Hello peoples, sorry this took a while, I warned you it might. I'm hoping the next one wont but have some patience if it does. I hope you enjoy this episode. Leave a review! Love you all! Thanks for reading!
S1E22: The Sidekick
January 14, 2022
The SW.A.G. classroom is quiet with a thick air of expectation. Six pairs of eyes watch the door. It remains exactly as it is in defiance of the figurative weight they're all putting on it. Henry glares most aggressively at it, fist clenched tightly. He huffs and stands, no longer able to take it. He announces, "I'm going to look for her."
The others glance at him. "Henry," Schwoz says placatingly, "I'm sure she'll be here soon. She's never missed a day, she's just running a little late."
"She's never late!" Henry protests.
"So, call her, see what's up," Chapa suggests.
"The storm's blocking my phone signal," Henry says, putting on a coat from the back room.
"Exactly!" Mika says. "There's a storm out there, so she's been delayed. It's nothing to worry about. She'll be here."
"You all got here without a problem. Something bad must've happened to her," Henry insists.
"Miles and Mika teleported, I live the closest, and Bose fell asleep here after the mission last night, so he didn't have to make the commute today," Chapa lists. "Your mom is coming from the other side of town, give her some time."
"It's not like her. She could be in trouble," Henry says, moving towards the door.
"What trouble?" Mika asks incredulously.
"A car crash! An avalanche! Shadow Man!" he suggests.
"Shadow Man?" Schwoz asks. "What would he want with your mom?"
"He established that he has some...thing for me," Henry says. "And he very overtly threatened the lives of all my friends, I assume my mother is on that list."
"But how would he know who your mom is?" Miles asks. "He'd have to find out who you are to know who she is. He doesn't know your identity, right?"
"I'm not going to bank her safety on that! I'm going to find her." Henry turns and leaves. Behind him the howling wind slams the door closed. He pulls his coat's hood tightly around his head, so that the only opening is the one just big enough for him to see through. Not that it does much good, the entire world is white in the blizzard. He follows the path to the parking lot almost entirely by muscle memory.
At the bottom of the staircase leading to the parking lot, the white out of things around him means he doesn't even see the other person until after they've walked into one another, and both have consequently slipped and fallen in the mounting snow. "Ooofff!" the two exclaim. "Mom?" Henry asks hopefully.
At the same time the other person, clearly not Mrs. Hart, says, "I'm so sorry sir! I didn't see you there; it's just so snowy out here! I didn't mean to hit you!" The voice is young and somehow familiar.
Henry looks down at the small figure, in an orange coat, trying to stand up on the slick cement and failing. Based on the size and voice, it almost certainly a young boy. Henry gets up carefully, almost falling again as he moves over to help the kid. "It's alright. Slow down a little and get your balance," He tells the boy as he helps him stand.
"Thank you, sir," the boy says. "I'm so sorry for bumping into you."
"Don't worry about it," Henry assures him. "But, who are you? And what're you doing here? And in this weather?"
"I'm here to talk to you, and I thought the weather might provide us some privacy. You know? Other people would be less likely to come knocking in this storm. But I might've underestimated how hard it would be for me to get up here," the boy says.
"Why would we need privacy to talk?" Henry asks. "I don't even know who you are. Do I?"
"Kind of, sir," the kid answers. "Would it not be better for us to talk inside?"
"Yeah, yeah. It's just, I really need to go do something quick!" Henry explains.
"Oh, I'm sorry, sir. I don't mean to intrude. I'm here to tell you th…" the boy's words are drowned out by an enormous rumbling coming from up the hill.
Neither has much time to react, turning to see what could be making that sound. The event doesn't even have time to properly register in their minds before Henry's instincts have taken over and he jumps on top of the kid, knocking them both into the snow, and sheltering the kid as the rumbling mass washes over them entirely.
"Should we go after him?" Mika asks after Henry walks out the door.
"He can take care of himself," Chapa says. "Besides he wont be long, she's probably close."
"Maybe we should just get started with class," Miles says.
"But what if Mrs. Hart really is in trouble?" Bose asks.
"Then Henry will help her. They'll be fine," Chapa says.
"We could start with a science experiment!" Schwoz says, running to the back room to get his chemistry supplies. "You all have a seat."
While sitting down, Miles freezes up and his eyes begin glowing yellow, no one notices. Schwoz comes back a moment later. "Today, we are going to study some exothermic reactions, or in dummy language: reactions that release heat."
"Ooh! Like fire?" Chapa asks, suddenly too eager for the lesson.
"Yeah, that is an example of an exothermic reaction," Schwoz nods. "That is called combustion, But it's not the only kind. There is also neutralization, corrosion, and…"
"Do you guys hear that?" Mika speaks over Schwoz. Her head is tilted, clearly listening intently to whatever it is she's hearing. The rest of them pause to listen, wondering if the sound is something they can even hear or if it's only detectable by her super-hearing.
"I don't hear anything," Ms. Shapen says.
"Me neither," Bose says, looking at Mika.
"I can feel something," Chapa says, holding the arms of her chair.
"Oh no!" Miles says, eyes no longer glowing with a vision.
The floor beneath them begins to tremble. The shaking grows and soon they can hear the low rumble of something growing louder. "What is that?" Chapa asks. Then with the force of a freight train, whatever is rumbling reaches peak volume and slams into the building. Everyone falls to the floor, chairs spilling them, and scrambles for something to hold onto.
