Karl Van Luden was his real name. Although mostly everyone in Germany known him as the Übermensch. He was basically the poster hero of Germany, whenever he would go to the store, parents would point it out to their children and say "Look, it the Übermensch, the famous hero of Germany!" The children would look with their jaws agape in admiration of this God in their midst. The supposed Superman who can do anything he wants. Some claim that he is nothing but a reminder of a past that should not be repeated.
There was a lot of speculations surrounding the origin of this superhero. Some good, some bad, if there is one thing that can be generally agreed upon, nobody could pinpoint where he came from or what created him. The first time he made his presence known was around a year ago, when he stopped an bus being driven by a lunatic from running into a pride parade being thrown at that time.
With America having the superhero team known as The Champions and Japan having the superhuman wrestler Rin Jotaro and International sensation pop star and weaponized android Hiro Hoshi. People have started calling these times The Golden Renaissance , it seemed that no matter where you look there was a new hero, and also a new threat not too far behind as well.
"Übermensch is the greatest superhero in the world!" Said a ten-year old kid talking to his father.
"Isn't it suspicious that he have blonde hair and blue eyes? Kinda sound like a certain someone's ideal human." Said a forum poster on HeroSpecs.com.
"Übermensch shops at the same grocery store as me, who knew that he was just like everybody else?" Said a twenty year old woman as she posted the picture she took of him on Instagram and in her private folder for none of your business.
"Damn he got some nice arms." Said one of the comments on that same Instagram post.
"I personally don't like this guy, but i do like that new heroine that showed up not too long ago." Said a forty year old man as he started to sweat a little bit to his other friend at the bar.
Some say that he is one of the kindest men you will ever meet in your life.
Others call him Hitler's wet dream.
Karl himself disagree with all these bold claims, good and bad. He was just a regular human like anybody else. In his eyes, what he did was nothing special, he was just doing his duty. But even if he saw himself as a average citizen, You wouldn't be able to tell on first glance.
Karl had the build of a Greek God. Brilliant blonde hair that shone in the sun and radiant blue eyes that pierce right through your heart. He was wearing a red t-shirt and a black jacket. Along with some simple black jeans. The sky was a calm misty grey, it was cool but the wind was still. The weather report said there was a good chance of rain today. As he walked down to the store known as the One and Only to get some groceries. He was greeted by people left and right. A woman in a brown trench coat and a Trilby hat tilted at an angle that covered her eyes walked up to him. She appeared to have on red boots and had her hands in her pocket.
He was very curious, but he didn't regard the woman as a threat, or at the very least, a threat that he couldn't handle.
"Good afternoon, Karl! I hope you're having a great day!" greeted the mysterious lady, full of energy.
"The same to you." He responded happily, he still wondered why this woman was looking suspicious even though her clothes were appropriate for the incoming weather. The mysterious woman smiled and was about to walk off until a speeding white SUV fled right past them followed by two police squad cars. The men in the passenger side of the SUV was shooting at the cops with reckless abandon. The white SUV drove on the sidewalk and almost hit a couple and their baby in a stroller in front of them if it was not for the intervention of Karl and the mysterious woman.
First Karl grabbed the end of the bumper as he heard a sound in his ear, like the sound of a jet going fast.
Karl managed to stop the SUV for a few seconds before the bumper broke off but the couple and their baby was no where to be found. The SUV continued it rampage from the police as they followed in hot pursuit. Karl look behind to see the couple and their baby in the mother's arms completely fine, the father thanking the mysterious woman.
"She amazing. Thank God she was here." Karl thought as he felt some relief at the sight of the family.
"Are you all alright?" Karl asked them, the couple nodded and the baby laughed. Karl was about to chase after the fleeing criminals until he saw the woman remove her trench coat. She was wearing red boots and a white leotard. Her arms was uncovered except for the long red gloves. In the middle of her chest was a logo of a red ball with crimson lines shooting out all about her outfit, the lines almost seem like they were glowing. Red goggles wrapped around her face, medium-length auburn hair just above her shoulders.
"Look like this is a job for Ricochet!" She said making everyone walking on the same sidewalk to turn toward the two heroes. Karl has heard of her, She was a hero that popped up around two months ago when she stopped a group of gangbangers from mugging the famous singer Emma Fischer. Since then she been quite the feature on news stations like her rescuing a cat from a tree or that time where she saved Federal Chancellor Leon Meyer from being run over by a speeding train in a assassination attempt. That one moment of heroism got her free dinner whenever she goes.
