Free The Brotherhood of Rotten Babysitters by Dan Danko, Tom Mason Page B

shouted to The Strike.
    “You can’t quit, Speedy,” he said in response. “Give me one reason,” I said.
    “Because you’re good. And right now, maybe more than ever before, the world needs a hero.”
    “If the world needs a hero, it can have you again. Besides, I’m sure you’d rather be saving Charisma Kid than me.”
    “No, I wouldn’t. Charisma Kid is a jerk,” The Strike said.
    He thinks Charisma Kid is a jerk? I could really get to like this Strike guy. But I wasn’t convinced that easily.
    “Like I said, you’re not one to go around telling people to not be quitters. Besides, I have a wonderful future ahead of me as junior assistant florist. Maybe my dad will finally be proud of me then.”
    “He
is
proud of you, Speedy,” The Strike replied immediately.
    I stopped and turned around. “How do you know that?”
    The Strike looked at the ground. He took a deep breath. I could tell he was struggling with something.
    “Well?” I pressed.
    “I loved being a superhero,” he began. “I used to soar above this city like a bird! Imagine that, Speedy! Imagine the freedom and the joy! I bet it’s how you feel when you run — when you don’t give a darn about anything and just run!”
    “Maybe,” I replied without looking at him.
    “I knew I’d
never
find something that I loved more than being a superhero.”
    “If you loved it so much, how come you quit?”
    “Because I was wrong. I gave it all up because I
did
find something I loved even more,” The Strike explained.
    “
Pfff
. What was
that
? Knitting?” I asked, rolling my eyes.
    “No.
You.
”
    The Strike raised his hands. He slid his fingers under his mask, and what happened next was so mind-boggling, it deserves its own chapter.

Chapter Nineteen
    What H appened Next That Was So Mind-Bo ggling, It Deserves Its Own Chapter!

    “DAD?!”

Chapter Twenty
    Atually, It Was So Mind-Boggling, It Deserves Two Chapters!

    “DAD?!”

Chapter Twenty-one
    “Uh . . .”

    “Dad?! What’re you doing in The Strike’s uniform?!” I gasped.
    “Son, I
am
The Strike,” my dad confessed.
    I stared at him for endless seconds, eyes wide, mouth open.
    “Dad?! What’re you doing in The Strike’s uniform?!” I gasped.
    My dad smiled. “Haven’t you ever wondered how you got your super powers? I mean, usually they’re... inherited....”
    And then it hit me.
    “Ohhh, nonononono. No. No. No.”
    “Guy, I —” my dad began
    “No. Nonono. No. It’s... it’s just not possible! You... you couldn’t be! You’re an accountant! You’re... you’re... you’re my
dad
!”
    “And I’ve never been more proud to be your dad since you joined The Sidekicks.”
    My dad was proud of me? Somehow things didn’t seem so bad after hearing that.
    I wondered aloud. “Why tell me all this now?” “Because I want you to be happy, son. So does your mother. That’s all we’ve ever wanted for you. Our family was placed in danger today, and I just thought it was time I told you the truth,” my dad explained. “We’re proud of you, son. Both of us. Now, you don’t
need
to stay with The Sidekicks, but...”
    “Yeah. The world needs a hero. I’ll think about it,” I said with a sigh.
    All this was too much for one kid to absorb. But I did have one question, one that had been burning in my brain since I discovered its existence.
    “Dad? Can I ask you something?”
    My dad put his mask back on. He grabbed me around the waist and the two of us sailed into the air.
    “Shoot.”
    “Why’d you leave King Justice with that grocery list? I mean, he was your sidekick and all. It’s been driving him nuts for twelve years!”
    A pained expression came over my dad’s face. “I’d thought I left him a letter explaining I was having a son and I was quitting. I didn’t realize the mistake until I dusted off the old costume to start watching over you and found the real letter still stashed in the utility belt. I felt terrible!”
    “I can give him the real