by Lucas Flint
Last I heard, Munroe Acquisitions, Inc. would likely survive, but it would no longer trade places with Zhao Acquisitions as the biggest superhero acquisitions agency on the planet every year, maybe never would again. I figured it would take years for Munroe Acquisitions to regain the power and prestige it once had, which seemed like a fitting punishment to me. I decided that I didn’t care much for superhero acquisitions agencies anymore and that they could all go to hell for all I cared.
Speaking of superheroes, the Vigilante Legion had been defeated by the members of Heroes United. Doctor Devil had been captured by Myster and Cyberkid, fittingly enough, along with all of the other vigilantes present in the building. Almost all of them were going to jail, though I had heard that a few had struck deals with the federal government to get lighter sentences in exchange for information on the remaining members of the Legion in other parts of the country. Rumor had it that the Department of Superheroes and the Department of Justice would team up to crack down on the Legion, or what was left of it, anyway, which I didn’t think was a whole lot, given how many vigilantes had been arrested so far.
But I was happy to hear that anyway. With Iron Angel and Doctor Devil both behind bars, it meant that me and my family were more or less safe. I sincerely doubted that any of the surviving vigilantes would even think about coming to Golden City, at least not unless they wanted to join their leaders in jail, anyway.
As for Heroes United, their members had left Golden City soon after that, each one returning to their respective towns and cities where they worked. Myster and Cyberkid had been the last to leave, telling Rubberman and I goodbye and giving us a few interesting gadgets that Cyberkid had developed. One I found particularly interesting was my very own pair of rocket boots, similar to Cyberkid’s, though he said they were even more advanced and could send me flying at 100 miles an hour. I’d spent much of the last month playing around with them in the Rubber Room and was pretty good with them now, though I still flew somewhat awkwardly and crashed far more often than I liked.
Before they left, I told Myster my theory about Prime Man and Sasha’s alliance. Myster listened well enough, but was skeptical of my idea. He promised, however, that he would investigate the matter more fully, which was surprising, because Myster had always struck me as an almost fanatical supporter of Prime Man. Perhaps Prime Man’s ordering him to essentially walk into an ambush had made him more cynical about him.
Prime Man himself, of course, gave a press conference as soon as the news of Sasha’s arrest became known outside of our little city. I saw it online. He strongly condemned Sasha Munroe, the Vigilante Legion, and the Necromantress for the crimes they committed and expressed hope that the government of Golden City would bring down the fullest extent of the law on her. He also praised his fellow Heroes United members for defeating the Legion, though I didn’t recall him even mentioning me or Rubberman, which seemed kind of odd, given how we were the ones who defeated Sasha in the end.
Despite the act he put on, Prime Man did not seem entirely sincere at the press conference. I thought he might have been a little depressed, as if things had not worked out the way he wanted. Or maybe I was just projecting my own thoughts about him onto him, but I didn’t think. Either way, I had no way to prove that Prime Man had cut any sort of deal with Sasha, nor had the government apparently found any evidence linking the two, so I didn’t focus on the matter too much. I did, however, make a mental note to avoid working with Prime Man in the future. Something told me that he was the kind of man who attracted trouble, whether he wanted it or not.
And, finally, there was the Necromantress. Like Sasha and Takeshi, she had plead guilty almost immediately upon entering the courtroom, though why, I didn’t know. Best as I could figure, she had even less of a chance of winning than Sasha, so she just gave up ahead of time. I was a little surprised, though, that she didn’t summon any of her zombie servants into the courtroom to free her. Perhaps she didn’t think they would stand a chance against the judge and jury, either.
Rubberman was the one who told me about that, by the way. He had gone to Golden City Penitentiary to visit the Necromantress after she ended up in jail. He didn’t tell me what they talked about, but I could guess that it had something to do with their past. Once again, I was reminded of what Rubberman told me what seemed like an eternity ago, about how he still had feelings for the Necromantress despite their divorce. It made me wonder if that was what they talked about.
Regardless, I was glad that the Necromantress was in jail. She deserved to be in there, in my opinion, whatever her feelings for Rubberman may have been. She wasn’t as clever or smart as Sasha, maybe, but given everything she had done to us, I didn’t feel bad about her fate. I did, however, feel sorry for whoever her inmates happened to be; I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have to listen to her rants about Rubberman all day every day, especially when she spoke about herself in the third person.
That was when I suddenly realized that I had reached the entrance to the Elastic Cave. It took me by surprise, because I hadn’t even been thinking about my destination, but I guess I had gone here so many times that my legs and my bike just knew the best route. Hopping off my bike, I brought it into the false storefront entrance, chained it up to the bike rack, and then went down the elevator into the Elastic Cave itself.
Soon, the elevator came to a stop at Level One and the doors opened. As soon as I passed through the open doorway, I saw Adams sitting at Mission Control, but when I entered, he looked over his shoulder at me and smiled.
“Hello, Mr. Fry,” said Adams, turning his chair around to face me. “You’re early today. Ready to get started?”
