Blast Off

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We were in an underground facility inside the mansion.

“One…two…three…Lift off!” I pressed the button and the satellite started levitating slowly. It lifted at a snail's pace until it was ten feet above. The satellite remained still like that for a few seconds and then-.

CHOOO!!!

It emitted white smoke from its rear, mimicking a steam engine.

“What the fuck!” I heard from my side, the otherwise reserved Dr. Hank couldn’t help but curse when he saw it move towards the sky.

Its velocity grew with each passing second. From the ground it looked like the earth was repelling the satellite. Instead of the satellite moving away from earth's gravitational field.

I’ve seen nothing like it, and by the looks on Dr. Hank’s face, neither had he.

“Are you sure we can trust this Moe guy?” He asked the professor.

Me and the professor were too busy looking at the floating satellite though.

Once it reached a certain speed it blitzed out of our vision. It presumably entered into escape velocity.

“It’s his own personal design. It’s based on anti-gravitational fields and space manipulation technology.” Prof. Xavier added.

“Anti-gravitational fields? Space manipulation technology?” Dr. Hank looked at him like he was a mad man, I would too if I hadn’t seen firsthand just how overwhelmingly powerful Moe was.

The professor hovered back to the elevator leading directly to his room,

“Well, it’s a secret sophisticated technology Hank…we have our own secrets, so I suggest you don’t pry into Moe’s.” The professor said with a smile.

That’s true, the professor himself had a floating wheelchair and Moe didn't question it. So, it’s only natural they extended the same courtesy to him.

“Yeah…I suppose…” Dr. McCoy reluctantly admitted as much a few seconds later.

We entered the elevator and reached the professor's office after a good minute.

The real question was if the satellite would work now. The instruction manual that I found in the box beside the satellite insisted that we wait an hour for it to calibrate to earth's orbit. Then…. another three more to ensure that the device is working safely.

The box also contained a Cerebro-like helmet for the professor and a remote with a small LED in the center. The LED showed the color red.

After the satellite is finished with its calibration and the safety checks met, the LED should turn green.

The instructions clearly warned us from using before it turned green.

It made sense why the safety check was important. After all the professor’s consciousness is going to be redirected through space and back. Any mistakes here and his brains could literally get fried.

Moe even added a liability waiver form for the professor. Should he choose to use it before the light turned green then Moe would not be held responsible. It was wacky and weirdly funny, just like Moe.

If everything turns out for the best, the professor could put the helmet on and start searching for Theo. If things really went our way, then we wouldn’t need to use this device more than once.

If it worked, then we really didn’t need to bother with pretenses anymore and go straight for Magneto’s throat.

“So another hour of waiting huh?” I say looking around the professor’s room.

“It's excruciating but we must endure.” Prof. Xavier saw that I was anxious about the whole thing and tried to reassure me.

“The team is searching for Theo right now. Don’t worry Peter! I’m sure everything will turn out for the best.” The professor said, there was a little sweat glistening on his forehead. I never considered that he might have doubts of his own.

‘Guess he really doesn’t want to use Moe’s satellite!’

I could understand his fear, after all he’s done nothing like this ever. His consciousness is going to travel to space and then bounce back to earth. Not to mention that Moe created this satellite in seconds. Again I can’t overstate the faith that the professor was putting in Moe’s abilities.

“Oh, do you have any phones here? I was supposed to call home in the afternoon.”

Dr. Mccoy responded, “Yeah sure, we have a spare one in the library, do you know where it’s at?”

I nodded.

‘If my memory serves well, I remember Strom mentioning it when we first came here!’

I passed through the dorm rooms and climbed giant staircases to face the giant door. There was a small board that the word Library inscribed.

Boy was it huge…it put the humble library we had in Midtown to shame. The shelfs were as high as giants and wider than the biggest trucks. It was simply magical to see so many books in one place. The more I walked, the more suspicious I got about the whole thing.

‘There has to be some kind of Mutant power running this! It just simply defied basic common sense! How can something be small on the outside and gigantic on the inside?’

“You look like you’re looking for something?” An older middle aged Caucasian lady asked with a smile.

“Oh, yeah...I’m looking for a phone? Dr. Mccoy told me to come here.”

“....Oh yes…yes….telephone right? God, sometimes I forget how old I am…why don’t you follow me sweetheart.”

I followed the kind lady, at first it seemed like she didn't have a clue where she was going. We took a sudden right turn and then a left turn and then walked straight until we reached a spiral staircase.

“Okay...head down...below you’ll meet the librarian there. She’ll have a ‘phone’ with her. Alright...take care dear. Until we meet again.” She waved once and headed back to where she came.

I went halfway through the stairway before realizing that I had forgotten to ask her name.