"Earthquake!" Bose cries in fear.
It seems the right conclusion, but everything that happens in these few seconds don't all align with an earthquake. The way the building shakes in one huge crash that comes from above at the moment the approaching rumble reaches them. The shaking stops very quickly afterwards, and all the sound muffles into silence. A flash of brilliant white precedes a total darkness covering every window. The power snaps out as well.
No one moves for a long moment after everything has stopped shaking and falling. They hold the silence, gripping tight to whatever they'd grabbed when they'd fallen. A new, yet far too familiar fear taking them over.
"What was that?" Chapa asks.
"Uh…" Schwoz hums unsure. "Something bad."
"Is it Shadow Man?" Bose asks nervously. He, and them all, scan around for the dark figure. Shadow Man is nowhere in sight, though sight is limited in the pitch darkness.
Mika turns on her phone light and shines it around the room. It reveals nothing new. "Gather up," she beckons. They rush in, grouping for safety, alert for danger. "Stay calm," she advises. "I don't think it's Shadow Man."
"Then what is it?" Bose asks.
She listens in the way only she can. Then steps away to the door and places a hand on the knob to open it. "What're you doing?!" her brother and friends chastise her. She opens the door, the darkness beyond is a physical wall but it's not like Shadow Man's impenetrable shadows. It glitters in the shifting light of her phone. She shines it out the door and the dark wall turns to fractals of white and grey.
"Snow?" Miles asks.
Mika touches it, scrapping some crystalline ice off the surface. "Yeah. I think that was an avalanche," she says.
"An avalanche?" Miles repeats nervously.
"Yeah, and we're now buried in an indeterminate amount of snow," Mika nods.
"Buried in snow!?" Chapa shouts.
Mika nods as calmly as she can and says, "A lot of snow."
"At least several feet higher than the windows," Schwoz says, scanning the room and doing mental calculations on the scenario. "It may have buried the school completely."
"So, we're trapped?" Chapa asks with a very anxious voice, staring at the blocked door.
"Eh, yes," Schwoz says.
(Theme Song: Henry's Voice dubbed over the image of Captain Man's bronze statue. "It all just kinda happened. It wasn't supposed to be this way. He shouldn't have died. But now here I am, doing his job." Cut scene to Man's Nest in chaos as the members of Danger Force and Schwoz run around reacting to an emergency alert blaring through the base. "I'm not sure I'm ready for this." Henry states and the music of the theme song begins to play...)
While Schwoz climbs two stories up into highest level of the school, beyond the space of the chair lifts to discover how deep they're buried, the kids try to come down from the terror high in the main room. They right the four chairs and drag them near to each other, "We need to stay calm. I'm sure everything is going to be alright but it will help if no one panics." Mika says the last part with a strict look to her friends.
Bose nods and smiles tightly with a nod. Miles is lounging in his chair like nothing is wrong, pretending to be chill. Chapa doesn't even have the will to hold herself together. "We're trapped under an avalanche!" she screeches, sparking slightly and with several magnets from the dry erase board sticking to her.
"Yes," Mika says in a reassuring voice. "But we're unhurt and safe inside the school for now. Schwoz is working on a way to get us out and we're actually doing well for this situation."
"We're trapped in a tiny, remote dark school room under a ton of snow!" Chapa points out.
"It's not ideal," Mika concedes. "But panicking is only going to make it worse."
"How could this be worse?" Chapa asks incredulously.
"Well, the school could've collapsed on us," Mika says thinking, not paying attention to the growing concern on her fellows' faces or her brother motioning for her to shut up. "Which would've left us all injured or dead and with a much smaller air pocket to be breathing in. We could've been outside, wherein we would've ended up buried individually in the snow, each trapped alone in tiny pockets of little to no air and no supplies or way to get out on our own. We could have…"
"Oh my god!" Bose interrupts. "Henry just walked out there! He's buried in the snow, trapped alone in a tiny pocket of snow with little to no air and no supplies or way to get out?!"
Mika stops talking and blanches as she realizes it's true. Miles and Chapa do as well. "Um…" Mika says.
"He could've got far enough away, right?" Miles asks. "Or maybe it didn't go the same way he did and he didn't get caught? Right?"
"Um… He was… he might… I don't… maybe," Mika says, the lackluster assurance doing nothing to comfort her friends.
"We have to help him," Bose stands up, ready to face the wall of ice. "We have to go dig him out or something. How do we help him?"
"I-I don't know if we can," Mika says, "We don't know where he is and we don't have the means to go digging through all the snow out there."
"But, we're safe in here," Bose argues. "He could be in real danger. We can't just leave him."
"Uh, we're not entirely safe," Schwoz contradicts meekly, coming down the stairs.
"What?" the kids all ask.
"Well, we're mostly safe. We could be a lot less safe. But there is a slight… teeny tiny, little chance that the roof might fall in on us," Schwoz says.
"What?" the kids all ask with greater alarm.
"Um… the roof might fall in," Schwoz shrugs.
"What did you find?" Mika asks.
