'Wait for it.'
'Wait.'
In a blur of motion, the small blonde child sitting closest to door leapt to his feet and out the door in near perfect harmony with the bell sounding throughout the building. He deftly sprinted down the halls, dodging other children emerging from their own classrooms. His backpack swung wildly in his wake by the one unbroken strap, battering the other children who had been so carefully avoided by the boy himself. Shouts and insults followed him, but the child neither slowed down or apologized.
Shoving the left most of a pair of doors open, the boy escaped into the outside world. Harsh lights were replaced by warm sunshine, and chipped tile floors gave way to concrete steps and sidewalks. His sneakers, brand-new and obvious quality contrasting with the worn nature of his jeans and t-shirt, barely seemed to touch the ground as the child sped toward his destination. Benches, trash cans, other pedestrians, even traffic were avoided with the same casual disregard shown to the children before.
Finally, the boy stopped at a small park near a downtown shopping plaza. Panting from his long run, he eagerly looked around the empty park. Shrugging his shoulders, he trotted over to the swings and sat in the closest one. The dirt rut worn into the grass below the swing had a shallow puddle in the middle.
Soon he was feeling the sensation of flying. The blonde let out little whoops of sheer joy as he soared higher and higher, and he delighted in skimming the tips of his sneakers across the water as he swung. “I can fly faster than you can, so you had better come peacefully,†he sternly told the imaginary super villain he was chasing.
“You're getting your new shoes wet,†a voice spoke up from behind.
“Mikey,†the boy cried, twisting as best he could to see the speaker. Dragging his feet in the mud every time he was near the ground, the boy quickly had the swing almost stopped. Hopping off the rubber seat, he scurried over to a dark-haired boy his same height. “I couldn't find you so I started swinging, do you want to go on the playground?â€
Mikey just looked at him with a frown on his face. The boy was surprised, last time they had played together Mikey had smiled and been nice the whole time. Looking down, he was horrified to discover his shoes were now covered in mud. “I- I'm sorry about the shoes, I'll clean them up as soon as I'm home,†he offered.
Mikey's face changed, and for a minute the blonde thought Mikey looked a lot like his Mom when she was angry, but his voice sounded sad when he spoke. “I'm not upset about the shoes, they are yours to ruin. I just thought since I bought them for you like you asked, you would be practicing what I showed you last week. You did say you wanted to learn how to fly, like your dad, right?â€
The boy's face brightened at that. “Don't worry, I practiced really hard all week so I could show you. I can definitely do it really good now, just like a superhero. I'll be flying around in no time,†the child bragged proudly. “Watch!â€
The blonde held his hands apart in front of his face, palms facing each other. Straining all of his muscles, even the ones in his legs and his face, the boy managed to create several thin blue streams of electrical energy between his hands. “Ha! Pretty awesome, huh?â€
Mikey carefully looked from the display before him to his watch, then back at the display. Nodding slowly, his face shifted to an exaggerated friendly smile. “Yes, that is very impressive for one your age. You are going to be quite powerful in the future.â€
“Oh yeah, you know it,†the blonde enthused. “I'm totally going to fight all the villains and kick their asses! Oops, don't tell my Mom I said that word, okay?†The boy looked embarrassed. “She would get very mad at me.â€
“Oh yes, your mother. You won't have to worry about her getting angry anymore. She's an old friend of mine, I'll speak to her tonight,†Mikey promised.
“You know my Mom? And you are her friend? Weird. Why don't you ever come over to play at my house?†The boy was looking confused.
“So many questions boy. I'll explain everything to you when we get to your home,†Mikey told him, patting the boy's shoulder.
