Here's a story that I wrote some time back. It's not my first attempt at CoX fiction, but it's the first one fit for general consumption. Lemmie know what you think...
---------------
THE SIDEKICK
Blue crept through the shadows of the alleyway behind the old building. It was really dark there. She was as quiet as a little girl could ever be (which actually was pretty quiet). Until just a few minutes ago, a lone streetlight had lit the corner just beyond the fence. A well aimed rock had taken care of that.
The worst thing about being a sidekick, Blue thought, was how dirty it always was. Even though she could see pretty good in the dark, and even though she was being extra-extra careful, her hands got covered in slimy icky gunk from the outside of a smelly dumpster.
But Super Amazing Man was counting on her. She had the camera, and the phone, and all the tape.
At first her mother had wigged-out when she saw how dirty Blues clothes were after a night of fighting crime. It didnt even seem to matter that Blue was doing important sidekick stuff for the Super Amazing Team. Sometimes it seemed her mom didn't listen to anything she ever said.
So Blue snuck out of the house one night and went down the street to the place where people left clothes for the poor people and picked out some special clothes just for sidekicking in. She had a nice blue T-shirt with yellow stars that was a little big on her and a pair of black pants. She kept a black mask from Halloween and wore that too, because that's what sidekicks did. Blue always washed her clothes herself with the hose in the back yard if they got dirty.
Blue looked up and saw a little flash of light behind an open window. Sparkle Motion was already inside. Sure, its EASY for her, Blue thought. SHE can fly!
Once Blue asked Sparkle and Super Amazing Man why they couldnt just carry her when they flew somewhere. She sooooooo wanted to fly! But S.A.M. just said, Youre getting way too heavy to carry, sweetie. But this didn't make any sense because he picked up really big heavy things all the time! Blue threw her best fit and really cried for real, but nothing she said would change their minds. It was so unfair.
Still, Sparkle was always nice about letting Blue see the best way to go. She jumped up on a box and climbed the fire escape to the window. It was locked but some of the glass was broken. Blue reached in and unlocked it. She had to be real careful not to get cut.
What a yucky warehouse! But it looked like the place where the nice law-lady on the phone had told her the bad guys would be. (It was one of her jobs as the Official Amazing Sidekick to make the phone calls.) Some really bad drugs were in the warehouse. The Super Amazing Team had to make sure that the police would find the bad drugs so they wouldnt make anyone sick.
Super Amazing Man and Sparkle Motion were inside waiting for her. Blue looked around for Mr. Shadow. She spotted him hiding between a couple of big boxes. She smiled and waved. Although Mr. Shadow didnt wave back, she knew he saw her. Mr. Shadow was not really as spooky as he pretended to be, unless he was mad at you.
Now that everyone on the Super Amazing Team was ready to go, Mr. Shadow went on ahead to scout the way. He could disappear from one shadow and reappear in another whenever he wanted to. Blue followed, staying behind the boxes wherever she could. Being little helped out a lot.
The warehouse had a lot of guards, but they were spaced out in pairs, usually. S.A.M. and Sparkle took them out easy. Sparkle would use her bright lights and energy beams to take out one bad guy, and S.A.M. would just hit the other with a big crate. Then Blue would use the duck tape in her backpack to tie them up.
The law-lady on the phone had told her that all these bad guys were part of the same family. Blue thought that was really funny because there sure were a lot of them! Maybe they were Catholic. There was a Catholic girl in her class in school, and she had 5 older brothers and 2 older sisters and one younger sister who was still just a baby and didnt go to school yet. And the girl had lots of uncles and aunties too. But not this many! Maybe these bad people were Super Catholics or something which is why they had a super big family.
One time Blue hurried too fast and went around a corner before S.A.M. and Sparkle Motion were ready. She didnt see the bad guy standing behind a big box and just walked past him. She didnt even know he was there until his gun made a loud click noise and he said a bad word. But before he could shoot at her, the man made a little scream. Mr. Shadow had reached out from the shadows and grabbed him. Mr. Shadow was good like that. Watching her back is how he always said it.
The bad guy was pulled backwards into the shadows. Blue couldn't see what happened to him, but there were scarey noises and then the man fell forward and didn't move anymore.
