Dreaming is Free

As someone who has had the privilege of spending time in the Dream State, I no longer approach dreams in the same way most people do.

Of course, the main point of being a super hero is that I am quite unlike "most" people. Still, that is not what I am trying to say.

I know, for example, that all that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream. Besides being a famous riddle, it is also a hint to the truth of nature. Let me put it another way. Dreams can come true (it can happen to you, if you are young at heart). I am certain you have heard that statement before. But have you really thought about what it means? Is it nothing more than a "fluff" piece about only children can properly hold onto dreams?

Yes, and no.

You see, the biggest problem that happens to children is... they grow up. And in doing so they are "molded" by society to forget what they knew in their hearts as children: that Reality is not the opposite of Dream. It is the flip side of it. Are your dreams any more real to your waking self as your waking self is to your dreams? Ah, the conundrum.

What does all this have to do with what I wanted to say tonight? I am actually not quite certain of that myself! Truthfully, I simply wanted to share the fact that I have recently found myself "chased" in my dreams. Every night (or rather, every evening) for the last week I have awakened with the feeling of something clutching my chest. My limbs, tired and shaky, feel as though we had run a city marathon.

If I were to dismiss this as nothing more than a dream, the question would be: "Why have I been dreaming of being chased?". Never once did I ask myself if I was the one doing the chasing. It has always been that I have been chased. Of course, as I attempted to explain at the start of this post, as a hero who has been on the Other Side... I know more about Dreams than I can publicly share. Thus, the true question I ask myself is, "Who is after me?"

I can only imagine it to be the Ancient Evil. Thus, the dreams are portends of doom. Hence, it is time for me to launch the offensive. My secret weapon must be revealed, soon, before the situation gets out of hand.

I must take a moment and ponder. For that, I have need of coffee. French Vanilla!

Battle Prep.

There is a lot to be said for being creatures of habit. When it comes down to going out on our nightly patrols, The Mysterious Minute-Men just do what they have always been doing. We split up, we head out, we patrol. When we encounter any evil-doers, we dispatch them. Naturally.

It is what we do, as heroes. It is as natural to us as breathing. Or drinking coffee. There is no real "preparation" routine that we go through. Just as normal citizens head out to work every morning, so too do we head out to do our "work".

But what of those unexpected villains, you might ask. And I know that you do, for those unexpected villains are indeed... unexpected. Well, we really have no choice but to trust our instincts, try some battle strategy, and find a solution that works.

There is, however, some preparation that we must go through whenever we expect to go up against a specific criminal. When we know that a villain is at large, we must review all we know of them in order to hone our senses. And, alas, when we learn of some extremely evil villain... an Ancient Evil... then our very survival depends on being as well prepared as possible.

Ancient Evils do not get to be Ancient by easily being defeated. No, they most often are simply beaten for a time. The best one can hope for is such a victory. Failure... defeat... would be disasterous. Fatal. Brutal.

Such is the ... "stench" of the Ancient Evil that has begun to poison our air recently that I retreated into my lair and studied, reviewed, planned, and made myself as ready as possible. After a full and intense day... a strategy was formed.

The strategy will be revealed... soon. For now, it must be properly shared and digested by all who possibly will be implicated in the coming battle. A group review will soon follow and then... once more into the breach!

An Ancient Evil

The streets were deserted tonight. Void of any living beings, the stillness in the air was definitely supernatural.

Taking a deep breath and allowing my mind to access that part of me that still has ties to the other side, I could sense the power keeping everyone away.

An Ancient Evil was loose.

A being so ugly, so malevolent, so impure, as to defy description. And still... I recognized it. I had... "smelled" its like before.

There had been a time... long ago... when this creature had more substance than it does today. That was before I had managed to banish it.

Tonight, it was letting me know that my city and my life was once more in its sights.

Preparation is required. Time to regroup, study my options, and build a strategy.

