A Marvel Of Reality

There's something about knowing that you have ended someone's life, robbed them of the potential they had yet to realize, taken them away from their loving families and denied this world another good human. That feeling would no doubt be nauseating and regretful. I felt none of that.

Be it Cottonmouth or Morgan, they had taken part in pumping poison in this world. If anything, it was people like these who robbed other people of their lives, and implicated many more. What I'd given them was mercy in comparison to what they deserved. It still didn't change the fact that I had killed someone and would've to live knowing that.

Humans are social creatures. But what makes us a group is the ability to relate to others. I couldn't do that anymore, well I couldn't do that for now. I knew I was different then the rest, and even if killing Morgan and Cornell hadn't bothered me, would that mean the same for everyone? Somehow I doubted it.

Thoughts like these made me feel lonely, and I longed for someone to share these feelings with. Even if just one person whom I could confide to, it would really take the weight off my chest. No luck for James here.

I sighed and rubbed my forehead. It was Friday morning getting closer to afternoon and I was still tossing and turning in my bed. Yesterday's outing had drained me of both physical and mental strength. I just felt tired.

Although a full night's sleep had done wonders, there was still a sense of lethargy overwhelming my mind. Though the feeling was evaporating rapidly with the Absorption already working wonders.

I could sense a power filling my body, and while I may not be the Sunspot yet, but given enough time I could very well stand on equal footing with the mutant.

Pushing the blanket off my body, I sat on the bed for a moment before stretching and moving to the bathroom. Turning on the shower I let the water clear my head and fill me with fresh thoughts. I also took this time to finally review the abilities I'd received last night.

First on the list was Basic Business Management. There was so much potential in that ability, especially for me who longed to become rich if just to avoid worrying about shelter. Honestly, money had never had much appeal for me, but the prospects of homelessness have provided plenty motivation.

And holy shit! What the fuck! What in the name of frickin bird-man were these!

All my calm left me as I felt something grow behind my back. It was a weird feeling much like how I'd felt when my tail grew behind me. Now I watching in mounting horror as two large appendages stretched from my back. Wings. I had wings. I had fucking wings!

Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I closed my eyes and felt for my power. Just now one of the smallest stars was secured to provide me with the new animal appendages. This was a weaker power than Animal Hybrid, and yet the change was worrying to say the least.

It took me half a minute before I was able to come to terms with the fact that I now had wings. These weren't showy appendages or expressions of powers, but real tangible bird wings. This much was clearly explained by the power that was called 'Wings' which provided me with a pair of wings.

As expected of a power weaker than Animal Hybrid, it didn't provide me with anything aside from Feathery limbs that exceeded my height. Well, aside from letting me potentially fly, though there was no mention of that being possible. Somehow it reminded me of Heliokinesis and how there were certain aspects of that power that would require extensive training before I could come even remotely close to utilizing those.

I quickly dried my body, and was relieved to see my wings being able to absorb any excess water thanks to my Absorb Materials ability. Well, they were a part of my body so... Still weird to think that I had now become a bird person.

Once I stepped out of bathroom, I made haste in checking for open window or door in my apartment. Last thing I wanted was someone to barge in through the door, or window, either were possible. Although the possibility itself was low, I didn't want to entertain even the slightest risk of getting caught.

Once I was assured the room was secured, I finally brought the wings to my attention by motioning them forward. As I let my hand caress the soft feathers, I realized the stark similarity they shared with my tail. The feathers were white as snow, and aside from being pretty they lacked any form of utility.

I realized the wings themselves originated from just below the primary scapula, what could be a secondary scapula. Normally such a thing shouldn't be possible, but my wings had to have come from somewhere and these provided the convenience.

Since I was no doctor, my analysis of the anatomy ended right there. Instead I spread my wings to gauge the length. I had no accurate measure but I was pretty sure my wingspan went up to 4 meters more or less. I didn't think this much wingspan would or should let me fly, but these weren't just wings. These were wings backed by my power with comic conventions that always raised a giant middle-finger toward physics.

Now that horror had waned, I was feeling oddly excited at the prospect of having wings. The only problem was that I had wings while I was in my apartment. How was I supposed to get out of here? Heck, how was I supposed to do anything from now on?

With my Advanced Disguise Training I had some ideas. I could fold my wings close to my body, maybe tie them to my torso, and then drape a cloak over. Although it would be impossible to hide the bulk that I would gain. To anyone that saw me, I would no doubt come off as suspicious looking.

It was a dilemma that had me rubbing my temple in frustration. Since there was nothing I could do though, I decided to just change into a new set of clothes before I thought more. That turned out to be another conundrum when I realized that my shirt wasn't going to fit my new appendages. 

I could perhaps use my skills to design a makeshift cover for my chest, but I decided to let it be. Although I wasn't ripped or anything, scrawny even, it didn't matter much if no one saw it.

Among the vast number of skills I possessed, there was nothing that could provide help in hiding my wings. I recalled the last ability I had gained yesterday. Colour Changing would let me change the color of my whole body into a singular shade. I tried the ability and was fascinated to see my skin, wing and tail change to red, then to blue and then gold. It might act as another form of disguise but was useless to my current circumstance.

My PHD was geared toward chemistry as the field and that particular knowledge database seemed to synergise more with my Alchemy style of magic. Even now I could think of a dozen ways to create certain potions using just base chemicals to achieve effects similar to what my runes provided.

Having Mathematical and Firearms training didn't help much with that aspect aside from allowing quick calculations and experts view on ammunition and arsenal as whole.

Absorption didn't help much either, aside from my wings now providing more base to absorb from and space to store into. That might come in handy but I would've preferred something that directly helped my situation.

I could cut them, but I didn't know if it would be painful, and honestly cutting away a part of myself—even if it was the one forced upon me—didn't really hold any appeal and even felt a bit weird. I didn't know exactly how to describe the feeling but it was like thinking of gouging out your own eyeballs. Not something you would do, but just the thought of it made me both shiver and grossed out.

It would seem there was nothing I could do about them, aside from hoping for the powers to deliver something good in my lap. On that note I felt my potential reach the top and secure one of the smaller stars.

I hadn't noticed it before, or rather paid much attention to it, but now that I was looking, some of the stars seemed to form small egg clusters together. Like how Basic Disguise Training and Advanced Disguise Training both came from the same cluster.

What my power had secured was a star from the same cluster as the Wings and all my worries evaporated as the ability was realized. The power was called 'Wing Manifestation' and it let me retract and expand my wings, giving the illusion of the wings not being there at all. The exact mechanics of the retraction confounded me a bit but it mattered not because I was finally able to get rid of them.

With a force of will the wings folded in a way that distorted my senses and disappeared behind my back. I could feel a slight shift of muscles and bones, but it was so quick that I barely registered the feeling. At last though my back looked pristine.

With another motion the wings sprouted from my back in one swift motion. This was a pretty cool ability. I recalled Angel and wondered if this was how he felt when expanding his wings.

Moment over, I retracted the wings and breathed out. These had been some very stressful minutes of my life. I was even contemplating disappearing for a couple of days until I had a more concrete solution. Thankfully, my power proved benevolent and I got exactly what I needed. I wondered if that was due to low count of small stars.

I swiftly donned my shirt and grabbed my laptop to finish the last few touch-ups on the program before sending it over. The client should've received my email and by evening my bank balance should climb from $965 to $1200. Combine that with the rest of my savings I should have around $2800. It wasn't much but should last me enough to pay for this month's bills, which had been a source of worry after the few times I spent some money.

After having left with the folder from Morgan's, I had hidden it beneath my bed. I took that out and singed the edges to give it more realistic appearance for backing up my theory. Normally I wouldn't try spinning such a story without any way out, but I was confident that my Disguise and Deception Training would carry me through.

With that I had finished everything that I needed to do. I took the bag with my costume and left the apartment. It was short walk to the safe-house where I quickly changed and fished out the phone. As I looked through the inbox, there were a ton of messages and even missed calls. Colleen didn't seem to be happy at my unfriendly gesture but I wasn't exactly trusting of others.

