super-powers Beware the Uncorrupted (Epilogue Added 05/28/22)

[dredlifter]

Such a great story, and so unique.  You could post this on any sci-fi forum and it would get just as good reception.  

[Ro20316]

On 11/13/2021 at 6:08 PM, Philosopher said:

A world infected with a trans-human bug. A company of evil and greed having successfully contaminated the majority of humanity with a novel virus capable of unlocking the true potential hidden inside all. I saw a handsome man with grey eyes, nearly insane with envy and lust, preparing to choose between the two. Once and for all.

Yasssssssss.

The multiverse exist within your stories.

Man, i love this. I absolutely do.

The way he wants everything to be okay yet he knows it's not his reality.

The director consumed by her actions and being part of tje infinite void. 

I love this.

[Philosopher]

Last chapter! Yay! Sorry for any typos!

I can't wait to start my next story.

Anyways, enjoy!

EPILOGUE

“You’ve got mail!” a sudden noise woke me up. I groaned as I pulled my bed-sheets tighter, begging the world to let me stay in the black void for a few more minutes.

“You’ve got mail!” the voice screeched again; this time louder. I groaned as I picked up a pillow and threw it towards its general direction. A small thump sound informed me that it had successfully hit its target, and I sighed, hoping that I could back go to my dreamless sleeping.

“YOU’VE GOT MAIL!” the voice roared for the third time, and I shrieked in surprise as my heartbeat increased to the realm of definitely-not-healthy.

I fucking hate my life.

With slow, lethargic movements, I got up from the bed, only to find that I was essentially sleeping in a pool of my own sweat. My bones ached as I willed my body forwards, the joints cracking and snapping with the sounds that only a ninety-year-old would produce. Still, I stretched my arms and legs as best as I could, mumbling some curses as I made way towards the infuriating laptop.

“YOU’VE GOT M-!” it yelled again, but I quickly pressed a button to make it finally shut up.

Christ, I think I will throw it out of the window next time it wakes me up like that.

Not that I had any money to afford a new one, but I wasn’t thinking straight these days. In fact, this day seemed to be a ‘good’ one, if you could even call it that. The medicine was not fogging up my brain as much as before.

Nevertheless, I started my morning routine and checked my emails, my eyes getting burned from the pale light emanating from the god-forsaken laptop.

[Therapy Reschedule / Patient 049: Good morning! I just wanted to let you know that I will have to re-arrange our 2 PM appointment to 5 PM due to the anniversary. To make up for that, the office has free cake today! Make sure to leave some room for the tastiest treat Seattle has ever seen.]

I sighed. Dr Pedigree was not a bad therapist, but once she opened her mouth, it was nearly impossible to make her shut up again. He thirty-minute monologues usually spanned half of my therapy session, though it wasn’t as bad as it sounded. Honestly, it was nice when she took her sweet time, as I hadn’t found therapy to be particularly helpful and I hated when neither of us spoke.

At least there will be cake.

A quick look at the full-body mirror next to the tower of take-out delivery further informed me that cake would definitely be a horrible idea. As my reflection met my green eyes, I almost chuckled seeing how much my body had changed in a year. Where biceps the size of watermelons once stood, the only thing that remained were some barely 15” oranges, a faint imitation of the brawn I once held. As my eyes fell further down, I saw the beginnings of a belly, the result of staying in bed all day and trying to drown my feelings away with pizza, kebabs, and other greasy food. Even my face had lost the definition it once had, with my cheekbones and jawline having somehow disappeared behind a thin but visible layer of fat. The sudden acne I was experiencing made everything laughably worse.

A flash of what I had once been dashed in my mind, and I forced my eyes shut, trying to expel the thought away.

A god.

A monster.

Once I opened them again, my eyes fell immediately on the massive scar directly in the middle of my torso. It was horrendous, a horrific shade of purple, as if my own flesh did not know how to properly heal my past wound. It still throbbed and burned, even though the doctors said that all damage had been completely healed, their eyes shooting me looks of disgust and contempt.

Not that I didn’t deserve it.

