章 12: Chapter 12
Apollo ran at super speed to the convention center following the sounds of all the people inside trying to stay alive and struggling to breathe. Apollo arrived to see the small convention center in flames. He looked through the flames with his x ray vision and saw the reason why they couldn't get out was that the large metal beams on the ceiling had fallen and blocked the fire exit that they had all ran to and now they were sandwiched between that and a wall of fire stopping them from going to any other exits. Apollo ran to the exit and opened the door. He saw the beams between him and the people he needed to save and grabbed them quickly throwing them to the side. The people inside turned in shock as they saw the exit they thought was blocked suddenly open up and standing there was Apollo.
"Everyone out" Apollo shouted and everyone trapped inside frantically ran outside.
Apollo helped the few that were weak out and was about to try run off in the chaos but he heard a woman complain about her son once she noticed she couldn't see him and even try rush back into the fire only to be stopped by other on lookers. It was Abigail Ross. Pete Apollo realised. Apollo activated his super senses and listens then he heard a heartbeat. There really was someone still inside. Apollo turned and looked with his x-ray vision and saw Pete past the wall of fire passed out trapped under some rubble that had fallen on top of him. Apollo instantly rushed back inside to save them.
He could hear Pete's breathing was incredibly weak and knew he needed to do something about the fire, he briefly contemplated running fast enough in a circle to create a vacuum and putting out the fire but that wouldn't help Pete who needed air. He then remembered how his breath had frozen the closet he had been in and Apollo realized he could use that new ability right here and right now. Apollo accelerated himself and the world around him slowed. He needed to buy himself time to figure out how to use this new power. He hadn't trained it like he had his senses. That wasn't an excuse Apollo told himself the power was there and he had to use it if he wanted to save the boy trapped in the flames.
Apollo concentrated on the chilling feeling he had felt in his chest and tried to summon it again, drawing out the cold within him and soon enough he felt it. Great he thought now how do I use it Apollo asked himself. He couldn't breath over all the flame…or could he? He could blow, he could blow out the fire with his ice breath. Apollo stared at the flame in front of him and clenched his fists prepping himself mentally for what he was about to attempt. Apollo took a deep breath, inhaling as much energy as he could before releasing the chilly air in his lungs. The air came out of his mouth like it was shot out of the greatest air cannon in the world, with powerful near gale force ice winds flowing over the entire room before him putting out most of the fire and covering the room in a small layer of frost.
Apollo then ran to Pete who was trapped under some rubble and threw it off of him. Apollo could hear Pete's heartbeat and his breathing. He x-rayed him and saw despite being trapped under some rubble he hadn't damaged any bones but he needed fresh air soon, his lungs had smoke in them. Apollo picked up Pete and carried him outside who began to wake up as Apollo did so.
"Apollo?" Pete asked in a daze
"It's me, you're going to be alright just focus on breathing" Apollo softly instructed as he stepped out of the old convention center with Pete in his arms just as the fire department arrived.
Abigail Ross rushed to Apollo as she saw him carry her son out of the burning building. Apollo handed her Pete and the two hugged.
"Thank you, thank you" Abigail Ross said to Apollo completely overjoyed her son was still alive.
Apollo simply humbly nodded just as the EMT's came to administer oxygen. They instructed Pete to take slow deep breaths and Apollo noticed Abigail Ross was staring at him intently like she was trying to examine him.
"What are you?" she asked as the reality of what Apollo had to have done to save them all hit her.
Apollo felt self conscious but luckily for him in that moment the EMT's started demanding to check everyone who had been in the building when the fire started and Apollo was given a temporary reprieve from Mrs. Ross' questions. Apollo ran off the moment he could and naively hoped the situation would die down.
Unfortunately, this wasn't the case as a few days later in the afternoon Mr. and Mrs. Ross were at his home questioning his parents with Pete. Apollo sat outside on his swing listening in to the conversation scared about how everything would turn out and secretly cursing himself for being different. He looked at his mother and father with his x-ray vision and saw there two different skeletal structures before looking at his own hands. He was even different from them. He wondered if he would ever be embraced somewhere away from this farm and began to stare hopelessly into the ground as he heard what his parents were talking about with the Ross's.
"I was there; I was in the convention center. I saw what Apollo did" Abigail Ross said.
"I know you did, I'm sure what you think you saw-" Jonathan began to say as he poured her a cup of coffee.
"Was an act of God Jonathan. This was providence" she said cutting off whatever he was about say. Jonathan and Ajak looked at one another and Jonathan licked the inside of his cheek.
"I think you're blowing it out of proportion" Ajak suggested playing off what Apollo did to make it seem regular.
"No I am not. Other people saw it too, Sally Braverman saw it and the Fordman boy" Abigail insisted. "This isn't even the first time Apollo's done something strange like this, remember when the Jostens said Apollo saved them from a mugging or the Sullivan girl incident?"
His Mum and Dad exchanged glances and Apollo stopped listening realising he didn't want to hear more about how people thought he was a freak. Apollo got off the swing and went into the farm sitting on the back of the truck and cursing himself while hoping for the best.
