Chapter 10
Ted felt a burst of pain the moment he crashed through the window, though his sleeves took most of the impact. He expected to land hard on the pavement, and he shut his eyes tight to brace himself. He waited a few seconds to slam into the ground, but nothing happened. When he blinked his eyes open, he saw black and wondered if he'd been knocked out or blinded. That's when he realized what his body was doing. He was hovering horizontally about two inches above the ground. Ted was staring right into the pavement.
"Air planking," he said. "The new sensation."
He continued to float for a couple of seconds before forcing his knees onto the ground and releasing the grip of his powers. Ted remembered the pain around his throat as he felt the imprint of Nigel's fingers. He didn't know much about his power, but he knew that Nigel was able to deflect it with ease. The other men who attacked him, not so much.
What made Nigel different? he wondered.
He would have to do something to distract them if he was going to save Sandra and the others. Ted heard the familiar creak of the front door opening. He instinctively pushed himself off the ground and sprung upward, remaining horizontal as he flew under the diner's awning until he slammed his back into a support pole. It hurt worse than crashing through the window had, though he was able to maintain his position, suspended about fifteen feet above the ground.
"With great power, comes great pain," he whispered.
One of the thugs came around the corner to search the spot where Ted crashed through. The man kicked the glass and heard something in the nearby bushes. As he crept toward the noise, Ted attempted to gracefully float down. Instead, he banged his head on a cement frame and once again landed a few inches above the ground. Ted placed his feet on the pavement and stood up. He walked up behind the man as a cat came leaping out of the bushes and scampered off.
"Damn animal. Scared me half to death," the man said.
Ted tapped him on the shoulder.
"You ready for the other half?"
The man swung at Ted, though he was expecting that. What he didn't expect was to slip on a chunk of glass and fall backwards. As he did, he put out his hands to defend himself. What came next was also unexpected. The man was gone. Ted completely lost sight of him. He looked in every direction, but there was nothing there.
"Did I… vaporize him?"
Just then, Ted heard a scream. He spotted the man high in the sky about 50 feet away. He watched as the man slammed through the windshield of the only car in the lot.
"Real graceful, Ted. Real graceful."
He dusted himself off and peered into the restaurant through the window. It didn't seem like anyone had heard the man's shouts – they were too focused on Sandra. One thug was chanting while the Russian appeared poised to choke the life out of her.
I need help, he thought.
Ted's mind brought up an image of his phone inside the sack of electronics Nigel and the others had collected. Without even realizing it, he'd swiped the phone's touch screen with his powers and entered his password. It was as if his brain was doing the touching for him.
"Talk about hands-free operating," he said.
Ted dialed 9-1-1 and let the call continue. In a few minutes, there'd at least be a deputy on the scene. He knew he needed more than that, though. Ted could see the rest of the phones in the bag through his mind's eye. In an instant, he'd unlocked five phones that didn't have password protection and dialed 9-1-1 on those as well.
That should get their attention.
Ted felt proud of his ability to think small, but there was an issue that remained. It'd still be several minutes until anyone showed up, and the man with the sheet of paper had just finished his chanting. Ted watched the Russian move his hands to Sandra's chin and the top of her head. He'd seen enough action movies to know the man intended to break her neck. There wasn't enough time to think small.
"Randomly inherited magical powers, don't fail me now," he said.
Ted focused on every object in the entire diner at once. Plates, menus, bar stools and utensils floated up into the air. He heard several shrieks from the patrons inside.
"Now!" Ted said.
All of a sudden, the objects and began to swirl like a tornado. Dishes slammed into the wall, forks and knifes jabbed into the Russian and a metal napkin holder cracked Nigel in the side of his head. Glass broke, patrons screamed and the diner filled with havoc. Ted continued to spin whatever he could think of as he watched Sandra inch into the kitchen. As the swinging door closed behind her, Ted saw Nigel lift up his hands. Despite Ted's efforts, all the hovering objects paused in midair.
"Enough!"
