The Bigtime Series (Bigtime superhero series, e-bundle)

by Jennifer Estep

  What if Malefica had been planning something far more sinister than kidnapping Striker all along? What if she wasn’t through with her plan yet? What if this was just the beginning?

  I stalked around the room, twisting and turning the cubed puzzle in my hands. I flashed back to the night in the factory and the tour that Malefica had taken me on. I hadn’t thought too much of the ubervillain’s secret lair. It was a run-down factory. The only thing that had looked remotely sinister besides the vats of goo and mutated animals had been the bank of computers plugged into those four glass tubes. But what could Malefica do with those?

  I clicked the last row of colors into place on the Rubik’s Cube. There had been four glass tubes next to the computers. Not one, not two, not three, but four. Four, man-sized, glass tubes. Suddenly, I knew.

  I just knew.

  The Fearless Five were walking straight into a trap.

  And it was all my fault.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  I dropped the Rubik’s Cube, lunged forward, and grabbed the microphone on the table. “Hermit! Mr. Sage! Fiera! Can you hear me? Come in! Come in now!”

  “Ouch!” Hermit’s tinny voice echoed back to me. “There’s no need to shout, Carmen. I can hear you just fine. What’s the matter?”

  “It’s a trap. Malefica set up this whole thing. She wants to capture all of you, not just Striker. Get out! Get out now!”

  “What? What is she babbling about this time?” Fiera said.

  “Are you sure, Carmen?” Mr. Sage asked. “Everything seems to be quiet. Hermit’s just gotten a possible location for Striker.”

  “Yes, I’m sure. Leave! Right now! Before it’s too late!”

  “Okay. You heard her. Let’s go.”

  “But what about Striker?” Fiera asked.

  “We’ll have to come back later. We can’t risk it if Malefica’s expecting us.”

  Mr. Sage turned. Suddenly, a brilliant blue light flashed in front of the camera. Mr. Sage stumbled back.

  “Run,” he said in a weak voice. “While you still can—”

  The superhero went down on his knees and flopped over on his back. The camera on his suit pointed straight up. I had a lovely view of the iced-over, thick, metal pipes that hung down from the ceiling, but nothing else. Scuffles, loud crashes, and bangs cracked and shrieked through the microphone. Fiera let out a string of curses. Hermit shouted something unintelligible. The blue light flashed over Mr. Sage two more times. And then—

  Silence.

  Complete, utter, chilling silence.

  “Mr. Sage? Mr. Sage?! Fiera?! Hermit?!” I shouted into the microphone. “Answer me!”

  No one responded. I opened my mouth to yell at the superheroes again when I heard something. I listened.

  Click-click-clack.

  The sound grew louder and louder and louder. My heart sank. That sound had echoed through my nightmares many times.

  A long, dark shadow fell over Mr. Sage. A flash of red blocked my view for a moment. The figure pulled back, and Malefica stared into the camera. Her green eyes bored into the lens.

  “I can’t see you, Miss Cole, but I know you’re watching. Pity you couldn’t be here in person to witness the end of the Fearless Five. It’s going to make for a hell of a good story.” Malefica laughed in triumph.

  A bitter taste filled my mouth. A tight, hard knot formed in my stomach. My inner voice wailed.

  “Then again, I have you to thank for my victory, don’t I? Have you figured it out yet? Probably not. Few people can rarely see the big picture. Let me fill you in. I owe you that much.” Malefica leaned closer to the camera, like she was sharing an important secret with her best friend. Me. “I’ve been after the Fearless Five for years. But all my plans to eliminate them always backfired. Until now. I knew your reputation for unmasking superheroes. It’s the reason I hired you to work at The Exposé. You did your job beautifully, until Tornado’s oh-so-tragic suicide. I, of course, wanted you to unmask the rest of the Fearless Five, but you had a change of heart. Pity what guilt does to a person. Of course, I’ve never had a problem with it.”

