by Lucas Flint
On the other hand, Rubberman didn’t like me bringing guests to the Elastic Cave unannounced like this. As a matter of fact, I’d never brought a guest to the Elastic Cave before. Yet if Iron Angel was telling the truth, then he had some important information which might help us locate and capture the Necromantress. If so, it would be ridiculous to tell him that he couldn’t come to the Elastic Cave. The way I saw it, if I couldn’t trust one of the best superheroes of all time, then who could I trust?
“Okay,” I said. “The Elastic Cave isn’t far from here. Follow me and we should be there in no time.”
-
Ten minutes later, it turned out that all of my doubts about Rubberman not wanting me to bring guests to the Elastic Cave were wrong. I should have realized that when I sent a text to Rubberman informing him of who I was bringing, only to get a text back literally five seconds later telling me to hurry up.
But I didn’t really understand just how excited Rubberman was to meet Iron Angel until Iron Angel and I both stepped out out of the elevator into the Elastic Cave. Instead of being met by Adams, like I usually was when I came to work, we were met by Rubberman, who seemed to have been standing in front of the elevator rocking back and forth on his heels for the last ten minutes just waiting for us to appear.
Or, rather, waiting for Iron Angel to appear, because he only gave me a perfunctory greeting before turning his full attention to Iron Angel and extending a hand toward him.
“Iron Angel,” said Rubberman, clearly unable to contain his excitement. “Welcome to the Elastic Cave! It is such an honor to have a superhero as legendary as you standing in my base.”
“It is nice to meet you, too, Rubberman,” said Iron Angel, shaking his hand. He glanced around the Cave. “You have a nice setup here, though it looks quite pricey.”
Rubberman lowered his hand, but I noticed he kept it carefully from his body, like he didn’t want to accidentally wipe off Iron Angel’s germs onto his costume or something. “It’s actually a lot less expensive than it looks. I based it off your own base that you had when you were in business, the Loft. Do you remember that?”
Iron Angel looked at Rubberman again. “I thought something about the layout seem familiar, though I didn’t know what at first.”
“Yes,” said Rubberman, nodding eagerly. He held up three fingers. “It even has three levels, just like the Loft did. When I was building this place, I made sure that the construction crew had pictures of the Loft on hand for reference.”
Thanks to his helmet, I could not see Iron Angel’s expression, but he didn’t seem nearly as excited as Rubberman. If anything, he seemed a bit creeped out by Rubberman’s enthusiasm. “How … interesting.”
“I’m glad you think it is,” said Rubberman, rubbing his hands together eagerly. “Iron Angel, do you remember that time when you saved my life when I was ten-years-old?”
“I saved the lives of many ten-year-old boys,” said Iron Man idly. “You will need to be more specific so I can remember.”
Rubberman immediately pulled out the old business card I had found among his papers yesterday and held it up to let Iron Angel see it. “Remember? You saved me from the Plant Killer and then gave me this business card for helping you.”
“Ah,” said Iron Angel with a nod. “Yes, I remember now. That was twenty years ago, wasn’t it? I didn’t know you had become an accomplished superhero on your own.”
“Well, I did,” said Rubberman. “And it’s all thanks to what you said to me, about how I had the potential to be a true hero someday. I never forgot those words and I never will.”
I was quiet through this entire conversation, mostly because I was not sure what to make of Rubberman’s behavior. Rubberman usually behaved in the most professional, business-like way whenever he interacted with other superheroes, but here he was acting like a member of my own fan club toward Iron Angel. Even Iron Angel seemed a little uncomfortable with Rubberman’s enthusiasm, perhaps because it had been so long since he had interacted with a fan or maybe he was just a reserved guy who didn’t know how to handle someone like Rubberman.
“That’s nice,” said Iron Angel, “but I would like to get to the reason I came here in the first place. We have a lot of important things to discuss, such as the Necromantress, and I would rather not waste any more time than we already have.”