I replied with a short message and waited for a moment before a text arrived. There was a location provided alongside the timing. I sighed and typed a single word before sending.

Before leaving the place I tried expanding my wings with clothes on, but stopped before I followed through. There was a nagging certainty that I would come to regret my decision if I did that. I wasn't sure exactly why, but I trusted my instincts and the feelings my powers provided.

Yesterday had been exhausting and this morning had done nothing to mitigate it, I can only hope for some respite today. Time to meet the Harlem protectors.

Harlem protectors as it turned out had all gathered at the same place which was the office for Heroes for Hire. I looked at the building from outside releasing a pent-up breath before climbing the stairs.

The upcoming meeting was grating on my nerves even if I had every assurance of it going well. After all, I did have acting skills from disguise and deception training. Even Basic Detective Training helped by virtue of just providing me with cues. I could now tell if someone were suspicious of me.

Knocking on the door earned me holler from the inside and I pushed the door open, only to be greeted by group of people all in their costumes and looking at me. It was a lot of pressure to be under, especially with the scrutiny I was getting from both Iron Fist and Falcon.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentleman." I smiled just the way my disguise training directed me to. The effect seemed to put Colleen, Misty and Luke to rest. While Daniel and Samuel still stared at me with narrowed eyes, though with less hostility. I realized that the two men were just as nervous for this meeting as I was. They didn't know what I was capable of, and with the way things had gone yesterday it was abundantly clear the direction we were all heading to.

"You're just on time, Aevitas." Daniel said. "Please take a seat."

The five superheroes sat around a round table with an empty chair that I reckoned was for me. I took my seat and rested the folder on the table. The others looked at me for a second before Misty cleared her throat to draw attention towards her.

"As you might already know, a gang war broke out yesterday." She recounted. "Both the perpetrators have had most of their men apprehended and thankfully there was no harm done to civilians in the process. However, the cops have reported both heads of their respective gangs to be dead. Morgan in his room, bound to a chair and burnt to cinder. Cornell's remains were recovered from an abandoned factory where a fire had broken out yesterday. Supposedly the fire at the factory started before the one at Morgan's."

As Misty started listing all the details I felt a little shaken. If I hadn't been as discreet with my powers, I might have ousted myself. It didn't take long for all of them to arrive at the conclusion that someone had killed them both.

The most important point that caught their interest though was Cottonmouth disappearing mid-battle and winding up in a factory burnt to a charred corpse. There was a missing link there and from the way Colleen was giving me sudden glances, I had a sneaky suspicion that she knew. Or suspected.

"The only one that could possibly lead us to the person responsible is a guy known as Mr. Slick." She showed a picture of a short black man with faint mustache. "Yesterday he was found injured in his car and has since been admitted to the hospital. The assailant might be the guy who also took out Morgan and Cottonmouth."

There it was, the missing link. It would take them no time before they found out the 'assailant' was also a member of Cottonmouth's gang, a recent one at that. From there it was just a link of one logical reasoning after another. To put it in simpler words: I was fucked!

"Um" I raised my hand and felt all the eyes shift toward me. "Isn't this supposed to be police work? I mean, I don't think cops would like us to get involved with this case. It's already as messy as can be."

My lighter tone might've eased the mood a little and I once again thanked my superb acting skills that concealed all the nervousness that I was currently experiencing.

"On that note," Falcon said, while looking at me, "Where were you yesterday?"

Maybe my deceptive measures weren't as effective as I thought they were. Or Falcon was just more resistant to that sort of effect. Or he was just plain paranoid. Either way it was not something I wanted to deal with. No matter what, I would only walk out of here with the assurance that none of them were cooking anything special for me.

"Actually," I said, "I was at first caught up in something. But then I realized that all of this chaos meant Morgan might be alone and decided to pay him a visit. Who knew that a fire had broken out in his room. I was quick to search and retrieve this though." I held the folder with burnt edges. "Just barely managed to salvage this thing."

"What is it?" Iron Fist asked.

"This contains the records of all transactions of Morgan in his unsavory business." I replied.

Tossing the folder over let them all to gather around and double-check my claim. I looked around to find Colleen giving me a look that would've been hard to understand without my detective training. As it turned out my powers told me that she had just confirmed something and wasn't quite pleased with what she found.

Truth be told, I didn't much care about whether they became suspicious of me or not. Without evidence their claims would fall to deaf ears and it's not like there weren't heroes before who did something similar. I would bet both Frank and Johnny used heavy handed methods to deal with criminals.

"Ahem, we're getting off the track guys."

Colleen's word brought the rest to focus on the main matter they had gathered over to discuss.

"As Aevitas said, this is the task best left to the cops." Misty spoke. "That said, where were you yesterday?"

I didn't like repeating myself, one of the only pet-peeves of mine. Swallowing any sarcastic remark that crawled up to my throat, I replied. "As I said, I was a bit occupied."

"Doing what?" Power Man followed.

Taking a look around I focused on Colleen, who mouthed words 'It's fine' and shrugged. That was certainly encouraging and our little non-verbal exchange hadn't gone missing, which was exactly what I wanted.

"Very well." I nodded. "If you want to know, then I will tell you. I was with some of Cornell's men who had been sent to act as a distraction while he finish his business. And before you ask, yes, I had infiltrated his base. And no, it wasn't to get some pocket money. Colleen knows everything, you can ask her if you want."

She nodded at my gesture and explained her side of things.

"So, you were fighting Morgan's men when the fight broke out?" Falcon asked.

"Yup." I said, with the emphasis on 'P'. "Actually the moment I realized something was up, I sent Colleen a text and informed her right away."

Which they already knew since that was how they came together in the first place. Colleen acknowledged my words and told the rest of what happened.

"But when we got there, you were gone." Iron Fist declared. "So, where were you after that?"

"Before I answer that," I raised a finger, "I want to know why I'm being interrogated like this?"

"Because you didn't report yesterday and even refused to meetup earlier that day." Falcon explained.

"I'm sorry if I got this wrong." I spoke. "But am I supposed to be working for you or something? Like why should I report to you? I don't even know you."

"You asked for our help." He argued. "The least you can do is try work with the rest of us."

He wasn't wrong. I had asked for their help and for that I at least owed them some basic respect. The only problem was that I didn't like working with others. Especially with heroes like this. They were old, established heroes. I didn't wish to be treated like a glass cannon and protected behind a barricade. But if they thought I was going to apologize, they were wrong.

"While that is true." I consented. "I had much more delicate matters to tend to. Without those, I can assure you that this problem could have ended in a different way."

Before Falcon could follow with his next comment, Iron Fist raised a hand and shook his head. He then looked at me and spoke. "I assume this matter is related to your connections in Cottonmouth's gang," I nodded, he continued, "If so, then it's understandable. You don't have to worry, we will keep your association a secret from the cops. Is there anything else you wish to say?"

I felt a connection form to a power called 'Link', which basically let me link two samples of attributes together so that controlling one in a specific way will result in motion of other sample the same way. It was a minor power that might prove useful, but something to be reviewed later in solitude.

"Actually yes, I do." I nodded. "That Mr. Slick was an important asset of Cottonmouth. He apparently has this edict memory and remembers all the records of his boss. Be sure to pick everything he knows, because I'm sure he knows a lot."

"Thanks for the input." Misty commented. "I will relay this to the cops soon."

With that said, the meeting devolved into discussing future plans which I took the backseat to. As much as I favored my neighborhood, Harlem had never been a point of interest to me. With Cornell and Morgan both gone, this particular district was safe for the time being.

Once the meeting ended I could tell from the way Falcon was behaving, my existence would be under the radar of Avengers, and possibly other organizations too. That didn't bother me much and I turned to leave when Colleen called me over.

"You got anything you wish to ask?" I prodded. "Because it certainly looks you have something to ask."

