Just when the "Lobster-Crab Centaur" was about to speak, a beam of light converged on its chest, knocking it backwards.
Staggering, the villain loosens its grip on Alex's shirt; reintroducing Alex to gravity.
Falling to his doom, Alex's life flashes before his eye; Alex not only sees a panoramic, 3-D review of his life, but also sees the perspective of the other parties that he interacted with.
I've been a jerk… I have all these advantages, and what do I do with them.. Nothing.
His mind's eye reveals:
Past traumas:
"Sorry dad, I didn't mean to hide your favorite chair", sniffs a young Alex.
"What did I say about the rules?," asks Ryan.
"Don't shit where you eat, every action must be meaningful.."
"And?"
"Never mess with family"
"Good," says Ryan as he puts away his belt
Youthful indiscretions:
"Sorry Kim, it's not me, it's you…not my fault your sister's hot"
"MY sister's hot!?! My Sister's HOT?!? MY SISTER!?!", shrieks Kim.
Ruling school:
"I don't care if you're the senior class president.. Do what I say or become intimate with the football team; do I make myself clear?"
Cheating:
"I shouldn't have bribed my entire class to fail the Federal courts test… wait is this really considered bad?"
"I mean they were willing to do it for $10k each; and we all got to retake the exam?!? Isn't giving everyone more time to study considered good?"
"I got a group of people together for a common cause; no one was hurt and everyone benefited"
"The very definition of a win-win"
"I'm a good person, I'm good… I deserve heaven!!"
"That's right, heaven, nirvana, reincarnation..."
"No!!!. I can't accept this. I won't accept this!!!. At the very least, let my life mean something!!!
It has to mean something!!!! If I get another chance.. I'll.."
Suddenly, someone - or something, swooped in and caught Alex in midair.
More beams of light quickly flash, illuminating the night sky. The Centaur staggers up, but the beams of light ruthlessly bombard it, preventing any attempts at retaliation.
Alex's savior quickly deposits Alex on the top of a neighboring building before joining the fray.
From his new vantage point, Alex sees his rescuers: two local superheroes - "Sonic Boom" and "Moon Beam". Five drones circle around in the distance, live-streaming the heroics.
Sonic Boom is a handsome white man wearing a silver spandex costume with the symbol of a blue vapor-cone on his chest. Numerous logos from companies such as Dynamic Aviations, AeroShip, and the Ab-Owein Corporation adorn his outfit.
Moon Beam is a beauty with an "elven-like" face who wears a dazzling armored costume of pure white and gold. A relatively new superhero, her outfit has yet to be sullied by corporate sponsorship.
Together, the pair quickly make short work of the Centaur.
As Sonic Boom binds the villain with restraints, Moon Beam gently floats over to Alex, leans over slightly - revealing her ample cleavage, and smiles condescendingly: "What a coincidence, Mr. Alex. We meet again...".
His mind blank, Alex begins to compose a reply, only to be cut off by Sonic Boom, "Mr. Alex. Your 'abilities' do not seem to be very effective here..."
"But worry not, citizen!", Sonic Boom says in a booming voice, "The Big Orange is safe for I am its Protector!"
Sonic Boom's livestream goes crazy at his declaration, with his fans shooting off livestream sparklers and rockets (valued at $1, $5, and $10 apiece) and spamming the chat with variations of them giving him their undying support ("Kyaa. I love you", "Marry me!", "So cool", "That's so cool", "So handsome", etc...).
"Come. Let's take a picture to commemorate this occasion", saying that Sonic Boom takes out his mobile phone, quickly poses next to Alex, and snaps a picture with a "click".
"Perfect", smiles Sonic Boom.
Alex was drenched, his hair messy and unkempt, with soiled clothes, and snot and tears running down his face; while Sonic Boom was clean and tidy, looking calm and very much in control. The two formed a sharp contrast.
-----
By the next morning, the photo of Alex and Sonic Boom, along with livestream footage of the incident, made its way into the News cycle.
On Channel 7 News, KTNA - an affiliate of PNN.
The commentator, Maria Lee, is introducing the kidnapping to its audiences.
"Last night, there was a kidnapping attempt near Eighth Avenue. Alexander Malger, son of real estate magnate Ryan Malger, was abducted by the supervillain 'Crabby Henrietta'.
Fortunately, the superheroes Sonic Boom and Moon Beam happened to be nearby and arrived in time to save Alex."
"The suspect has been taken into custody by the police, and our best guess is that she may be sentenced to ten or more years in prison..."
