First Offer (Minimum Wage Sidekick Book 3)

by Lucas Flint

  Secondly, Takeshi knew where I lived. That he came to my house for nefarious reasons was obvious. It was clear to me that he must have realized that I’d stolen the flash drive from him. He probably wanted it back. That meant that whatever was on that flash drive was even more important than I thought, if he was willing to go to such lengths to get it. It might even be enough to take down not just Sasha Munroe, but the entirety of Munroe Acquisitions as well.

  Thirdly, Takeshi had recovered ridiculously quickly from our fight. I had thought that it would take him at least a day to rest up before he tried to come after me, yet if James was telling the truth, then Takeshi had recovered in less than half an hour, if even that much. Either Takeshi was a lot stronger than I thought or he had some weird ability to recover from even the worst injuries fairly quickly. Perhaps Takeshi wasn’t even human. That would explain why he was so freakishly strong and fast.

  In any case, it was obvious that Takeshi—perhaps under orders from Sasha herself—was trying to take me down. They must have known that their criminal activities were going to be exposed to the public, which would probably land both of them in jail. There was no telling what they would do next, but I figured they would just escalate their ‘solutions’ from here.

  “What are you thinking about?” said James, glancing at me as we came to a stop at a stop sign. “Do you know who that Japanese guy is?”

  I nodded grimly. “Yes, I think I do. I’ve met and fought him before. He’s not a good man, I’ll say that much.”

  James sighed. “See, this is why you shouldn’t be a sidekick. You end up getting freaks like this guy coming after you. Seriously, this is the worst job ever.”

  I rolled my eyes. “It doesn’t matter. What matters is that this guy clearly knows my identity, although I don’t know how. He’s probably also going to go after Rubberman at some point, because Rubberman probably has the thing he wants.”

  “And what does he want?”

  “Something we stole from him that could incriminate him and his boss, Sasha Munroe, the CEO of Munroe Acquisitions, Inc. Possible evidence of criminal activities, in other words.”

  James looked at me in disbelief. “Are you telling me that you and your boss have evidence that one of the richest women in the city is a criminal?”

  “Yes.”

  I expected James to act even more shocked than before, but instead he just shrugged and said, “Makes sense.”

  “Makes sense?” I repeated. “You mean you aren’t skeptical?”

  “Why should I be?” said James as the car resumed moving down the street. “Lots of rich and powerful people are involved in criminal activities of some sort or another. It doesn’t surprise me in the least that Munroe would be involved in something illicit.”

  “Oh,” I said. “Okay. I just … never mind. I probably shouldn’t have expected any other response from you.”

  “Yep,” said James. “So, back to the Japanese guy—”

  “He works for Sasha,” I said. “He is her assistant, and maybe her bodyguard, too. He’s tough.”

  “That explains how you got that evidence,” said James. “But why would the richest woman in the city hire a ninja as her bodyguard?”

  “Who knows?” I said with a shrug. “All I know is that they’re clearly after me and that they somehow found out who I am. They might even leak my identity to the press. If they did that, I’d lose my sidekick license for sure.”

  “I wonder why they haven’t done that already,” said James as we turned down another street. “Seems to me like it would be a good way to get back at you. The press loves outing sidekicks.”

  “They do?”

  “Oh, sure. I remember this one sidekick I used to know, a hot girl known as Victory Girl, who was outed by a national mainstream newspaper. She and her family had to go into witness protection in order to avoid getting targeted by the enemies she’d made during her time as a sidekick. I still don’t know where she is or what her identity is now.”

  “Did the reporter who outed her get in trouble? I thought that outing sidekicks was illegal.”

  James chuckled. “Little brother, you can be so innocent sometimes. Of course the reporter didn’t get into trouble. He got a slap on the wrist, that’s all, from his bosses. He’s still on staff at the newspaper, as far as I know, while Victory Girl will never be able to live a normal life again. Reporters never have to worry about accountability to anyone. After all, they’re one of our most trusted institutions and always have our best interests at heart.”

