Rick Daring and The Brilliant 5 – Chapter Fourteen: The Final Showdown

DARING – Along with Sara and the Brilliant 5, had tracked Dekker back to the Spectre’s secret hideout.

“Did you say that you know that building?” asked Johnny Highpitch.

“Yes,” replied Sara. “Ever since we suspected one of the five scientists was the Spectre, I’ve been reading the reports surrounding the five men. Dr Bryant died in a lab accident.”

“A fire in the lab, wasn’t it?” asked Marissa.

“That building was the one Bryant died in,” replied Sara.

“Does that mean that Bryant is…?” asked Junior.

“There’s only one way to find out,” said Daring.

Meanwhile, Dekker stumbled into the ruined laboratory. He was worn out. Barely surviving the artificial disaster that torn down the government building, Dekker had snuck past patrols and managed to make it back to his master’s base of operations. Little did he know that woven within his prison garments was Teresa’s homing beacon. He wandered through the remains of the laboratory until he found the Spectre taunting the poor Dr. Edwards, still held captive.

“Tell me how it felt to see your own invention used to destroy everything you care about,” hissed the Spectre.

“I never should have helped you finished it,” rasped an unkempt Edwards.

“But you feared for your life, and I have kept my word,” said the Spectre. “You still live.”

“But I’m still your blasted prisoner!”

“You did not ask for your freedom.”

“What possible reason would you still need me?”

“Careful how you word that, my dear professor. You don’t want to know what I do with my ‘unwanted.’” The hooded man loomed over the helpless scientist. “But the reason I want to torment you so is very, very simple.” The Spectre stood close enough to Edwards until the captive man could make out the face underneath the hood.

Edwards turned away in disgust. “Revenge,” said the Spectre finally.

“Don’t like what you see?” gloated the Spectre. “A pity, seeing as this is your handiwork.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Liar!” snarled the Spectre. “I suspected that one of us planned on taking credit for the Peacemaker, while the other four would be left in the dark. Before I could report to our supervisor, a convenient lab accident almost claimed my life. I faked my death, and became the Spectre in order to avenge myself.”

“But why me?” asked Edwards. “I didn’t do it! It wasn’t me. I swear!”

“Why should I trust you? All the evidence I gathered before my ‘death’ pointed to you. It’s only fitting that you’re a gutless coward.”

The Spectre turned, aware that Dekker entered the room.

“Dekker,” greeted the Spectre. “I see that you’ve managed to escape. Good, good. Take our prisoner away so that he rot away somewhere, until I decide when to end his miserable life.”

Suddenly, the burnt out laboratory was flooded with light. Dekker and the Spectre rushed to the windows, only to find themselves surrounded by the police. “Give yourselves up,” came a man’s voice from a bullhorn.

“You fool!” screamed the Spectre. “They followed you here!”

“No one followed me! I swear!” replied Dekker.

“Don’t be so hard on him,” said a voice above them. “He didn’t know we could track his every step.” The two criminals looked up to see Rick Daring, Sara, and the Brilliant 5 repelling down from the ceiling. “Surrender now,” said Daring covering both the Spectre and Dekker. Sara helped Edwards to his feet.

“I don’t think so,” replied the Spectre. From a secret panel, a group of henchmen piled into the room, opening fire at the newcomers. The Brilliant 5 took cover as Daring chased after the fleeing Spectre. He followed the Spectre down a dark corridor, barely seeing the criminal duck into one of the rooms. Upon entering the room, Daring is ambushed by two thugs.

Meanwhile, in the main room, the Brilliant 5 were crouching behind some large lab equipment. The adversary’s bullets kept bouncing off of their makeshift barricade. Sara let Marissa take a look at Edwards and risked a peek at the enemy. Dekker had raced over to the saviors, while Daring and the Spectre were nowhere to be seen.
“I hope Richard’s okay,” Sara quietly said to herself.

At that very moment, Daring was twisting out of the grip of the first thug, while slamming his elbow into the face of the second. Freeing up a small space of breathing room, Daring kicked the first thug to the ground, while laying an uppercut onto the stunned second thug. Both of the thugs lay senseless on the ground. The whole action had taken mere seconds.

The Spectre was at last cornered; his trap sprung but failed to stop Daring. He backed himself into a corner, and Daring stood between him and freedom, but this adversary of all things good was most dangerous when cornered. Deep within his cloak, the Spectre’s hands turned on his personal ion field. The invisible force field, which had singularly atomized Ox, now stood between the Spectre and Daring.

“Go ahead,” taunted the Spectre. “Take your best shot.”

“Don’t mind if I do,” replied Daring. He pulled back his fist, and launched it towards his hooded nemesis. There was a flash of light, a wave of heat, and nothing. Clouds swirled around the Spectre. His haunting laugh echoed throughout the room.

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