"Well," She said, "If you are so smart to deduce that, why don't you answer without my prompting."

"As much as I would like to brag about my capabilities, I have no idea what it is that you wish to ask." The truth was I already had some ideas, but even acknowledging the questions would be the same as admitting to them. I decided to act innocent.

"You infiltrated Cottonmouth's gang, provided him clues so that he could raid Morgan's hideout, and in the midst of all this chaos, your goal was to find dirt on both." She stated. "But then we find you gone from where you were supposed to be. A gang member almost on the verge of death, and Morgan and Cottonmouth both dead. What do you have to say about that?"

I shrugged. "An unfortunate turns of events, I concur." I said. "Though I don't understand what you want me to say?"

Colleen shook her and sighed. "Listen, Aevitas." She paused. "I know that we're not exactly friends, but I admire what you do, just as I admire every hero out there who put their lives on the line for others. I know that you only have the best interest for the local populace and would never abuse your powers. Because I trust the guy who helped me when I lay helpless in a desolate alley. And I trust that you understand the road you're traversing, just as I understand your choices."

For a brief moment I paused. Although Colleen hadn't been direct, she had basically said that she knew what I'd done and understood why I'd done it. Even though I had been acting irreverent since waking up this morning, there was a weight settling on my heart. Deep down I was afraid that people wouldn't accept me, the James who killed someone. Hearing her words brought relief to my heavy heart that I couldn't even begin to put in words.

"I..." Pausing, I hesitated briefly. In the end, I sighed and smiled. "Thank you."

Colleen gave me a smile and a pat on the shoulder. "You know, you should really tell me your name one of these days. I might need some help in the future."

"Hey, if you need my help, a call would do," I said, "though I won't guarantee picking it up."

"Then what's the point?" she scowled, playfully.

Colleen and I walked out the building, exchanging playful remarks and laughs. Despite all of my powers, I had never felt so free before. It was like I was finally ready to let something go. That I could move on.

.

.

.

I was coming to realization that my current safe-house aside from being a little too open, would find itself limited in what utility it could provide. With the immediate threats gone, I had something to work towards. Like earning money, making some good tools that can actually help rather than proving redundant even out in the field, and at last finding a proper base.

Alongside all of this, I had to take some time to visit my mother and ask her about her date. That was certainly an excuse to make me pay a visit, and I understood where it came from.

The first thing I decided to do was finish the project and send it over. Promptly I received the reply which basically stated the work would be looked over and if deemed satisfactory, the payment would arrive in the evening. I replied with a simple 'ok' and left it at that.

It was getting close to afternoon and I didn't have much of anything planned. Instead I decided to spend my free time browsing the internet and see if I could scout a good new base.

Apparently New York was the graveyard of abandoned houses and complexes. But it didn't stop at that, damaged subways, entire factories buried in rubble and tall towers reduced to concrete slabs and jutting iron rods. Most of these saw quick repair work funded by business giants like Stark Industries or Frost Internationals. But some of them were left to their own devices.

Since I needed more room, and quite possibly might require the transformation of the entire base, I needed a spacious building. With my subpar engineering skills and relatively better magical skills, I could design a layout and create a protective ward around the area. Though I was still wasn't sure whether I wanted that to be in the Harlem neighborhood.

Ultimately I decided to focus outward on the wider Manhattan and realized the widespread scale of destruction wrought to the infrastructure. Before I could delve into further analysis, I felt another connection form to one of the smallest stars.

Sword is an agile weapon, swift and deadly. It lacks the range of a spear or the sheer power of a hammer. Despite that it made an excellent weapon in the art of close combat, especially when it came to deflection and quick counterattacks. This power granted me knowledge of the basic aspects of a weapon, such as accuracy and power. It also provided me with general skills to wield such a weapon, alongside the innate understanding of my weapons advantages and disadvantages over other weapons.

The power itself was called Basic Weapon Training, instead of Basic Sword Training, though I had no idea why that would be the case. It was minor distraction and I quickly pulled my focus back to the list of possible replacements to my current safe-house.

Most of them were damaged beyond repair, like someone had poked giant holes through the building. Others were too proper looking and most probably a secure hideaway for vagrants and homeless. I filtered through the list to end with a few that would suit my needs.

With time to spare, I left my apartment to change into my costume. Once ready I took a deep breath and brought to bear each of my skills that increased my balance, agility or even sheer raw power. It was an experience jumping from building to another with some being more than 100 feet apart. Knowing how far I have come filled me with anticipation of tomorrow.

Halfway through I stopped at an intersection and looked down at the general store stroking my chin in thought. I hadn't really given much thought to my new abilities with more piling by the day, but Alchemy had been one of my earlier powers and it had some serious applications in terms of generalizing my magical potential and making it applicable to more wider field. Basically my potions could be used by anyone.

The idea was simple enough. If I could sells my skills by working on-site or remotely and earn paltry sums, what if I managed to sell my supernatural skills also. Like selling a basic defense potion to Avengers or other government organization.

Without my expertise or knowledge in that specific branch of magic, it would be a miracle to replicate the stuff. Though I don't know if the same would apply for magical prodigies like Dr. Strange and Magik. Especially the former. That wasn't my concern though; question was how to go about accomplishing it?

At this moment Falcon's face flashed in my mind. Guy might be a bit strict due his military background, but I doubt he would deny an avenue of help. It was too sad that my magic was mostly focused on protection at lower levels. Some of the higher level applications included suppression of other's magic and banishing the target to another plane of existence. A job well-suited for a Sorcerer Supreme, but not me.

While an interesting prospect no doubt, I decided to finish the task at hand first. It had take me no time to arrive near the central park and I took a few moments to admire the scenery. Before this whole superpower thing, I wasn't one to stroll through a park or leave for a jog in the morning. Now looking at the scene before me, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret. So much time wasted siting in my room when I could've done something much healthier.

Shaking my head, I sighed. While it felt refreshing to take a moment admiring the scenery I still needed to finish what I set out to do.

This part of Manhattan, New York essentially was considered one of the wealthiest districts. The whole of Upper East Side, including Lenox Hill where the pricing of some houses just scared the crap out of me. Further down, Hudson Yards felt more out of the world with high-rise buildings, diverse shops and modern residences. It was a place that I had dreamed about when I was a kid, but felt humbled as a grown-up.

Despite the wide-scale destruction that New York saw on day-to-day basis, there was a charm to the neighborhood that couldn't be lessened with a few dead buildings and assorted rubble. I didn't really move there, stopping near the Upper West Side where I decided to check up on my first pick.

The building was sealed as I had expected and there was a astounding amount of damage done to the framework. I could make out holes from where I stood atop a tall building. This place could work but I needed to check further. Deciding such, I took a deep breath and jumped.

Heliokinesis was by far my strongest ability, even if it felt subdued compared to my other abilities like Absorb Materials. The reason was simple, it wasn't the Heliokinesis itself but the potential of it. It was like Ice Man's Cryokinesis, powerful but needed training.

Despite my best attempts I had theorized the extensive work and time I would need to put into mastering this power. Yet, some of my abilities like Secretion, Link or Levitation drew on the principles of this ability seamlessly. While I couldn't display such level of control just yet, there were few things I could do. Like manipulating the hot air currents utilized by my Levitation to keep me afloat for longer and push me forward a bit harder. Eventually this might translate to true-blue flight, but that was a distant dream.

In a way this process could've been so much easier with my wings spread, but last thing I wanted was for someone to capture a weird shirtless bird-man gliding through the air. When I reached close to the side of the building, I put my hands forth to stick against the wall.

Finding a leverage to hold on to turned out to be easy enough. While sliding down, I grabbed for the hole in the wall that I'd been aiming for and caught myself from falling. There was a chance I could've survived the fall easily, but I wasn't here to test my durability.