Blue shuddered. This was when Mr. Shadow was at his extra creepiest. Even after all this time she was still kinda scared of him.
Finally, Blue reached the place where the meeting was taking place. She was ahead of Sparkle and S.A.M., but that was part of their plan.
An old bald guy in a white suit was talking to someone wearing nothing but a pair of red pants. He had lots and lots of tattoos. Blue had seen people with tattoos before, but never so many. (She had once asked her mom if she could get a tattoo, but her mom had gotten real mad. Blue didn't understand why, and didn't think it was fair. But Super Amazing Man told her later that her mom was just looking out for her, kinda like Mr. Shadow. She still didn't get it. Sometimes adults could be so confusing.)
Blue crept real close to the men and pulled her mom's camera out of her Sidekick Bag. Lots of other guys were standing around looking bored, but nobody saw her. The nice law-lady had told her that the police needed an even-dance before they could take the bad people away. Blue had gotten real good with the camera, and she filmed them for a few minutes. They were talking about keys that were low and something getting cut. Probably they needed a knife to open the boxes that the bad drugs were in. But if they had keys for the boxes, then why did they need a knife? Nobody was dancing, but S.A.M. had told her to just film everything and not worry about that part.
Then the man in the red pants gave the bald man a bag with lots of money in it. Blue guessed this was the Daddy of the family. It was too bad, she thought. Why couldn't all daddy's be nice like her daddy had been? This one looked really mean, and he used a lot of bad words too.
Suddenly Sparkle Motion flew real fast around the corner. All the bad people looked up at her but Blue closed her eyes and turned away. FLASH! Now nobody could see anything except for Blue.
And there was Mr. Shadow behind them. He grabbed them all in a bunch of his scarey shadow tentacles to keep them from running away. Super Amazing Man also flew into the room, and between him, Sparkle Motion, and Mr. Shadow, the bad guys all went down really fast.
Blue had a lot of work to do taping them all up. After the first one, S.A.M. Reminded her that she needed to call 911 on the phone.
When everyone was ready for the police to find, Blue took the memory stick out of her Mom's camera and left it with a note. Then she ran back through the building and climbed out the same window that she'd come in. Sirens and flashing lights were coming so she ran to the tram line as fast as she could, brushing the rust off of her hands that she got from climbing down from the fire escape.
The Super Amazing Team waited behind to talk to the police. They couldn't be seen with Blue because if they were then everyone would know that she was the Super Amazing Sidekick. Mr. Shadow had been really extra serious when he'd explained to her how her mom could get hurt and maybe even her friends from school. So nobody knew about Blue except for the Super Amazing Team. Most of the time not even the bad guys ever saw her.
Riding the tram late at night was really easy too. Her friend Julie didn't believe her that she really did this all the time. Julie said that kids weren't allowed to ride without adults with them. But Julie didn't realize that grown-ups almost never paid any attention to her most of the time. They never listened to kids anyway did they? So why would they watch what they were doing? Blue's mom always bought a monthly Tram-Pass for the two of them, so it wasn't even like stealing for her to sneak on and off like she did.
Blue made it home safe and sound. Without incident, as Mr. Shadow would say. He talked a lot like a guy on a TV cop show. (Sometimes it would make Blue giggle, but she was careful to not let him hear her).
Tonight was good because it wasn't too late. Just a little after midnight. Sometimes the team was out fighting crime all night long. But she was always very careful to be home before it was time for school the next morning. One time she wasnt and her Mom was really super upset! She had ever called the police!
Blue Ocean Alvarez, Dont you EVER do that to me again! her Mother had shouted when Blue got home that one time. It was weird, because she was angry and crying and hugging and kissing her too, all at the same time! She got spanked, but then she got ice cream. And she was grounded for a long time, but her Mom paid so much attention to her afterwards that it was like she wasn't. It was because her Mom was so weird that Blue stopped telling her about all the adventures of the Super Amazing Team.
But she always wrote down everything that happened in her diary. She kept it right next to the Super Amazing Headquarters there on her nightstand.
