Hello! Welcome to episode 7. Thank you to those who have reviewed, I'm so glad you guys are enjoying this. Special shoutout to DiamondDragon2003 because you're comment just made my whole week when I saw it. (P.S. I know it sounds weird, but I'm glad Ray's death made you cry, it makes me feel like I did a good job writing it.) Thank you again for your reviews, feel free to send me more. This story is going to be pretty long so I hope you all stick with me through it and enjoy all the craziness that is my Dangerverse.
Before we commence I have to make a comment about how freaking ecstatic I am for 'A Henry Among Us'. And state that I am so curious who that woman was and what was happening with Henry in the end of the last episode because that was not Charlotte, and it all seemed a little sus to me: the way she asked him if he was going to answer, and why she has his phone in the first place. I have theories, but I'm probably wrong. Either way we'll see what happens in a couple days. I'm so stoked about it!
Now, without further ado...
Danger S1E6: Captain Danger?
August 3, 2021
"So, are you gonna do the interview with KLVY?" Charlotte asks Henry. The two are alone in the Man's Nest this morning, not doing anything since there are no emergencies going on.
"I don't know. I don't really want to." he responds nonchalantly, spinning in a chair.
"They're not going to stop asking until you give the public a full explanation for your survival." she says. "All of Swellview, and really the entire world is waiting for your story."
"I'm Kid Danger. I didn't die in the blimp explosion. What else do they need to know?" he says without any attentiveness as he continues dizzying himself.
Charlotte huffs crossly at him and grabs his chair, forcing it to a stop facing her. "You don't think you owe them the truth?"
He shakes his head distractedly as she says this, trying to stave off the continued feeling of motion his head has after the spinning. After the short extra moment it takes him to process her words, he gives her a matching expression of irritation and incredulity. "I owe them?" he interrogates. "I gave up my childhood, my education, and almost my life more times than I can remember to save theirs. I've put things back how they're supposed to be. Kid Danger is alive and back to be a hero to the city. I'm back here, giving up whatever future I might've had to protect them again. What else do I owe them?"
"Henry." She rolls her eyes but takes a calming breath and says, "I'm not saying they don't owe you a lot too: like their lives and some apologies; and you're right that they probably don't deserve any more of you than you already give. But you can't just be Kid Danger again without any explanation. You-he is one of the most famous people in Swellview and you just came back to life and told them that everything they've believed for the past year has been a total lie. They're not going to accept that easily. They need to have some answers, whether or not they deserve any, whether or not you want to. You're the better man: the hero. So, I think you should do the interview, at least tell them something or things aren't going to get better for you."
"I don't want to." he grumbles stubbornly. "I've already done the best I can to put things back how they're supposed to be. I put things back to normal. I don't see how doing an interview is going to fix things any more than that has. It's already made the crime wave stop; we haven't had an emergency in days." He supplies as an example. "The murder rumors have stopped too, and people don't seem to hate me anymore."
"But do you really think they're going to trust you if you keep them in the dark. What happens if someone suggests that you're lying about being Kid Danger? What happens if they think you faked it? You can't just pull a stunt like you did and expect things to be smooth from here on out." Charlotte lectures.
"It's not just a stunt. I told you, I want to go back to being Kid Danger; the suit, the name, all of it. The people can forget about Barricade, and I'll just be the Swellviewian hero again." Henry says, standing from the chair heatedly.
"And I told you, you can't just do that." Charlotte retorts stepping back with a frustrated sigh. "You can't really go back to being just Kid Danger and forget that the last year plus ever happened; it was a crazy time, and you've changed a lot, grown up a lot."
"But I can't be Barricade, that hasn't worked. Kid Danger does work. He is who I am here, in Swellview and the Mancave." Henry says and begins pacing the room. "And Kid Danger taking over for Captain Man makes is more fitting, right? It's what he wanted."
"Ray wanted you to become Captain Man," She points out, "Not even he intended for you to be Kid Danger forever. Kid Danger was a sidekick, and you are way past being a sidekick now." She stands face to face with him, holding his gaze very seriously. "So, unless you plan to be Captain Danger…" Henry stops in his place and blanches uncomfortably at the name. "…then this idea of yours doesn't hold up. Being Kid Danger isn't going to bring Captain Man back. Doing his job, doing everything you used to isn't going to make his death okay. It's not going to make it so it never happened. Ray is gone. He's never coming back."
"I know that!" Henry snaps miserably, blinking rapidly as a tear rolls down his cheek. He continues is a milder voice. "But then what do I do? If this won't make me feel better, what will?"
"I don't know." she admits defeated. "I don't know how to make you feel better. I don't know how to make me feel better. I don't know how to get through it and I hate it! I'm just trying to find a way to help."
Henry sits back in the chair he'd recently vacated but doesn't resume the spinning. He blinks excessively as more water streams from his eyes but doesn't say anything for a long moment. "This is what I think this will help. This can make things good again, make it better. Him being dead can be alright if we make sure it wasn't for nothing. If we hold up his legacy. It's going to be fine. You've been telling me that for weeks and I'm finally accepting it." Henry says.
"We haven't accepted any of it. We've been faking it, pretending we're okay, but it's all been lies. I thought if I could help you get over what happened to Ray then everything would be okay, but it's not. Nothing I tried ever helped, it just made things worse. And I didn't see it until you lost it at Frankini. We can't fix anything because death can't be fixed." She says, face soaked.
