Dangles crept down in the leaves of the bush, waiting for the perfect moment to infiltrate the Screaming Eagle Dojo. He was like a tiger waiting to pounce on its prey.
Before he went inside, Dangles thought it would be best to update Lincoln. So he sent him a text that read: Just got here. Staking out the place. Wish me luck!
Much to Dangles' surprise, Lincoln replied instantaneously. No.
Despite the cold reply from Lincoln, Dangles shook with excited anticipation.
Riley had never sent him on solo missions. Usually, a typical Todrick Dangles workday consisted of paperwork, filing, and making phone calls. Most of the time, he felt more like a glorified secretary than an assistant.
He figured he had proved himself to Lincoln when he successfully kidnapped Debbie and Mark. He was eager to make a good impression. Maybe if he did, he could add filing, answering the phones, and kidnapping to his resume.
Spying on the dojo proved to be an easy task. Floor-to-ceiling windows covered the front of the building, leaving little to the imagination. Dangles squinted the eye that wasn't covered by the eyepatch, trying to better understand what was happening inside.
Stefan, Louis's master, guided Louis, Ken, and Riley through a form. The moves were simple, basic examples of punches and blocks. Louis moved through the practice with ease. He possessed controlled fluid movements.
Dangles scoffed. Well, I suppose that's to be expected. After all, he is the leader of the Demon Sect.
Ken Stokes paled in comparison to Louis. With each clunky and unbalanced move, he looked like a baby giraffe learning how to walk. However, Ken tried. He put passion and eagerness behind every move he made, causing Dangles to roll his eyes. I never liked Ken Stokes, he thought. I've seen all of his at-home specials. He's always been a try-hard.
And, finally, there was Riley. Saying that Riley struggled would be a vast understatement. He floundered, unable to keep up with Ken or Louis, let alone Stefan. He nearly tripped over his own two feet.
The sight of his boss failing miserably sent Dangles into hysterics. He hunched over as he laughed. Well, I guess that's why we haven't heard much from Riley. He's been too busy getting his ass kicked.
Just then, Stefan paused the practice. He bent down next to Ken and helped move his leg into the proper position.
It was the perfect time to strike.
Dangles leaped up from his bush, rushed toward the studio's front door, and burst through it. "SURPRISE!"
All four of the men whipped their heads around in Dangles' direction.
Sweat dripped down Stefan's abs, looking like glaze on a donut. He blinked at the one-eyed man. "Uh, who are you?"
As Dangles stood before the four men, he realized he didn't have a plan. When Lincoln said go, he just went. He never considered what to do once he actually broke into the place.
He stuttered. "I, I, uh… I…. Um, Riley!"
Annoyed by the sudden intrusion, Riley furrowed his brow. "Yes, Dangles?"
Dangles took a deep breath. It didn't help to calm his nerves. "Well, uh, why didn't you call Lincoln?"
The mention of the old man's name caught Louis's attention. He puffed out his chest. "Lincoln? Did you say Lincoln?"
Riley stepped in between Dangles and Louis, holding out his hands to keep the two apart. "Hey, hey. Let's calm down. Alright? Dangles, I'm not working with Lincoln anymore." He looked at Louis. "It's all okay. Dangles didn't know."
Riley's statement confused Dangles. The last time he checked, Riley swore his allegiance to Lincoln. Typically, Dangles could tell when Riley was spinning a web of lies. But, at this moment, he seemed deadly serious.
Dangles focused his gaze on Riley as if he were studying him. "What do you mean you're not working for Lincoln anymore?"
While lowering his hands, Riley shrugged indifferently. "I mean just that. I'm done with Lincoln Ambrose for good."
Dangles stumbled back. Riley's serious, he thought. My loyalty lies with Riley. It always has, but for as long as I've known Riley, he's been subservient to Lincoln. That's why I put all of my energy into impressing him. Who's my true boss? Who do I really submit to? Who will give me purpose?
Everyone stared blankly at Dangles. Riley cleared his throat. "Uh, Dangles, are you good?"
Dangles threw his hands up in frustration. "No, I am not good! What do you mean you're done with Lincoln? He's your boss, and if you're my boss, then he's my boss's boss, which makes him the big boss!"
Ken Stokes chuckled. "And who are you the boss of then?"
The one-eyed man stomped his foot. "I am in charge of Budge!"
Every word Dangles muttered sounded as if it were plucked straight out of a corny Saturday morning cartoon. Stefan's face scrunched up. "Who's Budge?"
Dangles pointed at Riley. "His cat!"
Annoyed that this nonsense was taking time away from his precious class, Stefan crossed his arms over his toned pecs. "Listen, I'm trying to run a dojo here, so if you're not here to learn, you're leaving."
Dangles gritted his teeth. "I'm not going unless Riley comes with me."
Realizing that Dangles wasn't taking no for an answer, Riley kicked off his sandals. Then, he positioned himself in a battle stance. "Then it looks like I'm ready to fight."
