Chapter 2:

3: Heroes never win.

Then.

I am 16. I am a Teen Sidekick.

As long as there have been Super humans there have been sidekicks. There were never a lot of us at any one time but we were always part of the Masked fraternity. Sidekicks did not last long in most cases, they tended to be used as hostages a lot. Plus there was the whole sex thing? If your sidekick was of the same gender as you, then everyone thought you were gay. If your side kick was of a different gender then you? Then everyone thought you were there underage sex toy.

We also tended to get frustrated with our mentors and break out on our own, take up a new name and try and establish ourselves.

I had been the Hoods side kick since I was 12, I'm pretty sure most people thought we were a gay couple or he was my father or something, and while I can say that The Hood was a sociopath OCD asshole ! He was my friend and mentor and I was proud to be his side kick.

Of course till I turned 16 and decided to make a name of my own from out under the shadow of the Hood.

I was almost going to finally use my Cowl identity, but it turns out there was a Cowl in New York so I stuck with Kid Sidekick. Like I said I was the only kid sidekick who's name was Kid Sidekick.

So like every good 16 year old side kick, I broke out on my own and within a week had formed a team with a another frustrated Teen Sidekick or two.

Because that’s just what you did.

We called ourselves the Defenders! Yeah stupid name, but we were Teenager and we were angry and it was the name that worked. As far as I know there were no other teams using that name anyway.

So there was me, Twin brothers called Dragon and Phinox and a girl named Bolt.

I got along pretty well with the brothers but I could not stand Bolt, something about her just rubbed me the wrong way. She was in to Dragon, flirting with him all the time but never gave Phinox the time of day. Playing them off each other, she was nice to me and I was cordial to her but like I said something about her.

So it was our second case together, a high profile kidnapping at a local Science Fiction convention had attracted our attention and as it turns out the twins and Bolt were avid fans so they were going to the con anyway. I liked Star Wars as much as the next kid but I did not see the appeal of the Con?

We were trying to track down the kidnapers before there deadline was up .

Most people were under the assumption that the kidnapping was just part of the convention experience and the authorities were allowing that illusion to continue while they conducted there investigation. A 14 story hotel is going to be hard enough to search , add a few hundred convention goers and the Police and FBI had there hands full.

The twins and bolt were working the convention I there uniforms, who's going to notice three super heroes when the building was full of people dressed up? I on the underhand was just in my normal everyday attire with a visitor badge. If you did not attract attention to yourself people tended to say more stuff around you.

There was the beginning air of panic which concerned me, some of the convention attendant had noticed the police, also it seemed there was a thief working the convention as well.

The hotel lost and found reported that since the Convention began yesterday, four backpacks, two jackets, one wallet, three rings and a camcorder had all vanished.

While I doubted the thefts had any connection to the kidnapping, it was an interesting side note to consider?

Dragon, Phinox and bolt were all powers and they loved to flaunt it, 16 years old and you can fly! What did you expect? I just shrugged and let them grandstand, not a one of them knew the first thing about criminal investigation or information gathering and there was no question that despite all there boasting I could (and had) beet each of them in a fight.

The police had not asked for our help and the FBI had a very strict view on parahumans interfering in a case, but the method of the kidnapping could only lead us to believe that the culprit was either a super villain, or a very talented magician.

You see the victim had vanished in front of 40 witness while he was giving a speech about why he was here?

I had no idea who the guy was, a game designer I think. Had some story about the authorities seizing his game? I don't know? I was a nuts and bolts guy, I was more interested in the display the guys from CIT had put up. A working rail gun that shot tennis balls across the parking lot at almost sonic speed. That was pretty awesome, and dangerous.

Maybe the crooks were using the kidnapping as a diversion and were after the rail gun? I could imagine the damage that could do in the wrong hands.

So I'm walking the main room of the convention and something catch's my eye, while I don't have a photographic memory I am trained to remember things and notice small details. Plus I had a note book and wrote things down, so imagine my surprise when I see a backpack matching one of the description I wrote down under a table?

I walked over and picked it up, my plan was to take it to the hotel lost and found so they could return it to its owner. I took a few steps with it in my hand when the smell hit me, a sticky sweet perfume smell masking the musk of old denim and to many people stuffed in one convention hall.

It was a very distinct feminine smell, which I found odd as the owner was male? Ok maybe nothing, I mean there could be a million reasons for the scent except I had smelled that particular brand of perfume before, and yeah it could be a coincidence.

Sadly I was far to pragmatic to believe it was .

