Seven Steps to Becoming a Superhero

Zack could hardly sleep that night. Questions raised his anxieties, and what he did know only served to trigger him all the more. Why would Saber call him so soon after Icer’s attempted break-in to his office? How much did he know?

Had Zack underestimated Saber? Had he put all of it together? Could he have gathered somehow that it was Zack in the Knightbrand suit the night before? He certainly moved differently than his father. What if Saber picked up on it during their first fight, reading his body language like a book, and then saw it all over again when Knightbrand turned up to assist in pursuing Icer?

Zack tossed and turned that night as every possibility of what waited at 8 o’clock the next morning. Every noise caused him to sit up straight in bed, wondering if campus security would come to haul him away. Super-fraud was illegal in most states, and even if his situation wasn’t so cut and dry - he had taken his father’s mantle after he passed - he doubted a judge would see it that way.

After a couple more restless hours, morning passed. Zack got dressed, shaved and showered. He made his way to Saber’s office. There, he found Rachel waiting for him. She was wearing a white linen blouse alongside a black skirt which showcased her long, trim legs. She sorted through papers, and never once did she look his way.

“He’s waiting for you in his office,” she said.

“You know what this is about?” he asked.

“He said it’s confidential,” Rachel said without looking up.

Confidential.

The word made his heart race. Would he open the door to see several officers waiting for him? Perhaps Saber, knowing what he did, was going through official channels, and would notify him of an hearing or inquiry being placed against him.

Either way, Zack knew whatever waited for him on the other side of the door, it wasn’t good.

He turned to Rachel.

“I’m sorry, Rachel. For everything. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just got…caught up in my own drama,” he said. “I really am sorry.”

He didn’t turn to see if she looked at him. Instead, he opened the door and walked inside.

Dirk Saber was sitting at his desk. The office was considerably sparser than Zack anticipated. There were no trophies and barely any picture frames on the wall. Just a few books, a few magazines, and a lamp in the corner to provide light. Dirk motioned for Zack to take a seat

“Mr. Kestler,” Saber said. “Can I call you Zack…?”

Zack nodded. “I guess.”

“Zack,” he said. “I’ll bet you’re curious why I called you here.”

Zack shrugged. “I figured it had something to do with our fight. Look, I’m sorry if I upset you-”

Dirk put up a hand. “It does have to do with that, in a roundabout way.”

Body language. He must have picked up on my body language. What else could this be about?

Dirk nodded to Zack, as if picking up on his own anxiety.

“You’re not in any trouble,” Dirk said.

Those five words brought relief flooding throughout Zack’s insides. But it also begged the question…what was this about?

Dirk clasped his hand together as if he were about to pray.

“Zack, what do you know about your parentage?” he asked.

“Ummm, I think my dad says I’m mostly German, with a little Swedish maybe?” Zack said with some uncertainty.

Dirk chuckled. “That’s not quite what I meant.”

Zack looked at him, confused.

“Your mother-” Dirk started.

“Is not in the picture,” Zack said.

His mother was a sore subject for him. Dad never mentioned her much, said it was someone he knew when he was just getting started as a superhero. However, she was, she never stuck around.

“I understand but…” Dirk said. “Would you be able to contact her if you needed to?”

“I haven’t seen her since I was a kid,” Zack said.

Dirk, for his part, seemed to squirm uncomfortably.

“Would you dad know?” Dirk said. “I just saw him last night. Could he get in touch with her?”

Yeah, that’s not happening.

“He and I aren’t on speaking terms,” Zack said.

I mean, he’s not on speaking terms with anyone, since he’s dead.

Dirk leaned on the desk. “I’m sorry to hear that. But I think it might be prudent to talk to him about getting in touch with your mother.”

“Look, what’s this about?” Zack said.

He didn’t like being questioned about his mother. His father wasn’t perfect, but he was the one that stayed. His mother didn’t. He had pictures of her, and that was it aside from one birthday card when he was ten. Everything else was radio silent. Why was Dirk Saber so interested in that?

“Did I miss something? Did you add Family Counselor to your resume while I wasn’t looking?” Zack burst out.

Dirk rested his head on his hand and sighed.

“I’m not handling this right. This conversation is all out of order,” he said.

“This conversation?” Zack raised his voice. “There’s a right way to have this conversation.”

Dirk Saber leaned back on his chair. He briefly looked out the window before turning back to Zack.

“I’m not usually the one who has this conversation,” Dirk said. “Usually someone else has it. Someone more qualified than me.”

Oh no.

Zack’s blood pressure began to rise once more.

I’m getting expelled.

But that didn’t make sense. Dirk Saber said he wasn’t in any trouble. So just what was he dancing around?

What was all of this about?”

“Can we just cut to the chase?” Zack said.

“I’m trying to get there,” Dirk said. “I guess I was trying to work up there.”

