Powers

by Lucas Flint

  Zanni bit his lower lip, but Mann knew that Zanni would never attack him, even though Zanni overpowered him by a factor of one hundred at least. Mann had trained Zanni very well; indeed, he had trained all of the Venetians well, though some better than others. It helped that Mann never walked entirely unprotected; even when he seemed to be alone and unarmed, he had ways of defending himself from even the most powerful of superhumans. The ache in his back was a constant reminder of what happened the last time he employed a powerful superhuman without first employing the proper precautions and Mann was not the kind of person who made the same mistake twice.

  “But I am disappointed nonetheless,” said Mann. “Not only did the Young Neos interfere with my plans again, but we did not even get the Call. Tell me, do you know how much that sets me back?”

  “I know, but I couldn’t find Eli after he disappeared,” said Zanni. “He told me that he had been intending on selling it to other rich men, but—”

  “What a pathetic lie,” said Mann. “I know Eli. He would never sell something as important as the Call to some rich idiot with more money than sense. Even if he doesn’t understand the Call’s true purpose and significance, he knows it is important enough that he would never sell it to someone else.”

  “He tried to sell it to me, though,” said Zanni. “He knew where it would go if I bought it.”

  “Another ploy, obviously,” said Mann. “He wanted information about the Starborn, didn’t he?”

  “How did you know?” said Zanni. “Did one of your sources in Phoenix tell you that?”

  “Simple guessing on my part,” said Mann. “As I said, I know Eli and I know he wants to know more about the Starborn. He’s had a strong interest in them for years, but I don’t want him or anyone else knowing about them. But they will eventually; everyone will know about the Starborn soon enough.”

  “I see,” said Zanni. “What will we do next, master? Do you want me to hunt down Eli? Or possibly destroy the Young Neos? We know where they live. If I go to Hero Island now—”

  “No,” Mann interrupted. “Not now. The Neohero Alliance already knows about you now, as does the Independent Neoheroes for Justice and the G-Men. Attacking Hero Island now would be too risky, particularly if the NHA succeeds in capturing you. I might not be able to save you if that happened.”

  “Does that mean you are going to spare the Young Neos?” said Zanni. “You are just going to let them get away with interfering with our plans?”

  “My plans, Zanni, remember that,” said Mann, wagging a finger at him. “But just because I want to give the Young Neos a reprieve does not mean I don’t want to destroy them. I will simply target them when they least expect it.”

  “When they least expect it?” said Zanni. “Will I get to help there?”

  Mann shook his head. “No. I need someone to look for Eli again and I trust you to do it. I understand that you only failed this time due to the intervention of the Young Neos and the G-Men, but this time, once you find Eli, just kill him outright and take the Call. Don’t waste any time talking or negotiating with him. And kill anyone who tries to help him as well. Do you understand?”

  “Perfectly, my master,” said Zanni promptly. “It may take me a while to find him, but I will.”

  “You had better, because you know what happens to servants who fail me,” said Mann. He rubbed his aching back. “I believe that is all that we need to discuss. Start your search for Eli immediately. Once you find and kill him, bring his body to me.”

  “Yes, sir,” said Zanni.

  With that, Zanni vanished into thin air, leaving Mann standing alone in the small room. He stood for a second, thinking about his discussions with Zanni, and then walked over to the shelves at the back of the room. Each shelf contained a box containing a Starborn artifact of some kind; some of the boxes were big, the others small. There were about a dozen in all, although one of them—a small box, the smallest, but most important, of them all—was missing from its place and had been for sometime.

  Running his thin fingers over the dusty spot where the Call had once been, Mann sighed. My poor, simple grandson. You have no idea what you have done or what the Starborn will do once they get here and find out what we have done with their belongings. It will be sad, indeed, when Zanni kills you, but it will have to be done if humanity is to survive the coming purge.

  -

  BLIZZARD AND SHELL WILL RETURN IN ‘COUNTERPARTS,’ COMING MAY 2017.

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  Glossary

  Kevin Jason (Bolt). Young superhero and leader of the Young Neos, the son of the famous superhero Genius and twin brother of White Lightning. He was the protagonist of the previous series, The Superhero’s Son. Powers: Flight, super strength, super speed, and electricity. First appearance: The Superhero’s Test.

  Ronald Jason (White Lightning). Young superhero and member of the Young Neos, the son of the famous superhero Genius and twin brother of Bolt. Was kidnapped by the government as a baby and experimented upon for years until he was freed by Mastermind (see Genius). Powers: Flight, super strength, super speed, electricity, and minor healing factor. First appearance: The Superhero’s Prison.

