From the Transcript of the Zoe Ramirez Tapes:

John Diggle: When did you first realize that something was wrong?

Zoe Ramirez: When William didn't show up to class.


Zoe ran out of their math class after Ms. Schenker let her go with her hall pass. It only took several doors down the hallway before she ran into the boys' bathroom, regardless of the sign. No one else was in the bathroom then, thankfully, but Zoe regretted coming in as soon as she did. The smell of rotting diarrhea and the sight of dark yellow stains on the urinals made this place almost unbearable for anyone.

Someone once spread a rumor that an eyeball was sitting in a toilet in one of the girls' bathrooms, but none of the 8th-grade science labs claimed it.

William?" She called to the gray stalls. "William?"

"Zoe?" Following the source of the voice, Zoe found it coming from the biggest bathroom stall that was completely locked.

"Wait, stop!" He must have seen her coming when she bent her knees slightly and peaked under the crack separating the stall's edge from the tile floor.

"William?" She froze in shock upon seeing what was left of his sunken body. His legs had completely disappeared into the floor as if they were encased in wet cement. From where she was standing, it looked like someone had chopped William's body in half and left his torso on the ground for display.

Zoe couldn't begin to understand half of what was going on, but she couldn't panic. Not when the floor was literally swallowing her best friend.

"Is everything ok?" She asked. "Do you want me to-"

"NO!" William suddenly protested, more rudely than he should have. "I mean, don't do anything yet! Please."

"Ok, but I just came to tell you that class started fifteen minutes ago, and Ms. Schenker's got half a mind to put you in detention," Zoe said to him. "I can come back later if you want."

"Thanks." She heard him reply. "I'm sorry if I sound like a jerk, it's just that I-"

"William, I get it, even if I don't really understand it." She said to him rather quickly. "But those ARGUS agents who are watching us are going to be here looking for you if you don't show up to class in the next five minutes."

"Got it." She heard William affirmatively respond to her. "If they do come, tell them I'll be right out in a second."

"Ok." Zoe agreed before stepping out of the bathroom into the lockers nearby. She stood against the metal lockers, before slowly descending to the floor.


Excerpt from the New Era of Adolescence: On the Basis of MetaPuberty written by Dr. Caitlin Snow M.D (Published from the Central City Picture News, 2025) pg. 32

the amount of research observing those who were affected by the Particle Accelerator Explosion, concludes that these people are more likely to experience such unique changes either during or after puberty.

Although it is impossible to determine exactly what age their powers will manifest, metahumans will develop their abilities at a young age due to their hormones making it easier for their bodies to handle these powers. Though a considerable number of children were exposed to the dark matter that night, 52% of them never developed any of their abilities until they reached adolescence. The first known case of this phenomenon was a young boy in Star City, who has asked to remain anonymous during this research. He was eight years old when the Explosion occurred but did not develop any abilities until the year 2018 when he was 12. Like most young children who were affected then, the boy's abilities manifested at a time when this form of adolescence was thought to be a delayed reaction, which at the time, wasn't too far from the truth.

The information and treatment we have with our outreach programs for helping young metahumans today, was nonexistent in 2018. It wasn't until the following year, when Star Labs began studying the case of Allegra Garcia, that the term Metapuberty was first coined by one of my colleagues, Francisco Ramon, Ph.D.


"What do I do?" Zoe's breathing was barely visible. "What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?" Her rising panic was matched by her rapidly shortening inhales and exhales. Fortunately, she managed to quickly snap out of it, once she remembered what the stakes were during the moment.

She rose from the floor and pulled out her phone from the pocket of her jeans.

Her back stiffened; she was unsure of which number to choose. Her index finger hesitated over the contact app on her phone and then drifted away when she didn't press it. Who could a 12-year-old possibly reach out to and ask for help when her friend had suddenly gained powers out of the blue?

The school nurse? Absolutely not. Ms. Roberta would freak at the sight of a human being who was stuck halfway through the floor. She was also sure that a guidance counselor wouldn't know what to say about the situation, either.

Would it be a good idea to call 911? Well, she could, but what was she supposed to say other than "Help! My friend has superpowers and can't control them! I need an ambulance!"

