Billy Hall

Triumphs and Tragedies

1972, United States and Vietnam

As Billy Hall transitioned into his mid-teens, his life underwent profound changes. Now recognized as a prodigious Mechatronics Engineer and Physicist, he had shifted his focus to work directly with the U.S. military, applying his genius to the art of warfare. With the Vietnam War raging, Billy's innovations were seen as crucial to shifting the tides in favor of the United States.

Billy, at just 15, began developing a series of groundbreaking military technologies. His most significant achievement was the creation of a new type of armor for soldiers. Dubbed the "Hall Armor," it was lightweight, cost-effective, and extraordinarily durable, capable of protecting wearers from a variety of ballistic and explosive threats. This drastically reduced U.S. casualties and was hailed as a turning point in military defense technology.

Alongside the armor, Billy developed laser-bullet weapons, a new class of firearms that combined traditional ballistics with laser targeting and propulsion technology, greatly increasing the accuracy and lethality of small arms. These weapons were deployed in combat situations with remarkable success, significantly enhancing the firepower of the U.S. forces.

However, the widespread deployment of Billy's technologies began to raise ethical concerns. Reports surfaced of war crimes and rampant killing sprees, facilitated by the very tools Billy had created to save lives. The power of the new weaponry made it too easy to cause mass destruction, leading to unintended civilian casualties and moral questions about the conduct of war.

The military, facing international pressure and internal moral questioning, was forced to scale back the use of some of Billy's more potent technologies. Despite these measures, the impact of his inventions on the war was undeniable, helping to secure a U.S. victory in Vietnam by 1973.

Amidst these professional successes, Billy faced profound personal tragedy. His father, Charles Hall, now a Major General, was stationed in Vietnam overseeing the implementation of Billy's technologies. In a cruel twist of fate, Charles was killed not by enemy fire but in a tragic accident involving one of the new military vehicles Billy had helped to design.

The news of his father's death left Billy devastated. The irony that his own creation had indirectly led to his father's demise was a bitter pill to swallow. Billy grappled with guilt, grief, and a growing sense of disillusionment with the path his career had taken.

Furthermore, Billy struggled with severe PTSD, haunted by the memories of the attack on the Superhuman Academy. The faces of his fallen friends—the young geniuses of his early school days and the members of the Super-Freaks club, of whom only one survived—frequently tormented him in nightmares. The weight of having survived, while so many others did not, added to his emotional burden.

In recognition of his contributions to the military, Billy was awarded a prestigious medal. The ceremony was bittersweet, overshadowed by the recent loss of his father and the ethical controversies surrounding his inventions. The medal, intended as a symbol of honor, felt to Billy like a reminder of the cost at which it had come.

As Billy approached his 16th birthday, he found himself at a crossroads. The young boy who once dreamed of using his intellect to create a safer world now faced the harsh realities of his choices. The technologies he had developed with the intention of protecting life had also taken it, and the tools he had hoped would end conflicts had instead prolonged them.

Determined to find a new path forward, Billy began to envision a different application of his talents. No longer content to contribute to the machinery of war, he started to explore how his knowledge could be used for peacebuilding and reconstruction—both in the countries affected by war and within his own scarred psyche.

This new chapter of his life was set to be his most challenging yet, as he sought redemption and a way to honor the memories of those he had lost by dedicating his life to healing and helping rather than harming.