Warning: there's a lot of running in this & i'm awful at writing those scenes

Song: Run Boy Run by Woodkid


There was a full moon shining through the shop windows during the first Swellview Alliance meeting.

After the Wall Dogs saved Jasper in the street and decided to form an alliance with Kid Danger, the groups agreed to meet at midnight Friday night to discuss further plans. As decided by Kid Danger, the rendezvous location was at Glass from the Past, the halfway point between the two groups' home bases.

Team Danger arrived first. They consisted of Jasper, Charlotte, Piper, and Kid Danger. There had been a lot of back and forth bickering between Charlotte and Henry before he finally convinced her to agree. She was still wary about the whole thing, but he managed to drag her out and meet, so that was a win in his book.

A few minutes after midnight, the Wall Dogs arrived. There were three of them: Veronica, Max, and Spray Z. They dressed in dark colors, and Max had a backpack on.

"Hey," Kid Danger greeted.

"Hey," Veronica replied with a smirk.

Kid Danger looked from his friends to the Wall Dogs. "So, um, I guess we can call this meeting to order? I don't… How do we start? Do we go around introducing ourselves or—"

"We ain't in kindergarten," Spray Z growled. "Let's just get this over with before someone catches us."

"If we're going to be working together, don't you think we need to know each other's names?" Charlotte shot back.

"I'll start," Max volunteered before a fight could break out. She raised her hand. "I'm Max. I'm fifteen."

"Hi Max," the group replied.

"We sound like an AA group," Veronica muttered.

"I'm Spray Z," Spray Z introduced, shoving his hands in his hoodie pocket. "I'm eighteen. Kid Danger shot my eye out."

"Mmmmm, no I didn't," Kid Danger argued. "You took my laser; it was your fault."

"I'm Veronica," Veronica interrupted before a fight could break out. She stepped between the arguing boys and threw a look at Kid Danger. "I'm seventeen. Your turn," she said.

"Well, I'm Kid Danger," he said, rocking on his heels.

"Yeah, no shit," Spray Z scoffed.

"Knock it off," Veronica warned.

Charlotte waved. "Hey, I'm Charlotte. Seventeen."

"I'm Jasper," Jasper said, glaring at the Wall Dogs. "Seventeen. You may remember me as the boy you attacked and sprayed!"

Spray Z raised an eyebrow. "I've never seen you before, dude."

"Wait, yeah, I remember you. You're the herbert this herbert painted," Veronica realized with a snort, pointing from Kid Danger to Jasper. "That was funny."

"It was not funny! The paint broke me out in hives!" Jasper cried.

"Shh!" Charlotte and Kid Danger shushed. Charlotte coaxed Jasper back onto their side.

Piper smiled without her teeth. "And uh, I'm Piper. Thirteen."

Veronica and Kid Danger looked at each other.

Charlotte raised an eyebrow at the exchange.

"I guess we can start this now," Kid Danger declared.

Spray Z raised an eyebrow. "So, you have a plan to take this creep down?"

Kid Danger rubbed his neck sheepishly. "Not exactly."

"Then what the hell was the point of this meeting!"

"Shut it!" Veronica hissed, smacking her friend's chest. "Someone will hear you!"

"The point was to meet up and discuss a plan. Anybody have any ideas?" Kid looked around the group for answers.

Nobody had a suggestion, but Max did have something to say. She stepped forward and slid the bag off her back.

"I brought a peace offering, kind of," she announced. She knelt next to her bag, unzipped it, and pulled two devices out. They were black matching walkie-talkies. When she stood, she handed one to Veronica. "I figured we'd need a way to keep in touch, so I picked these up on our way home today." She walked across the floor and handed the other to Kid Danger.

"Thanks," he said with a smile.

"Yeah, no problem. They're battery powered, so you don't have to worry about charging them. Their range is twenty miles, so we'll always be able to talk."

Veronica nodded. "Good idea, Max."

Max smiled. "Thanks."