He sighs, "I didn't mean to do that, to tell the entire world my secret on a stage and the internet. But maybe it was for the best."
"If you really think that being Kid Danger is all it's going to take to be okay again then why don't you want to talk about it with anyone? Won't telling the story, clearing that air, do more to help than keeping silent about it?"
"I- well- I don't know." He says, slumping down confused. "Maybe. But I don't want to talk about it."
"Why not?" She asks.
Henry shakes his head, but doesn't speak for several long minutes. Charlotte stares at him expectantly but with compassion. She has to ask again a few more times before he finally answers. He doesn't stop the anxious tears as he says, "I don't want to explain to the world my problems. I don't want to address my grief with them. I don't want to explain the fight and reasons I quit as Captain Man's sidekick. That was the only real fight Ray and I ever had. I don't want to share that with everyone. Even though things ended up alright with Ray; telling the rest of the world why I left and lied, I don't want to. How could it make them like me and trust me?"
"They already have reasons not to trust you, and maybe some of them won't like the truth. But you're never going to be able to appease everyone. I know you've given up so much, and the people owe you more than they can ever repay. But that doesn't mean you don't give them anymore. You give them everything and you always will; because that's what heroes do, what you do. And right now, what you have to give that they need is honesty." She says stooping next to him to speak gently.
Henry laughs dryly, "I've been lying about almost everything to everyone for years. Honesty's not exactly a key trait of a superhero."
"We have secrets." She concedes, "and we always will. It's a hazard of the job. But we should still strive to be as honest as we can; and in this case, you not going to get away with a lie or with saying nothing."
Henry huffs and turns the chair away saying, "Fine. Fine, whatever. I'll think about it. "She frowns at him impermissibly. "I'll worry about what answers I will or won't give when the time comes. I probably won't even have to go out as Kid Danger for days. Can't we just deal with your and Jasper's farewells this week?" He begs.
"Henry." She exasperates softly. She sighs, "I don't want to leave you alone if you can't handle everything."
He frowns at her reproachfully. But turns away as his face falls and he says, "I'll be fine."
(Theme song)
August 4, 2021
In the darkness after sunset, the Man's Nest glows with multicolored dancing lights. Inside the walls, music blasts from speakers all over the room. All nine remaining members of Team Danger and Danger Force are scattered throughout the room celebrating. Mostly empty food bags from Inside-Out Burger, Nacho Ball, Fred Lobster and Sushi Dushi cover the table. Lasers and foam pellets zip across the room from the remotes and blasters of several of the young heroes. The large computer screens display an active round of Prance, Prance Revolution; which Miles and Jasper are dance-battling to. Purple, orange and pink balloons, all labeled with messages like ''We'll miss you' and 'Good luck in College', litter the room. Matching streamers and banners hang from the walls.
"Hey! No fair! Using a monkey is cheating!" Piper yells at Bose, dodging a laser blast from the remote the capuchin is holding. It flies past her to hit Schwoz in the back.
"Ayy!" Schwoz says.
"Yeah!" Bose cheers, "Go, Blue! Get them!" Blue screeches delighted as he smashes the firing button again. Piper fires back at the monkey with infuriated yells.
Charlotte suddenly pops up from behind Schwoz' tech cart and takes both teens and the monkey out with three well placed hits from her blaster. "Ha! You shall not take my victor title tonight!" She cheers.
"I'll take that bet!" Henry says, shooting repeatedly at her.
Charlotte dodges these by a hair's breadth and fires back at him. "I don't think so!" She says, "I'll not be leaving Swellview in second place!" One of her foam pellets hits Henry dead center on the forehead.
"No!" he cries dramatically and falls to the floor. "Avenge me, Chapa!"
The violent young girl gives a war cry and bursts from her covered position with a hail of blaster fire. Charlotte has to drop to the floor to avoid being hit. Her victory seeming inevitable with Charlotte in such an indefensible position, Chapa aims her blaster with precision. Then a laser comes from behind and takes her out. "Oh, no you don't!" Mika declares.
Chapa is shocked at her defeat and fumes as she sits down 'dead'. Charlotte is sitting up with a smile on her face, "Yes, Mika, that's my ally-" her cheer is cut off as Mika hits Charlotte square in the chest with two quick foam pellets. Charlotte gasps, "Traitor!"
"We're only allies until the others are taken out." Mika reminds sassily. "There can only be one winner."
"You have learned well, my padawan. That was my move." Charlotte praises, a bit of woe tainting her tone.
"I am the victor! Now and forever!" Mika cries with unbridled glee.
Her own teammates look annoyed at this, "Oh great, another thing she'll never let go of." Chapa murmurs.
Henry, on the other hand, scoops her up in a hug. "You defeated Char!" he says delighted. "You're my new favorite."
"Hey!" Several of the others complain. Charlotte going on after this to say, "What's that supposed to mean?"
Henry just laughs cheekily and releases Mika, who is still very much reveling in her victory. "So, what am I going to crush you all in next?" She asks with vibrant eyes.
"Uhh…" no one says anything.
"You can have a turn beating Jasper." Miles offers, walking away from the video game. "It won't be hard, he's a surprisingly bad dancer." He mutters for just her to hear.
