by Lucas Flint
“Huh,” said Bolt. “I’ve never heard of a superhero working for a company before.”
“You must be new, then, because it’s a pretty common practice,” said Rubberman. “Lots of acquisitions companies own the IP rights to dozens or even hundreds of superhero brands. Most acquisitions companies just buy out already established superhero brands and never make their own, mostly because they’re about as original as all big major corporations in the world.”
“Like your employer?” said Bolt.
Rubberman’s face suddenly became pale. “Please don’t tell my boss I said that. Sasha doesn’t take criticism or insubordination too well and I don’t want to lose my job, even if I don’t own the Rubberman brand anymore. I still need work.”
Bolt found it odd how Rubberman went from a confident superhero unafraid to take on two very powerful superheroes by himself to becoming a scared employee terrified at the mere thought of offending his boss with a fairly inoffensive observation of mega-corporations.
If this is how superheroes act in Beams’ universe, then I’m glad superheroes aren’t a business in mine, Bolt thought. I’d hate to be a slave to some big mega-corporation that just wants to exploit my ‘brand’ for their own profit at the expense of my freedom.
“Don’t worry,” said Bolt, “I have no intention of telling your boss anything you’ve said. I’m more interested in finding out if you know of a way to dimension-hop.”
“Dimension-hop?” Rubberman repeated. “What’s that?”
“You know, like traveling between alternate universes and stuff,” said Bolt. He mimicked jumping with his right hand. “Simple stuff.”
Rubberman’s frown deepened. “You mean like in science fiction movies? I’m not sure that’s even possible. I mean, I’m more of a businessman than a scientist, but I think that any scientist who discovered something like that would have publicized it already.”
Bolt rubbed his forehead in exasperation. “Meaning you don’t know how to do it.”
“Yep,” said Rubberman, nodding. “Why do you want to know? You aren’t seriously going with your whole ‘superheroes from another universe’ shtick, are you? Because I don’t think that the judge who will see you and your friend in court is going to be particularly persuaded by that defense.”
“One, we actually are from another universe,” said Bolt, holding up a finger. “And two, we’re not going to court because you’re not going to arrest us. Simple as that.”
“Keep telling yourself that,” said Rubberman. “Once your friend here lets me go, I’ll make sure to bring you both to jail, as you deserve.”
Bolt sighed, while Shade said, “Can I kill him now, Bolt? Pretty please? He’s getting on my nerves and he’s just being a huge jerk.”
“Not yet,” said Bolt, waving at Shade to stand her ground. “I still have some questions for him.”
Shade pouted but said nothing as Bolt turned back to Rubberman and said, “Suppose I wanted to find dimension-hopping technology or a place experimenting with it. Where would I go to find such technology?”
“McCoy Robotics,” said Rubberman. “They’re a robotics company with a factory just outside of town to the north of Golden City. They primarily specialize in robotics, but I’ve heard rumors of them experimenting with other forms of technology as well.”
“You think that a robotics company might be experimenting with dimension-hopping tech?” said Bolt.
Rubberman shrugged. “Like I said, I’ve just heard rumors. I’ve only been to the factory a couple of times in connection to crimes I’ve investigated, so I don’t know for sure how many of those rumors are true. They could be—and probably are—all fake.”
Bolt scratched his chin. It seemed a little too convenient that they ended up near a company which might provide exactly the technology they needed to go back and stop the Dread God, but maybe they just got lucky. Of course, it was equally possible that this would all turn out to be a false lead and they would find nothing, but so far it was their only clue and Bolt was not going to ignore it just because it might turn out to be false.
“All right,” said Bolt. “Shade and I will go to that robotics factory outside of town. And you, Rubberman, will take us to it.”
-
Read the rest of Team Up HERE!
Other books by Lucas Flint
The Superhero’s Son:
The Superhero’s Test
The Superhero’s Team
The Superhero’s Summit
The Superhero’s Powers
The Superhero’s Origin
The Superhero’s World
The Superhero’s Vision
The Superhero’s Prison
The Superhero’s End
The Young Neos:
Brothers
Powers
Counterparts
Dimensions
Heroes
Minimum Wage Sidekick:
First Job
First Date
First Offer
First Magic
First Mentor
First War
The Supervillain’s Kids:
Bait & Switch
Tag Team
Blood Gems
Prison Break
The Legacy Superhero:
A Superhero’s Legacy
A Superhero’s Death
A Superhero’s Revenge
A Superhero’s Assault
Dimension Heroes:
Crossover
Team Up
Amalgamation
Lightning Bolt:
The Superhero’s Return
The Superhero’s Glitch
The Superhero’s Cure
The Superhero’s Strike
The Superhero’s Clone
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Appendix 1: The Superhero's Son
Kevin Jake Jason (Bolt). The protagonist of The Superhero’s Son and one of the protagonists of The Young Neos sequel series. He is an eighteen-year-old man and son of the late superhero Genius. He is also the twin brother of Ronald Jason, also known as White Lightning, and has a girlfriend named Blizzard. He is the former leader of the Young Neos and current NHA member. He can fly, has super speed, super strength, and can shoot red lightning bolts from his hands.
