Here's the next episode. Read it, enjoy it, leave a review. I'd love to know what you all think of this story. There's a lot more to come.
Danger S1E3: A Funeral Unlike Any Other
June 21, 2021
Swellview city hall is the cleanest it's ever been. Every employee of the city had given their all to preparing the hall for Captain Man's funeral. Alternating blue and red velvet ropes create a path through the grand entrance to the council chambers room, which has been rearranged for the ceremony. The velvet roped path leads around the room to pass by the dais in the front where the casket will be for the viewing. Hundreds of chairs are set in neat rows on the floor and balconies, facing the front for the funeral itself. Posters and banners of Captain Man, some with him alongside Kid Danger or Danger Force as well, are hung from the balconies and walls. The biggest banner is draped directly behind the alter and covered with a black veil; Captain Man's cocky smile is visible from every part of the room. Solemn music plays lightly.
Outside the building it seems that all of Swellview is already gathering when Team Danger and Danger Force arrive. Schwoz backs the Man Van, directed by police officers, up to a side door so they can enter without being bombarded. All eight passengers are quick to hop out and retrieve Ray's casket from the back before the police can even offer to help. The police are surprised that there were so many unknown people in the van. Some of them know Barricade from the power facility two days before but others don't. None know Schwoz, who is wearing a strange formal outfit from his home country and a mask. Nor Charlotte and Jasper, who are in their own Dystopian uniforms.
Charlotte's is colorful and futuristic with her orange and purple top, green and yellow collar, and silver and black accents. Her mask, a new addition as Henry's is, is black with a purple stripe on top, remarkably similar to the Danger Force masks. Henry's is black with a deep burgundy stripe. Jasper's being the same but with an orange stripe. Jasper's costume is more rustic, a black shirt with a brown, fleece-lined aviator jacket, dark jeans and boots, and a grey bandana around his head.
The eight of them don't speak as they take places on either side of the grand casket: an ultramodern tube, red and blue with a transparent cover so that all can see but not touch the body of the fallen hero. They take little thought of the décor as they carry the casket inside and place it on the dais.
Vice Mayor Willard approaches them with, rather surprisingly, Mayor Blithe by his side. Both are dressed in elegant black attire. "Danger Force," Mayor Blithe greets with warm handshakes, "and…er… friends…?" she questions apprehensively.
"I'm Barricade." Henry introduces, shaking her hand, a bit awkwardly with his bandaged fingers.
"Oh, right. Chief Stalwart told me about you." she says with a curious look at him. Though still with an edge of wariness, she turns to Charlotte, Jasper and Schwoz seeming a little more at ease.
"I'm Haywire." Charlotte says as pleasantly as she can manage. "This is Schw-echno." She invents a false name for Schwoz. "And…"
"Dozer. I'm Dozer." Jasper says.
"Siesta Niño." Charlotte and Henry correct together, smiles almost crossing their faces at the inside joke.
"No! My name is Dozer." Jasper insists.
"Right, okay." Mayor Blithe says airily. "You were all close friends of Captain Man?"
They all nod shallowly; she has no idea how close.
"Of course, obviously." She says, "Well I'm very sorry for your loss; for you surely have lost more than anyone else in this calamity. There is nothing I can say that won't sound empty and incomplete to those of you who knew him best; so, I will give no more than heartfelt condolences to you and offer any assistance I or my city can give."
The heroes nod politely, and she goes on neatly. "We reserved seats for Danger Force and Captain Man's family and friends, as many as you need, right here in this front area. And during the ceremonies, after the viewing, we're hoping some of you will speak about Captain Man. Maybe tell some stories, share some nice memories, give a fine farewell."
The heroes shift uncomfortably, eyeing each other, not giving an answer. They all know they should and a part of each of them wants to, but the idea of doing it is difficult and makes them want to cry and shy away. "We will take a few minutes." Charlotte says.
"You can have all the time you need." Mayor Blithe says. "Vice Mayor Willard and I will speak first, and you can have the remaining time before we move onto the burial."
"Thank you." Henry says softly, "For everything." Mika and Charlotte follow his manners quickly, then the others afterward.
"Of course, only the best for our Heroes." Mayor Blithe nods, eyeing Henry inquisitively again. "We're planning to open the doors for the viewing in a few minutes, if that is alright with all of you." She says, looking from Henry to the members of Danger Force and latterly at Schwoz, Charlotte and Jasper.
The eight look amongst themselves, checking that everyone else is ready to begin this spectacle. Soon all their eyes lock on Henry, deferring the choice to him as they've all decided they are ready as they can be. He nods to Mayor Blithe with another "Thank you" and moves to take a seat. Schwoz, Henry, Bose, Mika, Miles and Chapa fill the six seats of the frontmost row, Charlotte and Jasper behind the two elder men.
Mayor Blithe walks away respectively, with Vice Mayor Willard following. "That Barricade boy," Vice Mayor Willard says to her once they are out of earshot of the others, "does he worry you?"
She glances back at the hero is question a short moment, thinking, then looks to her Vice. "No, does he worry you?"
"I suppose I don't know much, but from what I've seen and heard of him, I do have some concerns. He's just turned up rather suddenly, in the center of this whole situation, without much of an explanation. If he's an old friend of Captain Man, then why have we never heard of him? Why has he never visited or helped out before?"
"Danger Force trusts him, even seem to look up to him. Is that not evidence enough that he's on our side?" She asks.
"Chief Stalwart and Officer Lacy told me that Volt didn't know his name when they first asked for it in the tower. And the 'looking up to him' thing seems too deferential, like he's in charge suddenly, but I can't understand why." He counters.
