Absolute Power (The New Heroes, Book 3)

by Michael Carroll

  “Their members aren’t forced to join,” Renata said. “They know what they’re getting into. Everyone should have the right to make bad decisions, and no one should be allowed to take away that right. Not even us.”

  “Screw the Trutopians,” Butler said “They’re nothing but a bunch of crazies who think that you can save the world just by holding hands and singing about peace and love. That’s just bull. There has never been peace on this planet. There’s never been a time when there wasn’t a war going on somewhere. Human beings don’t want peace.”

  Razor gave him a slow hand-clap. “That was brilliant, Bubbles. You’re a genius. If only the leaders of the world would listen to you, then everything would be perfect. You should—”

  Razor suddenly found himself slammed against the wall, and held in place by an invisible force.

  Butler said, “I could tighten my force-field around your skull and crush it to jelly.”

  Impervia jumped to her feet. “Let him go, Butler!”

  Butler took a step back and Razor dropped to the floor, gasping for breath. “You’re not worth the trouble, Razor,” Butler said. “You’re just a thug who got lucky. If you hadn’t met Colin Wagner, you’d still be on the streets of Jacksonville, stealing cars and praying that no one tougher came along. The only reason you’re here is because Solomon Cord imagined that he saw something in you that was worth saving. Well, Cord’s dead and Wagner’s run away like a scared little girl. So if you want to stay here, you’ll keep your big, ugly mouth shut or I will shut it for you. Permanently.”

  Razor pushed himself to his feet. “You have no idea, do you, Redmond? You don’t know what it means to be a superhero.”

  “Yes, I do. It means that I’m stronger than you are, so shut the hell up!”

  “That’s enough!” Impervia roared. “The situation is this: we are going to get a lot of bad press because of what happened on Isla del Tonatiuh, so we need to minimise the effect. That means we have to show the people that we are there for them, and that we are united. Are we clear on that?”

  “Yes sir,” Butler said.

  Renata and Razor nodded.

  “Danny?”

  “Yes. We are clear.”

  “Good. In a couple of days, you, Renata and Butler will be sent out on standard patrols. This will be a publicity exercise more than anything else. When the armour is ready, the new Paragon will join you.”

  Renata asked, “And what about the Trutopians? You’re really not going to admit what happened?”

  “No. It was an accident.”

  “The way I see it,” Danny said coldly, staring at Impervia, “we committed a crime against the Trutopians. It doesn’t matter whether it was an accident or not.”

  “Then it’s a good thing you’re not in charge here, Mr Cooper,” Impervia said, “because you clearly have absolutely no idea of how the real world works.”

  “Oh, I think I’m beginning to understand.”

  7

  IN ROMANIA, COLIN walked alongside Reginald Kinsella as they made their way through the Trutopian community. Harriet and Byron walked a few metres ahead, and a large, expensive car purred along the street, keeping pace with them.

  “You want to know how much the world’s governments hate us?” Kinsella asked. “Last month someone fired a missile at our jet. We were flying from Zimbabwe into Botswana. No one admitted to the attack, but you can bet anything you like that if the missile had actually hit us, there’d be a dozen different groups claiming responsibility.”

  “How did you avoid the missile?”

  “Damn good pilots,” Kinsella said. He gestured towards Harriet and Byron. “And those two are former FBI Special Agents. They’re good, but they’re only human. That’s one of the reasons I want you to join us. It’s not that I’m afraid of being assassinated – well, I am, but that’s not the main reason. The Trutopians are the only way to save the world, and if I’m not around to run the organisation…”

  “One of the newspapers said that no one ever heard of you until all of a sudden you were put in charge.”

  Kinsella nodded. “Right. I saw that. When the organisation started back in the 1970s it was really just a cult for the rich. They had a gated community in San Diego. My parents joined when I was about nine. Man, I hated the place. The old man who set up the Trutopians was a narrow-minded bigot. He hated Jews, women, kids and anyone who wasn’t white, rich and American. I wasn’t allowed to see my best friend any more, because he was Jewish.”