Blue hid her sidekick clothes way down under her bed and got back into her jammies. She was just about to turn off the light when everyone finally got back.
Sparkle Motion flew up to the window. Her lights were down low so nobody would see her, but she was still real sparkly. She couldn't help it. Blue opened the window quickly so she could fly in. Mr. Shadow stepped out of the dark spot between her closet and dresser. He usually waited until Sparkle or S.A.M. came in, so he wouldn't scare Blue. Super Amazing Man flew in next, and Blue shut the window.
It was a school night, so they didn't waste too much time. After a quick peck on the cheek and a toss of Blue's hair, Sparkle flew into the Super Amazing Headquarters. Mr. Shadow went in next, all smokey and spooky. He never gave her any kisses or hugs, but Blue knew he cared about her anyway.
Super Amazing Man gave her a big hug before he went in. Blue held on to him for a long time. She didn't like to let the others on the team see her hugging him for so long but sometimes Blue couldn't help it. He smelled just like her Dad.
Blue still really missed him.
It had been tough for her Mom too. Sometimes Blue heard her crying when her Mom didn't think she was awake. Her Mom still kept his uniform and his badge in a box at the top of her closet where she thought Blue couldn't find it.
You did really good tonight, Kiddo, Super Amazing Man told her. Everyone will be a lot happier without those bad drugs on the street. Colleen told me to tell you thanks for the help.
Blue hugged him a little tighter.
OK now, time for all Amazing Sidekicks to be in bed. You want to do well on that math test tomorrow.
Blue climbed into bed. I always get A's on my math tests. You know that, she said.
Nonetheless, Super Amazing Man said, smiling, as he tucked her in.
And with that, Super Amazing Man, leader of the most awesome Super Amazing Team in the whole city, swooped up, gave a little wave, and whooshed down into the Super Amazing Headquarters. Another day of fighting crime was over.
Blue reached over, picked up the Headquarters, and pushed it under the bed. Then she turned out the light.
"OK, first of all... Shut Up." - My 13-Year-Old Daughter
Here's a story that I wrote some time back. It's not my first attempt at CoX fiction, but it's the first one fit for general consumption. Lemmie know what you think...
---------------
THE SIDEKICK
Blue crept through the shadows of the alleyway behind the old building. It was really dark there. She was as quiet as a little girl could ever be (which actually was pretty quiet). Until just a few minutes ago, a lone streetlight had lit the corner just beyond the fence. A well aimed rock had taken care of that.
The worst thing about being a sidekick, Blue thought, was how dirty it always was. Even though she could see pretty good in the dark, and even though she was being extra-extra careful, her hands got covered in slimy icky gunk from the outside of a smelly dumpster.
But Super Amazing Man was counting on her. She had the camera, and the phone, and all the tape.
At first her mother had wigged-out when she saw how dirty Blues clothes were after a night of fighting crime. It didnt even seem to matter that Blue was doing important sidekick stuff for the Super Amazing Team. Sometimes it seemed her mom didn't listen to anything she ever said.
So Blue snuck out of the house one night and went down the street to the place where people left clothes for the poor people and picked out some special clothes just for sidekicking in. She had a nice blue T-shirt with yellow stars that was a little big on her and a pair of black pants. She kept a black mask from Halloween and wore that too, because that's what sidekicks did. Blue always washed her clothes herself with the hose in the back yard if they got dirty.
Blue looked up and saw a little flash of light behind an open window. Sparkle Motion was already inside. Sure, its EASY for her, Blue thought. SHE can fly!
Once Blue asked Sparkle and Super Amazing Man why they couldnt just carry her when they flew somewhere. She sooooooo wanted to fly! But S.A.M. just said, Youre getting way too heavy to carry, sweetie. But this didn't make any sense because he picked up really big heavy things all the time! Blue threw her best fit and really cried for real, but nothing she said would change their minds. It was so unfair.
Still, Sparkle was always nice about letting Blue see the best way to go. She jumped up on a box and climbed the fire escape to the window. It was locked but some of the glass was broken. Blue reached in and unlocked it. She had to be real careful not to get cut.