“I don't want to go home right now though. We could play in the park like we did last week, and then maybe you could show me how to fly. I'm sure I could learn to do that just as fast I learned this lightning-thing.â€
The argument was interrupted by a shadow passing quickly over the boys. Craning his neck, the little blonde boy spotted a woman in a white cape descending slowly to the grass from the sky beside them. “Wow, a real super hero!â€
“Since I'm a girl, it is super heroine,†the dark-haired beauty corrected with a gentle smile, bending down a bit to not completely tower over the pair. “I was passing by and saw some strange lights so I decided to stop and investigate. Was it you making that energy appear?â€
“Yeah, it was me! Wow, it was so awesome you could see it all the way in the sky? Hey, could you teach me to how to fly, miss?â€
“My name is Dazzle.†The pretty woman winked at the blonde, causing him to blush. “What's your name? And where did you learn that great trick?â€
“Mikey showed me how to do it. Well, he couldn't do it himself but he showed me what to do and sure enough I can,†the boy pointed to his friend.
Dazzle turned to other boy who had remained silent since her arrival. “And what made you think he could it, Mikey?†She asked sweetly.
Mikey regarded the woman for a long moment with blank expression on his face. Dazzle tried smiling encouragingly, but the boy might have well been made of stone. “I think I should know what my own son is capable of,†he said finally.
Dazzle's eyes widened, but it was too late as the boy somehow transformed into a man and punched punched her in the face before she could react. The man followed up his initial blow with several other hard punches, connecting with all of them. Dazzle reeled back from the sudden onslaught and managed to cover her head with her arms, but a powerful kick to her stomach tossed her cleanly over the teeter-totters and onto the picnic lawn beyond. The man gave a short bark of laughter, then sprinted after her. Standing over the super heroine while she struggled to get her breath and stand up, he gave into his villainous instinct of monologuing.
“Wrong place, wrong time princess,†he snarled viciously. “I didn't mean to start wiping out the active hero population in Luna City until after I had my revenge. But, you need to die now. So, be a good girl and bleed when I hit you!â€
The blonde child had been forgotten during the one-sided battle, but he had followed the combatants despite his shock. He entered the fight now, screaming a wordless battle cry and hurling the surprised man across the park with a single, huge bolt of energy.
“Leave her alone Mikey,†he yelled, tears rolling down his cheeks.
Dazzle staggered to her feet, stumbled over to the child and scooped him up into her arms. Making sure he was secure, she kicked off the ground and flew low over the streets, weaving through the buildings to make it harder for anyone to pursue them. After two blocks, Dazzle risked a brief stop in the air. Shifting the sniffling boy to one side, she used the freed hand to press a button on the belt of her uniform. Securing her passenger tightly against her chest, she took off pell-mell through the city streets again.
It was only a few minutes later that a green-costumed man appeared from a side street, flying towards them at high speed. Dazzle slowed, turning to meet him. “Villain at the park next to the Friedswood Shopping Plaza,†she reported. “I was passing through the area and spotted some strange lights so I investigated.†She gestured towards the boy in her arms. “He was the source, the villain was disguised as another boy for the purpose of befriending him and training his powers. He got the jump on me but this boy blasted him off using his new lightning ability,†the heroine continued. “I took the chance to flee, taking the boy with me. One more thing, the villain claimed to be this boy's father.â€
The new arrival looked at the boy, then back at Dazzle before nodding. “Good work. Take the boy to the roof of that apartment building, Golden Eagle and Fledgling should be here in a few minutes. Have Fledgling take him back to base, then return to the park with Golden Eagle to search for any sign of the villain. The two of you will be more than a match for him if you find him, I don't expect him to have stuck around though.â€
“Got it. What will you be doing?†Dazzle asked.
“I'm headed to the boy's house to evacuate his mother,†the man simply said, as he turned and flew away leaving a confused pair behind.
Dazzle floated up to the roof. Her mind was racing as she tried to comprehend the events that had just taken place. On her way to do a little shopping she had run into a boy with special powers. And the boy was being trained to use his powers by a villain. And apparently Hammerblow already knew the boy's home address. If it made any sense, she couldn't see it. Landing on the roof, she attempted unsuccessfully to set the child down. He was still grasping her with all of his strength. Dazzle winced as she realized just how traumatic the fight and subsequent escape must have been for the kid.