The Flash? Forget it. She was sure that even William didn't know the Scarlet Speedster's email address.

Wait.

She began scrolling through her contacts list until she found Dinah Drake's contact information and pressed the call button. Her Aunt Dinah had powers of her own, so maybe she would know how to handle this.

"Hello, this is Lieutenant Dinah Drake. I am unable to take your call at this time. Please leave your message, and I will get back to you."

Zoe let out a curse. Of course, ever since Ricardo Diaz broke into their homes, Team Arrow had been working around the clock to try and catch him. It was because of that particular incident last Friday that Mr. and Mrs. Diggle insisted on employing two ARGUS agents to watch both of the children during their school hours. They didn't mind Mr. Sykes and Ms. Bordeaux; they were both quiet but more than capable of protecting each of them. More importantly, they both never introduced themselves as their bodyguards as they seemed to camouflage themselves from the eyes of the other kids.

But even if Zoe left a voicemail, there was no way she would have time to wait for Dinah to get back, because William didn't have time to waste. He could be in serious trouble because of his powers, and he didn't have the luxury of waiting for someone to come and save him.

Wait.

"Come on, Zoe." She told herself. "Pull yourself together." Tying her hair back in a ponytail, she marched her way to the boys' bathroom, with her father's wise words ringing in her ears.

"If you want something done, you've got to do it yourself because no one else is going to do it for you."


William was no damsel in distress. He had already figured out that his powers came from the Particle Accelerator Explosion and that they consisted of canceling out his molecular density, which rendered him completely weightless. Well, half weightless, on account of the part of his body that wasn't entirely wedged into the floor.

Nevertheless, if it was his powers that sunk him into the floor, then it was his brain that was going to pull him out of it.

He didn't have too much upper body strength, but he did have his favorite red and white jacket, which he swung on the coat hook on the door and used to pull himself up from the floor.

It seemed to work; his legs were coming out of the tiles until he accidentally phased his foot through them again and brought his jacket down with him. He let out a snarl of frustration that the Something had bested him again.

"William?" He heard Zoe's voice. "Are you ok?"

"Uh…" He looked down at where his knees should be. "I'm fine. Just need to…" He flung the jacket on the door again. "Pull me together, that's all." He nearly succeeded in getting his foot out until it sunk back into the floor. "Fuck!"

"Will, if this is getting out of control, you should get out of here while you still can," Zoe said from the opposite side of the door.

"What?" William asked her.

"All I'm saying, William!" She spoke loudly, almost shouting. "Is that you should go home if you're feeling really sick!" She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Pretend to be sick."

"Wha…" He thought about it for a moment before his brain clicked on what she was saying to him. "Oh! I get it!"

"But first, you should probably calm down," said Zoe. "I may not have powers, but remember what happened in Frozen? Don't fight it, accept it. I'll be outside if you need me."

William dragged his hand across his face, more frustrated than he was before.

Accept it? How was he supposed to accept any of this? He was supposed to be a normal kid for crying out loud! Not some freak who couldn't be any less of one! None of this was making any sense to him. He had spent almost a year trying to be as ordinary as humanly possible. He did everything right; he was the good student, the perfect son, and he still ended up as a freak! Perhaps he had always been one and had never been acknowledged of it until now.

Even so, how would complaining solve anything? The answer was, it wouldn't. He was the teenage son of the Green Arrow who had suddenly had superpowers, so he might as well square with it already.

"Don't fight it. Accept it." Zoe had said.

Closing his eyes, William relaxed until he reached inside himself far enough to come across the Something, that was lying in wait. It was cold, strange, and yet completely and utterly him.

He reached towards it, allowing the mist to come over his hand and wash over it, but as soon as he did, it felt like a cool spring in a hot desert. It appeared the Something wanted to be accepted by William just as he felt he needed to be accepted by others.

He didn't fully understand the presence inside him, but he felt an odd sense of peace as if he was greeting an old friend for the first time in years.

Although he did not fully understand it, he saw no purpose in fighting the Something inside him then. If it was a part of him, then he might as well square with it while he still could.

