I'm totally stoked to start this chapter. First off, this is the longest and one of the most intense chapters yet. While the C&D show may have ended with only 2 seasons, it won't stop me from writing this story. I usually don't like to give out semi-spoilers, but I will tell you this. In this chapter, Nick and Judy will face their first supervillain. In the old comic and the series, Cloak and Dagger didn't really face any supervillains. Well, not a lot. But I wanted to come up with one or two bad guys. This chapter also has a focus on John, Nick's dad. We might get to know about him and one or two things that he has hidden from his son. Also, this chapter is in no way based on the TV series. With that said, let's get this show on the road. Also, things might get emotional.
Fathers are like the guiding lights that lead their children through the dark.
Nearly 8 years ago...
In a stormy night in the docks, a small group of 4 mammals was beating up on a male grey-furred lynx in his 30s wearing a torn black shirt and jeans. The lynx had cuts and bruises all over his body as he was chained to a steel fence. The mammals beating up the lynx looked like gang members. Two prey mammals and two predator mammals. A brown hare, a hyena, a Tasmanian tiger, and a white ferret. All males. They were really doing a number one the lynx.
"Sto... stop. Please..." The lynx said after coughing off some blood.
"Sorry, pal. You know the rules. After you let that fox caught you years ago and did some time, you got our gang in a lot of trouble." The ferret said.
"The boss doesn't like screw-ups. You know that." The hare said. He then punched the lynx in the face. "Face it, Quint. You're a liability now."
"And you know what we do with liabilities." The Tasmanian tiger said with a devious grin.
"It's not my fault. How was I supposed to know that someone was spying on me and knowing all the things we were up to?" The lynx, Quint, asked sounding panicked.
"Either way, we still have to do what we have to do. So don't make this any harder than it has to be." The hyena said.
From what it looked like, this Quint guy was in the same gang as the guys who were currently beating him up. He must have gotten caught from whatever job he was doing and now it seemed like the gang members were about to off the lynx. They each had a weapon in their paws. Be it a baseball bat or metal pipe. They were seriously looking like they wanted to kill him. But before they could strike at him some more, they heard a loud explosion. The sound caught them all off guard.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" The hare asked.
The four gang members looked over the fence and see that the oil rig from a distance just exploded. It was a bit of a shocking sight for them.
"HOLY..." The Tasmanian tiger said shocked by the sight.
Another moment later, lightning struck nearly the area and caused a few fuse boxes to spark up and causing electricity to go all over the place. A big spark actually struck at Quite sent electricity all over his body.
"GHGHGHGHGH... AHHHHHHHH!" Quint shouted out as he was being electrocuted.
The next thing to happen was a huge shock wave that struck near the area where Quint and the other gang members were. After a small explosion, everything went black.
Flash forward to the present...
In his bedroom, chilling on his bed while listening to music with his earbuds and scrolling through his tablet was Nick. Nick was doing some research on the night of the oil rig explosion.
"People die in Zootopia every day. But the number of deaths during the night of the explosive was pretty high." Nick thought as he scrolled down on his tablet.
Nick was researching how much people may have died that night in hopes it would put more light on his case for David. One thing Nick found out was that there were quite a few people that died on bridge Judy's Dad, Stu, died on.
"Man, I didn't think there were others that died the same bridge as Judy's pop. The bay must still be filled with a few cars... and bodies." Nick thought looking a bit depressed. "I wonder if David's body is still down there?"
Scrolling down more, Nick found another couple of deaths that interested him.
"Huh. According to this, there were 4 mammals near the bay area and they all died by getting electrocuted. They said it was most likely because they were all struck by lightning or electricity from an exploding fuse box. Either way, it says they were gang members. So, I guess this was irony."
There was then a knock on Nick's door. Opening the door was Nick's dad, John. Seeing his dad enter his room, Nick takes off his buds.
"Hey, pops. What's up?" Nick asked his dad. "I usually expect you to knock at least."
"I did. But clearly, you had your headphones on and didn't hear me." John stated.
"Sorry about that." Nick replied. "So, did you need something?"
"No. Just wanted to know what you were up to." John said. "I'm guessing some studying."
"I... guess you can say that." Nick replied saying that it was partially true. He then put his tablet up. "Back to my question. Did you need something?"
"Just wondering if you are doing anything... besides homework." John said.
"I already finished my homework." Nick stated.
"Of course you did." John said thinking it was a bit foolish to think otherwise.
"What did you really want to talk about?" Nick asked.
John then took out his car keys and shook them a bit as he said "Care to go for a drive?".
Seems like John wanted to spend some time with his son. Nick didn't seem to mind the idea. So he got out of his bed and followed his dad outside of his room for a drive.
Meanwhile, at Judy and her mom's trailer, it was a bit of an important day for Judy. Judy was sitting on the floor looking at a picture of her father, Stu Hopps, and held up a cupcake with orange frosting and a lit candle on it.
"Happy birthday, dad. I wish you were here to blow out your candle." Judy said to the picture frame. Judy then blew out the candle and places the cupcake on a plate.
Today was suppose to be Stu's birthday. A day that both Judy and Bonnie dreaded, but still celebrated to honor him. They both still missed him dearly.
"Mom's still at work now, but she's gonna get off a little early today." Judy took a deep breath before speaking again. "I'm close to getting all the answers I need and clearing your name. Once I do, I can get back the life you worked so hard to give us. I promise I won't let you wait any longer."
Judy then looks at the cupcake, picks it up, and then takes a bite out of it. As she sadly eats her cupcake, her right ear goes up when she hears the door open. It was Bonnie, back from her job.
"Mom..." Judy said in a saddened tone.
"Oh. I see you already made a prayer for your father." Bonnie said noticing what Judy was doing.
"Sorry I didn't wait for you." Judy said feeling a bit bad.
"It's fine." Bonnie said as she closes the door. "I already prayed for him this morning."
"Do you miss him?" Judy asked.
"Every day." Bonnie said as she sat on the floor with her daughter. "I bet Stu would be happy to know that we still celebrate his birthday every year."
"Yeah. But I think he would be disappointed in us if he knew what we became after he was gone." Judy said looking sad.
When Stu died, Judy turned into a thief and Bonnie turned into an alcoholic. Both of them had turned into hot messes. Not really an ideal position a husband would want in a wife and child. Bonnie then placed her paws on Judy's shoulders.
"We both had made mistakes we never wanted to make. But what matters is that we make up for them and that we forgive each other for our mistakes." Bonnie said sincerely to Judy. "You do forgive me for everything, right?"
"Mom, I should be asking you that." Judy said to her mother.
"Then I guess it only matters is that we are here for each other now." Bonnie said with a smile.
"Yeah." Judy said smiling back. Judy then remembers something. "Oh. That's right."
Judy then got up, took her phone out, and started texting.
"What are you doing, Judy?" Bonnie asked.
"I already told my boss I needed the day off. But I also needed to text Nick real quick. I don't want him to need me for anything. At least not today." Judy said.
"If your father were alive to find out you have a fox boyfriend, it would probably kill him." Bonnie stated.
"NICK'S NOT MY..." Judy shouted out a bit. But she ultimately stopped midway in and just went back to texting. "... *sigh* I won't even bother explaining what the two of us are."
