by Adam Graham
Powerhouse said, “About planting the bomb. Doesn’t seem very heroic.”
“I was bluffing.” Justice Woman waved and smirked at him. “Try to keep up.” She took off at highway speed.
Powerhouse laughed and kept pace. “I can go faster than this.”
“Let’s not risk it with your friend.”
“Hadn’t thought of that.”
After about four minutes, a cave-in occurred in front of them.
Justice Woman scowled. “Bel’s feeling sensible sooner than I thought.”
Half a dozen armed robots stormed the tunnel from side tunnels..
Justice Woman said, “My gun will fire a bullet that disintegrates robots.”
She fired the high tech shot, and the robots disintegrated.
Powerhouse whistled. “Wow, that six-shooter is amazing! It did what I can only accomplish with my superimagination.”
“Let’s get past the cave-in with another magic bullet.” She took a step back and fired at the blocked tunnel.
A beam of light came out of the bullet and the rocks disintegrated.
They dashed up the path for several more minutes until they reached the cavern entrance.
A twenty-foot-tall robot armed with lasers emerged from over a hill. It said in Bel’s voice, “You will not escape here alive.”
Powerhouse visualized his rocket pack coming on. His head throbbed. The old superimagination still wasn’t working.
Justice Woman glared at Robo-Bel. “With my whip, I’ll grab your legs and knock you over, damaging internal movement circuitry.”
She hit the whip around the robot’s toe and tugged until it fell to the ground. The giant robot lay on the ground like a giant turtle, firing energy beams into the air as it wiggled its limbs.
“This way.” Justice Woman pointed.
They ran about a mile ahead.
Tongue Walker soldiers surrounded them with rifles drawn.
One said, “Surrender.”
Justice Woman fired into the air. “This bullet changes my enemies’ guns to play dough.”
She ran around the tongue walkers at super speed. The guards collapsed one by one.
Need to stop drooling like a fanboy and help my new partner—later. Powerhouse clapped and whistled. “Wow! Your bullets work like my superimagination.”
“Let’s get to clearing.” Blushing, she reached into one of her gun belt’s pouches, put two pieces of doll house furniture on the ground, and pressed the top of it. “That’ll cause it to grow to full size.”
The toys turned into an actual desk and office chair.
“My super—”
Justice Woman glared. “So I have a special gun and stuff that grows. Not everything’s about your superpowers.”
“Sorry.” Powerhouse slouched. Always had to be careful not to say the wrong thing with women, especially super-powered ones. “What are we going to do? Take a memo?”
“This is an interdimensional ship.”
Powerhouse laughed. “That’s funny.”
“Stop fooling around, Day, uh, Powerhouse, and get on the desk!”
Why was she acting like she was his mother? Powerhouse narrowed his eyes. “What did you just start to call me?”
“Something rude, sorry. Get on the desk.”
Powerhouse sat on the desk and held Overseer while Justice Woman sat in the office chair. He stared at Overseer’s sleeping face. “We have to get him to a hospital.”
“This won’t take long.” Justice Woman opened one of the desk drawers and pushed a few buttons.
A force field appeared around the ship.
A tongue-walker ran up and threw a knife. It bounced harmlessly off.
Powerhouse laughed. “Ha!”
The desk flew up into the sky and into space.
At the jostling, Overseer stirred and peered in every direction. “Amazing! Was this here all the time?”
“Yeah.”
The Overseer shook his head. “All I ever saw was dirt and rocks.”
“That’s all King Bel wanted you to see.”
The desk-ship lurched forward into a cascading tunnel full of colors.
Overseer said, “This is strong. No, it’s superior. No, it’s . . .”
“Beautiful,” Justice Woman said.
“Really?” Overseer blinked. “I don’t know that word, but it sounds like how this looks.”
The vortex of colors disappeared, and they were in an office. The desk-ship floated in mid-air.
On the floor, a man was tied up with a loose gag around his neck.
Powerhouse blinked. “Hey, I remember this nut. He claimed to be an interdimensional warlord.”
