Sidekick

by Auralee Wallace

  She bent towards me, trying to knock me from my perch.

  I moved my hands to the fence’s lower railings, dangling one leg towards the crazed horde.

  The Sultana leaned further over the edge. She couldn’t quite reach me.

  Come on. Come on.

  She rested her waist on the railing and teetered even closer.

  That was it.

  My chance.

  I pushed up with everything I had in me and grabbed her coat front with one hand, yanking her forward as hard as I could.

  The Sultana’s body flew over the top of the safety rail and somersaulted into the melee below.

  I didn’t look down.

  The bloodthirsty shouts from the prisoners were bad enough.

  I climbed back over the railing.

  Time to get out of here.

  Maybe I could slip out while my father wasn’t looking.

  I shot my eyes over to the eagle’s nest. Nope, he was looking…and pointing…and from what I could see, he was shouting something to the effect of Get her!

  I turned to run in the opposite direction only to see the sword-swallowing, fire-breathing brothers plodding towards me. I turned back the other way. The contortionist and juggler now blocked the other end, swaying in spot.

  Trapped.

  “You can still change your mind!” I shouted to my father.

  He walked through the reinforced glass door of the eagle’s nest. “I’ve wasted enough time on you, Brianna.” He looked at the circus-bots. “Do it!”

  I shut my eyes. No need to see what was coming next.

  I felt large hands wrap around my arms. Then my feet left the platform. I was being lifted off the walkway.

  Higher and higher.

  Then it stopped.

  The hands suddenly let go, and I fell back down onto the platform.

  I opened my eyes.

  Circus-bots all around me were dropping like flies.

  “Bart?” I yelled.

  “What’s happening?”

  “They’re dropping.” I scrambled to peek over the bridge at the scene below. The prisoners were dropping there too, falling over each other like sleeping puppies.

  “Are you serious?” Bart shouted.

  “I’m serious!”

  “I am Master of the Freaking Universe!” I could practically see his fleshy arms shoot up in a victory pose.

  Suddenly my father’s legs appeared right in front of me.

  “What did you do?”

  The now cavernous hall echoed with deadly silence.

  I looked up into my father’s eyes. Gone was his typical icy glint. His eyes now flashed hot with rage.

  He gripped my arms roughly and pulled me to my feet. “I said, what did you do?”

  “Well,” I gulped, “you might want to invest in a better antivirus program.”

  Something snapped in my father.

  I was suddenly very aware that it was just him and me.

  Up until now, despite all of the evidence to the contrary, part of me believed my father wouldn’t actually kill me. Maybe call off his minions at the last moment.

  Now, all doubt was gone. He didn’t need to say it, but he decided to anyway.

  “I am going to kill you.”

  Suddenly a voice rang out in the distance.

  “I think a better plan might be for you to run.”

  Ryder.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  No sooner had she said the words than all the lights went out.

  I resisted the urge to scream. I couldn’t see my father, but that also meant he couldn’t see me. Considering he last looked like he might unhinge his jaw to swallow me whole…well, that might be a good thing.

  Suddenly an alarm blared out in deafening pulses.

  “Bart?” I screamed.

  “Yeah?”

  “What’s going on?”

  “It’s all part of the plan,” he said, words muffled like he was eating something. “The alarm should go off in three…two…one.”

  The sound died instantly.

  “And God—that’s me,” Bart yelled, “—said let there be light!”

  Suddenly the lights were back on.

  Ryder now stood in front of me.

  “Wah! How do you keep doing that?”

  She didn’t answer.

  “Wait!” I whirled around, eyes darting to all the exits. “Where’s my father?”

  “He’s gone.”

  “Gone?”

  “It was the only way. Your life was in danger, and I am still in no condition to fight. We decided it best to scare him off.”

  “Wait…what?” I asked the room full of passed-out zombies.

  Again, Ryder said nothing.

  Disbelief ran over my body leaving confused tingles in its wake. “So…that’s it?”

  She arched an eyebrow.

  “That can’t be it!”

  “Bremy, you prevented a prison riot, you thwarted your father’s plan for world domination, and you stopped the Sultana and her crew from getting away. That is hardly insubstantial.”

