Frank opened his arms wide.
‘We got a busy day ahead of us so ask your question while you have a chance.’
‘When are you going out on a date?’
Frank sighed and carried on with his sweeping the space of his partially damaged shopfront.
‘Benny?’
‘Yes, young boss?’
‘I promise I’ll think about it. Can you give me a call if the insurance person turns up? There should be enough evidence that’s automatically backed up to the computers in the back office from the display units. Genetic and video footage.’
‘Yes, boss. The Goddess preserves those units in her blessed kindness. Oh and bless her for not letting your memory get worse in your old age.’
‘…’
Silence ensued as she went to the secured back area of the shop and Frank carried on with his cleaning and preparing for the arrival of the cleaning and repair crews along with his contracted insurance company. It was better to get on with activities than start arguments over petty details.
The entire neighbourhood was being checked out by four separate groups, firstly the residents and business owners were checking to see the damage and what could be salvaged and any essential repairs. They were normal, ordinary people who just wanted to live and get past this mess as soon as humanly possible.
The second group were individuals who worked for insurance companies. Their main job was to try and limit the amount of money that needed to be paid out and see how much would be covered by local government cleaning crews.
The third group were the government-mandated repair and cleaning team, easy to pick up from their white overalls and vans. They were equipped with technology that allowed for easy plastiglass spray on windows, instant setting concrete filler and other tools designed to clean up after the debris or mess caused by a short fight between superhumans. Frank had gotten his work done far earlier than their arrival to make sure that he was able to make essential collections before it was all tided away.
Although they fixed the main repairs there were no reimbursements or funds available for damaged walls, goods, or loss of livelihood. The quality of the repairs that the cleaning and crews did were fast fixes, meant to last for months at most. After an area had been designated as a favourite fighting area between low-grade superhumans, all government fixes were temporary at best until the area was avoided, and higher-level heroes arrived to stop all fighting activities on a more permanent basis.
Either that or superhumans who worked directly in law enforcement got around their caseload to mediate the fight and ask those involved to move it to a more desolate area outside of the city.
The last group involved standard humans who followed the fights behind superhumans, either looking for scavenging material from the fights such as liquid fire or any genetic materials left behind. A few even were fans of particular low-level superhuman heroes or villains and came to see if there was any footage that had survived the fight. In short, they came for the twin reasons of entertainment and money. Human ones.
It was the last group that Frank sold most of the material that he found. Early on given the condition of the neighbourhood each time a fight broke out, he had realised the need for a community fund. He had been welcomed here despite his retrograde amnesia and although he wasn’t running a charity, he felt in his heart that giving back was a decent enough plan. Any stores on the street that did not meet the strict standards or had let their insurance lapse the money was used for repairs and a small amount of financial support.
Frank looked out at the busy street watching the government-mandated cleaning and repair crews in their pristine-looking white vans prepare equipment. He had finished cleaning the front and was doing a fast run-down of all his display devices. All recordings of the fight and the exact cause of the smashed window were present; the detection devices were still fully operational as well were the low-level power dampeners.
He would soon be ready to go into the street and check the hidden genetic collectors. Across the road, he saw a young man dressed in white overalls argue with a delicatessen shop owner. He couldn’t hear the conversation, but he was sure it was about the quality of the window plastiglass repairing materials. Government repairs had to stick to a tight budget.
Muttering in a low voice to himself, Frank allowed himself to vent a little bit.
‘Cheapskates can’t even pay for decent work to be done
. High taxes and low benefits are-‘
An older male voice called out to him shaking him from his mild complaints. It was a lively voice, older but full of energy with a deep husky feel.
‘Frankie! Have you been to Hollywood yet?’
An older man was standing outside the shop dressed in a smart black suit with matching dark polished shoes. He had grey close-cut hair and a slight crease on his face from laughter lines.
‘Giorgos. I keep telling you that although I remember the band, I’m not that old. I’m twenty-two at most! You played the song for me before last month. Why aren’t you at work, you silver fox?’
‘Frankie. You need to see Hollywood sometime yes. I’m asking if you have been yet. It is a good place to visit. Sebastian told me that you need to find a girlfriend. You can go there, see the sites, and come back a married man all in one week.’
Frankie took in the sight of Giorgos. He had been a handsome man once before time had made him grow older. Still, a straight posture, smart clothes and a full head of silver hair made him somewhat popular around the area.
‘You can go and tell Sebastian that if he loves match-making so much then he can come and talk to me himself instead of gossiping with you about it.’
‘Ah, a young man needs a wife. Marriage is a special relationship everyone should experience.’
‘If you’re counting experience Giorgos, how many times has it been for you? Four? Five? I don’t have time to go to Hollywood. I’m too busy working.’
‘A little sparrow told me that your lovely link friend is arriving soon. You could always take her for a nice walk in a park far away from here, one of the nice areas of the city. Pack her up for a picnic and let romance take the course. A good example of young love, yes?’
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‘Giorgios. I’m going to tell Sebastian that you’re spending time gossiping and not working. Go and sell your luxury clothing and branded makeup sets and leave me to my work. On that note, did the power dampeners and recorders work for your local storage units?’
‘Yes, yes. Everything is secure and nothing has been lost. These young super-thieves think they can take what they want from an area like ours. I tell you the heroes are just as bad; property damage is not a funny matter.’
‘You mean laughing matter. But great news you’re not missing any priceless shoes. People come to my store because I deliver good quality products at a reasonable price. I’ve already had Benny on my case about dates. I don’t need a sixty-five-year-old silver fox getting involved as well. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to head out to check on the situation.’
Giorgos laughed out loud and threw both of his hands up into the air showing that he gave in. His smile beamed out towards Frank showing energy and enthusiasm which he directed towards the younger man. He had worked in sales for a long time and his experience in dealing with clients showed it.
