Case File Vignette - Bearly Super
This side case is special collaboration with @superbear-chronicles. Be sure to head over there and read all the amazing adventures of Superbear.
________
Skyscrapers towered outside the taxi. The metal and glass rose to dizzying heights as a thousand signs flashed this way and that. Along the street was a cavalcade of cars, bikes, and buses. Motorcycles and scooters zipped between the cars in dangerous turns. An even heavier mob of people darted this way and that on concrete sidewalks. Only the local hot dog sellers stood firm as islands in a sea of people. I absentmindedly fiddled with my bag. This was the largest city I had ever been in. After Jamie and I had broken up, I realized that I had never traveled further than a few states over. This was my first time traveling to a large city. THE big city, and now I was here.
The taxi lazily chugged through traffic before finally landing at the intake of the hotel with marble columns and green rounded planter beds. I entered through the large golden turnstiles and left the gas fumes behind to be greeted by a perfumed lobby. Flowers and decorative rugs abounded and a cheerful face at the front desk got me set up and on my way up the elevator to the sixth floor.
Walking into the hotel room was disappointing. I sighed as I saw the cramped room stuffed with a bed, a small cabinet that hosted a TV and a bathroom that really was miscategorized as a toilet with a door. However, when I opened the heavy drapes to let some light in; the magnificent view stretched out revealing the city to me. I gasped and quickly took out my phone to take a picture.
“Take a look at the view! Better than anything back home!” I typed away a caption before sending it. A moment later my phone vibrated and I saw the profile picture of a blond man doing a duck face. It was Jamie’s private line.
“Eh, I've seen better.” Jamie responded with a winky face. I chuckled and sat down on the small bed.
“How has the body been?” I asked.
“Hey! he’s got a name remember, we aren’t objectifying him unless it benefits me. Ryan’s been doing better. I’ve been pulling double duty convincing him to go to all the bars in town while also making sure he doesn’t make a fool of himself when we are there. It’s tiring but he’s come a long way since I hitched a ride in him.”
“I’m glad it’s working out. Say hi from me, well I guess just leave it in his subconscious or something that someone is thinking about him. Oh that’s kind of creepy. Eh, he’ll be fine.”
“Pfft, you think that’s how it works? I can’t just make his mind do anything.” Jamie said.
“Yet you can have a completely separate chat on his phone that he mysteriously is unable to notice?”
“Oh I’m good for sure, just not that good. Anyway have fun, make out with someone while you are there please. I’d say it more sexily but I’m honestly too tired to make it risque so do that part yourself.”
“Haha, sounds good. See you soon.” I set my phone down and stared out the window. The sun was beginning to set and the long golden light was dancing searingly on the windows across the street. In the back of my mind came a thought, at first I thought it was Jamie till I remembered he wasn’t mentally there with me. It came from the same portion of my brain he liked to occupy. Something was telling me that I was in for something crazy here. I could hardly wait.
I started my day going through the busy streets and learning the fast paced flow of the city. Five blocks should have been a cakewalk but I found the short distance full of more adventure than anything I’d experienced back home.
When I got to the art museum, it felt like days had passed. The sun was high and beat down on the concrete sidewalk as I climbed the steps outside. Thankful that I could relax for a moment, I paid for my ticket and joined the other tourists in a jaunt around the hallways. A perky tour guide was waving their flag around and talking loudly about what famous paintings could be seen in the various halls. In contrast a rather short and grumpy man who spoke in tight, sharp tones double stepped towards the guide.
“Miss! Please read the various signs stating the rules of our museum. Notably I’d like to inform you of rule number THREE, ‘No shouting or excessive noise in the museum’!”
The tour guide traded a cordial smile at the man who in turn pierced his eyes through her soul.
“I’m sorry sir, you know how it is. Don’t know how to turn it off!” The tour guide laughed whimsically as the tour joined in. The small man stood steadfast and unflinching.
“Please see to it you follow the rules; else I will have you escorted off the premises.” He turned on his heels and strode away, leaving the tour guide stunned enough for her smile to falter slightly.
Deciding to break off from the group, I looked through a few Rembrandts and a George Braque with a collection of impressionist paintings when I turned a corner and saw something odd. My sense of direction had become mixed rounding the halls and I found myself looking at a back hallway that was for museum staff. That was when I saw the man. There, further down the hall, stood a beefy giant. Tall enough to have to bend down without saying anything of his width. The sheer volume this man took up cleared the air around him. He had a thick wild beard and wore a black ensemble. A pretty sight but nothing too out of the ordinary. That is, until I noticed the harness around his chest. The gleam from the silver circlet caught my eye and I gave the man a harder look. His black pants and shirt were leather with a matte shine that dimmed the harsh white lights that lined the hallway doors. His face, extremely handsome I’ll admit, but also set in a steady expression.
Humans are terrible at keeping a poker face. One of the easiest ways to first spot if something is escaping the realms of the ordinary is to find what simple facial cues are not happening. The way an eyebrow twitches or eyes that dart to the nearest shiny object. How we move our bodies around obstacles to ensure we don’t stub our toes are all unique yet sure fire ways to tell we all think from the same brains.
I noted either this was not a man or that he simply did not have the ability to change his expression at will. A bored face I could believe, but not this. I give myself some credit but really the fact that the man was also firmly directing a smaller, blond, confused man down the hallway was another clue that something was amiss. My senses told me something was wrong with this whole picture and my extra sense was faintly telling me something beyond the ordinary was going down. The hallway all but thrummed with a strange energy.
I checked around for any uptight museum staff and ducked down the hallway. For a bright and spacious museum, the back hallway was tight and winding. A dark paint coated the walls with harsh white fluorescent lights giving ample light. Carts of equipment and a myriad of doors filled the space and made it hard to keep up with the man. After a minute I reached out to see if I could feel any residual energy. Sure I can sense supernatural energy but I’m bad at pinpointing it. At best I can feel the energy similar to a strong odor that seems to seep from everywhere at once. I stopped and closed my eyes, focusing on anything that might lead me in the right direction. The faint buzz still remained. Suddenly it grew louder. I could feel the energy building. Shoot! Was he coming back this way? I turned to make a hasty retreat back up the hallway when the door closest to me burst open, letting in a barrage of wind.
