It started out as an average Saturday afternoon.
Tobey had decided it was a good afternoon to spend roving the city with his robot, searching for havoc to wreak. Seated comfortably in the metal hand of his robot, Tobey watched the small boxy homes of his residential neighborhood give way to the larger buildings of the industrial section of town. Yes, this was the perfect place to create a little chaos. The kind that sent the common folk running for cover, frantic screams issuing from their lips. The sort of chaos that destroyed buildings and took the city weeks to recover from. The kind that would inevitably draw a certain little superheroin to the scene.
Unfortunately, even the best laid plans can be brought down by the unexpected.
Tobey was nearing the center of downtown when he noticed the giant, mouse-shaped hovercraft looming overhead. The boy genius wrinkled his nose in distaste. That mangy, freak-of-a-scientist, Dr. Two-Brains was at it again. No doubt he was after another cheese related object of great worth that was being displayed downtown. Tobey had attempted to team up with Two-Brains once. Never again.
The mad scientist's presence was an irritation to be sure, but it wasn't until the first bomb dropped, shaking the ground and sending Tobey and his robot into a crumpled heap that he realized that his afternoon plans might very well be ruined altogether.
Tobey sat up on the cracked sidewalk, nursing a bruised elbow with as much dignity as he could muster as frightened citizens began to stream past, screaming in terror. Tobey frowned. He was supposed to be the one who scattered the peasants with fear. He glared up at the bobbing hovercraft, but with his robot emitting a stream of buzzing static, he could do nothing but jab the reboot button on his remote and watch helplessly as several more bombs rained down on the city.
Suddenly a flash of red and gold hurtled through the sky towards the craft. Tobey leaped to his feet. Wordgirl!
He strained his eyes to catch another glimpse of his plucky little superhero, then smacked his face irately. He needed to stop thinking of her that way. Thoughts like that only clouded his judgment. Still, he couldn't help keeping his eyes glued on the sky above.
He wondered what taunting words of wit were being exchanged up there between superhero and villain. If his own encounters with Wordgirl were anything to go off of, matching wits with her was more than half the battle. Tobey couldn't count how many times Wordgirl could have used her strength, or her speed, or her agility to defeat an opponent, but had instead taken advantage of her superior intellect. Which was why Tobey still harbored hope that he would one day be able to overcome her.
In frustration, Tobey punched the reboot button repeatedly, but the process refused to pick up speed. His robot was effectively disabled for the next ten to fifteen minutes and he was stuck on the ground missing out on the action. He shoved the remote in his pocket and jogged towards the center of the wreckage caused by the bombs. Maybe the hovercraft would land and he would have a chance at Wordgirl while she was caught off guard and not expecting him.
Even the light jog winded Tobey and by the time he reached the site of the first bomb crater, he was wheezing like an old man. He stopped and tried to catch his breath by taking in deep gasps of the smoke tinged air. That's when it happened.
He heard a sharp explosion overhead and looked up in time to see a bomb dropping as if in slow motion. A pang of fear ran through him then vanished as he realized it was going to land about a block away from his position. But then another puzzling thought presented itself. Why was the bomb falling so slowly? Then he saw her. Under the bomb, trying to hold it up with her super-strength, desperate to protect her city. But she was failing.
Was the bomb endowed with special properties? Had Two-Brains weakened her some way? Was she hurt?
Tobey wasn't sure what the emotions were that ran through him on the heels of these thoughts, but the next thing he was aware of was the shudder of the ground beneath his feet as the bomb hit. Instantly snapped back to the present, he took off at a sprint towards the bomb, vaguely aware of the hovercraft slowly beginning to descend as well.
The smoking black crater that greeted his eyes was much like the first. Tobey circled the rim of the pit, searching for a glimpse of a red cape, a single flutter of a brown lock. Sweat dripped down his brow, from the run or from nervousness he couldn't tell. He yanked his glasses off and swiped them roughly with the sleeve of his sweater before jamming them back on his face. He surveyed the rubble with dismay. Surely no one could have survived this. Any bodies would be broken and buried deep underneath...
"Help..."
The weak voice was no figment of his imagination. But he had no idea where it had come from. He had no choice, but to reveal himself and hope that his distinct British accent didn't give him away.
"Wordgirl? Where are you?"
"Here...Help me..." He saw her then. A gloved hand reaching out from a crevice in the rubble, straining to dig at the ashy wreckage in an attempt to free herself and then falling limp.
Tobey slid down the side of the pit on his bottom, ignoring the still hot earth and ash that coated his pants and new shoes. He struggled across the broken ground and grabbed her hand to steady himself. Now he could see her face, partially buried under a layer of shattered cement and burnt metal. Her eyes were closed tightly, face drawn in pain.
Tobey heard voices above and whipped his head around to see Two-Brains's henchmen circling the rim of the crater, just as he had done. He wasn't sure if they'd seen him yet, but they were sure to spot him soon. He turned his attention back to Wordgirl.
One touch of the rubble with his bare hands and he knew that unless he wanted burn scars he would have to use his feet. By kicking with all his might, he was able to send a few feet of the ashy remnants sliding away. He stopped and swallowed a deep breath again. What he wouldn't give for super-strength right now.