  “I can’t believe this,” I muttered. Then a new thought hit me. Pierce. I darted past Ryder and ran for the eagle’s nest.

  I yanked the door open and jumped over Pulcinella. In the process, I knocked my foot against something hard. I had kicked one of the metal suitcases across the floor. It clicked open when it smacked up against the leg of the desk.

  Twenty million dollars.

  Without realizing it, I followed the money. I knelt down and ran my hand over the bills. Maybe if I borrowed just a litt—

  “Bremy?” a voice groaned.

  My gaze snapped to Pierce. His eyes were still closed. I crawled across the floor to cradle his head on my lap.

  “Pierce?” I asked gently stroking his brow.

  His eyelids fluttered opened.

  “What happened?”

  “It’s kind of a long story.”

  His eyes moved over my face. “I was on my way to the prison. I thought you might be in danger…but I don’t remember what happened after I left my apartment.” His brow furrowed in cute confusion.

  “You were coming to help me?” Bright sunny happiness filled my chest.

  “Yeah. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I wanted to come to your rescue.” He gave me an embarrassed smile. “How am I doing so far?”

  “So good,” I said softly.

  “Bremy?”

  “Uh huh?”

  “What are you wearing?”

  Panic fluttered in my chest. We had just overcome my first big lie about my identity. I so didn’t want to ruin this moment with more truth telling.

  I moved my fingers in a wavy fashion in front of his face.

  He squinted his eyes. “What are you doing?”

  “This is all a dream.”

  “I don’t believe you,” Pierce said shaking his head. “And do you know why?”

  “Why?”

  “Because in my dreams you don’t sound like a ghost from Scooby Doo, and you are almost always kissing me.”

  I leaned over and pressed my lips to his. Then tragically, just as it was getting good, I had to pull away.

  “What? Where are you going?” Pierce asked. He made a motion to get up, but before he got very far, his hands flew to his head, and he was back down.

  I stood.

  “I have to go right an egregious wrong.”

  I turned and nearly smacked into Ryder. I tried to get around her, but she held out a hand.

  “Okay you’re going to need to move,” I said quickly…then added, “Ma’am.”

  “You have done enough, child,” Ryder replied. “What more can you possibly do?”

  I rolled my shoulders. “I’m going to take Choden’s advice.”

  “And what advice would that be?”

  “I am going to forgive the hell out of my father.”

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  I’m not sure which felt better, kissing Pierce
or bringing the billy club crashing down on the front of the helicopter’s windshield.

  A new spray of glass showered down to the pavement. So far I had taken out all the headlights and three windows.

  Therapy had never felt so good.

  Suddenly there was a voice behind me.

  “Child, what are you doing?”

  “Exactly what you told me to,” I grunted while swinging for a home run. Glass from another window exploded.

  I had run back through the prison the way we came in. I didn’t see my father or Choden, but the gate was open. I guess Choden was better at finding me than I was at finding him.

  “This is a strange form of forgiveness,” he said carefully.

  “Well,” I said gearing up for another swing, “I found I couldn’t say the words any other way. Watch.”

  I took on my best batter’s stance.

  “I forgive you for being a power-hungry world dictator wannabe!”

  Pow! The passenger side window burst.

  “Oh! And I really forgive you for turning my sister against me!”

  Whack! Let’s see him try to open that door.

  “And I especially forgive you for trying to kill me two…no, make that three times!”

  Bam! Bam! Bam! And there went the back propeller.

  “This wasn’t exactly what I had in mind,” Choden said.

  “Yeah, well, maybe.” I wiped the sweat from my brow. “But I’d like to see him get away in this helicopter.”

  Suddenly I heard a strange whomping sound…a sound that bore a remarkable resemblance to a helicopter starting up. I looked back at my handiwork. Nope, it wasn’t this helicopter.

  Choden cleared his throat. “I believe this machine belongs to the Metro Police.”

  My eyes flashed back to the copter I had just beaten the hell out of. So that’s what that badge-like insignia was painted on the side doors.

  Wind caught my hair.

  I turned to look up into the night sky. My father’s helicopter rose into the air. I don’t know what the expression was on his face because I was distracted by the person in the driver’s seat.

  Jenny.

  She flew freaking helicopters now?

