Danny waved at me as I got under the tube. The babysitter was next to her, smiling and waving too. I waved back and tapped my belt buckle.
"Bye, Daddy. Teach the bad guys a lesson."
I smiled and then waved one more time.
"Up the tube."
Her smile stayed in my mind as I went to fight crime. But I sensed something was wrong as I walked into the warehouse. There was no one around and the silence was incredible. A bad feeling filled me and I ran as fast as I could back to the man cave.
~~
The sight was too great as I entered the man cave. Not much was destroyed, but there was enough to tell that something bad had happened. I looked around for my daughter, but couldn't find her. Her toys were scattered on the floor, some broken from being stepped on. I saw her bear close by and picked it up. Anger welled up inside me as I saw the marking on the bear. It was the symbol of my arch nemesis. I had tried to catch him many times, but he got away. Illusion always got away. And now he had the only thing that I wanted to protect the most.
~EIGHT YEARS LATER~
"Ray, what's the emergency?"
I looked at the bear I was holding before turning to Henry. He seemed confused about the bear, but turned his attention back to me.
"Illusion is the emergency."
Henry looked confused. "Illusion?"
"That's right. He's my arch nemesis and has escaped capture every time I tried to stop him. He plans to take over the world someday and he wants to start with Swellview."
Henry looked shocked. "That's awful...but the look in your eyes says that there is more than what you're telling me."
I looked away from Henry and looked at the bear. I felt like tears were starting to form but I quickly blinked to keep them from falling. I couldn't lie to Henry this time.
"There is something that I haven't told you. Eight years ago Illusion was causing trouble in Swellview. Information on a hideout was sent to me and I went to look. Well, I had a daughter then and that was the last time I saw her. I knew something was wrong when I entered the warehouse and ran back here as fast as I could. When I returned, I found everything a mess. The babysitter was dead and my daughter was gone." I stopped for a second, taking a deep breath, and then continued. "Illusion left his mark on her bear and I've been trying to find her ever since."
Henry looked like he felt sorry for me. I was usually cheerful and cracking jokes, but I was saddened at the thought of my daughter. Suddenly, Henry got the look he usually got when he had thought of something.
"Ray! If Illusion is back, maybe he has your daughter with him! We can find him and get your daughter back."
I looked at Henry and thought he was on to something. But there was also a little doubt to the idea.
"You might be right, Henry. But Illusion can manipulate people. Plus, Danny was only five when she was taken. Illusion might have taught her things that could have changed her. She might not be the daughter I lost."
Henry looked annoyed. "You still have a chance to get her back. Plus, if she's on our side, you can have two sidekicks."
I looked at Henry, slightly annoyed, but I knew Henry was right. If Illusion was back he might have Danny and she might have a chance to be with me again. I thought about how nice it would be to have my daughter back but I was brought out of my thoughts as the emergency sirens went off. I brought up the screen. Gooch popped up like usual, but he had Cheyenne with him. Charlotte was out so Cheyenne was filling in for her in Junk N' Stuff.
"What's the emergency, Gooch?"
"There's a robbery in progress."
"Where?"
"At the Swellview Bank. It's Illusion and a sidekick."
I nodded, but turned back as Cheyenne started to speak.
"But you have to be careful. The sidekick has powers that can cause some real damage. Henry has to be careful."
"Right."
I looked at Henry with concern. I hadn't thought about Henry going up against Illusion but there was no time to think. I pulled out his gum and looked at Henry.
"You ready?"
"Let's blow some bubbles and fight some crime."
I smiled at Henry's enthusiasm and, together,we popped a gumball into our mouths and began chewing. The bubbles expanded and then burst into a flash of green light, changing us into our costumes. We then went to our spots under the tubes and tapped our belt buckles. The tubes descended into their places.
"Up the tube."
