Team Up

by Lucas Flint

  The black woman who walked beside Rubberman was short and stout. She seemed to be middle-aged, with a few gray hairs indicating she was older than she looked, and wore a blue pantsuit that instantly identified her as a businesswoman. She walked with a swagger that seemed a bit exaggerated to Bolt like she was intentionally putting on a confident posture. A smartphone stuck out of her suit pocket, which looked rather expensive.

  The third man was a ninja. Literally. He was a tall, strong-looking Asian man wearing completely black clothing. His eyes, which were a bright blue, shone out from behind his mask, and though he appeared unarmed and likely didn’t have any superpowers, Bolt had a feeling that this ninja guy was a bigger threat than even Rubberman.

  “Ah, you’re both awake already?” said Rubberman in surprise as he, the businesswoman, and the ninja stopped in front of the glass cages. “You’re hardier than you look.”

  “But they cannot escape, right, Dennis?” said the businesswoman. Her tone was as cold as ice.

  Rubberman flinched when she spoke. “Ah, yes, of course, Miss Munroe. The glass used to make these cages is hyper impact glass, a special type of glass that can handle even a nuke being thrown at it. I had these designed back when I first started my superhero career so I would have a place to keep supervillains or unusually powerful criminals who would break out of ordinary prison too easily.”

  Bolt rushed up to the front of his cage and slammed his fists against it. “You liar. You said you were going to take us to that factory where the dimensional portal was, but you lied.”

  The businesswoman raised an eyebrow and glanced at Rubberman.

  Rubberman shrugged. “They say they’re from another universe, but frankly I think they’re just crazy.”

  The businesswoman did not stop frowning. She looked at Bolt and Shade and said, “Dennis, you certainly run into some very … interesting people, to say the least.”

  “Let us go,” said Bolt. “The multiverse itself depends on us getting out of here. Let us out now, or else.”

  The ninja reached into his pocket, but the businesswoman held up a hand and said, “Takeshi, hold your ground. The boy won’t be able to break the glass. Let him make all the threats he wants. He’s not in any position to carry them out, nor will he ever be.”

  Takeshi pulled his hand out of his pocket, but he kept his eyes locked on Bolt anyway as the businesswoman stepped forward until she stood in front of Bolt. There was perhaps just a couple inches of glass between Bolt and the businesswoman, but Bolt couldn’t grab her. He just glared down at the short lady, who smirked up at him as if he was a tiger in a zoo for her amusement.

  “Rubberman tells me you call yourself Bolt,” said the businesswoman. “Is it short for Lightning Bolt?”

  Bolt shook his head. “No. I just got it from a candy bar.”

  The businesswoman blinked. “Well … in addition to operating as a superhero illegally, you’re also infringing on the trademark of some poor candy company somewhere. Clearly, you know nothing about business.”

  “Well, why don’t you tell me your name, lady?” said Bolt. “Awful rude of you to just step up and start accusing me of stuff I didn’t do.”

  “My name is Sasha Munroe,” said the businesswoman. “I’m the CEO of Munroe Acquisitions, Inc., which is the largest and most successful superhero acquisitions agency in the world. I’m Rubberman’s boss.”

  That explained why Rubberman seemed so tense around her. He was afraid of angering her, though Bolt didn’t see what was so scary about such a small woman. She may have been the head of a large corporation, but in Bolt’s eyes, she was just an ordinary middle-aged woman who clearly thought too much of herself.

  “Well, Sasha,” said Bolt, folding his arms across his chest, “what are you doing here? I can’t imagine that Shade and I are important enough for you to take time off from your obviously important job as the CEO of such a massive corporation. Did you just come to taunt us?”

  Sasha smiled. “I didn’t come to taunt either of you. Instead, I came to offer you a deal.”

  Bolt frowned. “A deal? What are you talking about?”

  “Then let me elaborate,” said Sasha. She gestured at Rubberman behind you. “When Rubberman told me about the two empowered humans he captured, I was instantly intrigued by his descriptions of your powers and costumes. Munroe Acquisitions is always looking for new superheroes to add to our ever expanding empire, so I’d like to offer you and your girlfriend a chance to work for us.”

