Activated: A Superhero Adventure Novel (Axel Adams Book 1)

by Dee Benson

  "Yes," Axel whispered.

  "Remember that, Axel." He released her. "Remember that."

  "HELLO?" AXEL CALLED AS she entered the cave where she'd met Desmond last Friday. The pitch darkness of the cave swallowed her. "Hello?"

  She used her cell phone to light up the small space. It was empty. "Desmond?"

  Nothing.

  It was fifteen minutes to midnight.

  "Desmond!" she screamed, panic mounting inside. "I'm here. Where are you?"

  The only response was the faint echo of her voice bouncing off the cave walls.

  She sucked in a breath and waited. Five minutes passed. Her panic reached a peak. She kicked the cave wall, barely feeling the pain that exploded in her foot. "What do you want from me?" she screamed.

  There was a faint grumbling sound behind her. Axel spun around. The cave wall was crumbling.

  Great. The cave was going to collapse on her.

  Or maybe Desmond, or some other Super, is just trying to make a grand entrance?

  Axel watched as large cracks appeared in the wall. Rocks fell and the wall continued to crumble. The erosion was systematic rather than random. A hole was forming. It widened, reaching downwards. Not a hole, a tunnel.

  She stared into it. It didn't look like a portal. She was about to step in when a flash of bright orange sparked from the depths of the tunnel.

  Fire.

  Axel stood frozen to the spot as the spark grew into a mass of dancing flames. They didn't ignite the walls of the tunnel as they swelled forward towards Axel.

  There was a tickle around the corners of her mind. Axel stepped forward, as though in a trance, into the warm embrace of the flames. Only they weren't flames at all. More like an illusion. An orange mist.

  Whatever it was, it flowed around her. Suddenly, she could see nothing, although she was certain that her eyes were open. Breathing was hard, just like it'd been in the portal she and her family had used to get from New York to Honolulu. Wind whipped around her. Warm air tickled her neck.

  Then, suddenly, it all stopped. And she could see.

  She was no longer in a mountain cave in New York.

  Chapter 8

  THE SKY WAS A starless expanse of blackness, but an ambient orange glow in the air provided enough light to see clearly.

  Houses lined the street Axel found herself in.

  This is the land of the Supers?

  If not for the heat and humidity, Axel wouldn't know she wasn't back home.

  Her gaze was drawn to a distant stream of fire flowing down a rocky cliff, cascading like a waterfall, and crashing into a lake of fire below. Okay, she'd never seen anything like that back home.

  What is that?

  "I see you like the firefalls."

  Axel spun around. Desmond was standing just behind her. His eyes were shadowed by the semi-darkness.

  "Where's my cousin?" Axel demanded. "I've been waiting for you—"

  "She's fine," Desmond cut in. "No more plans to amputate—"

  Axel grabbed his shirt. "How dare you!"

  "Release me."

  "You killed my parents." Axel's grip on his shirt relaxed as a fresh wave of pain hit her. "You killed them."

  "I killed nobody," Desmond replied, shrugging her hands off. "You're just in time for orientation. All the new recruits will be inducted tomorrow from nine a.m.—"

  "Where is Zanda?"

  "Somewhere safe."

  "I want to see her. I want you to release her immediately."

  Desmond observed her coolly for a moment.

  "That was the agreement," Axel yelled.

  "There was no agreement," Desmond replied.

  "You said that if I came…" Axel trailed off, realizing that indeed there'd been no mention of what would happen if she came, only what would happen if she didn't come. "You have to release her."

  "After you give us what we want."

  "What do you want?"

  "You'll find out during orientation tomorrow."

  "I'm not waiting until tomorrow," Axel yelled. "I want you to release Zanda right now."

  A man emerged from the shadows behind Desmond. He was half a head taller than Desmond. His shoulders were wide as a boulder. "She giving you problems, Dez?" he asked in a throaty, gruff voice.

  Axel shrank back. Then she caught herself and lifted her chin. She wasn't going to cower before these people.

  "No," Desmond said. "Everything's fine."