  Emily Ricker (Blizzard). Young superhero and member of the Young Neos. She is Bolt’s girlfriend and essentially plays the role of Team Mom on the Young Neos. Powers: Can control ice and all things cold. First appearance: The Superhero’s Summit.

  Lawrence Homer (Shell). Young superhero and member of the Young Neos. He is the youngest member of the team. Powers: Has a thick, impenetrable shell-like growth on his back, although since he is young, it remains to be seen whether he will develop other powers. First appearance: The Superhero’s Summit.

  Christopher Greggs (Stinger). Young superhero and member of the Young Neos. Often acts as Bolt’s deputy on the team. Powers: Has insect-like wings that allow him to fly and stingers on his wrists that can inject a paralyzing venom into his targets. First appearance: The Superhero’s Summit.

  Jennifer McCullough (Talon). Young superhero and member of the Young Neos. The most beautiful member of the team and the one with the most fan boys. Powers: Has a minor healing factor and can create sharp claws that sprout from her wrists. First appearance: The Superhero’s Summit.

  Alicia Simpson (Treehugger). Young superhero and member of the Young Neos. Loves plants. Powers: Can control plant life. First appearance: The Superhero’s Summit.

  The Young Neos. The oldest and most well-known young superhero team in the United States. Its lineup changes frequently due to members growing up or resigning. It is under the supervision of the Neohero Alliance and, more specifically, Mecha Knight, a member of the NHA Leadership Council. Current lineup is Bolt, White Lightning, Blizzard, Shell, Stinger, Talon, and Treehugger.

  Theodore Ronald Jason (Genius). A legendary and famous superhero, one of the founders of the Neohero Alliance and also the father of Bolt and White Lightning. Originally retiring from superheroism in order to raise Kevin with his wife, Genius nonetheless acted as Kevin’s mentor early on in his superhero career, teaching him how to use his powers and how to fight. Was killed by Robert Candle. Powers: Had super intelligence and could build almost any device imaginable, even one beyond current technological limits. First appearance: The Superhero’s Test.

  Mastermind. An evil alternate universe counterpart of Genius and tyrant of the Earth from his universe. In his universe, his wife and Bolt were killed by Master Chaos, causing him to lose his mind and take over the world, k
illing off the vast majority of superhumans in his universe in order to ensure that no one would ever have to suffer what he did. He came to this universe in order to conquer it, but was ultimately defeated by Bolt and then killed himself in order to avoid justice. Powers: See Genius. First appearance: The Superhero’s Prison.

  The Venetians. A mysterious supervillain team financed by the Italian-American billionaire John Mann. Their known members are Volto, Della, Arlecchino, Pantalone, and Columbina. First appearance: Brothers.

  Volto. Leader and member of the Venetians. Powers: Can project his soul from his body and can possess people or inanimate objects. First appearance: Brothers.

  Medico Della Peste. Youngest member of the Venetians. Powers: Can heal any sickness with a touch, but can also inflict sickness with a touch. First appearance: Brothers.

  Arlecchino. A member of the Venetians. Powers: Can increase his size and strength with his anger, but ends up sacrificing his rational thinking skills and cannot control who he attacks. First appearance: Brothers.

  Pantalone. A member of the Venetians. Powers: Has crow-like wings that allow him to fly, as well as crow-like talons, and can control crows. First appearance: Brothers.

  Neohero Alliance (NHA). The largest superhero organization in the United States, founded in 1987 by Genius, Lady Amazon, Omega Man, and Beyond Man. Also the sponsor of the Young Neos. Based in Hero Island, which is just off the coast of the State of New York. Led by the Leadership Council.

  Independent Neoheroes for Justice (INJ). The second largest superhero organization in the United States, founded in 1991 by the Midnight Menace after breaking away from the NHA. Based in California, although the exact location of its base is unknown. Also the sponsor of the New Heroes.

  G-Men. A superhero team sponsored by the federal government of the United States. It is under the leadership of Cadmus Smith, the Director of the Department of Superpowered and Extraterrestrial Beings, and typically handles superhuman, spiritual, or extraterrestrial threats that normal government agencies cannot. Members are recruited from the military.

  Cadmus Smith. The Director of the Department of Superpowered and Extraterrestrial Beings. Powers: Ages extremely slowly and can read minds. First appearance: The Superhero’s Test.

  Mieko Hiro. A superhero detective and former member of the NHA. Powers: Can generate clones that he calls ‘Thirds,’ which he can reabsorb into his body to gain their memories and knowledge. First appearance: The Superhero’s Team.

  Ashley Jason. Kevin and White’s mother and wife of the late Genius. Powers: None. First appearance: The Superhero’s Test.

