Hi. So, I'm not dead! I know it might've seemed like it, and I've certainly felt like it too much so far this year, but I am indeed alive and I am not done with this story. I'm just having a rough time of it lately. Sorry about the wait. I seriously wrote and rewrote this episode about twenty million times. I have way too many ideas and things and kept debating what to bring in this early and how I wanted things to flow. But here we are, this is what I'm sticking with. I think I'm happy with how this turned out. Tell me what you all think.
See you in the next one. Hopefully it will be soon, but I don't dare make any promises. At least after these last two none of you will have too high of expectations. Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy.
S2E2: The Boss
Ray strolls through the hallway of the Man's Nest, tugging at his tie in a failing attempt to get the knot right. Having been awoken this morning by the sounds of the kids now living in the mountain rushing to get down to school, he'd realized he ought to get ready too. Time to resume training and reassert his dominance over his sidekicks.
When he enters the classroom, however, he finds the kids already in the midst of some assignment. They all scribble away dutifully on pieces of paper. The space has been rearranged to accommodate a fifth desk for Henry's new, evil lil' sidekick. Henry himself sits on the teacher's desk at the front of the room having a hushed discussion with Charlotte; both are also rifling through folders full of papers. Ray pauses in surprise to stare at the unexpected scene, the declaration of his entrance catching before it passes his lips.
"What is going on?" he questions openly while approaching the desk with the two young adults.
"Shh," they both hiss in response.
He frowns at their commanding tone. "I just asked…" he says at the same volume. Again, he is shushed.
"Keep it down," Charlotte says. "They're working on their final history exam for the school year. They don't need you distracting them."
Henry huffs a breath, some mix between relieved and flustered. He whispers, "At least we do have that going for us: there's only a couple weeks left, then we'll have all summer to figure out what to do for next year."
"You're just going to have to hire someone, I think," Charlotte suggests. "And let them in on the secret." Henry nods with her words dejectedly. "Ask the Hero League. Not all supers become heroes, they've got the whole city of Metroburg there. They must have teachers there; they should be able to get you someone."
Henry nods, "I guess. I'd rather not have to bring a stranger in, but if all else fails…"
"Which it has," Charlotte says.
"Whatever we gotta do," Henry agrees. "And hopefully we find a more permanent solution. This is not the first time this year we've had this problem. I don't want it to become a regular thing. If Ms. Shapen keeps sticking her nose in…"
"…she'll send them back to public school." Charlotte finishes.
"Yeah. And we all saw how well that worked for me," he laughs wryly.
"You were supposed to graduate from here," Ray tells him. "I set it up for you."
"Yeah," Henry smiles. "Schwoz told me. Thanks. But that's kind of my point. I couldn't make it in public school and being a superhero. I don't want them going through the same trouble. But we've had trouble with finding a teacher who can do it here."
"I'm the teacher," Ray says.
Henry and Charlotte share a look. "I am not letting you be the teacher." Henry says.
"What?!" Ray demands.
"Shh!" they both hiss at him again. Henry follows up with, "They need a real education. You stopped going to school when you were eight. They're going into high school. You can't expect to teach them."
"I was homeschooled," Ray argues. "A little."
Henry shakes his head. "You are not equipped to be a teacher."
"I taught them all last year," Ray throws his hand up.
"You taught them how to fight," Henry deadpans. "Which is great for superheroes, but they also need reading and writing and math and art skills."
"Oh, whatever," Ray waves his hand dismissively. "They know that stuff well enough. We talked about it occasionally."
Henry scoffs. Charlotte sighs as well. "Yeah, you're not being the teacher again." Henry reaffirms.
Ray frowns, "This is my school."
"I own it," Henry counters.
"What?!" Ray says.
"And the Man's Nest, and Junk 'n Stuff, and the Mancave, and pretty much all of your stuff, because you gave it to me in your will. It was all put in my name, er in Danger's name, when you died."
"But I'm alive now!" Ray grumbles. "So, my will doesn't count anymore, I get all my stuff back."
"That's not how it works! All that stuff has been signed legally over to me, Schwoz and Danger Force. You don't just get it all back automatically." Henry explains. "Especially for things like the properties; we'll have to go through a bunch of legal hoops and nonsense to return them."
"It's my stuff!" Ray complains.
Henry shrugs. "We can work it out. You'll get it back. But that doesn't mean you get to come in and take over the school again. The kids need a real teacher."
"I'm the Headmaster!" Ray proclaims.
"Headmasters don't teach classes," Henry points out.
"Headmaster's control the school. I get to do whatever I want," Ray insists.
"Being in charge of the school means you're responsible for the education the students get," Henry says. "It's your job to ensure they're meeting the standards of curriculum."
Ray glares and begins to speak. Henry continues lecturing without acknowledging Ray's new argument.
"Guy's," Charlotte cuts them both off. "If you're going to keep arguing, take it upstairs. They're trying to work."
Henry goes silent with a glance to the kids. Ray is slower to stop, finishing his argumentative statement. Henry walks away, not having listened to a word, and gestures for Ray to follow. "Don't not listen to me!" Ray grumps and chases after him. "I'm in charge here, I get to argue with whomever I want, wherever I want!"
Henry doesn't respond until they're in the back room with the tube to the Man's Nest. "I am not having this argument with you in there. They are working hard because they care about their education, unlike you; and I, unlike you, am doing my job to help them get it." He steps into the tube when it opens, Ray again follows him. "Up the tube," Henry calls.
Seconds later they're in the Man's Nest. "You think I don't care about their education?"
"I think you care about their education as far as it benefits you," Henry says. walking further into the room. "Creating a school for them so it never gets in the way of crime fighting."
"That's a good thing!" Ray insists, following him. "That was always a problem we had to deal with for you. I made the school to solve it. I bought the school for you! So, you could graduate!"
