《Super》 Prolouge The room glowed bright red for a few seconds when the beam appeared. Mr. Jenningshad been begging for an hour, pleading for his life, saying that he had nothing to do with the lab explosion. This was the sixth pile of ash that had been made that evening, though Daina knew that there was no hope for any of the witnesses to get off this ship, they would only babble their mouths to anyone that would listen, and ruin his perfect image. She looked over at the man, who was staring at the collection of ash where Jennings had been on his knees begging violently for mercy. ¡°That¡¯s enough for now¡± he spoke quietly. He turned towards Daina for a moment, and she stared blankly into his irregular eyes, one a deep, piercing blue, and the other a bright, merciless red. He walked past her, over to the enormous window overlooking the Earth. He stared deeply at the planet, and after a few moments, he craned his head in her direction. ¡°It¡¯s chaos down there,¡± he said. ¡°They¡¯re afraid.¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. An hour ago the famous John Harding¡¯s lab had exploded under mysterious circumstances. As the lab had gone up in smoke and fire, he had but a moment to collect everyone who had been working in the reactor room and bring them here. What was strange though, was the fact that he didn¡¯t remember saving anybody from the explosion, though he was told upon his arrival to the Ares that aside from four students from the tour who all seemed to have lost consciousness, everybody else working within the lab had emerged unscathed, a safe distance away from the blast. Even the two other supers serving as security couldn¡¯t have been fast enough to save everyone and distance them that fast. It troubled him, something else was there. He pondered for a moment what it could all mean. The students. They had only just been entering the lab when it blew up. Only they had been knocked unconscious, and they had been rushed to the hospital immediately. ¡°Go back and find those four in the hospital, observe them, and report back to me if you notice anything unusual about them, oh, and summon the rest of the Knights. A meeting is long overdue at this point.¡± His voice was commanding. He turned back to face the window overlooking the Earth and glared down at the planet, his eyes were glowing bright blue now. ¡°I have a feeling something bigger than all of us is at play here.¡± A New Beginning Chapter 1 - A New Beginning Three Hours Earlier The twentieth day of October would change Emma¡¯s life. She was sure of it. Only five students get chosen every year to go on this tour. It was a wildcard day in what had become a life of routine for her. The alarm that she swore got louder every morning had been blaring in her ear for five minutes, interrupting the same nightmare that she had every time she closed her eyes. She decided to lay there for a bit longer, opting out of the snooze button. Once she couldn¡¯t take the loud ringing in her ears anymore, she grudgingly rolled over and pressed the dismiss button on her phone¡¯s alarm clock. She convinced herself that today was different, and that difference was good. Being able to tour Harding Labs was a dream for someone like Emma, who loved science, even though science stopped being able to explain everything many years ago when babies began to be born with unusually colored eyes, babies that would grow to be able to lift cars and run at the same speed as a bullet train. They say that one in every ten million people born these days are supers. A special screening process occurs before birth, and if the baby is discovered to be a super, they proceed with the birth prematurely, documents are signed, and the government takes the baby, and raises them with all of the other supers from the United States in a special facility in Nevada. Occasionally, however, there will be one born far stronger than the others, such as John Harding. They get to be raised in the Ares, a ship orbiting the Earth. They eventually join the Knights, a global peacekeeping force made up of the strongest of the strong. Emma was never certain how she felt about supers. Not since the event that began her nightmares, even if she had met some very heroic ones in her life, her parents being two of them. After a few more minutes that consisted of rolling around under her covers and convincing herself that she had better places to be than her bed, she crawled out from under her sheets. After checking her calendar to make sure that today was the day that she had circled many times, Emma quietly slid open her door, crept past her Grams fast asleep on the couch, her fuzzy, heavily colored black hair sticking out from under a single thin blanket. She silently made herself two pieces of toast (always extra crispy) she quietly folded the top of the blanket down from her Gram¡¯s face and kissed her on the forehead before she set out. As she placed her hand on the bronze doorknob to leave, her eyes lingered on the small framed picture on the wall by the door. The picture was of a tall, broad-shouldered man with jet-black hair and bright hazel eyes, and a smaller, more petite woman with deep, violet eyes that sparkled and glowed. Her Father possessed the incredibly rare power associated with the hazel eye color, which was the ability to manipulate, create, and control elements. Her Mother¡¯s eye color was indigo, which is associated with telepathy, and Emma¡¯s mother was an especially gifted one. In the picture, their hands were on the shoulders of an innocent-looking, lanky girl who was nervous about her first day of high school, and the only human ever known to have been born from two supers. It was hard to believe that the picture was taken of her and her parents two years ago. It seemed like a lifetime away. Her trance broke, she closed her eyes and took a slow, deep breath, and opened the door. The morning was deathly quiet, the fresh chirps of birds pairing with the sun peeking it¡¯s face over the horizon, teasing the world with only a glimpse of its warmth to come. She stood in her doorway for a minute, taking in the beauty of the morning, before she glided over to the corner of her street, where Dawn was supposed to pick her up. Emma saw the charcoal-dark