Welcome to a new superhero action-romance short story starring two of the heroes that will appear in my upcoming webcomic 'Certified Heroes'. Read the origin of superhero duo Blastpunk and Electri as they defeat their first villain, Volcanic Lighting, and discover their true feelings for one another.
Spotify Playlist for this story while you read.“Alright, and we are live.” Messy-haired late-teen Brian Bayley aimed the old, outdated camcorder roughly towards his face, not bothering to account for shakiness or focus. “Dear vlog. Life pretty much sucks, doesn’t it? Well, what if I told you that if you try hard enough, it gets better? … I’m getting really good at lying, aren’t I?”
“Hey, internet losers, it’s your least favorite vlogger, Brian Bayley with my series 'Try Not To Suck At Building Things' where we recreate technologies from movies, comics and TV shows you really should have grown out of watching, in real life. A channel where you watch me fail... repeatedly, but for some sadistic reason, not give up? And don't forget the channel slogan, ‘if an idiot like me can do it, you can too’!”
The amateur inventor slumped into an old beat-up office chair, letting it slide across the floor of an equally beat-up garage space that was littered with two parts useful technology (junk) and one part garbage (sans garbage bins). Brian continued in an ever-monotone voice that rarely portrayed any hint of enthusiasm, “So anyway, let’s get started with no plan at all. Kind of like yesterday’s lunch that I had to throw away.” Brian set the camera on a mount. “Cue montage intro scene.”
Brian’s final, edited video would show various scenes of his time working on all sorts of different technological projects including none other than home-made lasers, 3D-printed mini flamethrowers, and a semi-functional rocket hammer. In one clip, he failed spectacularly to rewire a conduit, getting zapped for it immediately. Or the time he accidentally launched a rocket into his garage warehouse. “Oh—no, no, no!!” Luckily, the camera fell out of shot.
Some clips showed him succeeding and self-depreciating himself directly afterward. “We did it—a working flame, boomerang, sword? Honestly, I don’t even know what this is. But it’s from a popular anime, so it’s probably a weapon… or and an outfit. Or both?”
But most of all, it showed someone—someone who many would have called a social outcast, a lowlife delinquent, a geek who desperately needed to touch some grass, forgetting the troubles of his world and losing himself to his projects.
Fast forward to the present. It was time for Brian’s latest video, which he would eventually give the title, Sneaking Into Spooky Abandoned Tower (Cops Showed Up).
The sky was bright and sunny, but the moment Brian scaled the fence to the bottom floor of OMNIcorp Tower, he was blanketed in the dimly lit underbelly of the ruined building. It wasn't so dark as to make it hard for him to see, but he wasn’t exactly getting any vitamin D from this little exersion. “Dear vlog." He held his cam again. "This tower has been on my watchlist ever since it burnt down several years ago. But as of yesterday, the owners of this building's condominium has finally run out (which is an overly complicated word for ownership contract). So right now," He stopped. "Nobody owns this tower or... anything inside it.”
Brian set down a case on the concrete and opened it, grabbing out a pair of clunky goggles from inside. "Hey look; my augmented reality goggles from a previous episode. This version doesn't give you temporary blindness. Links in description for that video." Once on his head, the lenses displayed a rough holographic map of the entire tower—a tower that had fallen more and more to waste from its neglect. “Let’s have a look around.”
Shaky camera. Use of flashlight when unnecessary. All hallmarks of a spooky, “let’s explore an abandoned place” video. Brian didn’t do it that way for the intention of gaining more views online. These were the sorts of things he did to keep his fast-thinking mind from getting bored all the time. Not that it really worked, anyway (yawn).
Brian climbed down the concrete steps (what was left of them) toward the basement. He slipped on some wreckage, and barely recovered from falling flat on his face. He knew from studying the holographic blueprints that the best stuff would be on the lower levels; so that's where he was going.
“Now, I know what you’re all thinking; really, Brian? Stealing? Your views must really be going down.” Brian waved his finger at nobody in particular. “Nuh-uh. While my views are definitely going down, this isn’t technically stealing. Anything here will just be destroyed once the new owners bulldoze this building. So technically, I’m saving technological artifacts from never getting recognized... for my own personal benefit. And just because I used the word “technically” multiple times in the same breath, doesn’t mean it’s not true.”
Another level down and now it was starting to get dark. Brian landed down from a ledge to the floor, a shockwave of dust propelling from his wake. “Here we are; the last level." His voice became more thoughtful, melencholy. "If there was anything left behind, here is where it will be.”
Walking by, Bayley shined his flashlight into a hallway. “Oh no, a ghost!” There wasn’t anything there. “Hah, I got you guys goo- I’m gonna shut up now.”