"Yes, and I appreciate that you did all that for me. But Ray, you didn't care about me graduating until I quit; until it affected you." Henry points out with an irritated tension in his tone and gestures. "Until I left you were dismissive and mocking about it, even when we were fighting. You didn't care about me graduating, you cared about me leaving; so you bought a school."
"It still got you what you wanted," Ray argues as annoyed as Henry.
"Yeah," Henry scoffs. "I got the diploma, but I still missed out on graduation and my whole senior year. I wanted those things, and I wish I had gotten to learn everything I didn't. My education matters to me. Their education matters to them. That's why you can't be the teacher. No one's education matters to you, Ray. You're good to have around when Ms. Shapen comes sticking her nose in our business; but the kids need someone who cares and knows what they're doing."
"Oh right!" Ray mocks. "You wanna bring some stuffy old lady in here and tell her all our secrets because I'm not capable of teaching them four kids how to put two and two together."
Henry covers his downturned face while he shakes his head. "Dude, it's not about you."
"Uh, yes, it really is," Ray argues. "You're telling me I'm a bad teacher."
Henry turns away with a rough sigh and mutters, "You're impossible."
"I'm impossible?!" Ray demands.
"Yes!" Henry growls, spinning back around. "You're totally missing the point!" He stops and takes a breath. "Ray, you are good at what you do; which is fighting crime and teaching sidekicks how to. But there's more to life than that. This is school we're talking about. They need someone like Schwoz to teach them math and science, someone like my mom for English and history. They need to learn more than how to kick butt."
"Your mom?" Ray asks, less aggression in his tone and more inappropriate interest.
"Ray!" Henry berates. "My mom was the teacher here while you were dead. At least until…" but the words "…she was killed too" are drowned by Ray's shout.
"What?! You're Mom worked here?!" He asks perhaps a bit too enthusiastically. "She was here every day? I missed my chance to work with your mom?!"
"Ray!" Henry repeats more shrilly clipped. "Get over this thing you have about my mom. Blackout killed her. Your dumb crush doesn't matter anymore. She's my mom and was our teacher! Now, she's dead and I have to figure out what to do about it."
For a moment, Ray is knocked out of his own distress over the loss of the lovely Kris Hart. Though Henry's verbally attacking him and he wants to respond with his own anger, he becomes aware that Henry's anger is underscored by a deep trauma. The young man looks incredibly distraught. "You don't have to fix it. It's my school, I will…"
But Henry cuts him off with a clipped, "I'm the one in charge! I'm supposed to take care of it! It's my job to make sure the kids have what they need, in school, in heroing."
And Ray snaps back to his former defensiveness to retort. "You're not in charge! I'm the boss! Danger Force are my sidekicks!"
Henry rolls his eyes, "Maybe they were before you died. But they're at least as much mine now. And Dawson is fully mine. This is my responsibility."
"Ugh!" Ray complains. "That Dawson kid shouldn't even be here. He's an enemy."
"He is not an enemy." Henry cuts him off. His expression turning more hostile. "He is my sidekick and you will be nice."
"He tried to roast me with his fire blasters once!" Ray whines.
"You used and betrayed him," Henry counters. "And you pretended you were going to adopt him. That's not something you tease kids like him about." Ray groans with an exaggerated eyeroll. Henry's protective ferocity is evident on his face and a bit of a surprise to Ray. "He's not going anywhere, so you're gonna need to find a way to get along."
"I don't have to do anything I don't want to do. This is my Man's Nest. I'm the 'Man' in the name," Ray argues. "I get to decide who works here, and who goes to SW.A.G."
"Not while the deeds are in my name," Henry counters.
"So, you're not going to give me back my stuff?" Ray demands.
"Not of you're going to use it as an excuse to kick Dawson out," Henry affirms. "I admitted him to SW.A.G. and made him part of the team. You do not get to override those decisions."
"You are not in charge around here, Kid," Ray growls. "I am the boss."
"You are not the boss of me anymore," Henry counters. "I am not your sidekick."
The two men glare at each other. "Am I interrupting something?" Schwoz asks, frozen in the doorway.
(Theme song: "It all just kind of happened," Henry says, rubbing his face wearily. "I helped end a killer and now his victims haunt me. Every time I win a battle, I end up with more problems. Whatever happened to happy endings and victory celebrations? My life is seriously nothing but Danger… the music of the theme song over lays his voice. The scene cutting to the credits…)
"Shadow Man is dead. He's gone!" Trent Overunder announces happily from his desk at the KLVY station. The audience there all cheer loudly. Trent lets them go on for several moments. "Yes! It is a beautiful day for the city of Swellview. And here with me in the studio to tell us how it happened is our very own heroes: Shoutout, AWOL, Volt, Brainstorm and Lil' Dynomite!"
More cheers echo through the room as the five young teenagers wave to the people. "Thank you, Trent. It's great to be here," Shoutout says.
"It's good to have you here," Trent returns. "I, and all the citizens of Swellview, are so eager to learn what happened. I have so many questions to ask you; many of which have been sent in by our viewers."
"Well, we would be happy to answer them," AWOL says.
"Great! So first thing…" Trent begins questioning them.
At the same time, just outside the KLVY building, Captain Man and Danger argue as the elder man makes for the door.
"…why shouldn't I be here? It's an interview, about what happened. I was part of it, and the people need to know I'm okay!" Captain Man says.
"You just came back from the dead, Dude. Don't you think you should take a little time to get used to things again?" Danger responds, chasing after him.
"No. I'm okay. You're the one with a cracked skull," Captain Man reminds. "You should be taking some time, your hot doctor said so."
Ray can't see but he knows Henry is rolling his eyes as he says, "I'm doing fine. My head is healing quite quickly. And I'm only out here because I followed you."
"Well, you don't need to follow me. I can take care of myself. You can go back to my Man's Nest and keep resting your head," Captain Man tells him.
"Last time I left you to fend for yourself you ended up dead," Danger points out, crossly.