Meanwhile, with Nick and John, the two were driving down Savanna Central with busy traffic. Since his dad offered him to, Nick was the one driving the car. John was in the passenger's seat.
"You seem to handle driving well." John said to Nick.
"I know how to drive, pop. It's been a while, but I got it." Nick said to John.
The young fox was over 16. So he did had a driver's license. But it has been a long time since he got on the wheel. He often let others do the driving or walking. Plus, he could literally go anywhere he wanted because he was Cloak.
"You know, I noticed that you barely like to drive. When I was your age, I drove anytime I could." John said with a smile. "Course, traffic like this was always the problem."
"Which is why I usually walk." Nick stated. Nick then had a thought in his mind. "That and the ability to teleport anywhere I want makes driving pretty much irrelevant."
He then heard his phone chimed. Since traffic was still not moving and it seems that it wasn't going to change anytime soon, he took out his phone and looked to see who the message was from. It was from Judy.
Nick, it's my dad's B-Day. So I'm spending the whole day with mom. This day is really important. So try not to need me for anything today.
After reading the text, Nick responded by texting "Kay" and then putting his phone up.
"You know you shouldn't be texting and driving." John stated.
"I know. But traffic wasn't moving and I needed to see who it was." Nick said.
"Anyone special?" John asked.
"It was from Judy." Nick answered.
"Ohhhhh." John said with a sly grin.
"It's not like that, pop." Nick said nothing want his dad to get the wrong idea. "Today's... her father's birthday. Even though he's gone, she and her mom still celebrate it to remember him. So she's asking me not to bother her today."
"Oh. I see." John said understanding and looking sad. "The poor girl must have gone through a lot, hasn't she?"
"She has. It's how we are able to understand each other so easily." Nick said. "I helped her out a bit, she helped me. It only made sense that we become friends from it."
"You've been through a lot too, have you?" John asked. "With David... and now Nils."
"We've all been through a lot, dad. But it's about what we do to move on and learn from it. That's what you and mom taught me, right?" Nick responded.
As Nick said those words, traffic was finally moving again and he started driving forward.
"Anyway, how much farther are we?" Nick asked his father.
"Just another left turn and then keep going straight." John said.
"Aight." Nick responded as he turned the wheels.
After a while of driving, Nick noticed that some of the spots were looking familiar. He realized that they were driving by his old neighborhood, The Trots. Nick was curious about why his father brought him here. But even so, he just followed his direction and drove where he told him to.
The two then stopped near an old boxing gym called 'Trotbox Boxing Gym'. The two then got out of the car. Nick was a bit confused about why his father took him here of all places.
"A... boxing gym?" Nick asked looking confused. "Why are we here?"
"Come on. Let's go in and you'll understand." John said as he made his way to the door.
Nick decided to listen to his dad and follow him in. Inside, the gym was filled with quite a bit of different mammals. Mostly males and plenty of them were foxes. The place had a boxing ring, heavy bags, boxing dummies, weights, and other boxing equipment. Many mammals were taking advantage of everything. Nick was still confused on why his dad would bring him here of all places. John then responding to Nick.
"Nick, this is the Trotbox Boxing Gym." John said.
"I'm pretty sure they could have picked a better name." Nick said feeling that the name of the gym was pretty bad. "Why exactly are we here?"
"When I was your age, a young a frustrated tod, your granddad would take me here. He would put boxing gloves on me and say 'Here. Take out all that frustration on this.' while putting me in front of a heavy bag." John explains to Nick. "So, this is father-and-son history repeating itself."
"Huh?" Nick said still confused.
John then walked over to a rack where then hung boxing gloves. He took out a black pair and walked back over to Nick and put the gloves on him. He then moved Nick over to a heavy bag.
"Here. Take all your frustration out on this." John said to his son as he bumps the heavy bag.
"Uhh... pop, I don't really have any frustration." Nick said.
"Nick, I'm your father. I know when my kid is frustrated. Between losing a championship game, losing an old friend, and whatever else is going on in your life, can you really tell me you aren't?" John asked.
"I guess... maybe a bit." Nick replied honestly. Nick did have a few things he was frustrated about.
"Bottling all that frustration isn't good for you. So, use this to get it all out." John said. "Now come on, son."
Nick looked at the boxing gloves his dad put on him and then the heavy bag. Nick couldn't help but feel that this was his dad's way of training him or something. But now that he thinks about it, as strong as he was as Cloak, he didn't have a proper fighting style. While Judy's moves as Dagger was elegant, Nick's moves as Cloak was more on brute force. Maybe working on his boxing skills will help him be a better superhero.
"Alright." Nick said as he gets into a standard boxer stance.
Nick knew that he would have to hold back a little bit. Too much strength and his dad may take a guess that he is Cloak. So, he punches the bag with a lack of power, but still with enough to at least not seem weak. Still, John didn't seem too impressed.
"Tch! Tch!" John went. "You need to put more power into your punch. Watch."
John then went to a boxer's stance and, without even wearing boxing gloves, punches the heavy bag with a good amount of force. And this wasn't the soft kind of heavy bag. While it didn't seem like much for most large mammals, Nick was still impressed.
"Woah." Nick said.
"See? Like that." John said as he shakes up the paw he punched with.
"Dad, you did that WITHOUT gloves. Didn't that hurt?" Nick asked.
"Eh. I'll be fine. Don't worry too much." John told Nick.
"Don't worry? A heavy bag is called 'heavy' for a reason. That punch alone could take out a tiger even without my powers." Nick thought.
"Come on. Try again." John said.
So Nick had spent most of the day being trained by his father. John also taught Nick how to shadow box. Since Nick was basically a master of darkness, shadow boxing was quite the ideal skill to know. John also trained him more on the heavy bag as well as some boxing dummies. Nick picked up on boxing really well. Then again, it was no different from the training he has already done.
As Nick and John trained, someone from the distance was drinking from a water bottle. It was an adult lynx in a black tank top and blue gym shorts. But not some 'run-of-the-mill' lynx. It was the lynx from the same stormy night a few years ago. As he wipes his face with a towel, he gets a good look at the face of John.
"That... that fox..." The lynx said as he looked at John. "I remember that face. Oh yeah. It's him."
The lynx seemed to know John somehow. Like he held some type of grudge with him. Even so, he kept his distance away from him for the time being. After an hour or so, Nick and John finished with their workout. The two were doing some cooldown stretches and chatting.
"You picked up on everything really fast, my boy." John said smiling.
"Well, as you know, I did happen to get into fights when I was younger." Nick stated while stretching his arms. "So things aren't too hard to remember."
"Not getting into any more of those, I hope." John said worried his son might get into trouble.
Technically, Nick got into fights all the time as Cloak. But his dad clearly didn't need to know that.
"No. Of course not." Nick replied. "Anyway, why did you take me here?"
"The city has been dangerous lately. While I can't always be there for you or control what you do, you should at least know how to defend yourself if things get rough." John stated.
"Guess that's true." Nick said agreeing with his dad.
"I mean, I know I haven't done the best job as your father." John said.
"Pop, stop thinking that. You did better than the best job as my father." Nick stated.
"So you say. But... you been through quite a lot since... David died." John said sadly. "Moving out of the area and putting you in a prep school. So much has happened after all of that and... if you need to talk to me about anything, don't hesitate to come to me."
