Heroes: Sentinel (Chapter 1/16)

Chapter 1: Introduction

Sentinel (me).

Location: Sentinel Station. High Orbit Over New City USA.

“You sure there’s nothing going on, Bear?”

“Nothing that requires Sentinel. When we need the world’s most powerful hero, I guarantee we’ll call you. For now, just focus on spending time with your son.”

“I would, but it’s Friday night and Adrian’s down on Earth with friends. He said he’d see me in the morning.” I sigh, “I guess I’ll chill. Maybe fly to Mars. NASA wants some new samples.” Seeing Bear’s rugged hairy face on screen gives me another idea. I ask, “Unless you’re free? We could do something? I could come down to you or send a shuttle to bring you up here.”

The burly hero laughs gruffly, “Sorry, but I can’t be your booty call tonight, big guy.” Bear always calls me ‘big guy’, even though he’s 6’6”/400-lbs to my 6’8”/320-lbs.

I lie, “It’s not like that.” He looks skeptical. I shrug, “Well, it doesn’t have to be. We could just hang out. Have a drink. Watch a movie. Sex is completely optional.” 

“Uh huh. Sentinel doesn’t hang out. Superheroing and sex. That’s your life.” I protest, but he stops me, “Big guy, c’mon. Be real.”

I admit, “Yes, okay. That’s true. But, maybe I’d like to change that. I mean, add to it. I still want to be a superhero and have sex, but maybe there’s … more to life.” I pause then ask, “This sounds sad, but want to be my first-ever friend outside of work? I feel like I need one. We get along and have a lot in common. You can teach me how to hang out.”

“Wow. First ever?” I nod. He smiles, “Sure, big guy, I’m cool with that. And if this is your son’s influence, I like the kid already.”

“So, you can hang out tonight?”

Bear shakes his head, “I really am busy. Tell you what, let’s make plans to do something next week. No sex, just being buddies. Tuesday looks good.” I wholeheartedly agree, surprising him. He says, “You are different. Things must be going better than you expected.”

“It is going surprisingly well. I was nervous about him moving in, but so far, so good.”

“When do I get to meet him?”

“How about coming up here for dinner on Tuesday then we go out after. I’ll make the food. You pick the place.”

“Yeah, because you don’t know any places.” I growl. He laughs. “I’m looking forward to meeting him. You know, my sidekick is turning 18. He wants to join the Young Crusaders.” I’m shocked that Kid Cub is already 18. “I know Adrian is a serious brick, but maybe they can use two. After all, you and me are on the same team, so why not them?”

“Well, Adrian is a long way away from becoming a hero or a Young Crusader. We’ve only started training. Even supervised, I wouldn’t put him in the field for a few months at least.”

Bear makes a face, “Oh, I thought this new Samson character was your kid.”

“Samson? Who’s Samson?”

“I love how out of touch you are. Samson. Big muscleman in a short white toga, mask, gold bracelets, and sandals. Doing some small local jobs. Hold on.” Bear types. “Working downtown in New City. Stopped a bank robbery and a jewelry store heist. Fine art store. Couple of muggings. Super-strong and bulletproof is all I got for powers.”

Those are Adrian’s abilities but they’re not exclusive to him. “What does he look like?”

“I’ll send some stills from security cameras, but he’s young, white, shaggy black hair -”

“Adrian is blond.”

“Okay. Physically, he’s about 6’4”, 250-260, muscular. Matches your son’s profile.” It does, except for the hair. Reading me, Bear says, “Hair color can be changed temporarily. Lots of heroes do that. Maybe I’m wrong, but I know what I went through with Kid Cub. Teen heroes are impatient and independent. He worried me sick and he’s not even my kid.”

“I guess that I’ll have to speak with my son. Thanks for telling me.”

“Okay, but if it is him, don’t be too hard on the boy. We all did stupid stuff at that age.” The bearded brute smirks, “I heard about one guy. Couple of months before his 18th birthday. Got upset. Took off into space, got lost for over three years. He was 21 by the time he got back home to Earth.”

“This is different.”

“How?”

I frown. “I was infinitely more powerful, more capable, and, most importantly, I didn’t have a father to worry about me.” I realize, “And then there’s his adoptive parents. Mitch and Annie will hate me if something happens. The whole reason he’s here is to train him.”

