Todd parked on the curb in front of their (parent’s) house and went on his phone; mom had been blowing it up all day and was definitely going to blow up his ears when she sees him. Kenny got out, opened the front door, and saw GalvanGal and Zariah at the dinner table in the living room having a conference with his parents. Kenny threw up hand signals behind his back as he watched GalvanGal get up from the couch and approach him.

Todd fumbled his phone upside down and around in panic then made skid marks when he drove off. Hearing the screech of tires, she charged forward—bulldozing Kenny out of the way—to have a look outside. She knelt over to wrap her arm under his waist to catch him before he reached the ground.

“What was that?” asked GalvanGal.

“Oh, that? That’s just the, uh, crazy neighbor. He burns his tickets to stay warm in the winter,” whimpered Kenny from beneath her.

GalvanGal had her gaze focused outside while she hung on the door frame, scoping around the corner for that ‘crazy neighbor’, and held Kenny by the waist in a steel vice that coursed with chilling energy. She finally sighed and pulled Kenny up to her with his height meeting her chest, looking down at him like a mother looks at a troublesome child.

She closed the front door and walked him to the living room where he sat with his parents and her with Zariah, separated by a table with a stack of papers.

“Sorry about that, just the newbie’s nerves making her rush! For us mutants, being allowed to use our power is like sprinting after being wheelchair-bound. I’m sure Kenny will be just as excited when he joins the Pantheon. Right, GalvanGal?” said Zariah. GalvanGal clapped her face with both hands and the stern gaze she just had disappeared.

“Yep!” GalvanGal chirped.

“Wait, you want me to join the Pantheon?”

“Yes, your parents showed us your pictures and they matched the footage caught by our drones. We tried to call you but you never answered.”

“...you’ve been watching… this whole time…” Kenny rose from his seat to fall into a deep kowtow—

—“IamterriblysorryforthedishonorandshamethatmybrotherandIhavebroughttoourefamilyouryouthandinexperiencearenoexucseforourdelinquentactsofrowdynessandvandalismwhatwehavedonecannotberepaidinanythingbutbloodandsweat…” as he mumbled his litany of apologies, the others continued on.

“Kenny has displayed remarkable control over his mutation. I think, with GalvanGal to teach him, your son will make an excellent addition to our team,” said Zariah. Hearing that made Kenny look up from his prostration.

“Huh? Ya mean like A-list Pantheon!? For real?!”

“We don’t use that term, but yes: you will be on track to being a licensed hero. All you have to do is sign here.”

Zariah pushed the stack of papers to Kenny as he sat back down. His parents had already signed their signatures from what he saw when flicked through. He turned his head to see them looking at him with that familiar eagerness.

That’s how it had been for a while: they had already given up on Todd so they put all their expectations on Kenny. Being part of the Pantheon would be more esteemed than anything else he could do, so of course they expected him to accept. Not like he would have a choice if they didn’t; not much point in reading the fine print either. It was either this or…

Kenny said he would think about it and scurried to his room. He closed the door, slammed his back into it, then slid down to the floor. He could hear muffled voices discussing his future for him. The only light he had was what leaked through the blinds. That was the real GalvanGal. And she’s absolutely banging. I got to touch her. And when I join the Pantheon, I’ll get to see her every day.

He slapped himself with both hands to knock those thoughts away. Big brother said to always read the fine print; however, most of the time the terms & conditions come out when you don’t have much choice. This was one of those times.

The GalvanGal body pillow, a Betsy buy before her latest costume, lay across the headboard top rail. A glass cabinet held figures of every mark of the FatMan suit and the Broadsword and Saber drones. Aaliyah Folious' motivational posters obscured the wall. The DVDs for every season of the Zariah were next to the ‘Captain Force and UnderDog’ video games. The WhiteOut plushie came with a removable voicebox that could be implanted in participating products. Even the badges of the Pantheon lay in a display case.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

This was the opportunity he had been waiting his whole life for, right?

He came to his closet to shuffle his hand across the top shelf. He eventually bumped into his old hero binder and opened it on his bed: it was filled with his old writings and drawings—and reminded him why he didn’t become a writer or an artist. A knock on the door interrupted him.

