Project Potentia

The sky was a pale blue, the sun's brilliant white unobscured by even the slight breath of cloud. Below, square buildings crouched in neat rows like a child's toy town. Splashes of color crept along the stark black strips of road, the sun's rays glinting off the shiny metallic vehicles.
Then there were the people. The tiny, wandering people, scrambling from one place to another with little heed to those around them.
From his vantage point high in the air, Frank could hardly stand to look at them. They seemed so insignificant, so weak.
Yet only this morning, he had been one of them. Tottering about aimlessly, his only focus had been getting through the day.
Turning his gaze away from the ground, Frank looked at the sky and stretched out his arms. He wasn't like those specks. Not anymore.
He had power.
Only he could soar through the sky like a bird. Only he had been chosen.
Frank let out a laugh as he rose higher. Let them crawl through the dirt, he didn't care. The ground held no allurement to him. Let them have their constraints, their puny roads and dismal homes.
He would never touch the ground again.
Frank gave another laugh, then another. The laughter kept coming, heat filling him as tears streaked from his eyes.
The sky belonged to him.
"Mr. Johnson, we've seen enough."
The voice cut through Frank's mind as the sky began to crumble. Heart pounding in his ears, Frank couldn't believe it.
Everything was disappearing.
Already the town below had transformed into a pit of darkness. The sky was no longer a pale blue, but was shrinking as the darkness consumed everything.
"No," Frank whispered, his hands shaking. "Don't take this away from me!" He bellowed, before the darkness consumed him as well.


Head throbbing, Frank's eyes flickered open. He was lying on a narrow bed, encased by a strange blue mirage. As he blinked, the blue glow flickered and disappeared.
"I apologize, but you will not be continuing in the project, Mr. Johnson." Frank turned his head, recognizing the voice that had filled his mind. A woman stood a few feet away from the bed, her dark hair contained neatly in a bun. "It may take a moment for your suppressed memories to return, but it was necessary that you enter the simulation without any knowledge of the project."
Slowly setting up, Frank stared at the woman. He knew her. His forehead wrinkled as he tried to recall how he knew her.
"You're... Agent Stacy." He said slowly. The woman nodded. "Very good, Mr. Johnson."
Taking a breath, Frank's eyes widened as he realized what she had said. "I'm out? But I controlled the power of flight perfectly!"
Agent Stacy gave a nod. "You did. But the data we collected from your mind during the simulation showed you do not have the proper characteristics we desire." Turning away from Frank, agent Stacy walked over to the door. As she twisted the knob, she glanced over her shoulder.
"Don't fret, Mr. Johnson. You won't remember anything regrading the Potentia project."
Before Frank could say another word, the blue glow returned. His vision blurred, and he slumped into unconsciousness.