There was no poison in the pizza, at least from what he could see. Last time he had pointed out the strange looking toppings sitting upon the cheese but his family assured him that the composition was just perfect. Today, everything appeared well in order and as he sat in his comfortable chair with a fresh t-shirt and a new pair of khakis on, he couldn’t be happier.
Then the doorbell rang.
Reluctantly, Jessica put down her slice, wiped her lips with a napkin and walked down the hall from the dining room to the front door. Connor could hear some muffled conversation and intermittent silence strewn in, but he had no reason to worry. The next door neighbor, though living a half a mile away, usually stopped by while walking his dog to discuss current events and they had started dinner earlier than usual. There was absolutely nothing to worry about.
“Matt,” Jessica said as she walked into the dining room. “We have a visitor.”
Connor was immediately tense. She only referred to him as “Matt,” the first half of his last name, when there was a situation in which caution was the utmost importance. Usually it happened when he was about to display his powers, without any knowledge that someone was watching nearby. Once she said it at a Laundromat when he was about to congratulate a rather obese woman on her pregnancy. But this was none of those times. And when he saw the visitor appear behind her, he knew that it was going to be an long night.
“Hello, brother,” the visitor said politely, a twinge of excitement in his voice. “I’m happy to see you.”
“Sean,” Connor replied, extending a hand out for him to shake. Sean accepted it and nodded toward an empty seat at the head of the table. Connor and Jess always sat next to each other in the middle with Hunter opposite of them.
“Sit, please,” Connor said. “We ordered pizza. Hope you’re hungry.”
“I see,” Sean said, rubbing his hands together and sitting down. “What kinds?”
“Hamburger. Some pepperoni on half of the second.”
“Stuff crust?”
“No. Not tonight.”
“Ah, one could hope, can’t they?”
Sean reached forward and grabbed a slice of hamburger. Hunter cautiously handed him a paper plate, to which Sean nodded in thanks and began devouring his meal. Jessica sat down next to her husband and continued to stare over at Hunter. Hunter was glaring at his never before seen uncle with fascination, but upon seeing his mom’s gaze from the corner of his eye, he realized the message she was trying to send. He cleared his throat.
“Well, I have homework to do,” he replied, shuffling his chair back. “Excuse me.”
“But you didn’t finish your pizza,” Sean replied. “And besides, don’t you know who I am?”
“I can guess, from what you said to my dad.”
“And that doesn’t interest you?”
“Not really. Dad never mentioned he had a brother, so…either you’re lying. Or, Dad had a good reason to never bring you up.”
“And what could that possibly be? Huh, Connor?”
Sean chewed his pizza loudly as he glared at his brother. Connor’s eyes looked back at him with little emotion or interest. He simply shrugged and grabbed another slice.
“Well, that’s just rude,” Sean cackled as he took another bite. “Anyways, your parents and I have to talk, so I guess we’ll catch up later.”
“Nice to meet you,” Hunter muttered as Sean nodded. Hunter immediately evacuated the room but he hid right in earshot of their conversation. This uncle of his was huge, even bigger than his dad, and he did have the same dark hair and the same soft face that turned angular at the right places. He had his dad’s looks for sure, but, he also had scars, and it looked like his face was constantly dirty, like it had been beaten and worn from countless skirmishes. And the trench coat didn’t make him appear any less scary. If this man had come to fight his father, then it wouldn’t be a breeze. Hopefully his dad’s training would pay off…
“Cute kid,” Sean muttered between bites. “A little too brave for his own good though.”
“What makes you say that?” Jessica asked.
“Oh, just that he saw how big I was, and all the scars I got over the years and he wasn’t even intimidated. As if he had no reason to fear me.”
“He doesn’t,” Connor said firmly as he stared hard into his brother’s eyes.
“Doesn’t he, Connor?”
“If you’re referring to the little play fights we had when we were younger, then no, he has nothing to worry about. Even then, I was holding back.”
“My, you are confident,” Sean snapped, throwing the half-eaten slice onto his plate. He turned his attention to Jessica. “Let me ask you a question. Did Connor ever tell you about our childhood?”
