Superpowers and the concept have always existed, as far back as people could recall. Despite that, it is still mostly unknown where they truly came from.


    The most famous story is that of the Four Lords. It was said that long ago, humanity faced a grave threat that would wipe them all out. They called this threat the Shadow. The Shadow ate away at mankind and put them on the verge of extinction. Just when all hope seemed lost, ‘they’ showed up.


    Four heroes appeared and saved them from total destruction. Heroes that held the title of Lords.


    The first ever superpowers. The Lord of the Sea and the Depth. The Lord of the Land and Life. The Lord of the Sky and the Weather. And lastly, the Lord of the Sun and the Cosmos. They battled the great Shadow and, by some miracle, managed to wipe this great threat out, restoring humanity to its proper place as number one.


    The world entered a new age. Less than one percent of the population had superpowers, but even with a percentage that small, it was only a matter of time before it expanded and grew to a full roster. Now there are nearly ten thousand listed Supers across the world. Be it hero or villain, the world was forced to change.


    Good or bad, that remains to be seen still.


    Toni’s heart felt as if it were about to explode, and her lungs were so heavy the officer swore that they must have been filled with lead. Her skin was wet with sweat, which caused her palms to slip on the doorknob.


    It took longer than it should have to push the door open, but as soon as she could, Toni flung her body into the room and slammed the door shut. How long had she been running? That was a question she had forgotten the answer to.


    Breathing heavily, Toni’s eyes darted around the room, broad and unfocused. “Calm down.” The officer did their best to settle her heart and calm her nerves as she remembered her training. “The window.” She was only on the second story. The fall would hurt but it was survivable.


    Toni took a step toward the window, but it was already too late. There was a horrible screeching sound, and the door exploded in on itself, the shards crashing through the office, knocking shelves and rewards over and making a mess of the room.


    “Geez, Mrs. Cop.” The voice was arrogant. It was also young—someone who had just reached adulthood and gotten a taste of power. The dust settled, and the cop saw them on the other side of the now-destroyed door. “You sure did give us a good chase. Of all the people I’ve hunted, I think you ran for the longest. Good job. You’ll be worth a lot of EXP.”


    The man’s clothing was somewhat normal for who he was. A fancy black business suit that had been dirtied up from the running. His face was unseen, covered by a skintight, cartoonish wolf mask. In his hand, he held a simple switchblade. The man twirled it around, showing years of practice, before finally pointing it towards Toni.


    A supervillain. The infamous Green Wolf. Leader of the villain group known as Zoo.


    The man wasn’t alone, either. Standing behind him, there were others, all dressed in suits and all with various animal masks.


    “So.” The man in the wolf mask cocked his head to the side. “What’s your game strat now? You ran out of bullets a while ago, and help won’t get here in time. Your build is pretty trashy, so we can keep trolling you if you want. Go on. I’ll give you another head start.” Even with the mask, Toni could tell the man had the biggest grin on his face as he stared at her.


    Toni turned to the window, but her heart sank when she saw something. A man in a suit with the mask of a bird, a set of jet-black wings jutting out his back, floated outside, almost daring the cop to try it.


    Silence passed in the room. No one moved as the officer''s arms slumped. “You...” Tears began streaking down Toni’s face as she glared at the man in the wolf mask. “The heroes will stop every single one of you, you arrogant villains! They’ll show up any second!” She screamed the words as loud as she could and gritted her hand into a ball.


    The man in the mask seemed taken aback for a second. “Really now? You think a hero''s going to save you?” He stepped forward and raised his knife. “That’s a good theory. Sadly for you, though, I think it’s game over. No extra lives.” And with that, he brought it down.


    ***


    “Hey! Are you even listening?” Hope yelled out.


    “Nope,” Jack said flatly.


    “You’re really just leaving!” She asked with wide eyes.


    “Yep.” The red-haired man opened the door to the hospital’s hallway. “Can’t afford a medical bill. I’ll just let my wounds heal on their own. I’m a Super, so I’ll be fine.”


    “Does it work that way? I have healed a couple of things pretty quickly,” she wondered. She had several bandages placed around her head from where that villain had nearly crushed her skull, but if she was being honest, it didn’t hurt that bad anymore. Had it already healed? For that matter, she wondered if she could maybe get the hospital to bring in that Paragon girl they had to heal her and Mr. Larison.


    It was a few hours after the attack with the monster. They had been sent straight to the hospital, and luckily, she was mostly unharmed, though she had suffered some pretty severe bruises. Jack, meanwhile, had nearly every bone either broken or cracked. The man shouldn’t have been able to walk, yet that didn’t stop him from limping down the hallway.


