By Jake Tyson
Late again, late again.
Andrew Ashton rushed from his parents’ two-story, cookie-cutter home, his Converse sneakers scuffing the sidewalk. He struggled to hoist his backpack on, and the straps slid against the nylon of his bomber jacket. He frowned. Everything was harder since the accident that had taken half his left arm. Before, it had been easy to carry all the books, turn pages, even be on time.
After the accident, nothing was the same. He’d missed a couple weeks of school, just sitting at home, and while he appreciated it, it hadn’t really helped. Even seeing the outbreak of new superhumans all over social media hadn’t helped his mood. That said, there had been one trade-off—the accident had given him a gift, just like those people in the news. Not that he was going to tell anyone except Dad about it. Too… Well, too weird.
But his lack of motivation had led to being late for the third time this week. And it was only Wednesday.
If the bus left before he got to the corner, Dad would have to drive him again. As patient as his father had been, he had to be getting tired of Andrew making him late for work.
So Andrew ran as fast as his legs would carry him, though he felt awkward without two arms balancing his stride. He might earn the ridicule of his classmates on the bus, but so be it.
Spotting a flash of yellow at the end of the block, he grinned and redoubled his pace. He’d be there in no time!
But after two more strides, the bus pulled away.
No, no, no! Andrew threw out the stump of his left arm. He’d never tried this on something as big as the bus before, but if it worked on smaller things, it should work on anything. He reached out mentally and imagined the bus slowing to a crawl. His head throbbed with the effort, but he ignored it and kept running.
The bus slowed, caught in a lag in time. He couldn’t help the grin which made his cheeks hurt, and a surge of self-confidence helped him run faster. This was even better than when he’d practiced on his hamster and his dog while recuperating.
The bus trundled along like a film in slow motion. Andrew rushed up to the bus’s door and released his time grip on it. Andrew pounded on the door, and the driver jerked the vehicle to a halt. The door swung open.
“Careful, kid!” he chided. “I could’ve run you down.”
“Yeah. Sorry.”
Andrew stepped into the bus, dropped into the seat next to Jill, and shrugged his backpack onto the floor in front of him.
“Hi, Andrew.” Jill smiled. “Cutting it kinda close, don’t you think?”
“Yeah…” Andrew chuckled. “It’s cool, though.”
“At least you made it today.”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
The bus was halfway to school when it jolted to a stop. Several students murmured. Andrew looked around for the source of the disturbance—maybe just an unexpected red light. But they were nowhere near an intersection, so he half-rose from his seat to get a better view. The driver turned to address them—
Crack-crack-crack.
Students screamed as gunshots pierced the glass door, dropping the driver on the spot. Something ripped the doors open, and two masked men stormed into the bus wielding AK-47s.
“We’re looking for Senator Weston’s daughter!”
Jill! No way. You picked the wrong bus, pal. Andrew twitched his left arm, as he always did when using his powers, and imagined both gunmen slowing down to a snail’s pace. The man who’d spoken swiveled his gun toward Andrew—
But the gun crept along, turning like a stuck wheel.
“Hey!” the other assailant shouted. “Who’s doing that?”
Andrew clenched his right hand. Harder to slow two targets at once. He shifted some of his focus to the second target, and although both men now slowed, distributing his power lessened its effect. The first gunman’s weapon began to track faster. In seconds, it would be targeting Andrew.
Something sheared through the back of the bus, tearing straight through the aisle to slam into the gunmen and carry them out through the front windshield. Andrew slumped back in his seat and gasped. Sweat beaded on his forehead. That had been way too close. Edging out of his seat, he rushed out of the bus to see what had happened.
In the middle of the street, a man in a bright red jumpsuit and blue cape and boots stood over the gunmen. The middle of his chest was emblazoned with an emblem of blue bird wings, and his cape billowed behind him. The man turned to Andrew and grinned.
“No way.” Andrew stepped toward him. “Captain Condor?”
“What you did in there was very impressive.” The Captain rested a hand on Andrew’s left shoulder. “You saved your classmates’ lives.”
“Th-thank you, sir. How’d you know we were in trouble?”
“I didn’t. I was actually coming to find you.” Captain Condor tightened his grip. “Your father contacted me about your powers. I’m putting together a team of heroes to be the U.S. government’s public face of superhumans, and I want you on it.”
“Wait, you’re… You’re serious?”
“Absolutely.”
Andrew looked back at his classmates, who had cautiously come out of the bus to investigate. He turned back to Captain Condor and grinned.
“When do I start?”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Great job, Jake; definitely looking forward to your book!
Very well written. Only thing is I wish it was longer.
Amazing job!
Wow this was exciting and really fun to read!!
That was wonderfully written! I am so excited to read more from this universe; it’s absolutely intriguing!!! Keep up the good work!
Thank you all for reading and commenting! So glad to hear you all enjoyed it!
This is great! Loved the story. :)
Who’s here in 2025?