Chapter One.

From Zero to...Guy With Superpowers.

Danny snapped awake. His terrified brain began searching for an excuse for the events that knocked him out to be untrue. It was a dream! He'd had too much sugar last night! Something! Anything for this nightmare to end with him waking up, safe in his bed. But no. Eventually, he had to face the facts; the kidnapping had been real. As he began to come to his senses, he began to realize he could not move his arms, and was only able to kick his legs helplessly.

Further time led him to realize he was also hanging sideways, his legs and neck drooping uncomfortably. Then his hearing kicked on again, and he heard the sound of bubbling liquid below him. He managed to crane his neck down to look, terrified of what it could be.

He was being suspended over a vat of green bubbling liquid. He could feel the heat radiating off it, like sticking your hand over a campfire. Only it was his whole body and he couldn't pull it away.

"You're finally awake." Mused a voice, making Danny jump, startled, causing his rope to sway. He couldn't see the speaker, but he knew they were near. "I must say, you were easier to catch than any other ingredient."

"Ingredient?!" Asked a bewildered Danny, "You capture people for ingredients?! You...You cannibal!"

"You silly fool," The voice said, almost condescending, like a parent scolding a young child. "I am not going to eat you. I am going to use you as an ingredient for my spell. To make all of Diamond City fear me and bow to me."

"Are you crazy?" Demanded Danny, failing to see the logic behind this, "Do you really think that's gonna work?!"

"Silence, peon!" stated the voice, the tone so cold, the words could fall to the ground and shatter on impact, "I do not expect you to understand. I expect you to accept your fate. I, the Great Witch Ashley, have no patience for defiance!" Danny couldn't help but fall silent, wondering what he could have done to deserve this. And to think, he was about to die before telling Mona how he really felt. This thoughts were breached by Ashley's voice again.

"Red, pull the switch." Danny's ears picked up a sound near him.

"Yes, Ashley!" Was that the little demon? He didn't have time to wonder, because he felt the jolt of a sudden drop. The green bubbling liquid getting closer quickly. The next thing he knew, his body was overcome by major heat. The liquid, whatever it was, was so hot it felt cold. The rope practically withered off him, allowing him to flail his arms and kick his legs in pain and agony. The pain and anguish in his body began to fade. Danny thought he was dying, but something else was happening. The feeling in his body soon returned, only now it was a tingling feeling, and another feeling was beginning to flood his body, one he'd never felt in his life.

…

"Boy," said the little demon, "he's sure taking a long time to fry."

"Patience, Red." Said Ashley. "I know this spell will work; I can feel it in my-" but suddenly, there was a loud splash, causing Red and Ashley to skip back. Ashley looked up from bracing herself. The liquid in the cauldron was still sloshing around. She looked inside, but could not see her ingredient. Curious, Ashley grabbed Red.

"Find him!" she instructed, and threw him into the boiling liquid. A few fruitless minutes later, Red emerged, steam billowing off his body.

"He's not in here." Ashley was about to shove Red back down to look more, but then she felt a chill, and the feeling of her hands getting wet. She looked up, and growled in frustration.

"Red!" She snapped, pointing up, "you made the mixture too hot!" Red looked up to see what she was so mad about, only to realize that there was a gaping hole in the ceilings above, exposing the stormy sky.

"S-sorry, Ashley." Red apologized.

…

The wind was whooshing in Danny's ears like someone was blowing air into them with hurricane strength. It was stinging tears to his eyes. Danny had no idea what was happening, but at least he wasn't in the cauldron anymore. In fact, he felt like he was freezing, like jumping into a swimming pool after spending a while in a hot tub. Gradually, the wind began to slow down, and Danny could see and hear again...and what a sight it was. Danny could see Diamond City sprawled out below his feet, the twinkling lights looking like toy houses in a child's playset. This was a problem, though; Danny was afraid of heights.

