Rex Rogue And The League Of Teenage Supervillains

by C. H. Aalberry

  The air beside Rex blurred as Flux ran into the room and stopped suddenly. She waved her arms wildly and stamped her foot.

  “I want to be a part of this!” she demanded.

  “Of course you can! This should be a bonding experience for our League, and I’m sure we will all have a lot of fun. Flux, perhaps you should run the missile defenses in the beginning to drive off some of the weaker aerial attackers?”

  “Yeah! What then, what next, what next?”

  “Run around causing trouble? Steal important items from one team member and plant them on another team member to cause arguments? Be a ghastly ghost and thief? Just run freestyle!”

  “Sure! I will be the world’s fastest phantom!”

  Rex smiled; his plan was falling into place just as he had hoped it would.

  “But where is Riot Master? It’s not like him to miss out,” said Code Cutter.

  Rex hadn’t heard anything from Riot Master in days and was beginning to get concerned. Riot Master was up to something, but Rex had no idea what it might have been. That annoyed Rex greatly – he liked knowing everything there was to know about everyone he worked with.

  “He hasn’t been returning my calls, so I guess he misses out this time. His loss.”

  “More for us,” said Chaotica eagerly as she rolled her barrel of nagus worms across the room.

  “My pets are very excited,” added RoboRodent, pointing at the army of robotic rodents that ranged in size from the hulking Swiss all the way down to the tiniest little microbat hanging from the ceiling.

  “Excellent, truly excellent! We are going to make the world’s superheroes look like such a bunch of idiots!”

  Rex began laughing – supervillains like a good joke, although they tend to have a weird sense of humor – and the others joined him. The trap was set, and everything was going to be just perfect. Rex left his friends and teleported to the top of the temple where he could see across the endless jungle.

  Rex was in a great mood when he teleported back to his base, but Skyre was waiting for him and one look at her worried face instantly made Rex concerned. He sighed; being a supervillain was a tiring job, full of responsibilities that never ended.

  “What’s up, Skyre?”

  “Armageddon edges closer on wings of broken dreams, for cancer eats this wicked body. Somebody inside the base has been trying to crack into the computer mainframe while you were out.”

  “Damn. So the spy followed us from our old base, then? Or was this a new spy? We need to find out.”

  Skyre nodded meaningfully at Slade, but Rex shrugged.

  “Maybe, but he already has access to the mainframe so why would he try to break in? What are our other options? Steel Samantha?”

  “A black soul, she. But useless with computers.”

  “Mmm. And it’s not me or Professor Engelmanthing. Is it you?”

  Skyre glared at Rex and then walked away. He laughed.

  “I’m just kidding! Come on, can’t you take a joke?”

  She scowled and walked away. Rex and Skyre had been working together for a long time, and he trusted her as much as he trusted anyone, which wasn’t very much, but he had never found any evidence that she had been working against him.

  Rex frowned as a thought struck him.

  “Slade!”

  “Yes, boss?” said Slade, running over from the other side of the room.

  “Slade, where did Mad Robbo come from? I’d never heard of him, so where did you find him?”

  “He found us, really. He claims to have escaped from Venus.”

  “Yeah, I know. But no–one escapes from Venus. Look into it, okay?”

  The door to the command room exploded and a superhero burst in. The superhero was wearing sunglasses that hid his eyes, and he seemed very clumsy as he lunged towards Rex.spring up.

  “Get him!” yelled Skyre.

  Mad Robbo charged the intruder and took him down easily as Skyre put the base onto red alert. Alarms rang out and minions ran to their stations, picking up guns and rocket launchers as they went.

  “Keep him conscious!” Rex ordered Robbo.

  The superhero was one of the two that had been locked in Rex’s cells. He seemed dazed and confused, but that could have been due to Robbo hitting him so hard. The attack made little sense, because superheroes rarely go in for assassination. Nor had the hero even tried using his superpowers, which was odd.

