Kid Sidekick in..A fight to remember

In movies a fight scene is usually very epic and a unique part of the story. They are a colorful ballet designed to help the audience suspend disbelief.

In the real world of every day today, we might watch a boxing math or the MMA or even Professional wrestling and think, wow that was an amazing fight!

On the other hand, in a real fight. A street fight, when its You vs One (or more)opponents, all bets are off, there is no ballet to a street fight, no years of training. Its brutal,fast and dirty and you will use everything at your disposal to survive it. Screw the honer of Fisticuffs, hit the guy over the head with a brick if you have to!

In a stunt fight for a movie, there might be Ten guys whose job it is to keep the stunt man safe and to make sure the Fight goes off the way it's supposed to.

Again, in real life? Not so much!

Also it is surprisingly difficult to write down a fight scene on paper and make it read as interesting as it in fact was at the time. “He punched him in the chin!” just does not scream action now does it?

I only bring this all up as I was just in a fight and I want to get this all down before I forgot it. Normally I don't pay this much detail to my crime fighting escapades, but this time? Well this one was truly strange, even for me.

Like most of my Adventures as of late, today started quite innocently. I got to work at 5 AM and had the first round of baked goods on the shelf by 6:30 AM. My usual morning crowd came and went with bagels and Coffey in hand and by 8Am I was working on my big orders for the day. A Birthday cake and muffins for a party. Nothing out of the ordinary.

I shut the Bakery down at Three and was on my way to make the daily deposit at the bank when I saw him for the First time.

Even in Los Angeles, something about him stood out. He was dressed very dapper. Like someone from the 20's. Brown slacks, brown vest over a white shirt and then a dark brown jacket over that. Bowler hat and even a pocket watch. He had a certain pride about him as he walked, despite all the stares he was getting he walked with a purpose.

I lost sight of him as I continued my walk to the bank, but the memory stuck with me.

Then I saw him again walking towards the bank. I had only just lost sight of him going the other way and now he was ahead of me? That was weird?

He walked right past the Bank and kept going, I was just about to cross the street and enter the bank when I saw him again, walk out of the Bank?

There was no way he could have entered the bank when I just saw him walk away from the bank and I knew for a fact the Bank only had the One entrance for customers.

Ok my danger sens was tingling.

No, it was not several gentleman dressed the same, it was the same guy each time ! Even when dealing with Twins, there are specific things you can look for to help you know the difference. Each One of these guys not only looked the same, they were the same.

I walked into the Bank and there he was again, waiting in line?

I steeped back outside and saw him across the street walking the opposite way?

He was not doing anything that would make him seem dangerous, other then being in several locations at the same time. In the world I live in that is not as weird as you might think, I knew of several ways someone could pull of the trick. All of them involved Super Powers. Super Speed. Teleportation. Self Cloning. Shape Changing.

I was unaware of any Super powered beings currently operating in Los Angels who had any of the Powers and dressed like that.
Curiouser and Curiouser.

I shrugged and steeped back into the bank.

Only to find several of the Customers laying face down on the ground and One of the tellers yelling how the Bank had just been robbed?

By a Gentleman in a Bowler Hat?

There was only One public exit from the Bank and there was no way he could have walked past me. The Victims said he had left minutes ago but I had only steeped out for a Second or Two?

What the...?

what ever was going on with the man in the Bowler hat it had no just become officially a crime, a weird Crime but still a Crime. I might not understand what was going on yet, but Crime? That I understood.

“Not my bank you don't!”

I was running now, up the block to my Bakery. Drop the deposits back in the register and a quick change in the Storeroom .

The first thing you learn if your going to become a Costumed Crime Fighter was the quick change. From normal William Kids into Kid Sidekick in 75 seconds! Not my best time, I had once done it in under 30, but I had been prepared that time. The last thing I had planed on doing today was Crime fighting

“Oh well.”

I was on the roof and leaping across the street before the Door swung close behind me.

There is a fine art to roof top leaping and “free running” across the city skyline, it was amazing and beautiful and I never get tired of it. It also is exhausting and hurts like crap! No matter how well trained you are, the human body is just not designed for it.

Still , it got me where I needed to go and I had long grown used to it

The Police were already responding to the bank robbery and Bowler Hat was no where in sight . I perched my self on the top of a Billboard across from the bank and used my smart phone to listen in on the Police radio chatter (yeah there is an App for that). Thankfully no one was hurt and Bowler Hat had only escaped with the funds from the tellers windows. Maybe a few thousand at the most? No one robs a bank just to take the petty cash in the tellers box's.

The mystery of Bowler Hat continued to grow. I had a feeling that Bowler Hat was probably going to be a bit more then they bargained for today?

