Heroic People: Episode 2 - "Write to the Future"

It was morning. I was extremely exhausted from last night’s run, and I had no idea how I would deal with the threat against my own life… and my friends’.

During my time as a transferring pre-med student, I had to dorm in a brand new complex for awhile. New people were met, and new friends were made. Some were odd, but none were as odd as I was… at least I didn’t think so at the time. Even when I saw myself begin to become even more odd than anyone else that morning.

I went to the bathroom to wash up, and give my face a touch of brisk, morning coolness. But I looked in the mirror… and I had none.

“What the?!” I wondered in disbelief. I thought I had taken the mask off last night. It would’ve been hard to breathe with it on, but I thought nothing of it and I reached to take it off.

There was only one problem… it felt like my fingers were brushing against my own flesh. My hands started parading around my cheeks and forehead for some kind of answer to this puzzle. But… in the blink of an eye, my face had reappeared once again.

“This is crazy…” I muttered to myself, washing my face and looking into my eyes. I put on my glasses and looked into the mirror again. My face was still there.

“Last night must’ve done something to my head…” I said.

I still hadn’t attempted to track down whoever sent me that nice little strangulated present the other night.

I went to the breakfast table in my old apartment and picked up the newspaper. An interesting headline of the Daily Times caught my eye.

"Woman Declares Unique Writing Gift," it said.

"Interesting," I said. "Interesting, indeed."

In a not too distant past, a young woman woke up from a deep slumber after her head slumped upon her desk with her blinking laptop before her. She slowly opened her eyes and was shocked to see that hundreds of words filled the screen again… and she didn’t remember writing them.

“Oh no… it’s happened again!” Yuly Morals, the young writer, anguished.

Her roommate, a dazed listener named Jessica Strawberry, sprang up as if she heard a cry of shock.

“What is it now?!” Jessica uttered in slight anger, due to her interruption of sleep.

“I wrote this, but I don’t remember writing this at all!” Yuly said, pointing to the laptop screen.

Jessica stared in skeptic disbelief. “Are you sure you weren’t on drugs last night or something?!” she asked.

“No! I’d never do drugs. This has happened before… but this time, someone’s life has ended,” Yuly replied.

“What is that crap you’re talking about?!” Jessica asked.

Yuly went to a pile of papers on her desk and looked through them rapidly. She picked one out and showed it to her roommate.

“Do you remember that time when I told you I wrote about how you would go to the market and get robbed? And then I barred you from the door by throwing myself before it so you couldn’t get through because I knew you’d get hurt?”

“Did that happen? I don’t remember…” Jessica told her. “Oh wait… yeah, I had to pry you out with a crow bar to get out the door. You even made me late for class.”

“Well, on that day… a woman was robbed at the marketplace! See… I knew this would happen, it’s a curse! I write without knowing it… and then suddenly, it comes true!”

“You’re crazy,” Jessica said. “It’s just a coincidence.”

“How can you not believe me?!” Yuly yelled. “It happened! I’m cursed! I can’t do this! This is crazy! We need to get rid of my computer. That girl in my story… she probably is dead now!” Yuly exclaimed.

“Relax… it’s not the end of the world,” Jessica said.

“It will be if I write about it without knowing it!” Yuly shot back. She grabbed her laptop in a fit of rage to throw it out of her window, even though she lived on the first floor of the complex. But suddenly, she had a change of heart.

“You better not throw that laptop out… that cost a lot of money. Hey I’ll take an extra one if you don’t need it anymore,” Jessica offered.

But Yuly was fixated on the screen. She read something that had caught her eye and wouldn’t let go of it.

“What’s wrong now… is someone else dead?” Jessica asked sarcastically.

“The guy with no face!” Yuly yelled as if finding a critical clue in a mystery.

“What are you talking about?!” Jessica asked.

“In my story, I mention a ‘young man with no face’ who failed to rescue the girl,” Yuly said. “We find that person… we get some answers.”

“What… how can there be a man with no face?” Jessica asked.
“Well… there has to be. Everything I’ve written so far has come true, so why not this?” Yuly asked. She picked up a coat and headed for the door.

“You aren’t honestly thinking of…” Jessica began.

“Finding the guy with no face?” Yuly asked. “You sure as darn tootin’ I am.” She stared at Jessica for a moment, then continued. “Are you coming, or not?”

“I’ve got no classes today… eh, and there’s nothing else to do. But this better not be a wild goose chase,” Jessica said, grabbing her jacket.

And they both fled out the door.

Heroic People: Episode 3 - "Through the Looking Glass"

Slowly I brushed my collar and got ready to proceed down to the Daily Times Headquarters. I was back in Sullyville City for awhile and wanted to check up on my old friends.

I went back to the cubicles where Tim and I used to hang out attempting to do some sleuthing of our own… like the mystery of Landra Lawson and the entire Zandross incident. I was very glad that the case was over… my friends and I received quite the beating on that adventure.

Unfortunately, I was dismayed to see that both Tim and Samantha Winkle had gone their separate ways from their old workplace. There was nothing left for me there, so I departed from the building.

Meanwhile, in a city far from where the Daily Times Headquarters lay, a man was slowly making his way past a flower shop. His name… was Mat Wilder. For some strange reason, he lately had been having some very bad allergic reactions to dust, pollen, pepper, cat hair, dog hair, you name it. It was today, however, that this medical problem would prove to be disastrous.

Not far away was a young man leaving from the same flower shop that Mat Wilder was walking toward. Mat always wanted to steer clear of products that could agitate his sinuses, so he began walking briskly to try to avoid the shop.

However, while rapidly galloping past the shop, he ran into the man with a bouquet of dandelions, causing them to drop.

Now, being the good-natured young soul Mat was, he offered to help pick the flowers up. But this was a mistake. For just as soon as he bent down, his nose began to tickle. Then, in a force that rivaled 100 mile-per-hour speed, Mat let fly a sneeze into the ground.

Because of that biological event, Mat Wilder was no longer Mat Wilder. An inner, wilder alter ego was released, who was far different from the good-natured tall, young man that had disappeared entirely.

Angrily, the new Mat scoffed, “Yo, why you got flowers stickin’ up in my face?!” He pulled the troubled man who was bringing flowers to his wife up by his collar.

“I… I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were allergic!” The man said frighteningly with his feet dangling from the ground.

“Well next time… be a little careful!” He yelled loudly, tossing the terror-stricken man across the street and into a metal USPS mailbox.

The man coughed and groaned in agony, and then fell unconscious. After that, pollen irritated Mat’s nose once again and he let fly another sneeze. He was Mat Wilder again. Unknowing of the previous event, he covered his nose and streaked by the flower shop as if nothing had happened.

In a town south of where Mat had walked, a young woman named Jessie Holloman was happily skipping the streets with large shopping bags held within her grasp. She sang a little tune while frolicking upon the sidewalk.

“Shopping, I’m shopping… shopping, shopping, shopping!” she sang.

Suddenly, a beautiful brown, leather purse had caught her eye, and immediately she whisked to the window of the shop that possessed the unbelievable object.

“Ooh! I want that!” She exclaimed, hopping up and down happily. She checked in her old purse which she had just bought last week… which, of course, did not seem to suffice her lifestyle anymore. Her wallet opened up to a measly twenty-two bucks. Not nearly enough for the over-priced product that sat staring at her through the window.

Slowly, Jessie pressed her hands against the window.

“If only I could reach you…” she said to the bag.