I felt my powers connect to another one of the smaller stars and frowned. The power itself was called 'Basic Interrogation Training' and would let me use certain tactics focused on manipulating my target using false empathy, twisted reasoning and even intimidation and confrontation. This was not the interrogation cops or even military did, but straight up lawyer reasoning. Again I would've appreciated the power a little earlier. It could've made my talk with Morgan so much easier.

On its own, the ability was spectacular. With my other powers like Advanced Disguise Training and Deception Training, let's just say I was the most convincing actor on this planet, aside from telepaths. But those just mind-fucked you, so didn't count.

The interior of the building turned out to be a lot more damaged than I thought. My initial assumption had been that a fight had broken out somewhere nearby, probably between Hulk's weight-class and the building was the collateral. The tour was proving that to be wrong. It would seem the fight hadn't started outside but from the inside. Whatever or whoever it was, they had torn their way out of this place in the most messy manner possible. Given my current abilities I might find it hard to contend against such an opponent.

Making my way down the building let me examine the extent of damage thoroughly. By the time I reached the ground floor, I was feeling disappointed due to sheer destruction this structure had endured. Unfortunately this building couldn't be used as a base.

While regretful, there were still a few more places I had in mind. The only problem was they each got progressively farther away with the closest being in the Times Square. That would be my second choice and hopefully that place was just abandoned instead of renovated swiss cheese.

When I reached the roof, the sun was a hot ball of anger at its very peak. I felt no discomfort from the heat that I would've otherwise, instead basking in the feeling of getting stronger.

Ability wise Absorption was a bit underwhelming, but its real meat lied in the fact that all the energy was being stored in my body. This had an interesting side-effect of strengthening my physique and making me stronger with each second that passed.

Once more I let the levitation guide me to a residential building and hopped my way from there.

The place I was after here was called Sims Tower, and it was a rundown company that was out of commission. Compared to other buildings though it was relatively whole.

I took to the backside and climbed to the roof. There was a door that lead down but it was locked. I applied a bit of strength to twist the lock and was surprised when it proved resistant. It must've been sturdy lock; I used all of my strength and winced when it didn't even budge. Ok, seriously good lock.

Instead of brute-forcing my way in, I did a quick check-up of the building to make sure it really was abandoned, instead of appearing just. After all, it could very well be a villain hideout and I didn't want to fight against unknown factors.

As it turned out, the building really was empty. I checked every nook and cranny and found nothing. That didn't rule out the possibility of this being a hideout, but now I was more excited than anything.

Climbing back to the roof I rested my palm against the lock, and dialed up my Heliokinesis to the eleven. I watched as the lock glowed red and felt heat against my palm. In seconds the look melted into goop that dribbled down on the floor. With a creek the door opened into darkness.

The sunlight streamed through the opening to show a staircase and the remnants of the twisted combination lock. Now why would someone install such a high security lock on a mere rooftop door. Even for a villain hideout, this smelled fishy.

With caution I stepped foot inside and traveled down. My more than human vision granted me enough focus to look at each wall and object with enhanced clarity. Unlike what I had expected the place looked normal, save for the part where the lock was installed.

I was soon proven wrong when I discovered another door that barred entry to the staircase that would've led me to the bottom floor. Unlike the normal looking door above though, this was a hunk of steel that could only be opened using the security password. Since I didn't have the password, I decided to mirror my previous approach and proceeded to melt the door.

In seconds a hole had appeared on the door which grew progressively until it was big enough to barely fit me. I stepped on the other side to the staircase and down below a hallway that looked to be straight out of a sci-fi facility.

Before I could proceed further lights came online and alarms started blaring.

—Warning Unknown intruder detected

—Deploying countermeasures

—Sealing all vault doors shut

—The target is advised to follow the protocol and leave immediately

That was a stupid thing to say considering they sealed the door behind me with a hatch. What the heck did I stumble into? This was fucking insane.

The first thing I did was deploy the magical ward around me. A glowing blue shield extending around me, forming a sphere. With my current charge, it ought to last me for more than three hours. Half an hour if it took constant damage.

The question now was: should I proceed further inward and down, or should I leave this place alone?

My potential had reached the threshold and new ability was secured, called 'Non-Verbal Communication'. It trained me in American, British and Australian Sign Languages. Useful ability that could come in handy in the future, but not right now.

With doors shut, I was expecting some heavy artillery action. If this was some secret government facility, then it was given. Same went for a villain hideout. But nothing like that happened.

For a brief moment I looked around me to find a few hidden cameras but nothing that might suggest this place as a secret research facility. Again I debated whether to move ahead or retreat and come back later.

As an avid fantasy reader, I understood that adventure was synonym with danger. Despite knowing that I still choose to act as a superhero for fun and adventure. The reason was simple, I longed for that thrill. Some might call me an adrenaline junkie, but there was nothing more exciting to me than knowing something could be dangerous and still jumping in. Being confident aside, it was thrill of facing a challenge and overcoming that roused my passion.

With a grin I strode forward and fired a raw plasma stream from my hand. The door melted into liquid metal and I jumped straight through. Going from one door to another, until I had a arrived before a particularly thick hatch. I took a moment to contemplate and ultimately decided to just proceed through.

Melting that particular door proved to be a chore. If I had tried something similar at night I might not have succeeded. Thankfully it was daylight, with an abundant amount of Solar Energy for me to manipulate.

When the hole was big enough, I stepped through and found myself stunned.

I had been expecting a villains lair with blueprints for a world dominating energy weapon, or a reality sundering bomb. I was even open to it being a secret government research facility where they dissected the mutates to study their powers. Heck I was even prepared for a superhero bunker who was out of the states, or planet or even dead. I was not expecting what was most definitely a suite.

Standing in the living room, I could make out the tv, couch, a bookshelf and multiple doors. The place was clean but my eyes caught a thin layer of dust which meant that no one had been here for some time.

Going from door to door let me check out a bedroom, bathroom and even a storage of sorts with piles upon piles of food. This was a bunker. A place meant to hide from someone or something. But no one was here.

A creepy feeling gripped my heart, as I felt myself standing on a horror movie set with something about to go wrong. I squashed the feeling and moved toward another hatch that led to the floor below.

After going down the stairs, there was no obstruction for quite a while. Although alarms kept blaring with same intensity nothing came out of it. It made me wonder who built this place.

As far as my comic book knowledge went—which, admittedly wasn't that far—I recalled no such thing as this place. Depending on who this place was related to, it could vary from hero to hero. And depending on the hero itself, the threat level of this place could be moderately low or insanely high.

It was getting riskier than I had thought at first, but I wasn't willing to back down. Although lately my powers have been behaving weirdly by pushing one low rank power on me after another, I was running out of the small stars.

Soon there would be nothing left, and my potential could finally be used to secure some real abilities. The only problem was my powers would take time to build up. Still, with my current level I could face many characters by virtue of skills alone.

With the assurance set in place, I traveled to the ground floor unimpeded. There, I saw no lights, or even cameras. The place was dead silent.

Feeling confused I checked around and finally found the staircase that led further down. A secret dungeon. Well, basement actually.

Much like the past floors the place was sealed shut by a thick metal door and I made quick work of it before venturing deeper.

This time I saw a monitor mounted on the ceiling in the hallway, but it was blank aside from the blinking red light reflecting off of it. Much like before I had to overcome one hurdle after another before at the similar thick hatch.

I was about to melt it also, when a voice rang out.

"Hello, is anyone there?"

I wasn't alone.

.

.

.

My first thought was backing away and securing my escape route. But then I found where the voice came from and turned to look at the security keypad and the speaker adjacent to it. My combat instincts made me take a step back, keeping my back to the wall with my magical shield still active.

"Hello?" The voice called again.

"Hey, are you there inside?" I asked.

"Yes." The voice paused. "Who are you? And how did you get here?"

The voice unmistakably belonged to a female, judging by the tone she wasn't a young girl either.

"Me?" I considered for a second and glanced at the cameras. "You can call me Aevitas for now. Are you alone?"

