Read Online Other People's Heroes (The Heroes of Siegel City) by Blake M. Petit - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Blake M. Petit
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words had caused her to miss. “If someone like you can convince anyone to dislike you, that’s talent. Um... green stripey ball in that pocket over there.” I promptly scratched.
“You are so sweet,” she said in a voice that indicated surprise more than anything else.
“Just relentlessly honest,” I said.
“Relentlessly cornball, maybe.” Noble stepped back to the table and ran it, sinking each solid in turn. Finishing with the 8-ball, he knocked the chalk from his hands and stuck his cue in my face.
“How’s that, loser?”
“It’s just a game, man.”
There was a wheezing noise as a voice called out Noble’s name and told him to cool it. Morrie was walking across the lounge with a manila envelope in his hand. Next to him, as always, was Mental Maid, looking straight ahead, not registering anything. “Your next assignment, Doc. Practice is tomorrow at four p.m. Don’t be late this time. How about you, kid?” he said, clapping me on the shoulder. “Makin’ friends?”
“Yeah, it’s great, Morrie.”
“Good, good. Come on, Em-Em.” He filtered away, leaving Noble standing there, holding the envelope, staring through me like I’d just run over his puppy with a steamroller and invited him to the barbecue.
“Come on, girlie, I don’t like the company around here.” He grabbed Sindy by the hand and dragged her away. On the way out, Sindy looked back at me with a glance that said, “Sorry, what can I do?” Then she waved, and then she was gone.
I turned back to the Conductor. “Have I mentioned lately how much I hate that guy?”
“That was the greatest thing I’ve ever seen!”
“Are you kidding? He had to have been using his telekinesis on those balls...”
“Not that . You actually stood there and complimented her in front o f him. No one does that.”
“How could anyone not compliment her?”
“Because they’re all afraid of him .”
“What, are they afraid he’ll crush them with his enormous ego?”
“Hey, Noble may be scum, but he’s also probably the most powerful guy in Siegel City since Lionheart vanished. Physically, anyway.”
“So what? There’s bound to be enough guys around here to take him together, right?”
“Maybe, but after what happened to Photon Man...” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the Conductor clapped his hand over it. “Forget I said that.”
“No, wait a minute, what’s the big secret about Photon Man?”
“Let it go.”
“Uh-uh. You can’t give me pizza and then say no pepperoni, bunky. Cough it up.”
The Conductor sighed and put his cue down. “Every so often somebody... does something bad. I mean, a serious crime, something against one of our own. A while back, someone discovered that Photon Man was skimming money from his heists. Normally the cash our Masks steal is subtly returned to its owner, who then ‘forgets’ the whole thing. When wrongdoing is discovered, the suspect is taken before a review board.”
“Review board?”
“Okay, Mental Maid. The concept is the same. You get up, you state your case, someone is appointed prosecutor, and Mental Maid passes judgment. But sometimes... and this is what Photon did, sometimes they rabbit.”
“Run away.”
“You’re quick on the euphemisms, for a reporter. When someone runs instead of facing the review, we go after him and bring him in.”
“I’m guessing that’s not quite what happened in this case.”
“Noble was the one that finally caught up with Photon Man. Unfortunately, no one figured on what Noble’s electromagnetic powers, at full force, would do to a guy who was essentially made of energy particles.”
“ Made of energy particles?” I said.
“The things you learn on this side, eh?” He chalked up his cue a little more, trying to find the proper words. “Noble caught him, and... Photon Man exploded. ”
“Oh. Um. Ew.”
“Right. Anyway, Noble got cleared of any wrongdoing, but he’s still... there are some of us who think it
“You are so sweet,” she said in a voice that indicated surprise more than anything else.
“Just relentlessly honest,” I said.
“Relentlessly cornball, maybe.” Noble stepped back to the table and ran it, sinking each solid in turn. Finishing with the 8-ball, he knocked the chalk from his hands and stuck his cue in my face.
“How’s that, loser?”
“It’s just a game, man.”
There was a wheezing noise as a voice called out Noble’s name and told him to cool it. Morrie was walking across the lounge with a manila envelope in his hand. Next to him, as always, was Mental Maid, looking straight ahead, not registering anything. “Your next assignment, Doc. Practice is tomorrow at four p.m. Don’t be late this time. How about you, kid?” he said, clapping me on the shoulder. “Makin’ friends?”
“Yeah, it’s great, Morrie.”
“Good, good. Come on, Em-Em.” He filtered away, leaving Noble standing there, holding the envelope, staring through me like I’d just run over his puppy with a steamroller and invited him to the barbecue.
“Come on, girlie, I don’t like the company around here.” He grabbed Sindy by the hand and dragged her away. On the way out, Sindy looked back at me with a glance that said, “Sorry, what can I do?” Then she waved, and then she was gone.
I turned back to the Conductor. “Have I mentioned lately how much I hate that guy?”
“That was the greatest thing I’ve ever seen!”
“Are you kidding? He had to have been using his telekinesis on those balls...”
“Not that . You actually stood there and complimented her in front o f him. No one does that.”
“How could anyone not compliment her?”
“Because they’re all afraid of him .”
“What, are they afraid he’ll crush them with his enormous ego?”
“Hey, Noble may be scum, but he’s also probably the most powerful guy in Siegel City since Lionheart vanished. Physically, anyway.”
“So what? There’s bound to be enough guys around here to take him together, right?”
“Maybe, but after what happened to Photon Man...” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the Conductor clapped his hand over it. “Forget I said that.”
“No, wait a minute, what’s the big secret about Photon Man?”
“Let it go.”
“Uh-uh. You can’t give me pizza and then say no pepperoni, bunky. Cough it up.”
The Conductor sighed and put his cue down. “Every so often somebody... does something bad. I mean, a serious crime, something against one of our own. A while back, someone discovered that Photon Man was skimming money from his heists. Normally the cash our Masks steal is subtly returned to its owner, who then ‘forgets’ the whole thing. When wrongdoing is discovered, the suspect is taken before a review board.”
“Review board?”
“Okay, Mental Maid. The concept is the same. You get up, you state your case, someone is appointed prosecutor, and Mental Maid passes judgment. But sometimes... and this is what Photon did, sometimes they rabbit.”
“Run away.”
“You’re quick on the euphemisms, for a reporter. When someone runs instead of facing the review, we go after him and bring him in.”
“I’m guessing that’s not quite what happened in this case.”
“Noble was the one that finally caught up with Photon Man. Unfortunately, no one figured on what Noble’s electromagnetic powers, at full force, would do to a guy who was essentially made of energy particles.”
“ Made of energy particles?” I said.
“The things you learn on this side, eh?” He chalked up his cue a little more, trying to find the proper words. “Noble caught him, and... Photon Man exploded. ”
“Oh. Um. Ew.”
“Right. Anyway, Noble got cleared of any wrongdoing, but he’s still... there are some of us who think it
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