"Oh my god," Captain Man complains. "Will you quit it with that? I get it, I was dead, but I'm not anymore. Let it go."
Henry seethes and gets close enough to grab him. Ray turns around to meet his glare with his own irritated one. "Are you serious? Let go!" he demands of the younger man.
"Are you serious?" Danger retorts more severely. "'Let it go'? You were freaking dead, Bro! I'm not just gonna let that go!"
"Kid, I'm okay. I'm not dead anymore, so what's the point of holding onto that?" Ray asks.
"The point is it really sucked," Henry says. "And now I have you back and I intend to keep it that way. So, I'm not going to pretend it didn't happen!"
"Why not? You don't have to pretend I'm still dead, like I did with you. So, it doesn't matter anymore. Let it go, just like I did when I thought you were dead in that blimp crash," Ray says.
Henry gawps, so incensed that he can't produce words for a minute. "Oh my god. The blimp crash was an entirely different situation!"
"No, it wasn't!" Ray contenders. "I thought you died, was super upset, found out you were alive and now it's all over with. It's the same thing for you, except you're not getting over it."
"No. Just no," Henry fumes. "You thought I was dead for a whole ten minutes…"
"It was more like twenty," Ray corrects.
"But I was never really dead," Henry pushes. "You were dead for ten months! Actually, literally dead! It is not the same thing!"
Captain Man begins to retort, but he is forestalled by someone else. "Danger? C-Captain Man," says a girl. Many more people stand beyond her, a group having gathered at the doors to the studio. They all stare at the two heroes in awe. "C-captain Man; you really are alive. How?"
Captain Man swiftly drops the argument to pose, puffing his chest and smiling. "Yes! I am alive!" he proclaims. "Hello, Swellviewians! It is I, Captain Man! I know you've all missed me. But fear no more; I have returned! Not even this shady magic man could keep me down!" They stare wide-eyed at him, phones out and directed at the hero.
"Oh brother," mutters Danger.
Captain Man punches Danger's shoulder, "Don't mock, they all missed me."
"I'm not mocking them; I'm mocking you, Showboat," Danger says, getting him with a light shove.
"You have no respect," Captain Man complains.
"I have no respect?" Danger questions. "Have you met yourself? You are the king of disrespect."
"I am the King of respect. I'm the hero. Everyone respects me," Captain Man says. "At least everyone but you. Though I'm not quite sure when they changed. What happened to my awesome and totally obedient little sidekick?"
"I grew up," Danger says. "I got to know you too well to obey your every command. If I ever did at all; I'm pretty sure I've been disobeying you since day one."
"No respect. That's exactly what I'm saying," Captain Man replies.
"Why are you guys fighting?" a kid asks.
"Because he's being a pain in the butt." They both answer together. The two share a look.
"You're a punk, Kid," Captain Man says.
"And you're an enormous child," Danger returns.
"Are you two okay?" Someone else asks.
"Captain Man is always okay!" Captain Man proclaims.
"Except for when you literally died," Danger deadpans.
"Well dam, I was so sure the rumors were false," a female voice says, not from the crowd.
Danger's face falls into a grimace, recognizing her already. He groans, "Oh god!"
She laughs, grabbing the collar of his jacket to wrench him around to face her. "What's wrong, Herbert? Aren't you excited to see me?" she asks, pressing bodily against him.
"Uh, who the heck are you?" Captain Man asks.
Danger grabs her arm and pushes her away. His attempt to restrain her is not successful. She counters his actions. The two dance around each other, her laughing delighted all the while. At least, until she's stopped by Captain Man pulling her off. She grunts and glares at him.
Danger takes several steps away, winded and with a hand pressed to his head. "Let go of me, Old Man!" Veronika demands, kicking at Captain Man.
"No! Who are you?" he demands in return.
"Veronika, the Wall Dog," Danger answers.
"We beat the Wall Dogs forever ago. What's she doing here?" Captain Man says. "You should be in jail."
She snorts, "Well, actually I was in Juvie, and they released me when I turned 18."
"She took over the gang and they've been making themselves a nuisance in Swellview again a lot in the past year," Danger explains with a scowl directed at Veronika.
She returns it with a sarcastic pout. "Don't hate me for improving my skills better than you have."
Danger glares. "Wait," Captain Man smirks. "Veronika? Isn't she that girl you used to…"
"Shut up," Danger complains. Veronika chuckles.
Captain Man too laughs. "Okay, Kid. So, what is your ex-girlfriend doing here?"
"She was never my girlfriend!" Danger protests.
"Sure, sure," Captain Man says insincerely.
"Oh my god, Dude," Danger starts. Captain Man is arguing back before he can even finish his sentence and the two begin speaking over each other.
Veronika rolls her eyes and makes her move against Captain Man's lax hold. Throwing her body around as she would to perform a flip, she forces Captain Man's hold to slip. He lets go for the shortest moment to readjust his grip, saying "Woah! What…?" but she's got into position to bring her leg up between his forcefully. Her elbow also clips his face. She grabs a can of paint from her belt and sprays him in the face. "Agh!" Captain Man complains, closing his eyes and mouth against the chemical onslaught.
"Watch out," Danger warns too late. "She plays dirty."
Veronika kicks Captain Man hard in the abdomen and he stumbles back, falling flat on his back and whines complaints of, "It's in my mouth! Ugh! It tastes so bad!"
Danger makes to take hold of her, but she is ready for him too. Spinning around to face him, she wraps her arms around him, under his jacket and fingers slipping under the edge of his vest. She pulls herself against him till her face is inches from his. "Play dirty do I?" she moans. "Only with you. Anytime and anywhere." She presses a kiss to his jaw.
He steps back, hoping to pull away. Instead, he trips and falls backwards. He barely has time to wrap his arms around his head before he's hitting the ground. The protection prevents worse pain from exploding through his healing head, but still his vision shifts and blurs as his mind spins sickeningly. Cries of concern come from the onlookers.
