First War (Minimum Wage Sidekick Book 6)

by Lucas Flint

  “But—”

  “I must admit, though, that I’m unhappy about the Necromantress,” said Sasha, shaking her head. “’The Necromantress’—what a stupid name, I’ll just call her Shawna. Anyway, I thought Shawna and the Legion would kill you. She assured me that she would lure you into her trap and then kill you in cold blood, along with the other Heroes United members. But she obviously failed in that endeavor, given how you are currently standing here right now.”

  “Why did you want her to kill me?” I said, lowering my hands from my helmet, though my head still hurt. “Why didn’t you just have her kill Rubberman so you could get his business, like you wanted? Wouldn’t that have been simpler than going through all of this?”

  “It wouldn’t be, actually,” said Sasha. Her smirk turned into a scowl. “I thought that if I had Dennis killed, then I would be able to step in and buy out his business for a fire sale price. After all, without Dennis alive, Rubberman, Inc. would have no owner, which would mean that it would be placed on the open market for an acquisitions company like mine to buy. It seemed so simple … at least until I learned of the steps Dennis had taken to ensure that the business would fall into the right hands if he died.”

  “What do you mean?” I said. “Dennis—Rubberman—doesn’t have any children who could inherit his business and he’s divorced from Shawna, so she wouldn’t get it, either, if he died. Did he assign the business to Adams in his will?”

  Sasha, however, shook her head. “No. He only willed half of the business to Adams. The other half, however, he willed to you.”

  I looked at Rubberman in surprise. “Boss, is she right? Did you really will half of the business to me?”

  “He’s not your boss anymore, Alex,” said Sasha harshly. “I am. So perhaps you should reconsider what you call him in my—”

  “Maybe you should reconsider shutting your mouth, you foul witch,” I snapped. “Before someone shuts it for you.”

  Sasha actually shut her mouth when I said that. In a distant way, I realized that I had actually intimidated her, perhaps for the first time ever, but I was too emotional to dwell on that thought at the moment.

  Rubberman nodded slightly. “She’s telling the truth. You and Adams would get joint ownership of the business in the event of my death. Or would have gotten it, if I hadn’t just sold the business to her. Sorry.”

  “Why?” I said. “Why would you entrust half of your business to me? I’m not much of a businessman. I don’t think I’d be able to run it if you died.”

  “Because over the last several months, since you first started working for me late last year, I’ve seen the kind of person you are,” said Rubberman. He put a hand on his chest. “I’ve seen you fight supervillains and criminals that even a lot of adult superheroes would have trouble dealing with and come out on top every time. I’ve seen you grow, both as a man and as a sidekick, and I believe that you really do have a bright future ahead of you as a superhero.”

  “Boss—”

  “I’m not finished,” said Rubberman. He pointed at me. “Before you started working for me, I had intended for Adams to inherit the business if I died, though I didn’t expect him to get it because of his old age. I expected him to die before me, so I had plans to simply close the business should he die before me. As you pointed out, I don’t have kids or a spouse who could inherit the business in case of my death, so I didn’t have someone who could succeed me … at least, until you came along and showed me that there were still some good kids out there.”

  Rubberman put his hands on his knees. “I’ve come to see you as a sort of son figure, Alex, if that makes sense. And, like any good father, I want to make sure you get a good start, which is why I wanted you to inherit half the business if I died. That way, you would have all the resources you needed to start your own superhero business, to go from being my sidekick to being a superhero in your own right.”

  “Boss …” I struggled to find the words to say. “I … I don’t know what to say.”

  “You don’t need to say anything,” said Rubberman, shaking his head. “I always intended to tell you this eventually, but I never got a chance until now. I’m sorry.”

  Tears started to appear in my eyes, tears I couldn’t wipe away due to my helmet’s visor keeping my hands from touching my face. I didn’t let myself cry openly, however, because this was not the time or place for it.

  “How touching,” said Sasha. She lowered the contract onto the desk. “I never realized just how close the two of you are. I always thought you had a simple employer/employee relationship, but it’s obvious that you have something deeper than that. Almost like a father and son relationship. It would bring a tear to my eye if I didn’t hate you both.”