I returned the backpack to the front desk and reaffirmed none of the others had been turned in and my notes were correct

After that I was able to sneak past the Police and learn they still had no clue as to where the kidnapers were or why they had not made any demands yet.

14 floor's, a couple hundred guests and only the FBI and the Los Angeles Police to try and figure out what had happened or why the Kidnapers were not following protocol?

There was a protocol for kidnapping in the FBI's book?

Thankfully I had not read that book (ok bad pun)

There are many reason I wear the mask and cape, one of them is that it's not my only costume. The Hood and I had a dozen false identities each and he had secret stashes of money and Geer all over Los Angeles. It was easy as 1-2-3 to step in to the bathroom as William Kids and step out the bathroom as Tim Bandy.

Tim Bandy was a pretty decent guy, loved his mom, was in to vintage cars, wanted to maybe be a engineer after college? Just one of my many false identities, one which is was sure no one in this building had ever seen.

As Tim bandy I walked the convention floor, the dealer room, the open game room. The stage from which the Victim vanished. I returned to the table where I found the bag and then again to the stage.

The police and FBI are very good at there job and I am sure had this been a normal Kidnapping they would already have the culprit.

Just that it was not a normal kidnapping was it?

Now:

With piston precision her red garbed fist connected with my face, or so I let her think. I admit, I'm out of practice. Winded already, unable to focus over the sound of the fan Still for all her strength she was still slow, ponderous and reeked of the damn perfume

I laughed, her attempts to strike me were almost comical, I was more worried about her partner. I could not here a thing over the fan so I had no way of knowing where he was. I had to sue the room, get a wall behind me, control the momentum of the fight. It was like a dance really, and while I may not have done this for a few months it was like riding a bicycle

She really didn't have a chance, but then she never did.

“Bolt? Nice to see you.”

Another fist came at me, powerful and predictable I dodged it with ease and rolled to the side, my elbow hit something and a shock of pain lanced threw me. Damn it! I'm making rookie mistakes again.

“I don't call my self Bolt any more. I grew up! Unlike you Kid Sidekick!”

She said my name with condescending malice, meant to shake me up.

I used the room, moving between the pipes and the old hiding places. I knew I had recognized the noise on the phone though still had no idea who Reginald was?

“I love what you have done with the place since we were kids Bolt, to bad you did not get rid of that damn fan!”

I was up and over a pipe with the grace and speed of a Olympic gymnast My kick connected with her jaw and sent her 200 pound plus frame tumbling backwards.

I landed and tossed a handful of ghost pepper seeds in her face. Like Mace but more effective and I could put the leftovers on a sandwich latter on.

She screamed.

I looked about the room, where was he?

“Where your boy friend? Where is Dragon!”

The old training room looked the same as the day I last saw it.

When we were a team, Bolt,Dragon, Phinox and I we did not have a base but we all lived close to the Sherman Oaks Mall and we met and practiced in the under structure The pipes and ducts, small passage ways and corners were our playground. A place to be Super Heroes , we even took our stupid name from the giant fan that ran the air conditioning.

The Drake Defender 5000.

The Defenders.

I grabbed her by the collar of her red costume and slammed her head into the concrete.

“Where is he!”

She spit blood at me and tried to squirm out of my grip, she might be stronger then me and more dense but I had control of the fight now, every thing she tried I used against her. All those years of training coming back to me as if it was yesterday. The body hurt, but the body remembered

“Tell me what you are up to Bolt”

“The name is Red Dynamo!”

Her fist hit my stomach and sent me stumbling back, it was like being hit by a car.

Damn it, out of shape. Out of practice and running out of time. If I let her get up and moving she might be able to do something. Withe her density control increased strength she could easily manhandle one of the duct pipes and use it as a weapon. Causing both the mall and me a considerable amount of damage.

Still she was not the most dangerous of the two, he was.

“And what, he calls him self Red Dragon now?”

“You think your so much better then us, then him ? Then Me!”

“Well you got that right Bolt, I am better then you and as for Dragon? Well he may be better then me but I never attacked my own brother now did I?”

The bard was not to upset her but to make him tip his hand and show himself. Dragon had been many things when I had last spared with him, maybe even as good as me 6 years ago but I knew his weakness, his glass jaw so to speak

She was coming at me again, same predictable fighting style as if brute strength was the answer to everything.

“I never trusted you Bolt, not once and your still the same ? How can someone as smart as you always be so damn stupid!”

I moved at the last second, letting her slam in to the wall behind me. I vaulted her and landed, then slammed my fist in to the back of her neck. Enough force to knock out a trained MMA fighter, she may have just shrugged it off.

I was not sure because that was when the pipes exploded.

