He then took stock of the energy he felt coruscating through his cellular matrix.
I also get the distinct feeling that this isn’t all I can do. I’m not sure exactly how I know it, but I do. And I need to put it to the test. Right now.
Determined to further test the reality of his ‘unbelievable’ new status, Benny decided that the SUV husk would again serve as his proverbial guinea pig. Walking fifteen feet away from it, he clenched his right fist again. He then concentrated on the energy coruscating through his body, attempting to consciously focus it towards congealing into his hand. He felt the energy pour into it with great intensity, and a moment later it physically manifested in a form resembling crackling bluish arcs of electricity, yet somehow not truly electricity.
“Whoa!” he shouted as the flowing energy built to a crescendo, and the flicking arcs sizzled like the sound of several steaks cooking atop a blazing grill.
He pooled his resolve into focusing the energy outward, pointing his fist directly at the SUV. Less than a moment later, a glowing beam of searing bluish energy was projected forth, appearing to sizzle the very air molecules directly around it. The beam struck the thrashed side of the vehicle, causing it to shatter as if a hundred pounds of TNT had detonated within. An ear-splitting boom accompanied the spectacular explosion, and scraps of burning metal accompanied by shards of melting plastic and splintered glass fell to the ground, setting a series of mini-fires on the grassy ground.
“Holy…!” Benny exclaimed with a feeling of pure euphoria.
He then looked at the arcs of sapphire energy still coruscating around his fist, unclenched it, and willed the energy manifestation to die down below visible levels. Within a second, it did just that. The surge of energy he released was considerably more powerful and destructive than he hoped for, as he didn’t want such a loud blast to result. Now he knew that he had to flee the vicinity before police and fire trucks arrived.
I need to be careful with that, he reminded himself. I need to practice, get that more under control. But I’m not going to need these energy discharges to deal with those bastards at school anyway. Monday is going to be payback time.
Before leaving he took one final glance at the glorious display of his newfound power before him and smiled. The feeling of sheer exhilaration coursing through him was beyond measure. He believed that the Powers That Be in the universe had given him the means to show the world that it’s no longer permitted to mess with Benny Lonero.
Interlude: The Valis Institute
Former special ops agent turned paranormal investigator Donovan Jakes leaned back in his office chair. The office itself was secretly constructed beneath a gymnasium which recently opened on Niagara Street. Located just a few blocks from Benny’s home, it was one of the many global sites of the Valis Institute, an organization established in 2006 to study the unusually intense set of astronomical phenomena that began occurring soon after the 21st cemtiru had begun. These events were referred to by the press as Warp Events.
This particular location was constructed in Buffalo based on an intense prediction made almost a year earlier by Claire Boone, one of the Valis Institute’s best psychics. Boone’s natural born ESP abilities became greatly enhanced following a Warp Event that manifested over the San Francisco Bay area. As for Jakes himself, he was a former military man who encountered much over the past 25 years that left him eminently qualified to head the metahuman research division of the organization, including the equivalent of what its members half-jokingly referred to as its ‘police’ wing.
This covert institute was funded by several individuals and organizations of considerable means, all of whom preferred to keep their involvement ‘off the record.’ Mounting evidence suggested that the cosmic events of unknown origin being studied by the Institute may have actually altered the very physical laws governing space and time in the localized region of the galaxy that includes Earth’s solar system.
Other strange phenomena connected to these Warp Events included the alleged widespread opening of dimensional portals and the emergence of strange creatures from these quantum rifts; new and often exotic technology that wouldn’t work under established physical laws before suddenly becoming operable; and espers & “indigo children” across the world experiencing a dramatic surge in their psychic abilities accompanied by disturbing nightmares that included apocalyptic scenarios.
Different divisions of the company were dedicated to studying and assessing these other singularities. Jakes had strong connections with each of them, as the diverse phenomena connected to the Warp Events would sometimes overlap, thus necessitating periodic cooperation between the institutes’ different departments.
The Institute was completely off the books, and the powerful individuals funding its amazing but clandestine activities seemed to have more than enough influence to circumvent government oversight or control. It was entirely non-profit, and Jakes often wondered where the funds to continue its elaborate and rather extensive operations kept coming from; not to mention the highly advanced cutting edge technology the institute had exclusive access to. He wanted to ask more questions but had thus far convinced himself to ask as few as possible. At this point he simply didn’t want to risk being investigated or ousted, as he not only found his job here valuable, but he also wanted to keep the organization under his purview.
As long as Donovan held his current position at the Institute, he could use the organization’s unique resources to personally monitor emerging metahumans. And he could then act to help them… or to stop them, whatever any individual case may require.
True to Boone’s considerable prescience, the major Warp Event she predicted would hit the Western New York area had come to pass. She further predicted that a greatly powerful metahuman would emerge in the wake of this particular Warp Event; a metahuman who would end up playing a pivotal role in world affairs.
