Trainee Superhero (Book Three) (10 page)

“We have a massive energy surge in your
area,” says my radio, and then the transmission begins to crackle
and die.

I race to a hole in the roof as a ball of
flames bursts from a cloud and flies down to the school. It’s
Dark Fire
. I knew he wasn’t as dead as the Super Corps
claimed, but I’m still surprised to see him here. His flames simmer
back and die out, and he hovers in the air over the field. I don’t
know why I bother being so careful if other superheroes are going
to do as they like, but that’s life. I must admit that I’m curious
to meet the legendary
Dark Fire
, so I fly down to join him,
lifting my cloaking field as I go.

He’s shorter than I expected; his suit is as
wide as he is tall.

“I thought I might find you here. Good
hunting?” he asks.

I shrug.

“Your team does important work, and I heard
you are the best of them.”

I nod; I know all this, but I’m surprised
someone like
Dark Fire
was paying any attention to the less
glamorous side of superheroing.

“So… I heard you have been working alone for
some time now. Do you prefer it?”

I give him another of my trademark shrugs;
working alone is not really a choice. My past partners have lacked
the patience to stalk for days on end, and lacked the precision to
make a kill in silence.

I notice the hint of a silvery shape in the
air beside
Dark Fire
, a faint outline of what might be a
human. I’m not in the mood for games, so I draw my gun and point it
at the shape. I don’t shoot, but I consider it.

“Ah,” says
Dark Fire
in surprise, “I
should have known you would see through his cloaking. I want you to
meet someone. This is
Free Man
.”

The outline grows strong, thickens, and
becomes a man in a suit. He isn’t wearing the heavy armor that some
superheroes generally prefer. If anything, his suit looks lighter
than mine. He has two long knives at his side and a huge sniper
rifle slung over his back. His helmet is off and I can see that one
of his eyes is a cybernetic replacement. I can tell he’s seen
action. He looks at me and nods in greeting, but he says
nothing.

I like that in a person.

“He’s good enough in a fight,” says
Dark
Fire
, “but he’s a far better hunter than a brawler. I thought
he would be better suited to your type of work than mine. What do
you think?”

I shrug.

Dark Fire
waits for me to say
something, but I don’t. Silence is a hard habit to break. He sighs
and a flame appears in his hand.

“No-one likes working alone,” he says to the
flame, “you just have to find people you can trust. Give him a try,
and if it doesn’t work out we have a thirty–day returns policy, no
questions asked. Okay?”

I nod. I could use the help, and I can always
go back to working alone.

“Good. I can tell that you two anti-social
heroes have a lot in common, so I’m sure you’ll get on just fine.
Also, I think there is a cat who wants a word with you.”

Dark Fire
pulls down his visor and
leaps into the air. He flies fast, and I quickly lose track of him
in the sky. I turn to see the cat from the attic. I pick it up and
it purrs. Looks like I’m making all kinds of new friends today. I
turn to my new partner.

“They call me
Quiet Killer
,” I
say.

Next time
in ‘Trainee Superhero’…

Pet Shark
goes missing, saucers appear
on the moon,
Talented Brat
builds himself a superhero suit,
the
Elite Guard
take credit for stopping the titans and
Small Talk
tells a joke!

Saving the world has never come with so
little reward!

If you are enjoying this series, please tell
your friends about it or tell the whole world by leaving a review…
it would really make my day! You can also email me at c.h.aalberry
(at) gmail.com and let me know what you think of my work. If you
send me the name and a short back story for an original superhero
serving with the
Cerberus Brawlers
, I’ll try to include it
in the next part I write.

About
the Author

C.H. Aalberry drinks too much coffee. By
buying this book you are enabling him, and he thanks you for it. He
has also written a few books you might like:

‘
The Origami Dragon And Other Tales
’,
a collection of thirteen sci-fi and fantasy short stories.

‘
200 Shorter Stories
’ a collection of
punchy (very) short stories in every genre.

‘
Zo And The Impossible Gardens
’ for
younger readers and lovers of sci-fi mysteries.

‘
Wish: An Epic Adventure of Magic and
Mayhem!
’ for younger readers and lovers of Fantasy

Lesson Eleven: Proper Preparation And
Planning Prevents Pathetic Performance

Lesson Twelve: No Risk, No
Reward

Lesson Thirteen: These Are Not Fair
Fights…

Lesson Fourteen: …So Have A Plan
For When Everything Goes Wrong

Lesson Fifteen: Don’t Get Over
Confident, Because There Is Always More To Learn

Backstory Three

Next Time In
‘
Trainee Suphero
’…

About The Author