Chapter Five

Tracy Island

Alan Tracy returned to consciousness with a soft groan. For a few moments he was confused wondering what had happened to him, how had he gotten into the living room. And then shivered as he remembered the pain, that strange overwhelming pain and the strange sensations that led up to that terrifying incident when he couldn't breath.

As he opened his eyes he found his brothers, father and friends standing over him looking concerned. Yet he also got the impression that something more was up with them than concern for him. They seemed he didn't know surprised by something, something to do with him. What that was he had no idea.

Slowly he sat up shaking his head to clear a strange sensation that he couldn't really describe. He was also aware of a strangeness inside himself. How he knew that he didn't know but he knew that somehow in someway he had changed. How he'd changed he did know but he just knew that somehow he had. And that frightened him. Why did he suddenly feel different? What inside him had changed? And why had it happened so suddenly and so painfully. He didn't think that somehow his brothers had experienced anything like that awful pain when they'd been growing up. In fact he was absolutely certain of it.

"What happened," he asked hoping they would be able to give him an idea of what happened out there.

"You don't know," Gordon asked. "You made ice appear out of nowhere and went kind of transparent on us."

"I did," Alan exclaimed looking at the brother that was closest to him in age wondering if he was joking. Gordon was after all the practical joker of the Tracy family.

"You did," Scott confirmed. Alan still looked disbelieving.

"But how could I do that," Alan asked. "Last thing I remember clearly is heading back to the table with orange juice then pain again and then not being able to breath."

"Again," Jeff interrupted. "You've had pain before." Alan looked uncomfortable.

"Twice," he answered his father reluctantly. "First was at school just before you showed up at that oil rig rescue. But it was gone in a moment and no where near as bad. The second was just after I got here. I was in my room when boom there it was but it still wasn't as bad as it was out there and nothing happened."

"Why didn't you say anything," Jeff asked.

"What time did I have," Alan replied. Jeff had to acknowledge that Alan had a point there. Though what had happened had made it seem longer Alan had only been home for two hours.

"How could I do what Gordon said I did," Alan asked. "I mean I not a…" he cut off and his eyes widened as the realisation dawned. He shook his head refusing to accept it. He couldn't, couldn't be a metahuman. He didn't want to be a freak. I'm not a metahuman, I'm not, he thought.

Jeff exchanged concerned looks with his other three earthbound sons and in fact with everyone else in the room. It was obvious that Alan had just figured out what he was, but was refusing to accept it.

Alan started to get up from the couch still denying what he knew in his heart to be true. He was a metahuman. But he didn't want to be. He wanted to be normal, not a monster or a freak. Before he could completely clear the couch he felt something happen, something that felt like a wave of power coming from somewhere deep inside him. He fought against it with almost desperate strength. He could not be and would not be a metahuman.

But not matter what he did to block it the power came surging to the fore and he felt his hands begin to tingle. He looked down and raised his hands so he could look into his palms. He watched helpless and horrified as his hands literally began to glow with a strange blue light like some kind of nimbus that pulsed and flowed around his hands. And water drops immediately began to fall from around the perimeter of the glow. Instantly a puddle of water began to form on the hardwood floor.

Everyone gaped in surprise at seeing the blue glow and the spreading pool of water. Although astounded by the appearance of a third power in Alan, Jeff was alarmed at the look of horror on Alan's face as his hands glowed brightly.

"Alan you've got to stop them," he heard Scott say.

"I'm trying," Alan snapped back concentrating trying to stop the power surging down his arms to his hands. It took awhile and he was aware that his trainers were now completely soaked and the pool of water was growing wider by the second. But somehow eventually he managed to stop it and the energy glow vanished from his hands.

Though he was now standing in the middle of a pool of water Alan just stared at his hands for a good few moments then not thinking and not really caring at the moment he turned and ran outside. He paid little attention to the dusk that was beginning to fall on the island he just ran.

"Alan," Jeff called after him but Alan gave no sign of having heard him. "Someone clean this water up I'm going after him." He then set off after his youngest son who seemed to be running in sheer blind panic.

Alan's brothers and friends watched Jeff leave after Alan.

"It doesn't look like Alan's taking this well at all," Virgil commented.

"Would you if you suddenly found out that you're a metahuman," Gordon asked.

"Probably not," Virgil admitted. "I'd probably freak just like Alan."

"I would for sure," Gordon added.