"There is at least twelve feet of snow on top of the school right now, that's as long as my probe could reach and it didn't find the surface. The avalanche was enough to collapse most of the bell tower and cause some damage to the roof. I can't calculate how long the rest of the roof will hold out since I don't know how much snow is on top of it, and how much more will be added on top before the storm ends. So, it could be fine, we might be safe, it might not collapse." They all look at him with anxious silence as they anticipate the "but, it could also cave in any time without warning."
"Oh my god," Mika mutters hoarsely.
"Nope, nope, nope," Chapa says.
"Hmm-ahh, what do we do?" Bose worries subduedly.
"We have to get out of here," Miles says. "Everybody grab hold of me and I'll just teleport us."
They rush to do so, but at the same time the school around them groans menacingly and something above them breaks with a great CRACK! They all dive for cover as part of the brick wall to the side crumbles a small section of the ceiling caves in towards them. There is much screaming and shouting for a moment.
"Is everyone okay?" Schwoz asks, peeking out from under the tote holding shelves he'd pulled over himself.
"I think so," Bose says.
"No!" Chapa shouts.
"Miles!" Mika cuts over them both, scrambling back towards her brother who is partially buried under the rubble.
"Oh no!" Bose says. They all take place near the unconscious boy.
Schwoz checks him over quickly and determines, "He doesn't seem to have any major injuries, except for whatever hit his head."
"But he's unconscious!" Chapa says.
"He'll wake up," Schwoz assures. "And he'll be okay. We need to worry about us, how we're all going to get out of here before anything else collapses."
"How do we do that without Miles' teleportation?" Bose asks. "Can we call someone to come rescue us?"
"Um… no. We can't." Schwoz says smally. "Remember that the storm is cutting off all phone signals and the power is out, so we can get on our computers or anything. Then, because of our remote location and the probable continued downpour of the snowstorm outside, it is likely that no one yet knows that we are in trouble and are coming to rescue us."
"No one knows we're in trouble? How could they not know we've been buried in an avalanche?" Chapa asks.
"This school is on the outskirts of Swellview, at the bottom of the mountain, and we're the only people who come here on a regular basis," Schwoz says. "No one pays attention to us. Nobody else probably even knows about the avalanche yet. It's going to be several hours before someone realizes what happened."
"Unless Henry did manage to get away before the avalanche hit," Chapa says.
"But we don't know if he did," Mika says. "The time between him leaving and the avalanche was so little."
"He could be in as much trouble as us, maybe more." Bose says.
Henry and the kid in the orange coat are pinned down under an unknowable amount of cold, heavy snow. "Are you alright?" Henry asks.
"Yes, sir," the boy says. "Are you?"
"Ugh, yeah," Henry says. "Other than being hit by a ton of snow and ice, I think I'm good."
"Was that an avalanche?" the kid asks sounding shocked.
"That'd be my guess," Henry says, trying to move. "And it buried the school." He kicks at the snow, tries bashing it with his hands, being careful not to hit the kid, but succeeds only in shifting the snow around them a little.
"Buried us pretty well too," the kid comments, doing what he can to help Henry escape. It's futile. "I don't believe this is working." The kid says after a time. "We may need someone to help dig us out."
"That's gonna take a long time. I need to go check on the people at the school," Henry says and keeps fighting against the snow.
"Won't the school protect them? Won't they be alright in there?" the kid asks.
Henry slows fighting to say with great concern, "I don't know. They got hit worse than we did, I think. I'm not sure what protection the building might have given them."
"So, we can't count on a Danger Force rescue then," the kid nods. "What about…?"
"What did you just say?" Henry asks stopping his efforts entirely.
"I was asking about who else might come help us," the kid answers, "since Danger Force is in the school. Aren't they?"
"How… I mean… what? Hmm? What? No! That's not… Danger Force isn't…" Henry tries to dissuade, unsuccessfully.
The kid chuckles. "Has anyone ever told you you're an awful liar, sir?"
"No, no. I'm not lying. This school has nothing to do with Danger Force," Henry lies.
"Sir," the kid says. "Henry, I know who you are."
"I'm no one! Just plain old Henry who works at Swellview Academy for the Gifted." Henry says.
"You're Henry Hart and you used to be Kid Danger," the kid says. "Which means you're Danger."
"I'm not!" Henry swears. "I… how do you know that?"
"You told me your identity," the kid says.
"When?" Henry asks.
"In the Mancave, when you quit being Kid Danger, you told a bunch of us from Neighborville your identity." The kid says. "Schwoz didn't erase my memory after that."
"Lil' Dynomite?" Henry figures, surprised.
"Yes, sir," Lil' Dynomite says. "You can call me Dawson, that's my real name."
"What're you doing here?" Henry asks.
"I came to talk to you," Dawson says, "to tell you I want to help you and Danger Force with Shadow Man."
"Help us?" Henry asks. "Didn't you turn to the dark side? Last I heard you were fighting against Captain Man and Danger Force."
"No, sir," Dawson says quickly. "Well, yes, last time we met we were on opposite sides, but I have nothing against Danger Force. It was Captain Man who I had issue with. We had some disagreements and opposed each other in some matters but I am not a criminal. I still want to be a hero. I would like you to consider me a friend, or at least an ally. I want to help you stop this killer."
"Wow, thanks," Henry says.
"You'll let me help?" Dawson asks with an audible, though unseeable in the darkness, smile.
