Super Screwup (ONC 2022)

Chapter 2 - Busting Out

After the phone call, Marvin was led to a cell by a squadron of heavily armed security guards. They shoved him in unceremoniously and slammed the door shut behind him. He heard it lock with an audible click.

"Yeah, you pigs can shut me in here for now, but when my brother Megafantastic Man gets here he's going to set you straight. I'd be mighty afraid if I were you because my big bro is super protective of me and he doesn't take kindly to people who abuse my civil rights!"

He turned around to discover he wasn't alone in the small cell. A tall, skinny, bald man with oversized ears and eyes sat on a bed staring at him.

"Oh hey, bro," Marvin said. "Didn't see you there. My name's Marvin, but you can call me M-Dawg if you want."

"I am known as Dr. Magnus," the man smiled, revealing a row of sharp brown teeth. He spoke with a vaguely Eastern European accent. Latvia maybe or some other country Marvin didn't know anything about and didn't care either.

"Nice meeting ya, dude," Marvin extended his hand for a shake.

Dr. Magnus slowly raised his own hand which was veiny and covered in liver spots. He had narrow bony fingers with long, cracked, yellow nails on the end of them. His hand was cold when he grasped Marvin's hand and gave it a limp shake.

"So, what are ya in here for, Doc?" Marvin asked.

"I killed seventeen children and ate their faces," Dr. Magnus said. His long, wet, bright red tongue involuntarily licked his lips as he spoke.

"Whoa, that's messed up, man," Marvin said. "Sounds like you're a legit villain. As for me, I'm innocent. It was a total frame job and, let me tell you, some heads are gonna roll when I get out of here."

"Did I hear you say your brother was Megafantastic Man?" Dr. Magnus asked.

"Yep. He sure is. Everyone says he got all the brains in the family, but I got all the looks, if I do say so myself."

"What about super powers?" Dr. Magnus asked. "Are you gifted as he is?"

"Well, I'll admit I'm not as powerful as he is, but I'm not exactly chopped liver, if you know what I mean."

"So you could, for instance, bend the bars in that window over there that leads to the outside?" Dr. Magnus asked.

"What, those bars? Pfft. Piece of cake. I know they make them extra-reinforced to keep super-beings locked up, but they haven't reckoned with the likes of Marvin."

"This I do not believe," Dr. Magnus said. His oversized gray eyes stared intently at Marvin. He hadn't blinked them once this entire time. "You do not appear to be very strong to me."

"Dude, I'm totally strong. I could probably bust through these walls, if I put my mind to it."

"That I do not think would be necessary," Dr. Magnus said. "But still, I do not believe you can bend those bars. I think you are feeding me, as they say, a bunch of poppycock."

"A bunch of-" Marvin sputtered. "I'll show you, old man. Stand aside." Marvin grabbed the bars in the window and began to pull on them with all his strength. His teeth clenched and the veins in his arms bulged as he redoubled his efforts. At last the bars crumpled in his hands, leaving the window wide open. "See? I told ya, fool."

"Yes, yes," Dr. Magnus said. "You were right and I was wrong. I am indeed the fool. Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, Mister M-Dawg." With that the doctor hoisted himself up onto the window sill and wiggled out the open window into the dark night.

"Aw, he called me M-Dawg," Marvin said with a smile. "I don't care what that dude did to end up in here, he was pretty cool."

He stood there looking at the window with a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment when it suddenly dawned on him that it had been several minutes and Dr. Magnus had not returned from wherever he had gone. He poked his head out the window and realized that there was nothing but a big empty field on the other side of it.

"Uh, where'd that dude go? I'm starting to think I might have pulled another Marvin here. Crap. Why the hell isn't there a big fence with barbed-wire and spotlights out there? Don't they know they've got supervillains locked up in this joint?"

It occurred to him that his brother might be pretty mad at him when he found out he'd let a bad guy escape. It also occurred to him that the responsible thing to do would be to go out there and apprehend Dr. Magnus on his own and return him to the prison. Then he'd be the big hero that saved the day and his brother would be proud of him. Maybe Marvin would even get an award at the White House. That would really show everybody what was what. Then they'd have no choice but to let him join the League of Scrupulousness, also known as the most powerful and popular superheroes on Earth. Maybe he'd even finally get a cool superhero name like Righteous Man or Captain Asskicker or something.

Well, it was decided. It was up to Marvin to save the day, and he took his duty seriously. He took a minute to take a leak in the little communal cell toilet and then he leaped through the window and out into the night.