- Secret Origins.
"Oh, my... oh... to the right... a little more to the left... oooohhh! Yes! There is! Angie, I know I say this a lot, but I have to do it again... your hands are great!" Chuck said to his wife while laying face down on their bed. He was shirtless, and Angelica was massaging him with a special ointment, attending the wounds he got from his rescue on the burning building three days ago; by this time, the bruises and the pain were almost totally gone.
"Is nice to feel appreciated. Well, that will do it." Angelica said while finishing the massage with a playful slapping on Chuck's back. "I don't know what's more amazing; how easily you bruise, or how fast you recover." She commented while sitting next to him.
"Well, since I receive so many hits regularly, my body developed a good healing factor. Of course, some external help is always welcome; right after I fell on the pool, the guys at Ocean Shore attended me before I called you to summon me back. And you are a wonderful nurse." Chuck told her, smiling.
"Someone is feeling better, uh?" Angelica smirked, and then leaned to kiss him; Chuck kissed and hugged the blonde back. They were cut by a coughing sound.
"Ehem! Ehem! Sorry to interrupt, guys." Chuck and Angelica turned, and saw a young man, about two or three years younger than Chuck, next to them. The curious thing about him was that his hair was white, his eyes were green, and was dressed with a black jumpsuit with white gloves, boots, and a "D" symbol in the middle of his chest... and he was hovering a few inches over the floor.
"Nobody around here knows how to knock a door?" Angelica said, frowning.
"Sorry. I just came to give Chuck his antennae back, like he told me." The guy said, handling Chuck the antennae of his disguise. Besides helping him locate enemies, the antennae were the device that allowed Chuck to receive the distress calls and be transported to the right place, plus getting A.M. from the local radio stations.
"Thanks, Danny. And thanks again for covering me these last three days." Chuck said in a kind tone while grabbing the antennae. Since he wasn't on his top shape because of the impact he got when jumping at the pool, Chuck asked the UHPS for a substitute, and Danny Phantom volunteered.
"You're welcome. Man, I don't know how you handle having those all the time." Danny commented. "I got summoned eight times in three different towns; half of them were because of a robbery or an accident, but the others were for domestic violence incidents or kids who needed some advice... and those things aren't exactly the kind of stuff I usually attend."
"That's his job; a one man's 911 global service." Angelica said while pointing at Chuck. Danny and Chuck chuckled, and, once Danny said his "good-byes", he phased through the wall and flew away under the twilight's sky.
"No wonder he doesn't knock the doors... he just phases through them." Angelica said while moving next to the window, looking at the flying guy. One of the coolest things about being married with Chuckie was the chance of befriending other heroes and their families. Danny had come to their home at times for dinner, as well as Monkeyman, Kim Possible, and Catman... of course, the last one spent more time talking with Fluffy than with Chuck and Angelica.
"Well, I guess I'll be back to work tomorrow. I'll better call Dil later to pick up my new jar." Chuckie told Angie while placing his antennae back on the disguise's hood. When he reduced the kid and placed him inside the jar, he had to drop all the remaining pills to make some space, so now he had none, and, even if the reducing trick made him more vulnerable, it certainly was a useful one.
"But that will be much later, Mister Hero. You have other duties right now." Angelica said to him in a stern tone.
"I know. I have to take out the garbage and clean Fluffy's litter box." Chuck sighed, rolling his eyes. Angelica chuckled and placed her arms around his neck.
"Yep... but, before that..." Angie talked in a seductive tone, and then she and Chuck returned to what they were doing before Danny's interruption.
X-X-X-X
Meanwhile (hey, I want to keep a certain rating here, people; in other words, let's give the couple some privacy), in the penthouse of Everwood's best hotel, Super Hunk, wearing a blue bath robe instead of his disguise, but conserving the mask, was enjoying a drink while standing on the terrace, looking at the city with a smug expression. He was living the way he always dreamed with, and nothing would ruin it.
