice him slowly floating back down to the ground. You see him stumble as he hits the ground, like this flying thing is new to him. He rolls his shoulders and for some strange reason, he looks right up at you.
You may or may not have screeched like a little girl and jumped back when he did, but that's besides the point.
No matter how it actually went down, the truth is that you're back on your ass on the ground. But, once again, it doesn't hurt that much. Actually, it's more like it only hurts for a second before everything's fine.
You barely notice as he flies up to the pane of glass to get a better look at you. At first glance, the guy looks like one of those jocks who planned on being a supermodel when they left school. His features looked straight out of young adult magazine. Wavy brown, good features, and a square jaw to finish up the look.
He stares at you, confusion clear on his face. It only lasts a second, then he flashes a smile and waves.
"Hi there."
… ok, the flying man is polite. That's a plus, you guess.
You raise a shaky hand and wave back "...uh… hi?"
Your answer seems to trip up the flying man, an expression of shock overtaking him. Then, he sees that he's flying and he nods in understanding.
"It's a bit weird seeing it for the first time, I know. But trust me, you're not on drugs, you're not dreaming, this is really happening."
It takes all of your mental fortitude not to scream bullshit at the flying man, but that probably isn't the best idea to say that to someone you just met. Especially if that someone can shoot lasers.
"Hey!" He calls, tapping on the glass "You ok there?"
You raise an eyebrow "Yeah, I'm fine."
"You were blanking there for a second."
"Well in my defence, I just woke up after figuring out that I was cured of… something and saw you shoot."
You slowly get up and mime lasers with your hands. You might have made pew pew sounds, but they probably weren't that loud. At least, you hope they aren't.
He nods "Yeah, one of the gifts that came from my vial."
Vial? The hell is he talking… wait, is he talking about the same vial that took away your cancer?
Did that mean… no.
No way.
No way in hell.
Before you can ask anything, his eyes widen in realization "Hey you wouldn't happen to be Alex, would you?"
If you wanted to hide your surprise, you fail spectacularly. You never were very good at doing that sort of thing anyway.
"Yeah." You confirm, albeit hesitantly.
He smiles "Well it's good to finally meet you Alex. I'm Matthew, I'd shake your hand but the glass makes things rather difficult. Are you here for training?"
"Yeah I'm," You stop yourself from saying another word.
Too many things didn't make sense, and it was coming too fast!
"No!" You scream, your voice cracking from the stress of all of this crazy shit.
"I'm… what the hell do you mean training?! How are you flying?! What is this talk about vials?! Where the hell am I and why are you so calm about this?!"
You pant, you rant, draining your energy as Matthew just looks on. He doesn't seem offended by your outburst. If anything, he seems to understand.
"Anything else?" He asks.
"Give me a minute and I'll find something else to scream about, just you wait." You promise.
"Well, I'll be more than happy to explain things if you'd let me." Matthew says.
Your eyes widen "Yes, please."
Matthew smiles again "First things first, you're in-."
Whatever Matthew wants to say next, it's cut off by the most godawful alarm sound you've heard in your life. You cover you ears and shut your eyes to block out the sound, but it pierces straight through your flimsy barricades. You crack a single eye open just in time for you to see Matthew try to scream something at you.
You can't hear him, you can't hear a single thing over this noise! No, not noise, pain! It feels as if your ears are tearing themselves apart. It doesn't stop, it's just the same beeping over and over again!
Beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep
God you hate that sound.
You want it to stop, you need to make it stop!
IT HAS TO STOP!
You feel a spark, and then something snaps.
The sound falls to the background as a new sensation fills your senses. It was like hitting the cold water for the first time, everything goes into shock, and for a second, you don't know what you're feeling exactly.
You feel that moment, but it doesn't end.
Instead of your senses filling with sound, the temperature of the room or even the breeze on your face, you feel something else hitting you. It's gentle, barely noticeable, but it's coming from everywhere. Every direction, every part of you is hit with this gentle force. They hit you, but you know that they could be greater.
They were holding themselves back.
All it took… is a little push.
So you reach out a hand, and you push for it.
The horrible sound comes rushing back to you, hitting you like a runaway train. Then, a new sound fills your senses.
The sound of folding metal and shattering glass.
You crack open your eye to see Matthew holding out a hand, white energy cascading over his fingertips. He's looking at you in shock, and honestly, you can't blame him.
You were doing the same thing, just looking at the space between the two of you.
There isn't a glass wall anymore, and there were a few huge chunks of the floor missing as well, like some giant ripped the metal away. And floating in the space between the two of you is a metal ball. It doesn't bob or dip like a balloon. It just stays there, like you pressed the pause button on reality. Looking at it, you feel the faint sensation of weight on your shoulders. It's not physical, but you feel it, like someone strapped a small paper clip to your head.
You imagine throwing it to the side, letting go, and the ball of metal drops to the ground with a thud. You follow it down, your knees hitting the ground with a thud. You don't feel the impact, but you feel yourself shaking.
What… what is happening to you?
You hear your heart beating in your chest as you lift up a shaking hand. It's faint, but it's shining gold.
The same color of vial you took from Doctor Mother.
A shadow passes over you, and you look up to see Matthew. He's not exactly smiling, but he's not angry either.
After what feels like an eternity, he breaks the silence.
"Where do you want me to start?" he asks.
[] "How… how did I do that?"
[] "W-hat happened to me when I was asleep?"
[] "Am I sick?"
[] "W-where am I? Really?"
[] "What was that sound?"
This is the closest thing to a First Class ticket that you've ever gotten in your life.
Each step is easier than the last, to the point that when you get to the door you feel almost weightless. You touch the handle of the door, and it swings open by itself. You lean out into the hall, checking if anyone is there. But you don't see anyone else other than yourself.
The halls are lined with bland white walls on all four sides. The only change that you can see is the corner at the other end of the hallway. With nowhere else to go, you start walking. The steps continue to get easier, probably your muscles finally being able to move like they were supposed to after all this time. You pass a door leading into another room. It's still in the same hallway as your room, so it was probably for the other chosen that the letter talked about.
It also said that you weren't supposed to disturb them. Either way, you're probably going to meet them some time later. You've got time now, might as well use it. Continuing on, you pass by two other rooms before turning in the available space. The second you round the corner, you're forced to stop as it becomes a dead end. An elevator is etched into the wall. You take a step forward, and it opens for you.
Well, doors seem to be very nice here.
Setting your musings aside, you head into the elevator and check the available buttons. Instead of floors, there is simply labels and a list of different numbers. Of the labels you can read you see Lab, Testing, Food, Main Office, Directors Storage, and finally Quarters. That one is still blinking red, probably indicating that's where you were.
Well you haven't had breakfast yet, might as well change that.
You press the Food button and the light starts blinking yellow before flashing red.
"Food courts not in operation during training hours."
The disembodied voice comes out of seemingly no where, making you jump and scaring the crap out of you. The lights above you intensify for a second as you try and make sense of what you heard. You check for speakers, but you can't see a thing. Then again, this place has cameras, hidden speakers aren't that far a step up.
With Food out of the picture, you're left with the other options. You could pick one of the number buttons, but that sounds like a good way to get lost.
Oh to hell with it.
You reach out, and press the closest button on the panel. Looking down, you see the button labeled OT-3 blinking a soft green light. OT? Observation? Bit of a stretch yeah, but it's better than nothing. The elevator doors slide to a shut, hissing as they seal themselves shut. The light above you flickers for a second, but then returns to normal. The ride… down? You really don't know what direction you're going. The elevator is seamless, no jolting or sound of any kind coming from the machinery. It seems perfect, at the peak of technology.
The doors hiss once more as they open, revealing the most open room you've ever seen in your life. It looks something straight out of the spy movies your dad liked to watch. Mirror polished floors, more space than you can care to fit anything in, along with windows lining all four walls. All you needed is a giant round table with evil business people sitting around it and it would be perfect.
You step out of the elevator and the doors slide back into place. It could be going up or down, but you have no idea. You check around the room, the windows more specifically. This place is supposed to be observation, probably just the vista. You head to your left, picking the direction at random. As you get closer, you start to see the vibrant blues and silver winds of the ocean staring back at you.
The sun is shining perfectly overhead, framing the sight in an almost perfect rainbow hue. Pressing your hand against the glass, you stare out at the sight before you. You weren't just overlooking the ocean like you thought back in your room, you were overlooking the ocean from atop what looked like a mountain. The sheer drop of the cliff is so big that you can barely see the bottom. In fact, you can only see the bottom because it's surrounded by ocean.
The cliff face seems to just drop to the waters below, but you can see a small silver circle at the base. Is it a landing platform for a helicopter or something? Weren't those things supposed to be on the roof of something?
You see something reflect the light on the platform.
Wait is that coming clos-
You're thrown back as something rushes past the window, shaking the entire building on its way by. Your ears scream as the unholy screeching threatens to break them apart. You're thrown backward, and you land hard on your back. But it doesn't hurt as much as you'd think it would.
You reach for a hand, trying to get up, but your head is still ringing from the sound. You put one foot under you and push, but you only manage to turn yourself over. You force your eyes shut, desperation to speed the process of regaining your bearings becoming the top priority. You manage to get one foot under you. It's shaky, but you manage to stand.
Only to immediately fall down once again as the shaking returns to the building. You manage to slam your face onto the plane of glass on the other side of the room. Man, that blast threw you pretty far. You rub your temples, trying to get your vision back. It's faster this time, given the blow isn't as hard. Your head is still ringing slightly, but at least you can see inside the observation window.
And what you see makes your jaw drop.
It's a large open room, not unlike the one you were in. It looks like a giant cube with silver tiles covering the surface. There were several targets lined along the edge of the room, making it seem like a very expensive firing range.
Now, that would be fine.
What wasn't fine was the fact that there was a guy fucking flying in the center of the room.
You blink, rub your eyes, pinch yourself, but the sight doesn't go away. Hovering in the center of the room, you see the back of a man in a tight fitting nylon suit that covered everything but his head.
He's flying…
How is…
What?
What is going on?
People can't fly? How the hell is he flying?
You're dreaming, that's is the only explanation. You're actually just on some sort of bad acid trip and you've been hallucinating all of this. Yeah, that explains the flying men and voices out of nowhere.
The man in a suit raises his hand, his fingertips charging with energy. You can hear a faint humming through the glass. Is that… coming from him?
The energy grows until it fires in twin lances of blue and white energy that hits the targets. One is frozen solid, another is on fire.
… he just shot lasers… how did he shoot lasers?
Yep, you're definitely on acid.
Just go back to your room, lie down, and wake up in a place where things make sense. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.
Your legs move on autopilot, guiding you away from the glass and back to the elevator. The second you're close enough, you press the call button as fast as you can. It flashes green and then to yellow. You don't know what that meant but it doesn't stop you from pressing the button faster.
You don't care if it was bad, you're getting the hell out of this crazy place!
A second passes, than another, but still no elevator. The flashing yellow light goes red, and you hear some kind of spark. It flashes over the button, and the light promptly shuts off.
... oh god please don't be dead.
You press the button, but all you manage to do is elicit the clicking sound of it going into the wall socket. You try again, and again, you're met with nothing.
You're stuck here, aren't you?
...shit.
The sound of fire and explosions forces you to turn back to the room with the flying man. Risking a peak, you take a step back towards the glass and you notice him slowly floating back down to the ground. You see him stumble as he hits the ground, like this flying thing is new to him. He rolls his shoulders and for some strange reason, he looks right up at you.
You may or may not have screeched like a little girl and jumped back when he did, but that's besides the point.
No matter how it actually went down, the truth is that you're back on your ass on the ground. But, once again, it doesn't hurt that much. Actually, it's more like it only hurts for a second before everything's fine.
You barely notice as he flies up to the pane of glass to get a better look at you. At first glance, the guy looks like one of those jocks who planned on being a supermodel when they left school. His features looked straight out of young adult magazine. Wavy brown, good features, and a square jaw to finish up the look.
He stares at you, confusion clear on his face. It only lasts a second, then he flashes a smile and waves.
"Hi there."
… ok, the flying man is polite. That's a plus, you guess.
You raise a shaky hand and wave back "...uh… hi?"
Your answer seems to trip up the flying man, an expression of shock overtaking him. Then, he sees that he's flying and he nods in understanding.
"It's a bit weird seeing it for the first time, I know. But trust me, you're not on drugs, you're not dreaming, this is really happening."
