The Hero Algorithm: Prism

Mika and Ellis reel from the shock of Mika’s powers manifesting. Ellis urges him to try again, but Mika fails, frustrated and anxious. Ellis, exhausted from his game, leaves reluctantly, promising to keep Mika’s secret from Chloe. Alone, Mika scours the internet for answers but finds nothing. The next day, Mika struggles to act normal in class, terrified the artifact will activate. He overhears classmates discussing Global Accord agents investigating Riverdale Park, heightening his fear. Ellis calls at lunch, offering support and pointing Mika toward Dr. Jane Rhodes, a renowned astro‑archaeologist and astrophysicist. Later, Mika travels nervously to Rhodes Labs. After pleading with her staff, he finally meets Dr. Rhodes and reveals the artifact. Shocked, she takes him to her underground lab, where scans confirm it is the Aethel Prism, integrated into his nervous system and impossible to remove. Though devastated, Mika is encouraged when Rhodes insists he can harness its power for good. She guides him through his first controlled construct, teaching him to start small. Mika succeeds in creating a wall, smiling for the first time since the meteor crash. The issue closes with Mika on the train ride home, hand on his chest, contemplating Ellis’s words and Rhodes’s encouragement — wondering if he truly has what it takes to be a hero.