Chapter 8: WIP
GEMINI
Over the next few weeks, I tried to figure out how my powers worked, and what they could do. I suddenly remembered the storage device that Female Cosplay Man had given me, and tried to try it out. It had been years, so that dress no longer fit, but I wanted to see if I could now get things to work. My silver Aura glowed brightly, so I was sure my powers worked. "Transform!" I called out, fully expecting a dress that was too short and too tight to pop out. Instead, nothing at all happened. My Aura was present, my powers were usable, what could be wrong? Knowing now that I did have powers, I pulled out a sheet of paper and wrote down options, crossing out ideas as they didn't fit.
1. No Powers
2. Antimagic
3. Purely Physical Power
4. Other
I ruled out the idea that my powers only extended to the physical, because I didn't seem to have super strength or super speed, but I decided to test whether they were lying dormant. And so, I ran for several miles trying to see if I could build up super speed, only to find that the next day, I could barely walk as a result. I think I tore a muscle near the knees. I put some ice on it, tried to rest, and gradually eased back into light jogging. While I knew it was important to stay in shape, it didn't seem like super speed was in my list of abilities. So I tried to see if I had a super punch or something. I needed some way of stopping wrongdoers, after all. I suppose I could have started with a punching bag, but I remembered the tough training I had received as a child, and the even tougher stuff I had done in college. I wouldn't get anywhere unless I really pushed myself. So I found the nearest brick wall. Since superheroes were a thing, construction agencies build "practice" walls in the middle of nowhere, unattached to any buildings. And so, I banged my hand against the wall until I broke my hand and it was bleeding all over the place.
"You can't strain your body like this," Emily sighed, noting my cast. Nerissa nodded in agreement, "If you'd asked, I would have given you the military training that I got. What were you trying to do anyway? It's not like you have any powers." I had forgotten, neither of them kept track of the news. Emily was now an accomplished engineer, and spent most of her time building and inventing. As for Nerissa, she had become a marine biologist after completing her tour with the Navy, and now had a license to kill issued by the state. That was a thing, as of 1998. By executive order, our previous president found that there were a number of ex-military trained to kill, yet unable to make a difference in daily life against real criminals. So the Minutemen Act was passed. It upheld the second amendment, allowing all citizens the right to bear arms (the former president believed all of these school shootings were part of a plot to disarm America so radical elements could take over, the same way the Nazis took over after there was gun control in Germany), while expanding that right to absolute freedom for those who had been trained by police or military. These were called Police Heroes and Military Heroes respectively, and were a support unit to the other superheroes. As such, she was a sort of reserve unit of the army that could act to stop violent revolts by "mostly peaceful" groups like the Bacon Lettuce Mushroom group. "Black Lives Matter!" Nerissa said. I realized I had been mumbling aloud. "Huh? What's that?" I asked. She shook her head, "You always seem to think that group is named that because of some urban legend you read about them all ordering that at restaurants. Honestly." I blinked, "You mean this isn't true?" Nerissa sighed, "Of course it's true! All members of that group eat bacon, lettuce, and mushroom sandwiches as a means of reminding themselves of the name of their organization. Which is Black Lives Matter!" Hmmm, I'd heard about Black Lives Matter. I had a bit more rowdy an image of these folks than a bunch of people who sat quietly at restaurants eating sandwiches, these people ostensibly were an anti-racist group. But their methods often included things like burning cars and beating people up. Superheroes had no power over such things, as any hero who brought their powers against such groups would be labeled a racist, and stripped of all public donations under the current regime. Relying on private donations alone was a much tougher job. Nerissa could do something, but her license to kill didn't include random acts of violence. She could only act against them as part of a military unit, as part of anti-crime action, or in self defense. Since her military authority was now a side job (much like being a superhero) while her main job was to work with marine life, she literally had to find herself attacked in the middle of a march, and then she could fight back. Or they had to be actively doing a crime near her, or it had to be on the news. Thanks to reporters like Darsha, such actions were swept under the rug, along with my heroism the other day only taking up a sentence with the rest of the article mentioning my scantily clad attire.
I answered her earlier question. "So, you remember how we have been shut indoors until very recently, and only allowed to meet up in the last few weeks?" I asked. Emily nodded, "Oh yes, I miss our meetings!" She put on One Piece, which we had tried to catch up lately. The newest arc was Water 7, but it was mostly subbed. We were a few episodes behind, so we watched as we talked. I wanted to go shopping later, but the stores were still somewhat closed. It was a long and slow process to convince people that Death Dog disease was a hoax. I continued, "Well during that time, I discovered that I have powers."
