by Lucas Flint
“Text, mostly,” said Valerie. “It was a file written by Genius, but it was written ages ago on a very old file type that I, at first, had trouble opening. That was another reason I took so long to get back to you; the file type is practically obsolete and I had to recruit the help of some helpful Internet users to find the program necessary to open it.”
“Okay,” I said. “What did the text file say?”
“It was a record of Genius’s observations of his parents’ interactions on a daily basis,” said Valerie. “It appears to have been written after Matthew Jason tore out the eyes of his wife, because the document makes several references to that event.”
I frowned. “Just a record of Dad’s observations? What’s so important about that?”
“I am not entirely sure,” said Valerie. “But when I read the file, I noticed there were some odd discrepancies between Genius’s description of his father in the video and his description of his father in the document.”
“Uh huh,” I said. “What discrepancies are we talking about here?”
“For example, in many entries, Genius describes his mother bossing around his father,” said Valerie. “That, to me, seemed like a contradiction with the video, where Genius says that his father was in control of his mother.”
“Maybe they were both control freaks,” I suggested. “Maybe they switched places from the abused to the abuse victim from time to time.”
“Possibly, but the document makes Genius’s mother out to be a very unlikeable person,” said Valerie. “Even after she had her eyes removed, the document records Jane Jason often shouting at or even sometimes beating her husband.”
“But she never left him,” I said. My hands balled into fists. “Even though he hurt her, she never abandoned him. Why?”
“That is what I find interesting about the document,” said Valerie. “It sounded like Jane Jason was upset at Matthew Jason because something ‘went wrong.’ At least, that is what Genius recorded overhearing his parents say one time while they were arguing, but at the time he didn’t know what they were talking about.”
“Probably their marriage,” I said with a snort. “Dad’s video didn’t make it sound like they were an especially loving couple.”
“That is a possibility,” said Valerie. “Most of what Genius wrote wasn’t very important, but I have sent a copy of the document to your computer so you can peruse it at your own pace whenever you like.”
“Thanks, Val,” I said. “But did you find anything else important in the document? Anything that might help me understand my grandparents a bit better?”
“Sure,” said Valerie. “One of Genius’s entries, toward the end of the file, stated—”
Valerie’s voice suddenly turned to static, making me wince and say, “Val, what’s the problem? You’re breaking up.”
“I don’t know,” said Valerie. “It seems someone is trying to hack into the—”
Valerie’s voice suddenly changed into the voice of a much older-sounding man, a voice I recognized right away. “Hello, Kevin. Long time, no see.”
I froze. “Grandfather? Is that you?”
“Yes, it is,” said Grandfather’s voice. He sounded rather pleased. “I am glad that you recognize me. I thought you might not, given how long it has been since we last spoke, but it’s good to see that your memory is better than I thought it was.”
“How did you hack into my earcom?” I said. I looked around the room quickly, but did not see anyone. “Where are you?”
“I didn’t do it,” said Grandfather. “I’m no good with modern technology; hell, I don’t even own one of those smartphone gadgets. Emma, however, does have technical prowess, so she managed to hack into the line to your earcom through some technological wizardry I don’t quite understand. I did help a little, however, by giving her some blueprints that Ted had made when he was younger, which closely matched the final earcom piece that he had created.”
“Why did you hack it, then?” I said. “You could have just, you know, called me if you needed to get in touch.”
“Because that would be too easily intercepted by parties who I don’t want to know about this,” said Grandfather. “That’s why.”
“Would these parties happen to be government agencies that specialize in monitoring superhuman matters?” I said. “You know, the kind that would be perfectly happy to arrest someone who had torn out the eyes of his wife and probably did a whole lot of other unethical or even outright illegal things that could get him put behind bars for a very long time?”
Grandfather went totally silent on the other end, which made me think I’d gotten him. That was a nice feeling, if only because it was about the only way that I could get him, at least right now.
Then Grandfather said, “I have no idea where you learned any of that, but—”
“But you did it,” I said. “So why, exactly, should I help you? Because I know that’s why you are contacting me. We wouldn’t be having this conversation if you weren’t trying to get me to help you in some way.”
“True,” said Grandfather, “but I just thought that you might be the most likely to actually help your poor Grandmother. Don’t you remember how she is still in the clutches of that woman who hates me?”
“I am aware of that,” I said. “But I was told that you didn’t know where Echo was.”
“We don’t,” said Grandfather. “That’s why I have another reason for wanting to see you.”
“Another reason?” I repeated. “What would that be?”
“I can’t tell you right now, because I am still worried that this line could be tapped,” said Grandfather. “But trust me when I say that it is of utmost importance that we see each other in person again very soon, by tomorrow at the latest. Can you do that?”
I frowned. “You sure seem to be in a hurry. Why should I meet with you if you won’t tell me what it is about?”
“Because if you don’t meet me, Jane will die,” said Grandfather, “and her blood will be on your hands. Do you want to be responsible for the death of your own grandmother?”
“How do you know that?” I said. “Are you saying that Echo will kill her?”
