On the TV show ‘Mornings with Maddie,’ the host, whose full name was Madeline Gorges, sat down to interview a superhero. Maddie herself was a middle aged woman with curly brown hair and a big smile that showed off her pearly white teeth.

Behind the stage, a superhero waited for her announcement. She mentally prepared her smile for the audience. She’d practiced in the mirror for over an hour to make sure her smile looked good for this. She could practically hear her publicity agent buzzing in her ear, telling her, Remember to smile! Remember to smile!

She’d give them a smile, allright.

“Ladies and Gentlemen,” said Maddie, sitting in a comfortable red chair. “Allow me to introduce the beautiful…the powerful…the wonderful Demigoddess!”

Showtime, thought the hero.

The superhero known as Demigoddess sauntered onto the stage. She wore a red and white leotard, a red mask over her eyes, and a diamond tiara on her head. She Normally wore her black hair in a bun when on duty. However, she let her silky locks spill over her shoulders for public appearances like this. Just as she’d practiced, she gave out her brightest smile, effortlessly charming the audience.

“Welcome, Demigoddess,” said Maddie. “It’s great to have you here. You’re looking lovely as always.”

Demigoddess sat down and shook Maddie’s hand, “Thanks, Maddie. It’s nice to have a host with good taste for a change.”

Maddie and the audience laughed as Demigoddess smiled at everyone.

“But really,” said Ellie. “It’s such an honor to interview a true hero. You’re an inspiration to us all.

“Oh, stop it,” said Demigoddess modestly.

###

One hour before the show.

“What do you mean the limo has a flat tire?!”

The superhero Demigoddess took the name Miriam Harris when not on duty. She currently had her brown hair down as she wore a plain long sleeve blouse and jeans. She was on the phone with her limo driver, and while his tone was apologetic, hers was absolutely furious.

“I don’t know how else I can describe it,” said the driver. “The limo has a flat tire. It’s going to take some time to change it.”

“I’m due at ‘Mornings with Maddie’ in an hour,” said Miriam. “I need you here now!”

“Um…can’t you...I don’t know…fly there?”

Miriam’s eye twitched. She could, in fact, fly there. Her power was a unique hormone her body could produce that made her incredibly strong and nearly indestructible. An unfortunate side effect of this hormone was that it made her body generate an intense amount of heat. Her body could produce enough sweat to compensate, and it evaporated as steam. When she used enough of the hormone, the steam could blow away anything around her within a certain radius. With practice, she’d learn to deliberately make bursts of steam to blast her enemies. She could even make jet streams of steam to fly.

The problem, of course, was that this steam was made from her sweat, and while the life of a superhero could be great, she’d always found her power kind of gross. She’d gotten used to it during hero work, of course. There was no avoiding that. Public appearances, on the other hand...

“Do you seriously expect me to show up to ‘Mornings with Maddie’ drenched in sweat? As if the smell isn’t bad enough, they have to put me in makeup for crying out loud! What other bright ideas do you have for me? Strap an air conditioning unit to my back and run there?!”

“I’m…I’m sorry,” the driver protested. “But it can’t be helped. Look, just get a taxi or a rideshare to the changing spot, and I’ll meet you there once the tire is changed. We can still get you to the interview on time.”

She grumbled the whole way out of her hotel room to the lobby as she used the rideshare app Wayfare to call a ride. Sadly, the wait would be long, as all nearby Wayfare drivers were currently assisting other customers. As if it wasn’t bad enough she had to use a rideshare like a common pleb. As she sat in the lobby, tapping her foot while she waited, Miriam looked out the glass doors at the parking lot and could practically see the heat rising from the concrete. She’d sweat without using her powers on a day like this.

At that moment, a man named Joseph Kimball left his hotel room and reached the lobby. Joseph was a slightly above average looking man who wore horned rimmed glasses. Upon entering the lobby, he spotted Miriam sitting by himself and paused. She was gorgeous, and it brought to mind a conversation he’d had just a few days earlier.

