Jesse reached back into the backpack and grabbed another tool, hiding it in the palm of his hand.
“So what are the limitations on this thing? Does it do anything for me?” Jesse asked. “Like, I can stop time and all, but does it make me invincible or anything?”
“Isn’t it enough? You can be virtually a god among men. No one can hurt you—why would you need invincibility?”
“Just wondering. Thanks—I think I’ll be checking out now,” Jesse said. He opened his hand and clicked open the box cutter. With a swift movement that Ross was unable to stop, Jesse sliced open his wrist and watched as the blood poured from his arteries. Within seconds, Jesse already felt drained.
“What are you doing?!” Ross screamed, advancing towards Jesse.
“I’m putting a stop to this. Let me guess—my blood isn’t all that is required. It’s me—my heartbeat. As long as I live, the time dilation will continue,” Jesse said, slumping to the pavement, already weak from the blood loss.
Defeat flashed across Ross’ face. Just for a moment, though.
“You think you can beat me in death? You’ll be gone and your life will have been just as worthless as the miserable people you hope to protect. Meanwhile, I’ll still be here. I’ll find someone else—someone like me,” Ross said.
“Maybe you will,” Jesse said. “Maybe…”
His thoughts were fragmented. He thought he had planned it all so well. Jesse had just killed himself, saving the world, but no one would ever know. There was nothing to stop Geiger Counter from resuming his “hero” lifestyle when Jesse was gone. The Universal Hero would have no idea what had happened until it was all over.
“You won’t get away…” Jesse started to say, but never finished his sentence. As much as he wanted to be the hero, he couldn’t even get his last words out.
++++++++
Jesse would have thought he was in heaven, except for one thing.
The Universal Hero was standing over him, slapping his cheek. There was no way God would do that to him after he’d just saved the entire world.
He wasn’t lying in the middle of the street anymore; instead, he was in what appeared to be a doctor’s office. At second glance, Jesse was able to glean from his surroundings he was in Phyllis’ office. He should have known Larry would bring him here as soon as the time dilation field was down.
Phyllis had laid a warm, wet cloth on Jesse’s wrist—the very wrist he’d cut a few minutes earlier. Looking down, he could see the wetness wasn’t from water, it was blood. He was still bleeding, but Phyllis had slowed the bleeding considerably.
Jesse had thought he would never again see Larry’s face and he groaned inwardly, both at the pain from his wrist and his boss slapping his face.
“Wha…what happened?”
Larry smiled, flashing that big goofy grin Jesse had learned to detest. In a strange way, though, Jesse was relieved to see it once again. Phyllis took the opportunity to get some supplies from the next room, leaving Jesse and Larry alone.
“I saw it all, Jesse. I couldn’t move, but my brain—my super brain—somehow sped up to match the new, faster, time. Perhaps eventually my body would have matched my brain. Who knows? But, I saw you and what you did to save the world,” Larry said.
“What about Geiger Counter?” Jesse managed through the haze.
“He tried to play it off like he was as mystified as I was. As soon as the time bubble collapsed, I ran over to you and found Geiger Counter crouched over you. He said he found you like that, but he didn’t know I’d seen the whole thing unfold,” Larry reported.
“What’d you do? What happened to him?” Jesse ventured.
“I didn’t do much. I figured he likes radiation so much, he could get his fill in space,” Larry said, stretching and flexing his arms. “That personal force field will keep him alive long enough to suffocate in orbit around this planet, don’t you think?”
Jesse laughed and then immediately regretted it. As much as Larry had been a jerk over the years, he was Jesse’s jerk. Jesse winced and closed his eyes.
“Listen, Jesse,” Larry said. “I know I’m not always the best hero to sidekick for…”
Jesse tried to interject, but Larry held up his hand.
“No, I need to do this,” Larry said, taking a deep breath. “The strange mystical forces which govern who do and do not get powers picked the wrong person. I’m not the best person on Earth. I don’t know that I could have done what you did today. Had Geiger Counter presented me with the same opportunity, I really don’t think I could’ve made the same choice you did. To sacrifice your life, with no guarantee it would actually work? That took guts.”
Jesse didn’t know what to say. He had never seen this side of Larry before. He might not ever again and he wanted to savor every moment.
“I need you, Jesse. I had a lot of time to think about things as I watched you single-handedly save the world. You were more than willing to give up everything. You would have given up your powers…your life, to save everyone. I don’t know if I could have done that. With you as an example, I think I can do better. I can be better,” Larry said, looking out the window. Jesse knew this was difficult for Larry to say and would have been more than happy if his boss had stopped there.
But then Larry shifted his eyes to Jesse and made eye contact as he continued.
“So, I wanted to apologize. I can’t promise I’ll never be a jerk again in the future, but I can tell you right now that I know you are the better man than me. I may have superpowers, but you may have the greatest power of all—your humanity,” Larry said. “I wouldn’t have blamed you at all if you’d taken Ross’ deal. I’m glad to know you’re on our side.”
It was the most sincere thing Larry had said in years, and it appeared to have zapped all the energy out of him. He stood up and turned to go.
“Look, take all the time you need to recuperate,” Larry said on his way out. “By the way, I saved you something. Maybe someday we can figure out a way to get you the powers you deserve. The right way.”
Larry walked to the next room and Jesse heard muffled voices between Larry and Phyllis behind the door. Jesse glanced to his right. Sitting on the nightstand was the time dilation device. The components were all still in place, including the vial of blood. The only difference was that the small digital screen was dark.
The device was dead. Once his heart stopped beating, the device must’ve stopped as well.
Part of Jesse hoped Larry was right—that one day he would get his own powers. But another part of Jesse knew that his life would be just fine if he never had that much power at his fingertips. Perhaps that was what he was there for: to make sure the superheroes could keep grounded and retain just a touch of their humanity.
Jesse allowed himself to smile and then drifted off to sleep.
Note from the Author
What does it take to be a hero? Is it some unknowable supernatural force, or could it be something else? A willingness to fight against the odds, a resolve to hang in there when the odds are stacked, or perhaps a simple desire to do and be more than you can be?
My wife and I welcomed home a four-year-old boy from a developing country in Africa just a few months ago. In the days and weeks that have followed, we have become quite familiar with hospital rooms. Our son has Sickle Cell Anemia – a very treatable, but ultimately incurable disease. In each of those visits, we’ve seen peeks of heroism out of our little boy as she struggles and fights against his own blood. But, we’ve also witnessed the seemingly superhuman abilities of nurses and doctors in hospitals both in this country as well as overseas. We’ve already made meaningful connections at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis and are grateful for all that they have done for us and our boy.
In “To Sacrifice A King,” I wanted to give a shout-out to the forgotten members of the superhero stories – sidekicks. In the end, Jesse gets to be the hero he always wanted to be, just not how he expected. I hope you enjoyed this story and
all the others in this collection.
Reviews can really make a book and I would encourage you at the end of this one to leave us a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or wherever the inspiration strikes. Feel free to get in contact with any of the authors – we all would be more than happy to talk to a faithful reader.
The proceeds from this collection go towards the heroes at Riley Hospital and the difference they make in the lives of children and their families each and every day. You simply buying this book helps, but they would certainly welcome more than that. There are so many real heroes out there and we need to recognize them where they are.
The Powers That Be: A Superhero Collection Page 19