  Colin began, “But that’s—”

  “Stupid, I know. I knew the whole thing was full of crap from the minute I heard about the place, but I couldn’t persuade my folks that they were wrong. Then late last year the old man decided it was time to retire. There were a lot of people waiting for him to step down. He called a big meeting, told them they were all far too ambitious, and that he’d chosen me to take his place. I’d only met him once, so I was as surprised as anyone.”

  By now, they had reached the outskirts of the town, and were approaching a large, fenced-off area. Colin could hear a rhythmic thumping sound coming from somewhere inside the compound. “Sounds like marching…This is the army base?” he asked.

  “Yep. Thought you might like to see what we have to do to protect ourselves.”

  Ahead, Byron and Harriet stood waiting at the gate.

  Kinsella said, “You know something, Colin? Ever since I took over the Trutopians I haven’t had anyone to just, you know, talk to. When I was your age, my friends and I would sometimes just bike up to the beach and sit on the sand and talk for hours.” He grinned. “My grandfather called it ‘star-dancing’. Like rain-dancing, except it’s where you talk for so long the stars come out.”

  “That’s a good name for it.”

  Kinsella nodded to the guard at the gate as they passed through. “Yeah, we used to sit around and solve all the problems of the world. A bit like what we’re doing now, I suppose. Except that you and I really can solve the problems of the world. You know why there’s so many wars, so much poverty and hatred? Because people have a herding instinct. They believe that they have to protect the herd, their own tribe.”

  Colin looked around: on the left of the army base was a line of large, armour-plated vehicles. To the right, a series of prefabricated buildings. Directly ahead a platoon of soldiers – some of whom didn’t seem to be that much older than Colin himself – marched in formation.

  Kinsella continued. “It’s completely understandable when you’re talking about a primitive culture. The trouble is, this is no longer a primitive culture. We don’t need to fight over hunting grounds. But the herding instinct is still there. Take a look at any major city and you’ll find a Chinatown, or a Latin quarter, or a Jewish sector…It’s an automatic response, but it’s one that the human race no longer needs.”

  “But you’re just creating a bigger tribe. There’s still going to be an ‘us’ and a ‘them’.”

  “Right. Until the day comes when everyone is a member of the same tribe. Then there’s no ‘them’.”

  “I really can’t see that happening. It’s a great idea, but it won’t work.”

  “It will work. The Trutopian organisation is the first of its kind in the world. We are bringing people together in a way that was previously only dreamed of. If we can successfully instil the concept of a single nation, then we can disband the armies, dismantle the nuclear stockpiles and divert all those trillions of dollars towards feeding the hungry, healing the sick, free education for anyone who wants it…All the things a decent society should be doing to protect and nurture its people.”

  Colin nodded in the direction of the marching soldiers. “The Trutopian army is one of the things that bothers me. For an organisation that claims to want peace, you sure have a hell of a lot of soldiers and weapons.”

  Kinsella nodded. “Yes. We do. Imagine you’re a farmer, and you have a field of valuable crops. Which would you rather use to protect your crops from thieves? A high fe
nce or a sign that reads, ‘Please don’t steal our crops’?”

  “There’ll always be someone who can find a way past the fence.”

  “Perhaps. But we don’t have to make it easy for them.”

  “Suppose you do manage to persuade the whole world to join? What then? Will you really dismantle your armies and trust that everyone will remain peaceful?”

  “What would you do, in that circumstance?”

  “I’m not the one trying to change the world.”

  “Well, you should be. Everyone should be trying to change the world. I’m just doing it on a large scale.”

  Stephanie Cord waited until her mother was out of the house before telling her twin sister, Alia, what had happened.

  They sat in the kitchen, at the breakfast bar. Alia was meticulously picking the peel off an orange. “God, Steph…If Mom finds out she’ll be so mad.”

