I'm Super?

"-the storm rolled through dozens of buildings, centered on Sinicorp. At this exact moment, Mr. Sini's condition is unknown, but it is believed that he perished in the blast when the villain known as the Emperor attacked. Currently, the Emperor has last been spotted engaging with Full Monarch on the moon-"

The radio clicked off with the press of the button, and Alex decided he really hated just how messed up the world could be sometimes. That and the cold, he thought, letting out a shiver. "Remind me again why we have to be out here in this weather." He grumbled.

His friend Marcus just gave him a sad smile. "What can I say? We drew the short stick. You know how it is."

"I'm telling you that game was rigged from the start." Alex scowled. Even back home in Mexico, he often found himself on the waters. Fishing was something he and his dad had used to do. After moving to America and starting his new life in Oleander City, he had no reason to change that pastime, even turning it into a job. "Damn, storm." He cursed the heavens. "At least let me find something good if you're going to throw this at me!"

It bit and nipped at every exposed patch of skin despite his attempts to bundle up, and the fierce wind blowing against him didn't help. The sea was turbulent, threatening to swallow their small fishing boat and drag them to the frigid depths below, and a stinging rain whipped to the sides, soaking them all to the bone. His wife had warned him not to go out to the Ocean during the winter, but the month had started off warm and cozy, so much so his captain had practically demanded they go on a month-long trip.

As if the weather itself was out to get him, though, it didn't take long for the blue sky above to turn pitch black, and he found himself in this situation. Every day, it seemed to get worse and worse.

"We could always steal some lifeboats and head back to the mainland." Marcus would always joke. Alex would always veto the idea just in case it really wasn't a joke. He really needed the money, after all.

His hands were pale and shivering as he worked, pulling up yet another empty cage. Getting work as a deep-sea fisherman was getting harder and harder with each passing day, as the oceans were depleted of their bountiful stock, and even here, he was having trouble getting enough to break even. It didn't help that the bigger ships, the ones owned by actual companies, did his job on a far grander scale.

Marcus gave a depressing sigh when he saw the empty cage. They were a small crew of six, and of the six of them, over the course of nearly three months, only two of them had even managed to fish up anything of note. It was their job not to catch fish but rather things like sunken cargo long forgotten.

"Maybe the others will have better luck than us," Marcus suggested.

"Maybe." Alex sighed, but he doubted it. The two of them got to work throwing out their nets and cages, checking on the sails, and making sure everything was set how it should be. His phone began to buzz loudly, making him groan.

"Your wife?" Marcus asked.

"Yeah." He nodded. "Can you hold the fort down for a bit?"

"Sure thing."

"Thanks." Hauling the cage back onto the deck, he muttered a curse to himself and made for the cabin. He had to struggle against the wind to shut the door, but he eventually managed to get it done. The others, namely their captain, were all huddled around a table, a bottle of cheap whiskey opened as they played some card game. He shushed them when they saw him as he grabbed his phone. "Hello?"

"Are you coming back, yet?" He nearly winced as he heard the annoyed voice of his wife on the other line. He loved her to death, but he loved getting in a massive haul and making bank, enough to risk it.

He took a moment to cozy up to the heater in his ship and let his clothes dry a bit. "Yeah..." He finally said. "I think I'm going to be finishing up here." He shot his boss a dirty look, who had the decency to look at least a little ashamed of himself.

"Find anything?"

"No..."

"Alexander-"

"I know, I know. You told me so."

"Honestly, what were you thinking? Sinicorp ships started working those waters last week! I know you work hard, but I don't think they're going to miss much with how many boats and scanners they've got out there."

"Yeah, yeah. I just figured that maybe we could-" He thankfully never had to think up the rest of his flimsy excuse as a few moments later a bell rang through their cabin causing them all to freeze. The table the crew was crowded around was practically knocked over as they stood up suddenly. "I'll call you back." He mumbled, hanging up on his wife. He'd regret that later when he got home, but something big happened must have happened for Marcus to ring the bell.

They finally found something.

All of them made their way out into the cold weather and all crowded around Marcus, who was crouched near the edge of the ship, reeling something in. "Take a look, boys." The man said, giving a wide grin for once. "That's how it's done."

