Barry adjusted his tie as he walked down the sidewalk, the cool night air brushing against his painted skin. He had just left the office after a long day, choosing to walk home rather than take a cab or the subway. Now that he could control his weight by changing his metal composition, he had more freedom, but he still preferred walking. It gave him time to think.

  The streets were relatively quiet, the occasional car passing by, the city lights casting long shadows across the pavement. He turned the corner, heading toward a crosswalk, when he saw her.

  A woman in a wheelchair, struggling in the middle of the street.

  Barry frowned. The light had changed, and she wasn’t moving fast enough.

  That’s when he heard the horn.

  His eyes snapped to the left. A truck. Speeding. The driver wasn’t stopping.

  Barry didn’t think. Instinct took over.

  His hand shot out, grabbing the steel light post beside him. A familiar sensation washed over him as his body shifted, his aluminum form becoming steel in an instant. The weight settled into him, making him feel like an immovable object.

  Then he moved.

  With a single leap, he planted himself in front of the woman just as the truck reached them.

  The Impact

  The collision was deafening.

  The front of the truck crumpled against Barry’s unmoving form, metal screeching, glass shattering. The force of the impact sent shockwaves through his body, but he held firm. The woman in the wheelchair let out a cry of shock but was unharmed, shielded by his unbreakable frame.

  Barry barely registered the chaos around him—the sound of tires skidding, the gasps of bystanders, the panicked shouts. He felt the driver’s life leave his body upon impact, the truck’s cab crushed beyond recognition. A flicker of regret passed through him, but there had been no other way. If he hadn’t stepped in, the woman would have been the one to die.

  Silence fell over the street.

  Barry exhaled slowly, looking down at his arms. The paint covering his skin had been scraped away in places, revealing patches of gleaming steel beneath.

  He could feel their eyes on him.

  Phones were out, cameras recording.

  The Aftermath

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  The police arrived within minutes, sirens wailing, officers pouring onto the scene. Barry didn’t resist as they surrounded him, weapons drawn at first until they realized he wasn’t a threat. He stood with his hands raised, letting them question him, explaining what had happened.

  The woman in the wheelchair, still shaken, confirmed his story. She had been crossing when one of her wheels got stuck. If Barry hadn’t stepped in, she would have been killed.

  An ambulance took her to the hospital for a checkup. The police took Barry’s statement, asking him to remain at the scene. By now, the wreckage of the truck was being examined, and cleanup crews were arriving.

  Barry stayed.

  He hadn’t done anything wrong.

  When the police finally let him go, the damage to his body was still visible—the dents in his arms and legs, the missing paint revealing his metallic nature. He needed to get home. He needed to change.

  But as he walked away, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something had shifted.

  People had recorded everything.

  This wasn’t something that would just go away.

  The Viral Sensation

  That night, Barry sat in his basement, staring at his phone. The television was on, news anchors replaying the footage over and over again.

  His phone buzzed again. Another message.

  Sarah (Mary’s daughter): “Uncle Barry, you’re everywhere! You’re trending #1! You’re a superhero now!”

  Barry groaned, rubbing his face. The paint had already been removed, revealing his true metallic skin beneath. He had switched to aluminum, allowing his body to smooth out the dents and scrapes from the accident.

  But the damage had been done.

  People had seen.

  People knew.

  His identity wasn’t out—yet. But the internet was already buzzing with speculation. Who was the “Steel Man”? Was he a hero? Was he dangerous? Conspiracies were popping up left and right.

  Barry scrolled through the comments under one of the viral videos.

  “This dude tanked a TRUCK and didn’t even flinch. Wtf??”

  “Real-life superhero? NYC is wild, man.”

  “That guy is NOT human.”

  “The government is definitely gonna come after him.”

  Barry exhaled sharply, setting his phone down.

  This was exactly what he had wanted to avoid.

  The Fallout

  A knock at the basement door made Barry look up.

  “Barry?”

  It was Mary.

  He sighed and got up, opening the door. She stepped in, looking at him with a mix of concern and amusement.

  “Well, you’ve had an interesting night.”

  Barry ran a hand over his metallic head. “That’s one way to put it.”

  She sat down on the couch, crossing her arms. “You saved someone’s life, Barry. That’s a good thing.”

  He sighed, sitting across from her. “Yeah. But now everyone knows. Or at least, they know something.”

  Mary nodded. “You were careful for six months, but something like this? It was bound to happen eventually.”

  Barry rubbed his temples. “So what do I do now?”

  Mary shrugged. “You have two choices. Hide and hope it blows over, or embrace it.”

  Barry frowned. “Embrace it?”

  She leaned forward. “Barry, you’re a lawyer. A damn good one. You know how to control narratives. If you don’t want people hunting you down, then you need to get ahead of this. Own the story before someone else writes it for you.”

  Barry sat back, thinking. She wasn’t wrong. If he let the internet run wild, it was only a matter of time before people started trying to figure out who he was. He had already seen theories online. If someone connected the dots to him, his entire life could be upended.

  He needed a plan.

  Mary smirked. “And, you know, Sarah’s already designing a superhero costume for you.”

  Barry groaned. “Oh, great.”

  Mary laughed, standing up. “Look, just think about it, okay? You don’t have to be a hero. But you also don’t have to hide forever.”

  Barry watched her leave, his mind racing.

  The world knew about the “Steel Man.”

  And now, Barry had to decide what to do next.