Theodore Ronald Jason (Genius). One of the first superheroes, starting his career at the age of 11 as Boy Genius, and father of Bolt. He was also a founding member of the Neohero Alliance and one of the most famous and well-respected superheroes even after his death. He had the ability to create anything he could imagine.
Ronald Jason (White Lightning). The twin brother of Bolt. Has the exact same powers as Bolt, though he is less experienced than him.
Neohero Alliance (NHA). The largest and oldest superhero organization in the country. Run by the Leadership Council. Its headquarters is Hero Island off the coast of New York.
The Young Neos. The most famous teenage superhero team in the country. It is run under the supervision of the Neohero Alliance, specifically Mecha Knight. Its current leader is Stinger.
John Waterson (Omega Man). The most powerful superhero in the world and current President of the NHA. He has many of the same powers as Bolt, but he is far more powerful than Bolt and is well-respected by heroes and feared by villains in equal measure, despite spending most of his days running the NHA rather than fighting crime as he used to.
The Midnight Menace. The leader of the Independent Neoheroes for Justice. While not as powerful as Omega Man, the Midnight Menace is still one of the most feared and mysterious superheroes in
the world and often straddles the line between legal and illegal methods of fighting crime. He controls shadow and can move without making noise.
The Independent Neoheroes for Justice (INJ). The second largest superhero organization in the world. It broke apart from the NHA over disagreements about how to interact with the US government and be superheroes in general, though in recent years the two organizations have made efforts to restore relations. It is based in California, though the exact location of their base is a strongly guarded secret.
The Leadership Council. The ruling body of the NHA. It has seven members who vote on various matters relating to the NHA.
The Justice Statue. A massive statue of Omega Man and the Midnight Menace shaking hands, which is a symbol of unity between the NHA and INJ.
Hero Island. The base of the NHA. It was created by the superhero Mr. Miner, who rose it from the seafloor. It is a popular tourist destination in addition to providing shelter for NHA members.
Hero Island Janitorial Team. The team in charge of keeping Hero Island clean and in order. It is mostly made up of non-superpowered humans and is led by Curtis Brown.
Jack Ruger (Mecha Knight). A member of the Neohero Alliance Leadership Council and the supervisor of the Young Neos, as well as the informal mentor of Bolt after Genius’ death. Mecha Knight can control and talk to technology. He himself is a human consciousness downloaded into a robotic knight, though this is a well-kept secret that very few NHA members know.
Hero Island Security. The security team for Hero Island. Like the Janitorial Team, they are mostly made up of normal humans. Led by the superhero Muscle.
Black Blur. Current member of the Leadership Council. He has super speed and doesn’t get along well with Bolt.
Tsunami. An infamous supervillain who is currently imprisoned in Ultimate Max. He can control water and has something of a god complex. He is also the father of the superhuman twins Bait and Switch.
Pokacu. An alien race of biomechanical beings who were under the control of their planet known as the Mother World. The Pokacu invaded Earth twice, but were repelled by Earth’s superheroes each time. The Pokacu were wiped out when Bolt and Nicknacks blew up the Mother World. There are only two known surviving Pokacu: Graalix and Nicknacks (see individual entries for more info).
Mother World. The home planet of the Pokacu people, as well as their ruler and creator. The Mother World sent the Pokacu people across the universe in an attempt to conquer it, but was eventually destroyed by Bolt and Nicknacks sometime before the start of Crossover.
N’ckn’ax (Nicknacks). A Pokacu who broke free of the Mother World’s control and warned humanity of the first Pokacu invasion. He was originally a member of the Leadership Council before resigning to find the remaining members of his race who had also broken free from the Mother World.
Graalix. One of the two known surviving members of the Pokacu race, Graalix is fanatical in his devotion to the Mother World and has been in a deep depression since her destruction. He was believed to have died after the second Pokacu invasion, but was actually secretly retrieved by the G-Men for study.
Powerless gas. A unique type of yellow-colored gas which the Pokacu army used in their conquest of Earth. For reasons not well understood, powerless gas can render a superhuman exposed to it powerless, ranging from a few minutes to a full day depending on the amount they were exposed to. Though rare after the first Pokacu invasion, the crashing of dozens of Pokacu mother ships all over the world after the second Pokacu invasion mean that powerless gas is now much more common and easily available. Some people are even attempting to make artificial versions to mass produce, though results have been mixed.
The Starborn. A race of technologically advanced aliens who genetically engineered humanity’s ancestors millions of years ago, which is why superhumans exist. They are mysterious and powerful and can cross dimensions. Their current whereabouts are unknown.
The Servants of the Starborn. A lesser race of aliens who serve the Starborn and act as their heralds, preparing worlds for their arrival.
