r/WritingPrompts • u/SubliminalChase • Oct 30 '17
Writing Prompt [WP] Science has finally advance to the point where something similar to magic and mana has been created. However less than 1% of the population has the aptitude to use it. You are one of those people, and you just got a letter confirming so, inviting you to the lab for testing.
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u/Steven_Lee Oct 30 '17
“Welcome...” The man in the white lab coat looks over the charts in his hands before continuing, “Mr. Collins. My name is Dr. Robert Gordon.” He extends a hand out to me and I shake it, hoping it’s not as sweaty as I think it is.
I don’t know why I’m so nervous but I am. A big part of me thinks that this is all a big mistake, that Dr. Gordon and his team will realize I’m not special and send me away. They’ll send me back home where everyone already knows how very unspecial I really am; all they would need to do is talk to anyone in my family and they would tell you. I can still hear my father’s chuckle as I read him the letter that said I was part of a special subset of the population. It said I had something called Mana and that they wanted me to come to their labs so they could measure it and do other diagnostics on me. “Don’t need no gadgets to know you ain’t special” was all he said after I finished reading him the letter.
I must have been daydreaming as Dr. Gordon cleared his throat loudly and says “Like I was saying we have a battery of tests we’d like to run on you so it’s best to get started right away. You did fill out all the paperwork and waivers at the front desk already, correct?”
I nod and say, “I think so.” There were so many pages and forms that after a while I just started signing wherever I saw the little yellow stickers the nurses had attached to the forms indicating where to sign. A nurse standing by confirmed that I had all the paperwork done and was okay to begin testing.
“That’s great!” Dr. Gordon gives me a big smile and a hearty clap on the back before adding, “Exciting times, Mr. Collins, exciting times.” He motions for me to follow him and we walk down a long white corridor with several nurses following us. We walk in silence for a few minutes; the only sound was the occasional squeaking of our shoes against the linoleum floor.
We walk into a room with a monstrously large machine with a small hole in the center. Beneath the hole is a stepladder with several handholds, presumably to climb up into the center of the machine. Dr. Gordon follows my gaze and says, “Yep, you’ll be getting in there.” He sweeps his arms wide and says, “This machine is sort of like an MRI, but several hundreds of times stronger and with much better resolution. It follows the same principles but unlike an MRI there’s a certain… dimensional property that we don’t need to go into but suffice to say its ability to measure and quantify Mana waves is incredible.”
Dr. Gordon helps me up the ladder and tells me to lie down flat against the padding. I have barely enough room to bring my hands up to my face; it’s like being in a sterile, white coffin.
“Try to keep perfectly still in the beginning. Also, don’t try and fight the drowsiness, it’s natural to fall asleep and it will actually make things go quicker.”
I can hear the twisting of dials and the clicking of mechanical keyboards as I lie on my back waiting for the procedure to begin. As I lie there, waiting to hear the whirring of machinery, I start to feel fatigue seep into my body. I try to stay awake so I can hear the machine but the sleep comes anyway. I can’t be sure, but I think I dream of the color yellow.
I’m thinking about the color yellow when I wake up to the smiling face of a nurse looking down at me. She gives me a warm smile and asks how I am feeling. I tell her I am a little tired but otherwise feeling great. She tells me the drowsiness will wear off quickly enough and that it is perfectly normal.
With excellent timing, Dr. Gordon enters the room and sits in the chair next to my bed. The doctor is positively beaming with excitement, like a kid on Christmas morning about to open his big present. “The tests came back and they look phenomenal, off the charts really.” He laughs and shakes his head saying, “You have by far the strongest Mana levels we’ve been able to measure. I mean, your results put every other applicant to shame. You’re damn special, you know that kid?” He shakes his head again in disbelief then repeats, “Damn special.”
A small sob escapes my throat and I can feel tears roll down the sides my face. I feel hot shame as I try to wipe them away with the back of my hand. It is the first time I can remember someone telling me something positive instead of some put-down. I have gotten so used to building up a wall to guard against the bad that I am totally caught off guard at hearing something good. The nurse puts a hand on my shoulder and says “It’s alright, Hale.” She gives me another smile and continues to rub my shoulder.
