by Lucas Flint
Shaking my head, I said, “Who is this ‘Superior’ Mohammad mentioned? It sounded like you know him.”
Uncle Josh grimaced. “Ah, yes. The Superior of Icon, Roland Chaser. He’s the head honcho, the Big Cheese, the king of the hill. Easily the most dangerous member of Icon, probably worth at least half of Icon’s most elite agents, and that’s just his brain.”
I knew who Chaser was. Last month, I’d heard that name bandied about by a certain Icon agent more than a few times and had, after my fight with the Injectors, attempted to learn more about Chaser. Unfortunately, my Internet searches had turned up nothing on who this ‘Chaser’ figure was, but it seemed like Uncle Josh knew.
“Who, exactly, is Chaser?” I said. “Aside from being the head of Icon, that is.”
“Heck if I know,” said Uncle Josh. “If Icon is secretive, Chaser is practically an enigma. All we know is that Chaser founded Icon about twenty years ago and began using it to manufacture, sell, and distribute Power drugs to anyone with more money than sense. The best we’ve been able to figure out is that Chaser is very intelligent, very rich, and very, very dangerous. We don’t even know what he looks like.”
“Pinnacle doesn’t sound like a very good secret spy agency to me if you don’t even know what your main enemy looks like.”
Uncle Josh huffed. “You’ve got it backwards, kid. Pinnacle is one of the best spy agencies in the world, with detailed information on nearly every world leader, gang and cartel leaders, business executives, and every other kind of important leader in the world. The fact that we don’t have at least an encyclopedia-length file on Chaser means that he’s extremely good at covering his tracks.”
That sure sounded like an excuse to me, but I didn’t push the point. “All right. Now what is the Atlas Glove and why is it so important that you needed to steal it?”
“The Atlas Glove, by itself, isn’t very important,” said Uncle Josh. “It’s part of a much larger weapon that Icon has been working on, which they call Project Atlas.”
“Project Atlas,” I repeated. “That doesn’t sound good.”
“It isn’t,” said Uncle Josh, shaking his head. “While there is still much we don’t know about Project Atlas, we do know that it is a dangerous weapon that Icon is trying to create. We don’t quite know the full extent of the weapon’s power, but from what I saw of it in Icon’s HQ … let’s just say that even Trickshot probably couldn’t beat it.”
That was debatable, but I didn’t say anything in order to make sure Uncle Josh didn’t suspect me of being Trickshot. “Does Icon need the Atlas Glove to complete the weapon?”
“Yep,” said Uncle Josh. “Without the Glove, the weapon is … not useless, but not as effective as it normally is. They could always make another one, I guess, but maybe Chaser decided it was cheaper to have one of his agents crack my skull open than waste time and money building another.”
I looked at the Atlas Glove again, thinking about how powerful it had been earlier. No wonder Icon wanted it back. With a weapon like that, you could probably destroy a skyscraper, maybe multiple skyscrapers if you really tried. I almost wanted to keep it for myself, but I knew better than to try to steal it from my uncle.
“What are we going to do when we get home?” I said, leaning back in my seat.
“Pack my bags and leave,” said Uncle Josh without looking at me. “Now that Icon knows I’m here and that we’re related, they’ll probably send someone to the house to attack us when we least expect it. I don’t want to put either your or your parents’ lives at risk.”
“But you just got here,” I said in surprise. “You can’t leave already.”
“I would have stayed longer, but it isn’t safe,” said Uncle Josh. “Sorry, Jack, but sometimes you’ve got to do what’s right rather than what’s easy, and right now it is right for me to leave Rumsfeld and draw Icon away from you guys.”
I would have argued with him, but I knew that Uncle Josh was right. So I just sat back in my seat, wondering what I would say to Mom and Dad when they found out that Uncle Josh left.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
When we got home, neither Mom nor Dad were there. As a result, Uncle Josh wasted no time in packing his bags—or ‘bag,’ as it was, because Uncle Josh always traveled light—and tossing them into the trunk of his convertible along with the suitcase containing the Atlas Glove. I helped him a little, but because Uncle Josh had so few traveling possessions, I didn’t need to do much.
