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radiating out of Danielle’s hands, spreading from his arm to the
rest of his body. Heat came off her and pushed back the pain that coursed
through his chest and head. It was the same kind of heat that Alan experienced
when he ran.
    For the first time in a very long time
Alan felt happy. A safeness that he couldn’t explain was slowly wrapping itself
around him. Alan’s eyes widened as he visibly saw bruises fading.
    The ache in his chest was lessening
and the warmth spread to his head. Instead of a throbbing headache, Alan felt
calm and relaxed. A few moments later when Danielle lifter her hands from his
arm, Alan debated asking her for more.
    He looked at her with awe and a
newfound respect. She took a careful step back away from the bed and let out a
deep breath. The slightest hint of sweat glistened across her brow.
    “Does healing hurt you?”
    Danielle opened her eyes and shook her
head. “No, but it’s work. Imagine lifting a heavy weight. The harsher the
injury, the heavier the weight I have to lift. You should be healed now. I hate
having to make you wait for answers. Just trust me, you’ll have them soon. Come
on. Let’s get you ready, Michael is waiting.”

12
Present Day
     “He’s in there?”
    “All the way at the top. You’ll need
to get access to the roof.”
    Alan suddenly felt uncomfortable. “And
you’re not coming up?”
    Danielle shook her head. “Sorry, this
is your time for answers. I’ll be here waiting for you when you’re done.”
    Alan looked out of the car window at
the tall corporate building. From the outside it seemed as if the structure was
made entirely of steel and glass.  Sunrays beat off the glass windows and
Alan squinted to see the top of the building.
    “Don’t be scared, he’s on our side.”
    Alan looked back at Danielle with
every intention of lying and telling her he wasn’t scared, instead he asked,
“Is Michael a—a—“ he was still having a hard time bringing himself
to say the word.
    “Yes, but it’s not like he looks any
different from you or me.”
    Alan nodded, gathered his courage and
opened the door. It was a short walk up the stone steps and into the large
ground floor. A security desk was stationed up front with a long aisle of
elevators on either wall of the wide room.
    Alan tensed, the building looked too
much like the building the wind had pushed him off of the first night he
learned he had abilities.
    Alan forced his legs forward as people
walked to and from the elevators. Most of the building’s inhabitants wore trendy
suits. All but a few were busy either talking on their phone or looking down at
them.
    Alan entered an elevator clogged with suits
and briefcases. There were 107 floors. To Alan’s frustration, it seemed the
elevator was set on making him visit each and every single one. The ride up
gave Alan time to think about what he had just seen and what he was doing.
    I can’t believe she healed you like
that. This is so far beyond what I thought was possible. But really what did
you expect? You can run at the speed of sound. If someone came to you and told
you that you were an alien or a mutant, would that make more sense? Would you
accept that?
    Alan struggled with these thoughts and
more as the steel box passed floor after floor. After what seemed like an
eternity full of bad elevator music, Alan reached the buildings top story. He
was the only one on the elevator at that point.
    The doors dinged open and Alan found
himself walking down a well-kept hallway. No sound, no chatter of voices on
phones or clicks of shoes on the wooden floor, nothing.
    Alan walked down the hall passing
empty office after empty office looking for the stairwell that would lead him
to the roof. After peaking in and out of a few doors he found the door he
needed. The door was marked with the figure of a small man walking up a set of
stairs.
    Alan opened the door and made his way
up the last two flights of stairs to the rooftop entrance. He placed a