[WP] You are a superhero who's ability subconciously freezes time whenever someone nearby is in mortal danger. Usually its obvious who's in trouble and you can save them quickly, but not this time - it's been 10 years.

 [WP] You are a superhero who's ability subconciously freezes time whenever someone nearby is in mortal danger. Usually its obvious who's in trouble and you can save them quickly, but not this time - it's been 10 years.

"Well I think that's everybody". I spoke to myself. It was a way to hear a human voice. Everything was otherwise entirely silent. I had just finished running through the last of the blood work. Nothing dangerous there.

It had all started 10 years ago. Time had stopped, as happens to me, and I looked around for whoever was in danger. Nobody in particular. I had checked through every single person in a ten mile radius from where I had frozen. It had taken the equivalent of months. A few people had been in trouble, kids falling out of trees, a man about to cut himself with a chainsaw, traffic accidents, but none of it had reset me. Normally, when the person in danger is safe I become suddenly aware, and given the time to get back to my starting position. But not this time.

They were never further than a few miles from me when I froze, I knew I was going overboard with a ten mile radius, but... I couldn't find the person. So I had expanded my search. A hundred miles. Found a bunch more people in trouble, but still no ding of awareness.

So I had spent even longer, hunting down back histories of the people around me, to see if there was any implicit danger, family feuds or the like. Then I had hunted a second time, more thoroughly. Basements, fallen down buildings, anywhere they could be. But nothing.

After that… well I had to get creative. I spent a few years teaching myself medicine, and started giving everybody around me medical checks. I found cancers, genetic diseases, viral and bacterial infections…. But I still didn’t reset. .. and now its been ten years. ten years….. gods I've been saying "ten years" for far too long, but I just stopped counting. I feel so old but can’t even age here.

I sigh and stare at my hands.

….

I never did check my health.

Minutes pass, or the ethereal equivalent, as I wait for the machines to give me my answer. Actually I don’t think I’m very good at guessing the passage of time any more. Could have been weeks.

…

Well that strongly suggests I have Lymphoma.

The little nudge goes off in my head.

Damn.

---

A television blares out the news in the background as a man walks past a shop window

A Miracle occurred last week when several hundreds of thousands of people in the east bypass area found notes in their pockets with complete medical workups. Many of those people are now undergoing treatment for illnesses they previously didn’t even realise they had.