02: Invitation

"K! Wake up, god damn this kid.", A man shouted before stomping up the stairs in the large three-story home. Upon arriving at the correct room the man barged into the door flinging it open.

"K...", His shout soon died out and lost its energy as he saw what lie Infront of him. The second pair of footsteps could be heard approaching him from behind. The boy's room was glowing in a bright orange light that seemed as if it was mimicking the sun.

The man felt a soft weight be placed on his shoulder as he glanced to his side seeing his wife lean on him. She smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek before turning back to the boy's room.

"He must have discovered another power, how many is that now forty?", she asked.

The man chuckled as he too kissed the woman. "I wish, he's probably in the low hundreds now. It's like he discovers a new power every other day.", He finished with another chuckle. He waited only a few moments before the glaring light ceased.

"K, change your clothes, and come down for breakfast.", the man ordered before he and his wife turned once again and went back down to the kitchen.

"Hmm... What?", the boy said gagging.

*****

"My name is Kami, Kami Grier. I'm 16 and I am a B-Rank super, I currently live at 67 Ridge Road Southampton, New York. I have the traits of Basic, as well as the ability to manipulate the world around me, aka Telekinesis.

I can run at speeds upwards of 70 miles an hour, flight triple that, and boosting myself with telekinetic energy times that by six. I can lift upwards of a thousand pounds, and jump around sixty feet. My code comes from my mother's side, both my parents are scientists who work for A.E.V. I bloomed at the age of two, and have been training my power since I was five.",

I said looking into the camera that was pointed at my face with my "father" on the other side.

"Good, very good. Martha, can you send this video to the academy? I have a meeting with Doctor Riaz, I need to report Kam's growth.", Father asked my mother packing his work items as he already knew the answer.

"Of course, dear, just make sure to come home tonight. Remember we don't work there anymore...", she responded quickly glancing at me.

Father or, Ian Grier ruffled my hair the best he could, seeing as my hair cant be ruffled. Everything I said on tape was a lie, my life itself was a lie. I lied to everyone, including myself. The only truth I know in my body was one thing; my itching for death.

Neither of my "parents" was supers, they weren't even my parents. I was adopted, and that type of thing is usually a scandal so how did I know?

It's much easier than you think to figure out. They are both on the shorter side, and mainly white. I am not. I am super, but not organically nor am I that weak. I was made in a test tube, a scientific marvel.

Project X-02 was my original name but that isn't important now. Genetically manufactured supers are not a rare occurrence, they make up a large percent of the super population, but those who are made are typically human embryos at origin and then infused with a Metron System.

Metron, the drug that A.E.V uses to make supers and is also distributed around the world. Created in 1854 by founder Doctor Aevum, Even in the cases of the strongest engineered supers, Metron accounts for only perhaps 10 percent max of the genetic composure. But that isn't the case with me, I am practically pure Metron, with a sprinkle of humans inside. I was never born, I was made, and fabricated and the day I got my power, was the day I lost my freedom, and desire to live.

I wasn't a human being in the eyes of the corporation I was a product, lab equipment... property. Since I was young I had been saving lives as that was my foretold purpose for this world. A savior, a protector but most importantly a God.

"Kami?", A voice called out to me breaking me out of my thoughts. It was Martha. She was nice, five-four, her hair was a bit too long and she often rambled on when she had had a good day, the better half of the two scientists pretending parents.

"Y-yes?", I stuttered out.

"I've been calling for you for a few minutes now it seemed as if you were in a daze. I asked if you were excited to go to the academy. To receive an interview with them is quite impressive. And you get to be the first generation there.", She said sipping her cup of whatever, I could care less.

I wish she would stop drinking so loud I can almost hear her throat contracting. Where did she even get that cup? I haven't seen that in the house. Was she hiding a cup? Who hides cups?

United States Academy for the gifted was a massive institution that had just recently finished construction and was slated to open in the following months. Throughout history, there was no force capable to stop the few supers that excited and most of those with power used them for harm much more than they did well.

But with the rapid growth within the 20th-century military might catch up to the feats of supers and then with the emergence of the benevolent and kind-hearted a new wave of super emerged thus the creation of heroes and Villains.

People became Heroes for a host of reasons, some were genuinely good people and others wanted to help out but the financial gain was never a part of being a hero, one could be the strongest in the world and still end up working minimum wage at a Starbucks if they even had those in the early 1900s.

But with good comes evil and vice versa, large crime syndicates arose and heroes essentially went into hiding. So the government did what any rational person would do, commercializing being a decent person and saving a life.

Super Funding programs became the new business of the future using a wave of new heroes to arise.

As time continued to march heroes got sloppier and soppier to the point of the Government announcing the construction of a facility to teach aspiring Heroes how to utilize their abilities no matter how strong or weak.

So in 2007, they announced the USAG, with the beautiful slogan of "If you want to be a hero, then you better come here". A place for those with powers and even those without to train and fight against the forces of evil.

