-A Busy Hero.
"Okay, fool, don't move and you'll live." A man wearing a clown mask said to a mini-mart's manager while pinning him against the floor and threatening him with a blade. The criminal accomplices, a large guy with a gorilla mask, and a short one with a gopher one, were taking all the money from the register, and some assorted merchandise.
"Hey, boss, you want the chicken soup or the beef-flavored one?" The gopher asked the clown.
"The mushroom one. I'm vegetarian, remember?" The clown replied.
"What a great idea about robbing this place, boss. Almost all the cops are at that event at the hall." The gorilla commented while taking a few packages of cigars and placing them in a large bag.
"You said it, man. Maybe we can rob a few other places while those fools in tights yell at each other. Of course, we might need to hurt this guy a little so he can't ask for help while we do that." The clown replied, looking at his fallen prey. Unfortunately for the robbers, the mart wasn't as deserted as they expected; there was a boy inside the restroom (he entered just a minute before the robbers) so they didn't notice him, but he heard them.
"Oh, and now, who will rescue him?" The kid asked out loud to himself.
"Hey, here's the soup." The gopher said while approaching the large pile of canned soup.
CRASH! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!...
"I!" Chuck emerged from behind the pile, making it to fall on top of the burglar, who was knocked out by the falling cans.
"The ColoRed Chuck!" The gorilla pointed. The clown made a double take, and growled.
"Didn't count with my cleverness! And let that man go!" Chuck said to the clown while pointing at him with his mallet.
A clown. Why it had to be a clown? Chuck thought, remembering his old childish phobia to the clowns, but trying to keep his cool.
"Get him!" The clown forgot about his prey, and charged against Chuck, ordering the gorilla to help him. Chuck ran behind an aisle, with the criminals right behind him.
Chuck noticed various bottles in the aisle, and then had an idea. He started batting the bottles with his mallet, sending them against the crooks, hitting them several times. The best of all was that the bottles got opened by the impacts, and their filling fell on the floor, making it slippery and causing the criminals to fall on their backs.
Meanwhile, the kid had already helped the manager stand up, and the man activated the silent alarm. Chuck ran next to them, and motioned the pair to run out of the place while he stayed inside. The moment they left, Chuckie used a hose he grabbed from one aisle to tie the door so the criminals couldn't escape while the cops arrived. He then turned, looking at the approaching bandits, including the rodent, who was back on his feet.
"What a fool! He trapped himself here with us!" The clown said, laughing. Chuck frowned, and tightened his grip on his mallet.
"Nope. I trapped you here with me." Chuck said with a slight grin. He usually hated to risk himself this much when there was another way out, but this time he had a lot of stress because of Super Hunk's problem, and needed to let go some anger before facing him.
Maybe I should start doing yoga to relief the stress. Chuck thought while charging at the crooks.
X-X-X-X
"What? Yes, okay. Thanks for telling me. Bye." Susie hung off her communicator, and directed to her friends.
"Three guys on masks tried to rob a mini-mart, just ten streets away from here... and guess who stopped them." Susie said.
"Aquaman?" Harold asked with a silly grin, making everyone look at him with annoyed eyes.
"The Green Hornet?" Harold asked again, with a nervous smile. Everyone glared at him.
"Scooby Doo?" Harold said, with a sheepish grin and rubbing the back of his head. Everyone shook their heads.
"Give up." Harold sighed and rolled his eyes. Susie signed as well, and rubbed her temples.
What do I see in him? Oh, yes, that. Susie thought, getting a slight smile.
"Is he okay?" Angelica asked Susie, with obvious concern. Kira and Chaz had the same look.
"Yes, don't worry. The cops who made the arrest said he just got a couple of bruises, but nothing serious, as usual. What really worries me is how close the assault was from here. Obviously, this event is a golden chance for any criminal brave or fool enough to try a robbery with sunlight." Susie commented. Then, they all directed their attention to the podium, where SH was still signing autographs.
"And with that fool here, and so many cops already busy, The ColoRed Chuck will need a miracle to protect the city and arrive on time." Dil said, frowning.
"We can always summon him. That way he can be here in a couple of seconds." Harold proposed. Angelica shook her head.
"I don't think so. I'm no expert, but it seems he can't be summoned at the middle of a mission; if he is fighting a criminal, we wouldn't be able to call him anyway." Angelica said to the officer. Of course she was right; Dil decided it was a good idea to prevent Chuck being summoned out from a mission before finishing it, so he designed the antennae with that safety measure.
"Please, Finster, do your best... but be careful," Angelica thought while getting a concerned look, and watching at the podium.
X-X-X-X
Sneaky Savannah, the city's best known cat burglar, smiled widely. She had never made a robbery with sunlight, but this time she made an exception, and worked smoothly. The female criminal had handled to enter a penthouse, totally undetected, and fill her pouches with several jewels, as well as almost 50 thousand dollars in cash.