  Despite his tone, it was obvious to me that James was still annoyed about that. I wondered if Victory Girl had been closer to him than just a sidekick he knew. Knowing James’ way with women, that seemed likely to me.

  Regardless, I sat back in my seat and folded my arms across my chest. “If I go home, there’s a good chance that Takeshi will show up again, except this time he might not be so nice. I don’t think he’d murder me in cold blood, but I also don’t think he’s just going to leave me alone, either.”

  “Well, I don’t know where else you can go,” said James. “Maybe back to the Elastic Cave? You stayed there when ZZZ was after you and were pretty safe, right?”

  “Right, but Takeshi has already managed to get into the Elastic Cave once,” I said. “It’s not as safe as it seems. Safer than the house, probably, but Takeshi can get into anything as far as I can tell. It would probably just delay his finding me at best.”

  “Maybe you should go into witness protection,” James suggested. “Not that I want you to, mind, but that might be a good way to keep yourself safe from him.”

  “Maybe, but I don’t want to go into a government protection program and I’m not sure if it will work, knowing how skilled Takeshi is,” I said. “I think you were onto something about going to the Elastic Cave, though.”

  “But you said it wouldn’t protect you.”

  “Not for my protection, but to let Rubberman know about this. He would be interested to learn about the fact that Takeshi knows who I am. He might even be able to help us figure out what to do next.”

  “Well, it isn’t like we have anyone else to go to,” said James. “All right. Let me turn around here. Just tell me which streets to turn down because I’ve never been to the Elastic Cave before and don’t know where it is.”

  I nodded, but in truth, I was thinking about whether it really made sense to go back to Rubberman or not. Takeshi would expect me to be there. He might even attack us when we arrived. Granted, he would have to take on not just me, but Rubberman, James, and Adams, too, but when I remembered how viciously he fought me back in Munroe Acquisitions, I began to doubt that even all four of us working together would be able to stop him, especially if he was out to kill me.

  But it was just like James said: We didn’t have anyone else to go to. The police wouldn’t be of much help, especially because we didn’t actually have any proof that Takeshi was up to anything bad. Rubberman was Golden City’s only superhero, so if we couldn’t go to him, then who … could … we go to …

  “James, pull the truck over,” I said as I jammed my hands into my pockets, looking for a card I had not thought about in a while.

  James looked at me like I was crazy. “Why? We’ll be sitting ducks if Takeshi is after us.”

  “I need to make a call,” I said. My fingers brushed against the slightly crumpled surface of a piece of cardboard, which I pulled out of my pocket. “Someone who might be able to help us where Rubberman can’t.”

  James raised an eyebrow. “Who could help us if Rubberman can’t? Are you going to call the police?”

  I shook my head and showed him the card. “No. I’m going to call Barriers and ask for his help.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Less than half an hour later, James and I pulled up in front of Barriers’ base on the edge of Golden City. I had never seen the building before. It was a short, rather unimpressive-looking office building, not very different from what you’d see in Gol
den City’s business district. The only clue to its true nature as the base of a superhero was the modified blue sports car in the parking lot, which had been given extra armor, perhaps to fit with Barriers’ armor motif. There was also a sign set up outside the door, which read ‘BASE OF HOMER ‘BARRIERS’ WATSON,’ along with Barriers’ phone number, website, and email address underneath, though the text under Barriers’ name was too small to make out from the highway.

  “This is his base?” said James, looking at the office building with a less-than-impressed expression. He looked at me. “Alex, are you sure he gave you the correct address? Because this doesn’t look very ‘super’ to me.”

  I nodded and held up my phone to show him. “Yeah. He texted it to me and I copy and pasted it into my phone’s maps app. This is it.”

  James frowned and looked at the office building again. “Compared to your boss’s underground cave, this is underwhelming. Then again, it’s a hell of a lot better than Windchime’s apartment, I guess, although that’s not saying much.”