  Her face—my face—looked back at me. There was so much in it. I saw the sadness that I had seen a lot of as of late. But there was also something else. Resignation.

  Then the bird was gone.

  My limbs went limp, the billy club dangling from my fingers.

  “Bremy,” Choden said gently. “Why don’t you give me the—”

  “Argh!” I screamed then started bashing the helicopter again.

  “Or perhaps you should get this out of your system.”

  ***

  After my freak out, Choden and I met up with Ryder. The city’s entire ambulance squad arrived on the scene while reporters and law enforcement tried to piece together what had happened.

  Ryder had made sure Pierce was first in line for an ambulance, but then disappeared before anyone could ask any questions.

  “We should leave as quickly as possible,” Choden said.

  “Huh?” I asked. My brain was too tired to make sense of anything. I reached around my belt to see if it had a water bottle attached. Why not? It had everything else. I felt an odd bulge in one of the pouches.

  What was that?

  Realization dawned on me. Holy crap. Had I done that unconsciously? Did I seriously take twel—

  “Bremy,” Choden called out, interrupting my thoughts. We had made it back to the van, but the reporters weren’t far behind. “It would not be good for the city to know that Dark Ryder is injured.”

  I nodded.

  “Nor would it be wise for them to see you,” he said passing me something. “You left this behind the other day.”

  I reached out to take it.

  A mask. My mask.

  “It would be less complicated if they did not know your true identity.”

  “Especially if you are going to be my apprentice,” Ryder added.

  I looked back and forth at their faces.

  “You mean…?” I couldn’t get the rest of the words out.

  They both smiled.

  I jumped at Choden and gave him a hug. Then I turned to Ryder, but she put her hand up.

  “I am still injured.”

  I tried to calm my squirm.

  “Well, then we should get going,” I said, eyeing a news van heading our way. “Why don’t you take Queenie’s car? She left the keys in the visor just in case. I’ll get Bart to drive us home.”

  Choden and Ryder left without another word.

  I squealed a little and turned to Bart’s van.

  Okay, so my father had tried to kill me. And my sister had flown his getaway car. On the bright side, it looked like Pierce was really on his way towards forgiving me for at least one of my big lies, and now I had friends and…a purpose.

  I was so excited. I didn’t even pay attention to the strange sounds coming from the van as I opened the rear doors.

  “Oh my God.”

  There was Bart, smiling, with his shirt off, tied to his chair with computer cords.

  Queenie was standing over him with her whip raised in the air.

  “Do you mind?” Bart said. “We’re celebrating.”

  I slammed the doors shut.

  ***

  “Before we leave you tonight, a strange story is emerging from the city’s correctional facility, where it appears all of the inmates have fallen into some sort of artificially induced sleep. Many are wondering if this is a side effect of the chip recently developed by St. James Industries. A St. James spokesperson has released a statement claiming that trials have not yet officially begun on any human subjects, but suspicions are growing. Also found at the scene, a briefcase filled with money in the amount of nineteen million, nine hundred, ninety-eight thousand and eight hundred dollars, just twelve hundred dollars shy of twenty million.

  This story comes at a particularly difficult time for Atticus St. James. Moments ago his personal press secretary coincidentally released details confirming rumors that his estranged daughter Brianna St. James, known as Bremy, does indeed have an addiction to drugs and alcohol and has refused to seek treatment.

  Also taken at the scene of this evening’s events, this video of a masked individual whom many are identifying as Dark Ryder’s sidekick. It shows the Sidekick angrily kicking stones and mumbling something about a—quote—stupid smart car only seating two—end quote. This has raised new concerns about the mental stability of the city’s newest superhero. I’m sure we will learn more as this bizarre story develops.”

  “So the Sidekick? Is that what she is being called now, Susan?”

  “It seems so, Kevin.”

  “Bizarre indeed. The footage is too blurry to get a good look at her face, but it seems her hair has improved dramatically.”

  “Right you are.”

  “It will certainly be interesting to see what this Sidekick does next.”

  “Indeed.”

  “Goodnight everyone.”

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  ISBN: 9780857991591

  Title: Sidekick

  Copyright © 2014 by Auralee Wallace

  All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises (Australia) Limited, Locked Bag 7002, Chatswood D.C. NSW, Australia, 2067.