Veronika's grip is loosened but she comes down with him, shrieking in surprise. Her chin connects with his collar bone. She pulls her arms from around him and mutters small complaints for her new bruises. She recovers quickly, taking advantage of the new position. "Oh, this is better," she says. Laying on top of him, her hands wander his body. Her lips press against his face again. Moving her mouth until she reaches his ear and mutters. "I'm surprised you haven't forced me off yet."
He blinks at her blurrily. She is blasted off him, but it is not by his forcefield. The fiery blast had hit her shoulder, burned her clothes and knocked her to the asphalt. "Danger!" Lil' Dynomite drops to his side.
"I'm- I'm alright, Lil' D." Danger mutters, sitting up. He fails to push himself further upward.
"Sir," he reproves. "Don't."
"You shouldn't be out here!" Shoutout chastises. "What about your head?"
"I'm fine," Danger says.
"What are you two even doing here?" Volt demands.
"I was coming to join the interview!" Captain Man rises, fists raised and a grumpy expression on his green painted face. He glares at Veronika. "Kid followed me."
"Then how'd you get into a fight?" AWOL asks.
"We didn't think we'd run into Veronika," Danger says. "This was not intentional."
"Really?" Volt questions. "You come out for five minutes and just happen upon her? Are you sure you didn't come to fight because you're tired of sitting out again?"
"No," Danger complains. The looks the five younger heroes give him are less than believing. He grunts and says, "Just because it's true doesn't mean it's the reason."
"I happened upon them," Veronika says, getting up. "Well, Spray-Z did first, but I told them all to hold back. I wanted the first pass at Danger…" she eyes him. Lil' Dynomite stands between her and Danger; his plasma blasters aimed her way. Her wanton look at Danger changes to contempt as she glances to Captain Man. "…and the zombie."
Captain Man matches her contempt. "I am not a zombie!"
"You came back from the dead, didn't you? What else would you call that?" She teases.
"I don't like you," he declares.
"Ha!" She laughs.
"Join the club," Danger says, heaving himself to his feet. He does not balance well, swaying in his place. Lil' Dynomite and Brainstorm take place at his either side to steady him.
Captain Man frowns at him. "Maybe you should sit this one out," he suggests.
Danger scowls and raises his eyebrow. "I'm fine, Bro. I don't need to sit out."
"Just chill, I can take care of the vandal girl," Captain Man says.
"Sure, you can." Veronika whistles and the rest of the Wall Dogs come out of the shadows.
"That's a lot of Wall Dogs," Brainstorm notes.
"We've got a few new recruits," Veronika says. The original dozen vandals have become near twenty, a spattering of younger teens follow the older members.
"Well, this is not great," Shoutout says.
"So, uh, what's the plan here, Boss Man?" Volt asks.
Danger scans the crowd. "We need to…" but at the very same moment Captain Man also proclaims a response to the question. "We hit them until…"
Both men stop to look confused at each other. Both again open their mouths to speak. Both again stop to share looks of challenge. "Uh… Kid, I'm the boss man." Captain Man asserts.
"Um, well, not really," Danger replies. "I am. She was talking to me."
"What? No, Kid, no," Captain Man argues. "I'm in charge. I make the plans."
"You've never made a plan," Danger refutes. "Running in blind and throwing fists isn't a plan."
"I'm the boss," Captain Man protests.
"You're not my boss," Lil' Dynomite shoots back. Captain Man scowls at him.
"Be nice," Danger orders them both.
"Danger, the Wall Dogs are coming. If you don't tell me a plan, I'm going to attack," Volt says.
"Attack," Danger tells her. He turns to the rest of the team. "All of you. Focus on the weak links first, reduce their numbers. We don't know anything about the new kids, they're probably inexperienced but be careful. Attack."
Volt does so gladly, Danger Force move in on his command. Captain Man flubs open mouthed at them, "What…? He doesn't give you orders, I do!"
"Bro," Danger says to him. "They're still outnumbered. Get over yourself and get to fighting."
Captain Man frowns at him, speaking his thoughts aloud. "This is not how it's supposed to work. I'm the boss around here; I'm your boss."
"No, you're not. I quit almost two years ago," Danger argues. Captain Man's frown deepens. "You aren't my boss anymore; and since you died, I've been their boss. Things have changed."
Veronika comes up on the two who're too distracted to take notice until she's sent them both sprawling. "I'm not wasting my time with your little lackeys. I'm here to dance with you, Danger; so, get up and let's go."
Danger grumbles under his breath and glares at her. "You new recruits aren't going to be enough help for you. You're going to lose," He promises, grabbing Captain Man's arm to help pull himself up again.
Captain Man notes the Kid's hand, held to the back of his head. Feeling no pain himself after the initial two seconds after hitting the ground, he orders "Leave this to me, Kid." He pushes the Kid back and attacks the Wall Dog. Danger glares and charges after them, ignoring the order, and fighting despite his dully throbbing head and twisting stomach.
(Commercial Break)
"How did you manage to get into a fight with every villain in Swellview all at once?" Charlotte demands as soon as she's fought through the crowd to Danger's side. Jasper and Piper follow her. All are wearing their own superhero uniforms, which Captain Man raises an eyebrow at.
"It's not our fault we're so popular!" Captain Man gripes. He kicks viciously, sending the Butcher sprawling.
"They just keep showing up," AWOL complains. He tackles the villain with the bubble brain.
"It seems the villains are way too happy about Captain Man coming back from the dead," Danger puts in, panting and rubbing his head. "They all want a piece of him."