But without her notice, Jessie found herself sinking through the window, and face-to-face with the coveted object. She brushed her hands across the fine texture of the bag, as if it were a purebred puppy.

In a moment’s notice, a saleswoman appeared to intervene.

“May I help you, miss?” She said politely, until realizing that Jessie was no ordinary customer, leaning entirely through the window!

“Oh… my!” the woman said, fainting in her place.

“What the?!” Jessie exclaimed, after realizing she fell through the glass without even breaking it.

She quickly withdrew herself and dusted herself off, and walked on as if nothing had happened.

Yuly sat back at her regular home, thinking about the event that had happened just a few weeks ago. She had not found the faceless lad since then, and was still wondering what to do about her unusual skill. Fortunately, she had not had any experiences with uncontrolled writing lately.

“No computers here… heh… heh! Got rid of ‘em all! Hahaha!” She said maniacally. Clearly she needed some rest. And at that spot, she fell asleep.

I got back to my apartment and slowly booted up my laptop to see if I had any new messages on bookface.com, the latest and most popular communications network on the internet to date.

When I logged in, I was notified that today was Jessica Berries’ birthday.

“Hmm, I know her,” I said, recognizing the name. I only remembered her because of that one time where I accidentally ate a pizza slice of hers, and from that time on she claimed ownership over me forever because I was indebted to her for letting me get away with eating that ONE slice of pizza that she paid for. She was from the new complex I had been housed in for the last few months in Billysburg.

“Hmm, better steer clear and not remind her of that pizza,” I said cautiously, and clicked away.

I found out that yet another friend from Billysburg, Ashley Grigsby, has posted on my fence on bookface. A fence is where one can post a comment on another’s bookface.

Ashley had told me that I was watching too many dramas lately, especially after being engrossed in the newest hit television show, ‘Heroes,’ airing Monday nights at 9pm on NBC. It’s a good show.

I went to put my hand on my face to cover a laugh, but then I realized… I couldn’t feel my mouth.

Back at her home, Yuly woke up rapidly from a quick nap. She was horrified at the sight of what sat beside her hands upon her bed… a pen and paper, with written words upon the paper.

“Not again!” she cried, ruffling her hands through her hair.

Upon the paper were written the words, “Many are facing drastic changes, including myself. Felicity Potter will become an obsession that could destroy us all.”

Heroic People: Episode 4 - "Power Up"

“I’m telling you, Steve, I had no face!” I told my friend, Stephen Litnewski, also known as the governmentally super-powered Green Phoenix, who possessed the unique abilities of flight, invulnerability, super-strength, and fire manipulation while on patrol of Sullyville City.

“Well, I can see you have no face now,” Steve answered.

“No Steve…” I began, but Steve stopped my speech.

“Hey, not while we’re on patrol! I’m the Green Phoenix out here!” he corrected.

“Sorry… Green Phoenix, I didn’t have my mask on… and I had no face,” I answered.

“Are you sure you didn’t just forget that you had your mask on?”

I punched a thug trying to harass a young lady.

“Yes… it happened twice. Once when I woke up to wash my face some time ago, and then just earlier today when I went on Bookface.”

“I’m pretty sure, it’s nothin’ Benno,” Steve said.

“Hey, it’s the Face!” I said to Steve while he burned a gun that yet another thug was holding with fire that shot from his black-gloved hands.

“Hey there are more up here!” Shawn Wultern yelled down to us in the alley from the top of the building before us. He was owner of the famous Wulskifilm Productions Ltd., and bought his super powers of stretching limbs on superpowerbay.com to become known as Elastiguy.

Steve flew up the side of the building while Shawn stretched his limbs down to escalate me up the long wall.

“I’m telling you… something weird is going on,” I said, and punched another thug in the face to end his rampage.

Meanwhile, in a town a bit south from Sullyville was Chippendale Town. Young Krystal Uterra was at home after a hard day’s work for a soothing homemade dinner that she would prepare herself.

But as she was dicing tomatoes, a news bulletin had caught her eye.
“Witnesses say a tall, blonde man was walking briskly past a flower shop in the city earlier today. He had seemingly accidentally run into a man holding a bouquet of flowers. After the incident occurred, the blonde man assaulted the other, tossing him across the street as if he were a rag doll. The man was later taken to the hospital and is currently in critical condition,” a news reporter spoke.

“That’s terrible…” Krystal said, but was soon cut off unexpectedly as she let out a cry of agony.

She was so fixated on the television that she accidentally sliced into her index finger. As the blood continued to flow, she carefully wrapped it up and rushed straight to the doctor.

“I’m sorry, Miss Uterra, but you’re going to need stitches,” the doctor told her in a calm voice. He carefully drew up the Novocain into a syringe and administered it into the very wound that agonized her finger. She gritted her teeth at the sight and pain she felt as the needle struck, but felt nothing when the stitches came in.

As she sat on the patients’ table, staring at the process, she thought to herself, “Maybe I can post a picture of this on bookface…”

Yuly Morals, sat in her room and looked at the paper she had written in her sleep in grief.

“What… does this mean?! Who’s many, and who’s Felicity Potter?! Destroy me?! This whole writing thing is destroying me!” She yelled angrily, crumpling the paper and throwing it to the ground.

She breathed heavily, and finally calmed down.

“There’s only one thing I can do…” she said. “I have to know.” She then went downstairs to collect more pencils and paper.

Further north, young Alex Oliyah, or “Axel,” sat on her couch with boyfriend Adam DeVeese. They were both watching a late night movie and enjoying the break from all the labors of college life.

But in an instant, their peace was shattered by a knock at the door.

“Oh, I wonder who that could be?” Alex wondered in bewilderment.

“At this late hour? You want me to go check?” Adam asked.

He waited for a response, but got none.

“Hey… hey, Alex, can you hear me?” He asked. Still, there was no reply.

Then, his eyes widened in wonderment as Alex’s own eyes turned chalk white, as if she were in a trance.

“Evil… approaches,” she said in a hypnotized tone.

“What?!” Adam wondered. “Snap out of it…” he said.

But he decided to check the door anyway.

He opened the door to reveal a man in a black suit holding a suitcase.

“Hello, I’m a representative of Cutco industries, representing the best in sales of kitchen utensils such as this great knife set I have here, if you’d like, I can show you the collection right now… for a minimum fee of $13.99!”

Adam slammed the door in his face.

“Salesmen…” he said, walking back to the couch.

Alex looked back at him as if nothing had happened.

“Oh… who was it?” She wondered.

“No one,” he said, and they continued to watch the late night movie.

“Darn it…” the salesman outside said to himself. “Hah, well at least I sold that really sharp, expensive set down to that girl there in Chippendale Town. Haha,” he said to himself, and with newfound confidence he went to the next house.

Back in Chippendale Town, Krystal stood staring at the knife that caused her agonizing pain which read, ‘Cutco’ as its label.

“Darn sharp, expensive knife… these are too dangerous for regular households…” she said.

She then took her digital camera, and took a picture of the stitches that were embedded into her index finger, and looked at the results.

“Perfect!” she said. But soon she clutched her finger in her hand due to the Novocain’s effect wearing off.

“Ouch!” She cried, still holding her finger. She waited until the pain subsided, and let go of the appendage. Miraculously, the stitches and wound itself, were gone.

The next morning, Jessica Berries sat at the breakfast table eating some scrumptious Fruity Pebbles in a cereal bowl. She was just scooping up a morsel of that milky, sugary-sweet, fruit-like goodness when she read a headline in the paper.

“Heroic Trio Cleans up Sullyville City,” Jessica read.

