The Superhero's Son Omnibus Volume 1

Chapter Six-1

Chapter Six

After lunch, Dad and I returned to the basement. I didn't really want to, even though I wasn't feeling bad, but Dad assured me that I would not need to sit in the Detector again and that I would likely not need to go through something that uncomfortable and painful again. He also said that he wanted to show me the thing that he had ordered for me, which he had still told me nothing about. I wondered if it was another Detector or something.

But when I returned to the basement, I saw that the Detector was nowhere in sight. Instead, there was a single table with that same briefcase I noticed before, the one with the NHA logo on it. Dad stood beside the table, his tablet in his hand, swiping across its surface every now and then.

“Dad, what are you looking at?” I asked as I stopped in front of the table.

“The data that the Detector got from your brain waves before you broke it,” said Dad, his helmeted face focused on the tablet in his hands. “It took my computers a few hours to analyze the data and put it in meaningful terms, which is why we took a lunch break.”

I leaned toward Dad in excitement. “Does that mean you know what my powers are now?”

“Yes,” said Dad, nodding. “According to this, you have super strength, super speed, flight, and perfect memory. A very similar power set to Omega Man's, aside from the perfect memory.”

“Perfect memory?” I said. “I can't even remember what I had for breakfast yesterday. Are you sure that's right?”

“As I said, the Detector isn't perfectly accurate, so it might be wrong,” said Dad. “But until we receive practical evidence contradicting it, I am going to train you on the assumption that this is your power set.”

I thought that was silly, but hey, Dad was the veteran superhero here and I wasn't. Besides, I liked the idea of flight and super speed, because being able to fly anywhere would be awesome.

“So I have flight?” I said. “Hold on. Let me try it now.”

I jumped into the air, but then fell right back down without so much as hovering. Dad didn't look impressed by my failed attempt.

“Flight is a difficult power to master, so don't be discouraged if you can't get it right away,” said Dad. “Besides, I'd rather you not fly through the ceiling and force me to spend more money renovating this house than I already have.”

I guess Dad was right. I could already sort of control my super strength, but flight just didn't come to me at all.

“All right,” I said. “But when we get to the practical training parts, I want to learn flight first.”

“Actually, we're going to start with teaching you how to control what you already know,” said Dad, “but regardless, before we can start the practical part of your training, you will need the proper equipment in order to ensure that you do not suffer any ill consequences of your powers.”

“Proper equipment?” I repeated. I shuddered. “Do you mean, like, another Detector or something?”

“No,” said Dad, shaking his head. He looked up from the tablet. “I mean you will need a super suit, a costume, if you will, designed especially for your body and powers. Your normal clothes are not ideal for any sort of superheroics, regardless of what you do.”

I looked down at my clothes. I was wearing a black t-shirt and shorts today. “Well, I guess you're right. All of the other supers have their own costumes, but where am I going to get one of those myself?”

“You don't need to worry about that, because I've already got one for you right here,” said Dad.

He placed the tablet on the table and then opened the red suitcase with the NHA logo on it. Inside the suitcase was a folded suit, but I didn't really see much of it until Dad pulled the suit out of the suitcase and held it up for me to see.

It was full body spandex, completely black, except for the red stripes that ran down the body. It even had a mask already attached to it, which had an open top for my hair and a place for my chin to jut out. It also had a set of goggles over the eyes, which looked kind of lame to me, but they didn't look removable.

“Whoa,” I said, looking the suit up and down. “What is it?”

“Your super suit,” said Dad simply. “It was the thing that I ordered for you, remember? I got it for you because you need it for your training.”

“Wait, you can buy super suits?” I said, looking up at Dad in surprise. “Like on sss or something?”

“Not quite,” said Dad, shaking his head. “I ordered it from the NHA. They design super suits for their members to wear. I'm technically not a member anymore, but because I am one of the Founders, they allowed me to buy a custom suit for you.”

“So can anyone buy a custom suit?” I said. “Including non-members?”

“No,” said Dad. “The NHA only offers super suits for their members. It's one of the perks of being an NHA member. You simply give them your size, width, and powers and they design a suit for you based on those specifications. As a result, each suit is unique, because a neohero who can set his body on fire will need a suit different from a neohero who can fly.”

“Cool,” I said. “But how did you order a custom suit without knowing my full powers?”

“I ordered a generic suit that can accommodate a variety of different powers,” said Dad. “If we discover any new powers during your training, we can have this suit upgraded.”

“Awesome,” I said. “Can I put it on now?”

“Sure,” said Dad. “But first, let me show you something.”

Dad put the suit down on the table and then pulled something else out of the suitcase. It looked like one of those smart watches that Mr. Martin, one of my teachers back in my New York school, wore, except slightly larger. It was also silvery and shiny, like it had been polished to a sheen.

“What is it?” I said. “A smart watch? Those things are stupid.”

“It's not a smart watch, although it looks like one,” said Dad. “Watch.”

Dad placed the smart watch on the super suit and then pressed a small, almost unnoticeable button on its side. The smart watch's screen flipped open and the super suit was sucked into it like a vacuum cleaner. In seconds, the full-sized super suit had been pulled completely inside the watch, which then closed shut and looked like it had not just absorbed a suit several times its size.