They've stopped at the casket, looking down upon Captain Man, Mayor Blithe pauses to think on his words, she has one bit of information she hasn't and won't share with her Vice Mayor, she's just not fully sure of its relevance. Finally, she speaks, reasonably and calm but firm in her words, "Willard, there is plenty about our heroes we don't know. They have secret and private lives, and simply because we are not given all the details about something they do, doesn't mean we stop trusting them. If Danger Force say Barricade is a friend, then I will not fuss myself over the uncertainties without solid evidence against him. I believe them that he is an old friend; I believe we can trust him."
He frowns, "I'm sorry I can't do that Ma'am. Not when Captain Man has just been killed, but I will try to look upon Barricade with an open mind, until I see strong proof that he is trustworthy."
She looks to him. With a small nod she says, "You are permitted to your opinion. We shall have to agree to disagree." She turns from Captain Man's body. "The doors are opening; we should take our seats." She walks down from the dais, her gaze trailing contemplatively from where Barricade is sitting with Danger Force to a banner above his head, on which is printed an old picture of a younger Captain Man with his then new, small, excited sidekick Kid Danger beside him.
(Theme song: Henry's Voice dubbed over the image of Captain Man sculpted in bronze. "It all just kinda happened. It wasn't supposed to be this way. He shouldn't have died...)
The viewing is long and tiresome to the young heroes sitting in the front row. Thousands of people tread in a slow-moving, never-ending line past Captain Man's casket. Too many also want to have a moment of attention from Danger Force as well, stopping near where they sit, trying to mourn with them. Danger Force are quite uninterested, only speaking in soft voices to each other on occasion, and Henry is always quick to ask the citizens to politely move along.
Slowly the seats in the room are being filled by those invited to stay for the funeral afterward. Some rows away the Man-Fans, lead by Piper, sit as a group. Trent Overunder, Mary Gaperman, the twins: Finn and Quinn, and their news crew are across the aisle from them. Police officers, fire fighters and other city employees who have helped Captain Man with a bad guy at one time or other fill other spaces. Villains take over a whole section of seats; everyone from the Toddler to the Lawn Ranger, under strict oaths to not cause trouble and under the watchful eyes of the heroes. Other familiar faces fill the balconies above where other more random citizens are allowed to congregate; Henry's parents, Ms. Shapen, and business owners and employees from all the places Captain Man had been.
Bork and Leilani show up together and are greeted by the old team, they take seats in the row with Charlotte and Jasper. Danger Force greet Monsieur Man and give him a seat with their group as well. Winnie, Larry, and several of Scwhoz's other relatives join in the row behind them, dressed in outfits as strange as Schwoz's. Several surprise guests walk in as well.
Gooch comes first, walking right up to them. Danger Force look at him confused as he says "Hello" but Schwoz and Henry move the ropes to let him in. "You have gotten very tall, Kid." He greets Henry, "And is that…?" he trails off looking to Charlotte.
She stands up to let him into their row saying, "Come sit with us."
"You are a beautiful young lady, Char." He says as he passes her.
"I'm Haywire." She corrects.
Jasper looks at him, "Is that… aren't you the guy who used to work the counter at Ju…"
"Siesta Nino, shut up." Charlotte warns.
"It's Dozer." Jasper protests.
"Yes." Gooch answers his unfinished question, "And you are the annoying boy who loves buckets?"
"Well, I don't love buckets anymore." Jasper replies oblivious to the slight insult.
A short while later someone breaks through the scores of citizens in line with a jubilant yell. Drex strolls up to Ray's casket and laughs. "Oh, now isn't this just perfect. What a terrible day for Swellview!" he proclaims grinning wickedly at all the people around the room. He turns to look victoriously down at Ray, dragging his freaky hand's claws over the acrylic casket cover. "Poor Captain Man, I've waited so long for this."
All at once, Henry's blood boils. He jumps the rope barrier and walks right up to Drex, yanking him away before the villain has a chance to do anything destructive. "Get away from him!"
Drex stumbles only a few steps away. "Ooh, someone here doesn't like me. Which little danger has the nerve to stand up to me?" he asks, turning to face his confronter with a malicious grin. Upon seeing Henry, he becomes confused for a moment, "Who are you?" he asks. "Do I know you?"
"Get out." Henry orders, "You are not welcome here."
At Henry's words recognition floods Drex's face, then disbelief, anger and a bit of fear replace it. "You…" he mutters, "No, no. You can't be… I killed you." he steps closer to study Henry's face.
"Leave Drex." Henry says more tersely. He's beyond furious that Drex would crash the funeral and frustrated that the villain can so easily recognize him, on top of his already over-prevalent feelings of devastation from Ray's death.
Drex's face morphs back into a smile, wicked and conquering. He chuckles darkly as he says, "I don't know how you did it, but you got one up on me old buddy."
All attention is on them, the rest of the room silent as they listen to the confrontation. "Get out." Henry repeats. "You are the last person R-Captain Man would want at his funeral."
Drex and Henry are nose to nose, Drex still grinning and Henry glaring harder than he ever has. "Why don't you make me, Kid?" He taunts.
"I'd rather not ruin his funeral with a fight." Henry says spitefully, "But if you leave me no choice, I will drag your sorry butt out of here myself."
"I'd like to see you try." Drex chuckles darkly and turns away unafraid. "I think I'll stick around. No place I'd rather be than the celebration of my foe's death." He announces, walking away from Henry and the casket.