He stopped and examined Wordgirl's position again. He'd managed to uncover her head and shoulders now and the rest of her body wasn't fully buried, just trapped in this crack. Maybe he could get a good enough grip on her and pull her out.
He stood and planted both feet as firmly as he could on the shifting pile of rubble and took a death grip on her gloved hand. He paused. On second thought, he'd be able to keep a better hold on her bare hand then on the slippery material of her glove. He peeled the glove off and wrapped his fingers around her bare hand. It was warm and slick with sweat. For a moment the physical contact overwhelmed him. He could feel every callous on her palm, the pulse in her wrist... He blinked and told himself to focus. Again he set his feet and then, with all his might, Tobey pulled. He could feel her shifting and doubled his efforts. A shout rang out from above, but he ignored it. Wordgirl slid upward an inch, two inches, then three. Then she was sliding out, into Tobey's arms, and he had her.
He wasn't sure what to do. He could hear the henchmen clumsily making their way down the slope towards him and he was no match for their brute strength. But he couldn't leave Wordgirl for them. He tried to shift her higher in his arms so he could carry her, but only ended up awkwardly stumbling backward and nearly losing his grip on her. Carrying her was out of the question. But then what could he...
"Reboot successful," a robotic female voice said from his pocket.
Tobey's face lit up with a grin. There was a way out after all. He grabbed the remote and punched in a few numbers.
"Hey! Aren't you that robot kid?" Tobey turned and found that one of the henchmen had struggled his way down to the bottom. He was short and heavyset and, by the look on his face, not the brightest bulb on the tree.
"My name is Theodore McAllister the Third!" Tobey pronounced, trying to draw himself up regally, but with an unconscious superhero dangling from his arms he was sure the effect was ruined some. Never mind that. "Prepare to taste defeat, peasant!"
The man scratched his head than turned to his companion who was still sliding down the side of the crater. "Did you hear that, Charlie? He says he's going to defeat us." He turned back to Tobey and blinked. "What's defeat mean?"
Tobey opened his mouth when a shaky voice broke in. "To defeat means to destroy, to conquer, to beat." Tobey tightened his grip on Wordgirl involuntarily as she shifted. "What's going on?"
"Just hold on, Wordgirl! I'm getting us out of here!" he said.
She began to struggle more violently as she awakened more fully. "Tobey? Let go of me!"
Tobey shook his head. "Stop fighting, Wordgirl! Trust me!"
"Trust you?! Why should I..."
"Duck!" Tobey yanked them both down in a heap as the first henchman lunged at the pair. He tripped on their outstretched bodies and fell a few feet into the crevice that had trapped Wordgirl. Tobey spit out a mouthful of ash and tried to stand, but his face was suddenly shoved back into the dirt as Wordgirl tried to get away. She was regaining her strength quickly.
"Tobey, let go of me! I'll tell your mother!"
Tobey tried to talk, but he couldn't breathe. He could feel unconsciousness looming. He would die here in this hole in the ground, just when he was so close to fulfilling his biggest goal.
Suddenly he felt metal underneath him instead of dirt and he heard Wordgirl give a little scream of unexpected fear. Her grip weakened and he sat up, pinning her beneath him again. The wind whistled through his blond hair as he looked up into the face of his rebooted robot.
"Robot! Perfect timing!" he cried. He peered over the edge of the robot's metal hand and smirked at the sight of the two henchmen and the mouse hovercraft below. "Alright, robot... Away!"
The robot turned and took off running down the streets, away from the crippled downtown.
Tobey turned to see Wordgirl sitting up and looking around in a daze.
"Well, Wordgirl... There's no need for thanks. All in a day's work for Tobey McAllister."
Wordgirl frowned, putting the pieces together. "You saved me?"
Tobey seated himself cross-legged a few feet from her. "Perhaps."
She held out her bare hand, splaying her fingers. "Where's my glove?"
Tobey blinked and then glanced over his shoulder. "Sorry. It must have fallen back in the pit."
Wordgirl got to her feet unsteadily. "Thank you for your... assistance Mr. McAllister, but I should be going now."
Tobey jumped up. "Wait!" She looked at him curiously and he blushed. "Might we... I mean... wouldn't you... don't you..."
"What is it, Tobey? I don't have all day," she snapped. She was on edge. But then again, he probably would be too if he'd just been crushed by a bomb.
"Wouldn't you like to come... have an ice cream with me? My treat," he spit out quickly.
Wordgirl frowned again. "Maybe, some other time..." Before he could say anything else, she was flying off into the distance. He watched her flight until he couldn't see her anymore. Then with a sigh he reduced his robot's speed and turned him for home.
Tobey walked quietly through the door and down the hall to his room. His mother's voice rang through the house. "Tobey? Is that you?"
"Yes, mom!" he called. He walked over to his bed and sprawled across it with a sigh.
"How was your day, sugar muffin?"
"Oh it was just fine, mom," he called back. He reached in his pocket, past his remote, and fingered the smooth, silky material of the wadded up glove. "Just fine."