Tale Of Heroes: Rise Of The Hero Squad-Chapter 39: The Choice is Yours

"Umm, who the hell are you?" Tomika asked.

Timothy looked slightly confused; he tilted his head a little, speaking to himself inwardly.

I just told her my name.

He spoke out to her. "Do you mind taking off the headphones?" As she took them off, he added,

"That’s better. A beautiful lady like you shouldn’t have hearing problems when she gets older. So let me repeat again—my name is Timothy Slinger. Miss Tomika, is your brother Tyler Smith home?"

She looked shocked but said nothing out loud, only to herself.

He knows my name. Who is he?

In the moments Tomika was attending to Timothy, a voice called out from an inner room in the motorhome.

"Tomiks, is there any problem?"

Tomika shouted back to her brother, "Not really a problem, but a guy is here saying he wishes to meet with you!"

Tyler rushed out of the room in an instant; he put on his slippers quickly—all done, he arrived next to his twin. His manly chest gripped hard against the blue singlet he wore. The person he saw at his door didn’t look like someone he knew.

"Sorry, but do I know you?" he asked.

Timothy, warmly smiling, replied, "You don’t actually know me, but we’ve met before. So let me give you a hint—Sun and Wukong."

Tyler was quickly taken aback by Timothy’s statement. He was lost in thought, his inner monologue racing with questions.

Who the hell is this guy? Shit, he knows I have powers. He must be one of those Hero Association freaks. Damn it. What should I do?

Tyler asked Timothy a question, a sense of aggression in his tone as the words came out.

"What is it you want?" He looked at his sister, signaling her to move back.

Timothy, on the other hand, raised his arms in the air, saying, "Hey, don’t come off like that. I’m not here to cause trouble."

Tyler harshly replied to him, "Then fuck off."

Timothy sighed, keeping his cool as he begged.

"I really need your help."

Tyler chuckled, letting out a soft laugh. His tone still hard, he said,

"No can do. Get your help elsewhere."

He drew the door to a close, pushing it to slam shut, but in that little moment, Timothy caught it before it closed. He said to Tyler,

"The help is vice versa, and I’m pretty sure you’d want to listen to what I have to say."

For a moment, Tyler held the door grip tight, but soon he let go and opened the door fully. His face frowned as he said,

"Get in."

****

Now in the motorhome, seated next to one another, were Tyler and Timothy. Tomika sat not too far from them.

Timothy broke the silence. "The sofa is quite comfy; I’ve never been in a motorhome before."

Tyler replied sharply, "Just get straight to the point."

With a smile on his face, Timothy said, "You probably got the news about the attack we’ll be facing in the coming days. So, Mr. Smith, like you’ve helped before, come help again."

"It’s not that easy," Tyler responded.

Timothy pressed forward, leaning toward Tyler. "It is. You have quite a destructive force in you, and it will help in taking down those bastards."

"I can’t. I’m sorry. I can’t believe I even listened to you," Tyler replied.

Tim chuckled sarcastically. The smirk on his face faded as he told Tyler, "You know I said the help is vice versa. What do you think I meant by that, huh? I guess you don’t know, so let me tell you in detail. You helped stop Sun and Wukong. Bad news, dude—they’ve joined Al-Daeem. And bad news again—their aim is to wipe out every living person in Ultra City, especially those who’ve interfered with his plans. You’re one of them. One of us."

Tyler looked away from Timothy, frowning. He looked at Tomika with soft eyes; she stared back, trying to grasp the conversation with her eyes. She said nothing still. Tyler turned back to Timothy and said, "What do I gain if I help?"

"Positivity has been gained," Tim answered. "You name what you want."

Instantly, Tyler replied, "Protection. I want protection for my sister and my girlfriend."

"You’ve got yourself a deal."

"No, he doesn’t." Bethany rushed out of the room. Tyler’s eyes lowered as his girl came out. Furious, Bethany walked up to Timothy.

"Can you please leave our home? We don’t need your help. We’ve been okay till now, so please leave." She looked at Tomika with rage and fired at her boyfriend’s sister. "You just sat there doing nothing. How could you?"

Tomika’s voice was low as she cried, "He was still speaking, and I didn’t want to cut him off. It’s rude, you know."

Beth waved her hand dismissively at Tomika, saying, "You know what? I have nothing to say to you."

"Mr. Timothy, or whatever your name is—please leave!" she shouted.

"No, I can’t. The thing is, Miss Stewart—you’d probably die if you don’t take my helping hand."

The words struck a nerve. Tyler lunged and punched Timothy in the face, grabbing him by the shirt.

"Hurt her and I’ll kill everyone you love," he snarled.

Timothy replied with a still face, "You’re quite late to do that, Tyler."

The emptiness in Timothy’s eyes and the calm in his voice seemed to unnerve Tyler for a moment. Timothy pressed his bruised face with his hand before speaking. "I get where you’re coming from, Bethany. You guys have always kept a low profile and stayed together for so many years, and now a stranger turns up who might ruin your little family. I’ve been in your shoes. Look, I said this to Tyler: it might not look like I did much in stopping the brothers, but Al-Daeem will. From what I know and have seen of him, he probably has something bad planned for your innocent little family."

He continued, "I didn’t actually care at first, but then I realized you can’t suffer for a crime you know nothing about." His voice trembled slightly as he spoke. The others looked unwilling to give in, but he pressed on. "I promised I’ll fix it, and I’m not going to let innocent lives die. No one will die a death that isn’t fated for them."

Timothy dropped to his knees facing Bethany and Tomika. "I promise you—if he doesn’t come back, I’ll take my life."

The two women stood stunned; they didn’t know what to say. A phone suddenly rang—it was Timothy’s. He glanced at the notification, stood up, and said, "Looks like I have to leave." He slid a card across the table. "This is my contact and also a pass to the big building. You can use it to find me if you agree to take my offer."

He exited and mounted his bike, ready to go. Before he left, he called back, "I’m Vilex, by the way."

Tyler watched as Timothy rode off. He lowered his head, thoughts riling up.

What am I to do? I just want to live in peace.

He looked at the two most precious ones to him and said quietly, "The choice is yours."