The two of them blinked in surprise, and then I found myself group hugged. "That's wonderful!" said Nerissa. Emily wasn't as much of a hugger, or maybe she just didn't like me as much as she did Summer, or maybe it was just that Nerissa was trained to give tighter hugs. Emily said, "It was such a long time, not knowing if you ever were going have powers!" I know not having powers is a rarity in this day and age, but I didn't think it would be that big a deal... But then I realized, they had been with me since high school, and saw the pained look in my face every time they used powers and I wasn't able to. It was something that I finally had in common with my friends. "So?" Nerissa insisted, "Tell us everything."
I talked in depth about how my powers were some kind of vague protective field against other powers, and I didn't really understand how things worked. I talked about the fight with the guy in the weird outfit, and how he had burned my clothes but not my skin, exposing me to a crowd. They flinched, remembering the first time, they had caught me naked. Then after some thought, they spoke up. "We'll help you develop your powers," both of them said.
They were true to their word. Despite having no idea what my powers did, aside from vague hints from that battle, both of them helped me condition my body. Emily created punching bags, weights, and exercise equipment. Nerissa helped set up an obstacle course. Thanks to that, I felt more in shape, but as I punched the bag, I didn't seem to be hitting any harder than a normal person. I sighed. Nerissa had to go to work tomorrow. Apparently, there had been a rash of beached whales, and her team was investigating the cause. Whenever she left, things just weren't the same with Emily. No not like that! Nerissa and I seemed like closer friends overall, and when it was Emily and me, there was a sort of awkward not talking going on. Both Nerissa and I were social types, whereas she spent all her time analyzing things. Though it occurred to me that maybe in this moment, that type of tendency might be very useful. So I asked Emily, "What do you think is the problem? Is my power only about antimagic?" Emily had discovered she had very limited flight as a secondary power. Typically, powers were organized around a theme, but flight was a common secondary power as heroes needed mobility. Hers was more a sort of levitation, which she claimed she had developed after the necessity of repairing machines that were too big to climb easily. What it meant in practice was then when she was deep in thought, she tended to rotate in midair, sitting and thinking even while floating upside down or sideways. It was an annoying habit, but I had become used to it. She eventually righted herself, and after she finished thinking, she settled to the ground. "Eureka! I think I've got it!" she exclaimed. She began to talk very fast while I listened, "You know how superheroes tend to have powers that suit them? Like Nerissa has water-themed powers, I have creation powers, and..." she named about twenty other heroes, "Well, I think this isn't an accident. We tend to be granted powers that match your personality and mindset. So, if your power was really about antimagic, as you put it, I'd expect you to be a complete skeptic. I'd also expect you to be a complete atheist, but I happen to know from sleepovers and general chats that you have pretty strong beliefs like me, and I took religion as my minor. I am reasonably sure that's not the theme of your power. You always told us that you weren't trans, that you were actually born a guy, and that you just really liked to become a woman. You also said that your power began to emerge when you stopped believing what you were told about the disease thingy, and started to try to figure out the truth. I think truth, or reality, is somehow the source of your abilities. I want you to try thinking about something that is true, and hit that punching bag." I decided to test something out, and slammed my right fist into the bag. Hmmm, no effect. "What were you thinking about?" she asked. I explained sheepishly, "I wanted to test whether I was in fact lying about my feelings, and actually in love with you. I mean, that sort of thing happens all the time in dramas." Not even a blush. She shook her head and smirked, "Nope! The one I care for is Summer. And I haven't seen her since college started. Good job finding something that very much wasn't true though." I tried punching it again, but it still seemed no different from a normal punch. Was she sure about her theory? "What were you thinking about that time?" she asked. "I was thinking that this punching bag is a solid and real object," I explained. I mean, there was no sense denying that this was a real punching bag. "...What if I told you that it isn't?" she said. I looked at her like she'd said Bigfoot was real or something, "What do you mean?" She manifested something I'd seen her use before, a microscopic camera. "Look at it with this," she requested. I turned the device toward the punching bag, then adjusted the magnification until I was looking at it in extreme closeup. Contrary to what I had always imagined about it being a big solid object, it was mostly empty space. "You see? That object is a solid, but it is far less so than you imagine. Now punch." I kept that thought in mind, and I backhanded the bag. The punch slammed hard against the bag, then it broke it apart. Sand emptied out the sides as the cloth burst like a balloon. She clapped her hands, and pressed them against the ground, and suddenly a brick wall appeared. I punched it, and unlike before, my hands didn't even hurt. The wall chipped as though it had been hit by a sledgehammer instead of my fist. I punched again and a spot of brick came loose from the mortar. I kept hitting, and the bricks continued to fall, sometimes three at a time. Then the remainder of the wall started falling towards me! I could get hurt!
Emily reminded me, "I created this wall! You can negate my powers." Taking a deep breath, I simply closed my eyes and focused on the idea that it wasn't real. I felt nothing hit me. When I opened them, I instead saw dust on the ground. "You did it!" she exclaimed, "You did..." Emily lost consciousness. I remembered that her power takes a toll on her body, and she kinda had been creating training stuff a lot this week. It was a several blocks to her house, and I remembered that Nerissa had taken the car, and Emily drove a motorcycle. I grabbed her arm, thinking, If only I could make it right to her house. It was then that something strange happened.