The citizens all back away from him as much as they can, but the heroes do the opposite. Danger Force are all on their feet, barring Drex's path to a chair. Charlotte and Jasper stand as ready backup beside their own chairs. "You'd better leave now, or you'll have to deal with all of us." Miles says.
Drex's smirk doesn't slip for a second. "You think that scares me? The last time we fought, you were less than flies in my face."
"We're stronger than we were last time." Chapa growls, lightning racing over her arms.
Drex still doesn't flinch. "Well then, little Volt, why don't you give it a try?"
She glares at him and throws an electric punch. It never connects. Drex grabs her arm, higher up than the electricity reaches and throws her several feet across the room over his own shoulder. Turning his back on the other kids without a care, he watches her. "Ooh, well done Volt." He mocks.
She glares at him as she gets back to her feet. Her hands are sparking madly, and she is ready to take another charge. At that moment Bose and Miles attack Drex from behind; Bose jumping onto his back and Miles diving at his feet. Drex stumbles but quickly recovers and kicks Miles away. He swings Bose off his back and the boy crashes to the ground with a yelp. Drex would've continued to attack the two boys but Mika steps in with a scream that blows him away. He again recovers quickly. Back on his feet, he looks to Mika mildly impressed. "Alright then, I guess we're doing this." He says, taking stance for a fight.
Unfortunately for Drex he'd landed a bit too close to Henry, who is quick to grab Drex before the fight can go on. "Enough!" he calls to them all.
Drex wrenches around and slashes with his clawed paw at Henry. Henry dodges and activates his force field. The unexpectedness and force of the powers mean Drex doesn't know how to react and he is blasted to the middle of the room. "Woah!" He says, reeling on the floor. Coming round after a moment he says, "I see now. Of course, you were there too, and just like them you got powers. But don't think that changes anything, Kid." He says the name derisively, "I'll take on all five of you and not break a sweat."
"There's a few more than the five of them." Charlotte says. She and Jasper are standing a few feet away ready for a fight. All around the room police officers have their guns trained on Drex as well.
"No!" Henry orders to them all, "We are not fighting here. Not today."
"Why not, I'd like a challenge, and those guns can't hurt me." Drex says.
"You can't dodge us all." Police Chief Stalwart says.
"No, officers, don't shoot." Henry says. "He's indestructible and we don't want any bullets flying around a room as crowded as this."
The police stand down quickly as they realize the dangers Henry points out. Frightened mutterings of "Indestructible?", "Drex is indestructible?", and "How does he know that?" float around the room.
"Yes. See? You can't defeat me." Drex says.
"There's still seven of us heroes here." Jasper says. "We can still fight you."
"No!" Henry repeats. "We don't want to fight."
"I do." Drex contradicts the second the words have left Henry's mouth. "I'd rather love to crush you all in a seven to one brawl. But if you'd rather get back to the pageantry, I think I'll give a speech. I want to tell all of Swellview some of Captain Man's darkest secrets; maybe even some of yours." He threatens Henry, voice growing more cheerfully malevolent as he speaks. "I could start now, if you'd all take a seat; I'm sure all these good Swellviewians here would like to know who you really are. I'm sure everyone would like to know the truth about what happened."
"The only thing you'll be doing is leaving." Henry says brusquely as murmurs break out again through the crowds of civilians.
Drex smirks and when none of the heroes make a move to fight him, he begins, "It's a thrilling tale of unworthy heroes, a great villain, and betrayal that lead to the death of one of Swellview greatest heroes. You see, Swellviewians, this boy before us, whatever he's calling himself now, isn't who you think. He's…" but he never finishes that sentence because Henry hits him.
Drex's laugh is more elated than anything has a right to be. It infuriates Henry. The two of them begin duking it out, though it isn't much of a fight. Henry is too mad to be sharp with his throws and Drex is enjoying it all too much. They're wrestling most messily. Then the other heroes are in on the action and it's even more chaotic. Some, like Charlotte, are trying to break up the fight. Others, like Chapa, are throwing their fists in too.
It all ends when a thunderous voice breaks through the din with orders to "Stop. Break it up." and several new pairs of hands, one set being particularly strong, pull them all apart. "This is a funeral; what do you think you're doing?" the voice demands.
Gasps of shock and delight come from all around the room. Murmurs of the newcomer names echo through the chamber so all that can be heard is "Thunder".
"Thunder Man?" Drex asks astonished, then he hardens his expression and voice to say, "What are you doing here?"
Indeed, it is he, standing between Henry and Drex, with his two oldest children at his side. Chapa is giving Max some serious grief about being restrained. Charlotte, Jasper and Mika are struggling on the other side of Thunder Man to restrain Drex. Bose and Miles stand to the side neither being held back nor holding anyone else back, seeming unsure as to what to do. Henry is pulled from his blind rage though to see his old friend restricting his actions. "Phoebe?" he asks in sheer astonishment.
She loosens her hold as he ceases fighting against her and looks to him with no recognition. "Do I know you?" she asks.
"Uhh…yes." He says confused by her confusion, "Do you not recognize me?"
"Uhh…no. Who are you?" she says eying him closely, looking for any clue.
"I really shouldn't say here, but a clue is we once fought on a train together." He mutters quieter, stepping closer until they're inches from each other. She says nothing her face making the most peculiar expression. "It was several years ago, I had a different haircut, your brother was there…" he leads on.
Her mouth has fallen open slightly as she struggles to find her voice. She can see it now, though he is much older and taller than the last time they'd met face to face. "Kid Danger?" she finally hisses with the smallest noise. He nods shortly but with conviction. "I thought you were dead!" she bursts.
"What?!" he replies, pulling back from her slightly. "I'm not dead, what do you mean?"