Tomorrow... or very soon... the games will begin. Again.

Appreciation

When it comes to keeping the streets safe, I and the rest of The Mysterious Minute-Men do what we do not because we need praise. We do it because it must be done. Because we CAN do it. And because we are compelled to do it. For the benefit of the city. Of the people. Of our way of life.

Regardless of what Orion may try to let you believe, it is not always fun and games. Well, actually, it is rarely fun and games. We deal in people's lives and livelihood. That is what protecting Metro City is all about.

However, I will say, that at the end of the day, or in the case of recent events, at the end of a very tiring week, there is an indescribable wave of joy that accompanies any unexpected word of thanks.

That is just what happened tonight. After another rough patrol, as I slunk into my booth here at Stan's, I was greeted by a message as soon as I got online. Someone praising me for what I do.

Those moments are magical and I treasure them always.

Thank you for your kind words. It makes the on-going battle with evil worth every drop of sweat.

No Crime Holidays

I have been informed that the roughest day of the week is Monday. This being due to the difficulty in returning to a regular work week after a weekend away.

If you thought the same were true for criminals, I must sadly advise that it is not so! Crime needs no calendars to do its deed! In fact, every day is just another "symptom" to the way of crime.

For example, again, the working person looks forward to Fridays and is generally in a happy mood come the end of the day. A criminal is also happy, but this is due to their ability to come in contact with more people on the streets to take advantage of.

As for Mondays, well, they are just as eager to get back out there and take advantage of those worn down from the return to work.

Case in point. It is no longer Monday. It is early Tuesday. I have just returned from finally completing my patrol. The sun, it stings my eyes. But before exhaustion claims me, I decided to pop in here and lay down these words.

And now, my bed beckons!

What were you made for?

I must thank Stan for jumping in here last night and informing you that I would not be able to update the blog. I know, it sounds ridiculous, but what can you do? Not every night in a super hero's life is filled with fun and adventure. Sometimes it does get a little... bizarre.

The Kissing Bandit? Can you believe it? Here I thought this flash-in-the-pan was nothing more than a gimmick used to sell extra papers during Valentine's day. After all, we had not heard from him in something over 7 years.

But, lo and behold, last night he decided he would jump back into the fray. I half expected to corner him in an old folk's home but he had decided to jump around the red light district. Really. Seems he wanted to make the working women feel loved and appreciated.

They accused him of trying to get some free sampling. Seriously.

He tried to claim that kissing women is what he was made for. We shall see how that holds up in court for him. But, it did get me thinking about what each of us inherently feels about our time here on earth.

There is no question for me. I am here to help the citizens of Metro City and, by extension, the world, when required.

How about yourselves?

Stan Speaks

Good Evening, Everyone!

This is Stan talking here... or rather, typing here.

Minute-Man was starting to get really attached to this here blogging tool and since he couldn't make it on tonight, he buzzed me to slip in a little ditty on his behalf. Seeing how he's stuck up on a roof tonight keeping a watch out for The Kissing Bandit, of all people. No one's heard o' this guy in years and suddenly tonight he's spotted around town!

Something must be up with November Madness or some such.

Anyhow, have yourselves a good night and I'm sure Minute-Man will have something to say later on.

Sugar High!

Halloween! The only night of the year where there are more citizens roaming around pretending to be zombies while they are actually hopped up on sugar and chocolate!

I have a fondness for Halloween simply because I believe it is the one time where all the citizens of Metro City come closest to feeling (or, perhaps, understanding) just what it is that The Mysterious Minute-Men experience on a regular basis!

The Power of the Sacred Soda imbues us with so much energy that the closest we can come to explaining it is to compare it to the highest of sugar highs, the rushest of chocolate rushes.

The difference, of course, is that The Sacred Soda sparks our internal abilities. Regular people on sugar highs just get very edgy.

So, remember, although you believe you may be capable of doing the things we can... you can not! We are Professionals. Do not attempt to try our stunts at home.

