African-American Superheroes

A young woman comes into Gil's Pub. She's over six feet tall, voluptuous and quite beautiful, with long, lustrous Black hair, light brown skin and pale bronze eyes. She's wearing a stylish Black business suit underneath her long Black overcoat and looks around the room coldly. She takes in the décor, the male and female patrons and the owner himself, along with the staff. I know what she's doing. Scanning them. She notices they're all human, and steps further in. I smile. I can always sense my own kind. Her eyes zero in on me. And she knew what I was. With a smile on my face, I gesture for her to come to me. And she does, walking at a deliberately slow pace. We are not strangers. Her name is Stacy Wellington, a prodigy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Bio-Engineering Department.

I get up from my chair, and pull the seat up for her. Howler males are nothing if not perfectly civilized gentlemen. We're fantastically ambitious, ruthless and arrogant, but above all else, we're civilized. Stacy sits down, and I gesture for the waitress to come. Whatever she wants, it's going to be on my tab. Stacy surprises me by asking for a glass of orange juice. I am surprised at that. You see, the gal loves her liquor. Being an Alpha-level female Howler, she can withstand things ordinary human beings, both male and female, can only dream of. Among the Howlers, males and females are relatively equal in strength, speed and intelligence. Nine times out of ten anyway.

Among us, there are certain anomalies known as the Alpha males and Alpha females. The Alpha male has three times the strength and speed of an average Howler of either gender. The same goes for the Alpha females. These females are on average much stronger and more aggressive than most of the males. One out of five male Howlers born is an Alpha. One out of twenty females is an Alpha. Our Alphas are the top members of the race. They're stronger, faster and more intelligent. They're more sexually active as well. Lower-class males and females among the Howlers compete to attract Alpha males and Alpha females as mates. Alpha females are particularly in high demand. That's one of the many reasons why they make up the bulk of the females we allow in our armed forces. That's where the human mythology stories of Amazons come from. We're a decidedly matriarchal culture. Now, don't get it twisted. When I said we Howlers are matriarchal, I didn't say we were a bunch of feminist-whipped beta males like most men in the western world.

In the human world, females are seen as physically weaker than men and thus worthy of special treatment. Call is chauvinism or chivalry gone amok. It explains the policies designed to protect them such as Title IX, and the Violence Against Women Act. No such policies among Howlers. Males and females compete for the same positions under the exact same set of rules. Female losers end up dead just like their male counterparts. Sometimes, males and females are allowed to settle personal disputes in single combat. And it's perfectly legal among our race. When I said we are a matriarchal society, it's simply because of necessity. Among humans, there are more females than males. The human population of the United States of America is around fifty-one women to forty nine men in most cities. Among Howlers, it's the reverse.

Female Howlers typically make up forty percent of the overall Howler population. We can't reproduce without females. So they're quite a hot commodity even though they're definitely a minority. And they know it. Alpha female Howlers like Stacy Wellington were a rare find. Over six feet tall, fine-looking, booty-licious and smart as a whip. Definitely the kind of female I wouldn't mind siring a few brats with. As we sipped on our drinks, she gave me her report. Folks, I'm happy to say that my lady friend here is one of the foremost scientists on the planet. She had an advanced degree in bi0-engineering from MIT, where she now works as an adjunct professor while earning her doctorate's. Even by Howler standards, she was brilliant. A freak genius who's my most powerful ally in the most ambitious scheme ever undertaken by any living being in the history of the world.

I read Stacy's report. It was promising. You see, bio-engineering is tricky business. Stacy makes it look simple. She was working on building a very powerful viral agent. A retrovirus which would one day change the world. I am a firm believer in eugenics, folks. The Nazis gave eugenic s a bad name because they wrongfully assumed that every man or woman with White skin, blonde hair and blue eyes was a superior specimen of humanity. They're dead wrong. What makes a human being better than another is purely and simply genetics, not aesthetics. The Nazis were biased, short-sighted and dead wrong. Good health, adaptability and a high level of intelligence are sure signs of genetic superiority in a human being. Not hair color, skin color, body type, height or weight.