John wanted his son to talk to him about anything. It made Nick think. Added with his father taking him here to train him and telling him he can talk about to him about anything, it was like... he knew. Did John know that Nick was Cloak? And if he didn't, should Nick tell him? A part of Nick always wanted to tell his dad that he was Cloak. Of course, superhero rule #1 is that you keep your identity a secret, even to friends and family. Then again, a few people already knew Nick's identity. Maybe it was time for his dad to be one of them.
"Dad..." Nick uttered. He really was considerating telling him the truth. "... thanks for today. I really was feeling stressed. But now I feel much better."
"You're welcome." John said happy to hear that.
It wasn't a wise thing or a good time to tell him that he was Cloak. So, he still kept it a secret. After finishing up with the stretching, Nick put back on his hoodie.
"Pop, this was fun, but since we're here in the Trots, I want to walk around the old stomping ground a bit." Nick said.
"Then I'll join you." John said.
"Thanks, but I want to be on my own for a bit." Nick insisted.
"Are you sure you will be..." John said.
"Pop, I'll be fine. I'm just walking around the old neighborhood. I'll take the bus home or call a cab. Just don't worry about me." Nick said.
"*sigh* Alright." John said willing to let Nick go. "Just be home before dinner."
"Yes, sir." Nick waving back at his dad before leaving the gym.
Even though Nick told John not to worry, he worried quite a bit about his son. A few minutes later, John was now out of the gym. As he walked over to his car and was about to drive home, someone tapped on his shoulder.
"Excuse me? A moment, if you would?" The person asked.
John turned around to see who it was.
"May I help you?" John asked.
The person asking for help... was the lynx from earlier. He looked at John with a sinister smile on his face and said "Yes. There is something you can help me with."
A second later, John felt something that he couldn't describe and began to blackout.
Hours later, Nick started heading back home. Not by riding a bus or calling a cab, but using his teleportation powers to get to an isolated area that was a few minutes from his home. As he was a few feet away from his house, he is shocked to see something. A police car is right in front of his house.
"A cop car? Why is a cop car here?" Nick thought. He then thought the worst. "Oh no! Please don't tell me they're here to question if I'm Cloak! Unless they already know I'm Cloak! Crap!"
Nick then got out his cellphone. If the ZPD had found out he was Cloak, then Cynthia would have told him. No new messages or calls. So it seemed that he was safe. But he still wonders what a cop car was doing near his house. Also, he noticed something else.
"Wait? Where's our car?" Nick thought.
Nick then quickly dashed to his house and opened the door.
"Mom?" Nick called out as soon as he got inside.
"Nick!" Francine said as she dashes over to Nick and hugs him. "Thank goodness you're alright."
"Why wouldn't I be?" Nick asked. "Wait, where's pop?" As Nick asked that, a female leopard "officer came forward. "And why is a cop here?"
"Nicholas Wilde, when were you last with your father?" The officer asked.
"I was with him at Trotbox Boxing gym in the Trots." Nick replied. "I then told him I wanted to spend some more time around the neighborhood and would meet him back here. Why? Where is my father?"
The leopard officer didn't seem to want to answer Nick.
"Where is my father?" Nick asked sounding a bit more serious.
"We... believe earlier today, he's been kidnapped." The officer told him.
"WHAT?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN KIDNAPPED?!" Nick shouted out.
"Nick, calm down." Francine said trying to ease her son.
"How could this happen?! I was just with him not too long ago!?" Nick stated.
"Listen, from what we know, eyewitnesses say a fox with your father's description was captured by a middle-aged male lynx. We have officers already looking around the area for." The officer stated. "We saw the car in the area and that's how we figured that the fox licensed to the car was your father."
"That's not enough to say! Why would someone kidnap him in the first place?" Nick asked.
"I don't know." The officer told Nick.
"This is my fault." Nick said blaming himself. "I told him I wanted to go out on my own. If I had stayed with him at the time..."
"Then you would have been kidnapped too." The officer stated. "You were lucky not to be taken to."
"I wish that luck got into my dad!" Nick said really angrily.
"Nick, I'll ask again. Calm. Down." Francine said firmly.
"If your son's okay, I'm going to continue the search with the other officers. I'll call if things or if we find him." The officer said. "Just be safe."
"Alright." Francine said.
The leopard officer then left the Wilde home. Leaving both Nick with his mother. Nick felt very enraged and knew he had to find his dad.
"I need to go find him." Nick said as he tried to dash off to the door.
"Nick, no!" Francine said as she grabbed his arm. "Leave this to the police."
"The police can't do jack, mom. Everyone second that goes by is another second that pop could be hurt or..." Nick explained to his mom.
"Nicholas!" Francine shouted out losing her temper. She then speaks in a calm tone. "I know how you feel. I want to do whatever I can to save him too. Heck, I would even go myself. But the best thing to do is hope the police do their job and bring your parents back to safety. So please, understand."
Nick was both angry and feeling teary. He didn't say anything to his mother. He just slowly walked upstairs and went to his room. Francine didn't say anything. She just let her son vent upstairs. But Nick was planning to do more than just vent. After locking the door, Nick prepared himself.
"Sorry, mom. But one of my main rules is to always save friends and family. If I can't save my own father, I can't look at myself as a hero." Nick said to himself. "Embrace the dark!"
Nick then emitted shadows from his arm and summoned his cloak. He puts the hood over his head and his eyes turn pure white and a shadow covers the top part of his face. The rest of his body turns black and he has become Cloak. Since Nick knew there was no real for him to sneak out without being noticed, he decided to open the window of his room. So yes, his mom with know he sneaked out, but at least she won't suspect that he's Cloak. Cloak then teleported out of his room. The moment he did, Francine knocked on the door.
"Nicky, please open up. I want to talk about this more." Francine said. "Nick? Nick?"
Francine noticed that the room sounded too quite. She tries to open the door, but it's locked. She then runs off to get Nick's room key and open up the doors. She's then terrified by what she sees. The window opened and her son gone.
"No... my baby boy..." Francine wept as she covered her mouth.
She then had her knees to the ground and started crying. First her husband, now her son. She was starting to fear that she would lose them both in one night.
Meanwhile, Judy was still talking with her mom, Bonnie, at the trailer. They enjoyed each other company all day. It was like they really buried the hatchet. Even though it was Stu's birthday, Bonnie brought up a bit of a stunning subject.
"So, are you really thinking about dating again?" Judy asked.
"What do you think, sweetie?" Bonnie asked.
"This is a great thing to bring up on your dead husband's birthday." Judy said in a sarcastic tone.
"Well?" Bonnie asked.
"To be honest, it's weird. I've always seen you only being with dad. But, he's been gone for a long time. I also can't really say you shouldn't date." Judy said.
"Honestly, me neither. You know how bunnies are with their soulmates." Bonnie said. "It also doesn't help that I'm a widow and have a kid. Most don't want to get involved with someone that was already taken."
"So, you're saying that you may not day ever meet someone else?" Judy asked.
"Whether it happens or not, it's up to fate." Bonnie said.
"Seems like everything is up to fate." Judy said smiling a bit.
"Agreed. After all, fate is how you met Nick, right?" Bonnie asked with a grin.
"Mom, I already told you. We're just really good friends." Judy said blushing.
