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Morgan was average. In almost every way possible, he was average. Average height, average build, average strength. The only place where he was more than average was in his superpower.
Morgan was born with the ability to teleport a person to him no matter where he was. Downsides being he only could use it once a month and, because his parents were desperate for their super-powered kids to be in the spotlight, he was stuck playing sidekick to his brother Chad.
Chad had moderate telekinetic abilities that his parents always praised him for. Due to their control issues and lack of creativity, they had chosen the hero names "The Chadster" and "Transport".
They expected perfection from their children, and Morgan wasn't. He was average, so he wasn't worth the heroic life his parents wanted for him. That was just how life was. Going to class, getting bare minimum grades, and saving the city from villains when the need arose.
One day, Morgan was hard at work in tech class. He was touching up on a few gadgets his brother wanted when an emergency alarm sounded.
"Lockdown Lockdown Lockdown! All heros and sidekicks, report to head office!" The frantic voice of the principal boomed over the loudspeakers, fear obvious in his tone. Morgan grabbed his book bag and dashed out of the room, meeting his brother and Dave Dodgers in the hall. They only needed to share a look before dashing down the stairs to the main floor.
"Gotta love an early attack. Gives the day a bit of flavour!" Dave joked as he started to outrun the brothers.
"I must say I agree, Leader." Chad said with his usual arrogant tone. He was flaunting his ability by floating at Dave's pace. They shared a smirk only rivals or lovers could share, and it was just so annoying to Morgan.
'Another day, another question about Chad and Dave's sexualities.' He thought to himself, trying his best to keep up with the heros. If it weren't for Dave pursuing the youngest sibling in Morgan's family, (His sister Becky, who was two years younger than Dave) Morgan would have sworn the patriotic bastard and bitchy telepath were flirting.
Once they came to the office, they could see the issue. A large number of S tier villains had ripped a hole from the Eternity area straight to the field in front of the school. An army of them seemed to be waiting for a signal to attack.
"Oh, this is a little intimidating…" Chad muttered, fear piercing his ever-present and ever-so-cocky smile. He was definitely intimidated, but his brother saw his chance to be useful.
Morgan started digging around in his bag for something he'd built in case something went wrong. A megaphone that could connect to anyone with powers within a hundred miles.
"Transport, what the hell are you doing?" Chad asked, looking at Morgan with confusion. Morgan didn't answer, shoving the device into his brother's hands.
"Not me, you. You're the 'respectable hero', Chad. Go out and tell them you are sending a proxy to discuss demands. Specify that you are directing it to the S tier villains escaping the Eternity area. It'll bring any supers to us. Then, all we'll need is to kill time before reinforcements show up." Morgan explained, pushing his brother towards the door.
Chad followed his brother's instructions, reluctantly stepping outside and speaking to the escaped villains.
"S tier escapees of the Eternity area, I am the hero The Chadster. We wish to commute with as little bloodshed as possible. I am sending my sidekick as a negotiator for the safety of our school. Send a proxy of your own, and meet him halfway. Thank you!"
Morgan followed after him and walked right past him, towards the army of amassed villains. As he got closer to the halfway point between the school and the rift, he saw a woman in a long gold dress walking to meet him.
When they were face to face, he could see her matching yellow eyes and slender gloved hands. She looked him up and down before extending a hand for him to shake. "Hello there, young man." She said softly. "My name is Siren. What's yours?"
Morgan looked at the hand suspiciously, but shook it anyway. "Call me Transport." He spoke bluntly, trying not to let his nerves control his voice. "I'm the sidekick that was mentioned. I just want to know what it would take to keep the school and its inhabitants in one piece."
"Professional." Siren's approved tone sent a chill down his spine. "And straight to the point. You'd do great as a hostage negotiator, you know. But, back to the matter at hand."
She bent at the waist, looking the teen in the eyes, giving him the full view of her glare. "In the basement, there is a generator that runs on the stolen powers of those in the Eternity area. We want them back. We also would like…Transport-ation… to our proper homes." She chuckled slightly at her own pun, still keeping a serious tone.