Before Uncle Josh left, however, he did give me a cover story that I could give Mom and Dad about where he went. He did not want Mom or Dad to know that he was an agent of Pinnacle for security reasons, so we came up with the idea that an old friend of his just died in Britain and that he was going to be at the funeral that was being held on short notice. It was hardly the most elegant or foolproof excuse, but Uncle Josh assured me that it would work just fine for reassuring Mom and Dad that his sudden disappearance was not due to any nefarious reasons. At the very least, they probably wouldn’t ask me any more questions about it, which was the real goal, because the more questions they asked me, the more likely I was to accidentally tell them the truth.
As soon as Uncle Josh was sure that I had the story down, he hopped into his convertible, waved goodbye, and backed out of the driveway and went zooming down the street to the east. I stood on the front porch, watching his car rapidly make its way down the street until it turned a corner and disappeared from view entirely.
I continued to stand there for a few seconds, half-hoping Uncle Josh would turn around and come back, but his red convertible did not reappear again. Sighing, I went back into the house and climbed the stairs up to my room, where I closed the door behind me and sat down on my bed.
As soon as I sat down, TW flashed before me, a mystified expression on his face. “My, that was quite the experience, wasn’t it?”
I looked at him in surprise. “’Experience’? That’s an understatement. It was more like a mini adventure.”
“Regardless of what you call it, you have to admit that it was unusual,” said TW. “One of the strangest stories I’ve ever heard, but I can’t say I doubt it.”
“Why not?” I said. “Have you heard of Pinnacle before?”
“Yes,” said TW. “Let’s see … ah, yes, I believe Gregory teamed up with a Pinnacle agent back sometime in the nineties to take down a notorious international criminal who came to Rumsfeld to rob the city blind. But the Pinnacle agent back then didn’t tell us much about his organization and that was the last we ever heard of it, so much of the information Josh gave you was new to me as well.”
I leaned forward and rested my forehead on my open palm. “Man, this is crazy. I never thought my own uncle was a super secret spy who traveled around the world battling another evil spy organization. It really is just like James Bond, except with superpowers.”
“Yes, it is surprising, but look on the bright side,” said TW. “We know more about Chaser and Icon now, at least, including a possible location of Icon’s headquarters.”
“Somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico, if what Uncle Josh said was true,” I said. “That gives us a place to look for Grandfather, once we decide to search for him.”
“Agreed,” said TW, nodding. “It seems like an odd place for an island base to be, but perhaps that’s precisely why they chose it.”
“Doesn’t matter why they chose it,” I said. I stood up. “I’m going to go save Grandfather and bring our family back together again. This is great.”
“While I’m just as eager to rescue Gregory as you, I think you have more pressing issues at the moment,” said TW, “namely, the entire Baron Glory assassination fiasco. You should probably deal with that before you go running off to the Gulf of Mexico looking for cloaked island bases belonging to criminal spy organizations.”
My shoulders slumped. “Yeah, you’ve got a point. Besides, the Gulf is a pretty big place. Even if I fly off to there right this very instant, it’s not like I would be
able to find Icon’s base.”
“Exactly,” said TW. “It’s something worth looking into at some point, but for now I think it would be wiser for you to focus on clearing your name.”
“Right,” I said, though I still couldn’t help but feel at least a little disappointed, because it meant I would have to put off the search for Grandfather yet again. “How am I supposed to do that?”
“Don’t you remember?” said TW. “I suppose it must have slipped your mind. You asked me to do some research on Bug Bite’s HQ, remember?”
“Oh, right,” I said, nodding. “I almost forgot about that entirely. What did you find?”
