Adam Graham's Blog: Christians and Superheroes - Posts Tagged "father-s-day"

How does a mighty hero spend time with his kids? It's usually fairly typical for Dave Johnson, but there are a few extra special times as shown in Fly Another Day:

Powerhouse dashed toward the tank barreling at him. He grabbed it by its big gun, flung it around the Nevada dessert, and smashed it on the ground repeatedly.


The immobile tank lay upside down, and it’s wheels slowed. It looked a like an oversized tortoise that had fallen on its back. Powerhouse grabbed the machine in the middle and tore it apart like it was Reynolds rap.


Powerhouse super-imagined his armor contracting into a metal square on his chest. He stood in blue tights with the gold Powerhouse lightening bolt on the metal plate on his chest. His helmet remained and continued to blow cool air into his face. Powerhouse dashed across the desert.


A low-orbiting, rectangular spaceship swooped after him. He spun and fled the other way as fast as he could run. The sand, hills, and cacti blended into a big blur. He was nowhere near as fast as the Flash, but he was surely breaking a world record ten times over. Good enough.
His lungs started to burn. Powerhouse panted. He had to stop.


He glanced back behind him at the ship overhead, right on his tail. Gotta keep running.


Powerhouse sped up. He passed miles of desert. His legs ached. His throat matched his surroundings. He peered at his watch. He’d been going half an hour. It had to be enough. He slowed and came to a gradual stop. He breathed in, out, nice and slow.


The spaceship landed and Derrick and James got out.


James eyes’ were wide. “That was so c-cool.”


Derrick nodded. “Yeah, Dad. I timed it. For the first five minutes, you were going 1500 miles an hour. I could barely keep up in the spaceship. Then you slowed down to 800 miles an hour."


Powerhouse nodded. “I could practice so I don’t slow down so much, but I don’t know how I’d use it practically. I have my rocketpack.”


Derrick shook his head. “Dad, your rocketpack only goes 250 miles an hour. You’re way faster when running on the ground.”


“Too many obstacles on the ground in the city. I’ll keep working on it.”


Derrick waved back at the spaceship. “Come inside and rest.”


“Right away, son.” Powerhouse yawned.


Showing off for the kids was harder than fighting crime. Still, it was worth it to spend time with them.


Powerhouse plodded into the ship and plopped in a plush captain’s chair on the bridge of the stealth spaceship.


Derrick settled into the navigator’s chair. “One more thing, Dad.”


That was it. “One more thing, Derrick Johnson. Who am I?”


“I mean Powerhouse. Zolgron gave me some information that he said you need to memorize. He wanted to be that sure you got it because he’s in Tahiti.” Derrick reached into a bag and pulled out a folded document of some kind. “City of Seattle Map.”


Powerhouse touched the map and his head was filled with a complete scale map of the city. “Very cool.”


Derrick tossed him another map. “City of Seattle sewer map.”


Powerhouse touched it. His mind filled with the layout of the Seattle sewer system. “Always handy to have.”


Derrick reached into the satchel. “Greater Seattle area phone book.”


“That’s good.” Powerhouse touched it. His body jolted and numbers zipped through his head. It figured. That always happened with big books.


Derrick reached in and pulled out half a dozen books. “And here are some martial arts books we got from the library.”


“Super!” Powerhouse grabbed them. Karate instructions and illustrations wrote themselves onto his brain’s hard drive.


He added Judo, Akido, and then Kung Fu. He grabbed the fifth book.


Pictures of delicious pastries filled his mind.


Huh?


Powerhouse gaped at the cover. “The Betty Crocker Desert Cookbook.”


“Oops.” Derrick flinched. “That must have been on the wrong shelf.”


Powerhouse grabbed the last book and acquired knowledge of Tae Kwon Do.


His head throbbed. Rubbing it, he moaned.


“W-what’s wrong?” James asked.


“Information overload. It’s like an ice cream headache, only worse and without getting to eat the yummy ice cream.”


Powerhouse closed his eyes and imagined one of the confections in Betty Crocker’s book. A peach cobbler with ice cream, plates and a knife appeared on his lap. Powerhouse cut off a slice and lifted it toward his mouth.


He waved at the kids and the cobbler. “Have some.”


Derrick took a place, cut off a piece of the cobbler, and put it on his plate. He pressed a button on the spaceship’s control panel. “I’ll get us back to camp.”


James snatched up the remaining plate and sliced himself a piece of the cobbler, too. “D-dad, you okay?”


“Yes, son.”


Derrick glanced at his brother and slipped sound-proof earphones on.


James sighed and swallowed. “D-dad, you’re not a d-dork. I’m s-sorry.”


“You’re forgiven, son.” Powerhouse smiled. “From what I’ve heard, most sons your age think their dads are dorks.”


“Heard? Didn’t you?”

“My father died when I was four.”

“Oh.” James blinked. “Y-you never mentioned it.”

“Not a happy memory.” Powerhouse’s chest constricted.

“Well, y-you’re cool.”
That alone made the whole trip worth it. “Son, have another piece of cobbler.”

Fly Another Day is available free today for the Kindle and also available in Paperback or as an Audible download.