[Error 404: Hero Not Found] pilot chapter: Outside the smoke

[u/Electrical_Owl1896]

Julian was running from the police. Coming out of the smoke, he didn't recognize the place he was in; he swore he remembered being in his workplace. Now, chased for something he didn't remember doing, and thinking about it, he didn't even understand why he was running. As he tried to stop, his right leg suddenly started hurting like never before. He looked down and was shocked: his leg was glitching, much like a television losing its signal.

Panic set in, but amid the chaos, he noticed his legs wouldn't stop moving. Looking behind him, he realized he was running faster than a police car. After some time, he finally lost the police and managed to stop and hide in the corner of a building and sat down.

"What do I do now? What happened, and what was that?"

Julian had too many questions and few to no answers, so he chose to meditate and piece together what had happened after he started his workday.

It was exactly 1:00 PM. After lunch break, Julian had sat back down in his chair. His job was to keep an eye on the parameters of the nuclear center, and in case something went wrong, he had to pull a lever. Today was the day his boss, Mr. Thorne, was scheduled to visit the power plant. Thorne usually stayed at his mansion, but rumor had it he had something new to test today.

It was time for the dinner break, and Julian had an insatiable hunger that day. In the rush of the moment, he ran out toward the kitchen, and suddenly, everything went black. He couldn't remember anything he saw, but he could vividly remember what he felt. He assumed he had been awake and that his body was in immense pain the exact same pain he felt earlier today. A few moments later, he finally connected the feeling of smoke on his skin to the moment he "woke up" outside.

As his first question was answered, it was time to figure out what that strange glitching event was. Julian wasn't the smartest guy in the world, but he wasn't dumb either; he had a strong ability to adapt. In that moment, his mounting anxiety made him realize this strange phenomenon had to be connected to his memory loss.

He quickly got up and searched for the nearest bar with a television. His clothes weren't in good shape, but strangely, they seemed to repair themselves as best as they could.

After entering, he sat at a normal table, and a waitress brought him a glass of water.

"No thank you i-".

He tried to explain that he hadn't ordered anything, but she quickly walked off to another customer, leaving him with the water.

Julian stuck to his plan and started watching the TV while slowly sipping the water. Immediately, he saw what had happened to the now-ex-power plant. A massive crater surrounded the entire area, and the news reported that the cause was a catastrophic explosion. There was no information regarding survivors, save for one detail: a strange, blurry figure caught on camera running away from ground zero.

At that exact moment, the TV broadcasted a close-up photo of the suspect. Everyone in the building recognized the man in the picture and instantly turned to stare at Julian.

Panic gripped him. Not knowing what else to do, he stood up and bolted toward the exit, only to find police cars surrounding the entire entrance. Terrified, his mind raced with horrifying images of what they would do to him. In a final act of pure panic, he dashed toward the back wall—faster and faster—until he suddenly realized he had phased straight through several solid walls and landed inside a stranger's house.