  “She’s not my girlfriend,” said Bolt. His eyes narrowed. “Furthermore, I thought we were operating illegally as superheroes. Do you want to employ illegal superheroes in your business and risk getting into trouble with the government of your world?”

  “Details like that can be handled very easily,” said Sasha. “I have a lot of friends in the government who would be more than happy to ‘discover’ that you two were approved for superhero licenses within the last few years. The government doesn’t even know Rubberman has arrested either of you two yet. He wanted to report you two to the government, but I told him to take you both down here so I could talk with you first.”

  “Meaning you had one of your employees break the law just so you can make a quick buck,” said Bolt. “Am I understanding you right?”

  Sasha’s smile never wavered. “I remember when I was your age and I had such strong feelings of justice, too. I was a self-righteous little girl until I learned the power that money can give you. Trust me, if you accept my offer, no one in the government will ever be aware of any ‘lawbreaking’ on my part. Or your part, for that matter.”

  “And if we refuse?” said Bolt.

  “Then I will have Rubberman take you to the police,” said Sasha. “Operating as a superhero without a license is considered a grave offense, both in federal law and Texas state law. I imagine you two will get, at a minimum, a life sentence in the harshest prison in the state. You might even get a death sentence, though that would be more likely if you had actually killed someone.”

  Bolt stiffened. He could tell that Sasha was serious about everything she just said. Now he was starting to understand why Rubberman feared her so. She may have been a short and frumpy-looking middle-aged woman who wouldn’t look out of place teaching in a church Sunday school class, but it was obviously just a ruse to hide a far more ruthless and cruel businesswoman who was willing to go to any lengths to get what she wanted.

  Sasha folded her hands in front of her waist. “So, what will your decision be? If you go to work for me, you will be paid quite handsomely. You won’t see even one cent of the profits from the various licensing deals I’ll make off your brand, of course, but I’ll pay you and your girlfriend a handsome yearly salary that would make even top NFL stars jealous. Right, Rubberman?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” said Rubberman quickly. “You pay me very well, much more than I deserve, and I am eternally grateful for every penny you give to me.”

  Bolt’s stomach churned at Rubberman’s supplication. Was this how the Rubberman in Beams’ universe acted? Or had this universe’s Rubberman been beaten down so much that he was left as a squirming worm who constantly praised Sasha in fear of what she could do to him?

  Rubberman might be well paid, but he doesn’t have freedom, Bolt thought. Not true freedom, at any rate.

  “Well?” said Sasha. “I have all night, given how I explicitly told my secretary to cancel tonight’s engagements or reschedule them for another time. Still, one of the lessons that my father, who owned the business before me, taught me was that you should never waste time. Give me your answer.”

  Bolt’s hands shook. He wanted to sock Sasha’s smirking face, but the hyper impact glass meant all he could do was think about it. He looked over at Shade, who was glaring at Sasha as well, though Sasha, of course, didn’t seem even remotely bothered by how two powerful superhumans were glaring at her.

  Not like she has any reason to be afraid, given the kind of protection she has, Bolt thought. Re
minds me of John Mann, except without a weird fixation on Venetian masks.

  “No answer?” said Sasha, tilting her head to the side.

  Bolt glared at Sasha straight in the eyes and said, “Sorry, but I’m going to have to say no. Real superheroes don’t work for corporations that care more about profit than saving peoples’ lives. Where I’m from, superheroes protect people because it’s the right thing to do. So you can take your salary and your offer to bribe the government and shove it.”

  For a moment, a look of absolute hatred and rage spread across Sasha’s features. In that instant, her false mask of politeness and cool professionalism peeled away, revealing a raging monster that was never denied what it wanted.

  But then the mask was back on and Sasha stepped back. “Very well, Bolt. I didn’t think you would be feeling very amenable tonight anyway.” She looked over her shoulder. “Rubberman, activate the gas.”

