“The blue one won’t connect… I don’t know why,” she lied.
“What? Try it again!”
“It’s definitely broken, sorry.”
Jenny noticed a black box sitting on the computer. It looked out of place, and had a little antennae sticking out the back.
“I’m not the only person who has been here,” she said, showing Voice the black box with her camera.
“What! Someone is trying a remote hack… they look like they were here only a minute ago! I’m sending you a new parcel.”
Jenny popped the laptop and cables back into the teleport box. The box vanished with a flash and was replaced by a small radar dish set into a silver sphere. The sphere had a dial with an arrow in it, and began beeping immediately.
“Follow the arrow and find who is trying to hack the computer,” Voice instructed.
Jenny left the room just as Steel Samantha ran right past her.
“It’s just like you said, someone has been in here, boss!” Steel Samantha yelled into a radio.
“They are going to set all the alarms off now!” said Jenny in concern.
“No… Duke Terror is too cunning to let the thief know he’s been sprung. Keep following the arrow, but be careful!”
Jenny raced through the corridors tracking the hacker. Her flight took her into the quieter fringes of the base where people were rare. She was in a corridor that seemed to still be under construction when her tracker went dead.
“Steel Samantha has crushed the transmitter box. An unwise move, considering that Duke Terror could have learnt much from it. He won’t be pleased.”
“So what do we do now?” asked Jenny.
The corridor was nearly deserted, but Jenny saw a figure with a bag over his shoulder and a hood over his head darting furtively from room to room.
“There! Who was that?” asked Jenny.
“I don’t know. Follow him!” said Voice eagerly.
Jenny followed the suspicious figure down a long corridor and through a set of half–empty storerooms containing building materials and tools. The figure leapt over a large metal counter and into a tiny area hidden from view using boxes and shelves. A computer terminal was set up on a desk made of wooden crates, and a bedroll lay in one corner.
The figure Jenny had been following threw his bag to the ground and sat down at the computer. He removed his hood.
“It’s Riot Master!” Jenny whispered in surprise.
Riot Master turned his computer on and glared at it. He was obviously very unhappy with whatever he saw, because he picked up his bag and threw it hard against the wall.
“Dammit, Rex!” he screamed.
He opened up a video messaging service and waved to whoever was on the other side. Jenny tried to peek at who he was talking to, but their image on the screen was too small.
“Things aren’t going too well down here. My attack failed, and I can’t get into the mainframe… I think he had Code Cutter build in some sort of protection. He must know someone is in his base, I just hope he doesn’t realize it is me. I tried another hack a minute ago by controlling his head of computers, but Steel Samantha crushed my transmitter.”
Whoever Riot Master was talking to nodded and whispered too quietly for Jenny to hear.
“Exactly. I’ve done all I can here. I’ve had people plant my bombs, so all I need now is an exit. I’ve been looking for options, but security around here couldn’t be tighter.”
Jenny floated closer, desperate to identify Riot Master’s fellow conspirator. She bumped a shelf and a couple of cans fell off, bouncing loudly on the ground. Riot Master spun around, a plasma pistol in his hand. He couldn’t see Jenny, but he blasted at random and the room exploded around her. A bag of concrete burst into a cloud of white powder that coated Jenny, revealing her.
“Ha! Invisibility! But I have you now!” screamed Riot Master.
He grabbed Jenny’s hand. Her arm felt numb where he had been touching it, and the numbness began to spread quickly. Jenny tried to break away, but Riot Master’s power was keeping her in place. Her invisibility faded, as did her super strength, but she was still in control of herself.
“It’s normally a lot easier than this! Maybe I need a top up,” complained Riot Master.
Jenny screamed, but Riot Master ignored her. He was turning pale from the effort of trying to control her, and sweat was flowing down his face.
“I guess I’ll just take your teleport belt,” he said, ripping it off her.
He dropped Jenny and she hit the ground, unable to move but releived to be free.