Needless to say, my once perfect figure, muscled beyond the wildest dreams of ancient gladiators and graced with the sinuous curves resembling Greek gods, was gone. The wondrous combination of indominable strength, flashing speed, and nigh invincibility that my body once possessed had now melted away in something that was utterly and irreparably ordinary. Even my height had diminished to what someone would call ‘tall’ at 6’2, as if losing everything already hadn’t been enough.

Everything. And everyone.

I tore my eyes away from the mirror. I couldn’t watch anymore, lest I wanted to fall into a spiral of depression that would take weeks to claw out from. I grabbed the cleanest clothes I could find from the floor and tried not to think about how stretched I would have once made them with my, now lost, titanic physique.

Besides, I had an appointment to be late to.

^ ^ ^

As I left my apartment, I couldn’t help but hold my breath for a few seconds as I tried my best to acclimate to Seattle’s new weather.

After the attack of the ‘Corruption’, as everyone would call it, tsunamis and hurricanes had come upon the city, called by the ultimate evil to wreak as much havoc as they could to the shores of the USA. Superheroes that had abilities to control clouds, water, and the weather in general had been teleported en masse, the government paying exorbitant amounts of money to other countries in order to save Washington from complete and utter annihilation.

The heroes had succeeded, at least partially. Only a quarter of the state had been lost to the sea, with permanent thunderstorms scarring the atmosphere and the earth itself, ensuring that nothing would ever been built again there. A myriad civilians had already been evacuated, and yet countless were lost, their bodies shallowed in the dark waters, never to be seen again.

Now, as I tried to breath the air, my nose cried in protest at the horrible stench of ozone permeating everything. The constant thunderstorms, only a few miles away, had continued to supercharge the air, and scientists concluded that they would dissipate in approximately three hundred years. Not even Unhumans seemed to have the power to dispel the storms, and so everyone would have to adapt to the smell, no matter how unpleasant it would become. Even worse, the same superheroes that had come to aid the city somehow found their powers slowly losing their potency, ensuring that the storms would stay here forever.

One year has passed. One year.

As I started walking towards downtown, I couldn’t help but look at all these people hurrying along their jobs and families. Most were wearing black, a new tradition that signalled a loss in the family. Even the minority who had not lost anyone seemed to be troubled and trigger-happy, perhaps having completely lost faith for what the future might bring.

The therapist had told me that cases of PTSD and survivors’ guilt had skyrocketed after the attack, and that with funds having been already spread too thin towards reconstruction, there simply weren’t enough doctors for everyone. Many people had turned to drugs and alcohol to cope with their demons, and admittingly, Seattle had skyrocketed in crime.

All the crime I tried to stop has now returned a million-fold.

A sudden memory bloomed in my mind. It was one autumn evening, when I had finished chasing two robbers who thought they could rob a jewelry store on my watch. They would run and run around the small alleys, shooting at me with their pathetic little guns. I could have caught them in the blink of an eye, and yet that day, I was bored. My job was becoming increasingly easy, and not even bullets really fazed me anymore, since my body was constantly adapting and… growing.

I was toying with them, flying behind them just a few feet and only giving them a single second of rest before I reappeared from the darkness and closed in the distance between us. By the end of the night, the two thugs had passed out from a combination of adrenaline and exhaustion, their hearts nearly giving up from the fear I had induced upon them.

The day after, I had met with Percy for brunch. God, his eyes would always sparkle when he saw me. He couldn’t help himself, and I remember feeling so happy when I saw him getting so excited to see me.

Was that the moment I started feeling something for him?

Not that it matters now.

As I told him what happened last night though, his eyes had lost that sparkle, instead becoming hard as a stone. I remember feeling fear that day, something that I had never felt for months.

“Do you know what a tragic flaw is?” he had then said, putting his sandwich leftovers on his plate. His eyes were staring deep into mine, as if he was trying to excavate my soul out of them.

“Not really. What’s gotten you so worked up?” I laughed as I grabbed the rest of the sandwich and gulped it down in one bite. I was so big and tall then, and anything I would eat would only work its way towards making me bigger.