mustang flying down the road at a speed she assumed was just a tad too fast for a neighborhood. The car thundered down the street and skidded to a stop at the curb. ¡°Someone¡¯s excited¡± Dawn spoke in her perky, preppy voice as Emma swung open the door and planted herself in the passenger¡¯s seat. Dawn was the type of person who always had one foot on the gas pedal, in any situation she was in. She once dyed her shoulder-length blonde hair blue, then decided after a week she didn¡¯t like it and went back to blonde, and a month later dyed it the darkest black and decided that black was her new favorite color. She could never wear the same outfit twice, she considered it a mortal sin. But she was loyal, like the type of friend that would face the world with you and be fully confident in your winning probability. Emma buckled her seatbelt and wrapped her arms around the black skateboarding backpack she used for school, knowing that she would have to cling to something with the ride that she was about to experience. Dawn had that effect on her. ¡°Can you blame me?¡± Emma said with a raised eyebrow. Emma, Dawn, and the rest of their friends had been waiting for their chance to tour the grand laboratory that sat as an out of place marvel within their quiet, sheltered town. Harding Labs resided in the heart of Midlothian, with John Harding choosing to build it in the same town he grew up in. Through John and his research, governments around the world were able to better understand supers, and find a place for them in society. Today was the only day of the year where the massive front gate of his laboratory would lift, and four selected students from Midlothian High would get to tour the massive facility. The students who applied had to go through a series of written tests and exams to test their enthusiasm and love for exploring the unknown. Emma, Dawn, and their other best friends Quin and Grayson had been the only ones who passed, considering all of them share a curiosity and passion for whatever resides within the walls of the lab. After a journey that consisted of Emma quietly reminding Dawn to slow down twenty-seven times, Dawn pulled into her designated parking spot in front of the school. A single, small yellow school bus was waiting for them, Emma assumed that the school had insisted on transporting them. ¡°And here I was hoping a big muscular super would carry me in his arms as he sped acrosstown in seconds.¡± Dawn quirked with her signature pouty face. Emma decided against politely reminding her that her face would burn off from the friction that came with zipping through town at speeds faster than a car, which is why supers are prohibited from it. Emma grabbed her hand and dragged her through the rest of the cars in the parking lot on the way to the bus. As they approached, they saw Mr. Blackwood, the school¡¯s principal, talking with a broad-shouldered man in a suit in front of the bus doors. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s safe? From what I hear this thing hasn¡¯t been tested ye-- Emma!Dawn!¡± He cut off abruptly. ¡°You¡¯re a bit late, but I wasn¡¯t going to leave without finishing my coffee, so you¡¯re in luck.¡± He paused and looked at the broad-shouldered man.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°This is Neal, one of the two supers assigned to security at the lab.¡± At the mention of the word super, Emma immediately looked at Neal¡¯s eyes, which always give away the powers they possess. She had to crane her neck all the way up to look at their deep hazel color, which meant he controlled elements. She glanced away quickly, it was like looking at her Father again. ¡°Always a pleasure to meet the young talent every year¡± Neal had a thick African accent. He gestured towards the swinging doors of the bus with his hand, and Emma and Dawn entered to see the others. ¡°Good lord, of all the days you have been late, today Dawn? Really?¡± Quin¡¯s voice carried Emma immediately searched for Grayson, and shifted her way into a seat next to him, yanked one of his earbuds out, and stuck it in her right ear, a lo-fi music mix filling her eardrum. Grayson was a classic golden boy, though a bit strange. He was very reserved and withdrawn, and he wore the same white Pink Floyd hoodie every day. Grayson had perfect olive skin and short, raven-colored hair that was messy at the front, and curled outwards just before his eyes, which were light brown. But he was the most sincere person Emma had ever met. He moved to Midlothian just after the incident and was able to relate to Emma because Grayson had been without his parents for years now, the result of a car accident. Dawn had developed an insane crush on Grayson the second she saw him, and after he joined their friend group, she immediately coined him ¡°dreamboat.¡± ¡°That Neal guy said something about Ionic being at the lab,¡± Grayson said through a smirkwide enough to see a mouth full of perfect white teeth. Ionic was a member of the Knights, but he was banished for flattening a school when he lost control of his power. He had been fighting two rogue supers, which should have been easy for someone like him who mastered the azure power, which entailed harnessing energy and turning it into beams or heat rays. Somehow, during the fight Ionic set off a blast big enough to rival a bomb, which flattened a school that resided a mile from where they were fighting, taking the lives of hundreds. After he was banished from the knights, John Harding let him stay to work security at the lab, though he was prohibited from using his powers anywhere else. The swinging doors of the bus opened, and a very flustered looking Mr. Blackwood ¡°Hmph, showoff,¡± Grayson mumbled in a tone just loud enough to hear over the music playing in Emma¡¯s ear. When Mr.Blackwood finally started the bus and got on the road, Quin perked his head up from the aisle on which he was still laying. ¡°I¡¯m gonna steal a lock of Mr. Big Shot¡¯s hair so I can frame it,¡± he said through a lopsided smirk. Dawn looked down on him and squinted her eyes, giving him a you¡¯re so annoying look. ¡°Seeing John Harding vaporize you for pulling his hair would fulfill all of my dreams,¡± she said with a tilt of her head and a twist of her finger. Quin glanced at Emma, then at Grayson, who was still staring deeply out of the window, apparently lost in thought. Quin raised one eyebrow and was probably about to say something about Dawn¡¯s dreams not involving Quin being vaporized by John Harding at all, but probably had everything to do with Grayson. ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Grayson said in the same mumble voice. Emma hadn¡¯t even noticed that they were this close to the lab, and she leaned over Grayson to get a good look at the massive gate that they were slowly approaching. Once the bus stopped, Mr. Blackwood made a big show of slowly turning around and hoisting himself out of the driver¡¯s seat, puffing out his chest to give himself an inflated sense of importance. ¡°I know I don¡¯t have to give this group any rules on how to act, but please just act like ¡°Greetings, and welcome to Harding Labs. We appreciate the effort each of you put in to Emma wondered how a super zooming through the skies at speeds rivaling an airplane could possibly be late. She looked over at Quin, who was making a not so inconspicuous show of trying to hold Dawn¡¯s hand, with Mr. Blackwood giving him a murderous glare over his shoulder. Grayson was staring intently at a spot in the sky, his eyes squinting as if he was trying to see something far off. She punched his side lightly. ¡°What¡¯s up? You seem kinda off today.¡± She whispered as they marched behind Susan, approaching the entrance. Grayson looked at her, and something shifted in his face as if realization had struck him. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose I could use the restroom once we get inside?¡± He spoke politely, ignoring Emma. She knew Grayson, and she could tell something was wrong. Susan gave Grayson an arched eyebrow as the crossed the threshold into a building that pioneered the future. Directly in front of them was a spiraling blue core contained inside of a metal cylinder the size of a small classroom. Leaning on the railing above it was John Harding. Emma was perplexed at first, she had heard the rumors of his eyes and the powers that he uses, but even now she couldn¡¯t believe it. One of his eyes was a deep blue, the other a bright red. He was an older man, probably approaching his fifties. He smiled at the group, and levitated off the railing, touching gently down in front of them, and they all stood in silent marvel. ¡°Welcome my friends, to the future.¡± He said in a booming voice through his smile. ¡°I wish beyond relief that I could take credit for creating what¡¯s behind me, but the thing that lays here is a mystery even to me.¡± He went on to explain that the ball of what appeared to be made of sheer energy had materialized in the cylinder they had been designing to retain a rogue super. ¡°We wanted to design a more humane system of imprisoning any super that doesn¡¯t follow the rules, not necessarily a jail, but more of just a retainment center. However, this ball of curiosity just appeared in the containment system, so we¡¯ve put a bit of a hold on the containment project to focus on studying the core, and it seems to be made of some sort of sheer energy, and today, we find out what type of energy that could be.¡± He turned to face the cylinder, and lifted both of his hands up, gesturing towards the various people stationed at different sets of controls. ¡°My subordinates, I have been jittering with excitement all morning long, waiting for the chance to show you true power. It is with complete certainty that I tell you now, I alone will be the hand that guides the future, so without further ado, let me begin.¡± His grin widened as the core began to crackle and snap with energy as different probes went into it. However, John Harding had only moments to enjoy what he viewed as a direct path to what he knew was a stolen future. Because that¡¯s when the beam that would change everyone in the lab¡¯s life forever crashed through the ceiling, and the last thing Emma saw before blacking out was a white light as it collided with the core. Heroes Forged From Death The Boy stared down at the oddly oval-shaped building that was supposed to stand as a landmark of understanding and wondered about the events he would set in motion momentarily. He was several thousand feet above the ground, but through his enhanced vision he could see everything below him perfectly. He can thank his temporary power for that. His face was stoic, he had confined and battered himself into resignation, at least in regards to this. This monumental event that would change everything forever. He wondered if what he was doing would be perceived as him giving fate a little push, or if it was truly the will of the universe. The universe tended to be a bit stubborn when it came to giving the right people extreme power. But if it was truly meant to be, then they would never be prepared for what was to come. He wondered how it all could possibly end, for he knew defeat would mean death for all of them, and victory would guarantee peace. But even then, for how long? Is peace truly what the world needs? If it was, he would have to ensure it would be a stable peace, and if they won, it would be. However, if he was giving them these powers only for them to lose¡­. He decided it was worth it. John Harding was right about one thing, which was rare in itself. The future begins here. The Boy¡¯s eyes glowed, and he conjured a beam just strong enough to flatten the entire lab and collide with the reactor, he hesitated before shooting it down on them, getting ready for the small decimal of a second that he would have to save everyone. Good Luck, He thought as he reared his arm back the way a pitcher in baseball would, and fired the beam down that would bring about not supers, but heroes. ----- The first thing Emma noticed when she woke up was her body, which she observed below her. She was lying alone in a hospital bed, and the room was completely secluded. What was strange to her though, was the heavy indigo aura surrounding her. It looked as if the color was gripping her body like it had a weight to itself, and it appeared to be matching her heartbeat, as it was beating up and down in thumps. It was very strange. She had heard of out of body experiences before, but if she was completely honest, she believed them to be just a myth. Floating above what appeared to be her dead body was starting to convince Emma otherwise. ¡°Allow me to answer the first question that always pops up, you are indeed very much alive.