When people think of superpowers, they usually think of something flashy. Some heroes are able to run faster than a car, or fly through the skies like a bird. Others can even run through brick walls without so much as a flinch like some knock-off Kool-Aid Man. It’s quite impressive stuff! Really helps in the heroing business. Unfortunately, at least for me, not all superpowers are flashy, powerful, or even very good. As for what my power actually is? Well…
~~~
Hero City, Precinct 14
~~~
It was yet another normal Friday night for the denizens of Precinct 14. Traffic meandered through the paved city streets as citizens waited somewhat impatiently for the pedestrian crossing signal, more than ready for their upcoming weekend.
Among those walking on foot, however, was a rather strange individual. Wearing a cape, a funny-looking suit, and a strange, cardboard-like helmet strode a man with a purpose. A few individuals gawked at the sight, while others snickered at the box on his head and the calligraphy on his cape. As for what said calligraphy spelled?
“Breadman!”
The figure paused, and turned towards what he inferred to be the reason for his journey. Before him was a young girl, adorned in a simple maroon dress and white crocs, who looked up at him in excitement.
Breadman allowed himself a small smile. He always enjoyed helping the youth.
“Hello, fair citizen! You called?” Breadman proclaimed with a confident pose.
“Yeah,” the kid nodded a bit. “Mommy dropped her phone.” The kid then pointed over towards a barred storm drain. Breadman… couldn’t see the bottom of said storm drain.
The mom in question gave him a sad, yet amused smile.
He winced behind his helmet, but kept his head held high. Alright, maybe he doesn’t always enjoy helping the youth, but Breadman decided long ago that he wasn’t a quitter.
“Fear not, young lady! Breadman will… traverse the sewer system.” With that, Breadman took note of where the storm drain was and looked around to find a manhole cover.
After a bit of looking around, Breadman concluded that the nearest manhole cover was in the middle of Magic Avenue, one of the busier streets in the precinct. He let out a sigh and waited for the traffic to calm down before beginning his descent.
If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.
After hurriedly replacing the manhole, Breadman was left in near-complete darkness, leaving only the sounds of his hands hitting the metal handholds and the occasional *thunk* of his box helmet when he’d lean too far forward to guide him.
In most cities, sewage systems are only buried around 12 to 15 feet deep to avoid freezing or construction mishaps, but in the advent of superpowers, mad scientists, and secret lairs, Hero City’s construction crew decided such a depth simply wouldn’t be sufficient. And so, much to Breadman’s chagrin, the sewer system was constructed 30 feet below ground.
To some, that might not sound like a large difference, but for someone who would have to have to climb up a damp, slippery 30-foot-long ladder and then actively scramble away from incoming traffic when they did finally get back up? Yeah. It kind of mattered.
Fortunately for Breadman, they did have lights for the walkways within the sewer system, and it wasn’t too much of a hassle to find the storm drain he was looking for thanks to his flawless sense of direction (aka, GPS). And so, after about 10 minutes, Breadman finally spotted his target upon a pile of soggy leaves and other detritus: a blue phone with a cracked screen.
He hoped the phone still worked…
Breadman crossed his fingers, picked up the damp device, and pressed the power button. It lit up! Mission success.
“Haha!” Breadman smiled and thrust the phone in the air triumphantly. Cupping his hands, he hollered up to his compatriots above, “Breadman has acquired your phone!”
Just as Breadman finished his declaration, however, he heard a growl from behind him.
“Eep!” Breadman bravely spun towards the apparent threat. Rounding the corner of the walkway, with glowing red eyes, was a rat. A very big rat. Gulping, he slowly set down the phone somewhere safe.
“So uhh, I take it you’re not a vegan rat?”
The rat screeched and began to charge. Breadman’s eyes boggled, but he remembered to fall back onto his training.
“Bread Shield!” In an instant, bread rapidly flowed from his hands along his forearms to form a sturdy board of hardtack. With a yell Breadman met the rat’s leap with a thrust from his shield, pushing the rodent back. Unfortunately, the rat’s sheer girth nearly caused him to stumble.
“Just what do they feed you down here?!”
The rat let out a hiss and charged yet again, this time at his legs. Breadman side stepped the first lunge, and then side stepped again for the follow-up. He needed a way to strike low!
Determination shining through his box helmet, Breadman shouted, “Bread Bat!” In his left hand a thick bat formed, and with it he took a bold swing towards his opponent.
Unfortunately, with just one hand wielding the bat, he couldn’t swing fast enough to hit the agile rodent. After blocking another charge with his shield, Breadman started to get frustrated. The little devil had good instincts. He’d have to go all in on offense to stand a chance!
Throwing aside his shield, Breadman took his bat in both hands and got ready to swing—
And watched as the rat scuttled away with his bread shield, happy for the meal.
Right. His power made food…
Embarrassed, Breadman picked up the missing phone again and began his journey to the surface.
~~~
Huffing and puffing, he closed the lid to the manhole cover once the traffic slowed down again. Withdrawing the wayward phone from his Hero pants pocket, Breadman made his way over to his beneficiaries and handed it off to a thankful mother and an even more thankful daughter.
“I honestly wasn’t sure you could do it,” the mom said with a chuckle, “but thank you for saving my phone.”
“Thank you, Breadman!”
A few passersby clapped politely as they made their way home for the night, adding further onto the triumphant atmosphere.
“It was no trouble at all! I bid you both a wonderful night!” Breadman jogged away with confidence, eventually disappearing behind an alley to catch his breath.
Looking down at the cuts he received in his journey and his soggy costume, Breadman let out a smile. He might have his flaws, and what he does might not be easy, but it’s always nice to make a difference.