I tried to balance myself the best I could as I swayed back and forth on the elevator platform and as wind howled around me as the elevator fell down the shaft at high speeds. It came to a crash against the floor and the doors opened and I walked out into the Man Cave.

"Sorry, I'm late, guys." I said, dropping my bookbag beside the elevator. "I had lacrosse practice." Charlotte was at the computers looking through the news footage from the ceremony at the Towne Hall this morning. Henry was off to the side eating some frozen yogurt. Gooch, a foreign man who usually works the counter up in the store, was behind a flame thrower machine with Captain Man standing in front of it. "So, what is this I hearing about Ray not being indestructible anymore?" I could barely get my question out when Gooch shot a line of flames at Captain Man's hand. "Gooch!" After a few seconds, Gooch finally turned off the machine and Captain Man's hand glowed bright red as he groaned in pain. I ran over to Ray and took his hand in mine. He groaned in pain as I touched his burnt hand. "Sorry."

"Does it still hurt?" Gooch asked.

"Yeah." Ray snapped at him. "I don't get it. It's been two seconds; the pain should be gone by now."

"We need more tests."

"No!" Ray and I said in unison.

"We've checked enough of my body parts." Ray said.

"What about his butt?" Henry asked around a mouthful of frozen yogurt. "Check his butt."

"We should check your butt." Gooch agreed.

"Check my butt?" Ray exclaimed. "How?" Gooch picked up a bow and arrow and pointed it at Ray.

"Face the other way and touch your toes."

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no. You already stabbed my neck, poured acid on my foot and toasted my hand. I think we can all assume that I'm also vulnerable to butt wounds."

"Hey, guys," Henry called out and we all turned our attention to him. "This is great frozen yogurt."

"Half that yogurt is mine. Gooch, what's going on with me? Nobody's been able to injure me since I was eight years old."

"Hey, everybody, come check this out." Charlotte yelled to us. I walked to the computers with the others behind me. She replayed a news footage of Captain Man talking to an elderly woman and behind him a woman swiftly sprayed something in his face as she walked past him. "See that woman with the perfume?"

"She intentionally sprayed me." I looked up at Ray to see his neck and lip bleeding. I sighed.

"Change and go sit down." I ordered him. I walked over to the auto-snack and placed my hand on the screen. "Two full bowls of honey."

"Two full bowls of honey." The machine repeated. The door to the auto snack slid down and I took the two-blue bowls out. When I turned back, Ray was out of his Captain Man suit and sitting on the booth. I set one bowl on the seat next to him and one bowl on the floor next to his acid foot.

"One hand in this one, the foot in that one." Ray looked at me like I grew two heads and I sighed again. "Honey brings the burn out. You might be sticky, but you'll feel better. Trust me." Ray reluctantly took off his shoes and stuck his hand and foot into the bowls and I wandered off to the other side of the Man Cave looking for anything that resembled a first aid kit.

"But perfume wouldn't make you lose your powers." Henry said.

"True. Perfume wouldn't. . ." Ray's voice trailed off.

"Only the tears of the jolly beetle."

"Jolly what?" Charlotte questioned him. I opened a cabinet and found some bandages and wipes. I grabbed them and walked back over to Ray and sat down next to him.

"The jolly beetle."

"One of the rarest and happiest bugs on Earth." Ray explained.

"So, you're saying the jolly beetle can take away Captain Man's?" I asked.

"Not the beetle itself. . ."

"The beetles' tears." Gooch finished.

"You see when they cry, their tears contain an enzyme, like an acid, which breaks down molecular density."

"And molecular density is what makes Captain Man undamageable."

"And you guys think that that lady's perfume contained. . ." Henry began to speak.

"The tears of the jolly beetle." Gooch finished.

"That's impossible." Ray said. "To fill a whole perfume bottle, you would need tears from dozens of jolly beetles."

"But if those beetles were so jolly, what would make them cry?" Henry asked. We all stared out in space like the answer was going to appear out of nowhere. "Anyways, Jen, did you take your pills this morning?" I sighed as I cleaned the cut on Ray's neck and place a bandaged over it.

"Yes, Hen, I took them when you reminded me this morning." I muttered.

