by Adam Graham
James sighed. “Aw, Mom.”
“Relax.” Derrick slung his left arm around James’ shoulder. “Mom is good at these things.”
Dave swallowed. Since when did superhero spouses come up with battle plans? Well, he’d prayed for a plan. Now he had one. Hopefully, it’d work.
Powerhouse hovered over Safeco field in his cloaked airship. He pressed a button to turn on the external video.
Mitch Farrow and five FBI agents stood lined up before a guillotine and Manners on a large podium. Manners stood on an eight-inch tall box. He extended his hands to an assembled crowd of curiosity seekers. “My people! Are you ready for justice?”
The crowd cheered.
“Are you ready for a world where you no longer have to drive down the street hearing the other car playing gangster rap? Are you tired of teenagers broadcasting their preferences for intimates? Are you tired of Chinese restaurants serving hamburgers? Join the new Empire of peace, civility, respect, and understanding. Resistors, prepare to face a bloody death.”
Powerhouse pressed the button Naomi had him install on the ship. Powerhouse put the ship on auto pilot and grabbed a satchel full of small machines. Powerhouse turned on his personal force field.
He flew out of the airship and landed on the ground. He tossed a black dice-sized cube on the ground behind the crowd. It generated a force field around them. He put up his hand. “Stand down, tyrant. The mighty Powerhouse will stop you.”
Manners turned to him. “I pity you. You could have joined me. No one’s wise enough to rule beside me, but I would have made you a high-ranked underling. I’ve shown you already that you have no might. I’ll let you live, if you kiss my boots.”
Powerhouse grimaced inside his helmet and laughed. “Never. The might of Powerhouse is more than brute strength, but the power of imagination. Based on that ridiculous costume, you don’t have any.”
“Ooh, imagination! What can you do with that?”
Powerhouse opened the satchel and threw toy robots and toy animals at Manners’ soapbox. They landed on the platform beneath him.
“Little toys?” Mister Manners slapped his thighs and chuckled “Give me a second to recover before I throttle you, pathetic has-been.”
Two of the toy robots grew to seventy feet tall.
Manners gasped.
“You were saying?” Powerhouse pressed a button on his sleeve.
The toy robot animals grew to twice life size.
Powerhouse grinned at the bigger, meaner version of the robots that had battled him at Comic Con. He pointed at Manners. “Sic ‘em.”
The robot animals lunged at their prey.
Naomi sat in her living room recliner by a superimagined computer that gave her a view of the entire stadium. Beside her, the kids remote-controlled the robots filling two of her window-sized computer screens. In front of her sat a black joystick. Derrick’s robot was stomping around, careful not to step on anyone and firing dud missiles near the guards.
James’ robot marched to the guillotine and spoke in a deep robot voice. “Anyone here work for his m-m-majesty?”
The armed guards pointed their guns up at the robot, exchanged glances, and then ran fleeing toward the home team clubhouse.
The Seattle PD would handle them from the exits. Now, time to rescue the hostages.
An IM window popped up on her computer. “Mom, why can’t I do something other than just stomping around? James got to face the guards.”
Naomi typed back. “Young man, you’ll operate your giant robot like I tell you or not at all.” She frowned as she hit send. Wait, she sounded just like her mother. Well except for the giant robot part. She laughed.
Another buzz. Derrick’s new message was “ok” with a sad smiley.
Naomi sighed and replied, “Next time, you can have your choice of assignments.”
Derrick sent back a banned happy smiley.
Now, it was time to get the prisoners out. Naomi turned on the remote control for the rescue ship and lowered the force field enough for the rescue ship to enter. She used the joystick to fly it down to where the prisoners were tied up.
A human-sized robot ran and cut the ropes around their hands.
Naomi hit a button on the microphone attachment that altered her voice to sound like a robotic girl. “Please come aboard. You will be flown to safety.”
Four FBI agents boarded. The fifth agent stuck his head in only to stand back. “There’s not room for any more. I’ll stay behind. You take Mr. Farrow.”
