And so it went for the next couple of months. Jess actually had her first real "vision" later that night – after we were done at the track. She woke Timmy up in the middle of the night and told him he had to be in Pensacola, Florida to prevent an accident involving a passenger train and a semi-truck stopped on the tracks. And in case you were wondering, the next morning was not my best day ever. As I thought, there was a spectacularly purple bruise on my chest. It took a good week to tone down to an icky yellow. Not to mention the fact that it was pretty sore.
We watched the news reports of the other people who had gotten these gifts. It seemed to be the main thing the broadcasters wanted to run with. I guess it never got old. Ordinary Joe Shows Up Hundreds of Miles From Home to Save a Total Stranger. There weren't any slow news days as long as there was someone that needed saving – which there was...multiple times a day.
Timmy and I kept on training – when we weren't being sent off across the country by Peg or Jess. We were at junkyards, train yards, back at the high school track...anywhere we could find where a lot of people wouldn't be watching. Oh, and I did get Timmy back. It seems that at the junkyard there was an incident with a junked out school bus. It was better seen than described.
Another thing I noticed over the next couple of months was that I was really toning up. A lot quicker than I would have had I not gotten these powers. Not Superman buff – with a six-pack and bulging pecs and biceps; but buff enough to where an out of shape guy in his 40s could start to feel good about his shape again...maybe even take his shirt off on a hot day and not be self-conscious about it.
We, of course, watched the news intently. There were reports of men all over the world doing life-saving heroics. Some at the behest of a woman who had a vision and told him to – some who just happened to be there. It was a little surreal, actually. Through it all, the four of us would sometimes sit together and just wonder "why?" I mean, it was nice to be able to save lives and all that, but was there a higher purpose or was it just a...well, a thing that just happened? A thing you see movies about.
"What do you suppose this is about?" Timmy asked as we were running along a stretch of highway.
"I have no idea. Things have been going so wrong for so long, it's just sort of nice to have something positive going on. And look at what else has happened," I continued. "There have been some corrupt officials arrested or removed, industrial accidents have to be at an all-time low and people are starting to feel a little bit safer. Remember the news the other night? About the mayor in Ames, Iowa? Some people had thought he was on the take but no one could prove it. All of a sudden, some guy from Colorado shows up and exposes him: Stops him from carrying out a hit on the new D.A. It's becoming a lot more than just strength and speed – although his strength and speed sure helped him in getting through the mayor's personal guards."
"Exactly!" Timmy exclaimed. "Something is going on. Something big. It has to be leading somewhere."
"Not necessarily," I countered. "For every new thing we find out, we get five new unanswered questions. Even bigger than whether or not this is all leading somewhere is where, or from whom, did these powers come from? And here's another one: Why only strength and speed for the men? And why just precognition for the women? Why not a variety of powers for those who were....chosen – for lack of a better word? Maybe we just...you know...roll with it. We've dealt with the bad for the past few years. Well, now let's deal with the good. Focus on what we can do instead of why we can do it."
"I suppose you're right. But still...you have to wonder."
"I do wonder. But that hasn't gotten us very far. We still have to deal with whatever the girls tell us to." I can't believe I just said that. "And that is starting to take up a lot more of our time. And I am sure we aren't the only two men on the planet having this conversation." The city lights of our hometown came up in the distance. "If something...some answer or reason presents itself, sure – then we can investigate. But we really need to get beyond the 'why' stage. Let's just focus on our day-to-day lives – however much they have changed in the past couple of months."
But I thought more about it as we ran home. Whether or not we – the people gifted with the powers...both men and women – were affected solely to help put an end to the corruption in government, or to stop the regime of the big corporations, some of the things that we were doing certainly had to be a thorn in their sides. It has to be hard to run the world with no one to stop you when all of a sudden people are showing up to stop you. Sure, most of the people that were saved – all over the world – were saved from an accident of some kind, or even something self-inflicted. But there were some that had to be the work of a nefarious element of some kind – like the mayor in Ames, as one example. Whoever had been pulling his strings couldn't be too happy.
Another thing that seemed to be happening was that people were finding hope again. You can't keep something like this a secret – all the people with powers, I mean. Timmy and I had, so far, avoided any of the press-induced celebrity status that some of the others were enjoying. As far as I'm concerned, that's a good thing, but the others – the ones who were going a little more public – people saw that. And it gave them hope. Hope that had been missing from a lot of lives for quite a few years. And history has shown one thing: If people who are down-trodden start standing on their own feet – if they start to have hope – then the people doing the "down-trodding" lose control. And powerful people don't like that one bit.
