The Pink Avenger - The Firecracker Ring

The Firecracker Ring - Part I1

Summer was over. The air cooled and the Halloween season arrived. In my neighbourhood this meant more than stupid costumes and barfing after eating too much candy. No. In my neighbourhood this meant the coming of fireworks and firecrackers. Evil things, they could take an eye out at any time! Neighbourhood contraband, adults only, they were simply too dangerous in a kid's untrained or unsuperpowered hands.2

Naturally, this made the kids want them all the more. Kids will be kids. Predictably, this created a demand, a demand the criminal slime-scum element was perfectly willing to supply.3

This year things were different. Ladyfingers, nasty little things. Cheap and powerful, they were everywhere. I could see their blown husks all over the street. I heard them go off at The Schoolyard. Everywhere. The harder crackers, like the Boomers and the Bangers, were always around. As were the technically legal Screechers and the Bottlerockets. But they were loud and expensive, running upwards to 20 bucks a brick. This put them out of most kid's reach.4

Ladyfingers were different. A new breed of cracker, the next generation in evil. Small, powerful and cheap. And at five bucks a brick this made them affordable to any kid even suffering the chintziest of allowances. The forums were rife with reports of numb hands and burns and ringing ears. Sooner or later some kid was going to lose an eye. The potential for neighbourhood disruption couldn't be measured.5

But things were worse than that. The flooding of the neighbourhood market so abrupt and so fast could only mean one thing: organized crime. Dastards! The hardest crime to fight, these were people with connections and resources. People who had no problem obtaining, transporting or otherwise smuggling anything in or out of the neighbourhood garages. And well financed, too. We're talking hundreds of dollars.6

They had to be stopped.7

A name popped up on The Schoolyard, whispered by the crooks and the lowlifes: Mikey. Don't mess with Mikey, they said, or Mikey make you disappear! The name invoked fear, it was a grey cloud over North Ridge Elementary.8

Yet he never showed himself. He had no name, he had no face. Somehow, as a ghost and with an iron fist he controlled the biggest firecracker ring the neighbourhood had seen in years. He never got his hands dirty, he never left any evidence that he even existed. How? How could this be? All of this raised my suspicions:9

I had a supervillain on my hands. Mastermind-supergenius type. And a strong first class at that. Had to be, this Mikey was that good, nobody had done what he had done before. Worse yet, this could be a part of a super-masterplan of bigger proportions! The mastermind-supergeniuses are the worst for this kind of stuff!10

But whom? Whom? Those few supervillains I hadn't yet unmasked were defiantly not of this calibre. Upstarts. Goons. Clowns. Their low class superpowers were no match for The Pink Avenger, that last one was lucky to escape unmasked. But this Mikey was different. No question. He had to be, 'cause I was stumped!11

Or not. He could've been some low level thug who got lucky. Happens all the time.12

Either way I had to find out. I had to break up The Firecracker ring before Halloween. For on Halloween it would be too late, I would be powerless. The kids would be out in droves, lighting their Ladyfingers and throwing them anywhere. The neighbourhood cost and devastation would be without measure.13

A kid might lose an eye!14

I donned my mask and costume and leapt my third story bedroom window.15

Crossing the roofs I tracked my quarry: Timmy Johnson. Grade six. Total troublemaker, he was always dealing in some contraband or the other. Girlie magazines. Pirated DVD's. Real beer (barfs!). He was released just four days ago and he was already dealing Ladyfingers. Naturally his type was in and out of detention like a yo-yo, The System was just too soft. In fact it was me that put him behind behind bars last month, probably why he kept looking over his shoulder. Total slime-scum, he never learns that there's no easy money.16

But easy quarry.17

I could've busted him days ago. But he was a low level street dealer, I had bigger fish to catch. To make a dent in this firecracker ring I had to step up the ladder, I had to find his supplier. And Timmy Johnson was to be my first wrung!18

Four nervous kids on a corner. Grade fours. Just kids, already corrupted by The Lure, it breaks my heart! Timmy screeched his bike to a stop. He took off his sunglasses and looked around. Thinking the coast was clear he put them back on.19

Total Jackpot! A finger-deal was going down right now!20

A kid walked to Timmy.21

"Got the cash," said Timmy, still looking over his shoulder.22

"Yeah, Timmy," said the kid. He swallowed and laughed a fake laugh. "Great to see you out of jail. The Pink Avenger again? She's real neighbourhood trouble, yeah? First class superhero they say, bullying is nonexistent because of her. Hard to find dealers too. Here." He handed Timmy a wad of cash. "Twenty bucks, just like the deal said. We pooled our allowances to do this. That's four bricks, just like we agreed, right Timmy?"23

