Hero's Call

Chapter Eighteen

Milo awoke the next morning to the sharp stab of a cane being jammed into his ribs.

"Get up, ya lazy bum," Captain Amazing's voice ordered him.

Milo, being a true teenager when it comes to sleep, tried brushing off the cane and rolling over to go back to bed. That, of course, only elicited more jabbing and a few more derogatory terms sent his way that he ignored. It was only when Captain Amazing yanked back the covers and smacked Milo on the exposed skin of his thigh with the cane that the young man acknowledged his great-grandfather.

"Ow, great-grandpa," Milo exclaimed. "What was that for?"

"Oh that didn't hurt, ya sissy," Captain Amazing said, holding up his cane to examine the dent in the metal. "Except maybe for the cane."

Milo looked at the clock. It read just after five in the morning.

"What are you doing here so early?" Milo demanded.

"You've got training today," explained Captain Amazing.

Milo grumbled. "We're not supposed to start training until noon. It's five in the morning."

Captain Amazing shrugged. "Couldn't sleep. Too excited," he said, as if that made it all okay. "Now get up. I've got your mom making us a good breakfast. We've got our own training to do before the An'Fari gets to work on you. I'll meet you downstairs after you've gotten dressed."

Captain Amazing wobbled out of the room and left Milo alone. Knowing full well that he wouldn't be left alone to go back to bed, Milo got out of bed and walked to the bathroom to relieve himself and take a shower. His mind immediately jumped back to the night before and Cali. He wasn't the only one dealing with an active Hero Gene. He didn't have to face it alone. He had a friend by his side. Cali was the brains after all. Milo knew he'd be better off with Calliope by his side.

Cali wasn't being terribly enthusiastic about the whole situation, however. Milo and Bill may have been excited about Milo's new abilities, but Cali seemed scared, almost terrified, of having her life turned upside down and amazing new abilities thrust upon her. There was something else there, Milo knew, something Cali wasn't telling them. The three of them had always been close enough to tell everything to, and Milo knew neither Bill nor Cali had ever kept anything from him or each other. It was a bizarre feeling knowing that one of his best friends was keeping something from him. He knew he couldn't focus on it, though. He was a Hero now. Milo would have much bigger problems once he was trained up than whether or not Cali was giving him full disclosure. She'd tell him when she was ready or she'd keep it to herself forever. It was her decision.

Milo went back to his room after showering and got dressed. He had no idea what his great-grandfather or Acolyte Seven had in store for him, so he put on a pair of track pants and a plain white t-shirt. He figured it would be the best thing for a workout. If, that is, a workout was what he was about to receive. Some of Captain Amazing's stories of his own adventures suddenly came rushing to mind. Some push up and a quick jog didn't seem like they'd do much good against an army of robots bent on human domination. Would there be a robot to fight? Would they be shooting lasers at him or smashing a car over his head? He shook off the thought of perilous training and grabbed a pair of running shoes from the bottom of the closet. With the shoes in hand, Milo hopped down the stairs and walked to the kitchen.

His mother and Captain Amazing were sitting at the kitchen table. Captain Amazing had just finished a joke or amusing anecdote because Milo's mother was giggling like a school girl. Milo didn't often see his mother like that. She loved Captain Amazing and loved hearing his stories of the old days just like Milo did. Milo suspected that was part of the reason Captain Amazing had loved Milo's mother so much; she was always a more than willing audience.