by Lucas Flint
“But if the NHA and the INJ are working with the G-Men, why haven’t they told us?” said Blizzard. “Do they not trust us with this information or something?”
“Don’t know,” said Bolt. “I can only imagine that it must be top secret. Maybe the full implications of the Venetians’ plans are too risky to detail or maybe they just don’t want this information widely known. Knowledge is power, after all, and sometimes it makes more sense to keep certain facts to yourself than spread them around.”
“Well, whatever is going on, I hope they figure it out quickly,” said Treehugger. “It would be a shame if this event caused the parents of the students to pull out their kids before the Academy even got started. Does anyone know what the parents think of this?”
“Last I heard, a lot of parents are scared and few have already threatened to remove their kids, but no one has actually done it yet,” said Stinger. “But it’s still pretty early, you know. Plenty of time for parents to think about how someone nearly got murdered on stage before the first day even began.”
“Why hasn’t anyone told the parents about Volto yet?” said Treehugger. “Surely if they knew about him, they would understand just how unusual that event was.”
“Good idea,” said Stinger. “Bolt can tell them that he was possessed by a Cuban guy wearing a Venetian mask who can shoot his soul out of his body. People will definitely believe that, no questions asked.”
“It’s not any harder to believe than anything else we’ve been through,” said Treehugger. “I mean, if your kid can breathe fire or shoot lasers from his eyes, I don’t see why a guy who can release his soul from his body is so unbelievable.”
“No proof, for one,” Shell said. “Without proof that Volto really did possess Bolt, a lot of parents are just going to remain skeptical of any excuse we come up with. It’s frustrating, sure, but understandable.”
“Then the obvious answer is that we need to find Volto and drag him kicking and screaming onto the auditorium stage before the parents of the kids,” said Talon. She held up her hands and her claws popped out of her wrists. “And if that means Volto will be missing a couple of limbs here and there, I would consider that an acceptable sacrifice to make to keep the school running.”
“Guys, I don’t want any of you hunting down Volto while I’m down here,” said Bolt. “Volto is dangerous and cunning. He nearly killed me and Triplet when we first met him. Even if he is on campus, I want you guys to stay put and let the NHA, INJ, and G-Men search for him.”
“But wouldn’t having more people searching for Volto make it easier to find him?” said Talon. “Besides, we’ve also fought Volto, or at least that disgusting garbage creature he possessed. What could he possess that could possibly be worse than that?”
“I don’t know, but I still don’t want you guys putting yourselves in danger,” said Bolt. “At least wait until I’m out of here. I don’t know when I’ll be released, but I probably won’t spend the rest of my life down here. Might be a couple of days before they let me out, though.”
“Brother is right,” said White, nodding solemnly. “Volto is bad man. Fighting him would be dangerous.”
Talon lowered her claws and pouted. “All right. I won’t prowl the campus grounds for any clues of his location, but if I do see Volto anytime soon, I’ll make sure to give him an autograph.”
“Even if Volto is behind this, that doesn’t explain the sudden silence and then the sound blast,” said Treehugger, brushing aside her braided hair. “Does Volto also have sound powers or something?”
“I don’t think so,” said Bolt. “Maybe it’s another Venetian, though I can’t think of any Venetian who has control over sound.”
“Do we know who all of the Venetians are, though?” said Stinger. “Maybe there’s still a few more we don’t know about. It’s not like we have an exhaustive list of every member of the team, after all. We’ve just been putting them into the NHA’s supervillain database as we encounter them.”
“So there might be two Venetians on campus, then,” said Treehugger with a shudder. “Wonderful. Just our luck.”
“If there really are two Venetians on campus, then that means that John Mann is serious about destroying the Academy,” said Shell. “We’ll all have to be very careful over the next few days. If they’re willing to use Bolt to try to cause trouble, I bet they won’t hesitate to attack the rest of us if they think it will help their plans, whatever those may be.”
