Captain Solar Volume 2, Issue #5: Mixed Emotions

"So.. That's what happened to her..." I say, as tears still roll down my cheek.

 

"Yeah.." Jessica muses, closing the journal before placing it on her nightstand.

 

"I feel like there are better ways to cope with what happened, than going straight to drugs. What is this stuff anyway?"

 

"I tried Andy, I tried!" Jess replies, raising her voice slightly. "But no amount of music, or therapy stopped the nightmares. I know you're just trying to help, but unless you've been in the places I have these last two years, you have nooo idea.."

 

"Okay ookay, I'm sorry. Obviously I can't force you to stop, cause at the end of the day, that's your own choice to make, but can you at least give me some details as to what this new signature drug is? Since I'll probably run into this at somepoint while ya know, being a superhero." I say, trying to stay quiet so her parents can't overhear.

 

"Uh, sure.." Jessica hesitantly says, eyeing the yellow powdery substance.. "It's called Euphoria. Pretty self-explanatory with a name like that. Upon taking it, you feel happy, and free, like nothing in the world can take you down."

 

"Any side effects?"

 

"Nope! At least, none that I've seen anyway.

 

"Hmm, okay.."

 

"Also, before you ask, there's a website." She says, pulling out her laptop from underneath her bed. After logging into her computer, it takes about a minute or so before she pulls the website up on the browser. Never thought I'd see the day when supervillains have their own websites set up for distributing their own product. Almost like they want to get caught or something..

 

"So this Euphorium guy that keeps getting mentioned, have you met with him?"

 

"No. All the dealings I've ever done have been through middlemen. Sorry."

 

"Figured as much. Nah, it's all good. You've been a big help already. Thanks.."

 

"Probably going to regret telling you in a minute or two, but yea, no worries. Anyways, as much fun as reliving this rollercoaster of emotions has been, I should probably hang out with my sister. Haven't been there as much I should be."

 

"Sister?" Jessica has a sister? I don't remember that..

 

"My sister.. Danika.. You really don't remember her either?"

 

"What??! Ohhh, Danika, right.. Sorry, for a second there it felt like my mind went completely blank." Huh, that's strange.. Not sure how I forgot something like that. Not even out of high school, and I'm forgetting simple things. Definitely not a good sign.

 

"Weird.. Anyway, I'll talk to you later, alright?"

 

"Yeah, sure thing!" I say with a smile, giving her a hug before I leave her room through the window. Thankfully her neighbourhood doesn't have too many security cameras, so it should be fine to fly for a bit.. I still get that adrenaline rush every time I fly. There's nothing cooler than being able to soar above the city skyline. Of course, my stomach starts grumbling.. Guess I should get something to eat then. I make my way to the nearest 7-11, landing in a nearby alleyway. I arrive at the 7-11 minutes later. Opening the door, I make a beeline to the slushie station, where of course I get the biggest size possible. Probably going to get a brain freeze, but it's totally worth it. Wait, there's a sour patch kids watermelon flavor now?! I'm soo down! After mixing a few other flavors in, I walk towards the register. There's no lineup either, sweet.

 

"Is that everything for you today?" The cashier asks unenthusiastically. I'm about to nod, but then I remember that I should probably get something to eat.

 

"Could I also get two slices of that buffalo chicken pizza please?" He nods, walking over to the food warmer display, grabbing two slices, before putting them on a plate, and placing it on a counter.

 

"That'll be five fifty-seven." He says, before pressing a few buttons. I nod, pulling out my debit card, and tapping it on the screen. I'm able to gobble one piece down before I'm even out the door. I barely even get two sips of my slushie before my hand starts to glow. Awwh man!

 

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Elsewhere (POV Switch)

 

There's the money.. Just gotta get to that truck. Six goons on each side of the deal, piece of cake. Jumping off the ledge, I land right into the middle of the two groups,

 

"Hi there." I say with a smirk, and a wave, as both sides start shooting at me, and the opposite side. No surprises here, they're all terrible shots, so I'm able to roll out-of-the-way relatively easily, using a nearby car as cover.

 

" You set us up! " One of the thugs yells, as the firefight starts.

 

"So, I'll take this as a no to just letting me have the money then? Fine, we'll do this the hard way.." With the snap of my fingers, my alters appear. They're big enough of a distraction for me to get close to the goons dressed in purple. Grabbing the pistol from one of them, I shoot another, right in the knee. Almost the start of a bad meme right there. Anyways, moving on! One of the stray bullets from the other side nicks me in the shoulder, but thanks to the upgrades Leon put in recently, it's not a big deal. Though it does ruin the paint job, ugh. My alters use each other as springboards, to propel them towards the goons. Lots of grunts, cracks, and screams later, my alters are done with that side, as I'm still stuck dodging these wimpy punches this guy's throwing. It's like he's never been in a fight before, or something. The palm of my left hand hits his jaw, as my right hits him right in the ribcage. My alters are about to move in to assist, when I shake my head.

 

"You all had your fun.. Let me have mine." And even though they all think they're not the alternates, they shockingly obey. Grabbing a smoke pellet from my belt, I smash it down in front of me. Always so careless with their bullets when they can't see.. Sure enough, the goons end up doing half the work for me. Two left.. Leaning against the top of the car door, I laugh, as I backhand the goon, sending him flying right towards one of my alters. He knocks the goon out pretty quickly, even though I told them not to interfere. Ugh. Only one now. He unloads his entire clip on one of my alters. Well, bye bye alter number 2-5-8-3-7, it was nice knowing ya.. While he's reloading, I'm able to kick him into a nearby street lamp. Me and my army of alters surround him, and he puts his hands up into the air.

 

"Please! I surrender! Don't kill me." He screams. I shrug, as I look around at my alters. Most of them just shake their head.

 

"You idiot. If you'd just let me go and take the money, we wouldn't have had to do this the hard way.. Just think of this as a teachable moment." Ah yes, surrendering.. Even though he's reaching for a gun now. I shoot him right in the shoulder, and upon collapsing onto the ground I search him for the keys, and sure enough, it's in his jacket pocket. Walking towards the truck, that's loaded with money, I can't help but smile.

 

"You actually let him live? Weak.." One of the other alters says, as I get in the driver's side of the truck.

 

"Want to call 9-1-1? Be my guest! I've gotta pay for this super suit somehow, so I'm cashing in!" As we pull out of the lot, I notice a speck of orange following us through the rearview mirror. Looks like it's gonna be a long night after all.

Done