No way was she going to risk an FBI agent’s life to save that jerk. Naomi used her robot to shove the agent inside and slammed the door closed. “Mr. Farrow, please wait here. I’ll return in a minute for you.”
“Sure, take the FBI agents and leave the taxpayer. That’s marvelous, clown.”
“Your hands are free. Run to the crowd.”
Farrow glanced at the battle. “I’ve got Star Wars going on all around me. I don’t think I’ll make a hundred-yard dash.”
Only Mitch Farrow would argue with his rescuers. Naomi used the joystick to maneuver the rescue ship into the air and soared up with its five FBI agents through the force field and landed several blocks away.
Powerhouse folded his arms and smirked. Robo-Cobra was coiling around Mister Manners and staring into his eyes.
Mister Manners snapped the cobra’s coils like it was a shoestring.
Hey. Powerhouse glowered. “How did you avoid the hypnotic gaze?”
“Idiot, I closed my eyes!” Manners lunged at Powerhouse.
Powerhouse delivered a haymaker that sent Manners hurtling right into Derrick’s giant, gold-colored robot.
Derrick’s robot grabbed Manners by the top of his head and held him well off the ground. “Didn’t your mom tell you name-calling isn’t good manners?”
Mister Manners struggled against the grip, sweating beads.
Powerhouse flew up to stare Manners in the eyes. “Give it up.”
“Not until the world is free of people who don’t say ‘thank you’ when taking samples in a store.” Manners wrenched out of the robotic hand’s grip and launched a frontal assault on the robot’s chest cavity.
Derrick’s robot fired its energy cannons and missiles at Manners.
Go, Derrick! Go! Powerhouse grinned.
Manners pushed through the barrage.
Powerhouse swooped down and grabbed the villain’s left arm. Manners flipped him toward the robot. Powerhouse turned midair, headed straight up toward the force field, and then looped back down. Mister Manners yanked on the robot’s leg, ripping it off. The robot fell to the ground and fired the last of its ordinance at Mister Manners.
The smoke cleared and Mister Manners stood still in the sky in a hammy heroic pose.
No! Powerhouse drew a deep breath. It was only a robot, not Derrick’s actual leg.
Mister Manners dropped the leg and landed. “You see?” He panted. “I’ll defeat you and your little robots too.”
A Robo-Tiger grew to giant size just like the gold-colored one he’d smashed.
Manners gaped. “Another one?”
The robot laughed. “This would be a dumb game if I only got one life.”
Robo-Tiger lunged at Manners. Manners wrestled with the tiger, but a good minute. Finally he fought it off. He stood, breathing heavily, struggling for air.
Powerhouse cupped his hands to his mouth like a heckler. “Manners, you can’t hope to win. You’re exhausted.”
“Never, ever, ever give up.” Manners dashed across the field as fast and he could and grabbed Farrow by the neck just as the rescue ship was descending again. “You let me go or I’ll crush his skull.”
“Coward.” Powerhouse’s heart skipped a beat.
“You’re the coward. You couldn’t beat me man-to-man so you brought your robot toys. Now let me go or I’ll snap his neck.”
Powerhouse sighed. “Okay.” He pressed a button. “The force field’s lowered. You can leave.”
&
nbsp; “Thank you, Powerhouse. We’ll meet again and then I will scatter you to the four winds.”
Naomi cursed. She covered her mouth. How could Dave ruin the plan? Manners would kill that no-good deadbeat dad anyway and then come back to kill her boys’ sweet, fun-loving daddy.
She clicked on the window labeled “Airship,” clicked the icon of a dark black cloak in the program, and turned on the display screen to focus on Manners.
He hobbled along at around two hundred miles an hour at fifteen thousand feet. He hauled Farrow behind him with only one hand gripping the back of Farrow’s neck.
At least Manners couldn’t strangle Farrow in his position. She should spare him. Naomi turned on a control for the ship’s retractable claw and targeted Manners. It extended and reached for him.
Manners dodged, shooting up into the air and taking Farrow with him. “Nice try, Powerhouse. What did I tell you would happen if I’m pursued?”
