#SciFriday Challenge 1 - The EsCape

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by angerbda

by angerbda

I found it. My escape. It was there, just here, in front of me.

Since I entered Hero Academy, none of my assignments were as hard as this one. The teacher asked us to find an escape. I didn't really pay attention to the lesson. I didn't really listen to whatever he was telling us. We were here to become superheroes, not to listen to old men talking about stupid thing unrelated to power and super-things. I wanted to develop my NEXT ability and find a sponsor. Not drawing a stupid escape...

Anyway, this assignment was worth a good portion of points. So I started looking for my escape. It took me a bit of time, I had to admit. I asked some of the well-known superheroes for their assistance. The answers I received were few. No one seemed interested in escapes. I received the help from one, however. An odd guy named Fire Emblem. Though the man looked like a fashionista, he was a respected superhero, with a good sponsor, and in high demand by Hero TV. Nevertheless, he found the time to give me some good pointers in my quest for an escape.

This subject was not worth the time spent on it.

With Fire Emblem's tips, I started my search on the streets of Sternbild City. The first location I checked was the Justice Tower. Nothing there was giving me hint of an escape. There were only black and blue three piece suit men going around, talking on their phones, hurrying up to whatever meetings they had with other CEOs in the Tower.

My next stop was by the Komainu statue, the stone Lion guarding the building of Helperides Finance. I didn't find much of an escape there either.

Then, suddenly, the screens on the Poseidon Line airships went alive. Hero TV was broadcasting. Sky High, hovering in the air with his 'Wind Manipulation', was attempting to apprehend a bank robber. Would he succeed, he would be crowned the King of Heroes for this season. It would provide him with the extra points to secure the top position. He was dashing with the mark of his sponsors. I wanted to find a sponsor as good as them, when I would become a hero myself.

I would love to be sponsored by Heineken or Corona. It would really fit my NEXT ability.

Since I came into my power five years ago, my dream was to be broadcasted on Hero TV and to compete for the King of Heroes position. Though, being honest, I would just be content rivalling with Origami Cyclone for the number of appearance on the recordings. If only I could train with Blue Rose. She was my dream girl. Her cold beauty haunted the dreams of a number of us, young ones at Hero Academy.

Anyway, five years now that I tried to develop my NEXT ability and to brand it. I was glad I didn't have a dumb power such as Bob's. His was 'Super Sayan Hair'. What kind of ability was this? One that made your hair rise on your head? What a joke! No, mine was not as marketable as Wild Tiger's 'Hundred power', but it was cool the same. Mine was 'Extendable Neck'. Cool, wasn't it? And better, it was not limited in time.

The robber was almost escaping Sky High vortex.

Suddenly, the Top Eight heroes were succeeding each other on the screens of Hero TV. One at a time, they tried their hand at catching the bad guy. Finally, it was Blue Rose who won the arrest. She caught the robber in her ice. On the side, Origami Cyclone was standing under the neon light of a fashion shop. He was flashing his sponsor's name, as his habit. This was when I found it. I found my escape. The best score of the term would be mine.

Why was the teacher so despondent?

It was three days after the arrest of the bank robber by Blue Rose. I had prepared a good case with the escape, as expected by the assignment. Proud of myself I presented my results to the class. The teacher shall have been blown by my excellent performance. He shall have been satisfied, however the tension was rising in the classroom.

The man looked dispirited. What was the issue? I asked him what was wrong with my presentation. He simply answered me he was expecting a case on an escape. I was suddenly lost. The assignment was about an escape, the teacher was repeating. I answered that I presented an EsCape as requested. I was starting to feel disheartened myself. The teacher was shaking his head in disbelief. "I asked for an escape! Not an S Cape! Not a damned Superhero Cape!!!".

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The One Page Wonder is a flash fiction written in 800 words max (fitting a Wattpad story page) with the theme "Escape".

I posted my entry in The EsCape (External link on the on the right or Link in the comments)

Note, Background and other

Here is a bit of a background for tis short story.

The Science Fiction profile launched a challenge. The subject for the first contest is "The One Page Wonder". It is about writing a flash fiction, between 600 and 800 words, with the theme "escape".

So, here is my take in this contest.

The background of the story is taken from "Tiger&Bunny". The main character in this story is a NEXT, a Noted Entity with eXtraordinary Talents. So, this little piece falls into the Superhero subgenre. I am not sure, however, it would qualify as a fanfiction. I see it more as a tribute to this amazing and funny series...

For more information on Tiger & Bunny, you may try this link --> http://tigerbunny.wikia.com/wiki/ <--