"Don't worry about The Pink," said Timmy, snatching the wad. "Mikey's got plans for her. Oh yeah. Has Mikey got plans for her!" 24

He counted the wad of ones then pocketed it. He looked around again then threw four red packages onto the ground. Ladyfinger bricks. He pointed a finger at the kid nearest.25

"A warning. You get popped, you didn't buy from me. You can rat a competitor, that's okay, more business for me! But I know Mikey. And if you rat me out, Mikey will come looking for ya. Got it?"26

"No way, Timmy," said the kid picking up the bricks. "No way we would rat you out! But Johnny, he says he knows Mikey, too, and-"27

"Johnny is a total wussy. He don't know no nobody." He pulled out a pack of matches. "It's cool, kids, so long as you keep your yaps shut. Here." He threw the pack at the kid nearest. "On the house. Don't blow off a finger off, you little punks!"28

Enough of this underworld evilness! I swooped down and super-kicked Timmy off his bike. I watched him tumble and swear his underworld criminal swearwords.29

"Now now, Timmy," I said, taking a super-crouch. "How many times do I have to put you away before you learn? Crime doesn't pay!"30

I spun and whipped the Ladyfinger bricks out of the kid's hands before they had any idea what was happening. 31

"The Pink Avenger!" They screamed for their mommies and ran. Their illegal deal was now forgot. They won't be back. They won't face the wrath of The Pink Avenger!32

I turned back to Timmy, who hadn't risen.33

"Hey, come on, Pink," he said, rubbing his chin. "This isn't what it seems. It-"34

"And just what does it look like, Timmy?" I cracked my whips. "Four days out of the slammer and already dealing the worst of contraband: Ladyfingers!" I cracked my whips, Timmy jumped then inched toward his fallen bike. "I'm thinking you learnt something on the inside to be back in business so soon!"35

"Yeah," he said, reaching his bike. "You could say that. The inside is a good place to learn things." He grabbed an unseen baton from his bike then stood. The hard plastic kind, if he landed a blow it would leave a bruise! "I knew you'd be watching, I came prepared. I'm sick of you interfering in my business, Pink. When you busted me... All those days, in detention, sweeping floors and cleaning chalk brushes and trading stories with the other guys about how you put us all in there... Unmasking you will do wonders for my rep!"36

He raised his baton and charged.37

My whips were badly positioned, he was too close. He swung the baton, I ducked with an elbow to his gut. He staggered back, winded but not defeated. This was the first time I noted he was actually kinda cute. I put that out of my mind. Determined, he charged again. I swan-judo-knuckle-kicked him down with masterful smoothness. That took the last of the fight out of him. Having trouble breathing, he let the baton go and fell.38

One super-wail later he gave.39

He was done. Defeated. But all I could see were the kids, Ladyfingers going off in their hands... Two days ago Poobrains had one go off next to his ear, he was the real reason I was so intent in breaking this ring. Though I despised him with every fibre in my body, it somehow really bothered me. It really did. I don't know why.40

I got really angry and I didn't know why.41

I super-wailed him one more time. Then again. He cried and begged for mercy.42

"Now Timmy," I hissed, dragging him up by his hair. "I'm suddenly in a real bad mood. I'm gonna ask the questions, you're gonna answer them. Capiche?"43

"Ow, Pink!" he cried. "What do you want? You won! This fight is done, I gave! My chest and arm and legs hurt! See? I can't beat you! You always win!"44

I grabbed him by the scruff. "Mikey. I want Mikey."45

"I don't know, Pink! I swear! I just say I know him to scare my customers! That's all!"46

"Then tell me what you know!"47

"I don't know," he said, shaking. "Honest! I have no idea! Mikey's just a voice on the walkie-talkie!"48

"You take orders from a voice on a walkie-talkie? I always knew you weren't too bright, Timmy!"49

"Nobody knows who he is! He just makes the deals and tells us where the drops are! The cash and the crackers just appear out of nowhere! But his word is good, we all made wicked coin because of Mikey!"50

I gave him my supergirl-stare and smiled. At last I was getting somewhere.51

"I'll be taking this walkie-talkie, Timmy."52

"I don't have it! Mikey wouldn't give it to just anybody! His lieutenant has the only other one!"53

"Lieutenant-?"54

"Mikey's lieutenant! He's the one that takes the orders and organizes everything! He's the one that divvies up the shipments when they come in! I'm not the one you want to talk to, it's him! I swear!"55