Nigel screamed the word and all the windows blew out at once, sending shattered glass and plastic blinds onto the pavement. All the hovering objects burst out of the diner. Ted ducked to avoid a knife headed directly toward his face. Books, half-eaten brunches and coffee creamers landed on the ground outside. Ted's eyes locked with Nigel's. The Brit kicked aside a tipped-over bar stool and walked toward the window.
"It's over, living soul."
Ted was petrified. Nigel moved with ease while Ted was frozen in place. He was absolutely sure this was the end, when he heard something through the front of the restaurant.
"Freeze! Put your hands up!"
Nigel and Ted both looked toward the sound. The Brit was only a few feet away from him when he stopped.
"I have a clean shot and I will take you down," the deputy said.
The deputy was joined by three others gunmen and some emergency medical technicians. When Nigel blew out the windows, he left a gaping hole exposing what was really going on inside. Yarrick pulled a fork out of his midsection and put his hands up. Tank did the same, while Carter continued to lie semi-conscious on the ground.
"It's over, Nigel," Ted said.
"Over?" Nigel said with a smile. "The fun's only just beginning."
Nigel put his hands up as the deputies entered the diner to cuff the gang. Ted hated the smug look on Nigel's face, but he knew the Brit was right. Nothing was over yet.
After all the thugs were taken into custody and driven away, the news vans arrived. Ted was sitting at the back of an ambulance getting his arms looked at when the first reporter came up to him. He sported a fake grin and pushed his microphone right into Ted's face.
"Ted Finley, the people in there are saying that you're some kind of hero. On par with Superman. Super powers and everything. What do you have to say to that?"
Every comic book Ted ever read gave the hero a secret identity. That secrecy kept the person's loved ones and personal life safe. Had Ted already lost that opportunity?
"I'm just glad everybody's alright."
The reporter was unfazed.
"From what the hostages are saying, everybody's alright because of you. Are you planning to solve more crimes using your superpowers?"
"I…."
Ted felt his cheeks warm. The world would be watching his every word, and he would need a little more information before he detailed his potential crime fighting plans.
"No comment," he said. "Thank you."
The reporter wasn't the last to visit him. He spoke with over a dozen until he felt a tap on his shoulder. The first thing he saw when he turned was a familiar rainbow butterfly tattoo.
"Here's a question you really want to hear," Sandra said. "Do you want a lift home?"
"Please."
The two of them hustled across the parking lot and locked themselves inside her car. The newscasters mobbed Sandra's car as she pulled onto the road. They didn't say a word for the first few minutes.
"You saved my life, Ted."
Middle-school Ted held Sandra on a pedestal of womanhood. It felt amazing to hear her speak so highly of him.
"You were the brave one first," he said.
Sandra smiled.
"I was an idiot. The things you did were out of this world."
Ted had barely had time to process. In the last two hours
alone, he'd been broken up with, infused with some kind of magical powers and made the savior of two-dozen people from a gang of madmen. The previous day all he'd done was finish his homework and play video games. This took a little longer to deal with mentally.
"I don't know where it came from, and I'm not sure what to do next," he said.
Sandra patted Ted on the shoulder and looked his way during a red light.
"I've known you since you were a little squirt and you've always been a good kid. Keep being yourself. Help people when they need it. You'll probably be fine."
Ted breathed out a sigh.
"Thanks, Sandra."
The car pulled into Ted's driveway, which was also mobbed by reporters. He even spotted a few national news vans on the scene. Sandra undid her belt and kissed Ted on the cheek. His face went from slightly pink to bright red.
"That's for saving my life," she said.
Ted unbuckled his seatbelt and gave Sandra a hug.
"Wish me luck," he said.
"Good luck," she said. "Your teenage years are awkward enough without a million cameras watching your every move."
Ted rolled his eyes.
"Thanks. Thanks a lot."
"Don't mention it. Now go greet your adoring fans."
Ted laughed and opened the door.
Here goes nothing, he thought.
PART TWO