"Well, I'll crush him anyway!" she says, swapping places with her brother.
"Oho? Really?" Jasper asks with all the enthusiasm of a person ignorant to his own weaknesses. "Bring it on, little lady!"
"Another round?" Henry says, tossing a newly reloaded blaster to Miles.
"You really want to get beaten again?" Charlotte teases and the room fills once again with projectiles.
Mika stomps Jasper in Prance, Prance Revolution, but he takes it well enough; and Henry and Charlotte are locked in a battle to the death as the last two standing in the blasting game, when a loud ringing echoes through the Man's Nest. They all jump abruptly, alert, and Henry's last blast catches Charlotte in the millisecond that she looses focus. "Yes!" he cheers.
"Doesn't count!" Charlotte protests.
"What?" he demands. "Yes it does."
"No, there's an emergency. Game's paused." She says.
Henry pouts and turns towards the computer to check the emergency. Then he quickly turns back with confusion, seeing there is no flashing alert. "That's not the emergency alert." he says.
"It's not?" Bose asks. They all stop and listen. The ringing stops for a minute before sounding again.
"It's not." Mika confirms. "What is it?"
"It's the doorbell." Schwoz says after a moment of consideration as it rings for the third time.
"The doorbell?" Miles asks in return. The others all look to each other befuddled, gesturing to each other like 'did you know?' and 'I didn't know'.
"Yes." Schwoz says, "Why are you all acting so weird about it."
"Because we didn't know we had a doorbell." Mika says.
"Oh, well we do." Schwoz says.
"Why do we have a doorbell, Schwoz?" Henry asks. "This is a secret base."
"Well, not exactly secret." Piper says. "Everybody can see it and knows what it is."
"But it's not a place people should be dropping by for a visit." Charlotte says. "So why does it have a doorbell."
"Right well, we have one because… we do." Schwoz explains, which isn't very helpful. "So, is anybody going to answer it?"
Henry sighs. "Fine, yes, just everyone blow a bubble or hide so whoever it is ringing our 'doorbell' won't see your faces."
They all follow the order quickly and Henry, now dressed as Kid Danger, approaches the finely crafted door on the wall that none of them ever get anywhere near.
"Has that door always been there?" Miles questions his teammates.
"I've never seen it." Bose says.
"But, it isn't exactly subtle." Chapa says.
"You think we would've noticed it." Mika agrees.
Kid Danger pulls the door open, not sure what to be prepared for on the other side. He certainly wasn't expecting a full news crew, nor a microphone to be shoved into his face. "Woah! What the…?"
"Kid Danger!" Brian Bender says loudly, stepping through the door forcing Barricade back a step too.
"Uh, Brian?" he greets back.
"Hello?" Shoutout says.
"Danger Force!" Brian cheers. "And other friends of Kid Danger." He says with less enthusiasm.
"Great we'd love to get your sides of the story too."
"What story?" Piper asks.
"Oh my god! What are you wearing? How did you…?" Kid Danger interrupts, seeing that Piper is standing in his uniform.
"I took it from your pocket." She says, referring to the gumball she'd obviously gotten her hands on. "You told everyone to get in uniform or hide."
"Uh, who is the other Kid Danger?" Brian asks.
"You were supposed to hide!" Kid Danger berates her, ignoring the newsman.
"I didn't want to." She snipes. "And since I don't have a costume of my own." She displays the red, blue and silver uniform with a gesture.
"We could get you one." Schwoz says from his place a few feet away.
"No! She doesn't need…" Kid Danger protests, turning sternly to the scientist. Only to find the small man in his own 'borrowed' outfit: Henry's 'Barricade' outfit. "What? Why!?" Henry demands.
Schwoz smiles guiltily, "I didn't want to be left out." He says, "So, I grabbed a goomball from the extras in the drawer. You weren't wearing it and it was either this one or…" he trails off mournfully, not able to even say Captain Man's name.
Henry loses hold of his irritation as the sorrow wells into its space. He breaths heavily and sighs "Fine, whatever." He tries to let it go as he turns back to the news crew on the threshold.
"Uh, this is not what we were expecting when we came up here." Brian Bender comments.
"How did you get up here?" AWOL asks.
"What were you expecting?" Piper asks almost simultaneously.
"Who are they?" Brian asks about Piper and Schwoz, following the pace of quick succession.
"Why are you here?" Kid Danger asks most insistently of them all.
"KLVY is hoping to get the first exclusive interview with you, Kid Danger," Brian addresses the young man specifically, "on your survival and return."
"Oh, um, right…" Kid Danger responds awkwardly. Looking away from the cameras and Brian; and avoiding Haywire's pointed gaze that says "I told you so." "I suppose that is something we could do, at some point." he says without any commitment.
"How about now?" Brian says, "We've got everything we need with us."
"Yeah, how did you get up the mountain with all this?" AWOL asks.
"No!" Kid Danger contends. "Not now, and not here."
"But… we came all this way up the mountain." Brian whines.
"Well, sorry, but you can't just come knocking on our door without warning and expect us to be ready for whatever you want." Haywire says stepping to Kid Danger's side.
"You couldn't have free climbed the rockface with all of that." AWOL continues in the background of the main conversation. Brainstorm is beside him nodding along with the statements.
