Phoenix Part 8

Omna Pov

On the off chance that I could sleep, sometimes I would have this nightmare. It didn't matter if it was a drowning Girder or a falling Julia. Every time it was always the same. I would try to reach out, but it would always be the same, some invisible chain or force. My friends would meet their vicious end while I was sitting there powerless, all because I wasn't strong enough to break out, I wasn't brave enough to risk it all, I wasn't fast enough to reach out in time. The only difference is that now my nightmare has turned into reality.

After the umpteenth punch against Julia's resolute barrier, I decided to stop, not so much from the bruised knuckle but more so with the way I am now; speed, strength, and flight all were as effective as the other. And ever since the power fluctuations started, I haven't been able to access "that" mode for a while. This means all I could do was pace and think spastically, knowing well every second I waste is a second that could mean the death of dozens. Amid said, pacing, my eyes quickly darted back to my costume. I could almost hear the call from said garb as various voices and questions attacked my mind, weighing me down to the point where I finally stopped, slinking down and curling against the barrier. In that private moment, I realized how infuriating it all seemed. Because somehow, I'm still suffering from getting what I've always wanted since the day I was born.

Despite the seemingly fantastical abilities that have only gotten stronger since the New Wave, we seem to forget one crucial fact. We were all born with what is effectively a disease. And like any disease, human beings can have genetic differences that make them immune. I guess you can say that I drew the genetic jackpot then because somehow, my cells had missed the genetic memo that made me recessive to the earlier virus. I could just imagine the looks on their faces when they learned the truth.

My parents honestly tried their best to make it sting less, whether it was some wacky hoverboard, exo-suit, or the simple fact that they wore civilian clothes while in the house. But no matter what they said, it didn't change the truth. In this century of superhumans and superpowers, normal wasn't normal anymore. And if Krimo perfectly represented the divide of those who didn't fit the impossible mold, then you can imagine how well it accommodates 10% of the world's population.

When I was still a tyke, my parents would take me almost everywhere, taking pride in my condition and bringing more awareness to the situation. But for every genuine kind comment, I was also clapped back by faux compassion and genuine cruelty.

"Cripple, disabled, powerless, worthless!"

Some days, it got so bad that my parents eventually decided to cut all losses and homeschool me. However, despite all of that, my spirit didn't break. No, those words emboldened me, which is why I begged my parents to let me into high school.

"Please, mom and dad, let me go to school; I'm not afraid of the bullies or the naysayers. I want to show everybody that I'm just like them. I want to do what you want, I want to spread your message, I want to be a hero," I said desperately.

Eventually, they relented as soon as I went to high school, hoping to make a difference, but reality decided to prove me wrong consistently. I made my mark, don't' you worry, Timothy grew a spine, and Julia became my best friend. But through that school, I realized more about the world. Most people weren't outright malicious, just people with brittle fear and ego as we try to live life. And in this century, we are so afraid that we can't even show the humanity this planet once shared because we lack the power. With all my being, I showed that people didn't have to be afraid with the inner strength we all have.

But once again, reality decided to come crashing down in my beliefs. A couple of years ago, the government tried to give Krimo another shot at redemption through another relief program. Except like so many other times, that program turned deadly. If all had gone well, then Krimo would've had a brand spanking new Photonic Core, bathing the city in enough clean energy to power it for at least a decade. But, unfortunately, while the core did work just fine, the capacitor was a different story. To this day, I don't know what happened; some have said it was just experimental technology, others say Mayor Blakk had tampered with the device to save some cash. Either way, hours after the opening installation, the machine held into a full-on meltdown. I still remember the incident as clearly as day.

I enjoyed some pork fried rice at the grand opening when Julia protected me from a blast of photonic lightning before I even knew it. From there, the entire grand opening turned into mass panic. People trampled overs, and soon enough, it seemed every hero in Krimo was on the scene as the blasts became more powerful by the second. Julia and I tried our best to make the HQ a temporary shelter for the destroyed establishments. Chaotic hours passed by like a kaleidoscope, but I didn't dare stop, answering every call while not even having time to breathe. But every time I tended to, there was always this look about them.

