by Lucas Flint
“What do you mean?” said Shell. “Are you planning to do something?” Before Eli could respond, Shell quickly said, “When I got here, I overheard Sarah talking about some ‘operation.’ What does that mean? What are you guys planning?”
Eli rested his hands on the arms of his chair, a look on his face that told Shell that he was thinking of what to tell him. Finally, Eli said, “I suppose I should tell you what it is, because you are just as much a member of the Unwanted as the rest of us. But you must never tell anyone outside of the Unwanted about this, especially your fellow Young Neos. Can you promise me that?”
Shell hesitated for only a moment, but then he nodded once and said, “Yes. I’ve kept my membership in the Unwanted secret so far, haven’t I? Won’t be very difficult for me to keep whatever this operation is a secret, either.”
“I thought so, but I just wanted to make sure, as this operation is extremely important and we can’t afford any mistakes when we implement it,” said Eli. “The mission is called Operation Hammer.”
“Operation Hammer? That sounds kind of ominous.”
Eli smiled in a way that made Shell uncomfortable. “Only for our enemies, especially the NHA.”
“Well, tell me the details, then,” said Shell, sitting back in his chair. “I’m all ears.”
“Very well,” said Eli. He pulled out a folder from nowhere and slapped it down on the desk. The folder had the words ‘Operation Hammer’ written on it. “This is the file folder for Operation Hammer. You may glance through it if you wish.”
Shell pulled the folder toward himself and opened it. There were pictures of various places on Hero Island, such as the Tower of Heroes, the Neohero Alliance Museum, and even the House, along with documents that appeared to be reports from Unwanted spies on what they saw and found there. There were also documents regarding the various security measures of Hero Island, including a few that even Shell didn’t know about, such as one called the ‘Metal Giant,’ though Shell had no idea what that meant.
Looking up at Eli, Shell asked, “What’s with all of these pictures and documents of Hero Island? Have you guys been spying on it?”
Eli nodded. “Yes. We’ve sent several Unwanted members as tourists to visit the island and tell us everything they can find about it. This is in addition to the information you’ve shared with me at our meetings; as a result, we now have a very clear idea of Hero Island’s defense and security capabilities, more than even most of its inhabitants.”
“And why would you need to know all of that?” said Shell, glancing at the folder again.
“Because we’re going to break into Hero Island and steal the most valuable object that the NHA owns,” said Eli. “Tell me, Shell, have you heard of something called the Midas Hammer?”
Shell shook his head. “No, I haven’t. What is it?”
“It is an ancient weapon that was found in the early 1930s in a mysterious tomb in Egypt,” said Eli. “It was originally found by the famous English archaeologist Finn Johnson, who brought it back with him to England to put it on display in a museum there, even though his research indicated that the Hammer was not an Egyptian artifact at all, but belonged to some other, much older civilization that predated Ancient Egypt by ten thousand years at least. He named it the Midas Hammer because it was golden, as shiny as the day it had been forged even though it had been underground for countless centuries.”
“Whoa,” said Shell. “What happened to it after that?”
“It stayed in its museum for decades afterward, being mostly a curiosity for visitors, even though it sparked a lot of discussion among archaeologists at the time,” said Eli. “When it was first found, archaeologists argued fiercely about what civilization it belonged to, because its design was unlike anything found in Egypt and the writing on its handle was not hieroglyphic. But since the tomb in which it was found collapsed after the Hammer was taken away, there were no more clues about its past, so eventually nearly everyone forgot about it, even Finn. And thus it collected dust inside the museum for decades until the nineteen nineties when the Neohero Alliance purchased it from the museum for a considerable sum.”
“Why did the NHA buy it?” said Shell.
“I don’t know,” said Eli. “I contacted the museum, but they told me that the NHA wanted to display it in the Neohero Alliance Museum for their exhibit on British superheroes, since apparently some British NHA members defeated a supervillain who had attempted to steal the Hammer. But my research indicates that the Hammer was never put on display and that it has instead been kept underneath the NHA’s Museum away from the other exhibits.”
