- Action Heroes.
CRACK!
Super Hunk's head broke a valuable jar, and it wasn't by his own choice. Tim Thug and Kill-A-Lot Kid made him to do it by lifting his bruised body, and throwing him against the large ornament. Super Hunk held his head in pain; he hadn't being injured since he got his powers, and had already forgotten how it felt. Unfortunately for him, the four criminals in front of him made a pretty good job giving him a reminder.
"This is funny! The only thing that could be better would be doing this to The ColoRed Chuck instead of this loser." Tim commented, laughing evilly. His tone, and the last words, hurt SH as much as the combined attack.
"I agree, but this is great anyway! And, best of all, we are finishing a hero's career! That would look great in our curriculum, if villains had one, I mean." Jean Claude replied, standing next to the fallen hero, right after giving him a sharp kick on his ribs.
"I thought our police files were our curriculums, buzz." Bumble Man told his partners while joining Jean Claude on the kicking of the hero.
"That's a good one, bee guy!" The Kid laughed, and then leaned to grab SH from his collar, and make him stand up.
"You heard the pirate, Super Fool? Your career is done! Even if, by some miracle, the cops can stop us before we finish you, you'll never be able to play hero again!" The Kid snapped at SH while punching him on the belly. Super Hunk gasped, both because of the punches and the cowboy's words.
"Yeah. By tomorrow, every criminal will know about your weakness, and since everyone with half a brain can think a couple of good insults, you'll never be able to fight a crook again. Even a guy who steals candy from a baby will surely beat you!" Tim added while giving a strong punch to SH's face.
"And besides, I think you would need a bigger mask, buzz! Just look at your face now, buzz!" Bumble Man said while grabbing the wall's mirror, and placing it in front of Super Hunk. The hero shocked when saw himself; because of the beating, his handsomeness was almost totally gone, replaced by large bruises, cuts, and a blackened eye. The impression made him to weaken even more, and surely he would have fainted if the criminals weren't holding and slapping him.
"I think we had been a little too tough with our guest, don't you think, guys? I have an idea; let's give him a chance to fight us, one on one." Jean Claude suggested, smirking at SH. The other villains, grinning, agreed with him and released Super Hunk, who hardly could stand on his feet.
"Good idea. And you'll better cooperate, Stuper Dumb, or we'll go back to attack you all at once." Tim pointed to the hero while cracking his knuckles; he would be the first. SH looked at the gangster, and knew he had to defend himself, so he did his best to get a fighting stance; before getting his powers, Nick had been a good fighter, so he thought that, maybe, he would at least hurt the villains a little and give time to the cops to enter the house and save him.
Super Hunk threw a punch against Tim, who easily dodged it, and replied with a fast jab to the hero's liver. Super Hunk leaned in pain, and received two strong punches on his face. Then, when he felt like falling, Tim grabbed him by his shoulders, forcing him to stand up, and slapped him violently a few times before throwing a direct hit to his kisser, sending SH to the floor, unconscious. He woke up a few seconds later, thanks to some water from a fishbowl Bumble Man could find. SH lifted his aching face, looking at Kill-A-Lot Kid, who was in front of him, smirking.
"My turn." The Kid said before leaning to force SH to stand up and fight.
X-X-X-X
At the prison, things weren't going well for the Police. The prisoners were now on the watchtowers, shooting against the officers with the guns they took from the jail's weaponry room and the guards.
"Why we don't just throw some tearing gas to weak them, and then we enter? We have gas masks, they don't!" Phil asked Kimi. They both were behind a patrol (using it as a shield against the prisoners' shots), alongside Lil and Commander Pangborn, all wearing bullet-proof vests and special helmets.
"Yes, but they have all the guards and the warden as hostages! We know they have them locked in some cells, and, if we try using the gas, they'll shoot them in reply!" Kimi told Phil. Commander Pangborn, who was next to Lil, directed to Kimi.
"Well, I'll accept any suggestion. If this situation continues, we'll need to break into the jail anyway, and surely that will be disastrous for both sides." The huge man told the young captain.
