Chapter 376: Superbaby Asher Awakens

[August 12, 2009] [Wilson Estate, New York] [Living Room]

Alex Wilson had decided to spend his afternoon entertaining his son.

At one year and five months old, Asher had developed several new interests. He liked pulling things off tables, stealing his father’s watches, chasing Nacho whenever the cat bothered to acknowledge him, and discovering how loudly he could protest when somebody took away an object he wasn’t supposed to eat.

His favorite activity, however, involved Alex pretending he was an airplane.

Alex lay flat on his back with Asher held securely above his chest, supporting the little boy beneath his arms and around his torso. Asher’s legs kicked excitedly as his father lifted him higher.

"Attention, passengers, this is Captain Wilson speaking," Alex announced in an unnecessarily serious voice while slowly moving Asher from side to side. "We’re expecting smooth skies today, mostly because your pilot is ruggedly handsome and highly overqualified." ⅇℯ𝚕.

Asher responded with a delighted squeal, reaching toward Alex’s face as his father tilted him gently toward the left.

"Vroooosh!"

Alex moved his son through another imaginary turn, making increasingly ridiculous engine sounds while Asher laughed so hard that he could barely keep his mouth closed.

"Whoa, coming in hot!" Alex exclaimed, lowering Asher toward his chest before lifting him again. "Control tower, be advised: we have a VIP passenger who won’t stop kicking the captain!"

Asher’s feet pumped even faster, and another burst of baby laughter filled the living room as Alex made the airplane wobble dramatically.

From the second-floor landing, Angelina watched them with an amused smile.

She’d been on her way downstairs with a script in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, but the spectacle unfolding beneath her had been considerably more entertaining than another hour of reading about Greek mythology.

"Should Wall Street be notified that the world’s wealthiest man is currently operating as a human floor-plane?" Angelina asked as she leaned against the railing.

Alex glanced upward without lowering Asher. "This is a bespoke luxury aviation experience, Honey. And my sole passenger just left a glowing five-star review."

Angelina watched Asher squeal as Alex performed another gentle turn. "Your passenger appears to be drooling on the cockpit. I think his judgment might be compromised."

"He’s just showing his appreciation," Alex replied before lifting Asher toward his face. "Besides, first-class perks include unlimited drooling."

Asher immediately proved the statement by grabbing Alex’s nose.

"Ow! Alright, buddy, the captain needs that to breathe," Alex complained while carefully freeing himself from his son’s grip.

Angelina laughed as Alex finally lowered Asher onto his stomach and sat up.

"Alright, tiny terror, time to switch gears before I need rotator cuff surgery. Ball time?" Alex said while settling Asher between his legs.

Asher looked toward the colorful toys scattered near the couch and slapped both hands against Alex’s knees.

"Ba! Ba!"

Alex smiled at his son’s enthusiasm before glancing toward the upstairs landing.

"Angie, there’s a soft ball on the little table beside you. Toss it down, would you?"

Angelina looked toward the table and found a small blue-and-yellow foam ball among several toys Trixie had left there earlier.

She picked it up and looked down at them. "Are you planning to catch this properly, or should I prepare myself to witness another example of your extraordinary parenting?"

Alex gave her an offended look as he positioned Asher comfortably against his chest. "Please. I could catch that blindfolded while doing the Sunday crossword."

"Knowing you, that’s exactly what you’re about to try and prove," Angelina replied with a smile.

Alex held out one hand. "Come on, sweetheart, give us your best throw because Asher and I are ready."

Angelina shook her head, still smiling, and tossed the soft ball over the railing.

It wasn’t a particularly strong throw.

The ball traveled in a gentle arc toward Alex’s outstretched hand.

Alex watched it approach with his usual confidence.

Then something impossible happened.

A faint shimmer appeared in the air directly in front of Asher.

THUMP!

The foam ball struck something invisible approximately two feet above the little boy.

Instead of falling into Alex’s waiting hand, it bounced sharply sideways across the living room and landed against a couch cushion.

For a moment, nobody moved.

Alex stared at the empty space where the ball had abruptly changed direction.

Angelina remained frozen against the upstairs railing.

Asher, meanwhile, burst into delighted laughter.

"Ahahahaha!"

Alex slowly lowered his eyes toward his son.

Both of Asher’s tiny fists were glowing.

A pale blue light surrounded his fingers, with delicate golden threads flickering beneath the surface like miniature electrical currents.