"We all want our time in the spotlight. We all want to be the next to kill him," Time Jerker says, hovering over their heads on a mechanized board with another villain whose body is fused with some odd machinery. The villains swoop the glider down at the heroes, firing their weapons as they descend. Captain Man and Danger dodge different ways; the Kid calls out to the Swellviewian citizens to get away from here. Captain Man leaps forward for a counterattack. Time Jerker laughs and sends Captain Man tumbling off the end of the glider as soon as he's got a hold of it. "It has been such a long time, Sir Captain. Please, let's make this moment last."
Getting back to his feet on the ground, entirely unscathed, Captain Man puts on a show of surprise, "Don't tell me you missed me, Tim. I mean, I know I am just so miss-able but have some self-respect. You can't like getting your butt kicked that bad."
"Ha! That didn't change while you were dead," Volt laughs, coming from somewhere Captain Man hadn't seen. She turns her smirk to the villains on the hovering machine to advise them, "You might want to get off that. It's about to…" the left side of the glider drops suddenly. It crashes to the ground, scraping the ground with a terrible screech and many sparks. The two villains tumble over each other with grunts and shouts of pain. "…do that."
"Nice one!" Captain Man cheers. "How did you do that?"
Volt shrugs, "Ball of lightning into the engine. Trusted whatever I broke to be important."
"Cool," he nods.
"Volt, get that Fish-head off Shoutout," Danger directs. She smirks and runs back into the fight. Piper follows her. The heroes scatter among the villains. Danger calls more orders, "Brainstorm, backwards roundhouse. Lil' D, hit the deck!" The boys follow the instructions automatically and Brainstorm kicks the lights out of a woman who had almost had Lil' Dynomite in her taloned grasp.
Danger leaps, swinging around and using Captain Man's shoulder to assist his kick at the villain biting at Charlotte. His knee connects with the side of Phone Shark's head and he lets his momentum carry them both to the ground, Danger landing on top of the villain. The Phone Shark is knocked out and Danger shifts off him and clutches his knee. "Oooh," he complains. "Did he replace his jawbone with metal too? That frickin' hurt!"
Captain Man grabs the Kid by the jacket and drags him out of the way of Drill Finger before the villain can drill his finger into the Kid's face. With a series of punches, Captain Man breaks the drill finger and sends the villain sprawling, his eyes rolling back in his head. Captain Man turns back to Danger saying, "Aim anywhere but the mouth. That's his one strong spot. What are you thinking? Are you okay?"
Danger is standing against the wall of the KLYV building, rubbing his knee with a grimace and muttering at it to "…not do this again." He looks up and nods at Captain Man. "I'm good."
Ray is not inclined to believe him. From the look Charlotte gives him it would seem she isn't either. "Oh, don't tell me. Is that your bad knee," Time Jerker mocks. He shakes his head and frowns with fake pity. "I must have even better timing than I thought. Once again, we come face to face with you too injured to fight. What happened to you? Did you manage to get yourself beat near to death again?"
Danger glares, steeling himself and standing up straight. "I think you'll find that time has healed all my wounds."
Time Jerker laughs at the joke. "What wounds?" Captain Man asks. "Beat near to death?" Hadn't Dr. Bellum mentioned something similar? Ray doesn't have time to properly recall.
"It's nothing," Danger dissuades.
"Really? Well, let's see," Time Jerker says and then he is on them.
They fight together and Time Jerker is no match for them. Unfortunately, they are not the only ones with friends in this fight. Captain Man pins Time Jerker and calls for Danger to give him a pair of handcuffs but the Kid is yanked away from him by a man in a smiley face mask.
Danger tries to fling his elbow back into the villain's face. Mr. Nice Guy doesn't give him the chance, wrenching him off the ground in a wrestlers' hold then slamming him into the ground. Danger buckles under the attack. Pain is plainly evident on his face as he kicks at Mr. Nice Guy from the ground.
Captain Man tosses Time Jerker aside and runs to help him. He doesn't make it two steps before multiple sets of hands have accosted him and he's being pulled off course. He hits the ground hard and it hurts. But naturally that fades after the customary two seconds. He leaps back to his feet to defend himself from the two random criminals he doesn't think he's ever seen before.
Danger is left to fend for himself. Which is not going well. All his movements are weighted with a kind of grogginess.
Captain Man fights to get to him. Lil' Dynomite beats him there. The blonde boy sends Mr. Nice Guy flying by a plasma blast to the back. He lands next to Danger, fending off other would be attackers while Danger rolls himself over. The Kid pushes himself to his hands and knees, heaving and shaking.
With a war cry and a determined attack Captain Man defeats the criminals around him. He runs to and drops to his knees beside the Kid asking him, "Are you okay, Kid?"
Danger kneels up, grabbing Captain Man for support but otherwise doesn't respond. His eyes flick around, blinking at the vague figures floating in and out of his sight. He sways and pitches, clutching the back of his head and heaving breaths. "Ugh. Ow." He mutters, face pale and mouth pressed against the nausea of his churning gut and spinning head.
"Kid?" Captain Man says. "What's wrong? What's 'ow'?"
"Uh… yeah. It's not that bad. Just a little dizzy." Danger says. With plenty of help he gets to his feet where his continued instability does contradicts his words of assurance. The Kid steps forward, limping on the leg he'd knocked Phone Shark out with.
"Really?" Ray doubts. "You don't look good."
"You really don't," Time Jerker laughs. "You look weak, Kid."
Danger glares at the mocking man and commands, "Don't call me Kid."
"He's a lot stronger than you!" Lil' Dynomite spits and drops on top of Time Jerker. The villain crumples under the sudden attack and lays motionless on the grass.
"Nice one. Thanks," Danger tells his sidekick.
"It's not over," Lil' Dynomite says. "If you need, AWOL can take you back to the Nest."
"No," Danger denies.
"Yes," Captain Man says.
"No," Danger repeats. "I'll be fine. We're whittling them down. Time Jerker was the biggest threat here. We can get the rest."
"I don't think you're in any condition to fight," Captain Man argues before Danger can follow. "Take the out Kid, you're hurt."