Suddenly, a spotlight swept through the streets. Charlotte nudged Kid Danger's arm and pointed toward the light while Piper asked, "What is that?"

The Wall Dogs turned just as another light grazed over the block.

"It's a search light," Veronica announced.

"Shit, we need to hide!" Spray Z cried.

The group dispersed, scrambling behind counters and shelves to take cover from whoever was outside. Piper and Jasper dove behind the front desk. Spray Z and Max ducked behind a shelf. Kid Danger knelt beside a display case. Veronica and Charlotte found themselves pressed between the wall and a shelf across from Spray Z and Max.

Nobody spoke. Nobody moved.

A white light flooded the store. The teens held their breaths as their hiding spots were drowned out by the blinding glare.

It disappeared as soon as it appeared. After a few seconds, Kid Danger peeked around the display case.

"They're gone," he whispered.

Everyone stepped out, and the tension eased a bit.

Charlotte and Veronica glanced at each other as they rejoined their friends. They never spoke a word.

"We should head back," Charlotte suggested. "That was way too close."

"Yeah, you're right," Kid agreed. He turned back to the Wall Dogs. "We'll contact you when we have a plan."

Veronica nodded. "Okay."

"Be careful getting back," Jasper called as they headed toward the door.

"Don't tell me what to do," Spray Z grumbled.

Jasper scowled. He waited until the others were gone before he complained, "I hate him."

"Me too," Henry agreed with a laugh, "but we have to tolerate them. At least for a little while."

"C'mon," Charlotte said, nodding toward the door, "we need to go home. I'm tired."

The first Swellview Alliance meeting was ended abruptly by Minyak and his brainwashed zombies.

It was surprising then, but as the kids would soon learn, a lot of things ended that same way.

•••••

On weekends, Jasper usually liked staying up late and sleeping until noon. It was his favorite (and only) Saturday routine. He enjoyed spending hours on his computer watching YouTube video after YouTube video until he somehow ended up on the Weird side of the website and learned how to croquet a scarf with his toes.

This weekend was different, though. After Team Danger turned in for the night following the first Alliance meeting, Jasper was too tired to even try getting on his computer (even though he knew there was no Internet, he still had the tiniest bit of hope). He passed out on his couch and didn't move until morning.

Normally, he woke up on Saturdays to his mom screaming at the neighborhood cat to stop peeing in her bushes.

This time, he woke up on his own to the soft chirping of birds. It was kind of peaceful. A quick glance at his phone told him that it was nine in the morning. It was a strange feeling being up this early and not being tired.

Is this what it feels like to get a full eight hours of sleep?

Jasper rolled onto his back and held his phone above his face. He unlocked the screen and went straight to the group chat between him, Charlotte, and Henry.

Hey, he typed, anyone awake?

He busied himself with playing games on his phone. But then, a few minutes turned into ten, then twenty, then he found himself dozing off.

Jasper woke up half an hour later to a blank screen. Surely someone was awake now? It was eleven. They were usually up by then.

There was a red exclamation point next to his message. He groaned loudly.

"Stupid Minyak," he grumbled, "shutting off our cell service."

Well, it looked like he'd have to walk down to Junk N Stuff by himself. Or maybe he could sneak into Henry's house and see if they're awake.

Jasper stared at the ceiling a few minutes longer before finally pulling himself up. He turned on a music app and cranked the volume all the way up. He moved around the house with the Cha Cha Slide and the Cupid Shuffle. While waiting for his frozen lunch to heat up, he belted the lyrics of his favorite songs.

Around eleven thirty, he was dressed, no longer hungry, and ready to go. Just before he stepped outside, he paused his music and was engulfed in a heavy silence again.

Jasper gazed around his house. There was never a quiet moment in his home. His mom usually always had a TV or radio on, or she was on the phone with her boss or sister, or she was shouting out the window to the old man next door. Calm was not something he was used to, and it was a bit relaxing, if he was being honest. He didn't miss his parent as much as his friends probably did.