“Hey now, you're safe here,†she reassured him. “You never told me your name, anyway.†The boy's only answer was to clutch at her even more tightly. The brunette went for a different tack. “Well, you certainly were brave to save me back there. A real super hero. So why don't I give you your hero name?†Wide blue eyes lifted to meet her gaze, and he managed a little nod.
“Great. I know that you are going to be the best super hero in Luna City, so you will need the best name. Let's see, since you have the power of lightning, how about the name Bolt?†Dazzle frowned, “No that isn't right. I know, how Thunderbolt.â€
“Thunderbolt,†the boy breathed. He grinned up at Dazzle in pride. “Yeah, I'm Thunderbolt.â€
Dazzle gave the boy her biggest smile. “Well Thunderbolt, what can you tell me about Mikey?â€
“Hmm. Well his name is Mikey. I just met him last week. His favorite games are tag and swings, those are my favorite as well. He bought me these shoes because he said I was so nice, and then he showed me how to make the lightning. I don't know why he turned into a man or hit you though,†he finished.
“That's okay, now is there anything else you can remember? Do you know why he called you his son?â€
The blonde just shrugged. “Nope. My dad was the Midnight Missile, he died when I was a baby. Mikey did say that he knew my Mom though. Hey, that green guy must know my Mom too since he knew the way to my house.â€
Dazzle bit her lip in contemplation. That explained the boy's power, but things still weren't adding up. The blonde had to be important somehow, but why would their be so much interest in the offspring of a low-level super hero. She had heard of the Midnight Missile, but other than being flight-capable nothing about him stood out from the crowd.
“What's wrong?â€
The child's question snapped her back to the present. She shouldn't be losing herself in thought while she had a duty to protect him.
“Nothing, I was just thinking,†she told him. The boy smiled up at her.
“Hey, now I'm a super hero I will always be there to save you,†he declared seriously. Then his expression turned sheepish. “Once you teach me how to fly,†he added.
Dazzle laughed lightly, and bent her head down to kiss the boy's forehead. The mysteries surrounding the boy could be solved later, for now he was safe and that was all that mattered.
Dazzle had been expecting an explanation from Hammerblow. It was obvious that he knew more about the situation than she did, and as her team's captain he was good about keeping his team informed. So when a civilian member of the support staff summoned Flight Team Two in it's entirety to an emergency meeting of Luna City Hero's Council, she was understandably surprised.
Golden Eagle, as the senior member of the team after Hammerblow, was the one to stand and respond. “What should we do with the boy?â€
The boy, who refused to give or answer to any name other than Thunderbolt, was curled up on a battered leather couch next to Dazzle sleeping. It had clearly been a long day for him, and Fledgling had taken it upon himself to try to teach the child how to fly while Dazzle and Golden Eagle carried out their search. By the time they had gotten back to base Thunderbolt had been so worn out from running around their ready room trying to fly that he had only the energy left to claim the spot next to Dazzle before sleeping.
The man just shrugged. “I dunno, all the message says is to have you guys report to the council chamber immediately. Just bring him I guess, I don't think anyone wants a kid wandering the base alone.â€
Golden Eagle nodded his agreement. “Fledgling, carry him.â€
“But he's so heavy, Dad. And I had to fly him all the way back to base already,†Fledgling complained.
Dazzle just sighed and gathered the boy up against her chest. “You need to spend more time in the weight room then,†she told the junior member of the team. The youth just reddened in embarrassment, whether because of her words or the fact a woman was carrying the load he had refused. Teenaged super heroes often let their machismo get the best of them, which was annoying most of the time but did present good opportunities for good old-fashioned ribbing.
The trek down the hallways was uneventful, and they were greeted by Hammerblow's matronly secretary in the waiting area. “Is this the boy? Of course he is, well set him down on this chair and I'll watch him while you lot go into the chamber. They are waiting for you,†she fussed. “Then to medical area for you Dazzle, you still need to get checked out.â€
Dazzle gently deposited her still sleeping cargo on indicated chair. “Thanks, Mary. His name is Thunderbolt,†she said with a fond grin. The boy looked very peaceful and innocent, she decided. "He is going to be someone special someday."
