The next day came sooner than expected. It was finally the day I would meet the best scientist the world had ever seen Greg Mandoff.
Hopefully, he could figure out why I didn't have powers... if there was any reason at all.
Julie and her friends had joined us. She claimed Greg had a tendency to get *overexcited* when he came across rare biological research like me.
"Mr. Tyrone Smith," a loud voice echoed through the hallways of Jupiter's moon the greatest science laboratory in the world. "You can come in. We are ready for you."
It was Greg. A tall white man with glasses, medium build, and a curious glint in his eyes.
Stormblade, Julie, and the rest followed behind me, but they were stopped at the door.
"Um, sorry, you guys can't come in. This is supposed to be a personal test," Greg said, adjusting his glasses. "Once it's done, we'll give you a full report."
"Fine by me," Stormblade replied, folding his arms. "But don't even think about trying any funny business."
Back on Earth...
"Guys, this internship has drained me! I'm so exhausted," James shouted over the phone.
"Yeah, we all are," Robert said. "Especially with three of us working under Azure Guild. Phil's under Speedy, and Bruce you're under Nightclaw, right?"
"Ugh, yeah," Bruce groaned. "Lena Voss from our class? Turns out Nightclaw's her dad. And she's been working me."
"I made a major drug bust today," Phil added. "One of the top criminals got arrested and all I did was open the van door."
"Can we not talk about work?" Mike said. "I made a bedtime for myself after sparring with Sage. My butt still hurts."
"Okay, listen," Robert continued. "I called you all because we need to talk about what happened a few days ago. The Rank Designation…"
"Oh yeah!" James said. "I even saw myself on the news. My girlfriend was proud."
"You have a girlfriend?" Robert asked, raising a brow.
"Wait is it Emily?" Mike said. "The one from the physics seminar?"
"Let's move on," James coughed awkwardly. "Rob, what were you saying?"
"We'll deal with you later," Phil snickered, Bruce trying to contain his laughter as everyone burst out.
"Alright, back to the point," Robert said. "We have a mission. We need to find out who that hooded figure was and what his motive behind the attack was."
Back in the Lab...
"Okay," I said, turning to Greg. "So how are we doing this?"
"Place your palm on that big round object," he replied.
"Isn't that the one they used to measure our ranks during the exam? I'm pretty sure I came out as Null that day."
Greg smiled faintly. "This one isn't for measuring ranks. It's for running a full diagnosis on your body. We need to understand your entire genetic structure."
"Great," I muttered as I lay down on the transparent board. "Please don't blow me up."
I looked around the lab. It was massive wires everywhere, machines humming, scientists buzzing around like bees in every nook and cranny.
"I'm back now," Greg announced. "This next part may feel… a bit weird, but it'll help relieve stress."
He activated the machine. A pole began to move up and down my back, sending mild pulses that made me twitch.
Over the next hour, the test continued and it felt like a battle between two forces inside me, wrestling for control.
Suddenly, a female scientist's voice broke through. "Tyrone, we're ready."
She gestured to a platform where multiple glowing rings intertwined with one another.
"So, I just step in?" I asked.
"It will"
"Take me on a journey showing my past and future so you can analyze how those moments affect my brain," I cut in. "Relax, I've watched Wheel of Time."
Everyone looked at me, stunned.
I stepped into the rings... and began to float. My head spun.
"Vitals stable. Begin sequence," someone said from outside.
And then
I was somewhere else.
Before me stood the being from my dreams—a being of pure light shaped like a knight, a radiant sword in its hand.
"Who are you?" I asked, dazed.
"I am Sentient the embodiment of the Sentient Zone. I am here to serve you, Master."
"Master?" I blinked. "I'm not the master of sh\*t... but okay, I'll play along. Can I ask you something?"
"Yes. But only one question."
"Why don't I have powers?" I asked without hesitation.
Sentient touched my chest. Light exploded from within me. I heard a loud crack.
And then I woke up.
The lab was a mess. Scientists stood frozen, staring at me in fear, confusion, and awe.
"What… happened?" I asked.
"Y-You happened," Greg stammered, adjusting his glasses. "Step into my office. Now."
I followed.
Once we were inside, he screamed, "WHAT!?" then broke into a huge grin, barely holding himself together.
"Tyrone Smith… you might just be the greatest physical specimen I've ever seen."
"Okay… weird way to say it," I muttered.
"S-Sorry! Let me explain. It happened about five minutes into the process. We were testing the ring's effects on your brain. It's not every day we get to use something like that."
"I'm gonna pretend you didn't say that," I muttered. *He used me as a lab rat…*
"I went out to check the scan results," Greg continued. "Then I heard a loud CRACK from the lab. I came in, and you were *glowing*. So bright no one could look at you. The energy started pushing everyone back. The lab turned into chaos."
"So… what are you saying?"
"What I'm saying is you were never powerless. In fact, I think… I may have doomed the world by helping you."
"What?" I said, standing up straight. "Doomed?"
"There's a device called The Titan," Greg said gravely. "No one knows who built it. It was used back when superpowered beings first appeared."
"The Titan?" Stormblade stepped in. "You mean the superpower suppression device? I told you to report everything, Greg."
Meanwhile, outside the lab, a hooded figure listened in silence.
"…Sir," the voice on his communicator whispered. "I just called to tell you we have a problem.
The Titan is breaking."