I nodded as I walked over to Mission Control. “Of course. I just need to clock in and get my costume on.”
“Excellent,” said Adams. “Once you’re clocked in, I have several assignments for you to do, given to me by Mr. Pullman, which need to be completed as soon as—”
“Adams?” I said, interrupting him. “While I’m sure there is a lot of work to be done, I’d like to go and talk to Rubberman first, if possible. I’ve got some things I want to discuss with him, important things that I can’t put off. Can I do the assignments later?”
Adams looked like he was about to say no, but then he paused, nodded, and said, “Very well, Mr. Fry. As a matter of fact, Mr. Pullman asked me to send you to his office as soon as you clocked in, because he, too, wishes to talk with you about something, though he did not tell me what.”
I wondered what Rubberman could want to talk with me about. Was he thinking the same things as I was or did he have something else he wanted to discuss with me?
In any case, I thanked Adams, clocked in, and then went over to Rubberman’s office. I didn’t even bother to knock, like I usually did. I just opened the door and entered, closing the door behind me as I did so.
Rubberman, as usual, sat at his desk, where he was busily typing on his computer. The small, rubber figurine version of himself stood next to the monitor, but it wasn’t the prototype anymore. It was the actual figure, which, as I recalled from Rubberman telling me, had come out last month and sold very well. It had done so well that they were going to do one of me next, which I thought was pretty cool, all things considered, seeing as I’d earn royalties from sales of my rubber figurine.
But I didn’t care about that right now. I wanted to talk with Rubberman about my future with him, which of course included these sorts of licensing deals, but was far bigger than them as well.
As soon as I closed the door, Rubberman looked over at me and said, “Hey, Alex! So glad you’re here. You’re early.”
I nodded. “Yeah. I just clocked in, but Adams told me to come over here because you wanted to talk with me.”
Rubberman immediately stopped typing and lowered his hands below his desk. “Good. The matters I want to discuss with you are very important. Come over and take a seat. I don’t think it will be very long, but in case it is, you should make yourse
lf comfortable.”
I nodded again, walked over to the seat, and sat down. Rubberman turned back to his computer, tapped a few keys, clicked his mouse a couple of times, and finally turned to look at me, perhaps finished with the work he had been doing on his computer.
“All right,” said Rubberman, leaning back in his office chair. “I think you know what we’re going to talk about today.”
“Sure,” I said. “My future with your business.”
Rubberman nodded. “I see we’re on the same page. That’s good. Means we won’t waste time discussing irrelevant things.”
“Yeah,” I said. “I now have enough money to buy my own car; in fact, I’ve already found a car that I’m interested in buying. James and I will be going to this used car place in town on Saturday to check it out. I haven’t decided if I’m going to buy it yet, but it’s a good price and all the pictures look great, so I probably am going to buy it.”
“I remember when I bought my first car,” said Rubberman with a sigh. “It was an old nineteen-nineties Lumina. It served me pretty faithfully until I sold it back in 2010. It wasn’t as flashy or fast as the Rubbermobile, but it was a good car nonetheless. I hope your first car, whatever it is, serves you just as well as mine did.”
“I hope so, too,” I said. “James keeps telling me it will conk out on me as soon as I drive it off the lot. But I don’t really believe him, because James always says stuff like that.”
“Right,” said Rubberman. “By the way, how has your brother been doing? I thought he had gone back to college already.”
“Oh, he’s still going to school,” I said. “But he’s thinking that he might drop out after this semester is up and go into the superhero business.”
“Really?” said Rubberman. “Odd. I thought you told me that your brother didn’t like the superhero business much due to his negative experiences as a sidekick.”
I shrugged. “I don’t always understand James, but I think that seeing the things I’ve got to deal with has changed his mind. He probably thinks it will help him get hotter girls than he already gets. He’s planning to reuse his old Lightning Fist identity as the basis of his new business.”
“Well, I hope it works out for him, whatever he decides to do,” said Rubberman. He folded his hands together. “The superhero business is a rough one, but also very rewarding for those who choose to participate in it. I wouldn’t trade my job for any other one in the world, no matter how dangerous it is.”
“Yeah,” I said. “But as for me—”
“Are you thinking of quitting?” Rubberman said. He didn’t sound desperate; he just sounded curious. “Now that you’ve saved up enough money for your car, is that what you want to do?”
“I’ve been thinking about it,” I said. “The original plan from the start was that I’d work for you until I had enough money for a car and maybe save up a little extra for college, too.”
“I know,” said Rubberman. “That’s why I asked if you were thinking of quitting. I wanted to know what your decision was.”
I readjusted my glasses, though it was more out of habit than anything. “You seem to be in a hurry to find out what my decision is.”
“I just want to know so I can plan accordingly,” said Rubberman with a shrug of his own. “If you do quit, I’ll still be responsible for paying you royalties relating to Beams merchandise. Even if I find a new kid to take up the Beams identity, I’ll still have to pay you royalties for the merchandise I licensed while you were working for me. I’ll also have to amend my will to put ownership of the business in case of my death under Adams, rather than splitting it between you and him.”