On that day, Joseph Kimball sat in a very old red car, a sleek, classy model from the late sixties. He sat parked on the road in the city with a friend of his standing outside the window.

“Come on, Dude,” said the other man standing on the sidewalk. “Why are you still riding this old thing?”

“You know why, Darren,” said Joseph. “I’m not getting rid of Dora’s car.”

Dora was Joseph’s wife of only three years. She and Joseph had always loved vintage cars like this. She’d been the love of his life and could always cheer him up no matter how bad his day went. She often told him to smile more. She’d say, “Honey, you give someone a smile, even a complete stranger, and see them smile back, it can brighten up even the worst day. And who knows? You might just brighten up someone else’s bad day too.” It had proven to be sound advice.

She’d died of cancer four years ago.

Darren sighed, “You know, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that. It’s been long enough, Joseph. I think you need to start dating again.”

Joseph seemed amused, “Oh, come on.”

“I mean it,” said Darren. “You’re still young. You need to get out there and meet someone. Honestly, it wouldn’t hurt to get out more in general. You deserve to be happy. I know Dora would want you to be happy.”

Joseph shrugged, “Maybe.”

“Just think about it.”

And back in the present day, Joseph had thought about it. He’d never give up that car, but maybe it was time to move on, and just now, he saw an absolutely gorgeous woman. A moment after he saw her, Miriam looked around and saw him. Joseph smiled as warmly as he could.

Miriam, for her part, immediately regretted it. She’d smiled more out of habit than anything else, a habit she’d built during her many public appearances as Demigoddess. During the start of her superhero career, she'd once marched into an interview scowling after a bad day of dealing with mutant frogs. It had taken hours to get the mucous out of her hair, which put her in a bad mood. Her attitude had been terrible for her reputation that day, so she made it a point to smile whenever she was in public.

And now it had backfired. This man was clearly interested in her, and Miriam didn’t want to give him the wrong idea, even if she could practically hear her agent shouting in her ear that she needed to smile more. She just looked away, hoping that he wouldn’t try to talk to her.

He was sitting across from her a moment later.

“Hi,” he said. “I’m Joseph.”

She repressed the urge to snap at him. It would look awkward after smiling, “Miriam.” She continued to try and feign disinterest.

“You waiting for someone?” he asked.

“Wayfare,” said Miriam.

“Heh, good Luck,” said Joseph. “I have friends in the area. They say there aren’t many Wayfare drivers around here, and the Taxi service is terrible.”

Now he tells me, she thought bitterly.

“Say,” said Joseph. “I’m not doing anything for a few hours. I could give you a ride.”

For a moment, Miriam considered it. She was due to be late for Mornings with Maddie at this point, but she decided against it. He’d probably think he was entitled to her attention if he helped her out.

“No,” said Miriam. “I don’t accept rides from strangers.”

Joseph felt embarrassed, “Yeah, you’re right. I probably shouldn’t have offered.”

You think? She thought spitefully.

“So,” said Joseph. “You from around here?”

“Sure,” said Miriam.

“I’m moving here for work. Just got a big construction contract with the city.”

“Good for you,” she said dryly.

“Now, if only I could construct a way to get better rideshare service around here, am I right?”

Miriam cringed inwardly. He must have thought that line was so funny, but she was getting more annoyed by the minute. Joseph, meanwhile, cringed a little himself. Was that really the best joke he could come up with on the spot? He was certain he used to be better at this. Worse still, Miriam seemed to be discouraged. If only there were a way to cheer her up.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’m sure a Wayfare driver will come available soon.”

Miriam ignored him. Take a hint, she thought.

“Cheer up,” he said. “Why don’t you show me that smile? I think you have a beautiful smile.”

And now he wants me to smile for him, she thought. She was exhausted about smiles by now and didn’t need a reminder. She wasn’t certainly going to smile just to make this guy feel good about himself. Combine that with the fact that there were still no available Wayfare drivers nearby, and she was at her breaking point. She needed to be at that interview now, and it was time to use drastic measures to get there.