¡± The soft voice of an old man startled her, she whipped around to see a very elderly man with glowing white eyes, dressed in a black robe with a sun design in the middle. ¡°To answer the second question you were about to ask, I am the Overseer, my duty is to be present and observe when events of great change unfold, but before I explain everything, let¡¯s bring your friends here, shall we?¡± His eyes began to glow white again, and without warning, Dawn and Quin appeared beside her. He explained the same things to them, but Emma hardly listened, a burning question was on her mind that she was afraid to ask. The Overseer turned towards her, and he smiled, his face forming into a kind Grandfather type of expression. ¡°I had a most enlightening talk with your other friend, I don¡¯t believe he was present when the blast occurred, as he was off wondering where the lavatory was. I still visited him in his sleep, however, and kindly informed him that his destiny was still the same as the last time we spoke when his parents were lost.¡± His words only confused Emma more, Grayson had seen this strange man before? He had been informed of his destiny? ¡°That¡¯s great, I¡¯m glad you just popped us out of our bodies to speak some words aboutThis narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. destiny and stuff, but what does this all have to do with us and the color things surrounding our apparently not dead bodies? We¡¯re not supers, so is it just like our mood aura or something?¡± Quin spoke to this ghostly figure as if he was speaking to one of their teachers. Emma found herself admiring it. The Overseer simply beamed at them all even more. ¡°To use the word super to describe what you all are now would be sinful. Exceptionally strong versions of different blessings are being bestowed upon each of your bodies as we speak, they were gifted so that you may prepare for what is to come.¡± His eyes glowed white again, and he lifted his arm up and flicked his hand like he was swatting a fly. Suddenly the world around them disappeared, replaced by the black emptiness of space, but directly in front of them stood what appeared to be a mirror that expanded far beyond what she could see. She saw Dawn, Quin, Herself, and The Overseer in the mirror, and she wondered why something like this would be here. ¡°This is the location in which the universe stops expanding, and simply ends.¡± said The Overseer. ¡°The Alpha had originally constructed a solid wall of sorts to contain the evil that lies beyond the end of the universe, whatever lies beyond somehow transformed it into a mirror, which is deeply unsettling because that means it¡¯s trying to tell us something.¡± The mystery of the Alpha had been something discussed and debated among many in the world. The Alpha is said to wield all of the different colors at once, and thus is a master of every power. Some say The Alpha is an escaped product of a lab, others argue that it¡¯s John Harding, while many doubt the existence of a being so powerful entirely. Regardless, the stories told of what this being has accomplished are greater than any other achievements in known history. ¡°The Alpha is real?¡± Dawn had been silent throughout this entire experience, Emma almost forgot she was there. ¡°Oh, very much so.¡± said The Overseer. He turned his gaze towards them once more. ¡°The Alpha is the pinnacle of all supers, the master of every color, and is the vessel for the will of the universe. But alas, his whereabouts are as big a mystery to me as they are to you, so I¡¯ve come to ask for your assistance in finding him.¡± This took Emma by surprise. Why choose them? ¡°Why not enlist the Knights? Or any of the other qualified supers?¡± said Emma. If this ancient being had the power to show them where the universe ends, or snap them out of their bodies while they absorb these blessings he refers to, and he still couldn¡¯t find The Alpha, what hope did four teenagers have? ¡°Because you are meant for something great. These powers appeared to have chosen you. But, I shall not reveal too much to you just yet. I believe it¡¯s time for you to return, we still have time before whatever lies beyond here gains enough sentience to attempt to break through, so for now, focus on honing your powers, and when you¡¯re ready, I will find you again, or vice-versa.¡± The Overseer said with a smile and wink. He waved his hand again, and they were back in Emma¡¯s hospital room. This time, however, they were without a wise old man telling them to find the most powerful super to ever have existed, but Emma¡¯s semi-lifeless body was still in the bed below them. ¡°So was there supposed to be some countdown or something? Or are we just supposed to float around for the rest of eternity?¡± Quin said with his usual impatience. ¡°I got some crimson crap surrounding me, which means I don¡¯t get any cool stuff like telepathy or laserbeams, I just get to be stronger and faster than you both.¡± Whenever they would return to their bodies, Quin would have the incredible strength and speed associated with the crimson ability. ¡°I wonder what it will be like, being one of them.