The Superhero's Return

by Lucas Flint

  Finally, the Neo-Killer stopped punching me and shoved me to the floor. I hit the floor hard and gasped for breath, but then the Neo-Killer grabbed my hair and sat me upright. Dazed and bleeding, I looked into the Neo-Killer’s expressionless faceplate, which reflected my own bloody and bruised face. Drops of my own blood stained his helmet, which he didn’t even try to wipe off.

  “Do you feel it, kid?” said the Neo-Killer in a dangerously low voice. “Tell me, do you feel it? That raw emotion that normal humans—with hopes and dreams and families and friends—feel whenever one of your kind shows up and begins tearing city streets apart?”

  “Feel … feel what?” I said. My voice was slightly slurred. It felt like he had broken at least a few of my teeth. “Fear?”

  The Neo-Killer shook his head. “Oh, no. Fear is too good for you. Fear can make a person fight. No, I want to know if you feel despair. Hopelessness. And I hope you feel it good and hard. Because this is how every ordinary human feels when they see you when they fight your kind. The despair your kind brings wherever you go, the hopelessness inspired by the knowledge that their city and community will spend years recovering from a fight you are involved in, that they will never see some of their friends and family ever again. Do you know that hopelessness, kid? Have you ever felt it yourself?”

  I gulped. “N-No. I haven’t.”

  “Then get ready, kid,” said the Neo-Killer. He raised his knife above his head. “Because you are about to fill it very soon.”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  The Neo-Killer brought his knife down on my head. I closed my eyes so I wouldn’t have to see my own head get split open, but I did not feel his knife cleave through my skull. Instead, his knife tore through my chest, causing my eyes to fly open as I cried out in pain.

  The Neo-Killer suddenly let go of my hair and kicked me—hard—in the chest, right where he stabbed me. I cried out in pain again and fell over onto my side, wheezing and coughing as I clutched my bleeding chest and torn costume. Consciousness was slipping between my fingers and I knew it was only a matter of time before I lost consciousness … and perhaps never woke up again.

  Then the Neo-Killer stepped back, twirling his now-bloody knife by his side. Suddenly, he wiped the blade off with a rag he pulled out of his pocket and sheathed it silently by his side.

  “I’m not going to kill you today, kid,” said the Neo-Killer. “Not yet.”

  My eyes widened. “But … but why …”

  “Because you haven’t known true despair just yet,” said the Neo-Killer. Hatred flowed through every word and he even shook where he stood. “You haven’t felt true hopelessness yet. You will, but right now you don’t. I don’t want to kill you until you finally understand just how powerless you truly are. And I am not referring to being sprayed with powerless gas, either, kid, but a different kind of powerlessness that can’t be fixed by waiting a couple of hours.”

  “What …” I coughed up blood. My head felt very light all of a sudden. “What you talking … talking about …”

  Though I couldn’t see the Neo-Killer’s face, I thought he must have been smirking behind that faceless mask of his. “You’ll see, kid. You’ll see very soon. And not just you. The whole world will see, see you and your kind for what you really are: Genetic monstrosities which must be eliminated from the gene pool for the good of humanity. Only then will humans be able to progress in peace and prosperity.”

  Then the Neo-Killer waved at me mockingly. “See you later, kid. Perhaps I’ll send you some roses in the hospital. The red would match your costume.”

  Without hesitation, the Neo-Killer pulled a teleportation disk out of his pocket and slammed it against his chest. He then disappeared into thin air right before my eyes.

  I would have gotten up to try to chase him, despite not knowing where he teleported me, but at that moment darkness spread over my eyes and I knew no more.

  -

  My head hurt. My nose hurt. My chest hurt. Everything hurt.

  That was how I knew I wasn’t dead. If I was dead, I wouldn’t be able to feel any of this. Well, I guess I can’t know that for sure, because I’ve never died before. I did know a guy with the power to come back from death, however, so perhaps I should ask him what dying felt like. He would probably know.

  Still, despite the pain, I forced myself to open my eyes. I was briefly blinded by a bright, white light overhead, which was so bright and so white that I thought I was dead after all. But then my eyes adjusted to the change in brightness and I could see my surroundings.

