"Pure tried to escape again, but was stopped by Champion. The hero was interrupted this morning due to the alarm that flooded the Union Tower. Noticing the escape attempt by Thomas Santana, better known as Pure, members of The Union rushed to the prison, Grand Prince, to prevent the villain's escape," the newsman reported. I raised my head and looked at the car radio. This made fifteen escape attempts in one year.
I sighed.
"I wish I were a hero," I said. The words came out of my mouth almost as if it were routine. What a surprise! Saying those words was routine.
"In other news: this October 10th, the acceptance tests for new heroes in La Unión will begin. Those over 15 years old can participate..." The voice on the radio became blurred as I focused on the beautiful skyscrapers that adorned Middle City.
"You can go," my grandfather said, interrupting my thoughts. Surprised, I turned my gaze to Wayne, my grandfather. A look of delight spread across my face.
"You mean..." I asked half-heartedly.
My grandfather interrupted me for the second time.
"I mean, you can go take the tests for La Unión. I know I'm being harsh on you, but the truth is, you're growing up now and you can make your own decisions," he replied, without taking his eyes off the road. Happiness flooded my being. I couldn't believe it. I could be a hero! A superhero! I always wanted to be one, but I thought my grandfather would never let me. "But you have to make me a promise."
My happy face didn't go unnoticed, and as expected, my grandfather objected.
"What would it be?"
"If you fail the test, you won't insist on being a hero again, you won't use your powers when you awaken them, you'll graduate from school, get a normal job, and have a normal life," he replied. "Even so, you'll start school tomorrow. You have to continue your education no matter what."
"I understand, Grandpa," I agreed. I had nothing to lose; I'd lose more if I didn't try.
"I don't know why you want to do it if you haven't even awakened your powers... If you even have any. Last year, you went without my permission. Do you remember what happened? Everyone made fun of you for going without any powers," my grandfather said, with a smile on his face.
"They made fun of you because they don't understand," I said, angrily.
"What don't you understand?" he asked, looking away for a second to see me.
"You don't need powers to be a hero, much less wear a nice suit or be a millionaire," I replied, taking a few seconds to continue, but my grandfather interrupted me with another question.
"So, according to you? What does it take to be a hero?" my grandfather asked mockingly.
"Performing a feat, that alone makes you a hero." The answer made my grandfather burst out laughing, before he stopped paying attention to me and returned his gaze to the road. "Besides, I could have passed if you hadn't stopped me."
"Yeah, right. You never would have passed without powers. And if you had, it would have meant certain death for you. But let's leave this topic alone, it's giving me a headache," he said in a tired voice. I didn't know if he minded arguing with me or if I just bothered him. I never understood him; he was a very mysterious and strange old man.
"Whatever you say." I was angry with my grandfather. I felt I could make a difference. The first superhero without powers, like a Batman without money. Well, more like a Hawkeye without a bow and without knowing how to fight.
We came home. If you can call the dump we lived in a home. A seedy apartment, full of trash, criminals, addicts, and other despicable beings. I couldn't really complain since Grandpa was doing his best. It was the cheapest place we could rent.
Getting out of the car, the cold night breeze filled my body. Appreciating the beautiful moon, I headed toward the apartment with my grandfather. When I opened the door, the stench of dead mice filled my nose. "This place is truly the worst!" I thought, and ignoring the stench, my grandfather and I climbed the stairs to the seventh floor. We went a few doors down, and my grandfather slowly took out a key. He tried to open the door but realized it was already unlocked.
My grandfather looked at me, puzzled.
"Wait here for me and be ready to call the police if anything happens," he said. There was no way my grandfather had accidentally left the door unlocked. My grandfather had always been careful and thought through even the smallest of actions. Chances were someone had broken in.
I watched my grandfather's back as he crossed the threshold of the apartment. I really wanted to go with him, but I understood that my grandfather was a strong and overprotective person. If I had insisted on going in with him, he wouldn't have let me.
A few seconds later, I heard scuffling and the sound of a window breaking. Worrying, I rushed through the door and ran inside to see what had happened.
One of my fears quickly became reality when I saw a man wearing a black mask standing in front of a broken window. There was blood everywhere. My body froze, and my legs began to shake. I could tell the man was just as shaky, so I deduced that his intention wasn't to kill my grandfather. He's still dead, though. No normal human survives a fall from the seventh floor.
"N-no, I didn't mean to…" the man stammered, trying to convince himself. He was doing nothing but making excuses. "We started s-struggling, and I pushed him by mistake. I just wanted to get some money for my family."
