Break: An Urban Hero's Journey

by Wes Grant

  Shrink looked at his watch and said, “I give him one thing, he does know how to stay on schedule. Fifteen minutes to the second.”

  Voltedge said, “What the hell was that?” Shrink replied, “I’m assuming that was Crank getting our second target out of his cell . . . Now let’s hurry and get to the convene point. Crank should be there shortly.”

  When they all convened, Crank was carrying Mike and he was yelling at Crank to put him down. Crank put him down, and Mike stood up to Crank and said, “Don’t you ever put your hands on me like that again, or I will light you up like a Christmas tree!”

  Crank looked at Mike and said in his Russian accent, “Little boy talks but looks like he still drinks mother’s breast milk.” Mike said, “Yeah, yo Momma’s breast.” Shrink interrupted them and said, “OK, gentlemen, as much as I would like to watch you two go at it, we have a schedule to keep, and security will be here shortly.”

  Mike turned away from Crank and looked at Shrink with an annoyed look on his face then said, “Who the Hell are you?” He then leaned over to the side and asked, “And who the hell are they?”

  Shrink said, “Who we are is not important, just know that if you come with us now, you will have the chance to earn 10 million dollars.”

  Mike said, “You’re messin’ with me, right?”

  Shrink said, “No, I am not in fact messin with you. That’s the onlyreason we broke you delinquents out.”

  Mike said, “You’re freaken serious. Bro where do I sign up?” Shrink said, “OK, now that everyone’s on the same page, let’s be on our way.”

  Mike followed Shrink to the van, and before he got in, he said, “What’s your name anyways, old man?”

  Shrink replied, “The name is Shrink. “ Mike said, “OK, I wouldn’t go broadcasting something like that bro, but if you wanna know, call me Ignite.” They all got in a van and drove off.

  The five of them arrived to their new designated hideout location given to them in the envelope. It’s a decent-sized house located in the woods for privacy. They proceeded inside of the house and found that it had been already stocked full of food and clothes for all of them.

  They all got themselves situated and changed their clothes. Crank was taking food out of the fridge when all of a sudden a knock came at the door.

  Mike jumped up and said, “Who the hell is that? I thought you said this was a secret hideout.” Shrink walked over to the door and sai d, “Calm down. It’s just the gentleman that will provide us with all the details for us to get our 20 million each.” He then opened the door and let the gentleman in.

  The man stepped into the house and, without saying a word, walked over to the large screen TV. He then politely asked everyone to take a seat around the television.

  Everyone except for Shrink, took a seat. Voltedge said, “So are we gonna see this mystery man now?” As he sat back and opened his arms on the couch.

  The man turned on the TV, and on the screen a silhouette of an older gentleman was there sitting at a desk. The gentleman then said, “Hello, gentlemen, it’s good to see you’ve made yourself comfortable in the accommodations I’ve provided for you.”

  Crank said, “Rich man sound very familiar.”

  Voltedge mumbled, “That’s because all rich men sound alike.”

  The man on the screen then said, “I bet everyone is wondering why I have assembled you all together.”

  Ignite interrupted and said, “Who is this guy?”

  Shrink, leaning against the kitchen counter. He had his suspicions but didn’t tell the rest of them. The mystery man said, “Please just call me Mr. P. And bravo Mr. Shrink, you’ve done an excellent job living up to your reputation. You truly are a genius. I don’t believe anyone other than yourself could have pulled this off. Having gotten everyone out of their enclosures and brought them together like this. Bravo.”

  Ignite interrupted and said, “Hey, if you’re done kissing his butt, when do we get this 20 million each?” Voltedge said, “Whoa kid, we didn’t have to get you out of there. Show some respect to the guy that’s about to make you a millionaire.”

  Ignite stood up in front of Voltedge and said, “Hey! I didn’t need your help to get out of there. I was planning on getting out myself. I was just waiting for the right time.”

  Voltedge said, “Sure kid, and I’m the king of the leprechauns and I don’t really need this money, I got me a whole pot of gold in me pocket.”