Dang it

Then

Follow the money. It's always about Sex or Money and for the most part that is true. Almost every crime ever was either about Sex or Money.

The vanishing of the kidnapping victim had gone off like a well orchestrated magic trick. Every witness to the crime described it almost the exact same way, every cell phone video that went viral on YouTube showed the exact same thing. In a world with out super powers it could have been a magic trick, but when you live in a world of men who can fly?

I watched the video over and over again and considered the few clues I had, follow the money.

Clue number one: In the great world the man was no one of any global importance, he ran a company that made Role Playing Games. One of the games had apparently got him in trouble with the Government and he was guest at the convention to talk about his game company and his situation with the Government.

Clue number two. Since the convention had started there had been a rash of thefts, backpacks and other small things. One of which I found under a table smelling of a very familiar perfume

Clue number three; I knew three people who were at the convention since it started, all of whom had super powers. One of whom was known to were the same perfume that I smelt on the backpack.

I told you I never trusted her.

Despite her name, Bolt's powers had nothing to do with speed or lightning. She had the ability to increase her density, making her self stronger and harder to damage. So I never got the name Bolt and she never offered an explanation

The Twins on the other hand? Well Dragon was almost Bolts opposite Where she made herself dense and strong, he could make himself light and fast. Striking five or six times for each of her one. They complemented each other nicely, which may have been why bolt liked him. He liked to boast his skill made me look pointless, I always smiled and then proceeded to hand him a beat down.

Phinox ? Well like his name sake, he had this thing with fire. I never knew the full extent of what he could do, but a bolt of fire from the hands of a Sixteen year old kid was pretty impressive

Each one of them outclassed me power wise, and I had taken each one in a sparing match. For all there God like power, they had no idea how to use it effectively

It had looked like a magic trick, that’s what everyone said. After my third exploration of the stage I knew why. I had never consider how the twins powers would complement each other, flame plus speed. Magic after all was mostly distraction.

From the point of view of someone sitting still, someone moving very fast would almost be invisibility Add to that bright lights, a crowded room and a sudden bright flash of light(fire?) and you have a magic trick

As for the various items that had been stolen by Bolt and the twins. Once I knew what was in them and combined it with my other information it all became clear

I did not know much about the lives of the trio outside our team and the Defenders had only worked together a few times before and done a handful of training sessions under the Sherman Oaks Mall, but other then that we knew nothing about each other.

Well that is to say, I knew about them but they probably did not know about me. What, I had been training with a paranoid sociopath named the Hood since I was 12. It rubbed off! Of course I had followed them home. Investigated them as much as I could, I’m a sixteen year old Martial artist. They can fly and shoot flame, I needed an edge on them for just this kind of situation.

So I knew about Bolts life, the Twins lives. Not everything but enough

For example I knew Bolts family were going to lose there house, that the Twins father had just lost his job. That Bolt and Dragon had spent time together alone after the last three times we had met.

I also knew Dragon, Phinox and Bolt had all met at the same place. The magic castle in Los Angeles.

Yeah, it did not take much for me to deduce who was responsible for Jack Stevenson kidnapping. I just did not know why? There had not been a ransom request yet.

My conclusion was they had used there powers to pull off the kidnapping and then used them to find a place to hide Mr Stevenson.

When you had powers, you could see the world in more then just three dimensions and had the ability to do amazing things like hide a grown man someplace a normal would not think to look.

Once they had him, they took turns taking the various backpacks to get extra cloths and cash. The other stuff they took no doubt to pawn or, well I had no idea what there motivation was?

While I was not 100% sure, I was about 90% sure that I knew what was going on.

It did not take long for Tim Bandy to vanish and William Kids to reappear, then as William I approached Dragon and told him I was leaving the hotel to follow up a clue. I would check in with them in an hour or two.

I made sure at least Dragon and Bolt saw me exit the Hotel , after that it was as easy as pie to duck behind a wall and switch out my Geer and become Tim Bandy again.

I returned to the Hotel and went about following Bolt. Something told me she was the mastermind behind this.

It took me an hour and two close calls before I had a pretty good idea where they had hid pore Mr Stevenson. Y

you know that whole, no 13^th flood thing? Well that’s not exactly true, many buildings had a 13^th floor. It was where they kept maintenance stuff and storage and what not. A guest elevator sped past the 13^th floor but an employe elevator was able to reach it, or someone with super powers?

Sneaking around in a place you should not be like a Hotel or Hospital or Museum is not as hard as you would think?

. You just have to act like you are supposed to be there. A 16 year old kid walking down employe hallways towards the Employe elevator should have set off alarms? I acted like I was supposed to be there, if anyone asked me a question I truthful y told them I was with the Convention and they ignored me.