  “I had to do something, Al! The guy was way out of his depth! They would have killed him.”

  “What about your friend? What if she talks?”

  “She said she wouldn’t, but…” Stephanie shrugged.

  “You didn’t tell her Dad was Paragon, did you?”

  Stephanie made a face. “How stupid do you think I am? Of course I didn’t tell her! Look, I’m not worried about Karen. I’m more worried about the guy.”

  “You’re going to have to find him and talk to him.”

  “I know. And that’s why I’m telling you – if he sees you, he’ll think you’re me.”

  “So what do you know about him?”

  “He’s about six feet tall, big build. Not much older than us – sixteen, maybe. He was wearing faded black jeans, frayed around the left ankle. Old Reeboks with a blue stripe across the toes – the left one has a crack across the stripe.”

  Alia split the orange into segments, and popped one in her mouth. “His voice?”

  “I didn’t hear enough to pick up an accent, but the skin around his eyes was very dark. He could be Indian.”

  “You’re sure he’s not a superhuman?”

  “If he is, he hid it well. But the thing is, he was wearing a blue T-shirt with a lightning bolt across it.”

  “So?”

  “So he clearly wants to be a superhero. And you know whose fault that is?”

  Alia raised her eyes. “Here we go again! God, Steph! You have to let it go! Colin Wagner isn’t responsible for everything in the world!”

  “He killed our father.”

  “No he did not! Victor Cross killed him! He was going to kill either Dad or Renata’s entire family. He forced Colin to choose between them.”

  Stephanie said, “He made the wrong choice.”

  “God, you are so…! Damn it, Steph! What if he’d chosen the other way around? Renata’s family would be dead! What would you think of him then?”

  Stephanie glared at her sister. “You’re starting to sound just like Mom.”

  “And you’re starting to sound like a complete idiot. You’re not the only one who lost him, you know! He was my father too!”

  “Colin promised us he’d get Dad back. Instead, he got him killed. And now, because of him, more people are going to die. That guy in the ski-mask…If I hadn’t been there they’d have smashed his skull in. All because he saw Colin on TV and he thinks he can be a superhero too!”

  “You don’t know that’s why he did it! Maybe he did it because he was inspired by Dad, did you think of that? Dad was a superhero who didn’t have any powers.”

  “That guy is an idiot. Dad was a genius. And he was trained how to fight.”

  “Just like he was training us.”

  Stephanie sneered. “Us? You almost never showed up for the sessions! You were too scared that Mom would find out! You never even practised with the armour and the jetpack!”

  Then a voice from the doorway said, “But you did, Stephanie?”

  Vienna Cord stepped into the room, glaring at them.

  “Mom. I…”

  She put her bag of groceries down on the kitchen table. “When did this all start?”

  Stephanie looked away from her mother, and stared down at the floor.

  “When, Stephanie? When we moved to Sakkara?”

  Alia said, “That’s when he started teaching us about the armour, and how to fly with the jetpack. But the Karate started before that. When we were eight.”

  Mrs Cord pulled out a chair and dropped into it. “Oh my God. Sol lied to me. He promised me that he was only teaching you Karate for self-defence.”

  “He was protecting you, Mom,” Alia said. “He always said—”

  She interrupted her. “Tell me about that boy. What happened? Stephanie?”

  Stephanie said, “Three guys were going to attack me and Karen, and this other guy tried to save us. He was in over his head. They were going to kill him!”

  Vienna Cord said, “We do not need this, Stephanie. If people learn who we really are…Well, God only knows what they might do! The Trutopians are furious about what happened on that island, and it’s bringing back all the stuff about Dioxin masquerading as your father.”

  Alia said, “Look, Mom…You have to get in touch with the people in Sakkara, tell them what’s happening here. Maybe they can move us to somewhere else.”

  “No!” Stephanie said. “I don’t want to have anything to do with them.”

  “We might not have any choice,” her mother said.

