Thinking about it, I don’t think I have mentioned why exactly I picked Newcastle University, right? Sure, it is a great place, very traditional and famous. The city is quite lovely, the people are nice, and by god, do british people know how to build nice bridges. If anything it’s a little bit too cold. But that is what sweaters are for. Anyway, none of those were the reasons why I, and most importantly, my parents came here. Because, yes you guessed it, I’m not living with them anymore, but we will be living in the same city.

The main reason why we came to Newcastle is because, for the last nine months or so, a supervillain the press call The Scorpio has been acting here. At first he stole small things like electronic components, then he invaded some buildings (including secret military buildings) and questioned some high-rank officers. Most recently some footage shows him invading what is left of the Humane Institute.

That place has been abandoned for fourteen years now. A very bad memory to many citizens. My family included. Oh yeah, we used to live here at Newcastle when I was an infant. In fact the Humane Institute is the place where I got my powers.

Some twenty years ago the Humane Institute was created as a way for different countries to collaborate in researching new technology to heal diseases, improve food, maybe even create some super soldiers. I mean, it was a highly militarized place, so that was expected.

The researchers didn’t really got to play god, instead they unintentionally discovered a new type of radiation, phi radiation, and were working on finding out what it could do. Among these researchers was my mom and at that time she was pregnant with my little brother.

So, on one day like any other, my mom had to take three-years-old-me with her. I think I had a fever or something. And during her break she took me for a walk around the labs. I was playing not that far away from her. Then came a loud bang, sirens went off and huge metal doors came down. They separated us. My mom was punching that door and yelling my name. The room I was in started getting very hot. I was very close to where they were researching the phi-radiation. When the temperature continued to rise I passed out on the floor.

I woke to the paramedics taking me to the ambulance. Everyone was dressed in containment clothing. Once in the hospital, the doctors did a lot of exams. Mom eventually was allowed into the room, dad too. Phi radiation, the doctors said, appeared to not spread the same way as the others did, so it was safe to be around me. But the prognostic was still a mystery.

Days passed, then a week, then two. And I didn’t feel any different. Of course, there were some deaths back at the Humane Institute and a bunch of people were still under isolation like us. But for our family, it seemed like everything was alright and we wouldn’t have any problems despite being exposed to the radiation. That was, until mom had a miscarriage.