"Interestingly, at the SHOCK charity dinner just three days ago, Alex Malger professed his undying love to the superheroine Moon Beam."
"Moon Beam had politely declined Alex's courtship, but Alex tweeted that 'he will never give up'."
"Sonic Boom, who is also publicly pursuing Moon Beam, had made remarks that he will compete fairly with Mr. Malger."
"After the kidnapping, Mr. Malger has yet to appear in the public and his Twitter account has not been updated. Alex's personal doctor remarked that Mr. Malger is not in a serious condition; he is just experiencing some stress and needs some R&R..."
With a "pop", the TV turned off.
Moon Beam, wearing a comfortable gray sweater and pant set, stretches on the sofa in her luxury mansion, and sternly says: "This time it's too obvious. As long as Mr. Malger isn't stupid, he should suspect something.."
Moon Beam pauses, but when her companion makes no comment, she presses on.
"Eighth avenue is a wealthy area, and there are alot of superheroes on patrol. No one is stupid enough to commit crimes there."
Moon Beam screeches, "If you had told me about your plan, I would have never agreed to it!"
Moon Beam pauses, taking a deep breath to steady herself before continuing, "The Malger family is worth billions of dollars, and Alexander Malger is the only heir. If something bad happened to him, we would be affected if they traced Henrietta back to us."
Sonic Boom smiles, "Don't worry, babe. You don't understand these... things because you just became a superhero. Let Big Boom handle it."
"It just has to be obvious enough to make someone like Alex, who only thinks with his dick, retreat in fear.", Sonic Boom says in a patronizing tone, "Otherwise, it'll be troublesome if he stalks you."
Sonic Boom pauses to take a sip of his Paracola.
"Alex must be scared.", chuckles Sonic Boom , "I wonder if he's calling for his mommy, or venting his frustrations in the arms of a tender model?"
In a comforting voice, Sonic Boom says, "As for 'retaliation' ... don't worry about the Malger family. They're only one wealthy family in the City. Other than having money, they have nothing."
Sonic Boom continues, "while it's true that a few politicians and unaffiliated superheroes might be willing to investigate, no evidence equals no problems. They can't do anything to us."
"Finally, even if Alexander Malger doesn't know how the world works, his father must know. Ryan Malger will never trouble us, he'll just help his son take care of his lower body."
"What about Henrietta?", asks Moon Beam, "and I thought you hired Zoltal?"
"It doesn't matter who does the work", Sonic Boom mirthlessly laughs, "as long as it gets done."
"As for Henrietta?", Sonic Boom scoffs as he puts down his drink, "as long as we take 'good care' of the kids at the Orphanage, she's not going to do anything to us"
Sonic Boom smirks, "I already made a very generous donation in her name. And what I give...", Sonic Boom clenches his fist, "I can take away."
"What if...", Moon Beam pauses as she searches for the right words, "What if... he wants to become a superhero?"
Sonic Boom laughs, "Who? Alex? Impossible. How can trash like that become a superhero? What a joke!"
"Don't worry, babe", Sonic Boom says as he scoots toward Moon Beam, "I promise you that Alexander Malger, who was so scared that he pissed his pants, won't bother you again."
Moon Beam's eyes light up as a beam of "moonlight" erupts and gently repels Sonic Boom.
Sonic Boom gives Moon Beam a puppy dog look, "Honey..."
Moon Beam coldly smiles at Sonic Boom, "I'm still in the public inspection period. My agent said that I can't have any scandals, otherwise it will affect my Selection."
Sonic Boom creeps closer, "It doesn't matter, no one will know..."
The smile on Moon Beam's face disappears as she flatly states, "Get out."
Sonic Boom helplessly responds, "OK, OK."
Reluctantly, Sonic Boom follows Moon Beam to the side entrance of the mansion.
Once there, Moon Beam opens the door as she coldly reiterates, "Out."
As he walks outside, Sonic Boom turns his head back to glance at Moon Boom. Unfortunately, his plans for the night were dashed as Moon Beam slammed the door shut.
Sonic Boom helplessly sighs as he quickly flies away, leaving a sonic boom in his wake.
-----
At the same time, in the city center of New Amsterdam City, the magnificent Malger Building.
Steeling his nerves, Alexander Malger knocks on the door of his father's office.
His father, Ryan Malger, had white blond hair, a burly figure, and a scar across his left eye. Although Ryan was nearly seventy years old, he was still spry and energetic; and had the natural majesty of a business tycoon.
Ryan Malger looks up at his son, "Yes?"
Alex grits his teeth and squeezes out a few words, "Dad, I want to be a superhero."