That look of fear and frustration, the look of expectation that followed with every person I talked with. It was around then that I realized the true scope of it all. My parents and I were in 2 completely worlds this entire time, and no amount of goodwill is ever going to change that. So when they asked me to be strong as they hugged me and told me how much they loved me before saying goodbye, it felt like I was an ant amongst giants amid a hurricane.

And that turbulent storm finally ended when my parents combined their powers to have the core blow up in the upper atmosphere. The worst part was I couldn't even grieve appropriately because what came after scarred Krimo's core to this day. The news tried to call it by different names, but everyone in Krimo called it the AfterShock. The resulting heat and power from the explosion were so intense that it superheated the air to the point where Krimo got hit with torrential showers. The feedback also kept large portions of the city without power. Overnight what little order Krimo had vanished, turning into an archaic horror that I was in the middle of.

For months on end, I used every resource at my family's disposal to fund relief efforts, make shelters and save lives. Yet, for every one out of ten lives I saved, that same look of expectation was there. Even with Julia's attempts to let me cope and vent, I couldn't escape those calls, those eyes that haunted my very soul. And amid those ever-present stares, I had a breakthrough. A breakthrough that showed me that I wasn't enough and that to convey my inner strength, I had to show the real thing no matter what. It was the only way to answer those calls. Lucky for me, I was in just the right location for that.

Over the decades, facts and figures on superpowers are still getting updated every day. Unfortunately, this also extends itself to the manipulation of them. Rev has already proven they can get amped up, and the dark web has thousands of loose conspiracy theories or primitive tests on everything from superpowered transference to harvesting.

But I know to be the hero everybody needs, I had to take it one step farther. So using my resources and various crime files from my parents, I tracked down the most hardened criminals and unethical scientists in the country for a one-of-a-kind procedure that'll make history. I paid them more than enough money to give me all the power I could've ever needed.

Julia and I argued back and forth for weeks as Krimo burned around us, talk of recessive traits, life-threatening consequences, and simply impossibility lashed out that night. Yet against all odds, this was one argument that I won, so long as Julia stayed throughout the entire 96-hour operation. Of course, I got drugged throughout the entire operation, but Julia, in gracious detail, told me what happened near the end of it.

From there, all I could experience was flashes of intense pain and bloodied limbs as Julia explained how she stopped the operation prematurely, telling me how it went south by the tail end. I don't know whether or not she was lying or telling the truth to this day. Hell, I don't even know if my fluctuations result from my natural body or that critical moment, but it didn't matter. Because in due time, I got my powers. Starting was difficult, to say the least, but once I remembered my parent's experiences with their respective powers and got to work.

Three principles effectively fuel those lessons. But through my training and the years, I guess I always knew instinctively that there would be this divide, this stress that powers that would always make them feel artificial.

Eventually, when I was ready, I stepped out into the world and made my mark. I ended the aftereffects of Aftershock within a couple of months, and the rest, as you say, was history as Omna became known to the world. But now we are in the present, where it seems that I can't escape the woman I once was.

Maybe this is just the price to pay for holding on too long to power too great to handle. Perhaps I really am just one per-. Before I could even finish that thought, I promptly slapped myself in the face. Because this isn't the time to focus on my failings, lives are on the line, and time is running out. Think, Omna, think.

At that moment, a flash of inspiration came forth. It was so risky that even my reckless self nearly wavered, wondering how my artificial powers would react to such stimuli. Emphasis on the nearly though as after I equipped my laid out costume I took the vial of Rev. In my hand, it felt heavier than when I lifted an entire building. Once again, fear claimed my throat begging me to stop. But I removed my fear because there was a call to answer, and tonight I had to rise like the phoenix itself.

So in one swig, I took the vial for all it's worth. That drink quickly turned forceful as I defiantly covered my mouth to prevent any chance of throwing it back up. Once I wrestled down the thick liquid, my body instantly felt the effects.

Like a boiling kettle, I felt every one of my five powers rise to levels I hadn't seen in months. Like an extra shot of adrenaline, my blood boiled, my heart raced, and neurons fired at speeds unparalleled. Then, the spasms started to happen again, swirling wind and lightning along with spasming muscles ripe with golden. My senses were almost completely overloaded, but I still managed to control the power inside and let out in my fifth and final mode before I knew the entire barrier completely shattered amid said power.