A few blocks down and the duo arrived at the dirty diner with a large rusty sign that read "Stanley's". From the first impression it looked like it was run down. Customers were scarce even in the diner.
Kyle felt like maybe they had come to the wrong place until Danny pushed open the door. The bell above the door rang as they entered.
There was a man behind the counter that looked like he hadn't slept in years. He was worn out and gloomy. Like Danny but without the humor to fuel him.
"Stanley!! How's it going my man?" Danny greeted him.
"I see you got your hands full since it's rush hour." He tried to make a joke but it fell flat.
Stanley just stared at him with blank eyes. "Welcome to Stanley's,can I take your order?"
"Two specials please." Danny said and Stanley wrote it on the note he had on hand and went into the kitchen. His movements were almost robotic, lacking drive.
Kyle felt bad about it. "Is he alright?"
"He's fine, maybe he's just a little tired". Danny shrugged. "You're gonna like it here. The coffee is terrible and the food is a little greasy and might clog your arteries but that's how you know it's an authentic diner. And they don't ask questions when you bleed on the floor."
But just as Kyle was about to ask what the special was, the front window shattered and a rubbery arm whipped through the air and yanked a table clean across the room.
Danny didn't even flinch. He sighed. "Oh, fantastic. Him."
The rest of Rubberman slingshotted through the broken window a second later, his body bouncing and stretching like an overcooked noodle. He was tall, wiry, and wore an ill-fitting red suit that sagged around his elastic limbs. His head popped up from across the diner, neck stretched like a periscope.
"CRASHTEST!" he bellowed, his jaw bending disturbingly wide. "At last we meet again!"
Kyle ducked under the table. "What—what is that?!"
"Rubberman," Danny muttered, rubbing his temple. "Professional nuisance. He thinks he's my arch-nemesis."
Kyle gawked from under the table. "This is one of your rogues?"
"Unfortunately."
Rubberman stretched his arm and grabbed Danny by the throat and threw him out the diner window and into the street. His body hit the asphalt a few meters from the diner until his momentum was stopped when he crashed into a fire hydrant.
He groaned and his vision blurred. Before he could recover Rubberman shot himself out of the diner again and tackled him. He managed to get free but he felt something slither up his leg and tighten. He looked down and saw the rubbery arm around his leg before he felt his body leave the ground.
Rubberman slammed him on the ground repeatedly. His bones broke and reassembled each time. Then he smashed him on the asphalt and it created a crater.
Kyle stumbled out of the diner and saw Danny having a hard time dealing with the rogue."Do you need any help?"
"No, you stay back and pay attention. Class is in session." Danny said, trying to catch his breath. "Lesson one. Try to wear them out as much as possible."
Rubberman noticed the juvenile sidekick on the side lines. "Who's the kid? You got yourself a little sidekick? Can't handle your business by yourself?"
"Leave him out of this. Your squabble is with me."
Danny said as he got up and dusted himself.
"Vilains don't fight fair." Rubberman extended his arm toward Kyle.
"No!!!" Danny yelled and charged at him. The arm was inches from reaching Kyle when he managed to tackle him.
Rubberman's limbs wrapped around Danny trying to restrain him but he noticed something was off. The atmosphere around Danny wasn't as quirky as usual but more serious.
Danny punched his rubbery face so hard it hurt.
"Now listen to me noodle boy…" he said with a very serious tone, "if you ever think of touching that boy i will stretch you so far that your limbs tear off your body. Understand?"
Rubberman man was too scared to speak, he just nodded.
"Now go tie yourself up to a lamp post and wait for the cops." He got off him and he did just that. He had never seen Danny that serious, it almost made him crap his pants.
Danny calmed himself and walked back to Kyle. "See. Now that that's handled, let's go eat our lunch. It should be ready right about now.
As they entered the diner they saw an unpleasant scene. Stanley lay halfway across the counter with a hole in his head. And a handgun in his hand. He left a note on the counter. "I QUITE"
Danny's expression turned gloomy. "He didn't even spell quit right."
Kyle stood in the back. Traumatised. "But why?"
"Listen kid, sometimes people get tired of living. It's just how the world is." Danny said and turned around to leave the diner. "Come on."
They walked out of the diner but it was obvious Kyle couldn't make sense of what happened. Tears were even forming in his eyes. Danny sighed and hugged him. And he sobbed. "Lesson two. You can't save everyone.