1 New Dawn
"Our last news item comes from San Francisco, where a luxury yacht was found teetering atop the Golden Gate Bridge this morning. According to eyewitness reports, the yacht had suddenly been taken up into the air and placed there by something or someone. Aboard the yacht, police reportedly found fifteen kilos of uncut cocaine and the unconscious bodies of Hermann Gunther, former CEO of the IPMC (International Private Military Corporation), and Luis Carrera, a known drug smuggler for various South American drug cartels. This marks the fifth incident where, by powers unknown, major players in the San Francisco drug scene have been…"
The TV flicked off as Ren's father got off the couch. He was sitting at the kitchen table, drinking a smoothie that his mother had made for him despite the fact that he told her not to bother. Thanks to living alone and being a rare sight for his parents, he was fed and pampered every time he visited.
"Can you believe that? I don't know what to believe anymore, when even the news is telling me that boats can fly." Ren's father put on a show of grumbling, yet he saw a smile on his face as he entered the kitchen, one that only grew wider as he went to the refrigerator to grab a quick snack, where he finally shook his head in utter disbelief. He glanced over his shoulder at Ren and his mother, expecting the two of them to find it just as absurd.
Ren, however, had a good idea what kind of power would grab a boat and place it on top of the Golden Gate Bridge. It had been kept secret from his parents since he first began developing his powers, but he had no illusions about these mystery events that were slowly becoming increasingly common around the world. There were others with powers out there. Yet unlike him, they had chosen to revel in their powers, showing little to no regard for the safety of anyone around them.
His own powers had blossomed into what he might've thought of as both a gift and a curse. Although originally highly varied and very sudden in nature, his abilities had slowly evolved into four distinct sets of powers, which he could mostly use at will. However, he still had a lot to do if he wished to master any of them. They also took a lot out of him; even just a few hours of exerting his powers would drain him to the point where he could easily find himself sleeping for a few days straight or eating his entire kitchen empty in order to replenish the depleted energy.
The most powerful of his developed powers was… Flight. Flight powers grant the user the ability to fly, levitate, and glide through the air with the same ease as most birds. Without durable skin, the powered person will not be able to fly at speeds higher than Mach 1 due to friction caused by the air.
He also has… Heightened Senses. Heightened Senses grants the user a highly tuned set of senses, from better hearing to abnormally good vision to very quick reflexes. A powered person with Heightened Senses can also taste, feel, touch, and smell at a much higher level of precision and capability than normal humans. With training, the user may learn to block out some of these senses, at least to some degree, perhaps even to the point where they can completely mute the other senses in order to concentrate upon one thing, for example a single sound or a faint smell.
He also has… Healing Factor. Healing Factor grants the user the ability to heal minor wounds in a highly accelerated fashion, and even limbs can be regenerated if given enough time. This is a passive power which, although it requires the powered person to still have energy to spare, does not actually use up a significant amount of it.
He also has… Energy Manipulation. Energy Manipulation gives the powered person a limited amount of control over energy itself. This can mean the ability to chill objects to the point of freezing or heating the air itself to project flames. Energy Manipulation is one of the most taxing powers that one can have, but it can be extremely versatile in practice.
The real reason he came to visit his parents was that he was beginning his long vacation and had decided to visit them before flying off to spend a few weeks in Los Angeles, seeing the sights and experiencing what the centre of world entertainment had to offer, with its ivory towers and tall glass buildings scattered among the richest suburbs in the world.
Two Weeks Later....
"Watch out!" echoed a shout from one of the tall glass buildings as a loud boom and a steely groan rumbled high above. Sirens began to wail, and a chaotic group of cars stuck in the street were all bathed in the red-and-blue flashing lights.
The heavy structure came tumbling down, kicking a massive wave of dust into the air and making it impossible to see very far ahead of oneself. Ren hobbled to the sidewalk and saw one of the trees planted next to a hotel entrance covered in a brownish grey dust; it had been a lush and healthy green only a few moments earlier.
A man in a deep blue uniform grasped Ren's arm, guiding him through the smoke to a pair of EMTs rushing around an ambulance and taking care of at least two dozen people. Their scrubs were dirty from blood and dust, and their supplies were clearly extremely limited. One of the EMTs rushed over to him as he spotted him approaching.
Instead of treating him, Ren points out to the cop who's hurt. He had, in fact, stumbled over a cop who had been hit by some falling concrete and was quite badly bruised. It would be a safe bet that he had some broken bones, as well. With some loud groans from the officer, Ren and the EMT guided him to lay down on a splayed jacket covered by a trash bag. It was a very rough solution to a bad situation, but it would have to do. With a nod in Ren's direction, the EMT began checking the officer.
Ren suffered injuries as well, but all the wounds had already begun to heal. There would be nothing for the EMTs to treat.
It took several days for the full scale of the disaster to become known. The entire San Andreas fault had shifted in one massive push, causing a devastating earthquake throughout the entirety of California. From San Francisco to Los Angeles, almost half of the city skyscrapers had crumbled to dust, and many small houses were flattened, especially in the poorer areas. Gas and electrical mains broke as the ground shifted, causing massive fires that blazed despite the water and sewage pipes also bursting and flooding several streets.
A state of emergency was declared just hours after the earthquake, and the National Guard was brought in to aid in a massive evacuation and the attempted containment of loss of life.
It was during this disaster that rumours became facts and comic books became reality.
In San Francisco, a blurry flying figure was seen flitting though the city and holding onto falling buildings in order to buy time for fleeing civilians. This figure also stopped to extinguish fires a great deal, and once the aftershocks had dissipated, helped clear several piles of rubble, saving thousands of civilians in a matter of hours. Still images of this figure began spreading in the news; a female in green-and-blue clothing, wearing a clearly home-sewn mask to hide the upper part of her face. Due to the blurry trail she left behind as she flew, the media quickly named her Aura.
In Los Angeles, a man in dark utility clothing became a widely known figure who curtailed much of the looting in the aftermath of the earthquake. Although he was essential in limiting the riots, he quickly became a figure that many people hated; his trail was usually one of blood and broken bones, with the police and emergency services left to clean up the mess. This man quite publicly spread a video around the internet, identifying himself as Nightreaver.
There had been vigilantes and 'costumed heroes' before them, some quite famous. However, they had been powerless, driving in old cars and wearing silly and colourful tights. This new breed had powers. Aura was filmed flying and demonstrating great strength, and Nightreaver was said to climb on walls and have an agility and endurance level that no normal human could possess.
Now, it was a new dawn.