  Axel looked at him in surprise. He was covering up for her?

  "She need sedating?" the man asked. "Or some happy drugs?"

  "No, everything's okay, Serloyd," Desmond replied. "I was just about to show her to her room."

  Serloyd produced a syringe from his pocket. "You're too easy on them. They need to know who's boss from the get-go."

  Axel raised her hands, backing away. "No sedating." She looked at Desmond. "He was just about to show me to my room."

  Serloyd grabbed her arm and sank the needle into her.

  Axel cried out at the sharp sting.

  He yanked the needle out after a moment, and then pointed at her with it. "Welcome to The Firemaster's territory. Here, you shut up and do as you're told."

  A wave of calmness washed over Axel.

  "You follow our orders or die. Got that?"

  "So dramatic," Desmond muttered.

  Serloyd turned on Desmond. Desmond gave him a cheerful grin.

  "Both you and your cousin now belong to The Firemaster," Serloyd continued. "She will be released if you behave."

  Behave? How old did they think she was? Five years old?

  The rebel thought was immediately quashed by a wave of peace. She had to behave. She would behave.

  A metallic object appeared in Serloyd's hand. It glinted in the dim orange glow that filled the air.

  Axel realized it was a pair of scissors. He grabbed a small handful of her hair and snipped a little off.

  "We already know she's got the right DNA," he muttered. "But we must doublecheck."

  Axel watched him as he pocketed her hair. The indignation that filled her was instantly quashed by a strong sense of calmness and wellbeing.

  "Take her to her room," Serloyd snapped. He turned on his heel stalked away.

  Desmond nodded at Axel. "Let's go."

  She followed him as he began to walk. At the end of the street, he rounded a corner. Axel followed, and then stopped short at the sight before her. A long walkway stretched out before her. On either side, water extended for miles. Jets of fire raced across the surface of the water. The effect of fire on water was breathtaking.

  Axel couldn't take her eyes off it as she walked down the walkway. As they reached the end, the water grew shallow. Axel couldn't help staring at some big spherical objects sitting on stands in the shallow water. They had carved surfaces, and were hollow on the inside. Fire blazed from within them, visible through the carvings. "What are those?" she breathed.

  "Fireballs," Desmond said not even sparing the fireballs a glance.

  "They're magnificent."

  They stepped off the walkway and headed towards a sprawling building. Axel gasped as they entered the courtyard. A large fountain dominated the courtyard. But it was flowing with fire rather than water. "A fire fountain?"

  "You're getting the hang of it," Desmond said dryly.

  Axel's head went light as they passed the raging fire fountain. Her feet tangled.

  Desmond reached out and steadied her. "Careful," he snapped. "You want to end up in the fountain?"

  Axel could barely understand his words. Suddenly, her mind was fuzzy. She stared at the fountain. Its heat warmed her as Desmond dragged her past it. Whenever her parents had told her and Zanda about the Super Land, they'd never mentioned that it was such a magical, beautiful, terrifying place. Axel had always imagined it to be just like Netherium, but with Supers rather than Netherlings.

  Desmond pushed through the door to the building, holding it open for her. Axel squinted as she en
tered the building. "The lights are really bright."

  Desmond gave her an assessing look. "I bet he overdosed you," he muttered.

  Axel closed her eyes to escape the bright lights.

  "What are you doing?" Desmond asked.

  Axel opened her eyes a crack. The walls were moving; spinning around her. "I can't live in the Super Land," she told Desmond. "How do you cope with the walls moving like that? It would drive me mad."

  "Definitely an overdose," Desmond said.

  Axel felt her legs turn to mush.

  "Come on," Desmond told her. "You can pass out when you get to your room. I've had a hard day. The last thing I need is to have to carry you."

  Axel tried to walk. She couldn't move her legs.

  Suddenly, she felt like a blanket had been dropped over her mind. She couldn't think. Next, darkness engulfed her.

  The last thing she heard was Desmond cursing.

  WHEN AXEL AWOKE, SUNLIGHT was streaming in through the window beside her bed.