It takes all of your mental fortitude not to scream bullshit at the flying man, but that probably isn't the best idea to say that to someone you just met. Especially if that someone can shoot lasers.
"Hey!" He calls, tapping on the glass "You ok there?"
You raise an eyebrow "Yeah, I'm fine."
"You were blanking there for a second."
"Well in my defence, I just woke up after figuring out that I was cured of… something and saw you shoot."
You slowly get up and mime lasers with your hands. You might have made pew pew sounds, but they probably weren't that loud. At least, you hope they aren't.
He nods "Yeah, one of the gifts that came from my vial."
Vial? The hell is he talking… wait, is he talking about the same vial that took away your cancer?
Did that mean… no.
No way.
No way in hell.
Before you can ask anything, his eyes widen in realization "Hey you wouldn't happen to be Alex, would you?"
If you wanted to hide your surprise, you fail spectacularly. You never were very good at doing that sort of thing anyway.
"Yeah." You confirm, albeit hesitantly.
He smiles "Well it's good to finally meet you Alex. I'm Matthew, I'd shake your hand but the glass makes things rather difficult. Are you here for training?"
"Yeah I'm," You stop yourself from saying another word.
Too many things didn't make sense, and it was coming too fast!
"No!" You scream, your voice cracking from the stress of all of this crazy shit.
"I'm… what the hell do you mean training?! How are you flying?! What is this talk about vials?! Where the hell am I and why are you so calm about this?!"
You pant, you rant, draining your energy as Matthew just looks on. He doesn't seem offended by your outburst. If anything, he seems to understand.
"Anything else?" He asks.
"Give me a minute and I'll find something else to scream about, just you wait." You promise.
"Well, I'll be more than happy to explain things if you'd let me." Matthew says.
Your eyes widen "Yes, please."
Matthew smiles again "First things first, you're in-."
Whatever Matthew wants to say next, it's cut off by the most godawful alarm sound you've heard in your life. You cover you ears and shut your eyes to block out the sound, but it pierces straight through your flimsy barricades. You crack a single eye open just in time for you to see Matthew try to scream something at you.
You can't hear him, you can't hear a single thing over this noise! No, not noise, pain! It feels as if your ears are tearing themselves apart. It doesn't stop, it's just the same beeping over and over again!
Beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep
God you hate that sound.
You want it to stop, you need to make it stop!
IT HAS TO STOP!
You feel a spark, and then something snaps.
The sound falls to the background as a new sensation fills your senses. It was like hitting the cold water for the first time, everything goes into shock, and for a second, you don't know what you're feeling exactly.
You feel that moment, but it doesn't end.
Instead of your senses filling with sound, the temperature of the room or even the breeze on your face, you feel something else hitting you. It's gentle, barely noticeable, but it's coming from everywhere. Every direction, every part of you is hit with this gentle force. They hit you, but you know that they could be greater.
They were holding themselves back.
All it took… is a little push.
So you reach out a hand, and you push for it.
The horrible sound comes rushing back to you, hitting you like a runaway train. Then, a new sound fills your senses.
The sound of folding metal and shattering glass.
You crack open your eye to see Matthew holding out a hand, white energy cascading over his fingertips. He's looking at you in shock, and honestly, you can't blame him.
You were doing the same thing, just looking at the space between the two of you.
There isn't a glass wall anymore, and there were a few huge chunks of the floor missing as well, like some giant ripped the metal away. And floating in the space between the two of you is a metal ball. It doesn't bob or dip like a balloon. It just stays there, like you pressed the pause button on reality. Looking at it, you feel the faint sensation of weight on your shoulders. It's not physical, but you feel it, like someone strapped a small paper clip to your head.
You imagine throwing it to the side, letting go, and the ball of metal drops to the ground with a thud. You follow it down, your knees hitting the ground with a thud. You don't feel the impact, but you feel yourself shaking.
What… what is happening to you?
You hear your heart beating in your chest as you lift up a shaking hand. It's faint, but it's shining gold.
The same color of vial you took from Doctor Mother.
A shadow passes over you, and you look up to see Matthew. He's not exactly smiling, but he's not angry either.
After what feels like an eternity, he breaks the silence.
"Where do you want me to start?" he asks.
[] "How… how did I do that?"
[] "W-hat happened to me when I was asleep?"
[] "Am I sick?"
[] "W-where am I? Really?"
[] "What was that sound?"
1.5: Strange New...Me I guess
IKnowNothing
....What?
- Location
- I got lost so.....Where are we?
Where do you want to start? It's a better question when things start to make sense again.
Three months ago, you were just a kid trying to get enough money to pay for college. Three months ago, your biggest fear was your sister drinking all the soda before you came back from your runs.
Three days ago, you were just a kid trying to get through the nightmare called cancer with his friend.
Three minutes ago, you were just a normal kid.
Right now though, you feel like those three minutes are an eternity away. Matthew doesn't judge. He just stands there, allowing you to come to terms with the revelation that's in front of you.
Despite your head telling you otherwise, you pick up the metal ball. Or you try to at least. The thing is only the size of a baseball, but it feels like it weighs hundreds of pounds. You grit your teeth and in your mind's eye, you see something picking it up.
Then, right before your eyes, it flies up again.
Once again, the familiar paperweight attaches itself to your mind. Now that you experience it again, it feels more like you're concentrating on something in the distance. But you're not concentrating that hard. It feels like you're only giving it a passing interest, the barest of glances that only lasts an instant. So instead of throwing the weight off, you focus on the image harder. You feel a spark again, and the ball shrinks as some force crushes it from all sides.
You jump back and throw off the weight on your head. Once again, the second the weight leaves the ball falls to the ground. Only this time, it leaves a noticeable dent in the floor.
The sound is enough to send shivers down your spine and a bead of sweat down your neck.
That shouldn't be possible.
But it happened.
You shouldn't be able to do something like that!
But you did.
You look down at your hands, and the golden glow is the first thing that catches your vision. It only lasts a second, but you're definitely glowing. It… it doesn't even look like your hand anymore.
It looks like part of something that isn't human.
But it shakes when you feel like you should be shaking. And it raises when you want to point a shaking finger at the ball on the ground.
"How… how did I do that?"
Matthew nods in understanding. He carefully floats to the ground and takes a seat next to you, his suit shifting to a blue color as he sighs. Something to do with heat? Or was it one of those mood things that changed color just turned into a suit?
He holds up his hand, and white and blue energy starts dancing around his fingers.
"I could repeat what Doctor Mother told me when I woke up, but I'm not going to mince words. You're not normal anymore Alex, you're something…" He pierces his lips, trying to come up with the right word.
"More." He says.
You look down at your hand and shake your head "I don't feel any different."
"Neither do I." He says "At least, I do when I'm not doing this. But the fact is that we can do things that normal people, that logic says we can't do."
"But how!" You scream "This doesn't make any sense! None of this does!"
Matthew sets a hand on your shoulder. It's a calming gesture, he's just trying to help, but it takes everything you had not to punch him square in the jaw just because.
"Alex, mind if I ask you something?"
You shrug your shoulders "If it helps me make sense, then go for it."
There isn't any point in saying no, there doesn't seem like much point to anything anymore.
"Where were you when Doctor Mother came to you?"
You look at him, eyebrow raised. His response is just to give you a look that said something along the lines of 'humor me'.
You shift where you sit "I was in the hospital." You say "I was…. Sick."
Your voice is barely a whisper, but thankfully Matthew caught on.
"And when you thought everything was only going to get worse, Doctor Mother came in with a case and asked if you believed in superheros."
Silence is your only answer.
"The vial that she gave you, the liquid that cured your sickness. Well, it also gave you superpowers. Yes, it's insane, but think for a moment and try to find a logical explanation to what you've seen me do. To what you've done."
Once again, silence reigns. He's right, you know he is, but you're still trying to think of ways around that fact. You could be on drugs?
Everything still feels and sounds the same.
You could be dreaming?
You can still feel.
You could be dead and this is the afterlife?
That means you're dead, and….
You look at your hand for what feels like the millionth time today. You focus on your palm, and the golden glow begins to envelop your hand.
You can't get much better evidence than that to prove that you're different now.
The limb falls uselessly to the ground, hitting the metal, but you don't feel anything except the cold. You look at Matthew and he looks back with an almost mournful smile.
"Sorry, but it's just the price of living a little longer. In your case at least."
Silence ensues again. Matthew doesn't seem to mind. He's kind enough to let you sit here and just… think. You're a superhero now?
Doctor Mother's first question now seems a lot more important right now.
You glance to Matthew and break the silence with a single question.
"So… what can you do?"
"I can fire beams of energy and make them fly in almost any direction I want, along with making them be capable of doing almost whatever I want. And I can fly." He answers.
"Well you just got the fun pack of powers didn't you?" You joke, but it rings hollow.
"Hey now, don't be like that. You can rip apart the ground and shatter glass like it's nothing."
Despite everything that's happened, despite the world falling apart at the seams, you laugh.
"Making me sound kind of worthless when you deadpan it like that."
Matthew shakes his head and points at the ball "Alex, that glass that you broke, it's bullet proof. The metal on the floor? Doctor Mother told me that it's strong enough to pass for tank armor. You took those materials, and you ripped them free without any visible effort."
"It hurt like hell." You say.
"That was the room." Matthew clarifies "What you're standing in right now is OT-3. Or in other words, Optophone training. It was made for people like us to train against sounds that could otherwise disoriented or even kill us. The glass is super reinforced for this reason, so it doesn't shatter when the training starts. What hit you was the starting level. If you were normal, it would have disrupted the balance in your inner ear and knocked you out cold. But instead, you're abilities activated and the system shut itself off when it recognized the damage."
You glance at the remains of the metal ball in front of you. Reaching over, you wrap your hand around it and heave. Your muscles strain, but the ball barely budges. Letting go, you sit back down next to Matthew. The laser man gestures with his hand and you raise an eyebrow.
He waves his hand, and his finger's glow again.
"Just... at least try."
Oh, right.
Not knowing any better, you reach out a hand and point at the ball. Something sparks, in the corner of your vision, and you feel the same gentle force. Now that there isn't any sound distracting you, you can finally feel them with a greater clarity.
It's like you're standing at the edge of a hundred oceans, the tide hitting you from every direction at the same moment. It's rhythmic. It holds you in place, it holds you down. You can feel it affecting everything. You, Matthew, the ball, the room, even things outside the room that you don't know about. This energy is holding everything in place. You shouldn't be able to feel it, but you can.
Ignoring the feeling washing over everything else, you instead focus on the ball. You imagine the tides of the ocean getting stronger, allowing water to come in from all sides.
You hear the sound of metal screaming as it's limits are utterly destroyed for the favor of a greater force. Right before your eyes, the ball of armor and glass grows smaller.
No, you're just crushing it from all sides and compressing it.
It feels as easy as walking and breathing at the same time. You feel like you could continue doing this for hours without trying.
Just for kicks, you imagine the ocean directly above it to stop. There's a sound like a gunshot as the ball shoots towards the ceiling. The metal above you groans in protest for an instant before relenting and allowing the ball to continue on through, as it rips a huge hole in the metal. You manage to catch it fly through the it and into the blue sky above.
A second passes.
Then two.
Then a minute.
You lean forward, trying to get a better look up the hole. Next to you, Matthew copies the action with blinking eyes.
"It's not coming down, is it?" You ask.
"I don't think it is, no." Matthew agrees "But despite losing a piece of Cauldron property, I think we have a better idea what your power is."
"Yeah," You agree.
You're moving things with your head. Telekinetic? Is that the word? It was a decent trade off. Be cured, get superpowers.
Still doesn't make the change any easier to take, but it's a start.
"What happens now?" You ask, mostly to yourself.
Matthew shrugs "That's up to you. But if I could give a word of advice, I would say that you need some training. These gifts take time to... control. Wouldn't want what happened to the wall to happen to someone else sometime down the road now do we?"
The image of someone being compressed like the metal flashes through your head. The urge to spill whatever food you have left in your system grows but you manage to keep it down.
"Are you volunteering?" You ask
Matthew shakes his head "I'd be happy to help once you get a good handle, but I don't want to drag you down beforehand. I'm still getting a handle on my own powers."
He gets to his feet and begins floating off the ground "But don't worry, there's a lot of different people in the building who are a lot more suited to this sort of thing than me. The elevator should be open by now. Head to the it and click the button for the lab. You'll find someone who would be more than willing to give you some hard numbers on your abilities. If that's not what you want, head to the main office and Doctor Mother straighten anything else that. Failing that, head to the testing room if you just want to talk to someone and cope."
