Hero by Day

Chapter 9 - I get promoted

I collapsed into one of the plastic, uncomfortable hospital chairs, my mind racing and my heart clenched into a ball.

"I know this may be hard for you to do right now, but we need to be able to alert any existing family members of his death. We need to know his real name so we can publically record his time of death."

I was almost wheezing now, or at least it felt like it.

"Daniel. His name is Daniel Jackson. His father died at the Great Battle in Empire City and his mother died when he was born. He doesn't have a-any family-y." I paused, choking back the tears that were to soon come streaming down my face. "He owns a Comic Book Store, one of the only ones left. He's twenty four."

The Doctor nodded, leaving me to completely break down.

*

*

*

I didn't go to school that next morning. I had snuck in at just before dawn, my mom just waking up as I got under the covers. I told her I was sick, and the dark circles under my eyes and the red blotchiness of my face was convincing enough for her to believe I wasn't feeling well.

The news released Captain Impossible's death and identity during the morning news, so I expected there to be more than just one shocked or devastated citizen in our fair city, and even the nation. You don't just go by being Washington DC's prevailing hero without becoming a figurehead for the nation.

I stayed curled up on our ratty old couch the entire day, sometimes catching some shut eyes, but mostly staring at the wall with red eyes.

I learned from my contacts at the police station that the third clown guy, who had ultimately killed Captain Impossible, had a fake tooth that was actually cyanide. He'd been on a suicide mission ordered by someone higher than him, and he wasn't going to be interrogated for information. The other two clown mask guys were just hired muscle, and they were barely good enough for that by how little of a fight they put up.

Ian texted me about a trillion times after he found out about Captain Impossible's real identity, figuring out almost immediately that he was my boss from the comic book store. I also got texts from Mary and Elise, who had probably figured it out from Ian.

I knew the whole school would know who I really worked for by the time I went tomorrow. They would all want to know what it had felt like working for a superhero, or if I'd known who he was, or even if I was White Lightning, but I would have to shoot them all down.

At the dinner table, mom finally brought up the topic that we were both avoiding.

"So, no work tomorrow I guess? I wonder who will own the place next."

I nodded, stabbing my soggy green beans with more rigor than I should have.

"I mean – who would've known?" she pondered. "He seemed like such a nice man, Mr. Jackson."

I looked up, "What do you mean?"

"Well," she sighed, "I would've never pegged him to be the kind of guy involved in such activities. If only I'd known that a super was so close to me and my baby."

"Are you calling him a villain?" I said, almost accusatory.

"No, no, I'm just saying he was involved in dangerous activities because of those . . . abilities of his. What if he would've brought that stuff home to work with him? You wouldn't have been safe! Oh, and you know I couldn't live without you, boo. Those supers are dangerous."

I swallowed down some water, trying to stop my throat from closing off. "You've been listening to the news lately? Those . . . Remedists?"

"Well, they have some good points, honey. Who knew what kind of things he could've brought to work with him – how many times you could've been injured because of what he was." She waved her hand absentmindedly in the air, a sign that she thought the conversation was over. "Promise me, Boo, that you'll stay away from those supers at all costs, they're all bad news as far as I'm concerned."

I nodded, but I was reluctant to tell her that her own son was the same guy she was warning me to stay away from. I knew her aversion to supers would change just as soon as Daniel was out of the news, so I stayed out of it for the rest of the night.

Which was good, considering what I had to do in the morning.

The mayor, the police captain, Detective Pearson, and a couple people inside the White House were the only ones who had the direct line to the Man Cave. Eric happened to be like Penelope Garcia from Criminal Minds, so it was almost impossible to track the number for the Man Cave to any location that wasn't a Super Burger.

(It was a little joke that Eric liked to play. Every time someone tried to track the Man Cave number, it would triangulate as one of the many Super Burger locations around the globe.)

(It was quite funny to watch the police try to explain to the public why they would occasionally barge into the establishment with Kevlar vests and gun drawn.)

The mayor and the police captain both called throughout the day, calling for me to make a public statement. I only agreed because Eric aid it would be good for the public to know that it wasn't unprotected. With Captain Impossible out of the game, criminals would be eager to raise the crime rate with no one to stop them.

So that's how I found myself on a school morning standing at a podium stationed on Pennsylvania Avenue with the White House standing proud and symbolically behind me while countless reporters stood in front of me.

"Dear citizens of this great city," I started, "we have had a great tragedy placed upon us. Just Yesterday morning you all heard the news of what had happened to your protector and my dear friend, Captain Impossible. And with that news, you might've heard more about him. He was not, despite what he may have wanted you to think, a superhero every day. He was also a citizen of this city, this country. He was a worker, a business owner. He was a friend, a brother even. He was Daniel Jackson.

"Now, before you go wild with questions, I would like to say a bit about the man I knew. Daniel Jackson was an upstanding citizen. He always paid his taxes, he always helped the penniless, and he always stayed within the law. He became Captain Impossible to help the people of this fair city, to save them from crime. He put on the mask because he didn't want anyone to ever have to live their life in fear because of people who chose to use their gifts to harm instead of help.

"So, when you ask me who Captain Impossible really was? He was both Daniel Jackson and his super persona. He was the same man with the same ideals no matter the name he used. And I will uphold his ideals and his ideologies as best I can. He did not leave this city unprotected, he left me. So, if you need someone to believe in during this harsh time, believe in me. Believe in what he stood for.

"At the end of the day, super human is still human. I find that a lot of people have trouble remembering that. Thank you."

I left the stage, only just realizing the tears that had been falling onto my cheeks. The reporters all called out for another statement, but Detective Pearson was already taking the podium, answering them for me. I was lead out of the media mess and away from the crowds, which was frivolous since I didn't need protecting from reporters or tourists, but the police captain was on edge after Captain Impossible's death. He didn't need another super to die on his watch.

When we got back to the car, they finally left me. I had parked it in an alley way, like normal. I quickly changed it back into stealth mode after they left. I couldn't stand to see the colors of his uniform so brightly so soon.

I changed into school clothes and sat in the car for a while, catching my breath. It was really real. Daniel was dead.

I broke down again. The press conference had brought up everything I was feeling since the night before last, when I first saw him dying.

I had depended on the man for such a long time now that it seemed impossible that I could survive without him now. He taught me how to control my powers and how to use them to save people. He told me that they were a blessing, not a curse, no matter the circumstance in which I got them. He was like the father I never had.

And now he was gone.