  “I had to find some way to get you back on track, some way to motivate you. That’s why I kidnapped you and let Frost threaten to turn you into his latest science project. It worked like the proverbial charm, and you went back to your old Nancy Drew ways. I knew your snooping around would attract the attention of the Fearless Five and that they’d take you in to protect you from me. With Frost’s tracking drug, you led me right to Striker. Then came the tricky part of my plan. How to get you to lead the rest of the Fearless Five into my trap?”

  I closed my eyes. I felt physically ill.

  “The answer was obvious. I had to let you unmask me. I couldn’t make it too easy, of course, or you might suspect something. So how to do it? Again, the answer was obvious. Any beat reporter worth her salt comes to know a great deal about the people she covers. How they think, what’s important to them. What do rich people care about? What would a society-beat reporter write stories about? Money, expensive baubles, pricey trinkets. I tossed a few breadcrumbs your way, namely the Bulluci shoes, and left a paper trail you could easily follow. I knew you’d figure it out sooner or later. You didn’t disappoint me, which is why I’m going to spare your pathetic life.”

  Malefica smiled. “Aren’t you going to say something? Tell me how I’m going to pay for this? Threaten me with bodily harm? Vow to get your revenge come hell or high water?”

  Tears trickled down my cheeks. I’d thought I was so clever, figuring out Malefica’s real identity. I was nothing but a colossal fool.

  “Guess not. Pity. One more thing, Miss Cole. Don’t bother trying to expose my real identity to the world now. No one will believe you.”

  “Why not?” I whispered.

  “Because as of this morning, you were officially fired from The Exposé. Something to do with your mentally fragile state—and the fact that you’d broken into my office, threatened me, and stolen some petty cash. Lies, of course, but very believable ones, with police reports and other documentation to back them up. Well, I guess this concludes our business. Enjoy the rest of your evening. I know I will.”

  Malefica blew me a kiss and reached toward the camera. Her hand covered the lens. Something ripped and snapped.

  Then, the screen went black.

  * * *

  I sat there, stunned. Malefica had been using me the entire time. All this time, I’d thought I was in the one in control, but Malefica had been pulling my strings like I was a child’s puppet. Now, the Fearless Five were going to pay the ultimate price for my stupidity and arrogance. If they hadn’t already. Sam and the others were going to die.

  I buried my head in my hands and sobbed.

  Hot tears dripped down my face into my hands and then slid down my arms. A few of the salty drops splattered onto the computer keyboard.

  “Ouch!”

  I lurched back from the keyboard and rubbed the spot on my elbow where the computer had zapped me. Water and electricity do not mix. I should have remembered that from my story on the Electric Eelinator.

  “Stupid computer. I’m trying to have a breakdown here,” I muttered.

  But the shock jolted me out of my sobbing fit. I took deep breaths and wiped away the rest of my tears. Now was not the time to cry. The Fearless Five were in danger because of me. I had to do something to help them. And not just because they were righteous superheroes. I’d come to think of them as my friends these past few weeks. Even Fiera. And Striker...well, he was something more entirely. Much, much more.

  But what? What could I possibly do? I could call the police, but they wouldn’t believe me, not without Chief Newman around to vouch for me. Morgana Madison had made sure of that. Anyway, Bigtime’s finest would be no match for the Triad. They’d be slaughtered like newborn lambs. I couldn’t handle any more blood on my hands.

  I picked up my discarded Rubik’s Cube. The only people capable of rescuing the Fearless Five w
ere other superheroes. But I didn’t know any superhero who would help me after what I’d done to the brotherhood. And I couldn’t exactly go through the yellow pages and call them up. Where was the Serious Samurai when you needed him?

  I let out a long breath. It was up to me now. There was no one else.

  Oh, I had no illusions about myself. Not anymore. I was definitely not a superhero. I didn’t have superstrength. I couldn’t form fireballs with my hands. I couldn’t read other people’s minds. I didn’t have anything to rely on, except myself. A ball of fear knotted in my throat. I didn’t think that I was strong enough, that I would be enough.

