Tick, tick, tick

Jasper had his head on his desk. His snores mixed rhythmically with the ticks of the clock.

Tick, tick, tick

Henry's chin rested on his hand. He was dozing, eyelids drooping and head becoming heavy. He forced himself awake because he couldn't take his eyes off the "teacher" watching the class.

Tick, tick, tick

The "teacher" wasn't actually watching the class, though. She was one of the mindless zombies Minyak had taken control of. She wasn't even a teacher at the school, just some random citizen off the road. And she sat and stared at a black spot on the back wall, never moving. Her eyes were covered with dark sunglasses, so she could possibly not be blinking too. Henry wondered if she was still breathing, but then her shoulders rose with an intake of breath and he was reassured.

Tick, tick, tick

"This is so stupid," Henry groaned. Jasper looked at him. "What's the point of going to class if we're just going to sit here and do nothing?"

"You'd rather do stuff?" Jasper asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'd rather do anything that isn't sitting here with some zombie and doing nothing when," Henry leaned across the isle and lowered his voice, "when Ray and Schwoz and everyone else needs our help."

"Well, what are we supposed to do?"

"We need to get to the Man Cave somehow."

Henry leaned back in his seat. He raised his hand and asked, "Excuse me? Can I go to the bathroom?"

No answer.

The blond jumped to his feet. "I didn't hear a no." He threw a grin at Jasper as he strolled down the row and headed for the door.

"Stop," the woman said, her first word since they'd arrived thirty minutes earlier.

Henry turned around. "Or what?" he challenged.

"Sit down." Her voice was monotoned, exactly what Henry had been expecting from a robot.

The blond took a challenging step backward. "I have to go to the restroom, ma'am."

"Disobedience results in punishment."

"Which is what, exactly?"

Jasper frowned. He had a bad feeling about this.

The teacher revealed a gun from under the desk. There was hardly time to react before she pulled the trigger and a bang echoed off the walls. Henry's classmates dove to the floor, screaming and yelling. Jasper shouted Henry's name, forgetting for a split second that his best friend had a superpower.

Henry sidestepped, turning his body toward the back wall. Time seemed to slow as a narrow bullet crossed his vision. It just barely missed his nose. Only when it slammed into the wall beside him did he release the breath he'd been holding.

The classroom was still. Jasper peeked over his chair, eyes wide with fear. His gaze settled on Henry, alive and still standing, and his head dropped to the desk with relief. Thank God for hyper-motility, he thought with a sigh.

"What's the point of keeping us here if you're just going to kill us?!" Henry cried, glaring at the woman.

She remained emotionless. "Not kill."

Henry's face twisted in confusion. He looked over his shoulder, double checking that the thing in the wall was indeed a bullet. His eyes fell on a black circle stuck to a laminated poster about grammar rules. It wasn't embedded as far into the wall as he had imagined. There wasn't even a dent. It was like a magnet, stuck to the wall by some invisible force. The bullet had transformed, two black arms arching away from its body and rounding out to create two dark frames with additional limbs attached to the ovals.

Glasses. Henry squinted. The bullet transformed… Into glasses?

"Our Supreme Ruler doesn't want to take control of you," the woman spoke again, this time to the class, "but he will if he has to."

Henry gulped. He turned back to the woman and a chill ran down his spine for the second time in an hour. Her sunglasses matched the pair stuck to the wall.

If my power hadn't kicked in, I'd be one of them. Henry took a deep breath. Thank God for hyper-motility.

The woman turned back to him. "Now," she said, a hint of anger in her regular monotone, "sit down."

Henry returned to his seat wearily. Every step was uneasy and weak. He was sure his legs had turned to jelly.

As he sat down, he and Jasper shared a look. Henry wasn't really sure what they were thinking—that was terrifying? I'm glad you're/I'm alive? Let's not anger that woman again?––but he knew they were on the same page regardless.

Henry glanced at the clock. Ten minutes left of class.

Tick, tick, tick

•••••

The boys met the girls in front of the lockers. Piper had snuck into Charlotte's class after the assembly since she technically wasn't supposed to be in the high school in the first place, and she'd rather hangout with Charlotte than some dumb boys.

"Hey," Henry greeted, "how was your class?"

Charlotte sighed, leaning against her locker. "Boring. More than usual. What about yours?"

Jasper and Henry looked at each other. Henry rubbed the back of his neck while Jasper tried to whistle a tune that fell flat on the second note.

Piper pursed her lips. "We heard a gunshot from somewhere. That was your room, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," Henry answered.

"Uh-huh," Jasper nodded.

"What happened?!" Charlotte gasped.

"The punishment for disobeying orders is mind control," Henry explained. "The bullets in the guns aren't even real bullets—they transform into the glasses all of Minyak's zombies are wearing."

Piper hummed. "That's pretty cool."

