by Lucas Flint
“But—”
“Besides, Professor Hernandez is not going anywhere,” said Renaissance. “Perhaps you will get a chance to meet with him after we kill Robert.”
“How's that search going, anyway?” I said. “Have you guys actually located him yet?”
“No,” said Renaissance. “Robert Candle has not been seen by any of our agents and both the NHA and INJ have not reported any success in finding him, either.”
“For being such a powerful government organization, you guys sure have a hard time locating one dude,” I said.
Renaissance ignored the jab and said, “Regardless, I do not have the authorization to let you out. So until I receive word from the Director or the President saying otherwise, you and your parents will stay down here where you are supposed to be. Good day.”
With that, Renaissance turned and left the room, the doors sliding shut behind him as he left. I stood there in the suite for a moment, feeling angry and frustrated, but I didn't know what to do. I thought about breaking out on my own, but I didn't have the powers to do that. I didn't even have the underwater suit that Graleex gave me; I had given that over to the G-Men shortly after arriving, because I didn't really need it and I thought the G-Men could put it to better use than me.
Yeah, I understood Renaissance's points, but that didn't mean I liked them. He didn't really understand what it was like to lose your powers and then be denied the chance to get them back. If he did, I'm sure he would have told me that he was going to ask Cadmus to let me out to go meet with Professor Hernandez. I was now starting to understand why Dad and so many of the other older neoheroes disliked the G-Men.
But how was I supposed to leave? It seemed like I was going to be stuck down here until Robert was dead. Maybe that wasn't such a bad thing, but what if Robert killed Professor Hernandez before I could talk with him? If Professor Hernandez did, in fact, know of a way to restore my powers, then that would make him a huge target for Robert, who I doubted wanted his victims regaining their powers after he stole them.
Sighing, I walked over to the dining table and sat down in my chair, feeling hopelessly powerless and weak. I thought about going to the gym and maybe working out, because I usually felt better whenever I worked out, but today working out would do nothing to help me in this situation.
Then I heard a door open and looked over to see Dad walk out of his room. He was no longer in his Genius costume, although I noticed he was wearing one of the gauntlets on his right arm, probably because his gauntlets by themselves had a ton of different gadgets and abilities that were useful no matter where he went.
“Hello, Kevin,” said Dad, stopping when he saw me. “I heard you speaking with Renaissance. It sounded like your discussion got heated.”
I sighed and rested my chin on my hand. “Yeah, I know. I was just trying to convince him to let me go.”
“Go?” said Dad. “Go where?”
“To visit Professor Nathaniel Hernandez,” I said. “He's a well-known expert on neogenetics. I thought he might be able to help me get my powers back. Have you ever heard of him before?”
Unsurprisingly, Dad nodded. “Yes. I even met him once, a long time ago, when he started studying neogenetics, even before neogenetics became its own independent field of study. Very smart man.”
“You did?” I said. “What did you talk with him about?”
“I let him examine my brain and body to determine the source of my powers,” said Dad. “I was around your age back then, I believe, maybe a year younger. Professor Hernandez based many of his initial theories off his study of my biology, though I believe he's studied many more superhumans since then and refined his theories based on what he's learned from them.”
“Well, that's great to hear,” I said. “Now that I know you've met him, I can just tell him that I'm your son. You'll help me meet him, won't you?”
“Why?” said Dad. “What can you expect me to do? I'm not in the government. I assume Renaissance told you that he can't let us out because Cadmus won’t allow him, right?”
“Yeah,” I said with a scowl. “Just a speel about not having the authority to let us go or whatever. It's ridiculous.”
“But understandable,” said Dad. “The outside world is even more dangerous than normal for us, Kevin, so I, for one, am not annoyed at Renaissance's refusal to let you go.”
I looked at Dad in disbelief. “I thought you hated the G-Men, but now you're siding with Renaissance on this? Whose side are you on?”