"Pills?" Ray questioned me. "Pills for what?"

"Nothing." I said quickly. "Right, Henry?" I glared at my twin brother.

"R-r-right." Henry stuttered. "Nothing." Ray turned his head to look at me and my breath hitched in my throat when our eyes met. They might be the same person but Ray was so much different than Captain Man. Ray's hair was a casual mess and his blue eyes shined so much brighter out of suit. His red button up shirt hugged his body and biceps and his blue jeans fit him just right. His skin seemed soft and all I could think about was running my fingers down his cheek and. . . I cleared my throat and quickly looked away. I tried thinking about anything but Ray to stop my cheeks from blushing. I wiped my hands on my jeans and stood up.

"Well, anywho, we should get home, Ra—Henry." I bit my bottom lip and looked up realizing my mistake. "Let's go. Charlotte, you coming or staying?"

"I'm coming." Charlotte said, hoping off her chair and walking over to the elevator with Henry and me. I continually pressed the button until the door opened and I walked in. I could feel Henry's eyes burning into the side of my face. I looked up the elevator chute avoiding the eyes that were watching me not only in the elevator but also out in the Man Cave.

"Henry Joseph Hart, don't say a word and just press the damn button." He laughed and leaned over pressed the up button and the elevator shot up into motion.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

The next day, I sat on my bed with my laptop on my lap researching jolly beetles and a way to reverse the tears' effects. It was hard to concentrate when all I could think about was Ray. Every time he came across my mind, he stayed there. His skin, his biceps, his lips and most importantly his eyes. God, his eyes. So, bright, gentle, lively blue eyes. My head fell back against my pillows as his eyes burned holes into my mind. I don't know how long I was like that when Henry walked into the room. I cleared my throat and indulged myself back into my research.

"So, what were you thinking about?" Henry smirked at me as he pulled his shoes out from his bed. He sat on the edge of the bed and started to put on his shoes.

"No one." I said hastily. I closed my eyes and grinded my teeth and rephrased my answer. "I mean, nothing." I felt my cheeks grow hot.

"Dude, Jen, I've never seen you blush like this. And you've had your fair share of crushes growing up." I glared at him.

"I don't have a crush on Ray." As soon as those words left my mouth, I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed heavily. My brain and mouth were not cooperating today.

"I don't know, Jen. Have you seen your cheeks?" That only made my cheeks grow hotter.

"It's just. . . hot in here." Henry laughed.

"That's oldest excuse in the book, Jen." There was no arguing with this boy. I threw my hands up in the air in exasperation.

"Okay, so what if I do have a crush on our boss? It's just a crush. It'll go away just like any other crush." Henry stood up and smoothed out his shirt before looking over at me.

"I don't know, Jen. Like I said, I've never seen you blush like this. PS., your phone is vibrating. I'm headed to work." He walked out of the room leaving me to my vibrating phone and thoughts. I looked at my caller ID to see Charlotte's face.

"Hey, Char, what's up?"

"Hey, Jennifer, where is Henry?" She asked.

"Headed to work. Why?"

"Great. Meet me down in the Man Cave. I have some information about the jolly beetles."

"Okay, see you then."

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Stay calm. Stay calm. Stay calm. Stay calm. Stay calm. I repeated the mantra in my mind on the ride down the elevator shaft. The door opened and I walked out into the Man Cave to see several empty cans of beef all over the floor and Ray slouched on the booth in his pajamas and slippers. Henry was in his Kid Danger suit standing behind Ray lecturing him while Charlotte stood beside him with her laptop in her hands. I threw my hands up in the air and looked at them questioningly.

"Later." Charlotte said as she set her laptop on a stand. "Okay, so Ray lost his power because he got sprayed with tears of a jolly beetle."

"Yeah, yeah." Ray snapped from the booth. "I think we're all aware of what has happened up to this point."

"Just tell us what you found." Henry said as his phone rang. He opened the cover of his phone clip on utility belt and Piper, our little sister, showed up on the caller ID.

"Ugh, what now?" Ray groaned as Henry answered the phone.

"What? . . . I don't know but I can't talk right. . . You've never ever been okay."