Standing in the doorway was a man. Tall and hefty with a face that betrayed one's age by having a youthful glow adorned with a sizable beard that led into a short haircut of reddish brown hair. I’ll admit the man was attractive but what caught my attention was what was under his face. A Blue and red spandex suit followed the curves of his wide shoulders and burly chest that rose and sank gently with his breath. A paw print emblem was set on his chest. Red accents wrapped his wrists where his large hands squeezed through. A cape blew gently in the wind as he entered. I was staring directly at a superhero.
His eyes had a determined look as he scanned around the hallway. For a moment, he looked past me, focused his gaze on the doors of the hallway. I fell back into an equipment cart and yelped as my back smacked an empty display case. He turned and looked at me and his heroic demeanor melted into an awkward stumble.
“Oh I didn’t see you there, sorry to startle you.” The superhero bent down and offered me a hand.
“What, is there a cosplay exhibit at this museum?” I grabbed his hand and was hoisted up to stand in an effortless pull..
“Sorry again, but I’m in the middle of trying to find someone.” The hero resumed his focused search of the hallway.
“Yeah same, someone tall, dark and handsome with a knack for leather just came through here. Is he dressing up as the villain or something?” I rubbed my back and looked down the deserted hallway.
The hero gave me a curious look. “Actually yes, someone matching that description is who I’m looking for. Any idea which way he went?”
“I saw him come down this hallway but I lost the trail around here, I couldn’t sense anything around here anyway.” It was at this point that I realized that Mr. Super was staring beyond the walls in the corridor. He wasn’t looking at the doors, he was trying to feel through them. I felt even more the fool for coming down the hallway in the first place.
“So does this hero have X-ray vision or something? you are really focused there.” I said.
The hero grinned. “Oh sorry, this…man and myself share a special bond that I can sense. It’s hard to explain.” He smiled.
“Oh I think I know what you mean, like a buzzing or pulling towards them?” I thought briefly of Jamie and how I could always sense when he was close.
“Something like that.” The bear held out an oversized hand. “The name’s Superbear.” He said brightly, Cheeks crinkling in warm waves.
“Uh, Everett. Nice to meet you.” I took his hand and felt a deep warmth inside like a small bear hug.
I felt a slight surge in the supernatural and turned my head down the hall. Simultaneously, Superbear had done the same. I noted that he really was able to feel the same connections like I could.
“I’ll see you around Everett, right now I have something to take care of.” Superbear said as he set off with a determined step.
I stood where I was, unsure what to do. Realizing I was a bit out of my depth I slipped back up the hallway to return to the museum. That’s when I ran face to face with a certain short man.
“What are you doing back here! This is for museum staff only!” He squealed. His foot tapped faster than a rabbit.
“Oh sorry, I was just looking for the bathroom. I could have sworn I saw a sign pointing this way!” I feigned. It was everything I could to hold my expression as the man’s face turned five shades more red. He then took a long and calculated breath.
“Please return to the museum, I am too busy trying to track down a missing museum staff who is slacking off his post to deal with you.” The man said. I quickly stepped in front of him as he tried to walk past.
“A missing person? I believe I saw someone in a museum uniform down this very hallway with a non-affiliated companion. As luck would have it I’m available to take on the case!” I quickly pulled my business card from my leather bag and handed it to the confused man. As he began to read it I made sure to tap the small text that read ‘for a fee’ under ‘Professional Detective’. Hey, what can I say? always got to be on that grind even on vacation.
The man’s face contorted, somewhere between pure rage and desperation. “Very well! I haven’t got the time to be tracking down slacking employees. Get him back here pronto!” The man turned back and headed through the museum, loudly telling a woman not to take pictures of the artwork. I chuckled as the woman all but leapt out of her skin, dropping the camera with a loud crash.
I sighed and did my best to hide a big smile at booking a case so quickly. It definitely was a new record for me. I followed the trail through the cramped hallway once more. I had the fleeting thought of ducks in a line. In order to find our missing employee I had to find the man in the harness, and if I was going to find him I’d need to find Superbear. The real question was how do you find a superhero in the modern day? Put out the bat signal?
I stumbled out into the daylight and cursed to myself. It had taken an hour to check every door in the back of the museum and the trio were not in a single one. The final door led to the rear fire escape of the building where I could see loading docks and a skeleton crew bringing equipment into the building. If the missing man had left the building the only clear direction he could have gone was down to the lake or more likely blended into the staff. I looked over at the trucks parked next to the building and approached the nearest one. I kept low so the driver and loading crews wouldn’t see me. The first truck was boxy and orange. I pressed my back against the side of the trailer and tried to sense anything. The metal was cold on my back but nothing came to me. I circled to a gray long truck with tarps with similar results. Finally, I came to the final truck. A tall sturdy trailer that was painted matte black. Before I even touched the trailer I could sense something was inside.
“Alright time to find out what’s inside curtain number 3!” I thought to myself. I checked the back door of the trailer but found a sizable lock. I listened closely and thought I heard a deep breath from inside the trailer. Before I could react there was a scuff of footsteps as a couple men approached. I ducked down and crept towards the driver side door, hoping there was a key stashed in the cab somewhere. I was lucky that the door was unlocked and I quickly slid into the driver’s seat. That was when my luck ran out and the passenger door opened to reveal a very confused truck driver staring up at me.
“Hey! Get out of there!” He yelled.
I put my hands up in surrender, that was before the whole truck lifted up off the ground. I grabbed the steering wheel out of habit and matched the driver’s scream as he ran away. I held on for dear life, knuckles white and instinctively putting my seat belt on for better or worse. I checked for oxygen masks as well before realizing I was in a delivery truck and not an airliner. looking out the windshield to find the view of the lake became more majestic and terrifying as the truck soared over to an abandoned parking lot on the other side. When the wheels gently landed on the cracked asphalt, I fumbled with the seatbelt and stumbled out of the truck. I slinked away from the vehicle just as it was beginning to shake. I circled around back to find a certain bear themed superhero examining the back door.
“What are you doing here?” My shaking voice stammered.
Superbear looked at me confused. He glanced at the driver’s door still ajar and put two and two together.
