Searching for Super

by Marion Jensen

  “He’s not going to escape.” Juanita’s voice was firm.

  I put myself in October’s shoes. He was invisible, so he could have gone anywhere. Why wait for a helicopter when he had the power to fly?

  Of course, there was Thimon. Thimon would likely need a helicopter. Or maybe the helicopter wasn’t for escaping. Maybe it was bringing somebody.

  We were getting close to the roof. I stepped forward in the elevator, flexing my fists. I could feel the strength in my muscles. I felt like a caged tiger, ready to pounce. Benny crouched next to me, preparing to run. Juanita lifted her hands, flicks of flame dancing on her fingers.

  The elevator dinged and came to a stop.

  29

  AT LEAST I GOT TO CONK A JONES

  The doors opened. Outside, the helicopter roared. It hovered ten feet from the roof and dipped toward a landing pad. A radio tower stood dangerously close, and the helicopter kept having to swerve to avoid it.

  I saw the reflection of blue and red flashing lights on nearby skyscrapers. The police had arrived and parked in front of the skyscraper.

  Thimon stood near the pad, his eyes still closed in intense concentration. October stood next to him. I could see his mouth moving, but whether he was talking to Thimon or into his radio, I wasn’t sure.

  Either way, he didn’t look like a man running away. He looked like a general issuing orders to his troops. He looked like a villain preparing to fight back.

  Juanita and Benny acted first. Juanita took three steps and knelt, and flame streaked out of her hands. The fire shot out like water from a hose, lighting the entire roof in an explosive orange glow. I tucked my face into the crook of my elbow and waited until the heat rolled over me.

  The helicopter retreated higher. Whoever was flying the craft was smart enough to avoid a ball of fire.

  Benny disappeared in a burst of speed, reappearing to wrestle Thimon to the ground.

  “Stop messing with my brain!” he hollered. He made a fist and conked Thimon on the head, just enough to make a point.

  Benny was only a few feet from October Jones—a Super-super.

  I raced forward. As I ran, I heard the noise on the radio as it changed from elation to confusion. I realized what had happened. Benny’s tackle had broken Thimon’s concentration. The rest of the heroes were free.

  “Dad,” I called on the radio as I ran. “Send any Shockers to the unconscious Joneses, Rodney will tell them what to do. Send everybody else up here. October is on the roof.”

  There was still confusion, but Dad started issuing orders.

  The cavalry was on its way.

  The hydraulic drives in my legs and feet whirred as my legs pumped. The added boost allowed me to run faster than normal. My power helped me to run faster still.

  But it wasn’t fast enough.

  October Jones had his fist in the air. It glowed blue, and in a moment Benny was floating above October’s head. I skidded to a stop.

  “Put my brother down!” My voice roared over the chopping of the helicopter blades.

  “You brats don’t know when to quit, do you?”

  October held out his other hand, and I felt my stomach lurch as I rose off the ground. Juanita joined me, and in another moment Benny was at our side. The three of us clumped together in the air.

  October glared at us. “I know how to handle superheroes who don’t quit. I regret having to destroy three powers, but I won’t regret destroying you.”

  He reared back, like he was throwing a baseball. I tried to grab on to something—anything—but October had me too high in the air.

  “At least I got to conk a Jones on the head,” Benny muttered.

  October flung his hand, and in a flash we were hurtling through the air. The cityscape lurched in my field of vision, and I had a sickening sense of vertigo. We were careening over the roof, higher and higher.

  And then we were falling. The invisible hand that had pushed us suddenly was gone. I landed with a thud on the roof, and was able to keep from falling off the side. Benny fell, but rolled to his feet in a flash. Juanita landed like a cat.

  October stood on the roof, confusion and anger on his face. He stared at his hands, and then held them back out at us.

  Nothing happened. He’d lost the power to move things with his mind. Downstairs, my relatives must have started short-circuiting the metal plates.

  October began rising into the air himself, then thought better of it and landed again on the roof. He wouldn’t want to lose his power while flying over the city.

  The helicopter above us dipped again, narrowly missing the radio tower. It gave me an idea. I ran to the base of the tower and pushed. My muscles strained. I dug my feet in and felt the metal bend under my force.

  The tower began to tilt. I aimed it just right, and with a final push, the tower came crashing down on the helicopter pad. Now the helicopter had no place to land.

  October held his ground. He eyes darted around, as if he was trying to determine his next move. And then he turned and charged at the three of us.

  He skidded to a stop, landing on a foot and one knee. His hand came up, and I saw lightning crackling between his fingers. He snarled and threw his fist directly at me, like he was throwing a punch even though there was still twenty feet between us. His eyes almost glowed with the reflection of snapping energy.

  My arch nemesis had attacked. For three months I’d planned out how I would fight October when I saw him again. But in the end, I did nothing.

  I froze.

  Benny didn’t.

  One instant I was looking at a ball of lightning. The next instant I was on my side, the air knocked out of me. Benny had pushed me aside, and was already scrambling off.

  “Sorry, big brother,” Benny said. “Hope that didn’t hurt.”