  “How did he get out? I hired the prison guards myself, and I would have bet my life they weren’t traitors. Flux gave them excellent references,” said Slade in astonishment.

  Gun shots rang out somewhere in the base. Robbo nodded to Rex and left the command room to deal with whoever was causing so much trouble. Skyre pointed at a computer screen showing half a dozen minions fighting the second superhero near the base’s power station. Mad Robbo intercepted the superhero and knocked him flying as Rex watched. Elsewhere in the base Bluey was hitting a minion with his own rifle – it seemed like outbreaks of mutiny were everywhere.

  “This is a somewhat serious breach of security,” Rex said thoughtfully.

  Rex had faced similar problems before – it was normally an attempt by the minions to steal Rex’s empire through some act of sabotage, or some superhero who wrongly thought they could singlehandedly take Rex out – but it wasn’t often that his enemies got close enough to see him, never mind hurt him. Whoever was out to get him was getting far too close.

  “A dumb attack, typical of an arrogant superhero,” said Rex loudly.

  But all of Rex’s supervillain instincts were telling him that whatever was happening was too important to brush off or ignore. There were only a few hours before Rex’s superhero trap would be sprung. His plans were at a crucial stage, and he couldn’t let anything disrupt them. He walked out of the command room and into his study and flicked on his wall of security screens.

  “This is bad,” he said to himself.

  The computer screen in his study showed live video from all over the base. Slade had turned the red alert off, people were heading back to their training or work. Most seemed like typical villainous minions, but any one of them could have been a traitor.

  “The traitor… what does he want? And why was the superhero wearing sunglasses?”

  Rex hummed unhappily to himself.

  “Show me my key people,” Rex said aloud.

  The screens shifted to show Skyre and Slade at their stations, and Professor Engelmanthing at work in his laboratory. Rex could also see Steel Samantha and Mad Robbo arguing in a corridor, the body of the second superhero prisoner lying at their feet. None of Rex’s henchmen seemed to be acting out of the ordinary. Rex didn’t trust them – super villains don’t trust anyone – but he couldn’t see how any of them would benefit from betraying him.

  “I can’t pick it,” he said to himself.

  It was too late to stop his superhero trap, but he couldn’t make the most of it if he didn’t trust his key people. Rex hated to admit it, even to himself, but he needed help. He turned the screens off, flicked his phone open and pushed his speed dial. The phone only rang once before it was picked up.

  “I have a spy in my base, and I need your help right now,” Rex said.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: A SPY AMONGST US

  Nothing is worse for your career than a superhero with a brain and a grudge.

  –Rex Rogue’s guide for aspiring supervillains, unpublished

  “Jennifer Doom, we have a very special mission for you. It is somewhat urgent.”

  Jenny was painting her toenails when the phone rang. She still had cotton wool between her toes, and she wasn’t going to start any superhero business until the paint was dry.

  “It’s pronounced Dome, I think it’s German or something. And ugh, another mission? That’s like four this week, can’t I get a break?” she complained.

  “No, you are the only invisible agent we have. Besides, I think you are going to enjoy this one: we want you to infiltrate Duke Terror
’s secret base.”

  “Sounds fun. Wait, how do you know where Duke Terror’s secret base is?”

  “We have our ways.”

  “You have a spy?”

  “That is none of your concern, Jennifer.”

  “So you definitely have a spy.”

  “I didn’t say that. Please just listen to me–”

  “Is this about the supervillain meeting that Rex Rogue said I should avoid? Are you worried about that?”

  “No. None of the Newtopian heroes will be attending that meeting.”

  “You have no idea what’s going on with that one, do you?” Jenny said accusingly.

  “We are not entirely sure what Duke Terrors intentions are,” admitted Voice. “Although we doubt they bode well for the superhero community. Now, please get moving.”

  “Can I get a raise? And a company car?”

  “Why do you need a car? You can fly!”

  “Well… a company jet, then. It can get really cold up there in the sky, you know.”

  “Take the teleport belt and get going. If you help us today we can discuss a… raise,” said Voice with a sigh.