"Who's that?"

"Our sister." I informed him, leaning against the booth, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Piper, I. . ." Henry tried to explained to Piper but she cut him off. "Oh, no. . . Wow, tell me more." Henry set his phone down and turned back to Charlotte as Piper continued to rant on the other line. "Okay, tell us what you've found out."

"That jolly beetles only eat one thing. . . Japanese Fish flakes." Charlotte said.

"Fish flakes?" I questioned her.

"Yeah. And two weeks ago, a hundred pounds of them were shipped to a warehouse right here in Swellview." Ray sat up, looking interested.

"A lot of fish flakes that big would feed dozens of jolly beetles." Ray said.

"And who would need to have that many jolly beetles?"

"Someone who needed a lot of jolly beetle tears." Henry exclaimed.

"Enough to spray Captain Man." I added.

"One sec." Henry picked up his phone where Piper was still ranting. "She did? No way. Then, what happened?" He set his phone back down and turned back to Charlotte. "Where's the warehouse?"

"Downtown." Charlotte informed him. "Abbey Road."

"Ray, let's go." Ray stood up and walked away from Henry.

"No, I can't fight bad guys in my condition." Ray said.

"Is he serious?" I inquired.

"He's afraid now because he can be injured." Henry sneered.

"Well, who wouldn't be afraid?" Ray questioned him.

"How about me? I'm your sidekick and I've been helping you with all kinds of dangerous stuff and I've never had any powers. I can be hurt."

"Which is why I pay you nine dollars an hour."

"I'll be back."

"Where are you going?" Charlotte asked him.

"To do my job." Henry grabbed his phone and held it up to his ear, never taking his glaring eyes off Ray. "Yeah, yeah, Marla's bad and you're amazing." Henry hung up on Piper and walked over to the chutes.

"Well, go with him." Ray looked torn, not knowing whether he should go or not.

"I can't." Ray finally said.

"You mean you won't." I corrected him.

"Have you seen my bee sting?" He held up his right hand to show me a small red dot on his hand and I slapped it away from me.

"Just forget." Henry snapped at him. "I don't need Captain Couch." Henry hit his belt buckle and a tube slid down over him. "Up the tube!" The tube sucked Henry up and he was gone. Charlotte and I turned to glare at Ray.

"Look! The bee hurt me!"

"I don't care about your stupid bee sting!" I snapped at him. "What I care about is that my brother is out there fighting bad guys without Captain Man." Ray sighed and turned his back to me.

"Face it, Captain Man is gone."

"No, he's not!" I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, calming myself. I walked over to him and grabbed his arm to turn around and face me. He peered down at me with sad blue eyes and when I spoke again, my tone was gentler. "Ray, you're not Captain Man because you're indestructible. You're Captain Man because of your heart." I placed my hand over his heart and I felt it pulsating under my palm. With anxiety racing through my veins and my heart racing a hundred miles a minute, I reached up and cupped his cheek in my hand as his head drooped and his eyes closed. For the first time, I was seeing was underneath Ray Manchester's ego. "You just can't see it. You don't need to be indestructible to protect Swellview and you don't need to be indestructible to go help Henry." My fingertips grazed across his skin as I dropped my hand. "But it's your choice, Ray." I took a step back and began to walk over to the elevator.

"What choice?" I turned back to him.

"Whether you want Swellview to remember Captain Man for being indestructible or for having a big heart. You coming or staying, Char?"

"I'm coming." She said as she grabbed her laptop and made her way over to the elevator. As I pressed the button for the elevator, something sounded behind me and I turned to see Ray in his Captain Man suit. I smiled involuntarily.

"Go kick some ass, Captain Man."

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

We were back down in the Man Cave later that night after Henry and Ray took care of Dr. Minyak and Nurse Cohort. They had captured all the jolly beetles and brought them back with them. In each container, the beetles had their own little chair to sit in and each container had a plastic tube that connected it to a bigger container that collected the tears. I looked over at Henry and Ray who were still in their uniforms. Ray did manage to get himself a cut on his cheek from the fight. I reached up and tilted his head to the side to look at the cut better. I clicked my tongue.

