by Darren Sloan
"Okay. You found me. You know who I am. What's next?"
"What do you mean?"
"Is this a shakedown? You going to blackmail me or something?"
"Oh. No. No. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to give that impression. I just wanted to meet you. For real."
"Seriously?"
"Look," Trevor began. "What you did for me this morning was about the nicest, bravest thing anyone has done for me since I started going to that school."
"I don't know about brave. I mean, I have a significant advantage over a high school bully."
"True, but so do the teachers at that school and they didn't do anything. I've reported incidents over and over but all I'd get was the same generic promise that something would be done, but nothing ever changed. Correction. Something did change. The bullying got worse over time." Jason kept looking over to Tyler for some kind of hint as to how to handle the situation, but Tyler seemed to be as dumbfounded as Jason.
"Look, I'm sorry to hear that and I meant what I said. If you need any help, just call. I just don't know if it's such a great idea you knowing who I really am or where I live."
"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone."
"I'm glad to hear that, but even just knowing could put you in a risky position. Why did you do this?"
"I used to have a lot of friends, but after I came out the people I thought I could trust disappeared. I guess I just thought maybe you could be someone I could talk to." Jason considered his words and then turned once more to Tyler.
"Could you excuse us a moment?" Jason said as he grabbed Tyler by his arm and dragged him to the kitchen. "Okay. Advise."
"Advise what?"
"What do I do about this? The kid knows who I am and where I live."
"He's just looking for some help. He's alone and just needs a little guidance. It could be a rare opportunity."
"I want to help him, but is it really my place? Shouldn't he talk to his parents or something?"
"Maybe he's not ready to talk to his parents."
"But he's ready to unload on a total stranger?"
"You know it's sometimes easier to talk to a stranger than someone who really knows you."
"I guess. Well, what should I do now?" There was a knock at the door and Tyler's face lit up.
"That'll be the pizza. I guess we have enough for three, don't we?"
"Fine," Jason said. "Hey, Trevor! You hungry?"
Tyler received the pizza and set it out on the coffee table with Trevor while Jason changed into some proper clothes. He walked out and saw Tyler and Trevor tearing into the pizza without him.
"So I risk my life and you guys can't even wait for me to get to the table?"
"Sorry, babe," Tyler said. "I'm starved."
"And I'm not?" Jason said as dropped a slice on his plate. "Okay, Trevor. You're here. You now possess highly sensitive information. Before we talk about anything else, I need to know that what you learn here is kept an absolute secret."
"I swear, sir!"
"Fine. I'll take that. So, what do you want to talk about?"
"I don't know. I guess I just really wanted to thank you for today and I'm also sorry."
"Sorry for what?"
"Well, if you hadn't helped me like you did, those jerks wouldn't have outed you."
"It was bound to happen eventually."
"Maybe, but I feel bad that you're under so much fire."
"It's only public opinion and that changes on a daily basis. They hated me before this, they'll hate me during and they'll hate me after."
"I don't hate you. In fact, a lot of the kids at school think it's cool that we have a superhero in the city."
"I don't do it for public approval."
"Then why do you do it?" Trevor asked. Jason set down his plate and leaned against the back of the couch as he thought. It seemed like such a simple question, but as he tried to form an answer, he realized it was much more complex.
"I guess I feel like I have the chance to do something to help people and when you have that chance, you have to take it. Before this suit came along, my life was aimless and empty. I didn't really know where I was going but now I feel like I have a purpose. It's not glamorous and I don't get the appreciation I'd like to get, but when I wear the suit, I see things so much clearer and those things like public approval or material gains disappear and I can see the bigger picture. Those who can make the world better have an obligation to do just that. I could have just ignored this thing and lived the rest of my life as a little nothing being careful not to make waves, but I have a feeling if I had done that, I would have lived to regret it."
"And you don't regret what you have been doing? Being hunted by the police and having people try to kill you on a regular basis?"
"There are good days and bad days, but no. I kind of feel like if people are trying to kill me, I must be doing something right. That's speaking from the point of view of a superhero, mind you. This philosophy does not apply to you."
"So, is there any other reason you do this? Any personal tragedy or anything?"
"No. Honestly, my life before this suit was the tragedy. I was on a fast track to nothing. I guess I'm just the kind of guy who actually just wants to help, and so I do."
"Cool."
Jason, Tyler and Trevor continued to eat their way through the pizza. The conversation flowed easily and soon Trevor was opening up a little more and started to talk about how he really felt about his life and school and his family. Both Jason and Tyler found that much of what Trevor had to say rang true with them as well. They could see the universal struggle of self-acceptance through Trevor's words. They glanced at each other and Tyler shot Jason a shy smile. They were both feeling the same sensation of gratitude as they recalled how far they had both come from the two frightened lovers in a forbidden romance in Blue Haven. They knew the same path was laid before Trevor, but they could tell that despite how hard it was for him at that moment, he would make it to the other side; just like they did.