"Of course," Henry says. "I'm not going to turn down help, especially from someone who has some fighting experience. And you have some superpower suit that Schwoz made, right?"
Dawson sounds nervous as he answers, "Yeah, I have a suit that can fly and give me fiery blasts. But I kinda stole it so I thought it might count against me. I was already concerned you'd reject me because of the Captain Man animosity thing, so I didn't bring it today. I thought it would be better to come as a civilian, unarmed, to show my desire for peace."
"It's okay, Lil' D," Henry comforts. "I get that Captain Man is… was a hard guy for a most people to love. I knew him for a long time and I saw him make a lot of enemies because of his attitude towards others. I won't hold your animosity against you. And you don't need to worry about the stolen suit, we all steal tech from Schwoz on occasion. I'd consider you a great ally."
"Now I wish I had brought it; I could've melted the snow around us," Dawson says wryly.
Henry laughs. "No worries. Since you know who I am, I have a trick of my own I can use." Henry shifts to flex his arms. His forcefield gives them some more room to move, forcing the snow away. Unfortunately, it doesn't blast a hole for them to escape through, instead compacting the snow into a firm wall. Henry tries to expand the forcefield more to free them and manages to cause a burst of snow and light. The snow falls back on top of them but it's a thin layer and they are quickly able to dig their way out.
The blizzard has not relented in its ferocity. All either of them can see beyond the blustering white is a mountain of white. No part of SW.A.G. is visible under the slope of snow left by the avalanche. Henry, Dawson following loyally, climbs through the snow to the area he thinks SW.A.G. should be and begins scooping out handfuls of snow.
He knows it's pointless, the snow falling down fills the cavities he makes before he can deepen them. The look Dawson gives him says the effort is pointless but the boy helps Henry dig for several more minutes. They stop only when the snow starts caking so thickly on them that they have to move to avoid being reburied.
"We'll have to find another way," Dawson says.
"They're not safe down there, we can't wait for the storm to stop," Henry argues.
"Of course not, sir. We just need a better way to dig down to them," Dawson says. "We need to solicit some help, the police maybe."
"Anyone we go to is going to call the hotline asking for Danger Force's help," Henry says. "We have to sort this out on our own."
"Isn't there anyone who can help? You have other superhero friends," Dawson says.
"Not anywhere nearby," Henry says. "And we can't get a call out with the storm. It's just you and me, Lil' D."
Dawson hesitates but nods. "Okay."
"Pop a gumball," Henry orders, grabbing his own.
"What?" Dawson asks, confused for a moment. "Like the bubble you blew in the Mancave that changed you out of your Kid Danger costume?
"Yeah." Henry pauses. "You don't have magic gumballs that change you into Lil' Dynomite."
"No, sir. But that would be very convenient," Dawson replies.
"We'll work on that," Henry decides. "So, where is your Lil' Dynomite stuff? And the totally dangerous super suit? You have a safe place for them, right?"
"They're hidden behind a secret removable wall panel by my bed," Dawson says uncomfortably.
Henry questions his tone, "They're at your house? Are they safe? Do your parents know?"
Dawson shrugs, "It's the safest place I have. No one else has found them. No one knows. You're the only one in the world who knows both my names."
Henry considers the kid with a smile. "That's impressive," he compliments honestly. "I don't think I could put a number to how many people know both my names, but it's a lot."
Dawson laughs. "So, we're going to go get my stuff? Neighborville is kind of a long trip. What'll happen to Danger Force in the time it takes us to get there and back?"
"I don't know," Henry says anxiously. "But I don't think we have a choice. Your fire power is the best hope I can think of for getting through all this snow."
"Okay," Dawson says. "Then let's go as fast as we can."
Under the mountain of snow, Danger Force huddle in a corner of the SW.A.G. classroom. Miles wakes and groans, clutching his aching head. "How're you feeling?" Mika asks concerned.
"Like a building fell on top of me," he groans.
"Are you dizzy? Lightheaded? Do you remember your name? How many fingers am I holding up?" She interrogates.
He blinks at her with a despondent expression and asks "What?"
"I'm trying to check you for a concussion!" she snaps. "How many fingers?"
"Four," he says.
She switches. "Now?"
"Uh, One," he answers again. She keeps changing. "Three. Four. Zero. Five. Are you done yet? I'm done. No more. Stop." He says, growing more displeased with each switch.
"You got like half of them wrong!" she gripes back at him.
"So, why keep asking me?" he returns.
"Do you remember your name?" she asks.
"Yes," he grumbles. She waits expectantly. He huffs and says, "I'm Miles."
"Miles…?" she leads.
He frowns and says, "Miles Morales."
She frowns at him, trying to figure out if his answer is serious or not. Chapa laughs once and Bose looks at Miles confused. He says, "That's not your last name."
"I know," Miles says.
"This is serious!" Mika says.
"I know. I'm the one who got hit by the falling ceiling," he sasses back. "What happened while I was out? Where's Schwoz? And how're we getting out of here?"
"Can't you take us now that you're awake?" Bose asks.
Miles shakes his aching head, "I don't think I could make it across the room right now."
"He's concussed," Mika agrees. She then tells her twin, "Schwoz is trying to find us a way to get to the Man's Nest."
"No, no. There's no way up," Schwoz announces coming down the spiral staircase. "Between the power outage and all that snow out there, there is no way to get upstairs. We're trapped down here with whatever we got until we dig ourselves out or someone rescues us."
