I looked at the pieces of wood in my hand, ground to powder. My hands were shaking as I ran my fingers along the jagged edges of the table, which was intact a few moments ago.

To be sure that everything wasn't am illusion, I wrapped my fingers around the metal legs, gripping it tightly. The metal gave way and soon the table was wobbling on three legs.

I looked at my hands. What was happening to me?

Jace was staring, his wide eyes frightened out of wits.

He had tried to irritate me and bully me as he always did. I had to keep quiet as he rained insults. But today he had gone beyond anything, calling my family names. To keep myself calm, I had gripped the ends of the table and it had come right off on my hand.

Frightened, I snatched up my bag from my seat and rushed out of the door.

To my utter horror I found the doorknob in my hands, a hole pierced right through the door.

The people around stared at me with an weird expression. 

Shivering, I dropped it, fleeing.

Covering my eyes with my hoodie, I rushed to crossed the road. Unknown to me, the signal had turned red.

I was brought to my senses by the screeching sound of brakes, and a monster of a car, rushing towards me.

I screamed and covered my face.

I felt a light blow, but nothing more happened.

Carefully peeking through the gap between my fingers, I found the car with a dent on it, and the driver standing shocked, his mouth open, looking at me and at the car.

The onlookers seemed as puzzled as me. I immediately fled, wishing  everybody to forget what they saw.

Carefully turning the lock, I tiptoed into my apartment, gently
closing the door, so as not to break anything. I gingerly took out my food, grabbed a plate, making sure not to chip the costly china. I was afraid the touch the borosilicate microwave bowl, so I had no option than to eat my pasta cold.

I was stuffing the food down my throat, when I heard a knock, as silent as a whisper.

I strained my ears to make sure that it was real. The knock sounded again. I quickly scrambled to open the door.

A figure emerged out of the dark, stepping into my house without any invitation, slammed the door.

"Whoever you are, just get out now," I screamed.

"Or else?" the black clad figure asked.

"I'll be bound to throw you out," I said, moving deftly to display my strength to him.

Just before my fingers could touch him, I felt a strong shove. Repelled by an unknown force, I hit the wall, which cracked with a deafening sound.

I jumped up and going for him once more.

"Stupid girl," the stranger touched a weird looking watch in his hand and laser beams shot out from it

The laser immediately formed chains which wrapped around my torso, binding my limbs as I fell to the floor.

I thrashed wildly, trying to break free from the shackles.

"Can't you just keep quiet for a minute and listen, girl?" he sounded exasperated.

He lifted the hood of his cloak, to reveal a man in his late 20s, his face a perfectly sculpted mask, his glassy green eyes boring into me.

"Let me go," I screamed.

"You won't obey me in that way," he growled, snatching a remote from his pocket.

He pressed a button and soon my limbs and my body felt heavy. I became numb and inert. What was happening?

"Now you'll listen," he gave a chilling smile, "I know you're worried about your sudden surge of extraordinary power, Lydia."

"The hell," I muttered.

"You've no right to talk in this way with your savior," he barked.

"My savior? Are you crazy?" I shouted.

He gave a tight lipped smile and dropped to the floor beside me.

Taking my chin in his hands, he gently lifted my face, meeting his eyes.

"Yes, I'm your creator and you aren't an ordinary human. You're special. You've radium flowing in your body. This radioactive element in your body is in concentrations which would have killed a normal individual. But you don't even feel it," he explained.

I gave a blank look.

"Look," he went on, "Your father worked as a research partner in the nuclear laboratory with us. One day, your father's radioactive exposer detector began to detect a continuous radioactive presence around your house. Later he understood that it was you."

I wondered why my father hadn't told me that. But after all, he died when  I was ten, so I would have barely understood.

"He sought help from our research team. We were conducting studies at that time on effects of radioactivity on human tissues," he stopped and flashed me a badge.

I nodded, trying to take in all that information. I was never a girl of science.

"It puzzled the scientists how you were still alive, with the amount of radium coursing through your veins. We conducted a DNA fingerprinting and gene mapping and discovered a rare kind of gene in you. A change in one sequence from AAG to CAG had caused a turmoil in you, mutating you to a super girl. That one mutation gave you powers beyond imagination. Your father was afraid. We prophesied that the power would go beyond control and you may one day exploit your powers, breaking out of control, giving the world another super-villain to be afraid of, " he said, fear in his eyes.

"We actually transfused the entire of your blood to remove the radium. It controlled your superpowers for all these years until you yourself went to the nuclear plant with your class, and unknown by all, touched radioactive radium. Your body absorbed some radium, and began to generate radium within you to fuel the body's needs, triggering the mutated gene once more," he sat on the chair, looking at me, tapping his feet.

"W... What will happen to me?" I stammered,"What do I have to do?"

"You need to come to the laboratory with me. A team of scientists under the leadership of Dr Atomica, are working on a secret AI project and they plan to unleash their army on the unsuspecting folks. You need to use your powers to stop them. You're more powerful than all those humanoids and AIs. Moreover you'll be equipped with our latest gadgets and so it will be cakewalk. Besides, you need to be in the lab whenever we need you," he informed.

My body relaxed suddenly and I jumped up, trying to fathom what had happened.

"It was an electromagnetic field binding you," he chuckled, "Electromagnets are your worst enemy as you have metal in your system. The thing that threw you was my electromagnetic shield."

"Now," he said, handing me a weird looking ring, "Here's your multipurpose morpher and tracker. This will envelope you in an self made electromagnetic shield, which is enough to paralyze any AI which comes too close."

I gingerly took it, turning the thing in my hand.

"Oh! this device has an anti gravity manager, will help you to lift yourself up. This will be your special power besides strength. You can choose your own outfit. You'll be called 'RADIUM'. Just remember, your identity should remain a secret. Dr Atomica is actually searching for you. Once she knows you exist, she will try to acquire you by any means possible," he warned.

"And this is made of  elastic steel threads," he handed me a vest, "Wear it under your outfit. Electromagnets won't protect you against splinters and bullets as they are too small and too fast."

I stood like a statue, holding the objects.

"So, at 10 am tomorrow, we meet at the lab for experiments," he picked up a writing pad, scribbling an address, "See you."

"But what if I don't want to help you? What if I don't want to be the hero you want me to be?" I asked uncertain.

He gave a sly smile, holding out his smartphone, " Lydia, you wouldn't be refusing it anymore,"

And on the screen floated a picture of my mother, tied to a chair with electrical connections, wires wrapped around her. She seemed to be weak and sedated.

"You kidnapped her?"  I couldn't believe their shrewdness.

"Not us. Doctor Atomica has her, and I doubt you'll get any clues to where your mother is , unless you fight AIs and well save the world indirectly. And for that you need our help," he went on, his face emotionless.

I looked at the glassy eyes of the crazy scientist. I was going to be the first superhero, who would be compelled to be one.

My fate, my future, my destiny and my radioactive past was what was my present. That's life I guess, unless we come up with a better word for it.

1500 words completed.

A/N Thanks to everyone for reading. Hope you like it and hope it has more scopes to expand the story. At least I could have made it into a novel! 🤣🤣

Written for the Super Story contest by superhero. Dedicated to GlennKoerner, the best superhero writer and friend I found till now.

Thanks Pipigrin KashishBelikov teamhathaway Meghana_violet JoeRover2 and all others of my action team and my VA team. Love you all.