'Wait.'
In a blur of motion, the small blonde child sitting closest to door leapt to his feet and out the door in near perfect harmony with the bell sounding throughout the building. He deftly sprinted down the halls, dodging other children emerging from their own classrooms. His backpack swung wildly in his wake by the one unbroken strap, battering the other children who had been so carefully avoided by the boy himself. Shouts and insults followed him, but the child neither slowed down or apologized.
Shoving the left most of a pair of doors open, the boy escaped into the outside world. Harsh lights were replaced by warm sunshine, and chipped tile floors gave way to concrete steps and sidewalks. His sneakers, brand-new and obvious quality contrasting with the worn nature of his jeans and t-shirt, barely seemed to touch the ground as the child sped toward his destination. Benches, trash cans, other pedestrians, even traffic were avoided with the same casual disregard shown to the children before.
Finally, the boy stopped at a small park near a downtown shopping plaza. Panting from his long run, he eagerly looked around the empty park. Shrugging his shoulders, he trotted over to the swings and sat in the closest one. The dirt rut worn into the grass below the swing had a shallow puddle in the middle.
Soon he was feeling the sensation of flying. The blonde let out little whoops of sheer joy as he soared higher and higher, and he delighted in skimming the tips of his sneakers across the water as he swung. “I can fly faster than you can, so you had better come peacefully,†he sternly told the imaginary super villain he was chasing.
“You're getting your new shoes wet,†a voice spoke up from behind.
“Mikey,†the boy cried, twisting as best he could to see the speaker. Dragging his feet in the mud every time he was near the ground, the boy quickly had the swing almost stopped. Hopping off the rubber seat, he scurried over to a dark-haired boy his same height. “I couldn't find you so I started swinging, do you want to go on the playground?â€
Mikey just looked at him with a frown on his face. The boy was surprised, last time they had played together Mikey had smiled and been nice the whole time. Looking down, he was horrified to discover his shoes were now covered in mud. “I- I'm sorry about the shoes, I'll clean them up as soon as I'm home,†he offered.
Mikey's face changed, and for a minute the blonde thought Mikey looked a lot like his Mom when she was angry, but his voice sounded sad when he spoke. “I'm not upset about the shoes, they are yours to ruin. I just thought since I bought them for you like you asked, you would be practicing what I showed you last week. You did say you wanted to learn how to fly, like your dad, right?â€
The boy's face brightened at that. “Don't worry, I practiced really hard all week so I could show you. I can definitely do it really good now, just like a superhero. I'll be flying around in no time,†the child bragged proudly. “Watch!â€
The blonde held his hands apart in front of his face, palms facing each other. Straining all of his muscles, even the ones in his legs and his face, the boy managed to create several thin blue streams of electrical energy between his hands. “Ha! Pretty awesome, huh?â€
Mikey carefully looked from the display before him to his watch, then back at the display. Nodding slowly, his face shifted to an exaggerated friendly smile. “Yes, that is very impressive for one your age. You are going to be quite powerful in the future.â€
“Oh yeah, you know it,†the blonde enthused. “I'm totally going to fight all the villains and kick their asses! Oops, don't tell my Mom I said that word, okay?†The boy looked embarrassed. “She would get very mad at me.â€
“Oh yes, your mother. You won't have to worry about her getting angry anymore. She's an old friend of mine, I'll speak to her tonight,†Mikey promised.
“You know my Mom? And you are her friend? Weird. Why don't you ever come over to play at my house?†The boy was looking confused.
“So many questions boy. I'll explain everything to you when we get to your home,†Mikey told him, patting the boy's shoulder.