"Yeah." The voice replied. "Are you here for me?"

She wasn't panicking, or rather it didn't seem she was here against her will. She was alone in this entire building, sealed shut behind a thick hunk of steel and she was ok with that. If my guess was correct then this place was similar to the one above, designed for long term stay, with food, water and electricity.

"I—uh..." I considered my words for a second. "Actually, I stumbled upon this place incidentally. What should I call you?"

"Oh." I could hear the disappointment apparent in her voice. "Ci—I mean Silk, you can call me Silk."

Silk? Silk? Silk?!

I felt a failed connection, but my mind was going haywire. There were a ton of Spiderman variants in the mainstream marvel, both male and female variety. There was futuristic spiderman, young spiderman, Aunt May spiderwoman, and many more. Among all of these however, there was no one who could relate to Peter Parker on more than shared abilities aside from Silk.

Like I said, my comic book knowledge was simply too low. I hadn't really read a comic that showed Silk, but I had once checked her fandom page.

Bitten by the same spider as Peter Parker, she was considered the Spider-Bride. What that meant I had no idea, aside from the fact that it was related to the spider hunter and his family. It would also explain the existence of this tower, Sims Tower, Ezekiel Sims.

"Hello? Are you still there?" I was broken out of my stupor by the voice and realized I may have zoned out. Thanks to that though, I now knew the name of person I was talking to.

Cindy. Cindy Moon.

"Yeah, I'm here." I said. "So, Silk, why are you here?"

There was a long period of silence before she spoke. "It's a long story. But the crux of the matter is, I have to remain here or everyone will be in danger." She paused. "That aside, there should've been some security installments in this facility, how did you get past that? Not to mention your name, are you a hero?"

I smiled at that. "Yeah, you can say that. As for the security, it wasn't much."

"Wow." She sounded amazed. "All this time, I never thought someone would come here. It's too bad we can't meet."

I sighed and leaned against the wall. "Listen, Silk," I said, "I know that this place was designed as a containment facility of some sorts, probably to keep you locked up. But whatever it's you're running from, closing your eyes won't make it go away. You have to confront your demons, fight them, and overcome them. Hiding isn't the way."

Now that I had recalled her story, I understood her fears. Although I didn't know much about that hunter guy, how bad could he be if he died at spiderman's hand ultimately. Besides, it didn't sit right with me, knowing that another hero, a young woman at that was locked up because she was trying to save the world.

"You don't understand." Cindy replied. "The one after me is a horrible monster and there's nothing we can do but hide. At least this way people are safe."

"I don't understand." I shook my head. "Is it that you fear this so-called monster and hid-away here, or is it that you care about others and chose to run away."

"I protected them!" She yelled. "I—I did exactly as I was told."

Her last words came out as a whimper which I barely heard. I felt that I might have upset the girl. After who knew how long, she finally talks to someone, and what does that person do, make her cry. I sighed.

"Listen, I didn't mean to say that." I said. "Alright, how about this: I will help you get out and we can face this monster together. Let me make it clear, I am a pretty powerful guy."

"NO!" Cindy yelled, with panic apparent in her voice. "You can't open the door. If you do, he will know. And then he will come for me. Just leave, alright."

"Did you even hear what I said." I retorted. "This isn't the way to make your problems go away. I don't know who advised you to lock yourself here, but that person must be an idiot. You can never know if something is impossible if you've never tried it."

There was silence for a while before she replied. "It doesn't matter. There's nothing you can do."

"Huh?" I shrugged. "You know what, you're right. Maybe you really can't fight this guy. But you know why I think so, not because you're weak, but because you seem like the type of person who won't even try. I know I don't have any right to say this, but I hate cowards."

The truth was I didn't hate cowards at all. In my opinion there was no such thing as cowardice, it was just a matter of principles. Even under the threat of death, can you stay true to your beliefs? If not, then you never had any belief in the first place.

To me, my mother valued more than the entirety of New York and while I might endanger myself for the sake of this city, I wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice it if it meant the safety of my family. It was just a different level of priority.

For a moment no reply came, and just when I felt that she wasn't going to say anything a voice sounded out. "I'm not a coward." Then silence.

I smiled and spoke loud. "Show me. Tell you what, if you leave this modern cave with me, I will tell you my name. How about that?"

"Um." She hesitated at first. "Actually, I don't know the password."

That brought a grin to my face. "Alright, you might wanna take a step back for this. Things are about to get hot in here."

When I received the confirmation that she was standing a couple meters away, I proceeded to melt the hatch. Much like the previous one, it also had an exceptional thickness. It took me quite some time to poke a hole through and widen it to fit the girl.

My first impression of Cindy Moon, Silk, was that she was beautiful. This was a universal effect of sorts in the comics, with characters being absolute model humans. Colleen was pretty and so was Misty, but Cindy eclipsed that.

She had long black hair, and hazel brown eyes. She was tall at around 5'7", being only a few inches shorter than me. She worse red shorts and green tank top. The most impressive asset about her was no doubt her bosom. I tried not to stare at the girl who was watching the molten metal cool down with amazement.

"You might wanna wait for a bit, before it cools down." I said.

Cindy gave me a grin and suddenly jumped right through. For a moment I had forgotten but she was a spiderman variant in the end. Her reflexes, speed and strength were no joke.

"Wow, it feels so good to be free." She spread her arms and stretched her body. Maybe she was too used to living by herself, but that attire was certainly not meant to be seen by others. Especially since I could tell she wore no bra.

A distraction would've been much appreciated, but my powers decided to miss another connection. I sighed and walked forward.

"So, what changed your mind?" I asked.

Cindy turned to me and looked at my costume, nodding to herself. Then as if remembering my question, she smiled. "The truth is, I was already tired of spending my time confined to these four walls. And you're right, if I want Morlun gone, then I have to confront him. I can't live my life hiding forever."

"Morlun?" I raised a brow.

"The guy that I told you about." She explained. "He should've already sensed me by now. I have to begin my preparations. Oh, and my name is Cindy, by the way."

I nodded. "That's good." I said. "And I can't say my name here, too many cameras."

"That's not a problem at all." She grinned. "Let's get out of here."

Cindy was excited to say the least. She made short work of reaching the top stairs, expressing amazement at my work. When we arrived before the door that had been shut when I triggered the alarms, she shot forth with greater momentum and punched the steel off the hinges.

I had to suppress a gasp at that and run after her with full speed.

"I am free!" She let warm rays of light bathe her body, taking deep breathes. "I never thought I would miss the sun so much."

I could only imagine the loneliness she had endured, and felt sympathy. "How long have you been there, exactly?" I asked.

"Months." She said. "Thanks for helping me out there."

With her strength, I would bet she could've broken the hatch at any point. It wasn't the physical walls keeping her confined, as much as it was the mental one's.

I removed my glasses, and then my mask, having already made the decision. "I am James, by the way."

She moved closer and sniffed at me. "I knew it!" She exclaimed. "You're not human. At least not fully."

I blinked at her, confused and horrified that she had managed to deduce that much from just looking at my eyes. Still I asked, "How did you know?"

Her eyes brightened. "So, I was right. Well, it was my senses behaving weirdly before you. And then I saw your eyes, and it sort of clicked."

Shaking my head, I let out a chuckle. "What are your powers anyway?"

Cindy smiled and started telling me about her abilities. I knew that her being Spiderman variant meant having all of his powers. Her speed however was greater than Spidey's, but her strength fell a bit short. This was my analysis from her description. But the most iconic thing about her though, was her senses.

Silk sense, as Cindy called it seemed to be just another spider sense, but unlike others, hers was much sharper. Sharp enough in fact, that she noticed the difference between my vibe and a normal humans.

"Wait, so if you have spiderman's powers, can you also shoot web?" So as to not give away my meta-knowledge, I asked her all the questions that I would be curious about, and also as a way to distract her from the impeding doom.

