Let the in-depth superhero training begin. It wasn't the first time we'd attempted something similar. My father left for work early, leaving Sam and an off-duty Derek to look after me. That was a huge mistake. We were fortunate to live in a large house with a large, open backyard where we could do whatever we wanted without being bothered. That's unless the neighbors overhear something like a loud gunshot.
Sam suggested we live in a more peaceful neighborhood that wasn't accessible to others because of my powers, though he never told my father the exact reason.
Derek barreled through the back door, lugging piles of ammo with him. If he thought that would stop a super, he was mistaken. Derek, dressed in his uniform, with his gun, badge, and whatever additional weaponry my brother had. His smile grew as he gazed at me with pride. Sam was also present, assisting Derek and me with our testing.
"Go up," Derek pointed to the sky.
"What do you mean by up?" I wanted to clarify, but I already knew what he meant.
Derek scowled. "Go up in the air. Fly up." He shoved me forward into the middle of our large and woodsy backyard. I wanted to push him back, but I resisted, standing in our backyard, letting antigravity hoist me from the ground. At least twenty-five feet in the air, I heightened above our house but not high enough to graze the clouds.
"All right, I'm going to start with something simple." Derek smiled.
I rolled my eyes. "What's your plan of torture this time?" I groaned, crossing my arms.
"Hilarious," Derek deadpanned. He pulled his gun from his utility belt and handed it to Sam. Sam cocked the gun twice and grinned.
Oh shit.
"I want to test your powers." Sam let out. I was quick to shoot both of them both down—pun unintended.
"Are you crazy? You're not shooting me in the backyard." I glared at Derek. "You're the one who is always a big baby whenever I get hit with something." Besides, it sounded like a terrible idea.
Sam hushed me. "It'll be fun. Besides, you're bulletproof. It shouldn't be a problem if you perform as you did during the robbery the other day." Derek pointed out. I shook my head, displeased. They all say that right before someone gets killed.
"What's the catch?" I analyze the situation. They both chuckled.
"You're going to focus on your telekinesis and protect me while Sam shoots at us," Derek said.
I groaned. "You kill Derek or me, and I'm haunting you until you die." I threatened Sam. Sam and Derek laughed again.
I clenched my hands and closed my eyes. Derek hovered behind me, suspended in mid-air. I concentrated on the background noises. My brother tapped his thigh with his fingertips. The breeze rushed about the two of us as loud birds chirped in the woods. Focus. You've got this.
"I'm going for your chest," Sam declared. I was concerned. I'm not sure why because I knew bullets would not harm me. I suppose Derek's safety affected me more. I didn't trust myself too much.
I let myself dangle in the air while my hands shook by my side. "You're going to be okay. That is why Derek and I are here with you," Sam insisted, looking at Derek. I also looked at him and swallowed an anxious spit in my mouth. I was sure hoping we were okay.
"Don't say I didn't warn you," I advised. "Do it." The police force trained Derek on shooting to shoot a firearm, but I wasn't sure about Sam.
"I'll try my best." Sam's finger melted against the trigger. "Any last words?" he joked. I counted down out loud.
"THREE." I took a deep breath and exhaled.
"TWO." I placed my shaky hands by my side.
"ONE." In a single swift motion, the bullet rushed ahead. My eyes popped awake. The shot crashed through my broad ribs and bounced like a rubber ball away. I dashed for the rest of the shell, chasing down the residue and snagging it before it touched Derek. Derek stepped back.
"Round two?" Sam quipped, cocking the gun again. Gunpowder coated my shirt, and a tiny bullet hole peeked through the middle. I brushed off some loose powder, glancing at my brother.
"Nope, that was enough." My focus became depleted, and Derek plummeted from the sky.
"Damn it, James." He cursed. I swooped below him, catching him in my arms before he could hit the ground.
"You weren't ready." Derek moaned. I snorted.
"Focus, James," Sam uttered. My smile perished as Sam pointed the gun at me again. I dropped Derek, and he ran out. I'm on the way.
"Three."
"Two—" Sam switched targets, swinging his hands towards Derek and pulling the trigger again. I was mad as I leaped for the bullet and caught it with time to spare.
Derek grinned. "Thanks, bud." He walked over and ruffled my hair. I opened my palm and examined the bullet fragments.
"I'm going to kill you, Sam." I charged at Sam in a sudden rage, gripping his hooded sweater and lifting him a few feet off the ground. Sam dropped the gun, leaving the safety latch shut, so the firearm released no more ammunition. My feet hung in the wind as I floated a few feet in the air with Sam. Derek soothed me from below, trying to get me to bring Sam back down. I did.
"That was a test, and you passed it. " Derek grinned as he nodded to Sam. Sam returned the nod. How could he have been fucking smiling? He could have killed Derek. Sam dusted himself off, picked up the gun, and returned it to my brother. Derek stowed his weapon and adjusted it on his belt.
"Good Job, " Sam said. He walked away after patting my back.
∆∆∆
My father returned home that afternoon, defeated and exhausted from work. He leaned on the kitchen's corner counter, sipping Coke, and watched me do my schoolwork. When I looked up at him, he gave me a carefree smile. Then his gaze shifted to my piece of paper.
"What are you working on, bud?" He asked.
"Science, " I said. My father sank deeper into the counter, amused.
"Summary?" He insisted.
"It's about the chemical reaction between phosphates and water," I said. "Phosphorus is an oxygen-based mineral essential for the survival and function of cells?" Although my father shook his head, he remained attentive. At this moment, I read from my paper.
"It provides natural organic nutrients and minerals when blended with water. When submerged in water, it divides and decomposes, yielding hydrogen phosphine together, and when phosphine and hypophosphorous acid are heated together, they expand." I came to a halt there. My father's eyes widened with surprise.