"The last I heard you'd crashed a blimp or something," She whispers, "and died in a fiery explosion."
"Oh! Well, yeah that happened, but I didn't die. I thought you knew that. Didn't I call you, or text you after to tell you?" he says, trying to remember back, sure he had told everyone who knew his identity that he was still alive.
"No!" she says incensed, "I haven't heard a single rumor that you might be alive. Not from you, Captain Man or any hero I know. An I know a lot of heroes."
"Oh, er…sorry." he says meekly, smiling wanly at her incredulous expression.
"Unbelievable." She says, shaking her head.
"Hey! Stop him!" the loud voice of Chapa cuts over their hushed conversation. They both turn their attention to see Drex making a great escape from Thunder Man. The villain using civilians as decoys to deter the heroes that are after him. "I'll be back. With Captain Man gone, I'm the king of this town!" he announces loudly to all the people as he runs out the door.
A beat passes before Max asks, "Should we chase him?"
"Just let him go." Charlotte says to the group at large. "We'll deal with him later."
"What? Let him go?" Thunder Man asks distrustfully, "He's a villain and a menace, we can't just let him go. That's not what heroes do." He scorns.
"You must not have a lot of experience with an overabundance of criminals if you think that. I don't like Drex getting away. He's awful, but he's not my priority today. If he does something we'll go after him, if not, then he can wait for another time." Charlotte says.
"Wait, is that…you know… your friend from…?" Phoebe asks quietly.
Henry is already nodding before she can finish the sentence. "Yeah, that's Char, we call her Haywire. We'll explain later."
While the two young adults have this small conversation Thunder Man continues to get after Charlotte. "Young lady, I don't know what kind of twisted morality you have in Dystopia, but that's not how things work here." He is saying.
"That's exactly how things work here." Henry cuts over the older man. "This is Swellview, Thunder Man, and though it doesn't seem like it, we're one of the most crime ridden towns in the world. Our crimes are mostly comical instead of dark or serious like in Dystopia, but there are so many that it's not uncommon for the bad guys to get away. We don't have the luxury of being able to chase them down relentlessly until we catch them."
"Now…" Thunder Man begins but Henry presses on.
"Even Captain Man was constantly putting criminals captures on hold for other things, and it wasn't out of some twisted morality. He was a great hero, and one of the best people I ever knew. So, don't come into our town, telling us we're doing wrong by doing exactly as he would've." His words become harsher and more heated as he speaks. So much so that by the end he and Thunder Man are glaring at each other.
"Boy…" Thunder Man begins to speak again but is once again cut off.
"Okay. Stop." Charlotte says.
"Hold on, Dad." Phoebe says simultaneously.
Both girls step between the men, "Just calm down. Barricade, Thunder Man." Charlotte says.
"We're all friends here." Phoebe adds.
"Friends? I've never met this boy in my life." Thunder Man says.
"Dad!" Phoebe scolds, "Barr-Barricade?" she questions, and Charlotte confirms. "Barricade is a hero and a friend of Captain Man."
"I…" Thunder Man tried to say but Phoebe continues over him.
"…And this is a funeral. So, let's all behave like it." She turns to give her warning look to Henry as well, though Charlotte has already done a thorough job with her own look and a few short words directly to him. "We can discuss everything else later." Phoebe finishes.
With a great effort, Henry reels himself back in from his outburst, feeling none the better for it and perhaps worse. But the emotions had burst when Drex had shown up and then the rage hadn't stopped. It had overflowed in an uncontrollable way that had surprised even him. Henry breathes deeply, blinking excess water from his eyes for about the millionth time in the last few days. "She's right. We shouldn't be fighting." he says once he's quelled his inner tumult. "There's still a lot of funeral to get through and we can finish this afterwards."
A collective sigh of relief comes from Charlotte, Phoebe and seemingly most other people in the room. "Good. Let's take our seat, there is place for you Thundermans with us." Charlotte says.
They all stand down and do as she says. While they clear the area and reset the rope barriers that had been knocked askew in the fight Phoebe moves beside Henry to ask, "Are you okay, Kid-er Barricade?"
Henry sighs, "One of my best friends is dead and my old nemesis just tried to ruin the funeral, so maybe not great." He says snippily. Then a moment thereafter says, "Sorry, I don't mean to be a jerk."
"You're not. It was kind of a dumb question; you obviously are dealing with some awful stuff." She says with a wan smile.
"No, I'm sorry." he insists as they walk towards the chairs. "I shouldn't be acting this way. I'm just frustrated, I mean, with Drex. I hate him and this whole…" he gestures uselessly at nothing, pausing to come up with the right word. "…everything."
They reach the seats, she touches his arm gently and says, "I'm sorry." In a sincere voice. Before continuing with a small smile saying, "We'll talk later, okay? I really want to know how you survived." Then she joins her father and brother a couple rows back and Henry retakes his seat between Schwoz and Bose.
(Commercial break)
"…I would thank him for all he did. He knew how much he meant to this city and we all know how much we will miss him. He was a great hero, may he rest in peace knowing his legacy will never be forgotten." Vice Mayor Willard concludes his eulogy. Sniffing and tear-wiping is commonplace throughout the crowd. A moment of silence passes before he speaks again, saying, "Now we will hear some words from his closest friends." He nods to the heroes' section and takes his seat.
An almost awkward moment passes while the heroes glance to each other to see who is going to take the plunge. The members of Danger Force try to work up the nerve but continue to glance at each other hoping someone else will go first. Charlotte gives Henry an encouraging look and he knows he must. So, he stands and, with great effort and annoyance at the pageantry, takes a place at the head of the room near Ray's casket.
