SPIRIT OF HOPE

  Chapter 2: New Threads

  Sohjin stands atop a small house, getting ready to jump across to the next roof. He tugs at his mask, readjusts his skiing glasses, and bends down, getting in a running stance.

  “I've got this, if I was able to figure out how to dash up buildings, I can do this.” He said, his eyes flared and his sparks of electricity swarmed his body.

  “Come on Sohjin you got this, You got this. You got this!” He murmured to himself, as he propelled himself forward to the building. He makes the jump but nearly stumbles off. He curses under his breath and continues on.

  He hops from roof to roof making his way closer to Alex’s house.

  “I hope our distant friendship isn’t totally broken.” Sohjin whispered. “this is all happening so fast and.. HAMZA! I completely forgot our meetup.”

  Sohjin hastily texts Hamza apologizing for bailing and continues searching.

  “Haven’t been here in years. It was a small two story right?” He thought, perched on someone’s house, scanning for Alex’s house.

  “Why am I here? I feel like a part of me is here to see him again.” Sohjin sighed.

  After some time Sohjin spots Alex’s house. He perched on a house across the street from Alex’s house contemplating on whether he should ask or not.

  “He would know. Despite his academics, he sure had a passion for tinkering with gadgets and creating stuff.” Sohjin said, “He's gotta know, He’s the only one.. I’ve got,”

  Sohjin slowly stands up, the wind tugging on him towards Alex’s house as if to signal to him to return to his old friend. He nervously jumps off the roof and onto the front street removing his mask and glasses and approaches the front door of memories. His heart flutters as he rings the doorbell and waits anxiously; shaking his leg.

  The figure from earlier appears in the window reflection.

  “You won’t have the answers you're looking for without me.” The figure said.

  “You, what do you want? WHAT are you?” Sohjin demanded, his voice mixed with fear and defiance.

  “You’ll have to accept me, you have to trust me.” The figure reply’s cryptically.

  “Trust you?” Sohjin scoffs “All you’ve done is given me bad migraines and been cryptic as hell. I mean honestly how am I supposed to trust you if the only thing you have said so far is trust me?"

  “Because the more you resist, the harder it is fo-"

  Alex opens the door, interrupting their exchange, his dark green eyes light up in surprise, standing tall and relaxed. His pale skin tone contrasts the colorful surroundings. A flicker of confusion and curiosity sparked as he looked at Sohjin's attire, as if he couldn’t believe what he was looking at.

  “Sohjin? What are you doing here? Who were you talking to?” Alex said.

  Sohjin’s eyes brighten up “Alex?” He chocked out. “He looks so different, but similar. He’s slimmed down, looks tired and his hair is disheveled. All those classes must’ve taken a toll on him. How much have I missed?” He thought

  Sohjin snaps out of it, “Hey Alex, been a minute,” Sohjin says, waving his hand.

  “Yeah… it has. What are you wearing” Alex laughs.

  “Oh this, it’s partially why I’m here” Sohjin said.

  “You need help with fashion? You came to the wrong person” Alex said.

  “Not really Fashion. Um..It’s easier if I show you..Inside” Sohjin said, pointing inside his house.

  Alex lets him in and they head upstairs. Sohjin glances at Alex’s childhood photos on the wall. Once up stairs they take a right and arrive in the room. Alex opens the door with his hands in his pocket and invites Sohjin in to reveal his neatly cleaned room. The medium sized room had a soft neutral color to it. To the right of the entrance, Alex's bed was folded to perfection with navy blue pillows and gray sheets. Above the bed were shelves with photos of Alex’s childhood, each framed and neatly kept, different academic trophies and books that varied from classic literature to manga. At the foot of the bed was a small wooden desk with the surface ordered with small figures, a calendar marked with study schedules and test dates, a small lamp, and a pencil holder.

  “Make this quick, I’m studying for the AP Physics Exam,” Alex says, looking at his desk.

  Sohjin bends down, getting into a runner's stance. Alex turns around, and stares at him with a blank look.

  “Umm?” Alex said, scratching his head.

  Sohjin dashes into Alex’s closet and back out and zips around his room. Alex’s eyes widen as he spins around his room trying to follow Sohjin, but can only see a blur.

  “I…I..Don’t even know where to start...” Alex stutters. "YOU HAVE POWERS” Alex yelled, his voice echoing.

  “Shh..isn’t your dad here” Sohjin said.

  “FORGET ABOUT HIM. YOU HAVE POWERS, CAN YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE? SHOOT FIRE, ICE OR ENERGY BEAMS? YOU COULD BE LIKE DARKWIRE OR LIGHTOWL.” Alex excitedly exclaims.

  “Well..” Sohjin's eyes wander to Alex’s aquarium and sees the figure.

  “Tell him about me.” Figure said. Before Sohjin could respond, Alex grabs his shoulders and shakes him for an answer.

  “ANYTHING ELSE?” Alex repeating himself.

  “I’m not sure, that’s why I came here. I kind of figured you would know about this kind of stuff.” Sohjin said, looking at the floor.