“That’s weird,” said Shell. “I’ve never heard of the Midas Hammer before.”
“That shows just how well they hid it,” said Eli. “As a matter of fact, most NHA members don’t know it exists. The Leadership Council does know, but they’re keeping quiet about it for some reason.”
“Why?” said Shell.
“That’s what I am trying to figure out,” said Eli. He pulled the folder back over to him and closed it. “But I suspect it is because the Council knows what the Midas Hammer really is: A Starborn weapon, one that, in the wrong hands, could lead to utter catastrophe, perhaps even destroy the whole world. At the very least, it isn’t the sort of weapon that you want to end up in the hands of a power-hungry supervillain like the deceased Master Chaos, for example.”
“Wow,” said Shell. “But how could the Council know what it is? They didn’t even know what the Starborn were until Treehugger came back from the Shadowlands.”
“It doesn’t take a genius to realize that a weapon like the Midas Hammer could be used for destructive purposes in the wrong hands,” Eli said. “I should have mentioned that the tomb in which it was found was full of human skeletons, as well as carvings that depicted its use in annihilating an entire tribe of early humans. And I know that it is a Starborn weapon because the pictures of the carvings of the tomb in which it was found resemble the carvings on the Call.”
“Okay,” said Shell. “So what are we going to do about it? Steal it?”
“Exactly,” said Eli. He patted the folder. “Our research indicates that the Midas Hammer is still hidden underneath the Museum. And it is well-protected. It has only been at risk of being stolen once, when Electrica broke into Hero Island, but even then it was not stolen.”
“How do you know the NHA hasn’t moved it?” said Shell. “Seems likely to me, if it was nearly stolen once.”
“Because, like I said, Electrica did not actually steal it,” said Eli. “The Museum is still the safest place in the world to keep such an important object, at least for the NHA. They could give it to the government, but I have a feeling that the NHA would never trust the government with a weapon as powerful as that.”
“Ah, I get it,” said Shell. “But why do you want it? What do you want to even do with it? You aren’t planning to destroy the world with it yourself, are you?”
Eli laughed. “No, of course not. I want it for my own protection.”
“What do you mean?”
“You remember how Zanni, one of the Venetians, nearly killed me about a month ago, back in Phoenix?”
Shell nodded. “Yeah, how could I forget? He also nearly killed me and Blizzard.”
“Well, I think he’s still after me,” said Eli. “So far, I have been able to avoid him, but I feel it is only a matter of time before Zanni finds me again, and when he does, I won’t be able to escape him as easily as before. Therefore, I want the Midas Hammer so I can defend not only myself, but my fellow Unwanted, because I believe that an organization as powerful as the NHA does not need a weapon like that in its possession.”
Shell tapped his chin. Eli seemed to be telling the truth, but at the same time, Shell sensed that Eli was not being entirely honest about his reasons for wanting the Hammer. What Eli’s true reasons were, Shell did not know, but at the same time, he did not particularly care. He just wanted his usual power boost; besides, what did he
care if the Unwanted got the Midas Hammer? It wasn’t like the NHA would be helpless anyway.
“All right,” said Shell. “When will Operation Hammer start?”
“Very soon,” said Eli. “We’re finalizing plans for the mission today. If all goes well, we should have the Midas Hammer in our possession by the end of the week.”
“Okay,” said Shell. He held out his hands. “Can I get my power boost now? I told you everything I know. Remember our deal.”
Annoyingly enough, Eli did not appear to be paying attention to Shell anymore. He looked like a sudden thought had just occurred to him and Shell did not like the rather sinister-looking smile starting to spread across Eli’s features.
“Eli? Hello? Earth to Eli?” Shell said, waving his hands up and down. “Can you hear me?”
Eli shook his head, as if clearing his thoughts, and then said, “Sorry, Shell. But I don’t think I will be able to give you a power boost … at least, not unless you promise to do something else for me.”