  I glared at Sasha. “You shut up.”

  “Language, Mr. Fry,” said Sasha with a cold chuckle. “Remember, I’m your boss now. If I wanted, I could fire you and replace you with someone else. I’m sure there are plenty of teenagers in Golden City who’d love to be the next Beams. It’s a popular brand, after all.”

  My hands balled into fists. The tears in my eyes had dried up, mostly because the energy in my eyes was beginning to charge. I was sure I could kill her here and now if I wanted. She was just a fat, middle-aged old woman. One blast to the face—and it didn’t even have to be a particularly powerful blast—and that woman would be dead where she sat. Even Takeshi, I knew, would not be fast enough to save her, though he might be fast enough to kill me in response. That might have been a reasonable price to pay, though, considering what the alternative was.

  “Now,” said Sasha as she sat back in her chair. “With Rubberman, Inc. under new ownership, I think I have something I’d like for you to do, Beams.”

  “What would that be?” I asked. “Are you going to tell me and my friends to leave? Or maybe call the cops on us for breaking into your headquarters?”

  “Ah, not quite,” said Sasha, shaking her head. She leaned forward, her smirk growing ever wider. “Instead, I’d like to ask you to fulfill your end of the deal we made. You remember the deal I’m talking about, don’t you?”

  Everyone else looked confused when Sasha said that, but I didn’t. I just stood there, frozen in place, thinking about how things had gone to hell so quickly and how much I wanted to punch Sasha’s smug face.

  “The deal,” I repeated. “The one we made a few days ago.”

  “Yes, that one,” said Sasha. “It’s still in effect, you know.”

  “But why?” I said. I gestured at Rubberman. “Rubberman already sold the business to you. There’s no reason for me to fulfill my end of the deal anymore. It’s irrelevant and pointless.”

  “Alex, what are you talking about?” said Rubberman with a frown. “What deal did you make with Sasha? And why didn’t you tell me about it?”

  “I suppose it won’t hurt to tell you,” said Sasha, before I could answer Rubberman’s questions. “You see, Alex and I made a deal after he got out of the hospital. The deal was rather simple: In exchange for killing you, I would spare his family and friends from being killed by Takeshi. It’s one of the simpler deals I made, but then, my father always told me that the simplest deals are usually the best.”

  I could feel James, Greta, and the Silent Shadow looking at me in surprise, though I didn’t pay any attention to them. My attention was on Rubberman, who was now looking from Sasha to me and back again with confusion and worry.

  “Alex, is Sasha telling the truth?” said Rubberman. “Tell me she’s lying.”

  I shook my head slowly. “She’s not. I really did agree to kill you, but it was to protect my family. I didn’t want to do it, but she threatened to reveal my identity to the world if I refused and kill my family, too. I had no choice.”

  I couldn’t stand Rubberman’s betrayed look. I hoped it was just his initial emotional reaction and that he might rethink his response if given time, but maybe it didn’t matter one way or another. After all, he was no longer my boss. Sasha was.
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br />   I looked at Sasha. “But I don’t understand why you still want me to do it. The whole reason you demanded I do it was to get Rubberman’s business. You’ve got it now. What else could you possibly want?”

  Sasha folded her hands on the table. She looked like she was really enjoying my suffering. “Simply put, I have no need of you or Dennis anymore. Now that I own Rubberman, Inc., I’d rather no one know the exact circumstances surrounding my acquisition of it. Legally-speaking, my methods for obtaining the business are quite … dubious, as my lawyer would put it, and if Dennis decided to take me to court over it, he might be able to convince the court to give me his business back.”

  Based on Rubberman’s disappointed expression, I could tell that he had been planning to do something like that. He obviously wasn’t pleased that Sasha had foreseen his actions, though.

  “But Dennis can’t sue me if he is dead,” Sasha continued. “I suppose Adams always could, but he wouldn’t survive very long in court, because he’s not as wealthy as Dennis.”

