I wasn’t born to be a hero. Or a villain, frankly. I was born to be nothing, to be ordinary. For 17 years I lived a completely ordinary life, experiencing the daily ups and downs of the world, trying to be good, failing sometimes. And when I failed, it didn’t much matter, because I failed in ordinary ways. Not volunteering enough for charity. Being a little too mean to my classmates with they pissed me off. Forgetting to replace the toilet roll.

But that all changed the day I fell into the toxic lake. We were there on a senior class field trip meant to caution us against the dangers of pollution. I was too close to the edge of the viewing platform, when two big guys in my year, Seamus and John, started roughhousing. Seamus playfully shoved John a little too hard and John stumbled backwards into me. The next thing I knew, I was tumbling over the railing into the glowing green water below. The water did not have a normal viscosity and it was impossible to keep myself afloat. I felt myself being dragged to the bottom. My eyes could see nothing but green. I knew I was dying.

Next thing I knew, however, I was coughing on the lake shore. I was out of the water, but everything was still green.

I was shown tape later of what had happened. I had risen from the lake, glowing as green as the water. I let out an inhuman yell and a blast of energy that caused everything biological within a half mile radius to wither and die. Including my classmates.

Of course, I was taken to a government lab immediately. Subjected to hundreds of tests. My touch alone was poison and if I showed too much emotion, it would leach out of me as a vapor, causing instant death to anything not protected by a hazmat suit. While in the labs, I was tested by some of the most famous superpowered scientists of our day - Dr. Osmosis, SuperNova, and The Great Defibrillator. I tried convincing them that I could help their cause, begging for a chance to use my powers for good. But they shook they heads and said that my powers couldn’t be controlled. Even if I tried to help, I would end up killing innocents.

Then, the villains came. Lord Tech hacked the security system and sent a rogue bot my way, explaining through its voicebox that he could get me out if I swore allegiance. The famous Witch of Wichita enchanted one of my security guards to leave the keys in the door and sent a message through my morning oatmeal that she could enchant then entire compound if I would join her. Every day, I received a new message from a villain on the outside promising freedom in exchange for my power.

I have not given a response to anyone yet. My whole life, I have tried to be good, but I have failed occasionally. Now being bad means freedom that good cannot provide. The choice to be good becomes harder.