by Gary Paulsen
Andy yanked the door open. “You didn’t open it, did you?”
Henry’s chin went up. “Certainly not.”
“Good. Wait downstairs. I have something to show you.”
“Is all this secrecy really necessary?”
Andy pushed him out the door. “You told me to think up a way to turn my condition into something useful. Well, I think I have. But you have to wait downstairs to see it.”
“Very well.” Henry turned and marched down the stairs.
Andy shut his bedroom door and tore open the package. He laid the contents out on his bedspread and reached under his bed for the rocket booster.
Moments later he stood in front of his full-length mirror dressed in brown tights and a feather-covered jacket with long golden wings attached to its back. His face was hidden by a mask of a hawk’s face. A wide, flowing cape, with slits cut in it for the wings, hung from his shoulders, and on his feet were shiny brown boots with tiny wings on the sides.
“Not bad.” Andy turned so that he could see his back in the mirror. “Now if I can just get Henry to go for it.” He moved to the door and yelled, “Henry, are you down there?”
“Yes, Master Hawkes. But there’s something you should know.”
Andy touched the button on the harness under his costume and the rocket booster fired into action. He leaped over the stair railing and flapped his wings. He made two passes across the large entry and then landed gracefully in the middle of the room.
“Well? What do you think?”
Henry blinked. “I must say, you startled me, sir.”
“No, I mean what do you think about my idea?”
“Your idea?”
“You told me to come up with something that would help people. Here it is—the Hawk.”
“I’m sorry for being so dimwitted, sir, but I don’t quite—”
“Come on, Henry. You’ve heard of Super Spiderkid and some of those guys, haven’t you? Well, you’re looking at the latest in a long line of superheroes—the Hawk!”
“I don’t know about Henry, but I’m certainly impressed.”
Andy spun around. Leslie Diamond was standing in the doorway of the study.
“I’m sorry, sir,” Henry said. “I had no idea what you were up to, so I let her in.”
Andy fumbled for his words. “That—That’s perfectly fine, Henry. I mean, you know, what’s wrong with my social worker seeing, uh, one of my birthday presents?”
“Birthday presents? That’s funny. Your records say that your birthday isn’t until December.” Leslie smiled pleasantly.
“It was an early present.”
“Listen, Andy, I don’t want to pull rank here. But if you and I are going to get along you’re going to have to start leveling with me. What’s going on?”
Andy looked at Henry. “What do you think?”
“The company has had Ms. Diamond thoroughly investigated, and they report that she is single, dedicated to her work, lives with her cat, and has no contact with gangsters of any kind.”
“What!” Leslie stormed. “You have no right—”
“But do you think we can trust her?” Andy asked.
“It appears we have little choice, sir.”
Andy sighed. “All right, Ms. Diamond, I’ll level with you, but I have to warn you it’s a little weird.”
CHAPTER 11
“Ms. Diamond’s all right, Henry. Except for the part when she tried to wrestle the kitchen knife away from me before I could cut my finger. All in all, I thought she took the whole thing pretty well. Didn’t you? You know, for a social worker?”
“Yes, sir, she seems like a very nice person.”
“I’m glad she agreed to file the papers letting you be my permanent guardian until I’m legally of age.”
“It pleases me that you are happy, sir. Now about this Hawk business. What exactly does one do if one is to become a successful superhero?”
“Lots of stuff. For one thing, a superhero flies around making the world a safer place to live. And maybe as the Hawk I’ll be able to catch the guys who killed my parents and grandfather.”
“I see. And you intend to accomplish this by …?”
“Come on, Henry. I’m new at this. We’ll just have to handle each case as it comes along.”
“Very good, sir. When do we start?”
“How about right now? We could go save someone from being mugged or something.”
“And what will my duties be?”
“You’ll be close by in the car in case my arms get tired from flapping. But don’t worry.” Andy handed Henry a small radio transceiver. “We’ll talk to each other with these. See—I have one strapped to my wrist. If I need you, I’ll call.”