“I’ve been looking for one of these,” Riot Master said, holding the teleport belt up triumphantly.
He disappeared in a flash, leaving Jenny alone. She sighed and pulled her phone out.
“Did you hear all of that?”
“We did. We are sending you a new belt now. You have done well, but Steel Samantha and Mad Robbo are heading your way, so we need you to get out as soon as you can.”
The new belt appeared and Jenny strapped it on.
“Can you track where Riot Master went? Because I want to go after him.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: SUPERHEROES CHARGE IN WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD
An angry person is easy to manipulate. Unless they lose the plot entirely, of course, in which case you may be in trouble. It’s a fine balance.
–Rex Rogue’s guide for aspiring supervillains, unpublished.
The superhero trap was ready to be sprung, and Rex had to push on with his plan despite just hearing that someone had been trying to hack his computer mainframe.
“Don’t worry about it now. Robbo said that whoever it was is gone, so they aren’t a threat anymore,” he told Skyre.
She glared at him, her long Mohawk shaking in anger.
“A butterfly’s wings may bring the killing storm, yet our vainglorious leader cares nothing for the sound of thunder! We should be focusing on this spy, Rex!”
“And we will, but I can’t stop the superhero trap now. Listen, I have to go.”
Rex walked down to the hangar – supervillains never let their minions see them running – to give his selected villainous troops a sendoff. Slade was there, as was Steel Samantha with her gothic goons and Mad Robbo with his Outback Rangers. They were all ready for action.
“Listen up: Code Cutter will be in control on the ground. Stay away from Chaotica and make sure that you don’t drop the tracking chips that identify you to RoboRodent’s traps and robots. Otherwise just try and have fun out there, and give those superheroes hell,” Rex said.
Steel Samantha almost cracked a smile at the thought, and led her team of goths to a jet. Mad Robbo and his friends followed her, but Rex caught Mad Robbo’s arm as his tracker walked past.
“Not you, Robbo.”
“Come on, boss, this looks like fun! And the boys need me.”
“I need you. I didn’t set this all up just for fun, you see; I did it because this fight is going to get the attention of every superhero and supervillain on the planet and beyond… which means we have a couple of precious hours to go wherever we want to and steal whatever we like.”
“So this was all for distraction?” asked Mad Robbo in surprise.
“The perfect distraction.”
“Wow! So where are we goin’, boss?”
“The Icarus.”
The Icarus was already starting to empty by the time Rex and Mad Robbo arrived. The superhero trap had been sprung, and in the ensuing chaos almost every superhero team had been called in to help out as Rex had predicted they would be. The superheroes flocked together at the station’s space ports, all eager to head down to Earth to save the day. Before long only a handful of normal people were left on the Icarus and, for the first time in its history, the station was unprotected.
“How convenient for us. What do you think of the world our foes have built for themselves, Robbo?”
Mad Robbo took in the Icarus’ neat straight streets and rows of clean, pe
rfect, identical houses. He frowned at the parks and their carefully planted, carefully tended trees and bushes. The Icarus was beautiful, but it lacked any spark of spontaneity or chaos. There was a place for everything and everyone, and everything and everyone was kept in their place.
“Nah, this ain’t for me,” Robbo said disdainfully.
“Me neither. Everything here is just so… boring.”
“Them trees look sad all tidied up like that. So, where are we headed?”
Rex pulled out a computer pad and waved it in the air. The computer pinged loudly.
“Up there,” Rex said, pointing at the tall column that rose through the center of the Icarus.
They reached the bottom of the column and caught a lift to its very center. No–one saw them, no–one stopped them. Rex pulled out his phone and called his friends who were still in the temple.
“How are we doing down there, Code Cutter?” Rex asked.
His answer was a burst of static containing only a scattering of understandable words. Rex could make out ‘madness’, ‘chaos’ and ‘great fun, really’ before the line became too hard to hear.
“Great. Well, I’ll let you get back to it, then.”