Treehugger gulped. She didn’t look around, but she now wondered if Volto or one of the other Venetians was watching them even as they spoke. The only cameras in the hallway were the security cameras in the corners of the ceiling, but Treehugger still didn’t feel safe. She just hoped that Volto was by himself, because if he had the help of another, unknown Venetian, then that was going to make it very difficult, if not impossible, for them to stay safe. She also thought about Strike and the New Heroes; what if the Venetians attacked them, too?
“What are we supposed to do until they let you out?” said Blizzard.
“The plan was for you guys to stay on campus for the next couple of days in special guest quarters,” said Bolt. “White knows where they are, so he can show them to you. I want you guys to stay there and not do any Venetian hunting until I’m released.”
“What about the tour of the campus grounds?” asked Talon. “Will you still take us on that?”
“Not myself, unfortunately, but White could do it,” said Bolt. “He knows the campus grounds nearly as well as me. Right, White?”
“Right, brother,” said White, giving Bolt the thumbs up. “I can show them the pool and gym and stuff. Garden.”
“See?” said Bolt. “White will be able to show you around. You shouldn’t be sitting around waiting for me anyway. Go have fun. I’ve already seen enough of the campus grounds myself over the last week to last a lifetime.”
“All right,” said Blizzard. “We’ll do that. But I’ll be back later on to see how you’re doing, okay? And if you ever need anything, just call for me, okay?”
“Sure thing, Blizz,” said Bolt. He yawned. “Also, you might want to check up on Strike. I know he survived, but I don’t know how well he’s doing and I want to make sure he will be okay.”
“I’ll do it,” said Treehugger, holding up a hand. “I’ll, uh, check on him.”
Treehugger felt slightly embarrassed to volunteer so quickly, but thankfully none of the others seemed to notice or understand why she was volunteering to check up on Strike, because none of them said anything or asked her about it.
“Okay,” said Bolt. “White can show you to the school’s medical building. That should be where Strike is being kept, if I’m not mistaken. Now, I think it’s time for you guys to go. If you see or hear anything about Volto, however, please let me know as soon as you can.”
CHAPTER FIVE
The Academy medical building was located near the center of the campus, near the auditorium and dorms, situated in such a way that it was easy to see and reach no matter what part of the campus from which you approached it. It was a tall, square white building with a sign with the words ‘ACADEMY CLINIC’ written on it hanging above the sliding door entrance. It looked kind of like a small town health clinic, although Treehugger guessed that it was probably designed to be able to withstand all kinds of problems that normal health clinics couldn’t, given how many young superhumans were going to school here.
Treehugger stood in front of the clinic by herself, bracing herself to enter and ask to see Strike. The rest of the team had gone back to the guest quarters that Bolt had mentioned; White had given Treehugger a map of the place she could use to find her way back there herself once she was done checking on Strike. Because checking on Strike wasn’t a very difficult task, there was no reason for more than one person to go check on him. Treehugger did feel rather vulnerable, though, especially after remembering what she and the others had discussed with Bolt earlier about the possibility of two revenge-driven V
enetians hiding somewhere on the campus grounds no doubt looking for the right opportunity to kill Treehugger or the others.
But that wasn’t why Treehugger was having such a hard time screwing up the strength to go in and ask to see Strike. It was just her nerves getting the best of her. The idea of actually going to Strike’s room and seeing him, all by herself, was as daunting as being asked to climb Mount Everest with a broken leg. She hadn’t spoken or interacted with Strike very much. He was a nice guy, she knew, but at the same time, she was so frightened by the idea of actually talking to him that she almost considered turning around and leaving. She could lie to the others and tell them that the doctor had told her that Strike wasn’t in any condition to see guests at the moment and that they could come by later when he was feeling better to find out how he was doing.
No, Treehugger, you should not lie to your friends, not even if you have a really good reason to do it, Treehugger told herself. Just go in, check on Strike, and get out. It isn’t hard.
Despite telling herself that, Treehugger didn’t really believe it. She was just about to turn around and leave before she heard a familiar voice behind her say, “Hey!”