"We're a bit busy right now." Kid Danger tells Brian.
"We're having a party." Siesta Niño adds.
"Is there a road I don't know about?" AWOL goes on, ignoring and being ignored by the main conversation.
"A party? Why?" Brian asks accusingly, "Captain Man is dead and Kid Danger apparently isn't. How can you be having a party at a time like this?"
"We thought it'd be a good idea to have a bunch of fun together before we leave." Siesta Niño says gesturing to himself and Haywire, standing on the other side of Kid Danger.
"You're leaving?" Brian asks alarmed, looking at Kid Danger.
"No." Kid Danger says.
"We are leaving." Haywire corrects quickly. "Siesta Niño and me. Not him."
"I'm staying in Swellview." He completes.
"Oh. Good." Brian says, "So, you're going to be Kid Danger again and take over for Captain Man?"
"Yes." Kid Danger says uncertainly at the same time that Haywire says in a starkly more convincing, "No."
They look to each other disagreeably. Then change their answers slightly and speak simultaneously again. "Maybe." he says.
"That's not entirely true." she says.
"What do you mean?" Brian asks. "Which is it?"
"It's a bit of both." she says.
"It's complicated." he says. "I am staying, and I am going to be doing the job, being Swellview's superhero, but I'm not Captain Man and I'll never presume to become him."
"And he hasn't decided what name he'll be going by." Haywire puts in firmly, shooting a look at him. "Because he was Kid Danger and has more recently been Barricade. So, he has to think about."
"Well." He says, not giving in but not arguing against her at the moment so as to appease her.
"But he is Kid Danger." Brian says, "And he's wearing that uniform."
"But he's also Barricade. He became Barricade after leaving the sidekick role behind and shouldn't forget that that is who he has become."
"Maybe that's what his name was while he was gone, but in Swellview he's Kid Danger. And isn't Kid Danger more of who he-you really are?" Brian says, turning imploringly to Kid Danger. "If you only took the new costume and name to hide your identity."
Henry frowns confused. "Both Kid Danger and Barricade are fake names to hide my identity; and both are part of me. I might go back to using the Kid Danger name but I…" he trails off unsure.
Haywire picks up for him "… but he can't go back to being just Kid Danger and forget that the last year plus ever happened; it was a crazy time, and it changed him a lot. He's not exactly Kid Danger anymore."
"So, which should we call him?" Brian asks, pulling his microphone back to and again from his face as he asks questions and gets their answers.
Kid Danger struggles for words, "Uh, I don't… maybe… um, both… either…"
"Hey!" Piper says, stepping in between the newsman and her friends and brother. "We're not doing this here or tonight. He already told you that."
Brian blinks at her, "But… who even are you?"
"I'm the one telling you to leave." She says pushing him back towards the open door.
"Pi-" Kid danger cuts himself off quickly. "Kid…sister? What are you doing?"
"Sister?" Brian asks positively intrigued.
"You said you weren't doing an interview right now." Piper responds to her brother, ignoring the questions Brian is now asking about the relationship of her and Kid Danger. "And we're having a party. So, you can give Brian Bender answers at another time when we're not busy and you've figured out what exactly it is you're going to tell him."
Henry looks uncomfortable beneath his mask at his siter calling him out. Charlotte looks apologetic under hers at having been so contentious with him on live TV.
"Wait." Brian Bender requests, "Wait. You can't just leave it like that. She's your sister? Kid Danger has a sister?"
"Not right now!" Piper says, pushing him out the door with Volt's help. They shut and lock in behind them.
"Huh, that was weird." Jasper says to break the silence that follows for a few long moments after the news has gone.
"I still don't get how they got up the mountain with all that stuff." Miles says.
"Or where that 'front door' even came from." Mika says studying it.
Another moment of heavy silence follows as no one attempts to continue the small talk.
"Can we go back to partying?" Bose asks awkwardly.
"Yeah. Yeah, let's turn on a movie or something." Henry suggests, rubbing at his face and pulling his mask off. The Man's Nest settles into near silence as the heroes get comfortable on the couch and floor watching Drake & Josh. Many barely paying the show any attention as they're lost in their thoughts.
(commercial break)
August 5, 2021
"Kid Danger is alive! He's not gone!" Trent Overunder announces to all Swellview through the airwaves and their TVs the next morning.
"He's alive?!" Mary Gaperman asks astonished from beside him. Her mouth and eyes opened wide as she stares at him.
His face falls into the controlled irritation he usually wears when talking with her. "Yes, Mary. You know that." He says tersely.
"But we went to his funeral!" she says. "Remember that? It was so sad. Captain Man cried."
Trent sighs, "Yes, Mary, I know. I was there. But, obviously, that was a charade."
"Oh, I love Charades!" She interrupts, "Can we play?"
"No!" Trent says, "We're live on TV."
"Oh, really? Hi Mom!" Mary says to the camera.
Trent stares at the camera blankly, struggling to move on from Mary's babble. "Anyway. As I was saying, Kid Danger is alive. Turns out popular opinion was wrong about that guy, Barricade. Turns out he's just Kid Danger in a disguise, so no one knew he was alive."
"But why would he disguise himself? Why did he pretend to be dead?" Mary asks.
