Sidekick 3: The Truth - Part 2
Some truths are harder to accept than others
Cat’s In The Bag!
Sanji jumped in a bag and we carried her around the apartment. Everyone seemed to be having fun.
…Time for this week’s story…
Sidekick 3: The Truth - Part 2
Previously, Theo and his villain friends broke into Justice Tower orbiting above Earth to give the greatest heroes in the world a slideshow presentation. The goal was to show them the value of nurturing talent and treating villains with empathy. Paragon-Man, the greatest hero in the world, was willing to hear them out. After the presentation, the villains waited quietly for the heroes’ response. They did not have to wait long.
“These companies named here, I believe some are fake companies established by the one who calls himself Morpho,” Cyberikon said. As a sentient robot, he had been digging into things the whole time. “They’ve been using this nefarious scheme to make large sums of money.”
“Nefarious scheme?” Theo laughed. “Everything is totally legitimate. This is proof that instead of locking away criminals we could be using their abilities to make the world better.”
“You’ve done a fine job, leading a gang this size in just two years,” Paragon-Man said.
“I’m more like everyone’s sidekick,” Theo corrected.
“Apparently the items they make are of the highest quality,” Cyberikon continued his assessment. “Although, I can not identify how they source such materials.”
“What would we do if there weren’t super criminals to catch?” Paragon-Man rose to his feet and leaned forward on the desk, looking down on Theo. “The same thing cops would do if there was no crime. You want a world without superheroes, show me a world without supervillains. You can’t, can you?”
“We’ve created a world where so many gifted people are criminals. There’s actually no legal structure for them to use their powers in a social or professional context that doesn’t punish them for it. People get taken advantage of all the time,” Theo explained, having learned many nuances from hearing the stories of his gang.
“You created a legal loophole for your gang. A clever scheme we’re putting an end to right now. Cyberikon, shut down all those companies, even the ones that seem legitimate,” Paragon-Man ordered.
“Wait! You can’t! You’re going to ruin so many lives. Not just people you call villains but civilians too, people who are just trying to help. Don’t you care about people?”
“Not people who are complicit in criminal schemes. Shut ‘em down, Cyberikon.”
“No!” Theo boomed.
“Yes, sir,” Cyberikon said. A second later, the glow in his eyes disappeared and he turned silver-gray. Contingency four: If Cyberikon tries to shut down what they’re doing, Theo turns him into iron.
“Cyberikon?” Queen Amazonia hurried over. “He’s been turned to iron!”
A gust of wind swept the room. Before anyone knew what happened, Paragon-Man was holding Theo in the air by the collar of his armored black and purple costume. Eyes glowing red, he snarled at Theo.
“What did you do? I saw your eyes, I know it was you. Turn him back!” Paragon-Man exclaimed.
“I used to look up to you, but you don’t have any empathy!” Theo proclaimed, hands around Paragon-Man’s wrist, feet flailing.
“You want to know the truth, you naïve chump? I’ve seen an idealistic idiot like you try to be a hero. You would’ve worked in the business for a while until you turned into a washed-up ex-hero, ex-sidekick, or even worse, a criminal just like your buddy LeFiels. You’re a couple of pathetic losers who deserve each other. Let me break it down for you. In this world there are good guys and there are bad guys. You get in line or you get run over.”
There was no contingency for Paragon-Man pissing off everyone in the room by insulting Theo and LeFiels. There was, however, a contingency for Paragon-Man grabbing Theo.
“Paragon-Man, I thought you’re deathly weak to cosmonium. Why is your suit made of it?” Theo said.
For the blink of an eye, Paragon-Man gave Theo a puzzled look. Then, he let go of Theo and collapsed in writhing pain. His suit turned black and the room erupted into a massive fight. Velocity charged Theo, but Bullet, who removed ‘the’ from his name since meeting Theo, was ready. Carrying Inverse, Bullet intercepted Velocity and touched him with Inverse’s hand. Velocity’s super speed turned to slow motion and he was thoroughly pummeled to death during the course of the fight, his body flailing slowly in the air. Next, Bullet carried Inverse to Captain Freedom and turned his super strength to super weakness. The Captain’s shield fell to the ground and he collapsed to his knees.
The battleground was a cacophony of explosions and screaming. Bubble guns blew soap bubbles that explode violently on contact. Giant, fluffy wearable tiger claws were given the power and sharpness of real tiger claws. Plastic magic wands fired real lightning bolts. Most importantly, the villains all worked fluidly in teams.
Queen Amazonia faced off against Hydraxia’s team, a young Chinese martial artist called Nuna and a Canadian vampire named Jack. Queen Amazonia attacked, Nuna turned her weapons and armor into noodles. Jack snuck up behind her and drained her of enough strength for Hydraxia to eat her. Jack and Hydraxia both gained a permanent power boost from consuming her, an aspect to her ability Hydraxia had only shared with Theo.
Red Warden manifested weapons and creatures from the glowing power amulet around his neck. He fought fiercely against Slicer’s team, Mira and Iron Dominic. Iron Dominic provided protection. Red Warden was hit from behind by one of his own attacks when one of Mira’s magic mirrors manifested to protect Slicer. Another redirect sent one of Slicer’s attacks through different mirrors, splitting Red Warden in half.
The heroes were cut to shreds, with Hydraxia eating many before they died. Several villains were injured, but none were killed. Gargoyleman and Paragon-Man were missing, and it was assumed they escaped.
Theo and the gang proceeded to the containment ward to free villains. Most joined up with the crew. Theo learned the truth that day and decided that was the last time he would speak to heroes as if they were good people.
Next Time
Sidekick V-Sides 2: Pockets