The Man in the Blank Mask, Part 1

Serendipity.

Welcome to Olympus City, where super-powers, physics-defying tech, and unearthly creatures are all possible now. Human nature, however, remains unchanged.

No one is born a perfect superhero, but a few strive to live up to the ideal anyway.

Part 1

Two years ago …

Ken collided with a beautiful raven-haired woman while walking home from the food store.

They turned the same corner at the same time. The woman was carrying her own shopping bags from a different store, and their groceries mingled as they spilled across the sidewalk.

“I’m so sorry,” Ken said.

“No, it’s my fault,” the stunningly pretty woman said. She looked no older than Ken.

“I should have been paying more attention.”

Debating who deserved the blame, they reached down to collect their groceries and again bumped into each other. The woman laughed, and the melodious sound infected Ken, raising his lips into a smile for the first time all morning.

She introduced herself as Jasmine and insisted on taking full responsibility for their improvised slapstick.

Ken could have collected the wayward groceries telekinetically, but he preferred not to scare the pretty woman away so soon, especially after she offered to buy him coffee.

“I’d like that,” Ken said. “Um, my apartment’s right here, so let me just drop off these groceries. You’re certainly welcome to come on up.” He wasn’t sure if that was the right thing to say, but it felt right. The way those wide eyes looked at him, Ken found his confidence surging.

“I’d like that as well,” she said.

The sorting of the groceries entailed some pleasant conversation, which continued as they entered the building, rode the elevator, and strolled down the hall to Ken’s unit. The apartment wasn’t much—was almost nothing—but it was his alone and had enough space for a visitor.

The conversation kept flowing. Ken couldn’t recall meeting anyone who was so easy to talk to. He told her about his hometown back east, his tutoring work, and his love of education. She told him about her aspirations of becoming a painter, her fears about having just moved to a new city, and her odd obsession with tea, which Ken found endearing. They even shared a favorite movie, To Kill a Mockingbird, and they debated whether the book or movie was better, each advocating for both positions and coming to no resolution.

They forgot all about coffee as the afternoon melted away. Ken couldn’t believe how well they were hitting it off. He had never expected this sort of serendipitous meeting to happen to him. Granted, he had never expected to develop super-powers, but that impossibility had indeed occurred.

He had felt so lost just a week ago, had shared his uncertainty with Miranda when they ran into each other on the observation deck of the Mount Olympus tower. Miranda had her own doubts and fears, but they promised each other they’d both do something amazing with their lives.

It was like making a wish on a shooting star. Ken’s telekinesis developed the next day. He performed a few anonymous good deeds, which drew the attention of Fantastic Man. The luminescent man found him and convinced Ken to become a superhero. “We must become something more than we were,” he had said in a well-rehearsed baritone.

Ken Shield, a superhero—it was amazing, and now he was Mr. Amazing! Everything was looking up.

And today he had met this wonderful woman. The chemistry was unnaturally organic. Another impossibility. No one should be so lucky.

Then, as if to protest his good fortune, a clap of thunder echoed. The window showed little of the outside world, but the neighboring brick wall appeared rather sun-kissed at the moment.

Ken excused himself to check his phone. A news alert appeared.

“BREAKING: ROBOT ATTACKS CITY,” The Olympian Herald reported.

Warner Pinkney had somehow escaped jail and reactivated his robot—and the robot was now flying over the city, firing lasers down indiscriminately. So far, it had caused plenty of property damage but no casualties. Yet.

“What’s wrong?” Jasmine asked, lightly touching his arm. “You got all tense all of a sudden.”

Ken knew what Fantastic Man would want him to do. Make an excuse. Slip away. Go save the day.

But Fantastic Man couldn’t tell him what to do in all aspects of his life.

“A robot is attacking the city,” Ken said. “I have to help stop it.”

Confusion twisted her face. “What?”

He had wanted to do this since bumping into her. He didn’t want to want to, but he was only human, after all. Ken lifted himself a few feet off the floor, and Jasmine jumped back, agape.

“I’m Mr. Amazing,” he said. “I hope we can continue this later, but right now, I need to go.”

“Oh my God.” Jasmine hadn’t blinked in several long seconds, each of which left Ken in agonizing suspense. “It makes sense now. Oh God.”

Ken hopped back down, afraid to ask what made sense. But he did, and she answered.

“They hired me—told me it was for an acting gig, a character-building improv exercise. I was supposed to run into you and pretend we were in a romantic comedy. I thought you were in on it. Ken, I am so sorry. My name isn’t Jasmine. I’m not an artist, I’m an actress. I think they used me to keep you out of the way. I’m really very sorry.”

Flushing scarlet, she bolted for the door. Ken called after her, then realized he was using a fake name. “Jasmine” wasn’t real. This wonderful day was a lie.