“I'm not much of a fan of the G-Men, true, but that doesn't mean I can't agree with them when they’re being rational,” said Dad with a shrug. “Going outside for any reason at all is incredibly dangerous. We know from experience that Robert will do everything within his power to kill you, and he has quite a lot of power to accomplish that task with.”
“I know,” I said, “but don't you think that it would be good if I could speak with Professor Hernandez and find out if he can help? Think about it. If I had my powers back, I could be out there helping to find and defeat Robert, rather than hiding in a mountain under the sea.”
“I am uncertain if Professor Hernandez could help,” said Dad. “He's a smart man, almost as smart as me, but even he hasn't yet found out how to 'turn on' powers, if that is even possible. Going to him might just be a waste of time.”
Dad walked past me toward the kitchen sink, where he grabbed a cup off the counter and started filling it with water from the tap.
“But what if it isn't?” I said. “Maybe Professor Hernandez is about to make a huge scientific breakthrough. Maybe we could help him do it.”
Dad turned off the tap and then turned around to face me, the cup of crystal clear water in his hand. “Since when have you cared about scientific breakthroughs? Look, Kevin, I can't imagine what it must be like to have lost your powers like this, but leaving the Compound would not help. Until Robert is no longer a threat, we need to stay here.”
“Are you sure?” I said. “The G-Men don't seem to have found Robert yet. What if they never find him at all?”
“I imagine they will at some point,” said Dad. “I never knew Robert well, but I knew his father's character, and Bernard could never wait for anything. Sooner or later Robert will lose his patience and stir up trouble, at which point the G-Men will take him down with the powerless gas I gave them.”
“But what if Robert will only show himself if I'm out?” I said. “Maybe the reason Robert has vanished is because he doesn't know where I am and isn't sure where to look. He might be waiting for me to reappear so he can get me. That would explain his disappearance, wouldn't it?”
Dad looked like he was thinking about what I said, which was amazing, because I never said anything that would make him pause and think. “That does seem logical. Robert, after all, has no reason to appear in public or in a place where the G-Men can get him. He would risk getting caught, if not killed, and he has plenty of time to wait until you reappear.”
“So if I never leave this place, then Robert will never reappear in public,” I said. “Right?”
“If your theory is correct, then yes, that appears to be the case,” said Dad.
I groaned. “But then that will mean we'll be down here forever. It's not like the G-Men are just going to let us go or anything like that, even if we ask nicely.”
“True,” said Dad. He shrugged again. “Oh, well. I prefer staying down here in relative safety versus being on the surface where Robert could get us at any moment.”
Dad had a point, but talking about this subject had gotten the gears in my mind turning. An idea was forming, one that I wasn't sure would work, but which I thought had its merits. Because if it worked, it would solve a whole bunch of problems for us all at once.
So I looked up at Dad again and said, “Dad, I have an idea.”
“Uh oh,” said Dad. “What is it?”
I ignored Dad's 'Uh oh' and said, “It's an idea that we could use to get my powers back and stop Robert once a
nd for all.”
“Really?” said Dad skeptically. “Why don't you tell me about it?”
“I want to share it with Renaissance,” I said. “We need to call him back here and see what he thinks about it, because the plan will only work if we can get the G-Men's help.”
“I see,” said Dad. “All right. I'll see if I can get Renaissance to come back and listen to your idea. You seem very excited about it.”
“Of course I am,” I said. “If it works, it will solve many of our problems at once. There's no time to lose.”
Chapter Nineteen
I walked down the empty hallways of the University of Fallsville, my backpack hefted over my shoulders and my suit-up watch wrapped securely around my wrist. The college hallways were wide and airy, which made their emptiness seem all the more eerie.
By my side walked Mimic, who had changed his appearance to that of a burly bodyguard with dragon and snake tattoos on his arms. He also had about a dozen guns strapped to every part of his body, most of it hidden underneath his clothing, though some, like the pistol on his hip, were very obvious.