You mentally replay the words in your head so you don't forget "Got it, what about you?"
Matthew lets out a face splitting grin "I'm going to see how far that ball of yours went. Someone is going to ask for it when you bring it up, might as well help you out as you get settled."
You blink, this is unexpectedly kind. You're used to people saying they'll do something, and then just leaving you. Now there's a guy willing to find a little metal ball just because it could clear some things up for you later.
"Thank you Matthew."
The flying man shrugs "Hey, what are friends for?"
He shoots into the air and flies through the hole. With nothing better to do, you get up off your rear end and make your way to the elevator. You barely feel your feet hitting the ground as you walk, almost like you're just as weightless as that ball. You take the few steps towards the elevator and press the call button. The light flashes green and the doors open with a hiss. You step inside, and glance at the panel.
[] Head to the lab. If you have powers now, you better find the limits. You'd rather not have another panic attack and hurt someone
[] Head to the Office. You're in a new world, with new ideas, people and questions. You'd like some answers.
[] Head to Testing. You've had enough surprises for one day. If you could just talk it through with a friend, that would be good.
Three months ago, you were just a kid trying to get enough money to pay for college. Three months ago, your biggest fear was your sister drinking all the soda before you came back from your runs.
Three days ago, you were just a kid trying to get through the nightmare called cancer with his friend.
Three minutes ago, you were just a normal kid.
Right now though, you feel like those three minutes are an eternity away. Matthew doesn't judge. He just stands there, allowing you to come to terms with the revelation that's in front of you.
Despite your head telling you otherwise, you pick up the metal ball. Or you try to at least. The thing is only the size of a baseball, but it feels like it weighs hundreds of pounds. You grit your teeth and in your mind's eye, you see something picking it up.
Then, right before your eyes, it flies up again.
Once again, the familiar paperweight attaches itself to your mind. Now that you experience it again, it feels more like you're concentrating on something in the distance. But you're not concentrating that hard. It feels like you're only giving it a passing interest, the barest of glances that only lasts an instant. So instead of throwing the weight off, you focus on the image harder. You feel a spark again, and the ball shrinks as some force crushes it from all sides.
You jump back and throw off the weight on your head. Once again, the second the weight leaves the ball falls to the ground. Only this time, it leaves a noticeable dent in the floor.
The sound is enough to send shivers down your spine and a bead of sweat down your neck.
That shouldn't be possible.
But it happened.
You shouldn't be able to do something like that!
But you did.
You look down at your hands, and the golden glow is the first thing that catches your vision. It only lasts a second, but you're definitely glowing. It… it doesn't even look like your hand anymore.
It looks like part of something that isn't human.
But it shakes when you feel like you should be shaking. And it raises when you want to point a shaking finger at the ball on the ground.
"How… how did I do that?"
Matthew nods in understanding. He carefully floats to the ground and takes a seat next to you, his suit shifting to a blue color as he sighs. Something to do with heat? Or was it one of those mood things that changed color just turned into a suit?
He holds up his hand, and white and blue energy starts dancing around his fingers.
"I could repeat what Doctor Mother told me when I woke up, but I'm not going to mince words. You're not normal anymore Alex, you're something…" He pierces his lips, trying to come up with the right word.
"More." He says.
You look down at your hand and shake your head "I don't feel any different."
"Neither do I." He says "At least, I do when I'm not doing this. But the fact is that we can do things that normal people, that logic says we can't do."
"But how!" You scream "This doesn't make any sense! None of this does!"
Matthew sets a hand on your shoulder. It's a calming gesture, he's just trying to help, but it takes everything you had not to punch him square in the jaw just because.
"Alex, mind if I ask you something?"
You shrug your shoulders "If it helps me make sense, then go for it."
There isn't any point in saying no, there doesn't seem like much point to anything anymore.
"Where were you when Doctor Mother came to you?"
You look at him, eyebrow raised. His response is just to give you a look that said something along the lines of 'humor me'.
You shift where you sit "I was in the hospital." You say "I was…. Sick."
Your voice is barely a whisper, but thankfully Matthew caught on.
"And when you thought everything was only going to get worse, Doctor Mother came in with a case and asked if you believed in superheros."
Silence is your only answer.
"The vial that she gave you, the liquid that cured your sickness. Well, it also gave you superpowers. Yes, it's insane, but think for a moment and try to find a logical explanation to what you've seen me do. To what you've done."
Once again, silence reigns. He's right, you know he is, but you're still trying to think of ways around that fact. You could be on drugs?
Everything still feels and sounds the same.
You could be dreaming?
You can still feel.
You could be dead and this is the afterlife?
That means you're dead, and….
You look at your hand for what feels like the millionth time today. You focus on your palm, and the golden glow begins to envelop your hand.
You can't get much better evidence than that to prove that you're different now.
The limb falls uselessly to the ground, hitting the metal, but you don't feel anything except the cold. You look at Matthew and he looks back with an almost mournful smile.
"Sorry, but it's just the price of living a little longer. In your case at least."
Silence ensues again. Matthew doesn't seem to mind. He's kind enough to let you sit here and just… think. You're a superhero now?
Doctor Mother's first question now seems a lot more important right now.
You glance to Matthew and break the silence with a single question.
"So… what can you do?"
"I can fire beams of energy and make them fly in almost any direction I want, along with making them be capable of doing almost whatever I want. And I can fly." He answers.
"Well you just got the fun pack of powers didn't you?" You joke, but it rings hollow.
"Hey now, don't be like that. You can rip apart the ground and shatter glass like it's nothing."
Despite everything that's happened, despite the world falling apart at the seams, you laugh.
"Making me sound kind of worthless when you deadpan it like that."
Matthew shakes his head and points at the ball "Alex, that glass that you broke, it's bullet proof. The metal on the floor? Doctor Mother told me that it's strong enough to pass for tank armor. You took those materials, and you ripped them free without any visible effort."
"It hurt like hell." You say.
"That was the room." Matthew clarifies "What you're standing in right now is OT-3. Or in other words, Optophone training. It was made for people like us to train against sounds that could otherwise disoriented or even kill us. The glass is super reinforced for this reason, so it doesn't shatter when the training starts. What hit you was the starting level. If you were normal, it would have disrupted the balance in your inner ear and knocked you out cold. But instead, you're abilities activated and the system shut itself off when it recognized the damage."
You glance at the remains of the metal ball in front of you. Reaching over, you wrap your hand around it and heave. Your muscles strain, but the ball barely budges. Letting go, you sit back down next to Matthew. The laser man gestures with his hand and you raise an eyebrow.
He waves his hand, and his finger's glow again.
"Just... at least try."
Oh, right.
Not knowing any better, you reach out a hand and point at the ball. Something sparks, in the corner of your vision, and you feel the same gentle force. Now that there isn't any sound distracting you, you can finally feel them with a greater clarity.
It's like you're standing at the edge of a hundred oceans, the tide hitting you from every direction at the same moment. It's rhythmic. It holds you in place, it holds you down. You can feel it affecting everything. You, Matthew, the ball, the room, even things outside the room that you don't know about. This energy is holding everything in place. You shouldn't be able to feel it, but you can.
Ignoring the feeling washing over everything else, you instead focus on the ball. You imagine the tides of the ocean getting stronger, allowing water to come in from all sides.
You hear the sound of metal screaming as it's limits are utterly destroyed for the favor of a greater force. Right before your eyes, the ball of armor and glass grows smaller.
No, you're just crushing it from all sides and compressing it.
It feels as easy as walking and breathing at the same time. You feel like you could continue doing this for hours without trying.
Just for kicks, you imagine the ocean directly above it to stop. There's a sound like a gunshot as the ball shoots towards the ceiling. The metal above you groans in protest for an instant before relenting and allowing the ball to continue on through, as it rips a huge hole in the metal. You manage to catch it fly through the it and into the blue sky above.
A second passes.
Then two.
Then a minute.
You lean forward, trying to get a better look up the hole. Next to you, Matthew copies the action with blinking eyes.
"It's not coming down, is it?" You ask.
"I don't think it is, no." Matthew agrees "But despite losing a piece of Cauldron property, I think we have a better idea what your power is."
"Yeah," You agree.
You're moving things with your head. Telekinetic? Is that the word? It was a decent trade off. Be cured, get superpowers.
Still doesn't make the change any easier to take, but it's a start.
"What happens now?" You ask, mostly to yourself.
Matthew shrugs "That's up to you. But if I could give a word of advice, I would say that you need some training. These gifts take time to... control. Wouldn't want what happened to the wall to happen to someone else sometime down the road now do we?"
The image of someone being compressed like the metal flashes through your head. The urge to spill whatever food you have left in your system grows but you manage to keep it down.
"Are you volunteering?" You ask
Matthew shakes his head "I'd be happy to help once you get a good handle, but I don't want to drag you down beforehand. I'm still getting a handle on my own powers."
He gets to his feet and begins floating off the ground "But don't worry, there's a lot of different people in the building who are a lot more suited to this sort of thing than me. The elevator should be open by now. Head to the it and click the button for the lab. You'll find someone who would be more than willing to give you some hard numbers on your abilities. If that's not what you want, head to the main office and Doctor Mother straighten anything else that. Failing that, head to the testing room if you just want to talk to someone and cope."
You mentally replay the words in your head so you don't forget "Got it, what about you?"
Matthew lets out a face splitting grin "I'm going to see how far that ball of yours went. Someone is going to ask for it when you bring it up, might as well help you out as you get settled."
You blink, this is unexpectedly kind. You're used to people saying they'll do something, and then just leaving you. Now there's a guy willing to find a little metal ball just because it could clear some things up for you later.
"Thank you Matthew."
The flying man shrugs "Hey, what are friends for?"
He shoots into the air and flies through the hole. With nothing better to do, you get up off your rear end and make your way to the elevator. You barely feel your feet hitting the ground as you walk, almost like you're just as weightless as that ball. You take the few steps towards the elevator and press the call button. The light flashes green and the doors open with a hiss. You step inside, and glance at the panel.
[] Head to the lab. If you have powers now, you better find the limits. You'd rather not have another panic attack and hurt someone
[] Head to the Office. You're in a new world, with new ideas, people and questions. You'd like some answers.
[] Head to Testing. You've had enough surprises for one day. If you could just talk it through with a friend, that would be good.
1.6: One Answer for a thousand Questions
IKnowNothing
....What?
- Location
- I got lost so.....Where are we?
You stare at the panel for a second before reaching out. Your finger instinctively goes to testing. You've had enough surprises for the day, you don't need anymore. But you find yourself drifting down to the Lab Icon.
You're in a new world, a new set of rules, with a new power that you barely know how to control. Doctor Mother might be able to give you some answers, but that's only going to bring just a short term comfort to what you really needed to fix.
Matthew joked about it, but you're not going to lie to yourself. If you could crush tank armor into a ball of nothingness without even breaking a sweat, you'd rather not imagine what would happen if you did that to an actual human being. Your remember joking in physics what would happen if someone got too close to a black hole that it would be cool to watch something like that.
Now… the thought just makes you sick.
So you hit the Lab button, and the door hisses shut. The elevator is as silent as ever, giving you no indication to where you're actually going. A second passes, and for some reason you're getting a little uneasy. The last time that you were in here, the ride was done almost instantly. You barely had enough time to register that you were riding inside a metal box before you just arrived. But now, you have enough time to whistle a toon. Long trip.
The ride only takes about a minute, but that's an eternity compared to the trip before. The door slides open, and you're met with another sight straight out of your father's movie collection. This time, instead of a Doctor Strangelove room, you're in the middle of a Bond supervillain laboratory. Dozen's of scientific instruments that you don't even know the names of sit in organized rows lining the walls and the tables around the room. In the far corner, there's a marbled open space with camera equipment along every inch of space on the perimeter.
In the center of the entire establishment is the biggest computer system you've ever seen in your life. The monitor alone takes up the same space as a desk. The keyboard is polished to an almost mirror-like sheen, and every piece of paper and pencil surrounding it lies in perfect rows. It probably takes up more power than you can pay for, and given the huge slab off to the side that it's hooked up to, it probably does.
Several cabinets were all but smashed together around it, files no doubt hidden within. They form an almost protective barrier around the single, occupied, chair. Whoever he is, he's typing on the keyboard faster than you ever thought was humanly possible. He takes a single instant to glance back at you, giving you a clear look at his face.