  Mecha Knight (Jack Ruger). A member of the Neohero Alliance Leadership Council and the supervisor of the Young Neos. He also acts as a mentor to Bolt and sometimes the other members of the Young Neos as well. Used to have a human body before transferring his mind into a robotic body he built. Powers: Minor technopathy. First appearance: The Superhero’s Team.

  The Leadership Council. The leaders of the Neohero Alliance. There are seven members of the Council who are elected by the general NHA membership for terms of five years, although Council members can resign or be impeached under the terms of the NHA’s Constitution. The current Leadership Council members are Omega Man, Lady Amazon, Beyond Man, Mr. Miner, High Fly, Mecha Knight, and Black Blur.

  Neogenetics. A relatively new field of science that arose in the late 1980s, dedicated to study of superhuman genetics and uncovering the genetic origins of superhuman powers. Scientists who work in this field are known as neogeneticists.

  Neogene. Originally believed to be the origin of superhuman powers during the early days of the neogenetics field, supposedly activated by radiation that Haley’s Comet rained on Earth while passing over the planet in 1986. Current research indicates that superhuman powers come from different brain functions operating in a yet-to-be-understood manner that produces superhuman powers in certain individuals, so the neogene is no longer treated as scientific fact.

  Pokacu. A hive-like alien race that invaded Earth twice, once in 2002 and once again in 2017, failing both times thanks to the efforts of Earth’s superheroes. Controlled by the Mother World, the Pokacu conquered hundreds of worlds all across the universe before the Mother World was blown up by Bolt, which killed all Pokacu connected to the Mother World. Only two Pokacu are known to have survived the Mother World’s destruction: Nicknacks, a member of the Neohero Alliance, and Graalix, a Pokacu soldier who was also the only survivor of the first invasion of Earth.

  Shade (Sarah Bradford). A member of the G-Men and Cadmus Smith’s right-hand woman. Powers: Can control and travel through shadow. First appearance: The Superhero’s Test.

  Adam Lucius Plutarch (formerly known as the Billionaire). Current President of the United States and former supervillain. Is on good terms with Bolt. First appearance: The Superhero’s Team.

  Ultimate Max. The world’s largest and best supervillain prison, located south of New York City. It is maintained by the government and has only suffered two breakouts since being built.

  Master Chaos (Bernard Candle). A powerful supervillain who was defeated by Bolt’s father, Genius, seventeen years ago. He broke out of Ultimate Max to avenge his son, but ultimately ended up dying after a fight with Bolt and Genius. Powers: Super strength and the ability to cause situations to become chaotic without confusing him. First appearance: The Superhero’s Test.

  Robert Candle. The son of Master Chaos and a former bully of Bolt. Originally had no powers, but eventually developed the ability to copy and negate the powers of others. Was killed by Bolt, though not before mortally wounding Genius in the process. Powers: The ability to copy and negate the powers of other superhumans with a touch. First appearance: The Superhero’s Test.

  Ashley Jason. The mother of Bolt and the wife of Genius. Is a normal human, but loves her son and husband and supports them both. First appearance: The Superhero’s Test.

  The New Heroes. The INJ’s version of the Young Neos. It’s current lineup includes Strike, Dizzy, Slime, and the Lightning Triplets, Watt, Volt, and Lumen.

  Vision. A secretive cult founded by Senator Barnabas Sagan with the purpose of establishing equality between superhumans and normal humans. In truth, however, it was really meant to destabilize the superhuman community in order to make it too weak to stop Sagan from taking over the world. After Sagan’s death, the cult is essentially dead, with only a few members in hiding who still believe in its ideals.

  Visionary (Barnabas Sagan). A senator from Vermont who pretended to be a normal superhuman until the revelation of his true identity during the 2016 US presidential election. He was killed by Bolt. First appearance: The Superhero’s Team.

  Hero Island. The headquarters of the Neohero Alliance, located off the shore of New York. It was artificially created by Mr. Miner in 1991 to act as the NHA’s base.

  The House. The main base and living quarters of the Young Neos. Has a Meeting Room and a Training Room, among other amenities and features.

  Valerie. An advanced AI developed by Genius to act as his assistant, she eventually became Bolt’s assistant and aided him many times in his adventures.She is currently sharing the role of House AI with Carl (see ‘Carl’ below). First appearance: The Superhero’s Test.

  Carl. The House’s AI, also developed by Genius.

  About the Author

  Under the pen name Lucas Flint, Timothy L. Cerepaka writes superhero fiction. He is the author of The Superhero’s Son series of young adult superhero novels, as well as The Young Neos sequel series.

  Find links to books, social media, updates on newest releases, and more by going to his website here. You can also sign up to be the first to learn about his newest releases by subscribing to his mailing list here.

 

 

 
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