"But I can tell that he's made you a better you. So can you honestly tell me you don't have deep feelings for him?" Bonnie asked.
It was no secret that Judy cared about Nick a lot. Her feelings for Nick are quite... complicated. It also doesn't help that they are partners and can't touch. At that moment, Judy's phone started ringing. She takes it out to see that it's Nick.
"Nick? Didn't I told him not to call me too much today?" Judy said. Even so, she still answered him. "Nick, what up? This better be..." Judy stopped when Nick started talking about what happened. Her ears then drooped down. "What? Oh my god..." Bonnie was starting to look concern. "Nick, calm down." "..." "Of course, I'll help. Don't worry. We'll find him." "..." "See you in a bit."
Judy then hung her phone and got out of her chair.
"I need to go. It's urgent." Judy said to Bonnie as she dashed to the coat rack.
"What? What's wrong?" Bonnie asked sounding concerned.
"Nick's dad has been kidnapped!" Judy stated.
"What?" Bonnie said standing up and looking concerned.
"I need to help him. I gotta help him." Judy said as she puts on her white jacket.
"Woah woah woah! Judy, this sounds serious." Bonnie said walking over to Judy. "Maybe you should just leave this to the..."
"No! Nick needs my help and I'm not letting him down." Judy stated firmly. "Nick's dad has been kidnapped and if things take a turn for the worst, he could end up dead. I know all too well about losing a father. I will not let my best friend deal with the same pain I have."
Bonnie could tell from Judy's eyes that she already had made up her mind. Plus she knew how much she cared for Nick.
"Go." Bonnie said. "But be careful."
"I will." Judy said nodding.
Judy then dashed out the door and went outside of the trailer. She ran far enough to be away from prying eyes. She stopped once the coast was clear.
"Sorry, mom. But I know dad would understand." Judy said to herself. "Besides, after everything he's done for me, this is finally my way to pay him back." Judy then summoned a dagger in her left paw and raised it up and shouted "Embrace the light!"
A crescent moon formed on the side of her face. Her eyes turned yellow and her fur turned into a lighter tone. Her grey and white outfit then formed around her body and she became Dagger. Dagger then called Cloak to tell her she was ready. Cloak appeared a few seconds. He used his cloak to wrap Dagger and teleported away.
It was starting to get dark in the city as the set was going down. Teleporting to a dock area, Cloak and Dagger worked on trying to find John.
"You sure your dad's here?" Dagger asked.
"With my powers, I can teleport to anyone I'm close to emotionally. So I'm pretty sure I can track my own father." Cloak said firmly.
"Okay." Dagger replied.
"He has to be here somewhere. Let's look for him." Cloak said.
"Right." Dagger said nodding.
The two heroes then continued their search for John. It didn't take long to find him either. They found the fox chained up to a steel fence. It looked like he was still out. Cloak was a mix of shocked, angry, and relieved to find him.
"D..." Cloak said before calling out his dad and realizing that he wasn't Nick. He still had to keep his identity secret. "We got to get to him."
Dagger nodded before Cloak wrapped his cloak around her and teleported in front of John. The two looked at him and sees that he was slightly injured and bruised. His clothes was slightly torn up too. Yet, he was breathing.
"He's alive." Dagger said looking relieved.
"Get him down. Now!" Cloak told his partner.
Dagger summoned a dagger and sliced the chains holding John. Once John was free, Cloak held him and gently placed him down on the ground.
"He's still out, but I'll heal him." Dagger said.
"Do what you can, please?" Cloak pleaded.
Dagger placed her paws over John's body and started healing him. As Dagger healed John, Cloak stayed alert. He assumed that the one who did this is still around.
"COME OUT, ASSHOLE!" Cloak shouted out. "I KNOW YOU'RE STILL HERE!"
Cloak and Dagger then heard some footsteps. Out from behind came out the lynx that kidnapped John. He had on a black jacket with lightning bolts on it and sunglasses on.
"Aww man. I was expecting the cops to come, but not Cloak and Dagger." The lynx said as he scratched the side of his neck.
"Just who the hell are you?" Cloak asked.
"Heh. My name is Markel Caldel." The lynx said actually introducing himself.
"Well, Markel Cardel, why would you do something like this to someone like this to an innocent man?" Dagger asked looking angry.
"Innocent man? That fox is the one who ruined my easy life." Markel stated as he pointed at John.
"Ruined your life? What kind of nonsense are you talking about?" Cloak asked.
"Heh. Guess I might as well explain." Markel said as he shrugged. "I was part of a mafia group. The group I was in was one of the strongest mafias in the city and I was one of the main guys in the drug dealing front. I was fast and never got caught... until... that fox saw me."
"What did he do exactly?" Dagger asked as she still healed John.
"He reported me to the police and I had jail time." Markel stated. "Sure, after a few years, I got out. But still, the boss and a few others weren't too happy with me. They took me to this very spot and nearly beat me senseless. That's why I took the fox here."
"This all took part in the Trots, right? The Trots is known to have someone called a Spy Boy. They keep an eye out for trouble and report anything wrong." Cloak stated. "I'm assuming John Wilde here was the Spy Boy at the time."
"So basically, you're a drug-dealing scumbag and your mad at Mr. Wilde for doing the right thing." Dagger stated.
"You little heroes don't get it." Markel said. "Some of us don't want to deal drug. But compared to other jobs, it's so much easier. Especially when it comes to money. Sure, we may have to ice out one or two mammals, but..."
Not even wanting to hear the rest, Dagger throws one of her daggers at the lynx's chest. After screaming a bit in pain, Cloak used his shadows and pushed him so hard his sunglasses fell off. Markel looked like he was down for the count.
"That's enough from your mouth!" Cloak said looking pissed off.
Shortly after that, John was starting to wake up.
"Nggghh... ugghhhh..." John groaned.
"Mr. Wilde!" Dagger shouted out happy that he woke up.
Cloak then turned around and got down on his knee to see John.
"Sir, are you okay?" Cloak asked.
"Cloak... and Dagger?" John said as he looks at the two heroes.
"Don't worry, Mr. Wilde. We're here to take you back to your family." Dagger said to John as she still healed him.
"That... lynx..." John uttered out.
"We've already taken care of him." Cloak said.
"No. He's... different." John uttered out.
"What?" Cloak said looking confused.
A moment later, Cloak and Dagger started hearing some crackling sounds. They then turned around to see Markel was up. But not only that, they were shocked by what they saw. Black lightning was emitted from his body. He then brushed his jacket a bit before picking back up his sunglasses.
"Guessing your mothers never taught you how to wait until people finish talking." Markel said as he put back on his sunglasses.
"What the... lightning? All over his body?" Dagger said stunned as she stops healing John and stands next to Cloak.
"You have powers?" Cloak asked Markel.
"I have powers." Markel answered with a smirk.n
"He... hit me with a small jolt. That's how I blacked out." John stated still on the ground.
"How? How do you have powers?" Dagger asked Markel.
"What? Surprised that you aren't the only ones with powers." Markel said as his black lightning still surrounded him.
"Tell us how!" Dagger said sounding more threatening.
"Believe it or not, it was here when lightning struck me at this very spot." Markel stated.
"I'm pretty sure it takes more than that to get super powers." Cloak said firmly.