He's probably in his early thirties, but you're only giving him the benefit of the doubt. His hair is an unruly mess, smile lines framed his face in an almost permanent frown. His lab coat is worn and there are even holes dotting one side. The holes themselves are lined with black scorch marks. It takes him but an instant to look you over. An eyebrow rises, then it falls, and his scowl deepens. You don't know the man personally, but you know dissapointment when you see it.
"Is there a particular reason you are distracting me from my work by arriving in my lab?" He asks, his voice dripping with barely controlled contempt.
… this is the guy that would be more than happy to give you some hard numbers on your powers? Either this isn't the guy that Matthew was talking about, or he has the memory of a goldfish. Not exactly a hopeful thought considering he went out looking for that ball you crushed into existence.
Well, despite the… pleasant greetings, there's no reason to be a dick to a guy who might be able to help. So, ignore the introduction, start off on the right foot.
"Sorry for disturbing you, but I was hoping that I could ask a few-."
"Questions?" The man says, interrupting and finishing your sentence in the same breath.
You shake off the dismay in the man's voice and nod "Yeah. See, I'm one of-."
You're cut off as the man all but slams open one of the cabinet drawers. He runs a hand through the dozens of manilla envelopes all the while studying you. He grabs one seemingly at random, taking it out of the container and opening the contents on his lap. You catch the sight of a still of your face, almost like a mugshot, but it looks like you were out cold when the picture was taken. Right beside it, your most recent school photo shows a more detailed picture of what you look like.
"Alexander James Everett," The man starts "Age: 17. Born April 6th, 1969 to now divorced parents James Everett and Robin Boyle. Raised in and never left the city of Los Angeles. An average student in the fields of mathematics, Science, history, foreign language, failing two years of literature due to personal matters distracting your attention. Possible case of minor Attention Deficit Disorder, however, intense focus in overcoming trouble at home has mitigated the effects. Grade point average, 3.2 when weighted. No reported cases of tardiness in any type of subject, be it work or family related.
Siblings: Clint Everett Age: 20, older brother, prodigy at every field he partakes in. Currently working for his PHD in microbiology.
Danah Everett Age: 16, younger sister, prodigy in all fields under the classification of Art with the exception of drawing. Mental state places subject at a sense of minor inferiority due to lack of clear talent in any substantial field, using the fear of his siblings disappointment in him to work through his condition. Other possible explanation could be due to advancement in character."
He snaps the file closed and looks at you with the same disapproving glance as you just stare at him.
"That, was simply the overview of your file. I could, waste my time going through the reminder, but I would rather lobotomize myself with a spoon. I know exactly who you are, Mr. Everett. To put it bluntly, I don't care. You're interrupting my work."
And with that oh so eloquent overview of your worth, he turns back to his computer. You just stare at his back, your jaw on the floor. He had valued your worth, and he hadn't even read over the overview? You're not just some words on a paper; You're a person, not a statistic! He looks like, and sounds just like all the doctors you've had to deal with.
At least he's being honest to you.
You feel the oceans around you roaring, but you have keep yourself calm. Breath in, breath out, ignore what he's saying, just like dad told you. It takes a few seconds, longer than you remember it being. The good doctor, or at least, you assume he's a doctor with how he carries himself, is still typing away with one hand while writing something with the other.
Several different thoughts run through your head, none of them actually nice. But, do unto others what they do unto you and all that. You hold out a hand, and focus on the cabinet next to him. The oceans flood into your senses, waiting for your command. Twisting your hand, mostly for show in all honesty, you allow a single drop from the ocean above the cabinet to leave. The cabinet rises from the ground, taking several papers and pens along with it. They both fell to the floor causing the doctor to glance over.
You can't see his expression, but the fact that he drops his pencil in surprise makes this worth it. It's petty, but damn does it feel good. You force the oceans to stay calm, keeping the cabinet suspended in the air. The doctor reaches out, and attempts to push it. You feel him enforcing his own waters into your oceans. You dismiss them, and the cabinet remains perfectly still. He glances to you, and notices your hand raised and most likely noted the golden glow. And best of all, he looks like he's about piss himself his eyes are so wide.
You don't bother hiding the smirk, you let it show, for just a little longer anyway.
"Doctor, you might not care, but I need help."
You allow the oceans to return to their original state, making the cabinet fall to the ground with a crash. The doctor doesn't react to the sound, all it does is take the smirk off your face. He looks down to where the weight of the cabinet has broken through the flooring. His surprise lessens a bit, replacing itself with the same disappointment you saw earlier.
"A lot of help." You clarify.
"Obviously." He says.
He runs a hand over his desk and picks up a simple pencil. He holds it out for you "Lift it." he orders.
Part of you feels the need to send the pencil crashing down to the floor, but this isn't the time for petty jokes. You focus on the pencil, and order the ocean above it to give way. The same gunshot like sound rings out. Both you and the doctor hear the crack as the pencil all but disintigrates against the ceiling. You notice the small bits and pieces of the wood, but they're pressed so tight against the ceiling that they had no hope of returning to the ground again.
The Doctor rubs his chin with a deep hum "Not simple magnetism, extends to different forms of matter, despite not exhibiting metallic properties. Connection universal, possible for all substances to be affected."
He shoots to his feet and stomps towards you. You have enough time to raise an eyebrow before he flicks you hard in the head. Or at least, you think it's hard. There's a sound of the resounding thunk, but you don't feel anything.
He looks at you, as if waiting for something. A second later, he hums again.
"It seems… research is required."
You blink, does that mean he's going to help? He turns on his heel and grabs the closest clipboard and pencil. Along with those, he opens a drawer on his desk and pulls out what looks like a small tape recorder. He clicks the button, and the tape within whirls to life.
"Official Start of the diagnosis of subject three. Project Name: Odin. Beginning of appliance test 1. Subject has displayed the ability to affect two very distinct forms of matter without any visible strain. In addition, subject seems to have unconsciously surrounded himself in a protective field, possible links to natural survival instinct."
He sets the recorder down on his desk and picks his implements of dessication. He writes several notes so fast you don't even think his pencil left the board.
"On the testing ground." he orders.
You raise an eyebrow and the doctor looks ready to hit something. He gestures to the open space in the far corner of the room with his clipboard. You nod and quickly walk over while the doctor writes another note and picks up a series of objects off his desk including the recorder.
You pick a spot in the middle of the marked area while the doctor puts his tools next to what you assumed the control center for the camera equipment is. Or, you assumed it was the control board, it just looks like an oversized sound mixer DJ's used. He flicks a few switches, and the camera's spring to life. Lights flash over you from every direction, briefly blinding you. You blink the dark spots out of your eyes before the doctor whistles to get your attention.
"Firstly, what have you been able to control, beyond the pencil and the cabinet?"
The answer isn't hard to come up with, it only happened a few minutes ago.
"I was able to shatter the glass and bend the metal in the training room into a ball."
The doctor writes on his notes "Where is this ball now?"
"Matthew is looking for it." You say.
"You lost it?" He asks, the disappointment clear in his voice.
"I was testing my power and I sort of did the same thing that I did to your pencil. Only we were on the top floor and it was a hundred pound ball."
He runs a hand through his hair. You figure he's probably swearing to himself or something because he goes silent for a second. He picks up a small ball, and then rips it apart like it's nothing. He throws a piece at you, which you catch without a problem.
"Hold the clay in place."
"Are you going to take readings or some other science mumbo jumbo?" You joke.
You're trying to lighten the mood, but a quick look at the annoyance on the doctor's face is more than enough to tell you that's not a good idea. So instead, you look at the ball in your hand. Just like with the cabinet, you let a few drops of the above ocean taper off. Your hand glows it's golden hue and the ball slowly floats up. After it gets about a foot off your hand, you add the drops back to the first ocean, freezing it in place. A paperweight tags itself onto the back of your mind as you notice the doctor flicking a series of switches on his board. Several of the cameras move from their position to focus on you and your floating ball of clay.
You hear the doctor flick a switch, then another. The lenses of the camera's refocus on you, but this somehow angers the doctor. He grits his teeth and presses a few more switches. He must not be getting the results that he's looking for because he all but slams his hand on the board. His palm stops a mere inch from the command board. He types a series of commands into the board, and the cameras adjust once more. You see his eyes widen, and then he looks at you.
The look in his eyes is something you can't really pin down. There's surprise, fascination, and the most prevalent of all, fear. The small dark part of you is almost happy that he's looking at you like that, but the rest of you starts feeling what you think that he's feeling. He doesn't seem like the kind of man to be frightened easily.
Now, he looks terrified.
It takes you a second to find your voice again, and when you do all you can do is ask "Is… everything alright?"
The doctor rubs his eyes and shakes his head "No, everything's not alright." he admits "If these readings are correct, you are not simply suspending the clay in the air. You are fixing it in a direct point relative to your position in space."
You must be looking at him in confusion because he pinches the bridge of his nose to fight off a headache at your apparently cluelessness.
"I will attempt to put it as bluntly as I can." he gestures to the cameras around him "These cameras were created by the greatest scientific minds the world over. There is no type of radiation in creation that they cannot detect, down to the smallest and most distinct frequency. According to these machines, you are manipulating curvatures in spacetime propagating themselves as waves directly proportional to the speed of light as they expand outwards from the clay in the air."
…
What?
If that was as bluntly as he could put it, you're never going to get any answers.
"Huh?" You say.
The doctor actually slaps himself on the forehead and from the red slowly growing on his forehead, he looks ready to cuss you out. But, through sheer willpower, he manages to compose himself and return his face to it's original complexion.
"You, Mr. Everett, are manipulating waves of spacetime as easily as breathing. You're manipulating gravity itself."
…
…
What!?
The paperweight on your mind falls off, and the ball of clay falls to the ground with a plop. Manipulating… gravity? You put a hand to your head, trying to stop a migraine from coming to you. You should be surprised but… it makes sense! You feel everything in this room, everything that's affected by the pull of gravity. The ball shot off into space so fast because when you stopped the power above it from holding it down, there wasn't anything to keep it chained.
You look at your hand. The fingers move when you want them to, the skin feels what you think it should be feeling. Despite yourself, you find a smile worming it's way onto your face.
Gravity manipulation? Now that the surprise is gone, that sounds like fun.
"Do you believe this is funny, Mr. Everett?" The doctor asks.
"Well… yeah." You admit.
The doctor rolls his eyes "Mr. Everett, off the top of my head, I can think of several different ways you could single handedly kill every human on this planet with that kind of power."
The smile is off your face faster than you can blink "...really?"
The Doctor nods "As of now, you have shown the ability to suspend objects, all the way to completely removing the effects of gravity on objects. According to your testimony, you were able to remake the structure of metal to the point that you were capable of merging glass and metal together so tightly that you probably don't know the difference. Given how you have not spoken of any of these abilities draining you physically or mentally, I can only assume that your upper limit has not even been touched. With that in mind, it is theoretically possible for you to create a miniature singularity event and exterminate all life on earth. Does that sound like fun to you?"
Yeah, nope.
You shake your head and the doctor nods "I thought so."
He flicks another series of switches and the cameras and lights go dead.
"It will take some time, but with assistance, I should be able to create a series of monitors as to gage your actual maximum output. Failing that, you could rush forward with reckless abandon and doom us all."
"You are a ray of sunshine aren't you?" You joke.
The doctor doesn't answer. He just walks back to his desk, picking up his recorder along the way.
"Subject has confirmed to control one of the fundamental forces of the universe. Inform Doctor Mother, another deterrent has been uncovered."
He sits down and begins typing with a speed that put his previous work to shame. You see the level of focus in his eyes and you know you're probably not going to get anything more out of him. Sighing, you walk out of the practice area and steal a glance around the room. Your eyes land on a small desk clock by the control board.
Nearly a quarter past five. Your stomach grumbles, and you don't need next level tech to tell you what that means.
That being said, there was a lot of things that you still might need to finish today. You head to the elevator, and it opens just as quickly as before.
But unlike before, it has a passenger.
And for the first time since you woke up, you actually know the person standing in front of you.
She's just as old as you, if not a few years younger, with straight black hair. You've never seen it before, and honestly, you prefer her with it long. Her face is almost supermodel pretty with her skin a shade of dark that comes only with hispanic heritage. All the paleness and the sickly lack of muscle from the chemo is gone now. She had on an almost bodyguard type suit straight out of Italian mafia movies. It looks good, but slightly out of place from what you remember. She looked like she was ready to storm the lab, and given the noticeable increase in mass around her arms and legs, she could do just that. But when she looks at you, she blinks, and then all but tackles you into a hug.
