West Pacific Supers: Rising Tide by K.M. Johnson-Weider

interacted with the
gathered fans. It was a circus, and most of the super teens were savoring the
moment and working the crowd, which was throwing the whole schedule out of
whack. Cosmic Kid didn’t fault them though, especially as he intended to ham it
up as well; it was all part of the job and if the Super Channel hadn’t factored
that in, well, that was their problem, though if his nerves didn’t settle down
he might speed up his own entrance.
    “Thanks,” said John
as he popped open the soda and took a drink. “I was so worried about having to
pee I think I dehydrated myself… Wow, this is sweet!”
    “It’s carbonated,
concentrated agave nectar,” said Cosmic Kid. He was looking forward to getting
to the big leagues and being able to attract sponsors like Dr Pepper. In the meantime though, he had to take what he could get and brand
loyalty was part of the package. “They do have bathrooms here, Dad,” he added
with a smile. He was glad his father had agreed to come to the Super Draft.
    “I don’t want to
miss anything! Though I’m still a little unsure about what’s happening tonight
– this is just a publicity event, right?”
    “Yes, lots of
pictures, a few fluff interviews, a silly parade, and then a concert,” said
Cosmic Kid’s agent Stephen Murray, not bothering to look up from his HoloBerry.
“It’s tacky as hell, but it gets good ratings.”
    “So no competitions
or power trials?” asked John.
    “Yup, the exciting
stuff takes place over the next few days before the actual Super Draft on
Saturday,” said Cosmic Kid, adjusting his ultimesh costume a little. It was
dark maroon with gold and black highlights and was perfect for heroics, but not
the most comfortable for sitting in a limousine for over an hour.
    “Good way to start.
You’re a natural with this stuff,” said John proudly.
    “I guess,” said
Cosmic Kid grimly. A month ago he would have rode into Milwaukee cocky and
confident, but it had been a rough month. He had faced off against Seneschal X,
one of the worst supervillains out there, and it hadn’t gone well, though super
teens weren’t supposed to face off against supervillains. People had died and
Seneschal X had escaped. Since then nothing had gone right for him.
    “So is everyone here
from teen teams?” asked John.
    “Mostly,” said
Cosmic Kid. “Each teen team can send up to two supers who are 18 or older, like
me, and then the League holds open tryouts to add additional draftees. The
Super Draft is the only way someone under 21 can join a League team, and really
teams don’t hire anyone under 25 unless they go through the Draft. This year
there are 32 teams in the first round, and 15 in the second round, with 68
super teens fighting for one of the 47 spots.”
    “And the higher the
pick, the more money you make?” asked John.
    “Not necessarily,”
said Stephen, looking up as money was mentioned. “When a team has a pick they
make an offer to a super and that super can say yea or nay. When a team
announces a pick, they may have gone through a few supers, ‘til they found one
who would take them. That’s especially true for bottom-tier teams with high
picks; they just can’t pay top dollar for the best super teens.”
    “You’re top-tiered,”
said John.
    “Supposedly. I’ll
probably be picked in the top ten and make $5 million a year,” added Cosmic
Kid. “So if a team with a high pick wants me, they have to be able to afford
me. For some teams $5 million is more than they spend on their entire team
salary. Of course, if none of the top-tier teams want me, then I might have to
drop my salary and go to Wichita or Burlington.”
    “Not happening,”
said Stephen decisively. “You’re going at #3, Tampa Bay wants you, and we’ll be
aiming for a salary closer to $10 million.”
    “It’s incredible
when you think about it. You’ll make more in a year than I will in a lifetime
with Cosmic Burger, probably five lifetimes,” said John with a