By Samantha Robles Avalos
To civilians, he is referred to as Enphine. His real identity is Endorphin. He began working as a vigilante once he reached adulthood, chasing after submerging pain signals that were rising within his hometown. They were rather minuscule and annoying incisions to Enphine. After a year of doing the bare minimum, Enphine realized that he craved moreexcitement than his mundane work. So, he sought after the biggest corporation known to blood-kind, the Cortex Prime. “C Prime,” as Enphine likes to call it, controls and plans lower-grade to grade-S missions around the world. Months of mentored training, both physically and mentally, allowed Enphine to prove to the officials from C Prime that he is worth more than his verbal taunts that rise from his arrogant and playful personality.
Enphine harbors two different techniques: Painkiller and The Runner’s High. Painkiller is noted to be a form of electrokinesis, an ability that he can generate and manipulate any form of electrical currents. It’s particularly effective as a shock, which he uses mindlessly against lower-grade criminals as more of a scare than a demise. When he clenches his hands in combat, electricity bounces around his figure, demonstrating how strong he is when specific missions call for him to use more of his muscles. A weakness of this power, however, is that exposure to pain modulates his sensitivity, oftentimes decreasing his endurance in battle if he isn’t careful. This is a part of the reason why Enphine has a custom-made rigorous training course, ensuring to work on increasing his endurance to the maximum it can.
Enphine’s second technique, The Runner’s High, is not a physical ability of his, but rather a physical manifestation of his mental fight. The appearance of Runner’s High is more human-like and sometimes works out of Enphine’s consciousness. Similar to Enphine’s height and build, The Runner’s High is gold, embellished with green accents and grooves across its body. This spirit’s abilities can either nullify, reverting the actions of anyone that Enphine comes across, or amplify, life-giving ability, his opponent’s actions. The more Enphine is active, the more the power increases. Sometimes, Enphine can manifest Runner’s High while he uses Painkiller, which makes Enphine the most powerful in battle. A weakness of using his spirit, however, is that Enphine’s sensitivity is amplified twice as much, making him prone to injuring himself further if he doesn’t concentrate on the villains. If not careful, excessive use will lead to immediate rest, alongside the disappearance of Runner’s High, which makes Enphine vulnerable to attacks. Enphine’s endurance is strengthened by the training course C Prime has made for him, with a part of it being able to spar with other Neurotransmitters by using his spirit in combat.
A fun fact about Enphine is that there are moments when he seeks a life outside of the hero work C Prime has made for him. One of the other heroes had asked him about his dream vacation destination once. The question is still stuck with him. Fiji, he thought. It’s restorative and matches his character perfectly. Immersing himself in village cultures and traditions, enjoying a bath in the hot springs, and looking at the oceans at night is something that Enphine never realized he craved more than he liked. He is determined to one day leave the life that C Prime has planned for him and attend to his wishes.
Outside of being serious on missions, he is a menace to his higher-ups, often teasing them about their work ethics, usually with the implication of “livening up a little.” Sometimes Enphine will take it a bit too far, buying his higher-ups sweets to make up for his behavior. At one of the many instances of going to a cafe to get his usual, he runs into a woman, quite literally. Drinks clashed, but thankfully not staining either person’s work clothes. She was in a rush, her hair slightly disheveled from the run-in. Before Enphine could ask if she was okay, she muttered some apologies and something about losing track of time before running out the door. What she never noticed was her work ID slipping out from her pocket, which caught Enphine’s attention. GABA, he read. Thankfully, her job’s location wasn’t too far from where the cafe was. Enphine let out a small smirk before putting her ID in his pocket. He went back to the register and got both drinks for free, intending to visit her job to see what it was about her that made him quiet for once.
