Tales of the Parodyverse

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Spaztic Chyld who is apparently going to be busy with school once again!
Wed Jan 03, 2007 at 11:14:05 pm EST
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"The Reluctant Superhero -- PART X" --- See you next quarter!!!
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PART X

Jacob lay in bed wondering what was taking Jayson so long. It’d been over an hour ago that he had left to go check up on where and how he could get in contact with his parents. The room they’d given him was the equivalent of a captain’s quarters aboard an old World War II cargo ship that was “sometimes used for just such occasions,” Jayson had told him.

“I bet no one’s been here under my conditions,” he mumbled to himself. He got out of the bed and went to the door. Opening it a little, he peered outside. The guard placed outside for his protection noticed him and jumped up immediately.

“Anything I can get you?” he asked. Jacob wasn’t sure if he was asking because he had to or because he was seriously concerned about his situation. Jacob decided to see what his guard knew.

“My friend, the one who brought me here…” Jacob could see the man working up a preemptive answer, but spoke louder as the man tried to speak, “He’s been gone for some time now. Could you either tell me when he’s going to be back or how I might get in contact with him?”

“I’m sorry sir, but I don’t have that information,” came his reply. If the guard knew anything, it wasn’t showing in his face. Jacob nodded and went back into his room, closing the door behind him. He walked to the porthole and tried to open it, but it was welded shut. The glass had been replaced with steel, who knows how long ago, and Jacob was beginning to get claustrophobic. Just as Jacob was going to make one more attempt at the door, it opened and in came Jayson followed by a stern-looking general in full dress.

“Where’ve you been, and who is this?” Jacob asked his friend.

“This is General Ebsky, he’s one of the few people who can help you out Jacob.”

“Help me out?” Jacob half asked. “I have to go through a general in order to contact my family now?”

“Son,” General Ebsky broke in, “I’m not here to help you contact your family.” Jacob looked at Jayson, suddenly a little wary of the situation. “I’m here to help you help your family and your country.” Jacob’s eyes slowly went back to the general.

“My family and my country?” Jacob looked back at Jayson who was smiling now, that same admiring look that had crossed his eyes the day that he had first seen Jacob fly was there again and Jacob didn’t like where this was heading. “What does my country have to do with my family being safe?” he asked somewhat confrontationally.

The general stepped forward and put his arm around Jacob’s shoulders. The mere touch made his skin crawl. He felt like he was being oogled like a newfound plaything that someone couldn’t wait to get out of its wrapper. “Jacob, was it?” Jacob nodded and looked at Jayson who still had that look in his eyes. “Jacob, if you can do what your friend here tells us you can do, then you and your family are both in extreme danger.” Fear shot through him. “Do you realize what people would do if they found out you and your ‘powers’ existed? Why, they’d come here from all over just to try and capture you to see what makes you work.” The general turned back to face him. “And from what I’ve learned in my briefing, there are at least three individuals who do know about your abilities, and they are playing hard-ball son.”

Jacob hadn’t realized what the implications of his narrow escape earlier would be, but now he was beginning to see the facts, and it scared him a little. “With my help, we can keep this under wraps. But, we’re going to need a little something in return.” General Ebsky smiled an almost devilish smile.

“Something…” he asked warily, “and by that you mean…” Jacob led them on, looking from the general to Jayson and back again.

“Jacob,” Jayson broke in, the childhood smile now gone, “all that they want for now is to see a demonstration…” he hesitated, “of what you can do.” Jacob wasn’t surprised by the ‘now’ in that statement. But, if it meant his and his parents’ freedom and protection, he was willing to go along for the moment.

“All right,” Jacob said, rising off of the floor ‘til his head nearly touched the top of the cabin. General Ebsky stepped back a little and Jayson was smiling once again. “Is this good enough?” he asked, as he circled the general and then landed without a sound.

“Incredible,” mumbled General Ebsky. “But, we are in need of ‘controlled’ observation.” He walked around Jacob as if trying to find the wires in an illusionist’s performance. Jacob wasn’t naïve enough to believe that this little demonstration would satisfy the government’s curiosity, but he knew it’d give him a little something.

“So… can I speak to my family now, or…”

“Oh, yes, yes,” the general said, motioning to Jayson, who pulled out a phone and began dialing. When he was finished, Jayson handed the phone to Jacob.

“Hello?” came his father’s voice.

“Dad! It’s me, Jacob. Are you all right?” he asked in a hurry.

“Jacob? Are you okay? What’s going on? Why did Damon show up on our doorstep and rush us out of our home?” Jacob was torn up inside, but also somewhat distant in mind from his feelings, as it was all still like his worst nightmare coming to life. His father’s questions bounced off of his mind a little, but he tried to answer as best as he could.

“Dad, everything’s going to be all right. Are you and Mom okay?”

“Yes, she’s right here with me; wherever ‘here’ is. They won’t tell us what’s going on. Damon just told us something about you and Jayson being in trouble.”

Jacob’s Mom must have grabbed the phone, because her voice was talking over his Dad’s, “Honey, are you involved in drugs again?”

“He’s not doing drugs, Nancy. Damon said something about spy stuff, remember?” His father must have taken the phone back, because his voice was louder again. “Son, whatever it is, you can tell us. We’re apparently not going anywhere anyway.”

“Dad… it’s a bit complicated, but I need to tell you something that I should have told you a long time ago…”


* * *

There was a long silence after Jacob got through explaining the weird happenings in his life to his father. “Dad… Hello?”

“Are you sure you’re not involved with drugs? ‘Cause right now that’d be a lot easier to swallow than what you just told me.”

“What? What did he say?” he heard his mother asking in the background.

“The boy says he can fly.”

“See! I told you he was on crack! That’s one of the symptoms you know! They start thinking they can fly and next thing you know they’re a blood stain on the pavement! Jacob!” His mother must have taken the phone from his father, because she was once again the loudest voice. “Jacob! We understand that you’re having a rough time with your… habits and all, but let me tell you this: We are here for you and we can help. Just as soon as these drug…” Jacob’s mother stopped short, as if interrupted. “What was that Damon?” There was a gasp in the background and Jacob heard the phone drop.

“Mom? … Mom?” he called. Then he heard someone pick up the phone.

“Jacob?” It was Damon, Jayson’s father. “Sorry about that, but your mother just fainted.”

“Why?”

“We showed her the footage that we just recorded of you flying a minute ago for your visitor.”

Jacob looked around the room and noticed that there were cameras in every corner of the cabin. Feeling a bit nervous, he pressed for more information, “Where’s my dad?”

“He just left with your mother to go to the infirmary. They’ll be just fine.” Jacob wasn’t so sure of that. Something in the tone of this man’s voice set him on guard. “Listen, just do as General Ebsky asks, and we’ll make sure your parents are taken well care of.”

The phone went dead and Jacob looked away from his bed and realized that more people had joined them in his little cabin since the beginning of his phone call.





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