“Practical, business considerations, then.”
“What else is there in business?” Rubberman shook his head. “Alex, I can’t make you keep working for me. If you do quit, I won’t be offended or bothered, because I’ve known for a while now that you weren’t always going to work for me. Plus, this industry has huge turnover in the sidekick area, so your departure wouldn’t be that unusual. Even so, I still think it would be better if you stayed. You could be a successful hero in your own right, independent of me and my business.”
“Yeah,” I said. “That’s why I decided to keep working for you.”
Rubberman looked genuinely surprised when I said that. “Wait, really? No joke?”
“No joke,” I said. “I made that decision last night. I’d like to work for you for the next couple of years and then start my own superhero business when I’m old enough to do that.”
Rubberman’s look of surprise was replaced by the happiest smile I’d ever seen on his face. “You mean you aren’t going to college after all?”
“I talked about it with my parents over the last month,” I said. “My Dad didn’t support my decision at first, but when I explained to him that I already had something good going for me, he decided to support my decision. Even James thinks this is a good idea and he rarely thinks my ideas are good.”
“What made you decide you wanted to keep working for me and start your own business?” said Rubberman.
“Just … everything, I guess,” I said. “In particular, it was seeing how you had to balance business with crime-fighting. I’ve met a lot of bad people in this business since I started working for you, but you’ve always been a good guy and I want to be more like you rather than, say, Barriers.”
“I’m touched, Alex,” said Rubberman. “But are you absolutely sure? You know how rough this business can be. There’s a reason a lot of superheroes and sidekicks alike end up burning out after a few years. It’s a tough business to stay in and an even tougher one to be successful in.”
I smiled. “Over the past year, I’ve fought world class assassins, corrupt corporate executives, dishonest superheroes, crazed fanatics, aliens trying to resurrect their god, and every type of criminal under the sun. I’ve lived through it all and not only survived, but thrived. I know how tough it is, boss, and I am more than ready to deal with whatever else this crazy business has to throw at me.”
That was all true. Back when I first started, I probably wouldn’t have even been able to say such a thing, but after the last year or so, I felt like I could take on anything. Dad always said that confidence comes from competence, which was another one of those things that Dad always said but which I hadn’t actually understood until I got older.
“Well, I guess there’s no arguing with that,” said Rubberman, shaking his head. “I still think you’ve got a lot to learn, but you’re off to a much better start than most sidekicks. I support your choice and I can’t wait to see how much more successful you become in the future.”
“Thanks, boss,” I said. I rose from my seat. “Anyway, I need to go get my costume on and get started on those assignments that Adams said he had for me. They sounded hard, so I want to get started on them pronto.”
“Of course,” said Rubberman. He nodded at the door. “And maybe sometime later today, I’ll let you drive the Rubbermobile again.”
My smile grew even wider. “No fooling?”
“No fooling,” said Rubberman. “But just for a little bit, and with me in the passenger’s seat.”
“Thanks, boss,” I said. “I really appreciate it and can’t wait to take the Rubbermobile for a spin again.”
With that, I turned and left the office. As I closed the office door behind me, I couldn’t help but think about my future. I didn’t know for sure what lay ahead for me, whether as Rubberman’s sidekick or when I eventually would strike out on my own, but regardless of what awaited me, I knew I would be able to handle it.
-
THE END OF MINIMUM WAGE SIDEKICK.
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What's Next
Dear readers,
I hope you enjoyed reading this book just as much as I did writing it. I also hope you all consider it a good ending to the Minimum Wage Sidekick series. Writing the final books in a series can be both fun and challenging, so I hoped I pulled it off this time.
And yes, this is definitely the final Minimum Wage Sidekick book. The adventures of Beams and Rubberman are over for now. I do have some future plans for the Minimum Wage Sidekick universe, possibly sometime in 2018, but for now I am going to put it aside and focus on something else.
That ‘something else’ is my next series, The Supervillain’s Kids. Set in the same universe as The Superhero’s Son and The Young Neos, The Supervillain’s Kids stars Bait and Switch, superhuman twins who can change powers thanks to magical stones given to them by their supervillain mother, as they go to a superhero school to learn how to be real heroes.
As readers of The Young Neos might notice, Bait and Switch are not new characters. They were introduced in Counterparts, the third Young Neos book, but didn’t get much development during that series. But I always thought that Bait and Switch had the potential to be really interesting characters, so I’m excited to be writing a series about them and their adventures.
The first Supervillain’s Kids book, Bait & Switch, is scheduled for a December 2017 release. If you’d like to be the FIRST to know about its release, subscribe to my mailing list HERE.
And, as always, if you haven’t already, please leave a review on Amazon for this book. Whether positive or negative, detailed or concise, every review helps indie authors like myself get more exposure on Amazon and sell more books in the process.
Thanks,
Lucas Flint, Cherokee, Texas, November 2017
About the Author