  “Of course I do, first things first we should run tests to figure out the limits of your powers.” Alex smiled.

  Sohjin’s eyes lit up with the endless possibilities. “You think we could make a suit after!? Because I mean..I could be a superhero, no one would be able to land a finger on me!” He exclaims with excitement.

  Alex steps back, calming himself down. “A suit? I’m not sure about that. We can definitely test powers though” Alex replied

  “No suit? Not even if I say pretty please” Sohjin teased.

  “Haven’t sewn or anything like that in years. And it would be funny to see you run around with that..Fine... I guess I’ll make you a suit” Alex said, placing his hands in his pocket.

  Alex takes Sohjin into his garage. The garage was spacious with various tools and materials. Metal tools lined up on the walls. A large workbench dominated the left side. To the right of the entrance was a table ping pong table, nearby there was a cluttered desk with threads and a box that contained a sewing machine. On the wall next to it were different skateboards clinged on the wall. The room smelt of oil and grease, Despite the mess Alex could find whatever he’s looking for, in an instant.

  In the garage, they gather materials for the suit, and some Body Opponent Dummy’s. Placing the materials on the workbench and the BOD next to it.

  “Can you grab that box.” Alex asks, pointing at the desk,

  “I’m glad our friendship is still intact. I do feel bad for making him do all this, when we haven’t spoken in so long.” Sohjin thought, picking up the box.

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  “If you don’t wanna do it today, we can do it another time. Don’t you have an exam to study for?” Sohjin said.

  “About that..I was just reading PPGR, been following it for a while” Alex admits, looking down with his hand on his neck.

  “Cool.” Sohjin said.

  “Anyways..Why do you want to become a superhero?” Alex said, his tone serious.

  Sohjin resonates with this question. He stutters to get the word out.

  “I want to become a superhero because..I want to do it for fun and glory.”

  Alex shakes his head, “With that mentality, you’ll get yourself killed for sure.”

  “Obvious answer for everyone your age. He’s right, you know.” The figure comments, appearing behind Alex.

  “It’s whatever. Let’s get started” Alex shrugged.

  Alex writes down Sohjins powers in a notebook. So far he only has the electric dash super strength, and can occasionally use energy blasts with immense focus.

  They draw costume ideas and brainstorm on names.

  “How about Myker” Sohjin suggested.

  “No” Alex replied.

  “Melo”

  “Definitely No”

  “Utonium?” Sohjin asked.

  “NO” Alex said, turning away from Sohjin. “Know what, We’ll save the name for last”

  Sohjin looks away, disappointed. They lay out different materials on the workbench to use for the costume.

  “What type of material do you think you’ll need?” Alex questioned.

  “I need something that's not hot, when I’m dashing and doesn’t warm up as fast whatever material this is.” Sohjin said, tugging at his outfit.

  “but also something that’s not too cold.” He added.

  “Well in that case I was thinking Taffeta or Satin but I heard it heats up. So that’s out” Alex said, picking up the two materials.

  “How bout velvet or aged polyester?” Sohjin said.

  “Aged polyester itches down there” Alex pointed out. “but velvet could work….Actually let’s use Spandex and cloth, that’s perfect, not to hot and not too cold and really cheap.” Alex decides

  “Sohjin, thought of a name yet?” Alex asked

  “Nah not yet, I’ve never been good at that kinda stuff.” Sohjin comments

  “Yeah I've noticed,” Alex chuckles, “Anyways what about colors for the suit”

  “How bout red and blue” Sohjin said, his eyes lighting up.

  Alex looks at him weirdly “Yeah no, just leave it to me”

  “Ahh man” Sohjin says, looking down in disappointment.

  “You have some strange ideas” Alex said, shaking his head and laughing

  Alex and Sohjin begin creating his suit and further test his powers.

  “I have an idea of a logo” Sohjin says, showing Alex his drawing.

  “Yeah, this could work. And these colors they’re hella clean. You sure you did this.” Alex laughs, putting the drawing away and gets out more materials.

  They both create the suit taking their time, sewing each piece carefully. Alex then teaches Sohjin the basics of boxing, which isn’t much considering his knowledge comes from the internet. He teaches him how to punch but confuses Sohjin and himself with the difference between a jab and a cross.

  Some time passes, Sohjin and Alex stand over the costume, laying on the workbench. Sohjin walks over to the refrigerator and takes out a drink, as he closes the door he spots the figure in the reflection.

  “Alex. There’s one thing about my powers that I haven’t told you” Sohjin says, stepping away from the fridge.

  “Yeah what's up?” Alex answered.

  “Ever since.. I got my powers. I’ve been seeing this weird figure. It's been following me ever since, telling me to accept it. Like a ghost that’s haunting me.”

  Alex looks at Sohjin puzzled and resonates with his statement.

  “A strange figure is haunting you? What else do you know about it?” Alex questions

  “Nothing much, it’s been cryptic as hell” Sohjin said.