Once the last slice was finished, the conversation had dwindled and the hour was growing late. Jason looked over at the clock on the wall and it was nearly eleven thirty, but Trevor seemed to be wired as he delved deeper into his thoughts.
"Well, Trevor, I think it's way past your bedtime. It is a school night after all." Tyler said as he picked up the empty pizza box.
"Oh! I hadn't realized how late it was." Trevor said as he leapt to his feet.
"You need help getting home?" Jason asked.
"No, thanks. I got it covered. I want to thank you guys for having me over. It was nice to actually talk to someone about this stuff."
"Our pleasure. Although, in the future, call first."
"Yeah. Sorry for ambushing you."
"No problem. I'm glad we could help."
"You did. Really. I guess I'll talk to you later?"
"Sure. Get home safe."
"I will. Good night." Trevor said as he ran through the door. Jason felt Tyler's hands slip over his shoulders and gently knead his flesh.
"That was a really great thing you did."
"We just shared a pizza."
"To us that's what it was, but I think we may have saved that kid's life."
"I guess."
"You really don't get this, do you?"
"I guess not. I mean, I came out young and I had a lot of support, but it wasn't overnight. There were some tense times. I don't know if my folks would have been as cool about it if they had known you and I were together. We had to keep our thing a secret for a long time."
"But for the most part, they were a lot more accepting than most parents. You're lucky."
"And you. It wasn't like you had such a tough time." Tyler climbed onto the sofa next to Jason.
"Not at school, but it was a different story at home."
"It was? You never said anything."
"I didn't know what to say. I'd come over to your house for dinner and see how great your parents were. I didn't know how to talk to yo
u about how my Dad was giving me the cold shoulder or how my Mom would cry almost every time she looked at me."
"I don't remember them saying anything in public to anyone."
"They never said anything bad, but they also never said anything good. In fact, they avoided mentioning me at all if they could help it. They focused all their attention on Gary and Trina. My big brother and sister were the stars and I was just the little nothing that was swept under the rug."
"I can't believe this. I never saw it."
"No one did. I think things thawed a bit after I got out of the police academy. My Dad actually called me and congratulated me. They didn't bother to show up to the ceremony, but I figured one step at a time."
"I'm sorry."
"It's all right. I don't really care anymore. I've made a great life for myself right here. With you."
"Wow. I feel like a jerk."
"Don't. Some people are better at hiding these things than others. I had a lot of practice. You want to get to bed?"
"I'll be there in a moment. I think I'll just give my parents a call."
Chapter 5
The Invasion
Jason had a fitful night's sleep. He could feel Tyler's arms wrapped around him, but despite that a feeling of impending danger had settled in his mind. It wasn't as though he was having any bad dreams. He just felt like something was wrong. It was a feeling he had been holding onto for a few weeks and it had been growing stronger. Jason assumed it had something to do with Trevor's visit. Somehow the whole situation had uncovered some old insecurity he had thought long resolved.
He looked up and saw that it was just about five in the morning and he calculated that he had managed about three hours of solid sleep. He closed his eyes hoping to get some more, but just as he felt himself slip away, a loud banging at the door filled the room. Tyler bolted upright and Jason rolled over and they both groaned mournfully.
"What the Hell is that?" Tyler asked.
"It's me!" Heather called out from the other side of the door. Jason threw on his robe and stormed toward the door.
"We're friends, but honestly you had better have a good reason for waking us up this early!" Jason barked as he pulled the door open. Heather ran past him and over to the window. The blinds had been closed before Jason and Tyler went to bed the previous night.
"Brace yourselves."
"What is going on?"
"It's better if you see." She said as she pulled the blinds and Jason saw that the sky over the city was infested with what could only be described as space ships. He looked over at Heather who could only offer a puzzled expression.
"Jason! You have to see this!" Tyler called from the kitchen. Jason ran over and the window in the kitchen afforded a better view of the alien invasion. The ships were large and seemed to be floating over the city in deliberate patterns.
"When the Hell did this happen?"
"I don't know!" Heather said. "I went to bed last night and everything was normal and I wake up and boom! War of the worlds!"
"You don't suppose this has anything to do with Spectrum, do you?" Jason asked.
"I'd say that would be where the safe money would go."
"What is it? I mean, where did they come from?"
"I have no idea. I tried checking the news but there's no signal on TV or the radio. Even the internet is down. Whoever they are, they've shut us down." Jason felt panic take over. He had seen a fair share of difficult situations up to then, but an alien invasion seemed like a big leap over his pay grade. He didn't know if they were just focused on Towers City or if it was a global invasion. He didn't even know who they were. Jason ran over to the television hoping that he'd have better luck, but when he turned it on, he saw a blank screen come up. He cycled through a few channels and got the same thing. Tyler grabbed the laptop and tried to log onto the internet, but just as Heather had said, there was no signal.
"This doesn't make any sense. Why would these aliens come all this way just to cut us off from everyone else?"
"I have no idea, but I think Spectrum needs to get his butt up there and check it out." Heather suggested.
