Amalgamation

by Lucas Flint

  Beams blushed. “Pesa? Yeah, I sort of do. What do you mean she says ‘hi’?”

  “That’s just what the email says,” said Rubberman, waving his phone. “Says that she misses you and hopes you can come back to visit her in Antarctica sometime.”

  Beams blushed even further. After returning to their universe, Beams had gone back to Ariopolis to explain to the Ariopolitans that the Dread God was dead for good and that he had placed the God Slayer in trustworthy hands. The Ariopolitans had thrown a great celebration that lasted a few days, during which Scorius tried, once again, to get Beams to take Pesa’s hand in marriage. The only reason Beams had managed to get at all was by promising he would return to become Pesa’s husband once he graduated from high school, though secretly, he had no intention of marrying Pesa ever. Beams liked the Ariopolitans, but he wasn’t interested in becoming their king. He did want to visit them again someday, though, because he still felt a connection to the Ariopolitans and their city as a son of Arius.

  “Yeah, that sounds like something Pesa would say,” said Beams. “Anything else in the email?”

  “Just a few more things,” said Rubberman, lowering his phone. “It mentions that the Spirit of the Woods burned the Dread God’s body and that the Starborn have once again departed to places unknown with the God Slayer, but that’s all.”

  Beams nodded. “Well, it was good to hear from the IEA again. I was wondering about the aftermath of the Dread God’s death. Have we heard anything from Bolt and the others yet?”

  Rubberman shook his head swiftly. “Unfortunately, no. All I know is that they managed to make it back to their universe safely and that everyone is doing all right there. Beyond that, they haven’t sent us any messages.”

  Beams’ shoulders slumped. “Guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Those guys have dimension-hopping tech, but they don’t have interdimensional communication tech.”

  “You seem disappointed,” said Rubberman, leaning back in his chair. “Do you miss Bolt?”

  “Yeah,” said Beams, nodding again. “I consider him a good friend. He could be kind of annoying sometimes and was way too impulsive, but we made a good team. I wonder if I will ever see him again. Probably not, given how there aren’t any other multiversal threats for us to deal with, plus we don’t have the tech necessary to get us to his universe.”

  Rubberman hesitated. “About that … actually, we do.”

  Beams tilted his head to the side. “What do you mean, ‘we do’?”

  “We do, in fact, have dimension-hopping technology,” said Rubberman. “Let me show you.”

  Rubberman stretched his hand behind his chair and then pulled out a small, futuristic-looking gun, which he held in his hands as delicately as fine china. Beams gasped when he saw it.

  “That’s the miniature portal generator which Genius gave to me in that alternate universe,” said Beams in disbelief. “I almost forgot about it. Where did you find it?”

  “Galaxy gave it to me when they dropped us off back in our universe,” said Rubberman, resting the generator on his lap. “She told me Sparky had improved it while we were out fighting the Dread God, so now it can open portals to whichever universes we want, rather than to random universes we may or may not wish to travel to.”

  “Meaning we could use the generator to visit Bolt and the others?” said Beams hopefully.

  Rubberman nodded. “Yeah. I’ve already tested it and it seems to work.”

  Beams could not help but smile when Rubberman said that. “That’s really great to hear, boss. Why don’t we use it now? I have time. We could pop over to Bolt’s universe real quick and—”

  But Rubberman shook his head. “No. While I understand how much you want to see your friend again, we’ve still got a business to run here. Maybe someday we can make a trip to Bolt’s universe, but today we have a lot of work to do and not nearly enough time in the world in which to do it.”

  Beams’ shoulders slumped once again, but he nodded anyway and said, “Yeah, I get it. But it’s nice to know we can go and visit him anytime we want anyway.”

  “I know,” said Rubberman. “Now, go and get your costume on. There’s a bank robbery in downtown Golden City and the police are requesting us for backup.”

  “Sure thing, boss,” said Beams, giving Rubberman the thumbs up. “I’ll put my suit on in a jiffy.”

  Beams turned and rushed toward the changing room. As he ran, he couldn’t get the big, goofy smile off his face at the news Rubberman had given him about the portal generator.