"Well, I hate to be the one saying I told you, but, with all the respect you deserve from me, sir, I already suggested to have Super Hunk fighting here, and sending more officers and the rest of the SWAT team to aid Sergeants Carmichael and Rumkin with the mayor's problem, despite The Shark's demands. A super-powered, almost totally bullet-proof guy like him is more suited to handle a situation like this instead of a delicate one like the mansion assignment! We did just what the criminals wanted!" Kimi snapped at her superior. Even if he disliked this kind of tone coming from one of his subordinates, the commander had to admit she was right. He made a huge mistake by sending the hero to save the mayor instead of having him where he would be more useful, and now the man was regretting it.
"Fine. Call Carmichael, and tell her to send Super Hunk here. We'll send her some support the moment he arrives." The commander said to the captain. Kimi nodded, and used her official communicator to contact her friend.
"Susie? Kimi here. The situation at the jail is getting worse by the minute. We need Super Hunk here; I'll send you the SWAT guys when he arrives... oh, my! Are you serious? Okay, resist there. He's is helping you guys? Good. Be careful." Kimi got a concerned expression at the last part.
"What's going on? There're problems at the mansion?" Lil asked, worried.
"Yes. Super Hunk already released most of the hostages, but Gripling is still trapped inside with the criminals, and they hadn't got news from Super Hunk for the last ten minutes. Luckily, Okey Dokey Jones is there to help as well." Kimi informed the other officers.
"What? We can't allow any hero to assist us besides Super Hunk! That's against the law!" Commander Pangborn almost roared.
"Yes, you can, if Super Hunk isn't available, or the hero reveals his, or her, secret identity." A female voice was heard from behind them. The officers turned to see who was talking, and got awe expressions.
"The ColoRed Chuck contacted me. You guys need someone to protect the hostages while you drop the bombs, right?" The female said in a serious tone.
Kimi smiled widely. Even if Chuckie wasn't allowed to help them, he still cared about his city, and had lots of well-intentioned and powerful friends.
X-X-X-X
Tommy entered the mansion's backyard using some trees and bushes for coverage. From that observation's point, he noticed The Shark watching from one of the second floor's windows. Tommy guessed that, surely, the spy would be guarding the mayor, so he needed to reach that room. When the spy directed his attention to the contrary side Tommy was hiding, he dashed to one side of the building, and then, after being sure The Shark couldn't see him, he took a rope with a hook out from his explorer's jacket.
"Personal note; accept Dil's offer about letting him make a grappling gun for me." Tommy said to himself while making the hook to gain impulse, and then he threw it to the mansion's rooftop. Once he got sure the hook was secure, Tommy started climbing as fast and silently as he could.
Inside the mayor's bedroom, The Shark, carrying a regular gun, was looking out the window, being careful to not being so visible so a sniper couldn't hit him at a distance. In the middle of the room, Courtney was sitting on a chair, tied and gagged, looking at the spy with a scared expression. The room's door was open so the spy could see anyone coming upstairs, and they both could easily hear the noise caused by the fight (more like, beating) downstairs, making The Shark to smile and Courtney to be even more scared, since they could hear the four criminals' laughter.
"I wonder how my partners dominated Super Dork so easily. Maybe he got poisoned by Bumble Man's darts, or is victim of the fear's gas; anyway, my buddies are having some fun with him." The Shark directed a predatory smile to his hostage.
"You know, Miss Gripling, you have a very good chance to escape this problem with a minimal damage. If you tell me the code number to get into the city's account, well, maybe we'll be nicer." The Shark said while taking a little pocket computer from his black jacket. Sure, he wanted his revenge on the guy who insulted him, but this was a great chance to get a fortune; he could easily enter the city's accounts and transfer a huge capital to his own secret ones.
Courtney wide opened her eyes (even more), but, a second later, she narrowed them, and shook her head. She had many defects, but the blonde really cared about her city (when she gave SH the position of official hero, besides being influenced by his aura, she honestly thought that was the best for her town), and wouldn't be the one betraying the citizens. The Shark scowled at her, but, after a few seconds, he grinned evilly, and leaned next to her.
"You should cooperate, you know. If not, well, I don't like the idea of my partners being the only ones having fun. I would love having some amusement with you, if you know what I mean." The Shark whispered to Courtney, who got a look who was a perfect mixture of nausea and shock.
Before the spy could do anything else, he heard a noise coming from the rooftop. It sounded a lot like a gun shot, but a little quieter. The Shark quickly moved to the center of the room, and aimed his gun to the ceiling.