The heavens seemed to smile down on all of them finally. Bobbing in the water, nearly as big as he was tall, he spotted it. Sleek and metal, looking brand new, it was enough to make him whistle. Some kind of engine to a big boat is what he'd reckon. A brand-new ship at that, judging by how clean the thing was. It was crystal clear, almost like transparent glass. It reflected everything around it.

"What on Earth is it?" The captain muttered, having to squint his eyes to see it.

As it got closer, lifting from the lapping waters, Alex began to worry. It didn't look like an engine. Or at least none that he was familiar with. It was a large ball. Perfectly round in shape, the silver gleam had been what caught his eye, and the echoing sound it made when it lightly hit the side of his ship suggested it was hollowed out.

He, as well as three others, went to pull it out of the water. They all almost stumbled back as they raised it. The thing was so light that only one of them needed to hold it. That person ended up being him. His arms were just barely wide enough to wrap around the strange metal ball as he set it down on the ship's deck and they all stared at it.

They looked it over and didn't notice any dents, tears, or hatches. It was just a perfectly made metal ball. They didn't hear anything shaking inside of it when they shook it. Despite the fact that it was light and likely hollowed out.

"What kind of psycho would spend his time just crafting some metal ball?" The captain asked.

"Some nut job artist?" He joked. A part of him even felt a little bad about taking it. The thing was clearly brand new, given its state. Still, while it might be empty, the metal would have to be worth something. It was too light to be iron, but it still held firm, as he tried to put a fair dent in it, only managing to damage his hammer. Whoever built it must have used some expensive materials.

He never even noticed the faint blueish light as his palm rubbed against it, the shine fading away just in time for him to miss it.

"What do we do with it?" Marcus asked.

"Well, we don't have the tools just to open it up, and I'd like to have someone look at it first." The captain sighed.

"I know a guy," Alex suggested. "When we get back home, I have a buddy who has some advanced tools from when he used to work for Sinicorp. I could give him a call and have him look at it. At the very least, he could figure out what the metal is made of."

"Alright then." The captain gave a wide grin. "I think we just made bank, boys!"

***

The last thing Jane Lauren expected when her husband's truck pulled into the driveway of their home was for him to be returning with a haul.

In the back of his truck, chained down, was a strange metal sphere. The ball was made from a peculiar silver metal and was almost entirely reflective, showing off the many cars that drove by on the road and sending glimmers of light in all directions.

"So, why exactly did you bring a metal orb back home, darling?" Jane was a beautiful woman. She was stunning with long red hair and a set of clear blue eyes hidden behind her glasses. Alex knew he was lucky to have her. He himself wasn't anything to look at. Big, fierce, and hairy, with wild black hair and a massive bushy beard, which she had been begging him to shave off.

"I think it's one of them capsules that kids like to fill up. Though, this one seems empty." He parked the truck and got out, knocking on the side of the orb.

"What's in it?" His wife asked.

"I haven't found a way to crack the damn thing." He explained. He picked it up from the back of his truck, grunting a little at the awkward shape, as he walked past her and into the garage door, they already had open. The thing was too long to fit on any of his tables, plus it would likely roll off, so he ended up setting it down in a corner stopping its escape by throwing a shoe in front of it, which was enough to keep the thing in place.

"So, if you haven't been able to open it, and you think it's empty, then how much could it really be worth?" Jane asked, frowning a little as she followed her husband out of the rain and into the garage.

Alex hummed and gave her a shrug, which didn't help ease her nerves. "Honestly, I'm not too sure. I've never seen anything like it."

"Well, it isn't every day you find a time capsule." Jane snorted.

"Not that." Alex once more placed his hand on the metal. "It's... Well, just come look at it closer. The metal is thin and light, enough that it didn't sink, but tough as all hell. I'm clueless as to what it's even made of, but it'd have to be something expensive. Figure even if it is empty, I could sell it to someone to reuse or as a neat art piece."

Jane frowned as she got a closer look at it. "Yeah, it is a little weird-" She was cut off when her palm lightly touched the surface, her eyes meeting the gaze of her reflection.