As we walked, I looked out every window that we passed or into the open doorway of every classroom we passed, but I never saw Robert anywhere. I expected him to show up and attack us now, because Robert should have known where I was.
When Mimic and I turned a corner and started walking up a set of stairs to the next floor, I tapped my earcom and muttered, “Valerie, has Robert been spotted yet?”
“Not yet,” came Valerie's matter of fact voice. “The G-Men stationed outside have not yet seen him enter the campus. But they are keeping an eye on the sky and the entrances to the school, so if Robert does show, they will know and will be able to keep him from getting too deep into the school.”
I nodded. “Thanks. Keep me posted.”
I lowered my hand from my ear as Mimic and I reached the second floor and then turned right down a hallway that would lead to Professor Hernandez's office. I thought about our plan as we walked, because I was too nervous to talk about it aloud, especially with Mimic, who seemed even more nervous than me despite all of his weapons.
Three days ago, I had spoken with Renaissance about sending me to the University of Fallsville to not only meet with Professor Hernandez, but also to act as a lure to bring out Robert. We were working off the idea that Robert was just waiting for me to reappear on the surface, which seemed to be the most likely explanation for why he had yet to be found despite the G-Men, NHA, and INJ searching for him. The idea was that I would go to UF on the pretense of meeting with Professor Hernandez while the G-Men would set up an ambush around the school in case Robert showed up.
Renaissance had run this idea by Cadmus, who had approved it almost without hesitation. I was surprised by that, because I thought for sure that Cadmus would consider it an unnecessary risk, but I guess that Cadmus must have thought it would have a chance of working or something. Or maybe he was just getting tired of Robert getting away with killing his agents and was willing to try anything that might help stop Robert once and for all.
In any case, when the plan was approved, Dad, Renaissance, and I had spent the first day or so getting all the details of the plan hammered out.
The most obvious part was making sure that no one was in the school when I went there, aside from Professor Hernandez, who had agreed to be part of the plan when we called him. Luckily for us, it was spring break, so all of the UF students and faculty were away having fun on the beach or going on vacations with their family, two things I wasn't going to be doing today or anytime soon.
Another problem was making sure Robert knew about my trip to the school. It was decided that the 'rumor' of my meeting with Professor Hernandez would be 'leaked' on Neo Ranks, which Robert was believed to use, if only because it was the largest source of superhuman and neohero news on the web and was likely being monitored by Robert or his Visionist allies. Renaissance actually informed me that the G-Men would occasionally 'leak' false or partly true, rumors on Neo Ranks in order to lure out certain supervillains or criminals from hiding, which made me wonder exactly how many of the rumors on there were true and how many were just government plants meant to push a particular agenda.
Anyway, the G-Men put up a 'leak' there two days ago saying that I might be going to visit Professor Hernandez in Fallsville. Of course, they used my superhero name, Bolt, but Robert would know regardless.
With that in play, the thing next for me to do was to go to the University of Fallsville and meet with the professor. That was what Mimic and I were doing right now, walking through the empty hallways of the school, making our way to Professor Hernandez's office. Mimic had come along to protect me in case Robert somehow made it into the school, but I didn't know how Mimic even could protect me. His powers, after all, gave him the ability to shape-shift, which did not include super strength or anything else like that. He had a load of guns, true, but when you can run faster than a bullet and create earthquakes just by thinking, I doubted that a few bullets would be enough to even just slow Robert down.
Even Dad was in on the mission. He had wanted to come along so he could provide more powerless gas to the G-Men in the event that their one shot missed. He had even slipped me a small vial of the stuff, which I carried in my pocket, just in case Robert somehow got past the people outside and came directly for me.
Finally, after walking down the hallway, we reached a door labeled 'OFFICE OF PROFESSOR NATHANIEL HERNANDEZ, PROFESSOR OF NEOGENETICS AND NEUROLOGY.' I knocked on the door and heard a low, somewhat fearful voice on the other side say, “Come in,” so I opened the door and entered, with Mimic following behind me.
