The friends arrived at Doodah’s dressing room to find a security guard standing outside, holding a clipboard. The guard wore a baseball cap with the peak pulled down over its face. He was also wearing a fluorescent tabard with ‘SIKURETY’ stencilled on it.
‘That’s not how you spell ‘security’,’ said Ellis. She went to open the door to the dressing room.
‘No entry, Miss,’ said the guard menacingly. ‘Doodah cannot be disturbed.’ The guard put his gloved hand on Ellis’s head.
‘That’s a heavy hand,’ thought Ellis.
‘Get out of my way,’ exclaimed Falcon Boy. ‘I am Falcon Boy and I am here on official world-saving business.’
Bewilder Bird stood next to him.
‘This is my disaster-averting colleague, Bewilder Bird, and we must both be afforded every co-operation by yourself and anyone else we meet in the execution of our duties.’
Falcon Boy stood as tall as he could in front of the guard.
‘I have also just come back from the dead, so kindly step aside and let us heroes take control of the situation.’
‘I don’t care,’ said the guard. ‘Even if your name is Ronny Rocket Chops and you are planning on painting the whole planet pink, you are definitely not down on my list and therefore you are not allowed in to see the band.’
‘But you haven’t even checked your guest list,’ countered Falcon Boy, still with the wind in his sails, ‘so how do you know I am not allowed in?’
‘I don’t need to know,’ said the guard, ‘because I do know and I know you’re not.’
Now, we all know that Falcon Boy is sometimes left to one side by public displays of logic and reason, but on this occasion, even he wasn’t entirely convinced by the guard’s argument.
‘Let me see,’ he said, attempting to snatch the clipboard from the guard’s hand.
‘Stop that!’ shouted the guard. A tussle ensued. As the guard and the superhero grabbed at each other and the clipboard, Ellis heard a tremendous RIIIIIIIIIIIP!!! One of the guard’s sleeves was ripped clean off to reveal a rusting metal arm.
‘Not another one!’ groaned Falcon Boy and Ellis together.
‘Crush you all!’ declared the now-revealed malevolent menacing metal maniacal monster.
BARNABY TAYLOR: Curiosity is Currency 