“Yes, of course, sure,” said Rubberman. He looked at me. “Alex, get your costume on and clock in. Then come to my office in five minutes. That’s where Iron Angel and I will be.” He suddenly looked at Iron Angel again. “By the way, how did you meet my sidekick?”
“We’ll get into that during the meeting,” said Iron Angel. “All you need to know at the moment is that I saved his life from the Necromantress’ minions.”
“I see,” said Rubberman. “Well, I want Alex to be part of the meeting, so Alex, go and do what I just told you to do.”
I felt a little bad about leaving Iron Angel alone with Rubberman even for just five minutes, but I didn’t hesitate to run into my room, throw on my costume, clock in for the day, and then go to the office. When I got to the office, I found Rubberman sitting behind his desk as usual, gabbing on about how he personally made sure that Level One of the Elastic Cave resembled the first floor of the Loft almost perfectly, while Iron Angel just sat on the chair on the other side of the desk in a position that made it obvious he was still uncomfortable with Rubberman’s fan boying. Iron Angel had removed his helmet by this time, letting me see that he had short gray hair and an old but handsome face.
It also let me see his eyes. Though he never changed the position of his head, his eyes kept darting here and there and I realized that he was looking at all of the Rubberman memorabilia and merchandise on the shelves and walls. That seemed to be making him more uncomfortable than Rubberman’s endless babbling, which I understood, because if you haven’t seen Rubberman’s office before, it can be hard to get used to.
As usual, I stood beside Rubberman, who glanced at me and said, “Beams, glad you’re here, and even faster than I told you to! I was just explaining to Iron Angel how I tried to emulate the first floor of the Loft as much as I could with Level One during the construction of the Elastic Cave.”
“Yes,” said Iron Angel. Without his helmet on, his voice sounded quite deep. “It was quite … informative.”
“Glad you agree,” said Rubberman, apparently not noticing Iron Angel’s flat tone. “But now that we’re all here, I think we should move onto more pressing issues, don’t you agree?”
“Yes,” said Iron Angel, nodding eagerly. “Let’s not waste any time getting to the point.”
“Very well,” said Rubberman. He put his hands together and leaned toward Iron Angel. “First off, why are you wearing your costume again? Have you decided to come out of retirement and take up the Iron Angel mantle again?”
“If you’re asking if I am reopening my business, the answer is a no,” said Iron Angel, shaking his head. “In my day, when someone retired, they stayed retired. Period. And that’s exactly what I intend to do, but circumstances have forced me to put on my armor and become the Iron Angel once again.”
“And what circumstances would those be?” asked Rubberman.
“The Superhero Killer,” said Iron Angel. He scowled. “When I first heard about her, I knew I had to step in and help stop her. Although I am no longer officially a superhero, I still feel a sense of … duty, I suppose you could say, to the superhero community. In my view, superheroes perform an important function in society and anyone who threatens their lives needs to be stopped. If superheroes are too afraid to do their job, that just makes society less safe for everyone, but especially for the poor.”
Although Iron Angel sounded genuine, something in his expression made me think he wasn’t being entirely sincere. Perhaps it was the way he didn’t meet Rubberman’s eyes, but for some reason I thought he had another reason for donning his old costume again. I looked at Rubberman to see if he sensed it too, but
he was staring at Iron Angel with such rapt attention that I didn’t think he would notice even if I spilled a bucketful of ice cold water on his head.
“Furthermore, when I learned that the Superhero Killer is active in Golden City, I had to come, because this city used to be under my protection,” said Iron Angel. “Even though I have not lived in Golden City in over a decade, I still have many fond memories of this place and its people. The thought that a murderer is active here and making it less safe for this great city’s inhabitants pained me and forced me to act.”
“Amazing,” said Rubberman. “You’re every bit as heroic as I remember, if not even more so. After all, you’re not even getting paid to do this.”
“I don’t see it as ‘heroic’ so much as doing the right thing,” said Iron Angel. “When you’ve been in the superhero business for as long as I was, you develop a strong sense of justice. Retirement is not as simple as hanging up your cape and going off to lounge on a tropical beach somewhere. You will always, to some degree, be a superhero, whether you wear a costume or not.”