¡± Dawn piped up as she looked down at the aura surrounding Emma. Emma wondered this too, but both of her friends were acting like there weren¡¯t any stakes, like they hadn¡¯t just been told by an old man that transported them to the end of the universe to find the Alpha of all supers, so that whoever they are can stop whatever it is beyond the mirror. Without warning, Emma began to feel a pull, sucking her back down into her body, and Quin and Dawn began to fade away as if they were being dragged in different directions. ¡°Guess it¡¯s time to get back to life,¡± Quin said as everything went black again for Emma. She woke up to Daina of the Knights standing over her hospital bed wearing a bewitching smile. The Gods of War ---- Taylor and her twin brother Dean were on day one thousand seven hundred and seventy-six of imprisonment in the Ares. That was okay because the boy with red eyes would save them today. They were locked in this cell because they were wildcards. She knew that much because both her and Dean were very smart children, who had five years of solitude to ponder their thoughts in darkness. Taylor didn¡¯t know the extent of her powers, she was perfectly normal, aside from her pitch-black eyes, and her brother¡¯s blinding white eyes. She could sometimes see glimpses of the future and could read the minds of everyone she met, though she often chose not to. That¡¯s how she knew Mr. Harding was an evil man, he always dreams of himself planted on a throne, looking over the world from his ship. He used a strange term to describe Dean and Taylor though, ¡°alpha species¡± is what he called them. Strange, she had met the alpha once, and the only thing she remembered about it was that he was very nice, and gently lifted Her and Dean away from a group of screaming people, and took them to what he said was ¡°the real universe.¡± She also remembered something chasing them, and The Alpha saying they would be fine as long as they passed the wall. Then he apologized for tampering with their memories and promised they would meet again. She spent a few years with Mr. Jennings on Earth until she was brought here. ¡°They¡¯ve woken up¡± Dean whispered from the corner he was laying in. Taylor knew none of them would know what to do with their powers once they arrived here, so she would have to guide them. ¡°I hope they bring snacks,¡± Dean said. ¡°It¡¯s been almost five years since I tasted anything.¡± ---- The second Emma opened her eyes, everything in the hospital room rattled. Everything from the pitcher of water by her bed, to all of the cabinets, furniture, and machinery. ¡°Woah there girl, let¡¯s not get crazy,¡± said Daina, her smile fading for a brief moment as she threw a nervous glance around the room. ¡°Look at those eyes on you! Care to tell me what happened?¡± Emma couldn¡¯t understand her though, her head felt as if somebody was constantly stomping on it. All she could do was stare up at Daina looking down at her, that same amused smile on her face. ¡°Listen, I¡¯m just here to help, I¡¯m not here to fight you or force you anywhere. Unless of course, I have to.¡± Her smile only grew wider as she said the last part. Emma could feel her confidence, she didn¡¯t know how, but she felt what Daina was feeling, Daina wanted Emma to resist, so she could make an example out of her to Dawn and Quin. She knew all of this by just focusing on Daina for a few brief moments. She decided not to trust the so-called Queen of The Knights, but she also knew there was no way she could win in a fight, so she was going to go along with her plan for now. ¡°Why are you here, then?¡± Emma tried to make her voice flat, remaining monotone. Daina stared at Emma for a bit longer before answering, her expression turning from amusement to annoyance. Clearly she was used to people just doing whatever she wants them to do without question. ¡°Because you and your friends seemed to have gotten powers out of nowhere, let¡¯s just make this easy please. I¡¯ve already escorted your friends to the ship, I would appreciate it if you just came with me unless of course, you resist.¡± Her hazel eyes began to glow. ¡°Come with you where?¡± Emma said, leaning up slightly. Daina slammed her hands on the sides of the hospital bed, sending it crashing to the ground and toppling machinery over. Before Emma could react, Daina grabbed her, and in the blink of an eye, they were on the roof of the massive hospital building. Daina threw her down beside Dawn and Quin. In front of them was The Ares, the legendary ship of the Knights. Neal, who apparently had been flying over them the whole time, landed gently beside Daina. ¡°Go find that other human boy, and bring him here too.¡± Daina sneered. Neal nodded his head and took off into the sky again. The doors of the ship opened, and John Harding walked slowly towards them, one eye glowed bright blue, the other a dark crimson. He looked absolutely infuriated. ~~ John thought of just killing them all where they were, laying on their knees before him. It would be simple, but he was curious. Especially about the one called Emma. She had been born to two supers, yet came out as human. He wanted to know what they were feeling. ¡°Do any of you have any idea how important today was going to be to me? Of course, you don¡¯t,¡± said John with authority. He meant it, today was supposed to birth a future for everyone, he spent years understanding that core. Once he had discovered its origin, and who it really came from¡­. He knew he had to find a way to protect the Earth. ¡°I bet you all believe you have a sense of purpose now, what with your new powers and strength.¡± After he said this, Neal landed in front of them again, this time with the human boy. John decided to make an example of the human. He had to be terrified. He focused on the boy for a second, and then put his foot forward as if he was taking a step, but instead of taking one, he covered the distance between him and the human boy in less than a second and peered into his eyes. ¡°What is your name, boy?¡± John spit the last word out with venom. To his surprise, the boy looked up at him with an equally intense stare, meeting John¡¯s glowing eyes directly. ¡°Grayson Stihl,¡± said Grayson calmly. John was taken aback temporarily by his intensity. This human thought he could be a match for someone like him? ¡°You¡¯re only a human, yet you introduce yourself to me like we¡¯re equals. I am a pioneer of the future, show some respect, and you may save your own life,¡± said John with malice. Grayson tilted his head upward, which made it so he was looking down on John. ¡°You speak of humans as if we are something entirely separate from you. We live and die, just like you do, both human and super achievement will pioneer the future, not you. Perhaps you¡¯re not a fraud Mr. Harding, but you¡¯re certainly not meant for anything great.