Trainee Superhero (Book One) by C. H. Aalberry

video
is from my dad.
    “Where are you? I was on the way to the
Superhero Corps Office to see you but they said you were already
gone. Then I was caught up in the attack. They said you were taken
to hospital. Call me!”
    Typical Dad: the best intentions but always
late to the party. I’m just glad that he is safe. I can’t reply to
that email, either. The next five videos are from Dad again, Tenchi
again, Dad and Tenchi together, a spam company offering me millions
to work from home, and Dad a last time. He looks a lot more
cheerful than before.
    “We were told you are healthy and in
training, but that you can’t communicate with us. Good luck, son, I
know you’ll be great!”
    The last video mail is from a sender I don’t
recognize. I open it up and see Stace looking right back at me. She
smiles, and my heart misses a beat.
    Wait, what?
    “Stace?” I say in surprise.
    “Hey, I got this email from a friend who says
you were taken to a training camp. I just wanted to say thank you
for saving me! I hope training is going okay, I heard it’s pretty
tough! Hang in there and you’ll be fine. I know you will be a great
superhero!”
    Someone bangs on my door and startles me. I
initiate the power down and memory wipe programs I had loaded to
remove any trace of my messing with the computer and then answer
the door.
    A steward in a white shirt is standing with a
plate of fresh fruit and pastries. He offers them to me and I pick
a few. There is a glass of fresh orange juice that I down far too
quickly, and a set of multi-colored tablets. I eat quickly while
the steward waits for me.
    “ Past Prime wants you in the training
room. Please follow me.”
    He leads me to the training hall where Past Prime and a handful of technicians in green are
waiting. The technicians hand me a set of padded gloves and a
helmet. The gloves are comfortable enough, but the helmet is heavy
and cuts off my peripheral vision in much the same way as my suit
helmet had. Past Prime dons similar gear and pulls two
batons from his belt. The batons start glowing brightly; I have a
bad feeling about this.
    “Pain sticks,” he says, and holds a glowing
blade against his skin. He removes it a second later, and the skin
is already red and blistered.
    “Two sticks for you, two sticks for me. We
fight until you submit or you hit me. Now, show me what you can
do!”
    The sticks are heavy but well weighted.
Tenchi has shown me a few moves for sword fighting, but I’m not
great at it. Past Prime hits out at me and I parry clumsily.
He hits again, a blow aimed at my neck that I step back from.
Suddenly his blows are coming at me with startling speed. I feel a
burn across my neck and a second on my arm. Past Prime retreats a little.
    “You are too slow, too cautious, too easy to
read.”
    I attack with a lunge that he parries with
ease. I feel his pain stick on my back and strike out desperately,
hitting nothing. Past Prime closes in on me and my arms
erupt in pain. I drop one of my sticks and do a terrible job of
parrying with the other. I try to protect my face with my arm, but Past Prime beats me until I drop backwards onto the ground.
I’ve never hurt this bad in my life, but I still manage to get to
my feet.
    “We stop when you submit,” he reminds me.
    We spin, and I get a blow under my chin. I
fall backwards but roll to my feet. He hits me in the chest, and I
scream. I try to roll to my feet, but he knocks me over and I fall
again. I get up slowly and grip my swords. I know this isn’t going
well, but I won’t back out now.
    We fight for another thirty minutes before Past Prime sighs and sheaths his sword. I’m covered in
blisters and sweat, but I haven’t even managed to touch Past
Prime , and he looks as relaxed as ever.
    “You don’t know when to quit, kid. Sit
down.”
    A steward brings over two chairs and sets
them up for us. I sit down.
    “I’ve trained every superhero on this planet,
did you know that?”
    I nod.
    “Not everyone is