In the field, her code name is Sleeper Agent. Outside of that, people call her GABA. Her first (and only) job was working at an office. Being the only woman in the company, she was treated as an errand girl instead of an equal worker, which she didn’t mind at first. The job pays, she believed. The least she could do was abide by their bidding. One day, a mishap occurred with the documents her boss assigned to her, and he forced her to come back to the job to fix it or face demotion from her current position. She felt a little annoyed that she missed out on her break in the cafe near her due to her boss’s insistence on a task he could’ve done himself. Rushing out of the comfort of the coffee shop, she couldn’t apologize to the poor guy she ran into. Although poor is an understatement. He looked like he could pay her and buy the entire company if he wanted to, she thought, recalling the minimalistic, yet expensive statements that adorned his figure. After helping her boss, she sat in her office cubicle, feeling mindless as she sorted through her online solitaire game. Her boss’s cough behind her brought her out of her blankness, scrambling to look important. She was told that there was someone in the front asking for her. Possibly a boyfriend, her boss presumes before walking away to his desk. She was baffled by his statement. Neither her family nor her friends came asking for her, let alone a boyfriend.
She walked to the front lobby to see the same man who ran into her earlier on her break, making himself comfortable on the cushioned seats with two drinks sitting next to him. His eyes lit up when he recognized her, gesturing for her to come over to him. GABA, feeling a little unsure, adjusted her hands to her sides and readied her first technique unbeknownst to the man, before approaching him. The first thing she noticed about him, upon getting a closer look, was his eyes. His eyes never left her figure as she came close, which would have made her blush a bit if he weren’t a stranger to her. She gave him a confused look that made him realize what he was here for. Her work ID was taken from his pocket and rested upon the table. Bashful, she thanked him before glancing at the drinks next to him. He noticed, of course, and offered one of them to her. He told her his name, Endorphin, and mentioned that if under different circumstances, he would have asked her out on a date. She sputtered out a thank-you, which made him laugh a bit before getting up to leave. Before walking through the door, he turned and waved bye to her, saying he hoped to see her again. Conveniently enough, she had a pen and a small notebook with her. She wrote her name and number down, and used her ability, Stasis, to discreetly place the paper in his pocket. Their first encounter became one of many, and eventually, they settled together and married through one of the heaviest earthquakes known in history.
As previously mentioned, Sleeper Agent’s first recorded technique was Stasis. This ability is similar to luminokinesis, in which the user is able to manipulate all light forms. She uses it as puppet strings attached to her fingers. It gives GABA a sense of stability, being able to control her environment as she likes. As long as things are illuminated, her powers can be used. A weakness of this ability is that overuse of this power can lead to seizures and chronic pain. This is why she prefers to use her ability as a puppeteer. It doesn’t cost her a lot of energy if there is light in every room, which is why she got the office job. If she were to deal with harsh migraines, she would snack on fermented foods and whole grains that she keeps in her lunch bag. She watches what she eats, which makes her more agile amongst her peers.
Her second technique, which doesn’t appear until later in her career, is called Eye of the Hurricane. Eye of the Hurricane allows her to turn into an enchanting spirit. This manifestation takes on the appearance of a woman in a hooded, black cape, wearing a black, laced-trimmed dress, and a blindfold covering her eyes. Her abilities consist of absorbing light and electricity, using these powers to heal the user and those around her. Because she can maintain her composure, Cortex Prime has recruited her to work in the restorative field. Her stability works well with uplifting her team’s mood and being the backbone on team night missions. A weakness of this power is that fatigue catches on quicker than she’d like. Although she could brush it off, the fatigue is sometimes followed by physical discomfort, such as headaches or nausea, which makes her a liability and vulnerable to attacks. The best way to avoid this is for GABA to return to her normal self, resulting in drowsiness. A way for her to build endurance against physical fatigue is to recharge by sleeping throughout the day. She also follows a moderate exercise plan that Cortex Prime made for her that helps boost her energy.
A fun fact about GABA was that she never sought out the hero work life like her husband, Endorphin, did. She would much rather prefer the mundane life and is more laid back than her partner expected. After Cortex Prime recruited her, thanks to Enphine’s insistence, she was able to adjust and improve her skills and be paid handsomely for her endeavors. If someone were to ask her to choose a partner to work with on all her missions, she would choose Enphine. Not because he’s her husband, but because her abilities are compatible with his – Enphine loves to hog all of the attention in battles, and she loves to support him with boosts and modulation wherever she can, only coming in to take over if that is what her partner needs. On her rest day, her husband came back home from work and asked her about her ideal getaway. She had thought about this question before, when she was working at the office. The Maldives, she told him. The calming waters, the glorious sun, and the breathtaking scenery would be the perfect place to be stress-free.