  “Well, Barriers said that this building is owned by Munroe Acquisitions, which they give to their superheroes whenever one of them is active,” I said. “That’s probably why it looks so generic.”

  “I suppose you’re right,” said James. “Still, are you sure this is a good idea? It’s not too late for us to go back to the Elastic Cave and talk to Rubberman, you know.”

  “Don’t worry, I’m confident nothing will go wrong,” I said. “Barriers may work for Munroe Acquisitions, but it’s possible that he doesn’t know about all of their criminal doings. If we can get him our side, he could help us expose the company’s crimes. Besides, Takeshi would never think to look for us here. Given how Barriers is associated with Munroe Acquisitions, he probably thinks we’re trying to avoid everyone associated with or working for that company. It’s genius.”

  James nodded, although he didn’t look entirely convinced. “Okay, but if I see or sense anything suspicious, we’re leaving immediately. Okay?”

  “Sure,” I said. “Anyway, let’s go inside. Barriers is waiting for us.”

  We hopped out of the truck and made our way across the parking lot toward the office building’s doors. The parking lot was surprisingly large, which gave me a little bit of time in which to think about this recent turn of events. Despite what I’d told James, I had to admit I was a little nervous about meeting Barriers and I wasn’t even sure I could trust him totally. Yet I was convinced that going to meet him was the best course of action and that it would work out for us in the long run.

  I believed this because I remembered how much Barriers liked me. Sure, he only liked me because he wanted me to become his sidekick, but if he cared more about making me his sidekick than pleasing Sasha, he might be willing to listen to and help me. I had no intention of going to work for him, but I thought I could use his desire to make me his sidekick in our favor. Because he worked for Munroe Acquisitions, Barriers might be able to give us incriminating information we could then hand over to the police.

  So far, everything was going well. When I called Barriers, he had answered the phone himself and agreed to meet me immediately. We didn’t discuss business per se—I didn’t even mention the real reason I wanted to meet with him—but Barriers seemed to think we were going to talk about me becoming his sidekick. I decided to let him continue to think that, even if it was a lie, because it seemed like the only way I could convince him to listen to me.

  I also called Rubberman, but for some reason neither Rubberman nor Adams answered the phone, so I left them a voice mail telling them to call me back as soon as they could. I knew Rubberman probably wouldn’t agree with this idea, but the way I saw it, we needed all the help we could get if we were going to prove that Sasha was up to no good and Barriers could be that help. Lots of criminal corporations are taken down by disgruntled employees. Maybe Barriers could be that disgruntled employee in this situation.

  Nor was I worried about Barriers finding out my real identity, because I had put on my costume inside James’ truck before we came here. It was an emergency spare, meant to be worn only when necessary, such as if I was caught in the middle of a supervillain attack while at school or something like that. Normally, I wouldn’t be carrying around a spare copy of my costume in case someone saw it and realized that I was Beams, but Rubberman insisted I carry this spare in case I got attacked or was put in danger. I was grateful Rubberman insisted I do this, because it meant my identity would be safe from Barriers or Munroe Acquisitions finding out who I was.

  As for James, he had agreed to identify himself as Lightning Fist and not use his real name. We didn’t want Barriers to find out who I was, which meant eliminating all possible clues he could use to find out my real identity.

  We reached the front doors of the office building and entered. James went in first, although he held the door open for me to follow. When I stepped into the building and James closed the door behind us, I looked around to see what it was like.

  The interior of Barriers’ base was as plain as the exterior. We stood in what appeared to be the building’s lobby. There was a front desk for a receptionist before us, but it was empty; actually, it looked like it had been empty for a while, as if no one worked here. A few, slightly wilted-looking plants stood off to one side, while a small cubicle to our right appeared to be Barriers’ office, based on the computer and office chair I could see inside. There also appeared to be stickers with Barriers’ face on them on the computer monitor, which I assumed must have been Barriers merchandise. The lobby smelled like half-eaten pizza and Pepsi, which I realized came from the stacks of pizza boxes in the corner of his office and the small trash can overflowing with drained Pepsi cans. A small, half-hearted-looking Christmas tree stood next to the door to the stairs.