"I've got it handled," Danger insists.
"Kid!" Captain Man criticizes. "You can barely stand. You couldn't escape Mr. Nice Guy, who is an old man. You busted your knee on that low-level's face. You're not strong enough for this fight."
"I did not bust my knee! And I'm not going anywhere," Danger protests. "I'm more than strong enough. I'm fine!" As if to prove it the Kid walks away towards the fight. However, more than helping his argument, his limping makes it only more obvious to Ray that he is not okay.
Ray does not have time to argue this point with the Kid again as Barge and Arson Boy attack; but he stays close to the Kid; as does Lil' Dynomite. As he pays attention, Ray takes notice of the odd changes to the Kid's fighting style. Several times he misses an obvious opening for a kick with his injured leg, which, Ray will admit makes sense. But there's something in his stance that is more old habit about it than minding a fresh injury. Danger also holds his arms closer to his body than he used to while fighting, reaching for his combatants less and using more defensive tactics than he'd used when he was younger. His breath is heavy and he fumbles several times. The oddness worries Ray and he steps in frequently to divert the especially hard blows and more dangerous opponents away from the Kid. Every time he does this in an obvious way he receives an annoyed glare from his former sidekick. None of these looks dissuade the older man, for though it would annoy Henry more to hear it, the truth is the Kid is struggling even with the no name rookie villains. He takes them out, but without his usual ease and flair.
Lil' Dynomite hovers close, doing his best to keep as many bad guys away as he can.
Cops come in from every direction to help. The rest of the team is cleaning up the majority of the ruffians. Shoutout has both the Lizard Twins running. Near her Brainstorm and AWOL work together to arrest three colorfully clad Mexican wrestlers. Volt and Piper beat mercilessly on about five different criminals who, judging by the looks on their faces, are well aware that they stand no chance. Jasper is handling Mr. Nice Guy and Charlotte is holding to the back of a giant metal robot, messing with the mechanics behind a panel she'd pulled off of it while the giant arms try and fail to grab at her.
In little time at all, the criminals are fleeing, trampling over one another to get out. Danger leans against a wall panting as the fight ends. "Sir?" Lil' Dynomite questions, still hovering at Henry's side.
"I'm still fine, Lil' D," he puffs and runs a hand through his hair, wincing as he brushes the tender spot of his skull.
"Is your head worse?" Lil' Dynomite worries.
"Are you sure?" Ray presses at the same time.
Danger glances between the two of them. Huffing breath that is either annoyed or amused he answers, "Yes. My head's a little sore and I'm a little nauseous but not much more than is normal."
"And your knee?" Captain Man asks.
Danger nods reluctantly, "Yeah, that hurts too."
"Do you need medical attention?" the chief of police asks, stepping up beside him.
"Stalwart," Danger greets, shaking the man's hand. "No, I'll be okay. It's not bad. I just took a metal jaw to the knee."
"Ouch," the chief comments sympathetically. "Same knee you already broke?"
Danger grimaces. "Yeah. But it's not broken." Captain Man wonders what they're talking about.
"Well, you're standing, so that's something," the chief nods. "You look a lot better than I expected to find you. I thought you'd still be in the hospital."
"Nah," Danger shrugs. "Got out last week. I'm good."
"Good enough to be out fighting crime already? When you finally came out of that collapsing black hole thing, there were some serious debate on whether or not you were alive." The chief says.
Captain Man scowls as Danger chats to the police chief. Since when were they so friendly? They clearly had a rapport, some shared experiences. When had Henry broken his knee? "He shouldn't be fighting yet," Captain Man cuts in. "He was all but dead three weeks ago and his doctor told him he shouldn't be fighting for a while. He's supposed to be letting his broken head heal."
Danger rolls his eyes, "I'm fine."
"Yeah, right," Captain Man scoffs.
"Captain Man," Chief Stalwart greets, extending his hand. "It's good to see you alive."
"I know," Captain Man responds, swelling importantly. Danger scoffs and shakes his head. Captain Man scowls back at him.
"Is everything alright?" Chief Stalwart asks.
"They're working out their differences," Lil' Dynomite says. "There's been some chaffing while adjusting to everything that's happened."
"Kid's just got a little too big of a head while I was gone. Forgot who's the boss around here," Captain Man explains.
"Oh, I have a big head?!" Danger challenges.
"Yes!" Captain Man replies. "You're a bossy little punk now, who stole all my stuff and won't give it back."
"I did not steal it, you left it to me in your will. I told you we'd figure it out and that the only things I will keep hold of are the things you're going to be a jerk about. Because you think yours is the only opinion that matters and that you get to override everyone else's decisions."
"Guys," Charlotte berates as she and the rest of the team join them. "Don't start this again."
"I've done nothing wrong, things would be fine if Kid would just stop being a stubborn punk," Captain Man defends.
"You're being completely unreasonable and I will not be bowing down to your senseless demands." Danger counters.
Their friends all roll their eyes and groan at both of them; the police chief stares attentively at the argument. "Can I help you find a mediator?" he asks. "If you're fighting over the contents of Captain Man's will, you're going to need some legal assistance to sort it out."
"Yeah," Danger sighs. "We should probably go talk to Mayor Blithe."
"The mayor?" Captain Man laughs. "How do you plan to get ahold of her? She's never around."
"I'm going to call her," Danger says. "She always picks up for me and I've had no trouble getting in to speak with her whenever I've needed to this year."
"What?" Captain Man shrills. "Really?"
Danger nods. "It's been a year unlike any other," Chief Stalwart agrees. "I'll escort you down there. She and I have more to discuss with you than your disagreements with each other."
Ray blinks at Henry, watching but not fully listening to the discussion between the Kid, the mayor and the police chief. The Kid's words are muffled by Ray's recognition of how tall he is standing, how professional his demeanor and of the deference the city officials are showing him as he speaks, how not like a kid he looks.
