User:Redchocobo1/Episode2
This is the second episode of Heroes: REBEL Stories. Ethan and Fiona have escaped from the city where they were pursued by police for being unregistered evolved humans. Ethan is driving to REBEL headquarters for debriefing...
Story
Fiona had been silent since she and Ethan had gotten in the car. All that had happened was quite too much for her to take in at one time. Suddenly she had this power, had to run from the police and now she was in the car with some strange guy who acted like he did this every day.
“Everyone feels like you do the first time,” said Ethan.
She glared at him, “What do you know about how I feel?” she asked, “I don’t even know what happened back there.”
“Your bank was getting robbed so I came to kick ass and chew bubblegum, except I was all out of gum,” said Ethan.
“What are you talking about?” said Fiona.
“You’re tense, I’m trying to lighten the mood with humor,” said Ethan.
“Why do you keep pretending like you know how I feel?” asked Fiona.
“Sorry, it’s kind of my thing. I sense the feelings of others,” said Ethan.
“Well it looked like you were doing more than telling those criminals how they felt,” said Fiona.
“Those guys, they all had superiority complexes. It happens to so many people when they get their powers, they assume that they’re invincible and that they have the right to subjugate others,” said Ethan, “It’s nice to knock them down a few notches. There’s always a bigger fish.”
“So what, you were there to teach them humility?” said Fiona.
Ethan laughed, “I’ve never thought of it like that, mind if I use that one later?”
“You’re a bit… unusual… you know that?” said Fiona.
“Well, one of the side effects of my power is that if I can sense the emotional triggers for someone’s ability then I can manifest their ability at will,” said Ethan, “And they say that people who manifest multiple abilities tend to be a bit insane.”
They sat silently for a moment. Fiona suddenly became more uncomfortable. What had she gotten herself into? She escaped from three psychopaths just to be locked up in a car with another! She considered jumping out of the moving vehicle.
“Oh man, you totally bought it!” said Ethan, laughing.
“You should kid around about stuff like that! You’re a certified goof ball!” said Fiona.
“Yeah, but you feel better don’t you?” said Ethan.
Fiona smiled, “Yeah, I kinda do.”
“My name is Ethan,” said Ethan.
“Ethan? You have a last name?” asked Fiona.
“Honestly, I don’t know. I suffered a bout of amnesia a while back and I haven’t been able to track down and family or people that I knew before but I had a partial note that said ‘Ethan’ so I just call myself Ethan. It’s mysterious, like Cher,” said Ethan.
“I’m Fiona Rogers.”
“Nice to meet you,” said Ethan, “I never did ask you where you wanted me to take you.”
“Actually, I don’t really have any family out there either, my parents died when I was young so I was hoping to just come with you.”
“Sorry to hear that,” said Ethan.
“It’s okay; I learned to live with the truth a long time ago,” said Fiona, “Aside from amnesia, what’s your story?”
“I’m with a group called REBEL,” said Ethan, “We fight for evolved human equality and sometimes that means beating up other specials that go around trying to ruin it for the rest of us.”
“You’re all special, like a watchdog group?” said Fiona.
“Kind of, I guess we all sort of believe that if we get rid of all the bad guys that us good ones will be able to live like normal people,” said Ethan.
“Do you think that the world will be able to accept us one day?” said Fiona.
“I guess it’s natural for people to fear us,” said Ethan, “We have skills that they can’t understand and many of us choose to do things like what you experience today. People tend to think that’s the norm and don’t trust any evolved humans at all.”
“So how many of us are out there?” asked Fiona.
“Thousands, millions, who really knows,” said Ethan, “The government has cataloged several hundred with varying abilities. Some abilities show up more often then others.”
“So what is my ability?” asked Fiona.
“Yours is an interesting one, it’s very unique,” said Ethan, “I’ve seen invisibility and I’ve seen energy projection, but never at the same time. If I had to guess, I would say you have some sort of light energy manipulation or some sort of radiation manipulation.”
“Radiation makes it sound dangerous,” said Fiona.
“It’s dangerous for anybody you want to hurt! You could be capable of generating the same energy level as the sun, shooting lasers, vaporizing people, you’re like a walking ‘phaser’, ” said Ethan.
“That sounds dangerous to me! Couldn’t I hurt myself?” asked Fiona.