  “What about me?” I said. “Maybe I’ll try to—”

  “You’ll be on the run or in jail for murder,” said Sasha. She glanced at Takeshi. “Right, Takeshi?”

  Takeshi nodded. “Quite right, Miss Munroe. Once Beams murders Rubberman, we will call the police and inform them of this gross crime. Your sidekick license will be revoked and no one will believe you when you claim that Miss Munroe pressured Mr. Pullman into selling his business or of her association with the Necromantress and the Vigilante Legion.”

  “Precisely,” said Sasha. She looked at me, her evil smile never leaving her face. “I’d recommend not wasting your time coming up with ‘clever’ ways to get out of this situation. Security cameras in this room have been turned off in order to avoid providing video evidence of your innocence; there are no other Munroe Acquisitions employees on this floor aside from Takeshi and I; and the media will be on my side, because Munroe Acquisitions owns the Golden City Journal, so you can’t go to the media to give your side of the story, either. We even have a story to explain your motives for murdering your old boss. You are quite effectively trapped.”

  I could not disagree with Sasha’s final assessment. For the first time since I had known Sasha, I realized just how intelligent and cunning she really was. She had clearly given this entire plan enormous thought, anticipating every possible move I might make to save myself. If she wasn’t so hyper-focused on attaining Rubberman’s business, she could have been a real threat to the world. Then again, maybe she already was and I just hadn’t realized it until now.

  James suddenly put a hand on my shoulder, but he wasn’t looking at me. He was looking at Sasha with hatred, as if he wanted nothing more than to throw his boomerang at her face.

  “I will admit that you’ve got this thing all figured out pretty well,” said James. “As something of a master planner myself, I have to commend you for your Machiavellian scheming. It’s evil and immoral, but impressive nonetheless.”

  Sasha raised an eyebrow. “And? What is your point?”

  “You overlooked us,” said James, gesturing at himself, Greta, and the Silent Shadow. “We heard everything you said. I think all three of us are willing to back up Alex in court as witnesses, if we have—”

  “No,” said the Silent Shadow suddenly, “we won’t.”

  James and I looked up at the Silent Shadow. Greta, on the other hand, was looking at the floor. I think she might have been about to cry, though I saw no tears.

  “We won’t?” said James. “What are you talking about? I know you don’t like my little bro all that much, but—”

  “My daughter and I are famous criminals,” said the Silent Shadow, without apologizing for interrupting James again. “No one would believe us if we said that Beams was innocent. Nor could we even explain how we know without implicating our identities to the courts. We’d likely be arrested on the spot, given how we ourselves are wanted criminals.”

  “Quite so,” said Sasha. “The Silent Shadow really is as intelligent as all of the rumors say he is. And, if I may add, quite handsome as well.”

  “But I’m still here,” said James. “I’m not a criminal. I could still be a helpful witness.”

  “Familial bias,” the Silent Shadow said simply. “You’re his brother. Of course you are going to say he is innocent. Besides, one witness is hardly enough to prove innocence in a court of law even if you weren’t related to him.”

  “Once again, the Shadow is correct,” said Sasha, her smirk growing larger than ever. “In the end, as you can see, I win no matter what. That’s also how I do business, by the way. I set up win-win situations where I always come out on top no matter what happens.”

  James closed his mouth and, for the first time since I could remember, he looked soundly defeated. And if James—my older brother who always looked for the bright side of things, who had a can-do, never give up attitude—believed that he was defeated, then it was clear that Sasha had won and we had lost.

  “Because I’m feeling generous, I’m perfectly willing to let you leave unharmed, James,” said Sasha. “I’m even willing to let the Silent Shadow and the Golden City Robber walk, too. I really don’t care about any of you, because I know I can destroy you without even thinking about it. All I care about is making sure I get what I deserve and that Rubberman dies. And I’ll do anything to achieve both of those goals.”

  There was no way out of this situation. No matter what I did, no matter what I thought, Sasha would win. I’d either go to jail or be forced to go on the run, Rubberman would be dead, and his business would be just another asset of the Munroe Acquisitions corporation. There was not a thing that either me or my friends could do. We were trapped.