They all frown despondent. "We could try digging ourselves out," Bose says.
"We don't really have means for that," Mika says sadly. "Nor anywhere to put the snow we move."
"Well, we've got to do something," Bose says. "We have to get out of here and we have to go make sure Henry's okay!"
"We will," Mika assures him.
"But how?!" Chapa asks. "Is Bose gonna lift all the snow off the school? Are you gonna scream it all away? We're not exactly equipped for this emergency."
"Guys," Miles says, eyes closed and swaying a little. "I think there's a rescue coming for us."
"What?" Schwoz asks.
"I… had a vision before the avalanche, It's really mixed up now in my head but I think I saw someone coming to our rescue." Miles says.
"Was it Henry?" Bose asks hopefully. "Maybe he didn't get caught in the avalanche and is coming to rescue us!"
Miles shakes his head. "No. Sorry bro. The person was just a shadow in the sunlight but it didn't look like Henry at all. It wasn't tall enough."
"A shadow?" Mika asks concerned. "Like a Shadow Man?"
"No," Miles says, suddenly concerned as well. "I don't think so."
"Why would you think that?" Chapa asks. "Why would he come save us?"
"He saved Henry once," Mika reminds. "It's not like it's totally impossible."
"Yeah, but he's got that weird thing about Henry," Bose says. "He said he has no problem trying to kill us."
"He nearly did kill you," Chapa says. "Bose's right; Shadow Man wouldn't come to our rescue."
"I don't think it's Shadow Man," Miles insists. "I'm sure it isn't him."
"Then who is it?" Bose asks.
"I have no idea," Miles says.
(Commercial break)
Henry follows Dawson's lead as they take a Goober to his home in Neighborville. It takes a little while, longer than Henry would like with his friends being in danger and he checks the passing time frequently as they go. Paying the driver for the ride is somewhat of a relief because they've finally arrived at the building.
The storm is a softer, steady snowfall over here, so the building's large, fenced in yard is host to a group of toddlers making a snowman. They give Henry a curious look as Dawson leads him inside.
The lobby of the apartment building is confusing to Henry; simply because there is no lobby. It takes the matronly woman coming down the hall extending straight back from the door, and scolding Dawson about having left without permission or telling anyone where he was and skipping school for Henry to figure out that it's not an apartment building at all.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Foster," Dawson says, ashamedly avoiding eye contact.
She kneels to his height and coerces his gaze up. "You know I have these rules for your safety. You can't be sneaking out and skipping school, and it's important that we know where you are."
"Yes, Ma'am," he says. "I know, I'm sorry."
"Thank you. Now, Dawson, please tell me where you've been," the matron instructs.
"I… I went into town," Dawson says.
"Where exactly? The diner? The mercantile? I sent Ms. Grace out to find you and she looked all over town square," Ms. Foster says.
"No, not into town square," Dawson says. "I went to…"
"You went into Swellview? By yourself? In this weather?" she sounds a bit more cross than she had before, a little of that patient kindness evaporating.
"Yes, Ma'am," Dawson says. "I went to meet Hen-Mr. Hart." He directs her attention to Henry.
She stands with a distrusting eyebrow raised at Henry. "Mr. Hart?"
"Hello, Ma'am," Henry smiles stiffly.
"Who are you, Mr. Hart? And how do you know Dawson?" she asks him strictly.
"Um…" Henry's mid races for an explanation that isn't the truth. "I'm Henry Hart. I met Dawson a couple of years ago. He came to Swellview and I met him through some mutual acquaintances."
"Hmm. What're you doing with him today? Why are you here?" she quizzes.
"I'm, uh, here from Swellview's Academy for the Gifted," he says, failing at coming up with any lies that would sound at all believable.
"What does that have to do with Dawson?" the matron asks suspiciously.
"Well… I think it'd be a good idea to enroll him at my school," Henry spouts the most believable thing in his mind. The look she gives him doesn't instill him with confidence in his choice of words. The shocked yet happy look Dawson gives him does give him a boost. He continues, "Yeah, I want Dawson to come to SW.A.G. I'm here to discuss the transfer with his guardian."
She frowns, "You had Dawson meet you in Swellview before breakfast this morning to invite him to transfer schools without contacting me first?"
Henry's positive feelings on his lies wilts under her gaze. "No!" Dawson pipes up. "He didn't ask me to meet him! I went to him!"
"So, he invited you after you ditched your own school to meet him against the rules?" She asks, more sternly and with a disapproving frown at him. Dawson shrinks but nods.
Henry shakes his head in disagreement. "It's not like that, Ma'am," he says. "As I said, I've known Dawson for a little while. He's always shown a compatibility to our school. When he came to me today… we talked about some things, in part his schooling, and that prompted me to finally extend the offer. I came to discuss it with the two of you."
She continues frowning, less harshly though. "Please Ms. Foster…" Dawson tries to request.
She shushes him, "You have a school, Dawson. One you are inexcusably late for. Go get your things, I'll take you there after I've seen Mr. Hart out."
Dawson reluctantly goes at her firm command, looking nervously at Henry. Henry nods placatingly at the boy. After he's out of sight, climbing a staircase, Ms. Foster speaks to Henry, ushering him back towards the door. "Mr. Hart, thank you for seeing Dawson back here safely but I'm afraid…"
"Can we not at least discuss it?" Henry interrupts her. "Please, Ma'am. For Dawson's sake?"