“Yes,” she said, unsure of where the conversation was going.
“Everything?”
“Yes.”
“Then you know what I’m capable of.”
“I do.”
“And you still didn’t invite me to the wedding?”
“I didn’t have your address,” she replied low.
Sean kept his eyes fixed on her for a moment, and then he burst into fits of laughter, slapping the table which groaned under his might.
“I knew you wouldn’t just marry anyone, Connor. Boy, I like this one! Far better than your first wife.”
He turned suddenly back to Jessica on this revelation, but her gaze remained vigilant. Her face didn’t budge an iota.
“Wow,” Sean remarked. “You did tell her everything…you know what that means then.”
“Jess,” Connor said firmly. “Please grab Connor and leave the house. Don’t say where you’re going.”
“No need, brother,” Sean replied. “I came for you, not them. And if you come with me, I promise to leave them be. Obviously she can keep her mouth shut about the family’s secrets so there’s no need to kill her, or your offspring. I mean, you can’t find good companionship like that these days. Maybe when we’re done, I’ll make her my second wife and Hunter can be my apprentice.”
Connor was as solid as a wall and refused to entertain Sean’s verbal jabs.
“No reply, brother?”
“I let my fists do the talking when it comes to you,” Connor replied. Sean laughed under his breath.
“So, why did you invite me in if you knew it would come to this?”
“I didn’t. Jessica did, because she knew to get you in the room with me where everything would be under control. I offered you my pizza because I hoped you came for a friendly visit, but apparently you are still under the old man’s influence.”
“Yadda, yadda, yadda. Whatever, Connor. Just remember that you knew this day was coming. You had your time to be selfish. Now, we ask for you to embrace your destiny, or step aside for another.”
“You mean don’t interfere when the old man’s plans go through.”
“Exactly.”
“So he finally got them together, after all these years…I thought he was all talk.”
“You did, brother. No one else. We saw the light.”
“A light that burned your very conscience.”
“Say whatever’s on your mind, baby brother. But let me ask you, are we leaving, or are we going to settle this right here in your dining room?”
“No, we’ll go.”
Connor got up from the table as Jessica ran over and clutched his arm.
“Connor, don’t go,” she said. “This is ridiculous. This isn’t some battle for the fate of the world. It’s just your brother. Decline, and he’ll have to leave our property.”
“Jess,” Connor said solemnly. “You don’t understand…this might as well be a fight for the planet. If my father sent him, nothing short of death or agonizing defeat will stop this.”
“He could be lying, just trying to challenge you after all these years!”
“I’m sorry, Jess.”
“Stop calling me Jess! You only call me that when you’re upset!”
“He h
as to go, Mom,” Hunter declared, entering the room. “This is what we’ve been training for. A day like this.”
“Son, will you wait for me to come home?” Connor asked him and his son smiled.
“Of course, Dad.”
“It’s a school night!” Jessica yelled and Connor pulled her to his chest and embraced her.
“I’m letting him stay up because he won’t be able to sleep anyways. Not until I come home and we can celebrate.”
“No, Connor!”
“I have to go now, Jess.”
“Stop! No! I – I’ll make you breakfast! Which means I’ll have to get up really early! You know how much I hate that! But I’ll do it! I’ll make those pancakes tomorrow and buy organic syrup. I’ll make it a special occasion and spend the money. I don’t care. Just…just don’t do this!”
Jessica broke down in tears and wrapped her arms around her husband, kissing his face furiously between sobs. Connor remained still, trying not to be swayed by her offer. He simply watched Sean, who was viewing the displays of affection with interest.
“I’m sorry, Jess. We both knew this day could come.”
“But why now? We’re so happy!”
“And we will be happier. There is no way that –“
“- that’s enough,” Sean cut in, grabbing his brother’s shoulder and chucking him out the dining room wall. Connor had been caught off guard so badly that he couldn’t even catch himself. He went spiraling through two other walls before he fell outside, skidding through the grass and dirt of their front lawn. Mr. Henderson just happened to be walking up the steps with his Yorkshire terrier when it all happened. With wide eyes and a trembling mouth, Mr. Henderson barely managed to instinctively ring the doorbell. Connor climbed to his feet in a second and disappeared the moment he saw Mr. Henderson blink. As he flew behind the house, he heard his wife mention something about “repairs” to him. He tried not to laugh. There was no time for it.