“He is,” Justice Woman said, waving. “Powerhouse, meet Varlock the Warlord. We should have no trouble getting information from this tool.”
Varlock snapped his eyes open and waggled his tongue at them. “I’m not as stupid as I act.”
“Noted.” Justice Woman giggled. “We have questions, and I intend to get answers.” She pressed a button and the desk’s force field deactivated.
Powerhouse jumped off the desk with his overseer in tow while Justice Woman climbed down.
Varlock yawned. “I have one answer for you. August fourteenth.”
That sounded like a dangerous verbal code. Powerhouse grabbed Justice Woman and imagined his force field activated.
The ship behind them exploded, destroying the room and everything in it except for the bottom of the chair and the desk drawer, which flew through the air and cut the ropes of the alien warlord.
A force field surrounded Powerhouse, Justice Woman, and the Overseer as they hurtled out.
Yes, the superimagination is back! Powerhouse mentally fixed his jet pack and turned it on.
The overseer gasped. “You can fly!”
“And so can I!” Varlock shouted as he rode the seat of the office chair like it was an airborne horse. It fired mini-missiles at the good guys.
Powerhouse fired an energy cannon beam at Varlock, and the shield surrounding the warlord deactivated.
Varlock was pressing a button. “All out of missiles.”
Powerhouse said, “Surrender, Varlock!”
“Never. You’re going to let me leave. You don’t have anything on me. I’m very careful and have left not a trace of evidence.”
Powerhouse glanced at the exploded crater where Varlock’s office used to be “I’m sure they can find some evidence.”
“Your secret identity will come out at a trial, and the whole world will know the truth.” He smirked at Justice Woman. “And I know about you, too.”
“What’s he’s talking about?” Powerhouse asked her.
“None of your business,” Justice Woman snapped, flushed.
Varlock sneered. “You can’t risk me being tried, you won’t lock me up forever, and you won’t kill me. You don’t know what to do now that you’ve caught me. You’re Wild E. Coyote, and I’m the Road Runner. Meep! Meep!”
This guy deserved membership in LAME. Powerhouse groaned. “Aren’t the interdimensional controls in the desk drawer?”
Justice Woman nodded. “Yeah.”
Powerhouse said, “Varlock, another jurisdiction would like to speak to you. Your people helped King Bel steal their planet and send them to a pocket dimension. They’ve learned the difference between justice and vengeance and I’d like to test them with you.”
Powerhouse imagined Varlock in an orange jail outfit with a letter on the front of his outfit.
Varlock stared at the letter. “Sincerely Lord Powerhouse?”
“It’s a long story. Maybe they’ll give you leniency if you help them use your desk to reclaim their home world.”
“I will never betray King Bel! June Sixth!”
The drawer exploded, sending a shockwave that battered the force field and consumed the desk chair, the drawer, and most of Varlock’s body.
“Villains.” Powerhouse sighed and glanced at the Overseer. He’d almost forgotten in
the midst of battle. “I have to get you to the hospital.”
“Not even the Rainbow Men could save me.” Overseer screamed in pain.
Justice Woman knit her brows as she hovered beside Powerhouse. “The trip between dimensions didn’t help.”
Oops. Powerhouse shook his head. “I’m sorry.”
Overseer wheezed. “Do not be. You taught me so much. I thought you were a fool. Sorry I hurt you. Sorry I’ll never be worthy to be one of the Lord’s immortal lieutenants.”
“Just ask him. I’m sure he’d be glad to have you.”
“But I’m not a hero like you.”
“The heroes on God’s team are all former captives to Perdition. Ask him for what you need. The Savior can hear you.”
Overseer smiled at Powerhouse like a sleepy little boy. “Savior, thank you for freeing this slave from my masters on Perdition. Please take me to where the real immortals live and teach me to be worthy of a name.”
Why was Overseer looking at him so funny? “Everyone has a name. You can have a name right now.” He’d once called the guy Sadist, but that wasn’t very nice. “How about Sid?”