The telephone on the kitchen wall rang and Henry answered it.
“Hello?… Oh, dear … I see … No, I’ve never heard of him. Mr. Hawkes never mentioned it.” Henry sighed. “Very well, I’ll bring him right down … I suppose. If you say so … Good-bye.”
“What’s wrong, Henry?” Andy asked.
“It’s awful, Master Hawkes. That was Ms. Diamond. She says a man was waiting in her office when she returned. He claims to be your uncle Harvey.”
“My father never talked about having a brother. The guy probably read about Grandfather in the paper and is trying to horn in on his money.”
“I hope you’re right, sir. However, Ms. Diamond says he has a legitimate birth certificate naming Mr. Hawkes as his father.”
“I’m telling you he’s a fake, Henry. What else did she say?”
“A very odd thing. She added that you could bring your suit if you wanted to. There might be a need for it.”
Andy’s forehead wrinkled into a frown. “She must be talking about the Hawk suit. But why would there be a need for it? Unless …”
“You don’t suppose Ms. Diamond is sending us a message of some sort, do you?”
“I’m not sure, Henry. But let’s put the suit in the limo just in case. Oh, and one more thing. My grandfather wouldn’t happen to have anything we could use for a weapon lying around, would he?”
“Mr. Hawkes did not believe in firearms, sir.” Henry’s face brightened. “But he did have two prototypes of nonlethal self-defense mechanisms.”
“Speak English, Henry.”
“I’ll do better than that, sir. I’ll show them to you.”
Andy waited while Henry went upstairs. In a few minutes he was back, carrying two polished wooden cases. He set them on the counter and flipped the lids open.
Inside each box, resting on a red velvet cushion, was a strange-looking silver gun.
Henry took the first one out. It was bulky and had a large square barrel. “This is the Gloop Gun.” He pointed it and pulled the trigger. A wad of brownish yellow goo shot out of the end and splattered against the side of the garbage can.
Andy moved closer to examine it.
“Don’t touch it, sir. It’s an extremely powerful glue that would take quite some time to remove.”
“That’s incredible, Henry. What does the other gun do?”
Henry put the Gloop Gun back and gingerly picked up the second gun. It was shaped like a banana and had a red trigger. “I have never actually used this one, sir. Mr. Hawkes called it a Super Stun Gun and thought it might be useful to the police. I don’t know for certain that it even works.”
“Pack them in the car along with the Hawk suit. If Ms. Diamond is in trouble, she won’t be for long.”
CHAPTER 12
“Here we are, sir. Ms. Diamond’s office is on the second floor. Room 202.”
“Park in front, Henry. And remember, if things turn out bad in there, don’t worry about me. Take care of yourself and Ms. Diamond.”
“Yes, sir. Anything else, Master Hawkes?”
“Yeah. No matter what I say or do, just play it cool.”
“Cool, sir?”
“You know—go along with whatever I do.”
“Of course, sir.” Henry stepped out of the car and wen
t around to open Andy’s door.
Andy jumped out onto the sidewalk and tucked the back of his shirt into his jeans.
“Let’s go expose an impostor, Henry!”
“Whatever you say, sir.”
They walked into the lobby and waited for the elevator in silence. When it reached the second floor, Henry led Andy to Ms. Diamond’s office.
He opened the door and let Andy go in first. A secretary was talking on the telephone. She held her hand over the mouthpiece. “Can I help you?”
“Yes.” Henry stepped forward. “Master Hawkes is here to see Ms. Diamond. I believe he is expected.”
“Go right in. It’s the third door on the left.”
Henry led the way down the hall and tapped lightly on the door.
They heard Ms. Diamond ask them to come in. Andy pushed open the door and found himself staring into the beady eyes of a sharp-faced man with a long nose.
“This is your uncle Harvey, Andy,” Leslie said tensely. “He wants to take you out to dinner, or perhaps to the zoo, so he can get to know you better.”
“I must say, this is a bit sudden,” Henry protested. “We don’t even know for certain if this man is Master Hawkes’s uncle.”
