26 Comments
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Marie Shadows's avatar

Jasper took a moment to compose himself from the flashes of media photography, exhaling his Holden breathes while walking to an alley to search through his phone for the right contact.

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Somiah Nettles's avatar

Jaspers knocks into someone as he walks down the alley, away from the noise, glancing down at his phone. He was embarrassed at first, but after refocusing his eyes, he recognized the other individual.

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John Coon's avatar

"Emma .... " Jasper paused while he searched for the right words. "This is the last place I expected to see ... you."

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Michael S. Atkinson's avatar

"A logical response, because it is not me," the voice that sounded like hers and yet wasn't responded, just before her eyes turned red and a barrage of energy blasts cut a swath of destruction through the alleyway.

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M. O’Ann's avatar

“New York on line 1, Boss! They say it’s urgent!” Your assistant James hollered from the other room as you mumbled in frustration to yourself, “it better not be another alien fight, those don’t pay good.”

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John Coon's avatar

You don't hold out much hope he's right since you made your name and built your business on battling legions of tentacled invaders.

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Lauren Salas's avatar

Taking a moment to get into a more 'heroic' mindset, you pick up the phone. "Alright, what seems to be the trouble? Not more aliens, I hope?"

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M. O’Ann's avatar

“Mr Geyser! We have a situation here! It’s regarding the mayor’s daughter! It’s her lizard, Nibbles,” the rushed voice of the Mayor’s deputy was immediately ignored by Geyser as Geyser’s mind immediately zoomed into focus at just the mention of lizard.

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Lauren Salas's avatar

Lizards are your one fear, your one weakness, but you're Power Geyser, and the city is counting on you so you push it aside. "Nibbles, you say? What's become of him?"

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Michael S. Atkinson's avatar

"He's transformed!" the deputy says, astonishment in every syllable. "He's become some kind of a ferret-wolverine hybrid! He's already torn the left arm off the secretary and he's cornered the Mayor in the main office! We need your help!"

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Lauren Salas's avatar

You want to hang up, but superheroes don't just run away from ferret-wolverine-lizards, do they? "Say no more. I'll be there in a flash!"

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M. O’Ann's avatar

As you press your watch to switch out your everyday clothes to the super wear, say goodbye to James, you can only think of one thing as you rush over to the Mayor's office; your fearful rival has arrived.

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Lauren Salas's avatar

Gabriel knew that when he got into this line of work, but would it really kill people to pay a little more for each monster skull he brought in?

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John Coon's avatar

Did they really want to make him choose between slaying monsters and paying his rent?

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Lauren Salas's avatar

The werewolves alone should have been worth double what he was getting, and he wasn't even going to get into the time he fought that giant patchwork...thing.

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Somiah Nettles's avatar

Ring ring ring* Someone with a number beginning with 213 is calling.

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Lauren Salas's avatar

Hopefully a client that will pay decently this time. "Hey, Gabriel Wraithe speaking. Need a demon dismissed, monster mashed, spook....sent away? I'm your man."

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John Coon's avatar

"I don't normally do this." A slight tremor threaded through the voice on the other end. "But I'm at the end of my rope here."

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Leah McCullough's avatar

“Most people don’t call unless they are at the end of their rope, or tied in one. How can I help?” Gabriel asked feeling the dry spot on his head that hadn’t healed completely from the last job he took out of desperation.

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Marie Shadows's avatar

Jasper wasn't rich from saving the world - mostly snappy photo ops for newspapers and magazines, and the media praising him which doesn't pay six figures - and he wanted out of this.

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Alexa Tuttle's avatar

The question was... how?

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John Coon's avatar

It wasn't like he worked under a secret identity he could simply pass on to the next eager soul willing to tackle this thankless task.

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