"It's the truth. I remember the night it was too. It was about 7 or 8 years ago. It was raining and the guys who hanged me by fence stopped when they heard this... loud explosion." Markel stated.
At that moment, Cloak and Dagger started putting the details together. 7 to 8 years ago, rainy weather, and a loud explosion. It could only mean one thing.
"That sounds a lot like..." Cloak said sounding stunned..
"... the rig explosion." Dagger said finishing what Cloak was going to say. "You were there. You got your powers the same night we got ours."
John's eye widen when he heard Dagger said that detail.
"Oh. So we are actually the same." Markel said.
"We are NOT the same!" Cloak said in anger. "We use our powers to help people. From what I see, you use yours to help yourself for some pity revenge."
"Tch! As if you wouldn't get back at someone who screwed you over." Markel said angrily. Cloak and Dagger looked away from Markel not wanting to admit that they did want to get revenge. "You have these powers to do anyone you want. I just want Wilde to know the pain and torment I had that night."
"Well, you're a sick and twisted monster." Dagger said angrily.
"This city is filled with twisted monsters. I just happen to be in a different lane." Markel said. "I won't let anyone stand in my way for what I want."
Cloak and Dagger got into their fighter stances. Dagger with her arms X-crossed as she held a dagger in each paw.
"Before we do this, I have one more question for you." Cloak said. "I read something about 4 gang members being electrocuted that night. With those powers, I have to ask, did you have anything to do with that?"
Markel had his head down and didn't say anything... until he started laughing in a sort of menacing tone. He then took off his sunglasses and looked at Cloak and Dagger with this twisted smile and said "They were going to kill me anyway. I was simply defending myself.".
A chill was felt in both Cloak and Dagger's spines.
"You killed them..." Cloak said stunned.
"It was never truly intentional. The surge of electricity I felt was just so overwhelming. Yet, it didn't stop me from zapping the life out of them. And boy, I must say, it... felt... good." Markel replied with a smile.
"So you're not just some twisted monster. You're a murderer!" Dagger shouted in anger. "We can't let someone like you out in the streets!"
"Hmpt! Are you showing empathy for thugs? They killed too, you know. So I was doing the city a service." Markel stated.
"That doesn't make killing right!" Cloak shouted. "And if you think we were going to let you get away for what you did to Mr. Wilde here, you got another thing coming."
"You know, something just occurred to me. Everyone in this city sees you as heroes. Gods, even. But... what would happen if I was the one to kill these so-called gods?" Markel ask with a devilish grin. "The angel and the devil, killed by me. Will they see me as a god too? A force to fear?"
"We don't go down easy, bastard!" Cloak said angrily.
Markel then threw his sunglasses away as he looked at Cloak and Dagger.
"You know, Wilde said when I jolted him, he blacked out. Blackout. Haha! I like it. I'll think I'll take that as my new name." Markel said taking Blackout to be his villain name. "Only one thing though." His black lightning started surrounding even more than before. Streams of lightning came out from his eyes and even his fur started changing into a black tone. "I'll be sure to do more than just make you all blackout."
Blackout then send out a pulse of his lightning directly at Cloak, Dagger, and John. Dagger quickly moved out of the way and Cloak quickly used his cloak to grab John and teleported away from the blast. Dagger then counterattack by throwing multiple daggers at the lynx. Blackout simply dodged the daggers by moving a bit to the left. He then shot out another stream of lightning that actually got Dagger.
"GAAAAHHH!" Dagger shouted out as she was being shocked.
"Can't take it, little bunny?" Blackout asked with a devious smirk.
As she tried to resist the electricity, Dagger summoned up a ball of light in her palms and throw it at Blackout, blinding him.
"DAAAHHH!" Blackout shouted out as stops his lightning and rubs his eyes.
"Looks like you can't take much either." Dagger stated before changing in getting ready for some close combat.
Meanwhile, Cloak took John out a little farther away from the fighting. He laid him by an old barrel and stood him up a bit."
"You okay, Mr. Wilde?" Cloak asked.
"I'm fine." John replied as he had his arms by his ribs.
"Can you get up?" Cloak asked.
"He... tortured me quite a bit. Even with a bit of Dagger's healing, I still feel a bit banged up." John stated.
"Okay. Stay here while Dagger and I take on... Blackout." Cloak said to John.
"Alright." John said as he nodded.
Cloak then teleported back to help out Dagger. John stayed there as Cloak told him. Yet he couldn't help but feel worried for him. As Dagger tried to take on Blackout on her own and throws more daggers, he created a sort of barrier. It was preventing Dagger's attacks from hitting him. Cloak then appeared and used his shadows to attack Blackout. He was able to push him back a bit, but no real damage. Blackout smirked. "
"You know, for superheroes, you seem to be having quite a bit of trouble dealing with me." Blackout said. "Is this your first time taking on a supervillain?"
"First time for everything, right?" Cloak said.
"Right." Blackout said as he emitted lightning from his paws.
"You had these powers for a while now, right? How come we didn't hear anything about a black lightning-wielding lunatic?" Dagger asked.
"Truth be told, I was scared of this. I mean, the night I got them I killed 4 people. So, I stayed in the shadows for years. Then... you two showed up." Blackout stated. "Showing off those powers of yours and using them in incredible ways. It made me wonder if I could do the same. Course, I already got used to them years ago." More lightning started to emit and it was even more power than before. He then had another devilish smile on his face. "I JUST DIDN'T REALIZE WHAT I COULD REALLY DO WITH THEM!"
"Power corrupts. And listening to how you talk, you're definitely corrupted." Cloak stated angrily.
"Like the hero know to many as 'The Devil Fox' is one to talk." Blackout said.
Cloak then back slowly toward Dagger to speak with her.
"Dagger, I put my dad near some barrels not too far from here. Go back to him and heal him more. I'll take on Blackout." Cloak whispered.
"You sure?" Dagger whispered. "This guy is one of the toughest people we have ever faced so far."
"You see his black lightning? Since he was there on the night of the rig explosion, his powers must be based on Darkforce energy. That's my territory. I'm pretty sure I can handle the lightning better than you can. Besides, after what he did to my dad, I wanted to kick his ass by myself anyway." Cloak whispered sounding serious.
"Okay." Dagger said understanding. "Once I'm finished, I'm coming back."
"If I'm not done with him by then." Cloak said as he walked followed.
Dagger runs to where John is as Cloak takes on Blackout.
"Time to duel with the devil." Cloak said to Blackout.
"Let's see how much of a devil you really are." Blackout said.
Blackout blasted his black lightning at Cloak while Cloak used a shadow energy blast. The two forces collided into a powerful blast. And this was just the beginning of things. Meanwhile, Dagger found John and dashed over to him.
"Mr. Wilde! Cloak told me you were still hurt and I'm here to heal you up some more." Dagger said as stands by him.
"Don't worry about me. You should save your energy." John suggested.
"How can I not worry about you? You have a family that needs you to be okay." Dagger said. "Now, Dr. Dagger is in and you need healing."
As she places her paws over John's body, Dagger decided to add a little more power to her healing to speed up the healing process. It may take a bit of her energy, but she was more than willing to help Nick's dad. Dagger's warm light started healing up John, big time. John was already feeling way better.