"And scary. All someone has to do is slip up and it's bye bye free will," Charlotte pointed out, crossing her arms over her chest. "What are we gonna do?"

Henry looked around. His peers were beginning to disappear into classrooms. He glanced at the digital clock on the wall; they were an hour away from the end of the school day.

"Meet back here after the last bell," he ordered, turning back to his friends.

"All of us?" Jasper asked, side glancing Piper.

Leaving Piper alone while Henry figured out a game plan had crossed his mind many times in the last few hours, but every idea ended with the fact that he couldn't do it. He couldn't let her out of his sight, not in the situation they were in. What if something happened to her? What if somebody got a hold of her? With Piper's temper, Henry was sure she'd break the rules eventually. There was too much at stake to leave her behind like usual.

The blond nodded. "All of us, yeah."

Piper watched the trio with confusion. There they go again, speaking in their vague language like they had some secret to hide. She rolled her eyes. What was so important that she couldn't know about it? Piper felt like this had been going on for years, ever since Henry got his job.

As the group departed and the twelve year old followed Charlotte to the next class, she decided to get some answers.

"Hey, Charlotte?" she asked, falling into step with the older girl.

"Hm?"

"What's Henry's secret?"

"What?" Charlotte stopped walking and looked at her.

"You guys have been acting secretive for years," Piper explained, narrowing her eyes. "I want to know what's going on."

Charlotte pulled her lower lip between her teeth. "It's your lucky day, then. I think you're going to find out after school."

"Oh." The idea made Piper's shoulder rise with excitement. "Okay. Cool." She deflated before her eagerness was noticeable. With a careless shrug, she continued walking.

Charlotte smiled a little. She may have been just the tiniest bit excited about Piper finally learning the truth, too.

•••••

By the time school let out, the streets were crawling with zombies. There were a lot hanging around the school in particular, waiting to escort kids home. Henry hoped nobody's parents were waiting for them out there. How sickening would that be, seeing your parents under the control of someone else? Emotionless and robotic? If there was one thing Henry really hoped for, it was that he wouldn't have to face his parents in the midst of this mess.

The hallway didn't empty as fast as it usually did. Teens lingered around the lockers, eyeing the main doors wearily. As much as they may not enjoy school, the outside world looked a lot worse. At least inside they were with their friends in a (somewhat) relaxing environment.

"So," Charlotte said, eyeing her peers cluttered around the hall, "anybody have a plan?"

Henry ran his fingers over his whiz band. "I have an idea."

"That's not a plan."

"Unless you have something better, that's all we've got."

Charlotte rolled her eyes. She looked at Piper then back to Henry, brows raised like she just remembered something. "Think maybe you should let Piper in on some stuff before we try out your idea?"

Piper nodded in agreement.

Jasper's eyes widened. "Oh, now? We're doing it now? Cool."

"Not completely," Henry argued. He leaned against his locker and met his sister's eyes. "Okay, here's the main plan: We need to get across town to Junk N Stuff."

"Why?" Piper asked.

"For now, let's just say there are things there that we need."

Jasper nudged Henry with his elbow. "So, what's your idea?"

"I was just gonna knock some people out and then make a run for it," Henry admitted, tapping his watch and shrugging.

"How are you supposed to knock people out with that thing?" Piper asked, resting her hands on her hips.

Henry grinned. "You'll see."

Charlotte shook her head. "We can't just make a run for it. We'll be caught for sure!"

"Okay, then what's your bright idea?" Henry asked, crossing his arms.

She looked around for inspiration. There wasn't much, just a bunch of teenagers nervously chatting in clumps throughout the hall. A boy moved his head and something red caught her eye.

"We need to get everyone out. We can mix in with the crowd and sneak off while the adult minions are occupied with the kids," she said.

"How are we supposed to get them out? No one wants to leave!" Piper cried.

Charlotte nodded her head behind her. "There's a fire alarm back there."

Jasper pushed off the lockers. "I got it!"

The remaining trio watched Jasper push through the teenage cliques and fight his way to a fire alarm next to the front door. With his hand on the trigger, he pulled a tall boy in front of him to block his view from a teacher walking by. When the coast was clear, Jasper grinned a bit as he yanked the lever down.

The alarm pierced through the hallway chatter. Teens recoiled in surprise, throwing their hands to their ears at the screeching rattling through the speakers. Students began hurrying outside, pushing and shoving their way into the open air. Jasper flashed his friends two thumbs up through the commotion.

Charlotte shoved Piper and Henry into an open spot in the crowd. Jasper worked his way to his friends and they moved with the mass, tolerating the shoving just long enough to break free of the warm building temperature.

Jasper stepped away as soon as he could. He grabbed Piper's wrist, she grabbed Henry's, Henry grabbed Charlotte's, and the whole train stumbled off the path the rest of their classmates were rushing down. They ran along the side of the school, desperate to get around the corner without getting caught.

When they were safely out of sight from the escort zombies, they breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay," Piper said, turning to Henry, "we're away from them. Now can you tell me what's going on?"

Henry shook his head. "We're not in the clear yet." He looked down the street. It was silent and lifeless. "We still have to make it to Junk N Stuff."

•••••

Charlotte peered around a dumpster. She tried not to focus on the grimy metal her fingers were curled around or the odor making her eyes water. She turned her head right and left, scanning the main road for any signs of life. Things were eerily quiet.

"Nobody's around," Piper said. "Can you let me in on the secret now?" She'd asked four times since they'd escaped from school. Henry sighed, dragging a hand down his face.

"For the last time, no. I can't talk about it in the open like this. We're almost to Junk N Stuff."

"Clear," Charlotte confirmed. She waved her hand, motioning her friends to follow.

They walked in a line, girls in front and boys in the back. Every step was accompanied by a glance over the shoulder. Henry's fingers hovered over his whiz band at all times, ready to aim and shoot if needed.

A poster on a lamp post caught Jasper's eye as they reached the other side of the street. He tore the paper from the post and returned to his friends.

"Henry," he called, looking up. He handed over the flyer while gnawing on his lower lip.

Henry sighed as he glanced over the paper. It was a wanted poster with Kid Danger's picture smack dab in the center. Beneath the picture explained Minyak's promise to grant whoever completed the task with a "special reward."

"He sure works fast," Henry muttered, crushing the flyer in his hands.

Charlotte nudged Henry's arm. "C'mon," she said. "Junk N Stuff is right up here."

Henry tossed the crumbled up poster into an alley. As he turned to leave, something made him freeze.

There were more posters.

Littered across the buildings, the traffic posts, and even the dumpsters and mail boxes were flyers of Kid Danger. They were all the same thing: WANTED, KID DANGER, DEAD OR ALIVE. They were everywhere. He felt like he were in another parallel universe, one where he was the criminal and not Dr. Minyak.

Henry took a deep breath. Why were they after him? What did he do to be stuck with this? Why-

"HENRY!"

His sister's scream snapped his from his trance. Henry blinked. She yelled his name again. He spun on his heel and jogged toward the source, wondering what was happening.

He spotted three adults surrounding his friends. They stretched their arms, reaching for the teens. Jasper held his own arms in front of the girls protectively, turning his head to the side as he awaited the impending danger.

Henry slowed to a stop. He raised his wrist, took aim, and fired three green bolts that zapped on impact. The adults froze and there was a beat of silence before they collapsed to the concrete, out cold.

Henry smiled when he reached his friends. "You guys okay?"

"We're fine," Charlotte reassured. "Thanks."

"That was awesome! What just happened?!" Piper cried. She toed one of the adult's hands. "Are they dead?"

"No," Henry chuckled. "They're just unconscious. We should get going before they wake up."

"Right," Jasper agreed. "Good thing we're here!"

After rounding the corner, the sign for Junk N Stuff was revealed and the crew couldn't be happier. They sighed with relief and raced inside. Or, well, they tried. Right as Henry realized the door was probably locked, Jasper ran into it.

"Ow," he whined.

"Sorry Jasp," Henry laughed. He fished the key out of his backpack and walked to the door. The three kept watch as Henry unlocked the door and pushed it open. "C'mon."

Stepping into Junk N Stuff was like a breath of fresh air. Everybody felt like they could breathe easier in the safety of the shop. Henry locked the door behind him and jumped down the steps.

"Okay," he said to Piper, "now we can talk about it."

"Finally!"

Henry shoved her toward the back of the store. "You're not gonna believe me when I say this, so I'll have to show you."

Charlotte pressed the down button on the elevator and shared an amused look with Jasper. There was a ding and the doors slid open.

As Henry stepped inside, he begged, please let someone be down there. Please don't tell me we're all alone in this.

"Ready?" Henry said, looking at Piper.

"Duh! Press the button!"

Jasper snickered. "Don't freak out, okay?"

Piper rolled her eyes. "Don't baby me," she snapped.

"Okay," Henry sang.

He pressed the button.

Immediately, Piper's stomach leapt to her throat. She looped her arm around Henry's and nuzzled her head into his chest, screaming louder than she ever had before. Henry raised his chin and shared an amused grin with his friends over Piper's head.

The elevator stopped with a jolt. Piper raised her head and looked around. Did they stop? The room was still spinning. Slowly, she detached herself from her brother. She straightened her hair and took a step away.

"Stop staring at me," she growled, glaring at the teenagers.

Henry smirked at his little sister. "Pipes, I gotta tell you something?"

"What?" She pressed a finger to her temple; a headache was forming.

Henry turned so his back faced the door. "Piper," he said, grabbing her attention, "I'm Kid Danger."

The doors slid open. He stepped off and spread his arms out.

"And welcome to the Man Cave."