Rocky - Origin - Chapter Four

Six more villainous gunmen held the hallway full of children silent with their machine guns. The newcomers' hands were tied behind their backs and they were made to sit on the floor next to the children. A little girl of no more than five crawled over and put her head in Rocky's lap. The gunmen followed her movements, but found nothing threatening in her moves.

Rocky made reassurances to his charges, and they visibly relaxed, content to wait until he said to panic again. Remy and Sh'ead looked on, wondering at the confidence the older teens put in an eleven-year-old. They exchanged a few quiet words of their own, in a remarkable language. It was the language of an almost lost South American civilization, the same people who supplied the wealth that Jim used to fight evil.

Now it was Rocky's turn to stare, but he recovered quickly, and talked to his charges loud enough to cover the whispers. Something he said started one of the children clamoring about needing to visit the lav, which distracted the guards for a few moments. During these few moments, Remy leaned close to Rocky, "Have dem ho'd deya breat's. Lak dey was t'rowing a group tantrum."

Rocky raised an eyebrow in query, shrugged, and turned to the girl next to him. She nodded and leaned to someone next to her, and so it spread around the room. By the time the guards returned the absent child, everyone was ready, and one of the littlest girls made a big show of holding her breath.

The guards frowned as the other kids did the same, even the teens. Remy and Sh'ead also followed suit, and the guards laughed. The man who had waited at the top of the stairs, the one with the hands like bird's talons said, "Go ahead. Turn blue. We don't care. We'd just as soon shoot the lot of ya right here anyway." He laughed again, and fell over. His cohorts looked stunned just long enough to fall over themselves.

The group of children looked at Rocky for instructions. He shrugged and looked at Remy and Sh'ead. They smiled and Sh'ead nodded his head at the stairway. Rocky grinned in realization, then realized what he was doing and closed his lips over his teeth.

After a minute, Jim Wildman appeared in the doorway. "You can breath now." The assemblage looked at Rocky and he made a sniff at the air. Apparently pleased, he took a big breath, waited for a moment, and nodded. Only then did the crowd breath, almost as one.

"Alright, kids." Rocky spoke quietly, but all his friends listened. "Evacuation is today. Now in fact. Get your stuff, and we'll meet at the appointed place. All I have to do is get rid of these grownups." The children started to get up. Rocky added, as an afterthought, "Keep an eye out for more bad guys. Remember, duck, then scream." The crowd had been looking rather elated at their victory, but now became somber, moving with exaggerated care and quiet.

Rocky looked at Jim, who had moved into the room, untied his men, and was now tying the gunmen. "You three have these men under control?" He received a nod in answer. "Then I guess we're out of here. I wouldn't put it past Doofus' goons to demolish the place today instead of tomorrow, just to get rid of us. We've had most of our things, furniture and the like, out for a week, in anticipation of just such a move.

"Well gentlemen, thanks for the assist. I hope to meet you again, under more... pleasant circumstances." He turned to go, but Sh'ead stood blocking his way. He turned back to Jim, and realized that Remy had disappeared. "Where'd he go?"

No answer was forthcoming. Jim finished tying up the gunmen, and stood to face the boy. "We need to get all of those children out of here."

"Well, duh! That's what they're up to! Getting their stuff so we can skedaddle! Those goons probably laid a lot of dynamite already. All we can do is hope they didn't run any detonating cable, and leave."

Jim stood looking at the pale boy for a moment. "I'm sure they did. Have the children assemble in the alley."

"No." This pronouncement sparked surprise in the two men, though Jim didn't show it. "We have our own plan. You two collect your friend, and these thugs, and take off out the alley. We've got a better escape route. Now, if you'll excuse me?"

He turned and walked past Sh'ead, who was a little stunned by the odd commanding tone Rocky had used. It was almost as impressive a force of will as that evidenced by Jim when the occasion demanded. He looked to Jim for instructions.

"Let's get these men out of here." Each of them picked up three men, one over a shoulder, and one dragging from each hand. This left the last three, Remy would get those. Jim and Sh'ead took the men outside and across the street before setting them down. They waved to Ham, who was on this side of the block, to stay where he was, and went back inside.

They hunted a little and found the gang of kids on the second floor, waiting. Rocky was doing something to the far wall, his hands hidden by his body. One of the children exclaimed, and Rocky whirled around. "I thought you guys were leaving!"

"We are. With all of you." Jim's voice left no room for argument, but Rocky argued anyway.

"We can't leave via the alley. There's a timer on the dynamite, we've got about three minutes. You have time to leave the 'normal' way. We'd never make it. We'll get out my way. Now go."

Sh'ead turned to leave, but Jim stood his ground. "Where is the timer?"

Rocky stared into the air for a split second and sighed. "Fourth floor, third room on the... right. Your Cajun friend's been looking at it."

As if on cue, Remy arrived. "It cain't be disarmed in da time we got. Which be about a minnit an' a haf.."

Jim seemed to appear beside Rocky, so quickly had he moved. "Does anyone live in the next building?"

"No. What are you going to do?" By the time Rocky had finished his sentence, Jim had found the hidden door the boy had been working on, and wrenched it open.

"Everybody through." The crowd of children started to obey, stopped, and checked with Rocky.

"You heard the man, people. Everybody through! Go straight to the stairs, and down and onto the street. Then head downtown to the corner and wait." Children were streaming through, a teen leading the way followed by everyone else in order with the youngest first.

Rocky tried to be the last of the procession, but Jim refused to budge. The boy shrugged his shoulders and preceded the bronzed man. In a very short order, everyone who had been in the building was in the street at the far end of the block. Remy counted down and the building exploded right on cue.

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