Powers

Once again, the inspiration for a story comes from somewhere unexpected.  I was experiencing the Kansas City Renaissance Festival with my wife and oldest son.  We watched some jousting, sampled a turkey leg, listened to some choirs, and flew through the air on a zip line.

One fun area was an arena in which competitors could battle anyone and everyone with soft foam swords for 15 minutes.  They also had a small field where you could fight a knight with a live blade after a brief yet detailed lesson in swordsmanship.

One vendor carried a range of mock-up weapons of different materials.  There were scimitars, bastard swords, great swords, hand axes, and hammers.  Plastic versions sat embedded in bales of hay.  Wooden samples were grouped in barrels.  All of this combined to spark a new story in my mind.

For most people, toy stores are filled with play things and items of childish joy.  For me, they are so much more.  Inside are tools, comrades, and, most importantly, weapons.  In my hands, anything intended for fun can become a real version of itself.  A plastic chainsaw becomes a roaring tool for felling trees.  A toy pistol turns into a full-fledged deadly firearm.

My personal favorite is foam swords.  I get a special feeling each time a lightweight handle shifts in my hand and becomes a leather wrapped grip.  The sword becomes heavier as the blade extends and shifts from a dull gray to the shine of steel.  I have to keep myself from giggling with glee as what was once a plaything is now a deadly weapon in my hand.

Now, don't misunderstand me.  It doesn't matter what the toy is made of, my touch has the ability to turn it into a real weapon.  A wooden sword becomes just as metallic as one made of plastic or foam.  Firearms are just as lethal whether originally plastic, aluminum, or even soap.  They will be loaded with a single magazine.

My ability does have its limits.  After the rounds are exhausted in a gun, it becomes a toy again, but broken and useless to anyone now.  Swords also have their limits.  After wielding one

All of this started when I was a toddler.  It only took my parents a short amount of time to figure out why my stuffed dogs kept disappearing and real puppies appeared in my room.  Back then, the transformations seemed to happen at random.  My parents learned to give me generic toys that didn't represent anything in reality.  Until I was 12 or so and learned how to control my ability.  Then things got real fun.

These days I have become particularly popular at the toy stores and imitation weapons vendors at the local Ren Fest.  Some of the sword guys actually make custom blades for me without knowing what I actually use them for.  Just that I buy lots of their products.

I have also become a degree of infamous in the back alleys at night.  I'm not fighting super villains in flashy battles up and down the streets.  I am stopping muggers and watching out for innocent people walking the streets.  I wonder what the toughs and macho jerks that I beat down would say if they knew they were getting knocked around by a toy.

What is a super power you wish you had?  Is it one that exists in the comics or a completely new one?What would you do with such a power?  Let everyone know in the comments.

Combat

We have spent weeks in the trenches.  So much longer than headquarters told us we would be here.  The people we are fighting were supposed to be pushovers.  The plan was to march into town and set ourselves up in the middle of town.  There our captain had a prepared speech he would give.  His words would inform everyone in the small town that they were now under our jurisdiction and control.  Even though they would be subject to our laws and regulations, we would be leaving their current leaders in place.  That's how things were supposed to happen anyway.

We came under fire as we crested the hill outside the town.  It was precise fire from the trees lining the road.  There was incoming from so many different directions, we didn't have any time to locate any of the shooters.  A handful of the newer recruits fired randomly into the trees.  The order to retreat was given and everyone fell back in a disciplined group. We cleared the trees and the attack stopped.  Five bodies lay on the ground.  The soldiers that had fired at the town citizens were all dead.  Their remains would be left there until our mission was completed.  At that time, we all thought it would only be a few hours longer than originally planned.

We could only assume those dead soldiers were still laying out in the open where they had fallen.  It had been impossible for us to get that close to the town again.  During the weeks since we had lost more friends and fellow soldiers.  We never saw the residents themselves.  Just heard shots ring out as soldiers tried to maneuver out of our covered positions.  More often than not, the soldiers that had become uncovered would then fall.  The morale of the entire squad was lower than ever.  Even our rations were running frighteningly low, despite the decrease in hungry stomachs that needed filling.

The captain had tried to communicate with headquarters.  They kept repeating that we had to be mistaken.  Their reports said the residents of the town were all unarmed.  According to the people safe and sound behind their office doors, this mission was a cake walk.  No reinforcements were coming and  we would be extracted once it was confirmed the town was under our control.  At this point it seemed like we would be fighting here to our last man.  An end that was getting closer faster than anyone expected it ever would.

With so few of us left, I now find myself the second in command.  Only the captain himself outranks me.  Should he fall, I have sworn to myself to ignore headquarters.  When the decision is mine, we will surrender and let the residents take us all prisoner.  There's nothing they could do to us that would be worse than sitting here waiting to die.  Is there?