The following morning was Sunday, and the Parr family decided to attend church with their neighbors, the Hamiltons. The reverend of the local parish was an old man of fiery temperament, who looked forward to a far better world.
"God made all of us equal," he preached from a wooden pulpit. "It's not right for one person to have powers and abilities beyond those of another. It's the duty of every God-fearing man and woman to oppose political measures that legalize the use of super powers. The supers must content themselves with the normal lives which God intended for them to live. Anything else is a dangerous abomination. They may mean well when they start out, but the temptation to abuse their powers is ultimately too great to withstand. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."
Neither the Parrs nor the Hamiltons found the sermon to their liking. As for Dash, he was almost too bored to notice that the reverend was demonizing his kind. Looking for a way to entertain himself, he set in motion an elaborate prank that started with borrowing a pair of scissors from his mother's purse.
His parents, staring forward lazily, didn't see him briefly flicker out of existence. Nor did they ask him where he had suddenly obtained a red sheet of paper (it was from the chapel's bulletin board). Only Violet paid any heed to his tomfoolery. After rapidly scissoring a shape from the red paper, the fleet-footed boy vanished again for a split-second.
"I close with a word of warning," continued the reverend, and all present were happy that he had started his sentence with the words 'I close'. "The supers are very cunning. They pass themselves off as our neighbors, our friends. There may be supers in this very congregation. Do not encourage their works, but rather, denounce them. Let them know, in the spirit of brotherhood and friendship, that God hates them. Amen."
The reverend strode away from the pulpit, and the congregation burst into irreverent laughter. For attached to the seat of his pants was a devil tail made from bright red paper.
Reactions to Dash's stunt were mixed. "You must've been going Mach 5, at least," Bob commended his son. "I'm surprised your suit didn't burn off."
"I'm ashamed of you, Dash," Helen chided the boy. "That was a mean trick to play on a person, and it's even worse that you used your powers."
"At least I didn't run with scissors," said Dash flippantly.
Shortly they met with the Hamiltons in the chapel parking lot, to discuss the reverend's message. "As you can tell, it's not a very enlightened parish," Mr. Hamilton admitted. "We only attend to fit in."
"It must be very uncomfortable," Bob reflected, "especially since you're supervillains."
Not far away, Violet did her best to ignore the presence of Chris, who had initiated a conversation with Dash. "It's about time someone taught that self-righteous prig a lesson," she remarked. The blond girl was wearing a polka-dotted Sunday dress, and had parted her hair to cover half her face, as was her habit.
"I was about to die of boredom," Dash responded. "It's not my fault the medical community hasn't recognized boredom as a cause of death."
"He thinks he's so perfect," Chris grumbled, looking across the lot to where the reverend was conversing with a few elderly ladies. "Just once I'd like to walk up to him and show him my face, and see if he can resist."
Once they had returned to their homes, Helen took a moment off from preparing lunch to visit the Hamiltons, while Chris tried to obtain an audience with Violet at her house.
"We heard you were involved in a little scuffle at the national lab," said Mrs. Hamilton, who sat in the living room with her husband and Helen. "Not that it's any of our business."
"Fighting crime is everyone's business," was Helen's reply. "Except for yours, of course. That's why I'm here. I'm looking for information on a certain criminal."
"Why did you come to us?" asked Mr. Hamilton with veiled sarcasm. "We don't know any criminals."
Helen took a deep, ominous breath. "He's called The Solon."
Ike and Gloria Hamilton suddenly went pale with fear.
"You've heard of him?"
The Hamiltons didn't answer. They turned to each other with shocked expressions, as if their death sentence had just been announced.
"Well?" said Helen with impatience.
Mrs. Hamilton regained her composure enough to speak. "I'm sorry. We can't help you."
A moment of painful silence went by, as Helen wondered if her neighbors knew more--much more--than they were letting on.
"I can tell you this much," said Mr. Hamilton after glancing suspiciously out the window. "You asked us once why the government would create a program to hide supervillains."
Her curiosity piqued, Helen waited breathlessly for the man's answer.
"Like everyone else, supervillains have bosses," Mr.Hamilton went on. "Only these bosses are not people you want to disappoint. It's like having a job you can't quit. The only way out is to be terminated."
"I see," said Helen thoughtfully. "Are you saying The Solon is your boss?"
"This has been a lovely conversation," Mrs. Hamilton chimed in, "but Ike and I really need to get ready for our shift at the homeless shelter."
Meanwhile, Chris was vainly trying to get the attention of Violet, whose upturned nose was buried in a fashion magazine.
"I'm really sorry for what I did," said the blond girl, standing in the dorrway of Violet's bedroom. "It's like the reverend said--with super powers comes the temptation to abuse them."
Violet only grunted indifferently and turned the page.
"I still want to be your friend," said Chris earnestly. "I promise I'll never turn into a boy around you again."
The raven-haired girl finally laid down her magazine. "That's not enough," she said with a bitter scowl. "I want you to tell your parents the truth."
A cold shudder passed through Chris' heart. "They'll kill me," she protested.
"What's more important to you," Violet asked her, "staying alive, or being my friend?"
Chris could only stare blankly, unsure of how to answer the question, or what the true answer was. Turning her back on Violet meant turning her back on every friend she would ever make, due to the complications her powers brought into her relationships. Yet to embrace and explore her special gift meant defying her parents, a step which could place her family and friends in jeopardy.
As she walked slowly away from the Parr house, she wondered about the old life her parents had described to her--the life they had led before going underground to protect her. Life under The Solon...
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To be continued! Please review!