Rubberman looked like he thought that was the coolest thing he’d ever heard, but again, I got the sense that Iron Angel was not being entirely sincere. He seemed to have another reason for becoming Iron Angel again, but once again, I didn’t know what it was. Of course, it was possible I was just reading into his tone too much, but I doubted that.
“And you believe that the Superhero Killer is also the Necromantress?” Rubberman questioned.
“I do,” said Iron Angel. “In fact, not only do I believe it, but I know it. After all, I just saved your sidekick from a couple of zombies that were trying to kidnap him.”
Rubberman whipped his head toward me so fast that it actually shuddered slightly. “You were nearly kidnapped by zombies?”
I shrugged. “I know. Crazy, right?”
“And dangerous,” Iron Angel added. “The Necromantress knows or suspects that your sidekick has a connection to you. No doubt she’ll try to kidnap Beams again at some point, although I imagine she’ll try a different way to do it now that her zombies are little more than crushed bone and flesh.”
Rubberman rubbed his chin. “Right. Still, it’s just so weird. How could Shawna possibly know that Alex is Beams? It doesn’t make sense.”
“It is indeed a mystery,” said Iron Angel. “But that isn’t the reason I know she is the Superhero Killer.”
“It isn’t?” Rubberman said. “What else makes you think she’s the Killer?”
“Although I am retired, I still have some contacts in the police who share rumors and news with me,” said Iron Angel. “One such rumor came from a man who claimed to have been hired by a woman to dig up corpses from the Golden City Graveyard and deliver them to her. The man was arrested when the grave keeper saw him and reported him to the police, though when the police went to the delivery location, they did not find any hint of the woman or the bodies delivered to her.”
I gulped. “Are you telling me that the Necromantress is raising an army of the dead just to kill Rubberman?”
“Or take over Golden City entirely,” said Iron Angel, folding his arms in front of his chest. “In any case, the grave robber claimed that most of the bodies were stolen from graveyards in other cities, not just here in Golden City. That is probably why you haven’t heard about this.”
“That’s troubling news indeed, Iron Angel,” said Rubberman. “An army of the dead … I shudder to think about what Shawna could do with that kind of power behind her.”
“But where could she keep so many bodies?” I asked. “Especially rotting, stinky corpses? I think that would be pretty hard to hide.”
“No idea,” said Iron Angel. “Of course, it’s possible she may not be raising an army at all, but gathering bodies to perform some kind of strange, dark ritual.”
“A ritual?” I said. “A ritual to do what? Summon a demon? Or a bunch of ghosts?”
“Again, I don’t know,” said Iron Angel. “All I know is that this woman is highly dangerous and she’s targeting superheroes. And I believe that you, Rubberman, are going to be her next victim.”
“I figured that out already,” said Rubberman. “Even so, the situation is even more dire than I thought. Whether she’s raising an army of the dead or collecting bodies in order to perform some dark ritual, it is up to us to stop her. With your help, of course.”
“Of course,” said Iron Angel. “That is the reason I am here. I want to work with you and your sidekick to protect the superhero community and Golden City itself.”
“We would be honored to work with you, Iron Angel,” said Rubberman. “With your forty years of experience as a superhero, combined with our technology and clues, we should be able to track down that woman in no time.”
Iron Angel smiled, but to me, it looked kind of forced. “Your enthusiasm is admirable, Rubberman, but we must be careful. The Necromantress seems to be a clever foe, not one to be taken lightly.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that,” said Rubberman with a wink. “I know exactly how dangerous she is. After all, she is my ex-wife.”
Unless my eyes were playing tricks on me, I thought Iron Angel looked stunned for a moment. “She is?”
“Yeah,” said Rubberman. “Most people don’t know that, of course, but it’s not exactly information I want the general public knowing, you know?”
The surprise vanished from Iron Angel’s face, replaced by his normal calm expression. “I understand. I imagine that such information would make people a lot less likely to buy your merchandise.”