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize you were in there!” He said, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Yeah well, whatever that was, I'm getting out of here. I don’t know how-” My words were cut short as with a simple tug, Superbear cranked open the back door, the lock falling in pieces at his feet. He looked inside the trailer and frowned.
“I thought they’d be in here.” He sighed.
I picked up the lock from the ground. The sharp metal twisted and jagged but unmistakingly heavy in my hand. I refused to believe what I was seeing. Here was a man who must have been an actor of some kind. I must have stumbled onto a movie set! I looked around for a crane that could lift a delivery truck over a lake and saw nothing but peaceful clouds floating lazily across the horizon.
“So how did you do this?” I gestured to the lock. Is it a soft metal that breaks with the right leverage?”
Superbear stared at me. “What do you mean?”
“The door was locked on the other side of the lake and yet you just tore it off like it was nothing! How did you do that?”
“Well, I’m a superhero…” He said plainly.
“Yeah I get that you are a cosplayer or an actor or something but how…”
A man appeared from the side. Moving fast enough to close in mid sentence to land a punch squarely on Superbear's jaw. With a grunt and tumble Superbear crashed into the back of the truck and dented the far wall. Eyes wide, I turned to the attacker and flinched as he moved towards me. The man towered above me. With black leather pants ,a dark shirt, and a harness that curved around his chiseled physique, I recognized him as the man I’d seen earlier in the hallway. He had a light beard and enough muscle to be a Mr. Olympian or two..
As always when approached when danger I let my mouth run as much as my legs. “Sorry man, I think I’ve stumbled into your movie set. How about I just get out of the shot of wherever the camera is and you can keep up this incredibly realistic fight scene.” I scrambled.
The man was calm, stonefaced and stared at me emotionless. His hands moved with deliberate energy. One hand reached behind and grasped the back of my neck, keeping me in place. The other hand reached behind him and pulled out a black harness that matched his own.
“Oh hey, are you showing me your collection or something? I don’t really think that would match my outfit.”
The harness was steadily put to my chest. I immediately could sense something was wrong. From within the harness I felt a cold but persistent energy, one that flowed out quickly through my clothes and seeped into my skin. I groaned and tried to shake my way out of the man’s grip but he held steadfast. I reached out with my sense and realized the man was glowing with energy that matched the same energy that was now being focused through the harness and was quickly overtaking me. My chest was the first to expand, absorbing energy and turning it into muscle that expanded my chest and flowed out. My arms were changing, strengthening and thickening at the same time.
I quickly began to remember the sensations of when I was changed into a meathead on a previous case. This felt different. I could sense the strength and power from the transformation but I also felt a girth and fattening that was absent before. I was thickening up as my belly softened and my arms and legs packed on fat along with the muscle. The feeling of my body expanding and weighing down began to overwhelm me. That’s when it began, I could feel a deeper energy flowing in that went up through my spine and began to seep into my brain. I expected a rush of energy and overpowering nature. Instead I felt a calm yet strong power push my thoughts aside, I quickly lost fear and any desire to move. Any thoughts that came to the surface were quickly covered in a cool blanket of ease and sank back down. I could feel my mind open and become receptive to the energy as it quickly took hold of the place. My mind fought back as best it could but I felt like I was stuck in jello as more of me slipped under the surface. Faintly I could hear something move, I knew I could see and hear it if I could only focus for one moment. There was a slight burst of consciousness as the man and harness were quickly removed from me and the mental clarity gave me just enough time to see Superbear grab onto me.
“Hey! Hey Everett, snap out of it!” He yelled.
“Stay with me, don’t let that harness control you.”
Superbear looked concerned but I couldn’t put my thoughts together to figure out why.
“I’m not losing you. I’ve never done this before, but I’m going to try to save you.” Superbear said as he stepped back and began to faintly glow.
What an odd thing to say. I didn’t need saving; I was right where I wanted to be. Even odder was the feeling as Superbear wrapped his strong arms around mine and began to squeeze. Yet again I felt an energy move in. My brain began to light up as the two energies flowed and crashed through my consciousness. Everything grew to a crescendo of light and sound that blocked out all my senses and I fell back into the embrace. I floated for some time, neither controlled nor thinking on my own.
I woke up looking up at the blue sky. Distant clouds stretched and folded into one another, streaking the sky in white dollops. I felt like a million dollars. I must have woken up from a nap but it felt like when you wake up energized five minutes before your alarm goes off. I sat up slowly and pulled in a strong breath of fresh air. A slight whimper came from the side. I turned to see a scrawny looking guy in a blue button up shirt that hung loosely on his frame and skinny jeans that on him felt more straight than constricting. He was laid out on the ground same as I with muffled breaths coming in between his dreams. Faintly I could hear him murmur ‘Nick’ over and over. He pitched this way and that, clearly not having the best of time. I reached a hand out to steady the guy and paused as I took in my arm. I was conscious enough during the transformation to notice the strong arms and bit of hair growing through but the neon blue and red spandex suit was a surprise. I looked down to see a similar pattern on boots that straddled my feet and pants that hugged my thick thighs. I tried to see my chest but found the large beard in the way a hassle. Was it more red than usual or was it just the brightness of the suit? I carefully stood up and wobbled at the new mass that grounded me firmly but made movement clumsy. I twirled in place to try to glimpse the cape on my back when I noticed my reflection in a puddle. Typically when I’d been involved in a transformation of any kind I could sense myself in my reflection, no matter how distorted I looked. This time however the face staring back at me was someone else’s completely. If I didn’t know any better I’d say I looked just like-.
There was a groan below me. I was so swept up in myself I forgot the man. I reached down a hand as he came to.
The man slowly turned over as he blinked awake. I realized I may startle him so I tried to stand back a bit. Still, his eyes widened and his face paled as he scrambled up on wobbly legs.
“What! No, no what happened to me? What happened to you!” He screamed.
“Calm down, I know this is weird but I fortunately have some experience in situations like this.” I said.
The air in the abandoned parking lot was thick as crickets chirped from the far off trees. I motioned to the truck and the man begrudgingly walked towards it. I looked away as he struggled to get a good grip to haul himself into the back and sit down. Once he was settled, I continued.
