Today's #flashfiction #TheBudgetHero

“I'm an overachiever.”

Homer Simpson* #quote

       Cj could be coming over tonight. If not he should be over tomorrow. However it plays out, be assured, there will be shenanigans. Anyway onto the flash fiction!

The Budget Hero

        I'm a superhero blessed with some of the greatest powers. Average old Steven Willamston(that's me!) became a superhero with super strength, near invincible skin, incredible stamina, psychic powers, night vision and a whole collection of other powers after touching a magical artifact carrying the essence of the souls of several dead superheroes.

         However I'm not blessed with the budget of the greater superheroes.

         “What on Earth are you wearing?” The supervillain I faced laughed. “Is that even supposed to be a costume? A child could do better for Halloween!” The villain’s costume was a leather suit under a dark cloak.

         My costume was a t-shirt and jeans with a ski-mask. I made the emblem on my t-shirt with the only thing I had lying around the house, duct-tape. In order to keep myself looking less like a criminal I covered most of my skin mask with duct-tape as well.

         I tried to ignore any hits to my pride. “It doesn't matter I've come to stop your plans.”

        “That is an odd thing. You managed to get past defenses and into my control room,” the supervillain said. “And find out about my plans before other heroes. How?”

        “I used my psychic powers,” I told him. He was my first villain. I felt a compulsion to brag. “I knew about your plans as soon as you made them.

        He laughed. “Then what took you so long to get here?”

       “I took the bus,” I responded. Since I took the bus when I knew he was trying to finish his robot army I guess I didn't need to tell him I didn't own a car.

       The villain let out a massive laugh. Every laugh before was something of moderate amusement or something a little mocking. This was a villainous cackle that turned it an insane roaring boom. “You're a mouse of hero coming out from the cracks! One of the poor, little people trying to play superhero because they got lucky with the superhero lottery. Well there are other people who have better lives and won the superpower lottery too. They have spaceships, lairs, teams, and actual costumes. Go home. You can't afford to lead the double life.”

       My response was a quick super-strength punch to his supervillain face.

       It took stopping a few more supervillains besides him for people to stop calling me “duct-tape man” instead of my actual superhero name. I never lost a fight against a supervillain and I managed to live my double life just fine.