Super Villain Academy 2: Polar Opposites

by Kai Strand

  “Hell, Polar,” Frank growled. “It’s the middle of the night. And you brought an audience?”

  “What is it Jeff?” Sarah asked. Her eyes darted from one teen to the next before settling back on Jeff again. “Is it safe to be in here?”

  Jeff frowned. “Well, it’s our house. I hope it’s safe.”

  “No.” Sarah scowled. “Is it safe for me to be near you?”

  “Oh! That’s why I’m in here.” Jeff waived the deionizer in the air. “I’m testing out Source’s invention.”

  Everybody stared at each other for an awkwardly long time. Finally Sarah growled and said, “Go downstairs. Your father and I will be right down.”

  The kids filed out of the room. Sandra pulled the door closed behind her and jogged to catch up to the boys. “Well, that was a good sign. She didn’t go gaga while you were in there.”

  Jeff flipped on the light in the living room and plopped onto the couch. Drywall dust puffed into the air making him sneeze.

  “You should vacuum, dude,” Sandra said.

  “I’m pretty sure you’re much better with a vacuum than I am,” Jeff said.

  Sandra rolled her eyes. “I’m pretty sure you’re the one who broke the house and made the mess.”

  Sarah and Frank came into the room. Sarah said, “Okay, now what are you testing?”

  Source stepped forward. “It’s a deionizer. I think Polar is attracting ions with an opposing charge to his. They keep building up and up. That’s why his powers grow so unstable and why he’s attracting every living species within a five-mile radius. My theory is that the deionizer will either remove the ions or re-associate them from a positive charge to a negative, or vice-versa. It will do whichever neutralizes them.”

  “How did you come up with that?” Frank asked.

  They all watched breathlessly as Sarah sneaked another two feet closer.

  “Set told Polar he smelled like the air before a storm,” Source said.

  Sarah frowned. Frank shook his head.

  “I’m sorry,” Source said. “Set is a villain who went to SVA with Polar and me. He is rather adept at controlling the weather.”

  “There are no villains,” Sarah and Jeff said at the same time.

  Source just shook his head dismissively.

  “So, this looks good,” Sandra said, pointing between Jeff and Sarah who were now standing next to each other.

  Jeff turned to his mother. “Take a deep breath or something.”

  Sarah leaned toward him and sniffed in a long draft of air. She held her breath for a bit before smiling. “I think it works. Thank goodness. That was disturbing.”

  “You’re telling me.” Jeff shoved the deionizer in his front pocket and wrapped his arms around Mother in a spontaneous celebratory hug.

  Suddenly she curled her fingers into the front of his t-shirt and pulled him closer. “You smell good.”

  Jeff unwrapped his arms and stepped back like she’d suddenly scorched him. She kept hold of his shirt and it threatened to tear.

  “The deon, the deon!” Source cried.

  Jeff dug the deionizer out of his pocket and held it up to Mother like a cross to a vampire. Her eyes lost their fire and she let go of his shirt. Jeff took another step back. “Note to self, Deon must be out in the open at all times.”

  Chapter 28

  Jeff wasn’t thrilled to be able to go back to school, but he was relieved that the deon did its job in keeping the crazies away. Sarah had to leave town again to defuse another situation in some small country somewhere.

  “Dad,” Jeff started with his mouth full of French fries. “Mother never used to travel so much. Was that because Sandra and I didn’t know about the super thing?”

  “Yeah, I was wondering about that, too,” Sandra said.

  “No, she’s traveling because the supers from the small countries seem to have disappeared,” Frank said, never removing his gaze from the newspaper lying open under his fast food wrapper.

  “What do you mean disappeared?” Jeff asked.

  “Well, I guess that’s putting it a bit too strongly. It’s more like they’ve stopped helping. We know where most of the supers are, they just don’t get involved in crime anymore.” Frank glanced at Jeff and Sandra, shrugged, and then looked back at the article he’d been reading.

  “Is that what’s going on around here, too?” Jeff asked.

  “Yeah, that riot the night before last was nuts!” Sandra said.