“That’s unlikely, most people have a natural immunity to their own abilities so that a flame thrower wouldn’t burn themselves whenever they wanted to throw fire,” said Ethan, “But I would still be careful, the people around you won’t have that same immunity.”
“So how does your power work?” asked Fiona.
“As you found out, when most people manifest their abilities, it is usually in a dangerous or emotional situation where a thought or feeling causes an adrenal response,” said Ethan, “Over time they learn to use their abilities at will by simulating that initial emotion. I tap into those initial emotions that the person experienced and once I do that, I can use their ability at will. It seems simple, but honestly I have little knowledge about how it actually works.”
“So you have lots of powers then?” asked Fiona.
“Only four,” said Ethan, “For some reason, I can’t seem to hold more then four powers at a time. It’s a limitation that I had to find out… the hard way.”
“What do you mean?” asked Fiona.
“I lost someone,” said Ethan, “I was going to seek out a healer so that I could fix her, but when I found the healer I couldn’t absorb their power and I couldn’t discard my super speed because I needed it to get back to her.”
“She was very important to you,” said Fiona.
“Yes, the first person I met after my amnesia. I saved her and she helped me to understand my power,” said Ethan, “I keep this to remember her,” he said while summoning a ball of electricity in his hand.
“So you do this to keep from falling into despair and make yourself a habitual joker,” said Fiona.
Ethan paused a moment then smiled, “I’m supposed to be the one with the empathy ability, don’t go making me obsolete. The whole event did make me very angry with the government, but anger is such a wasteful emotion and she made me promise that I wouldn’t lose myself in revenge… so I just make sure that what happened to me doesn’t have to happen to anyone else.”
As they talked, Fiona and Ethan crested over a hill and a picturesque landscape unfolded before them. Fiona was awestruck by the sight.
“That part of the trip never gets old,” said Ethan, “We call this ‘god’s country’, the one place we specials can be ourselves without having to worry about the discriminating eyes of others and the iron fist of the government.”
“You can live free out here?” asked Fiona.
“If that’s what you want to do,” said Ethan, “Many people come here to escape the discrimination that exists in the cities. Out here we are far enough off the grid that the government stops caring about us. This is one of the few good things that Samuel Sullivan did before he was locked up.”
“What do you mean?” asked Fiona.
“This whole area was just a barren valley, but Samuel had a dream of a place that special people could call their own. Many who lived with him adopted his dream, purified it and this land is the result,” said Ethan, “One person with an ability made it look the way it does today.”
“Amazing,” said Fiona.
“If only everyone could see the beautiful things that some of us are capable of and would stop just seeing the evil that some choose to commit,” said Ethan. Ethan pulled into a restaurant just at the edge of town.
“The guy here has a power that lets him make any food from nothing, and it’s good! We should eat here,” said Ethan.
“Is it okay if I call someone first?” asked Fiona.
“Since we’re way out here I don’t see the harm in that. Big brother doesn’t listen in out here,” said Ethan.
Fiona went to make a phone call while Ethan went inside. The restaurant had no kitchen, just a single guy behind the counter and a bunch of tables out front.
“Who’s the girl?” asked the guy behind the counter.
“Hey Clyde, I found her on my last mission, she manifested her power in front of a bank full of people, she would have been classified ‘dangerous’,” said Ethan.
“Anything is better than what they do to the ‘dangerous’ ones,” said Clyde, “She gonna join REBEL?”
“I haven’t asked her yet, she’s barely manifested her power but it’s nasty. Invisibility and energy projection,” said Ethan, “I almost want to drop one of mine just to have it.”
Clyde laughed, “You’re like a kid in the candy store sometimes!”
“Check this out, I picked this one up off one of the criminals I busted,” said Ethan, turning his arm to metal, “I am a robot, die human die!”
“It’s cool, but I have to say that super speed is still better,” said Clyde.
“You’re right, but you gotta dig the bling!” said Ethan.
Fiona walked in from the outside. Ethan didn’t even need his ability to tell that she didn’t feel 100% after her phone call.
“You will see the people you care about again,” said Ethan.
“I know,” Fiona paused, “You said you work for a group named REBEL?”
“Yeah,” said Ethan.
“Are you recruiting?”
Heroes: REBEL Stories
Episodes: 1
Characters: Ethan, Fiona, Micah, Gerard, Bubba, Dash
Abilities: Empathic Skill Absorption, Light Energy Manipulation