Up, Up, and Away!

Jerry drifted through the clouds, the cool morning breeze ruffling his already thinning hair, and fluttering his cape against his calves. An air pocket shook his body, almost causing him to drop his phone. He gripped it tighter, while trying to both text and maintain his speed and altitude.

Can you call me when you get a second?? he wrote.

Three dots danced below his message, before disappearing.

“God damn it, Grady, I know you’re there! Just answer!!” he said to the sky.

No movement, no reply - he was growing sick of chasing that prick up. Shit. What other options did he have?? He swiped through his contacts. Victor Holm – no, he wasn't answering either. Todd Knight – no, they fell out years ago now; in fact, Jerry wondered briefly why he still had his contact. He contemplated opening Airtasker, but wasn't ready to resort to that, not just yet. Frustrated, he tucked the phone into a pocket on his belt, and continued his flight.

Sadly, Jerry wasn’t flying anywhere in particular, there was no supervillain to thwart, no skyscraper-sized monster to subdue, no nuclear bombs wired to blow. Things were generally pretty quiet these days, more often than not he ended up assisting with the odd disaster recovery, or rescuing civilians from simple accidents, small-fry stuff. At this point he was hoping for something, anything. His belt pulsed.

Finally!

He pulled his phone back out, and groaned when he saw the name appearing on its screen. This was a call he had been ducking. Jesus. Urgh; nothing for it, he might as well get it over and done with. He slowly swiped to answer the call.

“Hi Neville.”

“Mr Boom, nice to finally touch base.”

“Yeah, sorry about that, it’s been a busy couple of weeks...”

“I do your accounts; we both know that’s a lie.”

“What is it, Neville?”

“It’s Tanya, she’s made her final settlement request.”

“Final? I bloody hope so...”

“Yes. She uh...she wants the entirety of the sale of the house.”

“I’m sorry, Nev, you’re going to have to repeat that. I’m flying at the moment so maybe we’ve got a bad connection or something...”

“She wants the whole house.”

“Is that all? Fuck, why don’t we just give her the clothes off my back and the breath in my lungs while we’re at it...”

“I know it seems like a lot, but since she’s unemployed...”

“...which is for her safety!”

“...be that as it may, she’s stated that the current market price it’ll fetch will be the bare minimum to keep bills paid and food on the table for her and your children.”

“The fuck are they eating?!”

“I know it’s not what you were hoping to hear, but the other option is a long, drawn-out road full of red tape, legal fees, and divorce court delays. If it were me, I’d take it. You can still make it back, in time.”

God damn it!

“Mister Boom?”

“Yeah, I’m here. Can I come by some time, and you walk me through everything?”

“Can you do 2pm tomorrow?”

“I’m not doing anything else; you know that!”

“I’ll see you then.”

“Right. Bye.”

He ended the call, tucking his phone away.

Where did it all go so wrong?! Tanya and he had experienced a whirlwind romance. They’d been so totally consumed with love for each other. She loved him for the good he did, he loved her for the good she carried in her soul. But love wasn’t enough. Not when he was the sole income earner in the household, and there was no work coming in.

‘Escalated’ crime had been at an all-time low. No evil-doers doing evil meant no generous cash rewards. Besides, he wasn’t going to lower himself to working a common, nine-to-five job; he was a superhero for fuck’s sake, his skin could repel blades and bullets, he could throw buses around like they were dog toys! He could do so much good for the world, the real crime would be squandering his potential doing menial labour, or worse, temping in an office.

But just because he had superpowers didn’t mean he was immune to the wild swings of the current economy, nor the pressures of being the head of a modern household. When the work started to dry up, Jerry’s solution was simply to fly around looking for some way to help someone, anyone who needed it. With money running low and him never home, he guessed he should have seen the divorce papers coming.

And the kids. Jesus. Marriages crumble, sure, but he couldn’t bring himself to think of how much he’d let them down.

Jerry distracted himself, racking his brain to think of the last true villain he faced off against. Brain Jacker? Doc Fatal? Those conflicts felt like years ago now. With half the world locked down and economies toppling left and right, now should have been the time for them to strike, while the world was vulnerable. Where had they all gone?

His belt pulsed again, and he checked his phone.

FINALLY!

He swiped the screen, his mood beginning to lighten.

