Aftermath 2

Over the next few months we spent our time discovering our new powers and working very hard to hide them away. It became apparent very soon that whatever the reason was that our government was lying to us, they were willing to kill to keep their secrets. In late July, luckily when Harper was off for a few days, the clinic was raided by Homeland Security. They were looking for something specific and Dan must have known they were there for him. He locked the door to his lab and carried out what we all could assume was his plan B. When Homeland made it to Dan's lab they found him dead from a single gun shot wound to the head. His computers were in a barrel burning along with all of his research files and anything else reguarding his work. Dan had warned Harper that if the government that we needed to consider disappearing. It left me with a very uneasy feeling! When Harper returned to work she had to put her heartbreak away. When questioned by Homeland Security about her involvement with Dan she merely said they were having an affair and she knew nothing about his personal work. They seemed to buy it, they wrapped up their investigation. They confiscated everything in Dan's lab and then was on their way.

Jack and Sol began training us on how to develop and better control our skills. Which was crucial training to a few of us, like Ember who seemed to keep setting herself on fire with her new pyro abilities. Luckily, Azure had developed a hydro abilities and promptly put her twin sister out each and everytime.

In fact, I had nic named our five kids the Elementals because while Ember mastered fire and Azure water, Sebastian found the ability to move the earth by magnetically manipulating the metal minerals in the rock and soil. Alexis seemed to have some control over the air element, where she could use the air to do spectacular flips and occasionally could even levitate. Griffen, I labeled the Spirit Master, could somehow channel the spirit of any animal he came into contact with and transform into them. We realized this when we found two Olivers asleep together in Griffens bottom bunk bed.

Our powers weren't limited to one either, most of us seemed to be blessed with a physical and a mental enhancement. I felt that our abilities were in areas we already excelled in before our change. Like Ember, who was a great cook before, also had a sort of kitchen witchery ability where she could cook up all sorts of natural healing potions, tinctures, and ointments. Sebastian could pick up a book and learn or memorize every detail. He had developed a flawless memory and could absorb just about any information immediately. Alexis seemed to be able to speak to any animal telepathically which didn't surprise me since Alexis had always been an avid animal lover. At least now the animal could tell her when her hugs and loves were cutting off circulation or choking them. We always said she was like that little girl on Looney Tunes who would love them and hug them and kiss them and squeeze them.

Reuben's powers were essentially no surprise to us. Reub spent alot of his free time tinkering around in his garage working on his Nova or rewiring some gadget. He seemed to spend even more time out there now that we were basically on national house arrest. Reuben just didn't seem to know what to do with all of this time on his hands. During one of his ADHD moments he discovered he had taken his tinker to a whole new level, designing his own miniature Tesla coil out of stuff laying around the house. He seemed to even be able to use himself as a sort of super conductor which I found to be terrifyingly amazing. When one of his electronic gadgets went awry one day and knocked the Nova straight off the lifts Reuben found he also had strength abouve normal human capacity. Reub caught that Nova with freakish ease. He was quite proud of that particular accomplishment and spent the next few weeks after that lifting and moving everything he should not have been able to lift or move.

Sam probably had the most entertaining ability of all of us. She found she could make people physically do things she wanted them to just by mere will. We call it the "Puppet Master" power, and she wasn't afraid to use it either. Often, when rations would be delivered we would notice the delivery people digging obnoxiously in their noses, ears or asses. Looking over to Sam's house there she would be laughing hysterically!

Sol was pretty excited about his new skills, other than enhanced martial arts he had also been blessed with telekenisis. Which he referred to as "Using the Force" He's such a nerd. I would find him playing video games with only his mind or we would frequently witness a random object floating across the room towards his lap or hand. Luna, the cat, told Alexis that she found this ability to be quite entertaining as sometimes sol would dangle a string in mid air for her to play with. Oliver on the other hand did not care for his ball floating above him where he couldnt quite reach it.

Jack was given the gift of telepathy and he and Sage would carry on silent coversations, presumably about those of us in the room with them. This skill made me the most uncomfortable. I had to suppose he could read my thoughts which I often preferred to keep to myself especially when it came to my increased irritation with his wife Sage.

Sage who had always had a green thumb now could command plants at will. Which was very cool for our community gardening needs but she was very arrogant about her powers and constantly reminded us how we wouldnt be eating certain things if it werent for her. No wonder her other power was poisonous, toxic skin. It matched her personality. And now that her skin caused a rash she had an easy out on shrugging off any other responcibilities she would have had. Her skin was her excuse to not help anyone, do anything. The rest of us had completely taken over the responcibilities of caring for Jonah and Baby Jasper.She couldn't seem to even glove up and change her own sons diaper or feed him a bottle. Luckily Ember and Azure were at the age where they loved playing Little Mama's to him. Oh and speaking of Baby Jasper, he had found himself capable of a sonic scream. His little body could produce a screech that could knock most people within 100 feet completely unconscious. Hami seemed to have a similiar thing with a sonic laugh. We could at least appeal to him to keep his power under control whereas we were powerless against the wrath of Baby Jasper!

We had three different charmers in our group, or at least thats what I would classify them as. Liza, who was now a 20 yr old sex symbol seemed to have an uncombatable allure over the men of the group. No matter what she wanted or needed the guys would be tripping over their own feet to accomodate her. They described it as if she smelled of the loviest honeysuckle and they wanted to do was make her happy. Sam and Beth were thouroughly irritated by their gorgeous mothers new found pheromone manipulation ability.
Shiloh was alot like her Mimzy in the way that she also held a charm over people. It didn't matter what she asked for or demanded and we just could not say no. "You want to give me ice cream and brownies for breakfast" and there we were baking brownies and scooping ice cream. Then later on going "why did I do that??" Shiloh used her powers often and often for no good. But she was three and who could blame her.
And as if my lovely little sister Harper couldn't get any lovlier she found herself with a singing voice that could hypnotize a room full of people. We found this one out when we decided to occupy ourselves with a Rock Band night and when Harp began to sing everyone in the room became so mesmerized they didn't recall a thing that had gone on.

Beth who couldn't walk without crutches before RV16-1 now not only could walk but could run and not only could run but could move at such a high rate of speed that we couldn't see more than a blur.
And one day Gabe and Zeke were outside in their back yard play wrestling on their trampoline things got a little bit out of hand (as they so often do with boys being boys). Gabe somehow hurt Zeke doing a high flying trick and Zeke went berzerk breaking both of Gabe's arms, cracked a few ribs and bloodied his face up pretty badly. It was like he had his dads super strength but only in a moment of rage. But Zeke's super strength didn't turn out to be the biggest discovery during that event. When Gabe was brought in and made comfortable we went to assess the damage to his arms and we watched them heal up right in front of our eyes. It was most miraculous but then again everything that had happened to us lately seemed to be miraculous!

Our world had changed around us and our lives had literally transformed from the inside out. The rumor around the net was the government was on the verge of completeing testing on a vaccine that would give hope to an eventual end to this quarantine. Then we would have to figure out how we would integrate back into a world that we no longer fit into anymore.