the hero | Teen Ink

the hero

March 19, 2014
By lost_coconut, saratoga springs, Utah
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lost_coconut, Saratoga Springs, Utah
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The hero’s way


The ground as harder than I thought it would be. I was completely dazed from the previous beating I had got from him that seemed like it would last for ever. I could still feel his powerfully strong fist dropping my limp weak body to the concrete, as a flash of stars filled my head. Never had I ever felt so out matched before in my life. With all my strength, with all my powers, I could not win. Not this time. I think I’m okay to say I have been getting my sorry ass handed to me by these guys and quite honestly i'm very annoyed by it. In my defense I’m out numbered to begin with, but i guess thats my fault for pissing so many of them off. I’m surprised they have not killed me yet, i've got a bad habit of not dying, or so they constantly tell me. arms dead and shaking i manage to start to get up slowly up on my feet. I was immediately shot back to the other end of the street breaking a lamp post on the way there, thank goodness it softened my heroic landing. I knew exactly who had just attacked me it was an all too familiar, kinda sad that i recognized it. I was Slammed against an old house (that would have hurt way more if not for the melt body armor) honestly it looked better after my graceful descent on it, I looked up to see my attacker, it was John with an expression that said it all to clearly.
“Are you ready to give up now?”
smiling up at him I said
“wow i really hope you can do better than that” with that said he gave me a chuckle with his half crooked smirk then slammed his sonic wave into me. Sending me flying through the air like a rag doll, in midair colossus grabbed me, his gigantic palms curled around me crushing my body with his mighty strength. I felt so small in his hands I decided to be a little offensive, I started to grow to his size which resembled that of a building his hands immediately opened up his gip was broken, and i was released, hands clenched in a fist i put all my force into the direction of his face until I was knocked back down by Combustion man. (I really need to stop making enemies) I Now think back to how this all started, how I got in this very painful situation that got so many of these people to hate me. Some of the world’s most terrible creations of evil & death were of the best of intentions for the future, my story starts with a simple idea.
Questions… the one that stands out from them all that everyone has been asked before, well I lost track of how many times I had been asked this certain one, the one that you only dream about possibly ever happening to you. You know the question, the one you are so happy to answer so quickly because of the simple idea of it gets you thinking. If you could have one power what would it be, Alex? John once asked me that. It’s interesting to hear all the different answers you get from people,the answers vary depending on the type of person he or she is, some people want it for personal reasons to make life easier, others for well not so good of reasons. In the real world you don’t get what you want, you just do what you can with what you have. The thing is I don’t know exactly what I have. but some have it and some don’t sometimes you’ll find two completely different people with the same ability.