Treehugger whipped her head over her shoulder to see a teenage girl of about her age walking up to her. The girl wore a pink and white suit, similar to Strike’s, and also a strange helmet on her head that hid her face. The girl walked with a spring in her step, far more confidently than Treehugger would ever dare to walk herself.
“Dizzy?” said Treehugger, turning to face her. “What are you doing here?”
Dizzy—a member of the New Heroes—stopped in front of Treehugger and put a hand on her hips. “Going to see Strike, of course! He’s my leader and boyfriend. Why wouldn’t I go see him?”
Treehugger felt her heart sink like a rock. Dizzy is Strike’s girlfriend? Oh, come on.
Aloud, however, she said, in her politest voice, “Oh, of course. Sorry for asking such a rude question.”
“No, it’s all right,” said Dizzy, waving a hand before Treehugger like she should forget it. “You’re Treehugger, right? One of the Young Neos? Why are you here?”
“I just, uh, came to check on Strike,” said Treehugger. She found a growing disgust toward Dizzy rising within her, even though she knew that she had no chance with Strike. “Bolt told me to.”
“Bolt?” Dizzy repeated. Her voice became cold. “You mean the guy who nearly murdered Strike.”
“It wasn’t on purpose,” said Treehugger. “He was possessed by a supervillain.”
“Yeah, I heard that from the Midnight Menace,” said Dizzy, her voice heavy with skepticism. “I suppose it’s probably true, you know. I’ve read about those Venetians, so I know what they can do. Haven’t actually seen any on campus, of course, but I guess they wouldn’t be the feared supervillains they are if they let themselves get caught so easily, huh?”
Treehugger bit her lower lip. “Yeah, I guess so. But they’re still dangerous and we should keep our eyes open for any clues as to their location.”
“Sure, whatever,” said Dizzy. “So, does Strike know that the teammate of the guy who tried to kill him is coming to visit him or was this visit just supposed to be a surprise?”
Treehugger had to restrain her tongue, because she had been about to say something that would undoubtedly make Dizzy punch her. She didn’t like that Dizzy was apparently convinced that Bolt’s story about Volto was a lie. It made her dislike her even more; it even made her feel satisfied in her dislike, because it gave her a much better reason to dislike Dizzy than the fact that she had the audacity to be Strike’s boyfriend. That’s what Treehugger told herself, anyway.
As diplomatically as she could, Treehugger said, “He doesn’t know. I just came because I wanted to make sure that he was doing okay and that he was going to recover. That’s all.”
“I doubt Strike wants to see anyone from the Young Neos right now,” said Dizzy. “It would remind him a bit too much about Bolt, I think.”
“Well, it’s too late now,” said Treehugger, barely hiding the annoyance in her voice. “I’m here, so we might as well go in and see him together.”
Dizzy must have sensed the annoyance in Treehugger’s voice, because she just shrugged and said, “Whatever. I guess you have a point. But if Strike asks you to leave or if he doesn’t want to see you, then leave. Okay?”
“Okay,” said Treehugger, this time not hiding the annoyance in her voice.
The two girls glared at each other for a second before they looked away from each other. Dizzy entered the clinic first, with Treehugger following closely behind, though Treehugger kept her distance because she didn’t want to be too close to Dizzy. She knew that Dizzy had the ability to make a person lose their balance and, given how the two of them were already off to a bad start, she didn’t want to let her guard down in case Dizzy tried to use her powers on her. She wondered if Dizzy was making similar precautions in regards to her own powers.
The Academy Clinic’s waiting room was slightly larger than the average clinic waiting room, with a few dozen chairs situated in the middle of the room and along the walls, plus a large wide screen TV in the upper left corner that appeared to have one of the big major cable news networks on and a desk with a stack of magazines below the TV. Along the walls of the clinic waiting area were various posters depicting a man in a doctor’s coat wearing a red and yellow mask, each poster depicting the man (the apparently fictional superhero doctor ‘Med Man,’ who Treehugger thought was fictional because she had never heard of him before) giving basic medical advice, though some of it was slightly altered to fit the needs of superhumans. One such poster, for example, showed the proper way to remove parts of a superhero’s costume in the event that they started bleeding in order to properly apply a tourniquet, a method that Treehugger had never learned before but which she thought would have been helpful to know anyway.