  I was lying on a soft, comfortable bed in what looked like a hospital room. It was very quiet. Aside from the beeping of a nearby machine, I couldn’t hear anything. I searched for a clock to tell the time, but there didn’t seem to be one in my room. The room smelled faintly of roses, which made me feel uncomfortable and unsafe for some reason, but I wasn’t sure why.

  “What happened?” I muttered. “Where am I?”

  I felt my chest. A thick bandage had been wrapped tightly around my torso, which limited my movement somewhat. In the back of my mind, I wondered why I had been bandaged so tightly. I tried to sit up, but even that simple movement proved impossible to do, so I just lay back down, feeling like I wanted to go back to sleep, but I couldn’t.

  “Good morning, Bolt,” said Valerie in my ears all of a sudden. “My sensors noticed an increase in your vital signs, which is often correlated with consciousness.”

  I blinked. “What?”

  “That’s just another way of saying I noticed you are awake,” said Valerie. “May I ask how you feel?”

  I blinked again. “Tired. And in pain, but the pain could be worse, honestly.”

  “I see,” said Valerie. “Yes, you were in rather rough shape when the doctors began work on you. I could tell that a few weren’t even sure you would survive, but it’s clear that you exceeded expectations, as usual.”

  My eyes widened. “How badly was I wounded that even the doctors didn’t think I would survive?”

  “Very bad,” said Valerie. “Not the worst you’ve ever been in, to be frank, but it was the worst you’ve been in for a while. The Neo-Killer certainly didn’t handle you with kid’s gloves.”

  As soon as Valerie mentioned the Neo-Killer, memories began rushing back into my head. I clutched my head and moaned. “Ugh. Now I remember. The Neo-Killer knows how to throw a punch, I’ll put it that way.”

  “I’m sorry I was unable to help you,” said Valerie. “For some reason, I was unable to connect to your earcoms in the G-Mens’ Showdown office. It appeared that I was being blocked by some kind of signal jamming device.”

  I nodded. “You were. The Neo-Killer blocked all communications inside and outside of the building to make sure no one could get in touch with me. He wanted to fight me on his own … and he succeeded.”

  “Ah,” said Valerie. “I assume it’s yet another device he stole from Vault B?”

  “Probably,” I said. “I don’t remember if he said so or not. All I remember is that he sprayed me with powerless gas and beat me down.”

  “Why didn’t he kill you?” said Valerie in confusion. “We know you are his next target. We also know that he has never hesitated to kill before. And we know for a fact that he tried to kill you back in the bakery. What caused him to hold back this time?”

  I gulped. I wasn’t sure I was ready to tell Valerie about what the Neo-Killer told me. I could remember every word he said quite clearly, but just thinking about his words made my heart feel tight and anxious. I couldn’t recall the last time I felt this way about an enemy, much less a powerless enemy who relied on his gadgets and physical skills to fight. Maybe I wasn’t so invincible after all.

  Luckily, I didn’t have to say anything to Valerie, because at that moment the door to the room opened and Brains stepped inside. He looked even more tired and exhausted than me, with dark bags under his eyes and his shoulders slumped. He smiled, however, when he saw me awake and said, “Bolt, how are yo
u doing? I came to see if you had awakened yet.”

  I groaned. “Not too good, honestly. I don’t hurt as much as I did when I fought the Neo-Killer, but—”

  “So it was the Neo-Killer,” said Brains. He nodded. “Good to know. We suspected as much, but we weren’t one hundred percent sure.”

  “How long have I been out?” I said. I rubbed the back of my neck. “A few hours?”

  “A full day,” Brains replied. He closed the door and walked over to my bed, where he pulled up a stool and sat down heavily. “When the first responders found you, you were in pretty poor shape. It took the doctors a long time to fix you up and they weren’t sure when you were going to wake up.”

  “Valerie told me as much,” I said. “But a whole day … dang. I didn’t know I had been beaten that hard.”