"Uh…Hi." He begins clumsily, and the plethora of unsure faces looking at him don't do anything to help his comfort level. He squeezes his injured fingers to keep himself grounded. "um…I know most of you here don't know who I am, but now's not really a time for explanations. All you need to know is that Captain Man and I are family," he says slowly, coming up with the words he feels best described the two of them. "…and so, I know him- knew him in a way very few people got to. He's- was an immature doofus most of the time. He was very impulsive and could be quite childish, but it was usually harmless fun. The times I had with him were some of the best in my life. I could always count on him for a laugh. He loved to harass me and our friends about everything he possibly could. He loved games and jokes and was generally one of the most lighthearted people ever.
"But he was deadly serious when it came to the people he cares about. He could mess with me all the day long then turn around to beat up anyone else who tried to do the same. He was protective, and supportive, and loving." Henry's voice just about cracks and he begins to feel overwhelmed, but he presses on, speaking slowly and stressing the things he feels are most important for people to understand about who Ray was. "His friends, his family, the kids he trained, this city: we were the most important things to him, though he would almost never admit that to anyone. He worried for us. He looked out for us. When it came down to it, he would always do everything in his power to protect those he loved, even if it cost him everything." Henry bites his lip as the reality of what the cost had become. He near sobs, "He didn't want to die. He did it to protect us from those who tried to hurt us. To save us from the new, quite literal, darkness that fell over Swellview three days ago. Just as he always would have; as he was ever willing to do for the sake of those he cared about."
Henry holds stiff, not yielding to his turmoil and tears, as he concludes his speech. He wants, truly needs, to give Ray a worthy goodbye. "I loved him. I trusted him. And I am never not going to miss him. My brother…" he nearly says Ray's name but holds it in.
He steps down and retakes his seat, trembling slightly but trying to stay strong. Schwoz is sobbing and hugs him tightly as he sits. "That was beautiful!" Schwoz says. Two hands touch Henry's back over the chair; hands he knows to be Charlotte's and Jasper's. Henry sniffs once, rubs Schwoz's bald spot affectionately and turns his attention to Danger Force, who have taken the spotlight.
All four stand together before the assembled Swellviewians and square their shoulders to face their mission. Mika speaks first, "The four of us didn't get to know Captain Man for very long. We've been his sidekicks for the past year, but we really didn't meet him long before that. In that short time, he changed our lives. Not only did we get superpowers and costumes, but he gave us purpose and strength. He took four kids with little in common and made us a team."
"He made us friends." Bose chimes in from her side, "Best friends." He smiles at her and she smiles back.
"Captain Man was strong and brave. He was determined and never let anything stand in his way. He'd take on any danger if it meant he'd get what he wanted, whether that meant protecting his city or getting the last doughnut in the box. He was unyielding and I strive to following his example; to be strong and brave." Chapa says, eyes full but she doesn't let the tears fall.
"He was stubborn, but he was good." Miles says his cheeks lined with wet trails, "He wasn't perfect. He had a huge ego and made mistakes all the time. But, he tried to do what he thought was right, which made him a great hero and a great friend. Despite his flaws he never stopped believing in himself and in those of us he taught. He inspired confidence in me and in all of us."
Mika picks back up after her brother, her face sparkles with the drip of a tear. "He taught me that I can be great, that I can achieve my goals and be what I want to be. I've always been ambitious, I wanted to make my life something great and do something worthwhile. When I met Captain Man and Kid Danger, I found it. I knew what I wanted, and Captain Man helped me pursue it."
"He taught me that just because I'm bad at Math and Science and History and English, doesn't mean I'm bad at everything, just most things." Some wistful chuckles break through the silent crowd at Bose's words. "But, Captain Man let me be a superhero anyway. He gave me trust and chances to prove myself that no one else ever would have."
"We could never thank him enough for what he did for us." Mika says.
"And we'll never get the chance to, now." Chapa adds morosely. The small smiles that had grown some on the others' faces fade.
After a brief moment Miles speaks again. "But we will never forget him. We will use what he taught us and try to be worthy of his legacy. Swellview will not be left defenseless; we will protect you, as he did." The other three nod with his words and together they step down, not looking to anyone else as they retake their seats and wipe their faces.
A long silence reigns as no one else rises to speak. Henry catches glances with Mayor Blithe as she looks to them inquisitively. He looks to each of his friends to be sure none of them want to say anything else then nods to Mayor Blithe lightly to let her know they're done. She stands to close the proceedings. "Thank you for all coming today. And thank you five for speaking your honest words about your friend, and teacher, and brother." She nods to them each, and to Henry last. "There is nothing to do now but bury Captain Man. We in city government have picked and prepared the place we think most suited for him; we have erected his memorial on Mount Swellview, right alongside Kid Danger's." a chorus of awws and other sentimental noises come from most of the crowd. Opposingly, Henry stiffens with shock and guilt. "Our belief is that he would've most wanted to be next to his lost sidekick, whom we all know he loved." Henry shifts uncomfortably in his seat, feeling his friend's eyes on him. "The monument will be open to public visitation tomorrow. Until then we would invite only his closest friends and family to the site for his burial. Thank you."
(Commercial break)
Henry hadn't been to the Kid Danger memorial since Ray had kicked him out of the funeral a year before. It was weird to return now, especially since they were here to bury Ray. The place was different: the kid danger statues had been recovered up, the foliage on the hillside was regrowing after the fiery crash of the blimp and, sadly, there was a large hole in the ground at the feet of the statues.
