Flashthunder

Flashthunder had stayed behind after the game to gather up the spare Flashballs, principally because he was terrified of going into the changing-room where the other Mini-Flashes were. Not that he knew for absolute certain that they knew about the plans for tonight that only he and Cherry were supposed to know about, but Mini-Flash Frill had raised her little eyebrows in a most decided way while observing aloud he had his lucky red pants on. That incident alone was more than enough to fill Flashthunder with dread at the prospect of well-intentioned but horrid ribaldry in the sonic showers followed by weeks of attendant emotional anguish. Volunteering for Flashball collection duty seemed mild by comparison, even though being the only Mini-Flash in a deserted gymnasium frightened Flashthunder quite badly too.

He scooped up the next nearest ball, then paused to pensively bounce it a couple of times. The booms of the smooth-skinned yellow sphere rebounding from the court echoed in that huge hollow space. Before long the tension was nigh-on unbearable, so Flashthunder mustered up such courage as he had and went for broke. Drawing in a breath so deep it lifted his tunic-skirt by the shoulder-straps, he heaved the ball up hard to bump it against his tiny chest and as prettily as could be shot it for the target. It missed by about a light-year.

Flashthunder sighed. He and his friends had helped saved Planet Earth as Neetra Neetkins’s now-legendary interim Flash Club, ushering in an age of peace for their own sector into the bargain. For reasons besides this he personally had become some kind of unlikely hero for male Mini-Flashes and other boys everywhere, what with his rumoured romantic attachment to Neetra herself and then publicly dating the celebrated singer-starlet Cherry. All of which considered, you’d have thought he’d be a bit better at doing things.

“Thanks,” Flashthunder said absent-mindedly to Flashshadow, as she handed him back the ball. A half-second after that he noticed she was there, and with a yell of alarm jerked away from her to stumble and fall. Possibly a little good fortune was imparted to the floor when Flashthunder’s lucky red ones came crashing to rest against it.

Flashshadow, being intangible, was ill-equipped to help him up again. So instead she tucked her small gossamer self into a dainty kneel and joined her fellow Mini-Flash, murmuring something apologetic as she did so.

“It’s alright!” Flashthunder retorted pettishly. “Everything does.”

It was obvious Flashshadow had something important to talk to him about, because as long as Flashthunder was looking at her he hardly had to concentrate at all to register her presence. Under his gaze the glimmering girl slid a hand inside the dusky secretive folds of her tunic, and then in confidential manner held out what she took from there for him to see.

It was a glinting sapphire dome, hemispherical with a solid flat base, and around this rim ran an ornate gold edging tooled to resemble licks of fire. Flashthunder could not have known it was a scale model of the Daylight Jewel, a vehicle Neetra Neetkins had piloted during the latter half of her stay in the year 2596.

“It’s…sensational,” was for these two reasons the best response he could offer. “Is it a new snowglobe for your collection?”

Flashshadow handed him the model with indistinct invitations that seemed to be about getting to know it better. Therefore Flashthunder, too terrified to decline, limply shook it about and examined it a little before passing it back to her.

“If it’s a snowglobe, I think the manufacturers left out quite a few of the important bits,” he concluded. “And if it’s some kind of communicator, which is more what it looks like, then it doesn’t work. Maybe you should take it back where you got it, and get them to fix it.”

To explain why this would not be possible, Flashshadow sketched in the barest details as to whom she had received the model from. On hearing this, and although his youth and prettiness remained all that they were, Flashthunder seemed nevertheless to age twenty years.

“Well,” he proclaimed portentously. “I might have known. Him. He’s just at the bottom of everything these days, isn’t he?”

Flashthunder scrambled to his feet and began vigorously beating court-dust from his luckiest garments, as though determined the bottom of one thing at least should be free of taint. Meanwhile Flashshadow gave no indication whatsoever that she was about to comment, but Flashthunder didn’t let this get in the way of summarily cutting her off.

“I’m not saying it because of Neetra, so don’t even start,” he commanded, giving himself one last indignant bang with both palms. “It’s just like the second gender to assume everything’s got to have something to do with that. You know perfectly well, you and Flashtease, that we’re not supposed to go to his meetings or associate with him. Don’t bother telling me there’s been no direct order. We’ve been advised not to, Flashshadow. Advised.” He shook his head in disbelief and woe. “I just hope, Flashshadow, I really do, that the pair of you are never as terrified of disregarding advice as I am. As it is, I can see I’ll just have to be the one who’s terrified for you both. Looks like I’ll be crying myself to sleep yet again, thinking about the trouble you and Flashtease are doubtless letting yourselves in for…”

Flashshadow, kneeling quiet where she was, asked a question in an innocent voice.

“Of course I’ll have time,” Flashthunder replied distractedly, “there’s always time to – ”

Then he stopped at once and scowled down on her. If she’d been easier to see, Flashthunder would have confirmed his suspicions she was trying hard not to giggle.

Folding his arms he tossed his head, so that his silken dark brown hair leapt about. “You are the second Mini-Flash today, Flashshadow, to make beastly insinuations of that nature,” he informed her. “I should like to know what you’re all basing your assumptions upon.”

The answer that came back was conciliatory and supportive. However, as a means of calming Flashthunder down, it fell short of success.

“I do not!” he protested in his querulous little voice, stamping his foot as hard as he dared. “I’ll have you know I seem every bit as terrified today as I usually do. No less so, believe me, but certainly no more so either!”

Flashshadow couldn’t help hinting to him kindly that it would have been fine all the same if he were, and of the reason why. Her team-mate’s response was slow and superb.

“I have not the faintest idea what sort of ‘big step’ you are referring to,” said he. “Especially since, for as much as you or anyone else knows, I don’t even have any particular plans for tonight. So, shall we perhaps drop this subject?”

Duly Flashthunder received every reassurance from Flashshadow that she would be happy to do so, and that any misunderstandings on her part were sorely regretted. It was easy to make such words sound convincing when your smiles were invisible to the naked eye. For by now the entire Mini-Flash community knew all about Flashthunder’s plans for tonight, and Flashshadow, who played in Cherry’s band, had in fact known before he did.

NEXT: 'ONE BIG STEP'