  Malefica’s cackle of triumph echoed through my head. The ubervillain had threatened me, manipulated me, used me like a tissue, and then tossed me aside. I wasn’t anybody’s patsy. Not anymore. I slammed the cube down onto the table.

  I wasn’t a superhero, but I was seriously pissed off. Malefica was going to pay for what she’d done to me and the Fearless Five. She’d made one major mistake and miscalculation. Everybody knew you didn’t piss off a Southern woman. We might look all sweet and nice and innocent, but every single one of us had a memory an elephant would envy and a mean streak to match. I was no exception. I never forgot, and I very rarely forgave.

  “I am woman, hear me roar, Malefica,” I said. “I’m coming to get you, bitch.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  The first thing I did was try to get the camera back online. I fiddled with switches and turned dials and pushed buttons. Nothing. No sound, no video, no feedback. I couldn’t see anything happening inside the factory, not even the evil tortures Malefica was subjecting my friends to. Perhaps it was better that way.

  Because the camera was dead, I would have to do things on my own. I’d have to go in blind. I sat and thought for a minute. Then, I walked over to my desk, picked up a phone, and punched in a number I knew by heart.

  “Talk to me.”

  * * *

  “You want blueprints of the Snowdom Ice Cream Factory so you can bust in and save the Fearless Five from the vile clutches of the Terrible Triad?” Lulu asked.

  I could hear the disbelief in the other woman’s voice. “I know I sound a little nuts right now, but it’s the truth, I swear.”

  “Have you been drinking? Or were there pills involved?”

  “No, I have not been drinking. Or popping pills.” That wasn’t entirely true, but I was in no mood to confess to my growing dependence on aspirin. “Listen up. I’m only going to tell this story to you once.”

  I told Lulu everything. How I’d been kidnapped by Malefica, why I’d started digging into the Fearless Five’s real identities again, the battle at the park, my time with the superheroes, Malefica’s dastardly plan. Of course, I left out a few pertinent details like the real identities of the Fearless Five. However, I had no such qualms about unmasking Malefica, despite her threats that no one would believe me.

  “Morgana Madison?! You’ve got to be kidding me, Sister Carmen. She’s one of the most respected businesswomen in Bigtime—not to mention the richest. Why would she masquerade as an ubervillain?”

  “Who knows? Maybe she’s a thrill-seeker. Maybe her parents didn’t love her enough as a child. Maybe she was dropped on her head when she was a baby. I don’t really care what drove her to her life of crime. I just want to stop her and rescue the Fearless Five. Do me a favor. Pull up a photo of Malefica off the Internet and compare it to one of Morgana. That’s all I ask. If you don’t believe me then, you can hang up.”

  Through the phone, I could hear Lulu pounding away on her computer. The typing stopped, and Lulu let out a low whistle.

  “Well, well, well, as I live and breathe. Hello, Malefica. Or should I call her Morgana Madison?”

  “I don’t know,” I said. “There’s some weird superhero-ubervillain etiquette about that I don’t really understand. I’m sticking with Malefica. Or the bitch who must die. Whichever you prefer.”

  “Meow!” Lulu purred. “So Sister Carmen, what exactly do you need?”

  “First of all, I need the blueprints for the ice cream factory. Get the originals from city hall if you can. I think Malefica tampered with the ones that Hermit found online.”

  “Got it. What else?”

  “I need you to see if you can find someone who used to work at the factory. Someone who remembers the layout, what kind of chemicals the workers used, what’s the best way in and out of the building, that sort of thing.”

  “Why?”

  “It never hurts to have too much information. I want to know as much as I can about the building before I go in.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Remember your friend Jasper? I need some more supplies from him. As soon as possible.”

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea? From what you’ve told me, you almost blew yourself up the last time Jasper gave you some supplies.”

  The memory of the fiasco in the park gave me another headache. I reached across my desk for my bottle of aspirin. I shook it. Empty. I’d grab some from the sick bay on my way out.

  “I don’t have a choice, Lulu. Not unless you’ve got a superhero or five up your sleeve.”