He breathed in and exhaled, repeating the process a few times as the Something flowed within his entire being. He could feel the air he was absorbing reach his molecules, pulling them apart while keeping them close together at the same time.

As the strange silvery-white presence enveloped his foot, he raised it out of the floor, and it never sank back in.

No doubt these strange powers would take some time to learn about, but there was still a question to hold in regard with the boy:

What other capabilities did he possess?


Excerpt from a questioning proceeding the Clayton Investigation:

Joe West: Will you state your name for the record, please?

Robert Sykes: Agent Robert Sykes.

Joe West: And I understand that you were assigned by Lyla Michaels to watch over William Clayton and Zoe Ramirez during their school hours?

Robert Sykes: Yes, I have, along with Sasha Bordeaux.

Joe West: Getting back to the 15th of May, you saw William coming out of the bathroom. Can you describe to me what he looked like then?

Robert Sykes: Well, he was pale and sweaty, not unlike kids I've seen who've suffered nervous breakdowns.

Joe West: Did you ask if he had suffered a nervous breakdown?

Robert Sykes: Well, he looked like he had been through something pretty awful, but I had a hunch that if I pressed into it, he might have slid back into something like it. That's when the nurse came around and asked for William to come down to her office. She said that Zoe had told her everything that had happened.

Joe West: And where was Zoe Ramirez at this time?

Robert Sykes: She was back in her math class, being watched by Agent Bordeaux.

Joe West: Did you walk William down to the nurse's office?

Robert Sykes: Yes.

Joe West: According to school records, Quentin Lance signed William out that day. Why wasn't it Oliver Queen or Felicity Smoak?

Robert Sykes: Well, I called them, and they were busy recovering from a recent attack by some of Diaz's men. Mayor Lance was the emergency contact for both of the children at the time, so I called him then.

Joe West: I understand that you drove in front of Mayor Lance and William on the way home at this time, yes?"

Robert Sykes: Yes, that was the case. Agent Bordeaux stayed to watch Zoe for the remainder of the school day.

Joe West: That'll be all.

Robert Sykes: Detective West, can I ask you a question?

Joe West: Well, this interview is over anyway, so you might as well ask anything you want.

Robert Sykes: Thank you. If this is a Star City case, how come Central City is looking into this?

Joe West: I'm afraid it's not just CCPD getting involved in this investigation. It's also the FBI, the CIA, National Homeland Security, and Star Labs, which includes the Flash along with his associates.

Robert Sykes: It must be a pretty big investigation if those kinds of reinforcements are being called in for a case about a couple of kids.

Joe West: Indeed it is, Agent Sykes, but believe me, after everything that's happened, Star City is going to need all the help that they can get.


Being the mayor had its perks for Quentin Lance. Having a security guard drive a limousine, just happened to be one of them. He could manage his work without having to deal with the ever-infuriating traffic of Star City or the sounds of maddening road rage from the cars surrounding him. But for now, he had someone who needed his undivided attention this very moment.

Over the time William had lived in Star City, Quentin had been the one to pick him up after school nearly every day, so it was no surprise that they had become close. At one point while they were getting ice cream, William had accidentally called Quentin his grandpa. Although he apologized for his slip of the tongue, William could not have known how happy he had made Quentin that day.

William had known his maternal grandparents for most of his life, but he never asked about his paternal grandparents. He had looked up the Queens shortly after Samantha's death, and he found that his own family was more complicated than he could have imagined. His grandfather, Robert, who was still a bit of a mystery to William, was heavily involved in suspicious activities, most of which remained unclear to the press. On the other hand, Moira, his grandmother, along with someone named Malcolm Merlyn, was responsible for the death of over 500 people in the Glades a few years ago.

It sickened him to think that being a criminal was, in a way, in his blood. William often wondered what it would have been like to have met Robert and Moira Queen, but each time he did, he would always end up picturing a situation that was more awkward than the last. Maybe, one day when he was older, he would get to know his father's late parents better than the tabloids ever did.