We slowed to a normal jogging pace as we neared Tim's house. It was getting close to 10 o'clock. We had been gone for just about 4 hours. Not too bad for a little run across 3 states and back. Tim opened the door and the girls were there to greet us – with pizza. One of the other things about having the strength and speed seemed to be a huge increase in appetite. When you burn that kind of energy, I suppose it was to be expected.
"Hello boys," Jess said as we walked in the door. "Have a nice run? How was Oklahoma?"
"About like you would expect – very flat," Tim answered as he hugged Jess and grabbed a slice of pepperoni. "We ran into a couple of storms. One of them spawned a tornado. Never had actually seen one up close. It was a pretty awesome sight."
I was working on my second piece of Canadian Bacon. "The tornado was bearing down on a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere," I chimed in, swallowing my last bite and reaching for a third slice. I told you...increased appetite. "We ran over to help but someone was already there. Some kid from Arkansas had been sent there. We talked a bit after the tornado had passed. Seems his seer is also his twin sister." Peg and Jess looked a little startled at that. "I know, right? That's the first time we've seen family members matched up. Also, they were 14."
The girls were stunned as that sunk in.
"Fourteen?" Peg exclaimed. "That seems a bit young. I know it's the youngest I've heard of since this all started. How are they holding up?"
"Well, of course, we didn't talk to the girl," I said. "But the boy, Jason, is pretty pumped about it. What kid wouldn't, having super-powers and all? I guess they are doing OK. She gets to boss him around and once in a while he gets to skip Algebra to run across the country and be more powerful than a locomotive."
"Well, right," Peg said. "But I meant more about how they're handling it emotionally. This is a lot of responsibility to be taking on at their age. Heck, I think it's a lot of responsibility at my age. Do you think they are doing OK with it? I mean, we have each other to talk to if it gets too much to handle. Hopefully their parents are helping to keep them centered."
"I don't know. He seemed OK. Talked about a mile a minute. He was going on about the things he had done, places he had been. How he was 'almost like Superman'...stuff like that." I sat down on the couch and grabbed the remote to turn on the TV. "You remember I was pretty excited too, after I got used to the idea. I think they'll be OK."
"If you say so," Peg said as she sat next to me, grabbed my arm and put it around her. But she didn't sound convinced.
Yeah, in case you were wondering, my relationship with Peg had been going along normally. Well, as normally as it could go, all things considered. We were trying to make a go of it, what with putting up with the more than occasional interruption from time to time. It was a bit challenging sometimes, but I thought things were going well and I was pretty sure, I hoped, that she felt the same way. Tim and Jess seemed to be going along like they had been. But there was always a hint of smile on their faces when they saw Peg and I together. They joined us in the living room as the news came on to a startlingly familiar scene.
I'm standing here outside the little town of Stanford, Oklahoma where the Vick family was miraculously saved as an F3 tornado demolished their house. Mr. and Mrs. Vick, can you tell us what happened here?
Well, it's like you said, Jackie. This tornado was coming at us. Just dropped out of the sky about a quarter mile from our house. We had no time to get to the shelter. Oh, we were trying, but it was coming too fast. No time at all. We were running from the house, or trying to run. Kind of hard to do running against that wind. I thought we were all dead. Then, like a streak, this kid runs in, grabs us two at a time and runs us out away from the path. All five of us ended up two fields over in no-time flat. Then this kid runs back to the tornado. I think he meant to stop it. Thought he was crazy, myself. He ran right at it. I could see him like a little blue blur running around the tornado. Didn't seem to be doing much. Then I saw him get picked up and tossed a fair ways...mile or two, I reckon...and the tornado just kept on going. We owe that boy our lives.
Amazing. Also standing with us is Jason Lowe from Arkansas. Jason, what made you run at the tornado like that?
Jason was standing there, with an ear-to ear grin and his blue jacket in tatters.
