THE BOYS: Foreign Hero

He opened his eyes when he had met his end that day. A day he still remembered as if it were yesterday. He was supposed to return from work, have his day off, when a truck with failed brakes had crashed into his car, crushing it in an instant, so quickly that he barely felt anything. Then there was darkness, from which, while walking towards the light in that supernatural tunnel, he had encountered a strange being that intercepted him in a rather impartial manner.

He was given the opportunity to become something more when that being offered him the chance to be reborn in another world that might give him the luck to make something better of his life. He would have a new aspiration, and he was even given a gift that would be granted randomly, with the hope that he would exceed the expectations in that unknown place. He waited calmly. The roulette made of a galactic nebula spun until it stopped at a purple, or perhaps pink, mist. It was a strange mixture.

"Congratulations," that being said with a smile that could not be described by any human consciousness. "You will have the gift of being a psychic. The world you will find yourself in will be similar to your Earth, so you will be able to assimilate yourself into that place 100%."

"Sounds good," said the deceased, while smiling with an enthusiastic grin. To hell with everything that was his past. After all, he was an orphan with no family, stuck in an unwanted job, and living a very average life with no signs of improvement. He wasn't mediocre, nor anything similar to that; he simply hadn't had the luck to advance in life due to a financial collapse. His efforts had been destroyed within an inflation bubble that burst, plunging the world into an economic depression. He was one of the millions of unfortunate souls who lost everything they had built. The Third World War had begun, and the world was horrified. The population had no right to object to the escalation of massive conflicts, and every soldier who refused to enter the fight was condemned to death.

The deceased would sooner or later be called to duty to fight in a war he didn't want, a war that only belonged to the elites who ruled the world. So, the fact that he had the chance to become something better in another world was an opportunity that would allow him to develop as he was destined to be. To start anew, with a new life.

"Before everything, what kind of world is it?" The deceased asked. This time, he couldn't help but feel a bit cautious as he began to reason with these questions. He didn't want to end up in a world similar to or identical to those of his favorite comics—nightmares of worlds that always ended with the universe erased and time mercilessly manipulated. He didn't want to cease to exist because of some speedster who couldn't get over his mother's death.

The being smiled with an unintelligible grace.

"Don't worry, you won't be going to one of those worlds. The world you will be reborn in is different. That world has a society that loves superhumans, and there are even those little things they call heroes. It's a very interesting plane of existence. However, you will be limited by the laws of that world to some extent; I wouldn't want to create some kind of god that accidentally destroys that plane of existence." He said with a smile, as he moved away from the deceased. "From now on, you will be someone new. I'm curious about what you will be able to achieve over time. Many like you became icons in their planes of existence, their descendants conquered galaxies and universes, and even managed to access new higher planes of existence. Others spread chaos, created destruction, and obliterated everything and everyone in the name of despair and the void. The nothingness." The entity said as if all of that were a mere mention, making it clear to the deceased that he wouldn't be the first or the last to have that kind of opportunity to return. In short, he was entertainment for this strange and inexplicable being, but that didn't mean he should pass up this opportunity. And who knows? Maybe he could achieve greatness, a new plane of existence. After all, he had the potential of a psychic.

"I understand. Thank you for this new opportunity. I hope to meet you again someday and thank you for everything once more," said the deceased, as he looked at the entity. There was a moment of contemplation from the entity, and then, out of nowhere, it began to disappear. The deceased felt himself being pulled backward with terrifying force, his dreamlike vision beginning to blur as he observed patterns of energy, frequencies invisible to mortal life, converging and reflecting countless millions of indescribable and incomprehensible dimensions to a low-sense human entity.

"Don't worry, one day we will meet again. And when that day comes, I hope you tell me about your experience in this new life personally, Daniel." The being said, surprising the deceased.

That wasn't his name, his name was... but it didn't matter anymore. Before he could ask what that meant, he was pulled back at speeds he never thought he could experience. Feeling a sensation of infinite falling, his consciousness had faded without even realizing that he had fallen into the body of a child destined for death, who had lost his pulse before even seeing the light. Hours later, a new life had entered the innocent shell of flesh and bone, filling with joy the hearts of those who had found him in a dumpster they had visited in search of something of value. Later, the person who had picked up that infant was deported from the United States for being an illegal immigrant in the land of opportunity, and of superheroes. However, Latin America had gained its own superhero, a hero who fought against human trafficking and drug trafficking from the Lesser Antilles to the entire southern part of the American continent.