Quentin, on the other hand, was the kind of grandfather William could rely on without any doubts. He was the person William could talk to about learning to live with his long-lost father whenever Raisa or Felicity wasn't around. He was sarcastic, dry, but an incredibly good listener who gave equally incredible advice any time that William needed it. He also happened to be a well-trained detective, so it was almost too easy for Quentin to spot that his surrogate grandson was being troubled by something.

"So, are you going to tell me what's on your mind, or am I going to have to call your parents?"

William looked around the limousine, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together. "What do you mean?"

Quentin raised an eyebrow at his grandson. "Come on, Will. You think my girls didn't pull the same pretending-to-be sick trick? It's not like you to miss school, so what's up?"

"Um…" He rubbed his fingers again. "It's complicated."

"Why is that?" asked Quentin. "Something happen at school?"

"No," William said too quickly. "Yes." He cleared his throat. "Sort of."

"Well, did something happen, or didn't it?" Quentin asked him again only to be met with silence from the preteen in front of him. "Alright, look, I'm not going to tell anyone if you don't want me to, but if you don't let me know me what's going on, then I'm going to have to start assuming that you're playing hooky for no good reason. So come on, out with it."

William let out an exasperated sigh, combing his fingers through his chocolate brown locks. He knew his grandpa knew a million different ways of getting information out of somebody's head. Besides, he knew his grandpa could keep a secret, and if William was being honest with himself, then he would know that he would explode if he kept his feelings inside.

"Grandpa?" He asked him quietly. "Say that I discovered a certain…" For some reason, he couldn't get the word out of his own mouth. "talent that I didn't even know I had." He recoiled at his hesitancy to say what he really wanted to. "Something the other kids can't do."

It seemed Quentin understood what he was trying to say. He rubbed his chin in forethought before asking, "You mean a talent as in what Dinah Drake can do?"

"Not exactly," William replied honestly. "But yeah, something like that. I discovered it in the bathroom, and it quickly got out of hand. I had some help handling it today, but what happens if I can't control it next time? What if I can't ever control it?"

"You know if you keep worrying about the negative, it's just going to come true, right? Quentin asked. Noticing the fallen look on William's face, he leaned in and gently held his hand, as if he wanted to tell William that everything would be ok. "Listen, kid, I went through the same thing at your age."

"Uh, not exactly -"

"I meant figuring yourself out." Quentin clarified for him. " I know it's a lot to go through a million things at once, especially when you're a teenager, but that is exactly the reason why you're starting to grow into the person you're going to be. I don't have that kind of talent to know who exactly that will be, but I know that just having a talent or any talent doesn't make you as different as you'd like to think. It's what you use that talent for that really counts. And William, the only way to learn how to do that, is by making mistakes, like what happened today."

William thought about it for a moment before he looked at his surrogate grandfather once more. "So, you want me to do what I can do, but you want me to make mistakes too?"

Quentin just gave a nonchalant shrug in his shoulders. "I didn't say whether or not to use it, but yes, make mistakes, screw up, fall on your face if you have to. In fact, I want you to make as many mistakes as you can right now. Not incredibly stupid ones, of course, but just tiny little ones. And yes, you literally have my permission to do just that. Not too many people will say that to you, so take this as something that you're going to remember for the rest of your life."

The limousine came to a halt in front of the apartment building, where several ARGUS agents were guarding it. Mr. Sykes had opened the door, and William was already out.

"Thanks, Grandpa." He said to him. "I mean, seriously. Thanks for the advice you gave me."

"Of course," Quentin said. "But one more thing; It takes guts to admit when you're wrong, but real courage is understanding why. If you let that sink in, I won't tell your parents about today. Deal?" He stuck out his hand, which William enthusiastically accepted.

"Deal!"

"Alright," Quentin said with a smile on his face. "See you around kiddo. And remember, don't leave the house until Raisa gets here."

"I won't," William said to him before the limousine door was shut by Mr. Sykes as the young pre-teen made his way into his apartment building.

Once they were inside the apartment, Mr. Sykes excused himself so he could use the restroom, which gave William the perfect opportunity to walk into his room, grab out his phone and type the following into Google,

Top websites on metahuman abilities