At the same time though, the silence was a little unnerving. While he enjoyed the break from his mom, he didn't like the feel of living in an empty house. It was too peaceful.

A little evil invasion wasn't going to make him stay indoors, no way. Just like usual, he had a reason to be away from home for most of the day.

Jasper opened his door and stepped outside. Now was the time to head to Junk N Stuff and figure out their next move. He would worry about the quiet house this evening.

As Jasper pulled his door shut, he gazed around his street for any of the Minyak zombies. He was ready to run around back and head down the alley if he spotted an adult steaking out the area.

However, what he wasn't ready for was to turn toward the road and freeze at the sight of his old man next door neighbor standing at the edge of his yard. The man was staring at Jasper and standing still like a robot. Jasper couldn't see due to the sunglasses, but he could feel Mr. Curley's glass eye piercing straight into his soul.

Jasper laughed nervously. "Oh hi," he greeted with a sheepish wave. "I was just, uh, seeing what the weather was like!" He stuck an arm out. "Warm, just as I thought. I'll just go back inside now where it's nice and cool and… Never come out again. Bye!"

He raced back inside and slammed the door shut. Looked like he was heading down the alley after all.

Jasper moved quickly and carefully, diving behind hordes of trashcans or cars when he saw an adult between the houses. He had a few blocks to go through before he made it to Henry's house, and luckily, he could follow the alley all the way there.

A woman stepped onto the gravel ahead of him. Her dark sunglasses got the glare of the sun and nearly blinded him.

Wait—

Jasper turned and began to head the other way.

His old man neighbor was standing there, hands in the pockets of his overalls.

–why does it feel—

Jasper squeezed between a car and a shed and ran across a yard to the next street over. He turned in a circle slowly, taking in the new surroundings. They'd cornered him to a cul de sac nowhere near his friends.

–like they're following him?

A pair of women stormed toward him, their heels clicking against the concrete in awesome unison. They looked like twins, but they were unfamiliar otherwise.

Jasper gulped. He eyed the road behind the women. It was empty and quiet. He had no choice but to make a run for it. There would no doubt be more minions roaming the streets, but at least he wouldn't be trapped in the suburban areas.

He groaned a little. Why was he always stuck running for his life?

Jasper took a deep breath and took off down the street. He opted for a jog until he could figure out where to go next, but then the sound of shoes against pavement rattled his ears, and he knew he was being followed.

He picked up his pace, pushing harder and faster, like he was trying to cross the finish line before his gym teacher could order another round of laps.

But then, a swarm of adults flooded the street from the left. They slipped through the spaces between the houses and stormed at him at a pace that would usually be calm and leisurely, but in a mass like that, it was daunting and unnerving.

Jasper would never be able to watch another zombie movie again.

"What the hell?!" Jasper cried. He stumbled, turning his head back and forth as he took in the army closing in on him.

A voice echoed from the group of—ten, he counted with his finger—adults. It was one voice, but it sounded like it was coming from everywhere.

"Kid Danger," it was Minyak, but, where was he? "I have you cornered. There is nowhere to run. Surrender now."

Jasper opened his mouth and closed it again. Minyak thought—Jasper laughed, a bit hysterical. "You think I'm Kid Danger?" he yelled. He laughed again. Normally, the idea would thrill him! Him, Kid Danger? A superhero? One of the coolest guys in Swellview? Yes, please!
But as the adults closed in on him, and Jasper caught a few of their fingers twitching around the guns in their hands, the teenager was suddenly really relieved to be regular ole Jasper Dunlop.

"If you're not, then the other boy must be," Minyak muttered, sounding further away than before. Jasper squinted, searching for the source. Was the scientist actually there, or was he speaking through the glasses like Henry was talking about a few days ago?

Also—Minyak basically knew Kid Danger's identity!

"Uhh, actually!" Jasper cried, shaking his head. "I am Kid Danger! You got me!" He wasn't really sure what he was saying, but the only thing he was sure of was that he had to keep Henry's secret safe.