The man’s eyes narrowed. “Show them the papers, Ms. Diamond.”
She quietly pushed a stack of paperwork across her desk. “By the way, Andy, did you bring your suit?”
Andy nodded. “You mean the blue one you wanted me to have dry-cleaned?”
“Uh, yes, that’s the one. You might want to wear it to dinner. Why don’t you go down and get it?”
“Okay.” Andy started for the door.
“Hold it. Nobody’s going anywhere.” A door that led to an adjacent office opened, and a big man with rust-colored hair and a wide flat face stepped in, holding a pistol. “Can’t you handle anything, Harvey? The kid was about to get away. They’re on to you. Tie up the geezer and the woman and we’ll take the kid for a ride until he feels like telling us where his grandpa’s secret formula is hiding.”
Harvey scowled and jerked the lamp cord out of the wall to use as a rope. “I was doing all right, Smoke. You didn’t have to bust in like that.”
“Yeah, you were real good. In another minute the kid would have been long gone.”
“Now, Henry!” Andy yelled.
Henry grabbed Leslie and dove for the floor. Andy pulled the Gloop Gun out of his pocket and fired at Harvey. It plastered one of Harvey’s hands to the wall behind him. The man struggled but couldn’t free himself.
Smoke raised his pistol but changed his mind and jumped through the adjoining door, slamming it behind him. His footsteps were loud as he ran down the hall.
Andy helped Ms. Diamond to her feet. “Call the police and tell them what’s going on.”
“All right, but where are you two going?”
“Ms. Diamond,” Andy whispered, “the Hawk is on his first big case.”
CHAPTER 13
“I’ve spotted him, Henry,” Andy said into his wrist transmitter. “Turn on Seventh Street. He’s driving a blue Firebird with white stripes on the sides.”
Henry put his head out of the limousine window and looked up at the sky. He could barely see Andy above the rooftops. “Aren’t you getting a little too high, sir? You wouldn’t want to pass out.”
“I’m fine. Besides, what’s the worst that could happen? I bust up, I heal. All in a day’s work for the Hawk. Concentrate on finding that Firebird.”
“I see him now, sir. He’s pulling off the street into an old warehouse.”
“Be careful, Henry. Don’t let him spot you.”
“I’m pulling over here, sir. What do we do now?”
“I’m going in to get a better look. You stay out here and keep an eye on things. If I’m not out in fifteen minutes, call the cops.”
Andy flew to a wide ventilation grate in the roof of the warehouse. He worked a corner loose and slid inside.
Not wanting to attract attention, Andy stopped flapping his wings and stood on a thin steel beam near the warehouse’s ceiling. Below him, several men were busy repainting brand-new cars and changing their license plates. The Firebird was parked in a corner, but Smoke wasn’t in it.
Cautiously Andy worked his way across the narrow beam to a wooden catwalk that led to an office. He could hear Smoke inside, talking on the telephone.
“Things didn’t go like we planned, Boss. The kid got away and they got Harvey … Yes, sir … Yes, sir … You want me to come up to the big house? But it wasn’t my fault. The kid had a gun … Yes, sir.” Smoke hung up the phone and kicked the wall. “Stupid high-class bigshot. What would he know about kidnapping, anyway?” He stormed out of the office, yelled something at one of his men, and headed down some stairs to the Firebird.
“Hey, look up there, Smoke. It’s a giant … bird?” One of the painters had lifted his goggles and was pointing directly at Andy. The rest of the workers stopped what they were doing and stared.
Andy pushed the button on his rocket harness and shot across the warehouse.
CHAPTER 14
“That was a close one, Henry. They didn’t get a good look at me, though. I was too high. They thought I was a giant bird.”
“Very good, sir. Can you still see the car?”
“He just turned up Rockwood. Take a right at the next light. Now he’s pulling into a private drive with a bunch of oak trees in front.”
“This is quite impossible, Master Hawkes. I know this house. It belongs to Clayton Town- send—Mr. Hawkes’s lawyer.”
