Jay spent most of his days in his lab. It was his sanctuary, his little corner of the world where he could be himself—an inventor, a creator, and, hopefully someday, a superhero. It might have sounded silly, but everyone had dreams, right? His just happened to involve saving the world.
Today was like any other day, except it wasn't. Jay was knee-deep in wires and circuits, his workbench cluttered with half-finished gadgets, tools, and parts. The latest project on his mind was a pair of electric gauntlets—something he'd been tinkering with for weeks. They were supposed to channel electrical currents safely, allowing the wearer to manipulate electricity. Jay figured that if he could master this, it would be a pretty cool step toward becoming the hero he always dreamed of being.
As he soldered the last wire into place, he couldn't help but think about Nya. She was always there, in the back of his mind. Who wouldn't be distracted by someone like her? She was smart, tough, and way out of his league, but he couldn't help himself. He wanted to impress her, show her that he was more than just the geeky kid with his head stuck in a computer screen.
Lost in his thoughts, Jay didn't notice the tiny spark jumping from his soldering iron to the gauntlet until it was too late. "Damn it!" he yelped, jerking his hand back. The spark danced across the table, and before he knew it, all the lights in the lab started flickering like a scene straight out of a horror movie.
"What the hell?" he muttered, glancing around. His computer screen flickered, showing static for a split second before returning to normal. Then, without any warning, his phone buzzed violently on the desk, its screen flashing bright blue before going dark.
A strange sensation began building inside him—a tingling feeling, like when your foot falls asleep but much stronger. It started in his fingers and spread up his arms, then down his spine, making every hair on his body stand on end. He looked at his hands, and to his shock, he saw tiny bolts of electricity dancing between his fingers.
"No way," he whispered, staring in disbelief. "This can't be real."
But it was real. As real as the gadgets on his workbench and the posters on his walls. The lights continued to flicker erratically, and he could feel the energy inside him growing, like a storm that was about to break loose.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm down, but the electricity only intensified. Panic set in as he realized he had no idea how to control this. He could destroy his entire lab—or worse, hurt himself.
"Okay, Jay, think," he said aloud, trying to steady his breathing. "You've trained for this. Well, not exactly this, but you've got this. Just... breathe."
He closed his eyes, focusing on his breathing, trying to will the electricity to stop. Slowly, the lights began to stabilize, the buzzing in his phone quieted, and the tingling sensation faded. When he finally opened his eyes, the lab was still, and the electricity in his hands had disappeared.
He let out a long breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Okay, what just happened?"
He glanced around the lab, his eyes landing on the electric gauntlets he'd been working on. "Could it be...?" He grabbed them, slipping them on cautiously. The metal was cool against his skin, and he felt a slight hum as they powered up. Maybe, just maybe, these could help him control whatever was happening.
With the gauntlets on, he flexed his fingers, and to his surprise, he saw tiny arcs of electricity jump between them again. But this time, it wasn't out of control. It was like the gauntlets were channeling the energy, focusing it. He moved his hand toward a metal screwdriver on the bench, and a small bolt of lightning shot from his fingertips, striking it dead center.
"Holy crap!" he shouted, jumping back. The screwdriver clattered to the floor, a scorch mark in the middle where the bolt had hit. "This is... incredible."
As the initial shock wore off, excitement bubbled up inside him. He had powers. Actual powers. And not just any powers—electricity, one of the most versatile elements out there. His mind raced with possibilities. He could power up gadgets without batteries, create electromagnetic pulses, even disable electronics at a distance. This was the kind of stuff he'd only dreamed about.
But with that excitement came a pang of fear. If he could do this, what else could he do? And more importantly, what if he couldn't control it next time? He needed help—someone who understood this kind of thing. And there was only one person he could think of who might have a clue: Zane.
Zane was his best friend, practically his brother. They'd known each other forever, and if anyone could help him figure this out, it was him. Jay pulled out his phone, which thankfully was still functional, and sent Zane a quick text: Hey, need to talk. ASAP.
As he waited for a reply, he started cleaning up the lab, his mind racing. If he had powers, did that mean anyone else did too? The explosion at the reactor had affected everyone in the facility, and that meant... Lloyd, Lyra, Kai, Nya—had they been affected too?
The thought sent a shiver down his spine. If they had powers, like him, they were all in this together. And if not, well, he had some explaining to do. Either way, this was bigger than him. Bigger than all of them.
His phone buzzed, snapping him out of his thoughts. It was Zane: On my way. Be there in 10.
"Perfect," he muttered, slipping the phone into his pocket. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. This was it. The beginning of something huge. He didn't know what the future held, but he knew one thing for sure: life was never going to be the same.
