BECOMING A HERO Is there an age limit on heroes?
Hi boys and girls- my name is Ethel ,
or if your parents taught you well, Mrs. Falkenberg. I promise that
everything I am about to tell you is true- or, in my advanced age, I
just misremembered.
January 15, 2024:
Minding my own, I find a Note
on my kitchen table! How did it get there? Why? Well, I read it, and
at least I know why- seems like someone was spying on me! The note was
inviting me to a gathering of Heroes! I only had one moment when
anything “super” ever happened- that was the unfortunate day I killed my
Brother ! (Ethel note- if you want to read about that, read Ethel’s bio ) So, I wolf down some breakfast, have a mimosa or 3, and drive over to Jake’s house. Saying a pleasant greeting to Shorty –
he’s a good kid- I ask my brother if he has seen the note- he got it,
but threw it away! For someone so smart he doesn’t think very often. I
convince him to go to this strange meeting, and go to find the Beast ,
who was the only one whom saw me go fast, well, so I had thought. He
also got the note, and said he would be there. Well, at least I would
know 2 people!
January 17, 2024:
Shorty drives us to the meeting place in Jake’s Volvo- my Aircar would have stuck out like a sore thumb in the nasty Zericho neighborhood! There were a few people there already- some cocky dude in black named Zo and Cavalry .
Cavalry I knew about- he had destroyed half of Philadelphia, and had
actually destroyed the Liberty Bell! He was trouble- hopefully he has
learned his lesson. Some guy named Gryphon flies down- he looks familiar. A kid named Carl
shows up and immediately starts an interview with the people around me!
Oops, he recognizes Jake- that is not good- my brother is a really
private person!
We all go in, and others show up- that poor kid Carl is still filming
everyone, and Shorty is obviously enamored of the beautiful Miss Amazing ,
who lands with a flourish. Suddenly, as others start gathering, all
heck breaks loose- some electronic thing fries Carl’s phone and my
hearing aid! People are looking around, some Guy ,
who I recognize as the Geist, is speaking. I hand my hearing aid to
Jake to fix it, but suddenly I hear, clear as day, another Person
in the shadow’s above who has stepped out! I realize suddenly why
Gryphon looked familiar- “You’re the guy that saved me from that
carjacker!” I exclaim at him, and he acknowledges my memory.I also now
notice some overweight Kid
has also joined us, and the Geist is finishing up some speech about
joining him! I ask him to repeat himself, which he does, and then The
Beast is standing where Carl was, exhorting all of us to join!
The Beast steps forward and says, “Listen, this is what we are all
waiting for. We were given powers for a reason! We were not given
powers to just stand in the shadows! We aren’t here for a government to
decide what’s good or bad for us, or for corporations to make money off
our backs! The Geist is giving us a reason to band together. Sure, he
may be inexperienced- all of us are! I think all of us should get
together in this group and show society what a group of right-thinking
individuals can do to improve this world!”
It was quite a speech! Gryphon and Cavalry had already joined, and so did the rest of us- except for the Man in Black ,
who said he had some things to wrap up. I enthusiastically joined by
rushing over to the Geist, only the second time I had used that special
speed. Meanwhile the Chubby Kid was trying to get in Shorty’s shorts… no idea what that was about.
We didn’t have much time to get to know each other- The Man in Black
shouts out “Incoming” and suddenly we are being attacked! The Beast
somehow knew that there were 10 of them, and the Man in Black says, loudly, “I have a blind date with destiny, and it looks like she ordered lobster.”
The Geist disarms one thug, and Miss Amazing attacks another. Zo
lifts an enemy into the air. The Beast harms one, and kills another! I
take a shot with my special cane, and get someone that was about to get
the Beast! We get attacked, and I get shot, but someone must have
protected me, because I did not die! All this time I hear everything,
despite the fact that my hearing aids are out! What is going on??
Meanwhile, in the battle, the Chubby Kid says, “Pew, Pew” at an
enemy, and they wet themselves. Gryphon takes out a couple, and the Man
in Black bitch slaps someone to death.
Needless to say, we were triumphant- even convincing Jake not to
teleport people away until they are interrogated- which the experts in
that stuff are about to do.
I still have questions- Why am I hearing stuff without my hearing
aids? Why did someone protect me from the bullets? Why am I here with
these heroes- all I can do is run kind of fast, and shoot a gun or my
cane?
Hopefully I can get some answers soon- I am going to learn that slap move from the Man in Black, so I can use it on Sharon!
Both pictures from our own AZ Rune !