  A killer headache pounded like hammers in her head. She groaned, turned over to escape the light streaming in from the window and was met by a much worse sight that instantly intensified her headache.

  She was in a large dormitory with rows of beds. A dozen pairs of eyes were staring at her from various points in the room.

  They were all guys.

  In various states of undress.

  The one closest to her, a rotund guy wearing nothing but boxer shorts, clapped his hands. "Everyone, stop staring and get back to what you were doing. We don't want to weird her out."

  "Where the hell am I?" Axel croaked.

  "In heaven," a tall guy with rippling muscles quipped, pulling a shirt on over his head. A towel hung precariously at the lowest point of his waist. "And it's raining men," he sang, winking at her.

  Axel clutched the bed covers to her chest, feeling exposed as she noticed a guy a good distance across the room giving her a hawkish look. "Seriously. Where am I?"

  "Well," said the guy who'd told everyone to stop staring. "I'm assuming you're a Netherling and that you're one of the new recruits. So am I. You arrived in the middle of the night." He grinned. "I'm Trojan, by the way. And yes, that's my real name, not a Super name—since I'm not even Super…yet."

  Axel could only stare at him.

  "I'm Rex," said the guy who'd sung 'It's Raining Men'. "And that is a Super name, because…I'm a Super. My real name's Angelo." He sent her wink as he dropped his towel and then pulled on boxers.

  Axel's mouth dropped open.

  There was laughter around the room.

  Axel clamped her mouth shut.

  "No Super names are allowed," Trojan said. "We have more important things to learn than to fill our minds with two names for each person we meet. Talk about a waste of brain space."

  "Listening to all your constant yakking is a waste of brain space," Angelo replied. He had a slight Spanish accent. He pulled on a pair of jeans.

  "What are you doing?" another guy asked him.

  "Getting dressed," Angelo retorted. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

  "We're supposed to wear our Super suits today."

  Angelo paused. And then he groaned. "Why didn't you tell me that before I ironed my clothes?"

  He began to undress. Once he was down to his boxers, the guy chortled. "Just joking. It's a plain clothes day."

  Angelo grabbed his shirt and then used it to whack the other guy over the head.

  Everyone laughed. While they were all caught up in their banter, Axel slipped a hand under the covers and felt to make sure she was wearing clothes. She was. She removed the covers and then got out of the bed. She was wearing pajamas—a T-shirt and shorts set. A few of the guys glanced her way, but she could tell that most were deliberately ignoring her.

  Trojan picked up a covered dish from his bedside table and waltzed over, his belly jiggling everywhere.

  "Put on a shirt and stop traumatizing the girl with all that nasty flab," Angelo called.

  Trojan ignored him and handed her the covered dish.

  "What's this?" Axel asked, accepting it.

  "You missed breakfast so I saved you some." He set it on her nightstand and uncovered it. On it was a bagel and three pots, one of jelly, one of butter and one of maple syrup. "I wasn't sure what spread you'd prefer."

  Axel wasn't sure why, but the gesture made a lump rise in her throat.

  "You need to eat, 'cause lunch isn't until one," Trojan told her. "And between now and then, they'll work us hard. A bagel is hardly enough really."

  Axel nodded. "Thanks."

  "You might be wondering why you're in a boys' dorm," Trojan said.

  "Yeah. I was wondering that."

  "You were the last girl to arrive. The girls' dorms are full. I think they're looking for somewhere more suitable for you, though."

  "Right." Axel decided to eat now, while the guys were all changing. Hopefully, by the time she finished, they'd all be dressed and would leave. Then, she'd have some privacy to get dressed.

  She selected the small tub of jelly and spread it over the bagel with her finger.

  "Sorry," Trojan said. "I should have brought you a knife."

  "No. It's fine."

  As she ate, Axel tried to process all that was happening. She should be more afraid than she felt. She should be angry. And she should be freaking out about being in a dorm with a bunch of guys. But she felt oddly numb.

  She ate slowly, giving the guys plenty of time to finish up and leave. By the time she finished, only Trojan was still hovering.