  Maybe someday I’ll go and visit Bolt’s universe for myself, Beams thought. And maybe he can come and visit mine. Hopefully, the next time we meet, it won’t have to be because we’re trying to stop some giant multiversal threat to all of existence.

  CHAPTER FORTY

  With a brush in one hand and a bucket of soapy water in the other, Bolt hovered in front of the Justice Statue, smiling at his handiwork. He had spent all morning furiously scrubbing every inch of the upper half of the Justice Statue that he could reach. In fact, he had gotten so caught up in his handiwork that he hadn’t even noticed it was lunch time until Curtis called him on his earcom and told him to get down there and join the rest of the cleaning crew for lunch. But Bolt had told Curtis that they could go on and get lunch without him because there were still a few spots on the Justice Statue he needed to clean before he could call it a day.

  And now, it is finished and I am starving, Bolt thought. Cleaning is almost as much work as fighting supervillains. Mad respect for the janitors who do this kind of thing every day for a living.

  Still smiling, Bolt gently landed on the ground in front of the Justice Statue. He put the bucket and brush next to the rest of the cleaning supplies and then took a step back and looked up at the Statue once again.

  It really is a piece of work, Bolt thought, probably the best statue in the whole island. It’s cool.

  In particular, Bolt focused on the Midnight Menace half of the statue. It was so realistic, down to the tiniest dents in the Midnight Menace’s armor. Bolt should know because he had seen the Midnight Menace about two weeks ago and so his image was still fresh on Bolt’s mind.

  Thinking of the Midnight Menace made Bolt reflect on everything that had happened since he and the others had returned to their universe from the Shadowlands a couple of weeks ago. It certainly didn’t feel like two weeks since Bolt got home. He wondered if his sense of time was off due to all of the dimension-hopping shenanigans he had been involved with recently.

  Upon returning to their universe, Bolt’s little team had disbanded. Shade and Hypno returned to Washington to report on their activities to Cadmus Smith, while the Midnight Menace went back to the INJ’s base in California to update his fellow INJ members about what he saw in the Shadowlands. Bolt himself immediately went to the NHA’s Leadership Council, where he gave an in-person report on everything that he had experienced after leaving Hero Island what seemed like an eternity ago now.

  The Leadership Council had been relieved to hear that the Dread God was dead and the Darzens were no longer a threat. They were not, however, happy to hear that Graalix was still free and out there in the multiverse somewhere, though Bolt didn’t mind. Graalix was only a threat if he could find a bigger and more powerful person to serve under. With both the Mother World and the Dread God dead, Bolt doubted that Graalix was going to be a very big threat to anyone anytime soon.

  And if that jerk does show his face around here, I’ll make sure to punch it in, Bolt thought with a smirk. That will be a lot of fun.

  With the Dread God dead and the Earth safe once again, the Council had reassigned Bolt back to janitor duty. That would have annoyed Bolt before, but now, Bolt didn’t mind it so much. He wasn’t sure what changed his attitude about that. It might have been his interactions with Beams. Beams was nowhere near as powerful as Bolt—in fact, he was even a sidekick—yet he never complained about his station in life or his job.

  And Beams is even
more of a hero than some actual adult superheroes I know, Bolt thought. If Beams doesn’t complain about his life or his job, then what do I have to complain about? Reminds me of something Dad always told me, about how I should always do the best job I can regardless of what job it is. Besides, saving the multiverse from the Dread God is enough adventure for me for a whole lifetime, though I wouldn’t say no if someone asked me to go on another adventure sometime.

  The sound of footsteps walking behind him made Bolt glance over his shoulder. Nicknacks was approaching him, the alien looking much better than he did the last time Bolt had seen him. He carried what looked like a letter in his hands, but Bolt didn’t care what it was.

  “Hey, Nick,” said Bolt, turning around to face him. “How are you doing? I take it you’re adjusting well to being back on Earth?”