I tightened my grip. "Okay, Timmy. This lieutenant. Who the HECK is he?"56

"He's The Lieutenant, Pink! That's all I know! Some nut job who wears a black cape and mask! They say he fights like Mike Tyson! Some kind of mid level supervillain, we all fear him almost as much as we fear Mikey!"57

"Gosh darn and poop," I said, dropping Timmy. "Gosh darn it!"58

My suspicions were correct. And worse than I feared: there was possibly two supervillains to contend with. In cahoots! This ring had gotten bigger and more dangerous than I could've known!59

Gosh darn it to heck!60

I still needed more pieces to this puzzle. I turned. "When and where is the next drop point, Timmy?"61

He managed a fake laugh. "You're kidding, right? I tell you that I'm wailing bait for the next two weeks! Even you can't pry that out of me, Pink!"62

I got angry again. Those numb little fingers....63

I was gonna wipe his punk-slime smile off his face or hang up my whips!64

I walked to the fallen bricks. I picked them up and the matches. In a decision I never thought I could make, I turned and walked to Timmy. I unwrapped a brick and placed it in his hand.65

"What's wrong, Timmy?" I taunted, gripping his hand tightly around the 100 little nasties. "Don't you like the feel of your own product in your own hand?"66

"Whuh... what are you doing Pink?"67

I lit a match and moved it close.68

"Pink, please," he whimpered. "Don't do this, please. If I tell, I'm total dead meat. Please-"69

"Were I you," I hissed in his ear. "I would be more worried about the here and now. Timmy." 70

I moved the match to the fuse.71

Timmy freaked. "Barry Walker's dad's garage! Queens and Andrews in two days! The Lieutenant will be overseeing the operation personally! I swear! That's all I have! Gosh, please, Pink, don't do this-"72

Timmy broke down and cried.73

I blew out the match and hauled him to his whimpering feet. "Thanks, Timmy. Always a pleasure doing business with you. Of course, I still have to turn you in."74

"What? Principle Anderson?" He swallowed, the biggest mess. "But I just got out! He'll be choked I'll be wiping chalkboards until after Halloween..."75

"You have to deal with the consequences of you decisions, Timmy." I dropped him and turned and cracked my whips. "Just like I have to deal with mine. Do us both a favour; when you get out, behave yourself for a change!"76

I stuffed the evidence under my Belt of Pink then took to the roofs as only I can. Timmy's bawling could be heard all the way of half way down the block.77

After two blocks the guilt of what I had just done hit me.78

I crouched upon the high brick chimney of the Davis' house. I thought about what I had done. I wailed on Timmy after he gave, after he had been defeated. I threatened him by injecting him with his own poison. I made him cry when it wasn't necessary.79

Superheroes don't do that. We ally ourselves to a higher ideal, a greater good. Were passionate. We don't cause pain, we cure it. We believe in things. One can only fight for good if one is good.80

Right?81

Things had gotten big, Timmy was just a pawn. He knew the risks. He made his choice.82

But... so did I.83

There was no other course. I was backed into a corner. There was no other way.84

I remembered dad. He always said there always another way. Always. Stupid dad. Always saying stuff like that.85

What had I done? I cracked my whips and asked myself:86

What separates the heroes from the villains? The whips? The costume? The line was much finer than I could've known. Finally mom broke my mumblings:87

"Dinner time!"88

First call. I had 15 minutes. Time to go. I had time for one last thing:89

I left a note and the evidence on the ledge of Mister Anderson's second story office window. Our own private little drop point. Mister Anderson somehow knew about what was going on. Amazing for an adult! The note detailed Timmy's activities since his release. This meant a calling into his office the next day. Usually these thugs would crack and confess. Obviously Timmy would, total wussy all the way. Plus, he had been on Mister Anderson's nasty side for quite some time, and with his nasty rap sheet he had little chance at leniency. He was looking at at least another two weeks of detention.90

Why did this bring me no satisfaction?91

Why was superheroing so empty?92

Life needed attending. Real life.93

I raced home to meet the super-supper deadline. I had reason to: it was pork-chop and rice night. Mom made great pork-chops and rice! Poobrains always complained to my delight (he was a potato lover. Barf-brains!).94

I wasn't proud of what I did. It bothered me. Yet I was pleased with the results. I didn't know how to feel. I had to back it all off. At least I had a lead, into the very heart of The Firecracker ring:95

Barry Walker's dad's garage. Two days. Heavily fortified. The Lieutenant would be there, superpowered and in no doubt anticipating my arrival. Dangerous. Evil. Certain death awaited.96

Finally. A real challenge. 97

Get ready, goons, The Pink Avenger is coming!