She turned to Karl and gave him a wink.
"Lets take these guys down together, alright?" She said. Karl nodded as they begin chase after the SUV. Karl's was able to keep up with the white SUV due to his stamina, he never properly tested how fast he could run, although if he had to guess, he is about as fast as a gold medalist track runner.
"What do you think it is? I'm betting drug-dealers." Ricochet theorized to Karl, her eyes had a red glow to them. before he can answer, she was gone in a blink, leaving a trail of red sparks behind her. She rammed into the white SUV while in a cannonball position, the SUV spun out for a little bit, but the driver managed to bring it back on course.
This allowed Karl to keep pace with the white SUV, In no time he was next to it. Ricochet bounced back next to Karl.
"Hope they don't also have super-powers, then that would make things a little more tricky." Ricochet said as she kept pace with the surprisingly fast Karl.
"If they did, they would be using them right about now." Karl replied, keeping his eyes peeled on the runaway vehicle.
A masked gunman poked his upper body out of the passenger side with a Uzi aiming at Ricochet. Karl in swift motion and speed that surprised even Ricochet, jumped onto the moving vehicle, digging his fingers into the roof for support, his fingers poking through the metal and into the felt. Karl grabbed the Uzi from the gunman and threw it away. Karl ripped the passenger door from it hinges. The driver pulled out his gun, a simple 45 ACP caliber pistol and pointed it at the blonde-haired hero. Karl raised his eyebrow.
"Not a good idea." Karl said calmly, staring at the driver, while the former gunman in the passenger seat was peeing his pants.
"Oh no you don't!" Ricochet said as she powered up, glowing red energy surging around her. She pinballed into the SUV once again this time into the driver side. The driver dropped the gun into between the pedal and the brakes. The driver began to swerve wildly in order to get the two heroes off his back.
"Sir, stop the car now." Karl's voice was even, but there was no denying that undercurrent of venom beneath the calm façade that made the driver scared out of his mind. It was almost enough to break through the mental haze the driver was in. Ricochet channel her surging power through her legs to run even faster, the driver look out his windshield to see Ricochet and she gave him a wink along with a peace sign while sticking out her tongue a little to mock him.
She then channeled her built up energy into her fist and punched through the window. The window shattered, showering the driver with glass, She jumped through the window and landed on top of driver and use her foot to hit the parking brake. The SUV jutted forward, in the middle of the street. Just barely managing to avoid a crash with another car.
The Police squad cars stopped closely behind them. Karl calmly got off the vehicle and with using his strength ripped open the car door off it hinges and set it gently on the road. The passenger leapt out the vehicle in a fit of desperation tries to throw a punch at the face of the German superhero.
Bad move.
Karl grabbed the criminal's hand easily, and knocked out the criminal with a left hook. The driver managed to get out from under the superheroine and bust out of his SUV but was then knocked to the ground by Ricochet with a charged tackle.
"Well look like you're done for, please don't try to move as it would just lead to more pain for you." She said as stood up with a victorious grin.
"You should take good advice when it offered, you clearly need it." Said Karl handing the passenger to the police officers. Ricochet notice something off about the driver's eyes, there was a blueish tint in them, no more than that. It was like a faint blue halo around the pupil.
"Um, Übermensch, what wrong with this guy eyes?" Ricochet asked warily. Karl walked over to investigate while the police officers started to handcuffed the two criminals, another police officer investigating the white SUV. The police officer in question found a sliver briefcase that was full of vials that had a neon blue liquid in it. He radio in to report to the chief.
"She right, he does have a blue aura around his pupils, but they seem to be fading." Karl thought as he looked into the fading aura around the criminal's eyes. The driver seemed to be in some sort of trance. Karl was wave his hands in front of the driver's eyes. The man didn't respond at all.
Karl was sure he heard of this brand of drug before. He looked over to Ricochet and she look visibly shaken, Karl walks over to her.
"Are you okay?" He asked, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. Ricochet nodded, slowly regaining her smile, it was softer this time. A contrast to the more confident smile she seemed fond of wearing.
"I'm fine, thank you Übermensch." She said gratefully.
"Um...can you call me Karl?" He asked of her. She look at him funny.