"Oh, boy, this is great. No night watchers, no cops, no fool in a red outfit to ruin my fun... that handsome jerk of Super Hunk really did me a favor," Savannah thought, while zipping her pouches and walking through the penthouse. The resident, as many others, had gone to the hall to see the debate between the heroes, so Savannah got encouraged enough to try robbing the place, with a huge success.
The criminal walked at the terrace, and looked at the nearby building. She smiled; the buildings were close enough to cover the distance with a good jump, something she had done several times in the past. Savannah took some impulse, and jumped. However, since she was used to "work" at night, she forgot one important detail.
Sunlight hitting her eyes at the middle of the jump.
Savannah got blinded, and lost her sense of direction. When she reacted, the criminal, horrified, noticed that she was missing the rooftop completely, and surely she would had died if she hadn't handled to reach the edge of the rooftop with a hand.
"YEEAAARGH!" Savannah yelled in pain. Her arm almost dislocated, and her right side hit the building's wall, hurting her and probably fracturing one rib. Savannah did her best to regain balance, and reach the edge with her other hand, but the impact was so hard she couldn't reach the top because of the pain, and she was feeling how her fingers were losing their grip.
"No! NO! I CAN'T DIE THIS WAY! NOT IN A SILLY ACCIDENT!" Savannah was more scared than she had ever been on her life.
"Help! HELP! SOMEBODY! I DON'T CARE IF I GET JAILED, BUT HELP ME!" Savannah screamed, but nobody answered. The same circumstances that made this a good chance for a robbery also made impossible a rescue... unless she did the unthinkable.
"I'm going to hate myself in the morning... but...if I don't do it, I'll not be here in the morning!" Savannah thought, and took a deep breath, feeling how her last strength was leaving.
"Oh... and now... who will help MEEEEEE...!" Savannah said right when her fingers couldn't hold her any more, causing her to fall... until a hand grabbed her wrist.
"I!" The ColoRed Chuck said, clenching his teeth while doing an effort to not letting Sneaky fall. He was located on the rooftop, chest down, to support the woman's weight without falling himself.
"The ColoRed Chuck!" Savannah smiled in relief. She never imagined she would be so grateful for seeing him.
"Didn't count... with my... oh, you already know the introduction! Quick, use my body to climb to the... rooftop!" Chuck said, sweating because of the effort.
"I can't... my chest hurts a lot... and I can't use my other arm!" Savannah replied with a pained voice.
"Then try breaking the... window next to you...to get... into the building! Hurry! You're too heavy!" Chuck told her.
"Are you calling me fat?" Savannah replied, offended.
"NOW!" Chuck snapped at her. Savannah nodded, and, despite the pain, she could balance her body to get enough support and break the window with a good kick. She then entered the building, and collapsed on the floor, panting.
A minute later, Chuck was next to her, rubbing his shoulder. Even if Savannah was one of his enemies, he couldn't avoid worrying about her, and, obviously, she needed a lot of help.
"I'm calling an ambulance and a patrol, okay? Now, let's make this easy for the both of us, and don't try to escape." Chuck said while helping her to sit down, leaning her back against the wall.
"Don't worry. If I were strong enough to escape, do you think I would ever summon you?" Savannah said, glaring at him. Chuck shrugged.
"Good point. What are you doing here anyway? I heard you had escaped jail a couple of weeks ago, and you usually stay hidden for at least a month before trying a robbery, especially one as daring as this one. I mean, you never work before midnight." Chuck pointed. Savannah sighed.
"Yes, but, I thought you would be with that Super Hunk guy today, and almost all the cops will be there, as well as many other persons, therefore a good part of the city will remain unprotected, so I decided to try this one. I should have decided to use shades." Savannah said while rubbing her chest and shoulder. Chuck shook his head, and took out his cell phone.
"Next time try robbing a basement... on second thought, don't do that either." Chuck said to her. Savannah chuckled.
"Why do you care anyway? I'm a villain, and nothing would make me happier than watching you beaten and laying unconscious in a sewer. Plus, since tomorrow, you'll stop being welcome in this town." Savannah said, teasing him.
"I had been teased by professionals, Savannah, so stop wasting your breath. Besides, to me, being a hero is not a popularity contest, but doing the right thing, even if that means saving the life of someone who wants me dead. "Chuck replied while dialing 911. Savannah sighed.
"You are crazy." She said while looking down.
"I guess that means Thank you on your language." Chuck shrugged, and then started talking with the 911's operator.
X-X-X-X
"Sneaky Savannah? The same Sneaky Savannah that helped kidnap me and Kimi, and who I broke her jaw?" Angelica asked Susie, surprised.