It only took me a few minuets to find the Employe elevator and hit the button for the 13^th floor. While riding I switched out of my Tim bandy disguise and in to my Uniform. When the elevator door opened into the dimly lit and cluttered 13^th floor, it was Kid Sidekick who steeped out.

It smelled of dust, mildew and regret. It also smelled like cotton candy?

There is something very sad about forgotten places like this, seldom seen by people. Lost things left to wither away, there is probably an analogy to humanity in that statement?

I was more curious about the smell of Cotton candy?

I maneuver about the maze silently till I reached the spot where I guessed they were keeping Mr Stevenson, it took a few moments but I found it. I was surprised to find Phinox standing in front of the door? That explained the smell of Cotton Candy. His powers were Flame related and when burning dust made the air smell of , amongst other things, Cotton candy.

He was not who I expected to find up here.

I steeped out of the shadows to confront him, he gave a brief squeak of fright then increased the intensity of his flame.

“Why Richard? Why are the Three of you doing this?”

“”Stay out of it Kid, you would not understand?”

“I think I would, it's not that hard to figure out. I am just disappointed you are involved in this as well.”

“He's my brother, I owe him.”

“You don't owe him this Richard Kidnapping? There are better ways to deal with this. You were all supposed to be Heroes, my team members! Not this pathetic attempt at Crime.”

His flame got brighter as he became visual upset by my prodding, which of course was my intention. I needed him upset if I had to fight him. Of my three teammates, he was the one who never really seemed to want to be a Mask? He tagged along with his twin brother Dragon and his powers were always handy when fighting Crime, but his heart was never in it. I often thought he would rather just be living a normal life of a 16 year old in los Angels

“It does not have to be this way Richard Just walk away and I wont mention that you were a part of this.”

He blinked, the flame died down for a second. He looked at his hands, I think he was crying? Then the flame jumped back up and he flew at me.

“You would not understand! “

I dived out of the way as 150 pounds of Flaming Human came flying at me,as he landed to my left and stumbled I did a spin kick in to his Knee. He struggled to regain his balance and put up a fight but it was already over. Despite being the most powerful of us, he had the least amount of combat training. Depending on his flame and speed far to often, a weapon is useless if taken away and all it took was another kick to his knee to bring him to the ground. He landed on his face in a pile of left over heating pipes, I could here his jaw crack from the impact. He screamed out in pain and his flame went out.

I looked around but there was no damage, I often wondered why his flame never set off fire alarms or burnt things on accident?

I took some Zip Ties out of my belt and bound his hands behind his back.

“This was dumb Richard, I do not understand why you let Bolt boss you around?”

He just mumbled how I would not understand as I unlocked the door to the room containing Mr. Stevenson.

“Oh come on Richard, how stupid do you think I am? They had Sex and he got her pregnant! The kidnapping was to get money for the Abortion which is why this was so bungled and unprofessional Why do you think it was so easy for me to find you! Bolt practically spelled it out for me, between the way the two of them have been acting and the stupid backpacks she stole. Fucking Roach, I never did like or trust her but I expected better from you and Philip!”

Confusion crossed his face.

“Wait? How do you know our names, we never told you.”

I just looked at him and shook my head, it was almost pitiful

Once I made sure Mr. Stevenson was ok I called the FBI to come up to the 13^th Floor and recover Phinox and Mr Stevenson.

Richard went willingly, he looked like a limp balloon They would book him for kidnapping ,reckless endangerment and Arson. Ha!

Mr. Stevenson was screaming about Suing him and the Hotel, I spent all of 15 seconds around the man and realized he was a Asshole . I shook my head, maybe he deserved to be in that room after all? Some humility would do him good?

Not my place to judge though. I let the FBI take the credit for the bust as I slipped away in the shadows. I did not want them to turn there attention to me.

The Police and FBI searched the Hotel for Dragon and Bolt once Mr. Stevenson told them about the duo.

Idiots kidnapped him in Costume and told him there names? A small army of Police in a building with over 800 Geeks in it draws attention fast! It came as no surprise that Dragon and Bolt had fled the Hotel

No matter, I knew where they were.

Now.

Flames engulfed the super structure within seconds. Pipes whined and concrete screamed! Years worth of accumulated trash,dry leaves and god knows what else was down here just fed the angry flames. Even with the insulation in my Uniform I was feeling it already.

As for the source of the Blaze, the smell of burnt sugar was the only clue I needed.

“Phinox”

Great now I had to deal with Bolt and Phinox and still no sign of Dragon.