Sean was right behind him, keeping a distance between them Connor knew his brother could go faster than he was so he had to be letting him lead – to where the battle would occur. Connor knew the perfect place, but he wasn’t sure if Sean had the patience.
“Follow me,” Connor said, flexing his muscles and taking their flight even further into the atmosphere. Sean smirked and obeyed but Connor knew better than to feel safe. This was Sean he was dealing with.
“How long until we get there?” Sean called out from below, amplifying his voice to ensure he was heard. Connor ignored him, fighting for precious miles. Only five more minutes and…
“That’s far enough,” Sean said as he appeared in front of his brother. Connor stopped and hovered, waiting for the first strike.
“Last chance, brother,” Sean said. “Will you embrace your destiny and join us?”
“Of course not,” Connor laughed. “Death sounds more appealing.”
“Then death you shall have.”
Sean cocked back a fist slowly, but Connor had seen it a million times before. At the last second he was going to snap it forward, putting all his speed into it. He knew how to take care of this.
Connor took the initiative and immediately rushed forward, but his brother changed tactics. He somersaulted backwards in the air and followed with an uppercut right into Connor’s jaw. Connor was taken aback by the shock and Sean sped around him and locked his brother’s hands behind his back. Sean laughed and started bending them backward, with all the intention of breaking them, but Connor twisted his arms and managed to wrench himself free from the grip. He turned around and faced his brother.
“This is childish,” he said. “Are we really going to fight like this?”
“No,” Sean said, his adrenaline pumping for what was to come. “If one of us is to die today, then we’re going out in a way that the whole world will remember.”
“Sean, don’t –“
But it was too late. Sean was already heading down to the surface, and according to Connor’s calculations, there was a small city below, waiting for their arrival. If only they had traveled a little further…
Connor followed, dropping with all the speed he could muster. As soon as he cleared the clouds, he saw just how fast Sean really was. He was already on the street, and he was throwing cars left and right, into buildings, into the pavement, at people…
Thankfully, it didn’t appear anyone had been hurt, but it was only a matter of time. Redoubling his efforts, Connor swooped down and hit Sean with a powerful haymaker to the face. Sean flew backwards but caught himself in the air a mile down. He chuckled and started hurling cars at his brother now, caring little for whether they contained passengers or not.
“GET OUT THE STREET!” Connor roared over his natural loudspeaker, commanding the people to scatter. Just as he finished the sentence, a car nearly collided into a teenage girl. Connor managed to slide between them, but he had no time to put up his hands. His body took the full brunt of the automobile, and it disintegrated upon impact. There was no pain, but the vibration did jar him for a moment.
Still, he couldn’t take a breather. Another car was coming…
He didn’t want to kill anyone accidentally, so he had to take great care in how he handled them. And since he had no super vision, he had to wait for the last second most times, right before the car made impact, before he chopped the car in half with the side of his arm, or grabbed it and threw it lightly to the side.
Eventually, Sean grew tired of this and switched to people, making the deadly game a lot harder. If Connor didn’t time his movements just right, the impact or even sudden whiplash of his movements could kill them. He couldn’t just catch one and throw them to the side like metal. With great speed and precision, he darted through the street, catching the people one at a time and letting them go, sometime carrying as many as five at once. It wasn’t long before it looked like he was carrying a pair of human nun chucks, whipping individuals left and right, over his shoulders and through his legs, trying to use the best way to let them down without breaking their fragile bodies.
Once he saved the last one, he noticed that Sean had a little girl in the palm of his hand. Only about two years old, he was holding her entire waist in his fist and he grinned devilishly as he wound his arm back and suddenly chucked her behind him, right into the air. Connor knew he would have to get past his brother to get to her and he had no time to think of a plan.
