by Lucas Flint
Shell nodded and then walked around White and down the hallway. Before he could get very far, however, a speaker hanging off the ceiling nearby suddenly crackled and Valerie’s voice came from it, saying, “Attention all Young Neos! Go to the Meeting Room immediately. Bolt and the others have returned with news of Electrica and there is a new visitor to the House who has an urgent message for all of you!”
Before White or Shell could say anything, the speaker shut off. White looked at Shell excitedly. “Did you hear that? Bolt is back!”
Shell nodded, albeit reluctantly; he looked like he was disappointed for some reason. “Yeah, I heard. Guess we’d better go to the Meeting Room together, huh?”
“Yes,” said White, nodding eagerly. “Let’s go!”
CHAPTER SEVEN
After everything Stinger had been through in his life, he was pretty sure that nothing could faze him now. Ever since joining the Young Neos, Stinger had seen alien invasions, fought supervillains wearing Venetian masks, nearly got frozen to death by an ice man, and also almost got killed by a garbage monster. You couldn’t be a superhero, after all, if you let your sense of normalcy get in the way of fighting crime and saving the world.
But Stinger had to admit that even he was shocked when he met the interdimensional robot who called himself Sparky. Sitting around the Meeting Room table, Stinger could not take his eyes off the strange robot, who despite being a purely artificial creation seemed more lifelike than any robot Stinger had ever seen before. Indeed, the only machines that displayed the kind of lifelikeness that Sparky displayed were the House AIs, Valerie and Carl, but even they did not show the kind of humanness that Sparky did. It was actually kind of creepy, even though Sparky had shown no desire to attack or harm any of the Young Neos.
Stinger was not the only person staring at Sparky. The rest of the team was gathered around the table of the Meeting Room with him and they were all looking at Sparky, too. Treehugger was the only one who sat near the robot, while Stinger sat between Talon and Shell. Sparky, to his credit, showed no discomfort at people staring at him; if anything, he seemed to be observing them with little interest, as if he had seen far more interesting things than a bunch of super-powered teenagers before (which, given his origins, seemed likely).
Stinger looked over at Bolt. Bolt had not said anything yet; he sat between Blizzard and White, staring somewhat awkwardly at Sparky. That even Bolt—who had probably seen and experienced more weird things than the rest of the team put together—couldn’t find words to talk to Sparky, either, was a testament to the strangeness of the situation.
Finally, Sparky rested his hands on the table and said, in a polite voice, “Well, now that we are all here, I think I should introduce myself. My name is Sparky and I am the robotic assistant of Mr. Jason Space and Captain Helena Galaxy, members of the Interdimensional Elite Agency. There is no need for you to introduce yourselves to me, however, because the IEA already has files on all of you, which I studied before coming here.”
“Wait,” said Stinger, scratching the back of his head. “You mean there’s a mysterious secret agency outside of this universe that has files—presumably with personal details—on all of us without our knowledge?”
“Certainly,” said Sparky without a hint of embarrassment or reluctance. “Technically, the files were collected by Mr. Space and Captain Galaxy, since they were tasked with protecting this universe. Part of protecting a given universe requires doing research on the universe and its inhabitants. That gives us a better idea of how to protect the universe, as well as the kind of threats that an IEA agent can expect to run into during missions in the universe itself.”
“Just how complete are these files?” Talon said. “I don’t remember giving these Space and Galaxy characters interviews about my personal life.”
“Well, I know that your middle name, Talon, is Jane and that you have a strict policy of not dating men who are not superhuman,” Sparky said. “In addition, your favorite flavor of ice cream is rocky road and you despise jazz music.”
Talon’s jaw fell open. Stinger understood, because even he hadn’t known all of that information about her. He wondered why she despised jazz, but quickly put that information out of his mind, as it wasn’t very relevant to the current situation.
“Anyway, that doesn’t matter,” said Sparky. “What’s important is that I need your help. Well, technically Mr. Space and Captain Galaxy need your help, not me personally, but—”
“Tell us what happened,” Bolt interrupted. He didn’t sound very patient, perhaps because he hadn’t been expecting Sparky to show up like this. “Start from the beginning and don’t ramble.”