    She had to admit that she was a little jealous. It had seemed like he hit the jackpot when it came to a superpower. He was stronger than her and more durable, on top of being able to blast freaking lasers out. Compared to her ability to see far or hear better, he was so much cooler. The kind of person who would be a main character if he was in a comic or book.


    “Are you really not going to talk about how you’re a freaking superhero?” She ran up to him, keeping pace.


    Jack began to walk through the hospital halls, passing by many less fortunate people. “I’m not a superhero, kid. I’m just a guy. A nobody. I ain’t looking for that sort of attention being a hero brings. I’m lucky that hero covered the story up.”


    The official report was that a villain had tried to steal the monster corpse. Sometimes bad guys did that in an attempt to bring the slain creatures back in some sort of zombie form. Ocean Empress thankfully arrived and took Intake out in one attack. At least that was the story the general public were told. No mentions of civilians or workers being caught up in the attack. That was all swept up under the rug.


    She walked in front of the man and pointed at him. “You have powers. You’ve saved me twice. Beaten Intake twice. And you’re just so cool. You’ve got to be a secret hero! Come on, you can tell me! I’ll tell you one of my secrets if you tell me who your hero identity is!” That was when something else in the hospital caught her eye.


    “Powers don’t make ya a hero. I thought I told you that already.” The man stopped when he realized she wasn’t paying attention to him anymore. “Kid?”


    Her eyes were fixed on the many other people in other rooms. Some had limbs frozen solid, some were turned into different shapes, some were alien creatures, and some had robotic parts fused onto them, all caused by villain attacks. It was enough to make her teeth grind.


    All the patients, in a way, reminded her of her father. He, too, had his life affected by a superpower that left him bedridden. Sadly, this wasn’t the same hospital he was in; rather, it was a very expensive one, with most of their bills being paid for by Old Dog, the hero of Oleander.


    “Kid.”


    “Right. Sorry. I just forgot is all.” She shook her head and focused her attention back on Mr. Larison.


    Jack finally found what he was looking for in his pockets—a pack of cigarettes. “Look, kid. Why do you care if I have powers or not?” He asked, scratching the back of his head. “You have them too, right?”


    “Yours are so much cooler, though.” Jack snorted before suddenly throwing his pack of cigarettes at her. It hit her head and bounced to the floor. “Hey! What was that for?” It hadn’t actually hurt, but she still didn’t like having something thrown at her face.


    “Normal reaction time.” That was all he said. “Thought it’d be faster, the way your eyes jump around. What are your powers anyway?”


    “Should we be talking about this in the open?” She asked, looking around. The hall was full of people that could be listening.


    Jack reached over and flicked her on the nose. “You’ve been blabbing about it nonstop. If someone could have heard, they would have long ago.”


    “Could have? Are you saying they can’t?”The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    For a moment, a flicker of gold caught her attention right at the corner of her eye. “I’ve surrounded us inside of a field of energy that my body seeps out. It’s blocking sight and sound from everyone around us. To them all, we’re completely soundproof and invisible. It only works on non-Supers, though. Supers can somehow see through tricks like this.”


    “That’s so cool!” She said with stars in her eyes. It was like he could do whatever he wanted. Barriers, lights, lasers, and now even invisibility. Jack Larison was a walking cheat code.


    “So what can you do?” The man asked again.


    She shrugged sheepishly. “I’m still figuring it out. I have some of the basics, though.”


    “The basics?”


    “Yeah, you know. Stuff like super strength and that.” She stared down at her hands, frowning. “I have better senses. Well, sometimes. If I focus hard, I can even hear a person’s heartbeat, but it can hurt my ears if I’m not careful.”


    “That’s...”


    “Yeah, I know it’s a little lame. I know I can do more; I just don’t know how to figure it out. That’s why I told you yours were cooler.” She sighed, tossing the pack of cigarettes back to him. “How do yours work?”


    Jack gave her a half-shrug. “I point and go ‘bang,’ and then boom! Something gets shot.”


    “You’re not going to explain it better, are you?” He seemed lost in thought and shook his head, moving further down the hallway. She just shook her head and followed after him. They reached the front desk, and Jack began grabbing the sign-out papers, ready to leave as he dropped the barrier around them. “So, what happens now?” She asked.


    “What do ya mean?”


    “You know what I mean. With your powers, you could really do it right. You could become a superhero. You’re strong.”


    That caused the man to go silent. He stared down at the hospital papers as he quietly began to sign them. “I haven’t thought about it.” Jack finally admitted.


    “Really? Are you actually happy with working as a janitor for the rest of your life?”


    “Okay. I have thought about it.” The man admitted. “But I’m still thinking. I have something good going on at my job, and I still get to help people out in my own way. I have a roof over my head, and I have food. No need to ruin it by chasing that dream. Besides, you saw my condition.”