¡± Grayson said this all as if he had been carrying a casual conversation with this man who could disintegrate him. John smiled and relaxed his shoulders. Arrogant teenagers, how typical. Still, he was foolish to think that all humans deeply respected him for his public image. He decided to reveal his true side to the boy, the side of him that could convince anybody that destiny rests easily in his hands. ¡°I am the alpha,¡± John said as he extended his arms to each side. ¡°You can speak of destiny and humanity as if you understand both, but you know nothing about either. The core that you all observed was a defense against something that is beyond your understanding.¡± This made Grayson¡¯s face twitch for just the tiniest of moments. ¡°The Alpha, huh? Are all the stories about your achievements true then? If they are, then you shouldn¡¯t need a defense.¡± John stared at this child in pure amusement now. In front of him sat three newly blessed supers on their knees, unwilling to mumble a word in his presence, and yet this human, arrogant boy had stood up to him, and outwitted him. John took a few paces away, deep in thought. ¡°Allow me to enlighten you, Grayson? Was it?¡± said John. ¡°There are four main colors associated with the powers supers get. There are actual names for the powers, but being the simple-minded people we are, we like to cut it down to the colors blue, indigo, red, and hazel.¡± He looked up at Grayson as if he was just realizing he was still standing there. ¡°However, I am in possession of two wildcards that reside within the cells of my ship. If I¡¯m correct on a certain assumption that I have regarding them, then everything we know about supers is dead wrong.¡± John Harding¡¯s eyes began to glow blue, and this time he glared at Grayson. ¡°In conclusion, four teenagers who have seemed to get their powers out of nowhere are nothing compared to what I already have, and I can¡¯t have you all mouthing off to the public about me. It¡¯s funny, really. If you had just kept your mouth shut, you and your friends might have had a slight chance of leaving alive. You don¡¯t anymore. But you have earned my respect, Grayson. I¡¯ll remember your name. Maybe I¡¯ll attend your funeral. You can rest peacefully, knowing you are about to be exterminated by the greatest super to have ever lived.¡± Grayson didn¡¯t falter for a second. As John Harding let the energy from his eyes loose towards him, he had but a moment to say his last words. ¡°You¡¯re wrong.¡± ------- Emma didn¡¯t know how she did it, but there she was, directly between Grayson and John, two beams of plasma burning her back. She let out a cry of pain, and Grayson lunged out of the way. ¡°Greatest super to have ever lived, huh?¡± Quin sneered. ¡°Guess the rest of them haven¡¯t been all that special,¡± At that, he lunged forward, making a small dent on the ground from which he took off, he got within punching distance of John, and as he pulled his fist back, red lightning began to circle itself around him, it was very faint, but for a second, it looked as if he was about to explode from the power within him. As he flung his fist forward to drive it into John, Daina sped forward in between them, arms crossed, the same, cocky smile on her face fully expecting to absorb the blow without a scratch. She didn¡¯t. The second his arm connected with her, a shockwave of dust and wind sent them all flying backward, and Daina had a faint look of shock on her face before she was sent flying into the sky above. Emma looked over at John, but before she could act, he lunged forward and flew into her, he wrapped his arms around her the way a football player would tackle someone and slammed her through the roof they had been standing on, sending her tumbling through story upon story of the building. He peered down through the human-sized hole he had made before being struck by a small lightning bolt from the sky, enough to put him on his knees. He turned towards Dawn, who was holding a very busted and broken looking Neal by the collar of his suit jacket. She had beaten him before he could even react. She was holding her hand out towards John, who was looking at her in temporary awe of how fast she seemed to have grasped her powers. At that moment, Emma thundered back up through the hole that she had been slammed through and lunged straight for John at inhuman speeds. Before she could attack him, she caught something in the corner of her eye that made her stop in her tracks. ¡°Surrender.¡± was the only word Ionic had to say to get them all to snap their attention to him. He held a very annoyed Grayson over the edge of a building. Emma didn¡¯t even see him appear, everything had happened so fast.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Grayson furrowed his eyebrows. ¡®Where did you even come from?¡± Ionic swept his gaze over everyone present. Emma stood over a weakened John Harding, Quin was crouching in the middle of the roof, the red lightning sweeping over him, and was huffing as if he was trying not to unleash his anger. Dawn still held a defeated Neal in her arms, her other arm trying to control the storm she had created. While being held over the edge of the building, Grayson once again spoke calmly. ¡°So this is what it¡¯s like to be a damsel in distress.¡± Ionic glared at Grayson with blue eyes that glowed just above the cloth that was covering the rest of his face. ¡° I will fry you.¡± ¡°No!¡± Emma yelped. ¡°We¡¯ll do what you want, just put him down, plea--¡¯ She didn¡¯t finish her sentence before John¡¯s fist went into her gut at full power, but before she was sent flying into the air, he grabbed her and yanked what looked like a set of handcuffs with bright blue rings outlining them, and forced them on her wrist. Instantly, she felt as if millions of iron daggers were cutting into her hands at once, and could feel herself blacking out. She stumbled for a few steps, then fell, succumbing to the abyss. It all happened so fast, she caught a brief image of Ionic throwing Grayson over the edge of the building, of Dawn bounding after him, jumping off the edge. Her knees buckled in, and she suddenly felt very tired¡­. In the moments she was asleep, familiar flashing images of a front door being broken in, a strange white glow emanating from a figure out of the dust, and of her parents lying lifeless on the floor is crowded her mind. She could only observe as they died again, just as she had many times before, every time she closed her eyes. It was as if she was looking through a crystal ball, putting herself in the past, as if she could have done anything differently as if she could have stopped it¡­. ¡°I¡¯m sorry this had to happen to you.