Treehugger and Dizzy walked up to the front desk, where a pretty young black-haired woman whose name plate read ‘IRMA’ sat. Dizzy quickly explained who they were and what they were doing there and Irma, recognizing both of them, told them they could go on and see Strike, since he was apparently already feeling good enough to see visitors. That surprised Treehugger, because she remembered how terrible Strike had looked just over an hour ago and wondered how someone could recover from that so quickly.
A few seconds later, Treehugger got her answer when they stepped into the room where Strike was resting. Strike was sitting upright on a bed with clean white sheets. He was not wearing his costume; it must have been removed at some point to make it easier to heal him. This was the first time Treehugger had ever seen Strike’s unmasked face and it was even handsomer than she had ever imagined. His black eyes and brown hair, along with his square chin, were so handsome that Treehugger nearly melted on the spot. Even with the hospital gown he wore, he still looked hot; in particular, his muscular arms caught Treehugger’s eyes, nearly distracting her from the other person in the room aside from herself and Blizzard.
A man sat on a stool next to Strike’s bed, one hand on Strike’s arm. He was a middle-aged man wearing an all-white superhero suit, save for the blue stylized hand design on his chest. In contrast to Strike, this man was very thin, almost like a stick, but he wasn’t unhealthily thin. The man opened his eyes and took his hand off of Strike’s arm when Treehugger and Dizzy entered the room, turning to face them both with a warm smile.
“Ah, Treehugger, Dizzy, so good to see you,” said the man in a kind voice. “I didn’t expect both of you to visit Strike at the same time. I just finished healing Strike’s skin.”
Treehugger would have responded, but she felt so timid in the presence of Strike that she didn’t utter a word. She did, however, know who the man was: Healing Touch, the resident healer of the Neohero Alliance. He wasn’t the NHA’s only healer, but he was its first and oldest healer and the most experienced, in addition to having the widest range of healing abilities among all of the heal
ers. He spent most of his time on Hero Island, where he acted as the NHA’s head doctor, healing NHA members who came back from missions and providing NHA members with all of their medical needs. Treehugger had known that Healing Touch was here, but she hadn’t expected to see him healing Strike himself.
“Thank you, Healing Touch,” said Dizzy. “I really appreciate all of the work you’ve done for Strike so far. Strike, how do you feel?”
“Much better, thanks,” said Strike. His voice was slightly weaker than normal, but even just hearing him speak was enough to send tingles running down Treehugger’s spine. He rubbed the back of his head. “I’ll still need to rest for the next few days, though. Healing Touch has healed the worst of it, but I’m still absolutely exhausted.”
“Yes, rest is very important,” said Healing Touch. “I may be able to remove sickness and heal injuries with a touch, but you must still take care of your own health. That way, I won’t have to heal you myself all the time.”
“Sure thing, doc,” said Strike. “And Dizzy, Healing Touch is just awesome. He’s even better than the INJ’s doctors, honestly.”
“It’s nothing,” said Healing Touch. “I’m just doing my job.”
“I know, but still,” said Strike, “I honestly thought I was going to die back there. Now I feel better than ever.”
“Good to hear,” said Dizzy. “But don’t say that around Medico. I don’t think he’d be pleased to hear you singing the praises of the NHA’s healer.”
“Medico is a good sport,” said Healing Touch. “But I should be going now. I have to report to the NHA and INJ leaders about your status. I’ll leave the three of you alone now, but if you need anything, don’t be afraid to call me.”
Healing Touch stood up and left the room, passing by Treehugger, who stepped out of the way to let him leave. She would have said something to Healing Touch, but she was still so tongue-tied in the presence of Strike that she was barely aware of anything else. She couldn’t take her eyes off his arms … they were so big and muscular … and he had such a great smile …