Professor Hernandez's office was a small, neat room. Books were placed inside bookshelves neatly and alphabetically, while other books were stacked on top of each other on tables or desks against the walls. The windows were closed, but the light from the ceiling showed that the blinds were almost sparklingly clean. On the back wall was a bunch of different certificates and diplomas framed like pictures, which I assumed were the various certificates and degrees that Professor Hernandez had earned or been awarded over his career. There was also a large diagram of a human brain, which was labeled 'SUPERHUMAN BRAIN' with arrows pointing toward various parts of the brain explaining what each part did.
Sitting behind a desk at the back wall was Professor Hernandez himself. He was an elderly Hispanic man wearing small glasses and an old-fashioned sweater vest. Even while sitting, he looked much smaller than me or Mimic, like he had shrunken over the years. On the desk in front of him was a leather, black box with no labels on it, but I figured it had to have something important, given the large padlock hanging off it. Next to the box was a small, bronze, duck-shaped paperweight on top of a large stack of papers.
“Professor Hernandez?” I said as Mimic and I stopped.
“Why, hello there,” said Professor Hernandez. He smiled somewhat timidly. “Are you Bolt and Mimic?”
“Yes,” I said, nodding. “We're here for the meeting, just as we agreed.”
“Oh, good,” said Professor Hernandez. He glanced at the closed window. “Has Robert Candle been spotted yet?”
“No, Professor,” said Mimic, shaking his head. “Robert Candle has not yet been spotted trying to enter the school. At least, we haven't received any reports from the people outside yet.”
“I see,” said Hernandez. He sounded worried. “And if he comes, you will be able to stop him, yes?”
“Hopefully,” said Mimic. “We have a dozen of our best agents here at various points around the campus. Assuming Robert shows up, he will be in for a nasty surprise.”
“Good, good,” said Hernandez. “But since you two are going to be here for a while, why don't you sit down and we can talk? I think that would be more comfortable than standing.”
“Okay,” I said as I walked over and sat down on one of the chairs in front of the desk. I looked over at Mimic, who had not come over. “Mimic, are you going to sit
down?”
“No,” said Mimic. He gestured at the window. “I want to be ready in case Robert attacks.”
“Okay,” I said. I turned my attention back to Hernandez. “It's nice to meet you, Professor. My dad told me about you.”
“Your dad is Genius, correct?” said Hernandez. “I remember him well, because he was your age when we first met. He was very serious and intellectual. Is he still like that? I haven't spoken to him in years.”
I nodded. “Yeah, mostly. But he's developed a sense of humor since then.”
“Really? I almost thought he was incapable of joking,” said Hernandez. “Much like his own father, only …”
Hernandez trailed off, like he had just realized that he was about to walk into a topic he shouldn't have brought up. I was reminded of when Mom had said that she had promised Dad that she would never tell me about Dad's parents, which made me wonder what Hernandez and Mom knew that they didn't want me knowing.
I was just about to ask that when Hernandez suddenly said, “But anyway, that's not what we're here to talk about. You wanted to talk about your lost powers, correct?”
I nodded. “Yes. Robert Candle stole my powers from me about two weeks ago now. I was hoping that you could help me figure out how to get them back. I have a friend who told me that you might be able to do that. Can you?”
Professor Hernandez drummed his fingers against his desk, as if he was unsure what to say next. Or as if he was about to say something that could get him into trouble but which he thought he needed to say anyway.
Finally, Hernandez said, “Your friend wasn't exactly wrong, but he wasn't exactly right, either.”
“What do you mean?” I said. “Can you actually give me back my powers?”
“Well, I need to explain some things first,” said Hernandez. “You see, it is commonly accepted that the powers manifested by superhumans are genetic in origin. More specifically, they originate from somewhere in the human brain.”
“Yeah, but don't tell the Visionists that,” I said. “Otherwise they'll get offended and try to kill you.”