For example, the average youngling among the Howlers is smarter than the average student found at any Ivy League school in the United States of America. It's a fact, folks. Purely and simply. We Howlers breed for intelligence, adaptability and resilience. We don't breed for prettiness, though quite a few of us are physically attractive. Humans think looks matter first and intelligence along with other qualities come second, if at all. Have you seen television shows like The Hills, 90210 or Nip/Tuck? The humans always fall for a pretty face. Male and female alike, it's their collective weakness. And someday soon it shall be their undoing.

Genetically speaking, we Howlers have come a long way. And we're still getting better. Along the evolutionary path, I feel that Homo Sapiens have reached a plateau thousands of years ago and haven't improved since. Don't get me started by their technical advancements. We invented everything from the microscope, antibiotics, cell phones, videos, audio tapes, the Internet, computers, sonar, radar, the radio and DVDs. We built the space shuttles. We put a man on the moon, not the humans. Every talented inventor, whether male or female, Black or White, straight or gay, has been one of us. They simply didn't choose to reveal themselves to the world. Do you really think human scientists can do anything at all? Get real. The majority of modern humans aren't smart enough to walk and chew gum, it seems. I mean, look at dumb men pleasuring themselves while driving and even dumber women doing their makeup from behind the wheel of their cars. Male and female, Black and White, straight and gay, all humans were basically stupid. Weak. Prejudiced. Insecure. Paranoid. Treacherous. Deceitful. Why should we Howlers let them have the planet Earth for much longer? They've made a fine mess of things. Hey, here's a joke for you. What do you call a human being with half a brain? Gifted!

Anyhow, back to the topic at hand. I was telling you about Stacy Wellington's report. The gal had done outstanding work. The retrovirus I had her working on was basically the final solution to the human problem. It would allow us to get rid of humanity once and for all. And the most beautiful thing of all, the humans would never see it coming. They're too busy betraying and destroying each other. In every village, every town or city, every state, every country, humans are in conflict with each other. There are no universal rules for human beings to follow. Every human on the planet starts to think of himself or herself as some type of deity the moment they acquire power. Quite often they use that power against their fellow human beings. When Howler spies infiltrate top-secret human societies and underground organizations, it's humans who betray their own species for a variety of reasons. Howlers don't betray other Howlers. At least not when the interests of our species are at stake. We cover our own asses, as the humans like to say. In every city, every town, every workplace, every household, humans are divided and Howlers are united. That is our strength.

Stacy went on about the retrovirus, using a lot of complex technical terms. The medical jargon doesn't completely baffle me, though I'm not a scientist. The law is my area of expertise. Thus I was able to shield my fellow Howlers from detection from humanity by networking with my Howler associates in the courts and police stations. I told you we're everywhere. Stacy and I aren't in this alone. There are quite a few Howlers in high places who feel that humanity is becoming a big problem. Originally, we wanted to live in peace. Protect ourselves and our species from the predations of humanity while leading decent lives. Unfortunately, the humans have made a huge mess of things. There is war everywhere. American men and American women are battling it out with Islamic men and Islamic women in the Middle East. It's not a conflict between countries. It's a clash of civilizations not unlike when the savage and bloodthirsty Europeans warred with the peaceful Native Americans and stole their land from them.

We Howlers have always looked out for our own kind. While humans enslaved each other, men and women of all races lived lives of freedom among us. Who do you think started the Abolitionist Movement in the first place? Do you think some random human man or woman saw the error of their ways and started fighting for the rights of Black men and Black women who had been enslaved by Europeans? Absolutely not. Humans are dumb brutes. Most of them can't be trusted to add two plus two and get four. Enlightenment isn't encoded in their DNA. I don't care if they're male or female, straight or gay, Black or White. If they're human, they're a menace.