For the first time today, you actually feel the pressure and pain of something hitting you. Her arms wrap around your neck, and you start feeling your connection to oxygen going away.
"Rebecca! Air!" You plead with the last of your breath.
She breaks out of the hug, looking rather embarrassed over her actions "Sorry." she says.
Despite only saying one word, her voice is full of life and strong. Just like you, there's not a trace of sickness left in her. She glances behind you, and you follow her gaze to the doctor. He looks up from his work, and notices Rebecca staring at him.
"My report must be put on hold, Mr. Everett has given me much to think about."
Rebecca seems satisfied with that answer. She looks back at you, opens her mouth, but only manages a nervous laugh and an awkward shuffle.
And in all honesty, if your sense of surprise hadn't already been drained dry, you would be right there with her.
"So…" you start.
[] "Wanna get some food? I'm starving."
[] "How have you been?"
[] "Do you have powers too?"
You're in a new world, a new set of rules, with a new power that you barely know how to control. Doctor Mother might be able to give you some answers, but that's only going to bring just a short term comfort to what you really needed to fix.
Matthew joked about it, but you're not going to lie to yourself. If you could crush tank armor into a ball of nothingness without even breaking a sweat, you'd rather not imagine what would happen if you did that to an actual human being. Your remember joking in physics what would happen if someone got too close to a black hole that it would be cool to watch something like that.
Now… the thought just makes you sick.
So you hit the Lab button, and the door hisses shut. The elevator is as silent as ever, giving you no indication to where you're actually going. A second passes, and for some reason you're getting a little uneasy. The last time that you were in here, the ride was done almost instantly. You barely had enough time to register that you were riding inside a metal box before you just arrived. But now, you have enough time to whistle a toon. Long trip.
The ride only takes about a minute, but that's an eternity compared to the trip before. The door slides open, and you're met with another sight straight out of your father's movie collection. This time, instead of a Doctor Strangelove room, you're in the middle of a Bond supervillain laboratory. Dozen's of scientific instruments that you don't even know the names of sit in organized rows lining the walls and the tables around the room. In the far corner, there's a marbled open space with camera equipment along every inch of space on the perimeter.
In the center of the entire establishment is the biggest computer system you've ever seen in your life. The monitor alone takes up the same space as a desk. The keyboard is polished to an almost mirror-like sheen, and every piece of paper and pencil surrounding it lies in perfect rows. It probably takes up more power than you can pay for, and given the huge slab off to the side that it's hooked up to, it probably does.
Several cabinets were all but smashed together around it, files no doubt hidden within. They form an almost protective barrier around the single, occupied, chair. Whoever he is, he's typing on the keyboard faster than you ever thought was humanly possible. He takes a single instant to glance back at you, giving you a clear look at his face.
He's probably in his early thirties, but you're only giving him the benefit of the doubt. His hair is an unruly mess, smile lines framed his face in an almost permanent frown. His lab coat is worn and there are even holes dotting one side. The holes themselves are lined with black scorch marks. It takes him but an instant to look you over. An eyebrow rises, then it falls, and his scowl deepens. You don't know the man personally, but you know dissapointment when you see it.
"Is there a particular reason you are distracting me from my work by arriving in my lab?" He asks, his voice dripping with barely controlled contempt.
… this is the guy that would be more than happy to give you some hard numbers on your powers? Either this isn't the guy that Matthew was talking about, or he has the memory of a goldfish. Not exactly a hopeful thought considering he went out looking for that ball you crushed into existence.
Well, despite the… pleasant greetings, there's no reason to be a dick to a guy who might be able to help. So, ignore the introduction, start off on the right foot.
"Sorry for disturbing you, but I was hoping that I could ask a few-."
"Questions?" The man says, interrupting and finishing your sentence in the same breath.
You shake off the dismay in the man's voice and nod "Yeah. See, I'm one of-."
You're cut off as the man all but slams open one of the cabinet drawers. He runs a hand through the dozens of manilla envelopes all the while studying you. He grabs one seemingly at random, taking it out of the container and opening the contents on his lap. You catch the sight of a still of your face, almost like a mugshot, but it looks like you were out cold when the picture was taken. Right beside it, your most recent school photo shows a more detailed picture of what you look like.
"Alexander James Everett," The man starts "Age: 17. Born April 6th, 1969 to now divorced parents James Everett and Robin Boyle. Raised in and never left the city of Los Angeles. An average student in the fields of mathematics, Science, history, foreign language, failing two years of literature due to personal matters distracting your attention. Possible case of minor Attention Deficit Disorder, however, intense focus in overcoming trouble at home has mitigated the effects. Grade point average, 3.2 when weighted. No reported cases of tardiness in any type of subject, be it work or family related.
Siblings: Clint Everett Age: 20, older brother, prodigy at every field he partakes in. Currently working for his PHD in microbiology.
Danah Everett Age: 16, younger sister, prodigy in all fields under the classification of Art with the exception of drawing. Mental state places subject at a sense of minor inferiority due to lack of clear talent in any substantial field, using the fear of his siblings disappointment in him to work through his condition. Other possible explanation could be due to advancement in character."
He snaps the file closed and looks at you with the same disapproving glance as you just stare at him.
"That, was simply the overview of your file. I could, waste my time going through the reminder, but I would rather lobotomize myself with a spoon. I know exactly who you are, Mr. Everett. To put it bluntly, I don't care. You're interrupting my work."
And with that oh so eloquent overview of your worth, he turns back to his computer. You just stare at his back, your jaw on the floor. He had valued your worth, and he hadn't even read over the overview? You're not just some words on a paper; You're a person, not a statistic! He looks like, and sounds just like all the doctors you've had to deal with.
At least he's being honest to you.
You feel the oceans around you roaring, but you have keep yourself calm. Breath in, breath out, ignore what he's saying, just like dad told you. It takes a few seconds, longer than you remember it being. The good doctor, or at least, you assume he's a doctor with how he carries himself, is still typing away with one hand while writing something with the other.
Several different thoughts run through your head, none of them actually nice. But, do unto others what they do unto you and all that. You hold out a hand, and focus on the cabinet next to him. The oceans flood into your senses, waiting for your command. Twisting your hand, mostly for show in all honesty, you allow a single drop from the ocean above the cabinet to leave. The cabinet rises from the ground, taking several papers and pens along with it. They both fell to the floor causing the doctor to glance over.
You can't see his expression, but the fact that he drops his pencil in surprise makes this worth it. It's petty, but damn does it feel good. You force the oceans to stay calm, keeping the cabinet suspended in the air. The doctor reaches out, and attempts to push it. You feel him enforcing his own waters into your oceans. You dismiss them, and the cabinet remains perfectly still. He glances to you, and notices your hand raised and most likely noted the golden glow. And best of all, he looks like he's about piss himself his eyes are so wide.
You don't bother hiding the smirk, you let it show, for just a little longer anyway.
"Doctor, you might not care, but I need help."
You allow the oceans to return to their original state, making the cabinet fall to the ground with a crash. The doctor doesn't react to the sound, all it does is take the smirk off your face. He looks down to where the weight of the cabinet has broken through the flooring. His surprise lessens a bit, replacing itself with the same disappointment you saw earlier.
"A lot of help." You clarify.
"Obviously." He says.
He runs a hand over his desk and picks up a simple pencil. He holds it out for you "Lift it." he orders.
Part of you feels the need to send the pencil crashing down to the floor, but this isn't the time for petty jokes. You focus on the pencil, and order the ocean above it to give way. The same gunshot like sound rings out. Both you and the doctor hear the crack as the pencil all but disintigrates against the ceiling. You notice the small bits and pieces of the wood, but they're pressed so tight against the ceiling that they had no hope of returning to the ground again.
The Doctor rubs his chin with a deep hum "Not simple magnetism, extends to different forms of matter, despite not exhibiting metallic properties. Connection universal, possible for all substances to be affected."
He shoots to his feet and stomps towards you. You have enough time to raise an eyebrow before he flicks you hard in the head. Or at least, you think it's hard. There's a sound of the resounding thunk, but you don't feel anything.
He looks at you, as if waiting for something. A second later, he hums again.
"It seems… research is required."
You blink, does that mean he's going to help? He turns on his heel and grabs the closest clipboard and pencil. Along with those, he opens a drawer on his desk and pulls out what looks like a small tape recorder. He clicks the button, and the tape within whirls to life.
"Official Start of the diagnosis of subject three. Project Name: Odin. Beginning of appliance test 1. Subject has displayed the ability to affect two very distinct forms of matter without any visible strain. In addition, subject seems to have unconsciously surrounded himself in a protective field, possible links to natural survival instinct."
He sets the recorder down on his desk and picks his implements of dessication. He writes several notes so fast you don't even think his pencil left the board.
"On the testing ground." he orders.
You raise an eyebrow and the doctor looks ready to hit something. He gestures to the open space in the far corner of the room with his clipboard. You nod and quickly walk over while the doctor writes another note and picks up a series of objects off his desk including the recorder.
You pick a spot in the middle of the marked area while the doctor puts his tools next to what you assumed the control center for the camera equipment is. Or, you assumed it was the control board, it just looks like an oversized sound mixer DJ's used. He flicks a few switches, and the camera's spring to life. Lights flash over you from every direction, briefly blinding you. You blink the dark spots out of your eyes before the doctor whistles to get your attention.
"Firstly, what have you been able to control, beyond the pencil and the cabinet?"
The answer isn't hard to come up with, it only happened a few minutes ago.
"I was able to shatter the glass and bend the metal in the training room into a ball."
The doctor writes on his notes "Where is this ball now?"
"Matthew is looking for it." You say.
"You lost it?" He asks, the disappointment clear in his voice.
"I was testing my power and I sort of did the same thing that I did to your pencil. Only we were on the top floor and it was a hundred pound ball."
He runs a hand through his hair. You figure he's probably swearing to himself or something because he goes silent for a second. He picks up a small ball, and then rips it apart like it's nothing. He throws a piece at you, which you catch without a problem.
"Hold the clay in place."
"Are you going to take readings or some other science mumbo jumbo?" You joke.
You're trying to lighten the mood, but a quick look at the annoyance on the doctor's face is more than enough to tell you that's not a good idea. So instead, you look at the ball in your hand. Just like with the cabinet, you let a few drops of the above ocean taper off. Your hand glows it's golden hue and the ball slowly floats up. After it gets about a foot off your hand, you add the drops back to the first ocean, freezing it in place. A paperweight tags itself onto the back of your mind as you notice the doctor flicking a series of switches on his board. Several of the cameras move from their position to focus on you and your floating ball of clay.
You hear the doctor flick a switch, then another. The lenses of the camera's refocus on you, but this somehow angers the doctor. He grits his teeth and presses a few more switches. He must not be getting the results that he's looking for because he all but slams his hand on the board. His palm stops a mere inch from the command board. He types a series of commands into the board, and the cameras adjust once more. You see his eyes widen, and then he looks at you.
The look in his eyes is something you can't really pin down. There's surprise, fascination, and the most prevalent of all, fear. The small dark part of you is almost happy that he's looking at you like that, but the rest of you starts feeling what you think that he's feeling. He doesn't seem like the kind of man to be frightened easily.
Now, he looks terrified.
It takes you a second to find your voice again, and when you do all you can do is ask "Is… everything alright?"
The doctor rubs his eyes and shakes his head "No, everything's not alright." he admits "If these readings are correct, you are not simply suspending the clay in the air. You are fixing it in a direct point relative to your position in space."
You must be looking at him in confusion because he pinches the bridge of his nose to fight off a headache at your apparently cluelessness.
"I will attempt to put it as bluntly as I can." he gestures to the cameras around him "These cameras were created by the greatest scientific minds the world over. There is no type of radiation in creation that they cannot detect, down to the smallest and most distinct frequency. According to these machines, you are manipulating curvatures in spacetime propagating themselves as waves directly proportional to the speed of light as they expand outwards from the clay in the air."
…
What?
If that was as bluntly as he could put it, you're never going to get any answers.
"Huh?" You say.
The doctor actually slaps himself on the forehead and from the red slowly growing on his forehead, he looks ready to cuss you out. But, through sheer willpower, he manages to compose himself and return his face to it's original complexion.
"You, Mr. Everett, are manipulating waves of spacetime as easily as breathing. You're manipulating gravity itself."
…
…
What!?