Shell stood up immediately. He wasn’t very tall, nor was he was strong as Eli, but he still glared at the Unwanted leader with all of the anger he could muster. Eli, to his credit, showed no fear or worry whatsoever, instead merely looking at Shell with amusement.
“What are you talking about?” said Shell. He pointed an accusing finger at Eli. “I’ve already fulfilled my end of the bargain. I don’t need to do anything else.”
“You do realize that I am the one with the power in this arrangement, yes?” said Eli. “If I wanted, I could refuse to give you the boost you want and have you thrown out of here before you even realized what happened. It’s not like I even need you anymore, given how I only needed you in order to learn about the parts of the NHA that we couldn’t find out on our own.”
Shell considered just walking out right there and then and never looking back. He might even tell the NHA about Eli’s location and let them arrest him and the Unwanted. Given how Eli was a wanted criminal, that might be enough for the Council to forgive Shell for keeping the Unwanted a secret from them for so long.
But then if Shell did that, he would never get his power boosts ever again. His new powers would eventually fade away completely and he would be back to his normal, boring old weak self. And, sure, he might naturally develop his powers at some point in his life, but that would likely be years down the road, years of weakness and failure. His reputation might take a huge hit if this scandal came out, a hit it might never recover from, especially once his awesome powers went away.
That thought was pure torture to Shell, who slowly lowered his hand down to his side. “What do you want me to do?”
Eli folded his hands together, his sinister smile never leaving his lips. “I want you to steal the Midas Hammer for us. And here is how you will do it.”
CHAPTER THREE
Blizzard paced back and forth before the Meeting Room table, her arms folded behind her back and her mouth turned down in a worried frown that was starting to get more and more permanent. Every now and then she’d heard the doors to the Meeting Room open and she’d look up to see if Bolt was back, only to discover to her disappointment that it was someone else. There had been several fake outs like that since Bolt had been summoned to the Tower of Heroes and each time Blizzard’s blood pressure spiked, which wasn’t good for her, but until Bolt got back and let them know what the Leadership Council wanted, Blizzard would not be able to relax.
I hope, I hope, I hope that they voted for him, Blizzard thought, rubbing her forehead as she paced back and forth. Why hasn’t he contacted me? Maybe he wants to share the news with all of us at once. Or maybe something happened in the Council Chamber that’s keeping him from coming back here immediately. Ugh, the suspense is killing me.
Blizzard could not help but notice how relaxed Stinger and White Lightning were. The two of them sat on the couch in front of the entertainment center, playing some kind of war video game that Blizzard did not know the name of (she wasn’t much of a gamer), apparently not caring about the results of the vote of the Leadership Council. It was aggravating beyond belief, especially when she noticed that Talon was sitting on the nearby chair flicking her thumb across the screen of her phone, also apparently not caring about Bolt or the Leadership Council’s vote.
“Blizzard, you should really relax,” said Treehugger, who was sitting at the Meeting Table with a salad and glass of water before her. “I know Bolt is your boyfriend and all, but stressing out like this doesn’t help anyone. Everything will work out. It usually does for him.”
“I know,” said Blizzard, though she couldn’t hide the agitation in her voice, nor did she stop pacing. “But this is just so important to him. How can I just sit back and relax when Bolt can’t? It just doesn’t feel right.”
“If it helps, I don’t think Bolt would want you to be worrying about him like this,” said Treehugger. “He cares about your health, too, you know, and this kind of worrying can’t be good for your blood pressure.”
“It isn’t, but that doesn’t mean much because I can’t relax until Bolt gets here and tells us what the Council wants,” said Blizzard. “I can’t just sit there and lose myself in a dumb video game like Stinger and White—”
“Hey, War Zero is NOT a dumb video game!” Stinger shouted from the couch. “It requires a lot of tactical planning and strategic thinking!”
Blizzard, however, ignored him and continued speaking to Treehugger, “—Or eat a salad like you.”