“Whoa, that guy has no face…” she marveled, as she saw a picture of the heroic trio in the dark of night beating up thugs, including one trench-coat wearing lad who had no face.

“Oh snap!” She cried, realizing the significance of the event at hand and flinging spoon-filled fruity pebbles across the kitchen.

“That’s the faceless guy Yuly’s looking for!” She said. After those words were spoken, she stared at the wall across from her for a few moments.

“Eh, I’ll tell her when we get back from break…” she said, and continued to eat her fruity pebbles as if nothing had ever happened.

Heroic People: Episode 5 - "Arms of Steel"

Stephen Litnewski, Shawn Wultern, Bradley Davis (aka, the Southern Samurai), and I all went to catch the new Bond flick during the break as our alter egos. A nice, normal night on the town would be a good rest from all the chaos that was happening with my face lately. But this little hangout would also be a good time to prove to my friends that my face did in fact disappear at times for no apparent reason… even without the mask.

We decided that the Multiplex was too expensive for purchasing snacking items, so we went to the local grocery store beforehand to try and smuggle some in. Yep, it’s just like heroes to engage in the criminal activity of smuggling goods across the borderline. We didn’t think it would be too much of a problem, until we arrived at the theater moments later.

Bradley had been our carrier of goods, so his hooded sweatshirt had been packed with M&M’s, fruit-flavored bears, sour gummi worms, sodas, assorted chocolates, etc. etc. However, as we edged closer to the entrance to the seating area, we saw one of the directors scanning customers’ tickets. But we were not prepared for what she was doing next.

“Hey! She’s checking everyone for smuggled goods!” Steve said, pointing to the usher taking tickets.

“This is crappy,” I said. “We’ll be forced to buy from the extremely high-priced concessions stand!”

“Relax, guys,” Shawn said. “I’m sure Brad here has become stealthy enough with his Samurai training to get past that guard… just like in regular Samurai School right, Brad?”

“Well, Mars Shawn, Ah wudn’t cawl et uh Sam’ri Skewl. Mehbe train’n, tho’.” Bradley said in his extremely southern accent.

“What if we get caught?” I asked, contemplating the situation.

“What are they going to do?” Steve asked coolly. “Throw us into Cinema Prison?”

“Hold it right there,” the Usher woman said to our group, checking Bradley’s hooded shirt. Before we knew it, we were locked up on the other side of the Multiplex.

“Man, I just made that up, too. I didn’t even know there was a Cinema Prison…” Steve said, trying to pry his chains loose.

“I guess they’ve really toughened up on security in the theaters nowadays…” I said.

“Yeah… like the bank... and debtor’s prison,” Shawn intervened. “But that’s a different story.”

“Well, it’s a good thing we have powers, right guys? Hahaha!” Steve exclaimed triumphantly, as if to mock the Multiplex organization.

“Wait a minute,” I began. “You have powers, me and Brad don’t. And Shawn needs his stretch pills to gain elasticity.”

“Well, I got my pills with me,” Shawn said.

“An’ Ah’ve gawt mah kahtawna…” Bradley followed.

“Hey, and you’ve got your mask on!” Steve said to me, seeing that my faceless mask was on… or was it?

“No, that’s just it! I don’t have my mask! I never brought it with me! I certainly didn’t know I was going to get locked up in Cinema Prison!” I said. “Now do you believe me? That something weird is going on… and that I lose my face at random moments in time?”

“Hmm, that display is quite convincing…” Steve said, rubbing his chin.

At that moment, the door to the Cinema Prison was surprisingly unlocked. The usher woman came in with an annoyed look on her face.

“Alright, you boys are free to go. The owner of the Multiplex found out about our ‘cinema prison’ operation and decided to shut it down. I just can’t stand people who smuggle food into theaters these days! You know that it takes away from our business?! We can price food however much we want! And you poor fools who come in to watch movies will have to pay for whatever we have! Hah! But it’s people like you I really loathe… because you’re takin’ away money from my paycheck! If we don’t sell food at concessions… you know what happens?! I lose money, that’s what happens! So you better think about what you do next time you try to sneak in a bottle of soda to a movie… you hear me?!” The angry woman screamed in a furious tone.

“Yes, ma’am,” we all said, and were released from Cinema Prison.

“Remind me never to go to this theater again…” Steve said, as we walked out.

In another town, a young man named Jon Avalanche had just arrived home with a bag of groceries and was about to open the door to his humble abode. However, he soon realized that the door was locked, and he was without key.

“Must’ve left the keys in the house,” he said, putting the bag down.

“Nothing I can’t handle, though,” he continued.

During the semester break, Jon somehow discovered that he too, was developing unique abilities of his own.

In a swift moment, Jon’s right arm became engulfed in a metal-like, silvery substance that seemed to be more durable than iron. With one strike from the fist, his front door came barreling down many feet away from him… and into the house. His arm then returned to normal.

“Hmm, I’ll fix it later…” he said, walking in and putting the groceries down on a table. He then looked at the calendar posted on a wall nearby.

“Break’s almost over. I better start packing…” he said and turned to go to his room. “If only packing was as easy as breaking the door down,” he continued.

The area of Midlothian lay further down from where Jon lived, and a young man named Michael Vonce was busy doing what he did best… being a DJ for the hit radio station WBKL.

“This is DJ Vonce here speakin’ to you live from Midlothian. Right now, we’re airing Teen Talk… helpin’ teens with the everyday problems and skirmishes of life,” he said in his radio voice.

The call button lit up on the panel, and Mike pushed it, initiating conversation.

“This is Michael Vonce on Teen Talk, next caller please!” He said.

A voice on the other side spoke. “H…hello?” the voice said timidly.

“Yes, hello, you are now on… Teen Talk,” Mike greeted the voice. “So, what kind of everyday life problem or skirmish are you facing today?” he asked.

The voice continued, “W…well, y’see, I have this friend… Mat, uh, I mean Derrick. Y’see, he hasn’t been himself lately...” the voice explained.

“Really? This Derrick… or Mat, you speak of, what do you mean he hasn’t been ‘himself?’” Mike wondered.

“Well, he’s been… you know… angrier? Maybe… a little more violent?” the voice continued.

“Hmm, well can you describe this ‘violence’?” Mike asked.

“Well…” the voice began, but was soon interrupted by a louder voice.

“What are you doing?! ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT ME ON THE RADIO AGAIN?!” The other voice rang in fury.

“No… no, I was just…” the voice said, frightened. “Help me, Mike, please help…” the voice was soon cut off and followed by loud bangs and clamors from whatever lay beyond the telephone line.

“Hmm, that’s too bad,” Mike said. “Next caller!” He continued, pushing the call button.

“Hi, Michael Vonce?” The voice asked. “My name is Rick Strickland, and I was wondering if you were interested in making a record deal… maybe perhaps producing an album… possibly called ‘Vonce Vonce Revolution?’ Just hear me out… it could be wild and entertaining, not just a regular revolution, but a hip-hop revolution that would take the country by storm! And you could also provide maybe a British accent for the album, you know, Vonce Vonce Revolution?” He ended with a British accent.

“That’s enough time for you…” Mike said, and quickly ended the discussion with the push of a button.

Yuly Morals sat, distressed in her room due to the unexplainable message that she wrote during her nap.

“Who is Felicity?! This is driving me insane!” She yelled, throwing a pencil down.

“All I need to do… is start writing again, and then… more answers shall be revealed!” She put her arm down, with pencil in hand, against the paper before her. But alas, she knew it wouldn’t work unless she wrote without being conscious of the event.