“Grady! Good to hear from you! What have you got for me? A mad scientist, an emerging terrorist cell or something?”

“Jerry, hi. Look I’m afraid this isn’t going to be the call you were expecting...”

Jerry’s heart quickened, and he instinctively held his breath.

“Why?”

“I’m sorry, we’re...pulling your card.”

“WHAT?! Why?!”

“Your dues are in arrears by over ninety days at this point, and coupled with that there’s the recent social media dramas you’ve been involved in...”

“Grady, I already explained those to your girl in PR; I’ve been going through some issues at home, and that last time a couple of kids caught me in an off mood; it was just bad luck that they happened to be live-streaming it all! If anything, doesn’t it show that I’m relatable, just another flawed guy trying to do good?”

Grady sighed on his end of the call.

“One I could swat away like a fly, but people are noticing a pattern, Jerry. You’re a superhero, a role model for the entire planet; you’re supposed to embody the pinnacle of what ordinary people strive to be!”

“Yeah, but even ordinary people can relate to having bad days...”

“You called a group of girl guides ‘cunts’, Jerry. On camera...”

God damn it. He had done that, and he regretted it the second the word slipped out of his mouth. Still, he did it, and it was there on the internet for the whole planet to see.

“Look, on a personal note, I don’t enjoy this one bit. If it was up to me, we’d crisis manage the shit out of you, but as you know, times are tough. The board is looking to save every cent they can, and a red flag like this, no matter how relatively small or salvageable I explain that it is to them, they’re not willing to risk it. I’m sorry, mate.”

God damn it.

“So, what should I do?”

“My advice; keep your nose clean, settle your dues, and after some time has passed and everything has cooled down, the board might consider reinstating you.”

“How much time?”

“At this point...six months?”

“Six months?!”

“That’s just a guestimate. Could be shorter, but could be longer too. I...I’m sorry. Hey, listen, you want a quick workaround for the time being?”

“Yeah!”

“You should try one of the other unions, like Holm Incorporated, or Knight & Day.”

Jerry’s heart sank.

“Sure...good idea.”

“Give them a call. Keep your chin up, Jerry, I hope to see you back with us at Justice Authority sooner rather than later, bud. You take care.”

“Bye.”

Jerry tucked his phone away, and continued his flight. He looked down at the ground far below him, and realised he had no idea where he was. He continued to fly aimlessly. No wife, no work, and now no union protection. Could this day get any worse?!

“Mister Boom?”

Jerry almost fell out of the sky. He’d been so caught up in the sad drama of his personal life, he’d failed to notice the young woman flying alongside him. She wore a neck-to-toe purple suit with a grey half-cape, her shoulder length black hair blowing to the side, her face beaming with a smile, and her eyes sparkling behind a violet domino mask. He hoped she hadn't heard any of that...

“Uh...yeah?”

“Hi, I’m Glimmer!”

“Uh...hi.”

“I can’t believe it’s you!”

“Yeah, it’s me alright. Not too many of us flying around up here...”

“Oh, yeah...”

His comment seemed to knock a bit of the wind from her sails, and a small part of him felt bad. A bigger part of him was frustrated to find another Supe flying around this part of the world, a younger one, no less. He couldn’t remember hearing anything about her, so she must be new to the scene, as well. New, young, woman – as if he wasn’t already yesterday’s news.

“You know we actually met before, well, kinda. We did a selfie after you stopped that construction crane from crushing traffic on Pitt Street last year.”

That was a year ago? Jesus, it felt like three. There really hadn’t been anything going on for a while. She was looking at him, her expectant eyes melting beams of eagerness into his own.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah!”

“When did...this happen?”, he gestured to her ability to fly.

“The costume?”

“Yeah, no, well, the powers?”

“Ohhhh! A couple of months ago I got really sick. I thought it was just the spicy cough, but one morning I woke up, and I was floating against my bedroom ceiling! Took a bit of time to get it under control, but yeah...flight! I’m not gonna lie, it’s really cool!”

“Yeah, it's not bad. Any uh...other powers?”

She smiled so big that her mask slid up, obscuring her eyes for a second.

“Super strength...just like you!”

“Just like me, huh? Cool...”