Connor took to the skies, in an arch over his brother’s head. He already knew Sean would take advantage. As he flew as fast as he could toward the falling girl, Sean pounded on his face and torso with everything he had, matching his speed but overcompensating on the strength of his fists. He refused to hold back and it took no time at all for the vibrations in Connor’s body to grow into a dull ache and then mature into a searing, agonizing pain. He fought back the urge to scream, but Sean had noticed the hurt in his brother’s eyes and started hitting the same spot - the right side of his ribs, over and over.
Connor gave off another burst of speed and managed to lose Sean for a second, grabbing the girl and curling up into a ball the best he could, protecting her from harm. Connor just fell, now that he had the girl, closing his eyes and concentrating on keeping her safe. His brother had picked up speed and caught up, now hitting even harder, and ripping the very clothes off of Connor’s body, trying with all his might to reach the little girl and take her life. But Connor refused. Even if he died, she would at least be safe.
They hit a building. Connor wasn’t sure which, but it definitely had three floors. That he remembered, and Sean had not followed, letting him crash into the rubble. Connor didn’t mind. He needed a few seconds to breathe.
Unwrapping his right arm from the girl, he reached up and threw a pillar to the side, then, as fast as he could, he chucked the rest of the debris on top of them to the side. Breathing in deeply, he unwrapped his left arm and looked down at the little girl cradled in his arm.
And he couldn’t stop himself from cry
ing.
For he couldn’t bear this pain.
He didn’t even have to feel for a pulse. He already knew the moment he looked at her. Whether it was from a stray blow from his brother, the fear from Sean’s throw or the fall itself, it didn’t matter…she hadn’t survived.
Sean was no longer his brother now…he was something more. This wasn’t like when Hunter was training him. When his son had grabbed a stray cat and pretended like it was strapped to a bomb. It had really been a piece of paper that said “bomb,” tied to the cat with some string, but Connor remembered he hadn’t saved it. For some reason he wasn’t in the mood that day, and he just couldn’t get into character. And it was just a cat. And nothing bad had actually happened. But his son had made a big deal out of it, and borderline scolded his father on how casual he was on accepting the “death”. Connor had apologized and vowed to never lose a life under his son’s watch again…
But that was nothing like this.
This was far different.
This little girl would not come back. And she had parents who would wonder what happened. And family and friends’ lives would be affected by her passing in some way, creating a ripple effect that could affect generations to come. With all his power, he hadn’t saved her…
And he had only himself to blame.
Because he should’ve been taking this more seriously.
Somehow he forgot that this wasn’t a training exercise. This was real. People could die. A toddler had died, and Sean was not his brother. He hadn’t been for a long time…why couldn’t he get that through his head? He was an enemy, and it didn’t go beyond that.
And his son had trained him for what to do with enemies.
You don’t play around with them. You take them down as soon as you can.
Before they did something that you will regret.
“No more,” Connor muttered as he carried her gently out the building’s destroyed entrance, and into the sun’s dying light.
“Oh, did she die?” Sean asked casually, standing a few yards from him. Connor motioned for a young man looking on to take her, and he placed her gently into his arms.
Connor faced his enemy.
“Oh, my,” Sean said, chuckling behind a closed fist. With his other hand, he was pointing at his brother. Connor didn’t care.
See, he had forgotten to change entirely.
He was so hungry and in such a hurry to spend more time with Jessica and Hunter that he had just put a t-shirt and some khaki pants on. Because the thing just took too long to take off without ripping. And besides, his son would be excited when he found out.
A little bruised and torn, but standing out like a lighthouse beacon nonetheless, Connor stood before his enemy proudly, bearing his son’s costume. The armor of a champion. Light blue cape, green and black colors, and the picture of a man holding the world up on the palms of his hands, located square in the center of his chest.
It was official.
He was the Champion.
And the Champion always defeated his enemy.
Before Sean could gain his composure, Connor was upon him. With a barrage of fists that even he couldn’t see, Connor did not let up, ignoring when his muscles ached and grew tired, refusing to acknowledge his brain telling him he was fatigued. He moved like a well-oiled machine, wearing down his brother with impressive speed and force.