but in all honestly I really would find it hard to believe that no one saw this coming, evolution is a process that is constantly happening slowly but every once in a while there is a growth spurt, on top of the evolutionary growth spurt you have to consider all the chemical mutation with the fallout of nuclear war, so for anyone to say it was a surprise would be just stupid. just on the news i heard about two twin boys that connect with each other in order for their powers to work even though these new abilities have been going on for many years, its still very unknown to us on how it works.
Power can turn the best of people humanity has to offer, the ones we look up to every day into the men that lurk in the dark, the ones we hide from. the good news is racism is nearly gone .Hero’s like the ones you read in those comic books from 2058, wow those are classics. Like the ones where he comes in on a white horse to save the girl & the day. If only it were that easy now in days if you’re different, you are taken away never to be seen again. the government tries to hide the obvious fact that the world is changing. people are still afraid of what they don't know. They say it’s for the best to keep us all safe from those that could hurt us. But, I’m different, I could never hurt anyone, if they knew about me I could be taken so I stay quiet & as normal as possible. Never was normal before always stood out from the rest of the world. But now this power in me it’s overwhelming like I have a responsibility to control it. But how can I? it’s like trying to hold in a hiccup.
Sometimes when people get taken (because they’re too dangerous) they break out & when they do everything is locked down until it is put back to the holding facilities where they keep all of them separated from the population. When it’s over the streets are usually destroyed those things don’t give up without a fight. New posters & ads on the streets saying that they are trying to find the cure to all this, that these people are sick,i was watching this tv show where they were taking to one of the head researchers on the mutations.
the host: “doctor holland please tell us about this new found discovery youre team of researchers have found”
doctor holland:”we have actually found that this new gene mutation affected by the fallout of chemical warfare has not a adjusted to its human host yet, this meaning even though it gives you powers it hasn't accounted for the effects of the human body ”
host: “interesting so it has future consequences?”
doctor holland: “yes, its like a flamethrower made out of paper, very powerful but it kills itself”
i thought i was free from this curse the is promised to kill you, because it can only pass through you genetically. like a gene from your parents and since my parents were not mutans i never thought i could get it another way.
It all started on a Monday. like any other day I have had, I felt like good, really good, i gotten up early that summer early morning. walking up stairs i want to our pantry and started my review on which cereal i should eat, afterwards i pulled out the one percent milk (because my sister freaks out if its not) grabbed a spoon and enjoyed my breakfast. I started walking out the back screen door. its when i first stepped outside that i felt something bite me on my neck, a mosquito i think, last night i was eaten alive by them when i was talking to john, all i remember was laying down on the nice cool grass that was almost dry from the sprinklers going off earlier in the morning, then i slowly dozed off, then nothing blank everything went dark. Then a bright white light flickered on in my face, some voices muttering words I could not understand. in took so time for my eyes to adjust Everything was so white, so clean, very organized. Then a very clear & strong voice from one of the men. He looked up to the men behind the window in front of him, then saying.
“Test 838 this contains the formula that will absorb and extract the harmful substances from the original mutation of the genes. We will now start the process of the injections into the bone & muscles. The subject will be heavily sedated”
the reason we have to do the injections into the bone is because that is where new blood will be made to replace the old affected ones.
By now I was trying to get out of there but I couldn't move i looked down and saw that i was strapped in tight to a oporaction table. the doctor then put a anesthetic gas mask that kept the flow of medication to my body. I could feel my body relaxing already then without warning the long syringes went into me all at once! Screaming I had to wait to pass out over all the pain i was undergoing. I’m lying on my bed when I wake up, I tried convincing myself it was a dream & I did for a bit till I crushed my bed getting up! I had grown two times my normal size over night! What would people do or think of me? What will Haley think of me?
As soon as I figured out how it shrink to normal size (which took some time to do) I went to john’s house. Running as fast as I could, I could not help but to notice Haley waking down the street. Within an instant I was sweating up a storm I stopped my run as to not attract any attention to myself.
“Hi” that’s the most I could get out without looking retarded. She had said hi back & as soon as she was out of sight I ran as fast as I could the rest of the way there. Johns house, more like johns museum, his parents are super anal about everything. It’s very cold, very clean, & you can’t touch anything. His house was one that his family had been in for about six years now. I walked up the steps reaching for the door handle when the door swung open with a freezing breeze of air. It was john standing there. We looked at each other for a second then he laughed & said “funny I was on my way to see you now” Come on in, so what’s up bro what brings you here? “We need to talk about something” “Yes! Finally you actually talked to Haley right?” “No! That’s not it can we go somewhere more privet like your room.” sure why not. We went to his room & I shut the door behind me I told him my story about what had happened to me & when I was done he started laughing his ass off thinking I was joking. I don’t blame the kid I would too. He even asked me if I was on something! So I proved my point by growing again till I hit the roof of his bedroom he looked up at me his eye where going to pop for a second I was thinking he had s*** his pants.
Once I felt I had made my point I went back to normal size I was very surprised that he did not pass out. He was speechless for a bit then he said “what are you going to do now?” I don’t know, well of course now you need to be a hero! I just started laughing. But then he looked at me & said I know it does not seem like you are meant for this but you have a gift unlike any other anyone has ever seen before don’t waist it. “When life gives you lemons” yes I know you make lemonade NO! “You squeeze those lemons into life’s eyes!” use those powers for the people they need you. After the debate on what to do with this power I started going home when blank dark.