“I have a special connection to the supernatural that can have some adverse effects on people, especially when they already exhibit certain levels of energy containment and disbursement. I believe that having our two cases in such close quarters caused a reversal with the energy that connected through me being rerouted back through the source but unintentionally pulling my psyche with it. That plus the nature of the mixed signal would cause a large portion of energy to entangle within myself, stripping that essence from you.”
The man stared at me with a thousand yard stare.
“Well it’s only a theory. I'd be happy to hear one of yours.” I pouted, crossing my arms over my chest, unintentionally in a powerstance that overshadowed the smaller man. He gave a sour expression and looked away. I sighed deeply and felt like a dad for a moment dealing with an unruly teen.
“Let’s start with names.” I said. “I’m Everett.” I reached down a hand as a gesture of good will.
“I’m Superbear, I mean, Mike.” He said as he shook my hand..
“Hi Mike, nice to meet you. Now how am I a superhero?!?” I said.
Mike thought to himself as he cupped his chin with a hand. “That harness he used on you, it’s connected to someone I’ve been trying to track down. When he put it on you it started to take over. I had to act fast or you would have ended up just like him. You know, power estrangement or whatever you said.”
“Entanglement.” I corrected with a grit.
Mike continued on ignoring me. “You'd have been a perfect soldier without a desire to disobey. I’ve seen it happen many times with my own eyes. When I saw it touch you, I panicked. I tried to overpower the change on you by, well, by changing you myself.
“Your superpower is to transform men?” I asked.
“I have the ability to transform men into more than they were before, to expand them into something bigger, something greater.”
“Something more, bear?” I added.
“Well, yeah. I can’t help it if your full potential happens to be the best looking version of yourself.” Mike said. A faint smile touched the edge of his mouth as he looked me over. I realized he was checking me out. Well more accurately he was checking himself out. Either way I blushed and pushed on.
“Alright, let me get this straight. The bad guy was trying to convert me with a one-way ticket zombie soldier routine and you stepped in and tried to change me into a bear. That, mixed with my connection to the supernatural probably threw everything out of whack and we ended up like this.”
Mike tapped his foot impatiently on the truck and kept adjusting his shirt absentmindedly.
“Yeah that’s about it. Honestly, I hate being this small and helpless.”
“I’m honestly confused about that part. I appear to have bodyswapped with you and yet you don’t seem to be inhabiting my body? Honestly I don’t know whose it is.” I said.
“Oh this is me, well before I became Superbear. It feels so foreign and yet this is how I used to be. I thought I was past this when I drank that coffee and became Superbear.”
“Wait, you became this…” I gestured down at my physique, “By drinking coffee?”
“Well it was special coffee from a daddy bear… Look it doesn’t matter, we need to figure out how to reverse this so I can stop those harnessed men.”
“What were they trying to do? Kidnap Daddy Bear?” I mocked.
“No!” Mike glared at me. If he was his usual superhero self it may have been intimidating, right now it just looked cute. “I’ve been tracking their operations . Typically they stay in the same area, recruiting and changing those close to their base. They like to use nightclubs and dark alleys mostly. Then a month ago I noticed they had expanded into a more mobile unit. Some of the harnessed men had acquired a truck and were headed out of the city. I followed them and ended up on a roadtrip till they settled here.”
“Maybe they just wanted to site-see.”
“I wish. They were setting up a mini-base in the heart of the city and using these moving vans to transport men they’d changed in and out without drawing too much attention to themselves. Once a truck is full, they can send reinforcements back home. That’s why I’m here, to stop them before they end up spreading like a virus.”
“Sorry but I don’t see how you are going to be able to do that looking like that.” I said.
Mike tilted his head slightly and took a deep breath.
“You are right,” he said. “Right now I can’t. But I know someone who can.”
“Hey, would you mind not doing that?”
I slowly removed my groping hands from my pecs and set them gently in my lap. I coughed lightly and feigned confusion.
“Sorry, this must be really uncomfortable for you.” I looked away and tried my best not to notice Mike’s pants.
Mike adjusted in his seat a few times. I noted that he was fiddling more with his clothes. He’d been messing with them the whole way as we snuck back to my apartment. Mike or “Superbear” had flown in and didn’t have a place to stay. I now sat on the same hotel bed I had arrived at hours before, a hundred pounds heavier and a whole lot more super. Mike sat in the small chair next to the desk. You could tell he was used to taking up more space. His stance showed his legs wide and head high even though he could probably have fit into a thimble if I pushed hard enough.
“It just doesn’t feel right?” Mike said quietly.
“Tell me about it, suddenly being in a different body is a weird experience.” I tried to reason.
“No, it’s not that. It’s …” Mike stood up and walked around the hotel room slowly and gazed out the window. His eyes unfocused as he looked more at his own reflection than the bustling city beneath. “This is what I used to look like.”
“Oh.” Was all I could get out.
Mike gestured towards me.“See before I was Superbear. I was just like this. Small, scrawny, weak…helpless. Then something amazing happened and I suddenly felt like I was who I was supposed to be. I ‘fit’ into my body instead of just being trapped in it.” Mike looked downcast and sighed.
“That must have been crazy, waking up like this one day, you know, after being bitten by a radioactive spider’s cup of coffee.”
Mike pushed past me and headed for the door. “Nevermind, let’s just get to the roof. We have training to do.”
I tried my best to dodge the venom in his voice as I followed him out into the hallway and up the stairs.
The door to the roof was fixed with a padlock. Mike looked at me expectantly. “Well, go on.”
“Oh sure, you want me to?” I hesitated.
“Look, if you are going to be a superhero you can’t be timid. We don’t have time for this.” Mike said impatiently.
“Alright! Alright, fine.” I squeezed past Mike, pressing him awkwardly into the handrail as I reached out for the door and cupped the padlock in my hands. The thing looked tiny and I was surprised that it felt like chalk as with barely any pressure I snapped it clean off. With a gentle push the door swung open and we were outside on the bright sunny day.
The rooftop thankfully was empty. A few rooftop units and a spare lawn chair sat abandoned by some longlost repair man. I blinked as the bright sun beat down on the white roof and let my eyes adjust to see the far reaches of the city. Either it was some superhuman sight ability or maybe just being in the body of someone without glasses. The sheer edge of the building pushed against the rational part of my brain and I took a step back from the edge.