Have a safe Halloween! And should you have any spare Aero bars, feel free to send them to me!

Kooks

Tonight, there was a man... a very strange man, who did all he could to get my attention during my patrol. He finally succeeded when he set fire to a gas station, the resulting explosion much more intrusive than a phone call.

I swung down from up high and landed right in front of him. As I stood to my full height, wrapped in my cloak, and glared down on him, I growled at him to speak.

"Speak miscreant!" said I. "Or know the fury with which I shall unleash my fists upon thee!"

He seemed to have been in his own little world for he tilted his head, his face gleaming white like a porcelain doll, and with a twisted smile upon his lips, he asked, "Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moon light?"

I had no choice but to plant my size 10 boots into what passed for his blank stare.

"The only dancing I do with punks like you is SLAM Dancing!" I told him.

It wasn't long before Metro City's finest were on the scene wrapping up the baddie. I helped the Firefighters clear out the area while they tackled the flames. Those are definitely men and women worthy of respect!

"Say what, Jack?!" asked Orion when I filled him in on the story. "Dancing Devils in the Moonlight? What kind of candy-assed bad-guy threat is that to say to a super-hero!?"

I must admit, I had to agree with him there.

Night Owls?

A citizen recently asked if I were a true nocturnal creature. She immediately apologized when I struck her with my Minute-Stare and asked what she meant.

Did I sleep all day and patrol all night?

Ah. I understood and eased my grimacing.

Although it may seem like I am as nocturnal as an Owl, I am not. I do not stay up all night. I stay up late. Sometimes, very late. But such is the nature of the criminal element that they do not commit their crimes in broad daylight. Except for those wearing business suits. But I leave those criminals to the police.

I do sleep in which allows me to be rested at night. And, of course, by the power of Stan's amazing coffee, I have plenty of energy to keep me going!

In the end, I do not let something as silly as day cycles interfere with my duties to this city. Wherever, and whenever Minute-Man is needed, I shall be there!

And, of course... when I am not needed... there is always Stan's Donut Shoppe! :)

Minute-Senses Tingling!

I have been on alert for a while. I have felt an... uneasiness... in the back of my skull for way too long.

Some evil is afoot.

Somewhere, out there, someone is plotting something. The Power of the Sacred Soda has never let me down (yes, yes, except when it was tampered with!) and it is from the heightened senses brought to me by this ambrosia that I know.

Something wicked this way comes.

I am not yet certain what form it will take. I am only certain that The Mysterious Minute-Men are ever ready for whatever challenge comes our way!

Progeny

One of the things that not having a voice does is to allow one the ability to be introspective without drawing attention.

During tonight's patrol, I found myself alone, sharing roof space with one of the many gargoyles that line the buildings downtown. I used to wonder why there were so many gargoyles in that area but the answer was revealed many years ago. Perhaps, one day, I will share it.

As I was saying... or rather, typing, I found myself surveying the city and instead of feeling alone, I felt comforted. There is something about my statue friends that calms me and I joined them in their silence. I thought about Orion, running around at street level chasing a pickpocket and wooing the women as he always does. I thought about Eclipse, patrolling the West end of the island.

And then... without warning, I thought about... a child.

I could suddenly see, in my mind's eye, this little "being". A tiny, blond, child, nestled against my chest, reaching up to grab at my mask... It felt so real I could almost smell his skin and feel the warmth of it.

And then I wondered. Is there a child lurking in Minute-Man's future? Yes, I know I've met Nano once before... but this child was not him. Is there more? Have I begun to feel the need to leave a legacy?

At just that moment the head snapped off the gargoyle I was leaning against and I found myself plummeting towards the sidewalk. Another typical end to an a-typical day...

My Voice! It is Gone!

