Page 82 of No Capes
“But if you trap the steam—If it can’t escape—you can get it crazy hot.Superheating.
“And that changes its pressure?”
“Exactly. If you can contain the water vapor and saturate it—heat it—then extra energy can cause it to accidentally pass its boiling point. Its temperature increases, and the steam has nowhere to go as it tries to find a new equilibrium, so the pressure builds. Eventually, the container can’t hold it anymore.”
BOOM.
As D.S. rambled off facts, I concentrated on the water bottle on his table, next to the computer. Energy seared through my blood, and suddenly his entire bench is scorched.
“Atta girl,” says D.S., but I barely hear him over the sound of heavy shattering. A black, charred circle marks where his laptop used to be, burnt microchips and ashes.
“Hydro-telekinesis.” He sounds impressed over the fact that I’ve disintegrated a solid object. Well, I disintegrated the water source next to a solid object. The laptop was collateral damage.
Hold on.
I approach the tank and tentatively step on the surface. If I can move water, can I… I take a step. The water under my foot pressurizes, keeping my foot from falling in. I take my other foot off the ground, until I’m walking across the surface.
No way.“Think I can turn water into wine?” I ask D.S., joking and amazed. Every action with a power is like a miracle.
“You’d have to account for gravity and other forces, but maybe.”
I gawk back. “Wow, Static, didn’t peg you for such a nerd.”
“I’ve been reading a lot of science textbooks,” he admits. “To understand how someone’swater powershave exploded things.
“Right,” I say. Andmyfirst instinct had been to read comic books. I wince as my energy drains farther, and the room’s edges blur. “Not sure how much longer I can do this.”
D.S. gestures to the well. “If you’re in the water, that might help. We’ll test those powers too.”
“Uh, huh. Promise there aren’t sharks in there?”
“I’d kill to see you fight a shark. Epic.”
Sighing, I let myself fall in the well. The water feels much colder than a pool, and I can’t touch any sort of floor. D.S. didn’t exaggerate the depth at all. Still, my skin soaks up liquid like an orchid in a desert, delicate and badass all at once.
~
In the next hour, I figure out the following about my superpowers: if I’m surrounded by water, I’m almost invincible. I can swim fast enough to dodge D.S.’s lightning bolts. I can heal myself and I can move the surrounding liquid to both shield and attack. On land, I’m in a lot more trouble. While I can still use water to heal, shield, and attack, including summoning rain clouds, it uses more energy than my body can feasibly spare. I don’t seem torequirean outside source of water to use my powers, but having one helps.
“You’re going to need a Supersuit that keeps you hydrated,” Dark Static says when I climb out of the tank. He hands me his jacket to prevent hypothermia, and I zip it tight. “Or you’ll have to walk around wearing a kiddie pool. That could be fun. You could put piranhas in it.”
I shoot him an exasperated look. “I wish we had brought snacks. Too bad someone hid all of Capital City’s food.”
D.S. sighs. “I deserve that.” He leads me back over to his fridge and passes me some more water bottles. This dude needs to think more about the environment. Plastic bottles are the enemy of fish and oceans and basically the entire biosphere.
“We’ve got to talk about limitations,” he says while I hydrate. “I should have told you from the beginning, but I didn’t want to overwhelm you. Now, this is critical.”
“That doesn’t sound ominous at all,” I joke. “Like weaknesses?”
“Not exactly. Weaknesses diminish your powers. Limitations are your boundaries. No Super can do everything. We all have our individual limits, like I can use my powers to fly but you can’t, or Golden Ace has super strength but we don’t. But there are three limitations that all Supers share. Ready?”
He taps his foot, waiting for a response.Yes,I nod.
Classically, Dark Static holds up a gloved finger. “First, powers won’t make you immortal. Superhuman doesn’t mean you can cheat death; we have a single shot at life, just like everyone else.”
I shudder, imagining that some new Supers would get cocky with their powers and forget that—no matter what—they’re still human.
“Second,” he continues, “there’s no power that can bring someone back from the dead.”