“I’m not saying anything,” said Grandfather. “Again, I cannot share the details with you unless you first agree to come and meet me in person. It will be safer that way.”
“Safer for you to lie to me and have me do something against the law, maybe?” I said. “Because that’s what I’m hearing from you right now.”
“You need your ears cleaned, then, if that’s all you’re hearing,” said Grandfather. “Just hear me out; I am not interested in manipulating you or making you do anything illegal or unethical. I just need your help. I have no one else to turn to. Even Emma won’t be able to do it on her own.”
Grandfather’s voice sounded genuinely pleading and troubled. I almost felt sorry for the old man, given what he had been through recently, but at the same time, I didn’t lower my guard just yet in case this was a trick.
“Can you at least give me a clue as to what you want to talk about?” I said. “Even just a small hint?”
Grandfather’s voice went silent again, but this time, I could tell it was because he was debating with himself about what to tell me. I got the feeling that he was probably just going to hang up and leave me alone, which would have been fine by me … well, sort of, because I still wanted to save Grandmother and if Grandfather just hung up on me, then I would probably never get a chance to do that.
Finally, Grandfather said, “It is about your father. And you.”
“What does that mean?” I said. “What are you talking about?”
“Your powers,” said Grandfather. “Not just your powers, but the powers of every superhuman in the world. I know the secret to them, the secret that has eluded mainstream scientists for decades. And I am willing to share it with you if you would just come and see me in person.”
I hesitated. I had to admit, knowing the secret to neogenetics woul
d have been very cool. I doubted I could do anything about it, because I wasn’t a scientist and all, but even just knowing that secret might be helpful. I might even be able to figure out why my lightning powers manifested after I drank Professor Hernandez’s serum.
On the other hand, what if Grandfather was lying? He hadn’t offered any proof of his claims. He might have just been saying that just to get me to let down my guard and see him. Maybe he had some kind of trap laid for me; at the very least, I doubted his intentions were entirely pure.
But if anyone should know the secret of neogenetics, it would have to be Grandfather, given how he was involved in Project Neo and likely knew more about neogenetics than the average person. There was a chance that he was just telling the truth, which meant that if I agreed to meet him, then I would learn one of the most sought after secrets in the world.
Yet even if Grandfather was telling the truth about what he knew, that still didn’t mean I had to go and meet him in person like that. If this was all just a trap … and I had a feeling that it was … then going off to meet him like that would be a huge mistake, regardless of what kind of knowledge Grandfather had.
Still, I had a lot of questions and concerns about Grandfather and Grandmother. I had heard so much about them that I didn’t really know the truth about them. And what better way to learn the truth about my grandparents than from Grandfather himself? Dad once told me that the best way to make sense of conflicting information from multiple sources was to go out and get your own data personally, after all, so this was the best way to find out the truth.
So I said to Grandfather, “All right. When and where will we meet?”
Chapter Sixteen
Early the next morning, with the first rays of the sun peaking over the horizon, I landed in an abandoned, rundown-looking part of New York City. The streets were incredibly dirty and covered with garbage, while many of the windows of the various buildings were either smashed in or boarded up, sometimes both. The place smelled of rain and trash, no doubt due to the brief rain cloud that had covered the area earlier, a rain storm I had gotten briefly caught in, but I was okay despite being a little wet.
A quick look around the area showed me that I was alone. That didn’t surprise me too much, given how bombed out this part of the city looked, but that didn’t matter. Even if there had been other people around here, I would have been able to handle them, given my superpowers and all. Still, it did feel kind of weird, almost like a part of New York City that had just been … forgotten, I guess is the word you’d use.
Anyway, I started walking down the street, following my watch’s GPS, which was leading me to the address that Grandfather had given me yesterday. I suppose I could have flown to it, but I always found it hard to land on my destination, so I usually walked the last few feet instead. Also, I’d draw less attention walking than I would flying.
As I walked, I thought back over the plan I’d created before I left Hero Island. Due to my doubts about Grandfather’s honesty, I had come up with a backup plan in case things went to hell quickly, which was always possible, given that the last time I’d met Grandfather had ended with me fighting a supervillain.
I had called a meeting of the Young Neos yesterday and explained to them what I had spoken with Grandfather about. We had come up with a plan to get me out of the situation in case it turned out to be a trap. The others were nearby and, if I got in trouble, Valerie would send them a quick distress message asking them to come help me. We had run the plan by Mecha Knight, who had approved it, and was even going to be part of the backup, because he said he thought it was likely that the remaining Test Subjects might strike and he wanted to be there to help defeat them if necessary.
But I had not, of course, told Grandfather about my friends’ backup. I had told him that I was going to come by myself, but that was a lie, plain and simple. And I didn’t feel bad telling it. If Grandfather was as bad as I thought, then I didn’t see any reason to feel guilty about lying to him. Besides, if Grandfather turned out to be not as bad as I thought, then I would not need to summon backup and he would never need to know that I lied to him.
We had also considered calling the G-Men and getting them involved, but I had to admit that I still didn’t trust them entirely. I thought that me, the team, and Mecha Knight could handle this situation, whatever it was, all our on own. We didn’t need the G-Men for this. If anything happened, we could get them involved afterward.
