It was early in the morning, I'd say somewhere around three, when I found myself pacing the decrepit motel room, unable to sleep. I snuck peaks out the

window every few minutes to see if any sort of law enforcement had found me. After an hour or two of pacing, I set out on the streets. I kept my head low and only

traveled in dimly lit areas. Looking back, that was probably the most suspicious thing I could have done. Confident that I was completely alone, I whispered quiet

words of encouragement to myself. This was partially to motivate me and partially to see if my voice would still level a bridge. I raised my voice slowly until I was

speaking at an audible volume. I let out a sigh of relief as the powers of yesterday had subsided. But that meant that I had some other power to worry about, and I had

to find out what that was before I cause more damage. I made my way to the opposite side of town. By this point the streets had began to fill with vehicles and

pedestrians. It was crowded enough that I could move more comfortably, without fear of being spotted by the law. I was nearly out of town when a man stopped me. He had

to have been at least seven feet tall. He towered over me, his white t-shirt straining to contain his muscles. "You're that guy from the news. The one that destroyed

the park in the next town over," his voice was a bit lighter than I had expected, but intimidating regardless. "I think you've got the wrong guy," my voice shook

softly as I spoke. "Nah. It's you alright," his lips parted to form a terrifying grin as he scooped me up and carried me away. I tried to scream for help but he had

covered my mouth. He was a lot stronger than I was. There was no point in struggling so I accepted my fate. I thought for sure he was going to turn me in for the

reward, but to my surprise he brought me to some sort of secret hide out. He dropped me in the middle of the room and flicked the lights on. I was surrounded by

various men and women, all eagerly watching me as I regained my footing. One of them stepped forward, a white haired woman in what appeared to be a Canadian military

officer's attire. "Welcome, Marcus. I am Lillian. I'm sure you have several questions, but allow me to explain the situation first," her voice was calm and cold. She

was right, I had a lot of questions, but I simply nodded and listened to what she had to say. "You're no stranger to the super human drug trials, I see. That's exactly

why we're here. Over the past years, every country with any sort of power has been experimenting with drugs that give people super powers. I'm sure you're already

aware that Canada was the first country to succeed. I was their first test subject. I was a general in their newly formed military before they decided to turn me in to

a secret weapon. They injected me with some sort of serum and locked me away in a secluded room. Every day they gave me a dose of their drugs and watched for any sort

of changes within my body. After an entire month with no progress, they changed the formula and tried again. The results were the same. Every month for a year they

gave me a new serum, but none of them seemed to have any sort of affect on me. Until their final attempt. They called it 'Talos'. The drug was the culmination of the

research they had conducted over the past year. It took only two hours for the serum to take effect. I could feel my body changing drastically. My body temperature

fluctuated violently from sub zero temperatures to blazing heat. I grew an extra set of arms which quickly detached and withered away. The process was agonizing but

brief. When it was finally over, they took their notes and ordered my execution. The room filled with gas and I was rendered unconscious. I awoke to find myself

strapped to a chair with a firing squad poised to strike upon me. They gave the order and I was simultaneously injected with yet another serum as the chair was charged

with high voltages of electricity. The firing squad unloaded their entire magazines in to me and I was pronounced dead. They buried me in an unmarked grave in the

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

middle of nowhere. When I came to, I found that the experiments they had conducted on me had not only given me various powers, it had also made me immortal. At least

as far as I can tell. I drove my way through the earth with ease and emerged unharmed. I knew I had to lay low or they would come for me, and despite what they had

done, I didn't want to harm anyone. So I found my way back home, packed what I needed for my journey, and set out to find the other discarded experiments from the

trials of our corrupt government. Sadly, I was the only survivor of the trials. I soon learned that every country wanted in on this super human race and would stop at

nothing to create the most powerful being known to man. I made it my mission to gather the failed subjects from around the world together. You are our latest addition.

