Hero by Day

Chapter 8 - Captain Destructible

"No matter how many times you save the world, it always manages to get back in jeopardy again. Sometimes I just want it to stay saved! You know, just for a little bit?

~ Bob Parr (Mr. Incredible)

"I didn't think you'd show up, Lightbulb." Delinquent chided, sitting on the edge of the AC facility.

It was now dark out and Daniel was still out protecting the city from crime. I told him I wanted the night off for homework, but in reality, I wanted to see Delinquent again.

She quickly dissolved into a cloud of purple smoke before reappearing, only a couple of inches from my face.

"Hello."

She blushed and backed away a couple steps, "Sorry about that. I'm still learning, you know?"

I nodded, knowing how hard it must've been without someone to help her. "I understand. I probably short circuited my whole neighborhood a couple times before Captain Impossible trained me. Super powers can be a bit hard to control at first, you know?"

"Yeah." She said. "I accidently teleported in on my neighbors a couple times when I was first getting used to this power. Thank god they didn't notice."

I chuckled. We had a lot more in common than you would think, Delinquent and I.

"Wait, so how long have you had your powers anyways? I mean - if you're still getting used to them?" I questioned, actually curious.

She shied away, getting defensive again.

"Hey, you don't really have to tell me if you don't want to. I was just curious." I assured her, knowing how quickly she would assume the worst.

"Well, I've probably had them for about three months now. I only just realized what they were a month or two ago. Closing your eyes and then finding yourself in a totally new place when you open them again is quite a scary feeling, especially when it makes you think that you're crazy and your parents . . . well, let's just say they aren't exactly approving of things that aren't in the 'norm'."

I wondered for a moment whether her parents knew about her powers, but surely if they did they would be supportive of it, no matter if they didn't like super powers. I couldn't imagine any parent hating their child for something they couldn't control - and something that most certainly wasn't immoral or wrong.

"Well, do you know how you got your powers at least?" I asked.

She crossed her arms and popped out her hip, "I could ask the same of you."

"Well, I'm pretty easy. Electromagnetic powers, where else would I get them? I was struck by lightning whilst holding a lamppost when I was younger. The doctors were surprised that I survived, thank god they didn't really look into my DNA too much. If they had found out that I was given powers by that lightning strike, who knows what sort of government intervention would've been instituted."

In fact, I knew exactly which branch of government would've taken me away. They wouldn't have dissected me or anything, but rather train me much like Daniel did, just for a different outcome.

MASKED (Monitoring of Abnormal, Strange, or Kaleidoscopic Events Department) was the branch of government dedicated to all super related incidents. They also aided our military with technology they borrowed from smart supers and the supers that were 'not from around here.' Calico was still technically a MASKED agent, even if her identity and her origins of how she became a super were now known to the world. She was kind of like the Black Widow of the League of Legends group, except for the fact that she, you know, was part feline.