I returned home late after the night out with the other heroes and that brush with Cinema Prison. I booted up the laptop once again to do my daily check of bookface.com. Interestingly enough, I saw that Krystal Uterra had updated her profile picture with that of a seriously gruesome, gory picture of her stitched up finger. I had to shield my eyes from the explicit violence until I realized I couldn’t feel them.

“This is really getting old,” I told my face.

Krystal was yet another person I knew from the Hunt Complex that I had stayed at in Billysburg in order to get my medical education. That didn’t seem to work out too well. Chemistry was worse than any villain I had ever faced… except perhaps Lady Cancra, and of course, enduring Master Kimo’s rehabilitation training.

I decided to post a message on her fence asking how badly the stitches hurt. After a few more things were accomplished online, I closed my laptop.

Yuly sat forward with paper in hand and a concerned look on her face. She didn’t know if she had fallen asleep or stayed awake, or just somehow lost consciousness while being awake. She didn’t know what to think anymore.

But she did know what she read on the paper:

“The changes that are occurring have a much more common cause than we think. If we go back, we’ll find out more… but we’ll also be in much more danger than we think as well.”

“Back? Back where?” Yuly asked herself. Then she thought, “to Hunt?”

Heroic People: Episode 6 - "Origin"

"Jessica! Jessica!" Yuly Morals had frantically cried as she pulled her covers closer to herself while being engrossed in the relatively new, hit television show, Heroes.

"What do you want?!" Jessica wondered, annoyed at the constant uttering of her name every time a worry entered her roommate's mind.

"Don't you see?! I've recently come across these DVDs of Heroes Season 1, that show Ben is always talking about. And there's a painter there, he's just like me! Only... he paints the future! He was killed by a man who steals people's powers! What if that could be me?! What am I talking about?! This is an omen! This IS going to happen to me! This is trying to tell me the future! Someone's after me, Jessica! Someone's after me!"

An agitated Jessica threw an empty water bottle at Yuly's head.

"Calm down, and snap out of it! There's no one after you! It's all in your head!"

Yuly's eyes widened and then narrowed. Still clutching her covers to herself, she walked from her bed and scuffled to Jessica, sitting at a desk.

"It's all in my head?" She moved closer. "It's all in my head, you say?!" She trudged back crazily and swiftly turned around to face her accuser. "Try telling that to the papers I've been writing in my sleep... the ones that continue to tell what the future holds!" She held out a piece of paper with an outdated fortune on it.

This time Jessica threw a bottle filled with water at Yuly's head. She then fell unconscious.

"That should do it," Jessica said. She then resumed gameplay of the Sims once again.

Meanwhile, in a Health Facility in Billysburg, I continued to search for a resolution to my problem.

"Doc! Either that stupid mask of mine is finding a way to bond to my skin, or my face is disappearing altogether!" I explained.

"Well, according to our diagnostic tests, the antioxidants within your body are at very low levels. Without antioxidants your body cannot prevent oxidation reactions which can cause free radicals that disrupt cell function, even DNA. But the oxidation reactions that are occurring in your body are unlike any I’ve ever encountered before. They don’t seem to be causing your facial features to vanish at all. Due to some type chemical disturbance, and this mask you’ve been wearing for so long, your body has been producing skin cells over your facial features which surprisingly still allow all normal functions to occur!”

“So wait a second, doc,” I said. “Let me get this straight, because of the oxidation that’s going on in my body, my DNA’s bein’ messed with so that I’m able to pretty much reproduce my faceless mask with my own skin cells… over my eyes, my nose, and my mouth… and still breathe and see and everything?!”

“Well, I suppose that’s a way to look at it,” Doc Henderson said.

“Awesome!”

“But you must be careful. Oxidative stress has been linked to a number of diseases that could prove far worse than the symptoms you are experiencing now.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“Well, it’s possible that such stress could contribute to diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, rheumatoid arthritis, some cancers, trauma, even neurodegeneration, which is death of the neurons. Much oxidative stress involves the brain.”

“Crappo.”

“Indeed. Do you know of anything unusual you have been exposed to in the past year or so? Any chemical spills, gases, etc.?”

“Gases, huh?” I thumbed my chin earnestly looking deep into past memories of my mind, trying to unsheathe the chain of events that would lead me to a possible cause of this disturbance. And at last, I found one. “Of course! At the Rogers’ Laboratory! There was a gas leak months ago and many were asked to evacuate. I was near there at the time! Maybe that’s what caused this mess!”

“It is quite possible.”

“So, doc, am I on a mission to break into the Rogers’ Lab and obtain a sample of this gas to contain this mess? And possibly warn others who are experiencing the same thing I am and find a cure once and for all?!”

“Well, all you really need to get rid of your symptoms are some fresh, healthy doses of OJ… or Vitamin C of course. Vitamin C is rich in antioxidants, which can help get your body back to normal in no time… if what we’re dealing with are typical oxidation reactions.”

“Well, there goes that trip.”

“But it would be a good idea to find those who have been affected. You’re a detective aren’t, you? You should do it. And tell them to drink more orange juice… or perhaps take some Vitamin C pills to offset the reactions. And I suggest you do that as well.”

Heroic People: Episode 7 - "Confrontation"

Jessica Berrias found herself returning to her dormitory after a day filled with less-than-exciting classes. But to her surprise, she entered the door to her room to find that her unconscious roommate was not where she had previously been.

“That’s funny. I thought I knocked her out for a good long while. Oh well.”

But as she went to sit at her desk, she noticed a small piece of parchment underneath her bed. She went to take a look.

I will be kidnapped, the note read. It was obviously Yuly’s writing, but why she would write such a ridiculous thing was beyond Jessica’s knowledge.

“What is this nonsense?” she asked herself. Jessica then proceeded to crumple the paper and throw it in the trash. She opened her laptop and to her shock and surprise, found another piece of paper.

Don’t you understand?! I will be kidnapped! Do I have to spell it out for you?! I’m in danger!

Jessica grunted in annoyance and ripped the sticky pad from her screen and crinkled that one up too, tossing it away. She then entered her password to log in to her computer. But Notepad was open revealing yet another message.

Honestly, Jessica! I thought you would be more worrisome than this! Do I have to resort to closing the Sims in my sleep and telling you the future through your own computer?! You have to come find me when I’m in danger! You have to look in the city for a man in a black coat and top hat!

“She closed the Sims without saving?!” Jessica cried in anger. “I’m going to kill her!”

With fire burning in her eyes, she ran out of her dorm and slammed the door shut, intent on reaping revenge on her roommate.

Meanwhile in another part of town, Mat Wilder was strolling upon the sidewalk, attempting to return to campus and back to his humble abode. Unfortunately, a man with a black coat and top hat accidentally bumped into him, knocking Mat out of his stride.

“Pardon,” the man said, stopping short then moving on to his truck which was parked beside the street. It was black, just like his coat. It looked as if it could carry a lot of storage.

“No problem,” Mat replied, dusting his beige trenchcoat off. But due to his recent hypersensitivity to allergens, he erupted in a sneeze once again. His eyes grew dark, and he turned around, grabbing the man by the shoulder before he could get into his vehicle.

“Why don’t we try this again?” Mat said angrily, in a deeper, more forceful tone. He slammed the man into the side of his truck with great force, rumbling.

Inside, Yuly, wrapped in her covers and tied up, awoke from the commotion. Her head ached.

“Hey, man! Get off of me!” The man in the trenchcoat replied.

