Just For One Day

9

     Two weeks went by, fairly uneventfully. Meteor and I foiled some dastardly plans, fought some criminals, stopped a mugging, and I considered buying new tires for my bike but never did it. If boredom was a super power, I'd have a new gimmick.

     I sat at my computer desk, working on a article about tardigrades. A cup of coffee sat next to my keyboard, mostly drunk and slowly developing a film on top. It was pretty slow going: there was too much to talk about in too little allowed space, and I just couldn't figure out the best way to edit it without losing important information.

     I looked out the window at the skyline. The setting sun cast an iridescent orange light onto the scenery, making the city glow like a neon bulb. I watched the sun set, transfixed, as my writer's block hung over me like a raincloud with a weight problem. Sometimes working as a writer sucks.

     My cellphone vibrated loudly on my desk, startling me before beginning to blare a little classical movement. I enjoyed it for a moment before reaching over to pick it up and place it to my ear.

     "Hey Doug," I said conversationally.

     "Quickdraw, I told you to call me Meteor when we're on the job!" Doug complained on the other end of the line.

     I scratched my nose absently. "Are we on the job?"

     "Yes; haven't you been watching the news?" He sounded perplexed. Doug frequently couldn't understand why I didn't look for crime as religiously as he did.

     "No, I've been working all day. You know, for my job?"

     "Yeah, yeah," he said hurriedly. "Look, the bank at the corner of Elm and Thirty-sixth is being robbed as we speak. Time's a-wastin', partner!" he sounded like a kid in a candy store. I heard a beep as he hung up.

     Doug - er, Meteor, was mostly a man of few words, unless of course he was delivering one of his famous motivational speeches, but what he lacked in verbosity he made up for in action.

     I sighed, saved the document on my computer, and was dressed and on the street in ten seconds. I was feeling a little slow. I didn't necessarily lack enthusiasm; it's just that whatever amount I had paled in comparison to Meteor's child-like glee at the thought of beating up bad guys.

     The sun had ducked behind the buildings when I arrived at the bank, and the street lamps illuminated the police barricade and crowd of bystanders outside the entrance. I loitered around the corner of a nearby building while I waited for Meteor. It looked bad to arrive before your partner, even if you are super fast.

     I hummed tunelessly while I waited. About five minutes went by and then Meteor rounded the corner, breathing heavily.

     "Ready?" I asked, only slightly sarcastically.

     He held up a finger, holding his side with a hand. Another minute passed, and then he nodded.

     "Ok," he said. "Let's go."

     We headed to the police barricade and located the officer in charge. I always insisted that it was important to know what was going on before we just charged in, much to Meteor's chagrin.

     "What appears to be the situation?" Meteor asked loudly.

     The commanding officer, Captain Torres, turned around when she heard him. She crossed her arms and sighed.

     "I was kind of hoping you guys wouldn't show up," she said.

     "We're just trying to do our job, Captain," said Meteor righteously. "The same as you are."