“I don't want to go home right now though. We could play in the park like we did last week, and then maybe you could show me how to fly. I'm sure I could learn to do that just as fast I learned this lightning-thing.â€
The argument was interrupted by a shadow passing quickly over the boys. Craning his neck, the little blonde boy spotted a woman in a white cape descending slowly to the grass from the sky beside them. “Wow, a real super hero!â€
“Since I'm a girl, it is super heroine,†the dark-haired beauty corrected with a gentle smile, bending down a bit to not completely tower over the pair. “I was passing by and saw some strange lights so I decided to stop and investigate. Was it you making that energy appear?â€
“Yeah, it was me! Wow, it was so awesome you could see it all the way in the sky? Hey, could you teach me to how to fly, miss?â€
“My name is Dazzle.†The pretty woman winked at the blonde, causing him to blush. “What's your name? And where did you learn that great trick?â€
“Mikey showed me how to do it. Well, he couldn't do it himself but he showed me what to do and sure enough I can,†the boy pointed to his friend.
Dazzle turned to other boy who had remained silent since her arrival. “And what made you think he could it, Mikey?†She asked sweetly.
Mikey regarded the woman for a long moment with blank expression on his face. Dazzle tried smiling encouragingly, but the boy might have well been made of stone. “I think I should know what my own son is capable of,†he said finally.
Dazzle's eyes widened, but it was too late as the boy somehow transformed into a man and punched punched her in the face before she could react. The man followed up his initial blow with several other hard punches, connecting with all of them. Dazzle reeled back from the sudden onslaught and managed to cover her head with her arms, but a powerful kick to her stomach tossed her cleanly over the teeter-totters and onto the picnic lawn beyond. The man gave a short bark of laughter, then sprinted after her. Standing over the super heroine while she struggled to get her breath and stand up, he gave into his villainous instinct of monologuing.
“Wrong place, wrong time princess,†he snarled viciously. “I didn't mean to start wiping out the active hero population in Luna City until after I had my revenge. But, you need to die now. So, be a good girl and bleed when I hit you!â€
The blonde child had been forgotten during the one-sided battle, but he had followed the combatants despite his shock. He entered the fight now, screaming a wordless battle cry and hurling the surprised man across the park with a single, huge bolt of energy.
“Leave her alone Mikey,†he yelled, tears rolling down his cheeks.
Dazzle staggered to her feet, stumbled over to the child and scooped him up into her arms. Making sure he was secure, she kicked off the ground and flew low over the streets, weaving through the buildings to make it harder for anyone to pursue them. After two blocks, Dazzle risked a brief stop in the air. Shifting the sniffling boy to one side, she used the freed hand to press a button on the belt of her uniform. Securing her passenger tightly against her chest, she took off pell-mell through the city streets again.
It was only a few minutes later that a green-costumed man appeared from a side street, flying towards them at high speed. Dazzle slowed, turning to meet him. “Villain at the park next to the Friedswood Shopping Plaza,†she reported. “I was passing through the area and spotted some strange lights so I investigated.†She gestured towards the boy in her arms. “He was the source, the villain was disguised as another boy for the purpose of befriending him and training his powers. He got the jump on me but this boy blasted him off using his new lightning ability,†the heroine continued. “I took the chance to flee, taking the boy with me. One more thing, the villain claimed to be this boy's father.â€
The new arrival looked at the boy, then back at Dazzle before nodding. “Good work. Take the boy to the roof of that apartment building, Golden Eagle and Fledgling should be here in a few minutes. Have Fledgling take him back to base, then return to the park with Golden Eagle to search for any sign of the villain. The two of you will be more than a match for him if you find him, I don't expect him to have stuck around though.â€
“Got it. What will you be doing?†Dazzle asked.
“I'm headed to the boy's house to evacuate his mother,†the man simply said, as he turned and flew away leaving a confused pair behind.
Dazzle floated up to the roof. Her mind was racing as she tried to comprehend the events that had just taken place. On her way to do a little shopping she had run into a boy with special powers. And the boy was being trained to use his powers by a villain. And apparently Hammerblow already knew the boy's home address. If it made any sense, she couldn't see it. Landing on the roof, she attempted unsuccessfully to set the child down. He was still grasping her with all of his strength. Dazzle winced as she realized just how traumatic the fight and subsequent escape must have been for the kid.