‘Damn, maybe I'll ask the professor about her later.’ I thought as I made my way down the stairs.

There was a small wooden desk with a blue and white acrylic desk name tag. The word Librarian was carved on it. On the side of the desk was a white, worn-out Landline. The print on the buttons were all scratched away to the point where they were barely visible now.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“Can I help you?” An Asian woman who was carrying a heavy box approached me.

“Yeah, I was looking for the Librarian. I wanted to use the landline.” I pointed to the rectangular box on the desk.

“Dr. Hank sent me here!” I added with enthusiasm, but it didn’t seem to have an effect on her.

As she approached me, I decided to help her with the box.

‘Aunt May raised me to be a gentleman!’

“Here let me take that, just tell me-” She handed the box to me without waiting for me to finish.

‘Holy shit! This box was heavy…’

I almost fell down face forward, that’s how heavy this damn thing was!

I couldn’t think anymore, as all of my focus was on making sure I don’t drop the box on my feet. It felt like I was carrying a car! I’m not joking when I say that…it really felt like I was carrying a full-sized car tucked under my arms.

“Oh, you can place it there.” The lady pointed at a particular spot. With each step I could feel my back scream in agony.

“That’s good enough!” She says as she sits on her chair.

When I put down the box, I was extra careful to not let my fingers get caught under. The relief my entire body felt when I put it down was immeasurable. I stretched out once just to make sure all of my limbs worked. My hands stinged.

“What are you doing? The phones here, don’t you want to call someone” The woman called out to me.

‘Oh my god how can she be so relaxed after lifting that thing? More importantly what was in that thing anyways?’

I took a couple of large breaths to compose myself and made my way to the desk. She pushed the landline forward and said,

“I’m impressed by your strength...not a lot of people could lift those magical tomes. They do weigh 10 Tonnes after all!” She had a ghost of a smile.

“10…Tonnes!” I repeated out of breath.

The word magical tomes had no effect on me, but 10 Tonnes however had me floored. I carried a literal school bus with my arms…. she made it look so easy……who the hell is this person?

As if she could read my mind, the Asian lady extended her right hand and said, “Mạnh Cao Xuân, Head librarian.”

I shook her hand and said, “Nice…to meet you.” I was still dead tired from lifting that damn box.

“Well, here you go!” She tapped the landline again.

“Yeah thanks.”

I had so many questions but for now it’s best to stay quiet. I dialed home and Aunt May picked up,

“Oh Pete, did you eat your lunch? I know you told us you would be out for the science exhibition but please make sure you come back home soon.”

“Yes Aunt May, I’ll be back home by late evening…no later than 8!”

“Alright good……….”

She waited for me to speak first. Something wasn’t right…it’s like she was hiding something from me and boy was she a terrible liar.

“What’s the matter…May?”

“.....................”

I was getting worked up now, she was most definitely hiding something from me.

“We…uh…we had a visitor.” I heard her say,

I quickly responded,

“What? May, I don’t understand-”

“Your coach…your basketball coach visited home…. he wanted to speak with you about his son’s funeral. I... want to……just come back home soon Pete.”

I froze.

That feeling of dread came back.

The faces of all the people who died that day came to mind starting with the Coach’s son….

Will

Pierre

Earl

Eddy

Prof. Pryzbylewski

Adrian Toomes

Hugh

James

Terry Williams

Tatiana Gomez

And another thirty more faces quickly flashed through my eyes.

‘That’s right….they’re all gone…all of them dead and gone.’

We still don’t know who’s really responsible for their murders. I was so busy trying to save Theo that I forgot to speak to the coach. I forgot to console and visit the funerals of my friends.

It felt like someone was stabbing me repeatedly in my heart.

‘How could you forget about them?’

A cruel part of me whispered.

Will was genuinely one of the nicest guys I’ve met. He gave me a chance for the basketball club…he helped me with sneaker shopping. We might not have hung out together that much but when I think about him it hurts…

He wasn’t my best friend, but he could have been and now I’ll never know because they’re all gone.

Dead and gone.

I gripped the receiver tightly and said,

“I’ll come back as before 5.”

“Okay sweetheart.” Aunt May said emotionally,

I put the phone down and looked down blankly.

I had to to collect my thoughts elsewhere,

‘After we save Theo, I’ll focus on finishing up the super cement. After that’s done...I’ll hunt down the person responsible for killing all my friends. I swear!’

I looked back at the librarian and said, “How much do I owe you?”

She was busy reading a fashion magazine. She replied to me while flipping a page, “No need for that. You’re a guest of the professor’s.”

I thanked her and made my way back. I was no longer interested in her or other trivial matters.

As I came closer to the professor’s room I heard,

“So you’re telling me this Moe guy is a GOD!”

