Supervillain High

by Gerhard Gehrke

  “If I can get everyone’s attention,” he said. He wasn’t using any kind of amplification, but his voice carried well enough. The students quieted.

  “I know you’re eager for news. What I can confirm is that four men entered campus and used tranquilizer dart guns on students and faculty. At least twenty students and two teachers were hit. The last report is that all are making a quick recovery. The men were all stopped and apprehended with the aid of the local police department. Our security team examined the surveillance footage, and we’ve searched the two academic buildings the men entered. We have a bomb unit on hand which Dutchman Springs police summoned from Bakersfield, and they are going over every inch of the buildings as well as the parking garage from where the men originated. So far, we have no evidence that they planted any kind of device, but we want to be certain.

  “Unfortunately, we’re still having trouble with internet and phone service. We’re unable to reach your families for news from the outside. We’ve been told that the outage is some sort of national emergency, and that the various response agencies are working to resolve the situation. I know you want to talk to your families. We’re going to alert everyone as soon as we have any phone line open.”

  “Who are they?” a senior asked.

  “I wish we knew. We don’t have answers yet, just a lot of questions. I’d hate to speculate at this point. We’ve called in all of our off-duty security, and they will be working along with the police to keep the campus safe.”

  “The police at least have their shortwave,” Vlad said in a low tone.

  “We hope to resolve all these issues quickly, but I can’t make promises. I ask that you continue to demonstrate your maturity and cooperation with our staff and with the local police as necessary. The dorms, the gym, and the student restaurant are all at your disposal. The staff is here to help with anything you might need. If anyone has a prescription that needs to be filled, please let Nurse Dreyfus know and she will arrange for the pharmacy to deliver.”

  Brendan looked around the crowded gym. He climbed a few steps up the bleachers, and then he saw the nurse. She was consoling the panicked girl that Brendan had sheltered with. He also saw Lucille. Henry stood near her, but Paul wasn’t in view. Lucille looked his way and saw him, but nothing registered on her face.

  He paced the edges of the gym and then stepped outside for some air. A few others had the same idea.

  “Quite the day,” a voice behind him said. It was Charlotte. She had her hoodie pulled up over her head.

  “Why don’t I ever see you around?” he asked. “Are you even a student here?”

  She offered a lopsided grin. “No, I just live under the bleachers and in the old abandoned tunnels that run beneath the school. I only come out to tinker in the electronics lab at midnight.”

  “You get there earlier than that.”

  “Only a stalker would know.” She studied the students standing around, keeping her eyes moving, as if afraid of being seen.

  “Scary day,” Brendan said. “At least everyone is all right.”

  “Everyone that you see.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean keep your wits about you. This isn’t over, and you’re in danger.”

  “What kind of danger? What are you talking about? Who are you so afraid of?”

  “We’ll talk later.”

  “Oh, come on! You can’t say things like that and just brush me off. What did you mean that I’m in danger?”

  Some of the nearby students were staring at Brendan. “Keep your voice down.” She walked to the front of the gym. He followed.

  A stream of students began leaving the gym, heading up campus towards the dorms or the restaurant. Brendan was jostled by a few older students rushing past.

  Tina grabbed him. “Hey! Who were you talking to?”

  Brendan turned to introduce Charlotte, but she had turned around and was hurrying away towards the back of the gym. A pair of security guards had emerged with the crowd. Brendan ran to catch up with her. By the time he made it to the corner, she was nowhere in sight.

  12. Scouting Mission

  “I’m leaving,” Poser said. He stirred at a dollop of ketchup with a French fry.

  “Me too,” Tina said. “My chauffer picks me up in our private helicopter in an hour.”

  “I’m serious. I’m going to check on my family and see what’s going on. This getting no news is driving me crazy and then this attack? Somebody somewhere has a phone that works, either here in town or down the road.”

  “How are you going to get out?” Brendan said. “Security is everywhere. They say the hyperloop is down. There’s cops out there; you can go ask one.”

  “I’m not talking to them. And if the loop is down, I can hitch a ride. It won’t be the first time I’ve done that.”

  “Sounds awfully risky,” Vlad said. “Why can’t you just wait?”

  “Because just sitting here doing nothing is boring, okay? And I don’t like being told I can’t leave.”

  Brendan did a shoulder check to see if anyone was close enough to listen. The student restaurant remained full even in the late evening after dinner service had ended. Emotions continued to run high after the attack as students tried to make sense of it. Many of the faculty were there, sitting and speaking with their students. Poser’s determination to call home comforted him. It meant Brendan wasn’t the only one who relied on regular parental contact.

  “Can’t you just suck it up for another day and see what happens?” Tina asked. “There were armed men here shooting at us.”

  “She’s right,” Brendan said. “This might not be over. I ran into that girl Charlotte from the lab. It was weird, but she said we were in danger.”

