[ WP ] Every aspiring superhero must become a sidekick for a few years before being granted full time hero status . You are the strongest superhero in your age group , but believe you have been assigned to the weakest hero . You learn a lot more than you originally thought you would .

Will walked through the Hall of Legends in awe. This was the place heroes called home. He wondered who his mentor would be. Perhaps, he ’ d be paired with Dark Cloak, and learn how to slither through the shadows undetected. Or maybe he ’ d be paired with Dr. Mesmer, and learn the hidden truths of the universe. That would be all well and good, but he was certain his mentor would be Captain Atlas, whose heroics, attitude, and even costume Will had styled his own after. Captain Atlas had even noticed, and had made Will ’ s day with a comment about imitation being the highest form of flattery. 
 
 So it was a bit of a shock when he rounded the corner to come face to face with Proxy. Proxy seemed like one of those heroes who was always just… *there*. You never saw him take on any major criminals, or stop any natural disaster. It was always Miss Magnificent stops bank heist, with help from Proxy! Or Captain Atlas rescues shipwreck survivors, assisted by Proxy. But Miss Magnificent was always stopping bank heists, and Captain Atlas was always rescuing people, so what did it matter if Proxy was there? He didn ’ t fight, didn ’ t fly, didn ’ t run fast or shoot lasers. All Proxy did was feel pain. 
 
 Okay, more specifically, Proxy could sense and absorb the pain of others nearby. Which at first might seem like a useful ability to have, but it didn ’ t actually *heal* anyone, and didn ’ t do anything about the *source* of the pain. And what did it matter if someone in a burning building wasn ’ t feeling the blistering heat if Proxy was left writhing on the floor in torment in his stead? Well, yeah, it was kinda ’ heroic, taking on the pain of others, but only in the dumbest possible way. 
 
 Will deflated at the dawning realization that Proxy would be his mentor, but he tried not to let it show. This man had walked with giants. Maybe he had picked up a thing or two from one of the others. 
 
 “ So you ’ re Dynamo, I take it? ” Proxy said, in that wheezing voice of his. 
 
 “ Yes, sir! ” Will responded, “ Ready to leap into action! ” 
 
 Proxy seemed confused, “ Action? What sort of action do you think you ’ ll be leaping into? ” 
 
 “ Er… ” Will was caught off-guard by the question, “ Sorry, sir. I will of course be following your lead. But I had assumed that… well, what with us being superheroes and all, that we ’ d be doing… well, superhero stuff. ” 
 
 “ Superhero stuff? ” Proxy said as if the idea was a novel one, and then grabbed a small satchel, “ Hmm… why don ’ t you come for a walk with me? ” 
 
 Will did as he was asked, uncertain what to expect, and followed Proxy as he walked out the front doors on to the street. Their walk took them through pedestrian foot traffic, and Will started feeling very self-conscious of the costumes the two of them were wearing. 
 
 “ Now, ” Proxy said, as the two fell into a comfortable stride, “ What sort of superhero stuff did you have in mind? ” 
 
 “ You know… ” Will searched for an answer to what seemed like an obvious question, ” rescuing people? Stopping bad guys? That sort of thing? ” 
 
 “ My god! ” Proxy stopped suddenly, feigning alarm, “ Does someone need to be rescued? ” 
 
 “ Um… I don ’ t know, ” Will answered sheepishly, not catching Proxy's sarcasm, “ I figured you ’ d tell me. ” 
 
 “ You ’ re supposed to be a superhero, ” Proxy chided him and continued walking, with Will following behind him, “ You can ’ t always look to someone else to tell you what you ’ re supposed to be doing. ” 
 
 “ Isn ’ t that what you ’ re here for? ” Will asked, uncertain, “ Don ’ t you say when someone is hurt and needs help? I mean, I know you ’ ve worked with the others… ” 
 
 “ Sure, sure, ” Proxy waved a hand in dismissal, “ If I ’ m around and one of those big shots doesn ’ t know, I ’ ll point them the right way, but what about when I ’ m *not* around, eh? What do you suppose everyone does then? ” 
 
 “ Er… ” Will thought about it for a moment, “ We could listen to police band radio. ” 
 
 Proxy shook his head, “ Too slow. Look, kid, you got super speed? ” 
 
 “ I can break the sound barrier if I have enough room. ” 
 
 “ That ’ s great, ” Proxy said, as if it was anything but, “ so depending on where the call comes from, by the time you arrive it ’ ll be too late to help. Either officers will have already taken care of the trouble, or they ’ ll be shot and dying. ” 
 
 “ Okay, so I watch news reports, ” Will suggested. 
 
 “ Even slower, ” Proxy shook his head. 
 
 “ So… what, then? We listen for screams? Calls for help? ” 
 
 “ Screams? No. Calls for help? Sort of. Here, put this on, ” he said, handing Will a watch. 
 
 “ Why? ” 
 
 “ The Technician makes them. Handy little device, ” he smiled and pressed a button on his own watch, which made his superhero outfit transform into a boring-looking business suit. 
 
 “ Creates a hologram disguise,'' Proxy explained, `` With any luck, you ’ ll rarely ever need the costume. ” 
 
 Will tried his on, and found himself wearing a normal suit like Proxy ’ s. 
 
 “ Thanks, ” Will said, “ But I don ’ t understand. What are we doing? ” 
 
 “ Follow me, ” Proxy answered. 
 
 The two of them walked into a convenience store, attended by a bored-looking clerk and a few scattered customers. Will started looking over the snacks, figuring that Proxy was doing the same, but then Will felt a tap on his shoulder. 
 
 “ There, ” Proxy pointed, and Will followed his gesture to see him pointing at a man looking over the magazines impatiently. 
 
 Will stared at the man, watching him eying the register, craning his neck around to look around the store, and then looking back to the register. The man's hand felt for a bulge in his jacket. 
 
 “ A robbery? ” Will whispered to Proxy, “ Do we take him out now, or…? ” 
 
 At that moment, Will realized that Proxy was no longer standing next to him, and instead had walked over to the man they had been looking at, and began talking to him. 
 
 “ Everything ’ s so damn expensive, ” Proxy said, shaking his head in disgust. 
 
 “ Huh? ” The man said, confused. 
 
 “ I came in here wanting to get a snack and a paper, but everything ’ s so damn expensive, ” Proxy sighed, “ I ’ ll probably just end up skipping breakfast. That ’ s this damn economy for ya ’. ” 
 
 “ Sorry, old man, ” the man said, “ I know how it is. We ’ re all suffering. ” 
 
 Proxy nodded, “ Don ’ t I know it. But there ’ s some hope. I heard about this job fair they ’ re having downtown later today, thinking I might head there and try my luck, you know? I don ’ t got much to offer, but I ’ ll bet someone there ’ s looking to hire an entry-level position. With any luck, I ’ ll get myself some honest work so I don ’ t have to keep skipping breakfast all the time. ” 
 
 “ A job fair... ” the man said, mulling over the words. 
 
 “ Yeah, I think I got an extra flyer… ” Proxy dug into his satchel and pulled out a small white flyer, “ Ah, here we go. Yup, today at two o ’ clock. I figure that gives me enough time to go home and get cleaned up before heading over there. ” 
 
 The man took the flyer and looked it over, “ Thanks, man. I ’ m glad I ran into you. ” 
 
 “ Glad to be of help, ” Proxy smiled. 
 
 The man thought about it for a second, pocketed the flyer, and left. Then, The Proxy walked back to Will, and gestured for the two of them to leave the store. 
 
 ( Cont... )