Come on. There’s gotta be something good around here. "You know, I heard this company was caught for doing shady business with shady people right before they closed, so I really don’t feel bad for "theoretically" stealing from bad guys-” Brian felt the ground shift below him as a creak echoed across the dim concrete bunker. Silent, he crouched down and touched the floor. Some sort of trap door. That's kinda stupid.
The late teen removed the broken, detached hatch doors beneath him and brushed away the rubble. Before him now lay a mixed assortment of unsanctioned, forgotten tech that had never seen the light of day. Bingo. Brian set his camera down to get a good angle on everything. He forgot to update his potential viewers on the prospect, entranced in the wonder of sifting through lost treasures.
Mixed components, rare parts, mostly damaged by the fire or partial collapse of the interior labs. There were some things he couldn’t even identify. Then the thought brushed upon him. This company was more than just a normal tech manufacturer. This was special. Their inventions were beyond anything anyone had seen before. They were going to be the future… or so the world believed… That was before their business burned down to the ground (literally) and they disappeared mysteriously without a trace or mark on the world.
Then he found it. A suitcase. Fireproof. Completely undamaged. It had valable written all over it (not literally).
Brian pulled the suitcase out. This looks promising. He set it down and studied the hatches. He reached the first latch and unlocked it, then reached for the next, and--
“Hey you! Who’s down there?!” A voice reverberated down from above.
Who else would be down here? Is it the police? I’m not technically doing anything wrong. And there's that word again. Brian had a nagging feeling as his pulse quickened. “Looks like that’s our cue. Let’s get outta here.” He finished stuffing his backpack full of “unowned” tech and grabbed the suitcase, making a run for it, then rushing back to grab the camera.
Another voice echoed in from the higher levels. “Someone else is definitely down here.” A female voice. That meant there were more of them. “Spread out. Find ‘em.” Another voice ordered.
“Maybe it’s not the police?” Blast said to himself or the viewers; he didn't know. It didn’t matter either way. He wasn’t a criminal breaking any rules, but he didn’t feel the need to explain the “technicalities” to any officers right now. Let’s just get out and go. Climbing up the ruble, Brian had to throw his backpack and suitcase up a story for a second, before making his way to the top and grabbing them once more.
Here, it was brighter. He could see the sunlight in the distance, but there were a many number of obstacles, broken pillars and wreckage in his way. Ground level. There was nothing he could do but sling his backpack over one shoulder and quicken his pace towards one of the many exits carved away by time.
“I hear movement!” A voice instantly called out from his steps. “Get back over here!” The voices were coming closer. Tailing him. Quickly.
Brian chanced a look back. He could see flashlights waving back and forth in the short distance and the sounds of footsteps growing nearer. He began to question just who these people were, when he tumbled over a rock, tripping down to the ground, but regaining his footing just as quickly. Bayley picked up the suitcase that had slid across the floor from the fall and kept on running.
The sun was going down, the area was getting darker, and his pursuers were catching up to him--and to make matters worse, up ahead was not an exit after all, but a dead end, fenced off. Brian stopped and banged a hand against it. He looked back again; lights blinded him. That made him throw his backpack over the fence, and before he knew it, he kissed the suitcase and threw it over as well. Then he went for the fence, climbing upwards and feeling the whole thing jolt violently as one of the men hit up against it—but they were too late; he was over. This time, he didn’t turn round to look back.
Later: Running down the street in the middle of the night. Just great.
Brian opened the door to his mini-apartment and slipped inside. “Ugh, I hate running…”
Bayley slung his backpack off to the floor. “And walking.” He made his way through the cramped apartment, the lights still on from their previous use. "And also moving..."
He entered his bedroom through the slightly ajar door. He had uploaded the video to his channel on the way home and was exausted. The teenage social outcast slung himself onto his bed. What a wild day.
Breaking into an abandoned technology empire’s forgotten tower, “appropriating” some unowned tech, running away from unknown pursuers. All this excitement, and yet, he still didn’t feel satisfied.
Something was always missing. He could never put his finger on it, but he always felt like there was something. Something that he could do with his skills. Something that would make him feel more alive. Everyone's been there.
Brian produced his cellphone from the pocket on his jeans and checked the notifications by habit, hoping it would lift himself from the afternoon low. No mentions on social media. A new video by Acing It At Life. Some newsletter updates, and—hold on—twenty-one new comments?!
Never one to receive much activity on his channel, Brian checked the first notification quickly... and then next… and the next. Each one of his videos had recieved a comment from a user with a cryptic username full of unknown characters. All of them, the same message:
BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU PUT ON TV
As far as he scrolled through his each of his notifications on each of his channel's videos, all he could see was the same ominous message again and again and again...
“Huh.” Brian marked it as spam and swiped all the comments away. That was enough internet for today.
Lights off. Phone down. Forget about the suitcase. Forget about everything. Just sleep...
Click here to read chapter 2! ⚡
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