GOD
Hi there, I said. It had certainly been awhile since someone entered my domain. I knew Gemini, well before she had decided to look as she does. I knew her while she was still in the womb, while the machines told her mother that it was a boy. I bet you're wondering how you got here, right? I asked her. Gemini was still holding Emily, worried that letting her go might make her stranded somehow. I didn't blame her. We were standing in a white empty area, about the closest thing to what you humans call space. Space isn't real, but my domain certainly is. You can put her down if you want, I said, I'll send her to her bed.
Gemini stared at me, but decided to do as I said. With an idle gesture, I waved my hand and she was gone. Gemini still looked worried, so I made a small object for scrying, and then told her, Observe the Viewing Globe! She looked and saw her friend's sleeping body, then seemed satisfied enough to give me her full attention.
"So, uhhhhh, how did I get here?" Gemini asked. I explained, You went outside your own Territory. You moved yourself to a distant location instantly and wound up here. She looked confused, "So does that mean everyone who teleports or shoots a long-range blast winds up here?" I shook my head, blue hairs flopping in front of my face, Not at all! Most teleportation doesn't work like yours. They make a miniature portal, and I fill in the gaps to get them from one point to another. But your instant travel works differently. I'll explain how Territory works. Each person has a sort of dome surrounding their perception. Outside this infinitely open area, you can draw a line ahead of you about three miles in any horizontal direction, and it extends upward quite a bit. Now, on a mountain or when flying in the sky, this Territory expands because you can see farther. But the general rule is that Territory, or the Desire Realm as it is sometimes called, is a sort of range of what you can see, hear, and most importantly affect with your powers.
She looked curious, "But... what exactly is Territory?" So I explained something that none of the superheroes could have told her, though many certainly suspected. I told her, Territory is the soul. A human being has three parts. There is the body, which everyone knows about, then after that secular people call it quits. But you know that a living body is different from a corpse, right? That's the spirit. A person's spirit can be injured, what you would call being dispirited, or more commonly, being depressed. But it exits the body when astral projecting, dreaming, or more permanently when dead. Spirits, particularly evil spirits, can be destroyed through the use of exorcism. But the person, regardless of what happens to their body or spirit can be restored, even though they may be changed. This is because the body and spirit regrow from the soul.
I manifested a chair, as I sensed Gemini was still curious but this was getting to be a long explanation. The chair was black oak with a pretty swirling pattern on the wood. For something I just thought of, I made it pretty comfy. Gemini asked, "What do you mean, they regrow from the soul?" I explained, Suppose I poke a hole right through you. I'm pretty strong so it would basically smash your body and you'd die in horrible painful way. People die if they are killed. So you'd be dead, and the spirit of the person called Gemini Fisher would go to the Afterlife and have what is basically an extended dream. Then after you are done with that, assuming you don't decide to spend all eternity there, either your spirit reinhabits your soul and a new body is made, or you make a new spirit in addition to a new body and the previous one passes on. The first one is called Reincarnation, while the second is called Rebirth. Rebirth has no memories, whereas with Reincarnation you can be trained to remember past lives. Basically, the soul is like a seed, only everything grows inside it. Everything you see and hear is your soul, so when you move your Territory, you move all of yourself. Teleportation is not really this, but rather turning yourself into light and moving at the speed of light. Then there's a Gate, which is folding time-space into a doorway, but let's not get into that. You're making a link between what you can see or remember, even something you only see on TV, and simply moving all of your self towards that. Try it out!
She got up from her chair, and it immediately disappeared because I no longer thought about it, and tried to concentrate on moving there. Don't think, feel! I told her, Until you master your powers, remember how a place smells or looks when you walk past it. Draw your entire being into the place you want to go, and soon you will be able to visit places merely by looking at them on television.
After several false starts, she managed to get herself to the front door of her house. I put a note at her doorstep, «Ages ago, Greek and Egyptian people had powers like these. But they weren't called superheroes, they were called gods. I took these powers away, because at the time, I thought the world would be safe if only a few people had them. But I was wrong! It was time long ago, a time of myth and legend, when the ancient gods were petty and cruel, and they plagued mankind with suffering. Eventually, I had to strip these "gods" of their power. Remember, superheroes are only truly heroic when they protect the weak. Be hero for truth and justice, this is what I ask. -God» I was worried that she wouldn't take my advice, but she was basically a boy scout. She spent all of her training trying to be the sort of hero that I wanted to see. All of which led to my second worry. What if she became a fanatic like Spider Man, obsessed with responsibility and unable to care for their own life? With great power does come great responsibility, but you also have a duty to your own happiness.