She purses her lips and asks, "Why do you think he's such a great fit for your school? He's a smart enough kid but hardly ready for a school of higher academics. I have many other kids in my care who are far more advanced academically. Why Dawson?"
"We're not an advanced school. It's not about being the smartest. We're a private school who take kids who need certain special accommodations for their education." He tries to make it sound good and reasonable.
"Dawson is no delinquent," she states staunchly. "Or disabled in any way. He may break rules on occasion, but he's just a little boy. A good boy."
"Ma'am, please, you misunderstand. I know he's a good kid," Henry assures politely. "Swellview Academy for the Gifted is a private school that doesn't specialize in any area like that. We take on kids with different needs to help them achieve their best in a way regular schools can't provide."
"What exactly do you think he needs that his current school can't provide?" She challenges.
Henry sighs, "He is a special kid. Which I can tell you know too. He's unfailingly polite, and kind. He's brave and selfless. My school can help him become what he wants to be by encouraging what he's already got." Ms. Foster is eyeing him softened but not completely understanding. He explains, "One of our students is seriously smart. She is one of those academically advanced kids, to a whole different level. Honestly, she could teach more than half the classes at any school. So, at our school she works a lot with Professor Schwoz, a certified genius, scientist, inventor.
"Another of our students is far from the sharpest crayon in the box. He struggles with most school subjects, but he is the most compassionate person I've ever met. At public school he struggled, he would be called dumb or slow or lazy. But he's loyal and caring, good with people and animals. He's a great communicator and has picked up at least four new languages in his time at SW.A.G.
"I think Dawson will do well there, because he has an incredible lightness about him. The world is full of darkness, but he doesn't let it get to him, even if he's mad about something, he doesn't let it take him over. I think if we can nurture that light of his, he could change the world."
Her expression has entirely changed. To Henry's surprise, she seems to have been moved by his words. "Yes, Mr. Hart. I know all that about Dawson, and I too think he has a bright future. You're very kind and convincing; if I could send him to your school I would. But, I'm sorry, I can't. I run a state funded orphanage and we simply don't have the money to send him to a private school."
Henry huffs a small chuckle and smiles at her, "That won't be a problem Ma'am. We may be private and very exclusive, but we're entirely free."
She frowns disbelieving. "How is that possible?"
"With a student body as small as ours, our costs are manageable off our founder's funding and a little support the city gives us," he tells her. "You don't have to pay for a thing."
She is unable to speak for a minute, going over it all in her head. "So, can I go?" Dawson asks from behind them, having reemerged from his room with his stuffed full backpack. Ms. Foster turns to him with a smile. "Can I go to SW.A.G.?" he asks again.
"I suppose so, yes," she agrees. He beams but she holds up a finger, "IF you promise to never skip school again and you work hard and behave yourself."
"Yes, Ma'am," Dawson nods seriously.
"Good," she smiles down at him. "Mr. Hart, when will you expect him to start at your school?"
"We can go right now," Henry says, playing it off as if it's not a necessity. "I'll take him down and get him started and I'll fill out the paperwork for transfer. I can send you the things you'll need to sign."
"Okay," she nods. "I suppose I'll have to call Neighborville Junior High and tell them that Dawson is transferring immediately.
"Thank you, Ms. Foster," Dawson says and hugs her before he and Henry leave in a rush.
"Your stuff?" Henry asks.
"In my bag," Dawson says.
"Fantastic!" Henry says.
(Commercial Break)
Danger and Lil' Dynomite race up to SW.A.G. and find a group of police, rescue crews and reporters gathered at the base of the avalanche. The snowstorm had calmed dramatically from what it was before, the worst of it having moved over the mountain towards Rivalton. Lil' Dynomite takes flight and Danger runs along beneath him, people clearing them a path with surprised looks at the flying kid.
At the front, some of the stairs to SW.A.G. have been cleared of snow by a team of people with shovels. The work has stopped for a moment because of the commotion Lil' Dynomite and Danger have caused. "Hello, sirs and ma'ams. We're here to help," Lil' Dynomite says.
"Danger!" Vice Mayor Willard calls out. He and his wife come over with the Macklin and de Silva parents, all looking rather concerned.
"Thank god, you're here!" Mrs. Macklin says. "Our children are trapped in their school!"
"Yes, I know. We're going to get them out." Danger assures them.
Two other people push through the crowd towards them, one of the women calling out "Oh thank god!" Mrs. Hart wraps Henry in a relieved hug.
His sheer relief at seeing that she's okay is on level with hers and their initial reactions almost give him away. Wonderfully, Lil' Dynomite saves him by asking, "Um, what is going on? Are you alright Ma'am?"
"This is Mrs. Hart," Mayor Blithe introduces. "She's the teacher at this school. Her son is also inside."
"Oh, of course," Danger says trying to act nonchalant, letting go of his mother.
Mrs. Hart gets the hint and pulls away. "Oh right, sorry. I'm just so glad to see you here… to help the trapped students."
"Everything's going to be alright," Danger assures, with an awkward smile. The Mayor suppresses a curious look and looks quickly away from the Harts towards the buried school.