"Should I? I mean, I feel like I should, but would it be right? I mean, the government is on this right? Maybe we should just wait it out first. See what they want. They have to tell us why they're here at some point, don't they?"
"Or maybe they're just waiting to drop some kind of high tech bomb on us and you're the only one who can stop them!" Heather said.
"Or if I go up there and screw up, I could trigger a global holocaust."
"There's that too," Tyler said. "Usually in cases where we don't know the suspect's motive, we wait until they inform us of their intentions."
"That's cop stuff." Heather said.
"But it applies here too. Jason, I vote that you hold off for now. Someone is going to get through to them and once we find out what they want, a plan can be made."
"Okay. Settled. We wait." Jason said.
"Whatever." Heather said as she flopped down on the sofa.
"You don't agree?" Tyler asked.
"All I'm saying is what is the good of having super powers if you're not going to suit up and blast a bunch of alien gun boats out of the sky when they finally show up?"
"This isn't some action movie, Heather. If Jason goes up there and something goes wrong, it could trigger a major crisis. Whoever, or whatever, is in those ships is an unknown quantity."
"What if they are here to destroy us? What if that's true and Jason is here twiddling his thumbs while the bomb drops? He's a hero! He's got power!"
"Okay!" Jason barked. "As the hero in question, I am going to side with Tyler on this. It just feels smarter to wait for a sign from them first. See what their intention is."
"Fine. My last question. If they're here in the name of peace, why the black out? It's like they're trapping us. Does that seem peaceful to you?" Jason looked over to Tyler in hopes of some reassurance, but Tyler had none to offer. Jason looked out the window and stared at the ships in the air as they hovered over the city. Beyond the fact that a swarm of giant war ships were actually there, something else was nagging at Jason's mind. Something felt wrong about it all and while he couldn't offer any evidence, he sensed that Heather might have been more right than either he or Tyler would have cared to admit.
The entire city was still. It felt as though all eyes were on the ships in the sky; everyone waiting with baited breath for something to happen. Hours drifted by. The usual sounds of traffic that filled the air each morning were silent. With nothing better to do, Jason went ahead and fixed breakfast. He scrambled some eggs and threw some frozen waffles in the toaster. As he served the food he looked over at Heather who was still planted in front of the television.
"Why don't you come and eat something?"
"I can't eat. I don't know how you two can."
"We're hungry." Tyler said as he shoveled some eggs into his mouth. Heather tried the television once more and much to her surprise she found a channel that was working.
"I got a channel! I have a channel!" She shouted. Jason ran over and saw nothing but a pattern of static on the screen.
"It's just static."
"It's a signal. Something is getting through here. Maybe they're trying to communicate." She said as she sat down, intent on the scrambled channel.
"You're scaring me here, Heather. You're acting a little nuts. Even for you."
"Can you blame me? This is the first and most intense interaction with an alien race in human history! I don't want to miss this!"
"Maybe I should go up there. Stir it up. They may just be setting up some weapon that'll turn the whole city into a smoking crater."
The static on the television cleared and a clear picture of a man came on. He was garbed in some kind of military uniform. There were a couple of rows of medals on his lapel, but the design of the uniform was unlike anything known on Earth. The lines were clean and minimal.
"People of Earth. My name is Captain D
enwall of the Xenosian Empire. I apologize for our unheralded appearance. I come on a mission of great importance. It seems that one of your kind has taken from my people. They have taken something very sacred to my world and it is my duty to retrieve it. I send this message as an attempt to urge you to surrender peacefully, but I have authorization to unleash the full military power of the Xenosian empire upon you. As you may have noticed, we have shut down all communication. We have also established blockades preventing any from leaving or entering the city. This is how it shall remain until I get what I came for. As I understand it, the one you refer to as Spectrum is the one who possesses this very sacred item." Heather looked over at Jason and shot him a smug smile.
"Told you." She said.
"We urge this Spectrum to surrender to our forces at once, if only to prevent any unnecessary loss. As I said before, I have full authorization to call upon our military forces, and I assure you that our technology and weapons are far superior to yours. Do not test me on this. You, and Spectrum, have four hours to comply. I will keep this channel open and if I do not hear from your leaders, or Spectrum himself, the full force of the Xenosian Empire will be unleashed upon you." The image then went dark. A silence fell over the room.
"Wow." Heather said at last.
"Yeah. I fought that bounty hunter from Xenos before. She said she wouldn't tell anyone about me and that they'd never come here."
"You really put that much into the word of an alien bounty hunter?"
"Give me a break. It's not like I've dealt with any other alien bounty hunters before. She seemed earnest. Now they're here and they want the suit."
"If they take it, you'll die."
"If I don't surrender, they'll destroy the city."
"No. You aren't doing this!" Tyler said as he came up to Jason.
"Doing what?"
"Surrendering to those freaks! They can't come here and point their guns at us and expect us to just hand you over."
"They kind of can. I mean, considering they've mastered space travel and they managed to virtually kidnap the entire city overnight, I have to assume they have pretty powerful weapons too. If I don't do what they want, everyone in this city could be killed."