  “Ooooh,” Poser said, making wavy motions with his fingers. “Look, it’s not that complicated what happened here. A group of kidnapped rich kids can bring a boatload of ransom. This school has its own insurance policy for just such contingencies. We have rich parents. Well, except for Brendan.”

  Brendan made a sour face.

  “Relax. It just means they’d throw you back after snatching you.”

  “That’s a lot of speculation on their motive,” Tina said. “If they were bold enough to come here during the day to kidnap some of us, there’s probably more of them waiting for someone to do something like leave campus unattended.”

  “Nah, I don’t think so,” said Poser. “If they had accomplices, they ran. I’m betting on them being stupid, judging by the fact they came here in the middle of the day and underestimated our security. We see it all the time with the villain supers. They don’t think through what they’re doing. If they did, they’d go into cybercrime, or politics.”

  He got a “Ha!” out of Vlad. Brendan and Tina just stared.

  “I’m flattered that you’re worried. But I know how to take care of myself, and hopefully I’ll be back by morning. I trust none of you will be going and snitching on me?” Poser pointed a finger and aimed it around at the group. The finger stopped on Brendan.

  Brendan raised both hands half-heartedly. “I won’t tell anyone. But I think you’re an idiot.”

  ***

  That evening, Brendan and Vlad messed with the radio and the antenna in Brendan’s dorm room. Brendan felt good about working on something. The violence and craziness of the day almost faded into the background. But he couldn’t stop worrying about Poser. He was a big boy, and the most likely outcome to his late-night jaunt was that he would return in the morning with nothing to tell. Perhaps he would hitch a ride to Bakersfield or somewhere else only to confirm that nothing could be done but wait.

  “This should be working,” Vlad said. “We’ve checked everything over and over.”

  They went over every inch of the radio again, examining each wire connection. Brendan tried three different batteries. Vlad checked them with a voltmeter, and they all read fully charged.

  “We’ve got it right,” Brendan said. “Is it possible there’s
no AM being broadcast?”

  “Anything’s possible. But think about how many stations and transceivers there are. It’s hard to believe that they all got hacked. Possible? Sure. Likely? No.”

  “Maybe the software the stations use got infected, some sort of zero-day vulnerability that is just now getting triggered. That would make whatever is happening in the outside world even bigger.”

  “Humongous. And too unlikely of a scenario to take seriously. How many amateur stations are still out there? Surely one of them would be in receiving range.”

  They went up to the roof and tried again with the antenna held high. Brendan removed the radio earphone in frustration and took a moment to look across at the other dorms. Most rooms were lit up. Everyone was still awake. The night above was clear, and the stars shined brightly. Brendan had never bothered sky watching, as the light pollution in New York City was bad enough that the number of visible objects at night was seldom above a few dozen. Here there were thousands, and he found himself drawn in.

  “So this girl of yours…” Vlad said, breaking the silence.

  “Said I was in danger. Not all of us here. That’s more specific than I like.”

  “I don’t know who she is, but maybe she’s just trying to get under your skin. We know people that enjoy that kind of thing, don’t we?”

  “She’s nothing like Lucille. I don’t pretend to know Charlotte, but that’s not what she meant.”

  Vlad shrugged. “And when did our idiot leave?”

  “An hour ago. He was going to try and sneak to the Bean for cover and go from there.”

  “For what it’s worth, I hope he makes it. Getting some news would calm my nerves.”

  “You never look nervous.”

  “Come see me at gym class. Sweaty palms galore.”

  The PA system kicked on. Announcements had been made every hour reminding students that they’d be informed when the television signal was back up, that the injured boys and girls were recovering, and that the investigation into the attack was ongoing. This last announcement told them nothing new except that this was the final one for the night. Then the headmaster encouraged everyone to get some sleep.

  13. What Crime?

  Brendan left the dorm early the next morning. The sun was not going to show itself for another hour, and the sky was a soft gray lined with a few white streamers of wispy clouds. Dew had settled on much of the landscaping. He could see his own breath. Only one other student was in sight, an upperclassman jogging by, heading towards the track or gym.

  And then the guard appeared.

  Brendan pretended not to notice that he was being followed. He hitched up his pack and walked faster, heading towards the science building. If it was still off-limits, the guard would stop him. If it was locked, Brendan could do a one-eighty and see how committed the guard was to keeping an eye on him. Brendan was surprised when he tugged on the front door and it opened. He headed down to the electronics lab, listening for the sound of the door behind him. But the guard didn’t come inside.

  Once inside the lab, he made a show of setting up for the day’s class project that he and Vlad had already finished. The guard walked past outside the window. Brendan put his face to the glass and watched the guard continue walking until he was out of sight.

  Then Brendan climbed out the window.

  The campus attackers had come this direction from the parking garage. Were the police finished with their investigation already? He saw no yellow police tape or any other sign of a crime scene. The opposite side of the building had half a courtyard still closed where a bloodstain marked where one of the attackers had been shot, but nothing remained to indicate an extended investigation. Didn’t the police put little yellow numbers at each shot fired or outlines where people fell?

