by Lucas Flint
“I suppose,” said Valerie. “But just this once.”
“Great,” I said. “Knew I could count on you, Val. So just sit tight while I contact the Young Neos.”
Valerie went silent, but I could tell she was having some doubts about this. I knew, however, she would not go against her word, because she was very honest due to being programmed that way by Dad.
So I pressed the red button on the Star Caller. The button glowed a bright red for only a second before I removed my thumb, causing the glow to fade.
I didn't know how long I'd have to wait for a response, but apparently it wasn't for long, because a second later a dimensional portal opened up in front of me and someone walked out.
The guy who stood before me was about my age, maybe a year younger, with long dreads and dark skin. He wore a super suit that looked similar to mine, except it was green and yellow instead of red and black, and he wore a mask that looked like like mine, except without the goggles. He also had a symbol on his right shoulder, a picture of a cartoon superhero flying, which I assumed was the symbol of the Young Neos.
“Hey there,” said the guy in a very friendly voice. He held out a hand. “You're Bolt, right? I'm Hopper.”
I shook the guy's hand and found that he had a surprisingly strong grip, even though he seemed very thin. “Hopper? Is that your real name?”
“Nope,” said Hopper, shaking his head. “It's my superhero name. It's a reference to my powers.” He gestured at the portal behind him. “I can hop across the world with these portals, hence the name.”
“Cool,” I said. I frowned. “But you answered the Star Caller rather fast.”
“Well, Incantation told me that you might be contacting us soon, so I've just been waiting for your response all week,” said Hopper. “Besides, I've always wanted to meet the guy who beat Master Chaos, so when you called, I didn't waste any time leaving the House.”
I scratched the back of my head in embarrassment. “Well, it's not that big of a deal.”
“Not that big a deal?” said Hopper. “Dude, Master Chaos gave even Omega Man trouble back in the day. Even Incantation has never beaten a villain on his level before. You should be proud of yourself.”
“Well, I guess you have a point,” I said. “So how are we going to get to Hero Island?”
Hopper thrust a thumb over his shoulder at the portal behind him. “We can get there using my portal. Follow me.”
Hopper turned and walked into the portal. I looked around one last time, just to make sure that no one was watching, and then walked into the portal after Hopper.
Having never walked through a portal before, I expected to find myself walking through some weird, technicolor void of despair that would make me think I'd gone on a trip.
Instead, it was actually like walking through a normal doorway. I simply stepped through the portal and found myself standing inside the hallway of what looked like a futuristic spaceship. There was no real transition between Texas and New York at all; in fact, the change in scenery was so abrupt that I thought that maybe I was hallucinating before I heard the portal close behind me with a tiny pop.
“Here we are,” said Hopper, spreading his arms to indicate our surroundings. “Welcome to the House, the base and headquarters of the Young Neos, located on Hero Island, New York.”
I looked around the hall. It was fairly large, like it was designed to allow large groups of people to walk around in. The walls, floor, and ceiling were covered with orange metal panels that were sparklingly clean, so clean that I felt dirty just looking at them, even though my suit was clean and I had taken a shower before leaving home. The hallway stretched out of sight, which gave the impression to me that the House was huge.
“Wow,” I said, looking around the hallway, impressed. “This looks like something straight out of a sci-fi movie or something.”
“It isn't just pretty,” said Hopper. He tapped the floor with his foot. “Made out of the strongest metal in the world. It can even withstand a nuclear blast.”
“Really?” I said in surprise. “Why is it so strong?”
Hopper looked at me like I had just asked a dumb question. “We're a bunch of hormonal teenagers with superpowers. You do the math.”
I nodded. “Right. So where is everyone else?”
“In the meeting room,” said Hopper. “Come on. I'll take you there.”
“Can't you just open a portal to take us there directly?” I said.
Hopper shook his head. “Nope. Incantation said I'm not supposed to use my portals in the meeting room. It's against House rules.”
“Why?” I said.
Hopper brushed back some of his dreads. “See, I can't just open my portals in a small, enclosed space like that. If I do, the portal has a habit of turning into a void that sucks people directly into it and drops them off in the most random—and hilarious—places imaginable.”
“Why?” I said. “Don't you have control over your powers?”
Hopper turned his hands into fists. “I do, but it's just a natural reaction. My portals work best in wide-open places, like that lot we were just in, or in larger enclosed areas like the hall. But turning it into a void can be useful in a fight. Just ask Seaweed.”
“Who?”
“Exactly,” said Hopper. “Anyway, come on. The others are waiting and they're all really impatient.”
Hopper immediately started walking down the hall. I followed him, but could not keep my eyes from wandering. I wondered what kind of security systems that the hall might have. I expected lasers or robots to come out of the walls and try to attack me, even though there was no reason for them to do that. This reminded me of Dad's inventions, but I quickly stopped thinking about that because I started feeling guilty whenever I thought about my parents, who didn't know I was here.
We soon came upon a set of doors that slid into the walls Star Trek style, which we walked through. When we passed through the open doorway, the doors closed behind us and I looked around at the room we had entered.