According to Boone, whether this metahuman’s major effect on the world would be for good or ill depended on many constantly fluctuating factors that hinged on certain specific decisions, which in turn led to myriad possible outcomes. The gifted, Warp Event-enhanced esper often explained to Jakes and others at the Institute that the future isn’t set in stone. Rather, it more resembles a cascade of many possible results stemming from a certain likely catalyst incident.
Because of this, Jakes decided to relocate to Buffalo so he could personally operate this specific branch of the Institute. If the stakes were that high with this soon to emerge metahuman, he wanted to be there himself. He would do his best to insure a positive outcome to the impending event, even though he knew he was risking much, including his own life. But if he could avert a catastrophe for the entire planet stemming from the strange new physical laws that allowed previously ‘impossible’ events to occur with alarming regularity, it would be a risk well worth taking.
As he sat and studied the reams of information that streamed across his monitor, he began scratching his close-cropped brown and gray beard. This was something he did whenever he was both focused and concerned at the same time. In fact, some of the reports he read more than warranted that concern: A teenage boy with the power to control electricity was reported to have been involved in several incidents over the past few days in Kentucky. A girl who evidently had the power to morph into a cat-like creature had apparently made headlines in Ontario, Canada.
“Jesus, how far is this going to go?” Jakes quietly asked himself aloud.
Just then, he heard the chiming sound which indicated Boone was attempting to contact him over his private communications system. He immediately voice activated the intercom that would allow him to speak directly to her in wireless fashion.
“Donovan here. What’s up, Boone?”
“Donovan, it’s happened!”
“Can you be a bit more specific?”
“His power just emerged. The metahuman I told you about. The degree of Odic energy he unleashed was so strong that sensing it gave me the queen of all
migraines. I threw up twice before I was able to make this call. Donovan, we need to go to yellow alert. Now.”
“Will do, Boone, and thank you for what you go through for us, not to mention the world. In the meantime, take some meds and relax. I’ve got this.”
Chapter 4: No Train, No Gain
For the first time in Benny Lonero’s memory, the weekend couldn’t pass fast enough for him. He pooled as much of his will as he could muster to avoid speaking to his grandparents and his uncle, as well as his mother, with whom he was estranged. As difficult as it was for him to get along with his grandparents and their son, his relationship with his mother was worse, and he previously decided it was supremely wise not to live with her. But that was something he would deal with in due time. The problems with his family could wait until he figured out how his new status would impact upon that particular situation.
In fact, he spent most of the weekend away from the house. In the early morning he boarded a bus to an area on the outskirts of Buffalo’s West Side where O’Reilly’s Salvage, a large sprawling junkyard, was situated.
Upon first arriving there on Saturday afternoon, he peered through the bolted gate barring ingress to the yard. It was littered with numerous examples of vehicular debris that would be perfect for him to test his newfound powers on. All of this served as preparation for Monday morning. Not only was utilizing these incredible powers even more exhilarating to him than he imagined sex would be (though he hoped to use his new status to help him succeed in that area, too); but it also provided him with continued elated proof that what the Warp Event had done to him was not just an extended dream or hallucination.
Early that morning, he had discovered that the ‘Warp Event’ was what both the media and astronomers were calling the bizarre flash of light that astounded the residents of the Western New York area Friday evening. And which clearly resulted in his incredible transformation. Reading that report on The Buffalo News website before leaving in the morning provided further validation for the reality of Benny’s experience.
He further read that the press and scientific community struggled to come up with an explanation for this stellar anomaly, which was actually one of several such ‘events’ of varied intensity that had been manifesting over disparate areas across the globe during the past few years. The number of these events precluded the rare singular occurrence of a super nova in nearby space, or a huge comet combusting in the upper atmosphere.
Since Benny was curious about the true nature of the Warp Event that transformed him into something akin to a demi-god, that was something he would have to investigate later. More immediate matters of concern held his attention this day, however.
Benny peered through the gate which led to the spacious junkyard, and he saw no other living creature. As concern for being caught trespassing built up in his mind, a strange tingling sensation suddenly coursed through the contours of his skull and converged in the center of his forehead. It felt as if the unknown energy now saturating his entire cellular matrix was centering there much as it did when he focused it into his fist to project an energy discharge.
For a quick moment, it appeared as if his mind was expanding outwards and ‘probing’ the immediate vicinity. He was aware that several small rodents and a plethora of insects were present in the junkyard, but no life forms larger or more sophisticated than that.
Whoa whoa whoa! he thought to himself. What the hell was that? It’s like I… I dunno, like I ‘scanned’ the junkyard to see who or what else was there, and then the answer was somehow… just given to me. He couldn’t describe it any better than that for the nonce, but it gave him an elated ‘rush’ much as he imagined one may get after partaking of a strong pharmaceutical stimulant. I need to learn the full parameters of these powers, but like I said, only the metahuman strength I have is needed for dealing with the ‘crew’ on Monday. Though this ‘probing sense’ or whatever I might call it will sure as hell come in handy for avoiding the security guards and other staff when required.
Now that he ‘knew’ beyond a shadow of a doubt that the coast was clear, he decided to test his strength by seeing if he could rip open the gate’s deadbolt. He grabbed the strong solid steel lock and squeezed it with all his might. The square-shaped piece of metal crumpled like a tin can. He then pulled it as hard as he could, and the steel chain snapped off the fence as if it were a thread of silk.