At that time, Cloak and Blackout's battle was heating up. Cloak teleported in and out at Blackout to deliver many punches and kicks. Blackout started to notice Cloak's patterns and expected him to attack from behind. Blackout then used an electric punch the moment Cloak popped back up. The punch connected and knocked Cloak down to the ground. However, he was able to get back up pretty quickly. Once he did, he glared right at Blackout.
"You're not bad, little fox. But I can tell you're still a little wet behind the ears." Blackout stated.
"Shut up! I don't care what you have to say." Cloak said. "All I care is that you pay for what you did to John."
"Hmm. You seem to care a bit more about Wilde more than most. Why?" Blackout asked.
"As a hero, I care about everyone's well-being." Cloak answered.
"No. It's more than that." Blackout said as he started to ponder. "Hang on. Didn't Wilde had a kid?"
Cloak flinched as Blackout mentioned that. The lynx then took a good look at Cloak. By looking at some of his features and at his age, it all clear to him.
"No way." Blackout said. He then started to do some mild laughing. Then the laughter turned more menacingly. "You're Wilde's baby boy, are you?"
Cloak's eyes widen as he heard that. Blackout has actually figured out his identity. Now he knows that Cloak is John's son. What's worst, Cloak couldn't really deny it now.
"Hohoho! Of course! It all makes sense." Blackout said as he lightly slapped himself on the forehead. "Well, don't worry. Once I kill you, I'll be sure daddy joins you really soon. I'll even throw in mommy cause I'm such a considerate guy."
At that moment, something snapped inside Cloak's head. Hearing that Blackout wanted to kill him didn't bother him. But saying that he was going to kill his dad and mom, made Cloak the angriest he has been since his and Dagger's debut months ago. Cloak's darkness started to surround his whole body and black streams started coming out from his eyes. He even started gritting his teeth.
"I'LL END YOU!" Cloak shouted in complete anger.
As Cloak lunged at Blackout, elsewhere, Dagger had just finished healing up John. However, it took a lot more out of her than she expected.
"*huff* *huff* Done." Dagger said sounding pretty tired. "How are you feeling now?"
"Much better. Thank you, sweetheart." John said with a smile.
Even if she was slightly drained, she was happy to have helped John. Her ears then started twitching upward. She was hearing that Cloak and Blackout's fight was getting pretty heated. She needed to go help Cloak.
"Mr. Wilde, you should be strong enough to get up now." Dagger said. "You need to leave now and call the ZPD. I got to help Cloak."
As she got up, John noticed right away that she was getting a bit fatigued.
"Hey. Are you sure you're alright?" John asked.
"Honestly, I'm starting to get a bit low. But I have to help my partner no matter what." Dagger said boldly.
She then quickly dashed to help out Cloak. John looked at the brave bunny and then all the streams of lightning in the distance. Seeing that, John looking angry and clenched his fist.
Blinded by anger, Cloak started randomly capturing crates, barrels, and other nearby items within his cloak and started chucking them at Blackout. The lynx blasted some of the items and dodge the other ones.
"STOP DODGING AND TAKE YOUR PUNISHMENT!" Cloak shouted out still in an enraged state.
"Somebody's cranky." Blackout said with a smirk.
Teleporting again, Blackout out expected another back attack. But he was wrong. Cloak attacked from the front. Cloak grabbed Blackout with his cloak around his neck and lifted him up a few feets. It seems like Cloak was attempting to choke him to death.
"I have you now!" Cloak said getting a good grip on Blackout.
"Or... I have you." Blackout said as he was being choked.
Blackout let out a large jolt of lightning and struck Cloak with it so hard that it made him lose his grip. The lightning took a bit out of Cloak. Enough for Blackout to want to shock him again.
"Now, take this." Blackout said to Cloak.
Before he struck, Dagger jumped in and, without even realizing it or ever doing it, she created a barrier of Lightforce energy. Dagger had learned another new ability. She formed the barrier around her and Cloak as she blocks the lightning. Cloak didn't seem too happy."
"I don't think so!" Dagger shouted as she uses her barrier.
"DAGGER! DROP THE BARRIER SO I CAN MASSACRE THAT..." Cloak shouted out.
Before Cloak could finish, Dagger summoned a dagger with her free paw near Cloak.
"Nick, you're letting the Darkforce overtake you. You need to calm down. Please." Dagger said in a calming voice.
Sometimes, when Cloak can't control his Darkforce, Dagger would used her Lightforce powers to ease him. Cloak was enraged for a while. But after Cloak heard Dagger's calming voice and her cleansing light, the darkness around Cloak started to fade away and so did the streams on his eyes started to fade as well.
"Da... Dagger?" Cloak said coming back to his senses.
"Good. You're... back to yourself." Dagger said sounding exhausted as she vanished her dagger.
"When could you make a shield?!" Cloak asked.
"First time for everything." Dagger replied. She then started to get down on her knees. "But I'm almost out of energy. I don't think I can't..."
Blackout put out more power and it was too much for Dagger. Her shield then broke and the force sent both her and Cloak flying. Both of the heroes were low on power. It was the first time Cloak and Dagger have ever been so drained. Yet, they still tried to get back up.
"Cloak, I don't think I have much left in me." Dagger said honestly.
"Neither do I." Cloak said. "But we can't give up."
As Cloak and Dagger slowly tried to get up, Blackout slowly walked over to them. He looked a bit tired as well. But surprisingly, not as much as Cloak and Dagger.
"You brats... aren't too bad." Blackout said while taking a few breaths. "But this is over!"
Blackout hit both Cloak and Dagger with another stream of his black lightning. This time it connected with both of them. The heroes screamed in pain.
"AAAAAAHHHHHH! GGAAAAAAHHHH!" Cloak and Dagger screamed.
"What, heroes? Can't escape? Too bad. Now die!" Blackout said before increasing the power.
Cloak and Dagger continued to scream. Cloak was too weak to teleport and Dagger was too drained. It was really looking like it was it for them. Until someone threw a stone directly at Blackout's forehead. It's stopped him from attacking more.
"Owwww!" Blackout shouted out as he felt his forehead. It was possibly even bleeding.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Someone shouted.
Walking from behind Cloak and Dagger was John and looked really ticked off.
"John?! You're still here?" Cloak asked sounding stunned.
"Mr. Wilde, I told you to get out of here." Dagger said.
"And run out like a coward to leave you two to deal with this punk? I refuse!" John said boldly.
"Heh! You may be courageous, but a major idiot." Blackout said as he rubbed his head. "You should have left when you had the chance."
"And leave these young heroes? What kind of a mammal would I be?" John asked sounding bold. "If I were to leave and something happened to them, then I wouldn't be able to live with myself. Besides, your problem is with me. Not them. So come and take me on."
"John, please? Just run." Cloak said wanting John to leave while he had the chance.
"You should listen to him, Wilde." Blackout said.
"Psst. Look at you. You have powers, but you choose to use them like this? You act all tough, but without that lightning, you're nothing." John said firmly.
"What?" Blackout asked starting to look ticked.
"The only reason why I got caught by you was that my guard was down and you had your powers. So, how tough are you without that lightning of yours?" John asked as he taunted him some more."I mean, you didn't even kill me and you had the chance."
It seemed that John was willing to fight Blackout and was trying to convince him to fight him without his powers. And it looked like it was working Blackout's fur turned back into normal and his electricity turned off.