Even if that meant taking on, like, twelve brainwashed adults.

Jasper looked around. His escape route was a slim break between a skinny blonde woman and a tall lanky man standing a few feet from the sidewalk. Surely, he could shove past the woman at least and push through to freedom.

It was his best bet. Jasper rocked on his heels and crossed his arms over his chest. "You'll have to catch me first, Maniac!" he hollered as loud as he could in hopes to drown out in the tremble in his voice.

Then, he ran.

He shoulder-checked the woman and shoved the man with his elbow. Jasper stumbled as he hands tried grabbing his arms, but the dose of adrenaline in his veins was too strong; he tore free after only a few tugs.

Jasper's lungs were still burning from his last sprint. He'd barely passed a few houses before he was ready to double over and rest for an hour. How was he this out of breath already, seriously? When this was all over, he was making a firm commitment to the gym.

This run was different from the last one, though. Before, he was running because he didn't want to be caught. And even if he was, Minyak would probably just put him on house arrest or something (he didn't think Minyak would waste bullets on a kid anyways).

Now, Jasper forced himself to keep going even though he could feel his breakfast rising up his throat because he couldn't be caught. Now, he felt the full weight of Kid Danger's bounty on his shoulders, dragging him down with fear and riling him up with adrenaline. He didn't want to imagine what would happen if Minyak managed to corner him again. Jasper knew he wouldn't be as lucky the second time around.

Jasper always wanted to be Kid Danger, and he finally got it.

He wished he'd stayed in bed today.

•••••

"It doesn't look like you need my help."

Minyak ignored her as he turned in his chair and smirked at his prisoner. "So, Captain Man," he said, leaning to the side and gesturing toward the computer screens behind him, "does this boy look familiar to you?"

Captain Man pretended to study the video feed carefully. He squinted and hummed thoughtfully, watching Jasper Dunlop run for his life as a dozen adults chased after him.

"Don't tell me you really expect him to tell you whether that's Kid Danger or not."

The superhero smirked. "Yeah, she's right. That could be Kid Danger, but it also couldn't be. I can't really tell. All those concussions made my vision a little fuzzy." He looked smug in the face, but his eyes were dark and full of hatred.

Minyak took a deep breath. "Fine. Then how about this boy?" He reached behind him and grabbed a book off the counter.

Captain Man and the woman leaned toward the light to get a better look when Minyak held the open book in front of him.

It was a yearbook opened to the Swellview junior class. There were three faces circled in black ink: Charlotte Bolton, Jasper Dunlop, and Henry Hart.

"These are three of the four kids my men found Monday morning after I'd already taken control of the city. This one," he pointed at Jasper, "is the idiot on the run behind me. I haven't seen much of the girl, but this boy," he pointed at Henry, "is a bit too jumpy to not be suspicious."

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Jumpy how?"

"He shoved me away from his friend the other day."

"Maybe you scared him," Captain Man offered. He pressed his lips into a smile. "Your face does frighten a lot of people."

"Shut it," Minyak growled. His eyes flickered to the woman. "Word on the street is you know Kid Danger's identity. Is he either of these boys?"

She crossed her arms over her chest and glanced at the superhero sitting a few feet away. Her "ex-boyfriend" (if you could even call him that since the whole relationship was built on mind control) was glaring in return, jaw clenched, and eyes narrowed.

Don't you dare, he warned.

She straightened her spine and turned to Minyak. "No," she answered, "but I can bring him to you if you erase any file you have on me and my," she paused, lips twitching as she searched for a better word, "hobby."

Minyak smirked. He'd lured her back to Swellview with the age-old trick of blackmail. It was simple, really. She was well-known in the villainous world before she brainwashed Captain Man. But then, word got out about her supposed engagement to the superhero, and she suddenly caught fire among other evil doers. Minyak figured she knew something after getting that close to Captain Man, so after learning Kid Danger managed to slip through his fingers, he devised a plan.

