by King, Wesley
He spun and fired across the room, releasing a red bolt. It hit the wall and erupted with a blinding flash.
“Cool,” Hayden said.
Rono turned back to them. “I will have a series of targets cross the room, and you will take turns firing at them. Then we’ll try out one more basic weapon today, just to introduce it.” He gestured at the rifle slung over his back. “The repeating plasma rifle. Now,” he said, raising his voice, “activate target one.”
A hidden panel slid open in the wall about forty feet away. There was a whirring noise, and the floor in front of the open panel started to move like a conveyor belt.
“Who wants to shoot first?” Rono asked, hoisting the gun.
“Me!” Emily shouted.
She eagerly hurried over, and Rono handed her the plasma discharger. Behind him, something started to emerge from the panel.
They can’t be serious, James thought. He tentatively put his hand up. “Um, is that a baby carriage?”
“Yes,” Rono said. “I thought it would be a good place to start. You know, desensitize you right off the bat.”
A baby’s cry echoed across the room. Sam looked like he was about to faint.
“Go ahead, Emily,” Rono said, taking a long step out of the way. “Hurry, it’s almost three-quarters of the way across.”
“Emily, you can’t shoot a baby!” Lana protested.
“It’s not a real baby, right?” Emily asked Rono.
Rono shrugged. When Emily continued to stare at him stone-faced, he finally waved a hand. “No, it’s mechanical. Now blow the thing up.”
Emily raised the discharger.
“Emily, maybe you should make sure…” James started.
Sighting her target with one eye, Emily aimed for the slow-moving carriage and fired. The red bolt struck it full-on, and the carriage exploded dramatically, spraying flaming pink lace and pieces of mechanical baby all across the room.
James felt something sharp digging into his arm and saw that Lana had grabbed him. When he met her eyes, she quickly let go.
“Sorry,” Lana said, sounding embarrassed. “I thought she just blew up a baby.”
“No problem,” James replied. “Technically, she did.”
She laughed nervously.
“Remember the shotgun…” a faint voice whispered, and James shot Hayden a dirty look.
“Why does he keep…” Lana started.
“Quiet!” Rono took the gun back from Emily. “All right, who’s next?”
Leni stalked down the central corridor of his personal headquarters, his boots echoing off the black stone. It was mostly underground, stretching through the underside of a rolling green hill in northern Pennsylvania.
The only visible feature on the surface was a large, plain brick country house, surrounded by impenetrable hedges and scratching brambles. The locals thought that a wealthy old miser lived there and that the black vans constantly coming in and out of the driveway brought him paintings and sculptures to add to his enormous collection. They were half-right. Leni had killed the old man two years ago, when he first went into hiding after Phoenix’s murder. Here, he’d rebuilt his fractured organization, tunneling these black corridors into the soil.
Reaching the end of the hall, he took a sharp right, passing through a black iron door that opened at a wave of his finger. Inside was a circular room, ringed with blinking red display panels that were manned by six of his operatives. In the center stood a raised platform with a single chair, and everyone in the room cowered as Leni marched up the steps and sat down. As soon as he did, the screens surrounding the seat thrummed to life.
“Report,” he commanded.
Kayla, the blond operative who had lured Hayden out of his house, hurried to the base of the platform, clutching a data pad. “Project Nightfall is proceeding as planned. The shipment of stun panels arrived on schedule and can be taken back to the Baron’s mansion on your return.”
“Good.” The near completion of Project Nightfall was the reason Leni had made the long trip back to his base. He couldn’t risk mentioning the project in any transmissions from the mansion. It had to be kept an absolute secret from the other Vindico members. “Continue.”
Kayla snuck a brief glimpse at the data pad. “The League is still largely gathered at their headquarters in New York, though we have reports that some detachments have begun to leave the premises. We think that members went to investigate the incident in Cambilsford, and it also seems they re-inspected the homes of both Hayden and Sam. My guess is they’ve confirmed the Vindico is behind the disappearances.”
“That was to be expected eventually,” Leni replied, but he knew the clock was ticking now. If the League knew the Vindico had taken the children, they might have guessed why.
“There’s something else,” Kayla continued quietly. “Thunderbolt has left headquarters again.” She hesitated. “But as before, we’ve lost track of him.”
Leni considered this information. It was definitely troubling news; he knew that it must be something important if Thunderbolt would leave headquarters at a time like this.
“Very well,” Leni said at last. “I will be returning to the Baron’s shortly. Load the stun panels and find Thunderbolt,” he added coolly. “Or I will find someone else who can.”
As Kayla scurried away, Leni leaned back and traced his finger along a readout screen. Timing was an issue now. The League was closing in, and if they found the mansion before he was prepared, everything would fall apart. He needed another couple of weeks, at least. Then he could execute Project Nightfall, and the League would be caught in his trap, along with the Vindico.
He would kill the League members and the Baron. With the old man out of the picture, the rest of the Vindico and their protégés would be forced to swear loyalty to Leni or be killed as well. At least, everyone but Hayden.
Now that he’d conducted his own scan, Leni knew that his protégé had the potential to become extremely powerful, maybe even more than his mentor. He was a threat that couldn’t be ignored. When the time came for Nightfall, Hayden would have to die.