"Both great questions, Mary." Trent says, "And as we saw in that video, our reporter Brian Bender climbed Mount Swellview to the Man's Nest to interview the heroes there, but for what little they answered we only ended up with more questions."
"What are those questions, Trent?" Mary asks him.
"Well, Mary, we don't know how he's even alive." Trent begins, "We don't know where he's been or why he faked his death and changed his costume and name. And, on that note, as Brian learned last night, not even he seems to know what to call himself." Trent enumerates. Tacking on as an after thought as Mary begins to speak, "Also he has a sister."
"We should probably call him call him Barricade to match the outfit he's been wearing, right?" Mary suggests.
"But he was in the Kid Danger uniform last night." Trent contends. "Which would indicate that Kid Danger is who he is again. So, I think Kid Danger is the name we should be calling him."
"But, he doesn't want to be called 'Kid' remember?" Mary asks. "He said so in the livestream with Frankini. And, we can't call him 'Adult Danger', that's just stupid."
Trent shrugs and nods, "Oh, yes, it is very bad. But he's still young enough, and Kid Danger is the name. It's iconic. Kid Danger is the hero of Swellview."
"I don't know." Mary says, "Kid Danger was our hero, then he died, and came back as Barricade to do more hero stuff."
"Barricade and Kid Danger are a bit different though." Trent says. "Kid Danger is the Swellviewian version, he's happier and more fun."
"Maybe Barricade's only less happy because Captain Man died." Mary suggests.
"Yes, that is probably true. But there are other things that have changed about him." Trent continues.
"Exactly." Mary says, "He's changed, so he's not exactly who Kid Danger was before. His friend, Haywire, thinks so too."
"Maybe, but Kid Danger was Captain Man's sidekick so, that's who he should be as he takes over for Captain Man." Trent says.
Mary hums musically and suggests, "If he's going to be taking over, then he's not the sidekick anymore, so maybe we should just call him the new Captain Man, or something."
"He said he wasn't going to be Captain Man." Trent reminds, "And we can't just give him that name, we already had a Captain Man, so he has to be called something else."
"That means we should keep calling him Kid Danger?" Mary asks Trent.
"Yes." He says, "It's the obvious choice. Besides, we've already called him Kid Danger three times on the news, so the rules say that must be his name."
"We've called him Barricade more than three times too." Mary points out, "So, does that mean we have to call him both?"
"No. No." Trent insists. "He can't be both."
"Then what do we call him?" Mary asks. Trent appears stumped for a minute. "What if we give him a new name. We could call him something that combines Barricade and Kid Danger." She beams. "Like Dangerous-Barricade or Barrica-Danger."
"Those are both awful" He says deadpanned, "I still think Kid Danger sounds the best. But, let's see what Swellview thinks." He suggests focusing intently on the camera, "How about it, viewers? Give us your opinion. What should we call him now? Kid Danger? Barricade? Or does he need a new name?"
Piper is in the Man's Nest watching the news report, with the volume on low, since most of the others are still passed out all over the room. She mutes it entirely once they move on from the subject of Kid Danger. "I shouldn't have said anything last night." Charlotte comments from behind her, "I just made the situation more confusing for everyone."
Piper looks at her and says, "Yeah, you did. But he probably would've made a mess of it anyway. He really doesn't know what he's doing right now."
"He's trying to fix everything." Charlotte says, taking a chair beside Piper.
Piper laughs one breath of disbelief, "And how does he think that's going to happen? He can't even sort himself out."
Charlotte smiles wryly at her and gives Henry's sleeping form across the room a sorrowing look. She shrugs, "I don't know what he's thinking. None of us have really sorted ourselves out yet; there's just been too much to deal with." She sighs.
"True enough." Piper says. "And he's got more than the rest of us."
Charlotte nods. "Which is why I shouldn't be making it harder for him."
"You're trying to help him." Piper affirms, "And he needs it. We all know that going backwards isn't going to make him better, you're just trying to get him to see that."
"Yes, but now everybody sees it." Charlotte says, tipping her head towards the news. "And they're all going to be pressing him for answers he doesn't have. He's not gonna know what to tell them about his name, and he's almost certainly not going to want them to pick it for him."
"Then he better think fast. They're not going to wait for him to be ready." Piper says.
"I know. That's why I've been so pushy." Charlotte says frowning, "I just think I may have done it wrong. Maybe I can't really do anything to help him. He has to sort through this on his own, and I can't protect him from the consequences."
"Maybe." Piper agrees. "We can't exactly make him get over Ray's death. That's a very personal journey."
"Yeah." Charlotte says with tears. "But I thought if I could just help him deal with it, then I'd be able to."
"That'd be nice. But, all we can do is be there for him when he needs us." Piper says.
"We're leaving, Piper. I'm worried about how to be here for him when I'm all the way across the country."
"Me too." Jasper suddenly speaks, sitting up in his makeshift bed of party garbage on the floor. "I keep thinking maybe we shouldn't go yet."
"He won't let us do that." Charlotte says. "He'll hate it if we don't go to school."
"But, if he needs us here," Jasper says, "then how can we go."
"Here or not, what difference will it really make?" Piper says, "Like Charlotte said, nothing we've done here has helped. We'll probably be able to do as much from there as here. We're not going to be completely cut off. We can still help him."