"Yes. She almost died trying to steal a penthouse, and Chuck saved her. I hope she remember that next time she'll try to skin him alive with a whip." Susie replied. She had asked all her contacts to tell her if there was any kind of crime during the event, and, a minute ago, she was informed about Chuck's rescue.
"Thanks for the mental image, Carmichael!" Angelica snapped at her. Susie gulped, realizing her mistake.
"Sorry... but, seriously, maybe now she'll try not getting so serious when they fight. You know Chuck would never punch a female, or hit her with the mallet, so, every time he and Savannah fight, he has to use a clever trick to disarm and trap her, and usually gets a lot of hits on the process." Susie commented. Angelica cooled down, and then looked at her watch.
"Just five more minutes; I hope he can be here on time." Angelica sighed. She knew the rules about using the summoning to call him; the main one was that he had to call her first, so she could be sure he had no emergencies to attend.
X-X-X-X
Inside a bar, an extremely large and muscular afro-American man grabbed the bartender by his collar, grinning evilly, while the bar's bouncers were unconscious at his feet.
"Now, let's see if we understand each other. I want half of the profits of your bar, and, in exchange, you'll conserve your head. We have an agreement?" The giant said. The bartender gulped, and nodded in fear.
One of the bouncers recovered conscience, and noticed the scene. He was badly injured, so he couldn't help his boss.
"Oh... and now... who will protect him?" The bouncer said in a pained voice.
"I!" Chuck jumped through the door, landing next to the criminal. He turned and saw him with hateful eyes.
"The ColoRed Chuck." He said calmly.
"Didn't count... CHANFLE! Fridge?" Chuck gasped. The criminal, only known by his nickname, was one of the strongest guys Chuck had ever faced and jailed... and, obviously, he wasn't happy for seeing the hero.
"You hadn't forgotten about me, uh?" Fridge said, releasing his prey and cracking his knuckles. Chuck smiled nervously.
"N... no, who would do that? So, how had you been? It's my imagination, or you're bigger than last time?" Chuck said, gulping.
"Well, there's not too much to do in jail but working out, and plotting my revenge against the fool who put me there." Fridge replied, growling.
"Uh... Fridge... how about we finish this conversation outside? If you want, I'll wait you there... just give me ten minutes and..." Chuck was cut by the giant's hand on his shoulder.
"We'll go together." Fridge said, pushing the hero and advancing through the bar. A moment later, they were outside, and the people at the bar could only hear the fight's noises.
THUD! WHAM! ZOCK! POW! PUNCH!...
CRAAAAAASSSSSHHH!
X-X-X-X
"Five thirty." Dil said, looking at his watch. The whole crowd was getting nervous because of The ColoRed Chuck's delay. Only SH and his assistants were calm and happy. Finally, Mayor Courtney decided to let Super Hunk talk to the people. Kimi, who was sitting next to her, looked down, wondering about where his brother might be.
"Good people of Everwood, as you can see, The ColoRed Chuck hadn't arrived. This only can mean something... he is scared of facing me! He no longer cares about his hometown! He should had been here half an hour ago, but thought this wasn't important, so decided to be absent. The ColoRed Chuck had abandoned you, recognizing I'm the best option for your city. Either that, or the CH on his chest stands for Chicken." Super Hunk talked to the crowd. Almost everyone roared in excitement, except a small section of the crowd, Chuck's supporters..
"Oh, my... what if something bad happened to him?" Kira said, hugging her husband, who was just as nervous as her. Angelica had an equally concerned expression, and Tommy and Dil were trying to keep her calmed, but they were just as worried.
"That's it. I'm going to take Chuck's place. Someone has to defend him, and I'll do it until he arrives." Tommy said, and started walking through the crowd, directing to the podium. Susie and Harold motioned the other officers to let him pass.
"Well, look at that. The ColoRed Chuck isn't brave enough to come himself, and sent his bodyguard, Okey Dorkey Jones." SH said in a mocking tone when Tommy walked on the podium. Tommy clenched his fists, resisting the urge of hitting SH, and directed to the people.
"Listen, everybody! If The ColoRed Chuck isn't present, is because, unlike Super Hunk, he cares more about his job than about his popularity, so he had been attending emergency calls all this afternoon." Tommy said, but it seemed to have no effect on the people; most of them were booing him and cheering SH.
"What a nice excuse. But we can't prove it, right? I mean, he might be at home eating donuts, and just called you to have someone covering for him. The guy is pathetic." Super Hunk said in his usual "I-am-the-best" tone. Tommy groaned; he had to be careful, or his words might make the situation worse.
"NOBODY IS COVERING FOR ME!" Chuck's voice was heard, and everyone turned to see him advancing through the crowd. Many of them gasped (especially Angelica, Kimi, and his parents) when noticing he was badly bruised and part of his disguise was ripped. Tommy and Kimi helped him climb to the podium.
"What happened to you?" Tommy whispered to him.
"Fridge. I had to hit him with something heavier than my mallet." Chuck whispered back.