“All I’m saying is, be cool and don’t flip out. Treat him like an adult. Listen to him. Be supportive. You’re just getting to know your boy. You’re just building your relationship with him. If you go too hard, you might lose him.”

“I hear you.” I pause. “Okay, I’m calm. Thank you for the intel and the advice. Dinner. Tuesday. I’ll leave the shuttle at Assembly HQ for you.”

“Perfect, big guy. Gotta go, but see you Tuesday.”

I stretch out on the sofa in gold tights and a plush dark red robe, cinched tightly around my waist. I turn on a movie to distract myself. Bear is right. Having my son here has made a positive impact on me. The two of us are eating breakfast and dinner together most days. I’m enjoying the regular casual social contact and, yes, I want more, which is why I called Bear. Mainly for sex, but also to make a real friend. I’m feeling like I’m ready to have one.

The movie bores me. I float through my large space station. The station has artificial gravity, but I choose to defy it 99% of the time. I built the whole place all by myself using technology I picked up from the Lacutions, an advanced species who live several galaxies away. I spent over a year with them and they helped me find Earth. Yes, I recklessly traveled interstellar distances when I was young, but the situation with my son is very different.

As a 6’8”, 320-lbs, 36-year old, white muscleman, my powers are vast and unmatched - strength, speed, invulnerability, flight, energy projection and manipulation, enhanced senses … the list goes on. So far, Adrian only has a fraction of my strength and invulnerability and none of my other abilities. I don’t need to eat, drink, or breathe, although I’m known to do all three when I feel like it, especially eating. Adrian needs to do all three. If he’s out on the streets, I’m scared for him and don’t really know how to deal with that.

Born to supervillains who treated me like a test subject not their child, I’ve never lived a normal life. I’ve never even lived with anyone who wasn’t studying me. 12 years of my parents’ experiments turned me into this. An explosion killed them and destroyed everything I knew. I spent one month in government captivity. My teen years were in Captain Astro’s care. Three years in space. And since then, alone up here as a member of The Assembly.

As Sentinel, my uniform is a shiny gold sleeveless bodysuit. It grips my body like the tightest spandex but is a Lacution fabric that can withstand the high temperatures of re-entry, as well as gunfire and explosions without harm. I’ve created enough of it for me to have multiple outfits, but there aren't enough resources to mass produce it, unfortunately. My suit shows off my powerful arms. A long dark red cape hangs from the shoulders.

I add short dark red gloves, knee-high boots, and at the waist, I wear a dark red and gold Teflon alloy utility belt, which holds and protects restraints, money, credit card, and a communicator. Since I’ve never had a secret identity, I’ve always gone maskless with my black curly hair kept short and a neatly trimmed beard. I realize that if I’m going to hang out on Earth as a regular person, will this be a problem? I’ll chat with Bear about it.

I was actually in space when Adrian was born. The woman who gave birth to him was a supervillain with strong psionic powers who used artificial insemination to impregnate herself with stolen samples of my seed. She died in childbirth. No one knew he was mine until he exhibited powers at age 14. Genetic testing led them to me. I remember when my mentor Captain Astro told me. Scariest day of my life. Even though neither of us did anything wrong, it was a lot to work through. When my son said he wanted to move up here, I was overjoyed. I didn’t realize I’d worry about him like this.

Nelly, my onboard AI system notifies me that the shuttle is returning. I fly to the hangar to meet it. When the shuttle door opens, I’m surprised. A young man who isn’t my son steps out first. He’s 5’11” / 170-lbs. shirtless with a hard body, rich brown skin, intricate tattoos on his right upper arm and shoulder that I recognize as Mayan in design. He has straight black hair and a slight smirk. He’s dressed in black, too - tights, utility belt, face mask around his eyes and over his nose, gloves, elbow pads, and knee-high boots. The only color is a pink line up the front of his tights and a pink circle on his belt buckle. The design is vaguely familiar but I can’t waste time remembering it.

Who is this?

Adrian steps out behind him. He’s a mess! Naked except for a small black spandex shirt tied around his waist, covering him in front. I assume it belongs to the shirtless mystery man. His muscular body is coated in some kind of oil and filth. His feet are covered in cement. His shaggy blond hair looks awful, greasy and streaked with black hair dye that seems to be washing out. He sees me. His eyes go wide. “Dad! Oh, uh.”

I race past the unknown young man to my son, “Adrian, are you okay?”

My son nods sheepishly.

"Your face is flush. I don't like it."