"It seems like someone is trying to enter the mansion from the rooftop." The Shark said in an angry tone.
CRAACK!
The spy released the gun, with his hand in pain, thanks to a powerful hit courtesy of Okey Dokey Jones' whip. The hero was standing at the door, happy to see that the little firecracker (with a very long fuse) he had placed on the rooftop made its job.
"Wrong, Shark! I used one of the other rooms' windows!" Tommy informed the villain. The Shark placed his not-injured hand inside one of his jacket's pockets, searching for the gas gun, but couldn't take it out because Tommy threw his whip against the villain, making it to do a lasso-like action, and the spy got trapped with his hand inside the pocket, unable to escape.
"Tim! Kill...!"
PUNCH! WHAM! POW!
The Shark tried calling for help, but was cut by Tommy's punches, knocking him out. The hero then released the mayor, who sighed in relief once her mouth was free.
"Thanks, thanks, thanks! I'll name a street after you!" Courtney said to Tommy while hugging him in gratitude.
"That's not necessary, but thanks for the detail. Now, once I tie this guy, we'll get out of here. I'll need to carry you on my back so we can escape the same way I entered." Tommy informed her while breaking the embrace and grabbing the same ropes the spy used to tie the mayor to do it with him.
"How about Super Hunk? It seems he is having some serious trouble down there." Courtney said, honestly concerned. Tommy started to tie the fallen criminal, and directed to her.
"I'll contact the cops and tell them to enter the house the moment you're safe. Of course, we need to know if the other hostages are fine as well so the Police can attack at full force." Tommy informed the mayor while finishing his job with the spy.
X-X-X-X
Inside the jail, a group of prisoners was guarding their hostages, trapped inside several cells.
"I don't like this. What if the cops decide to get inside the jail anyway? Most of all might get killed!" One of the prisoners said, obviously scared by the battle sounds coming from the outside.
"Calm down, fool! If anyone tries entering this place, that idiot will be as good as dead. I mean, even if the police attacks, how many officers do you think will be able to reach this part of the prison? Maybe one or two at most," A tougher-looking prisoner replied in a smooth tone.
KRABOOM!
In a perfect cue, the floor under the prisoners exploded, making them to fall to the basement through the hole left, except for a few ones who could jump aside.
"How about one with the strength of a million and seventy?" A female voice came from the hole. A moment later, a teenager emerged from the hole; one with bright metallic skin, and flight by jet-boots.
"Jennifer Wakeman. Global Response Unit XJ-9. You are all under arrest." The girl said in an authoritarian tone. The prisoners gasped, and started shooting at her, but the bullets did as much damage as paper balls.
"Stand back, tin can girl, or the hostages are done!" One of the criminals yelled while aiming at the people inside the cells. Jennifer replied by transforming one of his hands into a magnet and aiming it at the criminals; one moment later, all the small sized metallic objects around her, including the guns and some dental fillings, were attracted by the magnet, leaving the criminals unarmed.
"Now, you guys are going to cooperate, or I need to play tough girl here?" Jennifer narrowed her eyes while changing her hand back to normal, and crushing effortlessly the guns in front of the prisoners. The criminals paled and nodded.
Jennifer took all the hostages out from the cells, and motioned the criminals to get inside. She then took a little microphone out from one of her fingers, and spoke to it.
"Jennie here. Mission accomplished. The hostages are with me. I'll protect them while you guys attack the prison." Jennie said in a happy tone.
"Thanks, Jennie. We'll handle everything from here." Kimi replied her.
Outside the prison, Kimi informed the commander about Jennie's success, and, a minute later, he gave the order to start shooting gas bombs into the jail, causing all the criminals to cough and get partially blinded. Jennie, by turning her hands into fans, ventilated the gas so the hostages weren't affected, and it could reach easily the rest of the building.
"Attention! All the officers, order 4-3B; in other words... LET'S KICK SOME BUTTS!" Pangborn informed all the cops by radio. Soon, almost all the officers were inside the jail, dominating the criminals with relative easiness, thanks to the gas' effects.
A little group of prisoners handled to escape taking advantage of the fact almost all the cops were busy with the largest group of criminals.
Almost.