“Say,” said Miriam. “About that ride you offered…”

A moment later, they were in the parking lot, heading to Jacob’s car. When he walked up to his sixty’s car, Miriam cringed. Surely, he didn’t drive this dinosaur? But when he pulled out his keys to open the passenger side door, she felt a pit in her stomach. She supposed she was out of time and would have to roll down the windows and let the wind keep her cool should it not have air conditioning. She still begged the universe that this fossil of a car had air conditioning.

In the meantime, she unleashed just enough of her unique hormone into her bloodstream to make herself stronger. It wouldn’t be enough to make her sweat profusely, and thus she wouldn’t be too strong, but she’d still be stronger than an ordinary man.

Joseph opened the door, “Ready to go?”

“I sure am,” said Miriam, smirking. “I’m lucky I ran into you.”

Before Joseph could turn around, Miriam grabbed the back of his head and hit it against the roof of the car. Joseph fell to the concrete below, dazed, and Miriam reached down to pick up his keys. Blood trickled down his forehead as he looked around with fuzzy vision. The first thing he noticed was the engine of his car starting. As it began to drive away, he raised his hand weakly.

“No…” he said weakly. “Please…don’t…”

Meanwhile, inside the car, Miriam called her publicity agent, cradling her phone in the crook of her neck.

“Hey,” she said, “I’m going to need a new civilian identity.” After a pause, she snapped at him, “Yes, again. What do you think I pay you for?”

She hung up, then looked at the dashboard. Thankfully, this ancient vehicle had air conditioning, and she turned it on eagerly. Back in the parking lot, Joseph watched from his back, reaching his hand out as his wife’s car disappeared from view. Once it was gone, Joseph passed out.

###

On ‘Mornings with Maddie, ’ Miriam, as Demigoddess, gave her most dazzling smile.

“And once I blasted Beetle Brute away,” said Demigoddess. “I leaped into the burning building, wrapped the boy in the protective sheet to protect him from my steam, and pulled him out just as a gas line ruptured. I barely escaped the explosion, but I got the boy to safety. I tell you, people think I don’t get scared because I’m near invulnerable, but my heart was racing for that poor, innocent child.”

The audience went ‘awwwwww,’ and Demigoddess’s teeth sparkled in the studio lights. She had embellished the details somewhat. There was no explosion, for instance, and the child was kind of a brat from what she remembered, but the audience loved a good story.

“So inspiring,” said the host, Maddie. “Tell me, Demigoddess, what is the greatest thing about being a superhero.”

Miriam rubbed her chin thoughtfully, knowing her answer had to be good.

###

Meanwhile, Joseph Kimball was found in the parking lot. As an ambulance tended to his injuries, the police arrived to check things out. When he came to, he told the police that a woman with above average strength had assaulted him and stolen his car, and he gave a description. A few hours later, it was reported that his car was found in a ditch.

Joseph showed up at the police impound to identify his car, his head wrapped in a bandage. Joseph entered the garage and saw it on a hydraulic lift as officers examined it for evidence. Dora’s classy vintage car was completely smashed up. Every window was broken, and there were dents all over it. As joseph looked at his wife’s now destroyed car, his lip trembled.

“Dora,” he said under his breath.

###

“The greatest thing about being a superhero,” said Demigoddess. “Is that I can give little girls everywhere a role model to look up to.”

More ‘awwww’s’ from the audience, and Demigoddess flashed her most brilliant smile yet. The audience started clapping, and the superhero on stage felt supreme satisfaction.

Nailed it, she thought.

###

Partition City.

Cars, debris, and even dust levitated in the street, swirling around a particular tree. The creature’s psychic powers were out of control, and people ran for their lives. SteelStar, flying in his metal form, arrived at the scene and approached cautiously. The mutant was a small animal, so it was probably just scared. He knew he’d need a delicate touch for this.

When SteelStar thought of saving kittens stuck in a tree, this wasn’t what he usually pictured.

The little tabby kitten’s eyes were glowing, so it was obviously the source of this telekinetic event. As SteelStar got closer the kitten hissed and a car flew at SteelStar. He let it smash into him and bounce off. The attack wasn’t strong enough to hurt SteelStar with his magnetic reinforcement, so he approached slowly and non-threateningly.

