Of course, just because I decided to be a superhero didn't mean I was ready yet. Three questions were burning through my mind as I walked upstairs to my room with the rocket and cape in my arms.

How do I prepare to fight crime?

What should my costume be like?

What will be my alias?

I plopped down on my bed, sitting with my legs crossed as I put the items before me. I studied them, using the full range of the spectrum to try and learn about their nature. I noticed something that almost looked like a scroll inside the rocket, and decided to pull it out. As I unfurled it, I realized what it was.

"Seriously?" I muttered. "Microfilm?"

Of course, it was much tougher than normal microfilm, just like everything else Jor-El sent with me. I zoomed in with my vision and realized that there was a veritable library in there. Surprisingly enough, it was written in English. He must've really done his research on the planet before he sent me.

I put the microfilm back in the rocket and set it under my bed. I sat upright, wondering what my costume should be. I couldn't really go with white, that was Scion's thing. Part of me wanted to try to emulate Alexandria, she was my favorite Protectorate member. At the same time, though, I wanted to go my own direction with the costume. Perhaps there was something from the microfilm I could draw from?

Thankfully, there was a table of contents of sorts on the scroll, telling just how much I'd need to unfurl it to find a certain topic about Krypton. Sure enough, there was a section about cultural icons. I hurriedly unfurled the scroll, skimming over a vast array of subjects, then found the section. With growing anticipation I read into it, absorbing like a sponge what Jor-El had printed down.

As it turns out, Krypton never had capes like us. Their entire history was spent without worrying about powered-up psychos, or Endbringers, or any other crazy shit. I almost envied them for that. Briefly, I wondered what it would've been like to grow up on Krypton, going by the name of Zara. Then I realized that I would've never even heard of Dad, or Emma, or Mom. Maybe I would have been happier, but I didn't want to focus on something like maybe.

I brushed the thought away and continued reading. Though Krypton never had capes, they did have heroes of legend, just like us. Jor-El had even put pictures of them to look at. They were almost always dressed in some type of armor with the symbol of their house on the breastplate, as well as a nice cape. I glanced over at my own cape, the one with the "S" symbol on it. If what Jor-El said on the scroll was true, it was the emblem of the House of El. It was also a symbol of hope.

Hope. That was something that had been kinda beaten out of us by the Endbringers and Slaughterhouse Nine. Some people revered Scion as a bastion of hope, but even he seemed incapable of turning the tide, though he made things a whole lot better than they would've been without him. Could I be the shift in the balance? Jor-El had said that I would be stronger "than even the greatest of their champions". He seemed to know about capes, and yet he still said that. Just how tough was I?

I decided I could figure all of that tomorrow. I put the rocket and my cape under my bed, then went to sleep.

For the first time in a while, I dreamed.


S


"How are you doing?" Dad asked me as I settled down for breakfast.

"Better," I told him. I decided not to tell him that I was going to be a superhero. Besides, I had a feeling he already knew.

"I gave Alan a call, asking him about what happened."

I looked up from my cereal. "You did?" I asked weakly.

Dad nodded. "He's sorry about reacting like that. He kinda freaked out when you went ballistic against those thugs, but he's calmed down since yesterday and says he hopes he didn't hurt your feelings."

"That's good, I guess," I replied softly, playing with my cereal. It wasn't him I was worried about, not by a long shot. My mind raced back to that look of horror on Emma's face, and the spoon in my hand bent.

I suddenly became aware of another heartbeat near our house, as well as the sound of sneakered shoes pattering on the ground. A few seconds passed, then there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it," I told Dad, rising from my chair and heading over to the door. Even before I opened it I realized who it was behind the thin wooden panelling. That's another thing about having eyesight like mine, it's impossible to get surprises.

"Hi," Emma said sheepishly.


S


"So," I began, gently rocking on my bed, "how are you?"

"I'm fine," Emma replied, swinging back and forth on my swivel chair. "I have you to thank for that."

There was an awkward pause as we just looked at each other, thinking of something to say.

"Taylor," Emma began, "I'm... sorry for acting like that yesterday. It's just..." she trailed off, retreating back into silence.

"I understand," I replied. "I would've been scared if I were in your shoes, too."

Another pause.

"Something tells me the ABB's gonna stay away from mousy girls from now on," Emma half-heartedly joked.

I chuckled. It was a terrible joke, but I needed it at the time. Emma giggled a little as well, and soon we were practically rolling on the floor together. It felt good, laughing with her again, even if the joke sucked.

"So," Emma continued, trying to stifle some lingering giggles, "what are you going to do now? You're a cape, right?"