  Nicknacks stopped a few feet from Bolt and nodded. “Yes. Truthfully, it feels more like coming home rather than visiting a foreign country. I’ve lived on Earth long enough that it no longer feels as foreign as it used to, even after my trip to space. And I have no intention of leaving Earth again anytime soon.”

  “So you’re not going to try to find more Pokacu survivors somewhere among the stars?” said Bolt, glancing up at the sunny sky overhead.

  Nicknacks shook his head. “No. I’ve come to peace with the fact that the Pokacu race is finished. All I can do is try to live a peaceful life here on Earth and be as good a guest as I can to you humans.”

  “I take it you’re joining the NHA again?” said Bolt.

  “That is correct,” said Nicknacks, “though not as a member of the Leadership Council. Instead, I am going to serve as the NHA’s official Alien Consultant, a new position they made just for me. I will consult with the Leadership Council about future extraterrestrial threats to Earth, as well as help them understand and reverse engineer any alien technology we may find for the use of NHA members. It’s a job that will work well for me, so I am not complaining about it.”

  “Alien Consultant Nicknacks,” Bolt said with a smile. “You should get a business card with that printed on it.”

  Nicknacks chuckled. “Ah, perhaps someday. I’m not really in business for myself, but perhaps I’ll do it anyway just for ‘fun,’ as you humans put it. Anyway, I came here because Omega Man told me to deliver this letter to you.”

  Bolt frowned. “A letter from Omega Man? He could have just texted or emailed me.”

  “He said it’s too important to text,” said Nicknacks with a shrug. He held out the letter. “Here you go. I haven’t opened it yet, so I don’t know what it says.”

  Bolt took the letter and tore the envelope open. Tossing the envelope aside, Bolt unfolded the letter and immediately began reading it:

  Dear Kevin Jason,

  The Neohero Alliance Leadership Council has voted to transfer you from janitor duty to active field work in the Braindome in Showdown, Virginia, where you will work alongside NHA members Ryan ‘Brains’ Jones and his wife, Mary ‘Vanish’ Jones, to deal with a spike in crime which has hit the city in recent months. This is in recognition of your saving the multiverse from the Dread God.

  This is your official letter of transfer from the Hero Island Janitorial Team to the Braindome in Showdown, Virginia. Please show this letter to Brains when you get there as proof of your transfer.

  You will be transferred to the Braindome by the end of the month, so I suggest that you start packing all of your things now and make any necessary pre-travel arrangements before you head out as soon as possible.

  Best wishes,

  John ‘Omega Man’ Watterson.

  “What does it say?” said Nicknacks when Bolt finished reading the letter. “You look excited.”

  Bolt looked up at Nicknacks, unable to hide the smile on his face. “Of course I’m excited. I’m going to be transferred to Showdown to help Brains and Vanish deal with some crime. I don’t have to wash bird poop off statues anymore. Woohoo!”

  “Interesting,” said Nicknacks, tapping his chin. “Omega Man did look happy himself when he handed me the letter. I take it this is because of your actions during the Dread God situation?”

  “Yeah, it is,” said Bolt, nodding. “Anyway, I’ve got to go and pack all my things. I’m going to be stationed out there by the end of the month, so I don’t have a whole lot of time left to get ready to go. Plus, I want to let Blizzard know that I’m leaving. She’ll be thrilled to hear it.”

  With that, Bolt shot into the air toward the Tower of Heroes in the center of the island, unable to hide his smile as he tightly clutched the fluttering letter in his hands.

  This is great, Bolt thought. No more janitorial work. I can finally go back to doing what I do best: Kicking behind and protecting innocent people from the crooks who prey on them. This is gonna be awesome!

  -

  THE END OF DIMENSION HEROES.

  Read on for more titles by Lucas Flint and a preview chapter of The Superhero’s Return, the first book in the Lightning Bolt sequel series!

  I hope you enjoyed my little tale. Please don't forget to give this book a quick review wherever you bought it. Even just a two-word, "Liked it" or "Hated it" review helps so much. Positive or negative, I am grateful for all feedback from my readers.