“It is a weakness that every living being possesses. From animals, to humans, and even Unhumans. A scar that sometimes transcends physical boundaries, a tragic flaw that is usually seen as a poisonous thorn next to your soul,” he explained, bringing his hands on his eyes as he rubbed them. He seemed exhausted, though I knew he had trouble sleeping these days.

“But Percy, I am like, invincible, remember? I doubt there is anything on this planet that could actually harm me anymore. And even if there is, I will just adapt to it,” I smiled, patronizing him as I explained the sheer awesomeness of my power for the millionth time.

“I don’t mean a physical weakness. For example, my… tragic flaw is my low-self-esteem, I crave what other people have, but I don’t want to put the work in it,” he said, eyeing my body like I was suddenly made of chocolate. “But the thing is, I am trying to become better.”

“I am sure you will conquer your goals, little guy,” I smirked as I patted his hair down. To my surprise, his eyes grew colder.

“Do you know what yours is?”

I shook my head. My instincts were telling me to stop touching him, and so I did.

“Hubris. You are too full of yourself. You think you are invincible. I really hope you understand what I’m talking about, Sam, because if you don’t, your arrogance will be your downfall.”

He had seemed like a different person back then, one that, in some ways, had outgrown even me. Past me had not liked that. Not at all.

The memory dissipated as fast as it had arrived, and I found myself staring up at a security guard stationed before the new entrance of the temporary Province headquarters. This guy had to be at least six inches taller than me, with his suit doing little to hide the fact that has built like a brick-house.

“ID card please,” the man grumbled, his breath heavy and smelling like old coffee.

“Jack, I’ve been coming here almost every day. You don’t have to ask for my card every single time,” I tried to make a joke, but Jack just looked at me like I had grown a second head.

“Unhuman attacks are on the rise. You could be a shapeshifter or something. ID card. Please,” he stressed the last word as if he wouldn’t mind mopping the floor with me.

If I had my powers, I wouldn’t mind doing the same to him, but alas. I showed him the card and he let me go without any more trouble, and so I headed straight to the elevator, pressing the button for the twenty-fifth floor. Most of the other floors above it were still being repaired after the attack, so when the doors of the elevator slid open, I found myself navigating a sea of people, all trying their best to file through pages and pages of bureaucracy. Chaos would be an understatement, with countless accounts of lawful Unhumans reporting their loss of powers and criminal reports flooding the workers with tons of work.

Though, as I walked towards the therapists’ office, I couldn’t help but feel countless eyes stare on me. Some of the workers were afraid, while others were angry, their teeth straining against themselves. I still remembered the first time I dared to show my face here, and the bruise in my eye still hadn’t fully disappeared.

I knocked on Pedigree’s door, and she instantly opened it with a bright smile on her face. “Sam! Come in, come in! Here is the lovely cake I promised!” she said as she handed me a plate with the most basic-looking dessert I had ever seen in my life. It was drowned in blue frosting, but at least it appeared to be edible. “Sit down and enjoy yourself for a bit. I know that this day is hard on all of us, and especially you. So, you can talk whenever you want,” she sighed as she sat down her chair.

I spent the first fifteen minutes eating the cake, trying to avoid Dr Pedigree’s eyes. She kept staring at me with her usual smile, as if she know what I was thinking.

Eventually, I started speaking. I had learned the hard way that we could spend the entire session in silence, and she would not mind at all.

“The memorial is today,” I whispered, somehow afraid.

“I know,” she responded. “His sacrifice is something that not many people are aware of. Still, it must be so infuriating seeing that the public is unaware of who saved them.”

I nodded in agreement. “Julia invited me to go to the small ceremony they will hold for him at the local cemetery. She told me that all his family will be there, including his mom. Did you know that the Province decided to rescind her sentence?” I smirked, the cake doing nothing to overcome the bitterness I felt inside.

“I am aware. I also know that his father almost…” she stopped, looking over her notes, “turned you into stone when he heard the news? And when that failed, his brother tried to electrocute you?”

“Yeah. It’s not like I don’t deserve it, though.”