Naomi said through the microphone. “I’m not Powerhouse, and your threat is empty. Once you kill him, you have no leverage.”
“Well thought out.”
“I don’t think so!” Farrow cursed.
Let him squirm. Naomi smirked. “Manners, let him go and surrender.”
Manners stopped in mid-air. “What’d you say?”
“I said to let him go!”
“That’s what I thought.” Manners dropped Farrow, who hurtled down to Earth.
What had she done? This would break poor Rosie’s heart. Naomi plunged the airship downward and targeted the robot arm. It cuffed itself around Farrow and gradually slowed his descent to a stop. She put him in the ship’s cargo hold.
She glanced at the ship’s radar panel. Mister Manners had disappeared from sight.
Powerhouse superimagined the giant toys gone and the stadium restored to pristine condition. He landed outside the stadium next to Agent Polk.
Agent Polk rubbed his bruised, scraped wrists. “So that’s twice you’ve saved my life now.”
“Don’t keep track. You’ll save my life.” Had already done him a huge favor by not telling anyone who Powerhouse was. “It always happens in the comic books to justify the continuance of supporting characters.”
Agent Polk lowered his sunglasses. “This isn’t a comic book.”
“Sometimes, it’s hard to remember.” Particularly on a day like today. “I have a couple ‘Alternate World’ comics out, too. I’ll suggest that idea to their writers.”
The Seattle Chief of Police strode to his side and slapped him on the back. “Good job. We made two hundred arrests, and the DA is going to prosecute. It’ll have people thinking twice before they join up with a wannabe despot.”
“Good to hear.” Powerhouse released a long breath.
The chief pulled out his phone and sent a text message. “I just celebrated freedom by sending a ‘lol’ to my wife.”
Powerhouse struck a heroic pose. “Yes, there will be much celebration. Everyone will be truly laughing out loud.”
Agent Polk cracked a smile. “Yeah, the Mariners can have their game against the Red Sox tonight without delay. They and their fans will be happy.”
“At least until after the game.” Powerhouse snickered.
The chief slapped Powerhouse on the shoulder. “Don’t be a traitor.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Only one who’s not happy is Farrow.”
“That’s right!” Powerhouse slapped his right fist against his left glove. “I still need to rescue him.”
The chief blinked. “You mean that wasn’t your airship that chased him, got Manners to drop Farrow, and then rescued him?”
What was Naomi thinking? Farrow could’ve been killed. “Um, sometimes, those ships have a mind of their own.”
The chief nodded. “He’s accusing you of putting his life in danger. From where I stand, though, the longer a nut is holding a hostage, the longer their life is in danger.”
Oh. “Thanks for the word of advice, Chief. Um, you’ve got everything under control so . . . Powerhouse Away!”
While flying near the house in Bryerton, he ran smack into a hard, invisible surface and bounced off it. Must be his cloaked airship. Naomi couldn’t shrink it down to pocket-size and stow it away properly. Powerhouse did the honors, landed in the backyard, and changed back into Dave Johnson. Dave walked around to the front door.
Best not to bring up what Naomi did. Without her, he might be in the morgue with a toe tag right now. Dave smiled and walked in. “Hello, heroes.”
Derrick and James raced to him, shouting in near unison, “Did you see me?”
James grinned. “The guards looked like they were going to w-wet their pants!”
Derrick laughed. “When I hit the button to grow up my second robot, that Mister Manners looked like he’d faint.”
Their frowning mother padded up behind them.
Dave kissed her cheek. “Hey, honey. We just liberated the entire city of Seattle from a great menace. This is a good occasion for pizza.”
Derrick cheered. “Let’s go to Dominoes.”
James snorted. “That’s c-cardboard. Let’s go to Chicago Connection.”
“No, Dominoes has gotten better.”
“Dad and I need to talk in private.” Naomi grit her teeth through a fake smile. The boys made “Dad’s in trouble” noises as she led Dave to their room. His face flamed. She closed the door and folded her arms. “We didn’t win anything. He got away.”
