The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy, Book One: The Hero Revealed by William Boniface Page A

Park, Indestructo Industries oversees all entertainment, merchandising, marketing, manufacturing and licensing operations for Superopolis’s most financially successful hero, the Amazing Indestructo, as well as the League of Ultimate Goodness.
    In the lobby we saw a directory, and we quickly found what we were looking for: Office of the President, twentieth floor. It made sense that the president would be at the top.
INDESTRUCTO INDUSTRIES
20 th floor • Office of the President
19 th floor • The Sentinels of Trademark Infringement
18 th floor • The Defenders of Lawsuits
17 th floor • The Federation of Fine Print
16 th floor • The Syndicate of Shell Corporations
15 th floor • The Human Resources Self-Preservation Squad
14 th floor • The Enforcers of Corporate Euphemisms
13 th floor • The League of Licensing, Royalties, & Copyrights
12 th floor • The Proprietary Protectors of Patents
11 th floor • The Association for the Exploitation of Adjectives
10 th floor • The Union for Foodlike Substances
9 th floor • Cafeteria/ The League of Ultimate Goodness World Headquarters
8 th floor • The Product Development Force
7 th floor • The Secret Society of Safety Testers
6 th floor • The Toxic Substance Recategorization Team
5 th floor • The Choking Hazard Clearance Guild
4 th floor • The Guardians of Profit
3 rd floor • The Legion of Pencil Pushers
2 nd floor • The Minions of the Mailroom
1 st floor • Aren’t You Here Already?
    “I’m not so sure we should be doing this.” Plasma Girl stopped suddenly. “We could get into a lot of trouble and maybe even get yelled at.”
    As usual, Plasma Girl was thinking sensibly—the last thing a superhero on a mission wants to do. After all, if heroes thought sensibly, they’d stay home where it’s safe. I was about to start my usual pep talk when we heard a raspy voice behind us.
    “You kids must be here for the test-marketing study we’re conducting today.”
    We turned around, and to our complete surprise, there was the Bee Lady! She’s older now (and a lot heavier) and can only get around in a motorized scooter, but when she was younger, she was the first female member of the League of Ultimate Goodness. Just as in her heyday, she still has a real beehive woven into her hairdo. The bees that live in the hive, and which she has the power to control, were buzzing all around her head. Her black-and-yellow-striped spandex costume looked like it was being stretched to the breaking point.
    Plasma Girl has always idolized the Bee Lady. She immediately began to gush.
    “Bee Lady,” she said in short, excited breaths, “what an honor to meet you! You have done so much to pave the way for female heroes everywhere!”

    “Thanks, sweetie,” the Bee Lady replied without sounding like she meant it. “I’m headed out to the parking lot for a cigarette, but you kids go on up to the eighth floor and I’ll be right back to start the test marketing.”
    As the Bee Lady chugged away on her scooter, I ushered my teammates into the elevator and hit the button for the twentieth floor. The car zoomed to the top.
    “Can you believe I actually met the Bee Lady?” Plasma Girl said excitedly.
    “She didn’t seem very heroic,” Stench said. I agreed but kept quiet to avoid the glare that Plasma Girl was now giving Stench.
    “Well, she’s older now,” Plasma Girl snapped. “We’ll see what you look like in sixty years.”
    Before my mind could form an image of an elderly Stench, the elevator doors opened onto a very expensive-looking reception area. There was a woman sitting at a desk, looking like she was doing something to her nails. As we came closer, I realized she was touching the nails on one hand with the index finger of her other. As she did, her nails changed from one color to another. That appeared to be the extent of her power.
    “That is so cool!” Plasma Girl blurted out, clearly more impressed by the receptionist’s power than I was.
    “Is