Jason Blumbley had barely let his eyes close beneath the ancient Egyptian stars before that disorienting vortex had its mitts on him again. He could feel himself spinning through a blur of light and sound until, with a sudden thump, he landed face down on solid ground in a bright, bustling city. Jason groaned as he scrambled to his feet, letting his eyes open, this time in an incredibly tight spandex outfit with an obscenely bright yellow cape.
"What now?" Then he looked at the skyscrapers, the neon signs. Then he looked down at himself and saw a large emblem on his chest that read "Sidekick Supreme."
"You've got to be kidding me," he groaned. "Really? Sidekick Supreme?"
Before he had been able to fully process his new reality, a booming voice called out to him. "Sidekick Supreme, where are you? We've got trouble downtown!"
Jason turned to see a giant figure in blue and silver spandex charging headlong toward him. It was Captain Invincible, the city's best-known superhero. Jason's heart began to race as the hero came down light as a feather next to him.
"There you are, kid," said Captain Invincible, slapping Jason on the back. "We've got a situation with Dr. Destructo. He's up to his old tricks again."
Jason gulped. "Dr. Destructo?"
"Yeah, you know, the maniac with the crazy inventions and the evil laugh?" asked Captain Invincible, raising an eyebrow. "Aw c'mon, Sidekick Supreme! We got to move!"
Jason nodded, trying to muster some confidence. "Right, let's go!"
They took off into the city at flying speed, where Jason suddenly became no match for Captain Invincible. His cape whipped madly in the wind, and he almost crashed into a billboard advertising superhero protein shakes. "Maybe I should have taken up jogging in one of my past lives," he muttered to himself.
They landed in front of a towering skyscraper, where Dr. Destructo stood on a rooftop with his latest invention—a giant, mechanical octopus with lasers for eyes. The villain laughed in maniacal glee as the mechanical monstrosity tore through the city far below.
"Ah, Captain Invincible!" Dr. Destructo sneered. "And you've brought your little sidekick with you. How quaint."
Jason surged with determination. "We're going to stop you, Dr. Destructo!"
Dr. Destructo laughed, and his voice carried like thunder across the city. "I'd like to see you try!"
Captain Invincible looked at Jason, his expression grave. "Okay, Supreme Sidekick, you distract the octopus while I put the kibosh to Dr. Destructo."
Jason's eyes bugged out. "Me? Distract the octopus?"
"You can do it, kid," Captain Invincible said, giving him a reassuring nod. "Just remember your training."
Training? Jason had no idea what kind of training a superhero sidekick was supposed to have, but he nodded anyway. "Roger that."
As Captain Invincible soared toward Dr. Destructo, Jason sucked in a lungful of air, moving toward the mechanical octopus. "All right, octopus," he mumbled. "Now you're going to see who's your boss."
He grabbed up a trash can lid from beside a building and brandished it before the octopus's laser eyes. "Yoohoo, you oversized metal squid!"
The octopus focused its attention on Jason, its eyes blazing with fiery lasers. Jason swallowed and began to run. Everything the octopus threw in the way by its tentacles, Jason wasn't too far; he could still run a bit faster.
"Well, maybe not my best idea," Jason said, ducking a beam. "Think, Jason, think!"
Then he saw a fire hydrant and an idea occurred to him. He picked up some rubbish, lifted it up, and smashed it on the top of the hydrant, and water sprayed everywhere. The octopus went down on the slick pavement, its tentacles flying all around.
"Yes!" Jason shouted. "How do you like that, octopus?"
But he had little time to celebrate. In moments, the octopus was back on its feet and aiming a laser at Jason that only narrowly missed him, searing a path on the ground next to him.
"Oh, boy," Jason said, getting up. "This is not gonna be as easy as I thought."
He searched frantically for something—anything—and saw a hot dog vendor's stand to his right. Finding no better solution, he scooped up some hot dogs and begun bombarding the octopus.
"Take that!" he cried and hurled the sausages at the mechanical monster. The octopus paused for a moment, its tentacles flaying confusedly trying to understand what was going on.
In the meantime Captain Invincible was wrestling with Dr. Destructo. The metallic suit of the villain gave him superstrength, but Captain Invincible fought with the same level of force. The two were exchanging punches, and it was a sound of citywide metal clangs.
Meanwhile, Jason was still throwing franks, hoping there would be time. Captain Invincible's taken care of Dr. Destructo by now. "Come on, come on." he muttered to himself as he watched all action with bated breath.
Then, with a power punch, Captain Invincible finished Dr. Destructo off. The shorts of the villain's outfit crackled before he laid there groaning in defeat.
"Nice work, kid!" Captain Invincible called, flying over to Jason. "You did it!"
Jason grinned, a surge of pride coming upon him. "Thanks, Captain. Just doing my job."
They tied up Dr. Destructo and shut down the mechanical octopus that had been causing havoc. The fact that the police were here to collect Dr. Destructo filled him with a sense of victory he had not enjoyed in some time.
"You did great out there, Sidekick Supreme," Captain Invincible said, clapping him on the back. "You've got potential."
Jason beamed, feeling more self-assured than he had ever been. "Thanks, Captain. I couldn't have done it without you."
Captain Invincible chuckled. "Well, you're learning fast. Up and at them, my boy. Keep it up, and you'll be a hero in no time."
They flew toward the headquarters of the organization, and Jason was grinning broadly. He had just pulled off something big and daring—maybe for once, he was getting the hang of this superhero thing.
Flying back into headquarters, Jason and Captain Invincible were met with a cheering crowd of fellow heroes and sidekicks. His insides blushed with warmth as they congratulated him.
"Great job, Sidekick Supreme!" one hero clapped him on the shoulder. "You really showed that octopus who's boss!"
Jason beamed at them, feeling more confident than he had in his entire life. "Thanks, everyone. It was a team effort."
The party continued and all at once, at the edge of the room, Jason saw her: S-3000, the android from his old life. She came towards him, her eyes glowing.
"Jason, you did a marvelous job," S-3000 said to him in a detached and crystalline voice. "It's because of what you have done that Dr. Destructo has finally been destroyed."
Jason almost had his heart stop right then and there. "S-3000? What are you doing here?"
"I have been deployed to assist the superheroes of this world," she stated. "It would seem destiny has placed us together once again."
The grin on Jason's face widened with cheer. "Welcome back, S-3000. I am certainly going to need all the help in the world."
S-3000 gave a nod. "And I'm here to supply it."
The evening never grew any younger, and Jason's new life had seldom felt more at home than now; he had stood up to a giant mechanical octopus, helped vanquish an infamous villain, and was reunited with an old friend. But as he was beginning to get the satisfaction that he had finally been picking up something, he felt the pull again, and the overwhelming attraction from the familiar vortex propelled him forward once more.
Jason sighed; he knew he wouldn't be able to put off his next adventure for long. "Here we go again," he muttered, bracing himself for the next twist in his journey.