"That is quite the story," Mayor Blithe says staring at Danger and he finishes speaking. "So Shadow Man is truly gone?"
"Yes," Danger affirms. "He won't be back. But he and his black hole left behind a lot of damage."
"True enough," Police Chief Stalwart laughs humorlessly.
Mayor Blithe nods in agreement. "We're discussing plans for the giant crater in the city and we're helping find new homes for the thousand people it displaced."
"A thousand?" Danger asks.
"It took out three different housing complexes, two hundred seventy apartments in total, plus several small businesses," Chief Stalwart nods seriously. "It's a lot of damage. But no one was hurt. Being pulled into the black hole seems to have preserved the people that were inside all those buildings. No one else died."
"Not technically true. But I guess it all comes to the same," Danger shrugs.
"What of these 'ghosts'?" Chief Stalwart asks. "Are you really seeing the souls of Shadow Man's victims?"
"Not all of us," Piper comments.
"Yes," Danger answers. "Danger Force and I can see the ghosts."
"But not all the time? Why? And why only the five of you?" The chief asks.
"No idea," the Kid shrugs.
"I don't know anything about ghosts," Mayor Blithe says. "I always thought when someone died their soul left this world. So, what is it exactly that holds them here?"
"It varies," Shoutout says. "From what I know. The most common answer sited is 'unfinished business' but that's really vague. There isn't enough information about ghosts to give a real answer. And these ones are different from others, so it's less understandable. Sometimes they're here, like other ghosts, and sometimes they're not. They come and go at the mercy of the wind."
"Yeah, I doubt any of them are still here, or in whatever stormy limbo they're in, out of choice. They're stuck." Danger agrees. "Maybe some side effect of the magic that killed them."
"Can they be helped?" Mayor Blithe asks.
"I don't know," Danger says. "I'd love to but…" he shrugs.
"At least its not all bad news," Mayor Blithe says optimistically. "Though we still have some of our own to share."
"More?" Brainstorm whimpers.
"More than the giant crater in the city and the thousand people it displaced?" Charlotte asks.
"Yes," the mayor says. "Worse. Tell them what you found Stalwart."
An undeniable look of guilt crosses his face as he glances none too surreptitiously at Danger. "Well, there was an incident at the cemetery," he complies. "I can't say definitively whether he's alive or not, no one saw him and no one has seen him since, but the evidence does suggest it."
"What are we talking about? Who's alive?" Jasper asks.
The chief sighs and answers, "Drex."
Exclamations of "Drex?" and "What?" follow her words. Danger goes instantly rigid.
"Why is that surprising?" Captain Man asks looking at them all confused.
"Blackout killed Drex," Shoutout says.
"Drex is dead!?" Captain Man shouts. No one had told him that.
"Was," Chief Stalwart corrects. "It seems he, like you, came back. Shortly after the black hole the caretaker there found his grave desecrated, a hole dug out in it and his body was gone." He shows them a series of pictures on his phone of the grave. The headstone reads: Here lies Drex Stinklebaum. It is impolite to speak ill of the dead, there is nothing else to say. The middle of the plot of grass is torn open in a rough hole just big enough for a person to squeeze through. The ground beside it has distinctive violent claw marks lashed through it and splinters of wood stick into the dirt.
Danger swallows a shaky breath. Lil' Dynomite steps up beside him and grabs his forearm with a look of concern on his face. Danger presses his hand over the kid's. Captain Man frowns at the pair. "Someone want to fill me in?" he questions. Everyone had been telling him random stories for the past few weeks, a lot had obviously happened during his dead spell, but for something like this to have been skipped over has him appreciating just how much he'd missed. "Drex died? He was killed by this Blackout guy? And now he's alive again?"
"It appears so." Mayor Blithe says meekly.
"He dug himself out of his grave with his freaky claw hand?" Volt nods and scowls. "Hardcore."
"More like creepy," Brainstorm says, cuddling Blue. His pet monkey preens at the affection.
"And troublesome that he's running around Swellview somewhere, surely plotting something terrible," Haywire says.
Danger flinches at the implication his mind leaps to far too immediately. Captain Man stares like he's never seen the Kid before, feeling more and more like he is missing some big point. Henry is tense, his chest heaves with strained breaths, and he is visibly trembling.
Haywire frowns, "Sorry. I don't mean that he's…"
"I'm fine," Danger wheezes, convincing no one.
"You look a bit pale," Chief Stalwart notes.
Ray thinks that is an understatement. The Kid looks sick, not even able to force a smile or a lie.
"You should sit down," Mayor Blithe suggests to Danger.
"We need to find him," he argues in a wheeze. Nonetheless he lets her get him a chair.
"We will," Lil' Dynomite says, staying beside Danger. "But maybe you shouldn't be involved."
"No. I need to…" Danger is interrupted.
"I agree with him," Brainstorm says. "After the last time you saw him… both the last time in this universe and the other Drex in the other universe, you'll be better off staying away from him."
The mayor and police chief share a look. "What are you talking about?" Ray asks. "What happened between Kid Danger and Drex? In two universes?"
"Nothing," Henry chokes. His breath is heavy and loud, uncontrolled though the Kid is clearly struggling to do so. "We need to stop Drex. He can't be running free. He'll hurt someone."
"We can handle Drex," Ray shrugs off. "But what's going on with you? You're totally freaking out, Bro."
Henry heaves a stuttering breath that Ray isn't sure is a laugh or a sob. His deep brown eyes, short of holding the reassurance Ray is looking for, are full of barely restrained terror and pain. Captain Man frowns. He glances around at everyone else, seeking an honest answer. "What?" None answer. Every one of them is giving the Kid the same look of pity and worry.