  Rubberman started. “The gas? But you said we were going to hand them over to the government.”

  “Change of plans,” said Sasha. She glanced at them. “I don’t want either of them living long enough to spill the beans about the offer I made to them. Kill them and then dispose of the bodies. Given how they claim they aren’t even from this universe, I sincerely doubt anyone will even notice they’re gone.”

  Rubberman bit his lower lip, but then extended a hand over toward the touch screen control panel Bolt had noticed earlier. He tapped the screen a couple of times before retracting his arm.

  A second later, Bolt heard something shift behind him and looked over his shoulder to see a vent had opened up in the ceiling in the back of his cell. A sickly purple gas began pouring forth from the vent. A similar vent had opened in Shade’s cell, forcing her back against the clear wall of her own cell, staring at the gas as more and more of it poured out.

  “Sasha, what is this?” said Bolt, glancing over his shoulder at her. “Poison gas?”

  “Bingo,” said Sasha. Her smirk became cruel and twisted. “I wouldn’t worry about the pain if I were you. As soon as you inhale that gas, you will die instantly.”

  “You’re mad,” said Bolt.

  “I’m not mad,” said Sasha, shaking her head. “Simply pragmatic. If I can’t have you … then no one else can, either.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  “You’re going to assassinate Sagan?” said Hypno in surprise. “Today?”

  “Today,” Genius said, nodding. “We still have a few hours to get ready, but everything is in place. The only problem was Lauren getting captured by that soldier, but luckily we managed to save her before she could be taken away to the reeducation camps.”

  “If Sagan is as bad a tyrant as you say he is, then I guess I can’t complain,” said Beams. “But I’m still interested in hearing the exact details of your plan, because assassinating the head of a state is always a big deal, no matter what the reasons for it are.”

  “It’s simple,” said Genius. “A new statue dedicated to President Sagan is going to open in Times Square later today. Sagan himself will be present for the unveiling of the statue, as well as his Vice President, Wilma O’Brian. Sagan rarely makes public appearances anymore due to health reasons, preferring to interact with the people through livestreaming on the Internet, so this is our best shot to take him out.”

  “This plan has been in the making for years,” said Switch, rubbing her hands together eagerly. “Sagan thinks it’s going to be another normal day. Can’t wait to see the expression on his ugly little face once he realizes he’s going to die. Are you excited for it, Lauren?”

  Lauren nodded, though Beams noticed that the palms of her hands were sweaty. “Yeah, I am, but I’m also a little nervous. So many things could go wrong. You know how Sagan doesn’t go anywhere without his bodyguards.”

  “We already have that figured out,” said Genius. “Triplet and I came up with this plan together. We’ve considered every possible angle and have a lot of backups just in case things go south. With luck, Sagan will be dead before dinnertime today.”

  “Mind sharing your plan with us?” said Hypno. “How does Lauren, for example, fit into it?”

  “Allow me to summarize it,” said Genius. He gestured at Lauren. “Lauren here will go to the celebration pretending to be an ordinary teenage girl who is a big Sagan fan. She will get close enough to him to shake hands with him. As soon as she does, she’ll use her powers and disintegrate his whole body before anyone can act.”

  “Quick, easy, and painless,” said Switch. “Which is better than the old jerk deserves, but hey, as long as he dies, it doesn’t really matter how he goes, eh?”

  “If I recall correctly, Sagan himself was a superhuman with telepathy as his power,” said Hypno. “How do you intend to get Lauren close enough without him reading her mind and finding out what she is trying to do?”

  “I designed a telepathy-blocking device for exactly this reason,” said Genius. “See that hearing aid-like device in her right ear? That’s actually a telepathy-blocker. Anyone who wears it becomes immune to telepathy. Even the most powerful telepath will be unable to pierce her mind.”

  “Won’t Sagan notice if he can’t read her mind, though?” said Beams, leaning back in the sofa. “Seems like that would make her stand out just as much as her thoughts would.”