“Most people manifest in puberty,” Dirk continued. “But there’s always exceptions. You’re one of them. I think. A late bloomer. Or it’s possible you manifested before and simply didn’t notice before then.”

“Notice what?” Zack was starting to grow more agitated as the conversation continued.

“Zack…I think you have superpowers,” Dirk said.

Zack made a dismissive wave of his hand.

“No way. Sorry, prof, but I’m one of the al naturel heroes,” he said.

“I know it seemed like that,” Dirk said. “Given who your father is, but I ran some tests and I think your powers are more subtle than anyone initially suspected.”

Zirk’s nostrils flared. “You ran some test . . . on me?”

“You provide genetic material as part of entrance intake,” Dirk said, pulling out a manilla folder from beneath the desk. He held his hand in the air above the manilla folder. “This is standard operation procedure.”

“Running secret tests on students is standard operating procedure?” Zack started to get up from his chair. He’d heard enough of this crap.

“Zack, wait!” Dirk said.

Zack was almost out of his chair, when Dirk reached for him.

“You blocked me,” he said. “You want to know what this is about? You blocked me.”

Zack started to sit down again, but only so much in case he needed to make a fast exit.

“I got lucky,” Zack shrugged.

“Everyone gets lucky during a fight. A couple students even get a couple solid hits on me from time to time,” Dirk said. “You blocked me three times.”

Dirk leaned forward. “Do you know what muscle memory is?”

Zack shrugged. “I guess. You do something so much it’s kinda ingrained in you and you just…do it without thinking.

“I think you have enhanced muscle memory. Once you do it an action, it becomes ingrained far faster than regular humans, giving you an edge,” Dirk said. “Or at least, that’s my theory.”

“Yeah, well, I have another theory,” Zack said, meeting Dirk’s gaze. “Maybe you’re slipping.”

Dirk returned the grin. “There’s that famous Kestler ego again.”

He leaned in further.

“But what if I could show you?” he asked.

Zack gave him a questioning look.

“Show me how?”

“Follow me,” Dirk said.

Zack followed Dirk into the office. Rachel gave them both a confused look. And this time, her expression towards Zack seemed worried.

“Rachel, cancel all my appointments for now,” he said.

“Will do,” Rachel said in an uncertain voice.

Zack followed Dirk into the gymnasium. He watched as Dirk slid off his jacket and then unbuttoned the two cuffs on his wrist. He grabbed a long wooden

javelin from a nearby bucket.

Zack watched as Dirk wheeled back with his javelin roughly parallel to his shoulders. In one graceful movement, he guided the javelin over his shoulders. It left his hand, slamming into a bullseye on the other side of the room.

“Do that,” Dirk told him.

“I can’t,” Zack said.

“Try,” Dirk said. Zack shrugged. He grabbed an identical javelin. Staring down at the bullseye, he thrust it into the air. It landed near the other side of the wall with a thud.

“See,” Zack said.

“Not bad though, for a first try,” Dirk said

“I was a quarterback in high school,” Zack said.

“Makes sense,” Dirk said cryptically. “Try again. Try to replicate my movements.”

He modeled his movements before him once more.

Zack grabbed another javelin and chucked in towards the target. This time it slammed into the target, albeit several inches from the bullseye, in the upper right-hand corner.

“Good,” Dirk said.

“None of this seems remotely supernatural,” Zack said.

“That's why your powers went unnoticed for long. They're more subtle,” Dirk said. “Try again.”

Zack did as Dirk requested. He grabbed a javelin and thrust the long spear directly into the bullseye.

“That’s gotta be luck,” Zack said.

"Again," Dirk commanded.

Zack tried again. Another bullseye.

“Again,” Dirk said.

Zack obeyed. His javelin hit the bullseye.

"You know how much training it does to get that kind of accuracy?” Dirk said. “You’re already at a college level in less than ten minutes of work. In less

than a week, you could be a pro. In a month, you could probably go Olympic.”

“Guess I’m in the wrong line of work,” Zack said, still looking at the line of bullseyes.

“Unfortunately for you, they test for superpowers at the Olympics and all other major sports,” Dirk said.

“But this doesn’t make sense…I worked for what I got,” Zack turned to Dirk. “I worked hard to get that quarterback position on JVC.”

“I’m not saying you didn’t,” Dirk said, laying a hand on his shoulder. “Maybe your powers were activated.”

Dirk gazed at the line of bullseye.

“Or maybe you just had a few extra advantages you didn’t know about.”

Zack’s mind was reeling. All his life he wanted to be like his Dad. A hard worker. Pull himself up by his bootstraps. He thought he had made it on his own.

Was that all a lie?

“I…I need to go,” he said. “I need to think.”

“I understand, but please, if you need to talk to someone, you can talk-” Dirk started.

"Thanks, Professor I will,” Zack said. He barely noticed when he almost collided with Rachel on the way out.

He barely noticed her at all. He barely noticed anything at all.