The Technopath (Powers, Masks & Capes #1)

I was always the nurture rather than nature kind of person. Had to be, if I had to admit it to myself. You don’t grow up with the background that I did and not hope that it was all about how you were brought up, rather than who you came from.

Then the Change happened. The Awakening. The Rebirth. You could pick a half-dozen other terms that have been used over the years, ever since humanity realised that those occasional weirdos who turned up in history books or the news had become a regular occurrence.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Sorry, I’ve never done a confession before. And sure, I know you’re more interested in the proximate reason why I ended up destroying a half a dozen city blocks than the remote reasons, but this is my story. So give me a few seconds, let me get used to being in handcuffs again. And let me get this confession on the road.

So, where was I?

***

Nurture, not nature. Right.

Aunt Roberta was the best. Even if they dumped me in her one bedroom apartment when she was thirty four and I was three, she never once complained about me upsetting her life. Just got on with taking care of me, in-between partying it up and breaking through glass ceilings. Lead salesperson at the paper manufacturing plant she was in, beating all the records that her male colleagues ever set until they gave in and made her the Sales Manager. It was she who showed me that you could be a woman, hot and an ass-kicker. I just kind of wish I had her legs…

As for my mom, well, I never knew her. I mean, I knew of her, but I never knew her, you know? She never took the time to visit and Aunt Roberta never told me who she was till I was old enough to keep the secret. And then, of course, mom was killed in the Battle for Philadelphia in ’07. Never did get why she was there. It wasn’t her usual style.
Huh. You’re right. Maybe I’ll ask the Swarm.

Anyway, nurture not nature. I grew up normal, you know? Maybe I got into a few more fights than normal, but having an opinion and being willing to share it didn’t always sit well with others. It didn’t matter, it wasn’t that bad. Kids are kids, you know and shouting at one another, getting into fights, it was all kind of fun.

And then…
Then the Change happened.

I remembered it, remembered how it was just another Saturday. I was getting ready for work – bagging groceries if you have to know. Aunt Roberta always felt it was important I learn how the world worked early on, so a job it was as a teenager. One second, I’m slipping on the store’s uniformed polo shirt and the next, I’m smelling frying circuity. Only realised later that was me. My skin blistered, the nerves in my body feeling like lightning had been shoved down them. My muscles spasmed and locked up, and I remember falling and then twitching on the ground.

Thankfully, the entire Change hurt so much that my body blanked itself out well before I became a raving lunatic.
Way I hear it, that’s not always the case for everyone when they Change. The Change, when it activates, creates a cascade effect all through the body. Which means all your genes, all your cells turn on and mutate at the same time, as they attempt to transform into whatever new configuration it needs. It’s all a nice way of saying you go from normal human to supe in one long, agonising moment.
By the time I woke up, Aunt Roberta had me in the hospital. The anti-septic, overly sterilised smell was not something I wanted to wake to, nor was the constant buzzing. As I managed to get one eye open, I found myself staring blearily around.

“Jane! What happened? What did you do?” Aunt Roberta practically shouted the questions at me.
“I don’t know.” I touched my head, found a bandage on it and frowned. That was also when I saw what had happened to my skin. The way the skin branched out with burns, the Lichtenberg scars mixed with the glint of silver and steel was – is – quite a sight.

I might have screamed. There might have been a breakdown or two. And yeah, if I had realised it, if I had paid attention, I might have caught the first hints of my Power. The way the lights flickered, the medical equipment went on a fritz. But it wasn’t exactly what I had been paying attention to at that time. Especially when I managed to stagger to my feet and catch sight of myself in the mirror.

Release Date: 17. November 2020

Pages: 45

Genre: Superhero Fantasy

eBook ISBN: 9781989994573

Language: English

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