"Nice place you got, Nick." Super Hunk turned in surprise, looking at the person who had directed to him using his civilian name. A few feet over the penthouse, and without doing any noise, was a hover car, with a twenty-something medium sized guy (slightly shorted than Super Hunk) driving it. He pressed a button on his vehicle, and landed it safely next to Super Hunk; then, the pilot removed his protective helmet and goggles, revealing a medium-length brown hairdo, bright blue eyes, and a head bigger than normal, but that seemed almost natural on him. The young man was wearing an open lab coat, and a red shirt with a yellow atom symbol on the middle, as well as blue jeans and red sneakers.
"Well, well, Neutron, long time without seeing you. Can you please don't call me by my civilian name? When I'm on disguise, my name is Super Hunk... and I'm always on disguise." SH directed to his visitor with a bored expression.
"Why using a mask, Nick? I thought you were in love with your reflex on the mirror." James Isaac "Jimmy" Neutron, Young Genius, said to Nick while crossing his arms and doing emphasis on Super Hunk's real name.
"Well, besides protecting my identity in case any meddling so-called-genius decides to pay me a visit, I use the mask to protect my fans. They wouldn't be able to handle all my natural handsomeness without it. I mean, if being handsome was a sin, I wouldn't have God's forgiveness." Nick said while admiring his reflex on the terrace's crystal table. Jimmy shook his head.
"As humble as usual, right? Look, Nick, or Super Hunk, or... how you called yourself in the interview this afternoon? The Caped Crusader? You are lucky I'm the one visiting you instead of that other guy; you know, tall, dark, no sense of humor, and can kick your butt in five seconds, powers and all?" Jimmy said, half-joking, making Nick to scowl at him.
"We are far away from Retroville, Neutron. What are you doing here? The Mayor finally decided to kick you out of town because of your experiments, or Vortex changed you for another guy with more style?" Nick replied with a smirk. Jimmy frowned.
"Cindy and I are very happy, thanks for asking. And funny thing you mentioned my experiments, because that's the reason I came. I want you to come back to Retroville with me so I can finally give you a complete check-up, you know, the one I had been almost begging you to perform?" Jimmy told him in a serious tone. Nick chuckled.
"Neutron, you have a serious ego problem. You can't stand the fact I got the great super powers you wanted for yourself, and want to get rid of them, right? Of course, I can't blame you. Who wouldn't like to be like me? I'm so glorious, I know... so handsome, look well... I'm gorgeous, gallant, stunning, I'm precious! I'm so divine... so exquisite... I'm cool, fine, strong, and also modest." Nick said, almost singing, while returning to see his reflex.
"Oh, mother." Jimmy said while closing his eyes and shaking his head. He remembered that the only man-related things visible from outer space are Las Vegas at night and Nick's ego, therefore he needed to be more severe with Nick to truly have his attention, so he made the hero to turn and look at his eyes.
"Let me refresh your memory, you big dope! Many years ago, my friends and I got superpowers because of cosmic radiation that was so strong it was killing us because our bodies couldn't contain that energy. I was able to cure us, and then spent the next ten years trying to find a way to use the powers in a safe way. Exactly three years ago, I thought I succeeded, thanks to a machine that would duplicate that energy while adapting our bodies to it, so the secondary effects would be avoided... but certain ignorant, who thought he was just too cool to care about the safety rules, decided to sneak into my lab right after I left the defenses down to allow Cindy and the others to enter, and this idiot started playing with my machine while I was explaining my friends how it worked. As a result, the machine exploded, and the fool inside it got the whole charge." Jimmy said, more than slightly upset. Nick sighed, annoyed, while rubbing his temples; Jimmy's little speech gave him a slight headache.
"Well, it worked, isn't it? If I remember right, that energy was supposed to increase a person's natural skills, and make them into super powers; super-speed for your hyperactive friend, strength and invulnerability for your tough girlfriend, and so. In my case, it increased my already great charm, and, since I had always been athletic, I gained some super-strength as well." Nick said to Jimmy, turning to avoid his eyes.