The elevator stopped with a polite ‘ping’, and Rex and Robbo walked right into the very core of the. There were normally dozens of super powered guards protecting the column but even they had been called to Earth.
“This almost feels too easy,” said Rex.
They were standing on a large platform about a third of the way up the column. At the center of the platform was a huge crystal ball held in place by five enormous metal talons and hundreds of dangling power lines.
“That’s them! The talons contain hypertime stasis projectors!” said Rex excitedly.
“Boss!” Mad Robbo said, pointing at the crystal held between the stasis projectors.
A body was trapped in the opaque crystal column. They couldn’t see who it was, but it was clearly human. The stasis fields held it motionless.
“What the hell?” Rex said.
He stepped closer, but the crystal was too opaque to see who it contained. An alarm started ringing loudly, and Robbo shook his head.
“We best be getting outa here, boss!”
Rex typed a command on a computer beside the crystal prison and one of the huge claws pulled back from the crystal. Rex grabbed the stasis projectors at its base and turned to leave, but as he did so the crystal prison became clearer and revealed who it contained.
“Oh… damn!” said Rex.
It was the Psychic Psycho. The real one.
Rex had seen a lot of fakes and copycats, but there was no mistaking the arrogant smirk still resting on the Psychic Psycho’s face, or the power of his grey–eyed gaze. Both Rex and Mad Robbo paused in shock before exploding into action. Mad Robbo grabbed Rex and slammed him against a pillar. Robbo held a knife to Rex’s throat and Rex pushed a koala tooth into Robbo’s chest. Neither of them backed down.
“Did ya know about this?” Robbo demanded.
“No! You think I came here to break him free? I didn’t even know he was still alive!” said Rex angrily.
Robbo stared at Rex as if trying to decide whether to believe him. He dropped Rex to the ground and shook his head solemnly as Rex disarmed the alarms.
“That man is real bad news, boss. I thought he was dead.”
“Me too… but what is he doing here? Quick, hide!”
Lady Perfect flew past and landed beside the Psychic Psycho. She looked around but didn’t see Rex, Robbo, or that one of the hypertime stasis projectors was missing. She checked a computer screen very quickly and then shook her head.
“Its fine,” she said into a radio, “false alarm. I may as well get a top up while I’m here.”
Lady Perfect took another step towards the Psychic Psycho, reached out and stroked her finger across his crystal cage. Sparks flashed out across her hand, and she breathed in deeply.
“Asleep for ten years and still so full of power… who would have thought that the world’s most powerful villain would be such a gift to a superhero?” she said with a smile.
She pushed her hand harder against the crystal until a wave of white energy flowed up her arm and into her chest. Her eyes glowed brightly and she began to laugh madly.
“What the hell?” whispered Rex, stepping back further into the shadows.
A second figure landed on the platform and grabbed her hand.
“You?” Lady Perfect said in surprise.
It was Mister Wonderful. He pulled Lady Perfect away from the Psychic Psycho roughly.
“Of course it’s me! Only the three of us are allowed up here, and Captain Amazing is still on Earth sorting out that thing at the temple. I’ve just come for a top up before I join him, so I didn’t want you to get all the juice.”
He placed his head against the crystal and arcs of electricity shot into him, lighting up his body. The power surged with an audible crackle as it entered his superhuman body.
“That’s better,” Mister Wonderful said.
His eyes were glowing brighter than before, and he looked far more energetic and alive. He leaned against the crystal and energy coursed down his arm.
“I’m going to Earth, are you coming?” he asked over his shoulder.
“We could rule the world with this power,” Lady Perfect said suddenly.
“No, it’s too dangerous. We’ve talked about this. His power might have given us control of the Icarus, but we mustn’t get greedy or take too many risks in case he escapes.”
“You lack imagination… and courage,” Lady Perfect said scornfully.
Mister Wonderful slammed his hand angrily against a metal column, denting it.