  PREVIEW:

  Lightning Bolt #1: The Superhero's Return

  Chapter One

  “Bolt”? A voice crackled through my earcom suddenly, seeming louder than normal due to how quiet it was tonight. “Are you in position?”

  Startled by the voice, I tapped my earcom and said, “Don’t worry Brains. I’m exactly where you told me to be. Not like I have anywhere better to be tonight anyway.”

  In my mind’s eye, I could just imagine Brains’ disapproving frown at my flippant remarks from behind his horn-rimmed glasses. “Right. I just wanted to make sure you were still in position so this mission is a success. We’ve been planning this for months and I don’t want to leave anything to chance.”

  I smiled, even though Brains could not see my face. “Like I said, don’t worry. I may be young, but I’m a team player. You can count on me.”

  “Good to hear,” said Brains. “Anyway, you know the signal. Once you see it, then you do your part, but do NOT act before then. Understood?”

  “Perfectly,” I replied. “I’m well-known for my patience. Ask my girlfriend.”

  “Right,” said Brains with more than a hint of skepticism in his voice. “Well, you won’t have to wait much longer. The informant is already en route to your location. You should see his car pulling up in front of the building any minute now.”

  I peered out the window of the abandoned apartment building I had made into my temporary base, but right now the back alleys of Showdown were quiet and empty. “I don’t see anyone yet. You sure he’s coming?”

  “He just sent me a text telling me he’s on the way,” said Brains. “Again, I must caution patience. The man we’re after is a dangerous crime boss who has escaped justice dozens of times over the last couple of years. Last thing we need is to act preemptively and give him an opportunity to escape. If we can get him tonight, we can dismantle his entire criminal empire for good.”

  I nodded. “Gotcha. Anything else I need to know?”

  “That’s about it,” said Brains. “So I’m going to hang up now and leave you be. Honey and I are—”

  “Honey?”

  “Vanish,” Brains corrected himself. “My wife.”

  “Oh, right.”

  “Anyway, Vanish and I are just about ready to do our parts,” Brains continued. “Again, don’t act until you see the informant, and if you notice anything suspicious, call me immediately. See you later.”

  With that, I heard a soft click in my ear that told me that Brain had ended the call. I lowered my hand from my ear and frowned. Though I was looking at the streets below, I was still thinking about how Brains repeatedly stressed my need for patience. As much as I liked the guy, he seemed to think that because I was younger than m
ost superheroes—just 18-years-old, while most adult supers were in their twenties and thirties, sometimes older—that I needed more guidance than most.

  “It’s not like I’m a kid,” I muttered under my breath to no one in particular. “I’ve saved the world more times than I can count. I don’t need to be told what to do all the time.”

  “He’s just trying to make sure everything is in order,” said another voice in my ear, this one feminine and cool. “According to the NHA’s membership database, Brains is well-known for his conscientiousness and attention to detail. It probably is not anything personal.”

  I almost started when I heard her voice, but relaxed when I recognized it. “I know, Val, but it is still annoying. Maybe he will look at me differently after we pull this mission off.”

  “Perhaps, but I don’t think the Leadership Council sent you here to try to prove something,” said Valerie. “They sent you here for the purpose of helping Brains and Vanish crack down on a recent spike in crime in Showdown. I would suggest focusing on that rather than how the adults in your life treat you.”

  I sighed, but as always, I found it hard to argue with Valerie’s logic. Valerie was an AI program originally designed by my father, the legendary superhero Genius, to act as his personal assistant, but after Dad’s death, Valerie passed on to me as my personal assistant. She was smart and very good at researching anything I asked her to, but she was not afraid to tell me when I was out of line and to focus on the mission at hand than my own feelings. She may have been my assistant, but she was hardly my slave.

  I liked Valerie, but as an AI, I felt like she really didn’t always understand what I, as a human, was going through. Maybe it was a bit entitled for me to expect the kind of respect that older and more experienced superheroes commanded on a regular basis. Even so, I was a full NHA member now, not mere a member of the Young Neos or even worse, a student at the Academy. I was starting to wonder if there was more to getting respect from other adults than just getting my NHA membership card.