LEON BRENNEN
Leon was a quiet and unassuming man, but he had a secret - he had the power of empathy. He could make anyone feel exactly what he was feeling, simply by focusing his thoughts on them.
It was a power that Leon had always been careful with, knowing that it could be misused or abused. But one day, while walking home from work, Leon was confronted by a young man who began harassing and threatening him.
Feeling scared and powerless, Leon reached out with his mind and tried to make the young feel his fear and desperation. To his surprise, it worked - the man immediately stopped their behavior and walked away, looking confused and shaken.
But as Leon continued on his way home, he couldn't shake the guilt he felt. He had used his power without thinking, and he didn't know if he could control the effects it had on others. He realized that he needed to be more careful with his abilities, and vowed to use them only when absolutely necessary.
NISHA & AVITA
Hi, I’m Nisha.
If you were to ask me the most important thing in my life? It would be my sister, Avita.
That girl is the most innocent, pure, sweet person I have ever met in my life. If the idea of honest was a person, it would be her.
We have a mom. We have a dad. We’re pretty normal. Except for one thing. Avita has super powers.
But before we start there. Let’s backtrack a little bit.
Backstory? My Parents are from India. They came to America when they were pregnant with me. My dad works as a computer guy, software engineer sorta thing. My mom stayed at home for awhile but then got a job as a teacher once Avita was old enough and going to school.
Our parents met in India through family friends. Dad always knew he would try to move overseas once he finished college. He met mom, and he did the old school courting. He could come to her school and try to hang out with her, and make all these lame jokes and show off his cricket skills. She was flattered, and really fell for him.
Their parents did NOT approve of it. It wasn’t arranged. Mom didn’t love the idea of moving so far away from home but knew that was just something that had to do to make it work, and came to America.
Parents are pretty old school - they believe in the institutions. As immigrants, following the prescribed rules helped them make sense of a foreign land where they had no family.
Mom had a lot of fertility issues and wasn't able to have another child after me, and dad really wanted a boy. They kinda gave up.
But then Avita happened! She was kind of a miracle. Man, I love that girl.
I was a little bit older when they had Avita, so I had had a tough time growing up alone. As an only child, I felt like there were a lot of expectations. I felt like I was never able to really please them or get their approval. When Avita came, I didn't want her to deal with the same thing, so I tell and show her every day that she can do an be whatever she wants.
Then one day, I was sitting in the diner, working on my Lit 304 HW, I remember that very specifically, and boom.
For 30 seconds, all power was lost world wide. Then it came back again. No explanation.
At the time, I didn’t think anything of it, but later the media would come to call it “the Genesis Incident”. They think it was the birth of superpowers and the Power-Abled.
I got home and Avita told me she wasn’t feeling well. I remember holding her hand as she fell asleep.
Throughout the next couple of months, Avita started being able to tell things that I couldn’t. It was like no matter what anyone said, she knew what your actual intent was.
It was weird, but nothing too out of the ordinary.
Then one day, we were walking, and she saw a guy. Out of nowhere, she started running after him. I ran after Avita.
When he saw us, he got scared and ran away. It turns out that he was trying to break into someone’s cars.
From then, I knew that there was something different about Avita.
We saw more reports on the news about these “Special beings”, and we think that Avita was one of them, but honestly, she was already special.
SUNG
Sung was a shy young man who lived in the bustling city with his sister Hoa and their Grandpa. Despite his quiet nature, Sung had always dreamed of making a difference in the world, but he never imagined that he would have the chance to do so in such an extraordinary way.
One day, as Sung was walking home from work, all of the power went out and he suddenly felt a strange tingling sensation in his throat. At first, he thought he was just coming down with a cold, but as he tried to speak, he found that he could make things happen just by saying them out loud.
At first, Sung couldn't believe what was happening. In the chaos, a nearby person almost got hit by a car, but he sent a voice command telling them to quickly get out of the way… and they did! He quickly realized that he needed to be careful with his words, as they seemed to have a powerful effect on the world around him.
Determined to keep his powers a secret, Sung tried to act as normally as possible, but it was hard to ignore the strange things that kept happening around him. His sister Hoa noticed something was off and confronted him about it one day.
"Sung, I know something is going on with you," Hoa said. "You can't keep acting like everything is normal. You need to tell me what's going on."
Sung knew he couldn't keep his secret from his sister any longer, so he told her about his newfound powers. Hoa was shocked at first, but then she couldn't stop smiling.
"That's so cool!" Hoa exclaimed. "We have to tell Ong Noi! (Ong means Grandpa) He'll know what to do."
