What You're Missing

Chapter 13

Without a second thought, Henry reached into his pocket and pulled out the tube of bubblegum he was going to return and removed a ball of gum. He was about to pop it in his mouth when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"What are you doing?" It was Ray, dressed as Captain Man, about to enter the Swell Café. "I thought I told you to return those to me as soon as possible."

"I need to go in there," Henry replied firmly, tossing the gum into his mouth and proceeding to chew. Ray shook his head.

"N-n-n-n-no, spit that out right now," he demanded, "you're not Kid Danger anymore." Henry shrugged in response.

"Doesn't matter," he answered mid-chew, "you'll get your gum back after I go in there and help Charlotte." Ray threw his hands in the air in exasperation as Henry turned to Kid Danger.

"Charlotte, Charlotte, Charlotte," Ray repeated in a tone of annoyance. "Why am I not surprised?" Henry stepped forward only to be stopped by Ray.

"Ray," he deadpanned.
"What?"
"Move."

Ray scoffed as Henry nudged him to the side and entered into the café. Right away he started to attack two of the men, avoiding their attempts at him with ease thanks to his hyper-motility. Suddenly another robber came from behind him and swung a chair onto his back, causing Henry to fall forwards and groan out in pain.

"Kid!" Ray yelled. Then Ray was into action, fighting against two of the robbers as Henry attempted to reach Charlotte whilst fighting off another. Charlotte's screams of terror, though muffled by the gloved palm of one of the men, sent goosebumps up Henry's arm, and he ached to get her to safety.

"Don't worry!" Kid Danger shouted to her amidst dodging the robbers' attacks. "I'll get you out of here!" All Charlotte could do was blink back her tears away and try to think of something, anything she could do. To her dismay, she was physically incapable of freeing herself from the strong man who held her hostage.

After a series of strategically placed moves, the robber that once occupied Henry was now momentarily on the ground. Henry used this as an advantage and approached the man holding Charlotte, but stopped himself abruptly when the man repositioned the gun to her temple.

"One more step and I pull the trigger!" The masked figure's voice boomed throughout the shop, causing Charlotte to shut her eyes tightly and begin to shake with fear. Henry gulped, immediately backing away.

"Okay, okay," he raised his hands in defeat. Charlotte opened her eyes to meet his reassuring gaze as he mouthed "you'll be okay," allowing her to release the breath she was holding.

Meanwhile, Ray continued to fight off now three of the men. He was about to be knocked off his feet when he yelled, "Hey, Kid, little help over here?!" Henry quickly swooped in, and the two fought the three robbers together.

"I have a plan," Ray grunted in between throws.

"What is it?" Henry asked as he dodged punches.

"Just cover for me." Henry raised his eyebrows at his former boss, knowing that his plans didn't always go well. Ray rolled his eyes in response.

"Just trust me! I know what I'm doing." Henry shook his head but did as he was told, distracting the three men with his throws as Ray swiftly moved away from the scene to buy some time. He pulled out a surprisingly large weapon from underneath his sleeve and set it up for use.