Dr Pedigree’s smile faded, just a little bit. “Sam, we have been over this. None of this was your fault. You couldn’t possibly know of the extended mental effects of the Corruption, how it was capable of re-writing your mind, your very essence in a way that even your powers could not overcome.”

I huffed in response, trying to hold back a laugh. “Maybe it’s time to update those files, doc.”

“What do you mean by that?” she asked, instantly grabbing a pen.

I stayed silent. I couldn’t possibly say to her that the Corruption’s hold on someone relied on the darkness one held in their hearts. It rooted itself in that dark part of the person and it let it grow without inhibition. Apparently, I had so much hidden darkness inside me that even that thing was delighted at how easy it had been to… convert me.

Eventually, she broke the ensuing silence. “In my opinion, I believe that you should go to the memorial. Perhaps you can avoid the family members, but I do genuinely think that you will achieve some kind of closure if you go.”

“You have to be kidding me,” I shook my head. “There is NO way. I don’t think I could handle it.”

“All I’m saying,” she started smiling again, “is that you can simply visit your friend’s grave for once in your life. You may think that it won’t help, but I have a feeling that it will… assist you in picking up the remnants of your life.”

Friend.

The rest of the session was spent in silence, and this time, I didn’t mind at all.

^ ^ ^

The new cemetery was surrounded by marble walls, which reflected the rays of the bright sun above Seattle. It was becoming increasingly rare for the sun to show itself, as the artificial clouds from the edges of the ruined parts of the state were continuing to bleed well into the city, heightened by the immense damage the ecosystem had suffered from the complete obliteration of Hawaii.

 Now, as I entered through the shining metal gates, I did my best to appear as non-threatening as possible. Countless families had gathered here, all of them mourning the loss of their loved ones from me-

No, stop it. It wasn’t your fault.

Yes, it was.

Okay, this wasn’t helping at all. Dr Pedigree would be disappointed, but I had to get out of here. I didn’t have the guts to face-

“Sam? You actually came?” a lithe hand grabbed mine. Startled, I instantly turned my back, only to breathe a sigh of relief when I saw Julia standing in front of me. She seemed surprised, but a small smile around her dimpled cheeks made me realise that she was happy I was here.

She was wearing a beautiful black dress, accentuating her thin but fit figure. It seemed that her running regime had really paid off. “Gosh, it’s been ages since we have seen each other face to face. How have you been?” she then brought me in for a hug and squeezed tight. “Have you gained weight?” she looked up to me when she realized that I wasn’t reciprocating the hug.

“Yup,” I tried to laugh it off, but Julia’s face was now polluted with the too-familiar element of worry. “I am fine, though. It’s just that without my powers, I can’t eat like a lion anymore. My metabolism is fucked up as well, so not everything is converted into muscle,” I admitted.

She stared me for a few seconds, and thankfully her smile returned. “Yeah. I must admit that when I felt my powers fading, I cried from happiness. You cannot imagine how it was, being semi-trapped in my own mind every single day. My power was literally overwhelming my brain with too much information, and…” she trailed off. “Anyways, Percy was the only person who understood, I think,” he smile disappeared for good this time. “I am so glad you are here, Sam. You know that he would want you to visit sometimes.”

The mention of his name sent a stream of cold sweat all over my back. I desperately tried to avert my eyes from drifting to the inside of the cemetery, but I couldn’t stop.

I had to see his family, all dressed in black. His mother, crying over the strong shoulder of his father. His brother, staring solemnly on the distance, avoiding looking at the small, grey headstone in front of them.

The stone itself had been made by his father and forged by his brother, though neither of them were really using their powers anymore. Not after Percy died. His own mother didn’t even get to see her little boy become the best superhero the world had ever seen.

“I still can’t believe that Unhumans are disappearing,” Julia continued the conversation, not realizing that I was beginning to hyperventilate. “Our powers are evaporating like steam now that the source behind our abilities is gone from this universe. What did the Province say? That they expect every Unhuman to gradually lose their abilities, until they become normal humans?”

