[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/7bkbXx5.png[/img][/center]

[color=ADFF2F]"This isn't going to hurt, right?"[/color]

Jefferson laughed, though he didn't exactly answer the question directly. As he continued to untangle the mess of wires between his hands, he explained, [color=FF4500]"All of this is strictly observational. These machines are going to take readings: electrical, nuclear, and so on. You don't have to do a thing, except sit back and relax."[/color] Having finally freed a bundle of electrodes, he moved his hands to either side of April's head. After a few false starts, he motioned towards her glasses and asked, [color=FF4500]"May I?"[/color]

April shrugged. [color=ADFF2F]"Be my guest. Although, I should warn you that I'm basically blind without th--"[/color] Catching herself mid-sentence, she watched in disbelief as her blurry field of vision suddenly snapped into clear focus. Her glasses hung in the air as Jeff pulled them away, and yet she could see as clearly now as she had when they were on. Blinking a few times, she was relieved to learn that the effect did not go away. [color=ADFF2F]"Okay, [i]that's[/i] weird."[/color]

Jefferson, oblivious to this newest development, asked, [color=FF4500]"What's weird?"[/color] as he continued to set her glasses down on a nearby tabletop.

[color=ADFF2F]"I can see,"[/color] April replied. Still wanting to test it, she held a hand over one eye followed by the other. Any way she sliced it, her vision was crystal clear. A smile cracked across her face. [color=ADFF2F]"I can't remember the last time I could see this well without my glasses."[/color]

Jefferson leaned back on a heel and tapped his chin. [color=FF4500]"Well, we've already theorized that you can somehow alter your body's electromagnetic field in defiance of gravity. I suppose it wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility, then, that your sensitivity to electromagnetism extends to the visible spectrum..."[/color]

Although it was couched in scientific jargon, April followed the general train of thought. [color=ADFF2F]"Are you suggesting that the reactor explosion somehow [I]fixed my eyesight?[/I]"[/color]

[color=FF4500]"Strictly speaking, no,"[/color] he answered, [color=FF4500]"but the effect is much the same."[/color] As he contemplated the ramifications of this new discovery, he went back to placing electrodes along her temples. [color=FF4500]"You had complained that your eyes were unusually fatigued yesterday, right? Perhaps that was a side effect of this new 'sight' developing. For all we know, you've only scratched the surface! Who's to say that your sensitivity begins and ends at the visible spectrum? If you could [I]also[/I] tap into higher and lower wavelengths..."[/color]

At that point, April found herself not really listening. It wasn't that the conversation wasn't somewhat interesting, only that Jefferson seemingly had a habit of running away with his thoughts. If she was being honest, his enthusiasm was cute in an endearing sort of way; she didn't find herself [I]attracted[/I] to Jefferson or anything like that, but she could see how another girl might find him irresistibly adorkable. As he made eye contact with her, she realized he was waiting on her to respond to the last thing he said. Luckily, a small smile seemed to satisfy him.

Now that April felt more wired up than a Christmas tree, Jefferson was apparently content to begin collecting data. After a few more last minute checks, he went to sit down at a nearby terminal. As he started flipping switches, April heard the hum of machinery coming to life. The laboratory that Jefferson procured was more than big enough for their purposes; even with all the equipment they were using, they only took up a small corner of the otherwise abandoned room. [color=FF4500]"Alright now, I want to get a baseline, so just relax,"[/color] Jeff instructed.

April did as she was told. Picking at her nails, she found herself uncomfortable in the ensuing silence. She wasn't much of a "sit quietly" type, anyway. With little else in the way of conversational topics, she decided to take advantage of the opportunity to get to know Jefferson a little better. Clearing her throat, she asked, [color=ADFF2F]"So, where are you from originally, Jefferson?"[/color] She could tell by his subtle accent that he wasn't from around these parts.

[color=FF4500]"My family's from Houston, Texas,"[/color] Jeff answered without looking up from his screen. [color=FF4500]"I moved away for school when I turned eighteen, and I haven't been back since."[/color] She sensed there was something personal behind that statement, but they weren't close enough to broach the subject further. [color=FF4500]"What about you, city girl? Always been in town?"[/color]

[color=ADFF2F]"I actually haven't been living in the city all that long,"[/color] she admitted. [color=ADFF2F]"But I [I]have[/I] been a California girl my whole life."[/color]

[color=FF4500]"Let me guess: only child, too?"[/color] Jeff ventured.

Impressed, April smiled. [color=ADFF2F]"How'd you know?"[/color]

He shrugged. [color=FF4500]"Just have that way about you, I guess,"[/color] he replied. It wasn't immediately apparent whether he meant that positively or negatively. [color=FF4500]"I couldn't imagine it, personally. I love my siblings."[/color]

[color=ADFF2F]"Sisters, right?"[/color] This time, it was his turn to be impressed. April grinned smugly. [color=ADFF2F]"You're not the only one with intuition."[/color]

[color=FF4500]"One older, one younger,"[/color] Jefferson reported. Him being a middle child suddenly made a ton of sense. Before they could get deeper into the weeds of each other's upbringings, however, his screen beeped at him. [color=FF4500]"Alright, good, I think we're ready to start measuring. Can you try to start to... y'know, glow?"[/color]

Biting her lip gently, April nodded. She still wasn't sure she could control the energies, only having consciously achieved it once. To start, she closed her eyes and allowed herself to visualize a sheath of neon green energy around all parts of her body. Opening her eyes, she surprised herself to find that it was [I]actually[/I] there, just as she had envisioned it. The air around her body seemed to ripple like asphalt on a hot summer day. April allowed herself a small smile as Jefferson scribbled notes.