Hopper and I stood in a room that was somewhat open, but much less so than the hallway outside. Comfy sofas, chairs, and beanbags were scattered here and there, though most of them were set before the gigantic flat screen TV on the other end of the wall, which was currently off. I saw what looked like all of the newest video game consoles—plus dozens of controllers—underneath the TV, which meant that this was also their video game room. It was an awesome set up and I wondered if I'd get a chance to try it out while I was here.
In the center of the room was a large, round table that appeared to be made out of black marble. Four people sat around the table and looked like they had been in the middle of a discussion, but had stopped talking when we entered the room.
I recognized the first one right away: Incantation. She had ditched her robes, but still wore her cape, and she looked as beautiful as ever. She sat at the head of the table, in between the other three, probably because she was the leader.
To her right sat a bald guy who I could see through—Literally. He was totally transparent; in fact, he was so transparent that I wondered how he had not just fallen through the floor already. Maybe he was really floating and only appeared to be sitting.
And to Incantation's left was a girl who had a mechanical right arm. She was taller than Incantation and looked very much like an athlete. She wasn't nearly as pretty as Incantation, but she was good-looking, I thought, and she could probably handle herself pretty well in a fight, though I couldn't guess what her powers were.
Then there was the fourth and final person, another girl. She seemed to be slightly younger than the others—maybe fifteen –and wore an ordinary pink tank top and jeans. Her hair was a weird green color; at least, if you could call the thing on her head 'hair,' because it was shaved so low that she looked nearly as bald as the transparent guy.
The girl seemed fearful, because she had her hands folded over her lap and was leaning slightly away from the others. While the others lo
oked at me without any shyness, the girl seemed to shrink back when she saw me. I didn't know why, nor did I know what her powers were. She didn't even wear a super suit, which made me wonder if she was even a member of the team or not.
“Hi, Bolt,” said Incantation, waving at me. “I'm glad you decided to join us. Why don't you sit down on one of the free seats and we can talk about your spot on the team?”
“Oh, I'm not ready to join the team just yet,” I said as Hopper and I walked over to the table. Hopper took a seat next to the transparent guy, while I sat down on the end of the table directly opposite Incantation. “I just came to meet the team and see what the House is like.”
A brief look of annoyance crossed Incantation's features, but then she said, “Oh, that's fine. I understand. Joining the Young Neos, after all, is a big commitment. And I'm sure that by the end of the day, you'll be more than eager to join us.”
I nodded, but then noticed the strange girl looking at me. But when I glanced at her, she was looking away, although I thought I saw an angry scowl slowly crossing her features. Maybe I reminded her of someone she knew or maybe her annoyance had nothing to do with me.
“Anyway, let me introduce you to the team,” said Incantation. “You already know who Hopper and I are, of course. I'm the leader, while Hopper is my deputy. Just so you are clear on the hierarchy here.”
I nodded again and noticed the weird-looking girl make an ugly face when Incantation mentioned the word 'hierarchy.' Maybe the girl was just jealous that she wasn't the leader.
“This is Ghost,” said Incantation, pointing at the transparent guy. “He has the ability to turn transparent and intangible. He can even float.”
“Just like a ghost,” said the transparent guy, who sounded laid back and relaxed. He smiled. “Nice to meet you, Bolt. I saw your fight with Steel Skin at the Plutarch rally. Really cool, even if Plutarch is a jerk.”
“Thanks,” I said.
Then Incantation pointed at the athletic girl sitting next to her. “This is Technical. She's our resident mechanic and tech genius and also our best athlete.”
“Hello,” said Technical, waving at me. “I hope you enjoy the House. We have race tracks, weight rooms, and other places where you can work out, if that's what you're into, plus a workshop for working on technology. We also have a general Training Room, too, for practicing your superpowers.”
“Sounds like I know where I'm going first after this meeting,” I said.
Technical nodded and then leaned forward and looked at me eagerly. “By the way, your dad is Genius, right?”
“Um, yes,” I said. “Why?”
Technical seemed to be trying to restrain herself. “Can I … do you think you can introduce me to him? I've studied his inventions and discoveries and they are amazing. Even the stuff he made when he was a kid is revolutionary. I could learn so much from him. Please?”
I didn't want to tell her that Dad didn't even know I was here, but she looked so cute that I found it impossible to say no. So I said, “Yeah, sure, I can do that, but maybe some other time. I'm sure my dad would be happy to meet a fan.”
Technical practically squeed when I said that. “Thank you, thank you! I can't wait.”
It was hard not to feel excited with her, but I also felt really strange, because I hadn't known that Dad had fan girls. It made sense, of course, because Dad was a popular superhero in his day, but I wondered what Mom would say if she knew about this.
It looked like Incantation had introduced me to pretty much everyone except for the mystery girl, but I was in a good mood due to how nice they all were, so I looked at her and said, “All right, what's your name, then? What kind of powers do you have?”
My tone was friendly and light, but then she gasped and immediately started sobbing into her hands. Technical draped an arm over the girl's shoulder immediately, while the other Young Neos glared at me like I had just said the most offensive thing in the universe.