Treehugger leaned protectively over her salad. “Hey, what’s wrong with salad? It’s good for you.”
“That’s not the point,” said Blizzard with a sigh. “The point is—oh, never mind. If you had a boyfriend, you’d understand.”
Treehugger just shrugged. “Well, at the very least, you should get something to eat. It would be more productive than just pacing back and forth like you’ve got ants in your pants.”
Blizzard stopped pacing and put a hand on her stomach. “I am hungry, that’s true, but I am so worried about Bolt that I don’t know what to eat.”
“Salad?” Treehugger suggested.
Before Blizzard could respond to that, the doors to the Meeting Room suddenly opened and Bolt entered. He looked unharmed, but at the same time, he wore a deep frown like he had just heard some very bad news.
“Bolt!” Blizzard ran over to him and hugged him as tightly as she could. “Oh, Bolt, I was so worried about you! How did the meeting with the Council go? Did they vote to make you a member of the NHA?”
Despite Blizzard hugging him, Bolt did not meet her eyes. “No, they didn’t.”
“What?” said Blizzard, her voice higher than usual as the rest of the team gathered around them. “What do you mean, they didn’t vote for you?”
“Vote for brother did not go right way?” said White. He punched his fist into his other hand. “Want me go and ‘convince’ Council?”
“No, there’s no need for that,” said Bolt, putting an arm around Blizzard. “The thing is, the Council is divided right down the middle about whether to vote me in or not. Half of them say yes, the other half say no, and Beyond Man is abstaining for reasons I don’t understand. But there’s still a chance I can flip Black Blur’s vote.”
“How?” said Stinger. “Does he want you to kiss his feet and call him master every time you talk to him?”
“No, don’t be ridiculous,” said Bolt, shaking his head. “He wants me to track down and capture your mother, Electrica. He says if I can do that, he’ll vote for me, which would give me enough votes to get into the Neohero Alliance.”
“My mom?” said Stinger. He gulped. “Bolt, I know you’ve faced a lot of supervillains before, but Electrica is different. She’s absolutely ruthless. I know you didn’t see much of her ruthlessness back in Florida, but—”
“I think that’s a fine idea, myself,” said Talon with a tiger-like smile. “Mind if I help? I wouldn’t mind putting that woman behind bars.”
“Yes, Black Blur
said you guys could help, but we have to do it quickly,” said Bolt. “He wants me to capture her in a week. We can also capture Bait and Switch, but we don’t have to if we can’t. Electrica is the most important one.”
Talon clapped her hands together excitedly. “Then what are we waiting for? I’ll call up Willy and tell him to get the Neocopter’s engine running stat!”
“But Electrica has never been captured before,” said Treehugger, folding her arms in front of her chest. “She even broke into Hero Island one time without being caught. How does Black Blur expect you to capture him if no one else has been able to do that?”
“It sounds to me like Black Blur is setting you up for failure,” said Blizzard. “We all know he doesn’t like you that much. He probably just gave you that mission so you would fail.”
“Maybe, but it’s not like I have any choice in the matter,” said Bolt. “Because if I don’t get Electrica, then my application will never be accepted and I will never become a real NHA member. I can’t let that happen to me. I can’t.”
“What if he’s just pulling your leg?” said Stinger. “Or just having you do his dirty work. What if he changes his mind if you succeed?”
“I’ll let everyone know he’s a liar,” said Bolt, “and ruin his reputation at the same time. But still, even if he is lying, this is still my best chance at becoming a full-time NHA member. I can’t give up, even if the odds are against me.”
“He might as well have asked you to find the Lochness Monster for all the luck you’ll have finding Electrica,” said Stinger. “Only problem, of course, is that everyone knows where the Lochness Monster is, whereas no one knows where my mom is.”
“Oh, don’t be such a downer, Stinger,” said Talon. “I’m sure if we knock a few supervillain skulls around, we could find someone willing to tell us where she is. I’m sure there are more than a few supervillains who’ve worked with her who might be able to tell us where she is.”
