The Exemplars

Matt's Origin Story: Chapter 1

Heroes are among us all.

And not the ones you think.

Not your average, everyday people that you call "heroes".

No. The heroes that are among us are dangerous. Powerful. They look like one of us, like an average person. But they are not average. 

No, they're the heroes that you only wish to be. They're the fictional characters on Netflix or Disney+. Except they aren't fictional.

They're real. And this, this is their story.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Tuesday, 6 AM, Spellbound Inc*

The suns yellow rays burst through the clear glass windows of Orange Base, making the brown wood floors gleam and glimmer.

Matt, the CEO of Hi5 Studios strolled into the clear front door of Orange Base, the door beeping to allow him to enter.

Nobody was here yet. Except for him.

When out of nowhere, dark storm clouds breezed atop the studio. A flash of lightning. Thunder boomed loudly, and a sudden downpour of rain started rattling against the window, dripping onto the concrete outside.

Matt looked confused, his eyes narrowing. Just a mere second ago, it had been sunny, and now it looked like this outside? 

Even with how strange California was, this never happened. Ever.

Wondering what was going on, Matt decided to go outside. He grabbed the dark blue jacket he was wearing and put the hood over his head and started walking towards the door, which he now swung open.

A loud boom of thunder welcomed him as he walked outside, getting drenched in water. The rain seemed to be coming down faster and harder now, which added to Matt's confusion. 

Then, lightning flashed across the sky. 

Matt's eyes widened in fear and wonder. The lightning, it wasn't normal. It wasn't white or purple. 

It was green. A light neon green. Mega green. 

Streaks of lightning seemed to flow across the sky, like a spider making a cobweb. It was like string being led across a board to solve a mystery.

But this was a mystery Matt couldn't explain.

The mysterious green lightning crashed in front of Matt, who flinched and screamed loudly, prancing away. 

Then, the lightning crashed on the ground again, even closer to Matt. 

It was so strange. It was like the lightning was following him. 

Did lightning hit the same place twice? Matt didn't know, but before he could think any further on it, lightning crashed into him. Pain raced through his body and he screamed, his teeth gritting. 

It seemed like electricity was coursing through him, but it wasn't nice. Not at all. 

It was the most painful feeling he'd ever experienced.

Before he could think another thought, darkness enveloped him and he blacked out.

*Time Skip, One Hour Later*

"Matt! Matt! Wake up!" A voice yelled.

Matt couldn't tell where or who it was coming from, but it sounded worried, frantic.

"It's okay," Matt wanted to say to the voice. But he couldn't. It was like he was trapped in a neverending darkness, trying to get over to the light.

The voice got louder, and Matt finally got some feeling back into his body. He was being shaken by strong hands.

He got closer and closer to the light, and eyelids flickering, he silently opened his eyes to see a blurry image of Tanner, Woods and Sam above him. They looked worried. Really worried.

They saw him open his eyes, and they looked relieved that he was okay. 

Matt sat up and rubbed his eyes, wondering where the pain went.

Didn't lightning strike victims hurt afterward?

"Matt, are you okay? What happened?" Tanner asked, pulling Matt's hand so that he now stood.

Feeling woozy, Matt grabbed Woods' shoulder, steadying himself, then blinked, trying to get balance.

"I uh, I don't-I don't know."

Woods, Sam and Tanner looked at each other like they didn't believe Matt.

Matt sighed, then took his hand off Woods' shoulder, finally feeling steady enough to stand. "Fine. I'll tell you what happened. Lightning struck me."

Everyone's eyes widened, and Sam took out her phone.

"Whoa, what are you doing?" Matt asked, confused.

Sam looked at Matt like he was crazy, shook her head, and said, "I'm calling 911! Matt, you got struck by lightning!"

Matt chuckled, also shaking his head. "Guys, I feel fine. It doesn't hurt. Like, at all. It's weird." He paused, wondering if he should share his experience with the group. "Okay look, this is going to sound like I'm crazy, but I promise you I'm not. The lightning, it was green. Like, mega green."

"I've never heard of lightning being green before."

Matt threw his hands in the air.

"Yeah, I haven't either! That's why I went outside to investigate. You guys know me! I'm too curious! I can't not investigate something that intrigues me. It's my weakness!" He paused again, feeling a tickling feeling down his spine.

"Do I have scars? From the lightning?"

Matt decided to partially take off his shirt and have them check out his back.

"Whoa, what is that? That doesn't look like a normal lightning mark." Sam said, her voice worried and confused.

"Take a picture of it. I want to see!"

Woods nodded, grabbing his phone. He turned his phone vertically, took a picture, then handed it to Matt.

"The scars, those are called Lichtenburg figures, right?"

Tanner and Woods nodded, Sam shrugging.

Where scars are supposed to be red, the vein like scars were a light green. Mega green. They wrapped around his back and up his neck, going up the front.

"I wonder what it looks like from up front." Matt paused, looking at Woods. "Can I take a picture with your phone?"

Woods nodded, looking worried. Really worried. Sam and Tanner looked really worried too, but excitement ran through their eyes.

Matt got out of photos and turned on the phone's camera, taking off his shirt entirely and taking a photo of the lightning strike on his stomach.

It came from the back and like vines, wrapped around his shoulders and went up his neck, and then stopped.

"My question is, why is it green? I've never seen anything like it," Matt said, handing the phone back to Woods and putting his shirt on again.

Woods, Sam and Tanner chuckled, shaking their heads, then they all walked into Orange Base, Matt walking towards the door to pull it open.

But as his hand touched the metal handle, green lightning sparked from his hands and violently threw everyone backwards, landing on their butts.

Woods was the first one back up, looking at Matt in amazement and wonder.

"You have superpowers!"