38 comments

Speculative Sad Science Fiction

This story contains themes or mentions of suicide or self harm.

TW: Swearing, death, suicide, superheroes

Karl Cent relaxed in his plush chair surrounded by paintings. “Apex Lad, it’s a pleasure to be invited to the first public exhibition of your paintings. Can you tell me why you chose the title Age is a Broken Promise?” Knowing the camera had cut to the muscular hero, the presenter checked that his microphone was hidden properly by his collar.

“I thought that was the obvious bit. Please call me Alex or Apex. The Lad bit is too dated now. That’s the problem with my life. Time is moving on but I’m stuck as I’ve been since I hit puberty. Since my powers manifested I haven’t changed at all.” A smooth face still a teen to the eyes, framed eyes with the blue intensity of an old man.

Karl flashed his brilliantly white veneers. “Alex, many people envy your powers. Even other superheroes. You’ve defined more than one generation of that community.”

Alex stretched, showing taught muscles in his chest and arms. “That’s my point Karl. I’ve had my time. I’m tired of being static in a world that changes. I’m stuck.”

Cent laughed as if the superhuman calling himself trapped in any way was an amusing anecdote at a party. “Right. So you wish you aged like everyone else?” He smiled, showing the trademark dimple in his right cheek.

Alex frowned, giving the air of an impetuous teen. Karl had to remind himself that the ‘boy’ before him was his senior and more than capable of pulverizing a mountain. “Yes. It’s the classic vampire bullshit. I’m tired of watching the people I love die. My parents died in the 80s. My oldest brother Mark died in 2001. My younger brother Devlin died in 2021. I sat by his bedside. He was this shriveled old man. I could see the envy in his eyes. He died of pancreatic cancer. It’s agony. He kept joking that he wanted healing powers. He wasn’t joking though. Now he’s gone. He was the last person I felt who really knew me, without my powers.”

Karl nodded as if he understood perfectly when in reality he would have given anything to trade his life for that of the ungrateful immortal. Not needing to dye his gray hairs. Not feeling his balls slowly sag towards the toilet. Not worrying that the network was going to dump him for a younger model. “You’re tired of life?”

Alex rubbed his perfect hands across his perfect chin. “Most people worry about dying. I’m worried that I won’t. Tests show I’m aging at the rate of one day for every two years of real time that pass. I could live for thousands of years. I’ve tried ending it. Knives don’t cut me. I dropped out of a plane and hit the ground. I just left a crater. I drank enough cyanide to kill the rest of the human race, and I got a mild stomach ache.” He smiled bitterly. Even his teeth were flawless.

Karl smiled his ‘let’s move on now’ smile and waved a manicured hand to the paintings around them. “Back to your paintings. They imagine versions of you that are at later stages of your life?” One of the cameras panned around the room, keeping them in shot the whole time.

Alex nodded. “Exactly. The first has me with a proper beard instead of the fuzzy fluff shit I’ve been getting for the last seventy years.”

So ungrateful. You’re the most powerful man in the world. “But otherwise, not so different from the Apex Lad we all know and love.”

Apex Lad rolled his eyes and nodded with a sardonic teen smile as if no one really got it. “Yeah, I wasn’t exactly stretching my imagination. This was my first painting. I’ve gone back to do more work on it since then but really this is from 1987. My next one imagines me hitting the body age of 30. I’ve got a beard but it’s trimmed.”

Seriously? “And jowls. Not exactly something most men look forward to. Take my word for it.” I’ve had three surgeries to keep mine at bay. Karl laughed his business laugh.

Alex Apex stood and pointed out the details. “Right. And a broader chin. That’s from 1994.”

Throw him a compliment. “I have to say Apex, sorry, Alex. I wasn’t quite expecting the mastery of the brush you have. These are amazing.” Kiss ass until his fans can taste it. I need more viewers.

Alex shrugged. “I’ve got a lot of time to practice. A lifetime of work for some is a little hobby for me.” Each movement showed a physique body builders worked their whole lives for.

Abs like fucking paving slabs. “I should warn people before the camera pans to the next painting that the subject matter is- I’m not even sure what to say. Grim?”

Alex nodded and looked at the red carpet. “It’s from a dark time in my life.”

Yeah it must suck never being injured. “Painting yourself lying in a bath of blood. Yeah. Can’t imagine you were happy at the time.”