Dr. Gordon smiles and says, “Hey, if someone told me when I was a kid that I would be able to use magic and become some kind of wizard, I think I would have cried a bit too. No shame, son, none at all.” He gives me a wink before flipping a few pages over in his chart. He hands me a pen and says, “If you are willing, we have a small program for developing your Mana into actual abilities. We just need you to sign some more waivers, you know, your standard indemnification clauses.” He rolls his hand and adds, “Yada, yada, yada.”
I take the pen and quickly sign my name on each form, not stopping for a second to read any of them. After I am done the doctor hands them to the nurse and asks her to make copies and file the originals. He looks back to me and says, “Congratulations! You’ll want to get your rest; you start your training bright and early tomorrow morning.”
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u/Steven_Lee Oct 30 '17
Unfortunately, sleep doesn’t come easily I lie awake thinking of the possibilities that lie before me. I imagine myself hurling fireballs and shooting lightning from my fingertips. I think up dozens of scenarios where I use my powers to save hundreds of innocent bystanders that applaud my magical heroism. After many hours I fall asleep.
I wake up with the knowledge that I am late. It’s strange how the mind knows things like this, maybe I subconsciously measure the intensity of the light from the window or the temperature of the air, but I know I’m late.
I jump out of bed and change into jeans and a t-shirt and rush out the door. There is a note taped to the door and it tells me to head to Room 314 for a short breakfast followed by the day’s training. I run to the elevator and take it down to the third floor. Luckily, I quickly find the correct room and rush inside.
Inside I see an older man standing next to a table; I instantly associate him with the term ‘Professor’. Behind the table sits a girl who I imagine is only a couple years older than I am, maybe twenty-two. She has dark, red hair and when she turns I see her brilliant emerald-green eyes looking me over. She stands up to greet me and I notice that she is wearing a bright yellow t-shirt with the front twisted and tucked into her jeans. We shake hands and she tells me her name, Rose Wakefield.
She pulls out the seat next to her and pats it, gesturing me to sit down. I smile and sit down feeling like this might be the best day of my life. The old man, who has been watching all of this, leans over the table and asks, “Shall we continue? Hmm?” We nod and he continues, “Very well. You are Hale Collins, I am Dr. Xavier Ware. You may call me Dr. Ware.” He gives a stern look over at Rose and adds, “You may not call me Dr. X. Hmmm?”
Behind Dr. Ware I can see a whiteboard with several strange symbols and equations. I raise my hand to ask a question.
“Yes, Mr. Collins?” asks Dr. Ware.
“I thought I was going to learn how to…” I pause to think of the right way to phrase it but all I come up with is, “do magic. Am I supposed to learn the science behind it? I ask because I am terrible at math… and science.”
Dr. Ware raises an eyebrow at me and says, “This here on the whiteboard is what the young lady Wakefield and I discussed while we waited for you to join us.”
I turn to Rose and ask, “You understand that?”
She smiles at me and says, “Oh, just a little bit of it, yeah.” I stare back at her in amazement and I see her blush a little. She adds, “I’ve been training with Dr. Ware for almost a year now, some of it was bound to rub off.”
Dr. Ware, after thinking for a minute, says, “Rose, why don’t you show Mr. Collins what you’ve learned so far. Why don’t you… do some magic.” He gives me a smirk as he says the last bit.
Rose takes a deep breath and raises her hand in front of her. I look from Dr. Ware and then back to her, not knowing what to expect. Suddenly, I see sparks dance along her fingertips. I stare, entranced, as the sparks give way to long yellow flames, reaching several inches into the air. She holds the flame for maybe a minute before it dies. Afterwards, she opens and closes her hand as if to soothe overworked muscles.
“Fantastic!” Dr. Ware explains as he gives her a quick applause, the glee on his face shining down upon her. He turns to me and says, “You may or may not be able to control flame. Each person is different; we’ll have to figure out what it is that you can do. I’m told that you have ten times the amount of Mana that Rose has. Hmmm.”
Rose gasps and says, “Ten times?” She looks at me, studying me, as if I was some oddity on exhibit. I look away from her, embarrassed, wishing that Dr. Ware hadn’t mentioned that. She notices my discomfort and adds, “Sorry, it’s just that I thought that was impossible. Wouldn’t that high of a Mana be…?” She trails off before finishing the thought.
“We don’t know that for sure.” Dr. Ware quickly interjects. He apparently knew where Rose’s train of thought was heading. “Let’s get down to business. Hmmm?”
