Chapter 38: Training (3)
As he looked down at his arm, there was no blood on the gauze. There was no indication of the needle in his skin.
He remained calm before the others, but anxiety and unease slowly crawled into his mind. He looked down at his hands and clenched his fists. He possessed enhanced strength. His speed was unmatched. Now, he had an inhuman healing ability.
What would these great powers do to him? Aside from the changes to his body, would they change him psychologically?
He clenched his fist to stop his hand from trembling. When Darren raised his head, his eyes met with Tora, who was looking at him with soft eyes. The look of concern on her face made it obviously clear that they shared the same thought.
Without removing her eyes from him, Tora said, "Mom, can you help Matt set everything up for dinner?"
Their steps resounded on the tiled floor before the door shut.
"Come with me," Tora said as he stood off the chair. Hand in hand, Darren followed Tora out of the Med-bay. They walked to the elevator that carried them to the roof. They laid on their backs together, shoulder to shoulder, silently.
"What did it look like?" Tora asked. "What did the spectrum look like?"
"It was like waves of color. It mostly came from the sun, but they were all over the place. Less in the forest, but mostly in the city," Darren replied.
"You can manipulate and emit EM radiation. What can you use these abilities for?"
Darren thought for a moment. Because of the word 'radiation,' like many people, he immediately thought of the dangers. He had not thought of the usefulness of these abilities.
Darren looked over the city again, and the air was dyed in color once more. There was one color that dominated as a transparent color radiating from many locations over the city. It came in both large and small waves.
Darren aced his college physics course. He knew they were radio waves, the wave with the least energy, but very abundant on the planet's surface. Humans used radio waves in technology for communications, while microwaves were used for radar and cancer treatments.
The earth radiates infrared from the core to keep the planet warm while visible light allowed us to see color. Although dangerous, UV light still allowed for the synthesis of vitamin D in humans, and X-rays allowed us to see any irregularities in our bodies from broken bones to cancers. Gamma rays were the most dangerous, but they allowed humans to better comprehend the universe.
"Each electromagnetic frequency in the spectrum has its own uses," Tora told Darren. She sat up and looked at him in the eyes as she said, "The powers are yours. You have control over them. Only you can decide whether to use them for the good of mankind or to use them to kill and destroy the human race. That is the power you possess. It's up to you what you do with it. And whatever you decide, know I'll be here for you." She took his hand in hers, giving him a little squeeze for reassurance.
Darren sat up and faced Tora. As she held both his hands, she placed her head against his temple. Tora glowed with a blue aura of light that surrounded her whole body. The aura reached her hands as she held Darren's hands. Like an electric circuit, he glowed as well. His red aura turned on like a lightbulb. The glow amplified as blue and red turned into a bright violet against the orange sunset sky.
"But don't forget that because your power is so great, you have an even greater responsibility. Because you are burdened with great power that can cause death and destruction, you also have a greater obligation to protect life," Tora said.
The light gathered around them, swirling gently, like a stream. Darren looked at the beautiful strands of light that emitted from their bodies begin to surround them. He looked at Tora, and at that moment, her hair became a silver color, like when she was younger. Her pupils shone with the same violet light that surrounded them.
"Tora, your hair," he said.
Tora smiled. "Yours, too," she replied. "Your eyes are also like mine."
Darren's eyes caught the ends of his hair in his peripheral, the tips a silver-platinum that reflected brilliant light. "Wow, it's so beautiful."
"How do you feel?" Tora asked.
Darren closed his eyes and breathed deeply. He squeezed Tora's hand. "I feel relaxed. I feel warm like there's a flame that's spreading through my body."
"Are you afraid?" Tora asked.
"No." He squeezed her hand again. "I don't feel scared. I don't feel anxious. My mind is clear. My thoughts are quiet."
"That's good. You should never be afraid of your power. It's yours. These abilities are a part of you. You can control it like you control your limbs," Tora told him, her voice a soft whisper. "You know that things can get out of control when you're anxious and afraid. You will lose control over your powers if you're scared of them. It's okay to be fearful. Fear keeps us alive, but we must also have the will to overcome our fears. Only by overcoming the things we're afraid of can we become stronger."
Tora opened her eyes to look at Darren as she smiled. "Whether we have everything or nothing at all," she paused.
"-We have a responsibility, as human beings, to help and support one another," Darren finished as he opened his eyes.
They smiled before bursting out in laughter as the light around them faded until their glow ultimately died. Tora's hair returned to its dark brown color, and Darren's returned to his short blond cut with his eyes back to its natural blue.
***
Darren sat between the children, his hand glowing with light. He created orbs of light, circling around the children. The children gasped in awe, reaching their hands up to touch the tiny spheres of light that shone like fireworks in the night. Darren smiled when he saw just how much fun the children were having.
One child reached for one of the spheres, catching it in his hands. The orb shone brighter, and in a flash of light, it exploded. Darren's eyes widened in shock. The child disappeared, and all that was left was a black smear on the ground. Many more children grabbed the orbs in their hands, each ball detonating in a flash of white light.
Darren's eyes widened in horror. "No," he cried.
He tried to remove the orbs, but one by one, the children touched them.
"No. I have to make it stop."
No matter what he did, the orbs did not disappear. He waved his hand in the air and tried to grab the spheres he created. The light seared his palm, forcing Darren to pull away. "Ow, hot."
Darren looked down at his hands. His aura went from red to white as a new sphere formed in his palms. He shook his hands before closing his eyes. He imagined turning a light off, then pouring water on a fire.
He imagined anything he could think of that made things go away or turn off, but to no avail.
The orb embiggened.
Darren dropped to his knees as the orb grew to envelop his entire body. He crouched at its center as it widened to a size beyond his control. His eyes teared up as he began to hyperventilate.
"Please, no. Don't." He pleaded more to himself than anyone in particular. "Please, stop. Stop!"
The orb detonated, and in a white flash of light, everything around him disappeared into dust. The earth was scraped bare, and the buildings were nothing more than piles of sand.
"NO!"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone