Price Check

Super-Mart was the dream job of a lifetime, at least for me. Ever since I was a little kid, I always wanted to be a superhero. Catch bad guys, save people from harm, get the girl. Sadly, life had different plans for me. When I was thirteen years old, I was diagnosed with Marfan Syndrome. Competitive sports were out of the question and with it my dreams of being a hero. I didn't let that keep me down though, so when an opening showed up the next summer at Super-Mart, I jumped at the opportunity.

I had been to Super-Mart before to pick up groceries for my parents, so I knew the layout pretty well. The front entrance was like any other grocery store. Cash registers toward the front with several aisles of food. The difference at Super-Mart was when the aisle ended there was a large open area that acted as a buffer from the food section. The other section had less aisles and larger walkways between them. I never went down there before as a kid, figuring it was just tools. How wrong I was.

Sure, there were tools. Tools of the trade and not of a carpenter or a do-it-yourselfer, but of heroes and villains. Blades, grappling hooks, net launchers, gators. You name it, they had it. My first day, all I did was roam those aisles, admiring the impressive selection we offered. The appeal did wear off faster than I thought it would, but my attention then changed to the people who shopped there. 

People dressed in capes became a regular thing as well as rougher looking people who gravitated toward wearing black and darker black. My trainer mentioned that villains shopped here, but for some reason I found that hard to fathom. None of the heroes who shopped here I recognized, which made me think maybe cosplay was just super popular here. That was until I was called for my first price check.

"Jason, you are needed in aisle 3H. Price check on lasers," my radio said from my belt. 

I unclipped my radio and spoke into it. "I'm on it."

I walked over as calm as I could, not wanting to sweat in my clean red shirt. It was my first opportunity at helping someone in person and I didn't want to screw it up. Turning the corner of the aisle, I saw a man dressed in an immaculate business suit with his hands behind his back. He was reading one of the labels. A few feet beyond him was a woman in a blue cape writhing on the floor, holding her face. My stride got slower, approaching the man with caution.

"Ah, you there. Can you help me with something?" the man in the suit asked me.

His voice was calm and weirdly soothing, yet the little voice in my head screamed at me to leave at once. If not for the hero writhing in pain, the fact that this man caused her misery without even messing up his suit was enough for alarm. It was clear he was a villain, but I had a job to do.

"How can I help you?" I asked, walking up to him. My eyes kept glancing beyond him, trying to see if the caped woman was alright. 

"I was hoping you could price match these lasers you have with the ones I found online," he said, showing me his phone.

I looked at the screen and laughed. Dumb move, but I couldn't help it. It was a simple ten dollar pen laser pointer. The lasers on the shelf next to him could melt skin like butter. I collected myself and tried to break it to him gently. 

"I'm sorry sir, those aren't the same as these."

"How so?"

"The lasers may both look the same, but this laser can cut through bone," I said taking one off the shelf. "That one on your screen can blind people at best."

"Then why didn't this one cut straight through this woman?" the man said casually admitting he tried to kill someone in the store. "Clearly this is the cheap one."

"Fuck you, Jaster!" the woman yelled from the floor.

The man in the suit turned to her. "Excuse me, miss. I am trying to talk with this young man."

"You could have blinded me with that!" she said, getting up from the floor.

"You attacked me first. And if I remember right, this place has a no fighting policy," Jaster said, grabbing the laser from my hand.

"Why I oughta—" the woman said, before getting blasted in the eyes again with the purple beam. She screamed and covered her eyes, tumbling into the shelf. 

Jaster turned back to me. I was frozen both in fear and amazement. A laser that should have bored her eyes out, only caused her great suffering. Her strength was remarkable. And Jaster. Thee Jaster was standing in front of me. Easily the most notorious villain that ever lived. I have heard stories, but seeing him in person was surreal, even if he was retired.

"I'm sorry about that. So, like I was saying, clearly this laser isn't as advertised. I was hoping for a price match," Jaster said.

I stared in awe of him for a few more moments before I finally spoke. "Um, I'm sorry. I could get fired for matching that price."

"Then how about you match it and come work for me. I could use a tall young man like you."

"What? You want me to work for you? I thought you were retired?"

"Retired, not dead. Still got to keep busy and I need good workers."

"This is just a summer job. I'm still in school."

"Not a problem. Ring these up for me," he said, tossing me the pen laser. "I'll take the entire stock."

"Don't you do it. I'll have you arrested," the woman said, clinging onto the shelf. Her bloodshot eyes locked onto me, demanding my compliance.

"Don't listen to her, Jason. I always take care of my own," Jaster said to me before turning to her. "As for you, we are going to have a little chat about threatening my henchmen."

Jaster grabbed her by the throat and walked away with her. Her feet kicked the floor and she pounded on his arm, but he did not flinch. They were both relatively the same size, yet no matter what the woman did, his grip was unrelenting. He turned the corner with her and the last sound I heard, besides the squealing of her boots on the clean floor, was the sliding door open and close out of sight.

Panic and excitement started to set in. Was I really working for Jaster? I didn't even remember saying yes nor did I tell him my name. I looked down at my shirt. I was not wearing a name tag. Instead of wasting my time wondering how he knew my name, I did the one thing that would help me. Running off to grab a cart to fit all the lasers in. Super-Mart may have been my dream job, but working for Jaster was something I couldn't say no to. Even if I wanted to.

***