I maneuver myself so I had a wall behind me, offering some protection from the flames. I took that moment to get my barrings and formulate a plan of escape.

Richard did not seem to care about the damage his flames were causing, but I did. Who knew what would happen if the reached something important like a fuze box or gas main? Were there people in the building above us? Could the flames spread from here to another building?

There was no good solution to this, the automatic sprinklers sprung in to action and managed to curtail some of the flames progress and I only hoped that a fire alarm was ringing in the nearby Fire Department station house?

What ever happened next, I had to end this fast.

6 years ago I was able to handle my self against Bolt, Phinox and Dragons 16 year old selves. Now? After not putting on the uniform for two years? With out knowing how there powers and skills may have grown and changed? I did not know?

Hell I had not even thought about them since the Hotel incident and I guess I figured they had vanished with all the other Supers two years ago.

Which begs the question, how did they not?

Which I intended to ask them, once I was out from under this death trap and had dealt with the threat.

I rushed for the exit. head down, letting the costume take most of the damage. Feeling the heat, smelling the smoke, waiting and hoping the sprinklers would snap on before someone got hurt.

A shadow came out of me from the maze of pipes and flames the structure has become. It was Bolt, staggering and bloody. Her hair was smoldering and her face, dear god it must have been a second degree burn at least.

“God damn it Richard, turn the flames off. Your hurting your own team!”

She fell in front of me, I calculated the odds and chose to lift her any way.

“Come on Amanda, get moving. You cant kick my ass if your dead!”

I don’t know if she herd me, the building was screaming! I was moving as fast as I could trying to get us to safe, inches from the exit when a wave of flame washed over me.

I was down, fighting to keep going, heat eating at my skin. Bolt was below me,gasping for breath as a screaming banshee of flame came rushing towards me laughing.

“Do you know what they did to me in Jail Kid Sidekick? To all of us?”

“ You can tell me latter asshole, now let me get you and her to safety!”

“Like I fuck care about safety Kid. You ruined my life”

With that Phinox charged me, a corona of flame licking at his body while hungry tendrils of fire reached towards my all to fragile skin. I waited til he was seconds from touching me and delivered a uppercut to his chin with all the strength I had left.

I ignored the searing pain that engulfed my fist as my effort was rewarded with the satisfactory sound of his Jaw cracking. Phinox mumbled a cry and then slummed down before me. With him no longer controlling it the fire s started to dwindle almost at once. The sprinklers chose this time to finally turn on and I could here the welcome sirens of the Fire Department.

I grabbed his arm and managed to stumbled him and Bolt out of the structure and on to the street

“Fucking idiots!'

I sat down on the pavement and waited. There was still no sign of Dragon, which was fine because I was not sure I could survive an encounter with him. I was hurt, badly. First and second degree burns, dehydration, smoke inhalation. Yeah, I was fucked.

Police and Fire arriving at the same time, none to happy to see three Mask's and a 3 alarm structure fire. At least the building had been empty and no one was hurt. Thank God for small favors.

Once the Duo of Amanda (Bolt) and Richard (Phinox) were dealt with I made a quick exit, I remember how well I was treated the last time I put the Mask on. Frankly the fewer people that knew that I, that we were still around and active the better. The fall out of the news that Supers were running around again playing out there destructive Tableau could be good or could be bad !

I still had no idea who called me and how Bolt and Phinox were still around and who was Reginald.

Pain rushed through my body as I skulked back to my Car and got the First Aid kit out of the trunk. I pealed off the crisp layers of my Uniform to expose my raw flesh to the cool night air. While the Uniform took most of the damage I was still in a bad way and should be in a Hospital, that was not a choice as I had no way to explain the damage.

I was used to burns though, working in a Bakery my whole life plus the Hood had trained me in Combat medicine for years.

A nice soak in a Medicinal bath and the proper application of various ointments and in a few hours I would feel as right as ...a guy who had Second Degree burns.

Something in the air changed, I don’t have powers but I do have years of Training. Even now, out of shape and in pain I was still as competent as any Navy Seal, as aware as any Martial Artist. I did not need to see or hear him approach, I could smell him.

“Same stupid aftershave after all this time Phillip?”

I turned to face my latest threat,. He stood at the end of the ally, he had something that looked like a rolled up carpet slung over his left shoulder.

He let go and it fell to the ground, I herd a painful groan come from it? It was a Person.

“The name is Red Dragon, and my aftershave is no more stupid then your lame ass name! Kid Sidekick.”

“Your aftershave is a Tell Phil. It let me know you were there. You should have known that!”