  The white-and-gray parking structure was overgrown with tasteful greenery. Two levels were aboveground and three were below. A row of curbside electric charge stations was mostly full, with parked vehicles that looked like a line of eggs all plugged into the local power grid. A line of orange cones blocked the entrance into the garage.

  Brendan had a choice: walk on casually and hope no one noticed, or go stealthy, which would indicate to anyone who spotted him that he knew he wasn’t supposed to be there. He opted for the casual approach. No one else was around. He entered the garage and walked the ramps up to the top. All the cars were gone but for a few vehicles that were school-owned, as indicated by their stickers. Blinking lights flashed from below. He got down and crept to the outer edge of the garage for a look.

  Another security guard stood next to an electric golf cart equipped with a light rack that pulsed orange. The cart had been parked across the turn-in for the garage. The guard put an e-cigarette to his mouth and exhaled a plume of vapor. A pair of locals were walking their dog along the green belt across the street. A cop car rolled up to the security guard, and a police officer got out. He said something into a radio clipped to his shoulder. Then the guard and the cop exchanged pleasantries. The cop leaned on his trunk. Brendan slowly ducked back down.

  He walked across the top of the garage lot to the far corner, the spot farthest from the school. He took out his radio, connected the antenna, and turned it on. He inserted a single earphone and plugged it in.

  No sounds came at first as he adjusted the frequency. He heard a burst of static, followed by words. A commercial. The jingle confused him at first, then comforted him. How far over the edge could the world be if it still advertised coffee? Then soda. Next came a few words for an insurance company. He tapped his fingers on the concrete barrier. Was there any content on this station? Finally came the music. The folk/country/pop tune seemed to go on and on. He adjusted the knob.

  The next station he found was in Spanish, but at least there were live people talking about something. He caught a few words and pieced together the overall gist: a soccer game that was to be broadcast live would be delayed because of technical difficulties. The two hosts expanded on this, mentioning something about their sister station in San Salvador having its transmitter down. They promised running highlights as they got reports in via other sources. Then came commercials.

  “Come on,” Brendan said. His hands gripped the radio and he made himself put it down carefully. He began to slowly search for another station.

  He saw movement. A security cart was silently rolling straight towards him. The guard got out and beckoned Brendan over. Brendan removed the earphone and put the radio away.

  “The garage is off-limits,” the guard said. “Come with me, and I’ll take you back on campus.”

  ***

  The guard drove him to the front of the dorm and admonished him to stay on school grounds until further notice. Brendan agreed to everything but promised nothing.

  He found the others outside the student restaurant occupying a pair of benches. Poser wasn’t with them.

  “Any word?” Brendan asked.

  “Nope,” Tina said. “Poser’s AWOL still. We thought maybe you decided to follow him.”

  Brendan sat on the ground and put his back against a bench. He took out the radio and turned it on. He could hear the sound from the earpiece even before putting it in. Static. On every frequency. He had everyone’s attention.

  “Anything?” Vlad asked.

  “Well, the radio worked just fine this morning, and the world’s still there. I got clear signal up on the parking garage. But none here.”

  “You should be able to at least receive FM if something was interfering,” Soren said. He picked up the radio and examined it, handling the electronics less carefully than Brendan would prefer.

  “It works fine,” Brendan said. “I just tested it.”

  He related what he had heard on the airwaves. They soaked up what little news he could tell.

  “But that means…” Vlad gestured to the taller buildings around them.

  “In addition to whatever global communication failure is going on, there’s something here actively blo
cking our signal.”

  “Maybe it’s just the buildings,” Tina said.

  “Maybe if we were inside the buildings,” Vlad said. “But out here? We couldn’t get it to work last night up on the roof. That’s a few floors higher than the garage. There must be some kind of jammer, something that wasn’t on before, since no one was having this problem.”

  “How can we be sure?” Brendan asked. “It’s not like we’ve been trying to listen to the radio up until now. And the radio doesn’t work on school grounds unless you get far enough away. If the jamming was too strong, the police would notice with their radios. And I saw a cop this morning talking to one of the security guys. His radio sounded like it was working.”

  “So it’s something here?” Tina asked. “Is this what your mysterious girlfriend is up to? Maybe it’s all her fault.”

  Brendan could only shrug and put his radio away after prying it from Soren’s hands.

  “Unless the blocked signal is a side effect of something else,” Vlad said.

  “Like what?” she asked.

  “A giant transmitter,” Vlad said. “Something like that. I really have no idea. Maybe it’s an actual signal jammer someone set up. We don’t know what to look for, and something like that could be quite small. I haven’t noticed any big new antennas on top of the buildings. If nothing else, we can look out for your friend, though.”

  Brendan looked around them, but no one was close enough to be listening. “Good luck with that. She seems to just show up. The last time I saw her, she just disappeared.”

  “Like a ghost?” Tina made a face. “At least we have something to really worry about now.”