Super Issue #7 - The Right Thing

                The campus was overflowing with students. Some were walking to and from class, others lounging in the sunlight, and even a few playing Frisbee in the courtyards. The college wasn’t very big, but there were still thousands of students who studied there. Matt was one of the students walking from one building to another. He kept to himself and never made many friends; not because he didn’t desire friends, but because he felt he couldn’t have any at this point in his life. Matt was a metahuman, despite his best efforts to hide it. He wasn’t ashamed of his genetics though; his father was a powerful meta who was one of the first and greatest agents of the GMA. Matt hides his powers because six years ago, he accidently caused a woman’s death while trying to save her. Ever since, he has subjected himself to a rigorous training regiment and has hidden his abilities away from the world until the time when he believes he has enough control to use them properly.

                One of Matt’s abilities enables him to sense energy signals around him. On a busy campus like this, his sense is flooded by the hundreds of people around him. Overtime he learned how to ignore the basic human energy level and just feel for the spikes that signal a potentially powerful metahuman. He usually doesn’t confront them; instead he just kept an eye on the high energy individuals, making sure they don’t use their power for the wrong reasons.

                However, today Matt didn’t need to sense the energy presence watching towards the campus. He heard the screams and saw the glow just fine from where he was standing.

                Arthur looked up from where he was reading as the first girl ran by the window. Must be nice to have some fun, he thought as he went back to studying for his molecular biology exam. Some of us actually want to be something when we grow up.

                Arthur’s parents were rednecks. There was no denying that, and although he was brought up under their roof, he didn’t see himself as one. If anything, he saw himself as a druid; someone who was one with nature, mentally and physically. He went to school to learn all he could about the natural world around him. Partly because he wanted to, but also because he wanted desperately to figure out what makes him different. He wanted to be the one who finally cracks the mystery of the Illumination and discover what initially gave the metahuman’s their amazing abilities.

                Before Arthur could read another page, however, more people ran by screaming. He looked out the window and saw dozens of people running away from a glowing object that was steadily getting closer to the school. As students started evacuating the building he was in, Arthur stayed, watching with scientific curiosity at the unknown entity. With a start, Arthur tripped over his chair and ran outside the building. It wasn’t just a mysterious glowing object he was watching. It was a man.

                The man walked towards the buildings, his body stiff and movements shaky, as if he were moving against his own will. Energy was pouring out of his body, creating cracks in his physical form and miniature explosions of force whenever two beams collided. The ground beneath him shook, and it seemed like the very air around him vibrated with the power he was putting out.

                “He’s going to self-destruct,” Matt muttered under his breath as he stood behind a wall with a few other brave students who wanted to watch this event up close. “And he’s going to cause a helluva lot of damage when he does. Somebody’s gotta take him out before his body breaks completely.”

                Matt looked around, sighing as he did. He didn’t feel any energy signals that were strong enough to do anything against a threat like this. Even if there were, a situation like this required delicate handling. Any physical blows just might crack the body open, letting loose the torrent of energy pent up inside and devastating the area. Matt took a few deep breaths. A few months ago he used his powers publicly for the first time at a parade in Hopling, putting down a small group of humans before they could really hurt anyone. He managed to get away without being caught, but here people recognized his face. It wouldn’t be as easy, but he knew there wasn’t much time. Something had to be done.

                Something had to be done. The man was entering the main courtyard of the campus, and many students were certainly hiding in the surrounding buildings. Arthur paused as he stood in the arc of a doorway, watching the energy rip out of the man’s body.

                Nobody’s coming; no sirens, no police. And if I’m seeing this right, his body is breaking down. The energy is coming from his core. Somebody has to knock him out before he explodes.

                Arthur looked around, pausing for a few more seconds before making his decision. Hastily he took off his clothes, laying them aside for once this was over.

                “I know I’m not licensed,” he said while taking off his pants, “but it doesn’t look like there’s anyone around here to do this but me.”

                Not wanting to expose himself to the student body completely, Arthur stayed in the darkened doorway as he forced his body to change. When his powers first manifested, the change was uncontrollable, brought on by stress and emotion, and caused him unimaginable pain. But as he learned to trigger the transformation consciously, the pain lessened. Though it still hurt like hell.

                As his sized tripled, Arthur felt the claws and teeth grow. He always felt more alive in his altered state. The brown shaggy fur covered his once hairless body; his skull crunched and popped into place as a long snout. Arthur reared onto his hind legs and let out a mighty roar. Now fifteen feet tall and weighing over one ton, Arthur, transformed into a bear of gigantic proportions, charged out of the doorway into battle.

                “What the hell is that?” Matt exclaimed, having just stepped out from behind the wall to confront the unstable menace. He had felt a surge of energy, but didn’t expect to see an oversized bear run out from a nearby building. Must be a shape-shifter, he thought to himself. Then another thought followed. Shit! He’s gonna break open the body!

                Matt didn’t waste any more time. He rocketed towards the bear, hoping to knock it away before dealing with the man. But for a creature of such size, the bear was too fast. It reached the man just as Matt reached the opposite side. With one swipe of its massive paw, the bear clawed right through the cracked body of the man. The energy kept inside the body was released in a blinding flash of energy, plowing the bear into the ground.

                Arthur had never been hit by anything like that blast before. Dazed and seeing spots, he lifted his head off the ground and slumped over on his front paws. The man’s body had exploded, yet nothing was destroyed. Besides for a few feet around him, everything was unharmed. Arthur looked at the shining light that floated where the man once stood and saw why.

                A young man, no older than himself, was hanging in midair, his entire body shimmering with energy. However instead of leaking energy like the now deceased man was, this person was keeping it under control perfectly. He had absorbed the entire blast into his own body, saving the school from the destruction Arthur would have foolishly caused. Arthur changed back into his human form, ashamed of his hasty move. He could have killed dozens of people; would have, had this guy not saved them all.

                Matt floated back down to the ground, concentrating to hold all the energy inside. The man had lost most of his power through the cracks, but the amount remaining would still have done serious damage to the campus. Finally feeling like he had it all under control, Matt stopped absorbing, and the glow of his body died down. He still felt invincible with all the energy coursing through his body, but this wasn’t the first time he had done this.

                “Thank you,” Arthur blurted when Matt looked at him. “I had no idea what to do, but I thought I was all alone out here. I just did what I thought was the right thing.”

                Matt looked at his peer and felt the heavy hand of past regret fall on him. He had made a mistake once, just like this one did, but now he was here to do the right thing as well.

                “It’s okay,” Matt replied in a low voice, “I know what that feels like. But you’re not alone out here.” Matt held out his hand, smiling as he did. “My name’s Matt. I think we have some things in common.”

                They both laughed at that, and Arthur returned the handshake, although he was still embarrassed by the event. “I’m Arthur. And I have to agree. I think we’d make a killer pair.”

                “Once we work out some kinks in our attack plan, that is,” Matt joked. The two men walked back into the school buildings quickly, stopping so Arthur could put his clothes back on. People had seen them in action, of course, possibly even catching it on video. But there was nothing they could do about that right now. They’ll just have to wait to see what tomorrow brings.