Minyak's loyal assistant Nurse Cohort spent hours digging up everything she could find on the mysterious woman Gwen. After hacking into security cameras across the country and running back and forth through the video feed enough to catch clear face shots, it was apparent this woman would be facing federal charges if anything were to slip out.

It was amazing how easily you could coerce someone into doing your bidding when their freedom was on the line.

"Of course," Minyak promised. "A deal is a deal." He tilted his head back and laughed.

As Gwen turned to leave, she paused and looked at Captain Man. He was furious. She glanced at Minyak and knelt in front of the superhero.

"Hey," she whispered, smirking, "at least you'll see your boyfriend tomorrow."

"Don't think I won't hit you just 'cause you're a girl," he growled.

Gwen hummed. She slowly stood and slipped out the door. As she walked down the hallway, she dug her nails into her palms.

Ray Manchester was a kind person; there was a reason the whole city loved him.

But, there was also a reason a lot of people were afraid to cross him.

•••••

Jasper stumbled through a door and collapsed on the marble floor.

He rolled onto his back, gasping and coughing as he tried recovering from the marathon he just ran. His lungs were dry and burning; they'd never hurt so bad before! His legs—he couldn't feel them. And his head wouldn't stop throbbing.

This must be what it felt like to die.

Jasper spotted shadows falling over the windows. He scrambled to his hands and knees and crawled behind a metal shelf just as a voice shouted in the streets. He recognized the voice, but it definitely wasn't Minyak's.

"Spread out!" the man shouted. "He couldn't have gone far!"

Jasper realized with a churn in his stomach that that was officer Wilson. He'd nearly forgotten about the man who brought him and his friends into this mess.

Oh, this was bad. He was cornered, on his own, probably on the other side of the city from his friends! The Minyak minions continued to grow in numbers as he ran, cutting him off on every backroad and short cut. Eventually, Jasper was just running with no sense of direction. It became less about rerouting back to Junk N Stuff and more about finding a safe place to hide and rest.

Jasper tilted his chin back until his head bumped against the shelf behind him. He was in a gas station, but not one he recognized. The walls were mustard yellow with a white trim around the top. He looked over to the registers a few feet away. There were stands in front of the counter filled with souvenir items and useless knickknacks. Jasper couldn't remember any gas station around his house that had souvenirs. Just how far did he run?!

Movement ahead of him had him sitting upright. Something fell to the floor, and somebody shuffled their feet.

Jasper's breath caught in his throat. He wasn't ready to run again (he was sure he'd pass out if he so much as stood). But what could he do? Fight? Yeah, 'cause that worked out so well the last time.

Shoes squeaked as the stranger continued down the row. They seemed to be inching closer, just as carefully as Jasper was listening.

His eyes swept across the aisle he was sitting in. Nothing was useful! Of course, he had to collapse in the candy row.

They would spot Jasper any second now. He needed a plan!

There was a sharp intake of breath, and then the stranger jumped into view.

"Stay where you are!" she ordered, thrusting an arm out and taking aim.

Jasper threw his hands in front of his face. "Don't shoot, please! I'm not Kid Danger!"

A beat passed between them.

The girl slowly lowered her hand. She looked him over. "Yeah, I didn't think so."

Jasper dropped his hands. "What—What does that mean?!"

She shrugged. "I just don't see Kid Danger begging not to be shot. Wouldn't he be all, 'I have a laser that can knock people out, pew pew?'"

"Probably, eventually, but he'd definitely cower like a girl before all that happens," Jasper declared. "Besides, his laser doesn't go pew pew. It's only one pew." He eyed the weapon in her hand. "Were you really going to hit me with pepper spray?"

Her cheeks flushed. "It's the only thing I have, which is more than before I entered this gas station." She stepped forward and offered her hand.

He waved her off. "Thanks, but I just ran, like, six miles. I don't think I can stand right now."