At first, four years had passed when Ferdinand had discovered a little about the world he had ended up in. It was a kind of world where superhuman people existed who could develop superpowers, provoking admiration and awe among normal people, gifts that had been called gifts from God. Over time, the first superhero appeared, called Soldier Boy, who in turn, was paired with a group called Payback. The world of superheroes had arrived, and Daniel would not be left behind. He wanted to make a big difference; he wanted to be a milestone in this world, and what better way than to be the first Latin American superhero?

However, he also cared for his own well-being. So from a young age, he began to perfect the abilities he had been given. Psychokinesis. He had access to psychic abilities and immediately got to work.

It took him a year to discover that his psychic abilities consisted of projecting his will onto the physical plane. Thanks to this, he discovered that this gave him abilities like telepathy and telekinesis. Since childhood, he had developed his psychic powers almost to perfection, his efforts had endowed him with telepathy that allowed him to read the minds, memories, and emotions of any living being within a 50-meter radius. His telepathic abilities allowed him to manipulate massive amounts of information, along with an almost perfect memory. It also allowed him to perform mental communications and to absorb and download massive amounts of information. However, he found it impossible to manipulate the minds of living beings, though he could generate strong compulsions through vague suggestions. On the other hand, he could also interfere with technology, even being able to control it by manipulating its programming.

However, his telekinetic abilities had reached impressive levels, and he had focused more on this as a more tangible way of physical manipulation through his willpower. His telekinesis allowed him to exert his will on matter and energy, obtaining complete control over it. However, he was limited by the weight he could sustain with molecular manipulation. Outside of that, transmuting, levitating, disintegrating, and even transfiguring, transforming, and creating were possible; he could even strengthen his body and abilities by absorbing vital energy from his surroundings.

As a superhuman aspiring to be a superhero, he had trained his body and mind to match his abilities. Thanks to this, he had been able to achieve a strength that allowed him to lift over 30 tons of weight. And at the age of 15, he began his journey into the world of crime. He became known as the first foreign hero, who had been able to dismantle 80% of human trafficking and drug trafficking networks across South America.

However, no one knew his identity. He wore a superhero suit in black and green, with a single yellow sphere on his chest as a logo. Along with it, he had a mask that functioned as a protective helmet, shielding him from attacks by noxious gases. This hero could fly at supersonic speeds and transported himself to places in need of his help across Central and South America. Daniel wanted it that way because he valued his personal identity greatly and didn't want to involve the family that had taken him in. Daniel believed that no one had more enemies than he did.

His true identity, however, was known to the world for other reasons. Daniel Ramírez Suarez. Born in mid-1997. At the young age of 8, he founded a technology company that was managed by his mother until he reached adulthood. He invented a version of a smartphone that dominated the market and also created the world's first commercial exoskeleton prototype, allowing him to design prosthetics for people who had lost body parts and giving mobility to those unable to move, such as the disabled and paraplegic. Graduating from a top technology university in New Mexico City at the age of 16, he stopped appearing in public to focus on creating new advancements. Clearly, this was a facade to cover up his real identity, as he spent his free time fighting crime. He thought that if he had these gifts, he might as well use them to improve the world around him.

Until he encountered a problem.

Just a few meters above the sea, Daniel flew at high speed. The speed force that broke the sound barrier slightly parted the waters where he passed. The sonic boom was such that he had to use a slight telekinetic shield to prevent noise and friction from causing any damage. His body couldn't withstand such damage for long periods; flying at these speeds without protection could harm his body due to constant friction. His smart helmet was connected to a ghost satellite owned by his technology company. His helmet displayed an image of a community in Puerto Rico that had been flooded due to a powerful hurricane. They had been trapped for over 12 hours, and the authorities had no way of accessing the area.

"Mari, calculate the fastest route to Puerto Rico," Daniel said, waiting for coordinates from his AI. A few seconds later, Mari, his artificial assistant, responded.

/The current coordinates are the ones that will allow for the quickest arrival, deviate slightly to the right,/ she answered, which Daniel did, moving at extreme speed.

/Sir, you have an incoming call from your mother, Mariana. Do you wish to answer?/ Mari asked.

"Yes, please."

The call connected, and Daniel heard his mother's voice through the helmet's audio.

"Daniel Ramírez Delgado," she nearly shouted. "Tell me where you are right now in the name of God," she demanded.

"Calm down, boss. I'm on my way."

"On your way? On your way? You've been out of the house for over 12 hours doing God knows what. Did you forget we were supposed to visit your Aunt Juanita today?" she said, surprising Daniel.

"Aunt Juanita? Noooooo, how could I forget?" Daniel had, in fact, forgotten about her.

"Don't lie to your mother, Daniel. I don't know what you're doing, but I won't allow any delays. So get your ass home right now, or I won't be responsible for what happens," she nearly demanded, making Daniel chuckle.