"Sure, I can." She said, and pointed her hand at the door. Spider web wove into existence from her fingertips and shot toward the door with startling speed. Not only were those shots fast, but her control over her web was something that I had never seen from any of the spidermen.

"That's cool." I said, with clear amazement.

"So, what about you?" She looked at me expectantly.

It took me a moment to understand what she was talking about. I spoke. "Well, I can manipulate the solar energy for one. And I can do this," I activated the magical shield that I had closed earlier, "a protective shield. Aside from that, I'm really good at fighting."

"How good?" She asked. "Because I have been trained also, but I have never really fought anyone."

"Do you wish to fight me?" I asked. "It's alright if you do, I don't mind. Though, your clothing might not be suited to that sort of thing."

She looked down at her clothes, only now realizing that she had been talking with what was a practically a stranger in clothes that fit more bedroom theme, with door locked and all alone.

"I have gotta solution for that." Saying so, she waved her hands, spiderweb spinning around her form. I watched in amazement as she did something I had never seen any spiderman do. She was making herself a costume. From spiderweb.

When the finished product was presented, I could hardly believe my eyes. "Wow!" That was all I could respond with.

It looked a bit racy, with some patches missing here and there, and tightness of the suit that accentuated her body shape. She started at me, with half her face covered by the web, making her look almost unrecognizable. Almost.

"That was fabulous." I complemented. "And you look great."

"Thanks." She nodded. "So how do we do this? Here?"

"Yeah, this place is spacious enough." I spoke. "Though we will only use our physical capabilities only. Although I don't have your strength or speed, but my skills should help me along."

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"Yes, I'm." Just then I felt a connection form to a power called 'Subconscious Optimisation'. This was a serious power that allowed me to optimize my body in such a way that any action or effort I make, would always require only minimal force, effort, and energy on my part. Each movement would be perfect with no waste of energy.

The thing was, each of my power didn't just added to the existing pool, it multiplied it instead. With my Peak Human Reflexes, Advanced Combat Training and multitude of other powers focused on making me the absolute best fighter, and strap on a power like Subconscious Optimisation on top of all that. It would be better to just show the results.

Perhaps it was because she was just too eager, or that she hadn't stretched her limbs in such a long time, Cindy was upon me in a second. Her speed even eclipsed Spiderman, and that guy was already faster than some of the cars. Her reflexes were complemented by her supernatural flexibility. But even as the kick came forward, my Peak Human Reflexes—that could allow me to evade the strikes from people who could run at 200 miles per hour—kicked in.

I leaned back and avoided the kick by a hair's breadth. Silk didn't give me chance to orient myself, jumping upon me with the grace of an animal. I evaded each of her strike, finding her getting faster with each move. She was testing me, trying to feel out my skills.

When I ascertained her speed growing no more, I stepped to the side and allowed her to roll forward with momentum. My fist came to meet her face but she avoided the contact by ducking slightly.

Her Silk sense was enough to warn her of any dangers, and with my lack of speed, it was only my skills that allowed me to even be a threat. This was the gap between sheer attribute difference. My one ton strength couldn't eclipse her five ton strength. I couldn't compare to her superhuman agility with my barely average one. What I had was not enough.

That might've been the case before I got my latest ability. One of the advantages of Advanced Combat Training was incorporating any supernatural ability that effected my combat potential. Subconscious Optimisation did just that.

Before my reflexes would've made me avoid her strikes but left me without an opening to counterattack. She was just that fast. This ability made that effort trivial so that I could fully focus on attacking her. That's how my kick found the wide open side and flung her to the ground.

For the next few minutes, our battle was a dance of skill and brute force. While she had some skills, but I bet most of them required her to use her web. Without them, she didn't have much to show for.

By the time our battle ended, I found her panting hard while leaning against the wall. While I was also feeling exhausted, it wasn't as much as hers. My endurance might be the same but my expenditure had grow significantly less.

"What the heck!" Cindy cried. "You call those skills, that's just cheating. How did you learn all that?"

I could tell she was being genuine with her remark. I smiled slightly. "Not as much what I learn as much what my power facilitates." I wasn't going to go into all the details, but underlying mechanism of how my powers worked wasn't that big a security risk. My powers were as much weird as their diverse path of growth that would throw anyone for the loop should they try to deduce the risk. "Though I can help you learn all that."

"Really?!" Her eyes shone brightly as she looked at me. "You can really teach me all that?"

The Training part in powers wasn't a metaphorical term, I had real training in that specific skill. Although some of the advanced concepts of certain training powers might confound others, the base requirement was as simple as talent. Which was quite abundant in a comic book verse. Basically, what I was taught, I could teach others.

"Sure." I nodded. "It would take a lot of time though."

"Anything that can increase my chances against that guy." She slumped slightly.

Morlun I didn't know much about, aside from the fact that he was a natural spider hunter. I knew he once died in a confrontation with Spiderman, whether directly or indirectly I wasn't clear. The point was he could be killed and that changed everything.

Technically being a comic book character meant he had a decent chance of revival whether by some obscure means, due to a cursed totem or because some god took an interest in him. That didn't matter though, as long he can be killed, then he could be warded off indefinitely.

"Do you have place to stay at?" I asked. "I mean you ought to have grown sick of this place by now."

Cindy smiled at me. "Are you kidding me? I absolutely hate this place."

"Then?" I followed.

"I used to live with my parents," she said. "Before all of this, that is. I don't know if they live there anymore?"

"Want to check it out?" I offered. "If you've got no place to stay, then you can either come back or..."

"Or?" She quivered a brow.

I hesitated for a second before biting the bullet. "My place isn't too far from here."

"Jeez, are you asking me to stay at your home?" She raised her voice slightly. I felt myself falter, questioning my intelligence if I should've asked something like that. Why did I do that?!

"You don't have to—" I tried to speak when she burst into laughter.

"Dude, are you really that gullible." She blurted out. "You should've seen the look on your face."

I know this was supposed to be a joke, but I couldn't help feel a spark of rage ignite. Have you ever had that feeling where you want to slap the person so hard that they would've to nurse their swollen face for the next few hours? I had to suppress the anger that bubbled within me.

It was a personal pet peeve of mine to be accused of something I didn't do; I hated it even more when my kind intentions were upturned and twisted to make them look vile. It made me feel like people never really appreciated the kindness they were treated with.

Our current situation was nowhere near that point, but I couldn't say I was happy with what Cindy had implied.

"Hey, are you ok?" She asked, concerned? "Oh, sorry. I, Look, I didn't know it would hurt you, I was just joking."

I waved off her concerns and took a deep breath. "I'm not a fun guy to be around, I understand." I spoke. "I know that was supposed to be a joke, and I shouldn't have reacted like that but...I am sorry."

Cindy shook her head. "I didn't realize," she said. "I apologize for that, I mean you're just trying to help me."

As a added distraction I felt my powers connected with an ability called 'Basic Leadership Training'. It provided me with what it promised. Training in basic aspects on how to lead a group. Enforcing order and laws, and making the best decisions for the team as a whole.

"Let's forget about it like it never happened." I offered. "And check out your place."

She nodded and stepped up to the edge. She back at me and asked. "How're you going to keep up? Can you fly or something?"

"I can't fly, but you don't have to worry about me." I said. "I will be following close behind."

She didn't follow with any prompt, instead jumping high in the air and spreading her arms like an eagle. It was a spiderman-esque move that I had to do a double take when she started falling. For a brief moment I stood ready in case she needed help. I needn't have.

Web spun into existence from her fingertips and short forth to attach itself to the building side. She swung forth and up, letting go of the string and just flying like a bird. Having similar experience helped draw a line to her excitement and I jumped high.

Silk took a fleeting glance behind her and raced forth. I smiled wider feeling idiotic at my past actions. She was clearly just excited. Honestly, I couldn't even fathom the hardships and loneliness she had to endure in that place. Even if she claimed it was only months, she hadn't specified how many and that made me wonder if she was just trying to hide her insecurities behind her laughter. And I had been a jerk to her.