[color=FF4500]"Okay, see if you can kick it up a notch, yeah?"[/color]

She set her brow. Summoning the power from deep within herself, she called it forth with a thought. The radiation sheath grew brighter, and the heat wave effect intensified. Yet the energy produced minimal heat; it was cool to the touch as it cascaded off her skin. April found that the more she concentrated, the more energy she could produce. If there was an upper limit, she hadn't approached it yet. It felt like a bottomless well from which she could draw at will. The thought was terrifying... and exciting.

Jefferson scratched a few more things down, then called out, [color=FF4500]"Do you think you can localize it?"[/color]

[color=ADFF2F]"I can try,"[/color] April replied. After all, she had been able to when she heated up the coffee mug. Drawing down the energy, she shaped it with her mind, willing it to travel down along her arm. It collected in the palm of her hand, forming a nebulous ball of radioactive energy. Stray particles orbited her fist as she closed her fingers around it. Turning her attention to her other hand, she watched as the energy began to gather there, too.

Jefferson rose gingerly. [color=FF4500]"Alright, now I want to see if you can discharge it,"[/color] he explained. April shot him an uncertain look. [color=ADFF2F][I]Discharge?[/I][/color] That was a loaded term. Heedless of the apparent danger, he plucked a spare notepad from the nearby desktop. Pantomiming a throwing motion, he locked eyes and asked, [color=FF4500]"Ready?"[/color]

She was less than confident. Still, the energy crackled around her fists. Taking a deep breath, she nodded. Jefferson heaved back and sent the notepad tumbling through the air. April punched at the empty space in front of her, and a green burst shot from her hand. It clipped the corner of the notebook mid-flight, sending the bulk of it careening across the lab as shredded paper rained down like confetti. April laughed in spite of herself and said, [color=ADFF2F]"Give me another!"[/color] Jeff complied, and she shot the next notebook out of the sky with the blast from her other hand.

[color=FF4500]"Awesome!"[/color] Jeff blurted out, any sense of composure lost. With his hands on his hips, he surveyed the monitors at his workstation. [color=FF4500]"Well, I've got good news for you, Ms. Newton: you're not carcinogenic! I wouldn't necessarily want to be next to you for prolonged periods when you're running full bore, but the ambient energy you produce doesn't appear to be harmful."[/color]

April felt a wave of relief wash over her. It was certainly good to hear that she hadn't been irradiating everyone around her. Now, there was only one pertinent question left to answer. [color=ADFF2F]"Okay, so how long do you think this'll last?"[/color]

Jefferson laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. [color=FF4500]"See, that's the thing,"[/color] he began, [color=FF4500]"My initial hypothesis was that you were some kind of radiation sponge, and these effects would only last as long as it took to deplete all that energy. But this data suggests that you're more of a radiation [I]battery[/I]. These levels can't be explained unless your body is naturally producing this energy."[/color]

The wind went out of April's sails. [color=ADFF2F]"So, this could be permanent?"[/color] she intuited. The thought of this being the new normal kinda terrified her.

Picking up on her disappointment, Jefferson launched into damage control. [color=FF4500]"Hey, look on the bright side!"[/color] he said with forced enthusiasm. [color=FF4500]"You're some kind of an honest-to-goodness superhero! You've got strength, flight, energy manipulation... Think of all the good you can do with these abilities! All the good [I]we[/I] can do, together!"[/color]

[color=ADFF2F]"I'm not looking to be a superhero, Jeff,"[/color] she sighed. She started removing the electrodes. [color=ADFF2F]"This isn't Lost Haven; this city doesn't need a hero any more than I need that kind of headache. I didn't even want to [I]be[/I] at that stupid demonstration... I just wanted answers. Which reminds me: did you make any progress on those files?"[/color]

Crestfallen, Jefferson gave a solemn nod. Trudging over to his workstation, he rifled through his bag until he produced her flash drive. [color=FF4500]"I understand why you were so interested. Can't promise this'll help any, though,"[/color] he warned before turning it over. So, he had put two and two together. Not that she had gone to any great lengths to hide her connection to the case. [color=FF4500]"I'm sorry about your dad, April. That must've been hard."[/color]

[color=ADFF2F]"What was hard was never knowing what happened to him. It's about time I knew the truth."[/color] She clutched the flash drive in her palm. Placing a hand on Jeff's shoulder, she said, [color=ADFF2F]"Thank you, Jeff. For this, and for helping me... figure out things. I have some thinking to do, I guess."[/color] April picked up her glasses and fitted them back onto her nose. After a moment, her vision adjusted to the lenses again.

[color=FF4500]"Well, if you change your mind about the whole 'superhero' thing, you know where to find me,"[/color] he offered.

April managed half a smile. [color=ADFF2F]"You'll be my first call."[/color]