A bright blue glow streamed out from where her hand touched it, and she jerked it away, stepping back. A loud buzzing noise suddenly filled the garage, and Alex instinctively threw himself in front of his wife. The noise finally died down, and with a faint click, a line appeared across the ball, going perfectly around it. Suddenly, the thing was split in two from top to bottom, the top half lifting up on a hinge.

"What happened?" Jane asked.

A bright blue light burst forth from the now opened ball, and Alex stood there, his eyes wider than they had ever been. "It's-" He stuttered for several seconds in shock.

Jane was frozen to the spot for several seconds, unable to see past her husband. "What's in it?" She squeaked out. Then she heard it. The cries of a baby finally registered with her. She stormed past her husband and saw it. Resting within the strange metal container, a young baby girl was crying.

Slowly, gently, Jane pulled the baby out of the container. Alex stepped closer to it, a surreal feeling washing over him. "H- How!" He said, disbelief clear in his voice. "I mean, that thing was closed for several days straight. It was in the water- I shook it, and I... It couldn't have been in there before?"

"Shh," Jane whispered, though if she was talking to him or the baby he didn't know, as she gently rocked the child. "It's okay, it's okay."

Alex looked down at the baby's face, piercing blue eyes meeting him. The same set of eyes his wife had. And its black hair was already a little messy and curled like his own. The crying died down, replaced with soft giggles, and Alex made his mind up.

After hastily covering the metal ball with a tarp, they moved to the living room. As soon as they had taken the child out of it, the thing had sealed back shut, and they'd been unable to get it to reopen once more.

"I don't think anyone's coming for her." Alex sighed. He honestly didn't know what he had been expecting when he saw the child. Part of him kept waiting for the shoe to drop, for the guys in suits to bust in and announce they needed her, but seconds turned to minutes, which turned to a few hours.

"Does it matter?" Jane asked softly, though her voice had a tone of mild venom. If she found the monster that placed a baby in a container and dunked it in the ocean, she didn't know what she'd do to them.

Jane sat across from him, holding the child which had finally managed to fall asleep once she wrapped it up tight in a blanket and rocketed it gently back and forth. "I don't think the child was in there..." He muttered quietly.

"What?"

"I told you already, I shook that thing so damn much that if there had been a child in there- Not to mention the freezing cold... I'm certain that thing was empty. Whatever it was, that baby just appeared." His nerves jumped at the slightest noise as he waited for the shoe to drop.

"That glow..." Jane looked down at the child. She was unsure what to think. Those eyes, just as blue as hers, melted her heart, though.

"What happens now?" Alex asked, softly collapsing onto the couch next to her.

"You're talking about getting rid of her, aren't you?" Jane asked, causing him to wince. "You want to hand her over to an orphanage or to whoever put her in that thing."

"I didn't say that."

"You thought it, though."

Alex sat there quietly. He couldn't help but crack a half smile when he realized his wife was still glaring at him. "We're going to need to fabricate something if we go through with this." He chuckled. "We need a birth certificate for her. And a damn good story for your parents and mine."

Jane smiled down at the child. Her smile faded, though, when she saw the faint lines of smoke that began to pour out of the child's mouth. She stood up quickly, causing the baby to shake and jerk, and much to Jane's horror, the blanket the child was wrapped in came undone, and it slipped right out.

Alex jumped forward, wrapping his arms around the child just in time as he crashed to the floor. He barely had time to move his head out of the way as the child made some sort of loud burping sound. That was when it happened. The smoke exploded forth, followed by a wave of hellish fire that blasted through the roof of their house and high into the sky!

Jane covered her head, and Alex stared with wide, stunned eyes as the fire slowly began to die out from the child's mouth. The baby let out a giggle, staring up at the blue sky above her, through the hole she had created.

"Jesus..." Alex whispered, staring up at the roof.

Jane blinked a few times slowly processing everything she was looking at. "Raising a kid might be harder than we thought."

***

"Hope!"

Her eyes shot open, staring up at the sky above, and she realized she had blacked out. For how long, she didn't know. Everything was blurry, and her face ached. If she had to guess, the man had likely sucker punched her on reflex.