The Department of Superpowered & Extraterrestrial Beings (The G-Men). A superhero team sponsored and funded by the federal government, which also deals with various superhuman and alien problems that other government agencies cannot. Lead by Cadmus Smith.
Cadmus Smith. The current Director of the G-Men. He can read minds and is immortal, having been born in the 1920s. He wants what is best for the US and is willing to do what it takes to keep the country safe, no matter how immortal it may be.
Sarah Bradford (Shade). A prominent G-Men agent who is Cadmus’ second-in-command. She can control shadow.
Ultimate Max. The best and only superhuman prison in the country. It is home to most of the country’s most dangerous supervillains and criminals and has only ever suffered two prison breaks since its founding.
Project Neo. A secretive government project originally designed to study the newly discovered superhumans, but was eventually changed to focus on developing weapons and technology to defend against superhumans. It was shut down in 2017 after thirty years of activity.
Test Subjects. Ten Superhumans who were experimented upon by the government in an attempt to understand superhumans. Cadmus was Test Subject 001.
Environs. Special suits designed within Project Neo to help humans survive alien worlds.
Vision. A superhuman cult/terrorist group dedicated to spreading Visionism, an ideology which states that superpowers are a social construct created to further social inequality and that they must be abolished in order to create true equality and justice. It was disbanded not long after the death of its leader, Barnabas Sagan (also known as the Visionary).
Neo-Vision. A brief, more radical revival of Vision with the same basic ideology, but whose members were more likely to commit terrorist acts out in the open rather than infiltrate and take over institutions from within. It disbanded when its leader, the superhuman Incantation, was defeated and arrested.
Sarah Jane Watson. The granddaughter of Barnabas Sagan and a member of Vision who has telepathic powers. She is currently in the custody of the federal government.
Dwayne Masters (Hopper). Another Visionist with the ability to open interdimensional portals. He is currently in the custody of the federal government.
Polly Jones (Technical). Another Visionist with the ability to build anything and combine technology with flesh. She is currently in the custody of the federal government.
Earcom. An ear-mounted device which allows for distance communication.
Neogentics. The study of superhuman genetics.
Neohero. Another term for superhero, though it is rapidly falling out of favor with the superhuman community due to the preference for superhero.
Blood Gems. Two mysterious stones that allow genetically-related superhumans to trade powers with each other. One of the stones is purple, the other is orange. They are currently in the possession of Bait and Switch.
Jason Greggs (Bait) & Grace Greggs (Switch). Superhuman twins who used the Blood Gems and are the children of the supervillains Tsunami and Electrica. They are currently attending the Theodore Jason Academy for Young Superhumans. Bait has super strength, while Switch can shoot metal fingernails, though they often switch powers thanks to the Blood Gems.
John Mann. An American billionaire of Italian descent. He was the main antagonist of The Young Neos and the founder of the Venetian supervillain team.
The Venetians. A supervillain team that worked for John Mann. Each member was named after the Venetian mask they wore, with powers inspired by the same. After the Young Neos defeated them, the Venetians are no longer active.
Appendix 2: Minimum Wage Sidekick
Alexander Fry (Beams). Protagonist of the Minimum Wage Sidekick series. He is a sixteen-year-old boy who has the ability to shoot lasers from his eyes, as well as briefly increase his stamina, speed, and agility by firing his lasers into his eyelids. He gained his powers by accidentally drinking it from a potion
made by his science teacher. He is the sidekick of the superhero Rubberman. He also has an older brother, James, who was once a sidekick himself (see ‘James Fry (Lightning Fist)’ below).
Dennis Pullman (Rubberman). The official superhero of Golden City. He is a successful businessman and entrepreneur, as well as a rising star within the superhero industry. His powers include being able to bend and stretch his body like rubber. He gained his powers from touching the Rubber Ball and his life is tied to the Rubber Ball’s existence as a result.
Adams. The personal butler and assistant to Rubberman. Adams is an elderly Scottish man who worked in the military and as a doctor prior to becoming Rubberman’s butler. He has no powers of his own, but is perfectly capable of taking care of himself in a fight.
Munroe Acquisitions, Inc. The largest superhero acquisitions agency in the country. It was founded by Charles Munroe and was run by his daughter, Sasha Munroe, until she was arrested for her various crimes and sent to jail (see ‘Sasha Munroe’ below for more information).
Beams Fan Club. A fan club at Golden City High for Beams. Founded by Beams’ best friend Franklin Maddox.
Frankly Maddox. Beams’ best friend at school and a big fan of Beams. He was originally unaware of Alex’s true identity as Beams until Beams revealed it to him.
Sasha Munroe. The primary antagonist of the Minimum Wage Sidekick series. She is a middle-aged black woman who wanted Rubberman to sell his business to her and used all sorts of dirty, underhanded, illegal, and downright evil tactics to try to get his business from him before she was finally arrested. She is currently in jail.