"Going somewhere?" Kimi, who decided to stay out of the prison alongside Phil and Lil to handle any possible escape, directed to the group. The largest criminal, who seemed to be the leader, threw a punch against her, but the captain easily blocked it, and gave the criminal a couple of well directed karate-chops on his chest and neck, and a powerful round-kick that put him down for the count. Phil directed to Kimi while he and Lil aimed at the rest of the group with their guns.
"Cool moves, babe... I mean, Captain, sir, no, I mean, madame, no, mademoiselle!" Phil shook his head in embarrassment. He and Kimi had been dating for a while, and at times he forgot to talk to her as a superior when they were on an assignment together.
"Don't "babe" me on service hours, Officer DeVille!" Kimi said in a fake angry tone. Then, she chuckled, and gave him a playful punch on his shoulder right before taking out her gun and motioning the captured criminals to get inside the jail while Lil handcuffed the unconscious one.
Inside the prison, the situation was already under control. The few criminals who escaped the cops tried the "brilliant" idea of going to the hostages' cells and get a human shield, so Jennie could catch them easily.
"Captain, contact Carmichael. Tell her we're sending the SWAT team to the mansion right now." The commander informed Kimi when she passed next to him. The young captain nodded, and hurried to her patrol to contact Susie.
X-X-X-X
Tommy and Courtney were received by the cops and paramedics outside the mansion. The hostages were receiving the proper attention, since they were still under the effects of the fear toxin. Tommy handled the paramedics a couple of gas guns he got from The Shark when he defeated him; with some luck, one of them would be the one with the antidote (Courtney overheard the criminals talking about it), so it could be used to treat the victims.
"Good. All the hostages are free, and Kimi just called me to tell us the prison's situation was solved and the help is coming. Now, we just have to wait for help, or Super Hunk to take out the criminals." Susie commented. Tommy got a serious look.
"I wouldn't count with that. From what I heard inside that house, Super Hunk is in trouble. The Shark is, at least for now, out from the fight, but the others seems to be beating SH really badly." Tommy informed, making Betty and Brittney, who were behind him, with the media persons, to gasp in shock.
"It can't be! Super Hunk had defeated more than ten guys at a time without breaking a sweat!" Betty said, not believing Tommy's words. At that moment, a girlish scream was heard from the mansion, making everyone to turn in surprise.
"I thought all the hostages were saved! There's still a woman inside!" Harold wide opened his eyes. Betty and Brittney looked at each other, and gulped.
"Uh... that was Super Hunk. Way before he got his powers, he screamed that way when he was extremely scared." Brittney told the cops and Tommy. She only had heard Nick screaming like that once, but it was impossible to forget that sound.
"Oh, great! He probably got poisoned by that fear stuff. Now we have to make a plan to save him." Susie sighed, frustrated and worried at the same time.
"Kimi said the robot girl is helping the cops at the prison. Maybe we can call and ask her to save SH. I mean, gas doesn't affect robots, right?" Harold proposed, making everyone to look at him with their eyes wide-opened.
"Harold, sometimes you're a genius!" Tommy replied while Susie kissed him again. Unfortunately, at that moment, Kill-A-Lot Kid's head emerged from the mansion's door, interrupting the celebration.
"Hey, dopes! In case you're planning some daring rescue to help the coward you call a hero, just let me tell you to forget about it! We'll be hitting him with no rest at all until we get our money, so, if you try saving him, he'll be at the right distance to be killed in a split second!" Kill-A-Lot yelled, laughing evilly when done. He then returned inside the mansion, leaving everyone frustrated. A few seconds later, his head emerged again.
"Oh, and before I forget, we aren't using Fear Toxin against him. That scream was caused by totally natural cowardice!" The Kid said before going back into the house. Betty and Brittney got extremely scared looks.
"Poor Nick!" Betty sobbed, not caring if anyone could hear her calling SH by his real name.
"We should have been there to keep him strong!" Brittney sobbed as well, making everyone but Betty to look at her.
"What do you mean?" Doddie, who was there among the other reporters, asked the blonde assistant.
"We'll tell you later! Now, somebody, please rescue him!" Betty snapped at everyone, extremely upset and with her eyes already red. She and Brittney, by personal experience, had learned that Nick seemed to get stronger when they were cheering for him, but had no idea about how important that support was for him.
Susie started barking orders. Since the robotic assistance's idea now seemed to be as dangerous to Super Hunk's life as any other plan, she just motioned all the officers to surround the house and be ready to enter the moment they had a better idea, or until the SWAT arrived.