Sighing, I ran a short pace and put entirety of my strength into leaping as high as possible. Using a bit of my Solar Energy I launched forth like a rocket, easily overtaking Cindy, who stared at me with eyes wide.

I saw a gleam of something pass in them, before a determined expression took over. It was only a few seconds after that that I realized she was trying to race me. If I could've handled my Heliokinesis better, then I might've had a fleeting chance of winning, but as it is, I lost and by a wide margin at that.

When Cindy found me trailing far behind her, she slowed her speed and even rolled beside me.

"How far are we exactly from your place?" I asked.

"Oh, that!" She hesitated slightly. "Just a couple blocks over."

I nodded. It was becoming clear to me she was feeling apprehensive over what she may find. Being months away from your family probably meant she was had no idea of their current status. It was a long time after all, world changes in much less.

When we finally crossed the block, Cindy blazed forth towards a building and landed on the ledge of a window, peering inside. I followed close behind and used my mix of Levitation and manipulation to float over. There was a family of four in the living room, watching tv.

"Is this your home?" I asked.

"Not anymore, it seems." She whispered. Her shoulders trembled and slumped forward. I hesitated for a moment before bringing my hand and resting it on her shoulder.

"They're gone." She looked at me with tear filled eyes. "And I have no idea where they could've moved."

At times like these you probably needed to console the person by saying some encouraging words and giving them a hug. After the earlier debacle though, I was feeling a little apprehensive with how I handled her.

"Hey, it's alright." I comforted. "If they've moved, then we can find them."

She nodded weakly and sighed.

"So, what's the plan?" I asked.

Cindy looked hesitant. "The bunker is good enough, and the food is abundant." She spoke. "I don't want to burden you or anything."

It was clear to me, what brought that about. "Hey," I said. "Look, I really am sorry about earlier. It's just something about the past. You've already spent a good portion of your life in that place, you don't have to anymore."

"But—" She tried.

I cut her off with a wave from my hand. "I won't stop you if that's what you want, but I really want you to understand my reasoning. What happened earlier dug up some bad memories, and I couldn't help myself. I apologize if I hurt you, but if you won't give me the chance how can I help you?"

She nodded weakly, and I smiled.

"Hey, wanna race to my place?" I grinned at her.

She returned my grin and we both burst into a race to reach my place first. I was going to win this time. Hopefully.

.

.

.

Before arriving at my apartment, I had brought Cindy to my safe-house. There I had changed out of my costume and told her to wait, until I brought her a change of clothes. Thankfully I had a twenty dollar note in my pocket, and the thrift store was close by. A single hoodie and trousers were affordable enough.

After changing, she dangled her arms at me, catching my attention with the long sleeves that reached way past her hands.

"Just make do, for now." I pleaded. "We can shop for better clothes later."

She nodded and we left the place. Taking us only fifteen minutes of walk to my apartment.

The look on Cindy's face said it all. She took a sweeping glance at my apartment and nodded in admiration.

"Wow!" She exclaimed. "This place is so—"

"Small? I totally understand." I nodded.

"—empty." She looked at me. "Empty is what I was going to say."

Not that mattered to me. I had lived in this place for a little less than two years, and although needs had risen at points, they were promptly put to rest. A smaller place has its advantages.

"Man, I'm totally famished. What you got in that cabinet of yours?"

Without waiting for my reply she was already in front of the cabinet and opening the doors, where she came face to face with a first aid kit and an empty space.

"What the heck." She waved her hand. "Why's there nothing in here?"

"Ah, yes!" I raised a finger. "About that: I don't have any food."

"You're kidding?" She gave me weird look. "What do you eat, then?"

There are things you do knowing where they would eventually lead. Sometimes you wish for that particular outcome and push for the change. Other times, you do things on impulse. There's no clear reasoning behind your actions, aside from the realization like 'Oh, I fucked up!'.

If I failed to mention it, then let me make it clear. I am not a bad guy. Selfish, and sometimes a little too petty, but I am not a villain. If I could help someone even at the cost of some inconvenience to myself, I wouldn't mind.

Helping Cindy was equal part impulsive, as were the subsequent actions made reasonably. Knowing that the girl had spent months running from something hit a little too close to my own insecurities. It had reminded me of the past, and I had lost my cool and ranted off. The rest was just my way of trying to be good, but doubts were springing up.

"I don't." I answered curtly.

There was still a part of me that was wondering if I should not have let her in on my identity. The other part of me was judging the situation and making plans for the future.

"You don't?" Cindy ventured.

Whatever case though, one thing you learn growing up is no matter the action, you have to shoulder the consequences. I could've walked away from her, let her stay confined between those walls, until someone else rescued her. But I didn't. Rather I couldn't. For all intents and purpose, I was a hero. And I wouldn't mind a little risk so long as it brought fun into my life, instead of worry.

"My powers." I held my hand letting it glow. "They self-sustain me."

"Well, I'm not self-sustaining, so what now?" She gave me a soft glare, probably second guessing her choice now.

"I think that calls for a little shopping trip."

We ended up going back to the base, with Cindy taking this time to swing here and there. I suspected the long term confinement being the cause of her over-enthusiastic take on swinging over the streets. Judging by her fine control, I could tell she's had extensive training in usage of her web, but limitations of her environment had forced her to learn quick maneuvers.

Instead of changing into costume this time, Cindy had provided me with an impromptu mask that did an excellent job at concealing my features, especially when directed by my disguise powers. I tried to direct her powers on herself, and even with a specialized costume, she looked good enough to operate on the field.

By the time we returned it was getting close to evening and sky was adopting the color of fading sun. Since I had no need to eat, I watched her store the cans of food in the cabinet. Along the way we had stopped for some groceries and this time I had brought some money with. That was in consideration that she might have grown tired of eating same food every day.

While she sat about eating, I took my laptop in hand and was both surprised and happy to find the alert from bank indicating the transfer of $240 to my account. This was followed by a message from my far-away partner, which was basically a confirmation email. I replied and waited for about five seconds before a followup message came.

The work as it turned out had pleased my partner enough, that he was willing to hand another project pronto. This time there was a deadline attached, alongside the total payment of $700. Take his share out, and I would still be left with more than $400. I replied my consent promptly.

"You're smiling, did something happen?" I turned to Cindy in question and raised a brow. Then the realization set in.

"Oh, you mean this." I pointed to my laptop, she nodded. "Just some freelance work I do to earn some quick buck."

"Not to sound intrusive," she began, probably about to ask something very intrusive. "But why not get a proper job?"

I was about ask how she knew I had none, when the state of my surroundings answered the question for me. "Can't." I replied. "At least not yet. Besides, I have started to get quite good at this work. It would provide enough to sustain me."

Another failed connection and the potential continued to grow.

"Is it because you want to be a hero?" She raised a brow as she asked. And technically she wasn't wrong. Hero work was the entire reason I had left my previous job, but that was before I had gotten all these powers. With Basic Business Management, I already a rough outline of the path I could follow to start up a new business. Even getting the starting capital wasn't a problem with all the business loans they provided. This was without counting my other powers into play, but not counting them wasn't the same as them not existing. They still worked from the background and would provide a boost to my professional acting capacity.

The only thing limiting me was the commitment that would require both time and effort on top of my already hectic schedule. So, it wasn't wrong to say that the only reason I had no job to speak of was because I wanted to work as a hero. The truth was far from that notion though, being more in tune with my seek for thrill.

"Yes." I answered. "That and the fact that I have no need for it."

She nodded and looked down. "I would've to find a job also, probably some place to stay too."

I wasn't going refute her on that. Eventually she would need to move, probably start acting as Silk in her heroic capacity. What I was doing for her was temporary, and she knew that.

"You can stay as long as you want." I assured. "You don't have to feel in a hurry."