  “And maybe a butler of some kind, I’m sick of cleaning my own room. All the villains get butlers or something, so I want one too,” demanded Jenny.

  “You are the most mercenary superhuman I have ever met! Get going!”

  Jenny appeared high above the jungle island that concealed Duke Terror’s base. She turned invisible and spiraled downwards, keeping her eyes open for traps and defenses. The jungle island was hot, humid and full of life. Screaming parrots and other colorful tropical birds flew from branch to branch, their movements watched by hungry green tree–snakes with long purple tongues. Bright bromeliads clung to tree branches, each one home to tiny frogs and an endless supply of mosquitoes.

  The island was surrounded by long white beaches and Jenny could see a few of Rex’s minions swimming or surfing in the waves. There were umbrellas and drinks stands on the beach sand, and a dozen jet skis and boats lined up on the sand. A helicopter flew past on a joyride, its passengers screaming happily.

  “If this is how the bad guys live, sign me up!” Jenny said.

  “Do not get distracted, Jennifer. Can you find a way in?”

  “I can follow that helicopter back in without a problem.”

  “No, it would be best to avoid the main entrances. There will be other entrances spread throughout the jungle; you will just need to spend some time looking for them.”

  Jenny flew through the jungle looking for signs of human life. She found a small hut set in a clearing and flew down to it. The hut was surrounded by tall plants crowned by enormous red flowers that turned towards Jenny as she flew past them. A scientist in a red lab coat was watering the flowers with a bright green liquid that smoked slightly. The scientist wore a large mask and a thick lab coat, and she was careful to keep her distance from the plants. Jenny watched as she packed up her gardening gear and disappeared back into the shed. Jenny landed beside one of the plants and watched as its leaves absorbed the scientist’s green liquid.

  “Cool,” Jenny said.

  She reached out and touched the plant. The flower opened to reveal a set of thorn–like teeth. It lunged for Jenny’s arm and bit down on her arm. She struggled with it for a few seconds before freeing herself. The plant bent towards her, trying to attack, but it was still rooted in place. It snapped its teeth in frustration and then settled down, pretending once again to be nothing more than an average jungle plant.

  “Carnivorous plants! Very cool,” said Jenny.

  The plant’s sharp teeth had left a row of tiny impressions on her arm, but hadn’t drawn blood. She broke a branch off a nearby tree and threw it to the plant, laughing as the plant snapped the branch in two. The plant spat out bits of branch and shook itself before settling back down.

  “But where did the scientist go?” Jenny asked herself.

  She flew into the shed and looked around. The shed contained racks of pots, shovels and chemicals, but there was no obvious entrance of a tunnel. She took a photo for Voice to see.

  “Try moving that rack of tiny pots,” suggested Voice over her earpiece.

  Jenny pulled on the rack and heard a piece of metal snap. The rack swung open, revealing a ladder leading down to a tunnel.

  “I don’t like tunnels very much,” said Jenny doubtfully.

  “You don’t like heights and now you also don’t like tunnels. Can I make a suggestion?” said Voice.

  “Yeah?”

  “Get moving! We aren’t paying you to be scared!”

  “Ha! I didn’t know that you were allowed to be rude,” said Jenny, but she dropped down into the tunnel without further complaint.

  The tunnel was long, twisted and full of traps. The traps weren’t a problem for Jenny because she floated over the pressure plates and trip wires without setting them off, and her invisibility kept her safe from most of the laser beam triggers and video cameras. Jenny was just about through when a heavy metal cage dropped on her.

  “Ouch!”

  She bent the bars aside with ease and pushed through it, then took a moment to hoist the cage back into the ceiling and re–set the trap so no–one else would know she had tripped it.

  “Excellent job,” Voice said, clearly pleased with how well Jenny was working out as a spy.