And even when his brother tried to escape and took to the skies, he didn’t let up, matching him inch by inch.
And when his brother fought back out of anger and frustration, he didn’t let up.
And when the sun set, and the moon rose and fell, and the dawn began to greet them, he didn’t let up.
“STOP!” his brother screamed as loud as he could over the sun’s rise, and this took Connor off guard. His eardrums had a great deal of tolerance, but when an amplified voice was used at maximum capacity, even he couldn’t bear it. It was enough to break the stalemate.
His brother gained a second wind, and began hitting his brother as if he was fresh again. One especially hard blow sent Connor into the middle school down below, and it felt like his chest had practically exploded, but he couldn’t give up now. The memory of the little girl flashed across his mind.
He glared at his enemy and rocketed into the air, slamming both of his fists into Sean’s stomach. Sean took the brunt of it and cried out on impact. But it was apparent Connor’s mind was on other things because Sean was able to fall off and retaliate in turn. After a flurry of punches hit Connor’s face, Sean delivered a left hook that made his brother go limp.
Finally. Sean thought in triumph This is it! I won!
Connor fell back onto the roof of the school, lighter than earlier but still creating a decent sized outline in his wake. And he wasn’t moving. Seeing his foe, his brother, lying on the roof, Sean couldn’t believe his luck. But of course, he had to check and make sure. Father would insist.
Sean floated down to inspect the body when he saw his brother’s right leg twitch. But it was too late.
With a speed that Sean had yet to witness, Connor flew up and delivered an uppercut so incredible to his jaw that the impact made a cracking sound that echoed for miles. Connor wasted no time in grabbing his enemy’s face and thrusting him down onto the roof. As soon as Sean hit the tar, Connor responded with one more punch to the middle of his face, sending Sean straight down into the school. Connor reared back and delivered another with even more force. There was no more speed behind his attacks. It was pure strength and rage. And Sean didn’t have the energy to block any of them.
The last one caused a crater in the foundation, and the whole school collapsed upon itself, crashing down onto the brothers - neither of them having the energy to stop it.
The last thing Sean saw before the rubble came upon them was the symbol on Connor’s chest, right in his face, declaring who his brother was now as he received one last, slow, weak punch to his right cheek.
And then everything went black.
“Mom! Mom!” Hunter said between bites. “Look at this!”
He was eating pancakes from a cereal bowl like it was his last meal as he sat on his knees on the couch. He was pointing urgently to the television screen when Jessica walked in.
“You’re supposed to wait for your father to eat that!” she scolded as he continued pointing.
“I haven’t eaten all night, but that’s not important right now! Look!”
She glanced from behind the couch to the screen and saw a helicopter hovering over the wreckage of a middle school. Due to the small city being so secluded to the rest of the world, it took forever for the news crews to get there and procure any news worthy footage. But the networks didn’t mind apparently. The coverage was on each one. The city was in a collective uproar as every breathing citizen had a collaborated story to tell: two men fighting had caused the damage, and they definitely weren’t human.
After all, they could fly…
“Do they have any footage of your father?” Jessica asked and Hunter nodded reluctantly.
“Nothing clear. Mostly shaky, grainy images from cell phones and store cameras. Dad’s usually good about continuously moving when he’s in public so we shouldn’t worry. I taught him that.”
“Still…couldn’t they figure out who he is?”
“Maybe,” Hunter said too quickly. “Uh, I mean…who knows?”
“Is he okay?” Jessica asked, realizing this should have been her first question. It was just that Connor seemed so invincible, the thought of him losing was unthinkable.
“Yep, no one can find him. They got Uncle Sean though.”
“They do?”
“They’re not releasing pictures but they’ve described him. Sounds like it’s him, though…I’m sure we won’t get a full press release. He’ll be examined and prodded. See if he’s an alien.”
“If he escapes, he’ll come right here.”
“And Dad will whip his butt again. It’s under control.”
> “What are you, his manager?”