  “Sadly, that’s the one commodity I can’t quite seem to get my hands on. I’m working on it, though.”

  “Meet me at the Wolf’s Den as soon as you’ve got everything. It’s an all-night diner about five miles from the factory.”

  “I know the place, but it will take me some time to get this stuff together. I’m not Swifte, you know.”

  “How long?” I ground my teeth together.

  Every minute, every second counted. I didn’t know how long Malefica would keep the Fearless Five alive. My guess was not very long. Malefica would gloat for a while, then get bored with her prisoners. After that—I didn’t want to think about what would happen.

  Lulu’s fingers snapped against the keyboard. “I can get what you need and be there in an hour.”

  I glanced at the clock. It was almost ten now. “Fine. See you there.”

  “Be there or be square, Sister Carmen.”

  I hung up the phone and went over to the round table in the center of the library. I stared at the five empty chairs and the F5 insignia. I brushed my fingers over the carved wood. I would save the Fearless Five. I would.

  Or die trying.

  * * *

  I put aside my raging emotions and ransacked the library, searching for anything that might help me in my upcoming battle. I found nothing I could use, unless I wanted to brain Scorpion with a very thick encyclopedia. I didn’t think that would slow down the ubervillain for a second, although a book without pictures might confuse him.

  Next, I jogged down to the hall to the equipment room. I jabbed in the code, and the door slid open. I walked toward the colorful leather costumes hanging behind the glass doors and reached for the handle. My hand dropped to my side. No. I wasn’t a superhero. I wasn’t going to play dress-up and pretend to be one at this stage of the game. I was Carmen Cole, the woman who lived in jeans and a T-shirt. The woman who was probably going to die in jeans and a T-shirt.

  No use thinking about that right now. When Malefica got her hands on me or Frost dumped me in a vat of radioactive goo, that would be a good time to have a proper panic.

  I turned and surveyed the rest of the room. Striker’s gleaming, silver swords caught my eye. I went over and picked one up. I twirled the sword in my hand. It weighed less than a feather. A weapon I didn’t know how to use was better than no weapon at all. I grabbed another sword off the rack. And two weapons were definitely better than one. I found a scabbard for the swords and strapped them to my back. I spent a few minutes practicing pulling the swords out and putting them back in the leather slots.

  Once I’d familiarized myself with the swords, I tore through the rest of the room. I found nothing else remotely helpful. No guns, no knives, no quarterstaffs, no throwing stars. Nothing. You’d think Sam would have invested a little more money in w
eapons given how much he spent on the rest of the group’s equipment. But that was a superhero for you. Always confident his power would be enough to see him through any battle. That was the problem with having superpowers—you came to rely on them too much. When they went away, as they so often did, you were left defenseless, helpless. It had happened to the Colorful Crusader and countless others.

  Still, reliable or not, I would have given anything to have a superpower right now.

  My next stop was the sick bay. Again, I found nothing helpful. The room was filled with odd machines and other devices much too complicated for me to understand, let alone find any use for. Odd drugs with bizarre, never-ending names and too many vowels sat inside most of the cabinets and drawers. I had a rule about medicine—I never took anything I couldn’t pronounce.

  A box on one of the counters caught my eye. More RID pills. Evidently, it was Mr. Sage’s drug of choice. I turned the box over and read the label. Caution: Take one pill per day as needed to absorb and diminish radioactive isotopes. More than one pill per day may result in serious side effects, such as nausea, dizziness, headaches, and fatigue. Extreme overdoses could result in death. Consult your doctor for more information...

  Big metal vats of radioactive goo flashed through my mind. My inner voice whispered. I had a funny feeling I’d be taking a cold, cold bath before the night was over. What the hell? I wasn’t likely to live through this little adventure anyway. Maybe they’d help my headache.

  I downed ten of the pills.

  Once I was done scouring the underground lair for weapons, I took the elevator upstairs and paced through the silent halls. My sneakers squeaked on the slick marble floors. The eyes of the statues and paintings followed my every step.