Sorry it had taken me a while to get this one in. Been real busy.
Chapter Three
Twenty-one years could seem like an eternity for a man in prison, and scheming con artists like the Sleaze Brothers could vouch for that sensation, as the two had spent that much time in prison for stealing an apple from a boy. They were lucky enough to be sent to same prison, because the gullible Sid Sleaze wouldn?t last a week in one of the most maximum security prisons in the United States. While the brothers were in imprisonment, Sam often tried to come up with a ?brilliant? plan to get them out; but his plans failed miserably, leaving them to do cruel chores like cleaning up toilets and nasty scum at the bottom of pots and pans in the kitchen hall.
Just when it seemed as if things couldn?t get any worse for the brothers, they realized that the end of their sentence had arrived and were released from prison. Their eyes were sore from the sun?s glare, which they hadn?t seen for twenty-one long years, as they stepped outside for the first time in years. They breathe in the fresh air, only to choke on it afterwards; these boys had gotten so use to polluted air that clean air seemed bad for their lungs.
?Well, Sammy, it looks like we?re startin? all over again.? Sid said, and he shook his brother?s hand. ?I?ll be seein? ya around, pal.? Sid was about to walk away, until Sam grabbed him by his left arm and held him back.
?Hey! What do you think you?re doin??!? Sam exclaimed, and Sid seemed a little confused.
?Don?t you remember?? Sid said. ?Before we got out, you and I agreed to go our separate ways, so I figured that you want to go your way, while I go mine.?
?You idiot!? Sam yelled, in frustration. ?I was mad at the time I said that, because I got caught sneaking food out of the kitchen and had to clean toilets, while you were sitting comfortably back in the cell!?
?Oh, so that explains that white line you drew up in the center of the cell.? Sid uttered. ?All this time I thought you were trying to use the entire cell to draw one big picture.?
?Can we stop talking about prison? We?re out now, so let?s drop all that talk!? Sam demanded. ?Let?s talk about how we?re going to get our revenge on that kid that put us in here.?
?The apple kid?? said a confused Sid.
?No!? Sam retorted. ?The other kid! The one with all of those ?special? powers??
?Oh, the Superboy!? Sid exclaimed, and he got a little nervous. ?Well, I?ve got news for ya, Sammy?that Superboy is now a Superman.?
?Yeah?so?? Sam said, and when he put two and two together, he got nervous himself. ?Oh?I see your point.? For a moment, it seemed as if Sam Sleaze wasn?t the great schemer that he used to be, coming up with several ideas in less than two seconds. But that?s when an idea (which he thought was magnificent) struck him. ?Hey! I remember reading something a few days ago in the Planet about Lex Luthor, one of the greatest criminal masterminds in the world, being released from prison tomorrow.?
?Oh, I don?t know about that.? Sid said, getting even more nervous. ?We just got out of prison. Working with a guy like Luthor could get us back in.?
?Luthor is a genius, brother.? Sam said. ?He?s got more brains than even me!?
?He?s been thrown into jail twice.? Sid contradicted. ?Once for stealing and using a nuclear missile, and again for working with three evil villains from the planet Krypton, in an attempt to take over the world.?
?But with us by his side, he doesn?t have to worry about hitting that third strike.? Sam said, and he started whispering to Sid as he looked back and noticed a guard standing by the main gate, which they began walking away from. ?Listen, Luthor was locked away in a prison cell in Metropolis, where that big yellow bird we once used for our carnival lives with the rest of the ?Sesame Saps?. That bird was a good friend of Superman?s, and if we kidnap him again, and this time we?ll do it more subtle, then Superman will have no choice but to crawl out of the cave that he?s been hiding in and save his old friend.?
?But where does Luthor play into all of this?? Sid asked.
?We?ll be giving that bald freak the greatest reason of all for hiring us to be his personal henchmen!? Sam exclaimed, and Sid shook his head, frowning.
?I?m really not comfortable with this idea.? Sid said. ?I think we?re better off going back into the carnival business.?
?No one will ever come back to our funfair after our reputation?s been bruised.? Sam remarked.
?Well, can?t we just put some ice on our reputation?s bruises and try to get things back the way they were?? Sid asked, and Sam was very annoyed.
?Listen, you chicken out on this great opportunity now, I?ll tell that guard there that you were the one that drew a mustache on the warden?s portrait.? Sam threatened, and Sid was a little surprised that he knew about that, considering that he was alone in the room when he drew that mustache?or so he thought.
?Alright! Alright!? Sid exclaimed. ?I?ll do it.?
?Good.? Sam said, with a wicked grin. ?Now all we have to do is get our old truck back from the junkyard that those cops threw it into, and we?ll be on our way to Metropolis in no time.? As Sam walked away from the prison gates with his brother, who he had his arm around in false brotherly affection, Sid seemed very unconfident about the scheme that his brother cooked up. He was really looking forward to starting a new life after their prison time; but with a sibling like Sam Sleaze, that was impossible to achieve.
END OF CHAPTER THREE