Cape

Monkeys. Why did it have to be monkeys? A tale of a rookie superhero and a town full of monkeys.

 

Monkeys now ruled the world.
            Okay, so I was exaggerating. They didn't really rule the entire world. Just a small town in the middle of nowhere, so small it wasn't even marked in most maps.
            It’s just that the former statement sounded so much threatening than the latter one.
            "Tell me again how they got there Rex?” I said, looking out at the barren desert around us. 
            "Let's see, according to my contacts, they were in route to a zoo when the truck carrying them crashed just a short walk from the town,” the man standing next to me replied.
            "Okay. I can swallow that. Now tell me how they got the guns?"
            "They were circus monkeys before given to the zoo. The trainers taught them all how to shoot and do mocked up battles. In the circus they used nerf guns."
            "Really? Circuses sure have changed since I was a kid,” I muttered.
            "No kidding. Anyways, that same day, ANOTHER truck crashed, almost in the same spot."
            "Let me guess, this one carrying loaded weapons?"
            "Don't be silly Jack. They had to find the ammunition themselves."
            "Those are some smart monkeys."
            "Yep."
            Monkeys. This was what I was dealing with. The insanity of the situation made me shake my head and sigh. What was even more insane was that I actually agreed to this.
            "You don't see the spider guy dealing with these sort of things Rex."
            "We all gotta start at the bottom kid. Consider yourself lucky. Guy I used to manage before you spent five years fighting shoplifters in a strip mall."
            "Was he the guy that wore the ridiculous costume?"
            "Ridiculous costume? I'll have you know that before that fancy schmancy net movie came out, spandex was the norm. Not black leather that made you look like you belonged at some S & M club."
            For the third time today, I itched at places I couldn't scratch. Rex did make a good point. It seemed everyone was wearing leather nowadays. It didn't matter if it was 100 degrees outside. The capes would be out showing off the new fashion. They made sure to wear extra long trench coats, skin tight shirts and pants, and of course, dark sunglasses. God help you if you forgot the sunglasses.
            I  tried to get Rex to let me wear something like that, but he wouldn't have it. He was old school all the way. That was one of the first things we butted heads over. He wouldn't let me wear anything that looked like it came out of the Matrix, and I refused to wear anything that looked like it belonged in a costumed shop.
            At the end, we found something we could both agree on. My old man used to be in the army, and still had his old cadet uniform lying around. A few modifications here and there, mostly to spruce it up and make it more noticeable, and presto, I had my first honest to god costume. If only it wasn't made of cotton. Cotton made me itch.
            "Pay attention Jack."
            Snapping back to reality, I turned towards Rex and found him crouched down. With a stick he had picked up he was busy drawing a map. Rex was an old man. How old exactly I wasn't sure. Whenever I tried to ask him, he would change the subject. He had thinning white hair that he kept carefully combed to the side. His face was full of wrinkles, and even more appeared if he frowned. And he frowned a lot. Today he wore a loud Hawaiian shirt and a pair of shorts. I found myself jealous. He probably wasn't baking inside his shirt.
            And I bet he wasn't itchy either.
            "Here's the plan…"
            "Oh come on, do I really need a plan to take out a bunch of monkeys?" I interrupted him, my arms folded across my chest. I knew I was a beginner, but this was ridiculous. "Can't I just waltz into town and kick some primal tail?"
            Rex stopped drawing on the dirt and looked up at me. I couldn't help but shift uncomfortably, like I always did whenever he focused his eyes on me. I wondered if I was the only one affected that way.
            Okay, I'll listen to your plan."
            Nodding, Rex turned back to the drawing "This is where most of the monkeys can be found, at the town statue." he said as he pointed to a small circle in the center of the map he had drawn. "The official papers said that the truck was carrying 20 monkeys. It's only been a few days, so I doubt they have had time to reproduce. Now, usually the best way to get to the statue would be through Main Street, which coincidentally enough is the only street leading into town. But…"
            "How did I guess a but was coming?"
            "BUT they have sentries waiting there."
            "Wait, wait. Hold up Rex."
            Rex set the stick down and looked up to me, waiting. "What's the matter now?"
            Blinking, I couldn't believe how relaxed he sounded. I played back his words in my mind, just to make sure they still sounded as crazy as they first had. "You're telling me that monkeys, the animals that are crazy about bananas and throw their own crap around, are intelligent enough to set up sentries to watch for intruders Doesn't that strike you as a little oh, I don't know, farfetched?”
            "Jack, when you been in the business as long as I have, you'll find that nothing is really farfetched. Why, there was this time, couldn't have been more than twenty or thirty years ago… I was fighting some dirty commies when suddenly this giant cockroach sprang from out of nowhere. And riding the bug? Why the biggest commie of them all Stalin."
            Great, I got him started on one of his stories. If I didn't speak up now, he would never stop talking. "So how am I supposed to get into the city?" I asked after a moment of considering what was worse, hearing whatever plan Rex was plotting inside that head of his, or hearing the rest of his story.
            Rex blinked, his face showing the disappointment of not being able to finish the story. Clearing his throat, he looked back down to the map and stated; "You fly in."
            I fly in. He made it sound so simple. "We gone over this a hundred times Rex. I can't fly. I can hover. That's it. I only managed five feet off the ground. And that was on a good day." My face blushed at the admission. There was nothing more embarrassing that admitting you were a wannabe cape that couldn't even fly. While true that not every single cape could fly, the great ones could. It wasn't only that though. If I couldn't lift myself of the ground, I wouldn't feel too bad. But the fact was that I could lift myself of the
ground. If I concentrated hard enough, I could hover, like I told Rex I could. But never fly.
            "And don't tell me that is because we never tried. Cause we have. Over and over again, till my a*s is sore from all the times I fall. So unless you have a better way to get into town, I'm just going back to the bus station and leave you here." I tried to remain calm, but found myself yelling at the end. It was just too much to take. Monkeys, guns, flying, none of those were things I had expected.