She pursed her lips. "Okay, fair enough." She dropped next to him and crossed her legs. "Can you give me some context, or…?"

"Uh…" Jasper suddenly lost the ability to speak because oh my god, this girl was beautiful. Now that she was closer and easier to see, Jasper could really grasp her features. She had olive skin and long dark brown hair pulled into a high ponytail. Her cheeks were narrow, eyes large and light brown, and her nose was long and straight.

"N-No," he stuttered, shaking his head slowly. "It's kind of a secret, sorry." He smiled sheepishly. "I'm Jasper, by the way."

"Althea," she replied, pulling her lips back into a smile and revealing a set of perfect teeth. Jasper was beginning to wonder if there was anything imperfect about this girl.

"That's a pretty name," Jasper breathed.

"Thanks. So, you can't tell me anything? Not even why they were chasing after you? I feel like I should know this if I'm going to risk talking to you. It's too dangerous to hang around an outlaw, you know."

Jasper laughed nervously. "Well, uh, I'm not an outlaw so, there's some good news. I was just, um…" He gnawed on his lip. "Um… I was… Saving Kid Danger's life!"

Althea blinked. "You were?"

"Yep, yes I was… He was being cornered by a few adults, and I drew the attention away from him, so he could escape."

Or, something like that.

"Wow, that's so brave! Are you guys friends?"

"Oh, the best. We're like brothers."

He mentally kicked himself. That was too truthful, Jasper!

Althea grinned. "That's so cool!"

"Yeah, yeah, it's really great. Hey! Let's talk about you. Why haven't you been turned into a zombie?"

Her smile faltered a bit. "It's kind of a long story. I'll tell you about it in exchange for some help."

"Sure! What do you need?"

"Well if you're up for it, I need some help carrying these bags back to my base."

"Your… Base?"

Althea jumped to her feet and peeked over the shelf. Then, she turned back to Jasper and explained, "Yeah, some company and I have taken shelter in the hospital across the highway."

"Wait—You mean there are adults over there who haven't been brainwashed?"

"Uhh… Yep! Sorry, I keep forgetting that I'm an adult now. You wanna help out?"

Jasper was shocked for just a moment, but then his surprise faded away into excitement, and he grinned.

"Tell me what I need to do!"

•••••

Jasper slung the duffle bag over his shoulder and followed Althea out of the gas station. The two spent fifteen minutes tossing as much food and snacks into their bags that would fit. Althea explained she had been on a supply run when Jasper stumbled into the mix and scared her.

"So, how did you and the others skip the brainwashing?" Jasper asked as they rushed across the road.

"Um," she began, pressing her back against the door of a hotel and peeking around the corner, "we weren't hit directly in the head. The ones who attacked us had really bad aim. I got the bullet out as fast as I could and patched up my wound. Then when I realized I wasn't being controlled, I set out to find others. I figured there had to be more with my luck."

"How many did you find?"

"Nine. There's my mom, my classmate Mark, his girlfriend Macy, and some people we picked up on the way."

"That's awesome."

Althea waved her hand, and they crept forward. She smiled at him over her shoulder. "Yeah, thanks. It wasn't easy, but I'm glad we picked up as many people as we could."

They walked around the hotel, and suddenly, they were at the edge of the city. Jasper and Althea lingered on the grass in front of the building and gazed out into the emptiness of the highway.

The sight reminded him of a movie. After the main character fought his way through the treacherous jungle, he finally broke through to the ocean. The chaos and confusion melted away into a stilled peace and quiet. The main character wasn't in the clear yet, though. In order to truly be safe, he had to cross the ocean.

"This isn't an easy way to do this," Althea began with a deep breath. "Just run."

Great, Jasper inwardly groaned. More running.

The stakes were higher than last time, and he didn't think that was possible. Even though the minions thought he was Kid Danger, and they were trying to kill him, at least he had places to hide.

This was that open field in Bambi that he and his mother had to cross to get back to the forest. It was the perfect shooting range for the hunters, and Bambi didn't realize until it was too late.