"We'll get them out Ma'am." Lil' Dynomite says to Mrs. Hart with more understanding. "Can you tell me what the fastest way to get into the school would be? How close is the door from here?"
"I'm not sure, they're up the steps and in a few feet past a front entry area," Mrs. Hart says.
"Just aim above the steps a little ways and we'll work from there," Danger instructs.
"Yes, sir," Lil' Dynomite says and takes flight again.
"Please hurry!" Mr. de Silva says. Lil' Dynomite begins melting a path through the snow with his fire blasts.
The occupants inside SW.A.G. are growing more anxious and hopeless. Nothing they'd tried all day had worked. "At least nothing else has collapsed on anyone." Bose tries for some optimism.
Chapa growls back at him. "I hate being trapped in small dark places!"
"Our rescuer is coming. I'm sure of it. Just be patient," Miles answers.
"We've been in here for hours!" she shouts at him.
"Yeah, and none of us are happy about it!" he shoots back. "I don't like being in this dark cold room any more than you do!"
"Guys, don't fight," Bose requests.
"It really won't help anything," Mika agrees.
"Someone is going to come rescue us," Miles asserts.
"When?" Chapa challenges. "It's not like somebody is just going to come knock on the door and tell us we're free!"
A knocking sounds through the room. Everyone stops and stares in disbelief. "Oh my god," Miles says blinking at Chapa. "Did you just jinx us in a good way?" Again, someone knocks on the door.
It is quickly followed by a voice saying, "Why are you knocking?"
And another voice replying, "I'm trying to be polite."
"They've been trapped in an avalanche all day; they don't care if you're polite at this point. They're just going to be happy to be free." The first voice says and the door opens.
"Hello? You guys alright in here?" The rescuer opens the door and lets in a stream of light. The four students and Schwoz stare in silent shock at Lil' Dynomite.
"Oh YEAH! I told you so!" Miles cheers.
"How!?" Chapa shouts dumbfounded.
"Respect the visions!" Miles says.
"Visions?" Lil' Dynomite asks.
"Uhh…" Miles says.
"Good going," Chapa harasses him.
"You're lucky he already knows who you are," Danger says clambering out of the tunnel Lil' Dynomite had melted into the snow.
"Henry!" Bose shouts and runs to hug him.
"Bose!" Mika and Chapa chastise.
"Hey buddy, you guys alright?" Danger asks.
"We're mostly fine, Miles might have a concussion," Mika says. "Thank you for coming to our rescue, Danger and Lil' Dynomite." She enunciates their names deliberately.
"Of course, Ma'am," Lil' Dynomite replies with a smile.
"Mika, Lil' D knows who we all are," Danger says, dropping to check on Miles. "You okay, dude?"
"Yeah, I'm okay," Miles says.
"He knows?" Mika asks looking wide eyed at Lil' Dynomite.
"Yes, ma'am," he says with a smile. "I've known for a long time."
"How do you…?" Mika
"You guys ready to get out of here? Or do you want to stand around and talk about this now?" Henry asks, pulling Miles to his feet.
"Get me out of here." Chapa says.
"I've cleared out a tunnel to the parking lot where the rest of the rescue team is waiting with your families." Lil' Dynomite says and shows them out the door to the tunnel opening, which is about five feet off the ground. He sheepishly says, "I aimed a little high."
"Don't even care, get me out of here!" Chapa says. Lil' Dynomite helps her climb in the tunnel. She slides down the ice tunnel with a whoop.
The others follow one by one with relieved and excited hollers of their own. Danger goes last. The scene in the parking lot is much happier than it had been a few minutes ago. The student's parents are fawning over them. Mika has pulled a medic over to check on Miles. "We should go," Danger says to Lil' Dynomite.
"Okay," Lil' Dynomite nods.
"Wait!" Mrs. de Silva says. "Shouldn't there be six? Mrs. Hart's son didn't come out."
"Uh… there was no one else in there," Danger says defectively.
The kids nod. "Henry left just before the avalanche hit this morning," Bose confirms.
"Then where is he?" Mr. Macklin asks. "If he wasn't with you in the avalanche, why hasn't he been here trying to get you out?"
"Uh…" no one has an answer for this. Danger awkwardly shifts, trying to get away without drawing any attention.
"Could he be buried in the snow somewhere?" Mrs. O'Brien asks looking at the avalanche.
"Should we look for him?" Mr. de Silva asks.
"I'm sure he's okay," Mika tries to dissuade. "He left early enough before the avalanche that he probably doesn't even know it happened."
"How much sooner? You two only left for school about a quarter hour before the avalanche: how could you have got here and him got out before it happened?" her mother asks.
Mika opens her mouth but fails to answer. "We should look for him!" Mrs. O'Brien says.
"Yes," Vice Mayor Willard nods along with his wife. "Danger, Lil' Dynomite," he calls out, Danger freezes trying to not look suspicious but also begging with his eyes for someone to get him out of this. "Could you two dig out the missing boy?"
"Uh… no. I'm sure he's fine. The students seem convinced of it," Danger says. "And we did just clear a path up to the door without seeing any sign of him, and if he wasn't there, where else would he be? Maybe you should just try calling him. Besides Lil' D and I have to get going. Lots of superhero stuff to do, no time to explain. Sorry."