¡± Emma was startled by the voice of a little girl that had appeared on her right. The girl looked up at her, and Emma was temporarily taken aback by her eyes, which were pitch black, and clashed with her golden blonde hair and curious face. ¡°Sorry I startled you, I don¡¯t usually invade dreams.¡± said The Girl. ¡°But it¡¯s time for you to wake up.¡± With that, the girl raised her hand and snapped her fingers. In an instant, Emma bolted awake, and the first thing she felt was the searing pain of the handcuffs that John Harding had forced on her. ¡°They got us,¡± said Dawn from across the cell they had appeared to be locked in. The only light that was in the room was shining from the tiny slit in the top of the wall, where three iron bars stood firm. ¡°Well, you did put up a wicked nice battle for only having your powers for a few minutes.¡± Said the voice of the same Girl from Emma¡¯s dream. ¡°Dean, can you give us some light?¡± said the Girl. Emma heard the noise of a body shifting from another corner of the room, and a small, childish grunt. She saw two eyes begin to glow a pale white, and a fire materialized in the center of the room, that appeared to be powered by nothing. She saw the faces of Quin, Dawn, Grayson, the Boy named Dean, and the girl from Emma¡¯s dreams light up. ¡°My name is Taylor,¡± said the girl. ¡°This is my twin brother, Dean.¡± Dawn perked her head up. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, and thanks for the light, but why are we here? Wouldn¡¯t it have been easier for them to kill us?¡± Quin snorted, he shifted his body so he was sitting up, they were all wearing the same Dawn glared, giving Quin a death stare. ¡°We¡¯re locked in a dungeon, with these terrible things on.¡± She held up her shackled wrists. ¡°Almost beat and losing are the same things, I felt like that storm was draining the energy from my body the more I was using it, I would have collapsed sooner or later, and you just sat there curled up in a ball for most of the fight, after Emma got knocked out, all Ionic had to do was throw Grayson off the building to distract all of us, and voila, here we are.¡± Dean¡¯s giggling shifted all their thoughts away from the argument. ¡°You¡¯re all arguing over a fight, but you¡¯re completely ignoring the cool stuff you did without any practice,¡± said Dean. Taylor nodded. ¡°We can break out of here,¡± ¡°How long have you two been here?¡± Grayson hadn¡¯t spoken a word yet, and unlike the others, he was simply chained with his back against the wall. ¡°Five years,¡± said Taylor. ¡°Why can¡¯t I read your mind?¡± Her brow was furrowed, and Grayson ignored her, a look of confusion flashed across his face, but left quickly, as if something bothered him, but he dismissed it. He looked down, staring quietly at the floor. Quin glared at him. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t provoked him, maybe this wouldn¡¯t have happened!¡± Emma looked up at Quin, in complete disbelief. ¡°How can you say that Quin, he would have killed us either way!¡± said Emma. Dawn violently jolted towards Emma, and her eyes flashed bright hazel for a moment. ¡°Would we have been killed, though?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± chirped Emma. ¡°He was fully prepared to kill us the second we were brought to him!¡± ¡°No!¡± yelled Quin. ¡°You¡¯re missing the part where he told us if the dreamboat over there had kept his mouth shut, we would have lived!¡± His eyes glowed red, and he jolted his wrists apart, and the handcuffs snapped in half. In his anger, he ripped off the chains across his body, and the red lightning started to coarse around him again. Quin looked down at his palms, not believing what he had just done. Emma could see his mind and could feel how conflicted he was. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, those cuffs digging in my wrists were just frustrating,¡± said Quin. Dean smiled again. ¡°Don¡¯t be sorry, unless you don¡¯t rip the chains off from the rest of us, then you can be sorry when you try to escape on your own, and you get thrown back in here.¡± Quin started shaking violently, and he began to curl up in a ball again as he did during Quin slowly stood up, the red lightning intensifying as he did, and he slowly took one step towards Dean, who was closest to him, and grabbed Dean¡¯s cuffs. Quin clenched his jaw, and Emma wondered where all of this anger in him came from. It seemed to drain her of energy every time she attempted to read minds, she assumed it would take her a while to fully learn her power. It seemed like she could feel the emotions that everyone else was feeling, emanating from Dawn and Quin was anger towards Grayson, and a sense of hope and tension was coming from the twins. She found it strange that nothing was coming from Grayson though, it¡¯s not that nothing was there, but it¡¯s like he sealed himself off. The overseer said he had talked to Grayson before, Emma supposed she would ask Grayson what he said when she got the chance. Quin started huffing, like he couldn¡¯t keep his anger in and ripped the cuffs off of Dean, and Dean¡¯s eyes instantly began to glow white, but not like they were when he started the small fire, they were bright enough this time to light up the entire room. Emma went completely blind for a moment as her vision turned bright, and she heard footsteps outside of the cell. ¡°We have a problem!¡± she heard Neal scream through the door. ¡°One of the twins is free!¡± Neal seemed calm normally, but Emma could feel a sense of fear and panic coming from him. Emma felt the pain in her wrists cease, which meant the cuffs had come off. She heard Taylor¡¯s voice from across the room. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Quin, but we only have seconds to leave before they all come, so I¡¯m going to have to overload the anger you¡¯re feeling.¡± As the white light blinding her vision faded away, she heard Quin scream in anger, and she saw a shape lunge itself across the room, and smash into the wall, crushing the metal outwards, and she heard Neal grunt painfully. ¡°Grab Grayson! You all are going to have to learn how to fly on the well, fly.