Chapter 16: Moving On
Six Months Later
I’m not the most serious person in the world. There I admit it, never really thought that I had to with all the jokes I’m always making. But saying it is really sobering sometimes, you know?
“ED! I NEED HELP IN HERE!”
Life’s never been easy for me. It was hard enough dealing with losing my parents when I was a kid, it just got even worse when I met the love of my life freshman year of college.
“Coming Jane!”
Can you imagine me, just getting over my teenage hormones, meeting the most gorgeous girl I’d ever met? It took me a month to get up the nerve to even say hi to her…even then she said it first.
“It’s your turn, I need a break,” She says tiredly, holding the wailing bundle out to me.
“You got it, take as much time as you need.”
Jane gives me a sleepy kiss and shuffles out to our bedroom. I don’t think she’s had more than four hours of sleep. As carefully as I can, I sit down in the chair next to the crib and rock gently as the crying slowly transforms into gentle breathing.
“Yeah, there you go,” I whisper. “You know, I loved your mom from the first time I saw her. I loved you the moment your mom told me about you.”
She doesn’t answer, but slowly starts to close her eyes.
So what if alien debris rains down on the city. So what if I can’t breathe air anymore. So what if I was used in corporate espionage, got stabbed in the back, and then almost killed by an invisible mercenary. She’s made all of this worthwhile.
“My little Tracy.”
I smile, and then, thinking that she’s out for the count, I put her in her crib.
“Alright, Turner,” I say to myself when I step into the living room. “You’ve got another hour of baby watch ahead of you and you don’t want to sleep. What to do?”
My eyes drift to my bedroom door and I feel a familiar rush go through me.
“Perfect.”
A Quick Costume Change Later…
I know I look like an idiot posing in front of the mirror but I don’t care.
Ever since Tracy was born I haven’t been out of the house for more than a minute, so that means superheroing has been reduced to making a few rounds around the Broad River whenever Jane’s on Tracy Duty. Which also means that my new suit’s barely seen any action.
After I saved him from Malcolm (said invisible mercenary), Mr. Dobbs had a new suit worked up as a gift of gratitude. I accepted it and he accepted my letter of resignation from his service. Like I tried to tell him before, accountants, superpowered as some can be, don’t make good bodyguards.
“But we do make excellent superheroes.” And total nerds.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
“Speaking of which,” I chuckle, pulling the small Response communicator from my suit’s pocket. I answer, “You’ve reached the communicator of the Deep Sea Devil, Diver. Please leave a message at the-“
“ED!” A voice booms at me, almost breaking my ear drum. “We need help out here, major bad guy stuff is going down!”
“Freight, look, I just got Tracy to sleep-“
“You put your baby to sleep in a super suit?” Freight Train asks, chuckling a little bit while I hear the obvious sound of explosions in the background.
Crap, he’s got me there, I think. “Dude, come on. This thing looks too good not to wear it everywhere.”
“We’re going to need you for a good-“ I hear Freight Train yell out to the obvious battle, “-Hey! How long do you think this is going to last!?”
Silence, save for more background explosions. Freight Train comes back, “I’m thinking this will only last for a good thirty minutes, Ed, promise.”
I take the communicator away from my ear, look at it, then to the Tracy’s bedroom, which is still completely silent. She’s definitely out for the night, right?
Crap, Jane’s going to kill me. “Alright, Freight, I’m on my way.”
As silently as I possibly can, I go out through the backdoor and sprint to the river, my ears already picking up the sounds of battle in the city.
Yep, I’m so dead. I dive into the water and swim off to the city.
Epilogue
The freighter slides silently across the water like a ghost. Had it not been for its dark, impressive size, not a soul would have been able to notice the ship.
The deck is silent, with most of the crew resting silently beneath the metal hull. A man stands silently watching from the front of the freighter as the glowing coast line grows nearer and nearer. A smile crosses his bearded face.
“Indigo City,” he says in his rich, English accent. “Are you ready for what comes next?”
Log in to comment