Everybody Loves a Hero

The Falcon

The last part of the funeral started right on time with the rest of Mr. Dobson's family pulling into the cemetery right around noon. By that time a large crowd had formed. I could see that Kim did not look too happy with all of the extra attendees standing around clearly uninvited, but she didn't say anything.

Most of the crowd started to disburse at this point with not one superhero showing up. Once Mr. Dobson was buried, the rest of the crowd left. The few who had come to offer support gathered around the Dublin family to offer condolences. Ms. Dublin accepted them gratefully as the only remaining relative. She offered me a slight smile and straightened my tie before leading her family back to their car to head back to their hotel. Her children were only seven and six, so they were already starting to get restless.

I had taken an Uber here, so I pulled out my phone to call another one to take me back home. I had a ton of school work I had to finish up from missing the previous week and now had plenty of time to finish it now that I didn't have to go to work. As I was waiting, I started browsing for another part-time job. I was good on rent for the next few months, but I still needed something to help pay for my tuition fees for next year along with continued rent payments, utilities, fees, etc.

"I knew that was you back at the police station." I nearly jumped out of my skin when the voice spoke behind me. I dropped my phone in shock and cursed as I bent down to pick it up. I checked it over to make sure it hadn't cracked. I glared at the person behind me who nearly lost me my phone. My glare immediately dropped at the sight of the red and black spandex. The few remaining people hanging around all stopped what they were doing and taking pictures of the incredible Falcon.

"I'm sorry, I think you have the wrong person," I said. A car pulled up and my phone dinged as my Uber driver arrived. I could see the driver staring at the Falcon over my shoulder in shock. I turned to get into the car, but the Falcon pulled me back and walked up to the driver.

"Hello sir. I'm afraid your services are no longer required," he told my driver. They exchanged a few more words which ended with the Falcon signing his car and the driver pulling out of the lot. This must have encouraged the crowd around us because they started coming up to him also asking for autographs. He just laughed and joked around with them as if they were old friends instead of being random people in a graveyard.

I was angry that he had sent off my ride, but I wasn't going to argue with the number one ranked superhero in Supers Monthly. Figuring he was too preoccupied to notice me slip away, I slowly back up and tried to leave through the side exit unnoticed. It probably would have worked too, but apparently the Falcon had expected this. There was a black van in the back of the parking lot, and a man and a woman in black suits exited the vehicle as I was passing by.

"Cameron Carter?" The woman asked.

"It's Baker," I said and tried to slip around them. The man slapped something down on my wrist. I looked down and saw a simple black band. "Are you serious?"

"You need to come with us," the woman spoke again.

"I don't have to do anything. I'm a private citizen. You don't control what I can and can't do." The next time I tried to side step the pair, and electric current went through my body starting from the black band them man had put on me. My body dropped to the pavement, but before I could hit my head, the man had scooped me up and thrown me into the back of the van. The woman spoke to someone on her headset, and the two got back into the front of the van. A few moments later, the Falcon was getting into the other side of the van. He waved goodbye enthusiastically to the people snapping photos and calling out to him. He continued to wave while the man drove the van out of the parking lot and onto the street. Once the cemetery was out of view, the smile dropped and he slumped in his seat.

"What a pain." He turned his attention back to me, no longer smiling like he was to the crowd. He had the blank look on his face like I had seen when I first bumped into him back at the police station. With him no longer smiling, he looked worn out. "Long time no see Cameron. It's been what, five years."

"Six in a few months," I muttered. I had regained some of my movement and tried to pull the stupid black band off my wrist.

"That's not going to work moron," he said after watching me struggle for a bit. He sighed and slumped even further into his seat.

"What do you want with me?" I snapped back at him.

"I don't want anything to do with you. Unfortunately, others in the Alliance do and they figured you would be more compliant if they sent a familiar face. So, do you feel more compliant?"

"What do they want? I don't have anything to do with the Alliance anymore. Haven't in five years."

"Going on six."

"If you don't let me out right now, I'll sue. This is harassment and a violation of my rights. I have stayed in compliance with all regulations for non-active superhumans and have not used any of my abilities since returning to civilian status. I have absolutely nothing to do with any Alliance related activity."

"Go ahead and sue. I don't care. The Alliance has plenty of lawyers, any of which can easily get the case tossed out. My job is to make sure you get to Alliance headquarters, so that's what I'll do." He decided he didn't want to talk anymore and turned to look out the window.

"You've always been a jerk, Matt."

"You've always been too naive. And it's Falcon now."

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Superhumans usually develop their abilities early in life and always by the age of thirteen. When they turn fifteen, those showing the potential for exceptional talent are invited to attend Academy X. From then until they turn eighteen, those students are tested and eliminated until only the best of the best graduate and are welcomed into the Alliance. Those who fail are either sent back to civilian life or encouraged to join the Alliance in an administrative post. Typically only one to two students are accepted into the Alliance every year.

When I was invited to attend Academy X, it was a dream come turn. My whole town threw a party in celebration. I was the first person in our little town to ever be accepted.

I was nervous as I was driven to the mysterious Academy. While everyone knew only the best attended, almost every other detail about the place was surrounded in mystery. The agents who drove me there only spoke once when we arrived to tell me where to find the Dean. They left as soon as I got out of the car to move my luggage into my new room.

I found the Dean's office without too much trouble. He welcomed me to the school and gave a quick rundown of what life would be like. He explained that the rest of the children my age would be arriving in the next few days for the start of the school year next week. He took me on a tour of the school which ended up at the dormitories. Each student had a private room and shared a common area and bathroom with two other students of the same year. Wishing me luck, he left me outside room 212 to unpack. Being the first one to arrive, I had my choice of the three rooms. I moved all of my luggage into the corner room which was slightly smaller than the other two but had the nicest view of the school grounds.