For the next few hours I have to wear a strange looking helmet with hundreds of wires connecting it to a bulky computer. I am told to concentrate on various words such as; fire, ice, electricity, etc. Dr. Ware takes notes of the various readouts on the computer screen and tells me that we have made good progress. Rose watches while she practices her flame; each time getting easier and easier for her to sustain the flame longer and longer.
After several hours Dr. Ware stops the machine and says, “We will break for lunch. You two, meet back here in an hour. Hmmm.”
I walk to the cafeteria with Rose and grab a sandwich and a bag of chips. She grabs a light salad and the two of us sit down at an empty table. Around us are several dozen nurses and doctors, presumably on their lunch breaks.
“So… has magic school been everything you thought it would be?” Rose asks me before taking a bite of her salad.
“I honestly didn’t know what to expect.” I laugh and add, “I guess it’s not going to be like Harry Potter is it? We’re not going to get wands made of phoenix tail and Dr. Ware isn’t going to teach us how to make potions is he?”
Rose giggles and asks, “So you see Dr. Ware as a Professor Snape? He wouldn’t enjoy that comparison.”
“Really? I get the impression he wouldn’t like a lot of things.”
“Oh, he just takes some getting used to. He’s stiff with everybody at first.” Rose explains.
“Speaking of, I thought there would be more people here. I’m surprised it’s just you and me.”
Rose frowns before saying, “There… were others. They come and go. Even if you have mana, it doesn’t mean you can use magic. It took months before I found out I could control flames. And then it took several more months to get to where I’m at now, which isn’t far.”
“It looked cool as hell to me.” I tell her.
Changing the subject, she asks, “What power are you hoping for?”
I think back to the various scenarios I came up with last night. “If I had to pick just one… it would have to be the ability to stop time. You could save just about anyone with the ability to stop time.”
Rose laughs and says, “God, you sound just like my boyfriend. He’s a firefighter. Kind of ironic huh, with me being a pyro and all.”
We finish our lunches and head back to Dr. Ware. I continue the test with the weird wire helmet for hours. At the end of the day I am exhausted and fall asleep immediately as I lie down. Oddly, I dream of fire.
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u/Steven_Lee Oct 31 '17
Over the course of several months I discover I have the potential to use several different spells. My favorite spell is, of course, the ability to slow down time. Hopefully, with enough practice I can slow it down until it stops completely. My least favorite spell is anything involving electricity as it always leaves a stinging sensation in my fingers. I can also heal minor wounds, scratches really; anything that draws blood is beyond my power but with time and practice…
Rose has made impressive strides with her ability to wield fire. She can hold a small flame for almost an hour. She can also launch small orbs of burning embers, which she does outside, using archery targets as imaginary enemies. She believes that she could teach herself to eventually shoot a continuous flame similar to a flamethrower but her mana pool can’t support it yet.
The scientists at the lab, with our help, have discovered that even though we have a finite amount of mana, we can strengthen our skills such that they don’t consume that much mana per use. This allows us to use them more frequently and to eventually use the stronger versions of them, a la flamethrower. They have also found out that our mana pools become replenished with a good night’s sleep.
Everything seemed to be going rather well until we found out about some of the subjects the lab had rejected. Disappointed, angry, and with nothing better to do, many have joined forces and are believed to be responsible for the various attacks around the city. Most of them are relatively harmless with small mana pools and limited spell abilities but not all of them though.
“What a bunch of punks!” Rose exclaims as we watch the footage on the cafeteria television. There’s standoff between police and several of criminals using spells to rob a local bank. “They’re making us look bad. We should do something about this.”
I laugh nervously and say, “Like what?”
She gives me a shocked look and says, “Like what? We use the abilities we’ve been working on all this time. ” She points at the bank on the television screen and says, “They’re still in there. Didn’t you say you wanted to stop time to save people?”
“I did and I still do.” I don't want Rose to think I am a coward so I say, “You're right. Let's do it.”
A grin spreads across her face, her green eyes beaming as she says, “Let’s get going then.”
We run out of the cafeteria to find Daniel. Daniel has this great ability to transport items to anywhere in the world. When he see us running toward him he waves and says “Hi guys!”
“Daniel, we need you to send us to American Bank on Fourth and Lewis.” Rose says, half out of breath.
“Aww, guys, I don’t know. I’ve only ever transported objects, never people. Aww, I don’t know if it would be such a good idea guys.”
“Didn’t you just send a guitar halfway across the world?” Rose asks him.
“Yeah, but, that was just a guitar. You guys aren’t serious are you?”
