Rei's Superhero Origin Story

That Fateful Day

Rei's POV:

I remember being so happy when I'd received the phone call that I'd been accepted as a public defender summer intern that I wore a silly grin for days. My law school roommate had thought I'd fallen in love with some chick and rolled his eyes when I'd told him the truth.

I was going to be a summer intern for one of the best public defenders in the country! And if I did well, then my career was in the bag. I had freshly laundered all my suits and prepared several choices of ties days ahead of time. My briefcase was packed, and I combed my hair for the occasion.

When I had stepped into the office of the Thurgood Marshall, I thought I would swoon. I tried to tamp down my excitement, but inside I was giggling like a little girl. Here was my inspiration, the man that had toiled in the trenches against the greatest odds and come out victorious. He served those who had no other options, no rich fathers to bail them out or connections with the mayor or CEO of some international corporation. He fought for the common man!

The secretary had me sit down in a black cheap foldable chair outside his office. Some might have bristled at the bargain basement décor but what I saw was a man that dedicated his money to the defense of his clients, not paying some high-priced interior designer. I could not wait to shake his hand! As I waited, I patted my briefcase and felt the comforting outline of my copy of Unordinary.

Ever since I had read it a month ago, I had brought it with me to every law class and every interview. It was an additional motivator, a reminder that those who had the strength should use it to help others.

I had tried to use my time as King of Wellston to foster the peaceful world that Unordinary preached, and now that I was working my way to becoming a lawyer, specifically a public defender, I wanted to continue to spread that peace to my community. That's why I had taken an accelerated program at Uni and worked to get this highly prestigious internship my second year of law school.

"Mr. -----, you may enter Dr. Marshall's office now."

The secretary held the door open and I entered, expecting to see my mentor standing inside ready to welcome me.

Instead, he was hunched over his desk, a muddled group of papers surrounding him, and stacks upon stacks of casefiles at his feet, stuffed into cabinets, and littering every available space.

He looked up for a second before he glanced back down and scribbled something on a sheet before replacing it in a file and tossing it over his shoulder.

"Clear a chair and sit down, Mr. ----"

Carefully stepping through the maze of casefiles, I reached the nearest chair of to the side of the door, which when opened would have obscured me from view. Gathering up the papers into my arms, I anxiously surveyed the room for a place to put them. In the end, I remained with them in my lap and stuffed my briefcase into the space between me and the chair's armrest.

"So, Mr. ---, my secretary tells me that you are this summer's new intern."

He peered at me over his classes, assessing me. His sullen look gave me the impression that I had already failed in some way. My stomach shrunk and a knot seemed to form.

"Y- yes, sir. Yes, Dr. Marshall, I'm the new intern, sir," I stammered out.

"There shall be no stammering in my office. Do I make myself clear?!"

"Yes, sir."

Before either him or I could utter another word, the secretary popped her head in and announced that one Mr. Underwood was there to see Dr. Marshall.

"Send him in!"

The secretary allowed a tall, violet haired man and a young periwinkle haired girl into the office. She left the door open which prevented the man and girl from seeing that I too was in the room with Dr. Marshall.

"What do you want?! I told you I'm not taking your case."

Dr. Marshall slammed his fist on the desk to emphasize his point.

"Please Thurgood! We went to school together. Our wives attended the same birthing classes. Please, we have no one else to go to!"

The poor man seemed to be in tears, the small girl's hand clutched in his.

"No! I said no at that is the end of it!"

Marshall's face had reddened in anger and his voice had risen another octave and seemed to boom within the small office.

The man did not relent, approaching the desk and kneeling before the public defender in his plea.

"She, ... she was the love of my life. They took her away from me, away from our daughter. Is there nothing you can do?"

SLAP! Marshall's eyes glow a dark crimson, as dark as the blood spurting from Mr. Underwood's nose as he lays sprawled out on the floor.

"Do not come to me again! Or your daughter will find herself alone in this world!"

As sharp as the slap, as loud as the boom of Marshall's voice, the world cracked. How was this the prestigious public defender that I had heard about and revered? He used his powers against a pleading man, a man in mourning for his wife. Were there no good people?

Mr. Underwood's daughter kneeled by his head, stroking his hair as she whispered, "Wake up, daddy. Wake up!"

Time ticked up interminably slowly, but he did rise. His daughter supported his weight as much as she could, and they limped out. The secretary, expressionless, closed the door behind them.

Dr. Marshall cleared his throat before he addressed me again.

"Don't fool yourself kid with all the media's fanciful portrayals of public defenders. There are no heroes. Find cases you can win, and win. Give the losers the door."

He waved me off, and in a haze, I walked out the door. I was going to have Thurgood Marshall sign my copy of Unordinary, but as I continued walking out that office, and out of the building, I knew he did not deserve it. He was no hero, but I did not believe that there were no heroes in this world.

So, I did my best to become one. I put on my mask and found Mr. Underwood. I heard his story and I found the culprits that had murdered his wife.

That's how I became X-Static.