"But those are theories, Nick, and you know it! You never allowed me to give you a good check-up after the explosion. I think your body had created some sort of aura that increases the effect of your pheromones and the degree of persuasion of your voice and eyes... gives you "Super Charm", as you call it, and yes, your theory about the origin of your strength seems to be accurate, but, then again, they are just that, theories. We don't know if you'll develop any kind of disease, or if your powers will kill you in a few years, or months, or even days! The only thing I know for sure is that the energy inside your body, luckily, isn't harmful for the people around you, but you really need to come back to Retroville with me, or, at least, allow me to give you a complete check-up here. Even if you're not my favorite person in the world, Nick, I don't want any bad thing happening to you." Jimmy said to Nick, totally honest. The hero, however, had other plans.
"Sorry, Neutron, but I can't. I finally got the right city for me... not a little town in the middle of nowhere, but a good sized one, without a real hero, that worships me, and I'm not quitting to it." Nick replied.
"They have The ColoRed Chuck." Jimmy said. He felt partially responsible for Nick's powers, and didn't want The ColoRed Chuck to lose his place as the hero of his own city because of him. Even Chuck's daring rescue in Ocean Shore was ignored by the local press, since Super Hunk was getting all the attention.
"As I already said, no real hero. I want to be the only one in town; I was thinking about Los Angeles, but I like that place for relaxing or partying, not working, and New York is cool, but it has a lot of superheroes there... The Avengers, The X-Men, The Fantastic Four, the guy with the webs..." Nick said in an annoyed tone.
"How about our town, Retroville?" Jimmy asked..
"Please, you already are the local hero... you also are the local headache, but usually you're considered the hero." Nick said, rolling his eyes.
"Okay... and, how about Washington?" Jimmy proposed.
"Freakazoid." Nick said.
"Jump City?" Jimmy said.
"The Teen Titans." Nick replied.
"Big City?"
"Blue Falcon and Dynomutt."
"Amity Park?"
"Danny Phantom."
"Dimmsdale?"
"Catman."
"Hillwood?"
"Monkeyman, and those girls in spy suits."
"Central City?"
"The Flash."
"Metropolis?"
Nick gave Jimmy a you-must-be-crazy look. Jimmy sighed.
"I guess Gotham is out of question as well." Jimmy commented. Nick shook his head.
"Look, Neutron, as amusing as this visit was... no, I'm kidding, this visit wasn't amusing at all. Anyway, I already gave you a lot of my precious time, and Betty and Brittney are waiting for me. Want to go now... or maybe say "Hi" to Betty before leaving, just to remember she chose me over you?" Nick said to Jimmy, grinning. Jimmy sighed, and put back his helmet while placing a card on the table, and returning to his hovercar.
"Tell her and Brittney I send my greetings, please. If you change your mind, or start feeling woozy or something like that, call me; my number is on the card. Oh, and Nick? I'm not jealous of you and Betty; I used to have a crush on her, but now I'm in love with a marvelous girl who's waiting for me at home, and I didn't need any super-power to conquer her." Jimmy said to Nick while the vehicle started hovering away. Nick growled silently while rubbing his stomach.
"That Neutron. As if I would ever accept his so-called help. Just five minutes of talking with him, and he already caused me a headache and a indigestion." Nick said to himself, and then entered the penthouse, returning to his usual care-free mood.
X-X-X-X
The next morning, Chuck and Angelica arrived at her uncles' house that also was the designing place for Pickles Toys, and where Dil lived and had his own laboratory-workshop. It was pretty early, so Angelica could give Chuckie a ride there to pick up the pills, and stay for a few minutes before going work. She also was curious about Dil's lab; it was located at the basement, and Angie hadn't been there in years.
"Oh, Angelica, Chuckie, good morning! Dil told us you would pay us a fast visit today, but I weren't expecting you so early." Didi, Angelica's aunt, received them at the door. Neither she nor her husband, Stu, knew about Chuckie's real activities and Dil helping him, so the couple had to be pretty careful when talking with them.
"Well, Aunt Didi, I have to go to the office in a while, so I decided to bring Chuckie here on my way there. I also want to see the place where my little alien-seeker cousin spends all day." Angelica said while she and Chuckie gave Didi a little hug each.