The shock was so great that I couldn't process what was happening. The man turned around and noticed me. A look of horror formed on his face, just as if he'd seen a dead person, and technically that's what he would do if he let me get killed. He seemed to be thinking about what to do, and I knew it was going to happen.
He couldn't leave me alive.
His slow, unsteady steps headed toward me while he muttered incoherently and hid something behind his back. Idiot. I'd already seen the knife, a weapon filled with my grandfather's blood. He'd obviously stabbed my grandfather and then pushed him. What a disgusting person! How do you do that to a 60-year-old man? Of all the rooms in this apartment, why did he have to enter ours? What bad luck.
When the man was just a few steps away from me, my body reacted on its own. I assumed it was my survival instinct, but something was abnormal. Something in me was fueled by the fear of dying, by the hatred for that murderer, and by the sadness of losing my grandfather. It wasn't normal. My fist connected with the man's face and... he flew. The man punched through the wall and was thrown to the other building. I wasn't sure, but he seemed to have continued through the walls of the surrounding buildings. I also didn't know if he was still alive, but I still doubted it. I had just killed someone, murdered someone, taken someone's life.
A few minutes later, police cars and ambulances flooded the area. Some police officers sat me in an ambulance. After they checked me over and saw that I was in perfect condition, they handcuffed me and put me in a patrol car.
I could see them putting my grandfather in a black bag… dead. I couldn't see the man, but I assumed the worst. The officers who had me in the patrol car took me to the station, where there were large blue letters above the doors that read: "MCPD, Middle City Police Department."
When I walked into the station, the hubbub of busy, stressed officers reached my ears. I was used to so much noise because of the area I live in… or used to live in. But because of my current condition, I felt like my head was going to explode.
The officers put me in an interrogation room, just like in the movies. I'd always wanted to be in one, but as the interrogator, not the one being interrogated.
When the officers left the room, my anxiety increased. What would happen to me? My grandfather was dead. If they incarcerated me, I'd never be in La Unión. My life would be ruined. My anxiety was so great that I unconsciously raised my hands, breaking the handcuffs. I was in shock.
Thinking about it, I realized that I felt very strong, could it be that... Had I awakened my powers? I stood up and grabbed the table leg, a metal table, I bent it as if it were rubber. I felt like I could do so many things with my powers, as if they were a limb. My body started to float. I started to float!
"I can fly!" I shouted. The excitement made me completely forget about everything that was happening. But the sound of the door opening brought me back to the dark reality. Two people entered the room.
A man in his 50s with brown eyes was the first person to enter my field of vision, however, the second was the one who captured my full attention. An individual wearing a white suit with gold trim. No mask, but with his signature white star on his chest. It was the world-renowned Champion. A person I had always admired stood before me. Looking at him up close, it seemed like old age was catching up with him: small gray hairs could be seen in his brown hair, but his green eyes looked full of energy. Anyone would think he was in his 20s, given those lively eyes. But no, he must be around 40 by now.
I fell to the floor.
The two of them stood in front of the door, staring at me. I got up from the floor and sat down in the chair, pretending not to. A nervous laugh escaped my mouth. As Champion and the other man sat in the two chairs in front of me, the table was in the way because it was tilted—of course, I had bent one of its legs.
"Michael Santana Roccuzo, 16, attended Santa Carla High School and lived with his grandfather, Wayne Santana. According to witnesses, your grandfather fell from a seventh-floor apartment at 7:54 tonight and was immediately pronounced dead. Ten minutes later, Mr. David Smith was thrown from the same building. Mr. Smith has multiple fractures throughout his body, and doctors say it's likely he'll never walk again. His superhuman ability gave him a chance to live this time," said the man who came with Champion while reading some kind of file. I assumed that was the case information. "How many hours have passed since the incident?" I asked myself. I looked at a clock on the wall, and my answer came like something divine. It was 11 p.m. "Even so, it was confirmed that he has a head fracture caused by a blow; the doctors assume the other injuries were from the impact, so I want you to tell me your side of the story."
It seems the man who broke into my house is still alive. I never meant to kill him; it's not worth it. My grandfather always told me that the worst punishment for a person who has done something wrong is to live with remorse; death is just an easy escape.
Champion just stood there with his arms crossed as he watched me. He waited for my answer.
"Well..." I said, then I told him everything. The whole time I was talking, the man didn't take his eyes off a notebook. Of course, he interrupted me from time to time to ask questions.