"Yes," I lied, deciding not to tell her I was actually an alien just yet. "I guess I am."

"Are you going to join the Wards?" Emma inquired. "That'd be pretty cool, wouldn't it?"

Admittedly, I hadn't considered it yet. I don't know why I didn't, it made perfect sense at the time. "Maybe," I replied. "I'm not sure just yet."

"Oh, come on," Emma said with mock exasperation, lounging back in her chair. "You have an Alexandria package! Just think how kickass a Wards member you'd be!"

I shrugged. "Don't they already have one?"

"Aegis? Yeah, he's a hunk," Emma replied dreamily. "But even he can't just do what you did. I mean, that dude's knife broke when he hit you with it. You could probably beat Aegis up with your pinky."

I scratched the back of my head absentmindedly. "My dad probably wouldn't want me to join in."

Emma shrugged. "Maybe you could become a solo hero. Sneak out at night and beat up bad guys. He doesn't have to know about it."

I considered what Emma said. On one hand, I could easily manage that. On the other, I didn't want to go behind my dad's back and keep on lying to him.

"I don't even know what powers I have," I finally said.

Emma grinned. "Let's go find out."


S


I stood before the hull of the beached ship, contemplating the thick steel plating. It was in good condition, even with a few years in the Graveyard to keep in mind. I pressed my hand against it, feeling the cool metal under my fingers.

"Come on! Punch it!" Emma shouted from a good distance away. That was my idea, I didn't want her to accidentally get hurt while I practiced.

I curled my hand into a fist, then pulled it back. Think about those gangbangers from yesterday, I told myself. Get angry. I could feel my temper rising just thinking about it. I took a deep breath, channeling that rage. Then, I clumsily swung forward with all of my strength.

I must admit, I was kinda surprised when my fist punched clean through the hull like it wasn't even there, burying my arm up to my shoulder in it. I pulled back, staring in shock at the grapefruit-sized hole I made.

"Holy shit," I muttered.

"What happened?" Emma inquired loudly. "Did you dent it?"

I didn't respond. I gripped the edge of the hole I made, then pulled. A massive steel plate bigger than me was wrenched free with the sound of popping rivets, and I held it in the air, weighing it in my hand. To my surprise, the plate didn't bend under its own weight when it should have. Another aspect of my powers, apparently. I tossed it a few feet away, trying to gauge how much effort it took. Not much, I learned.

"Holy crap!" Emma exclaimed, walking over. "That must weigh a few hundred pounds or something!" She grabbed at the plate, trying to lift it. Despite the obvious effort on her face, it didn't budge an inch.

"Come on, don't pull a muscle," I said, carefully grabbing the plate away from her. I hefted it in my hand, then crumpled it under my fingers. I took hold of it with both hands and began to casually fold it like I would a piece a paper, soon making a rough ball with it. Gently, I placed it back on the ground and dusted my hands off, admiring my handiwork.

"Jesus," Emma muttered. "You're, like, as strong as Alexandria." She cautiously tapped it with a sneakered toe. "Can you fly?"

"I don't think so," I replied, rolling the ball away from us with a casual tap of my own. "Wouldn't I know if I could?"

Emma shrugged. "How about jumping? You got strong legs, maybe you could jump really high."

I decided to test it out. "Stand back," I told Emma. She did as told, cautiously backpedaling ten feet away. I squatted down, bracing my leg muscles. Then, I jumped upwards. I rocketed into the air, going higher and higher. I squeaked when I looked down and realized that the boats in the Graveyard were suddenly looking much smaller than before. I squeaked again when I finally began to fall back down, quickly gaining speed. I tumbled through the air as I fell, then smashed into the ground face-first with a loud thump. I became aware of the sound of footsteps, then found myself being flipped over.

"Are you okay?!" Emma asked, looking very concerned.

I spat out a glob of wet sand. My mouth felt gritty. "Gross," I sputtered. I rose from the ground, spitting out residual grains of sand. "That wasn't very fun."

"Did it hurt?" Emma inquired.

"No," I replied. "It didn't."

"That's really cool," Emma said. "You fell a hundred feet and didn't even get a scratch!"

"My clothes are ruined, though," I replied.

"My dad's out at work right now, I can put them in the wash," Emma responded cheerfully.

I stretched, shaking more sand out of my hair. "That sounds good," I said.


S


"What's your costume gonna be like?" Emma asked, lounging back in her chair.

"Dunno," I replied, drying my hair. Emma had brought me some of her sister's old clothes while mine were in the wash. They fit well, but they showed more skin than I cared for. "I'm thinking about just going with something simple."