“You forgot to say please, now didn’t you?” Mat asked, raising his fist high into the air, ready to strike.

“Is there a problem here?” Jon Avalanche asked. He had seen the skirmish erupt from a distance and went to see what the problem was. He grabbed Mat’s hand before he struck. Jon was wearing a black, long-sleeved shirt and jeans.

“This guy bumped into me. I want a proper apology. No one bumps into Mat Wilder and gets away with it… Now if you value your health, I suggest you get out of my way before it gets really ugly.”

“Why don’t you leave the man alone?” Jon asked. “No one has to get hurt here.”

“Back off!” Mat yelled, dropping his victim and striking Jon in the chest with his palm, propelling him quite a distance backward onto the street. Cars screeched to a stop to keep from hitting him.

“Oh, now you just asked for it!” Jon unsheathed his newly discovered ability and let a metal coating slither across his arms and over his fists. He knew that this guy was trouble, and from the powerful blow he sent, Mat was no ordinary fellow.

“I’m gonna ask you one more time… to get outta here,” Jon threatened.

“Heh, a fight, huh? Looks like you’ve got talents of your own. I’ve been looking for a good challenge… hehe,” A sly smirk formed on Mat’s face.

While the two titans were busy trading talk, the man in the black coat sought this as an opportunity to flee from the scene. He started his truck and drove as far away as he possibly could.

Jessica resumed her search on the streets of Billysburg, realizing to herself that it would be near impossible to find a random man with a black coat or Yuly herself for that matter. She decided to go shopping instead.

She looked through the store windows and came across a rather nice-looking purse worthy of her possession. Eyeing at it warily, she decided that it would make a nice addition to her belongings, and went in the store to see the price.

Just outside, Jessie Holloman was walking happily along the sidewalk returning to make a purchase.

“La-la-la! Le-dee-dee-da!” She sang joyously. But she remembered what had happened earlier, and quickly took a serious turn.

Oh yeah! Gotta act natural. I almost scared the lady in there. I better act like nothing happened... and I didn’t phase through the window. Maybe she won’t recognize me at all.

The same saleswoman that Jessie has frightened approached Jessica who had the purse in hand.

“That’s one of the best in our collection… with a special discounted price for today only! You were lucky. Many have been eyeing this beautiful piece of work.”

“Hmm, no wonder no one’s bought it. It’s a little pricey. Maybe I’ll come back…”

Jessie walked into the store dreaming happily of what bliss and comfort her new purse would bring to her in the future. She had gone to the bank to transfer money so that she would be able to make her long-awaited purchase. But her eyes widened in shock and disappointment when she saw another holding what rightfully belonged to her.

“You!” She cried, pointing at Jessica. “Give me that purse! It’s mine!” She ran up to the girl holding the item.

“It’s… you! G…g…g…g…ghost!” The saleswoman shrieked in fright and fainted at the spot. This meant that no one was watching over the store, and any of them could leave with whatever they pleased.

“What did you do?!” Jessica wondered, looking at the passed out woman.

Seeing this as an opportunity, Jessie swiped the purse from Jessica. “I just stole what belongs to me, hahahaha!” She cried maniacally, running out the door.

“Oh no you didn’t!” Jessica yelled, running after her, grabbing a water bottle from her old bag. Outside of the door, she thrust her weapon at Jessie before she could escape. Her victim let out a painful cry and fell down upon the gravel. Jessica quickly reclaimed the purse in triumph.

“Serves you right.” She then began walking away.

Recovering from the blow, Jessie quickly returned to her feet and yelled back.

“Hey, I’m not done with you! Gimme that back!” She yelled.

Jessica sighed in displeasure and turned around, this time taking out a full bottle of water and tossing it toward Jessie’s head. Not making the same mistake twice, Jessie let the bottle phase through her body and into another man behind her. He fell unconscious at the blow.

“Hah!” She antagonized victoriously.

Narrowing her eyes, Jessica sought to correct her mistake.

“You must be one of those weirdos too,” she said. She retrieved another empty bottle, bent it at the middle and threw it at Jessie. Once again, Jessie phased through the bottle and stuck her tongue out, taunting her enemy. She thought she had outsmarted her opponent once more. But little did she realize that Jessica bent the bottle for a reason in order to turn it into a “Bottlerang” that swerved back and hit her in the head before it returned to Jessica’s hand.

“Ouch!” She cried in agony and clutched the back of her head. Jessie had had it. She began to run toward Jessica for a tackle while her back was turned.

Suddenly hearing rustling footsteps behind her while she was walking away, Jessica quickly swerved to meet her opponent and grab her by the arms. Jessie was too slow to react and was caught up in the maneuver. Jessica then used inhuman strength, twirling Jessie around in her arms and letting her go for a sailing seismic toss into the sky and then into a building three blocks away. Jessie quickly phased through it for protection and through the lid of a dumpster to land safely in the soft garbage within. But it smelled really bad.

“Snap!” She cried in amazement, looking at her arms. “Does that mean I’m a weirdo too?” Shrugging it off, Jessica returned to the store and made her purchase.

Heroic People: Episode 8 - "A Turn of Events"

I began my search by compiling a list of possible victims of the gas leak incident. So far, I had one name, Ashley Grigsby. She had been interviewed about the event long ago, but it seemed as though most people thought of it as nothing but a minor spill.

This will be harder than expected, I thought to myself. There could have been dozens of students who inhaled or were affected by the gas. All leads were going nowhere until I finally heard a conversation between two girls walking down the sidewalk.

“Yeah, like I heard there was this fight… between two girls. One of them tossed the other one like she was a rag doll or something three blocks away, but that girl… she disappeared.”

“Wow spooky!” The other girl interjected. Her voice then dropped to a whisper. “I heard… that they found the girl’s body in a dumpster.”

“Well, I heard that it was all over a purse…”

“Oooh, what kind?” The other asked.

But that’s where my listening cut off, and I intervened, springing in front of them.

“These girls... where did this happen?”

“Just down the road over there. At the store on the left.”

“Thanks!” I said, and rushed off to a possible lead.

Meanwhile, in a dormitory on the Billy Madison University campus, a young resident advisor and her roommate were busy studying for upcoming exams… that is, until a loud cry was heard.

“Ashley Grigsby!” Abby Freegirl cried aloud, as she was accidentally burnt by fire. “This is the third time this week!” She yelled, taking a look at her wounded arm, which healed itself within mere moments.

Both she and her roommate were used to such a routine, after each of them had discovered that they had new powers of their own. Ashley found out that she was able to spontaneously combust from the hands, mouth, and even eyes at times, to the dismay of her roommate. Abby however, discovered her abilities while on the field. A champion rugby player, she had run into another girl in mid-flight before falling on the ground and breaking her shin bone. Fortunately, she was somehow able to push the bones back in place and was back up in no time.

“I’m sorry!” Ashley said politely, drawing back her arm. “Sometimes it just happens!”

“Well, it’s just a good thing I can’t get hurt, punk, or you’d be in big trouble!”

A loud crash was heard as Jon was hurled back through a window to an appliance store with Mat following closely behind.

“Come on! Is that the best you can do?!” Mat taunted.