"Very well, Wilde. Let's do this the old fashion way." Markel said willing to play by John's rules. "But you should know. I was a member of a gang after all. I bet someone like you can't..."
Before he could even finish, John quickly dashed to Markel punched him hard right in the face. It was probably even hard enough to break Markel's nose.
"AHHHHHH!" Markel shouted out as he places his paws over his nose. "GAH! YOU SON OF A..."
"You talk too much." John said sounding serious as he loosen his collar.
"Woah..." Cloak and Dagger said in awe.
"Grrrrr..." Markel growled in anger. He then charged at him and shouted out "YOU DIRTY FO...".
Again, before Markel could even finish, John hit him upward with a powerful kick. Then John went for a punch to the gut. After that, he grabbed Markel's arm, spun him around, and threw him a few feet. Cloak and Dagger's jaws dropped from watching all this.
"Holy..." Dagger went.
"... crap!" Cloak went.
"You didn't tell me your dad was such a badass." Dagger whispered to Cloak.
"Up until today, I didn't know he was such a badass." Cloak replied.
"Well, at least we know where you get it from." Dagger added.
Markel slowly got up after quite the beating John had already given him.
"How are you so tough?! This doesn't make any sense!" Markel shouted out.
"Maybe I should enlighten you who I am. I am Johnathan Wilde, spy boy of the Trots for 15 years!" John shouted like an alpha. "A spy boy goes out in the unknown and the dangerous alone! Meaning I was trained to protect myself. Being a spy boy made me strong, but being and husband and father... made me stronger."
"That doesn't mean a thing!" Markel shouted out in disagreement.
"Wrong. It means everything." John said before getting into a shadow boxing stance.
Markel got his claws out and tried to slash John with them. John easily dodge hit. John then went for a side punch to Markel's right side. It hit Markel hard enough to break one of his ribs. John then did fast multiple punches into Markel's gut, 3 punches to the faces, and then one mighty punch to the face. Markel was getting madder and madder because he was even getting any hits on John. As he goes for a swing punch, John grabs Markel's arm and elbow him in a way that was most likely either breaking his arm or pulling it out of its socket.
"GAHHHHHH!" Markel screamed as his arm went a little limp.
"Okay, you can DEFINITELY see how you are like your dad." Dagger said recalling the one time Cloak broke a crook's arm in a similar fashion.
"Yeaaaaaaaah..." Cloak went.
Markel then forcefully put his arm back into place. He had enough of John and the beating he was getting.
"I've been being fair with fighting you, Wilde." Markel said. "But you know what..." Markel lightning started to emit around his body. He was back to being Blackout. "... SCREW BEING FAIR!"
"If I'm being honest, it's wasn't fair to begin with. But now you're using your power, it just got fair." John said as he cracked his knuckles.
Blackout struck at John with some of his lightning. John cartwheeled out of the way. John then looked at Cloak and Dagger. He didn't say, but he did had 3 fingers out. Both Cloak and Dagger noticed this and wonder if was trying to signal them or something.
Blackout kept randomly shooting out his lightning hoping to get John. But it was starting to looking like Blackout was really running on empty now. His attacks were getting weaker. Then John went forward. Blackout then thought this was the perfect chance to attack him. He then struck John with his lightning. It was weaker, but it still hurt get electrocuted.
"Ha! Got you!" Blackout said with a cocky smile.
John was getting shocked pretty good, yet... he smiled.
"What... what's with that smile?" Blackout asked.
"Like I said, to be honest, it wasn't a fair fight to begin with." John said while still being shocked. "After all, it was always 1 on... 3!"
That was the signal. Popping up over their heads was Cloak and Dagger wrapped around Cloak's cloak. The young fox then goes for a kick to Blackout's head and then pulls his cloak to throw Dagger like a slingshot. She then went for the final blow with a second kick to Blackout's face with great force. It was enough to push Blackout to a group of barrels and knock him out. After pulling that maneuver, both Cloak and Dagger were exhausted.
"Got him!" Dagger said. "Thank god we got that signal."
"Thank god I had enough power to pull out one last teleport." Cloak stated still feeling tired.
"Nice work, you two." John said as he put out his fists.
Cloak and Dagger were a bit confused by this.
"Don't kids your day still bump fist?" John asked.
"Oh." Cloak and Dagger said understanding. Cloak bumped on of John's fist and Dagger bumped the other one.
"By the way, you sir, were freaking awesome!" Cloak said beyond impressed by John's fighting.
"Yeah. Ever thought about becoming a superhero?" Dagger asked.
"Who didn't when they were kids? But these days, I'm more of a family man." John said proudly.
"Speaking of which, we need to take you back to your family." Cloak stated.
"First, we better call the ZPD about..." Dagger said suggesting that they call the police to take care of the knocked out Blackout. Or at least that's what they thought.
Next thing Cloak, Dagger, and John knew was black lightning was striking all over the place. They all turned around to see Blackout was still conscious. Blackout was battered and beaten, yet he was still up.
"No... no... NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NOOOOOOOO!" Blackout howled out as his powers spiraled out of control.
"He's still up after that?!" Cloak said in disbelief as he shielded himself with his arm up.
"How does he even still have this much power left?!" Dagger asked stunned doing the same as Cloak.
Blackout really was drained from using his Darkforce energy. However, this was less of that and more of his own lifeforce energy. This was all out of pure anger and hatred Blackout had for John.
"I REFUSE TO LET YOU BEAT ME, WILDE! I MUST MAKE YOU PAY!" Blackout shouted out looking like his powers were overloading.
As John looked up, he noticed a giant crate hanging over Blackout's head and that his lightning was loosening the holding. If the wiring went completely loose, then...
"MARKEL! YOU HAVE TO STOP!" John shouted out trying to help even if the lynx tried to kill him.
"NO! I WILL NOT STOP! I'LL WILL NEVER STOP UNTIL..." Blackout continues to shout out. Then the wiring snapped.
"MOVE!" John shouted out.
When Blackout looked up, it was already too late. The giant wooden crate came down and crashed right on Blackout. Seeing this gruesome sight was John, Cloak, and Dagger. Dagger was so stunned that she covered her mouth from seeing this. After looking at the broken crate, all they could see of Blackout/Markel was his lifeless arm. The crate had killed him instantly. John then let out a sad sigh.
"He led himself to his own demise." John said feeling bad for him.
Cloak and Dagger didn't know how to feel about this. The bad guy was dead, but... it didn't sit well for either of them.
A couple of minutes later, the police came to the scene. Some salvaged Markel's body from the crates and covered it up with a white cloth as they took it away. A few were questioning John about the whole ordeal. Cynthia was with Cloak and Dagger. She offered them veggie burgers and coffee. The two gobbled up the burgers like no tomorrow.
"Jeez. Eat slower, will you?" Cynthia said thinking the two were eating a bit too vulgar.
"Hey! After the fight we just had, we needed this." Dagger said with her mouth full.
"Sorry." Cynthia said before giving them their cups of coffee. "At least you were able to beat that guy."
"Truth is... my dad did way more than we did. He took on Blackout like a 5-time Ultimate Fighting Champion." Cloak stated.
"Wow. That's... impressive." Cynthia said surprised.
"I'll say." Cloak said still not believing it. He then sipped from his coffee.
"If he didn't jump in when he did, we... probably wouldn't be here." Dagger stated.
