Rick Daring and The Brilliant 5 – Chapter Eight: Death From Above

DARING– Sets a trap of his own in an attempt to get closer to capturing the allusive menace known as the Spectre.
DEKKER – Turns the table on Daring and switches on the booby trap just as Daring reaches into the safe.

Sitting on hood of her car, Sara watched the cabin with a pair of binoculars from the darkness of the forest. Moments earlier, she watched a pair of men enter the cabin. They had gone for Daring’s bait, and any minute, the trap would be sprung. But minutes dragged by, and Sara started to worry.

Climbing off her car, she tossed the binoculars into the passenger’s seat. She made her way down the sloping hill and soon found herself at the cabin. She glanced into one of the windows and immediately went into action. The large henchman was on the ground, slowly recovering from the safe’s electric booby trap, while the other thug’s hand wrapped around the handle to the booby trap’s power switch.

Sara kicked open the door, grabbing the nearest thing she could find, that being a cup. She tossed it towards the safe. Daring withdrew his hand as the cup whizzed by, shattering on the back of the safe. Daring’s quick reflexes saved him from the full blunt of the electric blast. Still dazed, Daring felt himself get knocked to the ground by a recovering Ox. Dekker turned off the booby trap and rushed over to snatch the plans from the safe.

They jumped out of the window, while Sara helped Daring up.

“Sara?” he asked. “When?”

“You didn’t think we’d let you come up here by yourself did you?” she replied.

They went to the window, but threw themselves to the ground as they heard gunfire as the villains drove off. After a moment of silence, they quietly moved outside. They could still make out the car driving off in the distance. They turned to find that the crooks had shot out the tires in Daring’s roadster.

“Mine’s just up the way,” stated Sara, as she led them up to her car. They climbed into her sleek car, and soon, the engine hummed to life. The headlights burned into the darkness of night. The car skidded down the hill and pulled onto the nearby road. Sara gunned it as the forest around them became a blur as the car picked up speed.


They caught up with the crooks on the winding roads through the mountains. There was not much traffic on the isolated roads, giving Sara more room to maneuver. She tried to pass the crooks, but they swerved, blocking her way. She tried going around the outside. This time, they let her pull beside them, only for them to ram into her. As the crooks bashed themselves into Sara’s car, her car was being knocked against the railing. As the crooks’ car lurched sideways, making way for their next assault, Sara suddenly hit the brakes. Sara’s car slipped back behind their opponent, and the crooks’ momentum carried them across the road and crashed into the railing.

Sara turned to overtake them, but the crooks swerved and hit them, sending Sara’s car into a spin. Sara spun the wheel, trying to regain control of the vehicle. Hitting the brakes, she stopped the car from going over the edge. By the time Daring and Sara got their bearing, the two henchmen had disappeared into the night.

They returned to the secret installation and met up with Dr Sergoff along with Junior and Old Timer who had been watching over Dr Edwards. Daring related their misfortunes.

“I was so sure that they’d go after me,” stated Edwards, mopping his brow. “It’s a shame that got another part of our secret plans.”

“Yes,” replied Dr. Sergoff. “My part, that is.”

“It seems like you’re the last one,” said Junior.

“That doesn’t comfort me very much,” replied Edwards with a sigh.

“It’s a little disheartening that we keep getting trounced by these addle-brained buffoons,” remarked Junior.

“That’s because they’re just hired thugs. This Spectre fellow, whomever he is, is the brains behind the operation, and it’s he who wants these plans,” spoke Daring.

“But what does he need them for? What are the plans even for?” asked Junior.

“It’s unfortunate that we can’t answer that question, young man,” said Sergoff.

“Dem rattlesnakes always seem to be one step ahead of us,” muttered Old Timer.

“How about we change that?” asked Sara as she entered the room. She showed everyone a blurry picture of a license plate.
“What’s this?” asked Junior.

“Having similar episodes in the past,” explained Sara. “I took the liberty of rigging my car with surveillance equipment to capture license plates of pursuing vehicles.” She passed around the photo. “While there’s no clean shot of the plates, I’ve run what I could make out through the system. The closest match is a car that was recently stolen. It more than likely came from Mike’s Auto Shop, run by a Thaddeus Carter. Thaddeus had ties with several chop shops and could be supplying the Spectre’s gang with cars and other equipment.”

“Good work, Sara,” said Daring as he stood up. “We’ll check out the lead,” he continued as Old Timer and Junior started to get up. “While Old Timer and Junior stay here and guard the scientists.”

“Aw, phooey,” muttered Old Timer as he plopped back in his seat.

Meanwhile, in the remains of a laboratory used as the Spectre’s hidden base of operations, Ox and Dekker were surprised to find their master waiting for them when they arrived. It was the first time they had ever met face to face.

“Here’s the next piece of the plans,” said Dekker as he handed over the piece of paper.

“Excellent,” hissed the Spectre. “But I am disappointed in you, Ox. Yet again we would have failed if it had not been for Dekker’s quick thinking.”

“How was I supposed to know it was booby trapped?” asked Ox.

“Enough of your excuses,” shouted the Spectre. “You will not fail me another time. Prepare to die.”

“I ain’t going down without a fight,” said Ox. He charged at the Spectre. He swung his mighty fist at the Spectre. The second it impacted on the Spectre, there was a flash of light, a whisp of smoke, and Ox was gone.

“Please remember, Dekker, that I have a personal ion shield. Anyone who touches it will be disintegrated, and only I will know when it is on and off.”

“Yes, sir,” was all that Dekker could manage. He had felt the immense heat from across the room.

A buzzing sound came from one of the screens. The Spectre flipped on the monitor. They watched the video from a hidden camera within Mike’s Auto Shop.

“So, they were able to trace your car back to good old Thaddeus,” pondered the Spectre. “Quickly, Dekker, get over there and kill them before Thaddeus tells them anything of importance.” He paused. “While you’re there, eliminate Thaddeus. He’s nothing more than a liability now.”

Ten minutes later, Dekker was kicking in the door to the auto shop. He, along with Watkins and Davis, entered the store and found Daring and Sara grilling Thaddeus in the garage.

“Spill it,” demanded Daring. “Who is the Spectre?”

“I don’t know! I don’t know!” shouted Thaddeus. “But I know where they hang out. It’s –“

A shot rang out and silenced Thaddeus forever. Daring and Sara turned to see the three thugs come out from behind the car lift.

“We have to stop meeting like this,” remarked Daring as they approached.

“Any last words?” asked Dekker. Before Daring could reply, Sara kicked the gun out of Dekker’s hand, and Daring pushed Dekker into his men before they could react. A quick punch from Daring laid out Watkins. Sara tripped Davis, hitting him in the back of the neck as he fell.

Dekker picked up a stool and threw it at them. Daring barely dodged it, but Sara was not so lucky. She collapsed to the ground, out cold. The two men struggle, exchanging blows. They fell onto a table, crushing it. Dekker kicked Daring off of him. He ran for the door, but Daring tackled him. Daring grabbed at Dekker, but Dekker pushed him off again.

Daring stumbled to the ground, rolling with the punch. He found himself under the car lift. Dekker ran over and pulled a lever, sending the suspended car down on top of Daring.

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Written by J M Emmons. The story and all characters are copyrighted by J M Emmons.