I had last seen Bowler Hat walking west of the bank so I stared my search there, but saw no sign of him? You would think that someone dressed like him would stand out? Attract attention? No such luck.

From my rooftop perch, with my hand held Binoculars I scanned the few blocks around the Bank but still could not find him. I jumped to the top of the 7/11, jumped to a power line and swung my self across to the roof of the Laundromat. From there I took a shortcut over the roof of a Real Estate Office and landed in the ally behind the Mexican Restaurant. From there it was a quick leap to the Fire Escape of the Hospital and then I could swing from that roof to my next target.

Half way across the Hospital roof I spotted a Brown Bowler Hat in the Parking Lot across the street.

“Got you!”

I took a running jump, hit the sky at a break neck speed, pulled my self in to a dive. Hit the pavement in front of him and came up swinging for his gut! Only to find the Parking Lot was empty, all I had done was frighten a few Pigeons.

“What the hell?”

How did he move so fast, was he a Teleporter as I had suspected? That would explain a lot? Still, something did not feel right.

I had met maybe Two people who could actually Telport during my Years as a Crime Fighter and there was a feel to the Air when they vanished. Like the sky just before a Thunderstorm breaks, that smell of Ozone was unmistakable. It was also missing from the Parking Lot? Whatever Mr Bowler Hat was, he was not a Telporter.
When in doubt, return to the scene of the Crime. I was up and leaping back to the bank before the Pigeons had time to return to there perch.

I spent about Fifteen minutes skulking around the bank looking for some clue as to Mr Hats motives and where he might have gone? Sadly I found nothing.

The story had not changed. He robed only the Tellers windows and then seemed to vanish. Each witness swore he had been there a few Minutes but it was only a few seconds when I stood at the Door and there was no way he could have made it past me.

All the evidence seemed to suggest someone able to move at Super Speed, a rare power in deed and it would explain everything, yet still it did not sit right in my Brain. There was something I was missing, but there was little else I could do at the moment but wait.

I returned to the Bakery and went about finishing my day. After working my way through the Police line I was able to make my deposit. I also did some snooping around the interior of the bank and make not of the placement of the Security Cameras. I hoped they had caught some forage of Mr Bowler hat that I could view to see if I was missing anything?

I took my lunch, set up the bakery for Tomorrow and returned home to consult the Web for any more information on the Case did several searches to see if there was any information on Mr Hat or if he had ever appeared before but came up blank.

He was it seemed an enigma, and I decided to call him Enigma because calling him Mr Bowler hat was a little silly.

I did my workout, took a shower and hit the bed for a power nap.

Around 7PM I was up and out and on my way back to the Bank to watch the Security feed. In the days before WI-FI, security cameras were pretty much just glorified VCR hookups. Now thanks to modern technology everything is kept on the computers, so the Security feed from the robbery can go to the Police,the Insurance Investigators and still be on the main frame back at the bank. Which allows someone like me, to hack into that feed and watch it from the Comfort of the Bank rooftop.

I watched the replays a few times and still could not make heads or tails over what I was seeing. What ever Enigmas powers were, it made the feed nothing more then a blur. I saw him enter, saw me at the door. Saw people in the Bank hit the floor but the actual act? That was just a Blur?

Weird.

Now normally when the evidence trail in a Crime runs dry you “round up the usual suspects” as they say, which is to say you consult with your local snitch maybe ruff a few thugs up to get some insight in to the workings of the Criminal Underworld this Month. While I was no stranger to strong arming a few snitches in my time, something about this told me I would be wasting my time.

I don't have any super powers, just Years of training that makes me One of the best in the World at what I do. When you live this life and you are not Bulletproof you develop other skills to compensate. One of them being a keen sense of perception and insight and right now my Sixth Sens was telling me that questioning the local Low Life about Mr Enigma would get me no closer to the truth. There was a sens of the dramatic about all this and almost a tangible sens of for lack of a better word Sadness? Mr Enigma would be just that, an Enigma and if I did not figure this out soon I suspected I would never know what happened today.

I still did not think he was able to Telport, but Super Speed was still on the list of possible explanations.

I took to the air again, leaping from Roof to Roof and swinging across the Skyline. I had One last hunch to look into before I called it a night and drowned my confusion in a turkey sandwich.

The One thing that stood out about Mr Enigma was of course the Hat, so my next stop was the only Hat Shop within a 5 Mile radius of the Bank. It was a wild guess that Enigma would be the kind of Man who only bought the best in Hats, but it was all I had.

Hey Kid Sidekick, world's greatest Detective. How do you spend your evenings?

Siting on top of a hat shop playing video games on my smart phone.

I sat at the hat shop for about an Hour,wracking up a new high score but other then that it seemed to be a waste of Time, I was just about to start my trip back home when I caught movement down the block from where I was sitting. Could have been nothing but I chose to leap over there and investigate anyway.

