Future Villain Detention

Problem 1: Suburban Samurai

Thousands of pages had been written about the importance of early superhero education. Most super powers first appear during adolescence, which could be dangerous when paired with all the other problems of that age. Public schooling was available to anyone with superpowers so they'd learn the importance of acting righteously and with the community's best intentions in mind.

Sometimes the students still displayed what the community considered bad behavior. A special after school program was started for problematic students. Most villains cited their early life as a big reason they turned to crime, so early prevention was one of the school's top priorities.

That year I was the teacher who'd drawn the short straw. Every day after school I'd stay behind to work with the kids most at risk of becoming villains.

***

Sam had an annoying way of sitting. The chair to his desk was pushed in, but he was not sitting in it. Instead, Sam chose to sit cross legged on top of the desk and stare across the room at me.

I stared back at him for as long as I could, then went back to grading papers. The topic was one thousand words on heroic virtues. At least five students had copied off each other.

"Mr. Null?" Sam asked. His voice was hard and direct like a bump on the head.

"Yes Sam? What is it?"

"Call me Suburban Samurai. I need my sword back, and I'd like to be excused early." He was not joking. Sam didn't know how to joke.

"Sam, weapons are a privilege we earn the right to carry. You've had that privilege taken away until you can show more restraint."

Sam grunted. "They had it coming. They were about to jump me on my way out of the fishing store."

"Sam, we had a bunch of witnesses say you attacked them first."

"I could tell they wanted to attack me. Do not ask me how, I will not tell you." Sam turned toward the open window and the wind blew through his ponytail.

"I'm going to be honest. You don't seem like a bad kid, just a little misguided. Could you tell me what motivated you to enroll here and try to become a hero?"

Sam answered without hesitation. "Money."

I waited for a caveat that never came. "Why money?"

"Money allows for wandering, and to wander is to seek money."

"Please stop talking like that."

Sam seemed to deflate a little.

"Fine, I'll apologize for getting in a fight if it means I can leave."

"It's not just the fight, Sam. You have a lot of unexcused absences."

Sam shrugged. "I learn better from experience."

"This is an experience. You're experiencing a consequence."

Sam looked ready to argue some more, but instead he frowned and looked over at the door. "Someone dangerous is coming," he said. His voice was shifting back into the historical style.

I glanced at the door. "What do you mean?"

"Someone has a lot of antipathy toward me and is coming down the hallway. You're going to have a fight on your hands within a minute."

I glanced between Sam and the door. Tucked away in the detention room desk was Sam's file, which listed his superpower. He had no extra-physical abilities, but he was capable of sensing when someone wanted to hurt him. He called it his sixth sense.