"Oh, he stopped looking for aliens years ago, Angelica. Now he stays on that basement almost all day because of his work." Didi replied, rolling her eyes but keeping her usual smile.
"Well, I'll try to convince him to stop working for a while and have breakfast with us, Didi. See you in a moment." Chuckie said to the woman while smiling at her and walking to the basement's door. Didi nodded, and Angelica followed him.
The first thing they saw when walking down the stairs was Stu Pickles working on a new invention, as usual. The basement didn't seem to have changed that much; it was still the same old place filled up with tools, half-made inventions, and assorted boxes and stuff.
"Hey, Uncle Stu, how are you?" Angelica directed to her uncle, making him to notice the couple. Stu smiled and nodded to greet them.
"Nice to see you two down here! Excuse me for not offering you the hand, but I have them grease-covered. Dil is on the third level, as usual." Stu informed them. Chuckie thanked him, and then he guided Angelica through her uncle's mess, reaching a hidden door. Chuckie opened it, and they started walking down another stairway.
"Never imagined my uncles had another basement." Angelica said, surprised.
"It was built just a few years ago, Angie. Actually, the basement is composed by three levels. The first one, where we saw your uncle, is where he usually works. This one, the second, is where he and Dil test their inventions; it has the thickest walls, and nothing around thatmight get burned. The final one, where we are going, is Dil's working station, where he works almost all the time (except when he is helping his dad with something), designing toys and video games, and preparing the stuff I need as The ColoRed Chuck." Chuckie explained his wife while reaching the second level; as he said, it was mostly empty, except for a few crates and broken pieces of machinery.
The couple reached the third level. Unlike the other two, this one had a thick steel door at the end of the stairway, with a keyboard and a safety camera on it. Chuckie pressed some keys, introducing a password, and then the door opened. This level looked a lot more like a real lab, with plenty of computer's screens, pieces of machinery, and assorted stuff here and there. Angelica was truly impressed; she knew Dil was a very creative guy, but never imagined how much.
"Hi, guys!" Dil, wearing a colorful hawaiian shirt under his white lab coat, as well as red shorts, and a funny looking hat, greeted Chuckie and Angelica while keeping with his work, sitting behind a computer, and sending a series of instructions.
"Hello, Dil. Working on a new game?" Chuck asked while moving next to him. Dil nodded.
"Yep. This game is going to be a hit, really. Is a basic platform game, and the character can throw fire, do karate movements, fly, use plenty of cool weapons..." Dil explained.
"Let me guess; the main purpose of the game is kicking the ass of about every enemy you find on your way, right?" Angelica asked in a knowing tone. Dil shook his head.
"Nope, but thanks for playing. The real purpose is exaclty the oppossite; finishing the game hitting the least enemies you can. You see, the character will start the game with one thousand points, and, every time he uses his powers, the points will go down. The player will need to use mainly stealth maneuvers while having the temptation of using the character's powers." Dil explained. Angelica and Chuckie rolled their eyes; only Dil could create a game like that.
"I have to add a few more details here, Chuckie. Why don't you show Angelica the "hero testing" area while I finish? I'll give you the pills then." Dil told Chuckie. The glassed carrot-top rolled his eyes.
"Can't show her something else, Dil? You surely have another game around here to entertain yourself at times." Chuck said to Dil. Angelica smirked, and placed her arm around Chuck's shoulders.
"You're trying to hide something from me, uh? Sorry, Finster, but, as your wife, I have the duty of learning about all your little secrets." Angelica said to him.
"I don't remember the priest saying that, Angelica." Chuck said, arching an eyebrow.
"But you remember the part of "Obey and respect her", right? Well, then show me what you're trying to hide now, or next time I massage you, I'll add mustard to the ointment, among other things." Angelica replied while poking his nose. Chuck knew that the little detail of him and Angie loving each other more than life itself wouldn't stop her from doing what she said, so he gave up and guided her to another part of the lab. They stopped in front of several dummies, all of them wearing some sort of superhero's outfit.