“Manager, publicist, trainer and occasional sidekick,” he said, giving a toothy grin at his mom from the couch. “I know. I know. We’ll talk about the sidekick thing.”
“Hmph,” Jessica said as she heard two thuds from the entrance, now wrapped with plastic until the construction crews arrived. She didn’t tell them they didn’t have the money yet.
“Hello? Connor?” she asked hopefully as she rushed to the once front door.
And there he was.
Definitely dirtier, more bruised and swollen than she remembered, but her perfect man nonetheless.
“Knock, Knock,” he sighed as he leaned up against a destroyed wall. “Looks like I’m going to be wearing the costume a lot more.”
Jessica smiled as she saw her husband climb up to a standing position and gave a “Hercules pose,” flexing both his biceps into the air.
“And it looks very sexy on you,” she swooned for real this time. Leaping into his arms, he picked her up and kissed her like it would be their last, wrapping his massive arms around her for even more support and closeness.
“You already got the girl, Dad,” Hunter commented from behind them. “You don’t have to kiss her.”
“It’s customary upon every victory,” Connor replied, letting his wife go and catching his jumping son into his arms. He gave him a kiss on the forehead as Hunter practically choked him in a hug.
“Did the training help?”
“More than you know. But we need to continue.”
“Of course! That’s what I’ve been saying!”
“What about Sean?” Jessica asked and Connor grew solemn.
“I beat him and left him in the building. The police took him away but who knows what will happen from there.”
“Are you scared that he’ll break out and come back?”
“Not at all,” he said assuredly.
“How can you be so calm?”
“If you knew my father, you would know that there is no coming back from this. He’s finished. Either he’ll be killed, or left for scientists to experiment on.”
“And you’re fine with this?”
“Of course not. You don’t think I’m just going to leave my brother to die, do you? I’m going to save him in a few days.”
“Why not tomorrow?”
“Well,” Connor said, stretching his neck. “Let’s just say that I’ve had enough heroism for one day, and if I really want to help, I’ll have to be at my peak. He’ll just have to survive on his own for a few days.”
“Right!” Hunter exclaimed, jumping out of his father’s arms.
“Where are you off to?”
“To get a pen and paper. I need to start your training itinerary. If you’re going to save Uncle Sean in a few days, you’ll need some preparation. Oh, and you might want to tell me about him and your father and your whole past. You know, for training purposes.”
Connor stared down at his son and back at Jessica who nodded in approval.
“Okay,” Connor replied. “I’ll tell you everything…but not until tomorrow. I’ll need some sleep after I have some of your mother’s delicious pancakes.”
“Okay, but I’m holding you to it!”
“Of course,” he said as Hunter ran to his room, planning who knows what.
“So you’re hungry?” Jessica asked, and Connor winced as he took a step.
“Well, maybe I could go for a shower first.”
“Funny, I was thinking the same thing,” she said as smiled warmly and wrapped her arms around his neck once more.
“Well, then I guess I can take a nap,” he said and winked. “After I wake up, we’ll have breakfast.”
“That sounds just about perfect.”
Connor laughed, picked up his wife and placed her into his arms, floating up the stairs toward the shower.
He didn’t know if this superhero gig would become a permanent thing. Putting on a costume and saving the world from evil…he just wasn’t sure if it was his purpose. But what he was sure of was that he was going to spend the rest of the day with his family and have one of the most relaxing and carefree days of his life.
Because he only cared for what they thought of them, and no one else.
To them…he didn’t mind being their hero.
Their Champion…
The next installment is now available:
Family Reunion (Champion #2)
Novels by Julius St. Clair
Fantasy:
The Last of the Sages
The Dark Kingdom (Sage Trilogy, Book 2)
Hail to the Queen (Sage Trilogy, Book 3)
End of Angels (Angel Story, Book 1)
Angels of Eden (Angel Story, Book 2)
Obsidian Sky (Obsidian Saga, Book 1)
Thrillers:
The Deadly Ones
Science Fiction:
Upgrade (The Androids Trilogy, Book 1)
The End of Us
Romance:
My Immortal Playlist
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