“I have to admit I’m having second thoughts about this.” I said with a gulp.
“Once you see how fun flying is you will be jumping off roofs like a natural.” Mike instructed as he stood a foot from the edge. He motioned for me to come closer.
“So what do we do first?” I asked
“You stretch, you look so stiff right now. How are you going to fly if you already look like a rock?” Mike chuckled.
I shook out my arms and hopped on my toes for a moment. A rock was a good description for how I felt. I was bigger, heavier, and this suit was giving me a wedgie.”
“Alright then how do I fly? To infinity….yadda yadda yadda?”
Mike walked over and grabbed my arm, settling my legs. I hadn’t realized I was still hopping.
“All power comes from inside. If you are going to use it, you have to tap deep into yourself.”
I closed my eyes and tried to find my core, I focused on the deep breaths Superbear’s lungs could hold and the beating heart within. I tried searching deeper and felt that familiar energy. I focused the energy down and felt it push me up as it was released downwards. I opened my eyes to Mike smiling at me, looking even shorter than before. I was floating a foot off the ground.
“Woah, this is fun!” I said flying around slowly, still terrified to go too close to the edge.
“Feels like you're dreaming right!” Mike laughed.
I took my time and tried a few positions beforeI settling into a steady floating forward dive and looked at Mike expectantly. He stood facing away, posture suddenly serious.
“I’m fine, I’m fine. It’s just that seeing you get so excited reminded me of someone. Someone I’m trying to find.”
I settled down to the ground and steadied myself. “You seem like you really miss them. You ok?”
“I’ll be fine, it’s just sometimes it’s like I can feel him.” Mike took a step, eyes closed
A sudden warmth filled my chest. “Woah, what are you doing?”
“Just hang on, I’m trying something. I just want to see if I can sense him.”
The warmth spread through my body and tears dotted the corners of my eyes. I could feel the connection Mike was trying to connect to. Superbear’s body was still connected somehow. A deep protective yearning for someone I had never met.
“I can do this.” Mike grunted in effort. “I can find him.”
The feeling overcame me and I gave in to this body's emotion. I grabbed Mike and brought him in for a bear hug. He gasped slightly as my arms wrapped around and squeezed firmly. We stood that way for a long moment. The wind gently rustling my cape. I let the feeling overtake me. This connection was so different from what I had felt with Jamie and yet he came to my mind.
“Are you crying?” I heard a voice call from between my pecs.
I let go and tried my best to reposition Mike back to a standing position. “Nah, it’s nothing.” I lied.
Mike stared at me until I felt my cheeks burn. “It’s hard when you can’t be with someone. I know the feeling.”
“Mine’s moved on, it was for the best.” My eyes stung.
Mike mulled this over for a minute. I interrupted his thought before he could shower any more wisdom on my situation.
“Let’s get this figured out. We both have people to get back to.”
My macho charisma got me to the rooftop edge. Then my upside down stomach took over and let my quivering knees knock.
“I don’t get it. This body has done this before. Why can’t I fly?” I grumbled.
I felt Mike’s body wrap around my neck from behind.
“I told you we were done with the hugging.” I stated.
“The body knows how to fly, but fear is in your mind. You can do this.” Mike reassured me.
“Ugh ok, let go.”
“No, I’m going with you.”
“Going with me? You don’t have powers right now.”
“And you don’t know how to fly. Face it, we need each other.” Mike countered.
“FINE! just don’t blame me if we both end up flat on the pavement.
“You aren’t going to drop me.”
“The day is young. Here we go!”
I ran to the edge and pushed off before my mind had a chance to back down. The safety of the roof fell behind me and I felt the air give way as I started to fall. Mike’s arms wrapped tight. Not in fear, he held on fast in a way that showed that he was there. That I wasn’t alone.
The air whizzed by. The rushing ground that was flying up at us was now a blurry river of street as we zoomed above. I was flying! I let the scream I hadn’t noticed come from my lips dissolve into a hearty laugh as I felt my body move and adjust as I sped through the tight streets and dodged every manner of wall, rooftop, and sign. I launched up high over the buildings and let the sun hit me full force as I levitated over the city. Heavy breath came from me as I yelled in triumph. It was then that I remembered my passenger. With a careful swing of my arm I carried Mike over and held him as I laughed deeply.
“This is amazing!” I screamed.
Mike appeared a little green in the face. “Yeah it’s great, I just remembered how motion sick I got before.”
I carefully navigated back to the rooftop and gently set Mike down. He caught his breath and smiled up at me.
“That was amazing! You get to do that all the time?”
“Well, I used to.” Mike shrugged.
I did my best to get things off the topic.
“God I’m going to need a change of clothes or something, there’s no way I’m going to fit into any of my clothes before and walking around in this spandex number is going to turn too many heads. Did you have a stash of clothes previously?”
Mike looked me up and down. “Actually, the suit manifests with the power. Here, try something for me.” Mike held my hand up in his and took a deep breath, instructing me to do the same. My burly hands dwarfed his but I kept pace. “Feel the energy flowing through you and out, flow with it and bring that energy back into you. Calm yourself and let everything that’s pouring out come back.”
“Yes Jedi master.” I smiled.
I steadied my breath and closed my eyes. With time I could feel immense power flowing through Superbear’s body. I imagined them as tendrils of light that ebbed with my breath and cascaded out from my core. As I focused on this area and relaxed, the offshooting energy began to circle back in on itself. The energy collapsed into a black hole, pulling everything into a tight package. There was still power pulsing and forming but it felt asleep and contained.
“Hey I think it worked!” I stared at my hands. They were back at their normal size, Mike’s hands had flipped and were massive holding onto mine. I followed the trail of Mike’s burly arms up to his surprised face. There no longer was the twink with the patchy beard and sunken cheeks. But a bear of a man. Mike let go of my hands and patted his beard and chest.
“It worked! I don’t know how but It worked! I’m back to being me!”
Before I could process that my body had shifted back to normal, Mike brought me in for a bear hug. I gasped lightly as his returned strength pushed the air from my lungs.