  “And it wasn’t the first,” Jeff said, not really wanting to remind anyone of his television appearance in the last one.

  Frank nodded. “Yep. Most supers just don’t care anymore, so the police aren’t getting any additional help.”

  “Supers used to help that much?” Sandra asked.

  “Heroes did.” Frank shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t care much anymore either.”

  Jeff’s head snapped in his dad’s direction and he glared at him.

  “Well,” Frank amended with little emotion. “I care that they find Oceanus.”

  “They, Dad?” Jeff slapped his burger down; the lettuce and tomato fell out onto the table. “Who would they be, if no one cares anymore?”

  Frank’s mouth hung open like he was going to say something. He apparently thought better of it, shrugged, and returned once again to his paper.

  “This is because of the balancing?” Jeff asked no one in particular. “What good is it if now no one cares?”

  Sandra wore an expression that was a cross between worry and confusion. She gnawed the inside of her cheek before finally saying, “They’ll find Oceanus, Jeff. Someone will.”

  “But it may not matter.” He pushed away from the table and loped across the kitchen.

  “Trash!” Frank called after him.

  Jeff bit back the surge of anger that followed the directive. The deon may keep his ions in line, but nothing was keeping Jeff’s volatile moods in line except Jeff himself, and that was getting more and more difficult with each passing day. He turned back to the table and snatched up his half eaten sandwich, wrappers, and soda cup, and shoved them into the trashcan, letting the lid fall loudly back onto the galvanized can. He knew it was a ridiculously immature thing to do, but it was like relieving a pressure cooker. Even that silly little act of rebellion eased the pressure in his head enough so that he could contain his fire and not levitate his dad through a window.

  He jogged up to his room, snatching his phone off the dresser. He saw he had a message, so he called to retrieve it. The message was from Set.

  “Why don’t you ever answer your phone? Listen, I don’t know if this is anything or not, but I might have stumbled on a lead to where Mystic is hiding out. It’ll require a road trip. I don’t know if heroes skip school or not, but you’ll probably miss a day. I sure hope that thing your special friend made for you works well, because I don’t want to spend the next 24 hours crushing on you. Call me when you finally get this. My car’s nicer; I’m driving.”

  Jeff disconnected the call and set the phone onto his dresser, careful not to crush it in anger. “I’m not a hero,” he mumbled. He clenched and unclenched his fists at his sides and counted to ten, feeling like an ill-tempered child in a timeout. He tried to recall Oceanus’ signature scent. He knew it was a calming sea lavender with the bite of salty sea air, but he couldn’t recall it enough to stimulate its usual relaxing affect. At least trying to imagine it distracted him enough to ease his roiling boil to a slow boil.

  He picked up his phone and dialed Set’s number. With a clenched jaw, he waited for it to ring.

  Set answered halfway through the first ring. “I’m a block away from your house.” He hung up.

  With a cross between a sigh and a grunt, Jeff slipped his phone into his pocket. “This is gonna be a long trip.” He threw a change of clothes and his phone charger into a backpack. Down in the kitchen, he raided the pantry and stuffed his pack full of snacks. “Dad, you got any cash?”

  Frank took out his wallet an
d pulled out a good-sized stack. He peeled off a ten and handed it to Jeff.

  “Actually, I’m going on a road trip. Can I take all of that? Gas money, you know.”

  “What about school?” Sandra asked.

  A surprised expression flitted across Frank’s face. “Yeah, what about school?”

  “I’ll only be gone a day. I’ll catch up.”

  Frank folded the pile in half and handed it to his son.

  Sandra’s mouth fell open. “Aren’t you even going to ask where he’s going, or who he’s going with?”

  Frank raised his eyebrows at Jeff and tilted his head in Sandra’s direction.

  His dad’s laid-back attitude made so much more sense to Jeff since finding out that he’s a villain. Well, at least he was a villain. Not only did villains naturally not care much about things, his dad’s specialty was relaxing people into not caring. If Jeff was King of Bad, Frank Tohler was Chairman of Chill.

  A horn honked outside.