“Enough that we could launch an assault on the HQ if you wanted,” said TW. “Or, at least, stage a break-in to find the proof we need that Bug Bite framed you for the murder of Baron Glory.”
“Really?” I said. “Man, TW, you work fast!”
TW shrugged. “I may be an old program, but I’m still good at what I do. Perhaps you might even say the best.”
“Regardless, this is good news,” I said. I folded my arms in front of my chest. “I still don’t like the idea of Bug Bite being behind the assassination, though. It just doesn’t settle well with me.”
“I understand, but the evidence seems to point that way, does it not?” said TW. “And the only way to know for sure is to break into his base and find as much proof as we can.”
I nodded, but deep down, I was troubled by the idea of breaking into Bug Bite’s base. It wasn’t the breaking in part that really bothered me so much. It was the thought that I might fight Bug Bite again that troubled me. Bug Bite was not as strong or as fast as me, true, but he came very close to beating me in our last confrontation and I guessed that he was not going to go any easier on me in Round Two. Given Bug Bite’s vindictive nature, he was probably going to fight me even harder than he did before. Maybe he would unleash a horde of killer wasps on me or something.
“When do you think we should stage the break-in?” I said.
“I’m thinking we should put off the break-in for a couple more days at least,” said TW. “I’ll need some time to sort all of the data I’ve collected. Plus, it may behoove you to do some in-person scouting yourself.”
I sat back down on the bed and frowned. “Why do I need to go anywhere when you’ve already gotten all of the info I’ll need from the Internet?”
“Because there is some information that you can’t get from the Internet,” said TW. “That’s another lesson Gregory taught me. While Gregory used technology extensively in his superhero days, he didn’t rely upon it exclusively. He liked having real physical experience, especially during these types of missions.”
“Makes sense,” I said. “All right. Tonight I’ll scout his headquarters a bit, see if I can find anything useful. Will probably focus on the exterior of the building, because I’m not sure Bug Bite is keen on letting visitors into his base, especially visitors like me.”
“Good idea,” said TW. “That is exactly what Gregory would do whenever he needed to break into some place. You should probably also spend the next couple of days getting some rest and training in. That way, you will be in top shape for whatever may await us inside Bug Bite’s headquarters.”
“Sure,” I said. I yawned. “Speaking of rest, I’d like to take a nap right now. All of this spy stuff has tired me out.”
“Go ahead,” said TW. “I’ll continue to do research on Bug Bite’s headquarters and see if I can find anything else that might be helpful for the plan.”
I nodded one more time. TW disappeared in another flash of light, while I lay down on my bed and closed my eyes. It was hard to go to sleep knowing what I would have to soon do, but as Dad always said, you can’t do a full day’s work without a full night’s sleep.
Besides, I had motivation to get this done. The quicker I did it, the quicker I could save Grandfather.
The only question now was whether Bug Bite would be ready for me or not. Or whether I was ready for him.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
A few days later …
I crouched low in the bushes surrounding the Hive, as still and quiet as I could, my eyes and ears alert for any dangers. The darkness of the night meant that I was hidden under the cover of shadow, but the Hive did have several lampposts set around it that provided sufficient illumination for the security cameras and guards who patrolled the exterior of the building at night. Right now, the guards were between shifts, but that didn’t mean it was safe to cross over to the Hive itself, because the security cameras were active day and night, and if I was seen on any of them, the plan would be completely ruined and we’d have to start over.
The Hive was one of the most unusual buildings in Rumsfeld, not in the least because it was actually closer to the outskirts of Rumsfeld than the interior. It had been constructed about ten years ago when Bug Bite became Rumsfeld’s official superhero after Grandfather disappeared. I even remembered the opening ceremony they had for it on TV, showing Bug Bite and Mayor Adams standing side by side at a huge press conference. My sixth grade history teacher Mrs. Janet had also shown my class a documentary about it during one class, which was one of the reasons I liked sixth grade history so much.