I blinked and looked at Dad. “Uh, I don't remember Mr. Martin's smart watch being able to do that.”

“Because, like I said, it is not a smart watch,” said Dad. “It only looks like one so it doesn't attract unnecessary attention to its wearer, which in this case is you.”

“If it's not a smart watch, then what is it?” I said, staring at the device with uncertainty.

“Strictly speaking, it is a portable dimensional portal,” said Dad. “But it's official name is the suit-up watch. It is standard wear for many neoheroes.”

“What does it do, exactly?” I said. “And will I be able to get my super suit back or did it eat it?”

“The suit-up watch is a way for you to carry your super suit around without drawing attention to yourself,” said Dad. “The basic idea is that, when you are not wearing your suit, it is stored in a pocket dimension that this watch is connected to. To access your suit, all you need to do is press the button on the side of the screen and the watch will shoot out your suit, which will then cover your whole body without you having to do a thing.”

“Really?” I said. “But how does it connect to a pocket dimension?”

“It's far too complicated to explain here and you wouldn't understand it even if I explained it,” said Dad, waving off my question. “Let's just say that it involves quantum mechanics and leave it at that.”

“Did you make this?” I said, looking at the watch again, which I wasn't sure I wanted to touch because I was now worried that it might suck me into another dimension if I wasn't careful.

“Of course,” said Dad. “I designed most of the tech used by the NHA. Like most of my inventions, the suit-up watch has undergone many different incarnations. This is the latest, newest, and, in my opinion, best.”

“Can I try it?” I said, looking at Dad again. “Do I need to do anything first to use it or—?”

“No,” said Dad. “Just strap it on your wrist like any other watch, press the button, and the watch will do the rest.”

“Okay,” I said.

I grabbed the watch, which felt incredibly light, even though it held my super suit in it. Well, actually, it had stored my suit in some pocket dimension, so I guess my suit technically wasn't actually in it, but whatever. As long as it worked, I didn't care how it worked.

Once I strapped the watch on my right wrist, I pressed the button that Dad had pressed to suck my suit into the watch.

Then the screen flipped open and my super suit shot out. But rather than go flying all over the place, it leaped at me like some kind of wild animal and clung to my body. It rapidly covered my chest, arms, legs, and head. It felt like some kind of living creature was crawling all over me, which felt disgusting.

In a second or two, the suit stopped moving and I looked down at myself to see what the suit looked like on my body.

Damn, it looked awesome. It was skintight, showing off my body. It fit so well that it was like I wasn't even wearing anything at all. In fact, my super suit felt more like a second layer of skin than a mere suit.

“So?” said Dad. “How does it feel? Can you move well?”

I rolled my shoulders, which felt just as natural as if I was not wearing the suit. “Yeah. It feels like it doesn't weigh anything.”

“Yes, these super suits are indeed amazing,” said Dad, putting his hands on his hips. “I designed the material that is used to create them, but the design came from NHA artists. I'm no good at making an aesthetically-pleasing design, which is why I let the artists design it.”

“Cool,” I said. I ran my hands down my body, feeling the smooth surface of the suit. “How well does it hold up in a fight?”

“It should protect you from most forms of attack, although you can still be hurt,” said Dad. “Your super suit is designed to handle flights at one hundred miles per hour and won't wear out if you use your super speed. It is also flame retardant, so if you find yourself fighting someone who uses fire, you should be safe, although I recommend not letting yourself get set on fire for obvious reasons.”

I walked away from the table, still testing out the suit's movement. Again, I was amazed at how easy it was to move in. It wasn't too tight or anything else. I couldn't wait to fly or run around in this thing. It would be amazing.

I turned around to face Dad, who still stood by the table. “Dad, this is amazing. I feel like a real superhero now.”

“Glad you like it, but you're not quite there yet,” said Dad. “Next, we will go onto the practical training, where we will test out your powers so you can learn how to control them.”

“Does that mean we're going to go out on the streets and fight criminals?” I said. I balled my hands into fists, but mostly to test out how they felt. “I'm ready to fight crime if you are.”

But then Dad shook his head again. “Sorry, Kevin, but we're not going on the streets fighting crime. That's not what I meant when I said we were going to test your powers.”

“What?” I said in disappointment. “But I'm going to be a superhero. Shouldn't I learn how to use my powers by fighting actual criminals?”

“You aren't going to be a superhero,” said Dad flatly. “I am only teaching you how to use your powers so you can defend yourself from Master Chaos, should he successfully make it here. You are not going to go around the streets fighting crime, especially in our little community. That's what the police are for.”

“Why not?” I said. “Didn't you do that when you were my age?”

“Only because I was young and foolish,” said Dad. “There is a reason I never told you about my superhero career, Kevin, and it's because I didn't want you trying to emulate it.”

“But I've read about other young neoheroes who fight crime,” I said. “Like the Lightning Triplets, Watt, Volt, and Lumen. They fight crime all the time and they're like fourteen-years-old each, maybe even younger.”