What a yucky warehouse! But it looked like the place where the nice law-lady on the phone had told her the bad guys would be. (It was one of her jobs as the Official Amazing Sidekick to make the phone calls.) Some really bad drugs were in the warehouse. The Super Amazing Team had to make sure that the police would find the bad drugs so they wouldnt make anyone sick.
Super Amazing Man and Sparkle Motion were inside waiting for her. Blue looked around for Mr. Shadow. She spotted him hiding between a couple of big boxes. She smiled and waved. Although Mr. Shadow didnt wave back, she knew he saw her. Mr. Shadow was not really as spooky as he pretended to be, unless he was mad at you.
Now that everyone on the Super Amazing Team was ready to go, Mr. Shadow went on ahead to scout the way. He could disappear from one shadow and reappear in another whenever he wanted to. Blue followed, staying behind the boxes wherever she could. Being little helped out a lot.
The warehouse had a lot of guards, but they were spaced out in pairs, usually. S.A.M. and Sparkle took them out easy. Sparkle would use her bright lights and energy beams to take out one bad guy, and S.A.M. would just hit the other with a big crate. Then Blue would use the duck tape in her backpack to tie them up.
The law-lady on the phone had told her that all these bad guys were part of the same family. Blue thought that was really funny because there sure were a lot of them! Maybe they were Catholic. There was a Catholic girl in her class in school, and she had 5 older brothers and 2 older sisters and one younger sister who was still just a baby and didnt go to school yet. And the girl had lots of uncles and aunties too. But not this many! Maybe these bad people were Super Catholics or something which is why they had a super big family.
One time Blue hurried too fast and went around a corner before S.A.M. and Sparkle Motion were ready. She didnt see the bad guy standing behind a big box and just walked past him. She didnt even know he was there until his gun made a loud click noise and he said a bad word. But before he could shoot at her, the man made a little scream. Mr. Shadow had reached out from the shadows and grabbed him. Mr. Shadow was good like that. Watching her back is how he always said it.
The bad guy was pulled backwards into the shadows. Blue couldn't see what happened to him, but there were scarey noises and then the man fell forward and didn't move anymore.
Blue shuddered. This was when Mr. Shadow was at his extra creepiest. Even after all this time she was still kinda scared of him.
Finally, Blue reached the place where the meeting was taking place. She was ahead of Sparkle and S.A.M., but that was part of their plan.
An old bald guy in a white suit was talking to someone wearing nothing but a pair of red pants. He had lots and lots of tattoos. Blue had seen people with tattoos before, but never so many. (She had once asked her mom if she could get a tattoo, but her mom had gotten real mad. Blue didn't understand why, and didn't think it was fair. But Super Amazing Man told her later that her mom was just looking out for her, kinda like Mr. Shadow. She still didn't get it. Sometimes adults could be so confusing.)
Blue crept real close to the men and pulled her mom's camera out of her Sidekick Bag. Lots of other guys were standing around looking bored, but nobody saw her. The nice law-lady had told her that the police needed an even-dance before they could take the bad people away. Blue had gotten real good with the camera, and she filmed them for a few minutes. They were talking about keys that were low and something getting cut. Probably they needed a knife to open the boxes that the bad drugs were in. But if they had keys for the boxes, then why did they need a knife? Nobody was dancing, but S.A.M. had told her to just film everything and not worry about that part.
Then the man in the red pants gave the bald man a bag with lots of money in it. Blue guessed this was the Daddy of the family. It was too bad, she thought. Why couldn't all daddy's be nice like her daddy had been? This one looked really mean, and he used a lot of bad words too.
Suddenly Sparkle Motion flew real fast around the corner. All the bad people looked up at her but Blue closed her eyes and turned away. FLASH! Now nobody could see anything except for Blue.
And there was Mr. Shadow behind them. He grabbed them all in a bunch of his scarey shadow tentacles to keep them from running away. Super Amazing Man also flew into the room, and between him, Sparkle Motion, and Mr. Shadow, the bad guys all went down really fast.
Blue had a lot of work to do taping them all up. After the first one, S.A.M. Reminded her that she needed to call 911 on the phone.