“Hey now, you're safe here,†she reassured him. “You never told me your name, anyway.†The boy's only answer was to clutch at her even more tightly. The brunette went for a different tack. “Well, you certainly were brave to save me back there. A real super hero. So why don't I give you your hero name?†Wide blue eyes lifted to meet her gaze, and he managed a little nod.
“Great. I know that you are going to be the best super hero in Luna City, so you will need the best name. Let's see, since you have the power of lightning, how about the name Bolt?†Dazzle frowned, “No that isn't right. I know, how Thunderbolt.â€
“Thunderbolt,†the boy breathed. He grinned up at Dazzle in pride. “Yeah, I'm Thunderbolt.â€
Dazzle gave the boy her biggest smile. “Well Thunderbolt, what can you tell me about Mikey?â€
“Hmm. Well his name is Mikey. I just met him last week. His favorite games are tag and swings, those are my favorite as well. He bought me these shoes because he said I was so nice, and then he showed me how to make the lightning. I don't know why he turned into a man or hit you though,†he finished.
“That's okay, now is there anything else you can remember? Do you know why he called you his son?â€
The blonde just shrugged. “Nope. My dad was the Midnight Missile, he died when I was a baby. Mikey did say that he knew my Mom though. Hey, that green guy must know my Mom too since he knew the way to my house.â€
Dazzle bit her lip in contemplation. That explained the boy's power, but things still weren't adding up. The blonde had to be important somehow, but why would their be so much interest in the offspring of a low-level super hero. She had heard of the Midnight Missile, but other than being flight-capable nothing about him stood out from the crowd.
“What's wrong?â€
The child's question snapped her back to the present. She shouldn't be losing herself in thought while she had a duty to protect him.
“Nothing, I was just thinking,†she told him. The boy smiled up at her.
“Hey, now I'm a super hero I will always be there to save you,†he declared seriously. Then his expression turned sheepish. “Once you teach me how to fly,†he added.
Dazzle laughed lightly, and bent her head down to kiss the boy's forehead. The mysteries surrounding the boy could be solved later, for now he was safe and that was all that mattered.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
Dazzle had been expecting an explanation from Hammerblow. It was obvious that he knew more about the situation than she did, and as her team's captain he was good about keeping his team informed. So when a civilian member of the support staff summoned Flight Team Two in it's entirety to an emergency meeting of Luna City Hero's Council, she was understandably surprised.
Golden Eagle, as the senior member of the team after Hammerblow, was the one to stand and respond. “What should we do with the boy?â€
The boy, who refused to give or answer to any name other than Thunderbolt, was curled up on a battered leather couch next to Dazzle sleeping. It had clearly been a long day for him, and Fledgling had taken it upon himself to try to teach the child how to fly while Dazzle and Golden Eagle carried out their search. By the time they had gotten back to base Thunderbolt had been so worn out from running around their ready room trying to fly that he had only the energy left to claim the spot next to Dazzle before sleeping.
The man just shrugged. “I dunno, all the message says is to have you guys report to the council chamber immediately. Just bring him I guess, I don't think anyone wants a kid wandering the base alone.â€
Golden Eagle nodded his agreement. “Fledgling, carry him.â€
“But he's so heavy, Dad. And I had to fly him all the way back to base already,†Fledgling complained.
Dazzle just sighed and gathered the boy up against her chest. “You need to spend more time in the weight room then,†she told the junior member of the team. The youth just reddened in embarrassment, whether because of her words or the fact a woman was carrying the load he had refused. Teenaged super heroes often let their machismo get the best of them, which was annoying most of the time but did present good opportunities for good old-fashioned ribbing.
The trek down the hallways was uneventful, and they were greeted by Hammerblow's matronly secretary in the waiting area. “Is this the boy? Of course he is, well set him down on this chair and I'll watch him while you lot go into the chamber. They are waiting for you,†she fussed. “Then to medical area for you Dazzle, you still need to get checked out.â€
Dazzle gently deposited her still sleeping cargo on indicated chair. “Thanks, Mary. His name is Thunderbolt,†she said with a fond grin. The boy looked very peaceful and innocent, she decided. "He is going to be someone special someday."