Farmer John told you that, huh? HaHaHa! It was something I saw on a Justice League cartoon once. You know, when The Flash ran around the tornado the other way and made it go away? Or was it Superman? Anyways, I thought it would work so I gave it a try. Didn't work out too well though. Guess I need a new jacket. It's not the first time I had to get new clothes and all after saving someone. You know, I was hit by a truck once? Tried to stop it...the brakes were out, you see...but I wasn't braced good enough. Ran me right over. But I caught on the axle underneath and drug my feet until it stopped. Tore up my jeans and shoes really bad that time. HaHa! But I stopped it. That was in Idaho, I think. I've been running all over saving people.
It sounds like you have been busy. Why do you do it? Where did your amazing powers come from?
I don't know. None of us do. I watch the news sometimes. I've seen other guys on TV talking about saving people. I just woke up one morning and BAM! I'm super-strong and super-fast. It's cool. And I do it because...well, isn't that what you are supposed to do? If you can help people, you should, right? Oh, also, because my sister tells me to.
Your sister?
Yeah, my twin sister Janet. , She has powers too, but she isn't strong or fast. She gets visions in her head – or dreams sometimes. She will have a dream or a vision or whatever and then she will tell me where I have to go. Weird, huh? I didn't like listening to her at first, but I'm stronger and faster when I do. And you know what? I've met other guys. Guys with powers like me. And sometimes we talk about stuff. Most of them say there is a girl that tells them what to do from dreams.
So, these other men you have talked to. They have all said their sisters have dreams or visions that tell them where to go to save people? That is amazing!
No, not all of them. I said some of them. And not always sisters. One guy I talked to told me a girl he never met before said that he had to go save someone in New York. Another guy said it was a friend of his. One guy said it was his wife. Bummer for him, right? Has to really listen to his wife now. HaHaHa! But one guy said he heard of the girls that other guys have, but he doesn't have one that tells him what to do. I told him that was too bad because if he had one then he would be even stronger and faster. Weird, huh? But cool.
It is indeed cool. Thank you Jason and best of luck to you and your sister. There you have it – another piece of the puzzle surrounding these men that have showed up over the past couple months with powers. Behind each of them, or most of them, is a woman who also has powers. Powers of clairvoyance or ESP. Some kind of precognition. Whatever it is and whoever these women are, they fuel these men. They give them purpose and direction: And perhaps, they help to save all of us. For News 4, I'm Jackie Lord.
"Bill, what's wrong?" Peg tapped my arm as I sat staring at the TV.
"I can't believe he just did that," I whispered. "I just can't believe it."
"Dude, what? That kid? He was just talking. You know how kids are," Tim said.
"Timmy, you don't understand. That kid just spilled the beans on all the heroes...or most of them anyway – the ones with a seer."
"I still don't see the problem," Jess said, rising to Tim's defense. "It's not like you have secret identities. It's not like the women haven't been mentioned before."
"No," I replied. "No secret identities. But the women, so far, have only been 'mentioned'. The focus has been on the men with the powers – the ones saving the people. In all the news stories on TV, in all the articles in the papers or in Newsweek or Time there has never been anything so in-depth about the women's involvement in it all. Nothing that has really said that the women who have the powers are the driving force behind the men. Although I imagine there will be something about it real soon now. A big story focusing on a woman or women who have precognitive powers."
"So what," Jess returned. "You don't want to share the glory or something? Is it all about you or the other men?"
"Jess, think about it. There has to be some people who aren't too happy with us 'heroes', for lack of a better word. It's all fine and good when we save a busload of schoolchildren, but it's another thing entirely when we stop a corrupt government official or a corporation from cutting corners and putting people in danger."
"How do you mean," Peg asked. "Those are all good things, right?"
I got up and started pacing around the room. "To us, those are good things. To Mr. and Mrs. Ordinary-Joe, those are good things. To the corrupt officials or corporations – or the people behind the scenes pulling their strings – not so much. Most of what they have had to go on is the men. Men who can stop a speeding train. Men who can play catch with semi-trucks. Men who can run from Boston to L.A. in just a few hours. If these bad people were looking to stop us, don't you think they would have wondered how they were going to – considering the things we can do? Well, now they have to look no further." I stopped pacing and turned to look at Peg. "To stop us, they just have to remove you."
I looked at my friends and saw that they were seeing the logic of my argument. Concern was starting to play across their faces.
"Well, maybe it won't happen that way," Peg said. "Maybe it won't be that bad."
"I hope you're right, Peg. I really do." I sat down and put my arm back around her as if to shield her from some unseen danger. For the very first time since this all started, I was a little afraid.