“Yes,” I whispered in response. My hands were trembling, so I put them in my pockets so she wouldn’t notice. I could still see the faint scars on her neck and face, the result of my actions. Hell, her scars would probably never heal, and it was all my fault.

Your fault. Your mistake. Useless. Monster.

“Sam? Are you okay?” I felt her hand reach my face, and I pulled away.

“Yeah, I- I have to go,” I barely choked out before my body seized control, and I started running away.

^ ^ ^

I was almost ready to vomit by the time I made it outside my apartment. All notion of stamina and energy was effectively extracted from my body the same day that the Corruption had finally left me for good.

It took me a few minutes to catch my breath. Eventually, I sat down by the pavement, sweat dripping from my hair into my eyes. I blindly managed to pick out the pack of cigarettes from the pocket of my coat.

After a few huffs, I felt my heartbeat finally return to acceptable levels.

What am I going to do?

Nothing. I can’t do nothing.

Yes. Yes, you can.

I had to leave this town. I have to leave this state. I had to leave this country, or I would either go insane. Or something worse. The constant reminder of the destruction was etched everywhere, from the buildings to the people, and even the sky itself.

Hubris.

The worst part was that I would never see him again. I would never be able to beg for forgiveness. He was dead, and there was nothing more to it.

I took a few more drags. The cigarette quickly burned away, and I put it out with the sole of my shoe. I went and got another one as soon as I felt the anxiety return.

Fuck it. I am leaving this place. I just can’t handle this anymore.

Where are you going to go?

Anywhere else but here.

I looked up to the building and saw the tiny little shoe-box I once called home. I doubted I would be able to sell it for much, since the entire global economy was still in shambles, still desperately trying to recover from the attack and the universal loss of powers.

I had already called the city council to ask for someone to review the extend of the damage the apartment had received in its foundations. I could already see two people talking at the ceiling of the complex.

I was mildly surprised that the council was able to go through the paperwork and send a team so quickly. I tried to see how many people were at the rooftop, though my eyes couldn’t really gaze that far away anymore.

The only thing I could discern was that they were wearing some expensive suits.

“Not my concern,” I coughed as I chocked on the smoke from the cigarette.

Still. One of these guys looked awfully familiar.

^ ^ ^

“Is he… is he watching us?” I asked, not sure if we should hide away for the time being.

“No. Sam is currently powerless, and he will remain like that. We should go, though. I don’t like taking any unnecessary risks, and you’re still recovering.”

“I’m feeling peachy, thank you very much. Actually, the suit you gave me has really boosted up my energy. Is it some kind of hyper-advanced technology that the Library owns or something?” I asked Michael, touching the soft fabric of my suit. It was warm to the touch, and it sent light shivers up my hand.

“Not technology. Not really. Since the Library has limited access to the prime multiverse, we are able to visit certain universes and borrow certain materials. One would say that our suits are made of enchanted wool, but you will never hear me admitting that to the others,” Michael smiled. His entire face lit up, and my heart ached a bit. He was the epitome of beauty, and even Sam would have trouble matching up to him, especially these days. “Your suit is special. It is made to contain your aura and associated energies inside your body, making sure that the Corruption stays dormant.”

I laughed at the sound of that. The Corruption had been right, of course. I was the perfect vessel for it, bound together by some unseen and unfathomable laws of the universe. What it hadn’t realized, however, was that vessels are designed to contain something.

Not necessarily let it out.

“Does it hurt?” Michael asked, placing his strong paw of a hand on my shoulder like a concerned father.

“Not really. The scars buzz sometimes, but nothing like the first days you guys took me in.”

His grip relaxed a bit, and I turned to look at his angelic, dazzling smile. “That is good. Very good. As long as you don’t use your powers again, the Corruption should be safely contained within your body. This is far better than we originally hoped,” he added and finally let his hand go from my shoulder.

