None of it made sense. No one could dream of a moment when the world could put down its arms and have a single day without violence. But Ben saw it all. He watched as soldiers ran around trying to figure out what to do and what their orders should be, while grunts returned from the field waiting to be briefed on the situation. Everyone was in the dark without a light to shine the way.

  Even reports and whispers Ben overheard made him stumble. People being able to fly, having the strength of a thousand men, being able to belch fire, anything that goes beyond the norms of what a human should do. Knowing that made him feel less human.

  Ever since that day, Ben struggled to understand what he should be or what he was. He didn’t feel right, or at least, to him, he understood something was very wrong. The service greens he was currently wearing while he sat down outside of his officer’s office were the third set of clothing he tried to put on in the morning. As he tried every time, his newfound strength would cause him to tear his clothing apart like it was wet tissue paper. Anything weaker than the clothing he wore was even more difficult to handle without breaking.

  It was horrible. To him, everything was fragile and made of paper or built on a foundation of sand, which required a great amount of effort and energy not to shatter. Nor was it the only issue he had. Now that he understood he could levitate off the ground, he had to constantly think about being on the ground to not make himself fly. Yet what horrified him the most was the energy beam he could fire out of his hands. A beam of silver light that could melt and pierce through anything he could think of. Or he suspected, he didn’t want to test out the capabilities of his energy blast.

  As he grasped his hands, his right thumb pressed down on his left palm. He wondered whether he could ever be normal again. The na?ve would claim they would celebrate the fact that they got powers or became invincible. Yet the truth of the matter was that power terrified Ben and should terrify anyone who had it. With a fragile world and how every step he took could shatter the floor he set foot on or how every door handle would crumble like aluminium foil. He was unapproachable. He knew he could never hold a lover without shattering every bone in their body.

  All Ben could see in himself was a monster, more than a human. How could he take accountability if no one could arrest him or ask him to stand trial? No one should have that much power. Not even him.

  Thinking about it made his mind come back to the reason he had to wait outside his officer’s office. People with powers in the military were an unknown factor; they didn’t want to play with them during a time of crisis. It wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to know that the US military, and any country during that time, wouldn’t dare allow anyone with some kind of power or mutation caused by The Cascade to be in their ranks. Simply because those soldiers could not be forced to follow orders without risk of consequences or face punishment if they broke the law. It would be a matter of time before the world would eagerly have its own powered or mutated human fight a rich man’s war. But that time would come once the world had accepted its new norm.

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  Curly was the first to be sent to meet with their commanding officers. Compared to Ben, Curly was seen as the easiest person to address the situation first. Though he had rank, he was still considered a lowly grunt they could talk down to. Another reason was that he had better control of his powers than Ben. Luckily for him, he was able to easily determine when and when not to disable his electrokinesis. Ben wished he could do the same thing, disabling his powers to just be normal.

  Eventually, Curly walked out of the office with a still and morbid expression. ‘Hey,’ he said to Ben before sitting down across from him. ‘I suppose this is it. Being in the army and all.’

  ‘They’re discharging us?’

  ‘No,’ Curly shook his head. ‘On “indefinite leave” until they figure out what they do with us. After a series of questions about our mission. I think they will give you a letter, and you’ll be sent back home.’

  ‘So this is it?’ Ben grumbled. ‘A pat on the back and they forget all about us? Only being called back in when they are ready?’

  ‘What? Not satisfied with the army now?’ Curly sarcastically replied.

  ‘I think it is the fact that…’ Ben cut himself off, not wanting to say something out of line. ‘I suppose it is a lot to take in, you know? There is a good reason why we have to go on leave. You, me, anyone like us. We are dangerous. I just hope it gets fixed soon.’

  ‘Dangerous? My friend, I like to think that we are new and alive.’ As Curly said that, sparks shot out as he clicked his fingers. ‘Maybe this is a new beginning, a new era for us to do something for ourselves besides serving someone. Because honestly, I am about done being under the boot of people in suits and the fucking government, who don’t have a clue what to do with people like us. But I think we do.’

  ‘We?’

  ‘Yeah, we. Hell, maybe one day we will meet again to change the world for the better. But before that happens, I am going to go home and live it up a bit. I suggest you do the same. But in the meantime, I hope to see you back home.’ Curly saluted Ben before leaving with a wide smile, eager to face this new world, while Ben was left unsure.

  Yet, as Ben was called in to speak with his officers. He realised the importance of Curly’s words. The world did change, and that was something they couldn’t change; they must adapt to live in their new era. It was his time to be born anew, and it would be a matter of time before he would accept his newfound power. Gift or curse, it didn’t matter. He had to take the time to figure out what to do next. Perhaps build a support group for people like him.