A moment later, I was back in the other world. I’d returned once already. Just after we’d landed the space station, I’d popped in to let them know that my visit before hadn’t been the end—but I’d stayed only for a moment. Megan had been tired.
Before I’d left though, I’d arranged this meeting place. My father stood on top of a building. Sharp Tower, which hadn’t been destroyed in his world. I walked up to him, noting his fluttering cape. Look what those comic books have done to you. Wearing a symbol and everything? Sparks, he was such a nerd.
Like father, like son, I guess.
He saw me, and turned around with a wide smile of his own. I stepped toward him, hesitant. Eleven years—a long time to catch up on. How did one begin?
“Um,” I said, “Megan feels she’s getting better at this, and the darkness is gone, so she can last longer. Now that she’s rested, and isn’t in the middle of a catastrophe or anything, she thinks she can give us a good fifteen minutes. Maybe as long as a half hour.”
“Good, good,” Father said. He shuffled awkwardly. “Uh, Firefight tells me that you and I share a power set.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Power blasts, invulnerability. Oh, and turning stuff into steel. Not sure how useful that last one will be.”
“You’d be surprised,” he said.
“It’s still going to take some getting used to. And by the way, flying is kind of kicking me in the face.”
“Flying is tricky at first.”
We stood in front of one another, uncertain, until Father nodded toward the railing. “Do you…maybe…want me to teach you?”
I smiled, feeling a sudden warmth deep inside. “Dad, I can think of nothing I’d like more.”