  Ignite made his right hand catch on fire with his eyes glowing red then said, “You want some, fat man?” Voltedge got up and started charging electricity in his hand with electricity in his eyes then said, “I’m not fat, I’m big boned and whenever your ready reject Fallout boy!”

  Ignite replied back with, “Well, you got the fattest bones I ever seen!” Shrink interrupted and said, “Gentlemen! Do you or do you not want to get paid?” They looked at him in silence. He then continued and said, “Then I suggest you take a seat and listen to what the man has to say.”

  Mr. P said, “Thank you, Mr. Shrink. I’ll get right to the point. All of you have two major things in common. As you’ve probably already figured out, the first one is, all of you have extraordinary abilities. And the second is, all of you were put in jail by the same person.” They all said at the same time, “Spear1” He continued, “You’re all correct. I am indeed talking about the one you know as Spear. I am willing to give you this rare opportunity to get your revenge and provide you with whatever you need to do so. When the job is done, you will each be given 20 million dollars. To add on top of that, if you take care of Spear in a manner that doesn’t draw too much attention, I will get all of you exonerated from your prior charges . . . I have a lot of high connections, and I can make it happen.”

  Shrink moved away from the counter and said, “I’m curious as to why a man of your stature would be willing to risk getting caught helping people like us?”

  Mr. P said, “Let’s just say, Spear has become a little more than an annoyance to me.”

  Voltedge said, “Geez, if Spear was a little more than an annoyance, I’d hate to see what he’d do to someone he hates.” Mr. P said, “Back on topic, as you can see, I have provided you with a nice, comfortable safe house to stay in for the time being. I will leave it up to Mr. Shrink over there to devise a plan to exterminate the pest. When you are ready, give a list of the things you will need to take care of the nuisance.”

  Shrink replied, “That’s good because I have a list right here.” Mr. P said, “Already prepared I see, I wouldn’t expect anything less from a man of your intelligence.” Shrink said, “Yes, I already figured out that we each would have to play a role in some sort of action, so I devised a strategy in which whatever we do, it would optimize our ability as a team.” He handed the list to the man and looked at the screen and said, “If you can get us these supplies by tomorrow, we can begin right away.”

  Mr. P replied, “That’s excellent to hear. I will have my men get you the things you need by tomorrow, whatever it is . . . and who knows, if you prove yourself and really live up to my expectations, then I might have a full-time position on my staff for a person like you. The 20 million will seem like pocket change.” The TV then went off.

  M Wave said, “I don’t trust him.”

  Ignite said, “She talks?”

  M Wave said, “I’m a boy, you jerkwad.”

  Ignite said, “Yeah right, and I’m the queen of England.” He looked at everyone else’s face and then said, “You’re kidding right… that’s a boy.” He looked at M Wave and said, “Dude, you got some serious issues.”

  M Wave said, “I don’t need the opinion of a dim-witted semi– punk rock reject.”

  Ignite said, “OK, I don’t know what that first word you called me was, but I’ma kick your butt just for the rest of that sentence.” M Wave said, “You have no idea of how outclassed you are. If you think you have a chance against me, come at me and I’ll show you who has the real power.”

  Shrink int
errupted and said, “Gentlemen, did you not hear the opportunity given to us? Save your anger and frustration for the person who deserves it, Spear. We must momentarily put aside our differences and come together as one.”

  Ignite replied, “This is pointless. I can take him out on my own. I don’t need three old dudes and a he-she over to beat Spear. He got lucky when we fought. It won’t happen again.”

  Shrink countered, “First of all, you need to get that attitude adjusted because right now, we are not the enemy. And secondly, we all took on Spear one-on-one, and he somehow beat us all. We are getting a second chance to bury that bastard and get paid an exorbitant amount to do so. So if not for revenge, work with us for the money, because this is one of those rare opportunities where the wrong decision will have you regretting it for the rest of your life. And besides, think of all the things you could get with 20 million dollars… anything you’ve ever wanted. With 20 million, it can be yours.”