"It'll be okay," Althea reassured when she saw his uncertainty. "I've made this trip more than enough times in the last few days. It's scary at first, but thankfully, our Supreme Ruler is too focused on the inner city to worry about what's happening on the outskirts. And actually," she grinned, "it starts to be kind of fun."

Jasper snickered at the sarcasm dripping from Minyak's preferred title.

"Okay," Jasper breathed. "I'm ready. Let's go before I chicken out."

Althea nodded. "On the count of three. One."

Jasper and Althea inched forward, shoulders tensing and grips tightening on their bags as they neared the highway.

"Two," she breathed as she stopped on the edge of the pavement.

She and Jasper glanced at each other.

"Three!"

It took Jasper all of five seconds to realize how Althea found this to be fun. Once he was on the highway and running as fast as he could to the other side, he felt that familiar surge of adrenaline kickstart his heart and warm up his blood. All of the emotions from earlier washed over him. Running for your life was shockingly similar to walking through a haunted house. It held the same uneasiness, the same fear and the same thrill. It was kind of exhilarating.

Jasper laughed, quietly at first and then his volume rose a few octaves. He wasn't sure what he was laughing at, really. Maybe it was the fact that he just compared literal death to walking through a haunted house. Maybe it was the excitement of being so out in the open during one of Swellview's scariest times. Or maybe it was just a calm before the storm; his stomach wasn't sitting right after all this running.

They reached the other side safe and sound, and Jasper was really ready to fall over and die. His adrenaline supply was running on empty, and he definitely needed a nap if he was going to make it back home.

"Whew," Althea breathed. "See, what'd I tell you? Fun."

"Yeah," Jasper agreed between breaths, "that was… Cool…"

"C'mon, we can rest inside."

Althea led the way across the parking lot to the emergency room on the right side of the hospital. Jasper followed close behind, readjusting the strap on his shoulder as he looked around the vacant lot. It was chilling seeing the place so deserted. The more he saw of the city, the more he wondered if they were actually trapped in a zombie apocalypse.

The waiting room was dead silent. Althea walked past the front desk and down the hallway toward a pair of double doors.

Althea stopped just inside of the doors and looked around. "Eirene."

As though she had just spoken a summoning spell, the doors lining the hallways flew open, and nine people spilled into the open.

"Oh, hello Althea!" an older man greeted with a smile.

"I'm glad to see you're all right!" his wife added, eyes bright with worry. "You didn't get hurt, did you?"

A younger man closer to Althea's age stepped forward. He glanced at Jasper wearily. "Who's this?"

Althea beamed. "Everything went fine today. We brought food! And this is my new friend Jasper. He helped me today."

Jasper blushed and waved meekly. "Hey."

Althea grabbed Jasper's bag and held both hers and his out to the younger man. "Take these to the others. Sorry, it was all I could find."

"You're a life saver, Althea," he replied gratefully.

As he corralled the remaining eight into a room at the end of the hallway, Jasper turned to Althea.

"Are you a witch?" he asked dumbly. "Did you say a magic word back there? 'Cause it sounded like you broke a spell."

Althea laughed. "No, I'm no witch. Eirene is our codeword. My mother and I decided on it because Eirene is the Greek goddess of peace. She thought it was fitting."

"Is your mom like an expert on Greek mythology or something?"

She snickered. "Yeah, or something. C'mon, you can rest in here."

Jasper followed her through the first door on the left. It was a long room filled with five beds divided by thin white curtains.

"Nobody will disturb you for at least an hour," Althea reassured. "I'll save you some food, so you won't go back starving."

Jasper looked from the bed to the girl. "Thank you," he said. He was a little shocked at how giving this girl was.

It's because she thinks you saved Kid Danger's life, a little voice reminded in the back of his head. Jasper resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

Althea smiled. "No problem. It's what I do, I guess. Anyways, I'll leave you alone now. See you in a little bit."

