02:07 – Epilogue
Episode 2: When You See Daylight
Epilogue
Violet and Laurel walked in silence along the dusty margin of state highway 55. They walked slowly, shoulder to shoulder, ignoring the cold November wind from the passing cars. Every few yards Laurel would sigh slightly and then Violet would close her eyes and clench her jaw. Finally after a hundred yards laurel spoke.
“How exactly did you think we would get home?” she asked.
There was no response. Laurel continued.
“I mean, you didn’t even bring money for a cab. What’s up with that?”
“I’m sorry,” Violet growled.
“Did you think T&T would just give you a ride home?”
Violet rolled her eyes. “It’s just walking, Laurel. Nothing big.”
“I know. I am well acquainted with walking,” Laurel answered. She stuck both arms out and walked heel-to-toe as if balancing on a rope.
“You put one foot in front of another and soon you’ll get pretty far.”
She dropped her arms back to her side.
“Or in this case ‘In a long, long time you’ll get not really that far at all, actually’.”
“Give it a rest already.”
They walked along in silence until Laurel once again broke it.
“So if we’re partners what do we do?”
Violet stopped and faced Laurel who stopped to face her.
“What do you mean?” Violet asked.
“What is it that we’re partners in? What do we do?”
Violet scrunched up her face and looked down at the dusty gravel at her feet.
“I don’t suppose you’d consider beating people up for money?” she asked.
“No.”
Violet shrugged and started walking again. “Then I got nothing.”
Laurel followed.
“You know,” the robot said, “We could be heroes.”
“That’s crazy.”
“Really? I mean, I’m a super-strong robot with night vision and x-ray vision and stuff, and you have magical powers.”
“It’s not magic, okay?”
“What is it then?”
“I don’t know,” Violet snapped. “I can just do stuff.”
“Whatever. You can still be a hero.”
Violet was silent for a moment and then replied.
“No. I can’t be a hero.”
“Why not?” asked Laurel. “You have a real power and everything.”
“Look, I just can’t. Drop it.”
Laurel saluted. “Yes miss bossy-boots. But we still don’t know what we’re going to do.”
“How about we put up a web site and offer to help people?” Violet asked. “Would that work?”
“Like heroes for hire?” asked Laurel. “What would we call our team?”
“What?”
“Our team. You know like The Avengers or the X-Men or the Justice League.”
“Ah jeez. Laurel, can we just be normal people helping people? Please? Besides all those guys are in New York or Metropolis or Los Angeles. This is the Twin Cities. Nothing happens here otherwise there’d be real heroes already.”
“We have Walleye,” Laurel insisted.
“He’s like ninety years old. He rides with the firetruck with the Vulcans in the Winter Carnival.”
Violet turned and saw the crushed look on Laurel’s face.
“He’s a real hero,” the robot insisted. “He – he saves people.”
“All right. Sure, he saves people. He’s the only one here.”
“And the Big Red Cheese,” Laurel added.
“Really? I thought he was from Fawcett City.”
“He was born in New Robbins Valley. He moved.”
“Huh.”
“So can we call ourselves something?” asked Laurel.
Violet shrugged. “I have a company already, for tax purposes. We could use that.”
“What’s it called?”
“Skyway Mechanix.”
Laurel made a face as if she’d smelled something bad.
“Really? You picked that name yourself?”
“It’s for tax purposes. Trust me, it comes in handy.”
Laurel drooped.
“I suppose it’ll work. You can be Skyway and I’ll be Mechanix.”
“It’s not that kind of mechan….”
Once again Violet saw the look on Laurel’s face and stopped herself.
“Let’s just stick to Laurel and Violet. The, ah, team can be Skyway Mechanix, all right?”
Laurel brightened.
“We’re Skyway Mechanix!” she shouted. “Can we change the name?”
“No.”
“How about the Twin Cities Crime Fighters?”
“No.”
“Or the Mighty Minnesotans?”
“No.”
The pair walked down the side of the road towards New Robbins Valley and Laurel’s house. Far above them a solitary crow watched them go and wherever they went along the road the crow soared overhead looking down.