“There, there, Sarah, it will be all right,” said Technical, her tone soothing. “That insensitive jerk won't hurt you. It will be all right.”
“Huh?” I said, looking around, feeling embarrassment creep up my neck even though I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be embarrassed about. “What? What did I say? I just wanted to know her name.”
“Bolt,” said Ghost. He sounded serious now, not nearly as relaxed or laid back as I initially pegged him. “You asked Sarah what her powers are. That's extremely insensitive.” He looked at Incantation. “And you want this jerk on the team?”
“Hey, I didn't know he was a jerk,” said Incantation. Then she glared at me. “Then again, when I saw how buddy buddy Plutarch treated him, maybe I should have realized just what kind of person he really is.”
I was so confused right now. I didn't think I'd done anything wrong, but everyone was looking at me like I had just kicked a puppy. I thought about getting up and leaving, but since I didn't want to get lost in the House, I just sat there, wondering if maybe everyone in here was on some kind of drug or something.
“Hey, uh,” I said, scratching the back of my head again, “er, I'm not sure what I did wrong.”
“Yes, you are!” the girl wailed at me before going back to sobbing. “And it doesn't even matter, because your words are hurtful anyway!”
“No, I genuinely do not understand what I did wrong,” I said. I looked at the others for help. “Can anybody help me? Incantation?”
Incantation looked like she was about to order me to leave the room, but then she sighed and said, “Okay. While I normally am not one to forgive such obvious and flagrant insensitivity to our teammates, I can let it pass just this once, seeing as you are new and obviously don't know about Sarah.”
“What, does Sarah have some sort of problem or—”
I didn't get to finish the sentence because Hopper suddenly was next to me. He grabbed me by the throat with surprising strength, glaring at me through the slits in his mask.
“Don't say Sarah has a 'problem,' you jerk,” said Hopper. He no longer seemed as friendly as he had before; now he seemed like the devil himself. “Remember what I said about creating voids.”
Okay, I wasn't going to put up with this. I grabbed Hopper's arm and ripped it off my throat, causing Hopper to stagger backwards. I was going to stand up and fight him when Incantation said, “Bolt, Hopper! Sit down, both of you. If you fight, you'll just upset Sarah even more.”
I looked at Sarah. She wasn't sobbing quite as hard anymore and actually seemed to have calmed down a little, but she still wouldn't look at me. It was like she was afraid that if she looked at me she'd catch some sort of terrible disease.
I was still angry, angry enough to take on the entire team, but I knew I'd get into trouble with the NHA—and, more importantly, my parents—if I did that. So I stayed where I was, seething in anger, while Hopper returned to his seat next to Ghost.
“Now,” said Incantation, who was still looking at me like I was garbage, “let's have a nice talk about our final—though by no means least important—team member, Sarah Jane Watson.”
I glanced at Sarah, who was sniffling now. Technical kept her arm draped around Sarah's shoulder, like she was going to protect her from me, even though I had no desire whatsoever to even touch her.
“So …” I thought very carefully about how I should phrase this question, because I wasn't interested in being torn apart by the hyenas again. “Does she have a superhero name?”
Sarah looked like she was about to cry again, but Technical said something soothing to her in a low voice. Sarah relaxed slightly.
“No,” said Incantation. “In fact, Sarah doesn't have any powers whatsoever.”
I raised an eyebrow. “No powers at all? Then what's she doing on a team for young neoheroes?”
“Are you saying she doesn't deserve to be on this team any more than you do?” said Ghost, leaning forward and glaring at me. “Huh? Is that what you're saying? That you're better than her? Huh?”
“What Ghost was trying to say is that we are an inclusive team,” said Incantation, looking at me again. “We don't discriminate. Our motto is that you don't need powers to be a hero.”
“Well, I guess it's true that you can be a hero without powers,” I said. “Police cops and firefighters and soldiers and even ordinary people prove that all the time. But this is a team for young, up-and-coming neoheroes. I'd think that the bare minimum requirement for team membership would be, well, that you have a power of some sort, even if it isn't the fanciest or coolest power in the world.”
Technical giggled. “But Sarah is a neohero. She identifies as one, after all. And we respect the rights of people to identify however they wish. That's what being a neohero is all about.”
“What?” I said. “No, that's not. While no one knows the exact cause of neohero powers, we know they are biological. You can't just call yourself a neohero and somehow become one just through sheer thought alone.”
Incantation rolled her eyes. “Oh, so you believe in that old theory, do you? Get with the times. Super powers are a social construct, no more objectively real than the laws of the land.”
“As long as you feel like a neohero, then you are one, no matter what the rest of the world says,” said Hopper, putting one hand on his chest. He glared at me again. “Now apologize to Sarah.”
“Why?” I said. “I haven't done anything wrong. I'm just stating facts.”
“No, you aren't,” said Technical. She scowled at me. “You're just trying to force your own reality on the rest of us.”
“What?” I said. “I'm not trying to force my—”
“If you don't apologize to Sarah, we'll send you home and never speak to you again,” said Incantation.
“That doesn't sound so bad now,” I said. I shook my head. “You're all crazy.”
“So you want to be put on the NHA's ban list, then,” said Incantation.