“Enough! We aren’t having this argument again. I found him, I keep him alive, and I use his power as I see fit. If you don’t like it I can replace you. I bet there are thousands of superheroes who would kill to be in the Icarus Elite. Now get down to Earth, it sounds like they need you down there.”
Lady Perfect smiled, but she didn’t move.
“I can’t leave now, I’m waiting for someone,” she explained.
“Who?”
Riot Master appeared on the platform in a flash of light. He stumbled slightly, but Lady Perfect caught his arm and steadied him.
“Who are you?” demanded Mister Wonderful, letting go of the crystal to reach for Riot Master.
Lady Perfect pushed her whole body against the crystal so that she was almost bursting with power and pointed arm at Mister Wonderful. A bolt of bright red light burst from her fingertip and slammed into Mister Wonderful. He was helpless against her boosted power, and he fell to his knees.
“What are you doing?” he demanded.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN: TREACHERY ON THE ICARUS
I’d rather rule a small patch of green than an infinity of ashes.
–Rex Rogue’s guide for aspiring supervillains, unpublished.
“You may have been the one who first imprisoned this creature and figured out how to steal his powers, but you are blind to what he can really help us achieve. You simply have no ambition,” Lady Perfect said.
Riot Master smiled and stepped up beside Lady Perfect. He grabbed the column and his eyes began to glow brightly.
“And this… villain? You prefer to work with him than me?” asked Mister Wonderful.
“My name is Riot Master,” Riot Master said, “and I am very, very ambitious.”
He laughed a little madly as he felt the power in his body increase. Rex groaned quietly.
“Aren’t you the villain who started the riot up here the other day?” demanded Mister Wonderful.
“The very same. My original plan was to take control of the Icarus’ population of superheroes, but my work was interrupted before I could complete it. There will be no stopping us this time!”
“What took you so long to get here?” demanded Lady Perfect.
“I had someone after me… so I had to try and lose her befo
re I came here. It wasn’t easy; she followed me everywhere I went like a super–powered bloodhound. I think I lost her in the Arctic wastes, though.”
Mister Wonderful spat out a mouthful of blood and tried to stand, but Lady Perfect let go of the crystal and kicked him back to the ground.
“Captain Amazing will stop you!” he managed.
Lady Perfect and Riot Master laughed nastily.
“This was Captain Amazing’s idea,” said Lady Perfect.
“What? Impossible! He is my oldest and most loyal friend!” said Mister Wonderful, hurt by the betrayal in a way that physical force could never achieve.
“He may have been your friend, perhaps, but he is my brother. We haven’t always seen eye to eye, but he has grown sick of always being the second most powerful superhero on the Icarus, just as I have grown tired of always being in Rex Rogue’s shadow,” explained Riot Master.
“Who is Rex Rogue?” asked Mister Wonderful weakly.
“He is – he was – the most powerful supervillain alive. I tried to get rid of him before by finding his old secret base for my brother, but somehow Rex escaped your inept attack. This time I planted bombs throughout his base and soon his army will be reduced to dust! He’ll be dead within an hour.”
Riot Master had been charged up by the crystal, so he grabbed Mister Wonderful’s arm and the superhero’s body jerked. His eyes turned grey and then black as Riot Master took control of him. Mister Wonderful stood, swaying as he did so.
“Get back to our base and tell Skyre we have a Class Seven and I’m not joking,” Rex whispered to Mad Robbo.
The tracker nodded in understanding. He disappeared in a flash, leaving Rex watching the world’s most powerful superhero being marched up and down like a puppet by a laughing Riot Master.
“If I can control him, I can control anyone! Then I will be the most powerful supervillain ever known!”
“You mean then we will be the most powerful,” said Lady Perfect suspiciously.
“Sure… I meant ‘we’,” lied Riot Master unconvincingly.
He crashed Mister Wonderful into one of the talons holding up the Psychic Psycho’s prison. An alarm started ringing nearby as the crystal of the stasis field began to crack.
Rex Rogue And The League Of Teenage Supervillains Page 14