The group waiting by the side of the hole was small. Only Henry, Danger Force, Schwoz, Charlotte, Jasper and the Thundermans had come with Mayor Blithe and her select employees to the mountain. Their other closest friends, Piper, Bork, Leilani and Gooch had declined the invitation graciously and said they would see the others back at the Man's Nest afterward. The city had brought rigging up to lower the casket into the grave but it was unnecessary, Schwoz had built an anti-grav function into the casket so that with the push of a button and some small guidance, it lowered itself into place.
The group stood in gloomy discontentment, some glaring at the grave, others crying or trying not to. The Thundermans stand to the back, politely mourning and with Thunder Man keeping a watchful eye on Henry. Henry scowls at the grave but still holds his tears in. Charlotte and Jasper stand beside him quietly letting tears leak from their eyes, Jasper's hand on Henry's shoulder. Schwoz is on Charlotte's other side crying more heavily. Mika's face is upset but her tears have stopped and Bose is following her example. Miles is crying a little and glowering at the hole but his look has nothing on Chapa's frustrated expression.
Mayor Blithe and Vice Mayor Willard stand at the foot of the grave somberly. Mayor Blithe speaks. "I cannot take away this loss and I cannot give a better speech than the five of you did. All I can do is what I have done; I've tried to give Captain Man the best farewell from the city I could. I finish with this last gift, a statue in his honor." She says and gestures to the covered statues at the head of the grave. It is two figures in cast bronze, standing together, bodies facing each other but heads turned out to stare confidently across the mountain. The Captain Man statue's arms are placed on his hips in his classic hero pose and the Kid Danger statue stands solidly upright beside it. Mayor Blithe continues. "I was at a state's conference last year when the blimp crashed and Kid Danger's funeral happened, but when I returned, I heard the story. I heard Captain Man had wanted a statue and that Vice Mayor Willard promised him one but instead made two of Kid Danger, neither of which looked that great so I had them removed and replaced. It is sadly ironic that so shortly after they were completed they would become the memorial to his death. And I'm regretful that he will never get to see his coveted statue."
"He would've loved it." Charlotte says.
"He would've lost his mind over it." Jasper corrects.
"It would've been like Christmas with a hyperactive five-year-old." Miles says.
"That's because he was a hyperactive five-year-old." Chapa mocks not unkindly. "We never would've heard the end of it."
Everyone laughs and their moods lift slightly, except Henry. He stares at his own image sculpted in metal standing next to Ray's and feels guilt raising inside him for the lies Ray had told a year ago. Ray had lied so Henry could go have what he'd called 'a life', but now Ray has none at all. And what right does Henry have to be immortalized as the identity he'd left behind now that Ray really is gone? The sour taste of unworthiness squirms though him and Henry has to look away.
They bury the casket, and when the dirt is flat again the tractors and machines are moved out with efficiency. The city people leave, Mayor Blithe and an unknown woman lagging behind to make sure everyone else is gone. Jasper slings an arm around Henry, who is still staring at the floor, and asks, "You okay, Bro?" Henry nods silently. Jasper frowns but doesn't press, "We're getting ready to go back. Thunder Man wants to talk."
Henry again nods silently and follows Jasper to where the group is preparing to depart. Before anyone can take off or teleport, they are stopped by Mayor Blithe calling out. "Wait one moment please, I have one more thing to discuss with you heroes." They all turn to look at her questioningly. She and the unknown woman are approaching. "Well, I suppose I don't need all of you, but we need to discuss Captain Man's will with his beneficiaries."
"His will?" several of the heroes question.
"He has a will?" Henry asks as the others' chorus fades.
"He thought he was going to live forever, why would he have made a will?" Chapa asks.
"And he wasn't even forty yet." Charlotte adds.
"I didn't know he had a will." Schwoz says.
Mayor Blithe holds her hand up peaceably to quiet the commotion. "Yes, he has a will. He brought it to me several months ago with the explanation that after what happened to Kid Danger, he wanted to be sure that if the very real possibility of his death were to happen, everything he would leave behind would be taken care of."
The heroes look to each other. Those who knew Kid Danger hadn't died glanced specifically to Henry in confusion. Why would Captain Man have written a will because Kid Danger had died, when he knew Kid Danger hadn't?
"So, he left stuff behind for us?" Miles asks.
"For some of you yes. Danger Force, Schwoz, and… well I believe Barricade is the other intended recipient. Which is why I waited to have this conversation in private, because there are some uncertainties we need cleared up." she says.
The heroes start, "Did you just say Schwoz?" Mika asks.
"How do you know my name?" Schwoz follows.
"Captain Man listed you as a beneficiary. In order to make things legal and assure that everything ended up where he intended Captain Man had to share a few secrets in his will. He swore me to secrecy as well, so only I and District Attorney Licit" she indicates the other woman at her side. "Know about and have seen Captain Man's will. I share them with those of you here assuming that you, as his closest friends, already know these secrets. If you do not, then I apologize in advance for breaking his trust."
She pauses to let the information sink in. The heroes look to each other curious and somewhat alarmed at what secrets she might know. "D.A. Licit will outline the will for you now, if you're all ready." She says and turns the floor to the other woman.
As soon as everyone's eyes are expectantly upon her D.A. Licit begins, "Good. Now the first secret Captain Man shares is his identity." She begins to read from the papers in her hands, "The Last Will and Testament of Captain Man. I Raymond Esther Manchester, resident of the city of Swellview, being of sound mind, not acting under any duress or influence, do hereby declare this document to be my last will and testament."