To be honest, he doesn't really like the name given to him by various media outlets that was adopted by pretty much everybody. He didn't want to seem above anybody else.
"Aren't you worry about your...oh right, you don't wear a mask. Ok then Karl." She said as she took a look around, something then suddenly came to her mind.
"It look like I was right about the drug dealers, huh?" Ricochet said with a slight laugh, trying to shake off the creeping feelings of dread she felt.
"Yes, yes you were." Karl said. The rain started to drip down slowly upon them as the criminals were loaded into the police van. Karl takes his jacket and put it over Ricochet.
"Thank you." She said gratefully, basking in the warmness of his jacket and the smell of his lavender deodorant. The citizens around them started to applaud the two heroes that stood before them, some of them pulling out their phones to take many pictures. Karl realized that they was in a busy section of the city of Hoffnung, on this street, stores and restaurants dominated the area.
Ricochet waved and gave them a big smile. Karl gave the crowd a simple smile and put his hands in his pockets. He spotted the store he needed to go to. "Listen I be right back, alright?" Karl said to Ricochet, who was doing some heroic poses for the cameras.
"I don't think you're going to get the chance." She said, pointing at the various news vans pulling up. Karl laughs at this.
"I see your point." He responded.
Karl and Ricochet stood in front of the news reporters. The young heroine had a big smile on her face as she was covered in Karl's coat and answered the questions easily.
"This is just a average Friday. We saved a family from being run over by these scumbags (She points at the two criminals currently sitting in the police squad van.) They get the bright idea to drive recklessly away from two superheroes like us! Can you believe that?! So i stopped the van and Karl took out the scumbag drug-runners. Once again, your average Friday." She said with a shrug. The reporters and even the camera operators laughed.
"This is Emma Schmidt with HR-1 News ,Ubermensch, what do you have to say about the situation?" The reporter asked curiously as she brought her mic closer. The reporter had messy and long brown hair with a large strand of it dyed white and olive green eyes, she was wearing a oversized green coat over her black shirt and business casual white pants.
"Well first of all i would like to personally thank the police officers for helping us. Without them the arrest of these two wouldn't be possible." Karl politely stated as Emma gave him an incredulous look.
"It seem you and Ricochet did all the work but alright, where did you think those mysterious vials came from?" Emma asked as she kept her eyes on the new golden boy in front of her.
"Damn, he really do look amazing up close-Focus Emma." She said in her head as she maintain a neutral expression.
Karl shakes his head.
"That i do not have a answer for. But know this, we will do whatever it takes to keep whatever this stuff is out of Hoffnung. That's not a promise, it a guarantee." Karl told them, a serious look in his eyes that quite honestly? It terrified everyone in that crowd, including Ricochet who felt a chill that went down her spine. Karl's smile instantly return to his face, everybody began to calm down, but only slightly. It was unnerving how fast this Adonis can switch from pure anger to calm and friendly.
"Well there you have it!, This have been Emma Schmidt with HR-1 News, Back to you!" She said with a brilliant smile. The cameras stopped rolling and they began to move back into the van except for Emma who stayed behind.
"You guys go without me." Emma said with her trademark smile that won the hearts of many all over Hoffnung. The crew nodded and told Emma to be back by 3 PM.
"Do you mind if I talk to you some more? I'm very curious about you." Emma asked of Karl politely.
Ricochet nudge Karl's arm playfully.
"Nothing much to tell really." Karl replied with a earnest smile.
"There no way someone could be this pure. What are you really like?" Emma thought with curiosity as she took some notes down on her phone. The smell of baked goods adding to the overall experience.
"I was just about to do some grocery shopping. Do you want to come along?" Karl asked politely of her and she just chuckled at the absurdity of this superhuman being so polite.
"That would be nice. I have a lot of questions so be prepared." Emma said with a smile of confidence.
"I do my best to answer them." Karl smiled as he got offered his jacket back by Ricochet.
"Oh you can keep it." Karl told her with one of those heart-melting smiles.
"Nah it alright, you need it more, i dry off quick. Now if you excuse me, this hero got places to be!" handing him the jacket, Ricochet charged her entire body with crimson energy and within a blink she was gone. Bouncing off building to building.
"Interesting friend you got there." Emma said with amusement as she and Karl headed into the One and Only
"She definitely a great superhero." Karl told her. He hopes to meet her again. Never such a thing as too many heroes.