  “It’s even less impressive than the outside,” James muttered as we looked around. He looked at me again. “Are you sure this is his office? Because I don’t see him anywhere.”

  “I’m sure,” I said. “Maybe he’s somewhere else in the building or had to leave on an emergency.”

  Right after I said that, a loud flush came from behind a door next to the cubicle and the door opened. Barriers walked out of the room, sighing in satisfaction, but stopped as soon as he saw us. Behind him, I caught a glimpse of a small, cramped-looking bathroom, though he quickly closed the door behind him before I could see much else.

  “Oh, if it isn’t Beams!” said Barriers, walking toward us with an outstretched hand. “So good to see you! You came here right away. That means you’re prompt, always an excellent quality to have in a sidekick.”

  I shook Barriers’ hand as I said, “Uh, thanks, Barriers. It wasn’t hard to find, though we weren’t sure if this was the right place at first since it didn’t look much like a superhero’s base to us.”

  “’We’?” Barriers repeated. He looked at Lightning Fist. “Who is this?”

  “Lightning Fist,” said James, holding out a hand. “I’m a sidekick. Or was a sidekick, anyway; I quit a few years ago.”

  “Uh huh,” said Barriers, although he didn’t take James’ hand. He looked at me. “You didn’t mention you were bringing friends.”

  “Sorry,” I said, “but I need him here for my safety. Don’t worry. He’s good at keeping secrets and won’t tell anyone about what we’ve talked about here.”

  Barriers’ helmet hid most of his features save for his green eyes, which narrowed suspiciously. “For your safety? Pardon me, Beams, but do you feel unsafe here?”

  “No, it’s nothing to do with you,” I said. “It’s the situation I came to talk with you about. My life is in danger and I need your help.”

  Barriers’ eyes became less suspicious. “Really? Who is threatening your life and how can I help?”

  “You aren’t going to believe me if I tell you,” I said. “But first, can you promise to keep this discussion between us?”

  Barriers nodded. “Of course. I always keep discussions between
me and business associates private.”

  “Can you promise not to tell even Sasha Munroe?” I asked. “Even if she asks you specifically?”

  Barriers’ eyes narrowed again, as if he was wondering why I singled out Sasha. “Yes, I can promise you that. I may work for her, but that doesn’t mean I tell Sasha about all of my conversations, especially ones that are off the record like this one.”

  I sighed in relief. “Okay. Can we sit down first, though? I’m kind of tired from standing around all day.”

  “Of course,” said Barriers. He gestured toward his cubicle. “Please take a seat.”

  “Are you sure there’s enough room in there for all three of us?” asked James, looking at Barriers’ cubicle skeptically. “It looks pretty small.”

  “Trust me, there’s enough,” said Barriers. “Look.”

  Barriers walked into the cubicle and sat down in an office chair that creaked under his weight. He sat in it somewhat awkwardly, probably due to the fact that the seat was not designed for a man wearing armor like his. I was worried that the chair might actually collapse under his weight, but it held despite the ominous creaking sound it made when he initially sat on it.

  “See?” said Barriers, gesturing at his cubicle. “Plenty of room for all three of us.”

  James and I squeezed in, almost literally, because despite Barriers’ assurance, there really wasn’t much room in this place. We sat down on two chairs, but the lack of room meant that we had to sit extremely close to each other. I sat next to one of the half-eaten pizzas, while James’ left shoulder scraped against the wall of the cubicle itself. There probably would have been more room if Barriers hadn’t been in here, though that was kind of a moot point now.

  “You two look quite comfortable,” said Barriers. He picked up a nearby pizza box full of cold, half-eaten pizza and held it out to them. “Pizza?”