Super Crush (BxB)

Enemy Territory

Watch out, Sherlock Holmes. There is a new sleuth in town. But, okay. Yes. I took an Uber to the weird floating park in the middle of the night.  I am sure Sean, my driver, thought it was a strange ask, but I am equally as sure he has had stranger things happen while on ride-share duty. Either way, not super Sherlock sexy.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the gate to Dr. Seuss Island is locked. The sign informs me that it will reopen at dawn. Obviously, I can't wait until then, so I do what I do best: stealth ninja maneuvers. AKA: climb the fence. Also, I quickly remember how unbest I am at ascending chainlinks and gracefully dismounting into a superhero pose. Unsurprisingly, no 10s from the judges here. Surprisingly, I don't hurt myself on the landing.

In my head, running down the straight path that goes under the mushroom columns of the park is a better idea than the angled, uncovered way. It is shorter and easier to hide in the shadows if needed. As a sprint down the path, I'm not expecting it to take me directly to the spot where Slammer's signal was coming from. But it does.

I stop the moment I am on top of the icon on my GPS, but there is nothing here. All that surrounds me are the floating path and the underbellies of the park's stem-like stilts. It's like some alien garden with plants from another world. Strange and creepy white flower.

Speaking of flowers, my eyes land on some graffiti on one of the columns just out of arm's reach from the side of the walkway's railing. It is not the only pole to have street art on it, but this one is a tulip. A very specific tulip. It's the same flower in Tiptoe's insignia. It is too spot on to be a coincidence. Had I not followed a tracking device here, I would have thought that it was just some fan's homage to their idol. No, this has to be the "X" on my treasure map.

I fling my legs over the rail and balance on the four-inch wide ledge between the bars and the Hudson. There is something near the top of the tulip's stem, close to where it connects to the flower, that seems to produce a shadow when I shine my phone's light toward it. Stretching out over the water, my hand finds the dark spot. It is a hole the size of my four fingertips. In the history of great ideas, sticking my hand into an unknown hole is not the best one, but I laugh at the thought of the countless holes I may stick things in when I go off to college.

I scrunch my eyes almost all of the way closed as my digits slide all the way into the cubby. When my middle finger bumps into something round, I jab at it thinking it is a button. Nothing happens besides thinking I broke two of my fingers. As I fidget my appendages around, trying to shake off the pain and embarrassment, I notice the round button spins like a disk. I flick at it until I get a good rhythm and the dial turns, letting out a final pop.

With a hiss and a burst of musky air, a piece of the island's tube releases. Like a hydraulic lift, the metal panel lowers itself to reveal a dark tunnel and the top rungs of a metal ladder before extending like a drawbridge across the space between me and the secret entrance.

"Alright, Alice. Let's go to Wonderland." I say without hesitation, and I cross the plank, mount the ladder, and disappear from the city above. 

The underground hideout is massive. It is a  maze of corridors. The ambiance leaves a little to be desired. All cement. Grody water stains. Tetanus waiting everywhere. Whole walls covered in mold. I should have taken an extra allergy pill and vitamin C tablet before this little adventure. I can't risk being sick for midterms.

The next door on the left is ajar. I peek in and find a long table lined with chairs, and beyond that, someone stands at what looks to be a huge control center of some sort. It's a wall of monitors showing current news clips and CC footage from around the city. There are buttons and keyboards flashing and blinking. Though the figure is backlit in the glow of the screens, I know it is Slammer.