As he waited for Zane, Jay couldn't help but smile. Powers, a lab full of gadgets, and a chance to be a real-life superhero—this was what he'd always dreamed of. Now, he just had to figure out how to use these powers for good. And maybe, just maybe, impress Nya along the way.
He chuckled to himself, shaking his head. "One step at a time, Jay. One step at a time."
Zane was in his room, surrounded by textbooks and notes, but his mind wasn't on studying. It was on the explosion. Ever since that day at the reactor facility, he'd felt... different. It was hard to explain—like there was something just beneath the surface, something he couldn't quite put his finger on. He'd tried to ignore it, to focus on his work and his studies, but the feeling was always there, gnawing at him.
His phone buzzed, pulling him out of his thoughts. It was a text from Jay: Hey, need to talk. ASAP.
Jay never said "ASAP" unless it was something big. Zane frowned, quickly typing out a reply: On my way. Be there in 10. He grabbed his jacket and headed out the door, his mind racing. What could be so urgent? Did it have something to do with the reactor explosion?
As he biked over to Jay's place, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to change. The air felt charged, like the moment before a thunderstorm. When he finally arrived, Jay was waiting outside, practically bouncing on his heels. His eyes were wide, and he had this wild, excited look on his face.
"Dude, you're not gonna believe this," Jay said, grabbing Zane's arm and pulling him inside.
"What's going on?" Zane asked, trying to keep up as they rushed down to Jay's lab.
Jay stopped in the middle of the room, turning to face Zane with a huge grin. "Okay, so you know how we've all been feeling kinda weird since the explosion?"
Zane nodded. "Yeah, I've been feeling... off. Why?"
Jay took a deep breath, then held up his hands. At first, Zane didn't see anything unusual, but then tiny sparks of electricity started dancing between Jay's fingers. Zane's eyes widened. "Jay, what...?"
"I know, right?" Jay said, practically vibrating with excitement. "I have powers, Zane. Actual, real-life powers! I can control electricity or something. I mean, I'm still figuring it out, but isn't this amazing?"
Zane stared at him, his mind racing. If Jay had powers, did that mean...? He looked down at his own hands, half-expecting something to happen, but nothing did. "That's... incredible, Jay. But why are you telling me?"
"Because," Jay said, his grin widening, "I think we all might have powers. Think about it—the explosion, the weird feeling afterward... it can't be a coincidence."
Zane frowned, considering Jay's words. He had a point. The explosion had been unlike anything they'd ever experienced, and Zane had been feeling strange since then. "Maybe you're right," he said slowly. "But how do we figure out if we have powers too?"
Jay's eyes lit up. "That's what we're here to find out. I thought maybe if we talked about it, compared notes, we could figure out what's going on."
Zane nodded, feeling a spark of excitement himself. If they all had powers, that changed everything. Jay started rambling on about the science behind it, something about radiation and energy fields, but Zane was only half-listening. His mind was still racing, trying to make sense of everything.
Jay grabbed a couple of water bottles from a shelf and tossed one to Zane. "Here, take a break. Hydrate."
Zane caught the bottle and went to take a drink, but Jay called out, "Wait! Watch this." Jay focused on his hands, and suddenly, electricity arced between his fingers, dancing in the air like tiny bolts of lightning.
Zane stared, amazed. "That's insane, Jay. You've gotta be careful with that."
Jay laughed. "I know, I know. But it's just so cool! Imagine what we could do with powers like this."
Zane nodded, but his mind was elsewhere. He unscrewed the cap on his water bottle and raised it to his lips, but before he could take a sip, something strange happened. The water in the bottle started to freeze, forming ice crystals that spread outward until the entire bottle was frozen solid.
He stared at the bottle in shock. "What the...?"
Jay's eyes widened. "Whoa, Zane! Did you just do that?"
Zane looked down at his hands, feeling a cold, tingling sensation. "I... I think so. But I didn't mean to."
Jay's grin widened. "Dude, that's awesome! You have powers too! This is incredible! We're like a real-life superhero team or something!"
Zane couldn't help but laugh, despite the shock. "Yeah, I guess we are. But we need to figure out what's going on. This isn't normal."
Jay nodded, his expression turning serious. "You're right. We need to get to the bottom of this. But first, we need to see if anyone else has powers too. If it's just us, or if the others were affected as well."
Zane nodded, still trying to wrap his head around everything. "Agreed. Let's get the gang together and figure this out. But Jay—promise me we'll be careful. Powers like these could be dangerous if we don't know what we're doing."
Jay nodded solemnly. "I promise, Zane. We'll figure this out together. And hey, at least now we know we're not alone in this."
Zane smiled, feeling a surge of relief. Whatever was happening, at least they had each other. And together, they could face whatever challenges lay ahead.