Hello my name is doctor Halpert. You must be number 838 height 5ft 8inch, age 17, brown eyes, black hair, weight 168 also known as Alex right? Um yes I think so. Who are you & where am I? I am head of this research facility & you are in it. Why? Because you have been picked to be the host & giving serum 838 for testing. What is that? It is supposed to absorb the mutant diseases so that you won’t get them, if this works no one will have them ever again. So we are just constantly going to observe any side effects that may occur from 838.
Dr: have you had any strange effects since the testing?
Alex: Yes! This morning I crushed my bed because of 838. You have no right to take random people off the street & use them as your lab rats!
Dr: calm down we did animal testing first before we picked out people.
Alex: you’re not getting the point!
Dr: just let us do the testing and then we can let you go.
Alex: okay
dr: follow me.
We went down a series of hallways that had rooms of other experiments it leading to a big room that looked like it had been though a lot of beating. He explained that this is where all the mutant testing was done at. He asked me to explain my symptoms I told him that I could grow to any size I wanted. He had a worried look on his face I asked him what was happening to me. He said that before the procedure was done I was also injected with colossus DNA to see if 838 could stop it from killing me. Now instead of getting rid of the mutations it absorbing it like a sponge so that I could use it when I wanted to. So my power is using others powers?
Dr: “yes but only when you intake there DNA like hair or blood for example that’s my theory. It’s too dangerous to test on you to many mutations on one subject could rip your body apart. The human body was only meant for its design not for these powers.”
“Colossus can grow up to 355 ft. about a football field the more he grows the stronger he gets & the more damage he can take. The same goes for you, because you copied his powers. I’m going to take the samples from your blood to see what exactly is happening to you till then you will be held in the holding facilities.”
“Uh how long is it going to take?”
“4 to 5 hours for us to get a good look.”
He walked me to an elevator that took us to the facility it was carrying over 574 mutants 575 now as I walked in the steal walls shut behind me. It felt more like a prison on steroids it was underground surrounded with steal with guards at every post overseeing all the in habidence . It reminded me of school everyone separated by what they can do for example: the bad, the good, the nerdy, the brave, the scary, & the unusual. In school the new kid is always watched over. who he is by what he does & how he reacts in situations. So never let anyone give you a hard time your first time in. not a minute in & I was tested, a man just barely taller than me from one of the groups comes up to me and asks me “so what can you do?” “whatever you can do,” He laughed and assured me that no one could work his magic like he did. He told me that his name was Kyle (AKA the quake). Then he moved his hands in an interesting way making miniature solder men out of rocks he could move & shape the earth any way he wanted to. He could only move so much at a time though I could tell he had to concentrate & it took a lot of energy to do. Wow I’m impressed you want to see mine? Yes. So I grew 3 times my normal size he was pretty startled & then he said that’s amazing two people have had the same power at the same time living rarely ever happens . He told me I had the same power as Shaun (AKA colossus). I asked who he was and he pointed to the good group of people. There he was I could not tell if he was using his powers but he was built up strong & tall. I could not imagine him any more intimidating than he already was. Mat come here (AKA multi man) this is Alex he has the same power as colossus, I stopped him & corrected him said that I did not have his same power but my power is to copy others powers.
To explain I took a hair from quake and eat it I waited for a bit then I tried it to move the rocks to make a small rock man at first they thought it was really weird but then understood as the small rocks has began to take shape, it was not nearly as good as when he did it but enough to impress them. I was right, it was hard keeping all the pieces together it was like a big puzzle. I moved him around to prove I have possessed his once unique powers, there is something that upsets others when I do this. It's like they have this amazing gift the is specially only for them, so when I come in copying it others don't take every kindly to it. Even they were in shock of what I did "I'd really prefer this stay quiet and between just us can you do that?" Despite their heads shaking to agree word spread very quickly of my power I was the new thing to talk about, kinda like when you get a new toy for christmas. Even the good/ heroic group could not help but to mention me. People even went on to say I was invincible no one could match my strength of power. Even in here gossip spread like a disease.
i found myself wandering around but there wasn't much to see in the facility. the people dividend in there own little groups and liked it better that way. almost no one had family down here. most were taken from their homes forced to live here so to say the least they were unhappy. some powers were not even dangerous to others. i guess they figured they would make like a plague island to shove them into, I suppose hoping that would stop the spread of powers. try to imagine this, every kid no matter how old, had a submachine gun fully loaded with them all the time. can you imagine the death the tragedy? this is what the government is afrad of. so people are punished before the actual crime is done and put down here.

The hero’s (guys with stronger powers ) wanted to make an example of me that any man could be defeated.
"Hey you new guy I've head you've been running your mouth off, you and me in one hour in the Senter of the arena" so I was challenged by ben (AKA beast) I didn't even have time to accept it I had nothing better to do anyways but I didn't want to start any problems with anyone already, by now it had already been 1 hour. He was taking longer that he was said he would be. They all gathered in a circle shaped area as we entered it the crowd became louder with excitement with a city with no conne



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