In the villain world, everyone refers to him as Necro. To his allies, he is known as Glutamate. As a growing boy, he was used to the consistent buzz that filled his hometown. Vendors, children running around, adults bargaining and haggling prices – these noises brought comfort for Glutamate. One morning, he woke up to a raid infiltrating his home. Villages, young and old, were running aimlessly away from the flood of synaptic firing that was launched at them, for no apparent reason. The lighting of synapses resembles a meteor shower – a natural disaster. Their terror shook the earth, marking the moment as the harshest against bloodkind. Glutamate sought shelter. Hands raised over his head, he closed his eyes and prayed that it would be over. After a while, it did. Neurons were scattered across the land, some weakened, some not. Glutamate could only look with horror etched on his face. The heroes sent from Cortex Prime arrived late. Official statements from them said that there was nothing they could do to prevent the disaster. Glutamate has harbored resentment against the corporation since, hoping to unleash the same pain he experienced on the headquarters.
Necro’s first known ability is Excitotoxicity. This neurokinesis power allowed Necro to manipulate excessive synaptic force onto people. It would act upon someone as if they were burning alive. Influenced by the disaster that struck him, Necro’s ability is what Cortex Prime considers “the most powerful ability to exist.” Excessive stimulation ranges from strokes to
irreversible brain damage to death. No one has faced Necro head-on, as he waits on the sidelines before striking. Cortex Prime had first relied on drugs for some form of balance. They acted as shields that loom over cities to protect what Cortex Prime couldn’t. Since the rise in his destruction, it is why Cortex Prime has sought GABA’s powers – to regulate before things go out of its control.
Necro’s second recorded ability is Vigor. It’s a physical manifestation of Necro, but slightly taller than him, and embodied in all white with a few purple accents. There are purple grooves on its legs, similar to Enphine’s Runner’s High. Vigor can manipulate others by attaching a piece of his skin to the person. This contact allows Necro to brainwash the individual into obeying his bidding. If one were to try to remove it negligently, it would cease all communication in the brain, and the individual would drop dead. A weakness of this power, however, is that Vigor is corrosive and addictive. It would eat away at the user’s sanity, which is why Necro uses Vigor when it is warranted. The only way to prevent this is to apprehend Necro and provide medications or some type of limiter that can restrict his abilities from going extreme.
GABA had met Necro before she realized who he was. She and Enphine were out on one of their dates when Necro bumped into her shoulder. He apologized curtly before continuing in the direction he was going. Enphine narrowed his eyes at the man before checking on GABA. She smiled and said it was fine, that it was probably an accident. Yet, GABA felt something was off about him and couldn’t shake off the feeling when she got home. As she was taking off her jacket, she felt a piece of folded paper in her pocket. Avoid him, it said. He’s a dead weight. A location was listed below the words, with a time stamp, followed by initials.
GABA went to the location just thirty minutes before the time stamp concluded, to watch who was entering and who the person was. It was in a public place, neither densely crowded nor empty. If this person were to harm her, it would be easy to apprehend the individual and call for backup. Her eyes were wary of her surroundings, but that didn’t stop Necro from approaching her. He introduced himself as Glutamate and apologized if their first encounter was abrupt, and did his best to look friendly. He told her that he knew of her identity as Sleeper Agent, and presumed that she felt displeased at Cortex Prime’s deceitful reputation. Before she could say anything, Enphine called out to her, walking in her direction.
Necro scowled at the sound of his voice. He gave GABA a card and left his identity as an afterthought before Enphine got to approach him. Enphine asked about him, and GABA couldn’t say anything. She was just as confused. She looked down at the card that read vague details about Glutamate. It wasn’t anyone important, she concluded, shoving the card away in her pocket. She reached for Enphine’s hand and thanked him for coming at the time she asked of him. They went off together to get a sweet treat. Unbeknownst to them, Necro hid in the shadows, watching the scene unfold, and clenched his phone. If taking down Enphine is what he needs to succeed, then GABA will show Cortex Prime that his mark on society is just the beginning.