  "I didn't get you a drink," he apologized. "Doh!"

  "I'm fine."

  He looked across the room at Angelo's nightstand where a half empty bottle of water stood.

  "You can have a few sips of Angelo's," Trojan suggested. "He'll never know."

  "Honestly, I'm fine," Axel insisted.

  "Okay. Want me to show you to the shower room?"

  "The girls' shower room?"

  "Well, the girls stay in the building opposite us. If you want to walk over there, I'll be happy to escort you. Or you could just use our shower room here." Trojan paused. "Actually, maybe not. There are no shower curtains. There's a bathtub though. You could fill it and make the water nice and soapy so that if anyone walks in while you're in there they see nothing. And I can stand by the tub and guard you."

  Axel didn't think so. "Maybe I'll take a shower later. After I get myself a room in the girls' quarters."

  Trojan clicked his fingers. "I have an idea."

  He hopped over to Angelo's drawers and opened the top one. He took out a terrycloth flannel. "He has all kinds of toiletries and stuff. He's like a girl." He tossed the washcloth to Axel and then hurried towards the door. "I'll get you some water."

  Axel watched him disappear through the door, amusement tugging at the corners of her lips.

  When he returned, he was holding a small plastic bowl of water.

  "It's warm," he told her.

  Axel looked up at him as she accepted it, wondering why he was being so nice to her.

  He grinned.

  She felt a blush warm her cheeks. "Thanks."

  "Don't mention it." He sauntered over to the drawer beside his bed and yanked out a bunch of wrinkled clothes. "I'll get changed in the bathroom so that you have some privacy in here."

  "Thanks, Trojan."

  Once he was out of the room, Axel moved into a corner. She was about to remove her shirt when the door opened.

  She stopped.

  Her mouth instantly went dry at the sight of the dude who walked through the door.

  He had dark bronze-toned skin and piercing, dark eyes that seemed to see right through her. Every plane of his face was chiseled.

  "Axel Adams?" His voice was deep. So deep. And it made her name sound new to her ears.

  "Yes?" Was that breathy voice hers?

  "I'm here to administer your drugs." His dark gaze cut to the bed. "Please sit, and roll up you
r right sleeve."

  Axel obeyed wordlessly.

  She held her breath as the guy crossed the room, her skin prickling the nearer he got. She gave herself a mental shake. She'd had lots of crushes before but she'd never reacted to the mere sight of a stranger like this.

  The handsome stranger sat beside her. It was then that Axel noticed the case he held.

  She watched as he opened it. Inside it was a syringe, needle, and a tube of colorless liquid. She watched him make up the injection.

  "Hold out your arm." His voice was quiet but authoritative.

  She wondered how old he was. She'd guess early twenties, but his demeanor suggested he might be older.

  He looked at her, and Axel felt a furious blush sting her cheeks. Caught staring.

  Looking into those deep, dark eyes at such close proximity was unnerving.

  His dark brows lowered slightly. "Relax."

  Axel nodded and tried to relax. Hopefully, he'd think she was on edge because he was about to inject her, not because she thought he was the hottest thing she'd ever laid eyes on.

  She looked away as he lowered the needle to her arm, and clenched her teeth when she felt it sink in. "What are you drugging me with?"

  "A cocktail of Armistol and Cordacil."

  "And what are those?"

  "Armistol causes peace and agreeableness. Cordacil lessens the pain of tragic situations and inspires loyalty. It'll push the pain of your parents' death to the back of your mind so that you'll obey our instructions."

  "Will I pass out again?"

  "No. Last night you had Armistol with Lethargen. Lethargen is what causes…lethargy."

  Axel felt him remove the needle from her arm. She looked at him.

  He was giving her an assessing look. "I doubt you've recovered from last night's dose, but they'd rather be safe than sorry."

  With that, he dropped the syringe into the case, snapped it shut, and left.

  Axel exhaled. She quickly removed her clothes, dampened the washcloth and wiped herself. Then, she donned the jeans and T-shirt she found in the drawers beside her bed. They fit perfectly.