Shorts Collection

Superhero's Tech Support

"I can't do this, I need a vacation," my best friend Super Pryo said as he rubbed his eyes. He looked up from his hand and stared at me. We didn't need to say it. I knew.

"Go," I said. "I got this."

With a soul-shattering expression on his face, he pulled his face away from me and jumped out the tenth floor window of our tower. I watched him fly away into the sky like a shooting star over the downtown Seattle. He steered clear of an ominous look tower of black smoke off tot he south.

I turned to the TV in the room that had my friend so upset. I saw a footage of a building in flames, a report talking in front of it.

"...and failed to capture the villain. In the process of fighting Macho Waterman, has killed an estimated six-hundred civilians. Today is a tragedy for all. But the public wants our hero to know we are not mad at him. We are crying with Super Pyro over this loss today. We are asking for help on any information you can give in capturing Super Water—"

I turned the TV off with a remote and let out a sigh. I got to my feet and wandered to the stairs and went down a few flights.

I entered the closet some time later and looked at the suit. We don't want a repeat of last time my friend disappeared from the public for a month. The whole world feared him abandoning them. Super villains came out of the woodwork and started committing crimes en mass.

Until I came out wearing my friend's suit, never knowing when he'd be back.

I jiggled the second boot onto my feet and I stood up. If music could play, it would play a dramatic sound as I approached my friend's super car. Here we go again.

I drove the car downtown and I waved at the people on the streets who soon lined up on the sidewalks on both sides of the street. They were all clamoring, screaming my best friend's name. I heard some of their words.

"We don't blame you!"

"Kill that Waterman! Kill him!"

"I love you, Pyro! Marry me!"

I waved at them all as I drove. Wishing I could marry that pretty lady. Damn, my best friend is lucky. I wondered how long Nick is going to be away this time. I reached the burning site where they had fought. The police cleared the way for my car to slip past the barrier and parked it between two police cars.

I took a deep breath and let it out. Here we go.

"So, would you say you'll arrest the villain as soon as you can?" the woman reporter from TV asked me as I stared at the camera. "Yes ma'am, he must answer for the crimes he has committed today. He tricked me into thinking the building wasn't full of civilian and.. It tears me apart knowing my actions have lost so many lives. I am saddened and enraged at Super Waterman for such an act of terrorism. I will come find you, Waterman, mark my words, and I will kill you if you won't come quietly."

We hear a roar of laughter in the distance. Everyone in the vicinity turned to the sounds of laughter and we spotted the villain standing on top of a statue.

Oh shit. This isn't my day! Please don't expect me to fight him! I thought as I took a step back.

"You!" the reporter screamed into her mic. "You are going to pay for this!" she said, pointing her finger at the burning building. "Pyro is going to bring you down!"

She and the came swung around to face me, and all eyes of the world is upon me. Shit. Shit. Shit.