"These are the prototype suits Dil designed when we decided to create my superhero's ID. Luckily, Didi knows some of Dil and Stu's inventions can be dangerous, so she never comes to this level, and Stu knows about how important is privacy for a creative mind, so none of them had discovered the disguises. At the end, none worked but The ColoRed Chuck's one." Chuckie informed her. Angelica gave a long look to the disguises; some of them were even dumber than his current suit, but others were really cool ones.
"And why you rejected these ones?" Angelica asked.
"Well, when a superhero designs his suit, it most fit the personality or the attitude of the wearer, or from the character he represents. Even if I have to show-off a little when I use my disguise, The ColoRed Chuck is basically a slightly braver version of myself; I don't have to pretend having a different personality when I use the suit, unlike all of these, that demanded me to have a more aggressive or arrogant attitude." Chuckie explained. Then, he sighed, and chuckled slightly.
"And, besides, I had a few accidents when testing these ones." Chuck told Angelica, and started narrating those incidents.
FLASHBACK.
An almost eight years-younger Chuck stood up at the middle of the second basement's level. He was wearing some sort of yellow jumpsuit, hood included.
"Are you sure this will work, Dil?" Chuckie asked his friend, located behind him.
"Of course I'm sure. I made it for Tommy so he can resist any attack or accident while traveling on those archeological expeditions he goes, but he declined my offer, so I'm giving it to you. Now, press the button on your left palm." Dil instructed Chuckie. He gulped, and, after a few seconds of hesitation, pressed the button. A moment later, the whole suit started inflating, and changing its form. When the process ended, Chuck seemed to be covered by a thick yellow armor.
"YEESS! Introducing... The Armadillo!" Dil exclaimed in happiness. Chuck tried to move to check out the suit's mobility.
WHAAAM!
Chuckie fell on his chest, and wasn't able to stand up.
"Too... heavy... can't... move... or... talk... correctly..." Chuckie said in a pained voice. Dil slapped his forehead, and helped him get out of the suit.
The scene changed, and now Chuckie was wearing a 30's-style jacket, cape, mask (with the glasses under it) and pants, all in different shades of purple; the outfit was complete by a gray fedora and a blue turtleneck. Chuckie was reading something from a piece of paper.
"Dil, this character is a little too arrogant for my taste... and, actually, this introduction is kind of scary. I want to be respected by criminals, but also make the regular people to trust me." Chuckie told Dil, who was right in front of him.
"Believe me, pal, this ID will be great. Just read that introduction in the most dramatic tone you can." Dil told him. Chuck decided to give it a try, and started reading the introduction like Dil said.
"I'm the Terror that Flaps in the Night! I'm the Pain in the Neck of Crime! I, am... DARKWIIIIIING CHUCK!" Chuck ended the introduction with a dramatic heroic pose. Dil smiled widely.
"Cool! Now, repeat it, but use the smoke cloud this time. It will give the entrance a more dramatic effect." Dil said while moving a few steps back. Chuck nodded and activated a hidden mechanism on the jacket, releasing a blue smoke screen that covered him in a second.
"I'm...-cough-...the...–cough-... Terror...-cough-... that Flaps in the Night...-cough- I am the...-cough-... Pain...-cough-... in the Neck... of Crime...-cough, cough-... I, am... –cough, cough-... I am... –cough, cough-... I AM ALLERGIC TO THIS SMOKE, DIL! –cough, cough, cough, cough, cough-..." Chuck ended in a raspy voice while coughing without control and waving his cape trying to clean the air.
The scene changed again. Now Chuckie was wearing a green jumpsuit, red mask (still, with the glasses under it), and dark blue gloves, belt, and boots... and, from the top of his head to the end of his back, he had some fake fur mimicking a skunk's, tail and all.
"I don't know who is crazier, Dil; you, for inventing this stuff, or me for using it." Chuck said to Dil, rolling his eyes. The inventor ignored his voice's tone, and placed a hand on Chuck's shoulders.
"Hey, you want to be both respected and trusted, right? Well, no creature is as respected by predators as a skunk, and it's also a funny looking animal, so it fits well for the job's description. I think The Skunk Man is perfect for you." Dil told him. Chuck shook his head.
