It Only Takes A Little Step

Hi, I'm Khiro, your average, 19-year-old boy, who just happens to be a hero. Hero, you ask? Yes, I'm a hero. I'm not widely known, not like other heroes. I'm just a small-timer who tries his best to help the City.

My power is telekinesis, and I'm really good at it. Only problem? I'm probably the most scared person you'll meet. And yet, my mother wanted so much of me, and, out of peer pressure, I joined the one and only, 'Hands of Justice'. The Hands of Justice are the best heroes in the world, where upon getting abilities, you get the opportunity to join. Gradually, the better you get, the higher status and rank you get in the organization. It's actually very competitive.

Aaaanyway... Enough about me, let's move on to the present:

"...ro? Khiro! Are you even listening to me?" I flushed in embarrassment, focusing on the person in front of me. He had an annoyed expression plastered on his pale complexion. This was Jem.

Jem was tall and slender, fluffy black hair cascading over their face, save for his lips, which were usually quirked in a casual yet intimidating grin. They always wore dark clothes -lots of people describing him as ‘emo’. I didn’t mind though. Jem was my friend, they were like me, in a way. Jem wasn’t focused on fame or status, he just wanted to have fun. 

Jem grabbed my shoulders shaking me, and I squeaked. “Okay, okay! I’m listening. Sorry.” They gave me a look before repeating himself.

“Ok, so. You’ve heard about the whole thing happening in Europe, right? The top tiers are recruiting anyone around our age into the team to be deployed there. This is our chance, Khiro! This is your chance.”

I was doubtful, and as I opened my mouth to protest, Jem heaved a dramatic sigh. “Oh, come on, man! Look, I know you get scared by these things, but just give it a chance! Would it help if I came with you?” I was surprised when Jem mumbled that last part quietly. Jem rarely ever went out on missions.

I bit my lip. If Jem was offering to go, then I guess, I just had to… “Fine.” I said, and Jem quirked a smile. I had a nagging regret in my mind, but cast it aside.

*     *     *     *     *     *

“Wow.” I breathed, taking in the sight around me. Only yesterday we’d landed in Europe, and today Ukraine. In this part of the country, the town had been blown to bits, rubble and ash strewn around the cracked walkways. It was a desolate place, but, to my relief, it seemed civilians camping out only had minor injuries.

Then I saw them. The true, original, Hands of Justice. They were as regal and confident as ever, even with such a depressing scene around them. Oh, you want to know the original members? Ok then!

First is Maximus. He’s a classic super strength type of ability. He can land a punch at least 50 times harder than the average person, and if powered up, maybe from adrenaline, maybe something else, he can harden his body to a form of metal for up to an hour. He has dark skin and bleached curls erupting from his head,

The next one is Nadia. She can control all 4 elements of nature, but only one at a time. Though she can only use the full force of an element one-at-a-time, Nadia can imbue items with separate elements, and use multiple at once. In appearance, Nadia’s skin is etched in symbols and glyphs, different ones glowing according to the element being used.

Then comes Ren. Ren was an Oblivio. They have the ability to see the memories of others, if in physical contact. Not many people outside of the Hands of Justice know this, but Ren can also shatter the minds of others, driving their victims into madness as their minds fragment away. A feature that stood out to most was their mask, though. It had small cables connected to it, and whenever Ren spoke their voice came out distorted, robotic.

Marco is probably one of the most powerful heroes registered. He has the ability to see the future. He cannot easily see the decisions people will make, because they’re too unpredictable. If Marco did want to see actions of other people, he’d watch them through the lines of the future, and wait. There is always a quick few seconds once someone has decided, and that’s when Marco can strike. Something everyone found peculiar about Marco was the cracked smiling mask he wore. No one has ever seen his face.

The last of them is Valkyrie. She was the creator of the original 5, bringing them together to make them the people they are now. Valkyrie’s power was called Feather Flight. Abilities included flight; when Valkyrie leaps off the ground, large feathered wings sprout from her back- harnessing the wind into a solid form for combat aid. If Valkyrie flies up in direct sunlight, it enhances her abilities, giving her a mace of light for 30 minutes.

*     *     *     *     *     *

Jem and I were sitting in a small campsite -This was where the deployment team had to stay until being called. We’d been talking for a while when Maeve, another from the deployment team with invisibility burst in. “It’s time. We’re going. Now.”

I grabbed my stuff; an intricately jeweled headband and cuffs, with black cargo pants, boots, and lightly armored shirt plate, and sprinted out, Jem right behind me, still in their normal clothes, with the addition of onyx fingerless gauntlets.

Upon arriving with Jem, I saw Valkyrie, Maximus, and Marco, crowded around by 17 others. “…what I’ve learned, it will be in Kyiv, by 22:00 hours. It is 21:15 hours now, so we have limited time to get there and stop it.” Marco was saying, his voice quiet and expressionless, slightly muffled from the mask.

We went over strategy plans before splitting into groups. Marco went off solo, but stayed on comms, then the rest of us were split between Maximus, Nadia, Ren, and Valkyrie. Then we were off, travelling in different directions through the night.