  “I think it was the anesthesia,” said Brains. He yawned. “They put you under so you wouldn’t wake up during surgery. Don’t worry about medical costs, by the way. As a full-time NHA member, you have access to the full health benefits we provide all members. In other words, we’re covering the cost of your surgery.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “That takes a load off my mind. But why do you seem so tired? Were you up all night?”

  Brains nodded. “Yes. I spent the night in the hospital to keep an eye on Vanish.”

  “Vanish?” I said in alarm. “What happened to her?”

  “The powerless gas the Neo-Killer filled the office with was laced with poison,” said Brains. He rubbed his forehead. “If the first responders hadn’t gotten there when they did, she and Blizzard and those office workers might have—”

  “Blizzard?” I said. “She’s dying, too?”

  “Not dying,” said Brains, holding up his hands. “But she was poisoned, like Vanish, and they’re both resting now. The doctors have been trying to treat their poison, but they haven’t had much luck so far. The poison the Neo-Killer used is different from what the doctors are used to seeing, especially when combined with powerless gas, though I think they are going to be okay.”

  I sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed. “I need to see Blizzard. I need to find her. Where is her room?”

  Brains suddenly grabbed my shoulders, causing me to look at him. He wore a serious expression. “Don’t overexert yourself, Bolt. Blizzard is going to be fine. She has some of the best medical care money can buy. You just worry about yourself and your issues.”

  I brushed off Brains’ hands and stood up. “Sorry, Brains, but I need to see Blizzard. I need to make sure she’s okay. I need—”

  Suddenly, I felt dizzy and tired. I sat back down on my bed and put my head in my hands. Even though I just woke up from a full day’s rest, it was becoming harder and harder for me to keep my eyes open.

  “What … what is happening to me?” I said with a yawn. “Why am I so sleepy all of a sudden?”

  “That would be me,” said Brains. I looked over my shoulder at him and saw that he was still sitting on the stool next to my bed, a concerned expression on his face. He tapped the side of his head with one finger. “Part of being a telepath means I can access the part of a person’s brain that makes them feel sleepy. If you tried to take even one step forward, you would have fallen asleep entirely and fallen flat on your face.”

  I yawned and lay down. “You’re a jerk, you know that?”

  “Maybe, but like I said, you need to worry about yourself right now,” said Brains. “I know how much you care about Blizzard—trust me, I feel the same way about Vanish—but you can’t always jump up and save the day. You might be a superhero, but even superheroes need to rest and recover from their wounds and injuries.”

  “But—”

  “You’re not invincible,” Brains continued. “I know you might think you are, partly because you’re young, but also because you really are strong. But everyone has their limits and I think you just hit yours.”

  I sighed and rubbed my forehead. I decided it wasn’t worth arguing with Brains over this, especially because I was feeling the same way. “You’re right. Where am I, anyway?”

  “St. Francisco’s Medical Hospital in downtown Showdown,” said Brains. “It was the nearest hospital, so the ambulance took you here. The doctors performed some surgery on your chest and fixed up your other wounds. Blizzard and Vanish are also here, though they’re in different rooms.”

  “Doesn’t the Braindome have medical facilities?” I said, puzzled. “Why weren’t we taken there?”

  Brains shifted in his seat. “Like I said, St. Francisco’s was closer and all of you were hurt too badly to risk taking all the way back to the Braindome. They were especially worried about the people who inhaled the poisonous powerless gas, some of whom weren’t even breathing.”

  “Did anyone die?” I said in alarm.

  “Not yet,” said Brains, shaking his head. “They think some of the G-Men agents might not make it, though. Well, I was wrong. Someone did die … and it was Phobia.”

  “Phobia?” I repeated. A sinking feeling landed in my stomach. “You mean the guy assigned to the Neo-Killer case?”

  Brains nodded. “Yep. His corpse was found in his office. His throat was slit. That was how we knew the Neo-Killer was behind this because he’s the only one who would even try something like this, though the use of powerless gas was another tipoff. Oh, and there was this.”

  Brains pulled out of his phone and showed me a picture on it. I leaned forward slightly and saw that I was a picture of a note, once again written in blood, which read thus:

  SEE THIS, BOLT? THIS IS TOO GOOD FOR YOU. I WILL MAKE YOU SUFFER.

