Con went Wrong

[WP] You are a "con-man superhero". You draw the attention of villains, pretend to have powers, and keep them occupied until a real hero with real powers arrives on the scene. You are so good at your job, that no one is entirely sure whether you are truly powerless or not.

*****

"Then it's settled," said Director Page, "we have to send Con-Man to take care of their main force."

I widened my eyes.

Every hero in the conference room nodded in approval. Surely, someone would speak up, right?

Nope. Not one of them disagreed.

I couldn't believe it. Most of them saved my life at one point or another. At least one of them had to know it was all a lie.

Or so I thought.

An alien force had just invaded the planet. Major population centers were already conquered and many superheroes fell in the initial attack. This was the first organized attempt at a counterattack. The heroes actually believed in me. The stakes were simply too high to prank me.

I sighed. It appeared that my charade worked a little too well. This was the worst day of my life.

"Is there a problem?" asked Director Page. She folded her arms with an intimidating gaze. I had never met a scarier person in my life. Even the strongest heroes and villains feared her indomitable will.

"Y-yeah," I said, avoiding eye contact. "Aren't you all putting too much faith in me?"

"Well, I know it's a critical part of the plan, but I wouldn't entrust you with it if I didn't think you could do it."

"That's really flattering, but still-"

"No," said Director Page. "You can save your humility for the press. You're one of the mightiest heroes on the planet."

"I'm really not that special. I'm sure one of your interns can do my job better."

Director Page frowned.

I flinched.

"I'm not sure where this hesitance is coming from, but I don't care. These aliens have been studying our culture for quite some time. They took down all those heroes because they knew their strengths and weaknesses. You, on the other hand, are one of the rare cases where your power remains a mystery. Not even I know its true nature, and I know everything. We need you."

I hung my head in shame.

"I think I know what's going on," said Edgelord, glaring with an accusatory tone. He was famous for lacking superpowers. Did he see through my lies?

I quickly raised my hands, pleading. "Please, don't-"

"He wants to keep hiding his power!"

I paused. That wasn't what I expected. Unfortunately, it only worsened the tension in the room.

Everyone scowled at me. I didn't know what to say. They had lost many friends over the past twenty-four hours. The last thing they cared about was someone too scared to fight.

"Is this the truth?" asked Director Page.

I pursed my lips.

"I understand your reservations," added Director Page, "but we've all made sacrifices here. Why would you want to hide your powers if there's nobody around for you to save?"

I had never hated myself more than at that moment. Director Page was right. My lie wouldn't be worth anything if the world ended.

"I have... a confession to make." I closed my eyes for a second, taking a deep breath. "I don't actually have powers. I've been lying all along."

The room became eerily quiet.

Director Page furrowed her brow, studying me.

I wanted to die.

"Bullshit!" said Astral Hacker. "You literally took down a kaiju on your own!"

"That was just luck. The kaiju tripped and the rest of the heroes finished it off, thinking I was responsible for the opening."

Director Page started rubbing her temples. "This can't be happening..."

"I mean, this is just as much your fault as mine. None of you bothered questioning it. Why do you think I'm called 'Con-Man'?"

"Because of your convictions...?" asked Edgelord.

Astral Hacker seemed ready to lunge at me.

"No," said Director Page. "I refuse to believe this. We aren't idiots! If you're too cowardly to do this, just be honest about it!"

Goddamn it.

I always told myself my superpower was lying.

It was the only way to cope with my inferiority. That way, I could justify my dream of being a hero without feeling like an idiot. This, however, turned out to be the biggest mistake of my life.

I first started this 'career' by accident. During a school field trip to a research lab, a supervillain attacked and held my class hostage. I drenched myself in some glowing liquid, pretending I had just acquired superpowers in an accident, which forced the villain to run away.

After that, I never had the strength to turn down the role of hero. It was the only time I ever felt useful. That wasn't an excuse, though. This was the price I had to pay for deceiving the world. Besides, the heroes only needed a distraction, and I could do that without any powers.

"Fine," I said, "sorry for what I just said. It's just the nerves."

Director Page raised an eyebrow. "So you're following the plan?"

"Yeah," I nodded, "Don't worry; I'll take care of it."

The tension in the room lessened after that. Some heroes even complimented my willingness to fight despite my cowardice.

"Everything will work out..." I lied to myself as I left the room, "It always does..."

*****

THE END