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[invis]

If you were a superhero, what would you want your power be? And would you tell anyone about it?

I used to read a lot of comic books.

[And by 'used to' he really means right before he came here.]

I guess I've just always liked superheroes. They have powers, gifts, things that make them special. But there's always pain too. They lose people that they love, or they have to hide their true identity. Their lives are never perfect.

Maybe I should've started by asking if you would WANT to be a superhero.

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[invis]

With great power comes great-

[Well, you know the rest of it.]

Are there really super villains on board the ship?

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[cargojet]

They come along now and again. Or come back, as is sometimes the case.

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[invis]

That seems like a very super villain thing to do. Every time you think they've been defeated, they break out of the asylum or come back from the dead.

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[cargojet]

Or get reelected.

[ Haha, it's a politics joke. ]

Real life isn't like a comic book, you know.

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[invis]

[He hesitates. But he likes Nathan, even trusts him a little.]

I used to spend a lot of time wishing that it was.

Mine sort of became one.

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[cargojet]

So did mine. Literally, actually.

[ Nathan considers his reply for a moment. How casual should he be? How direct? In the end it's offered like a gentle warning. ]

People ask a lot of questions on the network, they tend to have personal reasons for asking everything. I thought there might be a story behind your questions.

Do you mind if I ask how? I'll share, if it helps.

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[invis]

There was a storm. I don't know exactly what happened, but it changed people. It gave them super powers.

Do you believe that?

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[cargojet]

Without hesitation. You're from what I would call an otherwise normal world, apart from the addition of powers--is that how you'd describe it?

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[invis]

Yes, exactly.

They don't now about the powers - the "normal" people. I think it should stay that way.

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[cargojet]

I think so too, although there was a time when I thought differently. In my world, telling everyone lead to the planet being destroyed, and my brother - he's here - came back in time to make sure it never happened.

I don't think anything good could come of it, not at home. But here it's different, you know that, right?

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[invis]

My friend can rewind time. Right before I came here, I died. I sent him back.

I was hoping it might be different. It was part of the reason I asked about this.

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[cargojet]

I've never had a problem with it. We're all fighting for our lives, I think it's more important that we all know what each other are capable of.

Do you remember dying? [ A little off topic, that question. ]

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[invis]

I don't. I just heard about it from Curtis. Then we had to make sure it didn't happen.

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[cargojet]

I understand. The timeline was changed to kill me, so it's different to changing things to prevent it. It's an unforgettable experience, changes your perspective on life.

You had a group of friends with powers, then, all of them different?

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[invis]

Who killed you?

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[cargojet]

My own brother--from the future.

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[invis]

Did killing you somehow save the planet?

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[cargojet]

I was a very influential person in his future - the President of the United States - so you see, my being taken out of the timeline had a pretty dramatic effect.

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[invis]

I'm sorry that you didn't have better Secret Service agents.

[He's still kind of reeling over the whole President thing...]

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[cargojet]

Ha. Also true. They shoulda been out there saving the world while I sat on my butt and listened to other people talk. If only, huh? The problem was in my world people found out about us, and then they wanted what we had--and when they got it...

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[invis]

I don't want something like that to happen on my world. That's why I keep telling the others that we need to keep it a secret.

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[cargojet]

It's the best idea in the long term. But you should also be careful. People will have their ways of finding out, and when they do, you'll need to be able to protect yourselves. Maybe even from your own government.