  There was no attribution, but it was obvious who had written it. I looked away as Brains put his phone back into his pocket.

  “That monster …” I said.

  “He’s crazy, all right,” said Brains with a sigh. “We found that note at the scene of the crime, written in Phobia’s blood. The only thing that doesn’t make sense, though, is why the Neo-Killer spared you but not Phobia.”

  “Didn’t you read the note?” I said. “He wants to make me suffer. He thinks that I’m all that’s wrong with supers in the world. He told me to my face that he wants to kill me, but first, he wants me to feel powerless and hopeless.”

  Brains raised an eyebrow. “Did he tell you anything more than that?”

  I shook my head. “No. And I still don’t know who he is or why he hates me in particular so much. He acts like I killed his mom, even though I’ve never met him before until a day or two ago.”

  Brains stroked his chin in thought. “Bigots, in general, tend to be crazy. It sounds to me like he’s become so consumed by his own hatred of superhumans that he can’t think rationally anymore. I imagine he’s penned all of his hate on you because you’re young and fairly famous, a symbol, perhaps, of superheroes to him. That’s rather strange because most crazy people like him tend to fixate on Omega Man instead, but I guess crazies come in all kinds of flavors.”

  “Whatever the case, we need to find him,” I said. “Did the police see where he went?”

  Brains shook his head. “No. By the time the officers and I showed up, the Neo-Killer was long gone. That means the search is on yet again.”

  I sighed deeply. “And now it will be harder because, without Phobia and his men looking for the Neo-Killer, we’ll have fewer people on hand to find him. And with nearly every superhero in Showdown out of commission, he can attack anytime he wants.”

  “I’ve already contacted the G-Men about Phobia,” said Brains. “I’m not sure if they will send a replacement or not. Knowing Cadmus, I doubt he will take this lying down. He will probably see it as a declaration of war and will do everything in his power to capture the Neo-Killer. But yes, our situation is quite grim.”

  “When will I get to leave the hospital?” I said. “The longer I stay here, the more likely it becomes that the Neo-Killer will attack again.”

  “Not if he wants to make you suffer,” Brains pointed out. “Based on wha
t you’ve told me, I doubt the Neo-Killer will try to attack you directly anytime soon, so you are probably safe here for now. Still, I’ll arrange to have you, Vanish, and Blizzard moved into the Braindome as soon as possible. Until then, just lay back and try to relax. St. Francisco’s staff is used to dealing with the kinds of injuries superheroes like us deal with. They’ve even dealt with supervillain attacks before, though that’s a story for another time.”

  I lay back in my pillow. I wanted to argue with Brains, but I knew at this point that it would be useless. He was correct that I needed to rest and also right that the Neo-Killer was probably going to leave me alone for a while, but that didn’t make lying in bed here any easier.

  Still, there was nothing much I could do about it at the moment except try to get some sleep and hope that I would be back in the Braindome as soon as possible. I also hoped that the doctors would be able to heal Blizzard and Vanish, especially Blizzard.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  I stayed in bed all day, not able to do much other than sit around and rest. I talked to my doctor—a nice middle-aged man with graying hair named Dr. Jonathan—who told me I was recovering much more quickly than he expected and that they might even release me tomorrow if I kept getting better. It was a nice thing to hope for, but unfortunately, I would still have to wait before I could go anywhere or do anything.

  Because I had nothing better to do, I had a lot more time to think than I normally did. I thought about the Neo-Killer, mostly, and how he had made it his life’s mission to ruin—and eventually take—my life. I didn’t like thinking about him, but my mind kept drifting back to him regardless of my efforts to forget about him.

  He was insane. Of that, there was no doubt. Whatever his beef with me was, he was clearly insane. That wasn’t that unusual, though. I had encountered lots of insane supervillains ever since I started my career. In fact, the very first supervillain I ever fought, Master Chaos, was the physical incarnation of insanity. I even teamed up with a bunch of insane villains to escape a prison once. I could work with insanity.