X-X-X-X
"Chanfle, I just love to scare people!" Kill-A-Lot commented the other criminals while waiting for his turn to beat Super Hunk. At the moment, it was Jean Claude's turn, and the pirate was enjoying greatly his soccer practice, with SH as the ball.
"I'll go with The Shark to tell him about this. I'm sure he'll enjoy hitting this imbecile... right after my next turn, of course." Tim commented with an evil grin. Of course, he and the other villains had no idea about Tommy's little visit to rescue Courtney, and that the spy was tied and gagged, unable to tell them.
Super Hunk opened his left eye as much as he could (the right one was just too blackened to see a thing), and looked at the villains, more scared than ever in his life. A single tear rolled down his cheek, and started mumbling something.
"Hey, he wants to talk, buzz!" Bumble Man pointed, making Jean Claude to stop kicking him to look at the fallen hero. The villains leaned to see him moving his lips, who now had almost doubled their size, but couldn't hear a thing.
"Hey, Jean Claude, you know how to read lips, right?" The Kid asked the pirate. Jean Claude nodded, and leaned for a closer look.
"I think he is saying... Oh... and now... who... will... help me?" Jean Claude translated.
"I!" The villains turned when hearing the voice they hated the most.
"The ColoRed Chuck!... Wait, where is him?" Tim said when noticing his enemy wasn't on view. Jean Claude had an idea, and started looking down, discovering a small red-outfitted figure at a distance.
"He reduced himself again! Shoot him!" Jean Claude said while shooting at the little target. The other criminals did the same.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!...
The target exploded because of the shots, leaving several little pieces scattered around the point it originally was. The villains grinned in happiness.
"Yeeeehaaa! We finished him!" Kill-A-Lot exclaimed, excited. Jean Claude leaned to see the little corpse, and gasped.
"Hey, when The ColoRed Chuck had been made of plastic?" The pirate said while grabbing one little arm. The other villains approached, and looked at the arm; as Jean Claude said, it was entirely made of plastic. It was the toy Angelica had left on her house.
"Didn't count with my cleverness, right?" The criminals turned to see a normal-sized ColoRed Chuck charging against them with his Skweaky Lumper, and attacking at full speed.
SKWEAK!
Jean Claude received a powerful hit on his head, making him to fall on his back.
SKWEAK!
Bumble Man leaned in pain, trying to recover his breath right after Chuck hit his stomach.
SKWEAK!
In a single movement, both Tim and The Kid lost their guns because of a well placed hit.
SKWEAK!
Tim avoided a hit directing to his head, but it got The Kid instead, stunning him. Before Chuck could attack again, Tim charged against him, starting a struggle for the mallet.
Chuck realized Tim was stronger than him, so he used the same tactic he employed against Bumble Man at the bank, releasing the mallet and taking advantage of the momentary surprise to punch his enemy. However, Tim was stronger than Bumble Man as well, so he resisted the hit and replied with a punch of his own. Chuck shook his head and handled to block a second punch while jabbing Tim on the liver. Tim growled, and tried to strangle his enemy, but Chuck grabbed his wrists, keeping the gangster's hands away from his throat.
"Take this, ColoRed Chuck! Fear!" Jean Claude, still on the floor, took out the gas gun, and shot against Chuck and Tim. They immediately stopped fighting, and started coughing.
"Sean, shot Tim with the antidote, quick!" The pirate told the cowboy. The Kid reacted, and separated his now pale ally from Chuck before shooting him with the antidote. Chuck, on the other hand, was kneeled and looking down.
"Chanfle! Thanks, cowboy. That stuff is really strong!" Tim said after a few seconds, recovering from the gas' effects.
"Hey, look at him, buzz! He is terrified, buzz!" Bumble Man, who was recovering from Chuckie's attack as well, pointed to his partners. They all moved next to the red-suited hero, grinning evilly.
"Iamafraid... Iamafraid... Iamafraid..." Chuck, still looking down, repeated the same phrase over and over. Jean Claude placed the gas gun on his belt, and stepped in front of him.
"Oh, this is so funny! Want to talk slowly, so we can enjoy your pathetic cries for mercy?" Jean Claude said in an arrogant tone while his partners surrounded Chuck.