"A brick?" Kimi asked.
"No… a truck; he is alive, but I don't think either him or the vehicle will be on the streets for a while." Chuck said while dusting off his disguise.
"Well, just look at yourself. Do you think that's the proper way to attend a public event? You have no respect for all these people." Super Hunk said to Chuck, folding his arms. Chuck advanced a few steps, looking at him straight in the eye.
"Well, sorry, but SOMEONE made the mistake to tell every criminal in town where us would be this afternoon, so they took advantage and tried to do their "job" on the meantime. All the cops who aren't around here had been extra busy all day, and I just stopped three robbers, a cat burglar, and a guy the size of King Kong who wanted to crush me!" Chuck snapped at him. Super Hunk gulped, and backed up a few steps.
"You're lying." SH said, trying to prevent looking like a major moron.
"No, I'm not. All of them are now in jail... well, the cat burglar and the giant are in the hospital, so you can check my stories. And you think I got all this bruises while shaving, or what?" Chuck said, folding his arms. Super Hunk started sweating; being responsible of creating a proper opportunity for the city's crooks wasn't good for his image. Unfortunately for Chuck, SH's assistants reacted.
"Wait, you ONLY fought those petty thieves, and got that injured?" Betty said, pointing at him in a mocking way.
"Please. Super Hunk can handle twice those criminals, and still be on time for his assignments." Brittney added. Super Hunk grinned again, and directed to Chuck.
"They're right, CH. You are supposed to be a hero, someone superior to everyone else. Those inferior criminals are no match for a real superhero; that's enough proof that you're not made for this job. If you really care about this city, you'll allow me to be the official protector." Super Hunk said, causing most of the crowd to cheer him up, and turn against Chuck.
SUPER HUNK, FOREVER! COLORED CHUCK, GO! COLORED CHUCK, GO! SUPER HUNK, FOREVER! COLORED CHUCK, GO! COLORED CHUCK GO!...
Those words hurt Chuck even more than Fridge's punches (not exactly on the same place, of course). He looked at the crowd, and noticed his family, as well as a few other persons, cheering up for him, but, sadly, they were severely outnumbered. Chuck sighed, and walked next to the microphone.
"People of Everwood... I had tried to be a hero and a friend to all of you. I admit I'm not perfect. I don't have cool super powers or weapons, but that had never stopped me from doing my job; I would gladly accept Super Hunk getting the spotlight as long as I can keep doing it. However, I had always supported the authorities, and, if my labor goes against the law, I'll agree with your decision, and allow Super Hunk to be the local hero as long as he can fulfill that job. I just want to thank all the great people who still believe in me... however, since SH thinks heroic job is limited to just catch criminals and pose for pictures, I think he'll have no problem allowing me to keep doing my other assistance's labors, like helping people with personal troubles and stuff." Chuck turned to see SH.
"Sure, why not? I'll be too busy to do menial job like taking kittens down from a tree or things like that. However, as long as I can do my heroic job, if you try to catch any criminal, even a guy robbing an apple from a fruit stand, you'll have to reveal your secret ID to make yourself responsible of your actions." Super Hunk said, pointing at Chuck. Chuck nodded.
"Very well then; the job is yours. Just remember, being a hero doesn't make you superior, just different, and you have a duty with all these persons." Chuck said, no hate on his voice, but severe enough to make most people consider his words. Of course, SH wasn't "most people", so he just rolled his eyes.
"Yes, got it. Please, don't give me the "Great powers-Great Responsibility" speech, okay?" SH said, motioning him to leave.
"No. Unlike you, I like having my own phrases." Chuck said before turning his back to SH. Super Hunk made a double take, groaned, and rubbed his temples; that comment really annoyed him. However, he quickly forgot it when the crowd started cheering at him again. Courtney walked behind the mike, and directed to the people, while Chuck left the podium alongside Tommy, who was helping him to walk because of his injuries. Kimi wanted to help too, but she still had to stay to fulfill her duties as Captain, so she only could give Chuck a little kiss on his cheek before moving back behind the mayor.
"You heard it, people. I give you our new and improved hero... SUPER HUNK!" Courtney exclaimed, excited. Super Hunk smiled widely, and he and his assistants posed for the cameras while the crowd clapped at him.
Angelica saw Chuck and Tommy leaving, and felt like crying. She really wanted to comfort him now, but it was impossible in public. She closed her eyes while Susie, Harold, Dil, Kira and Chaz looked at Chuck with sad eyes. Angelica opened her eyes again just in time to see Chuck turning, and smiling at her. Angie smiled back, muttering a silent See you at home; she then turned back to see Super Hunk smiling at his audience.
"This isn't over, Super Dork. You're not the only one who can use the media for your own gain." Angelica said under her breath, her brain already planning a way to help Chuckie and kick SH out of town.