Sailing across the skyline with nothing between me and sidewalk doom but years of training and 100 feet of Swing Line. While I never get tired of that sensation, I thought to my self for about the 800^th time that I really should get my self a Motorcycle or some better forum of transportation. Sadly the Kid Sidekick Mobile just sounds silly! Still, I should get myself One.

I landed with ease on the roof of the hair cut place and looked to where I saw the movement and there he was, my bowler hat wearing Enigma. Even as I dived for him he vanished. I landed with ease, rolled and sprung up as he appeared across the street.

“Hey!” I yelled as I gave chase. He did not flee from me, just casually walked further away from me. He turned a corner and when I did, he of course was not there. Instead he was standing inside the hair cut place that I was only a moment ago standing on top of?

Was he taunting me? I looked right at him as he stood there in that building. His expression was not sarcastic or insulting, just sort of melancholy?

Even as I watched he seemed to vibrate for a second and then vanish.

This was not an example of Super Speed as I had first thought nor was he Teleporting. No, this was something else. Something I had read about but till now never seen.

When I was training under my former mentor The Hood, he would make me spend Hours studying the various members of our masked fraternity. Villains, Heroes, powered and not. Even the retired and dead one's! If the Hood had any information on them, he made me memorize it, just in case.

Within those Files was documentation on a mysterious individual who was active in the 80's and early 90's, whose appearance and powers were very similar to the individual I was now chasing.

That gave me an idea as to where I would find my bowler hat wearing culprit next.

I took a moment to catch my breath and chomp down on a Granola bar I had in my “Utility Belt.” Then I was off again,pondering the weird, wonderful and often annoying world that was being a Super Hero.

In China Town, Jack is told to “Follow the Money.” Which goes for my line of work as well, follow the Money. Or in this case, follow the trail back to the start. So that's what I did.

I returned to the very corner when I had seen my elusive pray the first time..

Sure enough, there he was. Across the street walking along as if he did not have a care in the world. I ran a few scenarios in my mind and came to a conclusion that I wanted to resolve this with as little violence as possible so I just yelled and waved at him. Hands up,showing no obvious signs of threat I walked towards him.

His expression was again just melancholy, world weary as they say. As if he had seen to much. I waited to see if he would vanish again and when he did not I got as close to him as I could and addressed him.

“Look, I don't know what why you robed that bank, I get the feeling you are in some kind of trouble? Maybe I can help you, just return the money and tell me whats going on.”

He looked at me, sadly. Then smiled and spoke. His voice was low,gravely and emotionless

“Help me? No it's far to soon for that.”And, then he vanished again!

“Oh come on!”

I kicked at a piece of junk on the sidewalk out of frustration and looked around for him. Wait, what had he said? To Soon for that? Not to late, but to soon?

Well that pretty much confirmed my hunch. He was not a Speedster or even a Telporter, no he was quite another rare forum of problem. He was a Time Traveler!

“Why cant it ever just be a guy robbing a 7/11? I miss that, I really miss that!”

I had a hunch where I would find him and I wanted this resolved soon,Time Travel never ends well for any one involved.

In the recorded history of super powered individuals, there are only four accounts of Time Travel. Cinder “Pandora” Elowie, who had the ability to open portals to different dimensions and times. She was over in Europe.
Archive, a robot from the year 2450 who was sent back to record events in our time. It self destructed at the end of it's mission over 11 years ago.
HG Wells who had not just written about time travel but invented it as well before retiring and living out his life back in his own time.
The fourth was an individual who had referred to himself as the Visitor and had meddled in super human affairs in the late 90's.

My time traveling bank robber sure looked a lot like the the description of the Visitor in the files.

I waited at the spot where I was pretty sure he would appear next, I had some time to think things through and equip my self with a few extra surprises for my Enigma.

I did not have long to wait. The air hissed and there he was. He smiled when he saw me and tipped his hat.

“I see what they say about you is True. You are quite the detective Kid Sidekick.”

“Thanks I guess. I still want this to end with out a fight sir! Just tell me what's going on and return the money. Please let me help you?”

“Oh the Mooney? It was never about the Money. You should have seen that by now? Am I to early?”

“What,no? What? “

He laughed, a low gravely sound.

“It was not about the Money Kid Sidekick. It was about being seen, being remembered When you are like me,unstuck in time. All that matters at the end is that History remembers you. Will you remember me William Kids?”

How the hell did he know my name?

“Remember you? You are hard to forget . I'm not sure what it is you are doing but you know I can't let you continue?”

“And why is that?”

“You robed a bank!”

“Did I? I am sure you will find all the Money is where it is supposed to be as if it never happened. Much like me.”

His Time Travel logic was giving me a Migraine.

