Origin 5

Miriam gasped as Tora broke down in tears in front of her. Her hand hurt as Tora held her tightly, crying with her head on Miriam's lap. It was the first time Tora called her 'mommy' as if she had reverted to a child. Tears fell from Miriam's eyes as her heart grew heavy at the sight of her daughter's anguish.

Miriam passed her hand on Tora's back. "Tor, it's okay. It's alright, baby. Mommy's here. Mommy's here, and she'll never leave you." Her voice dropped to a whisper as she held Tora tightly. "I promise that I will never abandon you." She hugged Tora as she continued to cry on her lap. With one hand under Tora's chin, she stroked Tora's hair with her other hand, letting Tora weep without restraint.

Miriam inhaled a shaky breath as she cried. "Mommy's not going anywhere." She said one last time.

Miriam kept Tora close until she fell asleep on her lap. Miriam looked down at Tora as she slept, her eyes red and swollen from the tears she shed only minutes earlier. She released a sigh before she sat back with her head against the couch.

'My daughter is from another planet,' she thought. She touched Tora's hair, pulling on the soft coils at sprung back in their original shape. She thought of Tora's beautiful grey eyes before an image of Tora with silver eyes and hair appeared in her mind. She smiled. She said, "Jor, how I wish you could be here today. Our daughter is more amazing than either of us thought. How beautiful would she look with those eyes and hair."

Miriam moved, carefully lifting Tora's head, placing a pillow below it before she stood off the couch.

Miriam left the office feeling quite fatigued. She wiped her eyes as she had also cried when she witnessed Tora's anxiety over her identity.

Miriam knew Tora carried some baggage due to her biological parents since her childhood. Still, Tora never outwardly displayed her inner emotional turmoil. Miriam grew worried as she feared Tora's trauma would, one day, surface in a self-destructive manner. How her heart stung as she almost could not find the words to comfort Tora in her sorrowful state.

Miriam entered the living room and said, "Darren, take Tora to bed. She fell asleep."

Darren nodded and walked in the direction of the study.

As Miriam took a seat beside Nathan, she sighed heavily, placing her hands over her eyes. She could feel the eyes of Nathan and Matt, who was preparing lunch in the kitchen. "So, what are you guys thinking? Is this possible?... I mean, I know it's possible since she's here. Is it feasible that she comes from another planet thousands of light-years away, on the other side of the galaxy? How did she get here?"

"It is feasible. We've been wondering how alien races have been able to reach Earth from their planets when it takes us years to reach the outer rim of our solar system," Nathan said.

Matt moved from the kitchen. "Scientists have been making hypotheses about faster-than-lightspeed space travel for centuries. It was ten years ago we discovered Hyperspace. During a solar flare, a satellite was launched through a wormhole that had remained hidden beyond Mars' orbit. The satellite went through Hyperspace, sending several pictures back before it stopped transmitting. Hyperspace is theorized to be a dimension beyond space and time, where there is almost no speed limit, and the laws of physics do not apply."

"So, she must've gone through Hyperspace to reach here in a short time. She said her father placed her in stasis, so she didn't know anything about the travel until she woke up on Earth,"

Miriam placed her hands on her thighs as she looked at Nathan just as Darren returned to the living room. "Enough about Tora. What about Darren? He's the reason we're here."

"I want to learn the extent of these powers." Darren looked down at his hands. He clenched his fists as they started to glow red again. "After hearing Tora's story, I can see that these powers have great potential. I might exhibit super-strength and super-speed. My senses will grow more sensitive, and I will be able to release a manner of different types of radiation. I know it will be dangerous, and I want to be able to control it."

All his life, Darren wanted nothing more than to be super. He believed that having superpowers would allow him to save people just as someone else had saved him. It had always been his dream. As he grew older, he wanted to join Rouen, as it was a company that used supers freely for the good of the American people. Or so he thought. Not long ago, he discovered that they were bullies, threatening behind the scenes the very people they protected in the public eye.

Darren had never been a greedy person. He was always content with whatever he had.

Rouen, and other Supers management companies, were monopolizing the aid they could give to people. Unless there were money and publicity involved, they would not send their products - their Supers - to battle.

How many people could have been saved if helping others had not become a commodity? When the power to help others became something that can be bought, those who cannot afford it will perish. He did not want that. Although he ignored the atrocities he discovered, he became filled with shame after speaking with Miriam.

He was afraid. He was not just fearful for his safety, but because he knew that justice would not be served. Large companies like Rouen had the tendency to get away with circumnavigating laws because they had money that put the government in their pockets. Even if evidence came to light, Rouen could deny everything and counter-sue for defamation. He was afraid of them.

Yet, Tora overcame her fear. Although Tora was temperamental at times, most times, she was quite patient, bidding her time before retaliating against anyone who dared to cross her. She was absolutely the right person to challenge Rouen. She would only take action once she had Rouen cornered and all the evidence she needed in the hands of the authorities.

In the meantime, he needed to protect her. He could use his new powers to protect her.

Darren raised his head up to look at Nathan, Miriam, and Matt as he let his hands fall to his side. "Please help me."

Nathan shook his head solemnly. "I wish I could help, but I don't have the equipment necessary to test your physical capabilities." He placed his hands on his chin. "I think I know someone who can help us, but I'll have to tell her about you so she can accommodate you."

"Who?" Darren asked.

"Alesia Wang-Haines."

Darren and Miriam's jaws dropped the moment they heard the name of the most renowned young woman of the millennia.