'tis true! Some dastardly villain has absconded with my voice! Tonight's patrol had been a quiet one. I believe the oncoming winter weather has started sending the criminal element slinking back into the underbrush. At any rate, I was not saying much, allowing Orion the pleasure of sharing his exploits of the past weekend. Finally, he noticed that I had been more silent than usual.

"Yo, Jack! Wussup with you tonight?" he asked as we landed on the roof of the Viewing Point Conference Halls. "Is it Christmas or something? Cause I sure didn't get no memo!"

I didn't reply. I just turned my back and surveyed the city.

"You know, cause of the whole 'not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse' thing?" he continued.

I sighed and looked back at him. "I lost my voice," I croaked.

He burst out laughing.

I turned my back on him.

"Oh that's precious, man!" he laughed.

I called it a night and headed back to Stan's. As we walked through the door, Orion shouted out, "Evening, Stan! I think double-M is going to skip out on his coffee tonight. How about a lemon tea with some honey in it?"

Try as he might, he could not keep a straight face and fell about laughing again. I just slipped into my booth. Eclipse was already there and the smile on her face showed that she was trying not to join in on the mockery.

"I think it's cute," she said to Orion as he finally joined us.

"Cute is NOT a word that is used when describing a super hero!" I growled, trying to raise my voice and failing.

"Well it is," she replied while Orion doubled up in laughter again. "You sound like Mickey Mouse!" she added.

That broke through Stan's defenses and he had now joined Orion in the guffaw-ing. I put my hands on my head and my face on the table.

It's going to be a looooong night...

Heroic Coffee

Orion and Stan both think I should be using this blog to share more information about myself. Of course, knowing how clever evil-doers are, my Minute-Senses are always on alert. Revealing too much about anything might be my undoing one unfortunate evening.

However, I'll start off with the obvious. Coffee. Ha! You probably thought I was going to bring up the Sacred Soda: Minute-Maid Orange Soda! Well, that would be too obvious.

There is nothing I like better than to kick back with a large mug of French Vanilla after an active night of patrol. Metro City is too big for one hero to patrol alone, which makes my heart proud to have the rest of the Team around so we can cover it all. We all have our favorite beverages, but for my coffee nothing beats one of Stan's famous French Vanillas!

This is not to say that I'm not open to trying new flavors. Eclipse doesn't like to stick with the same flavor for too long. So, to keep her happy, I experiment with different flavors. Stan doesn't mind, of course.

Recently, I've been brewing her a mix of half Mocha, half Hazelnut and it has definitely made our taste buds dance. Unfortunately, my stock of Hazelnut beans has been depleted and while waiting for a new shipment, we have been experimenting again. Today's brew was half part Mocha, half part ground Gourmet Espresso coffee beans from the Dominican Republic! A little sour, but with a nice kick, too!

And now, you must excuse me. Breakfast awaits!

Stan goes Digital

When Orion and I strolled into Stan's Donut Shoppe after our nightly patrol, my oldest friend waved us into our regular booth.

With a conspiratorial wink, he pointed at the table in front of where I sat.

"Tap 3 times," he said.

I did and suddenly the table became transparent. There, in front of me, was what looked to be a touch-screen keyboard and monitor.

"It's your new interface to the Minute-Computers in the cave!"

"Not too shabby, Jack!" said Orion. "Nice and sleek! Streaming video, too?"

"Of course!" Stan smiled proudly.

"This is all well and good," I said. "But what reason is there to go through the trouble of implementing such things?"

"Ha! We're gonna take you into the Digital age, my man!" laughed Orion.

"What do you mean? All our technology is hooked through the Minute-Mobile and the electronics in my mask. What more do I need?"

Orion and Stan looked at each other, smiled, looked back at me, and answered in unison. "A blog!"

Truth be told, that idea never came to me before.

And so, here I sit, trying to organize my thoughts into some coherent whole in order to share it with you. But the only thought that is winning out is this: I am in Stan's Donut Shoppe and have yet to ingest any coffee.

That is something that must be remedied immediately before any more can be said!