Sensation: A Superhero Novel (10 page)

            I’m sure I must have looked bewildered.

            “Paramount has had it in for Kid Sensation ever since their run-in,” she went on.  “Of course, he takes everything as an insult, so that’s a pretty long list, and your little stunt on the football field may have put you on it.”

            “So now I’ve got to worry about Para-Jerk coming after me?” I wondered out loud. “That guy really is a loose cannon.”

            “He’s got some issues,” she agreed.  “But you’ve got to understand:  he’s the son of the world’s greatest superhero.  He’s under constant scrutiny all the time, as well as pressure to live up to his father’s name.”

            “So I should feel sorry for him because he has a bunch of A-Level super powers and he’s expected to use them for good?”

“No, but I just want you to try to understand him a little.”

“You sure seem to be defensive of him.  Much more than I’d be of my friends.”  I left the rest unsaid.

            She laughed.  “Are you trying to ask me if he’s my boyfriend?” 

            “Is he?”

            More laughter.  “No way.  We grew up together.  He’s like my brother.”

            Somehow, that gave me an odd sense of relief – and satisfaction.  The conversation then changed to more mundane matters and chitchat: the superheroes we admired most, what our home lives were like, our friends, etc.  She seemed fascinated by everything I had to say, and we actually spent the rest of the day in each other’s company. Unfortunately, the rest of the day turned out not to be very long; thanks to Paramount’s outburst on the football field, the day’s events got shut down early and we were on our way back by four o’clock.

            We sat next to each other on the return trip, still talking.  In the back of my brain, however, I was trying to find an excuse to see her again.  She nixed the idea of going to the Natural History Museum the next day (she’d already seen the current exhibits), and also shot down my suggestion of going to the zoo (she didn’t like the idea of animals in cages).  At that point, I was ready to take the hint when she suddenly caught me off guard.

            “Are you doing anything later tonight?” she asked.

            Too surprised to say anything, I just shook my head no.

            “Well, a couple of us are going to see the new
Starcrosser
movie.  Do you want to come?”

            “Sure!” I practically shouted, completely overeager and with what was surely a stupid grin on my face. 

            “Great!”  She blurted out an address that I automatically memorized and repeated back to her.  “You can pick me up at seven.”

            I stared off into space, momentarily struck dumb by what she had said.

            Pick her up at seven?

            Pick her up?

            As in
drive
?

Chapter 8

            My grandfather was laughing so hard that tears were rolling down his cheeks.

            “It’s not funny!” I screamed, although in truth it was somewhat comical.

            I had a hot date with a pretty girl in just a few hours, and I was going to ruin it before it even got started.  Despite all my powers, all my abilities, all the things I could do, I had failed to complete a pivotal rite of passage for teens.  I had never learned to drive.

            Speaking frankly, it was a skill I had never needed before.  If I needed to be somewhere, I could either teleport or run there. A car, for me, was a slow method of transport.  Now my arrogance was coming back to haunt me.

            “I’m sorry,” my grandfather said between chuckles, “but I just can’t teach you how to drive in” - he glanced at his watch - “two hours.”

            At that point, I left my grandfather’s apartment in disgust and turned to Braintrust, calling him in desperation.  Unfortunately, he was of the same opinion as my grandfather: there just wasn’t enough time to teach me.

            “However, I do have some good news,” BT added. “I was able to get some information on your stalker.”

            For a moment I was confused about what he meant, and then it dawned on me.  “Oh, Pinchface.”

            “Yes.  His name is actually Reilly Kubosh.  He’s a finder.”

            “What does that mean?”

            “He finds things - people for the most part.  Tracks them down.”

            “How?”

            “No one knows.  My understanding is that he has some sort of power that helps him.  Maybe it’s smell, maybe he’s psychic…who knows?”

            “How’d he get on to me?”

            “It’s hard to say, but from what I’ve been able to learn, he needs a starting point.  He needs to know either where his target’s been or where he’s going to be.  But after he crosses the target’s path, he’s locked onto them and can’t be shaken off.”

            “Is he dangerous?”

            “Not from what I’ve learned.  Maybe he just wants the reward.”

            “In that case, why wait until now to go for it?  That reward’s been out there for a while.”

            “Again, maybe he didn’t have a starting point before.”

            “So the question is, who gave it to him?”

            I got off the phone with Braintrust and pondered the mystery of Reilly Kubosh.  After a few minutes, I gave up on it and went back to what was really important: my date.  I returned to begging my grandfather to teach me to drive.

            “You have to,” I pleaded.  “I don’t have any other options.”

            “There are always options, Jim,” was his reply.  “Let’s just see what we’ve got here.”

            As usual, Gramps was right.  After discussing the matter, it seemed that I actually had three options: (1) have my mother or grandfather chauffeur us around all evening; (2) allow Gramps to enter my brain and “take control” during the times when I was behind the wheel such that he would actually be driving; or (3) take a cab.  The first option was completely unacceptable.  The second was almost as bad; the thought of Gramps running around in my brain during my date gave me the heebie-jeebies.  That left the third; not ideal, but any port in a storm.

*******************************

            Before I left, my mother insisted on seeing me.  It was my first real date, I suppose, and - despite constantly encouraging normal behavior on my part - she seemed a little nervous, as if maybe she didn’t want me to go.

            “Just watch yourself,” she said.  “Be careful.”

            “Be careful of what?” I asked.  “I’m just going on a date, not trying to catch a supervillain.”

            “Some girls can trap you a lot easier than a supervillain.  Not all of them can be trusted.  And even smart guys have a tendency to be stupid around certain girls - especially if they’re pretty.”

            I gave her a hug and left, not fully understanding everything that she’d said.