Alex bit his nails. “I had been trying to end it for a year in 96. I pictured myself being about thirty five. Feelings like mine usually take their toll on the body. That’s why I look gaunt in the painting. The bags under the eyes. My first gray hairs.”

You want those? Chump. “And the blood and you being dead. Have you imposed an age restriction on the exhibition?”

Alex nodded. “I haven’t but the gallery insisted that anyone entering has to be 18 or older.”

Karl smiled. “I think most people would have assumed they’d be witnessing nudes after that kind of restriction.” Your groupies are going to be sadly disappointed.

Apex Lad shrugged. “I’m not interested in that kind of thing. Nudity for me, and sex, they’re an escape.”

“Can we talk about that?” Sleeping with the most beautiful women in the world is a hell of an escape. “This next painting fits that segway quite well. This model is Felicia Faraday is it not? You were together for a while before her accident.” She was hot.

Alex folded his arms, muscles bulging again. “She was blown up by Steven Stormknight. You don’t have to tiptoe around it. Yeah she was the closest I’ve had to a long term relationship. She aged slowly, like me. She was tough. We were good together.” A vein tensed in his forehead, a ripple in calm waters before disappearing again.

“Of course you got your revenge on Stormknight. He-”

Alex interrupted Karl and raised his hand to stop the presenter in his tracks. “I’d rather not talk about that. Emotions clouded my judgment that day. I was lucky that the jury were lenient. My point is, and I want to stay on track with this, is that Felicia was a rock for me. Without her I don’t know what to hold on to.”

Don’t get punched by the strongest man in the world. No surgeon could fix that. “When was this painted?”

“This was 1999. I’d been dating Felicia for three years.”

“Did she know about your depression?”

Alex nodded. “Yeah. Being with her brought me out of it. She was incredible. I finally had someone who understood me. She was watching her family burn out like candles as well.”

Are you quoting fucking Elton John? “The painting isn’t the most flattering portrait of her, given your clear adoration.”

Alex shook his head, fringe flickering like the slow motion introduction of the love interest in a romcom. “It wasn’t about showing her as less beautiful. I told her she would always be beautiful to me. It was about imagining us getting old together. We’d be about forty in this. Some white hairs. Some lines. Some wrinkles and veins are starting to show. It wasn’t painted so I could demean her. It was to show her that I wanted us to be together. Forever.”

Creepy. “The next one seems to follow on directly. You are at a grave. But not you. The subject is disheveled and twisted. The details in every wrinkle are incredible. How did you capture the light in the rain? The veins in the eyes? It’s the largest of the paintings so far. How long were you painting this for?” Looks like you ripped off the end of Tobey Maguire’s Spiderman.

Alex turned his blue eyes to the painting. “About four years. I put a lot of my grief for Felicia into this. It was therapeutic. The flowers are modeled on the bouquet I placed on her grave. I still visit on her birthday.”

Karl nodded, putting on his best show of commiseration. “This one, you titled Happy Day, is you and an imagined family. Hypothetical children with Felicia.”

“Yeah. If we’d been normal.”

“So you’re supposed to be about 60 in this painting and the kids are in their 40s? You painted this in 2002.” Karl checked the time. If he overran with the interview his makeup would start to run. Unlike the timeless golden boy, he needed work to look that good.

Apex Lad’s gaze was glued to the painting. “Yes to both. After Mark died I took some time out from work. I was worried I would do something reckless. I put it all into the painting. Some family visited me. I saw Mark’s kids at the funeral. I really rammed home what I was missing out on not being able to have kids.”

Boo fucking hoo. “Do you need a tissue Alex?” Look sincere. Showbiz smile but you’re sad for him.

“No. My sleeve will do fine.”

Gross. Karl nodded as if that was natural. “Then I’ll move on to the last triptych of paintings which others have compared to the final photographs of your father.” Karl’s eyes caught on the shimmering trail of snot on the superheros sleeve. He fought down the disgust.

Alex nodded. “It’s another thing I envy about people aging. They get to look at their family and see different bits of themselves in the similarities. Depending on how old they are they look more like their mom or their pop.”

“Is there anything else you’d like to tell people watching the show?”

“No. That’s it. Come and take a look at what my life could have been.”

Karl turned his whole body to the camera. He stood and walked as the cameraman zoomed out. He spread his arms and gave his biggest smile again. “That’s Age is a Broken Promise, by Apex Lad at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Get your tickets before they sell out.” He winked.