  “Maybe it’s linked to your powers. Let's start with how you got it.” Alex says, scratching his head

  “Well…” His mind flashes to the subway and the ruined city. “I was on the subway and I saw that thing briefly, I took a nap on the subway train and woke up in a snowy destroyed city, where I followed a ringing noise and saw a butterfly that blew up into an orb!” He said.

  “Hmm. Don’t think it’s a ghost. It could be a phantom or a specter“ Alex muses, holding his chin.

  A lightbulb suddenly goes off in Alex’s head “I’ve got it. Your name. Your hero name could be SPECTRE.”

  “Specter?” Sohjin repeated, in a confused tone

  “It’s a type of ghost. I think. But It’s perfect. Spectre. Obviously we can change the spelling. What do you think?” Alex

  “I..I like it. IM SPECTRE” Sohjin declares, doing a superhero pose

  “Yeah. Let’s finish up the suit and get started.” Alex laughing

  A few hours pass and night falls, Sohjin and Alex finally finish the suit.

  Sohjin picks up the suit and admires it.

  “You did pretty good.” Sohjin putting the suit into his bag

  “Yeah.” Alex replies

  “Now it’s finally time to fight people” Sohjin said, in a cheerful voice.

  “Hold on, wait a minute. We need 1 important thing. In order for us to know where crime is happening. We need to know exactly where it is. Luckily we have step 1 done.” Alex said, pulling out a small usb device.

  “This is a crime detector. Right now it’s useless. Unlessss it's plugged into the antenna on the main MCPD building. ” Alex said.

  “Wait, hold on. You want me to sneak onto the roof of the MCPD and… PLUG THIS THING IN. The hell do we know this is gonna work.” Sohjin asked.

  “You have powers. remember? And anyways it’s a gamble, might work, might not.” Alex said.

  “Right. got it.” Sohjin snared, snatching the device

  “Oh and before you go take this.” Alex takes out an earpiece and gives one to Sohjin. “This will keep us in contact.”

  Sohjin puts the earpiece in his ear and grabs the bag with his suit. He walks out the garage.

  “Before I go. Why do you have all this?” Sohjin says, turning back at Alex.

  “Don’t worry about it” Alex grinned.

  Sohjin dashes from rooftop to rooftop before reaching a building, next to the MCPD building. He gets into his running stance

  “Sure hope I can make this jump.” Sohjin said, “Alex can you hear me?”

  “Loud and clear. Are you there yet?” Alex asked.

  “Yeah, next to the MCPD.” Sohjin said.

  “Once you're there plug the MGI (stands for “my greatest invention”) and boom crime should show on my end. Hopefully.” Alex said

  “Roger.” Sohjin said, his body fills with electricity, as he slowly lifts his foot off the ground his body becomes more charged. He then thrusts himself through the air and violently dashes off the building. His hoodie flies off his head, he swings his arms wildly through the air.

  His heart skips a beat, as he smacks into the building and slides off uncontrollably.

  “OH SHIT!” He yelled, the glass screeches on his way to the building's edge. Just as the streets become visible, he slams his right hand against the glass and in suspense, sticks onto the window.

  “I CAN STICK TO WALLS!” Sohjin says excitedly.

  Sohjin's palms became sweaty, and sweat fell down his cheek. “Oh god. Don’t look down. It’ll be fine just don’t look down”

  Sohjin lifts himself up and electrical dashes up to the roof. He dashes up onto the antenna and pulls out the MGI.

  “Here goes nothing.” Sohjin says, plugging in MGI

  He dashes off the antenna and turns his communicator ear bud on. “Alex, just plugged in the MGI. How’s everything looking on your end?”

  Alex’s computer boots up, with all crime happening in the area. “Hehe, it’s looking good Sohjin.” Alex said, munching on a bag of chips

  “Cool, any crime in the area.” Sohjin said

  “Nooo…actually there is. According to this there’s a high speed chase with a van. They’re heading for the Save Bank. They just broke someone out of prison.” Alex says

  “Seems like I need to step in” Sohjin said, excitedly.

  Sohjin takes off his jacket and throws it off the building. Revealing his new suit, which is black with shades of purple with a white butterfly logo with sharp wings that extend to his pecs. He pulls out his mask that fully covers his face with large curved white eyes and puts it on.

  “Why did you even bring a jacket?” Alex asked.

  “It’s cold and the suit isn’t warm, liar” Sohjin said.

  “I said once you GET moving. Anyways, how does the suit feel?”

  “It feels amazing, Thank you.” Sohjin said. “I know this is random but. You wanna hang out with Hamza..After this?”

  “Hamza? that came outta nowhere” Alex chuckled.

  On Alex’s computer, the crime scanner begins flashing red. Alex notices the van heading towards Sohjin.

  “Doesn’t matter, They’re coming down your street.” Alex said,

  Sohjin makes his way to the edge of the building and crouches down putting his left hand down and his right hand up, on watch for the van to come. The spotlights illuminate behind him. Suddenly the van and police cars race down the street, they fill the area with chaos. Sohjin springs into action for the first time out of thousand as SPECTRE.

  NEXT:

  CHAPTER 3: SPIRIT OF HOPE

  The First Encounter

  Chapter END