Timeline 1962 Issue 2

A Hero Is Born!

Will Walden and Chuck Rogan spent the next several minutes mastering their new flying saucer. For Will it came easy; almost as if it was a second skin. But They quickly ran in to problems when it came to Chuck’:s turn.

As soon as Will stopped focusing on the saucer, it would drop from the sky. He didn’:t know exactly how, but he seemed to be able to lift it with the force of his mind alone. But how? And why him?

“Why won’:t it work for me?” Chuck’:s question brought Will back down to earth.

Will scratched the back of his head. “I don’:t think it’:s the saucer doing the flying.”

“What are you talking about? Of course, the saucer flew! You were in it!”

“I didn’:t say that it wasn’:t in the air, but it wasn’:t the saucer making itself fly. It was me doing it.”

“That’:s ridiculous! You really expect me to think you’:re some kind of metahero now?”

Will knew he was never going to get anywhere talking to Chuck. Chuck was a visual kind of guy. He’:d have to show him. Will reached in to his pocket and came back up with a nickel.

“Here, catch.” Will threw the nickel in a high arc towards his friend. Chuck reached out to grab it, while Will focused on the coin. More importantly, he focused on making it float.

Just as it started to arc down towards Chuck’:s head, the nickel came to a halt in midair. It gradually floated higher and higher in the air.

“How in the hell are you doing that, Will?”

Will made the coin spin around in place as they watched it. “I think I’:m some kind of metahero, Chuck. For real.”

“This is freaking crazy,” Chuck threw his hands in to the air in frustration. “How in the hell are you suddenly a freaking meta, Will? These things don’:t just happen.”

Will scratched his chin. The nickel dropped to the ground as his focus on it ended. “It has to be connected to the gas somehow,” he said.

“Gas? What in the heck are you talking about, man?”

Will explained the events of the previous day as best as he could, leaving out only the death of the degen.

“That’:s really messed up, Will. What the hell are you going to do?”

Will looked over at the saucer, once again laying calmly in the clearing. He smiled at Chuck. “I think I’:m going flying.”

*****

Blinded by rage, the creature that was once just a lowly creature hoping for a cure let loose with another piercing cry. He charged forward and smashed its way through the lab with a strength far greater than any normal being. Glancing around, he began to remember; only vague connections came, but he knew this place. This is where they tried to destroy him. The computer, Multivac, and the scientists, and their promises. All had been lies. He was just their toy, their play thing to mock and toy with. They would pay. They and all of their kind would pay dearly.

*****

“Wahoo!”

Will soared through the air above the junkyard. With concentration, Will could lift the saucer with relative ease. He bobbed and weaved through the sky. Trying his best to imitate anything he could remember from every movie dogfight he’:d ever seen, he brought the saucer through a high-speed loop-de-loop.

Through none of this did Will ever feel the intense g-forces he knew such maneuvers caused. Either some unknown aspect of his own power or the strange vessel itself kept his equilibrium centered at all times. He tried his best not to question how, but everything about himself and the saucer seemed to be in perfect tune. He could fly like an ace after only minutes in the cockpit.

It was time to really test his skills. Will shot out of the junkyard towards downtown Federation.

*****

The degen stomped towards the great entrance hall of the Federation Museum. As he moved, he swished about his fast developing tail. A slight trail of slime slipped off the tail as he moved, creating a path of ooze behind him.

The degen screamed, baring his new inch long fangs. Bringing one great clawed fist up, he smashed through the doors and emerged on the streets of Federation.

Once more, he roared, all thought processes now gone. He lived to destroy, and he started down Eighty-Seventh Street, his path of rage finally beginning.

*****

Will shot over Federation inside the saucer. The one way transparency of the box-like cockpit not only allowed him a 360 degree range of vision, but it also seemed to magnify his view of the ground. He could see every building, vehicle, and person as if he was only a few feet above them. He laughed out loud as he watched person after person’:s eyes go wide at the sight of the flying saucer above.

This had to be the greatest moment of his life; he’:d never felt this amazing, it was like being a whole new—

The car smashed in to the saucer’:s right fin. Will only had time to catch a glimpse of the creature below, as the impact sent the saucer in to a spin as Will lost his concentration at the sudden shock of impact. The ship careened down toward the pavement.

Will cried out as he shot towards the street and the panicking mass of people running from the monster below. He couldn’:t let the saucer crash, no matter what. Will ignored the spin and the impending crash as best he could, and focusing his will, he forced the saucer back up and over the beast and the crowd. He shot over the creature by only a few feet.

It was massive; at least fifteen feet in height. Beneath its slimy coating, the creature’:s form seemed to be interrupted by armor-like bony protrusion, many of which looked to be dangerously sharp. It’:s hands ended in a set of four-inch claws, and the massive balancing tail had a matching set of spikes.

As he came back around, the creature reached down and grabbed a fleeing citizen. Its claws sliced through the man’:s flesh bringing instant death. Will quickly realized the quick death was the far better fate as the beast raised the corpse to its mouth. With one great bite, it took off the body’:s head and much of its shoulders and right arm.

Whatever it was, wherever it came from, Will knew the monster needed to be stopped. And as little as he liked it, he knew no one else had a chance against it.

Hell, did he even have a chance?

He had no choice; all the old superhero comics he read as a kid said so. He had these powers; it was time to use them for the greater good. Will brought the saucer down to within feet of the creature. As he flew it down, he released his concentration on the saucer, sending it straight in towards the monster.

The beast roared and raised one bony arm up to block the saucer. Will rode the vehicle through the collision, crushing the monster under the vehicle’:s weight and momentum. Both beast and saucer crashed to the ground. Will thanked God he was still alive. He’:d done it; he had beat it—

The monster moved under him, grabbing the saucer with one massive clawed hand as it pulled itself upright. The ship made a horrible screech of bone on metal as the monster’:s claws pierced through the outer disc.

Will could only watch as the creature reached its other massive claw towards the cockpit. He was dead; how could he ever escape now?

Will’:s vision traveled past the beast’:s shoulder at the row of light posts fading off in to the distance. A plan formed in his head, but would it work?

It had to. If it didn’:t, he was dead anyway.

Will focused on the first two posts. It took a little more effort than the saucer did, but the posts ripped free from the ground. He flipped the posts in to a twirl, finally bringing the lamps parallel to the street, pointing directly at the monster.

He sent them forward with every ounce of will he could summon. The posts shot towards the creature like massive arrows. One struck a glancing blow across the creature’:s side, chipping off a bony plate and spinning away to the ground.

The other struck the monster just under its armored ribs and shot up and threw the creature’:s shoulder before finally catching on the beast’:s ribcage. The monster’:s eyes went blank. Whatever it may have been, Will knew it must still have a relatively human form even at its size, and nothing could survive that much damage to its lungs and heart.

It dropped like a rock to the ground, as Will refocused on the saucer. It took every ounce of inner strength he had left in him, but he pulled it free and in to the air. He hovered over the city for a moment longer.

He’:d won. For the first time in his life, Will felt he was really important. He smiled as he shot across the sky towards the junkyard.

He could really get to like this hero thing.