“Amanda said....”

“Dear God Phil, you and your Brother let that stupid roach mislead you seven years ago and that got all three of you in jail! Now she has you blowing up buildings and apparently once again kidnapping.”

I pointed to the Tarp.

“Please tell me that’s not Mr. Stevenson again?”

“I fucking hate you Kid.”

Sigh, another fight.

Then.

Sometimes there is a part of me that is ashamed of the things I do when I have the mask on. Following Bolt to find out where she lived, discovering the secret identities of Dragon and Phinox and stumbling across Bolt and Dragon having sex!

I knew where they would be, the place where they first kissed. I had seen them there before, watched them with a combination of excitement and disgust. It's hard to be professional and detached when your a 16 year old boy with raging hormones.

It was not a moment I was proud of, but I justified it as I drove to the spot. Had I not spied on them I would not know where they were. Even knowing I was not sure what to do? I handed Phinox to the Police and informed them I was going to bring Bolt and Dragon in, but could I?

I had beaten Bolt and Dragon in practice fights but in a real fight? Bolt would be easy, her density control powers gave her tremendous Strength and Durability, but she was slow and predictable, plus I knew about her broken jaw. That was something I could capitalize on.

Dragon, he was super human fast,able to strike a target multiple times, more then a match for me. I had beaten him in sparing matches, mostly due to him lacking any formal Martial Arts training. His speed meant nothing if he did not have the skill to back it up.

Now it would not be a friendlily sparing match! I was coming to bring my former Defenders, fellow Super Heroes to Justice.

Justice! Like I am any better, like I have any right?

Like I said, sometimes I did things.

I parked the car and walked up to the spot. A natural cave almost that had grown out of the way buildings had been placed and progress had evolved. It had been a maintenance road once, now it was all but forgotten in the day to day rush of the City. If you did not know where to look you would drive right past it.

I knew where to look, so did they.

I did not use stealth this time, they knew I was coming. I wanted them to see me, see my anger and disgust.

I was not angry because they went bad. We were kids,with powers and Masks. We were so full of ourselves, so fucking stupid!

I was mad that they had betrayed the team, disgusted that Phillip and Richard had let Bolt manipulate them, that they had Sex. I did not know a lot about Sex, what 16 year old does? It had just seemed wrong knowing they had done it, that she was Pregnant.

They were waiting for me,holding hands. I wondered if they had bobby trapped the area in preparation of my arrival?

“I don't suppose you two just want to give up?”

They looked at me like I was a bug, filth under there matching Blue Boots.

“no? The Police will be here soon, I told them where you could be found. I asked them to let me go first, cashed in all my Favors with them to have this talk.”

“Fuck you Kid Sidekick” Was Dragons response, Bolt just said that my Name was stupid. It was stupid, that’s why I loved it

“You both know this does not end well! You don’t live happily ever after! You broke the code! You were supposed to be Heroes, now your Villains! Do you know what they do to Heroes in Jail?”

“Your Stupid Kid, you don't have Powers. You get to go home ,take your Mask off and be a normal person! We don't, we did what we had to do.”

“What you had to do? Kidnap some Game Designer, at a Game Convention? Steal a bunch of backpacks? How does that even make sense? You could have just asked for help from your Families, from the other Heroes, from me! We were supposed to be Teammates!”

“We were never Friends Kid ! You were never a part of this team, it was always Me, my Brother and Amanda. You always acted like some Mysterious Dark Knight Detective Devil Bat want to be, always staying in the Shadows. Never telling us your name, wanting to go off on your own to look for Clues because you knew how and we did not! We were never friends!”

“I never said we were Phil, but we were a Team. I expected better from you and Richard. As for you Amanda, you have made my Stomach sick since the moment we met! I never knew why I did not stand you, now I do. Your just spoiled Fruit!

“Fuck you, your just jealous I chose Dragon over you! I see the way you look at me! You wanted me and he got me”

“Wanted you, I never wanted you. I watched you because I never trusted you and as for getting you first “ As if your a prize! Have some self respect Bitch! “

That got her, I think she shed a tear. I could sens her powering up, collecting the mass around her. In a few seconds she would go from a normal girl to a almost 300 pound demolition Machine who could punch holes in Concrete!

“Last chance Amanda, Phil! Stand down, give up, maybe we can work something out. “

“As a team Kid?”

“Yes as a team Bolt!”

“We were never a Team Jack Ass!”

She yelled, it sounded like a Freight Train. She came lumbering at me, the ground shaking as she walked. Her mammoth fists ready to rain down on me. I had felt her blows before, when we had worked together. I had been hit by a Car once while chasing a Mugger. Broke my arm and bruised me up pretty bad, getting hit by her felt like that, but worse.