“May I come in?” asked GalvanGal. Kenny shoved the body pillow under the bed before he opened the door. She carried both strips of the cape in her hand as she floated in. She looked around at the paraphernalia that crowded the room.

“This is all just… collectibles that I’m holding to… sell for later…”

“There’s none of me in here? I guess I’m not good enough for you…” pouted GalvanGal. Kenny scratched the back of his head then slowly pulled out the body pillow from under the bed. GalvanGal hugged herself with a smile.

“Well, I’m still deciding, and I have to change since I’ve been outside all day, so…” GalvanGal put the pillow on the headboard.

“I’m supposed to keep an eye on you regardless. ‘Wash his butt for him if you have to’ they said. What’re you reading in the dark?” GalvanGal floated over the open binder.

“Oh, this is just some stuff from when I was a kid. I was just moving it out of the way-” Galvan picked up the binder.

“The Streaker,” she read from the page. It was the final costume design that Kenny had drawn: It was a blue parka with a black fur trim hood and a blue helmet with black lenses.

“L-like I said I just came up with those when I was a kid. I didn’t really know what a streaker was-”

“I like it,” said GalvanGal, “They’ll call you the streaker because that’s all they’ll see when you run. It’s simple yet distinct and evocative in name and design. I don’t think I was that clever about it when I was a kid; I just put lightning wherever. Garrick used my old drawings for my costumes so you should be able to get his approval for this.”

“Garrick would approve huh… did they tell you anything to… expect coming here?”

“I was told to expect your brother to run and to identify but not chase him if he does.” She put the binder down. That answers that question.

“Did he tell you to expect anything from me?”

“WhiteOut said that you would want to join but get cold feet so I would need to give you a push. In fact, that gives me a great idea!”. She lowered herself so that he could feel her breath on his ear.

“If you still have trouble deciding, come out front. I have something cool to show you.”

Before he could even turn around, she had already flown out of the room. A cold sweat ran on him that made him stiff as he tried to move. Not from her talking in his ear like that, though that did not help. It was the same feeling he had when he thought about the day he would have to leave for college.

No matter what they said, even with Olympus so close, this might be the last time he could see his room—his home. Without his big bother at his side like always. Although that could have been the case anytime he walked out of the house right? And Todd’s kind of a jerk anyways so it was probably better not having him around right? That’s what mom and dad would say.

Kenny walked into the front door as he was lost in his thoughts. His parents were still talking to Zariah about his future. He gulped down his feelings and opened the door only to find a sight that froze him in place: GalvanGal down on the grass with her thick legs in a split and her ample chest puffed out as she leaned back to stretch her abs. With his whole heart, he thanked God for this opportunity. Abandoning his family would be worth seeing this every day.

GalvanGal sprang up from her split and floated over to Kenny.

“Great! So are ya ready to go?” asked GalvanGal.

“I’ve never been more ready for anything in my life.”

“Great!” GalvanGal picked him up, “now hold on as tight as you can.”

“I’m sorry? What are we doing?” said Kenny with his arms around her neck. She crouched into a squat.

“A friend of mine taught me that the best way to get rid of nerves is to jump into the deep end. So I’m going to launch as high as I can in one go,” said GalvanGal. She paused in a squat for a moment then stood up a little. “Wait, I think telling you that was a mistake… oh well.”

“Whaddya mean ‘oh well’!?”

Kenny tightened his hold around her. He felt a tingle as sparks danced across his skin and around his clothes. GalvanGal fully crouched down and then bolted into the sky. The scream of the wind drowned out Kenny’s own. Lightning struck the clouds with a force that blew them asunder. Amethyst sparks dancing with rain and ice formed an aurora that could be seen for miles around. Kenny, eyes closed, screamed until the pop in his ears went away. He recomposed himself to speak.

“Huh, that was it… that was uh, that was nothing,” Kenny’s voice cracked, “ahem, if that’s all, being a superhero is gonna be a breeze.” The sun behind her crowned her in light but could not match the warmth in her smile.

“It’s an honor to welcome you to the Pantheon,” said GalvanGal to Streaker.