I'd put a lot of thought into it, being a Cape would make me safe from the bullies. Thing is from how traumatic things had gotten if I wasn't going to trigger and get some kind of powers after all they'd put me through so far I probably never was. I was truly inspired by a game from Earth-Aleph though Resident Evil 6, the fiery cocoons and the gel, with enough flame-retardant resin I and fake plastic skin under that combined with a small detonation explosive…

It was a dangerous plan; if something went wrong I'd have just set myself on fire with now one even willing to piss on me to set out the flames. On the other hand I didn't want to see what the bullies escalating violence meant for my safety. If I could pull this plan off I'd be left alone, after all who'd want to take down someone with Lung's powers?

It took me a week to get everything ready, longer to perfect my own facial designs; I picked a red version of the face paint that Illyria, from another Earth-Aleph item I'd gotten a glimpse of was presented as. Then I moved on to constructing my own flame throwers. They didn't need to actually through the flame far but under the plastic skin once I ignited the layer of gel, it would harden over my body. Then I would need to scream in agony and specifically keep as still as possible while the process set.

The screaming part probably wouldn't be a problem, the not burning to death or worse suffering from asphyxiation however was more of a worry.

The flamers would need to be set so I could ignite them with a flick of my wrist, similar to spider-man gauntlets, again from Earth-Aleph, huh? How did I know that, don't think I - ahh never mind, important planning to do here. I also needed to decide if I would carry the fake blood pack for my left hand so I could pretend to stick a knife through it then pull it out activate another lot of gel in a base layer too spool over the fake wound and then ignite, harden and then shatter it so I could further fake Lung's powers of regeneration.

In the end the decision was made for me, I didn't have the time, Madison was looking more and more like another terror torment was coming up and I had no desire to suffer through it.

It was time, time to be a cape.

The whole part of this plan determined on me looking like I would attack them after triggering in a public place, considering it and then not going through with it. After all I was all too aware that I'd get caught, arrested and discovered not only as a fake but a loony if I tried attacking my fellow students. In a city of superheroes and rogues I wasn't likely to make it very far. Better to make a dramatic entrance and then fade into the background as a rouge not really a hero and not a villain, neutral to both sides.

I wished I could share my plan with my father but he still believed in the system of bureaucracy that was draining the life out of the Bay. This was the man that took monthly petitions to the Mayor's office and seemed to expect a positive result after so many times of being shut down before he could even start his presentations. Fake Triggering would be something of a deception that he'd never be able to approve of.

He could never know what I planned or what I'd do.

So I walked slowly down the school corridor waiting for the moment I knew was to come, a snigger the closing of the crowd in by a row of book-lockers as the closed me in. Letting my tormentors gain ground and capture me, unawares, Or so they thought.

Not this time.

I continued walking then I heard the comment, if was from Emma something rude about my mother and I imagine. Ironic in a way, my mother brought me into this world pure and now I was about to taint her image by showing she'd mothered a cape of lungs temperament, speech defects and all. It was too late to turn back though; one wrong hit would ignite the gel or detonate the canisters of lighter gas attached to my wrists. I had no intention of dying as a human torch.

I turned wailing – I had to make this performance believable.

"WHY!? Why won't you leave me alone!" tears rolled down my cheeks, already I could hear the cat-calls of laughter, the mutters and sniggers of the daily torment. I turned back violently flinging my arms around to activate the flame clips and ignite the gel. Then I felt the heat, my glasses fell from my eyes as I took a shuddering stance hunched over, then I screamed. It was perfect timing.

Fire licked up and down my form my cloths began to smoulder and burn, not fully as I had taken care to douche them in the flame-retardant oil before applying the gel. I could only hope their expressions resembled horror and shock, horror at what had happened to me and terror that there might be a cape here going to cause it to them as well.

My awakening response had to be quick or they panic in every direction and destroy the plan I had so painstakingly constructed, As the gel finished hardening I waited and counted to 20, my vision was becoming black I was suffocating, now the moment of truth, I started to struggle pulling and pushing my arms apart. The hardened gel, was already weakening, it cracked and shattered like cheap plastic and glass and fell away. My hidden disguise the face paint of Illyria in lungs colours shone through.

I rasped with my tongue at the back of my throat making a sound between a hiss and a growl and looked at my right hand with wonder. I didn't have to fake the wonder, it was pale but fine, no obvious burn marks. Turning to face the trio that had been the cause of so much pain I began to smile then I held up my palms towards me and flicked them out aggressively. The spark was created the flames were ignited and I held twin rose-flames of harmless air-induced fire as safe as a light red-flame from a Bunsen burner, not even warm to the touch.

I look up at them and narrowed my eyes.

I was rewarded by twin sets of terror but from Hess, the ringleader I saw more than terror, Panic. Beautiful intoxicating panic lined with terror stared back at me; I made as if to thrust my hands at them, and then turned back to the other crowd, letting them catch a vision of my new awakened form. To call it a trigger was accurate but awakening was so much more descriptive. I returned my gaze to Hess and the others, then hissed at them as if speaking was difficult.

"Leave-hiss-me-hiss-ALONE!" and then with one movement I close both my hands extinguishing the flames.

I turned on my heal and stalked towards the opposing crowd with savage glee I look upon them, they parted and held their backs to the lockers or the wall obviously wanting to be nowhere near a violent fire creating newly triggered cape. I calmly plodded past them and hissed in laughter before entering the classroom.

Stage 1 complete.

Now time for Stage 2.