  Ignite reluctantly said, “OK, but I’m only doing it for the money. Don’t get in my way.” He then walked away and headed to his room.

  Shrink began to walk past M Wave and stopped next to him. He tilted his head over and whispered, “Thank you. I know your powers and what you’re capable of. I know what you were thinking. Your powers are great… maybe the greatest out of all of us. Just know that you’re not alone anymore. We all have abilities, and regardless of how different we are, we all have a common understanding of being different from everybody else, but that’s what makes us special.” He then pat M Wave on the backand said, “Now get some rest. We got a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”

  When M Wave left the room Shrink walked up to Mr. P’s messenger and whispered, “If you don’t mind, I have some things I would like to privately talk about with your employer.”

  The man said, “Very well, here is a phone my employer had me bring for just that reason. Expect a call later tonight.” Shrink took the phone and walked the man out of the cabin.

  Later that night the phone rang and Shrink picked it up. He answered, “Hello.”

  Mr. P replied, “Hello mister Shrink, I hear you have something you wanted to talk to me privately about.” Shrink replied, “Well yes I do, Mr. Midas Platinum.” Mr. P smirked and responded, “Congratulations mister Shrink. I would expect no less from a man such as yourself. With a man of your intellect I expected you to figure it out sooner or later, but this my dare sir, is a lot sooner than I expected… With that out of the way, what is it you wanted to speak to me about?”

  Shrink replied, “The thing is, you know I’m a man that likes to know all the pieces in play. So knowing who you are, I can’t stop thinking or pondering about what is in it for you… Your a great businessman and have a lot of political connections. So the question is why do you want Spear out of the way. I know why we’re in it. For the money and revenge, but why does someone that seemingly has everything they could ever want, want someone like Spear gone? Especially enough to risk bringing us on board.”

  Mr. P responded in a calm voice, “I un derstand you are a man that likes to know everything, and likes to get into the heads of everyone around you… but I as well, like to be well informed about associates I deal with. Detail like, I know you can’t use your abilities over the phone but are a master at breaking down dialog and deciphering their meaning to deduce things about your subject. But get this straight my dare Shrink. My head is not one to be tampered with. This temporary partnership is strictly for business. Spear could be problematic down the future so as a businessman it is in my best interest to have him eliminated early rather than later. Knowing who I am, I hope you won’t be problematic down the future.”

  Shrink replied, “No, no problem at all. Sorry for prying, it’s a habit of mine. I do appreciate the opportunity you have given us and will make sure to take care of our mutual problem.”

  Mr. P replied, “Good to hear it. Now please do notify me if tomorrow the supplies you requested do not meet up to your standards.” The phone call then ends.

  Shrink thinks to himself, “Mr. Platinum might not the upstanding citizen he makes himself out to be in public.” The next day, Nick was at his job at Norman’s hardware store. He was in the back of the receiving side of the store building grills in what little space he had left after other departments in the store stuff it full of their products. The store managers with two other managers came to the back area and started going off about how messy it was back there. Nick tried to explain to the manager that he had no control of the whole back area since everyone used it as a dumping ground. He said he didn’t want to hear any excuses and Nick should just clean the crap up.

  The managers then walked away, and someone that overheard went up to Nick and said, “Dude, I don’t know how you don’t flip out on them.”

  Nick said, “I have no choice, I’ve got bills and responsibilities.” The coworker replied, “Don’t you get mad or pissed?” Nick replied, “Sure I do, I just don’t show it.”

  The coworker said, “From the time you’ve worked here, I’ve never seen you flip out on anyone or even a customer, and believe me, some of them deserve it. How do you do it?”

  Nick said, “I don’t know, I guess when I’m mad I just tuck it away and go on with what I have to do.” The cowor ker replied, “That ain’t good, that’s usually how those psychos snap and go on those mass killings . . . Just do me a favor, if you plan on going postal here, give me a heads-up so I don’t come in to work, OK?” as he laughed.

  Nick chuckled and said, “OK. Now could you help me clean up the back area?” Later that night Spear was running on the roofs of Jersey City. He’s doing his normal routine around the city when all of a sudden he ran into an old acquaintance.

