The wall I was hiding behind crumbled as it was hit by many high powered bullets and I crouched low beneath that disappearing protection. It was the outer wall to a compound and they were coming in. My heart pounded and I gasped for air. It was possible that I would die on this mission. I was a scientist, not a warrior but I still stood strong. The rest of my party were all dead.

Didn't know that there was a Super Villian among the terrorists. Intel was off. He was tricky and almost beat me with his ability to fly and shoot energy blasts. He had no armor and I got him with a well-placed rock.

I needed to get to the building, but the chances were bad. It was then that the wall that protected me exploded and I was exposed. It was time to run, but I needed cover. My mind raced as I grasped a large chunk of the wall that had crumbled and I began my run. It was impossible for a normal man, a baseline to do what I just did.

By the time I reached the other building, the one with the scientist hostages, I had a few stings in my legs, gunshot wounds, but my head was safe behind the piece of wall. I threw it away when I rushed behind the building. I looked up to find a second-floor ledge and I jumped.

My hands grasped the second-floor ledge and I pulled myself up. I pulled open the unlocked window and flowed into the room. It was empty. I checked myself to find I bled from bullet wounds on my leg. It wasn't as bad as it could be. I was a Hero so I would survive this. I could take damage no human could, at least no baseline human could. I saw entrance and exit wounds in my legs so I figured there was no bullet inside. Usually what I figured was right these days. I made tourniquets out of my shirt that I shredded and made my way down to the hostages.

Times like this I wish I were a Hero with invulnerability, but I wasn't. I crouched as low as possible as I left the room. I was in a hall and I looked both ways before heading towards the stairs on the left. Still crouching I made my way to the first floor and found a man with a gun pointing it at me.

I have a super-power. It wasn't as flashy as other Hero's powers were, and it didn't always work, but it could save my life now. I was going to take another hit. Chances were that hit will kill me this close. That's where my power came in. The chances were very good that his bullet will not do much harm, as I was the champion of Probability, I was the champion of Chance. I closed with him and punched him with all my strength. His head exploded and my thigh stung. I took his gun.

I am not a marksman but I have fired a gun before. Once when on a lark, Mr. Thorne, my billionaire foster father, took me to a firing range. It was not a lot of fun when the gun jumped back into my forehead and knocked me out. So I stayed away from guns. After I erupted, I found I could do many things well and I would do well now. I leaped to the ceiling, spun in the air so that my feet pushed off the ceiling as I fired three times, while bullets exploded into the spot I left.

People were screaming and crying as I stood and looked around. I threw the gun away and pulled out my phone. I called the office and said, "Heads up people, hostages are secure, burn the outside of building four."

"Yes sir," said Carol my secretary while I turned to the cowering people.

"You're all safe now," I said, "anyone hurt?"

I heard whimpering, but a quick scan showed all twelve hostages in good condition.

"Which of you is Dr. Jules Corwin?" I asked.

"I am Dr. Corwin," said a woman who had managed to keep herself together, "than you for helping us."

"I am Dr. Wilbur Trent and I have a question for you. Did the terrorists get the Compound Reactor plans?"

"Not all of it no, they forced Bradley to give them the first part though."

This was not good. The package was incomplete. I ran quickly to search the bodies of the men I killed. I was about to start questioning when someone perked up with, "wait. I know you. Dr. Wilbur Trent the Hero Supermind. I read your paper on Quantum Fluctuations based on psychological aptitudes. It is an honor to meet you."

Caught off guard I said, "I am not a supermind, there are many people smarter than me." I then followed up with, "This is not the time or the place. Let's wait for..."

It was then the outside erupted into flames. The former hostages screamed and threw themselves to the floor. The building stood up to the punishment though and not a window was smashed. Outside I caught sight of a few fireballs with legs moving about, falling to the ground, screaming in pain and fright. I hated watching people die, even terrorists.

My phone rang and I took the call saying, "ready for pick up. Part of the package has been lost though."

"Roger, I will pass the word. Is it bad enough that we don't get paid?" asked the voice.

"No," I said, "no we will get paid."

TRANSDIMENSIONAL MESSAGE: SESSION OVER ... PORTAL ESTABLISHING ... PLEASE RETURN HOME

Sighing, my time was up in this pocket universe. I walked through the portal that suddenly appeared in front of me. I walked through to find my living room with a holoprojector in the middle of the room, my computer system behind the portal that was fading away, and a dark-skinned woman with silver streaks in her hair within the 3D holoprojector TV. It was good to be back in this world, to my television and phone projector.

"How was your session dear?" asked the older black woman who bore a strong resemblance to me.

"It was Ok, saved some hostages," I said.

"Are you any closer to the Reality Manipulator?" she asked.

"I still need to work on that in my second body, my superhero body in the pocket dimension. I am much smarter over there than here."

"You played in that world since you were a little boy. Do you remember your accident with the gun?"

"Yes, ma and that hurt by the way. I still remember it. I wish you and dad had lived."

"Yes dear, I do too. I think it's wonderful that you are continuing his research. One day everyone will have portals to other worlds."

Some may think it a bit odd that I had a separate house AI that looked and spoke like my dead mother, and at times father, but it soothed me.

"Honey there is something on the news," said my mother who with a wave of her hand split the 3D viewing area in two. It showed a moon-sized object entering our solar system fast. The thing would pass by the earth in seven months the scientists calculated.

I got some sleep after saying goodnight to my mother. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day after my return to the other world, the world of superheroes and supervillains.

The Beginning ...