It had been about six months since I became the new Doctor Atomic and so far, so good. I was really starting to get the hang of this whole superhero thing. Not only have I been keeping Nova City safe from criminals but I was excelling in other aspects of my life as well. I was getting great marks in all my subjects at school. I even tried out for and made the basketball team. And I was starting to notice that some of the cute girls at school were checking me out. Life was pretty sweet for Baxter Jones.

I had so much self-confidence that I truly believed there was nothing I couldn't do. One morning during math class, some of the kids began to gather by the windows. The sky was miraculously filled with multi-colored balloons. I wasn't sure what to make of it but I'd much rather see the sky filled with balloons than super villains. Soon the balloons began to pop and fell from the sky. What I didn't realize was that the balloons were filled with an invisible and deadly toxin.

"I'm Stephen Bae and this is breaking news. Terror has taken over Nova City as people are literally running for their lives. Earlier this morning the sky was filled with thousands of colorful balloons. Once they popped, the public began to panic as they rushed down the street pushing and shoving one another. I'm trying to get some information but nobody is willing to slow down and talk. I have yet to find out what is causing all this mayhem. Let's send it back to Rowan Kiley at the Nova City Newsdesk." "Alright, let's get out of here Stephen. Things are getting weird" the cameraman shouted. "NO! Get away from me! NO!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Stephen? What's wrong?" "There's a giant saber-toothed tiger right in front of me. Don't you see it?" "No. All I see is a little kitty cat." "It's massive and he's going to eat me! Help me!" the reporter shouted as he ran for cover. Something strange was going on with the citizens of Nova City but what was it? Things became chaotic at Baxter's school as well as students and staff began to frantically run through the hallways. "I think it's time for Doctor Atomic to find out what's going on."

Baxter turned into Doctor Atomic and flew up to the sky to get a better look at the madness going throughout his city. How bizarre. Everybody is in a state of panic and yet I don't see anything that would cause such a reaction. As the people of Nova City stormed the streets they began to get physical with one another as they battled over hiding spots. I'm used to fighting aliens, robots, and other baddies but how am I supposed to battle an invisible enemy?"

That night my family and I gathered around the television to try to get more information about the ongoing crisis. But before the newscaster could begin the screen got all fuzzy. When the picture returned, a strange looking man was staring back at us. "Hello Nova City. My name is Benjamin Butterworth. I used to be afraid like you are but not anymore. You all mocked and laughed at me when I would have one of my episodes. Well now the shoe is on the other foot. I've developed a toxin that exposes your greatest fears. I am going to use the power of fear to teach you all a lesson. I will take over this lousy city and there's nobody that can stop me. Not even Doctor Atomic."

Nova City had become a ghost town overnight. Most of the citizens were too scared to leave their houses. When I left for school the next morning, I noticed that my Dad was hiding under my bed. It looks like Doctor Atomic has a new enemy but I'm not sure how to defeat him. Since many of the students and teachers decided to stay home, we spent the day playing video games, watching movies, and shooting hoops. I know that sounds like the best day of school ever but it wasn't. There had to be more to Butterworth's plan. And just as I thought, he wasn't finished with us yet. Once again the sky was filled with balloons that began to burst. This time I fell victim to the toxic gas.

I stood there frozen with fear when I was snapped out of my trance by the screams of a little girl. A garbage truck was barreling down the road right towards her. I transformed into Doctor Atomic but then I couldn't move. All of these strange thoughts started to fill my head. What if I don't get there in time? What if one or both of them get injured? What if I get injured? I know that nobody's perfect but I always thought superheroes were on a different level from regular folks. "Move!" I yelled as I felt like a total coward. A big bolt of light temporarily blinded me as time and space had been frozen. When I regained my vision, the girl was safe and the driver was walking around in a daze.

An irresistible force pulled me up into the sky as if someone had taken control of my body. "What happened out there Baxter?" It was Achilles Snout, the original Doctor Atomic. "I don't know. I started to panic. I've gotten pretty good at this superhero thing but for whatever reason, I couldn't move a muscle." "You were afraid. Butterworth has exposed your greatest fear, the fear of failure." "I think you're right. I'm starting to doubt myself and my ability to protect Nova City. But what do I do? I can't blast my fears away." "We all fall down sometimes. It's up to you whether or not you want to get back up." "You're so wise Achilles. Kinda like an intergalactic John Tesh."

"Benjamin Butterworth is not your typical villain. He was actually an incredibly smart kid who happened to be painfully shy. From time to time he would be overwhelmed by what is known as a panic attack. He would start to sweat, feel nauseous, his heart would race, and he thought he was going to pass out. The other kids didn't understand what was happening and would often taunt Benjamin. Butterworth would usually run away until that terrible feeling went away." "What made him change so radically?" "He fell in with wrong crowd." "He started hanging out a bad crowd." "No. He literally fell down a hole where he met The Oz'gan, a group of demons banished by humanity for all eternity."

They filled poor Benjamin's head with negative thoughts to the point where he blamed society for all his woes. The Oz'gan were very bitter that they were driven underground by the humans that wouldn't accept them or their ugly thoughts. In order to gain revenge they needed someone who could walk among the humans while secretly planning their demise. Benjamin needed help, not hostility. His inability to deal with his own fears is what has driven him to want to punish Nova City. Rather than cope with his fears, he has turned them into a weapon." "So how do I defeat him?" "You've got to learn how to fail."

"So even you've made mistakes?" Baxter asked. "Of course. If it weren't for mistakes, there would've never been a Doctor Atomic. Remember, I didn't get my superpowers until I had that accident in the lab." "How do I get my groove back? I keep replaying that scene with the girl and the truck in my head over and over again." "Look out Baxter! We're under attack by Bio Juggernauts!" Bio Juggernauts were super-powered rebel robots who would attack random planets. I felt a surge of energy flowing through my blood stream as I soared into the sky to confront the enemy. Within moments, I was back to my awesome self as I laid waste to the Bio Juggernauts.