The paperweight on your mind falls off, and the ball of clay falls to the ground with a plop. Manipulating… gravity? You put a hand to your head, trying to stop a migraine from coming to you. You should be surprised but… it makes sense! You feel everything in this room, everything that's affected by the pull of gravity. The ball shot off into space so fast because when you stopped the power above it from holding it down, there wasn't anything to keep it chained.
You look at your hand. The fingers move when you want them to, the skin feels what you think it should be feeling. Despite yourself, you find a smile worming it's way onto your face.
Gravity manipulation? Now that the surprise is gone, that sounds like fun.
"Do you believe this is funny, Mr. Everett?" The doctor asks.
"Well… yeah." You admit.
The doctor rolls his eyes "Mr. Everett, off the top of my head, I can think of several different ways you could single handedly kill every human on this planet with that kind of power."
The smile is off your face faster than you can blink "...really?"
The Doctor nods "As of now, you have shown the ability to suspend objects, all the way to completely removing the effects of gravity on objects. According to your testimony, you were able to remake the structure of metal to the point that you were capable of merging glass and metal together so tightly that you probably don't know the difference. Given how you have not spoken of any of these abilities draining you physically or mentally, I can only assume that your upper limit has not even been touched. With that in mind, it is theoretically possible for you to create a miniature singularity event and exterminate all life on earth. Does that sound like fun to you?"
Yeah, nope.
You shake your head and the doctor nods "I thought so."
He flicks another series of switches and the cameras and lights go dead.
"It will take some time, but with assistance, I should be able to create a series of monitors as to gage your actual maximum output. Failing that, you could rush forward with reckless abandon and doom us all."
"You are a ray of sunshine aren't you?" You joke.
The doctor doesn't answer. He just walks back to his desk, picking up his recorder along the way.
"Subject has confirmed to control one of the fundamental forces of the universe. Inform Doctor Mother, another deterrent has been uncovered."
He sits down and begins typing with a speed that put his previous work to shame. You see the level of focus in his eyes and you know you're probably not going to get anything more out of him. Sighing, you walk out of the practice area and steal a glance around the room. Your eyes land on a small desk clock by the control board.
Nearly a quarter past five. Your stomach grumbles, and you don't need next level tech to tell you what that means.
That being said, there was a lot of things that you still might need to finish today. You head to the elevator, and it opens just as quickly as before.
But unlike before, it has a passenger.
And for the first time since you woke up, you actually know the person standing in front of you.
She's just as old as you, if not a few years younger, with straight black hair. You've never seen it before, and honestly, you prefer her with it long. Her face is almost supermodel pretty with her skin a shade of dark that comes only with hispanic heritage. All the paleness and the sickly lack of muscle from the chemo is gone now. She had on an almost bodyguard type suit straight out of Italian mafia movies. It looks good, but slightly out of place from what you remember. She looked like she was ready to storm the lab, and given the noticeable increase in mass around her arms and legs, she could do just that. But when she looks at you, she blinks, and then all but tackles you into a hug.
For the first time today, you actually feel the pressure and pain of something hitting you. Her arms wrap around your neck, and you start feeling your connection to oxygen going away.
"Rebecca! Air!" You plead with the last of your breath.
She breaks out of the hug, looking rather embarrassed over her actions "Sorry." she says.
Despite only saying one word, her voice is full of life and strong. Just like you, there's not a trace of sickness left in her. She glances behind you, and you follow her gaze to the doctor. He looks up from his work, and notices Rebecca staring at him.
"My report must be put on hold, Mr. Everett has given me much to think about."
Rebecca seems satisfied with that answer. She looks back at you, opens her mouth, but only manages a nervous laugh and an awkward shuffle.
And in all honesty, if your sense of surprise hadn't already been drained dry, you would be right there with her.
"So…" you start.
[] "Wanna get some food? I'm starving."
[] "How have you been?"
[] "Do you have powers too?"
Last edited:
1.7: Acclimation
IKnowNothing
....What?
- Location
- I got lost so.....Where are we?
"How have you been?"
Rebecca blinks, and for a second, stares at you with her jaw on the floor. Now, that wasn't exactly the response you were expecting. Before you can formulate a question, Rebecca pulls you in for another hug. This time, it's far softer, and you can return action at your own pace. You do just that, letting out a small laugh as you do "And here I thought I did something wrong."
You hear Rebecca chuckle at your attempt at humor as the two of you pull away from one another. She flips a strand of hair out of her face as she smiles and shakes her head in dismay.
"Same old Alex, always looking out for me first."
"Sorry," You say, "It was the first thing that came to mind."
Rebecca shakes her head "Don't be sorry. It's… nice to see that you're still you."
You sneak a quick glance at your hand. Cracking a smile as best you can, you reach both of your limbs behind you for a fanned stretch. "And it's good to see that you weren't kidding when you said you liked your hair long." You say.
Rebecca just rolls her eyes at your comment, but she's smiling all the way. She motions for you to join her in the elevator, and you gratefully step inside. The doors slid to a close behind you with a metallic hiss.
"Sorry, but from how Doctor Manton was looking at you, I was worried he was going to find a way to set you on fire with his mind."
Manton! That's his name.
It occurs to you that you never bothered to ask that, but ignoring your own ignorance for a second, you focus back on Rebecca. She leans up against the side of the elevator like she owned it. She is literally brimming with life and confidence. She looked like she could walk into world war 3 and order around every general without even batting an eye. It's... awe inspiring just to look at.
Rebecca tilts her head to the side slightly "What are you smiling about?"
You're smiling? You didn't know, but to hell with it, you don't care.
"When I fell asleep, I was going to die in three months." You explain "When I woke up, I find that I have hair again and my best friend is just as healthy as I feel. Why wouldn't I be smiling?"
"Fair enough." Rebecca nods with a smirk of her own.
Seems like she's enjoying the situation just as much as you are. She reaches towards the panel, but stops when she notices you looking at it. You lean back, letting her choose. Rebecca turns back to the panel and floats a finger over several buttons. She starts going for one, but then pulls her hand away. She tries another button, but she doesn't press it. She glances back, embarrassment clear on her face.
"Mind if we get some food?" You ask, helping her out "I'm starving."
Rebeca blinks in surprise. Then, she lets out a breath she probably didn't know she was holding.
"That would be nice." She admits.
You lean forward and press the Food icon as quickly as you can, but this time there isn't a voice telling you that you can't go there because training is still in session. It just blinks, indicating that your course is set. A second later, the door opens up to reveal the smallest food court you've seen in your life. If anything it's more like a break room. There was only two major tables in the center of the room. There are twelves chairs surrounding the tables, each of them solid. Next to them, you had your average age old walk through window that you see in almost every major fast food place. Except there isn't anyone hiding behind the window waiting to take your order. There were exits, possibly to other elevators, but beyond that nothing. The entire place took up about as much space as a medium living room.
Despite the obvious lack of support in here, Rebecca takes off from her comfortable lean and heads to the window. Obviously, you follow right behind her. You don't know what's going on, but at least Rebecca looked like she knew what she was doing. She walks past the tables and taps the counter of the window with a finger. There's a metallic hissing, and the top of the counter slides back, revealing that it's actually a series of metal layers stacked atop one another. Underneath this layer is a menu, complete with pictures and descriptions of each available morsel. There're sandwiches, salads, soups, a few things that looks vaguely Italian, a full on steak dinner and more drinks than you knew existed. Rebecca taps the icons for a steak sandwich and a water. Something behind the counter starts up with an almost comical engine start up sound. You raise an eyebrow at your friend but she just drums her fingers on the counter.
The engine's sounds rise to a crescendo before a hidden bell dings and a steaming steak sandwich and glass of water pops out of a hole on the other end of the counter. Rebecca picks up both items and takes a seat at the closest table. She takes a bite without a care and just raises an eyebrow at you. She gestures to the menu with her head and you get the message. You take another quick glance at the menu and your finger hovers over several options. You stomach growls in protest to your hesitancy, so you just click the first two buttons that come up. You feel the thirteen separate pieces rush into place, moving the three hundred and twenty seven different moving parts that reached into the ether and grab two items. The ground starts to sway underneath you, and you catch yourself on the counter right before a sandwich and water bottle pop out of the same hole that Rebecca's came out of.
It's basically a carbon copy of Rebecca's dinner. Well, you didn't mean to get those things, but you're to hungry to care right now. Shaking the swaying out of your head, you pick up both items and take a seat next to Rebecca. Both of you want to keep talking, or at least that's what you think the two of you want to do. But honestly, you're just hungry right now. You barely register the taste of the food as you all but inhale the sandwich and down the glass of water. You have a feeling your father is cringing at your manners right now, but given how fast that Rebecca wolfed down her meal as well you think you've got at least some leeway. You finish your meal and see that Rebecca is waiting patiently for you to be done. It was good, and you're still hungry. Wonder if Rebecca will be made if you go for seconds?
Before you try, you take a quick drink to wash everything down "So, you've been working?" You ask.
"Well, I've had to do something to get through everything this place does to you." Rebecca says gesturing around "What about you? How have you been taking everything?"
"What…. do you mean?" You ask, you voice literally dripping with unreliable subtly.
Rebecca gives you a questioning glance but you only shift in your seat. You put your hand behind you, and you pray that it isn't glowing. Three hairs fall over Rebecca's face as she rolls her eyes at your stubbornness. She puts a hand under her seat, and slowly, the entire table and the chairs under it begins to float upward. She gives you a flat stare and you nod "Oh, yeah, that."
The table and chair slowly float back to the ground as Rebecca tries her best not to look at you, or herself for that matter.
"It's a bit strange, your first day. What have you seen? Or done for that matter?"
You take a quick drink of water, trying in vain to wash the lump in your throat. You feel several things shift and move around you, but at least you don't have to look at your hand.
You shake the thought aside, you need to ignore them and talk to your friend.
"Well, Matthew can fly and shoot lasers. I might have totaled a room. Apparently I can control gravity, and to top it all off my best friend can fly and probably has the strength of a hundred men."
Rebecca blinks, probably at the bluntness of your explanation "You seem to be taking this better than I thought you would be."
You shake your head "No, I'm really not. I had… a moment earlier today."
I'm having a moment right now.
Rebecca nods in understanding "Did you think you were dreaming or on drugs when you saw David flying?"
"Got it in one." You say dryly "How did you know?"
Rebecca shrugs "I know what you look like when you're confused about something."
You try not to react.
"Do I make a face?"
She nods "I got a good look at it when you once came into my room after the doctors accidentally gave you a bit too much medicine, making you a bit loopy. You were on time like normal, but Mrs. Reece looked like she was trying not to laugh as she got you back to your room."
You grimace and shiver at the thought.
"That bad?" You ask taking a drink.
"You thought my book was a sandwich and tried to eat it." Rebecca says.
Your eyes widen and you nearly choke on your water. You pound on your chest in a vain attempt to get your breathing back as Rebecca tries and fails to hold back laughter. By the time you can take a breath again, her eyes are watering from the effort. You shoot her a glare, which only seems to make the effort to stop herself from laughing even harder. Shaking your head at her antics you roll your eyes.
"Good thing that I don't remember that." You say, taking another drink.
"Good thing you don't because it never happened."
You eyes shoot open again, but instead of choking on your drink you spit it out in a fountain of mist all over the table. The expression you must have been making is probably priceless because Rebecca just gave up on the effort of not laughing. She laughs with everything she has to the point she's crying. You want to stay angry at her, but it's just so infectious you start laughing as well. Not as badly as Rebecca, but still laughing.
It might have taken you making a fool of yourself, but at least it proved something. The two of you can still laugh after all that shit you've had to go through.
You wait for Rebecca to calm down, and she wipes a tear from her eye "Sorry, but that was fun."
"Yeah yeah laugh it up." You say, your words dripping with false anger.
You drink the last of your water, and this time Rebecca doesn't make you waste it.
"So, this job of yours?"
Rebecca nods "I'm working as a bodyguard for Doctor Mother."
That throws you for a loop. You check to make sure that she isn't kidding, and when you see that she isn't, you let out a low whistle.
"That might be the most surprising thing I've heard all day." You say.
"I can dropkick a semi over a building." Rebecca deadpans "I couldn't exactly take a job as a receptionist being able to do that."
"...fair enough." You admit.
"Anyway, I've spent most of my time just shadowing Doctor Mother as she makes her trips or training with Contessa."
She sees your confused expression "The deputy head director of Cauldron."