"Well, that's going to leave a scar." I muttered and I turned back to the beetles' who were laughing at Drake and Josh which was playing on the TV. Gooch's theory was that if the jolly beetles' tears from crying took away Captain Man's powers than maybe the jolly beetles' tears from laughing would give them back.

"So how does this work?" Charlotte asked Gooch.

"You see, when the beetles watch something funny they secrete this acid which we can use to reverse the weakening effect of the tears."

"You calling me a liar?" Drake said on TV.

"I ain't calling you a truther." Josh exclaimed. Henry and Ray burst out laughing along with the beetles.

"Classic." Henry and Ray said in unison.

"Now, I extract the fluid." Gooch said as he pulled some up into a syringe. Ray turned to him with worriness in his eyes. I gave his hand a quick squeeze as I passed him and walked over to Charlotte's side, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Come on, let's do this." Ray said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Ready?" Ray nodded. "Spray in the hole!" Gooch shot the liquid into Ray's face and he groaned as his body began to convulse. His eyes glowed a bright, neon teal color as his fists clenched.

"That's interesting." I clutched Charlotte's arm when my breath hitched in my throat. The neon teal glow faded from Ray's eyes and he exhaled deeply.

"Did it work?" Henry asked.

"Only one way to find out." Gooch said. He walked away from us and to the weapons closet and pulled out a very large ray gun. My eyes got wide as I looked at him like he was crazy.

"Are you insane?" I snapped.

"Setting to intensity fire."

"Gooch!"

"Come on, Jen." Henry pushed me and Charlotte out of line of fire where we stood behind Gooch who pointed the ray gun at Ray. The emergency alert went off and Ray rushed to the computers before Gooch could shoot him. A security camera in zone five which happened to be Swellview Park showed Jasper walking in the park.

"Somebody!" He called out. "Help me! Please!" Henry, Charlotte, and I exchanged annoyed looks. "I can't get these jeans off!" Ray paused the video and turned to us.

"You hear that?" He asked. "There's a boy wandering through Swellview Park trapped in his own pants."

"Swellview needs you, Captain Man." I said. Ray walked off the platform and stood back in front of the ray gun.

"Okay, Gooch, time to check my density. Let's see if I got my Captain Man back."

"You realize if the beetles didn't work. . ." Gooch began to say but he trailed off. But we didn't need him to finish the sentence. We all knew what would happen if it didn't work.

"You sure, Ray?" I asked, rubbing my hands together nervously.

"Blast me!" Ray ordered. Gooch fired the ray gun at Ray and he let out a cry of pain when the blue ray connected with his chest. I clutched Henry's arm and buried my face into his shoulder not being able to watch. It felt like the agonizing yells went on forever but when they finally stopped, I slowly looked up to see Ray on his back on the ground with smoke rising from his chest. Ray finally jumped to his feet and placed his hands on his hips and smirked at us. "I'm okay!" I rushed forward and wrapped my arms around him, so relieved that he was all right. I let go so Charlotte and Henry could hug him and Ray gave Gooch a high five. "Kid Danger. . ." Before Ray could finish what he was going to say, Henry's phone rang. He pulled it out of his clip and groaned.

"It's my little sister." Henry sighed.

"Ugh."

"What Piper? . . . Wow, please tell me all about it." Henry set his phone down and turned back to Ray. "Let's go." As Henry rushed to the chutes, Ray turned to me. He took my hand and gave it a tight squeeze.

"Thank you for that pep talk earlier." I smiled and playfully rolled my eyes.

"Anytime." I whispered.

"Anytime? Really? Great. So, eight o'clock Saturday night?" The smile dropped from my mouth as my mouth opened slightly in shock and my eyes grew wide. Before I could say anything, Ray raced off to the chutes and slapped his belt buckle with Henry and the chutes closed around them both. "Call it."

"Up the tube!" Henry yelled and they were both off. I slowly turned to Charlotte, still in shock.

"What. . . the hell. . . just. . . happened?" Charlotte laughed and walked over to me and slung her arm around my shoulders.

"I believe that you just got a date Saturday night with Ray Manchester." She clarified. My cheeks flushed and I smiled involuntarily.