21
“WE SHOULD PLAY TWENTY QUESTIONS,” HAYDEN SAID LATER that night. “I mean, we don’t know that much about each other.” He turned to Lana, folded his fingers together, and rested his chin on them with an exaggeratedly curious expression. “Let’s start with you, Lana…” He frowned. “I don’t know your last name. Or any of yours, actually.”
“Hunter,” Lana told him. She put her hand up to block his view. “And please stop looking at me like that.”
“Lana Hunter…I like that,” Hayden said. “James? Wait, let me guess…James Eugene Pidwinkle?”
James scowled. “It’s James Renwick.”
“That was my next guess. Emily, Sam?”
“Mine is Lau,” Emily replied.
“Bennett,” Sam said.
Hayden stood up and took an elaborate bow. “And I am Hayden Matthew Lockwood. Just think: it could have been Hayden Hinnigan.”
“All right, Hayden, I have a question,” Lana said. “Do you miss your mom?”
“Well, that’s not exactly the fun type of question I had in mind,” Hayden replied slowly, sitting down again, “but I guess I didn’t specify.”
Over the last couple of years, Hayden had created a thousand theories of where his mom had been and why she didn’t call him anymore. He knew she hadn’t died because the courts would have found him, and someone was still paying the bills for his house. A new family had been his best guess, so he hadn’t been that surprised to learn it was true. Still, he’d secretly been hoping it was something else. It hurt that he hadn’t been good enough for her, but Hayden had learned to put those types of feelings away, especially in front of others.
“I did miss her,” Hayden said, “but then I realized the reason my eggs were always burning was because I was using sugar on the pan instead of butter. I thought they were interchangeable.” He looked away, biting his lip. “So many w
asted eggs.”
“Why are you such an idiot?” Lana asked.
Hayden immediately brightened. “That’s a better question. I suspect it’s my poor attendance record at school. Now, Lana, what type of men do you go for?”
“I’m not answering that.”
“But it’s the game…” Hayden said.
“I don’t want to play, then. Pick a new game.”
Hayden raised his eyebrows. “Any game?”
“As long as it’s not twenty questions,” Lana said.
Hayden stood up, wearing a lopsided grin. “You’re the boss.”
“Why are you smiling like that?” James asked suspiciously.
Hayden turned to him. “I know how we can get to know each other better.”
“I can’t believe I’m playing this.” Lana shook her head.
They all sat around the coffee table, watching Hayden clear off the surface.
“You did say any game,” Hayden reminded her as he placed a cup sideways on the table. “And this is the absolute best game to get to know each other. Spin the bottle. The original game of chance.”
“You mean spin the plastic cup,” Emily corrected.
“Right,” Hayden said. “Now, since it was Lana’s idea to play, I think she should get the honor of the first spin.”
“It was not my idea,” she corrected. “And these are just pecks, nothing more.”
Lana looked around the group and saw that Sam was already fidgeting nervously. James was leaning forward, his brown eyes fixated on the cup, while Emily was just watching curiously, as if she had neither seen nor heard of such a game.
I need to learn to keep my mouth shut, Lana told herself, and then spun the cup.
It landed on James. Immediately, his cheeks flushed scarlet.
I suppose he would be the least awkward one to kiss, Lana thought. Well, Hayden would probably be the least awkward, but I’m not about to give him the satisfaction.
“This is so romantic,” Hayden said. “Someone dim the lights.”
“Shut up,” Lana muttered, and then she leaned over and quickly kissed James on the lips. As she sat back again, she noticed that James still had his eyes closed.
“Oh no, James is trapped in time!” Hayden shouted.
James opened his eyes and forced an embarrassed smile, avoiding Lana’s gaze.
“I love spin the bottle,” Hayden said happily. “And I love it more now that it’s Sam’s turn. Have you ever kissed anyone, Sammy?”
Sam shook his head, his eyes on the coffee table.
“Well, the wait is over,” Hayden said. “Spin the cup, Mr. Bennett!”
Sam tentatively reached out to grab the cup and with a slow, deliberate movement, he spun it.
At first it landed on Hayden, who promptly closed his eyes and puckered his lips.
“I feel so honored,” he whispered.
Lana burst out laughing at the horrified look on Sam’s face. “Spin again, Sam,” she said.
He did, and this time it landed on James.
“Sorry, Sam,” James said. “But no kiss from me. I don’t know you well enough.”
Emily looked at Sam with a sly smile. “If you get one of the boys again, you’re going to have to kiss him,” she warned. “That will be three strikes.”
Sam gulped and spun the bottle again. This time, it landed on Lana.
Lana glanced at Sam, who literally looked like he might get up and run. If it’s his first kiss, I better make it special, she decided. Calmly, she turned to him, cupped his chin with both hands, and kissed him firmly on the mouth. When Lana pulled away, Sam’s eyes were so wide she thought they might pop.
Hayden stood up and started clapping. “That was incredible,” he said. “Best first kiss ever. I think I have goose bumps.”
“How does Leni put up with you?” James asked.