“It’s okay little guy,” said SteelStar.

The kitten hissed but hesitated to throw something else since the last attack had been so ineffective. Closer and closer SteelStar flew until he was within arm’s reach. SteelStar removed one of his gauntlets and held out his metal hand. The kitten scratched at it, but naturally the claws did nothing to the metal flesh. SteelStar held his metal hand in place for a moment, and when the kitten hesitantly started sniffing, SteelStar turned part of his skin organic to give it a scent.

He had to turn it to metal quickly a couple of times when the kitten tried biting and scratching. Eventually, though, the kitten called down enough to let SteelStar scratch it behind the ears with organic fingers. As the kitten leaned into the scratches, it began to purr, and the objects levitating in the air slowly drifted down. By the time SteelStar had the kitten in his hand, it had stopped using its powers, its eyes ceasing to glow.

“There,” said SteelStar. “I’m not so scary now, am I?”

Now that things had calmed down, SteelStar looked around. The few people who watched from a distance just turned and walked away now that the excitement was over, and SteelStar frowned. He’d seen constant videos of superheroes stepping in to help and being met with applause when everyone was safe. No one applauded SteelStar these days, not since the Spectramancer incident. Online, some people supported him behind anonymous accounts after learning about what really happened that day, but few people seemed willing to support him openly.

“Not so scary,” SteelStar muttered as the kitten in his hands continued to purr.

###

An hour later, the kitten was given to caregivers to be taken to a mutant reserve. Steelstar grabbed a cheeseburger for lunch and flew up to billboard where no one could interrupt him. As he sat there in his grey skinned organic form eating, looking out over the city, he began to reflect on how much of a grind being a Superhero could really be.

Every day there was something to deal with. Almost every other day, there would be a mutant animal to deal with, each with a different mutation. That gave him some variety, but if he’d seen one robbery or mugging, he’d seen them all. On top of that, a lot of people hated him, so he got all the grind and the tedium of being a superhero without all the praise that usually came with it. He wasn’t even making that much money on Herofund. He’d hoped to have his own apartment by now, but that wasn’t going to happen any time soon.

SteelStar sighed and kept eating, but after a moment, he stopped, sensing something. Looking up, he felt an electromagnetic signature approaching, and it was moving fast. SteelStar stood, ready for an attack, but it proved unnecessary. The figure flew up and stopped just in front of SteelStar, wearing a blue, white, and black costume. SteelStar grinned excitedly upon seeing him.

“Paramount!”

“Hey, SteelStar,” said Paramount. “You said you wanted to help us find out who destroyed Redwell City. Well, we have a lead, and we could use your help.”

###

SteelStar contacted his parents to let them know he’d be going, Celerity so she’d know she’d be protecting Partition City solo for a while, and Brian to tell him they wouldn’t be hanging out later. Once all that was done, SteelStar and Paramount flew out of the city.

“So, who’s the suspect?” asked SteelStar, his metal face gleaming in the sunlight.

“Actually,” said Paramount, his hair rippling in the wind. “I didn’t want to mention this in the city where someone might hear, but we actually have two. The first is Sister Nature, an eco-terrorist who believes humanity is a plague that will destroy the Earth. She has an obvious motive, and we have evidence of her using explosives with a similar energy signature to the one that destroyed Redwell City.”

“Okay, who’s the other?”

Paramount was reluctant to say it, “Elementus.”

“Elementus?” asked SteelStar. “Really?”

“I know,” said Paramount. “I have trouble believing it as well, but we have reason to believe he was in Redwell that day and lied about it.”

SteelStar had trouble believing it. He was familiar with Elementus’s career, and he always seemed so nice.

“Anyway,” said Paramount. “He’ll be investigating with us, but just keep an eye out. Oh, and another hero has announced that she’s going after Sister Nature, and she’s…well…hard to work with.”

“Who’s that?”

Paramount hesitated, “Have you ever heard of Demigoddess?”