"Thanks." She nodded. "So, you got any tales for me to listen. I have mostly watched Spiderman tangle with villains beside a few more."

That was certainly intriguing and I couldn't help but ask. "Was it the person who locked you there that left you with those tapes?"

I had seen a collection of those when we went back, and it certainly made me curios. Silk and Spiderman had a connection that went beyond shared genetics.

"Yeah." She nodded. "Though, I was mostly there because I chose to."

"Isn't it intriguing that you have the same powers as Spiderman, and the guy who sealed you provides you with the superheroes act of heroics. Like some sort of teaching a lesson."

"You think?" She narrowed her eyes at me. "I had putting off asking about it, but if you're going to ask me things, I get to question you in turn."

"Sure." I consented.

"Ok, long story short we were bitten by the same spider." She sighed. "Since our powers only had a few dissimilarities like his web shoot from his wrist, mine from my fingers, I had to learn the control in my own way. Though his fights provided a reference point to start from."

That did make sense, but why train a defeated soldier. Did Ezekiel expect her to escape someday. Maybe after she had learned to properly control her powers, or Morlun died, or she just left because she sure as hell could've at anytime. If her strength was any indication.

"Ok, so those eyes of yours," she pointed at my face, "how are they the way they are? Like what are you?"

If it were any other person, I might've felt a bit apprehensive about sharing my mixed heritage, well not heritage as much as my power-fuckery. The point is, Cindy was a Spider-hero. She had the genetics of a spider, ability to spin web or crawl walls among other things. If there was anyone who could relate to my situation, then it was her.

That didn't mean it was an easy decision on my part. Eyes aside, those could be explained easily, and would at best shed some doubt over my powers. The furry appendage protruding from my back was another thing.

"Ok, this might come off as bit weird, but..." I trailed off, but my words caught her attention.

I had been discreet when changing out of my costume to avoid having to explain things to her at the time. But now I had to show her.

Lifting the shirt off my body, I allowed the tail to unwound and wiggle into existence. The motion brought a relief to my body and mind, that I still found hard to place. Instead of that my focus was entirely on Cindy, whom I watched sitting pensively taking a sip from her mug turn from casual posture to ramrod straight.

Her eyes wide, she pointed a trembling finger at my unobstructed appendage. "Is that a tail?" She asked.

"Yes." I said softly.

She didn't look me in the eye, instead focusing on the tail like some sort of aline feature. Which might be true, considering it was an animal feature on a human body. Still, I couldn't understand her fascination. Sure, it looked a bit weird, and might be novelty for someone who wasn't so used to people with weird features, like some Inhumans. There were however beings like Hulk who were heroes in their localities and on wider scale also. My tail didn't warrant such attention.

Cindy stood from her seat and moved toward me. I raised a brow but didn't stop her. It became abundantly clear why she was showing the reaction she was showing. She looked at me finally and smiling, she asked, "Can I touch it?"

A girl who was willing to sacrifice her youth for the sake of others. Who would go on to become a hero saving countless lives, all the while risking hers. She was ultimately just a girl.

"Go ahead." I prompted, and she wrapped her fingers around the fur of my tail. Her strokes were soft and I had a feeling she was treating the appendage as if a separate existence from me. Which it unfortunately wasn't.

An animal tail is a sensitive organ which comprises of number of nerves. What animal Hybrid gave me wasn't a mix of human and animal features, but instead pure animals parts attached to my human body. I didn't have a werewolf tail or anything, I just had a wolf-tail.

Since the moment I had gotten this organ, I had chosen to ignore it. Because frankly, it was embarrassing. This had caused no less discomfort and was a nagging sensation in the back of my head. I always wondered why that was the case, now I finally knew.

A wolf's tail isn't just another organ, but an essential part of their society. It's a tool used for communication among members, and used to display the mood of the animal. You can tell just by the positioning of a wolf's tail or their ears, whether they are angry or happy, whether they are trying to intimidate you or are frightened.

When I felt Cindy's touch on my tail, it was nothing like my own. Technically, I had kept myself from touching it but I doubted it would've felt anything like this. The touch lit a number of nerves in me and I had to bat her hand away, feeling a red flush coating my cheeks.

"Sorry?" She gave an innocent reaction. "Did I hurt you?"

I shook my head. "No." I denied. "Just felt weird. Maybe not touching will help."

"Alright." She nodded. "But you have a tail, I mean I see that, but still kinda surreal."

"So, where do you rank this in your list of weird things seen?" I smiled, feeling a little lighthearted.

"Why do you think I have one?" She titled her head. "I mean, I do, but that's beside the point. And honestly you rank pretty low."

"I thought everyone had one." And I wasn't being sarcastic when saying that. Given what you would experience on a daily basis in a world like this one, people ought to have made lists of their bizarre encounters. I know I had one. With Cindy, it was a shot in the dark.

"And it's cool." Cindy followed. I raised a brow, not understanding, she clarified. "Your tail, I mean. It could've been worse. Though I do have questions regarding this power of yours: How does it work?"

When it came to powers, a comic book verse was the perfect recipe book to find all the ingredients. I didn't consider myself special. Half of what I could do, Wanda could churn out in her sleep. Even with all my destructive potential, heck even if I trained my Heliokinesis to perfection, and even used Absorb Materials on some good material, I couldn't even hold a candle to Phoenix powered Jean Grey. With the diversity of my power, you would think I at least had some versatility, David Haller might have a say in that.

In simple terms, my powers were cool and all, but they weren't ground breaking, sky sundering, heaven toppling powers that some of the individuals that I shared this planet with had.

That didn't mean I was comfortable sharing the mechanics of my powers with just about anyone. "I am not exactly sure." I said.

Maybe she caught on my meaning and nodded. I tucked away the tail, ignoring the twitch of her lip.

Cindy did the dishes and I left her to that, while I focused on the work that had been commissioned of me. Compared to the previous project, this one wasn't any difficult in complexity, but the repetitive use of some of the logic and snippets made the code expand turning the task into a chore. If I were a normal developer, I would be struggling with debugging the code for hours on end, just to fix that single misuse or absence of a semi-colon. As it was, I wasn't a normal developer by any means.

For the next two hours I impressed myself in the work, while Cindy made herself busy with some of my books. The task at hand might not mean much in terms of brainstorming, it was tedious enough to keep me working for entire two hours, with the end nowhere in sight. Deadline wasn't the problem, but deadline atop the existing work might pose some.

When I closed the laptop, I took a moment to stretch. It was then I realized that Cindy was here, and she was watching. Somehow knowing the presence of another person beside me made me self-conscious. I pretended to straighten out my clothes and turned to face her, finding her still looking at me intently.

"What?" I asked.

She gave a sheepish smile. "Um." She hesitated. "So, you know how I have been in that place for months right?" I nodded. "And it has been so long since I last went out; I was hoping we could maybe tour around the city?"

"But, weren't we exploring the neighborhood just earlier?" I countered.

She shook her head. "Not that." She said. "I mean, like walking around the place, through streets, on foot. Maybe visit a park or something."

As the realization dawned on me, I felt hesitation creep up. She could've gone on her own, but she probably asked me because she wished for me to tag along. In all the time I had spent here, I hadn't so much as visited a park because the confines of my room always seemed more appealing. I was lately coming to conclusion that the behavior might not be healthy. That didn't mean I was ready to go out. Much less with a girl.

I stole a fleeting glance at Cindy and felt my heart skip a beat. Shaking my head to rid myself of the thoughts, I sighed.

"Ok." I ultimately decided. "We can tour around the neighborhood, but as its getting late we have to come back early."

Cindy beamed at my acceptance, and then looked down at her clothes. I smiled.

"We can shop for some clothes first." First salary did call for some celebration.

I felt another missed connection and my stomach grew queasy. This was the first time the potential was growing past four-times the base. At this rate, I could secure some mid-sized star if I got lucky. A power even stronger than Heliokinesis made me feel both fear and anticipation.

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