Chapter 8

Under the surface of the Maine home, Rick found himself inside the converted bomb shelter, rummaging through his father’s storage lockers as Jamie stood behind, impatiently trying to piece together Rick’s recap of the evening.
"So the Ultimate man..." Jamie began.
"Yeah," Rick confirmed, pulling out a cape of his father’s and shaking the dust off.
"...the real life equivalent of Superman,"
"I suppose."
"He asked you for help."
"Yeah, he did."
"And you’re just- not going to acknowledge how big a DEAL that is," Jamie stated, folding his arms.
"Well, I think if I did, my head would probably explode," Rick quipped, draping the grey, heavy material cape over his shoulders. "Good God, this thing must weigh forty pounds."
"Maybe it’s bullet proof," Jamie suggested, poking the cape with his forefinger. "Hey, you know, I saw some 45 caliber guns in the far left locker awhile ago, want to-"
"No," Rick said shortly, pulling the cape over his right arm and its sling. "Okay, if I use some 2-sided tape, this should cover up my injury. No one will be able to tell the Ram has a disabled shoulder."
"Clever enough," Jamie agreed. "Though if you go out as the Ram at all, SOMEONE is going to want to kick your ass."
"Well, that’s where you come in, "Decibel," so long as you’re willing to get my back," Rick told him, walking over to a counter covered in aged tools and began rummaging through the drawers for some tape to use.
"Eh, the costumed character bit is your shtick, not mine," Jamie told Rick, his shoulders sagging. "Just the same, I guess I can’t just let you get your ass kicked. So all right, I’ll put on the armor again and tag along with you."
Rick found the tape and spun the roll around his finger. "All right, the agenda for tonight is to confirm everything Ultimate told me. It isn’t that I don’t trust him-"
"It’s that you don’t know him," Jamie finished for him.
Rick turned around, looking genuinely hurt. "Am I that predictable now?"
Jamie smirked at him. "What do you mean, NOW?"
"Hilarious," Rick said dryly, tossing the tape at Jamie before making his way to the weapons displayed on the far wall. "He has an agenda, and he’s not hiding that. But a man who’d slip me a tracking device is not one who’ll easily earn my trust."
"Especially since, well, you don’t trust anyone." Jamie told him.
"I trust you," Rick simply, scrutinizing a few devices upon the wall.
"I’m all a flutter," Jamie joked, walking up behind Rick. "You sure about taking on another case this soon after..." his voice trailed off.
"What happened between Ariel and I today... you’re right. I shouldn’t avoid dealing with it, and I won’t." Rick took hold of a device that was simply labeled "wicked yo-yo" and appeared to be exactly that. "But if there really are two children in this city in the kind of danger Ultimate described- I can’t ignore that. If I’m seriously going to be the Ram, I have to put myself aside for others." Rick fitted the clamp of the device around his left wrist and tested its weight. "It’s what Dad would have done."
"Well then," Jamie said, slapping a hand on Rick’s shoulder. "If that’s how you feel, then who needs sleep? Let’s get out there and knock some heads, or- I dunno, I’m not good with the one liners like you are."
"Right," Rick smirked, spinning the head of the device. "Let’s get to work."