Would getting a superpower make you less, or more human?

“Sick”, the cloaked imperium said, as I stood up after using replays to break my fall. “Although it’d prolly be cooler if you landed on your feet instead of your side.”

“Oh piss off…where do you want to take me anyway?” I shouted towards him four stories up.

He jumped off the roof with his hands in his pockets. Around a story before he hit the ground, he started slowing until coming to a smooth stop a few inches off the sidewalk. Of course, didn’t take his hands out of his pockets the whole time. He ignored me, instead choosing to float right by me. He turned around when he realized I wasn’t following and lifted me to a similar height as himself, then moved me in front of himself. However, unlike the last time he used his power on me, I could feel it only around my legs, up to my knees. So I could turn around and look at him.

I asked, “Not gonna respond? You at least have a name or something you go by?”

He met my eyes, and even with the mask I could tell he was smirking. “Ingenium”, he responded. I felt his power surround the rest of my body, and then…we flew.

Ingenium wasn’t taking it easier for a first-time flier, either. We had gotten so high so fast, and we were going so fast so fast, that I almost threw up my dinner from earlier. It didn’t help that I couldn’t see him, I don’t know why he was making me fly in the front. After about 30 more seconds, we arrived at what seemed to be our destination.

Triple Z Towers. Three towers built for the government right in the center of the city. My head and neck were free from Ingenium’s power, so I looked to the east. If it weren’t so dark, I could have probably made out the “Epicenter”.

Ingenium landed us smoothly on the roof of Tower 1. Or maybe it was Tower 2, I’m not sure, and I can’t really be bothered to learn such pointless things.

“I can tell you’re not wearing your best outfit”, Ingenium said as I turned to look at him, “so hopefully you’re wearing your best face and manners. Cause this is gonna be hella important no matter what you decide to do in the future.”

As I opened my mouth to ask him what the hell he was talking about, I heard a fairly loud noise behind me and turned to make sure there was no imminent danger. A large door was opening up, although it was basically a garage door, which appeared to leas to a staircase down into the building from what I could make out. However, along at the top of that staircase were legs. I didn’t mean like just legs but like I think they’re people but I can only see their legs currently due to the way a garage door opens, OK? So anyway, the door finishes opening, and there are five people standing there in front of me.

It was just like a scene from a movie. There were no bright lights on the roof, but the light coming from behind the group made it so I could only see their silhouettes. I had to admit, it was pretty cool. And it was even cooler when Ingenium walked past me and joined them.

“Alright, alright,” I started, “if this is some elaborate marketing scheme to get me to join your group of Ingenium, how the hell could I refuse, after that awesome introduction? It’s just not fair.”

The women standing front and center gave an icy glare to Ingenium.

“Woah woah woahwoahwoah, listen Director, I swear on my life I didn’t say a single thing about that, he must just catch on fast, which I believe is actually a good thing for us, right?”

The director turned her attention back to me. Lights came on all around the roof, some lighting me up, and some lighting the group in front of me up.

The director looked to be a woman around 30 years old, brown hair in a shorter bob cut, wearing a very professional (and very expensive looking) dark blue suit. She looked around 5’6”. There was another woman behind her, long black hair, Asian. Oh, now would probably be a good time to mention that only Ingenium was wearing a mask. The Asian woman was standing with her arms crossed, wearing a dark costume that was somehow skintight without being too revealing, although that was mostly due to the many different items and pockets strapped around her entire body. She was a couple inches taller than the director. There was one more girl, blond hair in a messy bun, it was apparent that she had makeup on, not because it looked bad, but because it streaked down under her eyes in messy black lines, as if she’d been crying the whole day. She wore a large brown cloak that extended down to her ankles. She was holding her arms behind her back, giving me the impression she was hiding something. She was couple inches shorter than the director.

Ingenium took his mask off and pulled his hood down, revealing a head of golden orange hair, a face with a smirk still lingering from earlier, as well as a few acne scars. A man next to him, sitting down, so I couldn’t tell his height was…well…somehow even more underdressed than I felt. He was a pretty good-looking light skin guy, but he had bandages all over his face and arms, and he had a white undershirt on that looked like it had been to hell and back. Stains, rips, burns, literally everything. You name it and I’m sure that shirt had already experienced it. His pants were in a similar condition. He seemed to have some Asian in him as well, but it was faint at best. And finally, one more guy to round the group out. He was a black man, bald, in the finest suit I’ve ever seen in my life, even better than the director’s. He stood tall and straight and must have been at least 5 inches taller than Ingenium.

The director spoke, “Go ahead and use your power. I need to see what we’re working with.”

I glanced at Ingenium, and he just gave me a halfhearted shrug.

I looked behind me to the right and pointed at one of the spotlights that was directing light onto me.

I unloaded hundreds of replay bullets towards it in about a second. Not only did the light shatter, but a good chunk of the roof behind it shattered as well and started falling. Ingenium quickly flew above the area I had shot at and pulled all the rubble out of the air, setting it down on a part of the roof that remained not eviscerated.

“Well, shit.” Said the Asian woman.

“Do you want to follow us inside and discuss a possible opportunity?” The director asked.

“Hmm,” I said, “I don’t know. Ingenium seems really strong, but I haven’t seen the rest of you do anything special.”

Ingenium spoke up, “Actually, just so you know, I’m the leader around here, I just let Director manage all the smaller stuff. So let me try. Come inside with us to discuss an opportunity.”

I smirked. “Why, I'd love to.”