“So that’s…what that feels like” I muttered. “Alright get off!” I pushed Mike away and he soared through the air before crashing down and tumbling into a rooftop vent.
“Oh my god, are you ok?” I said as I ran to Mike.
Mike stood up wobbly and cracked his neck. He looked at his large hands and turned his head in confusion. Grabbing low on the vent, Mike pulled up with all of his might but the thing wouldn’t budge.
“You still have Superbear’s power.” Mike said, dismayed. “Wait, what about Superbear?”
“We will have to see, but maybe it’s best to just wait and-”
Mike closed his eyes and for a moment his body lit up like a firework. The same energy I had just controlled burst out of him. Before I could even finish my sentence I felt a sudden burst of energy within me. When my eyes adjusted to the light. I stood back in the body of Superbear looking down at Mike in his twink form.
“Sorry bud, but I think we are far from recovered.” I said.
“Figures,” Mike said with disdain. “I can be back in my body but only when it doesn’t count, as soon as someone needs help I’m back to this useless size.”
It took me a moment to collect myself and transform back.
“If I still have power while looking like myself then we can stay like this. You are back to yourself and we can figure out the Superbear portion as we go.”
Mike rubbed his shoulder. His large hand massaging and feeling his frame and size.
“You really think it would work to have a flying librarian?” He said more defeated than insulting.
“That is a good point.” I conceded. “Plus I don’t think I could hop off a rooftop looking like this. I think looking like a superhero helped my brain overlook the insanity of it all.”
Mike looked more dejected than ever. I felt bad for the guy. It was hard enough not being in your own body. Trust me I know. Mike had lost both his identity and his secret identity in one day. No matter how weird this got I wanted to follow through, for Mike’s sake.
“The fact that we are still changing back and forth means that the transformation must be unstable or still sorting itself out.” I pondered.
Mike looked at me befuddled.
“You sound like you know a lot about this for a guy who thought I was just a cosplayer.”
“Touche, but I’ve had my fair share of transformations and bodyswaps to get a feel for what’s going on at least. My work tends to lean into those areas and other unexplainable shifts.”
“Really? What’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen, or I guess experienced?”
“There was one case where I was transformed into someone’s underwear for a week.” I said after some thought. ‘Weird’ is subjective.
Mike shifted as he stood, I assume noticing the pull of his underwear across his nether regions more than a moment ago. I knew the feeling. Since that case I hadn’t worn underwear the same.
“Alright, we don’t have time to sit around and wait for this to fix itself. Those harnessed men are still going along with their plan and we have to stop them.” Mike said determined.
“We? I know I had my first flying lesson but I’m definitely more of a lover not a fighter.” I replied.
“Yes ‘WE’, because we are in this for better or worse at the moment. Might as well make use of it.”
The harnessed men were easy to find now that I knew to look for muscular or enormous men with harnesses on with a penchant for black leather shirts. We found a group with three moving vans behind the old theater district. I wanted to stay and read up on the history of the place but Mike was in a hurry for some reason. Some people just don’t appreciate good architecture.
“Alright, looks like this is where they regrouped after we interrupted their little get together by the lake. Mike said.
“What, did you find something?”
“No, this plaque says that this block contains more theaters than any other city in the world.” I said.
Mike gave me an unamused look and put the train back on the tracks.
“They’ve closed the three trunk doors, likely with another group of guys or harnesses in each truck.”
The trucks rumbled to life and began to move towards the alley exit that was the only way in or out of the small square. Mike jumped up and began to run after them.
“Wait! Mike!” I yelled. I did my best to catch up.
“If they get out of the square they’ll split up and we’ll never be able to track all three. Go stop them.” Mike called back.
I burst into a rainbow light and felt my legs stretch as I ran. I looked down to confirm I was really a superhero again before I did something really stupid. With a shake I let loose the rational part of my brain that was telling me the multiple dangers of large motor vehicles and how fragile the human body was. With that out of the way, I crouched down and leapt up over the square. Windows of the nearby buildings blurred as I ascended up and streaked as I crashed down at the alley entrance. I barely had time to twist and shove my hands down on the hood of the first truck speeding towards the small exit. My hands grasped the hood and the metal began to buckle as the momentum of the truck warped the metal and engine of the vehicle around my arms. The back of the truck lifted off the ground slightly as I held the truck in place before it crashed down, bouncing on the tires. The other two trucks veered in time to prevent a pileup.
I laughed triumphantly before pulling my arms free of the twisted metal stump that used to be the engine. Looking up, I expected the frown of a thwarted henchman. Instead, that cold stare made it seem like I was little more than an inconvenience. He opened the door and thumped to the ground. Two other similar statured men hopped out of the other trucks and began their approach to me.
“Uh oh.” was all I had time to say before the closest man screeched towards me and threw a decent punch. Thankfully I stepped back just in time to miss the blow. I was unfortunately not able to dodge the kick from behind as one of his friends snuck up behind me. I fell to the ground with a thud and rolled to the side nearly avoiding a fist that came crashing down where my face was a moment before. The cobblestones smashed to pieces as bits trickled over my face. I skirted around the three and kept my distance.
“Mike! What do I do here? I don’t know how to fight!” I screamed. With three against one it was everything I could do to keep a few steps between my attackers.
“Don’t think, just move!” I heard Mike’s voice call as he ran to keep up.
I fought off my brain. Everett didn’t know how to fight these people. Everett didn’t even know what time his flight home was. Everett realized he had missed his flight. Everett needed to shut up. Superbear knew how to handle this.
I jumped back and pressed my feet against the nearby brick wall. Crouching into a ball as tight as I could and shooting off like a rocket into the nearest goon. He sailed back and crashed into goon number two, both rolling to the floor. I raised a fist in victory when the square filled with stars for a moment as I vaguely became aware of a boot making contact with the back of my head. The ground hit as hard as the shoe and I struggled to press up to my hands and knees.
“Everett!” Mike yelled from the nearest car. I blinked up and saw the two goons get back to their feet. The two joined their final musketeer and they all closed in ready to finish the job. Worst first day of being a superhero ever.
I needed help. I needed Mike. I blinked up and while superbear took a breather I let Everett the brain do some quick math. Superbear plus three powerful harnessed men equaled failure. Mike plus sizable truck times ramming into men equals hurting lots.
