Chapter 1
*Beep! Beep! Beep!*
John Smith rolled over in his bed and smacked his alarm clock. He opened his eyes and read the bright glowing numbers of his clock.
"7:30!?" He yelled. "I slept through my alarm for half an hour?!"
He sprang from his bed and began scrambling around his bedroom to for his work clothes. He was still hopping into his pants and fastening his shirt when he rushed into the bathroom to brush his teeth.
John quickly splashed his face with water and yanked his tie from the towel rack and jogged to his apartment door slinging his tie around his neck as he stepped into his shoes, without tieing either one. He grabbed his sport coat and briefcase and continued his hurried pace through the door and down the stairs of his apartment.
"Late again... Mr. Smith.?!" The doorman called from his position at the front desk as John blew past him.
"Can't talk..!" John answered not slowing his pace.
He pressed through the front door of his downtown Apartment building and the busy New York streets greeted him with it's usual early morning hustle and bustle.
But it was all lost on John Smith as it usually was when he was in a hurry, which was most of the time.
He weaved his way up to the street and raised his arm attempting to hail a taxi.
Two cabbies passed by and John's frustration began to mount. After a third taxi passed him by he waved frantically and pressed his hand to his mouth in an extremely loud whistle.
At the sound of this a taxi finally stopped in front of him. John threw open the door and all but dived in.
"The corner of 2nd and main please!" He ordered before closing the door, "and hurry please."
"Sure, sure." The driver growled.
The car sped down the busy city streets until they were inevitably stopped by a traffic light. John Continued to fasten his tie and lace his shoes as they waited for the green light. He began rifling through his briefcase as he threw his coat on. When the cab suddenly lurched to a stop.
"What's going on?" John asked shaken.
"I'm not sure. There's a traffic jam or something." The driver answered.
John leaned forward to peer through the front window. "No, there's something else going on." He noted as he could see the faint wisps of smoke bellowing from a building in the distance.
He sat back and exhaled, furious. 'Of all the days' He thought.
"Can you go around?" John finally asked a few moments later.
"I can try." The driver said making a quick U-turn.
As the car began to pick up speed John felt the ground shake steadily beneath them.
*boom Boom BOOM*
The sound grew louder with every pass. He searched the horizon out every window trying to see where the commotion was coming from.
"Did you hear that?" John asked as the sound grew unbearable.
But before the driver could answer a white mesh like material seemed to engulf the car.
John felt the taxi heave steadily skyward as it was hoisted into the air. He looked out the window and saw a very large man dressed in gray with a large horn on his head, screaming as he crashed through the building they were about to pass in just mere seconds.
The world seemed to skid by as he realized he was being sling shotted car and all to a near by streetlight. They swayed precariously there, fastened to this simple structure just narrowly escaping danger.
John drew in a deep breath as he realized he was just saved from impending doom. He looked out the window again and saw the same large horned man secured to the ground with the same material that he was fastened to his position by. He surveyed his position and saw a costumed Hero swing by on this same stuff, dressed in red and blue.
He leaned over and rolled down his carefully pushed aside the strange material clearing a path. When he pulled his hand in wiped the sticky stuff off on his slacks. He locked and threw his briefcase out the window and began positioning himself out.
"Hey. The Fare!" The driver called as John lifted himself up on top of the car. He crouched there for a second gaining his balance before shimmying up the wired threads on to the street light. He crawled hand over hand and foot over foot along the horizontal axis before sliding down the pole like a fireman. He adjusted his clothes and hefted his briefcase under his arm as he made his way to the subway.