"But should you at least check to see if…" the Vice Mayor tries to argue.
"That's quite alright," Mayor Blithe cuts over him. She waves at Danger and Lil' Dynomite. "We'll have Mrs. Hart call him. Thank you for your help, run along now."
Danger pauses for a minute to look unsure at her telling look. From it he realized she must know what's going on. He wants to question her but Lil' Dynomite says a quick, "Thank you, Ma'am. Goodbye," and tugs Danger to leave with him.
They go back down into the city and change their outfits so they can return as Henry and Dawson. Where Henry is immediately surrounded and questioned. He gets a proper reunion with his mom, and excuses his absence by explaining the almost truth of having gone to Neighborville to get Dawson enrolled in SW.A.G. His mother, Schwoz and the four current SW.A.G. students understandably react with surprise at the announcement. Mayor Blithe's reaction is almost as shocked as theirs, if more subdued. She smirks as she considers Henry and Dawson. Henry doesn't get to ask her about it before she's gone and the rest of the rescue crew have cleared out.
January 17, 2021
Three days later, a city crew has completely unburied SW.A.G. and school is resuming for Dawson's first day. Ms. Foster drops him off early and brings the signed paperwork back to complete his enrollment. "Goodbye, Ms. Foster! Thank you!" Dawson calls to her as she leaves.
Only Bose is already there and he jumps up happily to greet Dawson and introduce him to Blue, "Hi! I'm Bose, do you remember me? This is my pet monkey, his name is Blue. I am so excited for you to go to school here! You get to sit next to me!"
"Bose, chill out, don't scare him away before he's even sat down." Henry says, clapping Dawson on the shoulder. "Let's get you settled in." Dawson nods and Henry shows him around. The classroom has been rearranged to accommodate a new desk with orange accents. The orange, blue and silver desks are lined in the front row with the red and yellow desks next to each other in the back row, windowed between the other three. "This is your desk. Make yourself comfortable. That button on your chair will take you straight up to the Man's Nest. We're going pop up there real quick."
Dawson reacts with delight after he hits the button and is lifted upwards into the mountain. Henry runs to the back room to take the tube up to join him in the Man's Nest. Like the classroom below, the Man's Nest has some slight changes. Dawson's chair had come up in a small nook tucked a little ways from Danger Force's chairs. This nook has locker with a little logo of orange flame backlighting a circle 'head' and a simple silhouette of Lil' Dynomite's vest . "This is so cool!" Dawson says with excitement as he looks over his little area.
"I know!" Bose says, "You get to have your own corner here."
"It's the best we could do," Henry says. "Schwoz worked all weekend on it."
"Schwoz worked all weekend on a lot of things," Schwoz says. He is half asleep on the couch. "Schwoz is tired and not going to do any more work no matter what Henry says."
"Henry is fine with that and is very grateful for all Schwoz did this weekend," Henry replies with a grin.
"Schwoz says, 'you're welcome'," Schwoz says.
Henry chuckles. He turns towards Dawson and with a wink says, "Schwoz also made you these." He presents Dawson with a gum tin.
Dawson's eyes go wide. "Is this…" he asks, pulling out a gumball, "…the magic gum?"
"Yep," Henry says.
"It's not magic," Schwoz calls out, "it's science!"
"Sure, it is," Henry says. "Science, science, science. Something about appliance. Breaking only one or two laws- of physics."
"Exactly!" Schwoz says.
"Anyway," Henry says. "With those you won't need to keep your costume in the bedroom you share with four other guys. And we're going to set up a headquarters for you in Neighborville."
"Isn't the Man's Nest our headquarters?" Bose asks. "Why does he need one in Neighborville?"
"Because he's a hero over in Neighborville. He's going to need a place to operate from," Henry says.
"I thought I was going to be part of your team," Dawson says a little dismayed.
"You are." Henry assures. "You're my sidekick, but you're not a part of Danger Force. You're going to be an adjacent hero to them, a neighbor. You've already been doing a little heroing in Neighborville, and I want you to keep it up. You're going to be our outlet there. You'll come to school here, train with us; sometimes you'll come on missions with us in Swellview and sometimes you and I will work in Neighborville."
"How can he be a teammate if he's not on Danger Force?" Bose asks.
"I'm not on Danger Force," Henry points out.
"But your Danger." Dawson points out. "You're the namesake, the predecessor of Danger Force."
"And you were made my sidekick before any of these guys became superheroes. You are my sidekick, and so are they, but that doesn't mean you're the same. Okay?" Henry says.
"Okay," Dawson nods.
The emergency alert rings. Henry picks up the phone to find out what's happening. The last three chairs rise up from the school below with the Macklin twins and Chapa coming to join in with the mission. "Oh! Hi Dawson," Mika greets seeing him.
"Hello," Dawson returns.
"Good timing guys. It's Shadow Man again, a triple attack down at Swellview hospital," Henry says. The four members of Danger Force are blowing their bubbles already. Henry pulls out his own. "You ready to join this witch hunt, Lil' D?"
"I thought you were kidding about him joining the team," Chapa says
"Yes, sir," Dawson nods at Henry, holding a gumball. "Do I just blow a bubble then?"
"Chew, blow, then we go." Henry rhymes with a smiling nod. He blows his bubble. Dawson follows suit.
Next Episode: S1E23: Sidekick Showdown