He took a long breath and blew it out. “We captured his men, released his prisoners, and showed him he couldn’t beat me.”
“You showed him he could get away! You should’ve let him kill Farrow.”
“Sure, if I were a supervillain! You were wrong to risk his life.”
She clenched her jaw. “When someone has only one hostage, if they kill that hostage, they lose their leverage. You should have made him stay, kept him in the standstill. Instead, you just caved to his demands.”
“That’s what a hero does. Put others first.”
“A dead hero.”
Dave crossed his arms. “Then why didn’t you keep on chasing Manners and let Farrow plummet to his death?”
“That was different. It would’ve been certain death if I hadn’t rescued him.”
“Exactly. What you said about Manners ought to make sense, but his thinking doesn’t make sense. He’s a dangerous, insane man.”
She trembled. “And he’s still out there. He’s gonna come back for you any day.”
“We’ll be ready for him. Let’s go get pizza.”
“But we haven’t won yet!” Naomi sighed. “It’s only a partial victory.”
Ah ha, she was ready to cave. Dave patted her back. “How about we celebrate doing something together as a family?”
Naomi half smiled. “It does beat cleaning out the garage.”
Why was he tempted to be grateful to a jerk endangering his daughter’s life? Mitch Farrow grunted as he sat in his underground lair with Varlock and Fournier. Guess that Manners might hurt Rosie, too. Mitch glanced at Varlock. “So what’s Plan Six?”
“Why do I need a Plan Six?” Varlock tried to lick his nose.
Uh-huh. “It’s time to hit the kill switch on Manners. He has crossed way over the line between an out-of-control superhero and a supervillain.”
“So? Manners will defeat our common enemy for us. He’s not done gaining strength. When next he faces Powerhouse, there will be no escape.”
Chapter 21
The Revenge of Mister Manners
Dave Johnson sat at one end of the kitchen table scanning the paper. The smell of bacon lingered in the air. Naomi sat at the other end of the table reading a gun magazine. Derrick and James were on either side.
Dave frowned. “A Congressman has introduced a bill in response to Mister Manners’ attack. If passed, it would require all superheroes to publicly reveal their identities.”
“W-what?” James gulped. “W-will Captain France and Miss Invis
ible set up a top secret prison to lock you up if you don’t reveal your secret identity?”
Kids. Dave curled his lip. “This isn’t a comic book!” Yet. “Well, at least not that kind of comic book. Anyway, the bill doesn’t make sense. Everyone knows who Mister Manners is, Jules Manners. It wouldn’t change anything. They’re just trying to pass a law for the sake of doing something.”
Naomi looked up from her magazine. “Tell me about it. I don’t think it’ll go far.” She glanced at her watch. “Kids, you’ll miss the bus. Get going.”
Dave folded the newspaper. “I’ll absorb the rest of this and leave.” On a second thought, he didn’t want to get all the depressing stuff, too. He touched the comic page and laughed. “Way to go, Mary Jane!”
“Huh?” Naomi blinked.
“Sorry, something I absorbed in the Amazing Spider-Man strip.”
“Oh.” Naomi returned to her magazine.
Dave headed toward the back door.
His wife called, “Remember to turn on your personal shield! Oh, and mount your energy cannon slash missile launcher to your left arm as soon as you get into Seattle.”
Dave sighed. Right.
Powerhouse hovered in the drive-through at a Plucky Espresso.
A blonde barista with a pierced nose was leaning out the drive-through window. She squinted at him. “So that’s four double mocha espressos, each with an extra shot of espresso?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, that’ll be seventeen dollars and twenty cents.”
Powerhouse nodded and handed her the money.
She blinked at him. “Haven’t you been through here earlier?”
“Yeah.” And at another coffee stand across the city. Keeping his shield going full time was wearing him out.
An eternity later, she handed him a full, four-cup coffee holder. Powerhouse flew up on an office building’s rooftop, held his nose, and gulped down all four of the nasty-tasting beverages. That should provide enough of a kick to get him through the afternoon. He glanced at the button to deactivate his shield on the arm of his uniform. Maybe he could let it down.