"I am afraid..." Chuck repeated slowly, and then, in a dashing movement, snatched the pirate's gun, surprising the criminals.
"But that had never stopped me before!" Chuck snapped at them while shooting the gas gun at the villains, making them all to cough and start screaming in fear. Chuck took the chance to recover his mallet, and dash next to Super Hunk.
"Quick, swallow this pill! I'm taking you out of here!" Chuck said to SH while placing a Shrinktolin's pill on his mouth. Chuck noticed Tim wasn't so affected by the toxin, since he just had been sprayed with the antidote, and was trying to get the antidote's gun from The Kid, who was running around the room in panic. Therefore, Chuck had to take SH away from danger as soon as possible before the villains were totally functional again.
Super Hunk swallowed the pill, and, a moment later, was small enough for Chuckie to carry him gently on one hand. Chuck saw Tim spraying the antidote on his partners, and took it as a cue to run upstairs, talking to SH to help him remain awake; after that kind of beating, losing conscience once might mean losing it forever.
"How he resisted that gas, buzz?" Bumble Man said, finally regaining control of himself.
"Beats me. But now I'll use a regular gun on him!" Jean Claude said, still scared but slowly replacing his fear with rage.
"I hate to say this, folks, but the cops are coming!" The Kid said to his partners while looking out the window. Because of the shots, Susie thought the criminals were using Super Hunk as a practice's target, and decided it was enough waiting. A moment later, several windows and the main door were broken down by the officers.
"This plan is over! Everyone looks for himself!" Tim yelled while shooting at some cops, who covered behind the furniture. The other criminals agreed, and started shooting as well while dashing in different directions.
Jean Claude decided to run upstairs to get Courtney and use it as hostage, but was intercepted by an afro-American officer who tackled him. The pirate tried to shoot at her, but froze the moment he saw a gun pointing at his eyes.
"You're under arrest, sailor." Susie said in a smug tone. Jean Claude sighed, and dropped his gun so Susie could handcuff him.
Kill-A-Lot dashed through a corridor, shooting over his shoulder once in a while to keep the cops at a distance. He reached the kitchen's door, thinking he might be able to escape through the back door.
"Hey, Kill-A-Lot!" The Kid turned when hearing his name, aiming at his chasers.
CRAACK!
Tommy repeated his whip's stunt, making The Kid to drop his pistol. The cowboy opened the kitchen's door, ready to take out his spare gun.
PAAANG!
The cowboy fell unconscious, thanks to a powerful hit on his face. Harold stood next to him with a broken pan on his hands.
"You have the right to remain knocked out." Harold said with a smile while Tommy and some cops gave him the thumbs up. Being a major eater, Harold decided to get into the mansion through the kitchen's door.
Tim could reach the door that connected the garage with the house, founding Courtney's limo. Tim got an idea, and, after blocking the door, he handled to start the car's engine.
Bumble Man jumped out of the house through a window, and started shooting his darts at the cops in the backyard, hitting a couple of them, and forcing the rest to keep their distance. He then activated his disguise's flying device, and started elevating.
At the mansion's second floor, Chuck placed Super Hunk in one bed, so he would be comfortable and wait for assistance once he recovered his natural size. Luckily he could hear the cops fighting the villains downstairs, and saw how The Shark was left incapacitated by Tommy, so he expected the criminals would be too busy to chase them. He kept talking to the now tiny hero until a long brown-haired female officer opened the door.
"Officer Boscorelli, it's good to see you!" Chuck recognized Nicole Boscorelli, a cop he had helped once.
"ColoRed Chuck! You shouldn't be here... wait, is that Super Hunk?" Nicole said, noticing the little person at the bed; she had seen Chuck using the Shriktolin before, so it wasn't as surprising as realizing how badly beaten the hero was.
"Yes. Please, keep talking to him." Chuck told the officer. Nicole nodded and leaned next to the bed, realizing how important it was to keep SH awake to prevent brain damage. Chuck stood up, and looked out the window to check the situation, noticing Bumble Man's attempt to escape.
"Oh, no, you don't! Sorry, Nicole, have some work out there!" Chuck directed to the officer while opening the window.
"You'll never catch me again, buzz!" Bumble Man mocked the cops while shooting at them with his wax's gun.
"I don't think so, bug-face!" Chuck exclaimed while jumping from the window, landing on Bumble Man's back. However, this disguise was better built than the previous one, so it could stand Chuckie's weight.
