Frank had graduated with middling grades from college; but the job market in his city just seemed to be so awful. He was going to interview after interview, but never seemed to be the final one to get the job. After another disappointing interview, he'd returned home a few days ago to a flier through the door. 'COULD YOU SERVE YOUR COUNTRY? JUST DROP IN AND SEE WHAT POSITIONS WE HAVE. GOOD SALARY, BENEFITS'
He'd mulled it over for a few days after that. It sounded military, but why were they advertising like this? The only information on the flier was a phone number to call. Eventually, he'd done so, getting through to an officious but enigmatic bureaucrat who set him up an interview later in the week.
Frank went along to it, dark hair combed, in a grey suit and tie, where he'd had a shocking conversation with the recruiter. They were looking to make people like him into superheroes, to work for a covert government agency? Well, as a bit of a nerdy loser, he loved superheroics, he'd have loved to do a thing like that!
He was less sure of the serum they proposed to inject him with. "So, what exactly will this do?" Frank looked down at himself, sitting awkwardly in a hospital gown. One of the technicians hovered over him with a syringe of golden fluid.
"This is Hedgemann's Serum, keyed to what we hope is your unique genetic predilection for activating the superpower-granting serum. I can't promise there's no side effects, but hopefully, you'll soon be CAPE's newest hero. Are you ready?"
Frank winced, feeling the syringe enter into his arm. What was he going to become?