"I wanna get down!" He yelled to no one in particular. Then suddenly, the freefall began. He was flailing his arms, terrified he'd land right back in the cauldron again. Just as he accepted the end of his life, he felt the sensation of slowing down. Danny was still going down, but much slower now, like a plastic bag floating in the breeze.

"Can I…?" Danny mused, and attempted to ease himself in one direction. And to his surprise, he found he was able to control his direction. He even had time to move his feet to the ground before he landed. Then, Daniel O'Connor stood on the ground, just outside the mansion he'd flown from. Danny decided not to wait for the door to open, so he took off and ran, never stopping until he made it home. Despite all of what had happened, he wasn't even remotely tired. He felt like he could run a whole marathon. Danny then walked onto his front porch and opened the door. The sound of the TV roaring made him groan, and then came the sound of his mother yelling at one thing or another. Danny tried to ease the door shut, but shut it with much more force, causing it to slam loudly.

"Who the hell-" His mother began to curse, getting up from the couch and storming into the room. Her eyes fell upon him, causing her to stop yelling. Only for it to start again soon thereafter.

"Where the hell were you?!" She shouted, stomping over to him. "God you had me so worried! I swear if you do that again, you're dead meat, mister! Do you hear me?!" Danny almost snapped at his mother, but stopped. She had been worried for him. That was new. Danny didn't think she cared.

"S-sorry, mom." Danny began, "I just got a bit sidetracked on the way home. Just checking out some spooky old mansion. Won't happen again." The answer seemed to satisfy his mom, as she said no more and returned to the couch to resume her ranting. If Danny had had an appetite earlier, he'd lost it. He went to his room, exhausted from the happenings. Then he gently lay on his bed and threw the covers over himself, falling asleep in seconds.

Or at least that was what he wanted to happen. In reality, Danny's body was in pain and anguish again, like he'd been thrown back into the fires again. He tossed and turned for an unknown amount of time, trying to get to sleep. He nearly vomited a few times as well.

"What the hell is going on?!" Demanded Danny to no one in particular, wanting the pain to end. "What's wrong with my body?!" After a while, the pain began to subside. Danny could breathe normally again and felt no pain. Finally, he could rest. Little did he know, he would need his rest.

…

Danny's alarm clock rang again. He snapped awake, but this time from a dreamless sleep. He brought his hand down onto his alarm clock, but something happened. He smashed it to pieces, and the nightstand under it cracked as well. Danny shot up in alarm, before trying to brush it aside and head to the bathroom to brush his teeth. He turned the knob on the sink to start the water, and managed to completely remove it from the fixture. Surprised, Danny felt his feet slip out from under him, and he tried to catch himself on the sink, only to smash it to pieces.

"What in the world is going on?" Asked Danny, as he gingerly eased himself into his clothes and gingerly walked to school, lest the concrete crack under his supposed new strength.

…

Just before lunch, Danny was putting something away in his locker. He'd figured he was managing his new strength well for now, and so far had managed to mask it to everyone else. Suddenly, his locker slammed shut in his face. Danny practically groaned; this was the last thing he needed now, as he turned to face his bully.

"You know, O'Connor," said Nick, his rotten breath making Danny cringe, "you pissed me off real good yesterday. Worst. Birthday. Ever." Danny rolled his eyes, which irked Nick further,

"And what do you propose you do about it?" Asked Danny, not in the mood for this tomfoolery.

"That does it!" Nick grabbed Danny's wrists. "I'm gonna break your little wrists." His cronies cheered behind him. Danny just looked down as Nick bent his wrists up, but they didn't budge beyond that. Nick let out a frustrated growl.

"Oh yeah, tough guy?!" He asked, "Well I think somebody's earned himself the flying headbutt!" Nick grabbed Danny's shirt collar and flung his head back, much to the delight of his cronies. Then he jumped in the air and slammed his face into Danny's head. Rather than Danny collapsing in a heap on the ground as before, the wouldbe victim didn't even feel it, not even beginning to flinch.

Nick, on the other hand, staggered backwards before falling down to the floor, grabbing his face and groaning like he just tried to stand up to a professional boxer and was defeated in one hit. His cronies all skipped back, looked at Danny, then Nick, then Danny again, before turning tail and fleeing. Danny could hear the mumbles around him.