Man? That was when her mind came back to her as she remembered what was happening moments ago. "Aw, damn." She groaned, pushing herself up slowly and looking around. She was still in the maze of iron, and it didn't look like they had been moved yet. She was likely only knocked out for a few seconds, or minutes at most if she had to guess.

The leader was cursing. "Damaged the goods by mistake. Crazy girl." She groaned and tried to sit up, seeing Kyle was already on the ground, tackled by one of the men. "Yo, Toni drug her up before she hurts herself any worse. Know a guy that's into the whole broken nose look, but I'd rather not sell to him."

A set of arms wrapped around her, and she fully snapped awake, trying to rip her way out of the hold, shaking her head. She felt a pain in her chest from how hard her heart was beating, and for a second, she thought it was some sort of heart attack, but rather, it was closer to her lungs. She was breathing heavily, panting even, as she realized that this was a panic attack.

The man who grabbed her was too strong for her to break out of his grip, even with only one arm wrapped around her. His free hand went to his pocket, and he pulled out a used needle filled with some sort of clear liquid. She tried to scream and thrash, but he ignored her. The pain got worse as he cranked her head up and forced her to look up at the big blue sky up ahead. Then, a sharp pain in her neck as the needle broke skin.

This was the moment in comics, right? This was the moment a superhero would swoop in and save her. She waited for the Victorian to come crashing down, but she never did. Instead, all Hope felt was exhaustion as her veins burned and her eyes began to grow heavy. Words slurred around her, and she couldn't focus.

Far, far away, at the very edge of the city, unknown to Hope nor anyone there, in a storage locker that held the last of the Lauren junk from their old home, a large metallic ball, covered by a tarp began to give off a faint blue light. 'Authorization accepted.'

"Uh, boss... The needle broke?"

"What?" The leader of the gang sighed and turned to look at his friend, who was showing off the needle he had tried to stab into the girl. It was twisted. It never actually broke past her skin. The leader frowned feeling suddenly very uneasy. "Why did it... Oh crap! She's a Super! She has- Look out!"

The thug looked down at the girl in his arms when noticed she had stopped twitching. Hope looked at him, calmly wrapping her hand around his wrist. Then she squeezed.

There was a hideous sound of cracking bone, and the thug screamed in pain as his wrist shattered. He fell to his knees, gasping, and she smashed an elbow into the top of his head as hard as she could, downing him. He collapsed into a heap, occasionally shifting with a groan.

"Shit! She's got powers-" The leader made for his gun, but Hope dove at him, grabbing it and ripping it out of his hands hard enough to break several of his fingers and make him yell. He stumbled back as the other thug, who had apparently let go of Kyle, suddenly jumped her with his bat.

He pulled his weapon back and swung it as hard as he could directly into her face. Or at least he tried, but he only found himself hitting air as she crouched low. Her hands flew out, and she pushed him as hard as she could. The force of it kicked him high into the air, and he crashed several feet away with a loud cry of pain.

He was back on his feet, legs shaking as he stared at her. Seemingly making up his mind, he dropped the bat and fled from the teenager. She might have given chase if not for the fact that the leader had managed to fish a knife out of his pocket. She turned just in time for him to scream and stab it directly into her neck with his good hand.

The sound the knife made as the metal bent and broke on her throat was enough to fill the guy's eyes with tears, and she almost chuckled. "Please, don't-"

She smashed a fist into his face as hard as she could, and he was out cold. She breathed heavily, feeling as if her heart was about to explode as she rubbed at her neck. The world had become so clear to her. She was seeing better than when her glasses had first broken.

"What?" The voice of Kyle caused a chill to go through her, and she turned, finding the boy staring at her with wide shocked filled eyes as he clutched at his bloody nose. "What the hell just happened?"

Before she could even attempt to come up with a good answer, there was a groan as Kevin slowly pushed himself up, turning and staring at her bloody form. He blinked a few times, then blacked out from shock.

Kyle bent down to help the knocked-out boy. "How did you do that, Hope?"

"I have to go."

"Huh-" Before he could even process it, she was already running down the alleyway at a speed he knew he wouldn't be able to catch up to. He sighed and slowly grabbed his phone from one of the thugs, dialing a number. "Hey, Rowan. Yeah, you were right about her. She has powers."