You nod and Rebecca leans back in her chair slightly "Nothing extraordinary has happened. After I woke up and realized I could… fly, everything strange just became the new norm. So I asked if I could help around here to try and get through everything and I ended up as Contessa's student and Doctor Mother's bodyguard. I haven't been allowed into any meetings, so no, I haven't heard anything strange from the 'evil doctor'."
She emphasizes the evil doctor with air quotes. You crack a smile at the action, and for not the first time you thank your father for making you sit through those movies.
"How long has this been going on?" You ask.
Rebecca's only answer to you is to tap her thumbs together. It's subtle, but that's normally the sign that she's nervous about what comes next. You remember doing the same thing when you first met, and when she ever talked about personal things with you for the first time. So in response to your friend's nervousness, you put on a smirk "Oh come on Rebecca, it's not like I've been in a coma." You joke.
"...for four months you might as well have been."
It suddenly feels really painful keeping your smirk on your face. You wait for Rebecca to say that it's just another joke, but she looks like she was on the verge of tears. Every chair in the room seems to face you as you slowly lean against the table.
"Oh."
That's all you manage to say. You pull up your drink for another sip, but you've forgotten that you already finished it. The two of you lapse into silence. It's a familiar feeling, waiting for the other to get their breath back. But this time, you don't have cancer to blame it on.
Unsurprisingly, Rebecca is the first one to muster back her courage to speak "The vial's that cured us, gave us powers… they take a while to become acclimated according to Doctor Mother, and even when you wake up it takes some getting used to. I was out for a week, Matthew for a few days, I don't know about everyone else, but you were asleep for four months. At first, everyone thought it was a side effect, or that your vial had forced you into a sleep and kept you there. I tried to visit, bring flowers or something nice like that, but Doctor Mother was very insistent on leaving you alone."
She grips her cup so hard it cracks like an egg, she was even shaking. Gone is the confident woman in a suit, so returns the girl you remember meeting in the hospital bed.
"I… I honestly just took the bodyguard job because it gave me something to focus on. If I wasn't working, I would be busy worrying that my best friend was dying all over again..."
She all but whispers the last part. She slowly looks up from her cup and stares at you. She's not doing it to be rude, it's more like she's confirming that you're actually there.
"So… sorry about nearly crushing you with that hug in the lab."
You try not to, but you crack a smile at the confession "Really? You're worried about crushing me? Rebecca, we just survived cancer, I'm pretty sure that I can handle one small hug."
Rebecca lets out a nervous laugh "Yeah, after going through that a hug seems like a small price doesn't it?"
"Yeah," You agree, but your enthusiasm is dead.
Silence reigns once more. Both of you have finished your drinks, but neither of you get up to refill them. You hear the sound of Rebecca's soft chuckle "You know, I just realized that it's always me who gets the last word." She says "We have this nice conversation, then I go and ruin it."
"It wasn't always you." You say in her defence, but for the life of you you don't actually know. You can't remember.
Rebecca shakes her head "No, it's always me."
She pushes her food away and stands up "So, I'm going to shut my mouth and… let you think everything through. Goodnight."
She quickly walks to the elevator door and steps through the second that it opens up. You shift in your seat. She knows, she has to, but she's letting you have your distance. You hope she wants to help, and this is the only way she knows how.
But that doesn't make it easier.
"Rebecca." You say quickly.
Your friend puts out a hand, stopping the doors from closing. You turn to face her, "It's good to see you Rebecca."
She stares at you, her jaw hanging open. It only lasts a second, before a smile retakes her features and she allows the doors to close leaving you alone in the room. The second they close, you lean back in your chair and let out a breath you don't remember holding in. Rubbing your eyes, you try to think through everything. You woke up, survived cancer, made a new friend, discovered that you can control gravity, reunite with an old friend, learn that you've been asleep for nearly four months, and now your friend has powers as well. Yeah, that just sums up everything you've gotten by doing nothing of worth.
You find yourself staring at the elevator door, hoping that it doesn't open up again. Praying that Rebecca doesn't come back to see you shaking.
It's so damn annoying. You can keep a straight face in front of Matthew, Manton, and your friend, but the second that you're alone with your thoughts, you start freaking out.
It's pathetic really, as much as you hate the your time in the hospital, it did teach you one thing. How to look strong in front of everyone else. But in reality... you're back in that room in that hellhole. You kept up a brave face for everyone, and you lied about feeling good. Honestly, you're surprised you lasted this long.
You're alone now, and that never makes anything easier. There's no one to keep you focused on other things. It's just you and the oceans all around you. Always shifting, always pulsing towards you.
They come from everything. You know exactly how much there is in the room, and every second you're reminded again.
Over, and over, and over again.
You nearly shove the platter of food in front of you across the tabletop before you launch out of your seat. You stride towards the closest elevator that isn't the one that Rebecca used. As you walk, the table moves to the side, almost like it doesn't want to offend you. You're just fine with that. You get to the elevator, and it pretty much slams open as the oceans around it respond to your want to get out of here. Checking the panel, you press the Quarter's button. You close your eyes, and the oceans flare into existence around you.
There's you, the two hundred and seventy three different wires behind the panel, the two dozen steel plates that make up the elevator as a whole, the twin wire system that pulls the elevator up and down along with the suspension keeping everything con-
You shake your head, throwing away the sounds of the oceans. The door hisses open, and you all but sprint out of the elevator. You barely feel the ground beneath your feet as you sprint down the hallway to your room. It's unlocked, so you barely have to push it for it to open. You crash on your bed and put your hands against your ears. But despite that, the oceans still rage around you.
You can feel the bed, yourself, the pens, the wires within the phones and the walls. The the small pieces of dust along the paint on the walls. The chairs in the room, the desk, the weight over the room.
You can feel everything.
You remember smiling when you were told what you can do. Right now, you don't feel like smiling. Everything is screaming, demanding your attention!
You look at your hands again, and they glow in response. The sight is almost as infuriating as lying to Rebecca. They... they aren't supposed to do that! They aren't supposed to glow! They're supposed to just do nothing and be completely normal!
But no... they're glowing. They're shining, glowing with power. A single push, and everything around you is yours. It's just a bonus.
But it isn't!
Not if it wastes four months.
Not if it makes you something more than you deserve.
You feel a single drop of sweat run down your neck. It falls, but then stops to hover above your hands. You stare at the droplet, and you barely have to concentrate to send it flying away. The sight alone is enough to make you laugh like a madman.
What the hell is wrong with you?
You're alive, you have powers, you're free from cancer and now you have a friend back.
You should be happy, so why aren't you?
If your family could see you now, they would be wondering why the gift of life has turned you into this sniveling wreck. It would almost make it better if they called you pathetic.
"It's natural to be afraid."
You jump at the sound of the noise. Your head snaps over to the corner of your room where a chair had been set up. You were so focused on your entrance that you barely even noticed it was there. Whoever was sitting on the chair leans forward, letting her face be caught by the light. She's pretty, really pretty, Italian from what you can guess. She wore the same mafia style suit that you saw Rebecca in, but her outfit is complete with a fedora cap.
She leans back in her chair and laces her fingers together "You are not a freak for fearing what you can accomplish. You are not a fool to recognize the challenges that come with your situation. To control one of the fundamental forces, that is a power that even gods don't have. It is a burden that only the greatest of men can control."
You don't say anything, all you can do is feel the sweat make its way down your neck. The lady in the suit shrugs casually "But, it's more natural to fear what you've become, not what you have gained. Normal humans cannot control gravity. Normal humans cannot fly. And normal humans cannot simply drink a vial and be freed from cancer. If you can do one, or even all of these things, then you're not human anymore."
She leans forward again, looking at you questioningly "But then, what does that make you? A freak? An inhuman abomination? But that would make Rebecca and Matthew just as much a freak as you. No matter what you use to define yourself, you must be ready to define others with the same words. So then, what would you say you are?"
[] Someone with a problem. Humans weren't supposed to have power like this. What if someone crazy had this power? What would happen to them? Now, you're left with the problem of figuring that out.
[] Someone who was given a choice. It all started in that room in the hospital. If you had said no, you wouldn't have these powers. Now, you're left with the choice of what to do with them.
[] Someone who's a victim of circumstance. You didn't do anything to deserve getting powers. You don't deserve them. But now you have them, just because fate picked you to be something more.
Rebecca blinks, and for a second, stares at you with her jaw on the floor. Now, that wasn't exactly the response you were expecting. Before you can formulate a question, Rebecca pulls you in for another hug. This time, it's far softer, and you can return action at your own pace. You do just that, letting out a small laugh as you do "And here I thought I did something wrong."
You hear Rebecca chuckle at your attempt at humor as the two of you pull away from one another. She flips a strand of hair out of her face as she smiles and shakes her head in dismay.
"Same old Alex, always looking out for me first."
"Sorry," You say, "It was the first thing that came to mind."
Rebecca shakes her head "Don't be sorry. It's… nice to see that you're still you."
You sneak a quick glance at your hand. Cracking a smile as best you can, you reach both of your limbs behind you for a fanned stretch. "And it's good to see that you weren't kidding when you said you liked your hair long." You say.
Rebecca just rolls her eyes at your comment, but she's smiling all the way. She motions for you to join her in the elevator, and you gratefully step inside. The doors slid to a close behind you with a metallic hiss.
"Sorry, but from how Doctor Manton was looking at you, I was worried he was going to find a way to set you on fire with his mind."
Manton! That's his name.
It occurs to you that you never bothered to ask that, but ignoring your own ignorance for a second, you focus back on Rebecca. She leans up against the side of the elevator like she owned it. She is literally brimming with life and confidence. She looked like she could walk into world war 3 and order around every general without even batting an eye. It's... awe inspiring just to look at.
Rebecca tilts her head to the side slightly "What are you smiling about?"
You're smiling? You didn't know, but to hell with it, you don't care.
"When I fell asleep, I was going to die in three months." You explain "When I woke up, I find that I have hair again and my best friend is just as healthy as I feel. Why wouldn't I be smiling?"
"Fair enough." Rebecca nods with a smirk of her own.
Seems like she's enjoying the situation just as much as you are. She reaches towards the panel, but stops when she notices you looking at it. You lean back, letting her choose. Rebecca turns back to the panel and floats a finger over several buttons. She starts going for one, but then pulls her hand away. She tries another button, but she doesn't press it. She glances back, embarrassment clear on her face.
"Mind if we get some food?" You ask, helping her out "I'm starving."
Rebeca blinks in surprise. Then, she lets out a breath she probably didn't know she was holding.
"That would be nice." She admits.
You lean forward and press the Food icon as quickly as you can, but this time there isn't a voice telling you that you can't go there because training is still in session. It just blinks, indicating that your course is set. A second later, the door opens up to reveal the smallest food court you've seen in your life. If anything it's more like a break room. There was only two major tables in the center of the room. There are twelves chairs surrounding the tables, each of them solid. Next to them, you had your average age old walk through window that you see in almost every major fast food place. Except there isn't anyone hiding behind the window waiting to take your order. There were exits, possibly to other elevators, but beyond that nothing. The entire place took up about as much space as a medium living room.
Despite the obvious lack of support in here, Rebecca takes off from her comfortable lean and heads to the window. Obviously, you follow right behind her. You don't know what's going on, but at least Rebecca looked like she knew what she was doing. She walks past the tables and taps the counter of the window with a finger. There's a metallic hissing, and the top of the counter slides back, revealing that it's actually a series of metal layers stacked atop one another. Underneath this layer is a menu, complete with pictures and descriptions of each available morsel. There're sandwiches, salads, soups, a few things that looks vaguely Italian, a full on steak dinner and more drinks than you knew existed. Rebecca taps the icons for a steak sandwich and a water. Something behind the counter starts up with an almost comical engine start up sound. You raise an eyebrow at your friend but she just drums her fingers on the counter.
The engine's sounds rise to a crescendo before a hidden bell dings and a steaming steak sandwich and glass of water pops out of a hole on the other end of the counter. Rebecca picks up both items and takes a seat at the closest table. She takes a bite without a care and just raises an eyebrow at you. She gestures to the menu with her head and you get the message. You take another quick glance at the menu and your finger hovers over several options. You stomach growls in protest to your hesitancy, so you just click the first two buttons that come up. You feel the thirteen separate pieces rush into place, moving the three hundred and twenty seven different moving parts that reached into the ether and grab two items. The ground starts to sway underneath you, and you catch yourself on the counter right before a sandwich and water bottle pop out of the same hole that Rebecca's came out of.
