"Can you promise not to tell anyone about my abilities?" Felix struggled not to make his words come off like he was begging.
"Your superpowers?" Kyle grinned. Rolling his eyes, Felix nodded.
"Yeah, my superpowers."
"I promise," Kyle said instantly, looking Felix dead in the eyes. His previous mirth had all but disappeared, leaving an almost scarily serious version of himself behind. "I owe you my life, Felix. Actually, I wanted to ask if I could help."
"Help?" Felix looked at Kyle with newfound curiosity, as if the man weren't an interesting character in and of himself.
"It's not every day that you get the chance to meet and help a real-life superhero!" Kyle gave him a look that told him that this should have been obvious.
"But… I'm not a superhero," Felix drawled. He could rewind time a couple of seconds, and that was the limit of his ability.
Kyle walked up closer to him. "You saved my life. I'm pretty sure you're a superhero." As Felix mulled over the older man's words, Kyle continued. "Now, not to insult you or anything, but you look pretty young. Still in college?"
Reluctant to give away more information about himself, Felix just sat silently. Frustrated, Kyle spun about in a half-circle and began pacing. "Felix, you already gave me your full name. How many Felix Hales are there in this city?"
He had a point. "Yeah, I'm still in college."
Kyle turned around and pointed at Felix, excitement in his eyes. "Exactly! Listen, ten years ago, I went to college, too. There was no privacy, and I doubt there is now. Even if you've got your own place, I'm sure your friends nag you, right?"
Felix nodded.
"You'll need to practice not only your powers, but also how to fight. What you did was badass, don't get me wrong, but it might have ended differently if you knew how to throw a punch. Lucky for you, I'm something of a boxer myself," Kyle puffed his chest out at that.
"Last I remember, you lost to those three," Felix pointed out.
"But I don't have superpowers, unlike a certain someone."
Felix still wasn't enthused by the idea of trusting this guy with so much. Those stranger danger lessons were pretty hard to shake, and he wasn't quite sure they needed to be shook in the first place. Clearly, Kyle saw Felix's hesitation because he didn't wait for a response.
"Listen, I'm not all that wealthy, so I can't pay you for saving my life. I need to make it up to you somehow."
"Kyle, I really appreciate the offer, but I think I'd like to figure all this out on my own for now. There's no need to thank me; I did what anyone else would have done," Felix said, watching Kyle's excited expression dim. Defeated, Kyle held out a slip of paper.
"I understand. But if you ever need a place to stay, just give me a call. Or actually, you can just show up," Kyle offered. His name, phone number, and address were written on the card. The man had thought of everything, even his offer of help being rejected. Felix wouldn't have been surprised to learn that the man was a private investigator of some sort. A modern Sherlock Holmes.
Kyle left the room, leaving Felix to lay back down, resting his weary head. The sounds of cars whizzing past, horns intermingling with the bustle of the people on the street, reached him all the way up in his room. The city had come back to life with the day, and it was comforting to see so many people go about their day. Felix turned the news back on, curious about others like him.
Cue his surprise when Mindwave's masked face occupied the entire screen. She was speaking at some sort of press conference, dozens of reporters trying to ask questions and take pictures. "This is certainly unprecedented, but I am confident that those with superhuman gifts will use them responsibly. I hope that they will look to me as an example."
After declining to answer further questions, the Chilean superhero stepped down from the stage. The local news channel returned to its news desk, with Rebecca and Bill still sitting there, even if they were a bit more tired looking than a few hours prior. Bill, for his part, looked positively giddy. He turned to the camera, his expression making him look child-like despite his total lack of hair.
"Many of us have known superheroes only from TV shows or movie theaters. Come what may, the age of superheroes is among us!"