“Of course,” said Sparky. “Let’s see, it all happened a week ago from your time perspective, though from our perspective it was more like two days. You are all aware of the Servants of the Starborn, yes?”
“Treehugger told us about them,” said Stinger, “though we haven’t really fought any ourselves.”
“Well, as long as you know what they are, then I won’t waste any time explaining them,” said Sparky. “Anyway, our ship, the Adventure, had intercepted a communication between two Servant ships. Our ship’s universal translator managed to decrypt the communication, which detailed the plan of attack that the Starborn intend to use when they arrive on Earth.”
Bolt leaned forward suddenly, a look of interest on his face. “What’s their plan? Going to share it with us?”
“I will, but after I finish my story,” said Sparky. “Now, we decided to come to Earth to share our discovery with you so you could prepare for the attack, but we were suddenly attacked ourselves by the Servants, who must have been using some kind of new cloaking technology to hide themselves from us, because they seemed to come out of nowhere. They boarded the Adventure and captured Space and Galaxy, but I was washing the escape pods at the time, so I took one of them and escaped.”
“You mean you didn’t try to save your friends?” said Stinger, folding his arms in front of his chest.
“I was outnumbered,” Sparky said. “And outgunned; this sonic blaster is the only weapon I managed to bring with me, since I always carry it on my person at all times. Had I tried to rescue Space and Galaxy myself, I likely would have been destroyed or at least captured along with them, which would have made it impossible for me to warn you of the coming threat.”
Bolt looked at Treehugger. “Treehugger, is he telling the truth?”
“I think so,” said Treehugger. “I mean, I can’t verify everything he said, obviously, but so far he hasn’t said anything that contradicts my own experiences in the void between universes. And, while I’ve never actually met Sparky before, I do know for a fact that Space and Galaxy had a robotic assistant with that same name, so I think he’s the real deal.”
“Indeed I am,” said Sparky. “I understand your skepticism, of course, given my abrupt appearance, but still, you must believe me, because if you don’t—”
“What is the current status of Space and Galaxy?” Bolt interrupted Sparky. “Are they still alive?”
“Most likely,” said Sparky, nodding. “Of course, it is also possible that they were executed, but before I escaped the Adventure I overheard a couple of Servants talking about the fact that they had to take Space and Galaxy alive per the orders of their Captain. Even if they are alive, however, that does not mean they are okay; it is probable that the Servants are torturing Space and Galaxy for information.”
“Information about what?” said Stinger.
“Of that, I have no idea,” said Sparky. “Regardless, Servant torture methods are famous for their cruelty. While both Space and Galaxy are strong, there is only so much time they can take before they break. Therefore, we don’t have a lot of time to waste if we wish to save them before they are tortured to death.”
“Uh huh,” said Bolt, who sounded skeptical for some reason. “And you want us to help you save them, right?”
“Right,” said Sparky. “I cannot do it o
n my own; at least, my chances of rescuing them on my own are extremely low.”
“Uh huh,” said Bolt again. “If you guys are part of this IEA group, why didn’t you send a message to your bosses and ask for backup?”
“Because there’s no time,” Sparky said. “The IEA is a massive organization that has a difficult time acting quickly, even in situations like this. By the time I could get them to help, Space and Galaxy would both likely be dead; besides, the IEA’s leaders don’t like us very much.”
“Why?” said Stinger. “Are you guys members of the IEA?”
“It’s a long story, one I don’t have any time to get into here,” said Sparky. “Suffice to say, you are the only people who could help me rescue Space and Galaxy in a timely manner. There is also the matter, of course, of the Starborns’ plan of attack, which I will share with you once I am assured of your assistance and once we save Space and Galaxy.”
“You mean you aren’t going to tell us unless we agree to help you,” said Bolt. “Even though that information could help us defend our own universe from the Starborn.”