Sung was hesitant to tell his Ong about his powers, but Hoa insisted that he would understand. So, with a deep breath, Sung told his Ong everything.
To Sung's surprise, Ong didn't seem surprised at all. He simply smiled and patted Sung on the back.
"I always knew there was something special about you, Sung," Ong said. "Your powers are a gift, and it's up to you to use them responsibly. Remember to always think before you speak, and you'll be able to do great things."
With his sister and Ong by his side, Sung felt more confident in his new abilities. He knew he had a lot to learn, but he was ready to embrace his powers and use them to make a positive impact on the world.
Odina
Odina still remembers it. The day that she first manifested her powers.
Odina had always been an ordinary person, living a mundane life working at her family’s plant shop. But one day, everything changed.
It was a typical Monday morning when Odina woke up, but as she went about her daily routine, she began to notice that something was off. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she felt a strange energy within her, a sense of power that she had never felt before.
As the day went on, Odina began to realize that she had the ability to manipulate her presence toward others, achieving borderline invisibility. At first, she was terrified by this newfound power and kept it a secret, not knowing how to control it or what to do with it.
But as word of the worldwide event spread, Odina learned that she was not alone. Many people across the globe had suddenly gained superhuman abilities, and they were being dubbed “The Power-Abled." Some used their powers for good, while others used them for selfish gain.
As she saw the rise of others who used their powers for good, Odina came to embrace her power and the unique role that she played in the world. She realized that she was no longer just an ordinary woman, but wanted to be a hero in her own right, using her gift to make a positive impact on the world.
And so, Odina continued to use her power to fight for justice, always striving to make a difference in the world.
ALANA
People are amazing.
They are able to do so many cool things.
Some people can solve complex mathematical equations in their heads.
Some are acrobatic geniuses.
Some have unmatched musical talent.
And some people can even do things you’ve never even thought of.
Alana-- She can do it all.
She has the power of skillshare, so if you can do it, she can do it too.
She copies skills, and shares in the ability.
The Origin
The world use to be normal.
There were normal people, doing normal things. It was no different than what we had grown to expect.
Until… the “Catalyst” occurred.
We’re not exactly sure why it happened, but overnight, pockets of the world’s population developed superpowers.
The world called them “the Power-Abled”.
At first, people were amazed by the scope of their powers. They could fly. They had super strength. They could shoot fire from their hands. Every thing you could think of, they could do.
But then, some of the Power-Abled started to abuse their powers. They started to use their gifts to take advantage of those without gifts.
That’s when a group of brave individuals decided to step up.
They were all so different from each other, but found strength through their differences and united together.
That’s how “The First Team” was formed.
They were heroes. They saved the world on more than one occasion.
But over time, they started to appear less and less… until one day, they were just gone.
No one knows what happened to this brave, original team, but we thing that we do know, is that they weren’t the only heroes.
We’re just waiting for someone to step up.
Who were
the first team?
Who were the famed “First Team”? Well, let me show you.
We have Tempest Storm. With the power of water control, he was able to manipulate 70% of the world’s surface.
Kind, intelligent and incredibly brave, he served as the leader of the team.
Next, we had Enola. She was very powerful. She had the power to control all plant life. With one thought, she could provide resources for entire communities.
She was strong, gentle and incredibly crafty. There was nothing that wasn’t within her reach.
Fastball was a bit of an oddball. She was funny and charismatic, but still had a depth of strength to her.
She was inhumanly fast in every way. That meant being able to help people at lightning speed.
Shade-Runner was amazing. He could control shadows with the swing of his hand. However, it wasn’t only his powers that made him special. It was how he used it. He was so incredibly inventive, and able to use his powers in innovative ways that no one had ever seen before.
And last but not least, Brimstone and Frostbreathe. Another duo with complimentary powers within the team.
Brimstone could manipulate temperatures that far exceeded the norm, and Frostbreathe could control the cold itself.
Together, the created they were “The First Team”
The Inspiration
Superpowers are an amazing thing.
Some people can control fire, and other people can run super fast.
Some people can even fly!
There are a lot of people using their powers to help others.
Some use them to help build things, other use them to help people with whatever they need help with.
Other people choose to use their powers in bad ways!
They become villains and do bad things!
But “The First Team” always stop them.
The “The First Team” will always make sure that everyone is okay.
You can always count on them!
We’d like to give a special thanks to Edgar Lopez, Angela Chandra & Kunu Bearchum for their time in consultations and being an integral part of helping these stories come to life.