by Lucas Flint
As the mysterious girl landed, Steel Skin snapped the ropes binding his legs and stood up. He pointed at the girl, who stood a few feet away from me and seemed unconcerned that a giant shirtless man was pointing threateningly at her.
“You!” said Steel Skin. “Did you turn that car into pigeons?”
The girl sighed. “They're doves, not pigeons. Not that I expect a man of your mental capacity to be able to tell the difference, but I feel it's important to keep this distinction clear.”
Hot and sarcastic? Sign me up.
“Who cares about a bunch of birds?” said Steel Skin. He punched his fist into his hand. “I'll turn both of you into paste just the same.”
Steel Skin ran at us. I made a move to meet him, but the girl waved her wand and said, “I got this. You just sit back and watch.”
Before I could ask her how she was going to stop 300 pounds of pure steel and stupidity, the girl waved her wand again and pointed it at Steel Skin.
Immediately, a huge titanium box appeared out of nowhere and clamped tightly around Steel Skin, leaving only his head exposed. Steel Skin tried to break free, but even I could tell that his strength, as great as it was, was no match for the box that held him.
“There,” said the girl, lowering her wand and smiling satisfactorily. “Easy.”
“I was expecting something a bit … more fantastic than a box,” I said, putting my hands on my hips and looking at Steel Skin (who was now shouting all kinds of curses at us) with disappointment. “Like an explosion or something.”
“Sometimes the simplest solution is best,” said the girl. “Steel Skin won't be getting out of there until I want him to. And by the time I want him to, he should be safely behind bars in Ultimate Max prison where he belongs.”
I nodded. “Right. Well, uh, what's your name? I'm—”
“Bolt,” the girl finished for me. She smiled. “I've heard of you.”
“You have?” I said. “But we've never met.”
“Your fight with Master Chaos last month was streamed all over the world,” said the girl. “Everyone saw it.”
“Ah,” I said. “That's right. I almost forgot. Well, now that you know my name, it's time for you to tell me your name.”
“Incantation,” said the girl simply. “I am the apprentice of Thaumaturge. You've heard of him, right?”
“Yeah,” I said. “He's one of the leaders of the Neohero Alliance, right?”
“Yep,” said Incantation, “and he taught me everything I know about magic, though he's not here at the moment.”
“You can use magic?” I said. “Real magic? I thought our powers were genetic.”
Incantation looked like she was about to say something before a loud, boisterous voice behind us shouted, “Hey, kid! Good job!”
Incantation and I looked over to see Adam Plutarch—whose slightly crooked wig was the only indication that his car had been turned over—walking toward me with a couple of Secret Service agents in tow. He didn't seem even slightly fazed by the fact that a giant shirtless man with metal skin had just tried to kill him; then again, as a former supervillain, he'd probably seen far stranger things.
As Plutarch approached, I noticed Incantation step away. She was glaring at Plutarch like he had insulted her mother, even though Plutarch wasn't even looking at her.
“Amazing, simply amazing,” said Plutarch. He looked over our heads at Steel Skin, who was still cursing up a storm. “I have never seen such an efficient defeat of a loser like him.” He looked down at me with a big smile. “Good job, kid. If I knew your real identity, I'd offer you a paid internship at the White House after I win the election.”
“Oh, that's, er, generous of you, Mr. Plutarch, but it was really Incantation here who beat him,” I said, gesturing at Incantation. “I could barely hold him back.”
Plutarch's big, friendly smile vanished as soon as he looked at Incantation. Incantation met his gaze, even though Plutarch was much bigger and stronger than her.
“Incantation, huh?” said Plutarch. He didn't sound nearly as friendly as he had a moment before. “Apprentice of Thaumaturge, right?”
“Yes,” said Incantation, which was the only word she said.
“Well, then,” said Plutarch, his tone colder. “Thanks for the help. I make a point of thanking the people who save my life, however I may feel about other people they know, so thank you.”
Incantation didn't say anything. She just folded her arms across her chest and glared at Plutarch, who held her gaze for a moment before looking at me again. There was clearly some bad history between them, or at least between Plutarch and her master, though I didn't know much about it.
“Anyway, my men here have already called the police and contacted the G-Men to take Steel Skin away, so you two can leave now,” said Plutarch, waving in a random direction like he didn't care where we went.
“Um, all right,” I said. “Then I guess we'll—”
“Hold on,” said Plutarch, interrupting me suddenly. He leaned closer to me. “Hey, you're Bolt, right? That kid who defeated Master Chaos?”
“Yes, sir,” I said. “That's me. Why?”
Plutarch's smile widened considerably, which made him look kind of creepy. “Most kids your age don't have that kind of accomplishment under their belt. I think you're going places, kid. And if you ever need any wisdom gained from a lifetime of success, just give me a call.”
Plutarch drew a card out of his front pocket and handed it to me before I even realized what was going on. I looked down at the card and saw that it had Plutarch's name and contact information written on it.
“All right,” said Plutarch. He gave me the thumbs up. “See you later, kid. Never stop dreaming!”
With that, Plutarch turned and walked away, with the two Secret Service agents following behind him. I didn't know what to say to that. I just looked at Incantation, who had folded her arms over her chest and looked incredibly displeased.