Sparky shrugged. “I don’t hate your universe, nor do I wish to see it destroyed, but in negotiations, the one with leverage always wins. Therefore, I want to ensure I have the necessary leverage over you to make you do what I want. It’s nothing personal.”
While Stinger realized that Sparky was right about having leverage in negotiations, he still found it a rather cold way to approach them. Based on the looks that the rest of the team shared with each other, it was clear that the others were thinking the same thing as him. It made Stinger trust Sparky less than before, even though Sparky had yet to do anything wrong.
“I see,” said Bolt. He scratched his chin. “I’m not sure we will be able to help you, because we have other things we need to do. Tonight, for example, my team and I are going to attempt to capture the supervillain Electrica, a task that will require the help of everyone given how slippery she is.”
“But Bolt, Space and Galaxy are good people,” said Treehugger, who was tugging at her braids unconsciously. “They saved my life when I was in the Shadowlands. We can’t just abandon them.”
“Not only that, but knowing about the Starborns’ plan of attack would be useful, wouldn’t it?” said Talon. “It would make defending Earth a lot easier. As superheroes, don’t we have a duty to defend Earth?”
“Talon is right,” said Stinger. “We’re supposed to defend Earth from all threats and that includes the Starborn. Stopping the Starborn seems more important than capturing my mother.”
“Maybe, but …” Bolt looked troubled. “Look, Sparky, I know Space and Galaxy have helped us before, but—”
“You do realize you can do both, don’t you?” Sparky interrupted. “You have seven members on your team. Why not send three of them with me to rescue Space and Galaxy, while the other three go with you to capture this Electrica person? That way, you could do both things at once.”
“Yes, but I don’t like the idea of dividing the team for any reason,” said Bolt. “We’re much stronger when all seven of us are together. I’m skeptical of our chances of success if we split up.”
“Rescuing Space and Galaxy won’t take very long,” Sparky said. “I know where they are likely being kept and, with help from your teammates, we could rescue Space and Galaxy in just a few hours. Then I can bring your friends back to Earth in time to help you do whatever else you need to do.”
To Stinger, that sounded like a pretty reasonable idea. On the other hand, though, he still didn’t trust Sparky very much. He wasn’t sure why, but there was something distinctly dishonest and untrustworthy about Sparky, even though Sparky did not appear to be lying. He supposed it was just Sparky’s harsh negotiation tactics, but he sensed there was something more going on here than just Sparky’s ability to negotiate.
Bolt seemed to be thinking the same thing, based on his thoughtful expression, but he eventually nodded and said, “Okay. Since you guys saved one of our own, it’s only fair that we help you save your friends. I’ll send three with you, but make sure not to be gone for long, because I don’t want the team being separated for longer than is necessary.”
“Thank you, Bolt, for your cooperation,” said Sparky. “I can assure you that I will bring back all of your teammates in one piece. Let’s get started.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Later, at midnight …
Kevin crouched on the catwalk above the warehouse, his eyes fixed on the floor below. He was as still as he could possibly be, ready to fire a lightning bolt or use his super speed if necessary. He hoped that he would not, but given the strength and cunning of this woman he was waiting for, he bet he was going to have to use most of his powers just to keep up with her.
So far, though, Electrica was nowhere to be seen. At least, she was not inside the warehouse yet. He did not see her among the crates containing unknown objects, nor did he see her between the shelves or on the floor. Granted, there were only a few lights on in the warehouse—primarily in order to make sure that Kevin and the others remained hidden—but Kevin could tell that she was not slinking through the shadows, either.
Kevin carefully tapped his earcom and, accessing the Young Neos’ communication channel, whispered, “Any sightings of Electrica yet?”
“No,” came Talon’s tense voice. “East side of the warehouse is quiet.”
“Roof is empty,” came Stinger’s slightly tired-sounding voice; Stinger was usually an early sleeper, which explained why he sounded so tired. “Just a couple of bats, that’s all.”
“I see,” said Kevin. “White? What about your side? White?”
A crackling in Kevin’s ear nearly made him jump, followed by White’s loud voice, “South side clear! No electric lady in sight.”