  The tunnel led into a larger, busier corridor. Jenny floated at the ceiling, avoiding the men and women bustling below her. Some were carrying weapons while others were pushing trolleys. Duke Terror’s people were obviously hard at work, and Jenny was almost hypnotized by the lines of moving minions carrying boxes and briefcases backwards and forwards.

  “Wow, this place is like an ant hive!” whispered Jenny.

  “Yes. Duke Terror only moved here recently, and already this is one of the largest supervillain bases in the world.”

  “But how does he pay for all these people?” asked Jenny.

  “Focus on the mission at hand. We need you to go deeper into the base.”

  “Cool! Why can’t I just fly into his control room?”

  Skyre walked past Jenny and then stopped in the middle of the corridor.

  “Stay away from other superhumans; it’s possible that some can detect you despite your invisibility,” Voice warned urgently.

  Jenny drifted quietly away, but she was too late. Skyre paused and listened very carefully to the sounds of the base around her. Jenny held her breath in and Voice was quiet. Skyre shrugged and moved on, and Jenny l breathed out slowly.

  “I’ll stay away,” she said.

  “Good. Now keep going.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: INSIDE DUKE TERROR’S SECRET BASE

  The world is complex and moves quickly. Learn to delegate.

  –Rex Rogue’s guide for aspiring supervillains, unpublished.

  Jenny flew past dormitories and mess halls, around security guards and down corridors filled with stolen artworks and gun racks. Duke Terror’s base was already Rex’s most ambitious work yet. It had lecture halls and gyms, dormitories and mess halls, training rooms and relaxation rooms, a cinema, a library and even a small hospital. Jenny drifted silently from room to room taking in the sights. She was impressed with the setup but uncertain what it had to do with her.

  “What am I doing here, exactly?” she asked.

  She hadn’t seen Rex anywhere in the base.

  “We want you to get to the computer mainframe, but we don’t know exactly where that is, so just keep looking.”

  Jenny floated on. She found Mad Robbo training a handful of superhuman villains in the gym in how best to throw a razor–sharp boomerang. It was a useful skill once mastered, but very dangerous for amateurs.

  “They come back if ya miss, so it’s best not to miss,” he explained.

  He threw his boomerang across the room and it hit a target so hard that it passed right through, looped around and flew back into Robbo’s hand. Robbo caught it with a smile.

>   “Now you lot try,” he said.

  Robbo was a lazy teacher, and few of his students survived his training sessions uninjured. He preferred it that way – it kept people on their toes and stopped them getting overconfident.

  There was no computer in the gym, so Jenny kept searching. She passed a library where Steel Samantha sat reading from a fat book with black pages, and through a kitchen where Slade was eating salad.

  Eventually Jenny came to a narrow stairwell with a sign beside it.

  “Upwards to the command room or down to the laboratory?” she asked Voice.

  “Up.”

  Jenny floated upwards and stopped outside a heavy metal door with all sorts of warning signs on it. She was about to open it when a computer technician walked out, stumbling a little. Jenny noticed that the minion had odd red eyes and seemed rather clumsy, almost as if they were sleep walking. The technician had left the heavy door unlocked, so Jenny walked right in.

  “Okay, I’m here. Now what?”

  “You need to unlock the door. We have the code–”

  “–it was already open. I’m in.”

  “Right. I’m locking onto your position… catch.”

  A box wrapped in a teleport belt materialized and Jenny caught it just before it touched the ground. Inside the box was a large laptop connected to a green cord and a blue cord. Jenny frowned; she didn’t know how she felt about hacking the computer, because she knew Rex Rogue liked Duke Terror.

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “Connect the cords from our computers to his. The green one lets us keep track of the base’s security, and the blue one lets us into the mainframe so we can know everything that’s going on. You should be able to see where they go in the panel in front of you.”

  Jenny could see a green plug and a blue plug in the panel. She connected the green cord, but then bent the blue plug out of shape with her fingers so that it couldn’t connect. It meant that Voice could get into the base’s security, but not into Duke Terror’s main computers. Jenny knew that wasn’t what Voice wanted, but it was a compromise she was comfortable with.