Dr. Mccoy shouted at the top of his lungs. Funnily enough I had the exact same reaction when Moe told me the extent of his powers.

“Yes in a way…but only in a limited range.” The professor said as he sipped on his coffee, he watched quietly as the blue man was losing his mind.

“Do you understand the implications behin- Oh Peter didn’t see you there. Did you call your home?” He asked with a tense smile,

I sighed.

“Yeah, I did. Any updates on the satellite?”

“The remote has the same red light as before. I guess we’ll only know after three hours.” The professor replied.

“Hmm, what about the ground team in Mexico, any updates on that?” I asked fully knowing that nothing significant happened.

“They’ve been scouring the criminal underworld present in the city. Logan is interrogating some cartel members with promising information.”

Oh, how I wished to be there, I knew a thing or two about interrogation.

“Peter, why don’t you relax here for three hours until…….” Dr. Mccoy started but my mind blanked out. I couldn’t help but imagine Aunt May telling me to come back home.

“...I know! Some of my students can show you around the school.” Dr. Mccoy finished.

The professor was quietly observing me, “Peter...what is on your mind?” He asked me point blank.

Dr. Mccoy cringed at that,

“Charles, you can’t just ask him about his private problems, he might not want to share them with old farts like us!”

Seeing the giant blue furry man tip toe around me put a smile on my face.

“It’s okay Dr. Mccoy…” I started, the professor was looking intensely at me. I continued,

“I just…I just lost almost all half of the people that I knew. My Uncle who’s been like a father to me, has lung cancer! To make matters worse he’s recently unemployed because of this fucking economy. My best friend almost died two weeks ago in a car crash. My girlfriend's family hates me and my association with her is alienating her from her family. In the midst of all of this, a mutant named Magneto kidnaps a good friend of mine with the intent of using his powers to destroy humanity. It’s just…everything is taking a toll on me.”

I had to take a really long deep breath after that.

They both quietly listened as I unloaded my problems. they didn't interrupt me until I let everything out off my chest.

I ask them with a tired voice,

“Does it get easier? Or are we just going in circles…is there a point to all of this?”

I remember Moe’s expression when I told him the world could potentially end. I remembered his indifference to it all. Like he’s seen this movie a million times.

Am I going to end up the same way?

Is this what it meant to live in a fictional universe?

Will the next villain come after my family next?

How long will I have to fight this battle?

The professor broke the silence first,

“I don’t know if there’s a happy ending to all of this, Peter! I’ve lost my fair share of friends too and believe me when I tell you the pain never truly goes away.”

I knew it, this is my fate-

“But that doesn't mean we can’t get stronger!”

I looked at the professor to see him smiling kindly, Dr. Hank was also giving me a thumbs up with a grin.

The blue haired man began, ,

“Sure, it never gets easier, kid but that’s why we have friends! Friends who we can laugh and cry with, share our secret hopes and dreams. That's why it’s important to live in the moment and cherish them when they’re here!”

The professor agreed with his colleague and added,

“Don’t lose hope young man, everything’s going to be alright and if it doesn’t go our way then we’ll fight until our last breath!”

I stood there silently, processing everything they were trying to tell me.

They were right…No point in worrying about things I can’t control.

Even if this entire world came after me, I would not break and I’m most definitely not going to bow down to tyranny. I’m not someone’s puppet…I refuse to be!

The men who killed my friends will be brought to justice! I won’t let my uncle die and I won’t give up on Jess because their parents might disapprove of our relationship. I’ll fight till the very end.

Fuck it...I died once already…what’s the worst that could happen.

I let out a small laugh and say,

“You two make a hell of a duo. Have you guys ever tried motivational speaking? I hear there’s a lot of money there!”

All three of us burst out laughing at that.

It was good though, to not worry about any apocalyptic events or worrying about revenge.

“I’ll be back in two hours. I have a person I want to visit…” I got up.

The coach’s house was near here. I wanted to talk to him and maybe even help deal with his grief.

“Oh yeah sure thing!” Dr. Hank was fine with it.

“We’ll be waiting for you Peter. Oh wait, take this.” The professor opened his drawer and took out a small earpiece. He handed me the black device.

“If something happens from my end then I'll radio you. Just press the button in the middle to open the channel.”

“Thanks a ton Prof.”

The device made communication a lot easier. It also showed how much the professor trust me. I was grateful that he would think of me so highly.

I exited the mansion.

I saw mutant kids playing tag, running around, giggling like children.

It put a small smile on my face.

I guess I finally got what the professor was trying to tell me,

I might not have been able to save Will. But.... if I can ease his father’s pain, If I can help him through this troubling time then maybe that was enough.

Maybe that’s what it meant to be a real superhero.