Chapter Thirteen

Five Months Ago

"What do you mean, I'm dying?"

"You have tumors growing in almost every organ of your body, including your muscles and skin...I didn't believe it myself, but the scans don't lie. In a week they will grow so big that you will feel them all over. In a months time they will become visible, deforming your body. After that it's only a matter of time before their irregular accelerated growth overloads your body and kills you. Its just a question of which major organ will fail first now."

"Oh."

Jack sat back down on the bed. His thoughts jumped in and out of focus. He struggled to get his head wrapped around one long enough to say, "But, I feel great?"

"That, I still can't explain. All the tests I took on your rapid eye re-growth came back inconclusive. I don't know what to make of it. Will it prevent the tumors from killing you? Possibly. Could it be the reason you have tumors to begin with? Just as likely."

Dr. Randolph sat down at his desk and put his elbows down, holding his head in his hands. The poor doctor seemed distraught, utterly spent. He had no more answers for his patient. He had no more theories for himself. Dr. Randolph had never felt like this before. His patient defies the laws of nature and science.

Jack got up. The mere thought of someone caring about his well-being other than himself and getting this upset over was compelling. It made Jack feel differently about his fate. In a lot of ways Dr. Randolph gave him hope. That not everyone was bad to the bone and only concerned with their own self interests.

He patted Dr. Randolph on the back as he walked by him. And with that pat, Dr. Randolph felt a sudden and brief sensation. His frustrations disappeared and reappeared like a flash. Jack walked out the front door. Sensei was leaning on the wall beside him. Jack looked forward to the fleeting night.

"My powers are growing."

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"You will go through many changes before you reach the extent of your abilities."

"I think I can heal others."

Sensei stood next to him, as he peered down the same alleyway across the street that his grandson was originally saved by Jack from the muggers. He muttered his next words very carefully, "Let's find out." Sensei nodded Jack's attention down the alleyway.

A young girl was being chased and beaten down in the shadows. Jack sprung into action. He ran down the alleyway as they clawed at her clothes, laughing amongst themselves, screaming at her. Jack saw one of them undo his belt and pants. Jack teleported himself before the helpless girl, grabbing the thug's neck and hurling him into the air. Jack elbowed the other thug next to him. One thug fell from the air as the other pulled out his glock. Jack turned around to see if the girl was okay, his only mistake.

This gave the thug enough time to fire one shot from his gun. Jack punched his chest and sent the thug into the wall behind them. Both of the abductors lie on the floor, out-cold. The bullet singed the girl's shoulder. She faded in and out of consciousness, sobbing quietly. Jack got down, he fixed her shirt and picked her up. Sensei approached them down the alleyway. A rain cloud moved in above and opened up. Jack put the girl down. They were drenched within seconds.

"We should go get Dr. Randolph."

"No. This is your time."

"She could die." The rain splashed on his words.

"It is up to you whether she lives or dies."

Jack got down next to her. She was a young Asian girl. What business could she possibly have for being out here at such a late hour? He put his hand over her wound. Sensei now stood above them. He hummed a meditation chant for Jack's concentration. Softly he began to speak...

"Go back to the days of your first encounter with the gift. How it felt to be harmed...and then healed from it. Now you are the healer. It is your turn to deal out miracles. Share with this girl the feeling of being healed."

Jack raised his head with his eyes closed and a blue light left his hand, covering her wound. The light bounced off the raindrops and lit the alleyway, revealing the rising sun. She gasped and woke up. All that remained of her traumas were the blood stains on her clothes. Her shoulder was fine, her consciousness clear. Jack and the Sensei helped her up and escorted her home.

"Get some sleep," ordered Sensei, and both him and Jack went home. Jack walked into his apartment and walked past Dr. Randolph, asleep at his desk, as if he had not moved. Jack got in his bed and got some much needed rest. He did not worry about the tests or his predicted death. Instead, he wondered about his new teleportation and healing powers. He felt like he was in the comic books he used to read as a kid. More and more, Jack considered the possibility of fighting crime...devoting his life to truly becoming a superhero.

Why the hell not? He was dying anyway...