Cringing slightly, Kevin said, “That’s nice, White, but can you please just try to whisper like the rest of us? Remember, we don’t want anyone noticing us.”
“Oh, okay, brother,” said White Lightning in a voice that was so low that Kevin almost didn’t hear it. “I will be as quiet as a mouse.”
Kevin bit his lower lip, but nodded and said, “Okay. Well, according to Triplet’s notes, Electrica and her client should be here soon. If you see any sign of Electrica, don’t engage with her just yet. Wait until I give the signal. We need to know who she’s working with before we try anything. And that means you, Talon.”
“I know that,” said Talon in an annoyed voice. “I’ve learned my lesson. Even though Electrica is a hateful, ugly, vain witch who murdered my father in cold blood, I know I am not supposed to attack her as soon as I lay eyes on her ugly face. No need to single me out.”
Kevin rolled his eyes, while Stinger said, “Sure thing, boss man. Will wait on your signal.”
“Wait on signal,” White repeated in an affirmative voice, though he was so quiet that Kevin nearly missed it.
“Okay,” said Kevin. “Let’s focus on the mission, because we don’t know when Electrica or her client will show up.”
Tapping his earcom again to turn it off, Kevin sighed. He knew that Talon, Stinger, and White were the best choices for this particular mission, but at the same time, their own quirks and eccentricities could easily end up causing them problems if they weren’t careful.
Kevin had chosen each member for a particular reason. Stinger was chosen due to his ability to inject people with paralyzing venom; if he could sting Electrica even just once, she would be rendered totally helpless, which would make it easier to drag her to Ultimate Max to be held prisoner. It would be difficult for Stinger to sting her, though, because Electrica could turn into electricity, but that was why Kevin had brought along White.
White had been chosen due to his power. Because Electrica was an electric being, it made sense to bring along someone who could use lightning powers and therefore had a degree of immunity to her attacks. Plus, White was incredibly strong, equal to Kevin in strength, and given how powerful Electrica was, Kevin felt tha
t he and White should be able to take her in a fight if necessary.
And finally, he had chosen Talon for the simple reason that her hatred of Electrica meant that she would not be afraid to confront her. While Talon’s claws were, perhaps, not as useful as the abilities of the rest of the team, her quickness and willingness to attack Electrica no matter what meant that she could be a potential wild card if things went south. Granted, Talon’s obsessive hatred of Electrica could be her undoing, but if everything went right, then Kevin would never need to have Talon do anything except keep an eye out for Electrica on the east side of the warehouse.
But it’s like Mecha Knight always says, Kevin thought, looking down at the warehouse floor again, doing his best not to sneeze despite the heavy layers of dust everywhere. Everyone has a plan until they get punched. Hopefully, that same principle applies to whatever plans Electrica has for tonight.
Of course, that was why Kevin had deliberately made a simple ‘plan,’ if you could even call it that. While he did not know exactly how Electrica’s powers worked, he figured that they probably worked the same way that the powers of other elemental superhumans did; namely, that her own power could be used against her to keep her form physical long enough for Stinger to do his work. The way he saw it play out in his mind, he and White would distract Electrica with their lightning bolts. The electricity from their bolts would mess with her own electricity in such a way that it would make it difficult for her to change into living lightning, at which point Stinger could sneak up behind her and fill her with enough venom to take her out for several days.
But if that fails, it isn’t like we don’t have a backup plan, Kevin thought.
He fingered the object in his pocket: A small pellet of powerless gas. Kevin normally hated carrying the stuff around, because if the pellet broke, the gas would get all over his body and leave him powerless for a few hours, but given the uncertainty of their mission, Kevin wanted every conceivable advantage he could get. He had gotten this particular pellet from Mecha Knight, who had gotten it in turn from the NHA’s armory, where a large supply of powerless gas that had been salvaged from the Pokacu spaceships from the second Pokacu invasion was kept. The NHA normally did not give out this stuff to its members, but because Electrica was a wanted enemy, Mecha Knight had approved Kevin’s last minute request for a powerless pellet for this mission.