I had no plan to be hit by her this time, she was never a concern. It was Dragon I worried about. His speed, he was almost my match, maybe even better. I had the edge in the past, but now he knew I had his number. I imagined he would compensate, change up his fighting style. It's what I was going to do, he knew the way I fought. They both did! I am sure the believed they could beat me now, they were wrong.

I knew more then one way to fight!

Her blows were powerful, you could here the air rush when she punched. Like a truck speeding down the street. The wall behind me became Dust when she hit it, I was already moving away from her and watching for Dragons first move.

So God damn fast I did not even see it coming! He had been practicing!

You ever been hit by a baseball? On its own it's not much, but that small ball when it's moving at 60-80-100 MPH, it hurts like Hell! Imagine that, but five times in a row in under 5 Seconds!

I herd Bones crack and felt the blood in my gut.

“Ha, got you, Asshole! Finally got you.”

I steeped back, spat out the blood and stared at him with burning hatred. Years of training flooded my Brain and my Adrenalin was pumping. He flinched, looking at me. I intimidated him.

He got flew at me again, raining fists down on me in rapid successions, a Shit Storm of Pain!

I was ready this time though, letting the padding in my arm guards take most of the damage and rolling with the rest.

“Good one Phil, but that’s all you two get. Is one!”

“Shut the fuck up Kid, we know all your moves, all those times we spared, I just proved I can hit you. All I have to do is make the opening and Amanda smashes your stupid face in to this wall, Game over for Kid Sidekick.”

I smiled and let the hate fill my Eyes.

My voice became gravelly, my knuckles pooped.

“All those time we fought, all those times I beat you. Beat all of you! You know what you fucking waste of life! I was holding back!”

The Hood always said that all those Powers, they meant nothing if you did not know how to use them,control them. They were just Tools and if you did not use the tool correctly or you became to dependent on it. You were asking to have it taken away.

When preformed correctly, Martial Arts can be as beautiful and inspiring as any Ballet. Pro Wrestling is a organized stunt show in the round preformed by two amazing athletes. Boxing is called the “Sweetest Science” for a reason, but take that all away. Take all the honer and training and tradition out of fighting and boil Martial Arts down to it's basic beginnings and that’s when you realize, that they are the practiced art of tearing another person apart with your hands!

Almost every Martial Art known to man had been drilled into me since I was six. First by my Grand father and then by the Hood. I knew Dozens of Combat styles, could walk in to any Dojo on Earth and test for a Black belt

Ever possible scenario of how this fight was going to go ran though my head, and there were several ways I could end this with very little violence.

I ignored them!

In the past when I fought, I would hold back. Use as much Judo and Akido as I could to deal with my opponent with out causing to much harm. I was a Hero, that was just what you did. This fight? This fight I was not going to hold back, oh no. This was going to get bloody I knew it, they knew it, they were going to do there very best to make sure I did not walk away from this, and I? I was going to rip the two of them apart!

As Bolts first blow shattered my Ribs and Dragon rained a rapped succession of punches to my face, I just screamed and went to work. To paraphrase a Comic Book cliche'.

School was in session!

Dragon had to be First, he was the larger threat.

For ever Five blows that hit my face and chest, I returned two. I remember him telling me he had broke his wrist a few years ago from falling off his Bike. I snapped that wrist back in a way it was never meant to go.

Then as Bolt tried to smash me over the head with a Cinder block, I used the wrist hold I had on Dragon to roll him under the Blow. I laughed as Bolt broke her boyfriends skull open!

From the Wrist I went to the elbow and wrenched it hared, pulled him in to me and delivered a Mu Ti kick to his shoulder. Having created a chink in his armor, I kept at it and wrenched that shoulder out of its socket.

Meanwhile Bolt had broken my leg with a two by fore and was trying to maneuver so she could drive a Iron Pipe through my chest, I took every untrained blow she had all the while using Phil as a human shield. I could not let him get his hands free, give him a chance to get up to speed.

So I shattered his knee with kick, then using his as a spring bored I ran up his chest, wrapped my legs around his neck and preformed a wrestling move known as a head scissors take down! The momentum of my flip spun him around and then drove him face first in to the street.

I felt broken glass pierce the Kevlar of my Costume as Amanda smashed a bottle over my chest.

I kipped up and then drove my knee in to Dragons neck, he tried to recover, beg off the next blow .He raised his one good hand up as if to say “I'm done”

I broke that hand as well,then I drove my fist in to his right ear with as much force as I had left, I pooped his ear drum and followed up with a hay maker sending him flaying into Amanda's heaving chest.