November 22, 2023 03:03

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38 comments

Michał Przywara
02:15 Dec 13, 2023

The meditation on immortality - or specifically, being the only immortal, and watching your loved ones keep dying - is always one I find interesting. But, I think that's secondary in this story, to the character of the interviewer. He embodies the “grass is greener” mentality, but he's also so delightfully superficial. Every barbed thought is a comparison to him, and it all drips with so much envy. But there's revulsion too, and dismissal. He logically knows Apex is older than him, but he can't get over the appearance of a teenager. Very su...

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Graham Kinross
11:01 Dec 13, 2023

Thanks for reading and commenting. I appreciate it.

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Chad Eastwood
06:56 Dec 08, 2023

That was brilliant. I liked the inversion of the aging process angle, but most of all I like the thoughts of the interviewer: both interviewer and interviewee hate the aging or non-aging process for opposite reasons. Very well executed.

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Graham Kinross
15:50 Dec 08, 2023

Thanks for reading and commenting Chad. I’m glad you liked it.

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Ken Cartisano
03:17 Dec 01, 2023

What's fun is the name Karl Cent, an anagram of Clarkent, plus the nod to the Comic genre with the reference to 'other' super-heroes. What's interesting is, we don't know what is meant by that. In fact, the reference may imply that 'Apex Lad' doesn't really have any power other than the inability to die. In light of that... we are left to wonder at what strange 'mutations' manifested in these 'other' super-heroes.

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Graham Kinross
04:09 Dec 01, 2023

I will leave the powers of others to your imagination. Apex Lad is meant to be the Superman of his world. He’s the poster boy for their superhumans. He’s the hero other superheroes look up to until they’re past being able to do what he does. I guess he’d inspire as much envy in that community because he can just keep going, whether he wants to or not. Thanks for reading it Ken.

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John Rutherford
10:52 Nov 30, 2023

Interesting.

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Graham Kinross
12:26 Nov 30, 2023

Thanks John.

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Marty B
04:13 Nov 30, 2023

A 'Picture of Dorian Gray' premise, but instead of one painting, a whole gallery ages. Dorian sold his soul, indulging in every vice while staying perpetually young. What did Apex Lad sell? He lost his family, his friends, his mental health, and his happiness. If I was to live forever I wouldn't want it to be in a depression. No matter how much Karl Cent would pay, it does not seem a good bargain. Thanks!

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Graham Kinross
05:52 Nov 30, 2023

Thanks Marty. He never made a deal. He was just a random immortal guy who wants what he can’t have. Thanks for reading.

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Helen A Smith
06:56 Nov 29, 2023

Really interesting way to approach the prompt. Of course Apex/Alex as a super being ages incredibly slowly and could easily feel life wasn’t worth living at times. Foe one, he kept losing people he cared about. With his fascination for unflattering portraits, his life was one of inversion. I guess we are often drawn to things we cannot have. He had the opposite problem everyone else had. Karl was not exactly supportive and completely insincere. This story is sharp and well written. I enjoyed reading it.

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Graham Kinross
09:40 Nov 29, 2023

Thanks Helen. I’m glad you enjoyed it.

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16:17 Nov 27, 2023

When I was 16 y/old I couldn't wait to turn 18 or 21 years old- basically age was a broken promise.... yeah, I was able to do more, see more, but- I didn't feel any different. Is the reader supposed to feel sorry for Apex (Alex)?

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Graham Kinross
23:16 Nov 27, 2023

That’s up to you. Ideally you’d be able to see both sides of the issue but Alex’s predicament is an inhuman thing, something we all might think briefly as younger people like you said, wanting the respect and options of older adults. But that’s a way of thinking almost everyone grows out of as they experience greater responsibility and the ever growing health issues of aging. Did you feel sorry for Alex? Thanks for reading.

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Belladona Vulpa
10:13 Nov 27, 2023

Both are interesting characters with their own perspectives, thoughts, and feelings. I found funny the wordplay Karl Cent/ Clark Kent. It was nice to follow the characters as they interacted with each other and see what sparks in each other (the way the interviewer was judging or reacting to Karl). The interviewer gave hints of satire of showbiz, selfishness as expected, and his conflict was that he tried to look genuine to get what he wanted. He had funny reactions sometimes, which worked for the story. Karl gave off the feeling of an ...