Stefan's eyes grew wide. "You are not ready to fight."
Louis, on the other hand, egged him on. "Do it, Riley! Use your training!"
Stefan shot Louis a disapproving look. Louis shrugged.
All Riley needed was that little bit of encouragement. He lunged forward at Dangles with fury and rage.
Todrick Dangles was a lover, not a fighter. He didn't know how to use his fists. He cowered in a corner, raising his hands to protect his face. "Riley! Stop!"
Riley mauled his assistant. He wrapped his arms around Dangles, pinning him to the ground. "This is my training!"
Riley wiggled on the ground like a fish out of water. It was such a sorry sight that Stefan looked away. "I can reassure you, that is not your training."
A surge of determination washed over Dangles. He shoved Riley's body off of himself. Then, he rolled over and smacked Riley across the face. "Take that!"
In response to the slap, Riley reached up, grabbed the eyepatch off of Dangles' face, and let it go. The eyepatch cascaded back, knocking the wind out of Dangles. He stumbled back. "Ow!"
Louis pointed toward Riley. "That wasn't half bad."
Exasperated, Stefan leaned toward his star pupil. "Please, stop encouraging him."
Louis pursed his lips. "I have to find some way to make this entertaining."
Ken Stokes raised his eyebrows. "You mean to tell me you're not entertained by this? It's like a terrible car crash. I can't look away."
Riley and Dangles both rose to their feet. They circled each other.
"Good luck beating me with one eye. Freak," Riley taunted.
"Well, I may be a freak, but I'm not a traitor!" Dangles replied.
Riley kicked Dangles but slipped on the ground in the process.
The two slapped each other. Each man extended his arms out as far as possible while he turned his head in the opposite direction of his opponent. They hit each other at a rapid pace but with little gusto.
As Ken Stokes secretly pulled his phone out to record a video of the worst fight ever, Stefan rubbed his eyes in disbelief. "This is the saddest thing I've ever seen."
"You hit like a girl!" Riley exclaimed.
"No, YOU hit like a girl!" Dangles retorted.
Louis shook his head. "It's the twenty-first century. We don't say that anymore."
The two grunted as they exchanged weak, wimpy blows.
As Riley managed to slap Dangles in his good eye, the reality of the situation hit him. The fight was ridiculous. What am I doing? He thought. Riley was the one who hired me. I believed in his plans to take over the world. What am I going to do? Take him back to Lincoln and watch him get destroyed? No way.
Dangles tossed his arms down to his sides. "ENOUGH! I'm done! I don't even want to fight you, Riley!"
Out of breath, Riley took a step back. "What?"
Dangles gripped the sides of his head. "I'm your assistant! Not Lincoln's!" He slumped his shoulders. "All this time I've been your assistant, I've thought of you as a pal, as a chum. I only listened to Lincoln because I thought it was what you wanted! I dedicated my whole life to serving you. You're the last person I want to argue with!"
Stefan's eyes darted between the two men. "What's happening?"
Dangles grabbed Riley's sweaty hands. "I'm not Lincoln's assistant. I'm your assistant."
Louis sighed. "Is everything fine now?"
Dangles flashed Riley a hopeful smile. "Is it?"
Riley took a deep breath. "Yeah, I guess so."
Riley pulled his hands away from Dangles'. Then he opened his arms. "Bring it in, Buddy."
The two embraced, and as they did, Riley leaned into his assistant's ear. He whispered so low that no one else could hear what he was saying. "I'm infiltrating the Demon Sect, but I'm not doing it for Lincoln. I'm doing it for myself."
Dangles replied in an equally quiet whisper. "What?"
Riley looked over his shoulder. Ken, Louis, and Stefan started their own conversation while the two were making amends.
Riley continued to whisper in his assistant's ear. "I'm going to defeat Alex. Then, I'm going to take over the world on my own terms. Louis, Ken, and Stefan have no idea."
Riley patted Dangles on the back and let him go.
He cleared his throat. "So, if we're going to flee from Lincoln, we'll need to get strong. Right, Dangles?"
Immediately, the assistant caught on to his boss's plan. "Oh, uh, yes! You're right. We can't flee from Lincoln if we aren't strong!"
Riley gestured toward Stefan. "Would you train Dangles as well, Stefan?"
Against his better judgment, Stefan glanced toward Louis. "You want me to train both of them?"
Louis hesitated. While he promised to help Riley, he wasn't so sure if he wanted to bring Dangles into the mix. After a moment of contemplation, he nodded. "Sure, let's train them both."
Stefan pursed his lips together. "Well, welcome to the Screaming Eagle."
As Dangles and Riley walked to the middle of the mat, Dangles' phone, which hung out of his back pocket, lit up.
A text from Lincoln appeared on the screen. The message was short. It read: Get him back soon, and bring him here alive. Or else.
At the same time Dangles received Lincoln's message, Louis stepped to the back of the dojo to make a phone call. He needed to figure out a way to reach Alex.