Chapter 10
The Clone's Farewell
Once they were outside the doctor's lab, the clone turned to his original self. He swallowed a lump in his throat and looked into the dry, dusty sagebrush.
"I guess this is the part where you and I say goodbye," he said quietly.
Superkid swallowed his own lump. "Where will you go?"
SuperKC shrugged. "Wherever I'm needed, I guess."
"How are you going to live?" Superkid persisted.
SuperKC stared out towards the mountains and didn't reply for a while. Finally, he answered, "Guess I'll find out when I get there..." He turned back to his carbon copy and attempted a grin. "It's probably not so bad living in the streets. I won't have to listen to anyone tell me to go to bed anyways."
"Just make sure you don't take anyone else's territory," Superkid joked with a weak smile. "I hear street bums get mean if you mess with their cardboard boxes."
They both chuckled but their chuckles quickly died. They shuffled uncomfortably in the silence.
Finally, Superkid murmured, "I'll miss you, friend."
SuperKC smiled. "Even though at first I thought you were trying to take my place, I couldn't help but like you. I guess you just can't hate yourself," he added with a laugh. Then he swallowed and finished, "I'll miss you too."
He slowly extended his hand. Superkid slowly took it and they solemnly shook. Then SuperKC took his hose and blew hot air into it. His balloon-cape inflated and soon he was rising.
"Remember," the clone said as he rose, "you're the town's only protection against the villains like Doctor Red, Black Belt, Vampire, and that giant spider. Don't let them down!"
"And make sure that wherever you end up, you're a pain in the rear to all the wrong-doers!" Superkid shouted back.
SuperKC waved to show he heard. Then he took his hose and blew cool air into it. As he maintained cool air flow into his balloon, he pulled the hose, which let the air escape and push him across the desert.
Superkid stood and watched as his friend drifted further and further away from him until he was no more than a speck on the big orange sun sinking behind the mountains. Then he turned and began his own trek home.
And thus concludes the adventures of Superkid and the clone. Oh, what a sad ending! His carbon copy drifting off into the sunset--oh, it's so cliché but still so sad!
All right, I need a change of mood. Fortunately, I have the cure coming right up! One good old cliffhanger ought to do the trick!
Epilogue
The police surrounded the abandoned factory, approaching it cautiously. They had their guns out and their cuffs handy where they needed it. Chief Pamerin led two officers behind him as they approached the door. He turned to them and put a finger to his lips. They nodded to show they understood but rolled their eyes when he turned away.
Pamerin reached slowly for the knob. He twisted it ever so gently. He pushed it open with a loud, metallic screech (he had meant to do it quietly). He stuck his gun through the door and then his head followed. He looked around the large assembly room for their criminal but could see no trace of him.
With a professional flick of his wrist, he said to his team, "Search the factory. He should be here somewhere. Superkid told us that he's weighed down by metallic green goop." He made a face as though wondering what kind of code that was.
The team did a professional search of the factory while Chief Pamerin waited for them to report back. After a while, several of them came back with this news, "We've searched the building but we can't find him. We think he may have escaped, sir."
Pamerin argued, "But we have this place surrounded! You sure you've looked everywhere?"
"Everywhere," another officer confirmed, "the offices, the main floor, the locker room, the lockers, and even all the toilet stalls, all clear... technically." He tried to keep his face from turning red. No need to tell the chief about the intrusion on a fellow officer while doing his... business.
The chief's face, however, did turn red but for a different reason. "How could he have slipped from under our noses?"
The officer was about to reply when someone called them over. When they got there, they saw their fellow officers taping off the area and snapping photos. Chief Pamerin narrowed his eyes. "What is this?"
A young officer answered, "We think we found the spot where Dr. Red had been weighed down."
"And how can you tell that?"
The young officer waved inside the taped-off area. There were blocks of metallic green substance that were shattered in four separate piles. Another officer picked up a block and, grunting, lifted it for the chief to see.
The young officer pointed, "A handprint. Dr. Red's hand must have been in it. And, as you can see, it's very heavy."
The other officer released it with a cry of relief, which shattered on the concrete at the chief's foot.
Chief Pamerin shook his head. "But he's not here anymore." He kicked the shattered block then yelped and hopped on his foot. When he had calmed down, he grunted, "The devil's escaped. We'd better warn Superkid. I've got a feeling the doctor's seeking revenge."
And with that dire message running a chilly finger down our spines, this edition concludes!
Ah, but before you close this edition, there are some rumors that I'd like to start up:
1. There will be a new series of adventures starring SuperKC, with all new friends and villains.
2. Superkid himself will meet new villains--as well as some old ones.
3. The Vampire will be back for vengeance though probably not where you'd expect her.
Now that I've given you something to gossip to the members in your Superkid Fan Club, you can go ahead and close this edition. Hurry up! Go spread the rumors!
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