“Actually…” Jon replied, throwing rubble toward his opponent. He landed a steel-clad fist into Mat’s face, tossing him across the street. “I’m gettin’ pretty close…”

Jon ripped a mailbox out of its post and thrust it toward Mat. It made a direct hit on his torso, but failed to stop him. Mat, a bit dazed, tossed it aside like an empty trash can and began running toward Jon. With great speed and precision Mat began jabbing swiftly at Jon’s face, alternating between left and right thrusts. Still, his opponent was just barely able to block the powerful punches with his shielded arms. Each time Mat struck, a loud clanging sound and sparks flew about the scene. Jon found himself receding backwards. Keeping his guard up, he tried his best in order to fend for himself, but Mat found an opening and struck a fist straight into his gut. Though feeling pain for a few moments, Jon’s eyes narrowed, and Mat looked up, surprised that his enemy was still standing. Jon grabbed Mat’s arm and squeezed it in his metallic arms. The captive cried out in anguish.

“You don’t mess with me,” Jon said.

To his surprise, Mat calmed himself and closed his eyes, as if concentrating. He held his palm out to Jon’s chest and let out a powerful blast of some type of explosive energy which made Jon fly backwards and into another brick foundation. Mat stood up, massaging his arm.

“Apparently you spoke to soon,” Mat replied.

Jon was a little annoyed now. He shook his head, revitalizing himself, and pushed himself upward. He was not done yet.

After locating the apparel store, I ran three blocks down to the dumpster that had been spoken of. A scruffy looking teenager in tattered clothing stopped me before going closer.

“You do not want to go any closer, dude,” he said to me. He began to whisper. “Don’t tell nobody… but there’s a dead body in that dumpster.”

Suddenly, up through the lid of the garbage facility, an angry Jessie Holloman cried out in anger and looked around, trying to regain her bearings.

“D…d…dude!” The tramp cried, pointing to Jessie. “G…g…g…ghost!” After letting out a faint gasp, he passed out.

I quickly ran to examine the unique specimen.

“Y…y…you went through that garbage lid!” I said in awe, pointing.

“Ach! You’ve got no face!” She yelled back.

“Oh!” I said, realizing the situation. I had found out that I was able to control my new skin generation somewhat and repealed the effect. “No, that’s just some power of mine. But you… you’ve got powers too! You’re a student at BMU right?”

“Of course I am!” She said happily with a sudden mood change. “Eww… garbage stinks,” she said. She gasped. “My outfit is ruined!”

“Alright….” I said, looking puzzled. “Did you by any chance have someone throw you over here?”

She became infuriated by the memory. “Her!” she yelled. “I did NOT have her throw me over here! She threw me here herself! I will kill her!” She began rampaging down the sidewalk once again. I quickly followed.

“Wait! Who are you talking about?” I wondered.

“That woman will pay! How does she get off throwing me around like that? And that strength?! She was freakishly strong! She just better be glad I didn’t have a lawyer present, I would sue her for all she’s worth! I swear… what’s your name?”

“Ben.”

“I swear, Ben, she will pay, and if not, I will make her pay!”

“What was her name?”

“I don’t know!” A smile formed on her face. “But my name is Jessie!” She said happily. She then reverted to her crazed, angry self. “But whoever she is, I will track her down! I’ve seen her around BMU! I will seek her out and destroy her!”

“A little vengeful aren’t we?” I wondered. “Well, I’ll help… not with the vengeance though. I need to find this girl too. I think we’ve all been affected by the gas leak at Rogers’ laboratory.”

Mat was knocked backward into a building, cracking the foundation while brick and dust flew outward in every direction. As his allergies acted up again, he let out a loud sneeze, and returned to his normal self. With eyes blurry, a large, angry man with silver arms slowly crept over him.

Mat sprawled backwards in fear. “Wh… what are you doing?! Get away from me!” He cried.

“Oh, there’s no backing out now,” Jon replied. He raised his arm ready to strike.

“H… help! Somebody help me! He’s trying to kill me!” Mat cried.

Puzzled by his opponents’ change in mood, Jon began to wonder to himself whether this was all a ploy to let his guard down.

“Stop!” Someone cried from the distance. “Don’t harm that man!” It was a policeman, who had arrived on the scene just in time… for Mat.

“What?! You gotta be kiddin’ me!” Jon yelled. He lowered his arm. Even though he could easily deflect bullets, he decided not to tangle with the law. “This guy was attackin’ me first!”

“That’s not how I see it! Now take off that armor!” He yelled, pointing to Jon’s arms.

Jon reverted his coating and sighed in annoyance, unbelieving the situation at hand and muttering things under his breath.

“You are under arrest,” the cop said, explaining the situation. He then began to pull out handcuffs. Always the black guy, Jon thought to himself.

Another helped Mat up to his feet. “You alright, sir? We saw the man slug you. I’m surprised you’re able to stand.”

“I think I’m alright.”

“We’ll get an ambulance here in no time.”

“No, it’s fine,” he insisted.

Deciding not to take anymore of this, Jon decided to sweep the cop with his arm into his squad car and escape for the time being. He was now a man on the run. Mat followed suit and escaped as well. He somehow knew in his mind what had happened to him, and that witnesses would come out with the truth sooner or later.

Heroic People: Episode 9 - "More Than Meets the Eye"

“So you’re saying this gas can somehow change my DNA so that I could have powers?” Jessie asked me, after I explained how we were affected.

“Well, technically yes.”

“Oh goodie! I want more powers! Anything to reap vengeance on that woman… and against mine enemies!” She exclaimed maniacally.

“Hey, hold on a second, you’d risk possible illness to get more powers?!” I asked.

“If it gets the job done!”

“Oh boy…” I lamented, fearing another power-hungry case. “You should really start thinking of getting some Vitamin C to offset the symptoms. I’ve already started poppin’ some of those pills.”

“Druggie!” She accused.

“Hey, wait a second!” I began, but refused to continue due to her sudden mood swings. “Anyway… I need your help. I need to find an… Ashley Grigsby? Do you by any chance know where she lives?”

“Oooh! I know her!” She gleefully stated. “We had class together once! I always remember her name because she was really smart and always studied with me… whether she liked it or not! Just kidding! I’m sure she wanted to study… I think.”

“Lead me to her!” I said. We then set off to find Ashley Grigsby.

Yuly was taken blindfolded into a medical facility far into town. Lights, machines, empty tanks, and even tanks with humans inside were scattered about. She was shocked by the sudden images.

“Where am I?! What are you doing?! Why am I here?!”

“Patience, Yuly Morals, you will have your answers… if you don’t write them first,” a man in a gray suit and horn-rimmed glasses stated. His arms were folded behind him.

“How… do you know about me?” She asked.

“You might as well know who we are. We are Gencorp, a biological enhancement agency. We understand that you were one of the victims of the gas leak at Rogers’ Laboratory just a few months ago. We’ve been working hard to find you and the others.”

“Is this what this is all about?! Is this why I’ve been tearing myself to pieces because of futures that I write without knowing it?!”

The Gencorp specialist began walking around Yuly, who was seated upon what seemed to be some type of operating table. “We have been perfecting a component that will create super-soldiers using humanoid subjects… ones that are under our control. So far many of the subjects have failed to survive. You see, we hope to bring about change, yet we didn’t expect the leak to affect ordinary humans either. But there are three humanoids that we have successfully generated and sculptured to fit our cause and track the rest of you down. They are being tested as we speak. They’re designed to locate unique individuals such as yourself, and are even searching for another right now…” He slowed his speech. “Ah, what is his name…Michael Vonce?”

“Why do you want us?”

“We can’t allow you to interfere. But you, you’re different from the rest. You are the most important. You can tell the future, or even write it… for us. We wouldn’t want you revealing our secrets to your friends.”

In another part of town, three strangers were heading to their intended destination… WBKL radio station.