“Whoa,” he said quietly to himself with a grin. “This totally kicks ass. And it’s soon going to help me do that in a totally literal sense. Heh.”
Benny pushed the gates open and entered the junkyard. He spent the rest of the morning testing his newfound superhuman strength on any item he could get his hands upon. He bent discarded mufflers and tail pipes like they were composed of cardboard. He punched through plate glass windows with ease and incurred no damage to the skin and bone of his hand. He tore the trunks off the discarded vehicles as if they were little more than plastic covers attached to a cup of margarine.
After a half hour of this, it took a strong effort of will not to raise his arms to the sky and scream in pure, unbridled elation.
***
After returning home late Saturday afternoon, he ordered a pizza, so he could fully avoid contact with his grandparents at the dinner table. He didn’t want to risk an altercation, since he wasn’t yet prepared to use his newfound strength against his grandfather, despite how much he hoped to show the intimidating patriarch of the house that he was now a greater force to be reckoned with. He succeeded in evading his erstwhile father figure throughout the evening.
On Sunday morning, he was back outside the junkyard, where he quickly learned that his break-in the previous day was discovered. Consequently, a new padlock had been placed over the gate. I think it’s safe to assume the owner may have increased the yard’s security measures. And this gives me a chance to concentrate and try that mind thing, that total mental awareness, or whatever you might call it, that I did yesterday without actually trying. Here goes…
Benny concentrated and focused, and he again felt the sensation of the incredible energies which now permeated his atomic structure stream to a central point in his forehead. That was followed by the impression of his mind flowing out from his skull and interpenetrating the physical environment, absorbing information from the entire surrounding area. Within a moment, he ‘knew’ there was now a hidden security camcorder sequestered in a telephone pole located near the center of the junkyard.
“Damn, it worked,” Benny said to himself. There’s a security cam located there, he silently noted in regard to the telephone pole. And I certainly can’t let documented evidence of me using my powers be recorded here.
Grinning slyly with a hint of malicious glee, Benny saw this as the perfect opportunity to test his energy discharges. He knew that he had to get that power under better control if he hoped to use it against threatening targets in the future. And he had the distinct premonition that he would soon be required to do exactly that.
He moved back several feet to make sure he was out of the cam’s recording range. He then pointed his fist in the direction of the large metal circuit box attached to the pole, as it was there that he knew the cam was concealed. Focusing his cosmic energies to congeal into his fist, he then concentrated into projecting it outward as a sizzling bluish-hued beam. In just over a second, the beam projected as he demanded, only this time he attempted to willfully rein in its intensity. The air crackled and smoked directly around the discharge beam as it projected forward and struck the pole about a foot and a half below the intended spot.
The heavy wooden pole was split in half by the power of the beam, and though he missed the box containing the hidden cam, the recording device was nevertheless smashed to pieces when the several hundred pounds of wood came crashing to the ground. This was accompanied by a thunderous echo that reverberated throughout the space of the junkyard.
“Damn it!” he yelled. I only intended to hit and shatter the box, not sma
sh the pole. No doubt that’s going to attract some attention. I really need to gain better control over this power, but right now I have to get the hell out of here…
It was then that Benny’s thought was cut off as he heard someone shout, “Hey!”
He turned around and saw that the owner of the junkyard had just shown up, and he had a vicious and snarling Rottweiler on a leash. Evidently, the man had decided to patrol the area for additional security. He was standing far enough away that he could barely make out Benny’s features.
“Aw, shit…” was all Benny had to say in response to this.
“You bastard, you!” the owner shouted back to him. “What the hell did you just do? You’re the prick who broke in here yesterday, aren’t you?”
It was then that Benny realized his power of cosmic awareness was less than perfect, but he would have to wait until another time to find out why its reliability factor fluctuated. He turned to run but would find that his attempt to flee the premises was about to face some opposition.
“Sic ‘im, Gronk!” he heard the man holler as he released the harness on the leash holding back the dog.
Snarling and salivating with rancorous fury, Gronk rushed at Benny with impressive speed. But as the animal reached the startled young man and leapt for his throat, Benny reflexively swung at the attacking canine. The backhanded blow struck with sufficient force to send the dog’s heavy body flying through the air until it slammed into another telephone pole. The animal then hit the ground hard, where he lay whimpering and twitching in agony.
“Gronk!” the owner bellowed. “Jesus!”
As the man ran to check on his injured pet and would-be junkyard guardian, Benny ran towards the fence on the western section of the yard at a level of speed surpassing that of the dog. He then leapt over the ten-foot high fence with little discernible effort. Landing on the sidewalk outside the junkyard, he subsequently took off down the street as fast as his enhanced leg muscles would carry him. He was never a fast runner and was quite inefficient at most competitive sports as a result. But since he had evolved to his metahuman form, the pace he now displayed would make any Olympic athlete seethe with envy.
Centurion- Dark Genesis Page 5