  Juanita put up a wall of flame between us and October. “Get behind something!” she yelled. “Move!”

  Juanita was already racing. I saw a bolt of lightning fly through the fire and strike where Juanita had been. Then a second bolt, and a third. October was firing blind.

  Benny had disappeared as soon as Juanita yelled. I ran behind some metal piping and Juanita scrambled behind a large fan. A wall of water extinguished Juanita’s flame with the sound of a wave breaking. The night became dark once again.

  If October still had water, there wasn’t much Juanita could do with her flame.

  The elevator dinged. October spun. There was a crash of thunder and a flash of light as October threw lighnting at the door.

  My heart dropped. “Is everybody okay?” I held my breath.

  “We’re okay,” Grandpa’s voice came over the radio. “But the elevator door is welded shut. We’re going to have to go back down and take the stairs. We’ll be another two or three minutes.”

  I didn’t know if we could hold off October for two more minutes.

  Juanita stepped out from behind the fan. Fire roared from her hands, but no sooner had she started than October lifted one arm and extinguished her flame with a second wave of water.

  Now lightning crackled from both fists. October grinned, his teeth flashing in the darkness, his eyes wide and filled with hate.

  There was a rush of wind and October’s back arched as Benny hit him from behind. October and Benny landed in a pile of arms and legs. Benny pulled himself away from October, and then almost immediately he was standing next to me. He was panting and grinning.

  “We’ve got to get this guy,” he said. “What’s the plan?”

  I looked around the corner of the pipes. October saw the movement and spun on his heels. His eyes were filled with hate and fury. He threw out his fist at me but nothing happened.

  He was losing more powers.

  October let out a scream. He glared at me, and then called over his shoulder. “Thimon! We’re leaving.”

  Thimon had retreated next to a shed on the far side of the roof. Now, he stepped out of the shadows.

  “Split us up,” October said.

/>   Thimon closed his eyes.

  30

  THAT’S REALLY STARTING TO FROST MY CUPCAKE

  I wasn’t prepared for what happened next. October Jones stood there, a look of defiance on his face.

  And then a second October Jones stepped out of the first one. This October raced for the broken elevator. Before I could move, a third October peeled away and ran toward a ledge. There was a roar in the air as six helicopters suddenly flew from behind neighboring skyscrapers and came toward us.

  More Octobers stepped out of the others—I could no longer tell which was the original one. Some ran toward the helicopters, some ran to different ledges. Two of the Octobers stepped forward as if to attack.

  “He’s messing with our brains again!” Benny screamed. “That’s really starting to frost my cupcake.”

  I saw multiple Thimons start to run as well. In just a few seconds, we had twenty or thirty supervillains—all of them copies of either October or Thimon—running around the roof.

  “Find the real October!” I shouted.

  The three of us leaped into action. I brushed aside two Octobers who were stepping forward to attack. I willed them away and they faded into the darkness.

  One October was almost to the elevator. I reached out with my mind and he disappeared.

  “Where is he?” Juanita shouted. “Which one?”

  Benny was the quickest. He ran from October to October, from Thimon to Thimon, swinging his fists, trying to find the real villains.

  I kept track of the villains who were almost out of sight. The October who was on the ledge, ready to jump. The Thimon who was slipping behind some pipes. As soon as I determined they weren’t the real ones, I’d look for more.

  I heard a sharp metal clang and suddenly Benny was flying backward out of a large shed.

  “Found him!” Benny yelled, even as he skidded across the roof and slammed into a ledge. He pointed toward the shed and groaned. “He’s in there.”

  I ignored all the other Octobers and Thimons. We could track down Thimon later. But October Jones could not get away. I raced toward the shed. The door was still open, but I couldn’t see anything in the darkness.

  Just as I got there, October emerged from the shadows with a crossbow in his hands. He lifted one foot and kicked me in the chest, his boot clunking against the armor of my supersuit.

  I had only a split second to brace myself, and use my power to keep from flying across the roof. But the blow was still powerful. I stumbled back, bumping into Juanita, who had come up from behind to help me. Our legs became entangled and we both went sprawling to the ground.

  October made it to the ledge. He aimed his crossbow and shot. I heard a high-pitched whirring sound, and then a clatter. But he hadn’t been aiming at us. As I got to my feet, I could see a thin cable disappearing into the darkness. One end was connected to something in the shed. October had shot the other end to a neighboring skyscraper. He pulled at the cable, testing its weight.

  We had all the exits blocked, but by sliding across the cable, October could escape.

  I wasn’t going to let that happen.

  October Jones pulled a tether with metal clips on each end. He connected one clip to the ring on his harness, and the other end to the cable. He turned to look at me, his eyes cold and piercing.

  “Before this night is over, Rafter Hans Bailey, you will see my face again. It will be the last thing you ever see.”

  He stepped off the roof of the Baylor, and slid away into darkness.

  31

  YOU WOULDN’T HURT ME

  We moved as a team.

  Benny, of course, was the first to react. He had speed, after all.

  He was also craziest.