"Excuse me," Kyrano said and the three Tracy brothers, Tin-Tin, Fermat and Penelope moved aside as Kyrano accompanied by Parker appeared with mops and began clearing up the very big puddle Alan had created.

"I hope Alan's going to be alright," Gordon said.

"I am sure he will be," Scott replied.

Alan ran for awhile eventually he came to stop and bent over trying to catch his breath his hands on his knees. He looked at where his hands were resting on his knees. Hand's that looked completely normal yet moments ago had been surrounded by a blue glow that made water come out of nowhere. I don't want this, he thought, I want to be normal. Why has this happened to me! Why!

As he thought that he felt his eyes begin to sting. A tear fell from his eye and in moments he was leaning on a rock and crying full force. He knew he should try to be strong, to be a man but he couldn't. This was just too much for him to bear. Why did this have to happen to me, he thought, why.

That was how Jeff found him a few moments later leaning against a rock crying his eyes out. He's not taking this well at all, Jeff thought, not well at all. Jeff was surprised by how well he himself was taking it. Maybe it was because somewhere in the back of his mind he'd somehow known that it was possible that something like this might happen to Alan one day.

"Alan," he said softly and held open his arms.

Alan was startled when he heard his name being called. He turned and saw his father standing there holding his arms open. He took the offer of comfort without question and in moments his head was buried in his fathers chest. And he felt his fathers strong arms envelop him in a comforting embrace.

"Why has this happened to me dad," Alan wept into his father's chest. "Why."

"The why doesn't matter," Jeff told him softly. "All that matters is we are going to get through this son were going to get through this."

"I don't want this," Alan sobbed. "I want to be normal I don't want to be a freak."

"Now you listen here Alan Tracy," Jeff told him strongly. "You are not a freak. Yes you've got powers that the rest of us don't have but you're not a freak. You are my son not a freak and I don't want to hear you call yourself that ever again."

"You say that now," Alan said pulling back. "But suppose I change more. What if I turn into a monster."

"If you were going to turn into a monster Alan it probably would have happened already," Jeff told him. "And if you did turn into a monster it wouldn't matter to me, or to your brothers. We'd always love you no matter what you looked like.

"Alan I can't pretend to understand what you are probably feeling right now," Jeff continued. "But you don't have to go through it alone. We're here for you. No matter what happens."

Alan smiled at his father's words feeling as though some great weight had just been lifted off his shoulders. A weight he had not even known was really there, he hadn't realised how afraid he'd been of his family rejecting him because of what he happened to him.

Jeff was relieved when he saw a smile appear on his youngest son's face. He was about to speak when his wristcom chirped for attention. Talk about awkward timing, he thought. He could see Alan laughing to himself obviously amused by the wristcom's timing. The wristcom chirped again.

"Okay, okay," Jeff said irritated. Raising the comm unit he accepted the call and Scott's face appeared on the screen in place of the normal digital time display. "What is it Scott."

"Dad our tracking systems are picking up an approaching vehicle in stealth mode. We've identified it as Uncle Peter's car." That was quick, Jeff thought, I only called Peter an hour and a half ago.

"Very well prepare to receive," Jeff ordered.

"Sure thing dad." Scott signed off then.

"Uncle Peter's coming here," Alan asked surprised and happy that his uncle was coming. Peter was practically the only one who ever talked about mom. Dad and his brothers found the subject of Margaret Tracy too painful to talk about much and in detail.

Alan was always curious about his mom wondering what kind of person she had been. Uncle Peter knew how much he wanted to know about his mom so he did tell him some things about her when they were alone and when he was in the mood to do so. Thanks to his uncle he knew that personality wise he was quiet close to his mother in the way he loved life and wanting to live it to the full. Though Peter was fond of saying that even at her worst Margaret had never been as reckless as he could be sometimes, or even close.

"Yes," Jeff confirmed. "And he's bringing someone with him who might be able to help you and us understand what's happened to you."

"Who?" Alan asked knowing it had to be someone really special for dad to allow Peter to bring them to the island.

"Gear." Alan's eyes widened in surprise. Gear! Naturally he knew who Gear was, he'd looked up to both Static and Gear all his life. A pair of metahumans who used there powers to protect others, how could anyone not admire them for using there powers in that manner.

"Gear!" he repeated.

"Yes. We better go back to the house. We need to be there when they arrive," Jeff said. He held out a hand to Alan. "You coming." Alan nodded and carefully took his fathers hand.

Together they began the trek back to the house.