"Okay, but what about my breathing? Darkwing Chuck wasn't exactly the best thing that had ever happened to my sinusitis." Chuck commented; it was a valid point, since The Skunk Man was supposed to have a gas attack.
"I have that solved. You'll use this fake skunk's snout; it has a gas mask inside it, just like the one I'll use for the suit's test." Dil told him while putting the device on Chuck's nose.
"You take advantage of my nobleness." Chuck groaned; now he really looked like a giant skunk.
"Okay, now, press the belt's button to test the stinky attack." Dil said while putting a gas mask and protective goggles himself. Chuck sighed, but obeyed. He pressed the button, and the disguise's tail started wagging, releasing a wide cloud of yellow gas that filled the whole room.
"I think this one might work after all, Dil, but, how about the innocent by-standers? What's going to protect them from the gas?" Chuck commented. Dil scratched his chin.
"You know, I hadn't thought about that." Dil admitted.
THUMP!
Chuck and Dil heard a hitting sound coming from the first level. They ran upstairs, and found Stu on the floor, with his face totally green, knocked out because of some gas that could pass from the second level.
"Eh... if he asks about the smell, let's just say we ate some burritos, okay?" Dil said nervously to Chuckie.
END FLASHBACK.
Angelica was almost rolling on the floor because of laughter, while Chuck, even if he had a embarrassed look, was trying his best to hold his own.
"Honestly, I don't know how Dil got all those ideas! The Skunk Man! Ha, ha, ha, ha!" Angelica laughed loudly. Chuck couldn't contain himself any more, and chuckled a little.
"Now you see why I stayed with The ColoRed Chuck. At least is safer." Chuck commented. Angelica, slowly, stopped laughing, and directed to him, in a slightly more serious tone.
"And, how he got the idea for that one?" Angelica asked. At that moment, Dil approached the couple, and started answering Angelica's question.
"Well, you can say I designed the suit because of the antennae. I had the idea of giving Chuckie a way to detect the distress calls, so I created the antennae, and they worked well, but there was the problem of making a suit that would fit them. In a regular superhero's outfit, they would look out of place, and totally ridiculous, so I decided to work on a funny disguise instead of a scary or impressive one. At the end, the design also helped us to distract the attention from Chuckie's face, and that's very important because he has to wear the glasses all the time (with all the hits he receives, wearing contacts would be more dangerous) and that's pretty uncomfortable while using a mask, so he can't wear one to protect his ID; of course, I designed him some special glasses that are impact-resistant." Dil explained.
"And why you chose the red color, or the heart's symbol?" Angelica asked, very interested.
"I studied a little of the colors' psychological effect, and red represents courage... it also represents anger, so I decided to include some yellow on the suit to cool down that effect a little. And the heart, well, Chuck was rejected from the Police because the instructors said he wasn't brave or skilled enough to be a cop, and the only thing he had that could justify his vocation was his heart, always willing to help his fellow citizens, so that gave me the idea for the symbol." Dil replied.
"Yep, that's my Finster. He's pure heart." Angelica said, smiling at Chuckie, who blush a little.
"Eight months of marriage, and you still blush when she smiles at you? That must be love." Dil said in a joking tone. Chuck and Angelica chuckled.
Dil gave Chuckie his new jar, and then the trio walked upstairs to have breakfast with Dil's parents. When they left the basement, they saw Stu and Didi watching TV on the living room, with wide-open eyes.
"What's going on? Bad news?" Chuck asked, his superhero's instinct on alert, while he, Angelica and Dil walked next to the elder couple. Then, they noticed Super Hunk was on screen.
"That's right, my dear citizens. Since I like this town so much, I'll give you guys the great gift of having me as a permanent resident hero... and, to protect the city more efficiently, your gorgeous mayor had agreed on making me the official superhero of Everwood, which means I'll be the only hero allowed to perform, well, heroic stunts within the city's limits." Super Hunk said in his usual cool tone.
Chuck, Angie, and Dil's jaws fell in surprise, wide-opening their eyes.
"I don't think this is a good idea." Chuck finally handled to say.