“Mike!” I called out. “I need help! Get the truck.”
It figures that he didn’t hear me. Instead of running in the direction of the truck he ran straight for the closest man. With a warrior cry reserved for small birds, Mike launched himself with a low flying kick at the goons exposed back. Without breaking a sweat or a real emotion the harnessed man simply turned and grabbed Mike, slamming him onto the ground. Mike wheezed as the breath evacuated his lungs.
A sudden clarity came to me. I could see the rise and fall of Mike’s chest, I could hear the squeak of leather from the three men, I could smell the restaurant outside the square. All my senses opened up at once before honing in on Mike. He was helpless, hurting. Damn it, he had put himself into this position. Why had he thought he could take on these guys in his current state? I watched as a harness was produced and held up over Mike. The clarity became fury. Heat radiated from my skin, I pressed a firm hand into the ground and pushed myself up onto one knee.
“Hey!” I barked, catching the three men’s attention. “Leave him alone!” I dug into the baritone of Superbear’s voice and thrust out the command. The men held their blank emotion but their eyes stayed fixated on me. “No one touches him.”
The nearest soldier got one step towards me before I closed the distance. I grabbed around him hard in the tightest hug I possibly could and spun. He grunted as the spin pulled at him where my arms did not restrict. With a well timed throw, I let his body fly out and careen into the harnessed man standing above Mike. The two crashed back and smacked into the truck. The slumped forward heads indicated they would be out for the count. Mike caught his breath and ran towards them. Great, NOW he goes for the truck, I thought. I turned my attention to the final goon. For his credit he threw a solid punch that I caught in my hand.
“I said, no one touches him.”
I’d never done an uppercut. To be fair, most of the moves I’d pulled out today I hadn’t performed before. The uppercut felt the most satisfying as I watched the floating body of the final man sail weightless through the air and crash down next to his comrades. Mike, having reached the truck, pulled out a few harnesses and tied the men quickly in place.
“There, that should hold them. You had me worried for a second there when they smacked-”
I cut Mike’s words off as I wrapped him in a hug. He pushed off my chest and looked up at me in shock.
“I…I was so worried about you.” I said through teary eyes.”If they had gotten you I don’t know what I would do.”
“Everett, it’s ok. Put me down.” Mike pleaded.
I pushed past my resistance and let Mike slide back to the ground.
“It’s ok, I’ve got this. I’m just going to get a few more harnesses to make sure these three aren’t going anywhere.” Mike rounded the corner and I felt a tug of worry when he slipped out of view. I hated how attached I felt to him when really we barely knew each other. I’d chalk it up to just some deep psychological need for human connection after a breakup but I could tell there was something else at play. Moments later he returned with another pair of harnesses. My relief was immense, more than I’d like to admit. I turned away blushing, trying not to show how upset I was.
Mike set about ensuring the three men were tied up and I carried each man into the back of the truck. We opened the other two trailers and collected all the harnesses we could find. The final truck contained a myriad of people, dazed and possibly drugged; they stood lethargic and unresponsive. We helped them out of the trailer and more or less sent them out of the alley and towards the center of town. The further they got the more confused and responsive they became.
As one particular man passed by I noted the uniform he was wearing, it reminded me of a certain uptight museum staff. I grabbed him and shook him slightly to try to get him to come to his senses.
“Hey, when you go to work tomorrow. Tell your boss that EVERETT MAN found you, ok? It’s very important that you remember.”
The man stared at me with crossed eyes before he stumbled down the road repeating the name “Everest can”. So much for my payment. With the last man down the alley, we took a breath and sat atop the roof of the truck. Looking out over the small square.
‘I can’t believe this is what you do every day.” I said to Mike.
“Yeah well, I’d like to be doing a lot more helping people and a lot less tracking down shadowy harnessed men.” Mike swung his legs. I noted that even though his clothes still fit him four sizes too big, he seemed more confident in himself somehow. I reached an arm around his shoulder and squeezed gently.
“Each harnessed man you stop does save someone I suppose. Any idea where they are coming from?”
“I have an idea. But It’s not as easy as I thought it would be to get to the bottom of this.” Mike sighed.
I hated to see him so unhappy. “What? a strong man like this can’t get the job done?” I stretched my arms up into a double bicep pose and gave my cheesiest grin.
Mike pushed me gently. “I’m going to stop all this.”
I looked Mike in his eyes. “I believe you. Heck I believe you could do it just as you are now but something tells me it will save time if we figure out how to get you back to being Superbear.”
“I think I’d like that. Any ideas of how? You said you experienced weird stuff like this before, how did you get back to normal?”
Thoughts of threesomes and explicit encounters flared through my mind. “Uuuuh you know, it’s different every case.” I blushed.
“So how do we figure out how to reverse this one?”
“I think it has something to do with this protective instinct.” I said. “Ever since we’ve switched I’ve felt this urge to watch over you or make sure you are safe.”
“Oh,” Mike said in surprise. “Yeah it feels like you have a duty to watch over someone. I’ve felt it a lot as Superbear.”
“How you talked about it was more a connection between two people who care about each other very much. Even without being a superhero I’ve felt that,but this is different.”
“Do you think it is a side effect of whatever happened to us?” Mike asked.
“No, Your powers play strong with a certain attitude that feels wholly you. Your jovial nature, your head on thinking, even your zeal for the spotlight all amplify and contribute to your powers. I know I’m not a superhero but the times I’ve felt most in control of your body was when I wasn’t acting like myself. I was acting like you. This ‘bear instinct’ is the same.”
“What do you mean?” Mike said, eyeing me thoughtfully.
“Maybe this instinct doesn’t affect you because you already have someone to look after. You naturally protect and care for someone else so the instinct simply amplifies that impulse.”
“That’s how I track him.” Mike explained.
“Exactly! but imagine if you had no one. Imagine you are some lonely private detective who explores things at the fringe of human understanding. You care about some people, sure, but between getting over a decade-long relationship and trying to open up again to another person you find yourself caught in an awkward space. Let’s say for this argument that you are bookish and have a brown sweater.” I hinted down at Mike.
“Oddly specific example you’ve got there.” He smirked.