  For a moment, Stephanie was silent. Then she said, “This is all because Colin found Dad. If he hadn’t, we’d all still be in Virginia. None of this would have happened.”

  Her mother said, “Stephanie, if you’re going to go down that road, you might as well say it’s all your father’s fault for choosing to be a superhero in the first place.”

  Stephanie found that her mouth had suddenly gone dry. She swallowed. “He…he was training me to replace him, and he wanted me to be ready, but I kept putting it off and…You know. I just wanted to have some fun and I thought that there’d be plenty of time to train…There were real superhumans in Sakkara so I didn’t think that I was going to be needed. But if I…If I’d tried, if I’d trained harder, like he kept asking me to…Oh God, Mom! I’m so sorry! It was my fault! If I’d been ready…I might have been able to save him!”

  In his hotel room in Satu Mare, Colin Wagner had been sitting for hours, watching UNC – the Universal News Channel – on the television.

  God, what a mess…Colin thought to himself. How could they have let it get this bad?

  The news channel was now repeating all the footage of his battle with Dioxin over the streets of Topeka. The voiceover said, “And in the four months since, no one has seen or heard from Colin Wagner, the son of Titan and Energy. Eyewitnesses say that he referred to himself by the name ‘Power’ in this last battle against Paragon.”

  “Dioxin, not Paragon,” Colin said aloud. This particular reporter didn’t seem to be able to tell the difference between a murdering supervillain and one of the greatest heroes who ever lived.

  The screen cut back to the reporter in the studio. “The rest of the New Heroes – Daniel Cooper, the girl known as Diamond, and a young American man whose name has not yet been made public – have apparently been involved in a number of covert operations for the US military, the most recent being yesterday’s attack on the small Central American island of Isla del Tonatiuh. With a special report on the island, we now go live to our Central American correspondent Layton Mortimer.”

  “Thanks, Tom. Isla del Tonatiuh – known as The Island of the Sun God – was discovered in the sixteenth century by…”

  Colin muted the sound, then pushed himself out of his chair and began to pace the room.

  So what do I do? If Danny and the others really are targeting the Trutopians then…What does that mean? Do they know something about the Trutopians? Or is it just that the world’s governments are scared of losing power so they want to get at the Trutopians any way they can? If I had someone to talk to, maybe I
could figure it out.

  He wondered what time it was in Kansas. No, I can’t phone anyone in Sakkara. They’d trace the call and find me. I suppose I could talk to Mr Kinsella, but…Well, he’s not exactly impartial.

  Colin knew who he really wanted to talk to, but he also knew that it could never happen. She blames me for her father’s death. I’m the last person she wants to hear from.

  He looked at the clock on the screen. It was almost eleven in the evening. It’s only nine at home.

  Colin grabbed his new mobile phone and keyed in a number from memory. The phone rang three times before a voice said, “Yo!”

  Colin grinned. “Hey.”

  There was a pause. “Colin?”

  “Yep. How are you doing, Brian?”

  “You sound different! You…What the hell…? Do you have any idea…? For God’s sake, Colin! I mean, come on!”

  “And in English?”

  “Where are you?”

  “Can’t tell you that. Sorry.”

  “You just…I find out that you and Danny are superheroes and the next thing I know you’re getting into a flying car and I never see or hear from either of you again!”

  “Yeah. Sorry about that. We didn’t really have a choice.”

  “It was all over the news. There’s still reporters coming to the door looking to interview me! So…What’s it like, being a superhero?”

  “It’s not what I expected.”

  “On the news they keep saying you’ve disappeared. Is that true? That you left the others?”

  “Yeah. There were some problems.”

  “When are you coming home? There’s still a couple of guys guarding your house. They’re just standing there, all day long. You’d think that they might make themselves useful and cut the grass every couple of weeks.”

  Colin sat down on the edge of the bed. “How are you guys doing?”

  “Well, yours truly is now the most popular kid in school. How’s that for a turn-about?” Brian paused. “It’s not all good, you know?”