Piss and Blood filled the air as she screamed at me. Dragon was down, hurt bad and she was like an angry bull Elephant. She moved faster then I gave her credit for and finally got that blow in to my face she had been counting on.

I think I passed out for a second, I could not see out of my Right eye and I was vomiting up Blood and Bile.

Her next blow probably would have ended me, but remember I knew about her broken Jaw just like I knew about Phillips Wrist.

With all the strength I had left I rammed my fist in to that jaw, then an elbow. I just kept at it. Blow after blow to her Chin, her face. Elbow, Elbow, Knee!

She broke free using her tremendous strength and tossed me like a rag doll in to the wall, I herd things break. She gathered what wits she had left and made as if to run into me, smashing my face in to self same wall.

I pulled a can of Silly String out of my utility belt and sprayed it all in her face

What, I'm not stupid! For all my bravado and “I'm the best in the world” crap, I'm still just a kid who knew some Martial Arts in a world where people can friking Fly! Of course I carried things like hand cuffs, smoke bombs, silly string and weapons.

She ripped the silly string from her face, I knew it would not stop her. Just needed a second to catch what breath I had left and pull a weapon out. In this case a Police Issue Riot Baton that I kept clipped to my belt for just such emergency

With all the strength I had left I taped in to those years of Baseball and swung a line drive right for that broken jaw of her.

The pooping sound it made as her lower jar dislocated from her skull was frightening

She let out a gurgled scream and fell to the ground sobbing

Slowly her body deflated like a Balloon as she slipped in to unconscious and her powers went away.

I got a little petty then and kicked her and him in the head.

Then I took out my phone and told the Police where they could find the Kidnapers.

I duck taped them together and slipped into the shadows as the Police showed up to end this party.

At that point I was done with the whole Solo thing. I limped back to the Hideout for the invertible verbal lashing from the Hood . Strangely enough he did not give me any, just grunted and stapled me back together while I concocted a story to tell my Parents to explain this latest bout of injury’s. The Hit and Run story I had already used twice, they were starting to get suspicious. Maybe they thought I was in a Gang?

I wonder what they would do if they found out I was a Supper hero.

I giggled as I passed out.

Now

Phil moved like I remember. All Speed and very little skill, watching him was like watching a Olympic level Gymnast. He moved with a new found confidence, the Six years since last we fought had been good to him it seemed.

He came charging at me like a Tiger on the hunt, maybe in my prime I could still have taken him but now. Two years of no training and having just survived a building blowing up around me. There was no way I could walk away from this.

He flew through the air with a new found grace I was almost envious of, if that blow hit my face I was probably done.

So I shot him!

I steeped to the side, pulled a Taser out of my Utility Belt and shot him !

He fell to the ground like a sack of bricks. Shaking and cursing, and vowing to kill me.

Maybe it was petty of me, but god I hated the guy almost as much as I hated Bolt/Amanda.

I Curb Stomped his head and walked away from him, let the Police figure this shit out!

I was more curious as to how the Troubled trio had remained behind on the Earth when all the other Supers vanished two years ago.

I opened up the Carpet Dragon had dropped to expose the body inside. It was just some guy I did not recognize, it looked like Phil had beaten him in to submission.

I shook him awake, maybe he had an Idea as to why the Idiots had kidnapped him and gone after me after almost Six years?

I imagined I looked more like a Zombie then a Super hero as the guy opened his eyes, weird he had almost milk white eyes.

Another Supper?

“Hey man, you ok. You know who you are?”

He stretched and moaned and tried to pull himself up. I offered him a hand which he grudgingly took. He stumbled to his feat and took a few seconds to get his barrings. The cry of Sirens filled the night, echoing off the many buildings. Dog's barked in response and the sky was alight with the flames dancing across the Parking Lot of the mall.

The guy looked at me, around the area then at the shivering shape of Dragon.

“What the fuck?”

“These Idiots kidnapped you, I just saved you. Any idea why they took you?”

“Not a clue, attacked me while I was getting Lunch. I barley escaped the big when when this guy jumped me. He moved so fast, I was out like a light within like a second!”

Then he took my bloody and battered forum in and a look of Fear crossed his weird Eye's.

“Who are you?”

“They call me Kid Sidekick, and you?”

“Ramsay, Reginald Ramsey. Kid Sidekick Huh? You might remember me then as Cipher?”

Well fuck me with a Caramel Apple!

“Reginald? As in find Reginald?”

He just looked at me dumbfounded.

  It was going to be a long Night