by Lucas Flint
Walking inside, I looked at Dad's clothes, trying to see if his costume was hanging with his business suits. Unfortunately, I couldn't find it. It looked like Dad didn't hang his super suit with his business suit, which made sense, because that would be a huge security risk if there ever was one. That meant his costume was elsewhere, but where?
My first thought was the basement, so I turned to leave and check there, but before I did, I caught a glimpse of a red light blinking behind Mom's dresses. Wondering what it was, I pushed aside a blue dress and a yellow dress to see a blinking red light on the wall. It was very small, so small that I wondered how I noticed it blinking, but that didn't matter because I figured the suit had to be behind that light.
I reached over and pressed my hand against the space just beneath the blinking red light. The space folded over suddenly, revealing a tiny keypad with all twenty-six letters and all ten digits underneath it. An even smaller screen was built into the area just above the keypad, with the words 'PLEASE ENTER SIX CHARACTER PASSWORD' glowing on it.
Uh oh. I hadn't expected to have to crack a password puzzle. I was awful at guessing passwords; hell, I barely even remembered the passwords for my own accounts. How was I supposed to figure this one out?
But I couldn't just give up and leave, at least not yet. My hand hovered over the keypad as I thought about what the password might be. If I was Dad, what kind of six character password would I use to protect my super suit from someone who might want to take it?
I decided to start inputting random passwords. So I started typing on the keypad and pressing 'enter' after every password, only to see the words 'PASSWORD INCORRECT. ACCESS DENIED' whenever I did. This went on for five minutes before I gave up and shook my head.
Okay, this was getting stupid. I didn't have all the time in the world to figure out what kind of super secret password Dad used to protect his suit. It was probably some kind of obscure reference to mathematics or science or maybe, if he was feeling cute (which Dad rarely did), some kind of dumb in-joke between him and Mom that was really embarrassing.
At this point, I probably should have just turned around and returned to my room. Or maybe just call Dad like the note said and find out how Mom was doing, but I couldn't give up just yet. I knew what I needed to do to protect us from Master Chaos and I was going to do it no matter what.
So, like the good son that I was, I activated my super strength and broke the keypad straight off the wall. Yeah, I knew Dad was going to be pissed at me when he found out, probably rant about how much money it was going to cost to replace it, and then maybe kill me, but once my plan worked and Master Chaos was no longer a threat to our lives, Dad would understand.
As soon as I broke the keypad, the wall pulled back and slid to the side, revealing a set of metal stairs that spiraled down into the darkness below. I figured that was where the suit was kept, so I made my way down the steps as quickly and carefully as I could. There wasn't much light to see by, so I had to be careful about where I stepped, but I still walked fast because I wasn't sure when Dad was going to get home.
When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I found yet another door, but this one was unlocked. It slid open at a touch, revealing a small, office-like room. On one side stood a desk, along with about a dozen monitors and four servers. The monitors were currently off, which made me wonder what Dad used them for. There was also a half-drunk cup of cold coffee at the desk, along with an overflowing waste paper basket under the desk and an unfinished burrito. It looked almost like Dad's home office, except darker and more technologically advanced, like Dad had gone into the future and brought back some technology with him.
On the other side stood Dad's super suit, which was in a glass container against the wall. His suit was on a mannequin of some sort, which looked kind of creepy, but I didn't care because I noticed that both of his gauntlets were attached to it. I walked up to the glass container and found a button beneath it that seemed to open it.
Pressing the button, I watched as the glass slid away, allowing cool air to rush out of the container. Shivering slightly, I reached up for the gauntlets. I took the right one, since I'm a righty, and found that it came off the mannequin's hand without any trouble.
Looking at the gauntlet in my hands, I couldn't believe how advanced it was. It looked like something out of a science-fiction movie. It had a large touch screen on it, in addition to dozens of small buttons and keys that were unmarked, probably because Dad most likely had all of their abilities and features memorized. I didn't, however, so I didn't know which one did the flashy memory-wipe thing and which ones didn't.