(Commercial Break)
Ray wakes to a thump on the wall, having been sleeping lightly as his mind was too full of questions. For the first moment he can't place what might've made the sound, then he hears a door open. Not his, the sound is muffled by walls but it must be one close, Henry's room maybe. Footsteps fall heavy on the stone floor in the hall outside Ray's door. Curious, he gets up and looks to see who it is.
Stumbling down the hall is an extremely rumpled Henry. Ray blinks and follows the Kid, wondering what he could be doing at this time of night. He catches up to Henry in the boxing room, where the kid is already wrapping his hands. He gives no heed to Ray as he steps up to a padded post and throws a punch at it. A very sloppy punch. Several more follow, with a lot of aggression behind them but none of the skill they should show. They're not exactly strong either, despite the tension in his frame fueling them, each punch fails to hit it's mark with much power. Henry's shoulders are heaving with every rapid breath.
"Kid?" Ray asks, stepping up behind Henry and placing a hand on his shoulder.
Henry starts and whirls around, throwing his fist into Ray's face with a yelp. Ray stumbles back out of sheer shock. "Oh my god!" Henry says, recognition cutting through the fog in his eyes. "Don't sneak up on me like that! You scared the crap out of me! What are you trying to do?"
Ray frowns and responds, "I'm just trying to figure out what's up with you. I didn't expect you to punch me in the face. Why are you up at four am boxing?"
Henry's chest heaves as he considers the older man. "I couldn't sleep, felt like punching something."
"Couldn't sleep?" Ray questions. "After all that fighting and bad news yesterday? You're not totally worn out?" Henry continues to pant but doesn't say anything. Dreariness and bags pull at his eyes. "You look exhausted."
"I'm not, I'm fine." The lie couldn't be more plain.
"You should go back to bed," Ray calls him out. "You're not well and you need to rest."
"I'm fine," Henry repeats. "I can take care of myself thanks. I don't need you telling me what to do." Henry walks away towards a different punching post.
Ray stops him by grabbing him shoulder. "Well too bad. I am." He says sternly. Henry glares at him. "You need to sleep. You're still healing from the black hole and cracking your head and whatever other injuries you have from fighting all the villains today, or from whatever happened with Drex."
Henry wrenches himself away. "My injuries are my business, I'm not a little kid anymore and I don't need or want you fussing over me."
"Well, someone's got to. You're certainly not taking care of yourself," Ray responds. "And as your mentor, it's my job to keep you from getting hurt or killed."
"I am not your sidekick!" Henry snaps.
"Maybe not, but you were. And you might not be a kid anymore but you're still the closest I've ever had and probably that I'll ever get. I still consider you my responsibility; even if you don't think you need me anymore."
"I never said that! But things have changed! You can't just come back and expect everything to be the same as it was!" Henry growls.
Ray scowls and replies in a more controlled but equally angered tone, "Yeah. I've got that point. I know things are not the same. There's a giant crater in the city, thousands of people are dead, everybody knows you're alive, none of you listen to me anymore! I get it; I died and things changed. But the last thing I expected was for you to change."
Henry huffs something between a scoff and a humorless laugh. He turns in a circle, hands to his own head and heaving unsteady breaths. When he turns to look back at Ray there is a look of utter incredulity on his face. "Me? Me not be changed by your death?" he demands. "Are you for real? We're best friends! You're practically my brother! I was more changed by your death than anybody."
"Then why are you upset that I'm alive again?" Ray questions.
Henry stops and stares at him. "What?" he asks all anger replaced with surprise and shock. "Are you crazy? Why would I be upset?"
"Well, you don't seem very happy about it," Ray says, also more calmly. Nonetheless, he remains serious, not feeling that the Kid's response is an honest answer. "You were so clingy in the beginning, like you couldn't believe I was real, like you thought I'd disappear if I left your side. But then you got out of the hospital and we started trying to get back to normal life and it's like you think anything I do is messing things up. Do you resent that you're not the only full-on superhero anymore?"
Henry tears up. "Of course not. You being alive is all I wanted since you died. I don't resent you."
"Then why are you acting like having me back is a burden? If you wanted me to not be dead, why does it seem like you're more ready to go back to living the life you had without me than the way things were when I was alive? Why can't we go back to normal?" Ray's volume begins increasing again, his tone more intense.
In contrast, Henry is quiet. Teary eyes flicking around at anything but Ray for the length of the pause before he finally answers. "Because that's not normal anymore, Ray. You died." Ray recoils but before he can retort Henry continues with persuasive words and an expression pleading for him to listen. "It wasn't just twenty minutes after you'd done something dangerous and I thought you were dead. You were dead. Gone. I had to deal with your body and your funeral. Your real funeral. And the world didn't end there. My life didn't end there. I had to keep living and I had to do it without you. I had to take over for you, with Danger Force and Swellview. Then I took on Lil' D. And I was searching for you murderer and trying to prevent others. Normal went out the window, and I can't just go back now." He takes a long shaky breath and wipes at his wet cheeks. "I know you don't get it; you weren't there through it, everything that changed. But it happened and pretending it didn't is impossible. I know I changed. I'm sorry I'm not the Kid you remember, or the one you think I should be. But that doesn't mean I don't need you or that I'm not so happy to have you back."
Ray stares at Henry unsure what to say. This exhausted young man before him isn't the version he'd seen with the city officials, and neither are the kid he'd known. He hated to think it but he really had missed so much. He had been dead and the whole world had kept turning without him. His friends, his family had been devastated by it. "I- I'm sorry, Henry," he stumbles over the apology. "I'm sorry I left you to deal with everything." He grips Henry's shoulder. "But you don't have to anymore. I'm back, and I can take back my responsibilities. Not because you're not capable. I'm well aware you're not a little kid anymore. You've proven you can do all this without me." Ray sighs, suddenly feeling his age. "But you don't have to. It's not all on you anymore. Okay?"
Henry's tears have slowed, his exhaustion evident. "Okay," he nods and hugs Ray tightly.
Next Episode: S2E3: Unstoppable Force
