B.E.C.K.Y.: Am I A Superhero?

Bruised and News!

I was one big, painful, groaning bruise when I woke up the next morning.

I hurt everywhere. My skin was mottled with blues and purples all over, and each and every one of them hurt, and I mean HURT! Just rolling over had me groaning in agony. I winced as I sat up, my joints and muscles stiff and sore, making me move like I was 100 years old.

*I see you have realized the rewards of your actions.* 

Becky sounded smug, smug and pleased by my discomfort. I had the distinct sense of vindication inside me, and it was not coming from me!

"Shut up. I did the right thing and you know it."

*I accept that your actions were motivated by that desire, and you did achieve your goal; you saved those people. Congratulations on that. However, as I predicted, your exploits did not go unnoticed.*

"What do you mean?"

*I suggest you turn on the news.*

Oh boy, if Becky was not going to tell me, this was going to be bad.

Rising to my feet, I made my way to the living room, wincing and whining along the way. Once there, I eased slowly down into a chair and turned on the TV. I found a morning news program and called it up on the set. 

A smiling news anchor was there, her face way to happy and bright for a morning show, talking about the events of the previous evening.

"People are still talking about the strange being that appeared last night and foiled the attempts of the supposed bank robbers, then flew off into the sky with the bomb, a bomb police were unaware of and which detonated in the sky over the city moments after the silver-clad figure leapt out of the bank with it in his arms. Witnesses say they saw the individual flying off toward the east of town as the bomb exploded. Shortly after, a pair of joggers in Central Park recorded this on their cameras."

A shaky video showed me crashing to the ground after bursting out of a nearby building, my arms and legs limp as I struck the ground and left a deep furrow in the grass. I watched myself sit there, clearly dazed, then get up and leap away into the darkening sky in a burst of blue-white light.

The anchor came back on, still smiling.

"The identity of the silver-clad hero is still unknown at this point, but police are asking for any information on them and requesting that anyone who may have seen the person, or have video footage that might help their investigation, to come forward and provide them with the material they have."

I stared at the screen for a moment, stunned by what I had just seen. 

How had I missed the joggers in the park?!

Well, I had been in a bit of a daze.

*You cannot afford such things, Jonathan.* Becky admonished firmly. *Your face might have been seen, or someone might analyze where you were going, and make connections, connections we cannot afford to be made.*

"Yeah, tell me about it."

I just sat there, staring at the TV, at the video being played of me hitting the ground, then slowly getting up and leaping away.

Did I really do all that last night?

Ouch.....yeah, bruises all over my body said I definitely did!

And I almost killed that guy!

My hand started shaking, then both my hands were tremoring as I felt emotions flood over me with the force of a tsunami. 

All I had done was chop down, and the guy's bones shattered like they were paper mache! My hand nearly caved in his chest! I was within a hair of taking someone's life!