"Get down, buzz! I don't take passengers, buzz!" Bumble Man groaned while struggling with Chuck in the air. At that moment, the wings' mechanism started failing... or more precisely, got overpowered because of one wire that got damaged by Chuck's attack. Both the villain and the hero stopped struggling when hearing the noise, and gulped.
"I don't think this was a good idEEEEEAAAAA...!" Chuck screamed in fear when he and Bumble Man started flying without any control, moving away from the mansion, faster and higher with every passing moment.
Chuck and Bumble Man's erratic flight could be seen at a huge distance. A woman driving a car, almost five blocks away, looked at them, and she and the other people inside the car gasped in surprise.
"Hang on! We're following that bug!" The driver said while changing her direction and speeding in the direction Chuck and Bumble Man seemed to direct.
Meanwhile, the SWAT team arrived at the mansion in the classic dark blue van.
"Who is in charge?" The SWAT leader asked one of the cops who was still in the barricade.
"Sergeant Carmichael, sir, but she and most of our partners had to act before you arrived!" The cop replied.
"Chanfle! Well, then tell me what's the situation!" The leader snapped at the cop.
CRAAASH!
The mayor's limo, with Tim driving it, broke the garage's door, and rammed against the SWAT team's van and one patrol. Luckily, nobody got injured, but Tim could escape with no one chasing him, since all the other cops were inside the mansion.
Tim sprinted for almost twelve blocks before daring to slow the vehicle, noticing nobody was behind him. The gangster sighed in relief.
"Okay, at least I'm free. I learned my lesson; next time, I'll look for my revenge without any help." Tim said to himself while thinking about where he would leave the car and steal another one to escape and hide for a time before going back to "business". He then heard a weird buzzing sound.
"What's that noise? Maybe I broke the radiator." Tim thought loudly. A second later, he gasped, noticing Chuck and Bumble Man diving against the car's front.
"This is my stop!" Chuck said to Bumble Man right before releasing him. Chuck fell to the ground, rolling to prevent a serious injury, but getting slightly stunned, while Bumble Man, still dizzy because of the flight, headed against the limo.
"YIKES!" Tim and Bumble Man said in fear at the same time.
CRUUNCH!
Bumble Man smashed the car's windshield, and got half of his body inside the vehicle, so Tim couldn't see and lost control of the car.
CRAASH!
Chuck shook his head to recover from the hit, and gasped at the scene. The limo stopped when hitting a tree in the sidewalk, just a few yards away from where Chuck landed. The ColoRed Chuck dashed to the car as fast as he could (his right leg was limping) to be sure both criminals were still alive. He looked through the window, and sighed in relief; the villains were badly bruised, but still breathing, so it seemed they just were unconscious.
Chuck sat at the ground, supporting his back on the limo, to rest for a moment. He was happy for being able to help, but now he was also worried because, by going against the law, now he would need to reveal his secret identity; otherwise, he might turn into a wanted criminal. Sure, Super Hunk was the one who summoned him on first place, but, if he was as badly injured as Chuck thought, it'll surely take some time before he could declare his version of the events.
A few minutes later, his antennas started beeping, alerting him about an enemy's presence. This time, however, the warning didn't come from a criminal, but from the approaching police cars. Chuck stood up, and sighed, waiting for the cops. A few moments later, the patrols stopped in front of him, and the SWAT leader got out from one of them before the rest of the officers did the same.
"Both of them are unconscious. I'm sure they'll need to go to the hospital, but I guess they'll be fine." Chuck said while pointing at the wrecked car behind him. One of the cops returned to his patrol to call an ambulance, while the SWAT leader approached the hero.
"You know the law, ColoRed Chuck. You can't be a hero unless you reveal your secret ID to us, right here and now, or I'll need to arrest you as well." The officer said in a stern tone. Chuckie looked down, and made a hard choice.
"Okay. I don't want to disobey the law... and I know you guys are doing your job." Chuckie took a deep breath; he would reveal his secret identity by free will, since, if he denied, the cops would arrest him, and discover his identity anyway.
