Underdog 2
Chapter 8
Hey, guys, back for another chapter! And I have some good news! This household now has more than one laptop, so updates are gonna be a little more consistent than they have been (you know, depending on work and other personal stuff). Anyway, big thanks to those of you still reading this, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Jack Unger typed away at his laptop as Dan watched over his shoulder.
"What are you doing, Jack?"
"Trying to figure out where Elizabeth's dad might be hiding. It's gotta be somewhere with a lot of power."
"Good thinking, Jack", said Shoeshine. "You stay here and monitor the computer. Your dad and I will search for Lizzie the old-fashioned way."
He quickly ran off and then came back dressed in costume.
"Okay, scratch that: DAN will search for her the old-fashioned way. I'll be doing it the superdog way: from the air."
"I'll call you if I find anything", said Jack, holding up his cell phone. "Go!"
Underdog took off while Dan rushed out to his car.
…
Elizabeth grunted as she felt herself being forced out of the van. After she had dressed
herself in the clothes Conrad gave her, a black hood had been thrown over her head. She had no idea where she was, or what was going to happen to her. All she could think about was Shoeshine. She hoped he wasn't hurt.
"Alright, sweetheart, here's the deal", said one of the goons, jumping out of the van and yanking the hood off.
Elizabeth blinked at the sudden light.
"Your daddy wants you to plant this in the middle of the city, underground, right where the gas mains are."
Elizabeth gasped as the man shoved a box in her hands. As she turned it over to examine it, she noticed a countdown clock and some wires, and her eyes went wide.
"I'm not blowing up the city!" she said. "He's insane!"
"Either you blow that thing underground, or we put your family six feet under."
Elizabeth thought back to the security cameras surrounding her uncle's house. There was no telling what her father would do if she didn't comply. She closed her eyes and sighed.
"Fine. I'll do it."
The goon nodded and handed her a wristwatch.
"This timer is set for 13 minutes from now", he said. "That's when we'll hit the kill switch. That gives you ten minutes to plant the bomb and three minutes to get out of its range. You understand?"
All she could do was nod.
"Good. Get goin'."
The goon jumped back into the van and then turned back to her.
"By the way, if you try to back out or warn anyone, your family's dead."
He mockingly waved at her before sliding the van door shut and driving off. Elizabeth stomped her foot and growled in frustration.
"Now what am I supposed to do?" she thought. "If only Underdog were here…"
Elizabeth tucked the bomb into her sweatshirt jacket and adjusted her hood, pulling the drawstrings so all anyone could see was her eyes. She examined her surroundings; they had dropped her off in the very alley where she was kidnapped before.
"Of course."
She gulped and started walking back to the main road, her heart pounding with every step. Elizabeth looked around until she found a manhole cover. After making sure no one was watching, the slipped the lid open and climbed down into the sewer.
…
Jack examined his laptop screen carefully, scanning city maps for massive amounts of power.
"Let's see: Neon Disco Bar, no; power plant, no; hmm...a lightbulb factory…"
Jack clicked on the link and a light came on in his head.
"Goctha!"
Jack slammed the laptop shut and quickly stood up. He raced out the door, speed-dialing on his cell phone."
"Dad! It's me. I think I found where they're keeping Elizabeth…"
…
Elizabeth examined the watch they had given her: 8 minutes left. She took the bomb out of her sweatshirt pocket and examined it again. She thought of how much damage it could do, and horrifying images of people suffering popped into her head.
"No", she said. "I can't do this; I won't do this!"
She pulled out the bomb and turned it over in her hands.
"There's gotta be a way to disarm this thing."
Elizabeth examined all the wires sticking out from the back.
"Ugh, where's Angus MacGyver when you need him?"
Deciding to trust her instincts, she pulled the red wire and the countdown clock disappeared. Elizabeth let out a sigh of relief.
"Now to get some help."
BEEP! Suddenly, the clock sprang back to life, only this time it was counting down faster. Her eyes went wide, and she began to run.
…
Underdog scanned the city from the skies, trying to listen for signs of the Electric Eel. Meanwhile, Dan was just outside the city meeting Jack at a seemingly abandoned warehouse. He pulled up just as Jack got out of the cab he had taken.
"Keep the change", he said, tossing a 20 at the cabby.
"Jack, are you sure she's here?" said Dan.
"I'm almost positive, Dad", said Jack. "Wherever Conrad took Elizabeth had to have a massive power source so he could harness a large amount of electricity. So I started researching the power grids, and this is the place that has been using the most power within a 20-mile radius."
"Son, you're a genius!" said Dan. "I can't believe I didn't think of that."
Jack chuckled.
"That's why I went to college."
They walked up to the warehouse door and jiggled the knob. It was unlocked. Dan motioned for Jack to be quiet, and his son nodded as Dan drew his gun. Jack opened the door and slipped inside with Dan right behind him.
Dan slowly closed the door behind them, keeping his gun in his hand.
"Alright", he whispered, "I'll go downstairs and check it out; you stay up here and be lookout."
"Okay", Jack said.
The two separated and Jack walked around the railing, being careful to stay low in case there were any guards nearby. Dan reached the bottom of the stairs and looked around.
"Lizzie?" he whispered. "You here?"
He came upon a darkened room with a single lightbulb hanging down from the ceiling. In the center was a chair with some rope around it.
Dan whirled around and raced back up the stairs.
"Jack! Elizabeth was definitely-"
He gasped. Jack was being held by a large man. A hand was over his mouth.
"Jack!"
Jack tried to reply, but all that came out was a muffled response. There was a flash of light behind Dan, and he turned to see Conrad behind him, his eyes glowing. Before he could say anything, Conrad placed his finger to his head. Dan crumpled to the ground, unconscious, and his gun fell to the side.
"Dad!" Jack said as soon as the hand was removed.
He turned to Conrad.
"Where's my cousin? What did you do to Elizabeth?"
"Oh, my little Lizzie has a job to do", said Conrad. "And if she ever wants to see you two again...she'll see it through."
Jack tried to say more, but a cloth was tied over his mouth as his wrists were bound behind his back by another man.
"Carry him downstairs with the boy", said Conrad, gesturing to Dan on the floor. "Tie them up; keep them quiet...and do not let them escape."
Jack struggled to break free as he was forced downstairs.
"Shoeshine!" he tried to say. "Shoeshine, help!"
…
Underdog heard a faint cry, but he couldn't make out what it said.
"Huh?"
He flew closer to the ground, close to the city limits. Then, a sequence of images flashed through his head, taking him down a road and out of the city to a warehouse. He whined as a clear image came through: Dan and Jack were being bound to chairs.
"Oh, no!"
He immediately flew after them, but then another cry for help pierced his ears, and the same sequence of images flashed through his head and led him into the sewers. A clear image came through: Elizabeth was running through the tunnels underground, holding a ticking time bomb that was about to detonate.
"HELP!" she cried, tears streaming down her face. "SOMEBODY HELP ME!"
"Lizzie!"
The two images of his loved ones flashed through his head, and he froze with the indecision of who to save first.
Hi, guys. Sorry it took me so long to update this. I've had a lot on my mind, and I have had a HUGE case of writers' block. To anyone who's still reading this, I hope this chapter isn't too much of a disappointment. I was never very good at writing action sequences. Till next time.
-Imagigirl20