  “My ride’s here. I’m going with Set to investigate a lead he found that might point us to where Mystic is hiding out. I can’t tell you more than that, because I don’t know myself.” Jeff swung the backpack onto a shoulder and clapped his dad on the back on the way past. “Thanks, Dad. See ya in a day or so.”

  Sandra scrambled off her chair and sprinted to catch up to him. “What kind of lead? Where?”

  “I don’t know, Sandy-girl.” Jeff slammed out the front door, with Sandra on his heels. “I’ll try to keep Source apprised of the situation, but I honestly don’t know more than that.”

  He swung open the passenger door of Set’s late model black Mustang. Tossing his pack into the backseat, he folded into the front. When he looked back at his sister, she was standing stock still with her mouth hanging open. He stalled in the act of pulling the door closed. “What’s wrong?”

  Sandra’s eyes were trained on Set, sweeping from his face to the hand resting on the shift to his long legs disappearing under the dash and back to his face. “Holy shit.”

  Set chuckled. “Are you his sister?”

  Sandra slammed her mouth closed and audibly swallowed before nodding.

  “I’m sorry for that.”

  Sandra’s eyes fluttered as she tried to laugh.

  “Oh my god!” Jeff said. He slammed the door closed and Sandra snapped out of her funk and into a panic, seeming to realize they’d be driving away.

  Set slid the car into gear and pulled away from the curb. “Yeah, I get that a lot.”

  “Modest, I see,” Jeff said.

  “So, what’s her name?”

  “None of your business.”

  “Are you twins?”

  “She’s a year younger. A hero.” To himself, Jeff said, there are no heroes.

  “Shame.”

  “Yes.” To himself, Jeff yelled, NOT. He’d never been so thankful to Mother before in his life. Hurray for heroes.

  “So, where are we going?” Jeff asked.

  “Elko, Nevada.”

  “Hmmm. Never heard of it.”

  “Should take the better part of the night to get there,” Set said.

  “Why Elko?”

  “I read an article online yesterday; one of those filler articles that are really meant to make people laugh. There have been an unusually high number of men committed to their asylum recently due to sexual psychosis.”

  Jeff’s mouth dropped open as he gawked at Set, but then his eyes narrowed. “But why would she be using her psychic suave?”

  “Hell if I know. It’s a lead we can’t ignore.”

  Jeff nodded. “You’re right.”

  They sat silently, watching the miles blur past as they headed south. Set turned on the radio. Techno music pounded out of the speakers, instantly grating on Jeff’s nerves. He dug his earphones out of his backpack and drowned himself in his own musical tastes. Heavy metal and alternative rock were more his style.

  The sun set within the hour. Too soon, it was so dark that Jeff found himself squinting at the road, which was barely illuminated by the headlights. Occasionally, he thought he saw the iridescent reflection of animal eyes, and wondered what kinds of wildlife witnessed their trip.

  A couple hours into the drive, Jeff daydreamed about being outside the car, running alongside as they blazed down the highway. Set’s phone rang constantly. He had a hands-free headset, so he was able to handle the calls like an airline pilot talking to the control tower while steering and looking for a new radio station, or popping open his fifth Monster drink. Though Jeff had his music loud enough he couldn’t hear any of the conversations, the occasional glance at Set’s superior sneer was enough to make him curl his lip in disgust. Set probably had girls calling him all the time, offering themselves up to him. Jeff really hated pretty boys.

  Chapter 29

  About halfway through the trip, they stopped at a McDonald’s in Boise, Idaho. Set and Jeff unfolded from the Mustang. Jeff twisted from side to side, trying to limber his achy muscles, and Set weaved his fingers together and stretched his arms high above his head. They trudged into the restaurant and up to the counter. A guy, only a couple years older than them, leveled an annoyed look at them as they approached. It was only ten minutes before the restaurant closed for the day, and the place was empty of customers. Set ordered first and then headed for the bathroom. Jeff frowned at the female manager and employee who both leaned forward to watch Set until he disappeared around the corner. Jeff ordered his food and filled his soda cup while he waited.