“Mainly by beating me,” Hayden said. “Yesterday he hit me with a block of sand because I asked him if he had a girlfriend.”
“Can you move anything with your mind yet?” Sam asked.
“Sort of. I can make the sand move a little, but I can’t pick it up or anything. I was actually trying to affect the cup, but no dice.”
“What were you trying to do to it?” Lana asked, glaring at him.
Hayden smirked. “I think you know.”
James groaned and stood up. “I’m going to the bathroom.”
As he left, Hayden jumped to his feet. “All right, I’m going to move something,” he announced, walking around the couches. “It’s time to become a supervillain.” He whirled his cape in a flourish. “Behold, the dreaded Handsome Hayden!”
He narrowed his eyes and then waved his hand at the chessboard. To everyone’s astonishment, it shot across the room and smashed into the far wall.
Hayden stood there for a moment, his mouth hanging open. “Did anyone else see that?”
“I thought you could barely move anything?” Lana asked incredulously.
“I couldn’t!” he said. “Leni would be so proud.” Grabbing his cape, he flung it behind him and strutted around the room. “Handsome Hayden strikes again. No chessboard is safe!”
“What did I miss? What was that crash?” James asked, hurrying back into the common area. He looked at Hayden. “Why are you marching?”
“Handsome Hayden does not answer to peasants! Shouldn’t you be tilling your fields?”
“Hayden just used his powers,” Emily explained matter-of-factly.
“Really?” James asked, watching as Hayden continued to strut around the room. “I still can’t believe they’re giving that kid superpowers.”
“It is a scary thought,” Lana agreed.
“Sometimes I almost forget what we’re doing here,” Sam said quietly. “That we’re going to be a part of this war we’ve been hearing about since we were little kids. It’s like we’re in these four walls, and there’s nothing really outside. It feels like it’s a private school or something, and eventually we’ll go home to our parents and everything will be normal again. But even if we’re really lucky, and everything turns out okay, and we actually can go home when this is finished, we’re going to be the first people in history to be given superpowers. We’re going to be famous. Nothing will ever be the same again.”
Everyone fell silent as Sam’s words sank in.
Lana looked up at the black symbol over the fireplace, a reminder of what they were supposed to become: shadows instead of people.
Hayden sat down again. “Well, that killed the mood.”
“I just don’t think it’s—” the Torturer started.
“It is step three of my psychological program,” the Baron cut in firmly. “And the most important one. They need to be given a choice. It’s the only way we can be sure of their loyalty.”
All the Vindico members except Leni were gathered in the Baron’s meeting room.
Avaria folded her arms, looking unconvinced. “They are already frightened into obedience.”
“But that can only last for so long,” the Baron said. “They need to consciously join us. We will give them two weeks from tomorrow to make a decision. By then, they will choose to stay. I guarantee it.”
“And what if they don’t?” Rono asked.
The Baron paused. “Those that choose to leave will be killed as soon as they leave the mansion. We can’t risk them going to the League and giving away our plans and position. I don’t know how much longer we have until the League finds us. We must have these protégés ready to fight as soon as possible. In two weeks, they will become full members of this society. Then the war begins anew. And this time, the odds will finally be in our favor.”
22
“PLEASE, SIT,” THE BARON SAID THE NEXT MORNING, LEADING them into a classroom. It was very different than the room Leni and Sliver had used: this one was well lit, and the chairs looked plush and comfortable.
James sat down near the front, with Sam and Emily on either side, while Hayden and Lana took the two desk
s behind them. The pair continued to grow closer every day. Once again, they’d spent last night’s entire workout together and stayed up talking after everyone else had gone to bed.
James felt like he had a rock sitting in his stomach every time he saw them together. He’d only eaten a piece of plain white bread for breakfast.
But while he was concerned over Lana and Hayden’s increasing closeness, everything else was going great. He’d been taking Genome AP for three days now and spent most of his time lifting weights with the Torturer. Already, the AP was having some effect: yesterday he had added forty-five pounds to his bench press.
The Baron sat down at the front of the classroom in a high-backed wooden chair. He smiled, showing off his crisply white teeth.
“Today you will have your first ‘history’ session. So far, we have been concentrating on preparing you for the drastic physical and mental changes you will face. But it’s time to give you some context for why you are here. It’s time you learn who the true villains are.”
James sat up a little straighter in his chair. He’d been practically begging the Torturer for more information about the League and the Vindico, but his mentor always put him off.
“I’m sure you all know the official history of the League,” the Baron went on dryly. “At least, the version they promote. The glorious ‘Four Founders,’ banding together to protect justice and freedom the world over…propaganda, and nothing more.”
The Baron stood up and began to walk around the room.
“As you know, the first of the Four Founders, Captain Courage, discovered his supernatural abilities fifty-four years ago. The other three Founders appeared over the course of five years: the Champion, Phoenix, and the League’s current leader, Thunderbolt. Of course, they immediately became the world’s biggest celebrities and media darlings. But at heart, they were just normal people: they had no real goals, no ambition. They weren’t superheroes by any standards; they simply lived in big houses, fraternized with each other, and went about their lives. That is, until the fifth founding member of the League came along, the one who first proposed the idea of a unified organization: me.”