"Wow, you're spending a lot of time with Sam," he chuckled as he walked over to my hair and ruffled it. "You're doing a great job, kid." Keep up the excellent work." My father left the room, and Sam walked into the kitchen.
"Did you just teach your father about science without me?" I burst out laughing. "Maybe?" Sam also burst out laughing.
"When you finish your assignment, I need to put your abilities to the test in the laboratory." I'm guessing you'll finish soon?" He cocked his head.
I nodded. "All I have to do now is finish one thing." I scribbled something on the page at breakneck speed.
"I'm all set."
∆∆∆
As I slowed down on the treadmill, gliding off the edge, Sam summoned me to the computer, where we examined a graphed chart he had put together. "Well, you've gotten stronger." I lifted a few inches off the ground and over Sam's shoulder.
"By how much?" I asked.
"You see that line there?" Sam pointed out a blue line. It was much higher than the other lines. "That's how far you've come. James, you're getting a lot stronger."
I cocked my head and scowled. "Cool." I landed on the ground behind him.
"You gain a lot of power every time one of your power surges, and your eyes turn purple. So, based on the information I've gathered, you'll be bench-pressing the moon by your eighteenth birthday. Shit, you can already bench-press a semi-truck, a train, and a school bus." I rolled my eyes at his attempt to lighten the mood with sarcasm.
"Cool," I deadpanned, annoyed. I despised my superpowers and wanted nothing to do with them. Unlike Max, who took advantage of his abilities, I took my abilities. I didn't want to be a pawn in whatever they planned to do with Sam.
"Now, in the wise words inspired by Stan Lee, with new strength comes even greater responsibility. You must take these superpowers seriously, James."
"I'm aware." I stopped Sam. I'm aware of the dangers that my superpowers provide. It was something he's told me before. Derek had researched Noah and Max, and I was wise enough to figure it out myself.
"If you want to, you can go off tonight and help Derek patrol." Sam insisted I leave the house. I crack a grin.
"I'm going to text him." I smiled as I walked up the basement stairs, leaving Sam to work alone.
∆∆∆
Derek drove through the city streets, his sirens blaring after a speeding van. He took a left, and I felt a little queasy as he took a right turn. "Are you okay, bud?" Derek shot a glance in my direction.
"I'd rather fly." I was straightforward with him and gave him a thumbs up. Although few people were on the streets, there was still some light traffic as we drove. I thought I heard a smidgeon of laughter.
"Hmm. I'm a fast-and-furious guy, myself." Derek cranked the engine and sped up along the block, readjusting his hands on the steering wheel. Bullets struck Derek's side reflector from the passenger seat side. It was a nail-biter.
A super leaped into the vehicle, his sweatshirt covering his face, and dug his heels into the sidewalk until the automobile halted. Derek drew his gun as we drove to the side, trailing behind a swarm of officers.
Noah saluted Derek and me as the super's hood dropped behind his head, and he flew into the sky. Derek gave me a sidelong glance, and I opened the door, threw my hoodie over my head, and chased him down. Noah swooped down on a nearby structure, and I swooped down on a nearby building.
I inquired, "What do you want, Noah?" A smug grin emerged on his thin lips.
"How's it going, Knight?" His grin expanded even more. He was the arrogant son of a bitch.
"What do you want?" I repeated it, this time more vehemently.
"How come I can't help you?" He walked up to me and wrapped his arm around my neck. I shoved him away from me.
"Because I don't need your help."
"What makes you think I can't play the hero, mate?" He gave it another go. I rubbed my temples as I threw my hands to my head. "All right, Superboy, I got it." His hands went up in surrender.
"Noah, I'm not one of your friends. We're still a long way away from that." I screamed. Noah sighed.
"You should be proud of yourself, mate. Those thieves had a large supply of ammunition in the back of the vans. They might have killed your brother if it wasn't for me."
"What do you want me to say? Congratulations, you're a hero now? I'm pretty sure I could have taken care of it myself." Noah drew his arms across his chest and stared at me before pulling himself into the air and dangling. I raised my eyes at him.
"Fine. I won't help you next time, mate." Noah gave one last glance before taking off. I returned to the site. Dad was there, handcuffing one man. Derek was standing next to him, beaming.
"Dad," I whispered. My father gave me a nod as he looked across at me.
"Thank you, uh..." My dad looked at me from every angle. "Super kid?" His reply sounded more like a question. I tightened my hoodie and lowered my voice an octave.
"No problem," I said. I dashed out of the scene, hoping my father didn't notice my attire when I left the house this morning.
An hour later, I pushed myself back onto the couch and dove into the pillows. I yanked my legs off the couch after being shocked by Sam. He sat right next to me.
"Did you have a bad day?" He asked, patting my shoulder.
"Every day is a bad day," I said. Sam drew me in for a hug.
"It's part of the job, kid." He patted my shoulder and walked away, greeting Derek and my father as they walked through the front door a few minutes later. Derek sat beside me as my father entered the room, slumping in his chair.
"Today was a big success." Derek gave me a friendly wink. I grumbled and rolled my eyes. He didn't have to be so obvious about it. I was there but did nothing besides yelling at Noah for interfering. Noah wasn't as great as my brother made him seem. I shoved him. He pushed me back.
"Don't be a moron, Derek," I said. My father shifted in his seat. He looked at me but said nothing about my outfit. I hoped he didn't notice how little effort I put into changing my clothing when I came home from my exhausting superhero work.
"James, go to your room," he demanded. I sighed and glared at my father before rising from my seat and exiting the living room. Would my father still care if he knew I was beneath the hood, and would things be different? That constantly puzzled me, and it weighed on my mind.
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