I scoop his muscular body up into my arms. He’s too shocked to react. I fly him to the medical lab. I rip off the shirt and place his naked body on the table. Adrian tries to sit up, but I order him to lie flat. He does. The medical bed activates, lifting him up so he hovers a foot in the air. I begin the analysis. The scanners cover his entire body. I’ll have a complete assessment of his health and those substances in minutes.

The other young man enters. I ignore him. I need to deal with my son first. He stays out of the way, watching from the corner. With Adrian still naked and hovering, I activate the cleansing process. The foreign substances are quickly removed, including the rest of the horrible black hair dye, collected in trays below him. The first readings on his health are ready.

I announce, “Good news, You’re in perfect shape. Your vitals are strong. And everything aligns with the scan we did when you arrived. It still doesn't explain the facial redness.”

Adrian whispers, "It's called embarrassment." Not realizing I heard him, he says louder, “I tried to tell you, dad, I’m fine.”

“Let’s see. You’re covered in … extra-virgin olive oil? Italian. Calabria. South Calabria. Olives from the Mancuso groves. That might be an important clue. Common dirt and dust. And that stuff on your feet? Polymer-concrete blend. Quite unique. I won’t bore you with the composition but there’s no sign of anything harmful. Just a goopy mess.”

I lower him and allow him to sit up. “So, care to explain, Samson?”

“Well, see, - wait? Samson?” Adrian frowns. “Oh. You know.”

“I’ve heard.” I notice the masked young man in black again. I want to interrogate him about his role in whatever has happened and my son’s poor decision to become a hero before he’s even close to ready, but I remember Bear’s advice. I don’t know this young man, so I can’t be hostile. I extend my hand, “I’m Sentinel.”

He shakes it, confidently replying, “Of course. If the space station wasn’t a clue, everyone on Earth knows you. By reputation, at least. I’m Intrepid.”

I know that name. “Of the Young Crusaders? The detective.” He nods. “Of course. I didn’t recognize you without your full costume.”

“Not a problem, Sentinel. We’ve never met, much less worked together. And you have someone more important on your mind.” He winks at Adrian.

I offer a compliment, “Maybe one day we will work together. I’ve heard good things about you.”

“Thanks. I’ve heard good things about you, too.” My eyebrows raise. He just smirks some more.

I bluntly ask, “So, tell me, Intrepid, are you in any way responsible for my son’s … activities?”

Adrian says, “Dad, no! Intrepid saved me.”

Intrepid shrugs, “Saved is a stretch. I found Adrian, gave him my shirt, and got him here without anyone seeing him.”

I look at Adrian and wait for more. Silence is a great interrogation technique, especially since it stops me from saying anything wrong. He says, “See, I wear a toga as my costume. It got torn. His shirt around my waist helped, you know, keep my privates private. And the other stuff, well, that’s a long story. But I’m fine. I really just want to go to bed. Get some rest. Please, dad?”

“I need a little more than that, son.” He looks so sad, like a big puppy. I give in, “All right. But we will talk in the morning. Intrepid, thank you for helping Adrian out. I can take you back to Earth.”

They look at each other. My son says, “Actually, dad, I’d like him to stay. With me.”

I wave him off, “There’s no need to impose on this young hero any longer. I’m sure Intrepid has more important things to do. If you need monitoring, you can sleep in here. Or I can watch over you. You know that I don’t need sleep.”

Intrepid is still smirking and Adrian looks at the floor. Uncomfortable silence.

I ask, “What am I missing?” Still no answer. It hits me. “Ah. I see. You two knew each other before this evening’s … events.” Adrian nods. “And you want him to stay. With you. Tonight.” More nodding. “Okay. I’m sorry. Yes, of course. This is your home and you’re an adult. You’re going to have guests. Intrepid, welcome aboard.”

“Thank you, Sentinel. Happy to be here.”

Adrian relaxes and smiles, “Thanks, dad.”

As they exit, I stop my son. He looks nervous, but I explain, “Adrian, do you realize that you’ve been calling me dad since you got home?”

“Have I? Oh. I have. Is that okay?”

“Okay? It’s great. I mean, as long as Mitch doesn’t mind sharing the title. I don’t want to cause any tension there. You’re a fine young man and your parents did an amazing job. I’d never want to hurt them. Just like I’d never want to hurt you.” I can’t stop my eyes from darting to Intrepid. “Or allow anyone else to hurt you.” Back to Adrian, “I love you.”