He knew that it would be really hard to keep going with his civilian life with everyone knowing he was a superhero, plus affecting Kimi, Angie and Dil's jobs, so he'll surely need to quit being the ColoRed Chuck. Besides, most heroes with a public ID are those whose all their loved ones are in the hero business or can take care of themselves (Tommy was an exception, but he only did hero job once in a while), and it wasn't Chuck's case; he might as well dedicate himself to keep an eye on his wife and other loved ones 24/7 to protect them from his enemies' revenge, and, at least, by revealing his identity, he would be free to do it.
"My real name is..."
At that right moment, the same car that followed Chuck and Bumble Man during their flight stopped with a screech a few feet away from the hero and the villain. Chuck gasped; he recognized the car. He washed it every Tuesday.
"Hey, don't even dare arresting him!" Angelica snapped at the cops while walking out from the car.
"Stay out of this, lady. We are attending an official business here." The officer said to the blonde.
"Shut up, bucko! This is our business too!" A second blonde, who Chuck recognized as Helga Pataki, walked down the car. At the same time, Arnold and Ginger did it as well, the reporter holding a video camera and taping everything.
"Eh? What are you guys doing here?" Chuck said, surprised, while dashing to place himself between the officers and his friends.
"We came as part of a group to try convincing the city's mayor to retire the law that avoids you to be a hero here." Ginger informed Chuck, while she and the others moved next to him.
"Yep. It was supposed to be a surprise. I organized the whole thing with some help from Arnold here; everything was planned through e-mails." Angelica told Chuck while placing at his left side.
"That's... very touching, guys, but you shouldn't be here! Tim and Bumble Man are wanted criminals, and these cops are doing their job." Chuck said to them, obviously worried.
"Yes, and now I'm arresting all of you if you keep defending him!" The SWAT guy growled, but, since he recognized Ginger from the TV, he restrained himself and the other cops from doing anything, knowing the consequences of attacking press people.
"Sorry about saying this, but if you try arresting The ColoRed Chuck, or making him to reveal his real identity, you'll need to arrest us anyway! The ColoRed Chuck had helped us a lot in the past, and now we'll help him so he can keep doing his heroic job." Arnold said to the officer, no fear on his voice.
"You, and what army?" The officer said, trying to keep his menacing tone.
At that moment, in a perfect cue, a couple buses arrived at the place, and, the moment they stopped, more than one hundred persons got down from them, surrounding the cops.
"THIS army; you should wash your ears, mister. We already told you we're part of a group. And, if this doesn't impress you, well, the rest will arrive tomorrow." Angelica smirked at the officers, who gasped in surprise while Chuck looked around, recognizing almost everyone, and getting a joyful expression.
"B-but... where did you got all these persons?" One random officer handled to say, sweating cold.
"Hillwood." Doctor Bliss said with a stern look.
"Nicksville." A tall and big nosed guy, Stinky Peterson, said while folding his arms.
"Ocean Shore." Otto Rocket, Twister, Reggie, (the three of them with some bandages on their arms, and, in Twister's case, also his legs, because of their previous burns) and Sam chorused. Several random people replied as well.
"New York."
"Chicago."
"Detroit."
"Los Angeles."
"Las Vegas."
"Dallas."
"Miami."
"Georgia."
"Boston."
While more cities were mentioned, Chuck wide opened his eyes (if that was possible), realizing how many people from so many places he had met during his adventures, and how much they appreciated his help. Angelica placed her hand on his shoulder, smiling at him and nodding. Chuck smiled fondly at her, and turned to see the officer, getting a serious expression.
"Okay, sir, I guess I'll not reveal my identity today. This people trust me to keep doing my job, and I'll make honor to their trust. If, after today's mess' investigations, the court still wants me to reveal my true name, The ColoRed Chuck will keep helping wherever I get summoned, law or not, because aiding people because you care can't be considered a crime." Chuck said to the officer while folding his arms.
The SWAT leader growled under his breath, knowing he wouldn't be able to do a thing against these people, and that attending the unconscious villains was more important at the time being, so he ordered the other cops to leave Chuck and his friends in peace.
"I don't get it; why doing all this for just one guy? Surely, you people had better things to do instead of coming here risking your lives" The officer snapped at the crowd before turning his back to them.
"It's very simple, fool. The guy in red is our friend." Helga replied while pointing at Chuck.
"And one thing about friends is that, if you mess with one..." Arnold added.
"You mess with them all." Angelica finished the phrase, sharing a fast glance with Chuck.