            I had to hand it to Rex though. He just stood there and listened to me yell. When I had nothing more to say, I just stared up to the sky. "Now I'm sure the spider guy doesn't have to deal with this."
            "Of course he doesn't. He swings, not flies. Even if you could swing, we are in the middle of the Nevada desert, so that would be out question too."
            "I can't fly Rex." God I hated when I sounded so whiny.
            "Everyone can fly. Most are just too stubborn to admit it."
            "So how come you aren't flying around huh?" I countered back.
            "Too old."
            "Is there any other way?" I asked.
            "You could always dress up in a big banana suit and hope they are
more hungry than mad."
            My shoulders slumped, gaze turning back to Rex. I was smart enough to
know when I was fighting a loosing battle. "That's your excuse for everything, you know that right? Saying, SAYING that I agreed to attempt to fly, how exactly would I do that? I don't think clicking my heels three times and going `I wish I could, I wish I could' is
going to work."
            "See, that's the problem with you Jack. Always trying to be a smart a*s. Remember, save the quips when you are fighting a super villain, not when you are with me. Flying is simple my boy. Just do what you normally do, and when you hit your breaking point, just push a little
more."
            I scratched the back of my neck. "You really aren't much for instructions are you Rex?" Rex shrugged and looked up to the sky. "If I could tell you exactly how to fly, I would. But it's something I can't describe. Never really could. How can you describe flying up there? Soaring with the birds and cutting through clouds. Don't think anyone really can. Maybe I'm just not good with words. But I do know something, either you can do it, or you can't. And you Jack, can do it."
            This was new. Usually Rex didn't talk like this, let me into his old world. Oh sure, he would go on and on about fighting Russians, Germans, and aliens, but he never really told me how he felt about it. Just now, when he had been talking about flying, he almost
sounded wishful. Maybe he misses it I thought.
            "Plus…" Rex added softly "You're going to have to beat that fear of
yours someday. Might as well be today."
            I scratched the back of my neck even harder now, sure that by the end of all of this there would be a red spot on the back of my neck. "What the hell. This is what I always wanted right?"
            "That's the spirit!" Rex exclaimed, backing up a few feet.
            "Why are you backing away?"
            "In case you explode," he answered.
            "In case I what??"
            Rex shrugged. "Some do. I don't think you will though."
            "Why do you always tell me this kind of things?"
            “Heroes should always be honest."
             Yep, I would definitely have a large red spot in the back of my neck. My heart was beating against my chest, a prisoner trying to break free.. I inhaled and exhaled, trying to calm myself down. My entire body felt relaxed, like the green gelatin I had for lunch. I was pretty sure my face was the color of that gelatin as well. All right Jack, nothing to it. You done this a million times.
            I always been curious of how others activated their gifts. Do they do it the same way I do? I promised myself that the first time I met another cape I would ask them. The sun beat against my back, and I could feel a bead of sweat roll down my forehead. I took a deep breath, held it in for a second, and then let it all rush out of my nose.
            I floated up a foot.
            So far so good. I looked to my left and right, but Rex was nowhere in sight. The guy moved fast for an old man. I inhaled again, looking down to the ground as I did, and I released it once more. Air rushed past me as I rose up four more feet. This was my usual point. At four feet and below, it still felt like I was standing on firm ground, even though I wasn't. Five feet felt differently. It was like I was balancing myself in a very thin piece of wood, any second now I would fall. The single bead of sweat had now multiplied, my entire body feeling clammy. Hands were shaking uncontrollably, and my vision blurred.
            "Rex. I can't do this. Rex!"
            He didn't answer. "REX!" My words traveled through the barren desert and found no one. My body was shaking now, with good reason.
            You see, I'm afraid of heights.

Reviews

[Des]

Hahaha! I loved this. I was giggling all the way through it. Amazingly well-written and amazing characters and amazing storyline. Obviously, completely amazing. I hope you continue with this, I'd love to know how Jack handles the gun-wielding monkeys and the whole back story for the heroes and abilities. I'd also love to hear the rest of Rex's story! Like I said, amazing.