"Yes mother, I am very excited. It's been what? a year since a stopped a crime.", I responded once again pulling myself out of my thoughts. What I had been doing on tape was recording my audition to be received into the institution. Even though I didn't need to as I was guaranteed a spot to get in, even if I didn't want to.

The head of A.E.V, and also the lead scientist who helped create me Dr. Riaz had the incredible pull in the US government, NATO, and even some European nations. He wasn't even a super and it would be safe to say he was one of the strongest men on the planet.

Riaz was only forty but he had stayed over my fake family like a watchful guardian. He was strict to those around him but it seemed as if he had a soft spot for me.

Some believed that he only acted that way so I wouldn't rip a hole through his chest and burn down the facility if not the world. But I had no want for violence or even killing. I never had the idea of doing things like that.

Taking a life was wrong no matter how cruel a person was that was a line that should never be crossed. But most importantly I knew they were wrong, Riaz wasn't scared of me, not one bit. And that was because he didn't see me as a person with his own will but rather his prized possession his property, and he wasn't even wrong.

I lied about my powers for what purpose did I need to reveal to the world that I have over 244 powers that I could turn on and off at will? There was none.

I checked my phone before lifting myself out of the chair. "All right mother, I'll be going out.", I said before walking back to my room. I glanced at myself in the mirror taking into account my features. Smooth light brown skin, almost amber-toned eyes, tall frame, lean but not too skinny muscle structure, dreaded hair that stopped just at my chin, a chin that was as if it were chiseled from obsidian. I wish I had been born a cripple or a hideous man-beast.

These looks were wasted on me, I had tried mutilating myself many times in the past but they would heal just as fast as I would make them, even with my healing turned as low as possible they would heal within seconds.

I tossed on a simple grey sweatshirt and black jeans with some white sneakers and a matching toboggan before I went out in the cold New York atmosphere. I said goodbye once again as I passed Martha who once again eyed me.

I think she likes me, not as a child but as a man. I mean to be fair I don't look 16, even if my "birthday" was soon approaching. She and Ian seemed to have a good relationship but that was all for show, or at least I thought it was.

I looked around the houses around us, making sure no one was around I took to the sky zipping through the clouds.

I knew where I was going based on the fact that I had flown to the place hundreds of times before, I slowly descended to the roof of the building before floating down again out of the way of wondering eyes. 50 miles in just 2 seconds. In the center of the brings stood a small rectangular building with a shining red cross on it.

A children's hospital for those with cancer. The sad truth of the world was simple, medicine made from the DNA of supers with healing factors was ridiculously expensive with anything under even 3 oz in the upper hundred thousand. So low-income areas such as the one I was currently in had no shot in hell to recover from buying dosages. To make matters worse out of all the abilities I had not one of them could heal things on the outside.

I made my way through the building saying hello to the familiar staff and keeping my eyes on the ground avoiding contact with those I didn't know before I made it to my destination. I knocked softly before a younger nice appeared in my view opening the door for me. I forgot her name but she smiled at me before stepping aside so I could enter.

I took a deep breath before tossing a smile on my face to greet the nine-year-old child who lay in front of me.

"Brendon!", I shouted before rushing to his side letting him pull me into a deep hug. "Hey, buddy, what's it been? Two weeks? You got so big.", I said smiling at the kid. I had met him before he contracted cancer at the same orphanage I was given a name.

What was that six years ago? Jeez time flies, I wonder where that girl is now? Maybe she'll be in the academy. My heart began to thump a bit faster 140/60 to be exact. I liked that girl, but I'm not supposed to be thinking about her. Look at Brendon, Kami, look at him!

"Hey bro, can we go fly?" Brendon asked with a sheepish smile knowing I would give in to him. Technically I wasn't supposed to take him outside but when he looks at me with that little kid smile I can't help but break some rules.

I pulled out my phone smiling as I showed him the time. It was 11:59 AM in one minute or 26 seconds the time would change to noon and the notification on my phone would tell me if I got into the academy, 14, even though I already knew the answer. I would get in with ease whether or not strings were pulled but I suppose, 5, Dr. Riaz getting me in there would help speed things up, and done.

"See noon, and bam.", I said as a text notification appeared.

"Greetings Mr. Grier. We at USAG are pleased to welcome you to the first generation of officially trained heroes. You and other students will soon be emailed information on things such as orientation, costumes, names, and licensing. We are pleased to meet you and our other 9,999 students. Best Regards, Dean Mitchell."

Brendon cheered for me as I had been giving him info on the whole school for supers thing for the past few months now. So he was much more excited that I had been accepted than I was.

I already knew when orientation would be, the next coming Monday, meaning I had two days to enjoy before my life would be turned into a repeating loop with me stuck at a desk. I glanced outside as I heard the sirens of the police coming past the window I was at.

"Hey, Brendon... You wanna watch me stop some crime?"