  “That’s where the device gets interesting,” said Genius. “Not only does it block Lauren’s thoughts from being read, but it also comes up with fake thoughts to trick the telepath into believing they’re reading Lauren’s mind. When Sagan tries to read Lauren’s mind, all he’ll find is the nervous thoughts of a Sagan fan girl eager to meet her hero for the first time.”

  “Wow,” said Beams. “That’s way more advanced than anything we have in my universe.”

  Genius shrugged. “There’s a reason I’m called ‘Genius’ and it isn’t because I have a huge ego. It’s my superpower. I can design and build almost anything my imagination can come up with. No matter how complicated, crazy, or strange it may be, if I can see it in my head, I can build it in real life.”

  “That’s a handy power,” said Beams. “So your plan to kill Sagan is to have Lauren go up to him and shake his hand?”

  “Yep,” said Lauren, nodding. She raised her hand. “With a single touch, I can kill him in one blow.”

  “Then Switch and I will cause chaos so she can escape unharmed,” said Bait. “Once Sagan dies, all hell will inevitably break loose, so we’re going to make sure to make it work in our favor so we can all get out alive.”

  “What about after that?” said Hypno. “Will that really be enough to turn around the country? If Sagan dies—”

  “Obviously not,” Genius interrupted. “Returning America to its original greatness will take much more than just killing Sagan. But killing Sagan is a key part of the plan to take back the country. Sagan rules primarily through fear and intimidation. Without him in charge, I suspect we’ll see the various groups under his leadership begin fighting each other for the position he’s left, which will create an opening that the Dissidents will be able to exploit.”

  “What about his VP?” said Beams. “Wilma O’Brian, I think you said her name was? If she’s Sagan’s VP, won’t she become President after his death?”

  “The normal rules of presidential succession don’t apply anymore,” said Genius. He tapped the side of his head. “Remember, Sagan has abolished the Constitution, as well as the federal government in general. Like many dictators, he has not adequately set up a succession plan in the event of his death. O’Brian completely lacks Sagan’s ability to control and manipulate his government. Besides, she’s even less popular than Sagan due to her haughty, elitist attitude. We’ll take her out too if we can, but even if she survives, she’ll just be one of many, many people fighting for Sagan’s old position.”

  “I’d love to sock her in the face, though,” said Switch, rubbing her hands together eagerly. “That old witch pisses me off even more than Sagan. She’ll have it coming.”<
br />
  Beams stroked his chin, thinking deeply about this. “This sounds very risky, all of it.”

  “Of course,” said Lauren. “But we have to do it. You don’t understand how bad Sagan is. He’s a monster. I wouldn’t even call him human. Assassinating him is what we need to do if we’re going to save the country.”

  “Lauren is right,” said Genius. “I would prefer to solve our problems a different way, but killing Sagan is our only option at this point. Will you help us?”

  Beams folded his arms across his chest. “Why should we help you?”

  “Because we can always use more help,” said Genius. “Although Triplet and I have hashed out the details of this plan to the best of our ability, I can still insert the two of you into the plan fairly easily. In particular, I am thinking that Hypno’s ability to influence people could make several parts of the plan easier than I thought.”

  Beams glanced at Hypno. “What do you think, Hypno? Do you want to help them?”

  “Sure,” said Hypno easily. “This may not be my universe, but it is still a variation of it. Part of my duty as a G-Man agent is to protect the people of the United States from threats both foreign and domestic. I’m not thrilled to be working with the guy who killed me in this universe, but I never liked Sagan even in my universe, so I have no qualms with helping take him down.”

  “But …” Beams voice trailed off as he tried to figure out what to say. He looked at Genius again. “I’m not sure I want to help. I hate dictators as much as the next guy, but Hypno and I aren’t from this universe. We have a threat of our own to deal with, one that is much bigger than just a corrupt dictator. What we really need, more than anything, is to find a way out of this universe, a dimensional portal of some sort to let us go back home.”

  Genius nodded. “I know nothing about this threat you speak of, but I understand your desire to stop it nonetheless. Still, I think you should help us. You won’t even need to wait long, because we’re going to start the plan in a few hours.”