The Dark Side: A Thunderman Story
"Where's the mutt?" Max said, calmly. He squinted and his thoughts became distant.
The mad doctor's heartbeat quickened and he slowly took a step backwards into the cavernous warehouse.
"Forget the dog. Forget your sister. You need to think of your needs, Max Thunderman." His name was Dorian Christoff, but to Max and Phoebe, the civilians of Hiddenville, and the people of the world, he was called Doctor Death. He wore a white lab coat over a muscular frame. His black glasses framed a once handsome face, now rotting from biochemical burns, age, and anger. His pointed teeth punctuated his menacing image.
"Join me," Doctor Death beckoned, his hand outstretched.
Max looked down at his sister, who sat on the floor within a dark metal cage, struggling to catch her breath and rubbing at her wrists. Max had used his telekinesis and freed her arms from their ties within the cage. She should be happier now, but the tears coming down her cheek told another story.
Phoebe coughed, trying to say something, but her voice was too weak. Max crouched by her. "I'm right here, Pheebs. I'm going to figure out how to get you out of this thing. Just breathe."
Phoebe lay her head back against the cage's wall, propping herself into a more upright seated position with what little strength she had left. Her typically bright blue costume was now grey and spotted with dirt, large cloth pieces ripped from the arms and legs. Her long black hair was tangled and strands stuck to a spot on her forehead where a small pool of blood had formed from her injury.
The battle beforehand had taken so much from her. She had fought so many of the Doc's henchmen. All but one had fallen. Doctor Death himself remained.
When the Doc tied her up and threw her into the cage, Phoebe thought she was done for. However, Max's sudden arrival onto the scene did not surprise her. He just always seemed to be there for her in the worst times.
She whispered to Max through the cage's bars, "We need to…go…" She struggled to finish the sentence but the pain wouldn't let her.
Max replied, "No, that thing is still in here somewhere. You love it. I'm going to get it for you."
Phoebe just shook her head and looked down at the floor. The gift she had grown to love so dearly was gone. It was only a few months ago that the little animal – a miniature corgi - had been delivered to her doorstep. Link had left a note wrapped around its neck, which read, Hey corgeous. Hope this puppy can keep you company while I am away.
And now it was gone. Doctor Death had stripped her new friend away from her. With just one word to his cronies, the Doc had permanently taken a piece of light from Phoebe's life.
When she shook her head, Max immediately knew the grim message. Her dog was gone.
And a fire awoke inside him.
With a sigh, he stared deeply into his sister's eyes with a look that read only as this: I'm sorry.
"Max…what are you do-?" Phoebe tried to say, but it was no use. Before she could finish, the icy chill came over her. She was frozen in her spot, petrified with a permanently confused face to all who might see her from the outside.
"Ahhhh yes. The freeze breath. Always thought that was a cool trick, Max," the Doctor cooed. "Now, come with me. You. Us. The ones who have chosen the path of dark. We're all that matters now. YOU'RE all that matters now."
Max took in a deep breath and slowly stood up. He closed his fists and clenched them at his sides, and he turned to face his sister's captor.
"I'M all that matters now?" Max asked the villain across the expanse of the dimly lit warehouse. He took a concentrated step forward. Scratching the back of his neck, he cocked his head to the side and surveyed the surroundings. A passed out henchmen strewn over a box here. Another labcoat wearing croney doubled over in pain in the corner under a fallen beam there.
"You HURT her," Max continued. He took another step forward. Doctor Death's eyes darted from left to right as he searched for a backup plan. His scaly hands rose in an instinctive defensive pose. He knew that without his henchmen, his only trump card was his own villain power, but it would take him time to power himself up. And the Thunderman family – let alone the twins – were known to be powerful opponents. If he was going to stand a chance, he had to use his ability – nails like needles which could pierce through steel.
The needles, though, took time, and Doctor Death was running out of that with Max approaching him.
"You know, Doctor," Max said. "You can do what you want to anyone else."
Good, the Doctor thought. If he keeps talking, I will have the time I need. The Doctor snarled through his pointed teeth, which he now grit in order to steady his breath and call upon his power. Could he do this without Max noticing?
"You can play your 'doctor' games on your henchmen, beat them up for all I care," Max said, raising his fingers in bunny quotes to mock the villain's chosen alias. Max, then, casually pointed to a fallen lead pipe near him and, with a flick of his wrist, brought it over to his outstretched hand. Never missing a beat, he continued his stride.
"Shoot, you could even play your twisted schemes with Hiddenville civilians." Max shrugged and swung the pipe carelessly above his head to accentuate his point. "You see the thing about ME is, since you seem to know so much about me, Doctor, is that I don't care about anyone really."
The Doctor seized his moment. Beneath his scaly skin's surface, jagged needles began to form. Like liquid snakes at first, the needles solidified into thin razors. They erupted into knife-like daggers on the ends of Doctor's outstretched fingers. And with a powerful roar, the Doctor released the mounting energy that had gathered behind his hands and he thrust 10 venom-tipped needles towards Max's direction.
Like bullets through the air, the needles shot at the oldest Thunderman sibling. Lightning struck around the warehouse as the Doctor's roar echoed against the thunder that followed.
And then the needles flew.
And then time slowed.
And then the needles stopped – just like that. In the air. How small they looked, just floating, innocent vessels, pointed only an inch from Max Thunderman's now grinning face.
"You can do anything you want to the people of this world," Max continued, cocking his head to the side to stare at the Doctor's shaking visage.
"Just don't…." Max brought a hand up and telekinetically, methodically, pushed the now useless weapons to rest on the ground.
"…touch…." One more step, and he was now an inch in front of the Doctor's face.
"HER."