“Remember, this Vonce character may be unaware of his powers. He could be a big problem for us if he finds out what he can do,” A woman in a purple suit and fiery orange hair said.

A young man with black hair and a rather emotionless, calm voice spoke. “Yes, as long as we can slip in unnoticed I can steal his power and transfer it to you with perfect ease.”

A wily, short, slightly corpulent man appeared from behind them. “And anyone who interferes shall be promptly dealt with… hahaha!”

It was a late shift for Michael Vonce, and the only ones left in the tower were him and a lone security guard on the first floor. Yet still, Mike was used to this and only thought of it as another night on the job.

A policewoman entered the dark first floor lobby and greeted the security guard, who was eating donuts at a desk.

“Your shift’s over, Bob. I’ll take it from here,” the woman said. She had looked on the name tag on the desk.

“My name’s not Bob,” the guard replied suspiciously. He stood up to confront her. “And I didn’t hear of no shift change tonight. You think I’mma fool or something?”

“This guys getting on my nerves…” She said, seemingly to herself.

“Allow me to take care of this!” The short man cried, appearing from behind. He shot some type of chemical spray from his hand that instantly turned the guard into solid stone.

“Get rid of him,” the woman said. The short man complied, and just by clutching his hand inward, the statue exploded into hundreds of pieces.

Michael Vonce was upstairs enjoying himself; broadcasting the regular tunes he listened to night after night. His feet were propped up on the table, and he sat back in his chair while chewing gum. He blew a bubble almost half the size of his face when it popped. That’s when the door burst open. It was the security guard.

“Hey Jones what’s up? Somethin’ wrong downstairs?”

“There’s been a disturbance. We should probably get out of here. Follow me out to safety,” he said.

“Wait, and leave the radio off the air? But what’s going on?”

“I think someone’s broken in. Hurry up, and follow me!” The usually friendly guard spoke with an unnerving, forceful tone. Mike followed him out the door in compliance, but he was surprised to see a short, stubby man holding his arm out as if to stop him. But as some type of chemical spray began to flow from his hand, Mike gasped at the sight and held his breath, bracing himself for what could be his doom.

But as his breath was held, he looked up. The spray, along with Jones the security guard and a third man, all stood motionless. Mike fell backward in shock and started breathing again. The spray missed.

“What the?!” The attacker questioned as he did not see his victim any longer.

Jones was no longer in sight anymore, and a woman in a purple suit stood in his place. With adrenaline rushing, Mike rolled out from beneath his assaulter and ran down the closest flight of stairs. The other three soon followed.

As he fled for his life, questions were dominating Mike’s mind: What exactly had happened there? Did he make those strangers freeze? And what had triggered that to happen? Was it him wincing in fright that caused the stillness, or was it mere panic? It couldn’t have been, because he’s been panicked more than once before and nothing good ever happened. He finally thought of what the cause could possibly be… holding his breath.

With quick resolve he decided to test out his theory. Mike inhaled as much oxygen around him as possible and kept it inside his lungs. Suddenly, like a drowsy sedative, time slowed to a halt. He looked backward and saw that his assumed captors were frozen in place, with the shortest one shooting another blast of whatever he had in his hand. Mike knew that he would never want to come into contact with that substance, so he ran. After what seemed about fifteen seconds he arrived outside. He was amazed at the sight he saw… a stationary car in the middle of the street with the headlights on with a man in mid-talk on his cell phone inside. In a moment’s notice, he breathed again. The car moved just as the last the carbon dioxide molecules were exhaled from his lungs. He quickly ran to hide behind some bushes.

Back at the stairs, the orange-haired woman cursed under her breath. “You lost him!” She ran her hand across her head and sighed deeply.

“I’m sorry Kasandra!” The short man apologized, lowering his head.

“It’s no matter,” the solemn man stated. “We’ll find him again.” He looked down to what seemed to be a communicator on his wrist. “We must move on to the next target… Jessica Berrias, the roommate of Yuly Morals. I have just been informed that she has somehow developed powers of her own…”

“I should enjoy having super-strength,” Kasandra said. She had just received the exact same message on her own wrist device, smirking at it deviously.

Heroic People: Episode 10 - "Fire in Her Eyes"

Jessie Holloman and I had finally found Barry Big Hall just across the BMU campus in order to speak with Ashley Grigsby. I knew that she had had some type of contact with the gas, and I was seeking to find out if she was affected as well. If so, she would need to undergo the same treatment that all the victims must face. I knocked at the door.

“Who is it?” A soft, friendly voice asked.

Avoiding the question, I answered with another. “Is Ashley Grigsby in?”

The door opened. “This is her,” she explained.

“Hi Ashley!” Jessie sporadically spouted, appearing from nowhere like a jack-in-the-box.

“Ah!” Ashley yelled in shock, letting fire burst from her eyes due to the jolt. I quickly ducked to the side, while Jessie screamed in fright and phased through the fire just in time. Another girl heard the commotion and went to see what was the matter.

“If you fried one of my residents, Ashley Grigsby, I’ll…” but she didn’t finish. She didn’t recognize us as residents at all.

“Who are you?” Abby Freegirl asked.

“Well, we’re here to ask Ashley Grigsby questions… apparently about the fire powers she’s developed. And we’ve got some answers too.”

“Answers?!” Abby asked. “Then maybe you can explain mine too! Quick, burn me Ashley!”

“What?!” Ashley asked in wonderment at the request.

“Come on, Ashley! Do it!” Abby yelled. She tugged slightly on her right ear which sent a breath of fire from her mouth. It pierced Abby’s skins and burned through the epidermis. But it healed in no time. “Tugging on her right ear always gets the job done. Most of the time, she does it by accident.”

“Wow, you’ve got powers too! Amazing. Well, I guess it’s high time that you girls learned the truth about your abilities.”

And so I began to tell the tale of how the gas leak had affected our lives in a very unique way.

“So that’s why I can suddenly ignite flame from my body?” Ashley asked.

“Well, yeah, pretty much. Just a regular routine of Vitamin C should take care of the trick. The antioxidants should help.”

“Well, maybe. If I want to get rid of these skills at least,” She said, putting a finger to her chin in deep thought. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to throw away all that power just yet.

As Jessica began walking back to her dormitory, she felt a strange happiness of triumph that began to develop after she had taken victory over Jessie Holloman, and also received a new purse to match.

“I’m just too good,” Jessica said to herself, gazing at her newfound luxury. She had already replaced the old one.

“Jessica Berrias,” a female voice spoke. Jessica turned around at the mention of her name. A policewoman stood before her. “You’re under arrest.” She then snapped some cuffs around her wrists.

“On what charges?! I paid for this purse!”

The woman narrowed her eyes through her sunglasses.

“For breaking the law,” she said disgustedly.

Jessica broke through the cuffs with her raw strength.

“I ain’t takin’ this! You’re not a real cop are you?!”

“Guess… I’m not!” She said forcefully, while sending a powerful kick to the side of Jessica’s head. It turned to the side due to momentum, but it did not appear that she was seriously hurt by the blow. Kasandra’s eyes widened while Jessica’s eyes narrowed. Knowing that her efforts would be futile, she decided to call for backup. “Get her, Yosef!” Kasandra commanded.

“As you wish!” A short villain replied, jumping out from the darkness. He held out his arm in order to send his attack.

But sensing danger, Jessica decided to use her strength to open a fire hydrant and send a watery blast toward her opponents. The third villain watched in shock. He stared at the girl that he was supposed to confront and yet he couldn’t show himself. Somehow he recognized Jessica Berrias.