Jem had gone with Ren, and I Maximus. My team eventually got to St. Sophia’s Cathedral, where we were met by even more destruction. And… And Villains. Cruel, cold, angry. There were local heroes of Ukraine fighting them, but they were beaten and ready to pass out.

I gulped. ‘Why did I agree to this!?’ Maximus started issuing orders to us, and everyone started dispersing in pairs and trios. I followed two others, jumping over piles of ash and rubble. Then they came. Villains that varied from height to power came in from all sides, attacking our little groups.

My team was relatively stable, and we defended ourselves smoothly. I heard a shriek, and my head swung towards the sound, to see a small child, no older than 12, and a gruesome, mottled figure looming over her. Prototype 13, it was known as.

Prototype 13 were the project of a large organization of villains. They were an abominate creation programmed to harm anything it could. It created distractions, in a way. They needed a human vessel to be created, which was ripped apart, and inserted with different things, turning it into some sort of monster from a nightmare. Except this wasn’t a nightmare. This was a reality. This one was real, its clawed hand poised to strike.

I looked back to the other two, before, without thinking, lifting up a meter-long piece of rubble with my mind and hurtling it at the Prototype, sprinting over. The grey mass hit the thing square-on, making it stumble, but not quite fall over. The Prototype turned to face its new target; me.

‘At least I saved someone, right?’ I thought as I bolted in the other direction, hearing its lumbering steps behind me. I tried throwing tiny stones at the Prototype, zig-zagging, anything really, but it just kept gaining on me. Soon I was cornered, the Prototype slowing down as it came closer. My back pressed against a prickly wall of a destroyed building, concrete, wires, and pipes jutting out at awkward angles.

I tried my telekinesis, but everything felt heavy. Was my focus malfunctioning? I ran my hand through my hair, fingers brushing against the crystal-infused headband. It wasn’t malfunctioning… Was it me? What could I be doing wrong with my own ability?

The Prototype was dangerously close, and a hand shot out to impale me. My vision blurred as tears overwhelmed me and fear swathed my mind as I kept thinking ‘I’m too young for this please help me someone anyone I don’t want to die not like this not now not ever please’-

And death never came.

I felt a hollow, cold breeze ruffle my hair, and a deafening scream I thought was my own at first. But then when I finally opened my eyes I was still huddled in that same corner of rubble, still trembling. There was no sickly-sweet blood oozing from a horrible gash, no nothing.

I was alive.

That moment didn’t last long. I caught sight of a meaty, bloody pulp that wasn’t there before. Then I realized what it was and gagged as it hit me. The Prototype was that pile of gore, organs, bones and meat. Standing over it was a familiar black-haired person.

“… Jem?” I whispered, catching their attention, to which they ran up to me, embracing me tightly.

“I was so scared you were going to die…” Jem said, voice muffled from his face in my shoulder. Then they stepped back from me. His face had a few glowing cracks on his face, but they didn’t seem to notice.

“What… What was that...?” I said after a moment, gesturing to the… Whatever it was now. Jem said nothing, a grimace on his face. “… Jem?”

“I… It doesn’t matter. I saw you, about to die, and…” Jem looked at his hands, which were shaking slightly. “I don’t like… what my power is… It scares me.” Before I could say anything, Jem straightened, the moment of vulnerability gone. “Anyway, are you ok now? That Prototype got… Disturbingly close.”

I nodded, but as I tested out my telekinesis, it still didn’t work. A new wave of fear washed over me. What if it was gone forever? What if I almost died again? What if I did die? What if, what if, what if. Jem must’ve sensed my anxiousness, because they tilted his head and asked, “What’s wrong? No, don’t say ‘nothing, I’m fine.’ You’re obviously not. Tell me what’s on your mind.”

“I- I don’t know. My telekinesis is just gone and I don’t know why or how. I’m just so scared of everything that’s happening right now! I thought for sure I was going to die and then you came. But now my telekinesis isn’t working and I’ll for sure get hurt next time!” My lip was quivering, and I bit down on it. “I don’t think I should be a hero. I don’t think I ever should’ve.”

I was startled when Jem started… laughing? “Surely you can’t think that!” They managed to get out. “Your telekinesis isn’t working because you’re scared. But surely you can’t just… what, quit? No. The Khiro I know would never. The Khiro I know would always try, even if just for other people, to be the best he could be. The Khiro I know is brave.”

“How do you know…?” I whispered quietly. I felt Jem’s words wash over me and cleanse that fear grappling with my mind, and I purely asked this question to see how they would reply.

“Because I love you. Ever since you accepted me to just hang around with you, I thought, ‘You’re the first person I’ve met that doesn’t care about any of that status crap.’ And I was glad for that.”

I was stunned. I’d Jem was the one to choose me, though, now that I see it, I guess it did make more sense that I let him, in a way. And I always felt considerably better when they were with me.

“Maybe,” I whispered, stepping ever so closer to Jem. “I could love you too.”

And as our lips touched, I felt something I knew was always there, I just hadn’t found it yet.

And so, in future missions we went on, I felt more confident. With Jem, I felt better.

I felt Brave.