Alex blinked a few times before saying, "What the..."

Angelina nearly dropped her coffee. "Alex, what was that?" she called, already moving toward the stairs.

Alex barely heard her. His attention had locked onto Asher’s hands. The little boy was smiling at him, completely unaware that he’d just violated several fundamental expectations about human babies.

Asher lifted both fists and laughed again.

The light pulsed.

For the briefest instant, Alex saw it.

A transparent dome surrounded his son, barely visible except where the afternoon sunlight caught its curved surface. It resembled clear glass suspended in midair, although the surface carried tiny waves of blue energy.

Then the dome vanished.

Alex stared at Asher.

Asher stared back at him.

"Dada!"

"Yeah, buddy," Alex murmured, slowly recovering his ability to speak. "Daddy’s got a whole lot of questions right now."

A familiar blue interface suddenly appeared in front of his eyes.

...

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

FAMILY ABILITY DETECTED

Subject: Asher Wilson

Ability Unlocked: Barrier

Classification: Defensive Energy Manifestation

Current Stage: Initial Awakening

Activation: Instinctive

Control: Undeveloped

Status: Stable

A protective energy field has manifested around the subject. Further development will depend on natural growth, emotional regulation, and control.

...

Alex read the notification twice. ’Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.’

Angelina reached the bottom of the staircase and hurried across the living room. She crouched beside them, her attention immediately moving toward Asher’s hands. "Tell me you saw that too, because I just watched a ball bounce off thin air and Asher’s hands were glowing."

Alex looked at her, his expression caught somewhere between astonishment and excitement. "I saw it, Angie, and apparently our little guy just unlocked his first superpower."

Angelina looked at him, then at Asher, and back at Alex. "His first what?"

Alex turned the System notification toward her, allowing her to read it through the family visibility feature he’d activated months earlier.

Angelina’s expression changed as the words appeared.

"Barrier," she whispered while slowly reading the description. "Defensive energy manifestation?"

Asher reached toward her hair with one glowing hand.

Angelina instinctively leaned closer, then hesitated.

Alex noticed immediately.

"He’s fine, sweetheart, and the System says his condition is stable," Alex reassured her while gently examining Asher’s fingers. "There’s no sign of pain, distress, or anything physically wrong with him."

Angelina sat beside them and watched the soft blue light gradually fade from Asher’s hands.

"He’s only a baby, Alex," she said, her voice carrying more concern than excitement. "How is something like this even possible?"

Alex looked down at his son.

"Considering the things I can do, I probably shouldn’t be surprised that one of my children might inherit something unusual."

Angelina gave him a look. "Alex, you can create magical clones of yourself, and now your son has an invisible shield," she replied. "I think we’re allowed to be a little surprised."

He laughed quietly, although his mind was already moving through a dozen possibilities.

The System gave him amazing abilities over the years, and he sometimes wondered if his children would have similar traits. He thought they might show these abilities as they got older, maybe in childhood or during their teenage years. He never expected his one-year-old to create a defensive energy field while playing one afternoon.

Alex mentally addressed the System.

’System, is this ability dangerous to Asher?’

The response appeared almost immediately.

...

SYSTEM RESPONSE

No immediate physiological danger detected.

Barrier activation is currently reflexive and linked to instinctive responses to protect the person Asher loves. It can not hurt anyone registered within the Main System and the family members. The long-term capacity and the full origin of the manifestation remain undetermined.

Recommendation: Avoid forced activation, excessive stimulation, and repeated testing during early development.

...

Alex exhaled slowly.

"Alright, that’s reassuring," he murmured while brushing Asher’s hair away from his forehead.

Angelina leaned closer to read the new message. "Okay. You better not test his power, you hear me?"

"Have some faith in me, Honey. We’re not turning our son into a science experiment," Alex replied as he closed the notification. "We’ll observe what happens naturally and make sure he’s comfortable."

Angelina’s expression softened.

Asher chose that moment to slap Alex’s chest with both hands.

"Dada! Ba!"

Alex looked toward the foam ball sitting against the couch.

Then he looked back at Asher.

"Oh, you want the ball again?"

"Well, you do the explaining to everyone at dinner," Angelina said as she took Asher in her arms. "And we’re playing with the teddy. No more throwing balls at him." She then kissed Asher. "Who wants to play with the teddy?"

"Aai! Ted," Asher said, moving his arms.

--

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