Chapter 10

November 26, 2006 at 8:00 am

Sportacus landed on his feet this time when the space-time continuum threw him out. Looking around he saw that everything was still quiet. The house must not be burning yet. That means I still have plenty of time, the above-average hero thought to himself. Quickly, he ducked behind bushes, trees, park benches, and anything else that he could so as not to be seen.

Around nine-thirty, sirens sounded. The above-average hero watched his past self rush by followed by the fire trucks. This meant he didn't have a lot of time to get to the intersection of Get and Well. Luckily, he had been hiding not too far away from the crossing.

About two minutes later, Sportacus crouched behind a trashcan at the corner. He could see the Chevy Impala pulling up to the intersection but he couldn't see the Ford Taurus. The above-average hero hadn't thought how he could stop the car from blowing through the red light.

Now seeing the Taurus coming down the street, Sportacus knew he had to act fast. Grabbing the trashcan, he raced down Well Street toward the vehicle. Quickly, he launched the trashcan at the car. The above-average hero didn't care if it attracted attention; he needed the driver to pay attention. It hit the door panel and dented it. The loud noise made the driver look up from his cell phone. He dropped the phone and hit the brakes.

However, the brakes didn't seem to be slowing the car down enough to stop before the intersection. It might be enough for me to get in front of it and finish the job, Sportacus thought. But then another thought occurred to him. If it wasn't he'd be crushed between the Taurus and Impala. That wouldn't help at all. He'd be dead and Stephanie and Joshua would be in the same position. The only other option was to get behind and pull.

Racing behind the car, Sportacus grabbed the back bumper. His speed had matched the car's slowing speed and it wasn't as hard as he thought it would be to latch on. Planting his feet, Sportacus watched as the car lurched. The driver continued to press on the anti-lock brakes. As both tried to get the vehicle to stop, the light changed.

Sportacus heard the driver of the Taurus scream. Impact could not be avoided in his mind. The above-average hero dug harder with his heels. His hands gripped harder and the vehicle continued to slow. Sportacus' muscles screamed for him to let go but he refused. He could feel the car slow more and more. The sound of the brakes and his feet was horrific. Rubber was peeling and burning. Soon the above-average hero could feel the heat. If he didn't let go there was a good chance his boots would melt to his feet.

Suddenly, sparks flew from under the car. What was left of the Taurus' brake pads had given way. Now the metal was on metal. Sportacus tried to avoid the sparks that singed his hair and flesh. Soon the friction became too much and the brake mechanism locked up. The back wheels finally ground to a halt.

Sportacus wanted to scream. The pain throughout his entire body was immense. But the Ford Taurus had stopped. He watched as the Impala went through the intersection. Finally he relaxed and let go of the rear bumper. Slowly he crawled away from the car and pressed the button on his wrist.

Pixel again watched the time machine pull Sportacus back. When he saw the hero come into the tube lying on his back, he quickly rushed over to him. From the looks of things the above-average hero had been through hell.

"Sportacus!" Pixel exclaimed.

"I did it." Was all the husband and father got out before lapsing into unconsciousness.

To Be Continued…