"Also, there are some things we should tell you." Cloak said.
"What's that?" Cynthia asked.
"He figured out who I was. But since he's... you know, I think it's safe to say my secret identity died with him." Cloak stated.
"It's bittersweet, but at least you're safe." Cynthia said.
"Also, one more thing." Cloak said.
"He was there. He got his powers the same way we got ours." Dagger said.
"What?! So he was there the night of the oil rig explosion?" Cynthia asked. The two nodded. "I see. That confirms it then. They really might be other people that got powers from that night."
"Now we know, Dagger and I aren't the only one." Cloak said.
"This might be a bit bad for you guys, but I have to put some of this into the report." Cynthia said. "This is too big to keep a secret and who knows who else could be out there."
"We understand." Dagger said.
After being energized by the burgers and coffee, Cloak and Dagger were feeling better and walked over to John. The fox was still chatting with a rhino and lion officer.
"Mr. Wilde, now that I have some of my energy back, how about we take you home?" Cloak asked.
"Oooh. The VIP treatment. How can I say no?" John said with a smile.
"Wait, we still have a few more..." The rhino officer said wanting to asking John more question.
"Listen, after being tortured and fighting a lightning-wielding lunatic, I'm tired. Any other questions, I will answer on another day. Right now, I want to go home and back to my wife and son so they know that I'm alright. Kay?" John said sounding very tough.
"I suggest you two listen to him. He put up a better fight than we did." Dagger said with a smile.
The rhino and lion officers had their paws up and slowly backed away. Letting Cloak and Dagger take it from here.
"Let's go." Cloak said with a smile.
"Let's." John said smiling as well.
"Cloak, Dagger, and John, out!" Cloak and Dagger said before disappearing.
The three then reappeared on the top of a rooftop somewhere in the Trots. Clearly, Nick shouldn't teleport directly to his house because he was still trying to keep his secret identity. As they stood on the roof, John took a moment to look at the view.
"Hmm. Great view." John said seeing the other buildings.
"Yeah. Part about being a superhero is getting to see the best views of the city over rooftops." Dagger said to John with a smile.
"One of the most enjoyable part about the job." Cloak said.
"Cloak, Dagger, thank you for saving me." John said gratefully to the heroes.
"We feel like that should be our line." Dagger said.
"The city is big, how were you able to find me?" John asked.
"Your... son." Cloak replied. "His name was Nick, I believe. He messaged us like... 3 times on our message board. Said he blamed himself. I think he ran off to try and find you."
"*sigh* If he did, then his mother is so gonna ground him." John stated.
The Nick part of Cloak wept a bit. The last thing he wants is to be grounded. Yet, any grounding was still worth it to save his father.
"Alright John, just tell me a spot you live in and I'll try to take you directly there." Cloak stated to say how his powers work.
"Hang on. There's something I wanted to ask you, Cloak. You, specifically." John said to Cloak.
Cloak was a bit nervous about whatever John was about to ask him. But he was willing to listen to whatever John wanted to ask him.
"Sure. You did kinda save our butts back there." Cloak stated. "What do you wanted?"
"I want to take off your hood." John said.
Cloak and Dagger's eyes widened after hearing that. Take off his hood? That meant that John wanted to know Cloak's identity. Meaning he would find out that Cloak was his son. Cloak already knew how to answer John.
"You can't." Cloak replied.
"Look, I'm not gonna reveal your secret if that's what you..." John said.
"No. You literally can't." Cloak stated. Cloak then lower his head. "See for yourself."
John then tried to touch Cloak's hood, but Cloak's Darkforce energy was like a forcefield that prevented John from lifting up the hood.
"My powers tend to protect me in many ways. This includes my identity." I can't just show my identity with anyone."
"I see." John said. "Then can I ask you something?"
"What is it?" Cloak asked.
"What does strength mean to you?" John asked.
As NIck, John has talked to Cloak about strength before. Clearly, he had to tell him something different from what his dad told him.
"Strength is needed to protect those who need it. That's what Dagger and I think." Cloak said.
"So that's your answer, huh?" John asked.
"It is." Cloak said as he turned around and walked away a bit.
"Okay." John said. Then, after 3 seconds, he said something else. "Now, what was the answer I told you?"
All of the fur on Cloak stood up straight after hearing that. The moment John mention "I", Cloak knew that he knew. Dagger was also stunned by this all of this too.
"Come on. Answer me." John said waiting for Cloak.
After two seconds, Cloak spoke to John but not in his Cloak voice. In his regular voice. "There are two things that we need to help us with change. Strength and control. Strength in body and mind. People with great strength also need control. If you can't control yourself, then you can't control a damn thing in this world. Control your actions and don't let your actions control you."
Cloak then turned back to face John, walked over to him, and lower down his head again.
"Nick, are you really going to..." Dagger thought frozen a bit by all of this.
John then tried to touch Cloak's hood again. This time, the Darkforce didn't stop him. John slowly lifted the hood off to reveal that it was Cloak was his son.
"Nicholas... it is you." John said looking at his son. Nick didn't say anything. He couldn't even look at his father. John then looked back at Judy. "Then I'm assuming that Dagger is that Judy girl, correct?"
Since there was no point in hiding it, Dagger reveal her Judy face to John.
"Correct, Mr. Wilde." Judy said not even trying to hide it.
"Dad... I'm so sorry." Nick said as he started to sound emotional. "I know I shouldn't have kept something like this secret from you. But I had to. There... was so much going on. I didn't even understand how these powers worked." Nick started to cry a bit. "I... also know it's my fault David's gone and I know you and mom don't trust me, but..."
Not even wanting to hear anything else, John hugged Nick. John had some tears coming from his eyes too.
"My boy's a hero. I'm so proud." John said happily.
"Dad..." Nick said as cried some more.
Nick then hugged his father back. He didn't care that his father knew his identity now. Nick was just happy to know that he was proud of him. Judy was happy about this father-son moment. She even cried a bit too.
Back at the Wilde house, Francine was looking like she lost hope and that her husband and son may be gone for good. Then she heard some noise at the front door. She rushes over and sees John and Cloak. She cries tears of joy and then hugs John tightly. After that, she looked at Cloak. After looking at Cloak for a few seconds, she wonders... could he be... Cloak then took out his hood and reveal to his mom that he was Nick. Francine was no doubt shocked by this as she covered her mouth. Yet, she was happy that her son was okay. She then hugged Nick and he hugged back. John then comes in for a group hug. The Wilde family was whole again.
Meanwhile, Judy came home. Bonnie was waiting the whole time. She was just too worried to do anything else.
"Judy! Thank goodness you're alright." Bonnie said looking relieved. "What happened? Did they find Nick's father?"
Judy didn't answer her mom right away. She was still wrapping her head. Nick and his dad knowing that he was Cloak now. It made Judy think about things. Would her own father be proud that she became Dagger? She did know one thing. If Stu was still alive, she would have told him. So... why not her mother?
"Mom..." Judy said looking down on the ground.
A second later, Judy summoned up a dagger in her right paw. Bonnie was beyond words with what she was seeing. Judy had her head up and the crescent moon that appears when she's Dagger popped up and glowed. As well as her eyes turning yellow.
"There's something I need to tell you." Judy said to Bonnie.
End of Chapter 15