Several gasps and/or chuckles interrupt her momentarily after she says Ray's full name and once she pauses at the end of the paragraph Bose interrupts again. "um… You just said a lot of words I don't know, so could you maybe repeat that without all the legal lingo?" he asks.
D.A. Licit looks at him surprised but takes pity on him, knowing she hasn't even started with the legal lingo and says, "How about I sum up the document in a way that will make more sense to all of you than reading it will? I did have to revise a lot of Captain Man's writing for it to be legalized anyway."
"That'd be cool." Bose says.
"I'd also like to know the original requests in Ray's own words." Charlotte says. "For assurance that you're doing as he wanted."
D.A. Licit nods and says, "I can give you a copy of both his original and my revised documents."
"That'd be perfect." Charlotte says.
"Great. Now, what does the will say?" Chapa asks, "What did he leave behind for us, and Schwoz?"
D.A. Licit straightens up, cool and confident she explains, "Captain Man, or Mr. Manchester, left Schwoz his technology. The machines and gadgets, and most notably the patents on all of Schwoz's own designs that Mr. Manchester owned under the guise of Captain Man. He turns the rights and ownership of all those designs back to Schwoz, who created them, to do with as he pleases. Though he does leave with hope that Schwoz will continue to use his technology and skills to help Danger Force and protect Swellview."
"Of course, I will." Schwoz says smally, eyes shining will awed tears. "I will not abandon my friends now. Nor ever."
Charlotte side hugs him and the members of Danger Force smile gratefully.
"That is well. Now to Danger Force he leaves a list of things I mostly am not sure what are. I suppose they are memorabilia from him, so I will give you the list and trust you to decipher and divide up everything as he wished. He leaves the care of two creatures named Monsty and Chest Monster to you as well. I don't really want to know what those are." she says. Mika and Miles both seem delighted at the news. "Lastly, though he cannot really give you the city of Swellview, he has left it to you. He wrote that in the event of his death, you four were to be trusted to protect the city as long as you're able and willing."
The kids of Danger Force look very nervous but not surprised. "We'll do our best." Mika vows and the others nod along with her, though they all seem overwhelmed by the prospect.
D.A. Licit pauses a long moment with a pensive face before continuing. "Now, the rest of it here is the most confusing part of all and what we would like some clarification on, though Mayor Blithe seems to believe she's figured it out. Everything else he owns: his properties: the Man's Nest, the ruins of the Mancave, Swellview Academy for the Gifted, and a property he owns in town, a store called Junk n' Stuff; as well as his money and remaining personal belongings he leaves to Kid Danger."
Too many eyes fall on Henry who has frozen in surprise. They all look away quickly again as Max says, "But, uh, Kid Danger's dead."
"That's the issue." D.A. Licit says. "Captain Man said he wrote this will after Kid Danger died, because Kid Danger died, but then left a great deal of his things to Kid Danger. So, you can see the implication that Kid Danger isn't truly dead as we'd believed. We were hoping his new sidekicks and other teammates could clarify and confirm that, and also help us get in contact with Kid Danger wherever he is now."
She looks to Danger Force, who all squirm guiltily. Their eyes flick back and forth from Henry to anything else they can. "Um, well…"
"You see, we're not really supposed to…"
"We can't really…"
"I don't think we can." The four mutter incomprehensibly over each other.
D.A. Licit and the Thunderman men stare at the four confounded, while the rest mostly fail in their attempts to not stare at Henry. "None of that sounded like 'No, it's impossible to call a dead guy.'" Max says, "So tell me straight up; is Kid Danger dead?"
"Well…" Miles draws out uncertainly.
"Oh my god!" Max says. "He's alive?!"
Danger Force all make nervous noises and fake chuckles. "No. No." Thunder Man says, "If Kid Danger was alive, he'd be here."
"Do you think he's not?" Mayor Blithe asks and the murmurs and chaotic noise cease.
"Well, I… what do you mean, Ma'am? If Kid Danger were here, we-someone would know." Thunder Man says.
Mayor Blithe has all the attention as she speaks. "I think Kid Danger is here, and I think someone knows it, several people in fact. Just because you and I weren't told, doesn't mean it can't be so." She is talking directly to Thunder Man at the moment. "I had the same thoughts as you earlier: if Kid Danger is alive, he's sure to come to Captain Man's funeral. So, I decided to have a look around while I was there."
Now she turns from him, walking slowly through the group. "I didn't really have to look too hard, even before the funeral started a young man walked in who just seemed so fitting for the role. He was accompanying Danger Force, he jumped up first to defend Captain Man's body from Drex, he was the only other 'close friend' of Captain Man beside the members of Danger Force to give a speech, in which he called Captain Man a brother, and well, I don't think anyone who takes an objective look can deny the resemblance he has to the Kid." She finishes, coming to stand right in front of Henry, looking to him for an answer to her allegation.
Henry meets the Mayor's eyes and sees her conviction of her theory. After all that had happened in the last few days, he was in such a mood that this secret didn't seem important. "So, you went through all this pageantry: the speeches, the statues and burying him here even though you knew I was alive?" he asks crossly.
Her smile drops. Everyone else is reacting to their shock at his revelation. "Wait, what?" Max asks.
"Dude, I thought that was a secret." Jasper says.
"I can't believe you just said that." Charlotte admonishes at the same time.
Then Thunder Man and Max are asking so many questions over each other: "You're Kid Danger?", "How're you alive?!"and those who knew are commenting their surprise: "Wow!", "I can't believe you told them." that is becomes exceedingly difficult to distinguish who says what.