"You should go with blue," Emma said. "It would match with your eyes."

"Wouldn't I be wearing a mask?" I asked. "My eyes would be kinda hard to see."

"Oh come on," Emma groaned, walking over towards me. "Masks are so cliched. You should be like the New Wave guys and ditch them."

"People in the New Wave don't have to worry about thugs shooting up their friends and loved ones," I retorted. "I might be bulletproof, but you aren't. Neither is my dad."

Emma shrugged. "Maybe we could do some other stuff." For a few seconds she studied my face, then she removed my glasses. I hadn't the need to wear them since I was six, but I didn't want to garner attention by getting rid of them. "Can you see alright?"

I nodded. Emma folded my glasses and placed them on her desk, then went back to work. She pushed my hair back, moving it so it didn't cover my face. "You already look different," she said, grabbing for a mirror. "Look."

She was right. I really did look different. My face looked fuller, and my eyes were really shining without the glasses to distort them. Suddenly, going without the mask seemed a tad bit less unreasonable.

The ringing of my cell phone disrupted any further contemplation on the matter. Dad wanted me home, so I hastily threw on my half-dried clothes and bid Emma goodbye.


S


As I brushed my teeth that night, my mind went back to Emma's suggestion about changing my look when I went out as a cape. I removed my glasses and pulled back my hair like Emma had done, pondering the pale face looking back at me. I straightened my posture a bit more, trying to give off an air of confidence. It still didn't seem convincing enough. Admittedly, it's kinda hard to fool yourself like that, especially if you have eyesight like mine.

I remembered something I read a few years back. It was an article about speedsters, especially the first ones to appear. Some of them, if they were fast enough, would vibrate their faces slightly instead of wearing a mask, resulting in cameras simply capturing a blur. If I had recalled correctly, it was protected under the "unwritten rules" of parahuman conduct, but eventually considered too bothersome to use by the younger generations.

Could I do the same trick? I reduced my vision to what I considered "normal" levels, then tried to vibrate my face. For a few moments, nothing happened, but eventually I could see a slight blur on my face.

I stopped vibrating and finished brushing my teeth. There was plenty of time to practice that later, I decided. When I went to bed that night, I dreamed of Krypton.


S


Over the summer, I developed a bit of a routine for myself. I would spend some time in the morning with Dad, then go hang out with Emma. We would go get a bite to eat or watch a movie, then sneak over to the Graveyard so I could practice my powers some more. I could feel myself getting stronger with each day, soon I was practically bench-pressing small ships. I ran laps around the beach, having Emma try to clock my speed with a cheap radar gun. We stopped when I got to around 200 miles an hour, the gun's max measurement. It's pretty exhilarating, feeling the wind scream past my ears like that.

After a few hours training in the Graveyard, Emma and I would split up and head home. I would eat dinner with Dad, spend some time with him, then go up to my room to work on my costume and read a little bit more on Krypton. There was a book about sewing somewhere in the house, which proved to be very helpful. I ended up spending so much time there that Dad started calling it the "Fortress of Solitude".

Finally, on August 29th, I decided I was ready.


S


I made sure Dad was asleep, listening in on his heartbeat until it was the low steady one that indicated restfulness. It was around midnight, and there was no Moon out. Of course, it made no difference to me. I slipped out of bed quietly and carefully removed my costume from a box I had secreted away in my closet. It wasn't much at the time, I felt that a simple costume was for the best. My father's blue work jeans came on first, followed by my sneakers. Then, I pulled a blue sports shirt over my head. A red and yellow version of the House of El's emblem had been carefully stitched on its chest. It had taken more than a few shirts to get it right, trust me. Finally, I took my cape and tied it about my shoulders.

My hair had been pulled back by some hairpins, and my glasses were on the drawer. I straightened my posture, then started vibrating my face until it was a blur. Then, I opened my ears to the world. Believe me when I tell you that chaos doesn't even begin to describe hearing every last thing in an entire city.

mommyiwantaohgodyesharderwhere'smyshoesthat'sanicecatHELP

I focused on the cry for help, pinpointing its position. I turned to it, using my vision to peer past endless layers of wood, concrete, and brick. There. Some young teenaged girl was running for her life from a thuggish looking man slowly gaining on her. I opened my window, made sure it was closed behind me, then jumped to the ground and bolted towards the girl's location, my feet barely touching the ground.

"This looks like a job for..." I began, then realized I still hadn't picked out a name yet. "Eh, fuck it."