I know this is a lot to take in, but we can teach you to control your powers. The only thing we ask is that you join in our fight to take down the devilish governments

that created us." It took me a moment to really grasp what was going on. She was talking about destroying the most powerful governments in the world. The same

governments that, no doubt, had control of some of the most powerful super humans produced by these trials. I took some time to gain my composure before saying,

"Alright, Lillian. I'm in. But first, tell me how you found out about me. How do you know my name?" She chuckled softly and gestured to a man in the corner, "This is

Vlad. He's a failed Russian experiment. He can detect other super humans and connect with them. From here, he can find out anything he wants to know about them." I was

a little nervous knowing that a complete stranger knew every detail about my life, but there wasn't really anything I could do about it. "So he's your scout?" She

nodded softly. I wasn't sure what to make of all of this. Just a few weeks ago I was living a normal life. I had started a relationship, I was making a little money

from my freelance work as an artist, and I had finally started putting my life on the right track. Now I was in a strange building surrounded by super powered

strangers who knew everything about me and wanted my help to take down the most powerful governments of the world. I suppose Lillian could sense my unease as she spoke

softly to me, "Take your time, Marcus. I know this is a bit much, but we can keep you safe. You won't have to run. You won't have to hide. And when this is all over,

you can go back to your old life." I found that last part hard to believe, but I didn't have many options at this point. I agreed to help them, and in return, they

would show me how to control my powers. We spent the rest of the day getting to know one another. There was Lillian, the leader, Vlad, the scout, Barron, the muscle,

Ferus, the elementalist, and Jolene, the brains. It seems that each of them had one specialized power, except for Lillian. She never elaborated fully on what her

particular power, or powers, were. I suppose it didn't really matter. She was going to teach me to control mine so I wasn't in a position to complain. Over the course

of the next month we would move from town to town, all the while I was honing my skills. The daily changes in powers made it difficult, especially since I had stopped

taking the pills and planned for my powers to dissipate. That wasn't the case. In fact, they were growing stronger. Lillian told me that the most important aspect of

controlling these powers was a proper mind set. I had to accept that this was my life now and focus on making the best of it. I struggled for a long time, but when we

had finally reached our destination, I had made a little progress. Lillian said we were going to Brazil, but we had stopped in Texas to gather more intel on our

target. It was here that I made the biggest leap forward. I awoke one morning to find that I could adjust my vision. It was almost like having a high powered

microscope in my brain. It was disorienting at first, but I remembered what Lillian had taught me. Focus on the power. Let it take control. Don't fight it. Within a

few minutes I gained control and could adjust my vision at will. This wasn't that big of a deal, as it didn't have the power to level a city block, but controlling it

was still an important step. I was told that, in time, controlling my powers would become second nature to me. I would wake up and immediately be aware of any changes

and how to control the new powers that had taken affect. This certainly seemed to be true, as I found it easier to control each new power with every passing day. And

today was a day for progress. Lillian and Jolene were out looking for supplies for some sort of project they had going, Vlad was gathering intel on our target, and

Barron and Ferus were plotting our route to Brazil. I had the entire hide out to myself. I decided to use this time productively, focusing on everything they had

taught me over the past month. I looked around the abandoned warehouse we had set up in, examining every square inch meticulously. Before I knew it, everyone had

returned. They were preparing to call it a night when Lillian called us in to the main room for a meeting. When we arrived, she spoke in her commanding voice, booming

across the room for each of us to hear. "This past month has not been easy. We have each faced our own personal struggles as well as those of the group. But we stand

tall in the face of adversity. It has brought us all closer and strengthened our resolve. I am extremely proud of each and every one of you. Especially you, Marcus,"

she looked in my direction and offered a quick wink, "You have made great progress in your struggle to gain control of your powers. When we first met, you were a slave

to whatever took hold of you on any given day. Now you stand before me as a powerful asset to our group. Tomorrow, we set out for Brazil. By Ferus's calculations, we

should reach out target in another month. Hold strong, my friends. Our time grows near." When she had finished speaking, everyone cheered and clapped. There was

something about the way she spoke, the tone of her voice and her body language, that amped people up. I could see how she achieved the rank of general. After things

calmed down, everyone made their way to bed. For the first time since this ordeal started, I felt like I was going to get some real sleep. I was confident that I would

gain full control soon, but even though I had made such substantial progress, my journey was only beginning.