“I suppose,” said Rubberman. “Mostly, it’s because I don’t like people prying into my private life. It has nothing to do with my business, so why bring it up?”
“Yes,” said Iron Angel. “I understand wanting privacy.”
Maybe it was just me, but it sure seemed like Iron Angel disliked Rubberman all of a sudden. Did he really believe that Rubberman might still have feelings for the Necromantress? Or was there another reason he seemed to dislike Rubberman that had nothing to do with that?
Rubberman, on the other hand, did not seem to notice any change in Iron Angel’s attitude. He just put his hands on the desk and said, “Well, what are we waiting for? Now that we’re all on the same page, I want to give you a full tour of the Elastic Cave. You’ll love it, trust me.”
Iron Angel suddenly stood up. “I’m sorry, but I am afraid I won’t be able to do that. I have elsewhere to be; specifically, the location of the Necromantress’ lair.”
Rubberman leaned forward even more, actually stretching his body slightly over his desk. “Wait, you know where Shawna is?”
“Yes,” said Iron Angel. “At least, I have a lead which may lead me to her base. But I’m confident it is legitimate, which is why I want to go there right away and get the Necromantress before she flees.”
“Beams and I will go with you,” Rubberman suggested. He stood up. “We’re always ready to fight supervillains, right, Beams?”
“Uh, right, boss,” I said, nodding. “And, you know, Mr. Iron Angel, sir, there’s safety in numbers and all that.”
Iron Angel at first looked annoyed, but then he smiled a rather strange smile and said, “Yes, that will work. I have a feeling this lead is going to take us straight to her. If she has an army of the dead, it sure would be helpful to have some allies to deal with it. Let’s go, before it gets too dark out.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Half an hour later, the Rubbermobile pulled up in front of an old, fancy Victorian mansion on the outskirts of Golden City. As Rubberman killed the engine, I looked out the windshield at the large mansion which Iron Angel said was the base of operations for the Necromantress.
The mansion was about two stories high and surrounded by an ancient iron fence with sharp spikes on top to discourage people from climbing over. The front yard was overgrown with tall grass and weeds, while strange-looking but definitely not dead trees stood in front of the house, their long, twisted limbs obs
curing the lower windows. An old swing hung from the terrace, while the windows on the upper floors were either all curtained or boarded up. Even though the sun was still out, the Old Albertson Mansion looked as scary as it ever did.
I looked at Rubberman uncertainly. “Is this the right place?”
“Yes,” said Rubberman, glancing at the Rubbermobile’s GPS. “The GPS took us to this address and I don’t know of any other abandoned Victorian mansions in Golden City. Do you?”
I shook my head, but at the same time, a large shadow passed over us and Iron Angel landed on the ground outside the car. Rubberman and I climbed out of the Rubbermobile and walked over to Iron Angel, who was wearing his helmet again, which made it impossible to see his face once more.
“You two managed to beat me here,” said Iron Angel in an impressed voice. He looked over at the Rubbermobile. “Quite a fast car you’ve got there. I never owned one when I was still in the business, mostly because I was able to get everywhere by flying.”
“But didn’t you have a sidekick?” I asked. “Like, a sidekick who you needed to transport with you? Would have been pretty awkward to have to carry your sidekick around on your back everywhere, or even worse, dangling them above the ground with your arms.”
I wasn’t sure what I said, but Iron Angel suddenly looked down at me as if I’d just insulted his mother. “I did have a sidekick, yes. But she … she died.”
Iron Angel’s voice was slightly muffled by his helmet, but I could still hear the note of sadness in it. “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”
“It’s fine,” said Iron Angel, waving off my apology like it was nothing. “She died ten years ago. I’m over it. We need to focus on taking down the Necromantress before she can harm any innocent people.”
I nodded, but I noticed that not only did Iron Angel’s sidekick die ten years ago, but Iron Angel himself retired around the same time. I wondered if the two events were connected in any way. Not that I was going to ask, however, because were in the middle of a mission, and Iron Angel didn’t seem very interested in discussing his past at the moment.