How do you escape a conversation you don’t want to be in, when it’s literally just the two of you, and any direction you can fly off in, the other person can just shoot straight after you? Grady’s words echoed in his head, and he took a deep breath; he had to keep his nose clean, with everyone. She continued to make small talk.

“So, where are you headed? Is there something going on you could use a hand with?”

He shrugged.

“Nowhere in particular, just...on the lookout.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty quiet at the moment, huh? COVID is locking down crime too, right? If you spot anything, I uh...I could tag along and help, I mean, if that’s cool?”

Jerry tried to wrack his brain for a way to ditch this kid that was polite, and more importantly, quick. The two were usually mutually exclusive in his experience and to his misfortune.

Oh!

“You uh...got your card then?”

“My card?”

“Yeah, your union card.”

“What’s that?”

“Oh, you’ve gotta be in a union if you wanna be out here doing this. They do all sorts of things like coordinate jobs - well, when the jobs are there. They provide health insurance and worker’s compensation, depending on what kind of power set you have of course. And most importantly, they help cover legal costs and PR, which is crucial when there’s collateral damage involved in any event you intervene in.”

“Ohh...no, I don’t have a card.”

“Hmm, you really ought to join a union then, to protect yourself...so you can protect everyone else...”

Jerry stifled a chuckle; he felt ridiculous saying that, like he was some union rep shilling for the company. Glitter took his info dump in for a couple of seconds, before returning to her chipper smile.

“I’ll have to organise that when I get back home, thanks for the tip! In the meantime, would it be cool if I shadow you, just observe, learn the ropes kind of thing?”

Jerry slowed himself down to a hover, Glitter matching his speed.

“Listen, Glitter...”

“...Glimmer!”

“...Glimmer, right. Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m not looking for a hand, I am the hand. Thank you for the offer, but I’m just...waiting for an opportunity to help.”

The smile dropped from her face. Jerry looked away, feeling a slight queasiness; as much as his life was no bed of roses, and hadn’t been for some time, he hated letting people down, and worse, hated hurting their feelings. And he especially hated taking the light out of someone who was just trying to do some good. He turned back, ready for embarrassment or tears, but instead, the girl wore a look of irritation.

“No, you listen! I know what you’re doing, I know when someone’s trying to fob me off! I tried sugar for two reasons; to help you save face, and cuz my folks raised me to be polite. But if you’re gonna be stubborn and rude, then I’ll use spice...”

What the hell?!

“...I know how things have been for you lately, I have a phone, I’m on social media! On top of the lack of supervillains, you make a couple of public blunders, and now you’re staring down the barrel of the superhero equivalent of a ‘MeToo’ movement! I get it, you’re going through something, times are shitty. But you’re Sonic Boom! You’re supposed to be a good guy; you’re supposed to be THE good guy!”

“I am the good guy!”

“Well, fucken’ act like it! Not just because everyone’s watching, but because it’s the right thing to do, because it’s who you are! And you can start right now; stop trying to ditch me like I’m some wide-eyed fangirl, I’m flying up here, I’m a fellow Supe!”

Fuck. She was right. He’d dropped the ball, he’d let his personal circumstances overwhelm him, for the worse. He hadn’t decided to dedicate his time and energy to saving those in need just to inflate his ego, he had truly wanted to do good, to bring light to the world, and he’d faltered in that quest. He’d failed everyone, failed his family, and failed himself.

“I’m sorry.”

Maybe she could see what was going through his mind, or maybe she just took pity on him in that moment, but she softened some. Glimmer sighed.

“No, I’m sorry...”

“No, you’re...you’re right.”

“I’m sorry if what I said cut, but I stand by it. Look, when I saw you up here, I flew over because I genuinely want to learn from you, and if I could help you in any way, well, that would’ve been a bonus. I hadn’t planned on calling you out, but, yeah, you’ve got some ‘you’ work to do, and if me saying some things that makes you feel uncomfortable ultimately helps you, well then, I’ve done some good...”

For second there, it hadn’t felt like help, but deep inside Jerry knew she was saying what he needed to hear. Knew he had to reconcile the fact that despite all his strength and physical resilience, despite how extraordinary he may be, that underneath it all he was still human, still had feelings to resolve. And if he was to be a role model of any kind, yeah, he hadn’t dealt with those feeling appropriately.