"That would be all," the man said. You'll be released shortly. From now on, the hero here will take care of you. My name is Josh Caine. If you need anything, just call me," the man said, handing me a card with his personal information. The most important information was highlighted in red font, almost as red as the blood on the knife used by the man I almost killed. "Commissioner Caine, 973-6xx-xxxx," read the card, which I put in my pocket. Upon seeing my pants, an intrusive thought echoed in my head: "Gross, I haven't showered all day!"
Soon, Champion and I were alone in the room. The only thing that accompanied us was an awkward and strange atmosphere. I never expected to be in a room alone with the world's strongest superhero, the same hero who was against my parents' plans.
"I knew your grandfather, and your father and mother too," he said. "My father and mother, huh? People I don't like to talk about." I didn't hate them, but their decisions ruined my life. My parents are villains, the worst. It's never been easy being the son of the most hated supervillains in the world. People will hate you even if you try to be good; they judge you without even knowing you. It's a nightmare. Social life? None. Friendships? Almost none. A girlfriend? What's that? Still, I didn't hate them; I just wanted to understand the reasons behind their goal. I mean, no one wakes up overnight wanting to create a terrorist organization with the goal of helping an alien race enslave their own kind, right? Elizabeth Roccuzo and Thomas Santana, better known as Leviathan and Pure. Leaders of Leviathan, he added. But hey, I'm not here to remind you of your horrible past. I'm here to help you, to help the son of my former comrades.
Before my parents went crazy, they were members of The Union. They were pillars. Along with other heroes, they are the founders of this group of heroes defending humanity, but something caused them to betray their pact, taking an Argo core and killing three heroes in the process.
"I don't want to be a nuisance."
"Don't worry about that. Your grandfather told me you wanted to take the Union tests. I can train you to control these new powers you have. When did you wake up?" Champion asked. His kind gaze made me feel safe around him.
"Today," I replied.
"Amazing, and you can already fly? You learn quickly... well. Little by little, we'll discover what your powers are. For now, tell me, are you hungry?" he said. A smile graced Champion's face.
"Yes, I'm hungry," I confessed as we got up and left the police station.
After eating at a restaurant, which attracted a lot of attention because the son of one of the most famous villains was dining with a superhero in a five-star restaurant, he took me to the Union Tower. It was my first time in the tower. It was enormous; of all the buildings, I think it was about as big as the Empire State Building… although I've never been there either.
Upon entering, the first thing that greets me is the statue of the superhero Achilles, Kyle Johnson. The hero who died while the founding members of The Union tried to stop the alien invasion in the year 2000. Or was it 2001? I didn't remember. They were so young back then. Achilles sacrificed himself so the other members of The Union could escape the portal created by the Argoryans, thus closing the portal and destining himself to remain inside along with millions of Argoryans. After that feat, The Union became famous, and this tower was built.
I stared at the statue of Achilles. Underneath was a gold sign that read: "In honor of Kyle Johnson, AKA Achilles. 10/20/1983–12/24/2000." Yes, it was in 2000. Of course, because the year after the Twin Towers collapsed. The Union saved many people before they completely collapsed, but there were still losses.
"Don't stay there, let's go," he said. Champion's voice woke me up, and I went to where he was, in the elevator.
I hadn't seen any superheroes in the tower; I assumed they were busy. There were only the guards and the secretary on the first floor. I don't understand why they need so many floors, but then again, I don't know the architecture of the tower either.
We reached the top floor. I was surprised by how big this tower was.
Champion led me down a long hallway where I could see the doors to many rooms. After showing me my room, he gave me the key.
"Thank you," I said.
The smell of clean sheets and air freshener wafted into my nostrils. A relief. The room was very large. It had a double bed and white walls, a bathroom, a television, a giant window, and a closet.
"I already had all your things brought up. Tomorrow, after you get home from school, you'll start your training," he told me as he left. Before the door closed, he winked at me.
My body fell tiredly onto the bed. "What a day!" I exclaimed in my head. Everything would be different from now on, there was no doubt about it. A long sigh escaped my mouth as I checked my phone and the time.
"3 a.m. I should take a bath and go to sleep," I told myself. I dropped my phone and began to float toward the bathroom. "This is great, I'll never get bored. I've awakened my powers!" I shouted excitedly as I twirled in the air, took off my clothes, and stepped into the shower. I turned on the faucet and felt the warm water run over my body. My hands clenched as I raised my head and remembered everything that had happened. "I promise not to disappoint you, Grandpa."