**********************************

            Electra didn’t seem to mind a cab at all.  I simply told her that my car was in the shop and she accepted my explanation without question.  She looked great, choosing to wear form-fitting black jeans and a light blue blouse. Although she had mostly foregone makeup again, she did have on a luscious shade of red lipstick.  On my part, I chose to wear jeans and a golf shirt.

            The house where I picked her up wasn’t where she lived, of course.  However, she didn’t like the idea of being picked up for a date at League HQ (and I didn’t blame her), so she used a friend’s address.

            We met her other friends at the movie theater.  There were two other couples (to the extent Electra and I could be considered a “couple”), all of whom I recognized as teen supers.  A big guy named Herc who was a super-strong brawler but not the sharpest knife in the drawer intellectually.  His date was a brown-skinned beauty named Aqua who had some sort of water power.  The other couple consisted of a fellow named Nemesis who could turn other supers’ powers against them and a waifishly thin girl called Rapunzel, who could use her ankle-length hair like additional limbs.

            The movie was okay, but nothing to really write home about.  The storyline involved an intergalactic hero’s efforts to stop a plot that could destroy the universe.  It seemed to contain the requisite number of explosions, fistfights, and other eye candy, so I’m sure it met with general expectations. 

            Truth be told, however, the movie had less than my full attention.  I spent a good portion of the time trying to act in a manner that was completely natural but which would, at the same time, let me either hold Electra’s hand or put my arm around her.  She was apparently a seasoned expert at avoiding both.  If I tried to take her hand, it would be at that juncture that she reached into the bucket of popcorn that I’d bought. If I tried to put my arm around her shoulders, she’d choose that moment to turn around and say something to Aqua and Herc, who were seated behind us (and seeming to have a good laugh at my expense).

            After the movie, we went to a nearby diner for something to eat.  The waitress was kind enough to seat us at a big circular table that could easily accommodate large parties. 

            After taking our seats, the conversation turned surprisingly in my direction.

            “So,” said Aqua, “tell us a little about yourself, Jim.”

            “Not much to tell,” I said noncommittally.  “I’m sixteen, I’m in high school, I like sports, yada, yada, yada.”

            Everyone snickered a little at that, but Aqua was undeterred.

            “There’s got to be more to you than that,” she said. “It’s not everybody who gets the best of Paramount.”

            Nemesis leaned forward conspiratorially.  “That was you?  No way!  I wish I’d been there to see it!”

            I was a little surprised.  “You’ve heard about it?”

            “It’s all kids have been talking about today,” Rapunzel piped in.  “Especially the girls.”

            “Girls?”  I said, shocked.

            “Oh yeah,” Aqua noted.  “In fact, a couple of them were a little peeved when Electra staked her claim on you for the rest of the afternoon.”

            I looked at Electra, whose face was impassive.  All of this was news to me.

            “So, since you’re off the market,” Aqua continued, “I suppose the next question is:  are there any more like you at home?”

            “Hey!” Herc interjected jealously, smacking his palm on the table hard enough to rattle dishes, silverware and everything else.  I didn’t even realize he was smart enough to be following the conversation.  As I said, he wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he obviously wasn’t the butter knife either. 

            “No, baby.  It’s not like that.” Aqua rubbed Herc’s muscular forearm soothingly.  “I have an identical twin sister,” she said in explanation.

            “Really?” Electra finally joined the conversation.  “In the two years I’ve known you I’ve never heard you mention her.”

            “Well, we don’t really speak,” Aqua said, eyes cast down.  Then she burst into a small fit of laughter that took us all by surprise.  “Sorry,” she said, looking around the table.  “Private joke.”

*********************************

            Dinner was an interesting affair, with several people around the table demonstrating their powers.  Rapunzel, whose hair was actually stronger than steel, used her locks to juggle a few utensils; she also bent a knife in two, then straightened it back out.  Aqua, a practical joker, had a habit of making the water in each of our glasses disappear via evaporation just when someone was preparing to drink it. 

            After we finished eating, Nemesis offered to pick up the tab.  (He apparently came from a wealthy family, and didn’t mind splurging on his friends.)  While he settled the bill, I spoke with the hostess about calling a cab.  After being assured that a taxi passed by the diner every few minutes, we all went outside.  We were in the midst of saying our goodbyes - girls kissing each other on the cheek, guys shaking hands - when Electra suddenly became bright-eyed.

            “I’ve got an idea,” she said.  “Why don’t we go back to the League Headquarters and show Jim around?  Give him the ten-cent tour?”

            “No,” Aqua began, making me feel she was about to decline.  “I think we’re going to–”

            An odd look passed between her and Electra. 

            “Actually, that sounds like a great idea,” Aqua declared, completely reversing course.  “You guys can ride with us in Herc’s car.”

            The significance of what had just happened wasn’t lost on me.  I took it to mean that Electra didn’t want to end the night alone with me, another indication that this date had not gone well in her mind.  I suddenly wanted to be somewhere else.  Anywhere else.

            “That sounds nice,” I began, “but it’s getting late and I know you all probably want to get home.  I can get the tour some other time.”  I glanced at my watch in a blatantly obvious manner. “Plus, I just remembered there was something I was supposed to do, so I might even have to put Electra in a cab by herself.”

            I looked at Electra with pleading in my eyes, hoping that she understood and would take the out I was offering.

            
Please, don’t embarrass me.  I get the message; I won’t bother you again.  You won’t have to spend a nanosecond more than necessary in my presence.  Just let me leave here with some dignity.

            
Electra’s mouth opened as if she were going to say something.  I felt sure she was going to retract her suggestion of a tour, but Aqua didn’t give her a chance.

            “Whatever you’ve got going on, it can wait,” Aqua said, hooking her arm into mine and pulling me along.  “Plus,” she whispered so only I could hear, “it can’t be more important than spending time with a pretty girl.”  Then she winked at me and giggled.