When everyone was ready for the police to find, Blue took the memory stick out of her Mom's camera and left it with a note. Then she ran back through the building and climbed out the same window that she'd come in. Sirens and flashing lights were coming so she ran to the tram line as fast as she could, brushing the rust off of her hands that she got from climbing down from the fire escape.
The Super Amazing Team waited behind to talk to the police. They couldn't be seen with Blue because if they were then everyone would know that she was the Super Amazing Sidekick. Mr. Shadow had been really extra serious when he'd explained to her how her mom could get hurt and maybe even her friends from school. So nobody knew about Blue except for the Super Amazing Team. Most of the time not even the bad guys ever saw her.
Riding the tram late at night was really easy too. Her friend Julie didn't believe her that she really did this all the time. Julie said that kids weren't allowed to ride without adults with them. But Julie didn't realize that grown-ups almost never paid any attention to her most of the time. They never listened to kids anyway did they? So why would they watch what they were doing? Blue's mom always bought a monthly Tram-Pass for the two of them, so it wasn't even like stealing for her to sneak on and off like she did.
Blue made it home safe and sound. Without incident, as Mr. Shadow would say. He talked a lot like a guy on a TV cop show. (Sometimes it would make Blue giggle, but she was careful to not let him hear her).
Tonight was good because it wasn't too late. Just a little after midnight. Sometimes the team was out fighting crime all night long. But she was always very careful to be home before it was time for school the next morning. One time she wasnt and her Mom was really super upset! She had ever called the police!
Blue Ocean Alvarez, Dont you EVER do that to me again! her Mother had shouted when Blue got home that one time. It was weird, because she was angry and crying and hugging and kissing her too, all at the same time! She got spanked, but then she got ice cream. And she was grounded for a long time, but her Mom paid so much attention to her afterwards that it was like she wasn't. It was because her Mom was so weird that Blue stopped telling her about all the adventures of the Super Amazing Team.
But she always wrote down everything that happened in her diary. She kept it right next to the Super Amazing Headquarters there on her nightstand.
Blue hid her sidekick clothes way down under her bed and got back into her jammies. She was just about to turn off the light when everyone finally got back.
Sparkle Motion flew up to the window. Her lights were down low so nobody would see her, but she was still real sparkly. She couldn't help it. Blue opened the window quickly so she could fly in. Mr. Shadow stepped out of the dark spot between her closet and dresser. He usually waited until Sparkle or S.A.M. came in, so he wouldn't scare Blue. Super Amazing Man flew in next, and Blue shut the window.
It was a school night, so they didn't waste too much time. After a quick peck on the cheek and a toss of Blue's hair, Sparkle flew into the Super Amazing Headquarters. Mr. Shadow went in next, all smokey and spooky. He never gave her any kisses or hugs, but Blue knew he cared about her anyway.
Super Amazing Man gave her a big hug before he went in. Blue held on to him for a long time. She didn't like to let the others on the team see her hugging him for so long but sometimes Blue couldn't help it. He smelled just like her Dad.
Blue still really missed him.
It had been tough for her Mom too. Sometimes Blue heard her crying when her Mom didn't think she was awake. Her Mom still kept his uniform and his badge in a box at the top of her closet where she thought Blue couldn't find it.
You did really good tonight, Kiddo, Super Amazing Man told her. Everyone will be a lot happier without those bad drugs on the street. Colleen told me to tell you thanks for the help.
Blue hugged him a little tighter.
OK now, time for all Amazing Sidekicks to be in bed. You want to do well on that math test tomorrow.
Blue climbed into bed. I always get A's on my math tests. You know that, she said.
Nonetheless, Super Amazing Man said, smiling, as he tucked her in.
And with that, Super Amazing Man, leader of the most awesome Super Amazing Team in the whole city, swooped up, gave a little wave, and whooshed down into the Super Amazing Headquarters. Another day of fighting crime was over.
Blue reached over, picked up the Headquarters, and pushed it under the bed. Then she turned out the light.
"OK, first of all... Shut Up." - My 13-Year-Old Daughter
29973 "The Running of the Bulls" [SFMA] - WINNER of the Mighty Big Story Arc Contest !
- The Stellar Wind Orbital Space Platform