Still, as I walked, I could not help but wonder if Shade was still following me or not. That seemed unlikely, given how she had been pretty badly wounded by Drop just the other day and probably hadn’t recovered yet, but if she was still following me, then I would never know, because her shadow powers meant she could be anywhere and I would never know. I kept looking over my shoulder every now and then, however, but did not see or hear anyone following me.
After a few minutes of walking, my GPS showed that I had reached my location: An old, abandoned house wedged squarely between two large, equally abandoned-looking apartment buildings. It looked like an old New York-style house, except that its windows were mostly boarded up and its front lawn was dead. There was also graffiti on the walls, graffiti depicting a superhero I didn’t recognize, some guy with a hoodie and glowing hands.
The only indication that anyone lived there at all was the fact that the door was clearly unlocked and even cracked open slightly. It was still pretty creepy-looking, though, so creepy-looking that I almost considered just turning around and leaving, but my desire for the truth outweighed my desire to run.
I tapped my earcom and whispered, “Val, do your sensors indicate if there’s anyone in that building?”
“Negative,” said Valerie. “I detect no lifeforms in there at all. It appears that there is some kind of device blocking exterior sensors, however, so even if there is someone in there, I could not tell you for sure.”
I rubbed the back of my head in annoyance. “Well, okay. Thanks for letting me know. But keep your sensors on at all times. I’m not expecting to get into a fight, but anything could happen in there and I’ll need the others’ help to deal with it.”
“Of course,” said Valerie. “If I detect anything unusual or dangerous, I will be sure to let you know.”
“Thanks,” I said.
Then I lowered my hand from my earcom and walked up the steps to the front door. I hesitated at first, listening for any sounds on the other side, but I didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary. I didn’t even hear any footsteps, though I supposed Grandfather could be on the upper floors, perhaps.
Anyway, I pushed open the door, which opened with an annoyingly loud creak, and stepped inside. Immediately, I started coughing, because there was a lot of dust in the room and it felt like I had inhaled a good chunk of it. It took me a few seconds of coughing before I got it all out, however, and looked around at the room I had entered.
The place was dark and unfriendly. Thanks to the boarded up windows, there was no light except for the light from the outside behind me and a light coming from the top of a nearby staircase, which seemed to lead to the second floor. But I would have to walk through the dark entryway to get to it, so I felt along the walls for a light switch, but my hand bumped what felt like a picture frame, knocking it off the wall and causing it to fall onto the floor with a thunk.
The sudden thunk startled me, but I bent over to pick up the picture and put it back on the wall. But when I grabbed it, I noticed something bright blue on the picture. Standing up, I held it in the light of the open doorway to get a better look at it.
The picture depicted a smiling, nice-looking family of three, wearing their Sunday best. The father was a tall, thin guy who looked eerily like Dad, except without the glasses and with a much wider smile, while the pretty young woman at his side was obviously his wife. The young boy, who couldn’t have been more than ten or eleven, stood between them, and he looked just like Dad, too, except smaller and younger, like Dad had been de-aged at som
e point.
I didn’t understand what I was looking at. Was this a picture of Dad when he was a kid? And were these two adults Grandfather and Grandmother from when they were younger? That’s how it looked to me. There wasn’t anything written on the photo, so I couldn’t identify the people in the photo for sure. But if this was them, then why was this family portrait here, of all places?
But my thoughts were interrupted when a voice in the shadows said, “Hello, Bolt. Glad to see you came.”
I looked up and saw someone standing in the shadows. I didn’t recognize her at first, until she stepped into the light pouring in from outside and revealed that she was Emma. Emma looked much the same as she had last week, except her wounds had clearly healed by now and she had a sword at her side, though due to the way the sword was positioned, I couldn’t make out too many details of it.
“Emma?” I said. “Were you standing there the whole time?”
“Yes,” said Emma. “My master gave me orders to stay down here in the living room to greet you and take you upstairs to where he is. But first, you should replace that picture.”
I nodded and placed the picture back on the wall where I had knocked it off. I considered asking Emma if she knew who that photo depicted, but I decided to ask Grandfather instead, so I just followed her up the creaking stairs to the light at the top, which I could now tell was coming from underneath the doors of one of the rooms.
When we reached the top of the stairs, Emma opened the door and motioned for me to enter. I stepped inside, and as soon as I did, Emma closed the door behind me, making me jump in surprise.
“Emma can be a little abrupt sometimes, can’t she?” said a familiar voice that made me look toward the back of the room. “She’s a fine young lady, but still a little too youthfully zealous, I am afraid. Much like you.”
Grandfather was sitting on a comfy-looking recliner near an old fireplace that clearly hadn’t been used in years. He had a newspaper in his hands, which struck me as bizarre, because I could not remember the last time I’d seen a newspaper in real life. His clothes hadn’t changed since the last time I saw him, but his hair looked a little messier, like he had not combed it in a while. He lowered the newspaper into his lap, which showed me that he was reading the sports section.
