Read Online Other People's Heroes (The Heroes of Siegel City) by Blake M. Petit - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Blake M. Petit
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may not have exactly been an accident.”
“Wouldn’t Mental Maid have caught wind if he did it on purpose?” I asked, remembering the way she’d waved me through my scan.
“Have you looked at her, Josh? Those eyes, that skin... hell, just those freaky powers. There are some of us who think she’s got an agenda of her own, too.”
“Oh.”
“Since then, Noble’s been even less popular around here than he was before. And folks are even more frightened of him.” He shook his head clear. “Another game?”
“Yeah, I guess. I guess I find it hard to be scared of someone so... so...”
“So Deliverance ?”
“Bingo. It gets me sick, the way he talks about her.” I didn’t think I needed to specify who “her” was. “What’s worse, he’s been brow-beating her for so long she’s started to believe his crap.”
“Well, if it makes you feel any better, he doesn’t like you very much either.”
“I get the impression he doesn’t like anyone. ”
“Yeah but dude , the minute Noble saw you just now his emotions went all nasty and sour. It was like listening to emo rock in my head.” He started arranging balls on the table. “He’s scared of you, man.”
“Scared? Of what ?”
“My guess? That she’s gonna open her eyes and realize she can do better than him .”
“And how does she feel about all this?”
“Confused. She thinks you’re a real sweet guy -- and you are, Joshie, you really are,” he quipped, “but she’s also been convinced for months now that she deserves that SOB.”
“So what do I do?”
“Hell if I know. But if you figure that out I’ll personally sponsor you for ‘Smartest Man on Earth’.”
I laughed at that, but my reporter’s instincts welled just then, squeezing out the one question I really wanted the answer to at that second.
“Hey, Conductor... when Noble killed -- I mean -- when Photon Man died ... was there anyone else there? Any witnesses?”
The Conductor shook his head. “Nope.” he tossed me the cue ball. “You break.”
GUIDED TOUR
“Come on in, kid,” Morrie said a few days later, waving me into his office. I was there to begin my official training, but Morrie asked me to show up an hour before my session. In fact, I came in even earlier to hang around the lounge and take in everything I could -- it’s amazing what you can learn just sitting on a couch and listening.
I also encountered the Gunk again. He sat down and tried to hold a conversation with me concerning an article I’d written about the United Statesmen, but as he buddied up to me his powers turned my limbs to goo and I found it hard to concentrate. I managed to maneuver my way out of the conversation when it was time to meet Morrie.
Morrie was at his desk, cigar smoke filtering through his nostrils and curling past his eyes. Mental Maid was by his desk as usual, still staring at me. I caught a nice chill off that. “Gettin’ yourself situated?” he asked.
“I’m doing all right,” I said.
“Meetin’ people? Learnin’ your way around?”
“More of the first.”
“Well, I’m gonna help you with the second. Hotshot’s waitin’ for you in the lounge. Guy volunteered to take you around the joint. The grand tour, as it were.”
“Sounds good, Morrie.” I left the office, still feeling Mental Maid’s eyes boring into the back of my head.
Hotshot had a big smile on his face when I met him in the lounge. “Hey, new guy! Nice to meet you -- officially, I mean. I’m Hotshot.”
“Yeah, I said, I know. Member of the original LightCorps. You knew Lionheart, didn’t you?”
“Everybody always asks that.”
“I’m Josh Corwood.”
“I know. The kid who duplicates other people’s powers. You’re either going to make a lot of friends that way or tick a lot of people off.”
“Don’t worry, I seem to be well on my way to both. So why did you volunteer to take me around?”
“I don’t know. Just caught a friendly vibe from you, I guess. Come
“Wouldn’t Mental Maid have caught wind if he did it on purpose?” I asked, remembering the way she’d waved me through my scan.
“Have you looked at her, Josh? Those eyes, that skin... hell, just those freaky powers. There are some of us who think she’s got an agenda of her own, too.”
“Oh.”
“Since then, Noble’s been even less popular around here than he was before. And folks are even more frightened of him.” He shook his head clear. “Another game?”
“Yeah, I guess. I guess I find it hard to be scared of someone so... so...”
“So Deliverance ?”
“Bingo. It gets me sick, the way he talks about her.” I didn’t think I needed to specify who “her” was. “What’s worse, he’s been brow-beating her for so long she’s started to believe his crap.”
“Well, if it makes you feel any better, he doesn’t like you very much either.”
“I get the impression he doesn’t like anyone. ”
“Yeah but dude , the minute Noble saw you just now his emotions went all nasty and sour. It was like listening to emo rock in my head.” He started arranging balls on the table. “He’s scared of you, man.”
“Scared? Of what ?”
“My guess? That she’s gonna open her eyes and realize she can do better than him .”
“And how does she feel about all this?”
“Confused. She thinks you’re a real sweet guy -- and you are, Joshie, you really are,” he quipped, “but she’s also been convinced for months now that she deserves that SOB.”
“So what do I do?”
“Hell if I know. But if you figure that out I’ll personally sponsor you for ‘Smartest Man on Earth’.”
I laughed at that, but my reporter’s instincts welled just then, squeezing out the one question I really wanted the answer to at that second.
“Hey, Conductor... when Noble killed -- I mean -- when Photon Man died ... was there anyone else there? Any witnesses?”
The Conductor shook his head. “Nope.” he tossed me the cue ball. “You break.”
GUIDED TOUR
“Come on in, kid,” Morrie said a few days later, waving me into his office. I was there to begin my official training, but Morrie asked me to show up an hour before my session. In fact, I came in even earlier to hang around the lounge and take in everything I could -- it’s amazing what you can learn just sitting on a couch and listening.
I also encountered the Gunk again. He sat down and tried to hold a conversation with me concerning an article I’d written about the United Statesmen, but as he buddied up to me his powers turned my limbs to goo and I found it hard to concentrate. I managed to maneuver my way out of the conversation when it was time to meet Morrie.
Morrie was at his desk, cigar smoke filtering through his nostrils and curling past his eyes. Mental Maid was by his desk as usual, still staring at me. I caught a nice chill off that. “Gettin’ yourself situated?” he asked.
“I’m doing all right,” I said.
“Meetin’ people? Learnin’ your way around?”
“More of the first.”
“Well, I’m gonna help you with the second. Hotshot’s waitin’ for you in the lounge. Guy volunteered to take you around the joint. The grand tour, as it were.”
“Sounds good, Morrie.” I left the office, still feeling Mental Maid’s eyes boring into the back of my head.
Hotshot had a big smile on his face when I met him in the lounge. “Hey, new guy! Nice to meet you -- officially, I mean. I’m Hotshot.”
“Yeah, I said, I know. Member of the original LightCorps. You knew Lionheart, didn’t you?”
“Everybody always asks that.”
“I’m Josh Corwood.”
“I know. The kid who duplicates other people’s powers. You’re either going to make a lot of friends that way or tick a lot of people off.”
“Don’t worry, I seem to be well on my way to both. So why did you volunteer to take me around?”
“I don’t know. Just caught a friendly vibe from you, I guess. Come
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