"Don't worry, Mom. I promise I'll be back in an hour." Daniel said, about to hang up. He loved his mother, but she was overly protective. And he had grown up enough, not to mention that he had been an adult in his past life, which he barely remembered and had no interest in recalling.

"Daniel, don't hang up on me, boy. Don't you understand that I'm worried? Daniel! Daniel!" She called out, but Daniel had already hung up.

"First, Puerto Rico. Then, Aunt Juanita," he continued towards his goal, aiming to arrive as soon as possible. However, in the distance, he spotted another situation that needed help. Far off, a vessel was sinking.

Deviating from his route, Daniel flew to the location, where he found a strange breach that was about to sink the ship. He assessed the situation and dove into the depths. He approached the crack causing the damage and, using his telekinetic abilities, extracted a large piece of metal from the ship's interior to use as a patch. Between the patch and the ship's metal, he placed his hands and manipulated the molecules to fuse the metal. Slowly but surely, he merged the metal, successfully sealing the breach.

The ship's system began to expel the water, managing to refloat the vessel. He couldn't lift the ship like Superman; he didn't have that kind of strength, not even in his wildest dreams, barely surpassing 30 tons at 22 years old. However, he had accomplished something better than simply hoisting a commercial ship over his shoulders like a basket of cabbages.

He could see the ship's captain recording him in amazement, along with his crew, who were excited to have their lives saved. That feeling of knowing that someone admired him and felt genuinely grateful made him feel good. So, even if he wasn't a big fan of the whole hero thing, he at least felt that he was doing something good that people appreciated. They had even built monuments and named towns and streets after his heroic persona.

Just as he was about to leave, turning away, a U.S. fighter jet passed by his side, surprising Daniel. Then he understood something. He was in U.S. waters. For some reason, he had never gotten involved in the United States because he had been banned from entering that nation. He was even considered a threat. There was this guy, Homelander, who constantly bad-mouthed him, considering him an enemy of humanity and the United States of America for going against the law or something like that. The U.S. Congress had even called a meeting at the UN to prohibit his actions anywhere in the world, unofficially threatening affiliated countries with cutting trade ties with them. All of Europe, not to mention the rest of the world, had banned Daniel from stepping on their soil, except for the Latin American countries.

As expected, all of Latin America rose in support of Daniel, even knowing the repercussions that would follow. While some thought Daniel was Brazilian because of his suit's design, it was officially recognized that he was from Mexico. And as such, Mexico was the first to oppose the Americans.

It didn't take long for trade ties to be severed, and an economic blockade was imposed on many Spanish-speaking countries. A massive crisis was expected to force those who welcomed Daniel to reconsider. However, with the exoskeleton and prosthetic technology, as well as the communication technology that emerged in Mexico thanks to Daniel, Mexico positioned itself as a technological powerhouse, advancing with such force that opportunities flourished. The economy grew so much that Mexican migration nearly came to a halt.

Corruption was hardly seen after the economic improvement, and within two years, Latin American countries had moved forward through the trade they developed among themselves, exploiting their own resources. The most impressive thing was that Daniel himself supported them as a superhero with any kind of issue that needed urgent repair or resolution. This also meant that he got rid of corrupt politicians by supporting opposing parties and providing them with security through his presence to prevent any kind of retaliation.

Many shady businesses collapsed because of this, and the blockades had to be lifted. The world prospered in its own way, and Daniel continued fighting crime throughout Latin America. However, he was still banned from entering other countries and was labeled a vigilante by the Department of Superhuman Regulation, and therefore, a criminal in the eyes of the law. The strange thing was that only the Americans had superheroes or superhumans, at least publicly. So it wasn't hard to understand why there were so many problems against him.

Now, however, he had violated the law by entering U.S. waters. Daniel didn't think twice and shot towards Puerto Rico, which no longer belonged to the United States, having gained independence in 2016. The U.S. fighter jet began its pursuit, along with two more. Flying as low as possible over the sea's surface, he avoided satellite radar, advancing at his maximum flight speed of Mach 2. However, not wanting to be hit by a missile or something, he submerged in the sea and advanced, losing the jets' trail as they veered away from Dominican waters.

Daniel arrived at the affected area of the town and, using his ingenuity, transmuted a canal over 4 meters wide and 5 meters deep, taking him 5 hours to complete. But he managed to evacuate the water from the town, diverting it towards the mountains, connecting it to a river that had dried up, according to Mari's report.

Six hours late, Daniel arrived home and was punished by his mother, who forbade him from interacting with his inventor toys, as she called them.

And as they headed to New York to visit his Aunt Juanita, Daniel watched on the television in his private jet with his mother how he had been summoned to the Capitol, labeled as a criminal and vigilante, also known in other countries as the great and powerful hero Yocaju.