“Yeah, that guy would be a loser. Anyway, if someone like that suddenly was given the power to feel a close connection, it would go haywire. It might over-react and make you feel extreme jealousy or fear over someone who you’ve in all honesty have barely gotten to know.” I said.
“I see what you mean. I wonder what a power like that would do for someone who wanted a connection so bad they focused on taking control of others.” Mike’s eyes wandered past the cab of the truck toward where the three harnessed men still slept peacefully.
“Awfully specific example as well.” I said.
Mike hopped off the truck and stood in the open air.
“Regardless of how it works, I need that power back to keep these men from terrorizing this city and find a way to stop them from coming in the first place.”
I smirked and floated down dramatically. “And I need to get back to my boring old life instead of playing spandex dress up.”
“Yeah but HOW?” Mike demanded.
“Hey don’t look at me!” I grumbled. “I already have the amazing superhero body! You tell me how to take it back.”
Then it dawned on me. He couldn’t take it back. I had to give it to him. I gave Mike a mischievous grin as I reached out and grasped him one last time and pulled him into the biggest bear hug I possibly could.
“This…isn’t…helping” Mike choked.
“It will, trust me. Try not to focus on what you want. Focus on who you are already. It wasn’t Superbear’s body that flew off that roof, it was your courage behind it. It wasn’t Superbear alone who could have taken on those three henchmen, it was you who stood up to them. It’s cliche but It’s not the body that counts, it’s what’s on the inside. Remember what you told me, you don’t just change people, you make them into the best version of themselves. You are already pretty great, I’m just helping the outside match the inside.”
I closed my eyes and focused on that energy flowing out of me. I collected the energy down into the black hole but forced it out of myself and into Mike next to me. The transformation was noticeably slower. The first feeling was a bit of shrinking as I lost height and sank closer to the floor. In turn soon Mike’s dangling legs pushed against the ground and he began to pick me up. His struggling arms quickly filled in as mine deflated, followed by his chest jutting out and his legs filling in substantially to anchor himself. Our clothes began to meld together as the spandex stretched and pulled off of me and covered Mike’s growing frame. I was glad that my sweater and slacks quickly formed their way onto my body. I looked up to see how peculiar Mike’s face looked without that beard on it. Suddenly my entire body itched as I felt thousands of hairs pull into my body. Mike grunted as a spreading of hair poked out of his chest and showed slightly out of his suit near his neck, the rest growing unseen beneath the suit. Finally the big beard filled in before puffing out to its substantial size as mine retracted to a more modest nature. I felt the last of Superbear’s energy flow from my core and become consumed in Mike.
“Uh, can you let go of me now, this is kind of uncomfortable.” I said with a voice higher than I expected.
“Hey you started it.” Mike grinned down. His deep baritone reverberated through his chest.
He let go and I slid to the ground with a gasp. The weight was the first thing I noticed. I suddenly felt lighter than air. Even as Superbear when I was flying I still had a dense center that seemed to be propelled around. Now I felt like I had just spent the whole day swimming and now each movement was fast and exaggerated.
Superbear looked like he was enjoying himself again. He stretched the spandex wherever he could and gave off a few flexes into the side mirror of the truck.
Superbear jumped high and spiraled in the air. His cloak spun with a dramatic twist and he floated above the square with his hands firmly on his hips and his chin pointed out and strong.
“Show off!” I called out from below.
With a blur, Superbear raced over the city. I could see him spinning and looping in pure excitement. I sat back on the truck and enjoyed being myself again while he got his energy out. I had to admit it was nice being back in my own skin, super or not.
When Superbear came back down he was glowing in more ways than one. He walked with a spring in his step towards me.
“You know Everett, I’ve been thinking. I do really think the swap came about from the harnessed energy mixing with mine.” Superbear said. His eyes traced the side wall and I could tell he was avoiding my gaze.
“I could believe that. What else do you have on your mind?” I pressed.
“I just wanted to say thank you for helping me. I know it wasn’t what you were expecting but you did well playing the role. If you want, I could change you into something more than you currently are. Something a little more, super?”
The thought crossed my mind comfortably. Flying through the air, feeling strong, having a weight of purpose, feeling the tight pull of a wedgie on your nether regions. I looked at Superbear and saw his sincerity.
“Thanks, but I think I still have a lot to learn being how I am now. I’ve spent enough time playing someone else’s role, it’s time for me to live my own for a while” I said.
Superbear nodded his head. “If you ever change your mind, you know where to find me.”
“I literally have no idea how to contact you.”
A hearty laugh erupted from Superbear as he flew off out of the square and out of sight.
I chuckled to myself and walked down the alley. I glanced back briefly at the truck and thought of the three men inside. I’d seen a lot of weird things in my time but something so quick and effective in controlling people was unheard of. Those men moved with one goal and one thought in mind. If that spread throughout the world, we’d all be in big trouble.
That’s when I noticed the door was ajar. With a sinking feeling I searched the back of the truck and found it empty.
“They got away.” I heard behind me as I leapt out of my skin and bounced back into the truck door.
“Damn it Mike!” Don’t scare me like that.
Superbear chuckled. “Sorry I came back to help clean up my mess. I’m not surprised, they are very slippery.”
“This means they are back loose in the city though!” I said.
I’ve stashed away their spare harnesses. I’m sure they’ll head back to restock before they cause any more trouble.” Superbear stood heroically. “And I’ll be ready for them.”
“Do you need any help?” I asked, suddenly aware I had no real way to help the situation.
Superbear chuckled and shook his head down at me.
I sighed. “Fair enough, hey not to add onto your todo list but I do have a favor to ask. See, I kind of missed my flight home and I was wondering if…”
Before I could finish my sentence I was soaring up over the city. I grabbed down onto Superbear’s hands as he steadied me on his shoulders and we flew on out of the city.
“You weren’t kidding, this does make you motion sick.” I laughed through a slight green face.
“Sorry about that! I’ll slow down.” Superbear said as we reached a nice cruising altitude.
“The view sure is pretty up here.” I gasped at the low flying rolling clouds passing by underneath. “Of course the view is probably just as nice in that direction. You know, the way back to my town.” I sneered.
Superbear just chuckled as we made a wide turn and flew off into the sky.