“Hmmm. That explains a lot of things. Did Grandfather ask Townsend to do the paper-work for all of his invention patents?”
“Almost always, sir.”
“Then that’s how he knew about the Fountain of Youth. Park the limo, Henry. I’m going in after him.”
“Do be careful, sir. And … good luck.”
“Thanks.” Andy swooped over the trees and landed near the swimming pool. He studied the large Spanish-style house, looking for an entrance where he wouldn’t be noticed.
“Are you Big Bird?”
Andy tripped on the end of his wing as he whirled around. A little girl about four years old with curly black hair was staring up at him.
He relaxed. “No, I’m the Hawk, a brand-new superhero.”
“Too bad. I was gonna ask you to come to my birthday party.”
“Oh. Listen, do you know what’s in that room right up there?” Andy pointed to an open window on the top floor.
“Yup. That’s my sister’s room. She’s silly. She likes boys. I gotta go now. My mom is taking me to buy a new dress for my party.” Without another word, the little girl skipped across the lawn and around the corner.
Andy pushed the button on his harness and drifted up to the window. It was a girl’s room, all right. Everything was frilly and there were posters of rock groups and movie stars on the walls. He could hear running water coming from behind a closed door. Good, she’s in the bathroom, he thought.
He put one leg through the window and turned off the booster. The door opened and a girl about his age stepped into the room wearing a towel. Her eyes widened and she opened her mouth to scream.
“Don’t do that.” Andy hopped into the room on one foot and fell over his right wing. He rolled and landed on his feet. “I can explain everything.”
The girl edged over to the window and looked down. “How did you get up here?” She took a cautious step toward him. “It’s a little early for trick-or-treating, don’t you think?”
“Yes. I mean no. I’m not dressed for Halloween.”
“Really? You could have fooled me. What are you, then? Another goon my stepfather has hired to make sure I don’t run off with the silver?”
“You’re Clayton Townsend’s daughter?”
“Stepdaughter. He’s my mother’s fifth husband—she keeps trying. Hey, you don’t sound like you’re very old under there.” The girl walked around him. “You were going to explain what
you’re doing here, remember?”
“Uh, maybe later. Right now I’ve got some business to take care of. See you.” Andy opened the bedroom door and peered out. A curved staircase wound its way to the bottom floor. He punched the button and floated down.
The girl stood on the landing, watching. “That’s a neat trick,” she called down. “You’ll have to show me how you do it sometime. I’m free this weekend, if you want to fly by.” She disappeared into her room and shut the door.
Andy could feel himself blush under his mask. He shrugged it off and began searching for Smoke and Townsend.
Angry voices were coming from down the hall.
“You’ve ruined everything, you two-bit hustler! I knew I should have hired a professional. You’re worse than those other two goons I had.”
“But, boss, I—”
“Don’t talk, just listen. Before Harvey spills everything to the cops, I want him out on bail and the two of you on your way to Mexico along with those other two idiots who botched the robbery at the Hawkes mansion. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Sorry, Mr. Townsend. But I’m afraid I don’t understand.” Andy stood in the doorway with his feet apart and his wings out-stretched, trying his best to look like a superhero.
“It’s the bird from the warehouse!” Smoke said, staring. “What’s a bird doing here?”
“I don’t care who it is! He’s heard everything.” Townsend pounded his desk. “Get him, you moron!”
Smoke reached into his jacket.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Andy unclipped the Super Stun Gun.
Smoke laughed. “What are you gonna do, Bird Man? Shoot me with your banana?”
Andy pulled the trigger. For a second nothing happened. Then, suddenly, Smoke froze in place. His hand was still in his coat and his eyes were glazed.
Townsend drove his portly body into Andy, knocking him off balance and making the Super Stun Gun fall to the floor. The lawyer grunted and brought his fist up into Andy’s chin, pounding out two of his front teeth. Then he grabbed an iron paperweight from the desk and slammed it into Andy’s head, knocking him unconscious.