"You're right. We're all going to need each other, even despite the 'll have to do our best." Charlotte says.
They are all quiet in thought for a minute. Only Schwoz' snoring breaks the silence of the morning on the mountain. Miles rolls over in his sleep, muttering something like "death by swirly". Jasper kicks at an empty takeout box despondently.
"We should probably start cleaning this place up." Charlotte says.
"Ugh!" Piper says, flopping across the arm of her chair. "Can't we just pay somebody to do it?" What's the point of having an awesome goodbye party if we have to do the cleaning up after?"
(Commercial Break)
"I didn't think I was going to be doing all the packing or you while you two just lay around eating kittles." Charlotte chastises.
"Right, sorry." Jasper says, sitting up and returning to the task of packing his clothes into his suitcase.
It's late in the day now, everyone had gone home after cleaning up from the party and Charlotte and Henry were now helping Jasper make last preparations to leave for Harberd. Or, at least Charlotte was. Henry was laying on his side on Jasper's bed, frowning at the wall, seemingly oblivious to what his friends are saying and doing. Charlotte grumbles lightly and shoves another few books into a box labeled 'storage'. She sorts a few others into one labeled 'for school', then stands trying to reach the top shelf for the last items left on it.
"I'm going to do it." Henry speaks unexpectedly.
"You'll get the stuff down? Great!" Charlotte says.
"No. What?" he says coming out of his thoughts to focus on her. "Oh! I mean, yeah, sure." he gets up and quite easily reaches the items she is struggling to grab.
"Thank you." She says huffily, sorting them into the different piles of stuff.
"I meant I'll do the stupid KLVY interview." He says, pulling a full box of stuff to himself and taping it shut for her.
She pauses in her actions to look at him. "You going to do it?" Jasper says, with the same air of surprise that she exudes.
Henry nods reservedly, "I should, so yeah. But I don't want to do it alone."
"Well, I'm sure they want to ask Danger Force questions too, so you won't be." Charlotte says.
"No. That not…" Henry sighs, "I don't think they'll really be able to keep me from making a fool of myself, they don't know me well enough yet, and I've already done enough stupid things; so, will you do it with me?"
They look surprised at him. "Henry," she says exasperatedly. "We would but, in case you've somehow forgot…"
"…We're leaving tomorrow. When would we have time?" Jasper concludes with her.
Henry looks anxious and says, "I know, but we could do it before then right? Like, first thing in the morning?"
Jasper looks unsure. Charlotte considers Henry wearily, thinking for several long seconds. "Okay." She says at last. "Let's go."
"Go?" Jasper asks.
"Now?" Henry follows.
"Now or never." She says, discarding the last of her items.
"But we can't just go, right now." Henry protests.
"This is the only time we really have to spare, if you want us to go with you." She barters.
"Jasper needs to get on the road pretty early tomorrow morning and my flight leaves before noon, so I'll have to be at the airport shortly after he goes."
"But we can't just show up at KLVY and take over the show." Jasper says.
"I think if Kid Danger comes saying he wants to give them answers they'll clear the program for him." Charlotte contradicts.
Jasper nods conceding. "Okay, let's go."
"Blow your bubbles boys." She says, already dumping one from her own tin.
"Should I go as Kid Danger or Barricade?" Henry says, pulling the tube and tin from either pocket.
Charlotte considers him after her transformation is completed and Jasper is blowing his bubble. "That's a decision you have to make for yourself Hen. You need to decide who it is you're going to be known as."
His eyes bounce distraughtly between the two gum containers. He can't decide which to chew and blow for several long minutes.
Even after the three of them have interrupted the news and are sitting on a couch in the studio waiting for the injected commercial break to end, Henry is second guessing the uniform he'd picked, tugging unsurely at the high blue collar on his neck.
"Welcome back, viewers!" Trent says. "Sorry for that abrupt disruption but we've had to change the program for tonight to accommodate our special guests. Ladies and Gentlemen, Kid Danger himself is here in the studio with us to answer our questions about how he's alive and back in Swellview, where he's been and why he faked his death."
"Uh, well, I'll explain what I can but…" Kid Danger tries to speak but is entirely glossed over by the reporter.
"And with him are two of his friends… um…" Trent stops realizing he can't remember their names.
"Haywire and Siesta Niño." Haywire says.
"C'mon guys, I told you I wanted my superhero name to be Dozer. Why do you keep introducing me as Siesta Niño?" Siesta Niño complains.
Henry and Charlotte share a look and say, "Because you don't respond to Dozer." And "Tell that to us when you're sleep-fighting."
Mary laughs delightedly at this interaction and Siesta Niño's dramatic complaining response. "You guys are funny!" They smile wryly amused back at her.
"So, Kid Danger, you really are Kid Danger, the real Kid Danger?" Trent asks.
"Um, yes." He answers.
"But we were told that Kid Danger died in that blimp crash last year. So how can you be him? How can you be alive?" Trent asks.
"Well, I didn't actually die when I crashed the blimp into Mount Swellview." Kid Danger explains.
"Obviously." Siesta Niño adds.
"But how did you survive?" Trent asks.
Kid Danger raises an eyebrow, "I have a forcefield." He reminds. "It's impenetrable and protected me from being burned and smashed to pieces."
"Oh!" Mary says with sudden understanding. "Cool! But you didn't have that power before."
