Lightning Storm (1)

The guests near the window groaned in disappointment as Electro went as quickly as he came, in a flash of lightning. Tora's eyes did not linger for a second more as she returned her attention to Darren. She found him still looking out the window, his eyes dark, holding what seemed like a glimmer of… disappointment.

She wasn't sure.

"Hey, Dar-"

"Tora," said a woman behind her. "Thanks for having us, but we have to go. Happy birthday again. I'll see you at school."

"Alright. Thank you for coming," Tora said as she watched quite a handful of them disappear down the stairs.

She turned back to Darren, who had already snapped out of his daze. "You okay?"

Darren shook his head. "Yeah, I'm fine," he lied. When he saw Tora looking at him with her eyebrow raised, he knew she did not believe him. He sighed before admitting, "I just wish they could be more than just Supers."

"Even if they have enhanced abilities, they still need to make a living, and if their abilities help make their lives easier, they're no different than you and me. They're no different from an actor, an athlete, or a soldier," Tora remarked as she raised her shoulders.

Supers - humans born with superhuman abilities. Some fight and protect the public from criminals and dangerous supernatural beasts - Prowlers. Others use their enhanced skills to commit illegal acts.

Like actors and other celebrities, they are contracted to private companies, appear on television interviews, and use social media to further their popularity and profit from their acts of heroism.

In a way, they were no different from emergency services like the police and firefighters, paid to protect the public. Their superhuman abilities allowed them to be more suited to fight super-criminals and monsters.

Electro, a Super with the ability to manipulate lightning, was the most famous and one of the most powerful of the Supers in the United States. He is contracted to Rouen Industries as the leader of the super-team, The Super Seven (S7).

It was not the first time he had appeared in LA. Tora had seen him several times from afar and on television.

Darren shook his head. "I know, but there are others who work alone, helping not just in fighting super-criminals and Prowlers but helping to bring justice in many other ways. Look at Black Owl. Although he works alone, he often assists the police in homicides, kidnappings, and arms and drug busts. He also fights super-criminals, but the public calls him a vigilante just because he's not affiliated with a public company," Darren said. "Now, I'm not saying I agree with all his methods, like torturing criminals, but he makes more of a difference."

While Electro and the Super 7 were contracted supers, solo supers - often referred to as just Solos - were also common. Although publically, they were not affiliated to a specific company, no one knew for sure if they were truly solo or secretly funded by an organization or the government. Known for their secrecy, some feared them while others were fascinated by the mystery that came with them.

"Black Owl is a little too dark and gritty for my tastes, but the Canadian Jaguar is okay."

While branded vigilantes in the US, in Canada, Solos were the standard, compared to contracted Supers. They were viewed for their selfless nature and their lack of public presence, only appearing when needed to help the police and other public emergency services. Some also appeared in public to fund charity events and the like. As Canada's police force also included superhumans, they were often well equipped to handle super-criminals without the need for outside help.

Jaguar was the most famous of them in Canada, known for busting drug and arms deals, human trafficking, mostly working in the shadows while providing Canadian authorities information and evidence to make arrests. He also had the occasional public display of strength, fighting Prowlers, and other supervillains, which made the public even more fond of him.

"Okay, enough. We're here for me. It's my birthday," said Tora, trying to change the conversation. "Supers aren't what I want to talk about on my special day." She tapped her chest. "I'm the star today."

Darren laughed and shook his head. "You're right. I'm sorry. Okay, let's talk about you. So, what's going on with you lately?"

Tora downed the rest of the wine in her glass before she answered. "Work is going well. No relationships at the moment. So I don't go out often." She took his hand, holding it tightly she looked at him. "But I'm glad to see you. Today is the best day I've had in a long time."

It was right before the disappearance of Darren's father that the two of them met. Tora, who was only eight at the time, was wandering in the mountains of Northern California, where she was discovered by Darren, who was seven years old. He offered her a place to sleep in his house and some food. A few days after they met, Darren's father disappeared.

They could not report his father's disappearance to the police, or else they would be placed into the foster care system. Tora also had nowhere to go and no family in the area. So, Darren offered Tora to stay at his house.

The neighbors did not notice that it was only Darren and Tora living alone together. Darren's mother passed away two years earlier, and Darren's father became a recluse and a drunk. Darren had been taking care of himself and his father for the past two years, so they were used to seeing the young boy walking around by himself.

Darren spent a year waiting for his father to return.

Darren and Tora spent that year without adult supervision. Then one day, they were hit by a car, which drew the attention of the local authorities. As they were children without adult supervision, they were placed in the system and sent to an orphanage.

Darren was the first person Tora met, and he was the only person she had. Tora was also the only one Darren had since his father disappeared. They did whatever was necessary to stay close, to stay together, even running away from their foster homes many times.

They each already had a family, so neither of them wanted to be adopted.

They did not want to be separated. Things remained that way for many years, but time marched on, and they grew older. They decided to follow different paths. Darren went to college to become an electrical engineer, while Tora left for the Air Force Academy.

Tora was not only a pilot for the air force but also worked as an aircraft engineer at NASA and the military. Tora traveled to the Middle East, and all throughout the continental US during her service. She returned 20 months ago, after getting discharged and decided to take a job at a college as an associate professor.

Darren went to college at Sauren College, the same university Tora works in now. He later went on to MIT for grad school, both on scholarships as he was at the top of his class in high school. Darren currently works for a company, building powerful electromagnets for train rails throughout the state of Texas.

Things were slowing down as the planning stage of the project ended. He was finally able to take the week off to come to LA for Tora's birthday.

Tora threw her head back and laughed, causing her to spit out the wine in her mouth. They paid no attention to people as they left the lounge. They continued to talk, sharing stories, catching up well into the evening until the café manager asked them to leave as the amount of time Tora rented the lounge had come to an end.