  That thought should have depressed me, and in a way it did, but in another way, it also made me feel at peace. The way I saw it, if I was going to go to jail for murder, then I might as well take out Sasha while I was at it. Sure, I’d kill Rubberman, too, but if I killed Sasha, then I would at least prevent her from feeling any sort of satisfaction in her victory. And if Takeshi killed me in return, well, it would be better than going to prison as my boss’s killer, anyway.

  Energy began charging in my eyes, causing my eyes and visor to glow. Sasha must have noticed, because her grin became even more wicked than before, while Rubberman looked as if he had resigned himself to his fate. I hoped that Rubberman understood that I was going to take out Sasha as well as him, but I had no way of letting him know that without also letting Sasha know about it. Let her continue to think that she was going to live long enough to enjoy the fruits of her success.That would make her death so much more satisfying.

  Before I could fire my lasers at Rubberman and Sasha, the sound of two sets of footsteps came from the hallway just outside the office doors. Sasha looked confused and shocked; and even Takeshi looked confused for a moment, his confusion breaking through his normally stoic demeanor. I looked at my friends and saw that they were all staring at the open doorway, wondering who could be out in the hallway.

  “Who’s there?” Sasha shouted. She looked at Takeshi. “Takeshi, you assured me that I had no meetings scheduled for this hour.”

  “But you don’t, Miss Munroe,” said Takeshi, who sounded a bit nervous. “I even gave orders to all of the managers and employees on the lower levels to not come up here even in the case of an emergency, so it can’t possibly be one of the employees, either.”

  “Then who is it?” Sasha demanded. “Who?”

  As soon as Sasha asked that question, two men appeared in the doorway. The two men wore sunglasses and identical black suits, but that was where the similarities between the two ended. One of them was a tall, lanky white guy, while the other was a muscular-looking black man. While everyone else stared at the newcomers in confusion, I instantly recognized the two and, for the first time in my life, smiled when I saw them.

  “Who are you two?” said Sasha, her hands balled into fists on the desk. “And how did you get
in here? You don’t look like company employees.”

  The white guy chuckled. He pulled out a badge from his jacket and held it out for all to see: It was the badge given out to employees of the Department of Superheroes. “We’re from the government … and we’re here to help.”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  “The government?” Sasha repeated. “What are you talking about?”

  Agent Charlie Camel lowered his badge, his smirk never leaving his face. “Guess I should be more specific. I’m Agent Charlie Camel and this taciturn fellow here is my partner in crime, Agent Rodney Jake. We’re from the Department of Superheroes on a special mission to keep Heroes United and the Vigilante Legion from tearing Golden City apart in their little war. Ain’t that right, Jake?”

  “Quite,” said Jake.

  “But you know, as agents of the federal government, we also have a duty to uphold and protect the laws of the land,” Camel continued. “If we find out that someone has committed a crime of some sort, well, we’re legally obligated to cuff ‘em like any common crook and haul them before the court. Even if that person in question is a very wealthy lady like you, Miss Munroe.”

  Sasha’s mouth fell open. She looked temporarily speechless. As for Takeshi, he inched toward Camel and Jake, reaching for one of his pockets, where he likely kept some ninja throwing stars, though he looked like he was waiting for Sasha’s orders before he did anything.

  But I certainly wasn’t speechless. I turned to face them and said, “Camel, Jake, thank God you’re here! You guys showed up just in the nick of time.”

  Camel shrugged. “What can I say? Superheroes aren’t the only people who swoop in to save the day at the last minute. Even the government can do that, though I’ll admit it isn’t in the Constitution. Maybe it should be, though. Would be an interesting amendment for sure, though doubt Congress would ever vote for it.”

  Sasha shook her head and said, in a forced calm voice as if she really believed she could get out of this situation with her usual slickness, “Well, Agent Camel, I have to admit that your presence here is certainly unexpected. May I ask why you showed up and why you think I’m doing anything even remotely illegal? It would be educational to learn why a couple of government agents think they can just barge into the private office of a businesswoman simply conducting an important deal with a fellow entrepreneur.”