Morgan could see her wide smile was fully reaching her golden eyes. She could take those powers back if she wanted, but it was clear she was having fun. Siren was a notorious villainess with the power to duplicate any ability she had been a witness to. She was also the mother to one of the strongest S tier heroes in the city, who had apparently put her into the Eternity area himself.
Morgan swallowed hard, keeping his face stoic even as his hands began to shake. "Who would you like these things to come from, if I may ask? Will a simple D tier sidekick be enough, or would you prefer someone higher up?"
Before Siren could respond, there was a loud snapping sound to Morgan's left. The two of them turned their heads to see a hero that definitely was not there a moment before. There, in all of his strength, was Superior. The son of Siren, the strongest hero in town, and the only hero who responded to the call.
"Mother." Superior said sternly. He took a step closer and got right into Siren's face. "How many times do I need to tell you, breaking reality to see me on my birthday is not a celebration. It's just a crime."
Siren gave a sad smile and held out her arms for a hug. "I'm sorry, honey. I just don't want you getting bored. Now, are we going to have our real agreement or will I need to burn this nice boy and his school to ashes?"
The hero sighed, gave an exaggerated eye roll and hugged his mother tightly. She gave him a kiss on the head, fifty dollars from her wallet, and then she snapped her fingers. She was gone.
In fact, all of the villains were gone. The portal closed, and the only person remaining was the young hero, standing where Siren had been minutes ago. Facing Morgan with an awkward smile. Looking at the hero this close, he was around Morgan's same age, maybe a little older. Finally, the hero addressed him.
"So… Can you not tell anyone about my mom's tradition? It's kinda embarrassing. Especially with the whole villain mom and hero son thing. I just don't want people using us as one another's weaknesses, you know?" He gave a self-deprecating laugh, holding the back of his neck.
Morgan just nodded, just as uncomfortable as the hero in front of him. This had been the first time a hero had talked to him, not as a subhuman sidekick, but as a person who had witnessed something he wasn’t meant to.
Superior smiled. "Thanks. Sorry for the trouble…" He snapped his fingers, causing a card to appear in Morgan's hand. "I have to go, but call me sometime. You're really skilled, Transport."
With another snap, he was gone. Morgan was speechless the rest of the day, amazed by his experience.
Chad, of course, took all the credit for making the megaphone, taking the praise that was rightfully Morgan's. All of dinner was Becky worrying about Dave and their parents praising Chad. Morgan, once again, was ignored.
It was eight o'clock when Morgan actually read the hero's card. It seemed so simple, but he still kept it to himself. His brother didn't need another form of superiority.
Morgan sat on his fire escape, watching the movement of the city from afar and tinkering with the megaphone to further its reach. He couldn't help but hear the quiet singing coming from the landing above. Someone was singing happy birthday to themselves. Curious, he started singing along with them.
The person wasn't startled, but looked over the railing at him. A boy, around Morgan's age, maybe a little older, with glasses and floppy brown hair smiled down at him.
"Hi."
"Hey. Happy birthday"
"Thanks. Celebrating alone again…"
"Sorry to hear that. I have some DVDs and a projector, if you want company. I have nothing better to do." Morgan pointed a thumb towards his window. The stranger smiled.
"I'd like that. I'm just moving in, my name is Alex." He said, climbing down the steps to Morgan's landing.
Morgan stood, holding out a hand with a friendly smile. "I'm Morgan. It's nice to meet you."
They spent the night in Alex's scarcely furnished apartment, projecting childhood favourites on the living room wall. Slowly, the two grew closer.
Eventually, the sidekick grew devious and the hero grew villainous. Even then, they still grew closer and closer. Friends became partners in crime, partners in crime became husbands, (just for tax fraud) and eventually, though it took its time, the two admitted their love. But that, unfortunately, is not my story to tell.