Why does she look so familiar to me?! He thought to himself. And this curiosity and puzzlement halted him from attacking.

After recovering from the powerful blast, Yosef wiped the water from his eyes with his hands. “You will pay for that!” He cried, and shot his spray at Jessica. This time, he did not fail, and Jessica stood firm in an envelope of rock.

“Ahahahaa! Try and escape that!” He exclaimed triumphantly. “Now, 17, do your work! Give Kasandra what she rightfully deserves!” Yet the black-haired man gave no answer, and slowly crept out from the shadows.

“What are you waiting for, 17?! Do it! We need this!” Yosef cried.

Sensing something the matter, Kasandra morphed back into her normal self.

“What’s the matter, 17, why are you hesitant?”

“I…I do not know…” He said. A slight, yet sudden change in his emotion developed.

Kasandra eyed the statue carefully before turning back to her fellow humanoid. “Do you know this girl?” She said while pointing to the stone.

“I… don’t remember if I do,” he replied, his head was lowered to the ground.

Kasandra sighed and shrugged. “Alright, if it’s any sort of consolation to you, we’ll take her power and spare her life,” she comforted. She put a hand on his shoulder. “Now I’ll just rest my hand here, and you transfer her powers to me.”

He still stared at the ground, thinking deeply. After a few moments, he made a decision. “I… I’ll do it.” He crept closer to Jessica Berrias, extending his hand to touch her shoulder. He breathed heavily, slowly looking at the girl’s face. Somehow, he couldn’t understand why he felt so uneasy about being there in front of her.

“Come on, 17, you can do it. It will only take a moment.”

He reached up once more to finish the job… when something happened. The solid statue began to rumble, and finally erupted into hundreds of pieces. However, it wasn’t Yosef who had caused the disturbance… it was Jessica herself. She had escaped. The powerful blow had knocked them backward.

“I don’t know what they heck you just did, but I am so not going to let you do that again.” She grabbed a lamp post from its socket and smashed Yosef into a building, knocking him out of consciousness.

Sensing immediate danger and the fury flowing through her target’s veins, Kasandra decided to take evasive action. “Come on, let’s get out of here! Bring Yosef!” She commanded. 17 did what she ordered and they each fled the scene without Jessica getting a second glance at their faces.

Heroic People: Episode 11 - "Closer They Get"

“Did they get you too?” A blond-haired man enclosed within a Gencorp lab cell asked Yuly, who had just been contained inside of one next to him. Yuly looked his way.

“Yes,” she said in soft whisper. There was reinforced glass separating the two captives, and she crept closer to it. “What’s going on here? What are they going to do to us?”

“Well, if you’re here for the same reason I am, and disagreed with their request to join them, they’re probably going to turn us into humanoids… or at least that’s what they call them. They’re really trying to turn us into some type of cyborgs under their control… all for some sort of superhuman army.”

“What?!” Yuly exclaimed in fright. “That’s crazy! I… I don’t want to be under their control.”

“Neither do I. But what I don’t understand is why they want me. They have humanoids that can transfer my powers to themselves. I guess it’s better, so they won’t kill me.”

“Well, what can you do that’s so important?”

“That’s just it. All I can do is fly. That’s it. No physical enhancements, just flight. The name’s Dave by the way. Dave Bacon.”

“That’s weird. They can just steal my powers too. My name’s Yuly Morals. I can write the future.” She sighed and sat down on a small padded bench. “I don’t understand all this. I was just your typical, average, everyday college student when suddenly I woke up with something written next to me in my bed. I thought it was a prank, a practical joke by my roommate. But what happened was that the writing on the paper came true… and so did all the rest to this very day.”

“Hmm,” Dave said. His eyes were closed as he leaned with his back against the wall. He breathed in a sigh of contemplation and began telling his story.

“Well, a couple weeks ago I was in your shoes too, living life head on, with no doubts or worries. But one day, that all seemed to change…” He began.

It was a Sunday afternoon, and Dave had been profoundly affected by a series of dreams he’d been having over the past few weeks, which inclined him to tell his roommate what was going on.

“You know Ed, in my dreams, sometimes I feel like I’m actually… flying.”

“Dude, you’ve been chugging down too many beers.”

“I’m serious, Ed. Last night, I woke up at 3am and the window was open… I felt like… I felt like I left the room last night, and we’re on the third floor.”

“It’s just a dream dude. I opened the window because the weather outside was warmer than your glacier Rhode Island air conditioner.”

A couple of nights later, Ed had discovered that the window was open, and Dave was nowhere to be found. And little did he realize that he would not be seeing him for a very long time.

“And now I haven’t seen him since,” Dave finished.

Just then, a loud clanking sound echoed from a large door where a handful of scientists in labcoats and glasses had come through. The man with the horn-rimmed glasses was among them.

“So, will Number 18 be ready for operation in three days?” One man said.

“I think three days should be enough of a wait,” The man with horn-rimmed spectacles replied.

“And what of Number 19?” The other said.

“No. Not him yet. We still need to run a few tests on him before we start reconstruction.”

Yuly could hear what they were saying, and was puzzled by the jargon that had been coming out of their mouths. She went to Dave for possible answers.

“What are they talking about…Number 18 and Number 19?”

Dave was still leaning against the wall, eyes closed and moving nothing except his mouth. “Check the front of your cell,” he said.

Yuly obeyed his instruction and quickly rushed to see what he was talking about. Once she approached the gate, her eyes widened in shocked as she witnessed the number “18” posted on the very front of her prison. She only had three days.

Meanwhile, the three humanoids marked 15, 16, and 17, were quickly and stealthily creeping through the city in search of new victims to reap their own benefits from. Number 15, Kasandra, had stopped short in front of a small apartment complex. The others followed suit.

“What is it, master?” Yosef inquired.

“The communicator shows a level of power within that building.” She looked high to the third floor. Each of them entered the building. Then they masterfully sneaked up the stairs to the complex.

“We’ll do this the easy way,” Kasandra said. Yosef smirked and laughed.

He turned the door into solid stone and obliterated with a clench of his fist. But to their surprise they saw a young woman with dark hair and tears streaming down her eyes. She was holding on to what seemed to be a dear friend.

“Wh…who are you?” The woman wondered, sobbing.

“Our sensors indicate that you possess power. I want it,” Kasandra confronted.

The woman erupted in an emotional rant. “Take it! I don’t want it anymore! I hate it! It causes me nothing but pain! Everyone I touch loses life! Please!” Ironically, in her time of need and contrary to what she said, she grasped onto Kasandra’s arm and pleaded.

Kasandra could feel the energy within her depleting quite rapidly, and almost fell limp at the sudden loss of strength. A dark, black purple aura had formed over both of them, and Kasandra winced at the suffering. She finally let go.

“What… how… dare you!” She said, gasping and clutching her arms.

“You can’t do that to Kasandra!” Yosef cried, about to shoot spray at her to make sure of her demise.

“Wait, Yosef!” Kasandra said. “Let 17 do it.”

Yosef stood back. 17 stepped forward. He touched his hand upon the woman’s shoulder and another on Kasandra’s. 17 closed his eyes and began his work. The transfer of one power to another body created a bright green emanation around him. Within moments, the process was complete. With it, Kasandra arose with new life. She stood up and smirked while staring at her hands.

“I can feel it…” she said. “The power that consumes life. This is it. This is what I need. I can’t be stopped now.”

She laughed maniacally and in an instant, the three left the scene.

Heroic People: Episode 12 - "The Search"