“Thanks, dad. I love you, too. You made this all a lot easier.”

“Get some rest. Remember, we are having a serious talk in the morning.”

They head to Adrian’s room. I feel emotionally drained from the stress of having a son in danger. For the first time, I’m experiencing the challenges of fatherhood. My son is an untrained, novice superhero. Who knows what could happen? And he has a friend. Maybe a boyfriend? Maybe they’re fuck buddies, like Bear and me. Maybe they’re more.

I float to the nearest window. I drop my oil-stained robe, letting it fall to the floor. The automatic cleaning system rolls under me, picking it up and taking it to the laundry. I hover in just my tights. I stare out into space. My mind wanders and I forget to suppress my super-hearing. The station is silent except for one place. Adrian’s room.

I can hear them. Adrian is apologizing. Intrepid tells him that he was a naughty boy, going on missions alone. He makes him promise not to do it again. It sounds like Intrepid and I agree, so I’m happy to hear that he’s not enabling my powerhouse offspring. Intrepid is amazed by the station. And by me. I guess I did a good job tonight, because they both think I was cool.

As they talk, I notice my son uses ‘sir’ when addressing the smaller hero. And Intrepid calls my son ‘boy’. It sounds odd to hear my son be spoken to like that. It sounds consensual. And I’ve heard of domination and submission, but I’ve only ever topped and never in a particularly dominant way. It’s not something I know much about. Like me, my son is a big handsome muscleman. He’s so strong. Intrepid is a smaller normal human. How could he exert control over my son? Why would my son let him?

The Latino hunk says ‘knees, boy’. ‘Kiss my feet’. ‘Good boy’. ‘Mouth open.’ I hear slapping. It must be Intrepid’s stiffening cock slapping against Adrian’s extended tongue. I hear begging for cock from the kneeling muscleboy. He wants Intrepid’s cock. There must be a nod, because now I hear sucking. Slurping. Moaning. The sounds of the rough blowjob are unmistakable.

I struggle to stop eavesdropping but it’s challenging.

As the oral servicing continues, there are more orders, like ‘take sir’s big cock’, ‘suck it, boy’, and ‘choke on it’. I hear Adrian gagging. He really is choking on the large shaft. I fight to stop listening but my mind is already painting too vivid a picture from the sounds echoing in my brain. The huge young muscleboy on his knees before his young lean friend. Intrepid’s smirking face as he’s sucked off, loving it all.

My cock stirs. I float away to my bedroom to get out of earshot. The young men clearly have a unique relationship that I can’t yet understand. I won’t judge it but I know that I don’t need to be a part of it. I’m not used to suppressing my senses in my own home. I better learn. Fast, if Adrian has regular houseguests. By the time I reach my room, I’ve got things under control. I can’t hear them. But my mind is still picturing the scene.

My cock is swelling. When I strip, I’m hard. I float to the shower to wash off any remaining oil from when I carried Adrian. I grab hold of my massive cock and begin pumping. Not to thoughts of the super-powered men and women of my own past sexual encounters, but to what I heard on the other side of my space station. Maybe because I’m a similar muscleman, I surprisingly start to visualize myself in Adrian’s position.

I can’t get the picture of Intrepid towering over me out of my mind. Dominating me. Me kneeling before the lean Latino stud. Kissing his feet. Aggressively sucking his cock, which I imagine as being long, dark, and thick. My hand works my big meat. I moan softly. I squeeze harder and jerk faster. Hot water cascades over my naked body. I am so close.

My bull balls contract and in seconds, I erupt onto the metal wall. My whole huge body shakes and shudders. I milk myself until nothing more comes out. When I look down at the wall, I see my cum washing down. I just watch it as I calm down. I breathe for the first time in a few weeks. It seems an appropriate thing to do after an inappropriate moment.

Once I’m ready, I wash up, dry off then decide to do some work to get my mind right.

To be continued … Chapter 2: Exposition - Sentinel shares a story (1/3/2023)

Image Sources:

Sentinel: Artist - Dan Mora (Superman base, re-colored)

Bear: Artist - Dan Mora (Batman base, stretched and traced); Background - Google “futuristic office”

Intrepid: Artist - Dan Mora (Robin base, traced); Background - The Orville TV show

Adrian: Artist - Me!; Background - The Orville TV show