Not only were Captain Man and Kid Danger great fighters, they also had amazing weapons, and an genius crew, but, on occasion, they were definitely a few fries short of a Happy Meal.
Their trip to the alley was one of those times. The sped there in the Man Van, relying on luck to keep it going, as the gas tank, it turned out, was dangerously low. They arrived at the alley just before the engine was about to give out, and quickly but cautiously climbed out, taking out their lasers.
Their first clue that something was wrong should have been when they entered at the alley near Forth Street, as they said they would: it was almost completely deserted. There were no people, and only a small alley cat loomed nearby, its green eyes shining.
"Hello?" Kid Danger called out. "Captain Man and Kid Danger here. Hello?" The only response he got was the alley cat walking up to the pair and rubbing against his leg. He could see it more clearly now; the cat didn't look very old, and it's fur was black with some brown streaks, and there was a white circle surrounding its right eye. This cat probably needs a home, Kid Danger thought. He used to always beg his parents for a pet. Kid Danger had just put his hand down so the cat could sniff it when there was an ominous bang from the other side of the alley, causing all three of them to jump. The cat scurried away to hide under a mess trash bin, and the superheroes pointed their lasers, fingers on the buttons to shoot.
There was a moment of silence. Neither superhero dropped their weapon, but they both looked around.
"Uh… hello?" Captain Man called. "Kid, we should, uh, probably head over there…."
"Um… yeah."
The pair slowly walked, creeped out by the foreboding alley. The only sounds now were their footsteps and the nearby traffic. About halfway to the other side, Kid Danger suddenly stopped.
"What?" Captain Man looked around. The alley was creepy as heck, yes, but they seemed to be alone. "Why'd you stop?"
Kid Danger scrunched up his face. "Something's wrong."
Captain Man waited for Kid Danger to keep talking. When he didn't, he said, "Well… what's wrong?"
"I… I don't know."
"Helpful." Captain Man rolled his eyes.
"Sorry." He stretched out the word, like it was spelled Sar-Ree. "Something is just bugging me, like, I know something isn't right, but I don't know what it is."
"Well that's unfortunate. Maybe we should call the Man Cave; I bet Charlotte could figure it out." He snorted. "I mean, come on, she's a whole lot smarter than you."
"True," said Henry, not bothering to be offended, "but I don't think getting on the phone is the best course of action right now. I mean, it looks like those scary people are gone, and so is the lady who was on the phone… wait…." Kid Danger gasped. "Dumpster!"
"What?"
"She- she said she was hiding in a dumpster, but there isn't one! Just a trash can that's barely big enough for a cat!"
Captain Man finally realized that his sidekick was right; there wasn't a dumpster in sight. In fact, the trash can and a few pieces of litter were the only objects in the alley. The cat meowed, cautiously coming out from the trash bin and walking to sit by the superheroes.
Still, though, it didn't occur to Captain Man that something was actually very, very, wrong. "Are you sure we have the right alley?"
"Yeah, she said the alley near Forth Street, and the nearest alley besides this one is on the other side of town."
"So… what can this mean?"
"Probably that they cleaned out the place, but why would someone steal a dumpster? Or even rob an alley? I mean, this isn't exactly a department store."
"I don't know. Hey!" Captain Man snapped his fingers, looking thoughtful. "Maybe it was Jeff. Maybe he really did get a team together."
"Maybe, but I still have my doubts about Jeff finding a team, or henchmen, or whatever."
Captain Man sighed. He knew that theory was very unlikely. "Yeah, you and me both, Kid." Captain Man looked back up to where they had heard the bang. "I think we still need to investigate other there."
"Yeah." Kid Danger thought about walking behind his boss, but ended up right next to him as they slowly walked down the alley. After a minute or so, they reached the other end and peeked out. Nothing.
Well, actually, that's not true. They saw buildings, a few cars, a homeless guy with bandages covering half of his face- but nothing they thought was worth noting.
"Maybe it was the wind," suggested Kid Danger finally. "I guess some thing could have gotten knocked over and then blown away."
"Maybe." Captain Man wasn't sure about that, but it was a theory. Sure, theories aren't always right, but they aren't always wrong, either.
"Maybe we should split up," said Kid Danger after a pause. "You can search this area, and I'll look around the outside."
"Can we switch? This place is creepy."
"Yeah, well, you're indestructible. Besides, it was my idea."
"Uggggggggh, fine. Meet me back right here in a few minutes. And no sneaking up on me!"
"Of course not," said Kid Danger like he hadn't been planning on doing just that. He slipped out of the alley and headed west. Captain Man took out his phone to use as a flashlight and started searching for clues inside the alley.
A few feet away, the homeless man with the face bandages watched Kid Danger walk away from him. He reached into the one intact pocket of his black, torn up hoodie and pulled out a walkie talkie. He raised it to his lips and spoke in a low voice.
"Kid Danger and Captain Man have separated," said the disguised Spray Z. "Repeat, Kid Danger has left Captain Man and is headed west."
"Roger that." Maddy adjusted her headset and nodded to Derek, who started their van and drove toward where Kid Danger would end up. "We're on our way."
"Excellent." Dr. Minyak and Nurse Cohort were safely tucked away in their own van (What is it with villains and vans, anyway?), which was located in the opposite direction Kid Danger was going. "Are you following him?"
"Yeah, but he's about twenty or so feet in front of me. Candace?"
"He just passed by my window." Candace and PaintAbby were hiding in a nearby abandoned shop, armed with blasters and a pair of binoculars.
"I can still see him," added PaintAbby into their shared walkie talkie as she carefully peered out the window. "If he keeps walking, he'll meet right up with Derek and Maddy."
"I'm here too, you know." Two-Canz snapped. "In case you've forgotten, I'm fairly major to this mission."
"Which is why you should shut up and stay focused, or you will mess up and ruin the mission." Dr. Minyak snapped right back at her.
"Okay, okay, don't get your panties in ahhhhh there he is!"
"How far?!"
"About thirty feet…. Twenty five. Twenty four-"
"Stop counting and aim!"
Two Canz adjusted her own headset and raised her weapon: a small but useful dart gun.
"Remember, you've got one shot at this, so don't miss," said Dr. Minyak. "But no pressure."
"I know, I know." Two Canz watched Kid Danger as he cluelessly began to walk right passed the van, which was hidden in the shadows.
Kid Danger glanced over his shoulder, not seeing the van. He still had that nagging feeling, and no idea why.
Two Canz squinted, and rested her finger on the trigger. She took a deep breath, counted, and fired.
In the short time that the dart flew, Kid Danger could definitely avoid it. Dr. Minyak knew this, and that was why the element of surprise was so crucial, why Two Canz really only had one chance. Sure, she could shoot again- there were plenty of extra darts- but Kid Danger's Hyper Motility would enable him to dodge any flying projectile easily; everyone knew this, particularly after the whole Rock Box Dump thing.
In that split second between the firing of the dart and the initial impact (assuming that it actually hit him), the entire team of villains held their breath, waiting to hear from Two Canz, Derek and Maddy if she hit him.
*Cliffhanger doo doo doo doo doo doo cliffhanger doo doo doo doo doo doo cliffhanger doo doo doo doo doo doo cliffhanger.*
How did I not get this idea before?
Okay, okay, sorry for annoying everybody. Couldn't resist... And now it's stuck in my head...
Ciao, and Happy Easter! And if you do not celebrate Easter, have a good day anyway. :)