  Their orders were finished quickly and were, thankfully, piping hot. Jeff and Set sat at a booth in the lobby, and Jeff didn’t waste any time digging into his three large sandwiches.

  “Here’s your pie,” the female manager said, sliding it onto the table in front of Jeff.

  “Thanks,” he said around a mouthful of hamburger.

  “Do you guys go to BSU?” she asked. She had a bubbly personality that Jeff suspected he’d like if it weren’t one o’clock in the morning and he hadn’t just spent four hours stuffed into a car.

  “No, we’re just passing through,” Jeff answered, having just swallowed his food.

  “Where are you headed?” she asked, looking at Set hopefully.

  “South.” Set’s tone left no doubt the conversation was closed.

  The girl looked like her princess crown had just shattered on the floor in a million pieces. She turned away. “Well, have a safe trip.”

  “You’re a jerk,” Jeff said around a fresh bite of food.

  “Who cares, she’s human.” Set shrugged and stuffed another bite into his own mouth.

  On the way out of the restaurant, Jeff said, “I’ll be right there. I’m gonna use the bathroom.”

  Set heaved a dramatic sigh like it was the most inconvenient thing in the world to have to wait for him.

  After he’d done his thing and washed his hands, he swung open the bathroom door and sucked in a breath of surprise when he found the female manager standing in front of him. The door swung closed against him, but Jeff couldn’t step forward because the girl was standing right there.

  “Um,” she said, wringing her hands. “You may already know this, but there’s some big riot going on in Mountain Home.”

  Jeff frowned.

  “Well, that’s south of here,” she said. “They’ve got the freeway closed and they aren’t letting anyone through there. The news said there are detours.” She half turned and then looked back at Jeff. “Your friend’s a jerk.”

  Jeff chuckled. “He’s not my friend.”

  The girl smiled in relief. “Well, I thought you should know.”

  “That he’s a jerk? I figured that out on my own.”

  Her laugh sparkled in her golden eyes. “No, about Mountain Home.”

  “Oh, yeah, that. Thanks.”

  Jeff was finally able to slide past her. She followed him to the door, which he thought was odd, until she locked it behind him. The restaurant was closed. Jeff gave an awkward half wave an
d was rewarded with a stunning smile.

  “Did your girlfriend threaten to lock you in with her?” Set asked when Jeff climbed into the passenger seat. The car smelled like ‘boy,’ as Mother always said. The bitter smell of sweat from too many hours with two big guys cooped up inside had permeated the interior and threatened to curl Jeff’s nose hairs.

  “No, but she says you’re a jerk.”

  “Breaks my heart. An average, powerless human is disappointed by me. How will I get on with life?” Set said, pulling out of the parking lot.

  “She also said the freeway is closed down near Mountain Home because of a riot.”

  “Great.” Set fiddled with the radio until he found a news station reporting about the riot. It was obvious the situation wouldn’t resolve anytime soon, since there was a tipped over oil tanker truck fully engulfed in flames on an overpass, so Set punched buttons on his GPS until he had an alternate route dialed in. “Your girlfriend was handy after all.”

  Jeff plugged his ear buds into his ears and turned his music up nice and loud. They were only halfway there, and who knew how much time the detour would add to their trip.

  Next thing Jeff knew, Set punched him hard on the arm, startling him out of sleep. He’d been dreaming about Oceanus wading into the shallows of an ebony colored sea. The deeper she got in the water, the more surreal it looked. The opaque black swallowing up her feet and calves made it look like her incomplete body floated in the sea breeze. Jeff was not sorry to see that dream shatter. He wiped the drool from his chin and growled “What?”

  Set just nodded ahead of him.

  A spire of flame that seemed one hundred feet high blazed against the inky night sky. Red and blue lights twirled and spun, lending the feel of a macabre disco. The detour had only taken them to the outskirts of the small town. They were winding along a country road, passing an occasional farmhouse. The effects of the riot emanated like a beacon across the flat land for miles in all directions. Jeff frowned at a second and third fire further south of the huge engulfed tanker. They appeared to be buildings just off the main highway.

  “All this because the supers are too apathetic to get involved,” Jeff mumbled.