Henry doesn't react to any of them, his gaze remains fixed on Mayor Blithe. "Yes, I let this place be chosen even though I knew you might not be dead." She says kindly. "Besides the point of appearances and sense to the public it all seemed the best for him. This is still a monument to Kid Danger, even though a spare few of us now know you to be alive, and it will remain that way. You and he are inextricably linked and I would never dream of building his monument apart from yours; that would, I believe, be a disgrace to him." She says it so cool and logically that Henry can't come up with a real argument against it. "Besides, isn't this where he wanted his statue to be anyway?" she concludes and Henry has to nod. She's right about it all, and he's not really upset about Captain Man being buried here.
"So, you are Kid Danger?" D.A. Licit question comes after the others' melee has calmed and it draws Henry's attention.
"I was." He says simply.
"Which I thought you were never going to tell anyone." Charlotte stresses.
"Ray trusted them with his identity and the fact that I'm alive, so what's the point in keeping it a secret that I was Kid Danger?" Henry asks.
"But, if you're alive, then who crashed the blimp? I watched the video; nobody could've survived that explosion." Max says.
"I did." Henry says. "And I survived because I developed a new superpower. I have a force field."
"Kid, how many things have you forgotten to tell me?" Phoebe asks incredulously.
Henry gets a cold shock at her first word and hardly hears the rest of her sentence. A hot thorn pricks his heart and he says, "Don't call me Kid, please." more intensely than he means to.
Phoebe is not the only one taken aback by this. "Sorry?" she says, "Are you okay?
Henry reels himself back into a faux calm, repressing the storm that has churned inside him since Drex showed up. "Fine. I'm fine., I didn't mean it like that. Sorry." He says, "Anyway, I survived the blimp crash, but Captain Man and I decided to let everyone keep thinking I hadn't so that I could move on with my life and stop being his sidekick."
Max and Phoebe nod understanding, "That makes sense, you had graduated to hero level and needed to go be independent." she says. "Or well, unsupervised, you did have these two." She indicates Charlotte and Jasper.
"You know he never could've done it without me, especially in Dystopia." Charlotte says.
"And me too!" Jasper adds.
"But why would you set up in Dystopia? Even the Hero League has written that place off as hopeless." Max says.
"Well, Haywire was already going there to do some charity work and we decided to go with her." Jasper says.
Henry and Charlotte however have stuck on Max's second sentence. "The what have written off Dystopia?" Charlotte asks.
"The Hero League." Max says confused.
"I don't know what that is. What is that?" Henry asks.
"Captain Man never told you about the Hero League?" Thunder Man asks, "The organization that manages and monitors all superheroes."
"The what?" Chapa asks.
"That's a thing?" Miles asks.
"Uh… no. No, he never mentioned anything of the sort." Henry says.
Thunder Man frowns, "Well, he was only a reserve member, but you should be in the loop. We'll get you introduced." he says. "Pres. Kickbutt will want to meet the heroes of Dystopia."
"Alright." Henry says. "Sounds good, but we're not really 'of Dystopia', that was just a year-long trip. We're back in the U.S. and these two are headed to college in a few weeks."
"Well, that kind of depends how things are going here." Charlotte says. "We won't leave Swellview in a state of chaos. The villains are going to take Captain Man's death as a sign that they can get away with anything they want; we are going to stay as long as we're needed."
Henry looks disapprovingly at her and says, "You can't skip college, you already have your housing and classes picked out."
"I'll figure it…" she tries to argue.
"No." Henry says, "You are going to college. I don't have any plans, so I'll stay to help Danger Force as long as they need."
"You're staying in Swellview?" Mayor Blithe asks with a glad tone.
"Of course." Henry says. "As long as Danger Force will accept my help."
"We will." Mika says urgently. "You can be our new leader, take over our training."
"What?" he asks, surprise and nervousness tainting the word.
"Yeah, what?" Chapa asks.
"We're still pretty new at the hero thing, we haven't been doing it all that long. We're not ready to be doing this on our own." Mika explains to them. "Remember last time Barricade was in town and Captain Man left us to do all the work? It sucked and we could barely keep up with it."
"You mean when Barricade was running from the guy who eats souls?" Jasper asks.
"Don't mock me, not wanting my soul to get eaten is a perfectly reasonable reason for coming to Captain Man for help." Henry says.
"Now is going to be even worse and there is going to be lots more crime. We need a fully qualified hero to lead us, to finish teaching us everything Captain Man would've." Mika says, trying to convince her teammates and Henry of her position. "Barricade is the best guy to do it."
Henry is reluctant. "I wanna help, but I'm not Captain Man, I can't take over for him. I can't teach you like he did."
"You were his sidekick for years. You're one of the best heroes ever." Mika pleads.
"She's not wrong. You are a great hero. Leading them makes sense. Siesta Niño and I will be around at least for the rest of summer…" Charlotte puts in.
"And not any longer." Henry warns.
Beyond the conversation, ignored by all, Jasper complains again, "It's Dozer."
"…to help you get set up in the new normal." Charlotte finishes.
"And if you need more help. You can always call me." Phoebe adds, "That's the benefit of having super friends, we're here to help you when there's too many crimes to deal with."
Henry wavers and concedes. "Alright, fine. If you all want me to train you, I'll do what I can."
"Yes!" Mika cheers, "We do want that."
"I'm in, Shoutout's usually right about stuff." Bose says.
"She convinced me of her idea last night." Miles says.
Chapa considers them all before agreeing, "Okay, could be cool."
"Fine." Henry says, "No promises I'll be any good."
"You'll be great." Charlotte and Phoebe assure.
Next Episode: S1E4: Dangerous Times