“Um …” I said. “Want to go out sometime?”
Incantation looked at me like I had just said something stupid. Then she shook her head and said, “No, but I would like to talk with you about something, about the reason I helped you beat Steel Skin.”
“Talk?” I said. “About what?”
“Let's go find some place private to talk and I'll tell you there,” said Incantation. “I don't want Plutarch or his goons listening in on our conversation.”
I looked over at Plutarch, who was now talking with people who appeared to be his campaign advisers, and then looked at Incantation again. “Sure. I've got time. Let's go.”
Chapter Two
Mom always told me that I should be very careful about the girls who I hang out with. She always stressed that I shouldn't be alone with a girl I barely knew for any reason. Dad also always said more or less the same thing. Yeah, they didn't talk about it so much since I became seventeen, but every now and then they'd remind me not to be too girl crazy.
But come on, how many other guys get a chance to talk with the (very hot) apprentice of one of the most famous neoheroes in the country? And anyway, we technically weren't really alone. We chose to talk on top of a building far away from the Plutarch rally, which gave us some privacy, but it wasn't really that private. I mean, I could have punched a hole through the roof and probably ended up in some guy's apartment, which, in my opinion, satisfied the criteria my parents set for 'never spend time alone with a strange girl you don't know.'
So we stood on the apartment building's roof, with Incantation leaning against the entrance to the roof and I standing opposite her. The wind was blowing really hard today, and it was cold, too, but Incantation hardly seemed bothered by it, even though the wind was causing her hair to flap around crazily until she pulled her hood over her head.
“All right,” I said. “We're alone. What do you want to talk about?”
“I want to make you an offer,” said Incantation. “Have you heard of the Young Neos before?”
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��Oh, yeah,” I said. “They're the team made up of young up-and-coming neoheroes, right?”
“Correct,” said Incantation. “There are five of us at the moment, but we're always looking for new members. But we have very high standards for our members, so we can't just let anyone join.”
“I read about you guys on Neo Ranks,” I said. “You're the leader.”
“That is also correct,” said Incantation, though she was starting to sound impatient, like I was missing something. “Normally, we send an invitation to prospective members, but I decided to come to Texas myself to personally invite you to join the Young Neos.”
I put my hands on my chest. “Wait, you want me to join the Young Neos? Why me? I'm not any special. I'm just an ordinary teen … well, okay, I can punch down buildings and fly through the sky like a bullet, but I'm still nothing special.”
“The reason I am inviting you is because of your defeat of Master Chaos last month,” said Incantation.
“But I didn't do that on my own,” I said. “My dad, Genius, helped a lot.”
“True, but it takes a lot of courage for a new hero like yourself to go toe-to-toe with a highly experienced and dangerous villain like Master Chaos and survive,” said Incantation. “That's exactly the sort of courage we're looking for in new recruits. We saw your livestream of the fight and got a good look at your skills and resourcefulness.”
I was glad I was wearing my suit, which mostly covered my face, because I was starting to blush at Incantation's praise. She probably said that sort of thing to every new member they approached, but I still enjoyed it.
“So you came down to Texas specifically to look for me?” I said.
“Pretty much,” said Incantation. She wrinkled her nose. “Otherwise I wouldn't come to this stupid part of the country.”
Her sudden harshness caught me by surprise. “What?”
“Never mind,” said Incantation. “And don't worry about whether I got permission from the NHA. I spoke with my master, Thaumaturge, about it, and he approved my trip to Texas to offer you membership in the Young Neos.”
“Cool,” I said. “But what, exactly, does membership in the Young Neos entail? If I joined, would I get a new costume or something?”
“No,” said Incantation. “We'd get a patch to put on your costume with the Young Neos emblem, but you would otherwise just wear your normal suit.”
“Awesome,” I said. “What other perks do I get?”
“You'll have a chance to join the NHA itself if you do well enough,” said Incantation. “You'll also have access to all of the NHA's training facilities, so you will be able to go to Hero Island any time you want and train there.”
“Cool,” I said. “Do you have a headquarters or something?”
“We do have a base on Hero Island,” said Incantation, “so yes, we do have a headquarters. It's called the House.”
“And cool team vehicles that can fly you all over the world to fight evil wherever it needs to be fought?” I said.
“Yes,” said Incantation, nodding. “All paid for by the NHA, but I have to warn you that it isn't all easy. We're always on the move, fighting crime wherever we need to go, and clashing with supervillains all the time.”
“Like Steel Skin,” I said. “Right?”
“Right,” said Incantation. “But we don't have the complete freedom to do what we like. Although I'm the leader, we're still under the supervision of the NHA. We can only go on missions approved by my master and can't pick and choose which ones we use.”
“Why do you need supervision?” I asked.
“Because we're still teenagers,” said Incantation. “The NHA doesn't think we're mature enough to lead ourselves just yet. So we need the supervision of our master to make sure we don't get into trouble.”
I hesitated when she said that. I liked my independence. Granted, I didn't have real independence, since I still lived with my parents and all, but it wasn't like I had to report to a superior or whatever. Still, the idea of having access to the Hero Island training facilities, plus all of their amenities, and going around the world fighting crime with other heroes myself was very tempting, to put it mildly.