I thought about telling him that sometimes I felt as if something was crawling under my skin, but I had been in that damned excuse of a hospital wing for far too long. Ignoring him, I went on the edge of the roof and peered down again. Sam was smoking on a cigarette now, taking large huffs of the stuff and letting the smoke linger in his mouth. “He looks horrible. I have never seen him like that. Are you sure we can’t just, I don’t know, let him know? Nobody would believe him if he blurted out the truth anyways. At this point, even the leftovers of the Province is convinced that I am just a frozen corpse drifting in outer space.”

Michael shook his head in a way that I knew his decision was final. “I have told you multiple times that this isn’t how we run things. Becoming a Librarian isn’t just some part-time job, Percy. You are still in probation, and when I put you on the field, I need to know that you won’t have any… emotional tethers weighing you down. Our job is hard, brutal even. If you think that your universe is fucked up, then just wait until I tell you of the ones we have permanently cut off from the rest of the multiverse,” he said, almost whispering the last sentence.

I knew what he was talking about. In the brief moments where the Corruption was in full control, it had showed me glimpses of these sealed universes. I had seen an Earth split in two, one half frozen while the other bathed in fire. I saw a world where the Sun had been snuffed out like a candle, dooming humans in a slow extinction. I even saw an Earth that was in the process of being completely destroyed by a human of gargantuan proportions.

“In any case, I believe you are ready to join a team, rookie. They will take good care of you, make you into a proper Librarian,” Michael patted my head, before snapping his fingers. A second later, a white rectangular portal appeared behind us. “You have five more minutes. I have some important business to attend to, storing multiversal keystones and all that,” he winked as his muscular body started disappeared to the white ether.

“I swear to god, all that secrecy is insufferable,”  I mumbled as I breathed in the smog of Seattle. Even though it smelled horrible, the scent was nostalgic. Something in my guts told me to bask on this memory, as I would probably never smell it again.

I took a last peek from the roof.

Sam was still staring at me. I quickly looked behind me to make sure that Michael was gone, and then I ran back to the edge, giving Sam a small wave.

It took him a few seconds, but he waved back.

I chuckled as I walked towards the portal. My scars were buzzing again, but I didn’t care as I smiled with happiness I hadn’t felt in a long time. I knew it in my bones, in my guts, that I would meet him again. I would see Sam in the future, and we would be together again.

It would be perfect.

And if not, I would burn everything down to the ground, until nothing remained.

Together.

With that, I leaped into the milky void, ready to begin the next chapter of my life.

[cregssatx]

What an end to an amazing, unique, and epic story!  I cannot wait to see what your next story entails!  Thanks so much for sharing this with us!

[Wrestlejock646]

Agree with cregssatx, this was an epic journey and I'm so glad you were able to finish it off in a way that was so authentic. The story wasn't a happy one, in the usual sense and the ending was perfect for the overall tone of the previous chapters. Totally enjoyed and looked forward to every installment you posted!  I can't wait for the next story you share with us.

[dredlifter]

Excellent and Bittersweet

[DawnFire98]

On 5/28/2022 at 2:44 AM, Philosopher said:

I would see Sam in the future, and we would be together again.

It would be perfect.

And if not, I would burn everything down to the ground, until nothing remained.

Together.

With that, I leaped into the milky void, ready to begin the next chapter in my life.

This gave me chills.

This story was awesome from beginning to end. The plot was intricate, the world fascinated me and I came to love the different characters. Also: what I liked the most about the last chapter? The repercussions are still visible in either the characters or the world they inhabit.

I hope to see more incredible stories from you, @Philosopher (if you find the time and motivation, of course.) ❤

Greetings,

 DawnFire98 

[KeiraCooke]

This is the epitome of bittersweet, thank you so much for sharing this wonderful work of art with us. Now I'm gonna go cry because Sam and Percy never got together

[Ro20316]

Whata  fantastic ride this has been. 

The world end up in chaos but now the survivors are trying to restore it.

Sam and Percy never got a chance to be together in this end but im sure things are only starting back up for them.

Thank you for writting this amazing piece.

[Maxmuscle6670]

What a fantastic ride from start to end. This was so original and a breath of fresh air in the superhuman genre I loved it! Even though the ending was bittersweet, it also made a lot of sense. Can’t wait to see what you do next!