I struggled with that question for a number of years. I was worried that some part of my parents was somewhere deep within me. Eventually, I decided that my upbringing on Earth had been enough to overcome my genetic shortcomings. It’s still not something I’m totally comfortable with, but I suppose vigilance is the best defense against my going down the wrong path.
I’ve been a hero for a long time, longer than most people’s lifespans. One of the strange quirks of being a superhero on our planet is that your lifespan can shift dramatically. Some of us, like myself, have been around for decades without showing any sign of aging. Weirdly, the world doesn’t seem to notice that our secret identities don’t age either. Others, have short lived careers and soon disappear from the planet all together. It’s not that they die, but the just seem to fade away, which is what we’ve taken to calling it.
This phenomena has been studied as much as anything I can remember in my time as a hero. We’ve all submitted to poking, prodding, and all sorts of tests. We want answers just as much as everyone who’s studied us. Some of our fellow superheroes are among the smartest men on Earth and have dedicated their time to studying it. The magicians among are ilk have sought answers through their expertise as well.
Although all this research hasn’t found an answer as to what makes one a superhero or not (several of us don’t have special powers or abilities), it has produced some theories about the bizarre aging shift we experience. The prevailing theory is that we are being shifted to a slightly different timeline that still interacts with our own. We are the cause of this shift, but it can even have an effect on our families and friends.
The strange aging shift is completely unnoticed outside of our roles as superheroes. The speculation is that it has something to do with our superhero tasks being the only time we are fully present within this timeline. Otherwise, we are caught somewhere in-between these merging timelines that are layered over top of each other. The reason we are shoved into these different timelines is even stranger speculation.
The working theory that is presently being used is that our varying lifespans are determined by the public’s belief that we can protect them from whatever threats they fear. But what the public fears, as well as their faith in particular heroes’ competence, shifts over time. And the heroes with the longest lifespans are those that can meet these shifting fears, or even change something about themselves to meet the shifts. And those that don’t fade away.
The great mystery that all this research has been unable to produce an answer to is the matter of what happens to heroes who fade away. If you’ve been around as long as I have as a hero, you’ve seen a lot of friends and allies disappear. And although some take it as a given that these heroes must be dead, most of us get the sense that there’s more to the story of what’s going on here. There’s never a body left over. They just seem to vanish from existence, but our memories of them don’t. The stories of their heroic deeds don’t. There’s more here than meets the eye, and that’s why we were all pretty excited by the return of one of the original heroes: King Arthur.
“The government doesn’t want to tell us what was on those files.” Iceni was angry. “They seem to think it’s not necessary for us to know what was stolen, in order to capture those who stole it.”
“We’ll know soon enough.” New Moon quickly left the room. Every member of The Select present assumed whatever he was going to do wasn’t technically legal. They also new it was the only way to find the information they needed to pursue this case.
“Well that takes care of that problem.” said Prime. “Were we able to learn anything from that group we caught?”
“None of them seem interested in giving up who they are working for,” Iceni responded. “And the prospect of avoiding a nice long stay in prison doesn’t seem to make them any more willing.”
None of this took Prime by surprise. He was the de facto leader of The Select and used to dealing with a government that wanted his help while still protecting their own secrets. He was even more used to dealing with tight-lipped criminals. But the team looked to him for guidance on what to do next.
“Because that group surrendered so willingly,” said Prime. “we have to assume they were able to transmit out the information they were after, even if we don’t know how. That means we need to assume that whatever is on those files is already out there. But we can’t do anything until New Moon figures out what’s there. So for now, let’s turn to our other mystery.”
Since the end of the fight at the warehouse, King Arthur had hardly said a word. He went back to the Select’s headquarters, a floating base of the United States’ east coast, known as Island One. There were other, less impressive duplicate stations scattered throughout the planet’s oceans with even more creative names like Island Two, Island Three, and so on. They had gotten the man something to eat, but he’d barely touched it and stared at while deep in thought.
“I know this must be quite an adjustment.” Prime startled Arthur out of his daze. “Do you think you might be able to talk about this at all?”
“I’ll do the best that I can,” the King responded. “But I’m afraid I may have fewer answers than yourself.”
“Well,” said Prime. “Let me start by giving you a little background. It’s been several centuries since you were last confirmed to be seen on Earth. Being the legend that you are, only Elvis is the more frequently sighted.
“I guess should explain that reference. Elvis was a troubadour of sorts who died at a young age and some claim his death was faked. There was no conformation of your death, and some have taken to thinking you’ve been waiting to return until the world needs you most. Needless to say, knowledge of your return now would have quite an effect on some people.”
“But not even I know why I’ve returned.” said Arthur.
“Nor do we,” answered Prime. “and we want to help you find out why. But if I may be perfectly honest, we do hope you hold the answer to some other mysteries as well.
“You are now in the future, but I should clarify that most humans in this time are not like you see here. Most aren’t all that different from your time. Maybe a little more well-fed and cared for, but not all that different. Those you’ve met so far, are a little bit different. We are what has become known as super-heroes. Some of us powers and abilities beyond what humans could ever imagine before. The closest comparison is the gods of antiquity. Others of us don’t have powers, per se, but are just as dedicated to fighting crime and evil. We protect humanity from threats that have grown beyond what they could handle themselves. We don’t know why the last century and a half has produced this burst of our kind, but it has.
“Our interest in you stems from the strange circumstance of being a hero. Our lifespans are determined by the extent to which humanity believes we can protect them from the fears of the moment. Some of us have already lived lives longer than most humans ever will, and show no signs of aging. But for others, it is a much different story.
“If our lives are extended by humanity’s faith in us, it is shortened when they lose that faith.