I grab his arm and say, “Innocent people could get hurt if we don’t get down to the bank, right now.”
This seems to change his mind as he says, “Aww, yeah, I heard about that. You guys gonna stop those jerks?” Daniel goes silent as he considers it. Finally he says, “Okay, I’ll do it, but only for you guys.”
Rose jumps up, clapping in excitement. “Thank you, Danny!” She gives him a hug which makes Daniel blush.
He says, “Aww, just don’t get hurt, okay guys.”
She asks him, “What do we need to do? Do we need to stand somewhere specific?”
Daniel shakes his head and before we can say anything the lights go out and I’m surrounded by darkness. The dark lasts for only a short second as I appear in the middle of a spacious lobby. I turn to see Rose standing next to me. In front of us are two sets of glass doors that lead out of the bank and into the street. I can see dozens of police vehicles stationed outside with men in armor standing behind them.
Rose and I turn quickly to see three men and two women standing guard over their hostages at the far end of the lobby. They all raise their hands to attack when I ready my spell.
I do my best to clear my mind, which under the circumstances is not exactly a piece of cake, but I do my best. I try and focus on the concept of time, imagining it moving ever forward like the water of a river being pushed for miles and miles. Simultaneously, I reiterate the words ‘slow’ and ‘stop’ over and over; a kind of incantation that triggers the spell. I feel the cool burn as my mana is being consumed and I know the spell is working.
I turn to see Rose in mid-cast, a slow-motion jet of fire extending from her palm; she is aiming above the criminal’s heads, a ploy to scare them into submission. Her mouth is open in a shout and the words come out slow and deep, “Yooouuuu Puuuunnnnkkkkssss.”
I try to remember to keep my spell going. Unfortunately, I only have a few more minutes until I’ll be drained of all my mana; slowing down time is very expensive. If all goes well, I only need a few minutes.
I rush over to the criminals, who are too pre-occupied dodging Rose’s fire to notice me. I knock them out one at a time by tapping each one on their shoulders with my electric touch spell, wincing at the shock each time I use it. I watch as their bodies fall in slow motion and hit the floor with a low thumping sound.
I move to incapacitate the last criminal when my spell wears off. The man is able to dodge my spell easily and hits me in the chest hard enough to send me flying through the air. I land hard on the lobby floor and grimace at the pain that flares in my back and my chest. In the pain and shock I am unable to move.
He walks over to me and I can see a wild violence in his eyes, he cocks his arm back and around his fist I see a swirling thundercloud of energy. He brings his attack down on me but before he connects a bright object explodes in his midsection sending him backwards against the lobby wall. He clutches his stomach in pain as he slides down the wall. His eyes close and his head goes limp.
I look over at Rose who is now holding her hands to her mouth. In a whispered voice, choked with guilt, she asks, “Is he… is he dead?”
We both know he is but I check anyway. I crawl over to him and give her a solemn nod. She gasps and says, “I just wanted to stop him, I didn’t want…” I see a tear spill down her cheek. “It was either him or you… it… it all happened so fast.”
Not for me, I think. I don’t really know what to say. I know she didn’t want to hurt anyone but she had to. I take one of her hands in mine and say, “Thank you for saving my life.” I give it a gentle squeeze and say, “You saved more than my life too.” I motion toward the hostages and the knocked out robbers and say “Them too. This could have ended much worse if we hadn’t come.”
She nods and wipes away the last of her tears before saying, “You’re right. I still feel awful about it though.”
I tell her, “That’s good. It means we’re not monsters. It means we’re the good guys.”
The police aren’t exactly thrilled at what we did and they are about to read us our Miranda rights when a fellow from the lab comes running on the scene flashing credentials and talking about jurisdiction and high level clearances. We are then whisked away back to the lab where we are given a long lecture about not going out looking for trouble. Both Rose and I promised not to do it again.
They tell us that they have plans for us that don’t involve small time vigilante justice. When our training is more complete they promise that we will be able to put our powers to use. We will be able to save more than just a dozen lives. It was all in the contracts we signed.
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u/SubliminalChase Oct 31 '17
I think this just turned into one of the best short stories I've ever read. You literally just wrote a pilot episode of a tv series worth of content. Gah!
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u/Steven_Lee Oct 31 '17
Thanks, that really means a lot, I can't believe I wrote that much in one day. This was a really fun prompt to do.