"Well, I did. But, no one ever knew it because it was brand new when I 'died'. It actually worked out very well." Kid Danger considers amused.
"Awfully convenient timing." Haywire comments.
"But then, where have you been? Why fake your death? Why become Barricade at all?" Trent continues.
Kid Danger breathes heavily, "Because I decided to move on. I was eighteen and it was time I stopped being a sidekick."
"You quit being Captain Man's sidekick?" Trent asks astonished.
"Yeah." Kid Danger shrugs. "Before Drex attacked. I came back to help stop Drex, but afterwards I still wanted to move on. Be a hero on my own without my mentor looking over my shoulder."
"Kind of like all people do when they grow up, just in the superhero-y way." Haywire explains.
"The blimp crash just made my leaving super easy. We used it to convince everyone that I was dead, so there wouldn't be a bunch of questions about where I was. Then I left and Captain Man started training Danger Force to take my place." Kid Danger goes on.
"But, why did you have to change names? You could've just gone on as Kid Danger, no longer a sidekick." Trent says. "That's what you're doing now."
Henry shifts uncomfortably, looking down at the red, blue and silver uniform with a bit of regret. Maybe he should've gone with the Dystopian jacket and jeans. "Well, um, it was kinda just because the opportunity presented itself. It was a chance to reinvent myself. You know, I got to be my own person and hero." He says, growing more nervous and mumbling as he speaks each sentence. "And, yeah, I've come back to it now, but this maybe isn't permanent. I mean, I might go by Kid Danger again but maybe not. I love being Kid Danger and I missed being him and everything I had while I was Kid Danger; but, I'm not sure I can be Kid Danger without Captain Man. Or if I should be. The two of us were a set: the hero and his sidekick, but I can't be the sidekick if I'm going to be taking over as the hero and training the new sidekicks. So, I don't think I can really be Kid Danger anymore." He rambles, working through all the thoughts in his head and kind of forgetting he's doing it in front of the entire city.
"Uh, okay." Trent says with a bit of a frown, breaking through the hero's train of thought. "Then, are you going to be Barricade?" he asks unenthusiastically.
Kid Danger blinks surprised and once again at a loss for a sure answer. "Uh… well…"
"Probably not." Haywire cuts in for him. He looks to her, eyes full of sheer confusion. Everyone else's attention follows. "You've made the point that Barricade isn't really who you are, just the part of you we built while we were away. You don't really want to be just that. So, it's probably not the name you should use."
"But, it is part of who I am. I can't pretend it's not. I am part Dystopian now." He says. "I'm not fully Kid Danger anymore. You said…"
"I know." She cuts him off, "But, he is a lot of who you are. You're mostly Swellviewian. So, if that's what you'd prefer to be known as…" She offers with a sorry smile, trying to show that despite all they've argued about on the subject she doesn't want to make him feel forced on the matter.
"I don't know what I am, or what I should be called." He admits looking at his folded hands.
"Well, we can give you a new name." Mary says cheerfully. She and Trent had been quiet as they'd followed the conversation with great intrigue. "People have been sending in ideas all day since we discussed it this morning."
"Ooh! That could be fun." Siesta Niño says nudging Kid Danger indicatively, "Anything good?"
"Oh! Yes!" Mary squeals. "People have a lot of fun ideas, like 'Lieutenant Green Shield' or 'Danger Man'."
"Nice!" Siesta Niño says, "Or what about like 'Lieutenant Danger'?" he suggests to his friend. "Because he was the Captain and you're his lieutenant, and you can still have the Danger without the Kid part."
Kid Danger wrinkles his brow incredulously back at Siesta Niño. "That is kind of awful." He says.
"Really bad." Haywire agrees. "He's not a lieutenant, that's kind of the same as calling him a sidekick still."
"Oh." Siesta Niño says with realization.
"Makes sense." Trent says, "So, what's better would be Captain Danger. Which is actually the most popular name idea on the online polls. Everyone just seems to think it fits really well; mixing who Kid Danger was with what you've become now."
"And it's sounds good, doesn't it?" Mary agrees.
Neither news person have noticed Kid Danger's face paling uncomfortably. Nor the glance he shoots Haywire as she snorts amused.
"I don't think…" he says, as Haywire laughs a bit harder. He glares at her.
"What's so funny?" Siesta Niño asks her.
She chuckles more at Henry's annoyed look as she tells "I called him that the other day and he didn't like it much then either."
"What?" Siesta Niño says, "But, it's good."
Kid Danger glares at them both. "How about I get back to you all on a name after I've thought about it." He suggests, not giving any implication that they get a say.
"Okay." Mary says, "But if you change your name, are you going to change your costume too?"
"Maybe." He says, looking down at his uniform again.
"It would make sense." Haywire agrees.
"What would you wear then?" Mary asks.
"I have no clue." He says genuinely.
"Great, so that'll be something to look out for." Trent says with barely restrained sarcasm. "Are there any answer you can give us?"
"I told you how I survived." Kid Danger says with a shrug. "And why I left."
"And you know why he's back in town and that he's going to stay." Siesta Niño adds.
"What else do you want to know?" Kid Danger concludes.
Trent thinks, "How about: who exactly are Haywire and Siesta Niño? How do you know them? Where do they come from? Why have they spent the several weeks here with you instead of going back to where they live?"