After a while he heard the Ross's leave the house. He turned and saw them from afar. Pete walked up to him despite his parents' clear hesitance and put out his hand for Apollo to shake. Apollo gingerly shook it and Pete smiled at him.
"I'm sorry about my parents, I'm sure this will all blow over" Pete assured him.
Apollo weakly smiled but he was in too much emotional turmoil to truly be comforted by Pete's words.
"And thank you for saving me and my Mum" Pete said just as his parents hooted the horn of their car and Pete turned to leave waving friendlily to Apollo before getting in the car and driving off.
Apollo watched the Ross' leave. His Mum tried to smile at him but Apollo couldn't meet her eyes. He was sad that he'd caused not only himself so much trouble but her too. If he was discovered she would be too and his whole family would be taken by the government. They could be weaponized or worse dissected. That thought lead Apollo to remember how different he internally looked from Ajak and Sprite and wondered if they were even really his family. None of the other Eternals had as many powers as him and they definitely didn't have super senses and freeze breath. Apollo began to question himself wondering why he was so different even from the alien side of his family. He quickly fell into a gloomy and regretful mood as he started spiraling his thoughts making him sadder with every passing moment. Apollo heard his father walk up beside him slowly no doubt about to ask about the incident.
"I just wanted to help" Apollo pre-emptively said his voice filled with sadness.
"I know you did son but we talked about this. We talked about this right. 'Stay hidden' remember. You have to… Apollo you have to keep this side of yourself a secret" Jonathan said.
"What was I suppose to do. Just let them die?" Apollo asked.
"No son of course not. But there's more at stake here than just our lives, Apollo, or the lives of those around us. When the world...When the world finds out what you can do it's gonna change everything. Our...Our beliefs, our notions of...what it means to be human. Everything. You saw how Pete's mom reacted, right? She was scared, Apollo." Jonathan told his son.
"Why?" Apollo questioned.
"People are afraid of what they don't understand" Jonathan answered.
"Is she right? You and Mum said I'm like the other Eternals but I'm not. So is she right? Did God do this to me? Tell me" Apollo forcefully questioned the inner turmoil at what he was coming out.
Jonathan hesitated for a moment, he wasn't sure what to do but one look in his son's eyes and Jonathan knew he had to tell him the truth. He was in pain, not knowing the truth was hurting him and so Jonathan did what any good father would. He decided he would ease his son's pain and show him the truth. Jonathan nodded to his son before leading Apollo to the storm cellar opening it up to reveal a spaceship.
"We found you in this. You came crashing into the farm one sunset many years ago. We were sure the government was going to show up at our doorstep but no one ever came" Jonathan slowly told his son hoping not to overwhelm him.
Jonathan then moved and opened a draw in cupboard nearby and took out a small box. He unlocked the box and pulled out the contents to show his son.
"We found this in the chamber with you" Jonathan told Apollo showing him a ring made entirely of crystal that had an S carved into the front of the ring and another crystal object that looked like an odd shaped key with that same symbol on the front of it too.
"You mother and her family, the one's she told, tried their best to figure out where it came from but they couldn't even figure out what elements it was made of. She told me whatever the crystal was it didn't exist on any periodic table she'd ever encountered" Jonathan said to his son as the realization began to fully dawn on him.
"That's another way of saying it's not from this world Apollo or any world known. And neither are you. You may not be from the same planet but just like your mother you're the answer. You're the answer to "Are we alone in the universe?" Jonathan finally said telling Apollo what he had already realized.
"I don't wanna be" Apollo replied heartbroken by the revelation he wasn't just not human and not Eternal but he wasn't even something his mother with her wealth of Eternal knowledge knew.
"And I don't blame you, son. It'd be a huge burden for anyone to bear. But you're not just anyone, Apollo, and I have to believe that you were...That you were sent here for a reason. All these changes that you're going through, one day...One day you're gonna think of them as a blessing. When that day comes...you have to make a choice. A choice of whether to stand proud in front of the human race or not" Jonathan gently and lovingly advised.
Apollo started to cry as his life felt like it was being shattered around him. He wasn't just different from humans but Eternals too. He really didn't belong. He looked at his father and remembered how he told him he'd love him no matter what. He didn't want to lose that, he didn't want to lose his father.
"Can't I just keep pretending I'm your son?" Apollo asked hoping he could make believe he had a family and wasn't an unknown being that fell from the sky.
"You are my son" Jonathan said as he hugged him deeply.
Apollo cried into his father's shirt and his father soothed him as he hugged him.
"Remember that Apollo, no matter what anyone says. No matter where you come from you are mine and your mother's. Okay Apollo? Never question that" Jonathan assured his son.
Apollo took the weight of everything his father was saying as he was being soothed by him. He came from an unknown world. Where were his birth parents? His people? Apollo started having new questions but a large part of him feared what the answers to those questions were.
"I love you Apollo" Jonathan said.
"I love you too Pa" Apollo replied as he comforted himself with his father's assurance to him. 'You are my son'.
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