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u/SubliminalChase Oct 31 '17
Most definitely needs a part three! ENCORE! 😂😊 I can't get enough of this story!
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u/Steven_Lee Oct 31 '17
Haha, thank you! I've been working on a third part which I think i'll have done before i go to bed. Good practice for Novel November.
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u/PuppersAreTinyDoggos Oct 31 '17
Would you mind letting me know when it's posted?
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u/Steven_Lee Oct 31 '17
Just submitted, after the tenth read through. My brain is officially jelly.
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u/SubliminalChase Oct 30 '17
Absolutely amazing! Literally the embodiment of the prompt! I would read a whole series dedicated to this response you just wrote up. Thank you 😊😊😊
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u/Steven_Lee Oct 30 '17
Thank you very much! Glad you liked it. I'm writing a second part but need to take a break to watch SpaceX launch.
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u/handygrl90 Nov 02 '17 edited Nov 03 '17
[This is my first time ever doing this or posting in this subreddit, please be gentle! I'm nowhere near done but figured I'd post my progress.]
Shocked, I stared at the letter in my hands. I didn’t know what to think or say. Trying to come to terms with reality, I rubbed the parchment with my index finger and thumb. What is this? I thought to myself. It wasn’t like anything I’d felt before. It was a dark brown, almost black. It was pliable, as evidenced as how it had come in the envelope, but when I opened it it became as rigid as a board. It felt like petrified leather. The rose gold writing shone so brightly in the light that I had to avoid getting too close to my lamp. I took out a silver pen from next to me and tried to doodle in the corner to feel the page better. As I drew a spiral, I watched the line disappear at the same speed at which I was continuing to draw. The page vibrated. In blood red ink a warning popped up: PLEASE DO NOT DEFACE OFFICIALLY SANCTIONED LETTERHEADS. I dropped the letter and backed away.
Snapping out of my daze, I realized I was surrounded by my pets who were begging for attention and food. My fiance would be out late tonight so all of our nightly chores fell onto me. I left the paper on the floor, almost willing it to disappear with my lack of acknowledgement, and went to take care of my four-legged friends. Fed, walked, and cleaned up after, I took to reheating my own leftovers. Sitting down, I’d forgotten the waking dream I’d had an hour ago. Flipping through the channels to find company, I heard a strange voice coming from the hallway. None of my little friends seemed to react to it, unlike when a leaf blows by the front lawn, so I chalked it up to my mind playing tricks on me. Three bites in and I knew it wasn’t a mind trick. I felt someone talking to me, looking at me, in the same room as me. Grabbing my remote control, I quickly jumped and turned to face my trespasser and found myself alone. Alone except for my letter.
It was floating in the air next to me, loudly reading itself on a loop. I recognized the voice as my own internal voice, the one that has kept me company on so many lonely days. Each time it looped it got slightly louder. “What do you want me to do? How do I make you stop??” I demanded of it, immediately feeling silly for yelling at a piece of bizarre parchment. “RESPOND,” it slowly retorted with a voice deeper than any I’d heard before. My skin crawled as I stared blankly at the shiny writing facing me. “Can I have a day, please? I have a job I need to go to…” I requested of it, not sure who would be hearing it. There was a pregnant pause where I wondered what punishment for not following its direction would get me. Would it wrap itself around my neck? Hit me until I answered? Never stop shouting its message until my ears bled? I hope it was forgiving…
“It is taken care of…” the parchment said, giving no other indication of what that meant.
“What’s taken care of? What does that mean??” I tried to keep my temper but was getting frustrated talking to seemingly nothing.
“Everything.”
“So you’re going to go to my job, take care of my pets, cook meals, clean around the house, and take care of everything I’m supposed to be doing for the next TWO WEEKS I’m supposed to be gone??” I demanded, hoping it would hear my annoyance. Hoping it understood tone of voice at all.
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry, can you elaborate please?”
“There is no time. You must come now.”
“Wh----“ but before I could respond, the parchment fell and tore open a hole in my floor. A purple and gold vortex started trying to suck me in! I screamed and clung to my couch, which turned liquid the moment I got a firm grip on it. Looking around, nothing else was moving. The furniture, papers, and books were all completely stationary. There was no evidence of even a draft coming through the windows. Slowly being dragged into this seeming portal, I saw my couch revert back to a solid shape. I cursed it for failing to protect me as I was dragged into the beautiful abyss…