  Spear said, “What the hell are you doing up here?” The mysterious man said, “Spear, that’s rude. Is that any way to greet an old acquaintance?”

  Spear said, “That’s the way I greet psychopaths that try to kill me, Shrink.”

  Shrink replied, “Psycho. Ouch, that hurts. I thought we had an understanding. Iwasn’t anything personal.” Spear said sarcastically, “Yeah, I’m sorry. I take it back, psycho isn’t the right word for you. How bout COMPLETELY INSANE NUTJOB!!! Did you forget, you tried to KILL ME!”

  Shrink said, “To be fair, you did disrupt my line of business.” Spear said, “Speaking of that. Aren’t you supposed to be locked up right now?”

  Shrink said, “Oh please, you and I both know I’m way too intelligent to be kept locked up for long.” Spear said, “Well, you can’t be too smart if you delivered yourselfto the person who’s going to put you back in jail.” Spear then tightened his fist and ran at Shrink.

  Shrink put his hand out and yelled while turning his head, “Uh, uh, uh, I know what you’re thinking and it’s not a good idea.” Spear stopped in place andsaid, “What are you talking about?” Shrink said while waving a trigger around, “I’ve wired multiple locations in this city of yours with explosives. One false move, and boom, there goes the neighborhood.”

  Spear looked at the trigger and thought to himself, “Maybe if I move quick enough, I can get the trigger.” Shrink interrupted Spear’s thoughts and said, “I have no doubt you’re quick enough to take this from my hand before I press the trigger, but know this, I have people watching us through scopes, and even if you take this trigger, they can still set off the explosives.”

  Spear replied, “What do you want? Why are you doing this?” Shrink said, “In simple terms, rematch.”

  Spear replied, “What? A rematch, if that’s what you want, let’s do it.”

  Shrink said, “I respect your enthusiasm, but this is not my place of choice for your defeat.”

  Spear replied, “Defeat, do you even remember who won the last time we fought?” Shrink said, “I’ll admit, you gained the upper hand in our last confrontation, but last time I underestimated you. That won’t happen again.”

  Spear replied, “So where are we going to have this rematch?” Shrink tossed a lette
r and Spear caught the spinning letter in front of him while not once taking his eyes off Shrink. Shrink then said, “Meet me at the designated location at the time provided . . . Oh, and come alone. If I see any police around the area, I’ll make the terrorist attacks in New York look like a walk through the park.” Immediately, he said in a cheerful manner, “I’m just crazy enough to do it.” He then began to laugh, went to the edge of the building and grabbed a wire. He turned around and said, “Oh and make sure not to try and follow me and I will set off one of the bombs if you do.” He says, “Arrivederci,” and jumped down the side of the building, got into a car, and drove off.

  Spear ran to the edge of the building and watched Shrink get away. He thought about going after Shrink but realized that if what he said was true, there could still be people watching him through scopes and he could set off the explosions at any time. He turned around and got out of there.

  Later that night after making sure no one followed him and getting home, Nick headed over to Von’s house. When he got there, he called Von, but he didn’t pick up. He rang the doorbell but still nothing. He then went to the side of the house and looked through the basement window and saw Von playing his online game with headphones on. Nick knocked on the basement window to get his attention. Von saw him, took off his headphones and went upstairs to open the door. When Von opened the door, Nick rushed in and asked Von where his brother was.

  Von said, “I don’t know, man. He comes and goes as he pleases. Most of the times he’s out training on base.” Nick replied, “Tell him when you see him to call me. I need to talk to him now! It’s very important!” Von said, “OK, is it something I can help you with?” Nick said, “Maybe, I might need your expertise for something.” They went down to the basement and got on the computer.

  Von said, “OK, now, what magic trick do you want me to perform now?”

  Nick said, “I just need you to check the police files, I just met up with Shrink.”

  Von said, “Shrink, the psycho bank robber genius, Shrink.” Nick said sarcastically, “No, Shrink the ice cream truck operator. Who else would it be?”