Finally, the journey had ended;before the trio, there was the place known as the fulfiller of dreams. Its proper name, Lake View City. A city in which the skyscrapers were so high they threatened to kiss the skies. For Shaun who had never journeyed outside of Frankfield, this was quite the eye-opener. At every corner, there were colorful billboards with images of the most popular brands, whether it be sports cars, designer clothing, or even sodas.
Each was endorsed by a young vibrant smiling hero in costume whko proudly posed with the brands. All of whom Shaun knew as he recited under his breath, "Golden Ember, Hammerhead, Envizor, and Titan." Perhaps the most eye-catching of all the heroes were seen on what was the largest and most glamorous of buildings. On its spacious walls, a man in full white could be seen flying back and forth smiling while blasting purple energy from his hand spelling out, "Join us, be a part of the fellowship of the divinity."
"Cosmic Man!" Shaun uttered in glee while his eyes bulged out. This was his hero; he might not be physically there, but it was the closest the teen had ever come to seeing him. He was so excited as he spun around on the sidewalk which was heavily trafficked. "Watch it, kid, this isn't Disneyland!" A man muttered as he barely avoided Shaun's spinning hand. Seeing his antics, Lucy called him over to a nearby café where she and Jamie sat. She was browsing the map app on her phone to see how far they were from the closest testing facility.
Lucy - "There is one facility only a few blocks that way, and it is already open," As she spoke her finger pointed to the east, "We might have a bit of a wait on our hands though." Seeing the bumper-to-bumper traffic, Jamie knew their wait would only be further extended if they were to venture back in the jeep. "Ok, Since it's only a few blocks we can walk the rest of the journey," He said.
They made their way to the nearest testing center through the bustling streets of Lake View City, which was quite the contrast to their small quiet town.
Shaun - "Imagine being paid millions just to be on billboards. Now that's the life!" He again saw a bus with Cosmic Man covering its sides.
In quick time they arrived before a large white building. There was a sign on its green luscious lawn with the words – Center for SuperGene Biometric Testing. Outside its door, there was a long line of enthusiastic teens, most accompanied by parents.
Jamie- "I'll go get you a number." He then made his way to the entrance where there was a number dispensing machine; taking the ticketed number, it displayed 'F65'.
"What number have they reached?" Lucy enquired; Jamie replied with a wry smile, "A47." Shaun being as dramatic as ever fell on his knees, "You've got to be kidding me! This is going to take forever!" Jamie- "Well have fun bro, we'll see you soon."
Shaun - "Wait..., where are you two off to?"
Lucy - "Did you forget the other reason for journeying into the city?"
It was then that Shaun remembered Lucy's apartment where there was a meeting with her new landlord, for the key handover. Not to mention the unpacking that needed to be done. But knowing Lucy, who was quite peculiar when it came to her surroundings, especially her home, shopping for new items such as curtains, etc. was high on her priority list. He could just imagine the scenes of her dragging Jamie from store to store, in her bid to get just the ideal linen.
"Have fun Jamie," He chuckled while giving a look that needed no interpreting. The long line didn't seem as awful as the fate which awaited his big brother.
Jamie rubbed his head as they walked off, "Just give us a call when you're nearing the front and we will hurry back." After which he sent a message with the blinking of his eyes, a morse code, to make that call as soon as humanly possible. Lucy saw and with side-eyes responded, "It won't be that bad, aren't we being a bit dramatic? Come on now," She gently held onto Jamie's hand as they walked off leaving Shaun to his lonesome. There he stood with only his phone as entertainment while the line moved at a snail's pace.
Soon the hours ticked away with a less than enthused Shaun, who saw the charge warning pop up on his phone. He tried seeking different means to entertain himself, but boredom once again found its place. Even the electric billboard which had garnered his interest previously became a nuisance as time after time the same images repeated. He never thought the day would come where the sight of even Cosmic Man would garner this response.
He then heard a voice behind him say, "Five hundred and sixty-two times."
"Huh?!" He turned and was startled to see a young teen. She was plump in the body as though yet to shed the baby weight of her earlier years. "That's how many times Cosmic Man has flown around the building."
Shaun– "I stopped counting around the four hundred mark, not even Cosmic Man is worth that much time." The girl then giggled, responding, "That's odd coming from one of his fanboys."
Shaun – "I'm no fanboy, just an admirer. Who wouldn't admire Cosmic Man, super strength, flight, and cosmic energy?"
Girl – "Sounds just like what a fanboy would say. Cosmic man is so bland. He has no personality. Just a religious nut job who kicks, punches and that's it."
Shaun – "… and who do you look up to?"
Girl – "I like girl power., and Viper is my girl. She is the embodiment of what all women should aspire to be. Independent, strong, powerful, and articulate." When the mere mention of Viper was heard Shaun chuckled as though he had heard the funniest joke.
Girl – "What so funny?!"
Shaun with a grin – "Let's just say Viper is the opposite of anything a girl should aspire to be and leave it at that."
Hmmm! - No matter how much she pried, he would not utter another word at the matter which infuriated the teen. Still, her pestering began to annoy Shaun, who tried his best to ignore her. Finally, he had arrived close to the entrance, he then saw Jamie and Lucy who he'd called earlier. As for the pestering teen, by the time he turned around all he saw was a middle-aged woman smiling back at him.
"That's weird," He thought. Curious as to where she had disappeared, he looked through the crowd but there was not a soul who resembled her.
"For you crown king, a chicken sandwich with no mayo," Lucy teased while handing him the sandwich. Seeing him a bit dazed, Jamie inquired tapping him on his shoulder, "You ok, Bud?" This caused him to drift out of his dream-like state.
"Ye.., yeah!" He replied, still slightly confused as to what unfolded in the last few minutes.
Soon the girl was forgotten as Shaun found himself at the front of the line. He was now seated inside the building and the next to be called. There was slight anxiety as now he could see what was unfolding and was given a slight briefing by a female nurse who simplified the process. All the testing was done in a small room. After one was called, they took a sample of the client's blood. Placed it in a vial, a clear solution was then dripped inside; after which, the two were shaken. If the blood changed to a golden, yellowish, or even brown color it meant that the host had some supergene within them, but if it turned purple there was none whatsoever.
This color code system was universally understood, golden was what all hoped for as it meant that the supergene was strong within that individual. The variants of yellow meant that there was a moderate to average amount of the gene. While brown meant though the individual had the gene it was quite low and the likelihood of them manifesting any powers of worth was extremely low.
"F65!" An elder man who had a clipboard in his hand called. "F65!" He called out again while staring at Shaun. Yet, Shaun still sat, he was extremely nervous. The moment of truth had arrived.
"Hey..!" Jamie smiled, patting Shaun encouragingly on his back. He then breathed in and out before walking towards the elder. Knowing how much this meant to him Lucy who sat beside Jamie held his hand tight. The last thing she wanted was for his dreams to be crushed. The two then made their way to the room accompanying Shaun.
Inside the small brightly lit room, Shaun placed out his arm. He was still nervous but seeing Jamie's calm expression allowed him to relax a bit. At that moment he thought about it and not once did he remember a time whereby anything daunted that brother of his. Perhaps this was why he always tried to be confident, to be just like Jamie.
"Don't you worry son, it will be over before you know it," The old doctor stated as he drew Shaun's blood and gathered the vial.
They all watched with bated breath as his blood was placed within the vial and the solution added. An old hand could be seen swirling its content…