The three of them smile, "They're my friends, I've known them both forever and this is where they live." Kid Danger says.
"We're Swellviewian too." Haywire elaborates. "We just weren't superheroes until the three of us left together last year."
"We grew up together. I've known Kid Danger practically our whole lives." Siesta Niño says. "Except, I didn't know he was Kid Danger for the first couple years after it happened."
"I did." Haywire brags.
"Yeah, that's cause you were a snoop." Kid Danger teases.
She smirks back at him, "Good thing too. You and Captain Man really needed me. I saved your lives so many freaking times."
"So did I!" Siesta Niño insists.
"I think you endangered us at least as many times though." Kid Danger responds.
"Wait. They also worked with you and Captain Man?" Trent asks.
"Yep." All three say.
"How? Where? When?" he inquires. "Surely, Kid Danger and Captain Man didn't have other teammates."
"Ha!" Haywire says, "They may be the flashy front fighters, but they'd get very little accomplished without the brainy people back at base. I think I spent more time in the Mancave than he did."
"Well, maybe." Kid Danger considers. "At least almost as much."
"I didn't get to be there nearly as much." Siesta Niño pouts. "I had to stay upstairs."
They laugh a moment, "Does that answer your questions?" Kid Danger inquires of Trent.
"In a weird and completely unexpected way- sort of." He answers.
"So, anything else?" Haywire asks.
"Um, yes. So, you all three came back to Swellview then, but were you already back in town the day Captain Man died and Kid Danger, er Barricade, just came out to help because the situation got so bad?"
Henry's insides chill and he almost can't breathe a minute as he thinks about it. "We had just got back into town that day." He says, feeling the words take more effort than their simplicity would suggest. "The power went out before we'd even gone to the Man's Nest. I went to help Danger Force as soon as I could."
"Ooh, that's bad timing. So, what happened there? Since obviously you didn't kill Captain Man, what did? Who did?" Trent asks.
Kid Danger shakes his head, "I never saw the guy, the Shadow Man, as the kids called him. He and Captain Man had already left the main battle by the time I'd got there. And we don't know how he killed…" he stops, eyes filling rapidly. Trent looks guilty and apologetic as Kid Danger avoids looking at anyone.
"They'd already left when you got there?" Mary repeats in a voice like a sad kitten. "Did you not get to see Captain Man again before he died?" Henry sniffs and not so discretely wipes away a tear. "Are you okay?" He doesn't respond, freezing outwardly alongside the matching feeling within.
"I think we should leave it at that tonight." Trent says apologetically, cueing for the video feed to cut.
(Commercial Break)
August 6, 2021
"I'm gonna miss you guys." Jasper says in the three way hug he, Henry and Charlotte are sharing.
"We know." Charlotte says.
"We're all going to miss each other." Henry adds, pulling away. "But this is the right thing for you two to be doing. You guys are going to do great in college."
"Are you sure we shouldn't stay?" Jasper asks. "Are you going to be okay?"
"Yes!" Henry says immediately and forcefully. They both look concerned at him, "I'll be fine here. I'll see you guys at Thanksgiving. Now, you both really need to get going."
"Wish us luck." Charlotte says, face wavering between terror and unbridled excitement.
"You've never needed luck." Henry says to her, then follows by turning to Jasper to say, "Good luck, Jasp."
"Hey!" Jasper whines without really feeling hurt. He smiles, "Thanks. I should probably get going."
Charlotte laughs and nods, "May parents are waiting in the car." She says and hugs Henry again quickly, saying, "Bye".
"Good luck, Char!" Henry calls to her retreating back.
"I miss them already." Henry says, back inside and sitting on the couch beside his little sister. "I didn't think it would hit me this hard, or this fast. But it just became real. They're gone. I'm not going to see them tomorrow; or the next day; or the one after that."
"Don't be so melodramatic. You guys'll be texting each other all the freaking time." Piper scoffs.
"But we're all going to be over a hundred miles from each other." He protests. "I've only got about five memories of ever being that far away from Jasper and it's been years since I've gone more than a day or two without Charlotte's company."
"Dude, chill, you sound so needy. Your dependency is pathetic to witness." She scorns scrolling through her Twitflash stream on her phone.
Henry glares lightly at her, "Thank you for the sympathy." he says. She smirks mockingly back at him. He rolls his eyes with a sigh. "Fine, I know you don't care to hear this." He gets up off the couch and begins climbing the stairs to his room.
He's neat the top when she speaks again, "You know it doesn't matter how many miles away they are; they're always going to be here for you. We're still Team Danger. If you ever need us, we'll come back in a second, no matter where we are."
Henry pauses to say. "Piper…"
"Don't you dare thank me." She warns.
He cuts off his thanks and replaces it with "I love you".
She rolls her eyes. "I regret being nice to you." He smiles disbelievingly and finally leaves. Piper lowers her phone a minute, clearly thinking hard. The she pulls the screen back towards her face and searches for a contact she hadn't used in a long, long time. "Ugh, I can't believe I'm about to do it again." She mutters and places the call, speaking quietly so Henry won't suspect anything.
Next Episode S1E8: Shaking Surprise
Bonus: With the next episode I will also be uploading the cover art I created for this story.