“Fine, fine. This has all been about making people remember you. Making me remember you? Then help me understand? Help me to remember you! Do I need to take a picture of you or something?”

“If I have broken no laws then there is no need for us to have this conversation. While I appreciate you desire to be the hero in this encounter Kid Sidekick. I am afraid there is no room for William Kids in my story.”

He smiled again and took a step back.

I can not explain this to you any more then I already have,will have. Going to. I can tell you though that in a minuet you will be gone! Or will I?”

The air made a sound like a balloon pooping and he was gone?

The sound he made when he ripped his Time Travel hole in reality was becoming unmistakable, like white noise on a radio and then the pop of the air rushing back in to fill the void.

I pondered his implied threat that I would not be hear in a minuet?

Then the noise came, followed by the pop followed by a fist aimed at my chin.

Fortunately I was already moving a Second before he appeared and as he regained his balance I was rewarded with a momentary look of surprise on his face.

I did not give him a chance to recover as I tossed the first of the surprises I had packed just for him. Suddenly the air was alight with dozens of tinny sparks and then Multi collard ribbons and the smell of sulfate. A simple firecracker but it did have the added effect of distracting him. As he fought to rid his vision of the steamers, I went to work!

I palm slapped his Ears then followed with a pressure point strike to his Neck, then a Fist to the spot between his Eyes. All less then lethal moves designed to take a normal opponent out! Sadly he was no normal opponent and this fight was going to go the distance

Truly I did not want to hurt him, my plan was to render him immobile and unable to vanish. I still thought I could help him. He had other ideas.

While he displayed no actual knowledge of the Martial Arts, he was unbelievably fast and still able to shift in and out of Reality for a blink, Making him very hard to fight, but fight him I did.

“You can not help me Kid Sidekick! Just remember me!”

I remembered him bruising my Ribs or making my Nose bleed or the pain in my Leg! I remember punching him in the Stomach,slamming his Head in to the wall and spin kicking him into oblivion. He was fast,tough and driven but I, well I was Kid Sidekick!

Fist to Chin, Knee to Stomach. Elbow to right side of Face,Elbow to the left. Knee to Stomach. For every move he made, I countered He would Blink in and out and I would compensate, he gave as good as he got but after a Minuit or so it was obvious I was winning. He was staggered, stumbling, bleeding. Yet he would not step down, every One of his blows was made with furry and dedication. Every One of mine was delivered with Surgical precession for maximum effectiveness

“Stand down man! Stand down. It's over! I’ve won.”

Panting he looked at me with new found respect.

“How? How did you do that. How can you know what I am going to do?”

I smiled

“When you shift, it makes a very specific sound. I just listened for it, once I learned your pattern I just moved out of the way.”

He laughed

“I knew it was you, someone had to remember me and I knew it was you.”

He looked at the night sky and smiled again.

“The problem with being unstuck in time Kid Sidekick is after a while, no one remembers you. Time does not like a abnormality like me, it rushes to fill the holes my condition creates. In the end, I will only be a whisper.”

He shifted again and I felt pain explode in the back of me head, where had he go that brick!

He pounded me again and again with the Brick, my Skull was rattling and I was almost blind from the blood in my Eyes.

Remember what I said, real fights are never as pretty or amazing as they appear on film.

I rammed a Elbow into his Chest, spun and delivered a hay maker to his Chin. Another Knee to the Stomach and another blow to the ears. He staggered, I flicked my wrist and the second surprise I had brought slipped in to my Hands. With all my might I swung the Taser Rod in to the side of his Head. It was like getting hit my an electrified baseball bat.

He was on his Knees after that, unable to move as the electricity did it's job.

He hung there panting,groaning and then laughing

“Now William kids, now is the Time.”

With that he vanished again.

I waited a minuet,5 minuets then 10 but he did not return to the fight.

I spent the rest of the night patrolling, looking for him, for some sign of my enigma? My Visitor? Nothing.
I got home around 3 AM and grabbed a shower and a Coffey I had to open the Bakery at 5 so I just chose to stay up and get this all down. Trying to remember every word, every movement but even as I spoke these words to the Talk to Text on my Computer my Mind was slowly going blank

I got to the Bakery and started up the ovens for the morning orders. I drank another Coffey and was glancing at the newspaper when I saw an article that intrigued me.

Today was the 10^th Anniversary of the Death of One Ron Lieberman I had no idea who Ron Lieberman was or why his Death was so important as to need an anniversary but as I looked at the picture of him. Bowler Hat and all , I realized that Ron Lieberman looked a lot like someone I had recently met, someone who was desperate to be remembered.

Ron Lieberman looked a lot like the Visitor, a lot like.......

Wait?

The Visitor?

Why am I thinking about him? I can't remember.