Jasper crawled on the bed slowly; his legs were so sore! He heard the door quietly click shut behind Althea, and then there was silence.

Boy, what a day. Henry and Charlotte won't believe what he'd been through; he barely believed it!

Jasper yawned and sprawled out across the bed. He hoped his friends weren't too worried about his disappearance (if they even noticed), but he was too tired to dwell on the idea.

When his face hit the pillow, he was out.

•••••

An hour later, Jasper found his way into the room across the hall where everybody else was eating lunch. Althea was passing out a box of snack sized chip bags to the group. When she saw him standing in the doorway, she smiled and joined him.

"Hi," she greeted, "how are you feeling?"

"Much better, thanks. So, how did you all end up here?"

Althea leaned against the wall and watched her small group of friends. "It started with me and mamá," she began. "I came home after a night out with friends, and she was sitting in the living room crying. She'd been shot in the leg. I didn't have the tools I needed, so I called up Mark," she pointed to the younger man from earlier. "I told him what happened, and we made a plan to meet. He and his girlfriend Macy," Jasper figured it was the redhead seated next to Mark, "were a few blocks down from us. Macy had been shot in the arm, so we both needed the hospital to help our family. We picked up stragglers on the way. It was tricky, especially with the highway, but like I said," Althea shrugged, "the Supreme Ruler doesn't care about the outskirts."

"And you healed all these people?"

"The best we could. After we figured out what the bullets were trying to do, getting them out of the body was easy. I guess it helps that their signal wasn't very strong."

Jasper frowned as an idea popped in his head. "Do you think it'd be easier if there wasn't a signal at all?"

"Well, probably. There wouldn't be anything disrupting the nervous system, so it'd be easier to remove."

He gasped, and his eyes widened. Althea spun around to look at him in alarm.

"What? What's wrong?"

"I think you can help us!"

"What do you mean?"

Jasper opened and closed his mouth. "I need to get back to my friends and figure this out. I, um, can I come back tomorrow?"

"Um sure, that's fine. Can you tell me what you're thinking?"

"I'm thinking there might be a way to break the mind control. Oh man, I have to talk to Schwoz."

"What's a Schwoz?"

Jasper took a deep breath. "God, I have to go run to Junk N Stuff."

"Junk N Stuff? Jasper, what are you saying?"

"I have to go," Jasper explained firmly, "but I'll be back here tomorrow, and I'll bring Kid Danger."

Althea smiled, a bit dreamily. She never dreamed she'd be meeting a city celebrity in the midst of this mess.

"Okay," Althea sighed. "I'll see you tomorrow. Good luck."

Jasper jogged through the hallways, mind reeling about this idea of his. It was just crazy enough to work, but he had to go talk it over with Schwoz.

There may be hope in this fight after all.

•••••

Henry, Schwoz, and Charlotte were on edge. Henry paced back and forth, running his hands through his hair in an attempt to calm his nerves. Schwoz and Charlotte were at the computers, scanning every traffic camera in the city to try and find their lost friend.

Piper was watching the madness unfold, half concerned about Jasper and half asleep.

"Find anything?" Henry asked.

"Not yet! He's nowhere downtown," Charlotte sighed. She was getting frustrated.

"How do you guys know he's even out there?" Piper asked. "He could still be asleep at home."

"We don't," Henry explained, "but I heard Minyak yell at Kid Danger earlier, and he wasn't talking to me."

"That doesn't mean he was talking to Jasper."

"That doesn't not mean he was talking to Jasper."

"What?"

"I don't know, okay!?" Henry huffed, shaking his head. "My best friend could be brainwashed by now, and we won't know because stupid Minyak cut off the cell service."

As if on cue, the elevator dinged.

Jasper burst inside, out of breath. "Guys!" he yelled.

"Jasper!" everybody but Piper cried. They rushed toward him, stopping only inches away to give him space.

"Dude, where have you been?"

"I'll explain… Everything. But guys," Jasper breathed, "I have an idea to beat Minyak!"