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Graham Kinross
10:51 Nov 27, 2023

Thanks Belladona. I’m glad you enjoyed reading it and that it made you think. I’m also glad you noticed the Clark Kent reference. Thank you.

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Humble Sparrow
16:14 Nov 26, 2023

That was poignant. I like the two extremely different voices, Alex's sincerity and the what the journalist was actually thinking. Is Alex a character that you've featured in other stories? It looks like you do a lot of series. Does it make the prompt easier or harder when you're tailoring it to a preexisting character?

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Graham Kinross
00:38 Nov 27, 2023

Alex was a one off for this. Tailoring the prompt to characters I’ve already written is easier because I have the picture of them, what they’re like and the world they live in ready to go. It’s just the scenario that needs to be tailored to that world which is fairly easy compared to starting from scratch for every story. Serialised stories aren’t eligible for the competition though, so that’s the drawback here.

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21:43 Nov 23, 2023

This was an interesting read. Fitted in well with the prompt. Was he actually a vampire? What sort of super hero was he? The snot thing was gross. It is sad when friends die (Can't even imagine watching all my loved ones getting old and dying while I look on as a forever-young.) but I believe that if any of us has a measure of health and vitality we would want to live. Dabbling in painting? Think of all the hobbies and skills we could get into if we lived forever. Doctors and Scientists can't explain why the body doesn't keep on renewing. Th...

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Graham Kinross
22:09 Nov 23, 2023

His comment about the vampire was my reference to many vampire stories which focus on ancient beings who grieve for mortals they’ve loved and lost. Apex Lad is supposed to be a Wolverine/Superman style superhero who isn’t aging at the same pace as humans so he’s worried about seeing everything rise and fall around him and being alone. He doesn’t feel much connection to humanity because he’s grieved for so many people he loves. Thanks for reading and commenting Kaitlyn.

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09:24 Nov 24, 2023

Thought so. That was the only comment about a vampire.

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Graham Kinross
09:44 Nov 24, 2023

I used to read the Vampire Chronicles books by Anne Rice. There are a lot of good books in the series but I prefer the ones which are just about vampires, later on it crossed into other things which didn’t work as well.

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Martin Ross
16:28 Nov 23, 2023

Great and imaginative use of the prompt! Cool observations on our shifting perceptions of our parents and legacy in ourselves. I’m turning 65, and see more of my Dad in me. And aspire to foster the kindness in him that’s trickling out of me.

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Graham Kinross
22:05 Nov 23, 2023

We all see different problems with life I suppose, and get to put perspective on what’s going to happen to us, or not in Apex Lad’s case.

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Philip Ebuluofor
12:52 Nov 23, 2023

Fine work Graham. I was reading to see many in dark leather jackets. Once again, this is Fine work.

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Graham Kinross
22:01 Nov 23, 2023

Thanks Philip for your kind words.

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Mary Bendickson
04:29 Nov 22, 2023

Self portrait gallery. Good one.

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Graham Kinross
04:46 Nov 22, 2023

Thanks Mary.

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Aoi Yamato
02:52 Nov 27, 2023

they are very different but I understand both.

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Graham Kinross
06:11 Nov 27, 2023

Thanks Aoi.

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Aoi Yamato
01:08 Dec 18, 2023

welcome.

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L M
09:11 Nov 25, 2023

Their opposite views on aging were interesting. Alex wanting to grow old seems reasonable even if its a weird point of view. The presenter worried avout his shelf life as well has a point to make about how people in media are only valued when they’re young.

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Graham Kinross
12:33 Nov 25, 2023

Thank you. I’ve been watching Gen V, the spinoff from The Boys and the way it explored the downsides of supernatural abilities. The way using them changed the way people were seen.

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L M
21:28 Apr 19, 2024

It was good.

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Cassie Finch
09:42 Nov 22, 2023

You're on a roll? What is it buttered with? This feels familiar. What have you been reading/watching/smoking? Liking it anyway.

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Graham Kinross
13:58 Nov 22, 2023

Buttered with? The brine of my tears? Thanks for reading Cassie. I’ve been watching the spin off show from The Boys called Gen V on Amazon. It’s similar but just with kids going to university.

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Cassie Finch
02:23 Nov 28, 2023

Yuk. Not my prefered spread. Those shows are gruesome. In a good way sometimes.

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Graham Kinross
10:45 Nov 28, 2023

Yeah, it’s the edginess that I like about them sometimes though. They really push it.

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