In fact, turning it over in my hands, I didn't even know how to turn it on. I didn't see a big red button that said 'ON' or anything else to suggest how it is supposed to work. I slipped it onto my hand to see how it would feel.
As soon as I did that, the gauntlet suddenly tightened and the touch screen suddenly activated. The words 'WELCOME, GENIUS' appeared on the screen briefly before they were replaced by what looked like the desktop screen (if a technological gauntlet can be said to have a 'desktop' screen, anyway). Actually, it looked more like a smartphone's main screen, displaying what appeared to be dozens and dozens of different apps, none of which were labeled or had any images to suggest what they might do.
“Uh …” I was hesitant to touch the screen, if only because I didn't want to accidentally blow my arm off. “Siri?”
“My name is not Siri,” said a feminine, monotone voice from the gauntlet. “It is Valerie.”
Startled, I stepped back and said, “Uh, okay, Valerie. Did Dad create you?”
“Dad?” said Valerie, sounding slightly confused. “What do you mean? You created me, Genius.”
“What? No, I didn't,” I said. “I'm not Genius.”
“Oh,” said Valerie. “But your DNA signature is similar to his. Who are you, then?”
“I'm his son, Kevin,” I said. “But you can call me Bolt.”
“Ah, yes,” said Valerie. “I recall Genius telling me about you. He said that you are very headstrong and not very technologically-adept.”
Geez, thanks, Dad, for talking about me with your computer behind my back, I thought, but aloud I said, “I didn't know Dad had a personal assistant.”
“He created me about ten years ago in order to help maintain his suit and other technology,” said Valerie. “Where is Genius, by the way?”
“Uh …” I thought of a lie quick; I didn't want Valerie to know that I technically wasn't supposed to be down here. “He took Mom to the hospital. But before he left, he told me to check on his suit down here, just to make sure that it was safe and stuff.”
“I see,” said Valerie. “Well, that's odd, because I send hourly reports about the current status of the Lab to his smartphone, so why would he need you to come in person to check on it?”
Uh oh. I looked around for a moment, trying to come up with a good excuse, before looking back down at Valerie and saying, “Well, Dad just wanted me to familiarize myself with the Lab and see what it's like, since I've never been down here before. And, you know, just make sure his suit is okay and everything.”
“Is that why you are wearing his gauntlet?” said Valerie. “To test it?”
“Yes, yeah, to test it,” I said, nodding eagerly. “I was just trying to see how it worked. But more than that, Dad gave me a mission and I need your help if I am going to complete it.”
“A mission?” said Valerie. “What might this mission be and how can I help?”
“I need to get to the Fallsville General Hospital, which is about an hour away from here,” I said. “There's someone there whose memory I need to change.”
“You mean you wish to use the Memory Hacker to change someone's memories of a specific event?” said Valerie. A blue app on the touch screen glowed when she said that, like she was indicating which app I would need to use.
“Yeah, yeah,” I said, nodding. “So it's call the Memory Hacker, is it?”
&n
bsp; “Yes,” said Valerie. “The Memory Hacker is an app that can induce a suggestive state of mind onto a person or group of people. You can then alter their memories of a particular event that you do not want them remembering. It works best on recent memories, but it can be used on earlier ones, too, although not as easily.”
“Cool,” I said. “I remember when Dad used it, he gave me some shades to wear so I wouldn't be affected by it.”
“Those are called blank shades,” said Valerie. “Anyone who wears them is entirely unaffected by the Memory Hacker's flash.”
“Right,” I said. “Now where are they?”
“They are in the top center drawer of Genius's desk,” said Valerie. “There are four pairs.”
“Thanks,” I said as I turned around and walked over to the desk. I pulled open the drawer and found four pairs of blank shades, just as Valerie described, and took one out.