‘Fine, fine. I promised Sebastian I would ask at least you. You know how it is for us older men, you need to take love where you can find it. Bye, then young Frankie. Don’t forget about Hollywood!’.
A shout came back in his direction as he was walking off with his hands in his pockets, his movements lively despite being his mid-sixties.
‘I’m not that old! It wasn’t funny the first time!’
Closing the door behind him walking outside, he saw a young man in his late twenties wearing plastic goggles and white overalls spraying plastiglass into an empty window frame after the glass has been removed and disposed of in the next shop alone. Walking up to him, Frank kept a warm smile on his face. Being polite would cost him nothing and these guys worked hard. Besides, this man looked vaguely familiar to him.
‘Hey there, work going, ok?’
‘Oh hi. Yeah. It’s work, all the same you know. Kinda boring to be doing the same stuff over and over again. Work is work, I kinda need to get back to it so…’
‘Someone ought to tell those supers that then. The ones who like to come here and smash each other and create a giant mess.’
‘I guess so…sorry I’m still working now.’
‘I’m sure you can take a moment to chat with me though. Just tell your supervisor that you’re answering a question from a member of the public and its good public relations.’
Frank tried his best to put his body language into a friendlier approach.
‘Right. Sorry, do I know you? You look kinda familiar. Your aura, it’s something special.’
‘Oh right.’ Frank put his hand out for the man to shake. ‘We met last week. I’m Frank, I run the shop selling the tools that help to limit and find supers.’
The man looked up at him and let the spraying tool hang by his side for a moment, backpack shifting as he turned off the pressure valve. He set the device to safe mode before shaking Frank’s hand.
‘Yeah, yeah. We did meet. You’re the old guy that doesn’t like supes much. Oh sorry man, you’re not old, are you? Jeez, I’m dumb like that, your aura confused me. I get why you use that stuff but not all supes are bad. Sorry, my power doesn’t turn off man. You’re pretty young. Woah.’
Frank’s face flickered for a moment. He felt annoyed at the young man, but they were a similar age. He kept being mistaken for being older than he physically was. Was there a unique sense about him that made people feel he was decades more than his appearance or was the world out to play a joke on him?
‘Yeah, you know I’m twenty-two?’
The youngish man paused for a moment, removing his safety goggles and took a deeper look at Frank. He seemed taken aback for a moment as though seeing him again for the first time. A confused look passed his face before he smiled and nodded several times.
‘I can see it now. Sorry man, I guess that you have this kind of presence about you. It makes other people want to be respectful. I can feel it, you come across as a good kind of guy. Your aura in my eyes is bluish-green.’
‘Are you a supe?’
‘I’m a registered minimal emphatic grade. I can get the occasional feeling about someone according to their aura but nothing else. It helps me to make people feel better about their streets being all smashed up. My supervisor told me to use it when I meet someone in need. Kinda tiring but she’s the boss. Oh, I’m sorry. Your window is smashed too. Let me just finish up here an-‘.
‘Thanks for your help today but this shop won’t need it.’
‘Uh…you sure? I can just fix it straight up no charge.’
‘Insurance will be by later to make sure and these windows will eventually fix themselves. I got a good deal from a supplier that deals with hotels. You wouldn’t believe how many windows hotel rooms go through.’
The youngish man paused. Not sure where the conversation was going but he looked intent on going back to his work. His feet shuffled on the floor as he shifted the equipment on his back with one hand still holding onto a pair of safety goggles.
Waving his hand as though to make it seem like a small deal, Frank shook his head and tried to be polite as possible. Supe or not this was a worker. He appeared harmless and Frank ran a hand through his thick hair as a thought came to him. He thought about how many damaged streets and buildings the repair and cleaning crew had to clean up every single day. They needed to be shown appreciation as well.
‘I’ll tell you what. How about I find someone to rustle up some pastries and coffee for you when you’re on your break.’
He wanted to see the response this particular supe would give back to him, on any level those calling themselves superhumans often thought of themselves detached from humanity. At some point they existed on a higher level, it was part of how the mind changed when powers were obtained.
Kindness should be responded to with kindness but we’ll see.
‘Wow! Are you sure? The rest of the crew would appreciate that. We don’t often get thanked for being called out for this work. Ah, sorry man it’s not what I mean. Some people are angry you know.’
‘I think all of you are doing a great job helping people in the community. What’s your name by the way? I’m Frank.’
‘Josh. I’m Josh.’ He gave Frank a natural-looking smile while his eyes looked over his shoulder to make sure that his boss wasn’t going to come over and tell him to get back to work.
‘Well Josh, you let me know later when you all take your break and I’ll ask someone here to get it all prepared. We try and work together as a community to help each other. I’m sure the others won’t mind. I’ll be the one making paying for it all.’
‘Ah, no. You don’t need to do that.’
‘I’m afraid I do. Best to take the pastries and coffees and enjoy them during your break. I’ll get on with it and thanks again for your work.’
The youngish man hesitated for a moment before nodding his head in agreement. He thought that although the guy seemed a bit pushy, his aura from before came across as ok aside from the red tinges on the outside.
He recognised that this man had a temper but he seemed friendly enough. Best to get back to his work and let the slightly pushy guy get on with his day. It had always worked well with his boss when she was annoyed about the work schedule.
Josh spoke and offered a slightly nervous smile.
‘Yeah, uh thanks. So I’m going to get back to work now. I’ll get a Danish later. Thanks, man.’
‘No problem, Josh. I’ll be seeing you. If I see your boss, I’ll make sure to tell her that your powers made me more comfortable. Thanks for your effort.’