It was we Howlers who fought against slavery in the Americas. We've been fighting Slavery since the days of the Roman Empire. We fought against the Nazis in the 1940s. Nearly a thousand years earlier, we fought to stop the Europeans from slaughtering the Middle-Eastern populations in the name of God during the Crusade. We have always stepped in whenever humanity sought to destroy itself. Nowadays, many of us still fight the good fight. We're the driving force behind many human rights organizations worldwide. We strive to protect gay men and lesbians from harassment by unenlightened heterosexuals and homophobes of both sexes. We try to make humanity aware that the best chance for the planet was for humanity to Go Green. Be more environmentally conscious. We are behind the organizations which protected endangered species of animals and plants. Many of us believed that as an older race, we should look out for the humans. Mentor them. Shelter them. Keep them from harm. Now I realize how wrong we had been. The humans didn't deserve to live. They were a menace to all forms of life on the planet Earth. Including us.

I am a Howler, and safeguarding my species is my top priority. My mother Elisabeth Crawford believes that the day is coming when our species can reveal itself to the humans. She thinks the humans have advanced socially and technologically to the point that they can handle knowing that they're not alone on this planet. There is another sentient species living among them. My mother is dreadfully naïve. The humans can't tolerate a member of their own species for being gay, fat, short, mentally retarded, physically disabled or simply because of their skin color. Do you really think they will welcome us with open arms? I don't think so. I think the humans will rise against us the moment we reveal ourselves and hunt us down the way the Nazis did the Jews in the 1040s. They would try to wipe us out. And this I cannot allow. For this reason, I must go against every lesson I've learned as a sensate, intelligent and reasonable superhuman being and commit the atrocity of genocide.

Stacy and I take a look around Gil's Pub. To our left, a blonde-haired White woman is making out with her date, an Asian man with spiky hair. An older Black couple which comes into the restaurant all the time are renewing their vows. Two gay men, a burly Latino and a slim White man are holding hands as they get up to leave after a sumptuous meal. They tip their water, thank old Gil Brown for his hospitality, and leave. I look at them, and I feel a pang in my heart. Ah, the humanity. All around me, I see disturbingly familiar faces. Just people having a good time. Male and female, Black and White ( and everything in between ) and gay and straight. They were all enjoying each other's company. And I like that. I like seeing them like this. However, I knew it wouldn't last. Sooner or later, the tranquility and good-natured behavior displayed before me would vanish and give way to anger, hate, treachery and turmoil. It's inevitable. Like the rain.

How would these fine Bostonians react if I were to tell them that I am a Howler? They might laugh and tell me that I've seen one too many Sci-Fi Saturday evening movies. A fair amount of skepticism seems to fill most human minds these days. they wouldn't believe me. Until I cut myself, and showed them how I healed instantly. We Howlers are next to impossible to perform surgery on. Our regenerative powers know few limits. That's why we leave our newborn sons intact, instead of modifying them in the name of religion or aesthetics. Even those among us who live in Jewish and Islamic communities adhere to our sacred rules of leaving ourselves unmarked. We don't do tattoos or piercings either. The humans would be astounded by my regenerative powers. They might ponder the sheer possibilities. Some might wish to capture me and perform experiments on me. Others would display me on FOX News like a circus freak. Either way, I would be mistreated. To say the least.

My human co-workers at the Office would turn against me if they were to find out. Humanity hates those who are different. Hell, they might treat me like an alien if they found out I am bisexual. I keep my private life private, for this and many other reasons. Yes, the humans would turn against me if they knew what I was. As Gil Brown came by and looked at Stacy and I with doting eyes, saying what a good-looking couple we made, I looked at him. I've known this man ever since I was a college undergraduate. I first studied Criminal Justice at Bay State College, then transferred to UMass-Boston for my bachelor's and finally Suffolk University for law school. Through it all, I've known Gil Brown. I liked him. He always encouraged me to study hard. At my various schools, I was thrice a minority. Black, male and nonhuman. My mother Elisabeth Crawford was far away. She supported me financially, but her job as leader of our people kept her away. My father was busy with the Army, though we'd hang out when he visited. Gil Brown was an important figure in my life. Even though I hate the humans as a whole for being stupid and vicious, this ordinary human being mattered to me.