“You’re right. I let the pressure get to me, and took it out on people who didn’t deserve it. I’ve got to do better. Thank you. I’m...not used to people helping me, certainly not like this.”

Glimmer smiled at him.

“Hey, even we need help sometimes!”

“I guess after so long holding the world on my shoulders, I expect that to be the case in every aspect of my life...”

“I get it, you’re strong as hell and basically unkillable! You wouldn’t expect something as common as a series of hard times to bring you down...”

“Are you a therapist, I mean, before all this, on the side or whatever?”

Glimmer chuckled.

“Hell no! I just have very loving and patient parents who have zero fucks to give when it comes to calling me on my bullshit.”

“Takes heroes to raise one, huh?”

“Yeah, I guess!”

He floated closer to Glimmer, extending his hand.

“I’m Jerry, by the way.”

“Rosa, nice to meet you!”

“Likewise.”

A beat of silence passed between them as the tension of the previous conversation began to fade. A thought occurred to Jerry.

“So...why ‘Glimmer’?”

The girl grinned at him.

“Watch!”

She drew her body parallel to the ground below them, and tensed her body for a second. She shot off into the distance, a shimmering, sparkling, glimmer of a trail left in her wake. She streaked back to his position, coming to a dead stop, positioning herself upright again, and pulling some stray strands of hair from her lips.

“I see...fitting choice.”

“Thanks!”

“So, are you still keen to learn the ropes? Who knows, maybe we’ll get lucky, and we can help an old lady cross the street together or something.”

“I’d love to, I actually have so many questions!”

“Well, let’s walk and talk!”

He gestured to the horizon, and they resumed their flight.

“Okay, so what’s the number one thing, like, the one thing you’d wished someone told you about being a supe that makes the whole thing easier, like the ultimate pro-tip?”

Jerry pointed at her suit.

“That thing got a zipper?”

“First thing I did; I pee like a racehorse at the best of times!”

“Then I’ve already taught you everything you need to know.”

They shared another laugh.

“That's pretty high up there. And for real, the union thing wasn’t entirely to blow you off, they are pretty helpful, just, be ready with your monthly dues. And you seem to be pretty in tune with the emotional side of your life, but yeah, when a supervillain can’t hurt you physically, that’s the first thing they try to exploit.”

“Makes sense.”

“Oh and get a really good weather app for your phone if you don’t already have one. Flying in a storm generally doesn’t hurt us, but it can be a pain in the arse. Oh, and get BirdCast too.”

“BirdCast?”

“Yeah, it forecasts bird migrations. You can usually see airplanes coming up here, but birds? You do not want to run into a flock of them at high speed, it gets messy, and you don’t want the knowledge of that taste...”

“Ewww! I’ll definitely check that out when I get home!”

“You don’t carry your phone?”

“I’m still working on a utility belt.”

“Make that a priority too.”

“Will do!”

Jerry felt a warmth growing in his chest. He almost didn’t recognise the sensation for a second there, but he felt...good? He continued.

“You know what, maybe you’re onto something...”

“How do you mean?”

“This, teaching you the ropes. Maybe I can fully train you up. I mean, not that it’s ever been an option, but I’ve never had a sidekick...”

He grinned at Glimmer, and she rolled her eyes.

“Fuck off!”

They shared a chuckle. Glimmer looked around below them both.

“So there really is nothing major going on, huh?”

Jerry sighed.

“Yeah. When I’ve fought super villains in the past, I dreamed for days like this, but now they’re here...well, I didn’t consider what that’d mean for me...”

“Oh yeah, I get it. I mean, I get my powers, and yeah, its mad; I’m helping people from burning buildings and rescuing kittens from trees and all that wholesome shit, but where the fuck are the bad guys?! I’ve got all this strength, all this power, and nothing to truly test it on!”

“You’re preaching to the choir there. I’m holding out hope that something will happen. I mean, not that I want people to get hurt or robbed or anything like that!”

“Of course not!”

A loud roar filled the air around them, and a giant green military airplane flashed over their heads. One of its wings trailed thick, black smoke, and shortly after it passed them, two small fighter jets pursued it, machine guns blasting. Jerry grinned at Glimmer.

“Ready to do some good?”

“Fucken’ A!”

© Paul Martyn, 2023