Closing the drawer, I said, “Okay, Valerie, so what do I need to do to use the Memory Hacker?”
“You must activate the app once you are near the person you wish to use the Memory Hacker on,” said Valerie. “You must also make sure that the person who you wish to use the Hacker on has their eyes uncovered. They must also be staring at you; if they are not, then the flash's effect will be far less effective.”
“Got it,” I said.
This was all going a lot better than I thought. It seemed like Dad's security systems didn't consider me a threat and weren't trying to stop me. Maybe it was because I'm his son and so Valerie doesn't see any reason to treat me like a threat.
But now I faced the challenge of actually getting to the hospital. If Mom and Dad were gone, then I couldn't drive because that meant that they had taken the car. And I couldn't just walk to Robert's hospital, either, because if I did, it take me hours and by the time I got there it would probably be too late for me to enter the hospital and use the Memory Hacker on Robert.
The Detector said I had flight and super speed, but I had no idea how to access those powers at the moment. Besides, even if I could use them, I wouldn't know how to control them. If I flew, I'd probably end up flying straight through the atmosphere, and if I ran, I might run into the next state or just crash into a hard wall.
I was frustrated by this obstacle until I looked up at Dad's super suit and noticed that his utility belt—including the teleportation dial on the buckle—was still there. I didn't know how Dad's teleportation dial worked, but Valerie could probably explain it to me. I could use it to teleport to the hospital, alter Robert's memories, and then teleport back here in maybe ten minutes. If I was really fast, I could be back before Mom and Dad got home.
Just as I was about to walk over to the suit and take the utility belt, I heard the loud ringing of the front doorbell and whirled around to see that one of the monitors was on. And it showed Mom and Dad standing in front of the front door, with Dad trying to open the door while helping Mom—who looked sick—walk.
“It appears that your parents have returned from their medical emergency,” said Valerie. “Shall I inform Genius of your mission?”
“Uh, no, no, no,” I said, shaking my head as I walked backwards, toward the super suit, keeping my eyes on the monitor displaying Mom and Dad. “Not yet.”
“Not yet?” said Valerie. “Why not?”
“Because I want, er, to surprise my parents,” I said. “Yeah. Give them a really nice surprise. Because I'm a good son like that.”
“I do not really understand, but I supposed it is not my place to understand humanity,” said Valerie. “What do you want to do?”
I bumped up against the container and turned around to face Dad's super suit. I reached up and took the belt off the suit and quickly secured it around my waist.
“I want to teleport,” I said. I patted Dad's buckle. “That's what Dad's belt buckle can do, right?”
“Of course,” said Valerie. “Genius's utility belt can do many things, such as unleash a paralyzing gas that can leave people paralyzed for weeks and self-destruct if it lands in the wrong hands.”
I froze. “Even if someone is wearing it?”
“Especially if someone is wearing it,” said Valerie. “Genius does not want anyone getting their hands on his inventions and replicating them for their own goals. So he is perfectly willing to blow everything up if that's what he needs to do to ensure that his inventions do not end up in the hands of evil.”
I was starting to rethink wearing the belt. “So you mean literally everything he owns can self-destruct?”
“Yes,” said Valerie. “But do not worry. Genius makes his inventions sturdy as well as remarkable. They will only explode if he tells them to. You do not need to worry about accidentally setting them off.”
I knew Valerie is an AI and all and probably couldn't feel any emotions, but she still seemed far too calm about the fact that Dad's entire superhero ensemble was basically a bomb. It made me wonder if his smartphone could explode, too.
But I had come too far now to have any second thoughts, so I said to Valerie, “Okay, Val, how does the teleportation dial work?”
“You mean the Teleportation Buckle?” said Valerie. “In order to use the Teleportation Buckle, you need to first input the desired coordinates of the place to which you wish to teleport.”
I looked down at the Buckle, but it didn't make any sense to me. “Uh, how do I do that?”