“Sid. My name is Sid.” Overseer beamed up at someone only he could see. “Guess what? I have a name! It’s Sid!”
His body went limp in Powerhouse’s arms.
Chest aching, he placed the oversized, fatherless child on the ground and wept. He’d made a friend a few minutes ago only to lose him.
He wiped his face. “Justice Woman, I’ve got to get him to Powerhouse Squad headquarters until I can arrange proper burial.”
Why did he feel alone? He glanced around. She was gone, but had left a type-written note on a light pole.
The note read, “Found Naomi and left to go send her home. She should get there before you do.”
He carried Sid in his arms and soared up into the sky. He stared at Seattle and cringed at the charred buildings, the burned parks, the ripped apart roads.
“Good thing I’ve memorized how this place should look.” Powerhouse superimagined the city all back to normal. “There, much better.”
He gulped. The greatest losses of the disaster, he could do nothing to restore. “Hopefully, not too many people died.”
Naomi lay on the couch, groaning. Even with superpowers, she wasn’t built for traveling back and forth between dimensions in less than two hours.
She stared at the bucket she’d washed out. Her stomach rolled and she dry-heaved.
The door yanked open.
Dave raced inside and pulled her tight, almost crushing her against his chest. “Thank God you’re home. I’ve missed you so much!”
Naomi wept. “Dave, you’re back.”
He kissed her full on the lips, holding her close to him for minutes.
Finally, he pushed away and stared in her eyes.
She looked back at him.
“I’m sorry,” they said in unison and added, “No, I am.”
Dave had a disconcerted frown. “How about we talk one at a time?”
“Can we sit down?”
They walked in and plopped on the leather couch.
Dave stared into her eyes. “Look, I’m sorry I let things get so out of control. I feel awful. I should have been there for you, but I got so on-task I forgot you.”
Naomi shook her head. “I was going through a mid-life crisis.”
“Honey, you’re way too young for that.”
Naomi laughed. “Now that’s why I love you.”
Dave hung his head. “It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t been so preoccupied.”
“No, I should have—”
“If you won’t hog all the fault, then I won’t either.” Dave kissed her cheek. “I’ve got to make a call.” He pulled the Powerhouse cell phone and dialed a phone number. “Mr. Delaney, I enjoyed working for you, but I won’t be back. I can do many things, but I can only do a few things well, and I’ve got to focus on what God wants me to do rather than what everyone else says.”
He cocked his head a moment. “Okay, but just one more comic book idea. You ought to find that Justice Woman and see if you can get her signed up. Man, she was awesome, throwing pepper spray in the eyes of an alien Cyclops! And I saw some of the news footage before I got in, and she threw an exploding tank at a giant monster. That was so cool!”
Naomi grinned. Her husband’s voice had taken on the enthusiasm of a Justice Woman fanboy. She giggled. He was her fanboy.
“Okay, Delaney, I’ll Skype Miss Invisible about it in a few minutes. Thanks.” He hung up and glance at Naomi. “Honey, I’m sorry for not being a corporate executive any more. I know you’ll think I lack ambition, but I just couldn’t keep it up.”
Naomi raised her eyebrows. “Are you trying to claim you did the whole comic book executive thing just to make me happy?”
“No, but the best part of it was you being proud of me for once.”
A knife twisted in her gut. Naomi cried on Dave’s shoulder. “Honey, I’m sorry, I know how that feels. As a child, I was never enough for my father. I hate having made you feel like that, too, while trying to get my life to measure up. I’m trying to quit this foolishness of living to please dead abusers.”
“Not sure I understood what you just said.”
“Honey, as a girl, I vowed not to marry the successful, highly paid, highly educated, morally perfect husband my parents wanted. Slowly, I slipped back into living to please them. That included trying to change you into a husband they’d approve of. What really makes me happy is you being the husband I’d wanted: sweet, funny, humble, supportive, respectful, and attentive.”