  He ran straight to where October had the cable secured, and when he ran out of building he just jumped. The supersuit gave him good lift, and the speed gave him incredible distance. I moved to the ledge. I watched in fear and amazement as Benny soared into the air. For a split second I thought it was the last time I’d ever see my brother.

  He arced wildly through the night sky. Just as he began his descent, he came into contact with the far end of the cable. He reached out with two hydraulically strengthened gloves, grabbed hold, and came to a stop. The cable bounced and dipped, but held.

  October skidded to a halt in the middle of the cable. Benny waited for him at the other end.

  I wanted to hug my brother right then and there.

  October looked back toward us. Juanita let loose a burst of flame, as if to convince October that coming this way wouldn’t be any better than going toward Benny.

  There was nowhere to go. We had him trapped.

  “You’ve been beaten!” Juanita shouted. “We have the rest of the Joneses. Give up now and you won’t get hurt.”

  “You wouldn’t hurt me.” October’s voice cut through the darkness. “That’s the difference between me and you. You are weak and I am strong. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead.”

  October Jones reached down and pulled a wicked-looking knife from a sheath attached to his leg. Hand over hand, he began to move toward Benny.

  No one threatened my little brother.

  There was no time to think. No time to plan.

  I crouched, leaned forward, and jumped into the blackness.

  32

  I BEAT YOU AGAIN

  I soared through the darkness. My suit had given me a good boost, but most of my speed came from my own strength. My superpower. I’d coiled my legs like giant springs, and then exploded forward. October had only a fraction of a second to respond, and luckily it wasn’t long enough.

  I slammed into the villain, wrapped my arms around him, and kept going.

  I heard the harness snap and October gasp as the wind was knocked out of him. Then the two of us were tumbling through the night sky.

  I grabbed the knife from October, bent it against my titanium suit, and then dropped it.

  “You’ve lost, October,” I growled. “I beat you again.”

  If October was scared, I couldn’t see it on his face. I saw only pure hatred.

  “You’ve killed us both, you stupid boy.”

  October was right. The Baylor was fifty-eight stories tall. That meant we had about six seconds before we hit the ground. I knew my suit would shatter under the blow, and even my strength wouldn’t be enough. I could survive a three- or four-story drop, but not much more.

  I felt surprisingly calm. My family was safe. Benny and Juanita were safe.

  That was all that mattered.

  33

  GOTCHA

  A hero never acts alone.

  For every hero you see on television or read about in the newspaper, there are other, unmentioned heroes who helped.

  I didn’t save the day. I helped save the day.

  It took Juanita half a second to see what I was doing. Another half second and she’d jumped after me.

  My power gave me a boost. I was traveling fast. But Juanita had flame. She pointed her hands behind her, and the bursts of fire acted like two booster rockets.

  Two seconds after I had October wrapped in my arms, Juanita had both of us wrapped in hers.

  “Gotcha.” She crossed her hands in front of us with her palms down and let loose her fire. We became a streaking fireball plummeting toward the ground. The flames shot out in front of us, slowing our descent.

  But only a little. Not enough to save us.

  I was responsible. I had been willing to make the sacrifice, but I didn’t want to hurt Juanita. I never wanted to hurt her.

  “Juanita!” I heard the anger in my own voice. “What have you done? You should have stayed where it was safe.”

  Juanita had to yell over the roar of her own flames.

  “I am your friend, Rafter Bailey. And I’m glad you’re mine.”

  We continued our plunge toward the hard asphalt of 17th Street.

  34

  I NEED YOUR HELP

  It took Benny a full three secon
ds to get off the cable and into the adjacent building. It was painfully slow, but luckily, once his feet hit the ground, Benny was anything but slow.

  It had taken him three seconds to get into the building, but only another three seconds to get out of it. He raced down the stairs at lightning speed.

  The front doors of the building were glass. Eyewitnesses said they simply exploded when he ran through them.

  Firefighters and police covered the street below the Baylor. When they saw October sliding across the buildings on a cable, they’d pulled out a jump net, hoping to be able to catch anybody who fell.

  Of course they were in the wrong place. They’d been under October, and with me jumping and hitting him, we were now on a different path.

  The good news was that with Juanita’s fireball, it was easy for Benny to see where we would land.

  A jump net is a heavy piece of equipment, but with his supersuit, Benny could handle it alone. He raced to the firefighters, yanked it out of their hands, and then ran to where he saw we were going to land.

  The firefighters were too far away to help. Worse, the street had been cleared by the police. There was no one left to help.

  Except for Monroe.

  Monroe Johnson. The ankle biter.

  When he had discovered that Juanita had been captured, he’d got it in his head that the three retired superheroes from the senior center could help. They knew Juanita. They knew how to save the day. To his young mind, it made total sense.

  He and his babysitter had taken the bus, retrieved the three women, and led them back to the Baylor.

  They didn’t know how to get to the thirteenth floor. They missed Rodney being called upstairs, and eventually they wandered back outside. They were pushed to the side by the police, but had stayed close in case they could help out in any way.

  That’s where they were when Merry spotted the fireball in the sky and Benny appeared, dressed in a supersuit and carrying a jump net.

  “Please,” Benny said. “My brother is falling. I need your help.”