The Powers

How did you get on with your powers? Did they put them on hold?

On hold, yes. They tell me: no flying no more.

Did you protest?

What?

Protest. Did you argue with them?

I said they are bad for not letting me fly. I said that if I don’t fly I will ruin my best costume that has to have the air. It is no good. I have to leave my costume in wind tunnel instead.

Does your costume have powers of its own?

No powers, no. It is my costume. Made from wool.

Wool?

Wool, yes. Stretchy.

Lycra?

Like that, yes.

Why does your costume need air?

To stop stink. Smells.

To stop it from smelling?

Yes. Bad smells. Terrible smells. I wear it sometimes for a long time, without change. And then bad smells. If I fly, the smells go.

You don’t always fly?

Fly? Yes, I fly.

All the time?

No, not all the time. It is too - too exhausting. I get very tired sometimes, when I am too long in the air.

You have to be careful? So you don’t fall?

Six times I have fallen. When I was a younger man. Now I have learned. I take it easy. I fly only when I need to fly.

When you are chasing flying villains?

Sometimes. Or when I am saving people from, you know, burning buildings. Or airships.

You have the strength to carry people when you fly?

Two. Two people. One under each arm. Here and here.

And you fly back for the rest, if there are more?

No. I am too tired then. Two is all.

So you have to choose who to save?

Yes. First the children, if there are children. Then women. It is heartbreaking to choose sometimes, when I have to leave others behind.

I imagine it is, yes.

Sometimes I try to take more. But it is no good. Once I dropped them. Four of them. So it is much better to save two than none at all.

What other powers do you have?

Yes, I have other powers. They say I can use them sometimes. At night only.

And what are they, your other powers?

I see things. In the future and in the past. And I am strong and can fight very well. I can leap very high and also climb up walls. I see in the dark and can throw big fire balls. I am very good at fighting and hurting people.

Who do you fight?

Bad people. Very bad people. Murderers. Gangsters. Those kinds of people.

Not super villains?

Sometimes super villains. But not many now. They are all dead. The Scab. Frankie Fist. The Moon Walker. Killerwatt. Jonesy. Spy Spy. The Tuckler. Misshape. Mr Villainy. The Red Spot. Black Berry. Cap Zap. All dead.

Was it you?

Yes.

I mean, was it you who killed them?

Yes. I got very tired fighting them. They were very bad people.

And you had no qualms about killing them?

Mostly I strangled them so they could not breathe. Except for The Bull. A very big neck. I killed him with my fire balls.

Didn’t they blame The Fast Furnace for that?

Yes. But it was me. He was on fire for a long time. A horrible smell - in my costume, everywhere. And The Red Streak. I also could not strangle him. He was too fast for me to catch.

As I recall, he was decapitated.

Yes. With my wire.

And you have no qualms about any of these killings - these murders?

Qualms?

You don’t feel guilty at all?

Guilty? No. I was not guilty. They were guilty. Like I said, very bad people.