"Woah, did you see that?"

"O'Connor just took down Nick without even touching him."

"Serves the fatass right."

"How'd he do that?!" Suddenly, Danny heard the sound of someone walking up to him.

"Great Job, Dan!" Cried a voice. Danny turned around to see Mona. "That'll teach that bozo to mess with you anymore. What's your secret?!" Everyone leaned in, wanting to hear the answer to that question.

"Ah, well… I've been working out." Danny offered; saying he was dropped into a vat of green liquid by a witch would be just a smidge harder to believe, he figured.

"Well whatever you're doing," said Mona, "it's working wonders! I'd love to see Nick mess with you now."

…

An hour and a half later, Danny was at lunch. He was eating his food, trying not to make eye contact with anyone. The whole school, more or less, had come to give their two cents on Danny's accidental defeat of Nick. Most came to congratulate him on putting that bully in his place, others had told him he should have used less violent methods, even though Nick had been the violent one; you can't get much more pacifistic than just standing there. Danny looked up to the sound of a tray being put on the table in front of him. Once again, it was Mona. Danny wasn't sure why she was hanging out with him so much more now, but he wasn't complaining.

"A hero shouldn't be sitting all by himself you know." Said Mona.

"Hero?" Asked Danny, "A bit overselling don't you think?"

"You just took down the biggest bully in the school," Mona reminded him, "without even touching him. If that's not a heroic quality, I don't know what is. Do you have any idea how much less lunch money was stolen today versus yesterday?"

"Knowing Nick," Said Danny, "he won't stop for long, he'll be up to his old tricks again real soon."

"I doubt that." Mona countered.

"Why?" Asked Danny, before biting into a piece of microwave pizza.

"He locked himself in the detention room, terrified that you were gonna bust down the door and give HIM a wedgie for a change." Danny chewed thoughtfully, then swallowed before saying,

"Don't tempt me." Mona began laughing, and Danny couldn't help but laugh with her. But the laughter ended early when a loud bang sounded behind them. Danny was sitting between Mona and the wall, thus protecting her from the debris of the explosion. Students began to panic as a big man walked in.

"What's up, future slaves?" Asked his big booming voice, aided by a device to distort it. He was a towering, massive man, wearing silver armor, with emphasized gauntlets, boots, and helmet. "My name is Wrecking Crew, and me and my gang are taking over Diamond City! So I hope you enjoyed your freedom, because that's ending." Danny turned to face him. Something was happening inside Danny, something making him stand his ground, rather than flee in terror.

"What are you lookin' at, short stack?" Demanded Wrecking Crew, "You gotta beef with me?"

"Well yeah," Danny shot back, "You can't just-" Wrecking Crew didn't let Danny finish, as his helmet began to glow. A piercing laser shot out of it, striking Danny in the chest. He was sent flying back, leaving a massive hole in the wall, yet didn't seem hurt. Mona started to run towards him, but felt a strong hand grab her arm.

"And where do you think you're going, cupcake?" Wrecking Crew heaved Mona over his shoulder. "You'll make a nice addition to my harem!"

"Over my dead body!" Shouted Mona defiantly, smacking her fists into his back as hard as she could, but Wrecking Crew ignored it and kept walking, only to find a wall of police cars in front of him.

"Let her go!" Demanded a voice over a loudspeaker, "put your hands up and get down on your knees." Wrecking Crew chose not to listen. He raised his hands and slammed his gauntlets together, causing a massive shockwave to send all off the police cars flying back, and one of them even tumbled. The the towering messmaker continued walking like this had never happened.

Meanwhile, Danny stood up. He was full of something he hadn't felt in a long time; rage. Without thinking, Danny began sprinting, stopping only to lift the cop car back onto its wheels.

"He went that way." Said the cop, pointing to the south. Danny began running; he'd save Mona, and show Wrecking Crew just who he was messing with.