    “You mean your heart.” She asked quietly. She had noticed it when she came back for him. She never got to meet her grandpa because he had died from a heart attack before she had been born. It was one of the reasons her father moved to Oleander. Heart conditions were always a touchy subject in the family.


    Jack rubbed his chest. “I wouldn’t make a good hero if I had to be saved every few seconds. I push myself too far, and the damn thing will explode. Literally. My powers speed it up too much. Like a jolt of energy through my body. There are villains stronger than Intake, and fighting him nearly killed me.”


    “Smoking likely doesn’t help, you know.”


    “What about you?” Jack asked. “You trying to become a hero?”


    “I don’t know.” She winced. “I mean, I like them, but my powers aren’t that good, and fighting villains seems scary.” Intake had been a rude awakening.


    “Then stop asking me to do it.”


    “All right.” She was a little bummed by his answer but tried to take it in stride.


    Jack had just finished checking himself out, and she was about to say more, but the two of them were suddenly cut off by a yell throughout the hospital. “Hope!” She turned just in time to see a set of arms that grabbed her and pulled her in for a bone-crushing hug. She gasped as her mother seemed to do their best to snap her spine. “Are you okay? I came as soon as I heard what was going on.” Jane Lauren said in a panic.


    “I’m fine, Mom,” she grunted, trying to get out of her mother’s grip. “I think you might kill me, though.”


    The woman finally let her go, letting out a breath of relief. Then her mom turned to stare at the man standing next to her. “I heard you did your best to keep her safe.” Jack scratched at his bushy beard, giving a half-wave, causing her mom to frown a little. First impressions were not Mr. Larison’s strong suit, it seemed. “Thank you for keeping her safe.” Jack shook the woman’s hand awkwardly.


    “Any adult would have done what I did.” The man said, shaking his head.


    “I doubt every adult.” Jane sighed. Slowly, the woman turned and looked down at her daughter. “Let’s get you out of here.” Her mom gripped her shoulder and dragged her to the door.


    She frowned a bit and tried to resist for a moment. She still had a bunch of questions she wanted to ask Mr. Larison. “But-”


    “Now.”


    “Okay.” She winced as her mother began to drag her away. She looked back at the man, but he simply shrugged and let her be carried off.


    Jack went another way, taking a route that led to the ambulance bay. As soon as he was on the street past the few idle ambulances, he found another cigarette and lit it up. “Finally. No more babysitting.” He blew out a stream of smoke, staring up at the sky. “Stupid kid. What right does she have acting like ‘him’?”


    ‘Maybe meeting her really was fate.’


    “Yeah right.” Jack snorted and took another drag on his cigarette. “Fate my ass. This is all just some cruel joke.”


    Over with Hope, she followed after her mom as they headed towards the parking lot. They were stopped though when a voice called out to them. “Yo Hope!”


    She turned and raised an eyebrow when she saw Kyle and his friend Rowan heading toward them. “I came as soon as I could. Armin told me you were put in the hospital again. Are you making this a habit or something?” Kyle joked. “This is the second time this week.”


    “What happened this time?” Rowan questioned, folding his arms.


    “I just tripped down the stairs.” She shrugged. Her mother knew the truth, and she planned on letting Kyle know as well when she could, but Rowan wasn’t really someone she knew, so he’d be kept in the dark for now.


    “I like the whole bandaged head look.” Rowan said, pointing to the part of her skull still wrapped up. Her eyes narrowed a little. She was definitely keeping him in the dark.


    “Hope... Do... Do you have other friends besides Armin?” Her mom looked like she was tearing up a bit. “I’m so proud of you!”


    “Of course I have other friends!” She huffed and folded her arms. “This is Kyle. He goes to school with me. The other is Rowan. I don’t really know him that well.”


    Rowan chuckled sheepishly and shrugged. Her mom nodded and smiled a bit. "Well, it’s good to know there are people who care for my daughter. I’m afraid we can’t talk for long, though. I should get her home. She needs rest after all.”


    “Of course.” Kyle nodded. “I understand. I just came to drop off the homework Mr. Pluto handed out.”


    She took the papers she offered, looking down at them. She’d have to study up on some history again. Luckily she was an ace at cheating in Mr. Pluto’s class. “Thanks.”


    “No prob.” She finished talking to Kyle and Rowan before the pounding in her head finally got to be too much and she had to leave.


    Kyle stood next to Rowan as he watched Hope and her mom get into their car and pull out of the hospital''s parking lot. The caramel-skinned boy lightly elbowed his friend and shot the pale kid a look. “Well.”


    Rowan pulled something out of his pocket. It almost looked like a small phone of sorts, with the screen glowing with a bright blue light. A series of numbers ran along it, and he quietly closed it. “Meh. She’s not that strong of a Super.” The boy finally said. “She’d just be a dead weight on my team.”


