CITY SKY – MORNING
A plane trembled in the air. Flames licked its engines. Black smoke traced a streak across the blue sky.
On television, the reporter shouted:
"We're on the scene! A plane has caught fire and is threatening to crash into the city!"
People in the street looked up. Some filmed. Others ran. Others still prayed.
WOOOOSH.
A silhouette shot across the sky.
The Peak. Number 1 in the rankings.
He caught the plane with one hand. His muscles tensed beneath his costume. He flew with the aircraft, slowed its fall, and gently set it down on the runway.
The plane stopped.
People applauded. Cameras rushed in.
"Mr. The Peak! A few words about this magnificent rescue?"
The Peak smiled. A wide, dazzling smile.
"Hahahah! It's nothing. It's my job."
He spread his arms.
"And don't forget: as long as there's a summit, the mountain's herd will remain protected. As long as I'm here, everything's fine!"
The reporter approached.
"Great, Mr. The Peak. But could you say a word about the shampoo brand that sponsored you and seems to cause cancer?"
The Peak didn't answer. His smile froze. He walked away, embarrassed.
---
ROOFTOP – SAME MOMENT
Black Monkey watched the report on his phone.
He turned off the screen.
He sat on the edge of the roof, his legs dangling over the void. A sandwich in his hand.
He put on his mask.
"It's really cool being a hero."
He swung his legs.
"My whole life, I dreamed of one thing: becoming a superhero. And now, I am one."
He jumped off the roof, landed on a ledge, then another, then in the street.
"Being a hero is so cool. You can help people."
A man was trying to carry a sofa up a staircase.
"Oh, wait, sir, I'll help you!"
He lifted the sofa like a feather. Set it down in front of the door.
"Thank you, young man!"
"You're welcome."
The man recognized him.
"Your name is in the hero almanac!"
Black Monkey smiled beneath his mask.
---
THE STREET – CHILDREN PLAYING
"Waaah, I got Black Monkey! The game is won already!"
"Waaah, I got Pink Buster! Lucky!"
Black Monkey walked past them.
"Watch out, kids."
The children looked up.
"Waaah, look, it's Black Monkey!"
"Can you stop some bandits, please?"
Black Monkey smiled.
"Help! My bag!"
A thief ran off with a purse.
BAM.
Black Monkey struck him. The thug fell.
"Here you go, ma'am."
"Oh, thank you!"
Fans surrounded him.
"Waaah, Black Monkey! Look at him, he's my favorite hero!"
"Dad, I want to be like him!"
Black Monkey waved at them.
"Anyway, it's really great being a hero."
He walked away.
"I need to go to my agency to report the silhouette of the USB key thieves. And that blue-eyed guy, and his mist… Argh. Anyway. It's really cool being a hero."
He disappeared around the corner.
---
AN ALLEY – ANOTHER HERO
A man sat on the ground. Cardboard boxes beside him. Dirty clothes. A tired face.
"It really sucks being a hero."
He looked at his hands.
"I sacrificed everything to become a hero. But it didn't do me any good."
He buried his face in his hands.
"Now I'm banned from boxing competitions. I can't even pay rent. No brand wants to work with a lowly Class B hero like me."
He looked up.
"I got kicked out of my apartment. The Association won't do anything about that. I'm not even in Class A, so I can't apply for housing. And I don't have an agency, so no one manages my image."
A flyer landed on his face.
He took it, unfolded it.
GAMBLING AGENCY
Hero agency recruits everyone
Even pariahs.
His face lit up.
"This is great!"
BOOM.
An explosion rang out in the distance.
He stood up, put on his exo-skeleton.
"Alright, before I go, I need to solve a crime first."
He ran toward the smoke.
"Let's go! Justice calls me!"
---
TO BE CONTINUED…