“But what about school?” I said. “Don't any of you guys have to go to class and get your homework and stuff?”
“We have tutors,” said Incantation. “Since we're all neoheroes in training, we can't really go to normal schools without affecting our grades or risking our secret identities. So we have tutors who work with our erratic schedules.”
“Erratic?” I said. “What do you mean?”
“Crime doesn't exactly follow a set schedule,” said Incantation. “Sometimes a supervillain is terrorizing a city and we have to leave as soon as possible to stop him. Or maybe another supervillain is going to nuke the moon in the middle of the night, so we have to get up and go after him even if we're asleep.”
“Someone tried to nuke the moon?” I said. “When did that happen?”
Incantation shook her head. “IThe point is that we'd never be in school if we went, so we have tutors who are available pretty much whenever we need them.”
“Would I get a tutor if I joined?” I said.
“Of course,” said Incantation. “Every member of the Young Neos has one.”
That took care of that problem, but I was still hesitant about joining. I thought about what Mom and Dad might say if I came home and told them that I had joined a superhero team.
“What about my parents?” I said. “Do I need their permission to join?”
“No,” said Incantation, “but don't worry about them, because you will still be able to visit them whenever you want. But you will probably be too busy to visit them literally any time, because the Young Neos are always on the move.”
That reassured me, but I still wasn't entirely sure about it. I liked the idea of getting to work with other young heroes—especially if it meant getting closer to Incantation, who I was sure I could woo if she just let me—but at the same time, I didn't just want to up and leave my parents like that. As annoying as they could be, my parents were my parents and they deserved to know about this, whether or not they approved.
So I said, “Thanks for the offer, Incantation, but I want to talk this over with my parents first. They need to know about it.”
Unless my eyes were playing tricks on me, I thought I saw anger flash in Incantation's eyes.
But it was only for a moment and then Incantation nodded and said, “I understand. If you want to contact me with your decision at some point, take this.”
Incantation handed me a small, star-shaped device. Taking the device, I looked at it closely and saw that it had two buttons: A blue one and a red one.
Looking up at Incantation, I asked, “What is this?”
“We call it the Star Caller,” said Incantation. “Just press one of the buttons and the device will send a message to our headquarters. The red button means that you want to join, while the blue button means that you don't.”
“So all I have to do is press one of the buttons and you guys will know whether I accept your offer,” I said.
“Exactly,” said Incantation. “If you decide to join, we'll send someone to transport you to Hero Island.”
I put the Star Caller into the pocket of my suit and said, “All right. Are you going to be in Texas very long?”
“No,” said Incantation, shaking her head. “I'm heading back to New York later this afternoon. I've done everything I came here to do. I need to go back home and report to Thaumaturge about what I did here.”
“Okay,” I said. “But can I have your number? You know, in case the Star Caller fails or something.”
Incantation rolled her eyes. She then suddenly twirled her cape around herself, and in a second was gone, like she had just vanished into midair.
“I guess that's a no, then,” I said with a sigh.
Deciding that it was time to go, I launched into the sky, wondering what my parents were going to say when
I told them about the offer Incantation had made to me. I still wasn't sure if I was going to accept it or not and hoped that maybe Dad would be able to give me some guidance on that.
Chapter Three
See, whenever I wanted to return home, I couldn't just land in our backyard and then walk into the house with my super suit still on in broad daylight. I still had a secret identity to keep, after all, and I didn't want our neighbors to find out who I was.
I couldn't teleport into our house with one of Dad's gadgets, either. True, it would allow me to enter without being seen, but it would also mean that we would have to explain to the neighbors how I could leave the house and then, hours later, leave the house again without any obvious sign of how I returned in the first place. Dad didn't trust me with teleportation anyway, so that method was out regardless.
Instead, I had to fly just a little ways out of town, land in a hilly, uninhabited area that also had a few trees for extra covering, and then take my suit off there. Then I had to walk back to the house, which wasn't that bad, because I still had super speed and would occasionally use it to give me a teeny tiny extra boost of speed. Not enough that anyone would notice me racing through town, but enough so that anyone who saw me would assume that I am a runner (actually, my PE teacher at school had once seen me running like this and offered me a position on the school's track team, which I declined because I wanted to spend my time practicing my super powers instead of competing in sports).
As I drew closer to my house, decreasing my speed to a more normal speed, I noticed that both of the cars were parked there, which meant that Mom and Dad were home. But there was also a new car in the driveway, a car I had never seen before. It was a dirty, beat-up station wagon, of all things, that looked like it had been driven straight out of a dump. Its windows were cracked; and of the windows that weren't cracked, they were covered with cardboard and tape. It looked like the sort of thing a homeless person would drive.
I slowed down to a walk when I reached the driveway. I noticed that the station wagon had a New York license plate, which made me wonder what someone from New York was doing all the way down here in Texas. Did Mom or Dad invite a friend over without telling me? That didn't seem like them, since Mom and Dad didn't usually invite people over to our house, much less without telling me ahead of time, but I couldn't think of any other explanation.