Ironclad
Ironclad turned towards the direction he had come from.
"I can paralyze him and throw him under the bed." Dr. Bolt said as he adjusted the settings of his glove by repeatedly tapping his thumb with his index finger. A jolt of red light rushed to the tips of his fingers.
"No!" Ironclad pushed Dr. Bolt's arm down. Dr. Bolt snapped his teeth at him. Ironclad yanked his hand back, and raised them in a gesture of peace.
"I'm not going to grab you, no need to bite me." Ironclad lowered his hands. "But if you use any of your weapons against an innocent person, I won't help you fix the Exergist. You said it could take you months to fix it. If you hurt someone, I'll make sure it takes even longer than that. I'll purposely sabotage your attempts to go back home."
Dr. Bolt snorted. "You wouldn't do that. You want to go back as much as I do."
"Not if it means letting you hurt other people." He resisted the urge to grab Dr. Bolt's arm again. Instead, he tried to convey his seriousness with his gaze. "Give me the glove."
Dr. Bolt didn't move.
He didn't even blink.
"Uh, Dr. Bore?" Ironclad snapped his fingers in front of him.
"I need to pee."
"What?"
"Holding in pee can lead to urinary tract infections, kidney stones, bladder stretching-"
"Okay, I get it." Ironclad said, cutting him off with his hand. "But I'm serious when- hey!"
Dr. Bolt was walking away and had thrown the glove back at Ironclad who barely caught it. "Where are you going?" Ironclad asked.
"Bathroom. I'm not going to pee out here."
Ironclad opened his mouth with the intent to stop him but caught sight of something that made him freeze. "Uhh, yea fine." Ironclad cleared his throat. "Just, uh don't mess up the process. The.... janitors there seemed like nice people." He finished lamely. Without turning around, Dr. Bolt raised his hand and flipped him off, not noticing the change in Ironclad's composure. Ironclad didn't relax until Dr. Bolt had disappeared into the hospital.
There was a small building across the street with two floors. The top floor was vibrant yellow. The words "Boom!" had been painted in red, followed by the smaller letters that read, "A Comic Store." The bottom floor had different images displayed behind its glass walls. Ironclad was too far to make out the images, but the biggest one didn't require so much as a squint. It had a giant illustration of a man who undoubtedly represented Dr. Bolt.
The "Dr. Bolt" was towering over the sidewalk, a mad grin on his face. Half of his hair was disheveled while the other half was twisted and pinned back. Electric blue light ran between his gloved hand which was cupped in front of him. The light from the rays highlighted his eyes and the brown freckles that ran across the bridge of his nose. His black coat was dramatically tossed behind him. It was all so... stylized. Even the damn cockroach that was perched on his shoulder looked like some kind of symbol of strength.
Ironclad didn't understand what it was, but he knew he couldn't let Dr. Bolt see it, not until he had investigated it. He put the glove inside of the hospital bag and walked towards the crosswalk.
Ironclad slowly exhaled as he waited for the pedestrian sign. Countless cars mercilessly speed by, without any consideration of what could be in their way.
His hands began to shake. He clenched them into a fist.
I am not a coward.
The pedestrian sign lit up.
Ironclad yelled. He vigorously moved his arms and legs, the road passing him in a blur.
When he finally reached the other side, he latched onto the nearest pull.
The sign turned off and the cars passed.
He hugged the pole, breathing fast. With a smile on his face, he let go and walked towards the building.
YOU ARE READING
Dr. Bolt
Humor"Uhhh." Dr. Len leaned away from the man. She had planned to discharge him once he had woken up but now, she was wondering if he had severe head trauma they had overlooked. "I'm afraid I have to ask for your help." He grabbed her hands and clenched...