¡± Dean said. Taylor frowned at him. ¡°Take this seriously! We won¡¯t get this chance again.¡± she held her hand out towards Grayson, and he abruptly began to float. The room shook violently again, and Emma knew Quin must be fighting somewhere within the ship. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡¯ said Dawn. ¡°Not without Quin.¡± snarled Grayson. As if on cue, a supercharged Quin smashed through the roof of the cell, and a blue beam of energy crashed into him. Ionic leaped into the room charging down at Quin with his fist raised, but before he could strike, Dean froze him in midair. Neal and Daina appeared in the smashed-in wall and lunged for Dean. Emma and Dawn were ready to leap in and help, but she heard Taylor¡¯s voice in her head. ¡°No, he wants us to go. He can handle it.¡± Taylor levitated Quin and floated him toward the group. Daina tried to reach out and grab Dean, but he dodged at a speed faster than the eye could see. He began to glow white and raised his arms in the air. Out of the aura that he glowed, a monster began to form, it was like a giant white shadow, protruding from Dean¡¯s back. Ionic jumped towards him, but Neal held him back and whispered something in his ear, and Ionic drew back, and his sharp eyes began to fill with light blue energy. The avatar that Dean had created flung Daina down, and she appeared to be knocked out. Dean swung his arm, which made the avatar do the same thing, and it collided with Neal, smashing him right back through the hole in the wall. ¡°We have to leave, now!¡± yelled Dawn above the commotion. Taylor and Emma had been in silent marvel at Dean¡¯s power, but Taylor broke her trance. She closed her eyes and made a shoving motion towards the floor at the back of the cell. Instantly, it crumbled and fell in, leading to the bottom floor of the ship they had apparently been in throughout this whole ordeal. As they leaped down, a ball of blue energy encased the floor they had just been on. Emma looked up and saw Dean gazing down on them from the floor they were just on. Emma held her hands out for a split second, then realized how dumb of an idea it was, Dean was super, after all, he didn¡¯t need anyone to catch him. ¡°Come on!¡±Emma yelled. Dean stared at them a while longer, before looking over at Taylor, and nodding. ¡°What a failure.¡± said the voice of John Harding from above. Emma heard light footsteps walking across the metal above them. The room surrounding Dean began to glow. Taylor thrust her hands forward and smashed a hole in the ship with her mind. ¡°Good, we¡¯re still docked, or else we all would have been sucked out, you will all have to fly. Once we¡¯re in the air I can turn you invisible.¡± ¡°What about him?¡± said Emma as she pointed a finger at the hole where Dean was. Taylor cast a nervous glance upward. ¡°My brother knew he wasn¡¯t going to escape with us, he¡¯s buying us time, we need to go. I can¡¯t hold them for much longer.¡± she gestured towards Grayson and Quin, still floating in the air. ¡°In fact, you might have to carry Grayson, Dawn. I think Quin is good enough now.¡±Another loud crash sounded above them, and John Harding burst through the ceiling, holding Dean by the collar of his shirt. ¡°To take down two knights is an accomplishment, kid. But you couldn¡¯t have honestly thought you could last more than a few seconds going toe to toe with The Alpha.¡± Dean slowly looked up at Taylor and nodded his head once. His mouth was moving, and Emma realized he was whispering ¡°Farewell, be strong.¡± Taylor nodded, spoke to everybody telepathically. ¡°You need to imagine yourself as a feather, weightless. Don¡¯t hesitate, just jump, and boost yourself.¡± Taylor took a deep breath, looked back into Dean¡¯s glowing white eyes, and said ¡®Do it.¡± Immediately, Dean¡¯s entire body began to glow white, and Taylor floated Grayson over to Dawn, where she slung him over her shoulder, then pushed Emma and Quin through the hole in the ship. As Emma fell, she tried to imagine herself as weightless, floating above everything. Closing her eyes as tight as she could, time seemed to slow down, and she felt the wind stop hitting her rapidly as she fell. In fact, she didn¡¯t seem to be falling anymore. She slowly opened her eyes, and she was floating in midair. ¡°Good, from here, it¡¯s as if you¡¯re swimming. Give yourself a boost in the air like you¡¯re pushing off a wall to swim, and jet through the water. From there, just follow me!¡± yelled Taylor. Emma marveled at how mature this little girl seemed to be. The hospital was in an abandoned sector of the city, and the area should have been completely dark considering the fact that it was night time. But it wasn¡¯t. The Ares was covered in a glowing white orb, and just as Emma gazed up at it, the ship exploded. She knew they didn¡¯t have time to dwell, and she imagined a wall behind her, and coiled up in midair, and launched herself off of it. She wasn¡¯t ready for how fast she went the second she launched, and the wind whipped across her face, but she got control and flew higher in the clouds to where she could see Taylor, Quin, Dawn, and Grayson. ¡°I¡¯m gonna make us all invisible now, but I can only do it for about twenty minutes for a group of this size, so do any of you know a safe place that¡¯s at least a little remote?¡± Taylor looked beyond tired, she was only a little girl, yet Emma could see the maturity in her worn eyes, and Emma understood she was pushing herself to her absolute limit to get them to safety. ¡°When my Uncle died, he left his beach house to us. It¡¯s about two hours from here, but if we¡¯re high enough in the sky and invisible for the first twenty minutes of our way there, we should shake anybody trying to follow us, right?¡± asked Dawn. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll do that, you¡¯re going to have to lead the way.¡± said Taylor. Quin snickered under his breath, looking at the group. ¡°Look at us, if we learn how to actually use all of this new power, we could kill this fraud and his followers.¡± Grayson glared at him over Dawn¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re missing the point to all of this. John was right about one thing.¡± ¡°He is not the villain in all of this.¡±