Jonny and Allan were sitting in Allan's living room, discussing how to keep their loved ones safe. They knew that their powers made them targets, and they didn't want anyone they cared about to get hurt because of them.

"We need to be more careful," Jonny said. "We can't just go around using our powers without thinking about the consequences, there are people out there that will want to harm us because of our powers, which will put our families at risk."

"You're right," Allan agreed. "But how do we protect our families and friends without revealing our identities?"

Jonny thought for a moment before an idea occurred to him. "We need costumes," he said. "If we want to keep our loved ones safe, we need to be more discreet. Costumes will help us blend in and keep our identities a secret."

Allan nodded. "That's a great idea. But where are we going to get costumes?"

Jonny grinned. "Leave that to me, I'm a scientist," Jonny explained. "I was blacklisted from the scientific community after a failed experiment caused an explosion that killed many people. We were working on a type of nuclear fusion that would be able to power the Country, possibly even the entire World, it was capable of producing nearly 150% energy return on the material inputted. Everything was going great until one of my calculations cost us everything. The reactor started to fail and the alarms started to sound. I don’t know how it happened, but when the reactor blew, I somehow was protected by the safety glass, and everyone else around me, gone. When the news broke that it was my miscalculations that caused the explosion, my lab was shut down and I was never allowed to step foot in another in my professional career, so I became a contractor, mainly to build my own secret laboratory deep in the forest.”

Allan was shocked. "I had no idea," he said. "I'm sorry."

Jonny shrugged. "It's in the past now. But I've been working on new technologies and inventions that could change the world. One of which is a sort of nanotechnology, it’s like a moving, living skin, when engaged, the nanoparticles bind to your body creating an almost indestructible shell, super durable, if torn, it can repair itself."

“Okay, but how do we utilize it?” Allan asked with intrigue.

Jonny with a giant grin on his face. “I thought you’d never ask! It’s activated and controlled by the users brain, a small microcomputer is attached to the users brain stem which activates the nanoparticles, ultimately, as soon as your brain activity activates them, they will bind to your body, they will store in the microcomputer when not in use. All we really have to do is program them to what we want. Using our minds, we can manipulate the nanoparticles to look a certain way, with whatever color you desire, which benefits me tremendously with my shapeshifting ability.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

When the computer was attached, Jonny and Allan activated them and admired themselves in the mirror. Allan was dressed in a white, scale-like costume with glowing purple accents. There was a giant olde English "A" on his chest plate. Jonny's costume was red and black with white accents. He had a "!" symbol on his chest, like a lightning bolt.

The two friends grinned at each other, feeling like real superheroes. They had finally found a way to keep their loved ones safe and protect their city.

"We need superhero names," Allan said. "We can't just go around calling ourselves Jonny and Allan, it would be far too obvious."

Jonny thought for a moment before his face lit up. "I know! I'll be ReSkin!" he said.

Allan nodded. "I like it. ReSkin!, I have been toying around with a few ideas, Mitzo..no, Seco..no, hmm.."

“How about Azrael?” Jonny said.

Allan grinned. “I like it, ReSkin! and Azrael, defenders of the Earth!” he said in an ecstatic voice.

With that, Jonny and Allan were ready to take on the world as ReSkin! and Azrael.

That night, Jonny decided to patrol the city looking for any potential trouble, he came across a raggedy looking man following an unsuspecting woman down a dark alley, Jonny decides to transform into a raccoon to try and keep a close eye on the situation. As the man comes closer the woman is still unaware that he is behind her, Jonny sees the man pulling a knife from his pocket and decides to make some noise with some cans he found in the trash to alert the woman of the impending danger. The woman quickly turns and realizes she’s being followed, she screams as she notices the knife with the man running up behind her. Right as the man grabs the lady, he hears a voice.

“Stop right there heathen!” Says a voice from the shadows. “It is I, the protector of the innocent, the executioner of all evil, to unhand that woman or feel the wrath of ReSkin!”

The man, shaken, turns around looking in every direction. “Whe..where are you?” “Show yourself or she gets it.” Threatens the man.

The woman was scared for her life, pleading with the man to let her go. However, the man had different things in mind, he cut her purse off of her shoulder, then held the knife to her neck.

“Remain quiet and everything will be fine, I just want your money and your jewelry, do you understand?” The man says to the woman.

Out of the shadows ReSkin! appears, but instead of a mighty superhero, it’s a disfigured raccoon-human hybrid. Jonny has yet to fully master the art of shapeshifting and thus has some issues. With the head of a hairless raccoon, the body of a man, and the appendages of a furry raccoon, “I said unhand her!” ReSkin demands one more time.

“What the hell are you supposed to be?” Asks the robber.

Confused, ReSkin! looks in a piece of glass and sees he didn’t fully transform back into himself.

“You ever get your ass kicked by a giant raccoon?” Jonny asks with a grin on his face as he launches himself at the robber.

With a swift kick to the jaw, the robber flies back, releasing the woman, landing into a wall. The woman retrieves her belongings and thanks ReSkin! for help.

“It’s no problem ma’am, take a better route home next time.” ReSkin! says as he walks over to tie the robber up and alert the police. He heads off before the police show up, his vigilante work was done for the night, he really needed to figure out this shape shifting issue, before it costs him.