Morris Glass* woke with a start. A sharp tapping sound startled him and made him sit up in bed.
Morris rubbed his eyes, put on his glasses, turned toward his bedroom window… and yelped in shock.
A strange boy hovered in the air just outside his window.
He waved at Morris and smiled.
Morris was about to freak when he heard Isch’s ** voice in his head.
“It’s okay, kid. I know it seems weird, but you can trust him."
Despite the overall weirdness of this situation, Morris walked calmly to the window and pulled it open.
“Thanks, Morris,” the strange boy said. “That took guts. My name is Blake. I’m so sorry to freak you out like this, but I need to talk to you about something incredibly important, and I don’t have time to be nice or patient.
“Can you be brave and trust me for a second?”
“Sure, Blake,” Morris said. He’d already opened his bedroom window in the middle of the night for a flying boy. He may as well keep going.
“Great,” Blake said. “Grab my hands.” Morris reached out and grabbed Blake’s outstretched hands. Blake pulled him close for a moment and began to slowly descend through the air until they landed under an enormous Mexican White Oak in Morris’ backyard.
As they landed, Darryl stepped out of the shadows to join them.
“How’d you get here, Dare?” Morris asked.
“Same as you,” Darryl responded “Blake floated up and freaked me out.”
They both chuckled at this.
Blake watched them catching up and smiled. He knew he didn’t have much time, but these were kids. They deserved a moment or two to catch their breath and get their bearings before he asked them to do something insane and dangerous.
“You boys okay?” Blake asked. They both nodded.
“Okay, good,” Blake said in a whisper. “I know you both have incredible powers. I saw you testing your skills on the practice field a few days ago when I was on patrol. I’d love to find out more about what y’all can do but I don’t have time.
“Something evil and powerful is going to attack this town tomorrow. I don’t know the specifics yet, but I know the fight is coming, and I know it’s going to happen somewhere in Blackway. I’ve been sent here to stop this evil, but I can’t do it on my own.
“There’s going to be danger involved, and I can’t promise either one of you it will be easy or safe. However, I can promise I’ll fight with you and help you both any way I can. What do you say?”
The boys didn’t hesitate.
“Heck, yeah,” Darryl said. “The less I know the better. Just point me at the bad guys.”
“I’m in, too,” Morris said. “I know I probably shouldn’t trust a stranger, but I’m going to anyway. Plus Isch told me you’re reliable, and that carries a lot of weight with me.”
“Who’s Isch?” Blake asked, one eyebrow raised in confusion.
“I am, son of Owr.”
Isch’s deep voice rumbled like distant thunder.
“Whoa,” Blake took a step back. “What the hell was that?”
“Don’t worry, son of Owr, I’m here to help.”
“How do you know my last name?” Blake asked.
“I fought with your dad the last time these creatures attacked,” Isch said. “I can tell you’re a fighter like him. That’s why I trust you.”
“Wow, Wow, Wow,” Blake finally managed to say.
He shook his head and pulled off his backpack. Blake reached inside briefly and pulled out two unfamiliar electronic devices and two black domino masks with slate blue trim.
“Keep these masks with you at all times,” Blake said. “You’ll know when it’s time to fight, and, when it’s time, you need to conceal your identity as much as possible.”
He held up an electronic device identical to the ones he’d given them.
“This is a Key-Comm.” Blake pointed to a large red button on the lower right half of the device.
“Click this button and speak and I’ll hear you no matter where you are or where I am.
“If y’all hear or see anything unusual tomorrow, or if you see an attack occurring or about to begin, I want you to call me on your comm, and tell me whatever you see and whatever and any other details that come to mind. I’ll do the same for you if see something first.
“Whenever we get the word, we need to converge on the attack site as quickly as we can.
“One last thing,” Blake said. We need to come up with code names to further protect our identities. Even if we help people, they won’t all understand, and we have to protect our lives and our families from anyone who might want to harm or exploit them.
“Do either of you have any ideas for code names y’all can use?"
Morris and Darryl exchanged glances and smiled.
Morris spoke first.
“We’ve been thinking about superhero names ever since we found out we had powers.
“You can call me Bastion, “ Morris said. “I stand fast and keep others safe. Right, Isch?”
“Right, kid.”
“Okay, your turn, Dare.”
“Cool,” Darryl said, pushing his hair out of his eyes. “Call me Dusk. I bring the shadows before the night falls.”
Blake chuckled at that. He turned to face the boys once more.
“I’m going to take Darryl home now,” He said. “Don’t forget the things I’ve told you, and don’t be afraid. One way or another, our lives are going to change tomorrow. We’re going to stop them, and we’re going to win.”
Blake picked up Darryl and flew off into the inky black night.
*We last saw Morris and his friend Darryl way back in Chapter 13.
** A powerful and mysterious supernatural force named Ischuros. He is the source of Morris’ powers. First appeared in Chapter 2: The Hall. His name appears in Chapter 13: Practice and Isch.