A keyboard suddenly appeared on the touch screen on the gauntlet. “Just type in the address of the location to which you wish to teleport and I will send it to the Buckle, because it is connected to the gauntlet.”
I quickly typed in the address for Fallsville General Hospital into the screen. A second after I hit 'enter,' Valerie said, “Fallsville General Hospital has been found. Simply twist the dial clockwise to teleport there.”
That seemed too simple to me, but Valerie hadn't led me wrong so far, so I grabbed the Buckle and twisted it clockwise.
In an instant, Dad's Lab vanished around me, but then I immediately found myself standing behind the Fallsville General Hospital.
Chapter Eleven
Blinking, I looked around, my head feeling a little woozy as I looked for any other people nearby who might have seen me teleport.
“Fallsville General Hospital,” said Valerie, causing me to jump when I heard her voice. “How do you feel, Kevin?”
“A little sick, but I'll be fine,” I said. I looked around, but did not see anyone nearby, nor were there any security cameras watching me. “Why did you teleport me to the back of the hospital?”
“So you would not be seen,” said Valerie. “Genius programmed me to teleport him into the most hidden place possible, mostly so no one would see Genius teleport. I chose the back of the hospital because satellite imagery showed that it was empty; plus I believe few people come back here.”
I nodded. “Good idea. I don't want anyone to know I'm here anyway.”
I looked up at the back of the large hospital. It wasn't as big as the hospitals back in New York, but it was still plenty large. I stood next to the exit, but I didn't go in just yet. I realized that if I went inside now, people would see me and I would be caught on camera. And if that happened, well, my entire plan would be absolutely ruined and I'd probably get in tons of trouble.
So I pressed the release button on my suit-up watch and in seconds I was Bolt, defender of humanity (still working on my title), again. But the suit did not cover Dad's utility belt or gauntlet, though that was fine by me because that made it easier for me to gain access to them.
“Okay,” I said. I looked up at the hospital, squinting my eyes. “Which room is Robert's?”
“Robert's?” said Valerie. “Do you mean Robert Candle, the son of Bernard Candle, better known as Master Chaos?”
“Exactly,” I said, nodding. “I came to this hospital to find him. But I don't know what floor his room is located on.”
“Do you want me to access the hospital's computer systems and get you the information
from there?” said Valerie.
“You can do that?” I said.
“It is a simple procedure,” said Valerie. “But if you'd rather that I do not—”
“No, no,” I said, shaking my head. “Do it. I really need that information right away.”
“As you wish,” said Valerie. “It should take me only a few seconds to hack … ah, here we are. Robert Candle, who checked into Fallsville Hospital about a week ago due to 'injuries received from a freak air bomb accident,' is on the second floor, Room Two Oh One.”
“Room Two Oh One,” I said. I looked up at the back of the building again, but could not tell which window was the window to Robert's room. “All right, Valerie, which window is Robert's room?”
“According to the blueprints for the hospital, Robert Candle's room is the second window from the left,” said Valerie. “That is directly above us.”
I looked up at the window Valerie mentioned. There was no way I could jump that high and I couldn't climb the building, either, because the hospital's exterior was too smooth and had no handholds or footholds for me to use.
Stroking my chin, I suddenly looked down at Valerie and said, “Hey, Val, can you teleport me into Robert's room? Dad used the Teleportation Buckle to teleport into my school's cafeteria. Shouldn't it be possible for you to teleport me directly into Robert's room?”
“Yes, but I heavily advise against it,” said Valerie. “Teleporting directly into a room like that is hard to do with the Teleportation Buckle due to how precise your coordinates need to be in order to ensure that you do not harm yourself by accidentally teleporting into a wall or some other inanimate object.”
I grimaced. “But if Dad could do it—”
“Genius has a lot of experience using the Buckle and therefore knows how to make it do dangerous things without ever putting his own life into unnecessary danger,” said Valerie. “While I can't make you do anything, I highly suggest that you do not attempt it.”