Dave squeezed her tight. “You deserve someone to be proud of.”
“I couldn’t be prouder.”
Dave pulled her into a deep kiss.
She pulled back, shaking her head. “First, I need to tell you what I was doing while I was missing.”
“Could talking about it make one of us unhappy?”
Naomi bit her lip. “Probably.”
Dave crisscrossed his hands. “Whatever you did, I don’t want to hear about it. I don’t hold anything against you or blame you. I’ve been through the most horrible days of my life. All I want to do right now is love you.”
“Thanks.” Naomi smiled. That was easy. Though hopefully he didn’t imagine something worse than what actually happened.
Dave touched her hand. “I’ll call Captain France and see if we can get into his Paris penthouse. If we leave now, we can still get seven nights and six days in before the kids get back.”
Naomi smiled but then frowned. “First we’ve got to bury your friend, then you have to make an appearance for everyone in Seattle.”
“How did you know I had a friend to bury?”
Naomi swallowed. “You are on the news all the time.”
Dave laughed. “Oh, duh. Well, why do I need to make an appearance?”
“Thousands of people were praying for you all over the city and you should thank them.”
“Wow, that must be why I made it through that whole ordeal in another dimension. It was all God. I really felt closer to the Lord than I ever have in my entire life. He strengthened me so I could do what was right, even though it wasn’t easy.”
“What happened?”
Dave grimaced. “Later, maybe after we’ve had a couple days to relax. Can you get a venue for tonight? Then we can leave in the morning.”
“We’re not in football season and the Sounders are out of town, so CenturyLink Field should be available.”
“Make the arrangements. I’ll call Miss Invisible as Powerhouse.” Dave ran out of the living room toward the basement stairs.
“Why are you calling her?” Naomi shouted after him.
“To make sure she’s not contorting herself in a way that could snap her spinal column.”
Smiling, Naomi shook her head. That’s my Dave.
He returned as she was getting off the phone with the CenturyLink field people. “Yes!” Dave pumped his fist. “Mi
ss Invisible got her own superhero team, the Awesome Women. They’re all women and they’re all awesome!”
Naomi giggled. “Do I know any of her teammates?”
“One was Farrow’s ex-girlfriend. You remember Kelli Michaels?”
“The reporter you got to turn a life of honesty.”
“Yeah. I’d thought Kelli was Justice Woman, but it turns out she’s the Episode. Who is Justice Woman anyway?”
“If she wanted you to know, she would have told you.”
“Oh, well, the other Awesome Woman we know is Pastor Leticia. She’s the Lady Crusader. Turns out she’s related to the original Crusader, and she’s taking over his ministry and superhero stuff in Philadelphia. I don’t know their three teammates, but they’ve all got terrific posture! They stand like normal people, at least that’s what they were doing on the Skype video.”
Naomi blinked before grinning. She might never understand how his mind worked, but it was great to be puzzled by him again. She rubbed the back of her neck. “We have CenturyLink Field starting at seven o’ clock tonight.”
The door slammed open.
Zolgron ran in the living room and fell at Dave’s feet. “Forgive me for not protecting you from the villains who preyed on your feeble mind.”
Dave glanced between Naomi and their chef, his brows knit. “Should I forgive him or be insulted?”
Zolgron bowed lower. “Forgive please.”
“Whatever it takes to get you to stop that and get up.”
Zolgron rose and stood tall. “Where were you?”
“I was in another dimension. Uh, Zolgron, I have the spaceship cloaked overhead. It has the remains of two interdimensional aliens on board. One was my friend Sid, and the other is what’s left of one called Varlock. Could you go and like do science stuff with them?”
“You mean do an alien autopsy? Certainly, but I should go prepare you a dessert first.”
Dave glowered. “Go buy some ice cream.”
Zolgron reared back. “Why would I buy pre-made ice cream? If you’re in the mood for a frozen desert, let me whip something up for you and your wife. It is very difficult for me in space. In space, no one can hear you cook.”
“How about you do that after the autopsy?”