    “Darn.” Kyle threw his arms behind his head and gave a sheepish laugh. “And here I was thinking Hope was special or something. Oh well. It’s still interesting that I ran into her when I did. Then again, I guess Supers do seem to attract other Supers, don’t they?”


    ***


    The drive back home for Jack had been mostly silent. His car, an old truck that might have been popular fifteen years ago, struggled. It hadn’t been in a proper state ever since a massive inferno was caused a few months ago by another giant rampaging monster that had crawled out of a volcano. “That’s gonna be a real pain to fix.” Jack grumbled, pulled into his parking spot, and closed the door.


    “Hey, Jack, welcome back; where’s the TV?” Nick asked as the very second he was in his apartment.


    Jack threw a large box onto the table in front of Nick and walked over to the fridge, ripping it open and trying to find anything that looked good. “Happy, now? I got a new TV.”


    “Yes.” Nick was already at the box, trying to rip it open.


    “I think I hate you, Nick.” Jack muttered under his breath, pulling out some takeout and giving it a sniff. Definitely kinda still edible.


    “So, how was work?”


    “Nick, I was in the hospital all day. You were my emergency contact and never showed up.”


    “Oh yeah, so see, the story is kind of funny, you’re really going to get a kick out of this, I bet. I blew all my cash at the casino after work right, and then I remembered I owed someone a lot of cash and that they’d gut me if I didn’t get it to them, so maybe I sort of sold my phone. And also my car…”


    “Nick, you have a serious issue. I think we need to get you help-”


    “So, you doing okay?” His roommate finally asked.


    Jack sat on the couch, digging around the box of cold noodles, and sighed. “My body will heal fine.” He stared down at the cold food silently, balling his hand into a fist. “It felt... good to use my powers again.” He grabbed his stomach, squeezing the fat. “I felt like my old self for a bit.”


    Nick’s head shot up, and the man stopped trying to open the TV box and stared at Jack with wide eyes. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! You used your powers?” The man said in shock. “I thought you said you were just going to pretend to be a normal dude from now on! What happened to laying low like we promised?”


    “I did.” Jack replied. “Besides the big boss, none of the other workers know I have superpowers. They’re not rare, but they aren’t common. I wanted to keep it a secret, but then that villain attacked, and I didn’t have much of a choice. I fought it. Almost beat him too, but y’know.”


    “Your heart?”


    “Yeah. I really let myself go, huh?”


    “Maybe you should hit a gym,” Nick suggested.


    “Nah.” Jack dropped his arm down and stared up at the roof. “I’m not interested in getting in shape. It’s not like I need to. I got away with not using my powers for almost fifteen years now. No need to change anything.”


    Nick let out a snort and got back to opening the box, pulling out the small TV. “You know. A lot of people would kill to have superpowers and get to be superheroes. I know I wouldn’t hesitate to just go out and save people if I had cool powers, and I’m just a mere mortal. What are you so afraid of, Mr. Demi God?”


    “I’m not scared. I just want to live a good life. I can’t be bothered to fight villains constantly and have to worry. Besides, my powers aren’t good for saving people. Guys with powers who just fight bad guys all day aren’t real superheroes; they’re just soldiers with silly names.”


    He’d never be a hero like ‘that man’ had been. Jack shook his head, the image of the powerful man fading from his mind.


    “Suit yourself. Hey, uh, how do I plug this up?” Nick asked. Jack ignored him, grabbing a comic book that was under his bed. One about a superhero named Red Iron, which he began to read. “Hello? Earth to Jack. You’re not gonna help me, are you?”


    Meanwhile, outside their apartment, walking the streets quietly, a black kitten looked around. The cat let out a meow, the cold wind causing it to shiver. “Mister Fur.” A childish voice called out. Down the block, the cat could hear its owner, a young eight-year-old girl. “Here, kitty!”


    The kitten let out a meow and trotted down the path, following the voice. It needed to get out of this harsh cold anyway. The cat stopped suddenly, though, when it heard a strange sound coming from its left.


    Next to the cat, on the road, a sewer lid shook lightly. The cat stared at the lid, cocking its head to the side. It let out another meow, but in a flash, the lid suddenly exploded off the ground and flew into the air. The cat let out a hiss in surprise, its fur sticking up.


    Before it could move or before the sewer lid could fall, there was a deep green glow from the blackness of the sewers. A white hand suddenly came out. It wasn’t attached to an arm. It was just a hand flying through the air. It wrapped around the cat and dragged it into the sewers. A second later, the lid dropped, landing perfectly on the sewer and closing it off again.


    Down the block, a little girl waited for her cat to return...