Sidekick

Chapter 2

I stand frozen as Sally falls backwards off the bridge. Her muffled screams barely reach my ears.

Star Bine's eyes are wide under her mask. For a moment I think she won't save Sally. She proves me wrong when she dives down the side of the bridge. The last thing I see of her are her pink sneakers.

"What's going on?" someone near me asks.

I spin around as someone grabs my arm.

"Who are you?" they ask. I look down at them, my gaze falling to their eyes which are unfocused and glazed over.

"Can you see?" I ask, pushing their hand off my arm.

They shake their head. "Why can't I see?"

I turn my gaze to the rest of the crowd. They all stumble around, grabbing each other and asking who is who, and where is who.

I bring my hands up to cup them around my mouth, as if they are a megaphone. "Everyone! You need to remain calm and in one place. The effects last for twenty minutes!"

The people closest to me stop and turn their heads my way. The ones farther away keep stumbling about like drunks.

I sigh. Either they didn't hear me or don't care. For their sake I hope it's that they didn't hear. When the effects disappear it'll be more confusing for them not knowing where they or their family are.

I spin back around.

The bridge is empty.

There's neither Star Bane, Sally or Deranged Mugger.

As a phantom pain grabs my throat my gaze darts around looking for any of them.

How could this happen? I turned around for five seconds. How could they all disappear? Star Bine should have saved Sally by now. So where are they? And where is-

I spot him.

A man dressed in a black robber outfit jumps over the yellow safety barrier and into the crowd. Deranged Mugger.

Before I can think I run after him.

He pushes his way through the crowd, leaving me an open space to run after him. He doesn't run to the part of the crowd nearest the road where he could run away. Instead he runs closer to the construction site fixing the sidewalk bridge.

Why is he going there?

A bright streak of white interrupts my vision as I get closer to Mugger. When the streak is gone I look up to see what caused it.

My mouth drops open.

A metal frame that's a little taller than most people with a black seat at the top instead of a head and armrest that have the controls on it with the sun hitting it, is where Mugger runs to, and the thing that blinded me. A robot. It sits right in front of the construction zone, with Mugger running right at it.

I pick up my pace.

I cannot let him get to it first. Who knows what he could do with it?

I pick up my pace. I'm glad Peggy forces me on those runs even if I hate them.

Somehow I ran past Mugger. I don't realize it until I'm at the robot panting and he's not even close.

Wow. Those runs really pay off.

I look up at the robot. What am I supposed to do now?

What would Star Bine do?

She would either use her laser eyes to melt it. Or use her super strength to crash it. But I don't have any of her powers. So what can I even do?