It's basically a carbon copy of Rebecca's dinner. Well, you didn't mean to get those things, but you're to hungry to care right now. Shaking the swaying out of your head, you pick up both items and take a seat next to Rebecca. Both of you want to keep talking, or at least that's what you think the two of you want to do. But honestly, you're just hungry right now. You barely register the taste of the food as you all but inhale the sandwich and down the glass of water. You have a feeling your father is cringing at your manners right now, but given how fast that Rebecca wolfed down her meal as well you think you've got at least some leeway. You finish your meal and see that Rebecca is waiting patiently for you to be done. It was good, and you're still hungry. Wonder if Rebecca will be made if you go for seconds?
Before you try, you take a quick drink to wash everything down "So, you've been working?" You ask.
"Well, I've had to do something to get through everything this place does to you." Rebecca says gesturing around "What about you? How have you been taking everything?"
"What…. do you mean?" You ask, you voice literally dripping with unreliable subtly.
Rebecca gives you a questioning glance but you only shift in your seat. You put your hand behind you, and you pray that it isn't glowing. Three hairs fall over Rebecca's face as she rolls her eyes at your stubbornness. She puts a hand under her seat, and slowly, the entire table and the chairs under it begins to float upward. She gives you a flat stare and you nod "Oh, yeah, that."
The table and chair slowly float back to the ground as Rebecca tries her best not to look at you, or herself for that matter.
"It's a bit strange, your first day. What have you seen? Or done for that matter?"
You take a quick drink of water, trying in vain to wash the lump in your throat. You feel several things shift and move around you, but at least you don't have to look at your hand.
You shake the thought aside, you need to ignore them and talk to your friend.
"Well, Matthew can fly and shoot lasers. I might have totaled a room. Apparently I can control gravity, and to top it all off my best friend can fly and probably has the strength of a hundred men."
Rebecca blinks, probably at the bluntness of your explanation "You seem to be taking this better than I thought you would be."
You shake your head "No, I'm really not. I had… a moment earlier today."
I'm having a moment right now.
Rebecca nods in understanding "Did you think you were dreaming or on drugs when you saw David flying?"
"Got it in one." You say dryly "How did you know?"
Rebecca shrugs "I know what you look like when you're confused about something."
You try not to react.
"Do I make a face?"
She nods "I got a good look at it when you once came into my room after the doctors accidentally gave you a bit too much medicine, making you a bit loopy. You were on time like normal, but Mrs. Reece looked like she was trying not to laugh as she got you back to your room."
You grimace and shiver at the thought.
"That bad?" You ask taking a drink.
"You thought my book was a sandwich and tried to eat it." Rebecca says.
Your eyes widen and you nearly choke on your water. You pound on your chest in a vain attempt to get your breathing back as Rebecca tries and fails to hold back laughter. By the time you can take a breath again, her eyes are watering from the effort. You shoot her a glare, which only seems to make the effort to stop herself from laughing even harder. Shaking your head at her antics you roll your eyes.
"Good thing that I don't remember that." You say, taking another drink.
"Good thing you don't because it never happened."
You eyes shoot open again, but instead of choking on your drink you spit it out in a fountain of mist all over the table. The expression you must have been making is probably priceless because Rebecca just gave up on the effort of not laughing. She laughs with everything she has to the point she's crying. You want to stay angry at her, but it's just so infectious you start laughing as well. Not as badly as Rebecca, but still laughing.
It might have taken you making a fool of yourself, but at least it proved something. The two of you can still laugh after all that shit you've had to go through.
You wait for Rebecca to calm down, and she wipes a tear from her eye "Sorry, but that was fun."
"Yeah yeah laugh it up." You say, your words dripping with false anger.
You drink the last of your water, and this time Rebecca doesn't make you waste it.
"So, this job of yours?"
Rebecca nods "I'm working as a bodyguard for Doctor Mother."
That throws you for a loop. You check to make sure that she isn't kidding, and when you see that she isn't, you let out a low whistle.
"That might be the most surprising thing I've heard all day." You say.
"I can dropkick a semi over a building." Rebecca deadpans "I couldn't exactly take a job as a receptionist being able to do that."
"...fair enough." You admit.
"Anyway, I've spent most of my time just shadowing Doctor Mother as she makes her trips or training with Contessa."
She sees your confused expression "The deputy head director of Cauldron."
You nod and Rebecca leans back in her chair slightly "Nothing extraordinary has happened. After I woke up and realized I could… fly, everything strange just became the new norm. So I asked if I could help around here to try and get through everything and I ended up as Contessa's student and Doctor Mother's bodyguard. I haven't been allowed into any meetings, so no, I haven't heard anything strange from the 'evil doctor'."
She emphasizes the evil doctor with air quotes. You crack a smile at the action, and for not the first time you thank your father for making you sit through those movies.
"How long has this been going on?" You ask.
Rebecca's only answer to you is to tap her thumbs together. It's subtle, but that's normally the sign that she's nervous about what comes next. You remember doing the same thing when you first met, and when she ever talked about personal things with you for the first time. So in response to your friend's nervousness, you put on a smirk "Oh come on Rebecca, it's not like I've been in a coma." You joke.
"...for four months you might as well have been."
It suddenly feels really painful keeping your smirk on your face. You wait for Rebecca to say that it's just another joke, but she looks like she was on the verge of tears. Every chair in the room seems to face you as you slowly lean against the table.
"Oh."
That's all you manage to say. You pull up your drink for another sip, but you've forgotten that you already finished it. The two of you lapse into silence. It's a familiar feeling, waiting for the other to get their breath back. But this time, you don't have cancer to blame it on.
Unsurprisingly, Rebecca is the first one to muster back her courage to speak "The vial's that cured us, gave us powers… they take a while to become acclimated according to Doctor Mother, and even when you wake up it takes some getting used to. I was out for a week, Matthew for a few days, I don't know about everyone else, but you were asleep for four months. At first, everyone thought it was a side effect, or that your vial had forced you into a sleep and kept you there. I tried to visit, bring flowers or something nice like that, but Doctor Mother was very insistent on leaving you alone."
She grips her cup so hard it cracks like an egg, she was even shaking. Gone is the confident woman in a suit, so returns the girl you remember meeting in the hospital bed.
"I… I honestly just took the bodyguard job because it gave me something to focus on. If I wasn't working, I would be busy worrying that my best friend was dying all over again..."
She all but whispers the last part. She slowly looks up from her cup and stares at you. She's not doing it to be rude, it's more like she's confirming that you're actually there.
"So… sorry about nearly crushing you with that hug in the lab."
You try not to, but you crack a smile at the confession "Really? You're worried about crushing me? Rebecca, we just survived cancer, I'm pretty sure that I can handle one small hug."
Rebecca lets out a nervous laugh "Yeah, after going through that a hug seems like a small price doesn't it?"
"Yeah," You agree, but your enthusiasm is dead.
Silence reigns once more. Both of you have finished your drinks, but neither of you get up to refill them. You hear the sound of Rebecca's soft chuckle "You know, I just realized that it's always me who gets the last word." She says "We have this nice conversation, then I go and ruin it."
"It wasn't always you." You say in her defence, but for the life of you you don't actually know. You can't remember.
Rebecca shakes her head "No, it's always me."
She pushes her food away and stands up "So, I'm going to shut my mouth and… let you think everything through. Goodnight."
She quickly walks to the elevator door and steps through the second that it opens up. You shift in your seat. She knows, she has to, but she's letting you have your distance. You hope she wants to help, and this is the only way she knows how.
But that doesn't make it easier.
"Rebecca." You say quickly.
Your friend puts out a hand, stopping the doors from closing. You turn to face her, "It's good to see you Rebecca."
She stares at you, her jaw hanging open. It only lasts a second, before a smile retakes her features and she allows the doors to close leaving you alone in the room. The second they close, you lean back in your chair and let out a breath you don't remember holding in. Rubbing your eyes, you try to think through everything. You woke up, survived cancer, made a new friend, discovered that you can control gravity, reunite with an old friend, learn that you've been asleep for nearly four months, and now your friend has powers as well. Yeah, that just sums up everything you've gotten by doing nothing of worth.
You find yourself staring at the elevator door, hoping that it doesn't open up again. Praying that Rebecca doesn't come back to see you shaking.
It's so damn annoying. You can keep a straight face in front of Matthew, Manton, and your friend, but the second that you're alone with your thoughts, you start freaking out.
It's pathetic really, as much as you hate the your time in the hospital, it did teach you one thing. How to look strong in front of everyone else. But in reality... you're back in that room in that hellhole. You kept up a brave face for everyone, and you lied about feeling good. Honestly, you're surprised you lasted this long.
You're alone now, and that never makes anything easier. There's no one to keep you focused on other things. It's just you and the oceans all around you. Always shifting, always pulsing towards you.
They come from everything. You know exactly how much there is in the room, and every second you're reminded again.
Over, and over, and over again.
You nearly shove the platter of food in front of you across the tabletop before you launch out of your seat. You stride towards the closest elevator that isn't the one that Rebecca used. As you walk, the table moves to the side, almost like it doesn't want to offend you. You're just fine with that. You get to the elevator, and it pretty much slams open as the oceans around it respond to your want to get out of here. Checking the panel, you press the Quarter's button. You close your eyes, and the oceans flare into existence around you.
There's you, the two hundred and seventy three different wires behind the panel, the two dozen steel plates that make up the elevator as a whole, the twin wire system that pulls the elevator up and down along with the suspension keeping everything con-
You shake your head, throwing away the sounds of the oceans. The door hisses open, and you all but sprint out of the elevator. You barely feel the ground beneath your feet as you sprint down the hallway to your room. It's unlocked, so you barely have to push it for it to open. You crash on your bed and put your hands against your ears. But despite that, the oceans still rage around you.
You can feel the bed, yourself, the pens, the wires within the phones and the walls. The the small pieces of dust along the paint on the walls. The chairs in the room, the desk, the weight over the room.
You can feel everything.
You remember smiling when you were told what you can do. Right now, you don't feel like smiling. Everything is screaming, demanding your attention!
You look at your hands again, and they glow in response. The sight is almost as infuriating as lying to Rebecca. They... they aren't supposed to do that! They aren't supposed to glow! They're supposed to just do nothing and be completely normal!
But no... they're glowing. They're shining, glowing with power. A single push, and everything around you is yours. It's just a bonus.
But it isn't!
Not if it wastes four months.
Not if it makes you something more than you deserve.
You feel a single drop of sweat run down your neck. It falls, but then stops to hover above your hands. You stare at the droplet, and you barely have to concentrate to send it flying away. The sight alone is enough to make you laugh like a madman.
What the hell is wrong with you?
You're alive, you have powers, you're free from cancer and now you have a friend back.
You should be happy, so why aren't you?
If your family could see you now, they would be wondering why the gift of life has turned you into this sniveling wreck. It would almost make it better if they called you pathetic.
"It's natural to be afraid."
You jump at the sound of the noise. Your head snaps over to the corner of your room where a chair had been set up. You were so focused on your entrance that you barely even noticed it was there. Whoever was sitting on the chair leans forward, letting her face be caught by the light. She's pretty, really pretty, Italian from what you can guess. She wore the same mafia style suit that you saw Rebecca in, but her outfit is complete with a fedora cap.
She leans back in her chair and laces her fingers together "You are not a freak for fearing what you can accomplish. You are not a fool to recognize the challenges that come with your situation. To control one of the fundamental forces, that is a power that even gods don't have. It is a burden that only the greatest of men can control."
You don't say anything, all you can do is feel the sweat make its way down your neck. The lady in the suit shrugs casually "But, it's more natural to fear what you've become, not what you have gained. Normal humans cannot control gravity. Normal humans cannot fly. And normal humans cannot simply drink a vial and be freed from cancer. If you can do one, or even all of these things, then you're not human anymore."
She leans forward again, looking at you questioningly "But then, what does that make you? A freak? An inhuman abomination? But that would make Rebecca and Matthew just as much a freak as you. No matter what you use to define yourself, you must be ready to define others with the same words. So then, what would you say you are?"
[] Someone with a problem. Humans weren't supposed to have power like this. What if someone crazy had this power? What would happen to them? Now, you're left with the problem of figuring that out.
[] Someone who was given a choice. It all started in that room in the hospital. If you had said no, you wouldn't have these powers. Now, you're left with the choice of what to do with them.
[] Someone who's a victim of circumstance. You didn't do anything to deserve getting powers. You don't deserve them. But now you have them, just because fate picked you to be something more.
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