The Millennial

Alpha soared over the rooftops of his home, Millennium City, the sprawling metropolis he was tasked with protecting. The buildings looked like a grid of square boxes from the height he was flying at, and the headquarters of the League of Tomorrow pointed toward the heavens in the middle of it all, like a beacon of hope. Usually, people would look up with excitement at the sight of his red cape flapping in the wind. All right, sometimes they would stare with gaping jaws at the sight of his muscular physique in the blue bodysuit he wore. He could hear the comments, which were usually flattering. If that was an ego boost he indulged in, hey ... Alpha deserved it. He worked hard to keep in shape, constantly training and fighting in his spare time so that he would be ready to save the world at a moment's notice.

Today, no one was staring up at him. They only cared about the alien spaceship that hovered on the horizon, over the water, a silent steel disc that exuded menace. The other two core members of the League were already there, Perfecta and The Mist, poised to face an attack. Unfortunately, the rest of their group was off in another dimension, assisting Abracadabra with a magical disturbance. They needed help, maybe even some fresh blood, and fast. And there was one person who instantly came to mind.

He flew over one of the less affluent sections of the city, a borough that was undergoing gentrification, which many young people were moving into because it was a part of the city they could still afford. He looked down on an eight-story structure filled with rundown apartments and finally spotted him. The kid was in a single unit that was little more than a box with a half-kitchen and bathroom. There was no furniture, other than a sofa and a television sitting on cinderblocks. But, there was a wide desk with two monitors, at which he sat with headphones covering his ears, entranced by what was on the dual screens. Alpha focused his x-ray vision more carefully, to see what captivated his attention.

Video games. He was playing video games. Good Lord. Was this kid really a superhero? Or rather, super-powered? He couldn't even hear Alpha hovering over his building, he was so mesmerized by the cartoon antics he engaged in. He looked like any of the kids who lived in the city with his blonde hair, T-shirt and jeans, though he was perhaps a bit more muscular than most. Perhaps a bit more handsome, like the models from that catalogue Kara liked to tease him with, Abercrombie and Fitch. Alpha knew she was only joking, from the way her heart raced when she saw him. And he felt exactly the same way.

The League members insisted the kid's power levels were off the charts, A+ grade, like Alpha. They had seen him flying when they first approached him, picking up a pizza, so there was that. But, he had turned down their offer of membership. That wasn't going to happen today. Alpha needed help. He wasn't sure he and the others could handle the aliens on their own, not with the armada that was backing them up, hovering just outside their atmosphere.

The superhero gave a weary sigh. He knew he was going to regret this. And he floated down to the window of the apartment, to rap on the glass.

*****

Build, Fucker, build.

Wood and metal came together, seemingly materializing from thin air. The pieces formed a crude platform that rose upward, one level at a time, until it was two, three, four stories high. The structure was square in shape with ramps on the inside that would lead him to the next level. He wore a pink bunny suit, which didn't diminish his deadly nature, and the assassin jumped up as the ramps formed beneath him. He crouched when he got to the highest level, beneath a wall along the top that would hide him from the others who wanted to destroy him. The pink bunny pulled out a sniper rifle, his favorite weapon, and searched for the other players through the scope.

No hints of danger appeared within his sights.

Crap. He needed a 5K monitor, to get more detail from the environment. That wouldn't be coming any time soon, not with only 350 viewers and a sub count of 500. He needed to get this dub, and more after that, in the most exciting way possible. Or at least do another nip slip.