various enemies – the Joker, Scorpion, Sabretooth. He knew so much about the X-Men he could give Data a run for his money. Larry Ulmar was called Data by the Screech Owls because he seemed to know everything about everything, so it was pretty impressive to Travis that Nish could equal him.
Travis had never known his friend to show such interest in new knowledge. It might be a little weird, but at least Nish was finally learning something. His tiny little brain, it turned out, was actually capable of thinking about something other than hockey and funny body sounds.
Travis had tried to figure it out. Nish still hadn’tmade the
Guinness World Records
for any of his mad schemes, nor had he got himself displayed as a wax figure at Madame Tussauds. Maybe the superheroes were just another madcap plan to get him there.
Travis knew where the silly mask had come from. Mr. Dillinger had driven the team to the airport in his old bus, and on the way he had treated the Owls to one of his beloved Stupid Stops – this time at a huge variety store near the highway that sold everything, from fireworks to party hats, to the tourists heading north each summer to their cottages. Mr. D’s rules were always the same: two dollars a player – once in a while as much as five dollars – and it had to be spent on something totally useless. That must have been where the shaving cream had come from that ended up on Travis’s head. And the party section of the store was obviously where Nish had found that glittery blue and white “ice” mask.
At one point, Nish had even tried to explain his new obsession to Travis, with little result. “You see,” Nish had said, “the thing is that most superheroes start out perfectly normal. Batman, forexample – he’s just a kid growing up who has a lot of money and a cave and decides he’s going to live this secret life fighting crime. And Green Lantern, he was just this kid, Hal Jordan, who was given the magic ring and lantern by an alien he didn’t know was an alien. And then you’ve got Bobby Drake. He’s perfectly normal, too – fights with his family, has trouble at school – until one day he discovers by accident that he has this special power.”
“What power?” Travis asked.
“He’s out on his first date, and this bully dude tries to take his girlfriend away. So Bobby gets all angry. Now, you’ve got to understand that his anger is way different from Dr. Bruce Banner, another completely normal guy at the start, who gets angry and suddenly breaks out as the Incredible Hulk. Bobby has no idea what’s going to happen. All he does is point at this bully dude to warn him and – poof! – the bully turns into a block of ice.”
“He kills him?”
“Freezes him. Gets back his girl and moves on.”
“What about the bully?”
“Who
cares
about the bully?”
“Well, you can’t just walk around killing people you don’t like. That’s against the law.”
Nish grinned from ear to ear, his face reddening. “I am the Iceman – I
am
the law!”
“You’re nuts.”
“If you believe in me, it will happen.”
“I don’t believe in you. You’re talking nonsense.”
“Say what you want,” Nish said with supreme confidence. “
I
am the Iceman, and I have superpowers!
”
“Okay,” Travis said. “Show me.”
“I can’t,” Nish said sheepishly. “I have to wait for them to show themselves to me. Once that happens, then I can show you.”
Travis dropped it right there. It was too much. He was supposed to accept that Nish was a perfectly normal boy who was really a superhero-in-waiting, and that one day these magical powers would show up, and from then on he’d be a masked avenger whose mission was to save the world.
“I liked you better when you just wanted to moon everyone.”
Nish grinned even wider. “Who says I have to give up one to do the other?”
“What do you mean?”
“The Iceman can still moon.
It’s not like I’ll freeze my butt off, is
Travis had never known his friend to show such interest in new knowledge. It might be a little weird, but at least Nish was finally learning something. His tiny little brain, it turned out, was actually capable of thinking about something other than hockey and funny body sounds.
Travis had tried to figure it out. Nish still hadn’tmade the
Guinness World Records
for any of his mad schemes, nor had he got himself displayed as a wax figure at Madame Tussauds. Maybe the superheroes were just another madcap plan to get him there.
Travis knew where the silly mask had come from. Mr. Dillinger had driven the team to the airport in his old bus, and on the way he had treated the Owls to one of his beloved Stupid Stops – this time at a huge variety store near the highway that sold everything, from fireworks to party hats, to the tourists heading north each summer to their cottages. Mr. D’s rules were always the same: two dollars a player – once in a while as much as five dollars – and it had to be spent on something totally useless. That must have been where the shaving cream had come from that ended up on Travis’s head. And the party section of the store was obviously where Nish had found that glittery blue and white “ice” mask.
At one point, Nish had even tried to explain his new obsession to Travis, with little result. “You see,” Nish had said, “the thing is that most superheroes start out perfectly normal. Batman, forexample – he’s just a kid growing up who has a lot of money and a cave and decides he’s going to live this secret life fighting crime. And Green Lantern, he was just this kid, Hal Jordan, who was given the magic ring and lantern by an alien he didn’t know was an alien. And then you’ve got Bobby Drake. He’s perfectly normal, too – fights with his family, has trouble at school – until one day he discovers by accident that he has this special power.”
“What power?” Travis asked.
“He’s out on his first date, and this bully dude tries to take his girlfriend away. So Bobby gets all angry. Now, you’ve got to understand that his anger is way different from Dr. Bruce Banner, another completely normal guy at the start, who gets angry and suddenly breaks out as the Incredible Hulk. Bobby has no idea what’s going to happen. All he does is point at this bully dude to warn him and – poof! – the bully turns into a block of ice.”
“He kills him?”
“Freezes him. Gets back his girl and moves on.”
“What about the bully?”
“Who
cares
about the bully?”
“Well, you can’t just walk around killing people you don’t like. That’s against the law.”
Nish grinned from ear to ear, his face reddening. “I am the Iceman – I
am
the law!”
“You’re nuts.”
“If you believe in me, it will happen.”
“I don’t believe in you. You’re talking nonsense.”
“Say what you want,” Nish said with supreme confidence. “
I
am the Iceman, and I have superpowers!
”
“Okay,” Travis said. “Show me.”
“I can’t,” Nish said sheepishly. “I have to wait for them to show themselves to me. Once that happens, then I can show you.”
Travis dropped it right there. It was too much. He was supposed to accept that Nish was a perfectly normal boy who was really a superhero-in-waiting, and that one day these magical powers would show up, and from then on he’d be a masked avenger whose mission was to save the world.
“I liked you better when you just wanted to moon everyone.”
Nish grinned even wider. “Who says I have to give up one to do the other?”
“What do you mean?”
“The Iceman can still moon.
It’s not like I’ll freeze my butt off, is
Similar Books