The Hive was shaped like a glass dome, rising from the ground like some kind of insect hive, hence the name. Its glass panels were reflective during the day, but they were obscured to the point where you couldn’t see through them from the outside. It gave the Hive an uncanny appearance, because it made you think there was a giant bug hiding somewhere inside, waiting for the right opportunity to attack anyone who got too close to its lair. Some rumors even stated that Bug Bite used the Hive as a laboratory where he performed all sorts of horrifying experiments on insect life, including a so-called ‘Bug Man,’ a half-human/half-insect monstrosity who was said to stalk the outskirts of Rumsfeld at night, attacking unwary people and eating anything it could set its giant jaws around.
Whether there were any truth to the Bug Man rumors or not, the Hive was still not an easy building to break into. Being Bug Bite’s base, it contained most of Bug Bite’s equipment and weapons, as well as doubling as Bug Bite’s place of residence for whenever he needed to do 24/7 missions. It even had a crime lab, according to the documentary I watched, where Bug Bite could perform DNA analysis to help solve particularly difficult crimes.
It was also well-protected. As I said, it had security cameras on the outside above every entrance and exit, meaning it was impossible to sneak in without being seen. There were also the guards, who patrolled the Hive at all times of day in four six hour shifts. Very few people had ever managed to break into the Hive, and of those few who had, they were usually apprehended by the guards on the inside, if not Bug Bite himself. As a result, Bug Bite probably didn’t expect me to try to break in, especially because he didn’t even know I suspected him of being the assassin’s employer.
Normally, there was no way I would be able to enter without being seen. I mean, sure, I could just eschew subtlety entirely and smash my way in through sheer force of will, but that wouldn’t help me find the proof I needed to clear my name. Stealth was the name of the game tonight. Just like James Bond, I couldn’t solve all of my problems with my fists.
The plan was simple. While I waited out here in the bushes, TW would hack into the Hive’s security systems and take them down from the inside. With luck, TW would be able to turn off or redirect the security cameras, as well as any other security features keeping the Hive safe. Then I would enter and search the Hive itself for any proof or evidence I needed.
We picked tonight to do the mission for the very good reason that Bug Bite was not here tonight. Bug Bite was instead back at his apartment in downtown Rumsfeld, where he lived by himself. The only people present in the Hive tonight were the guards, but they would be easy to take care of if they tried to get in my way.
“TW,” I said in my mind, “how’s the hacking going? Taken down the security systems yet?”
; “Not yet,” said TW, “but I am working at it. Bug Bite has some of the most advanced, state-of-the-art security systems around, but I’m making progress and should get in within the next few minutes. Just be patient.”
“You know patience isn’t one of my virtues, TW.”
“Then you know what else you need to work on.”
I rolled my eyes, but said nothing in response. I just stayed as still as I could on the ground, waiting for the right moment to strike. It was hard to wait, but the alternative was being spotted by the cameras and ruining my plans, so I stayed where I was without making a sound.
Finally, TW said, “Got it. I shut down the security camera on the east side of the Hive, where you are, and also unlocked the door. But you should hurry and get in, because I had to make its turning off look like a glitch, which the security guard who is watching the cameras is trying to fix.”
I didn’t hesitate. I rushed across the open space between the bushes and the Hive and opened the door and entered quickly. Closing the door behind me, I said in my mind, “All right, TW. I’m in.”
“Good,” said TW. “I turned the exterior security camera back on, so the guard thinks it was just a temporary glitch.”
“What about the interior security cameras?” I said.
“Surprisingly, there aren’t very many of those,” said TW. “Just a handful here and there, mostly in rooms of importance to Bug Bite. I’ll let you know if there are any along the path you take and will make sure to turn them off or redirect them in some way.”
“Thanks,” I said. “Guess I’ll start looking for clues, then.”
I looked around the hallway into which I had emerged. It was long and stretched down quite a ways before curving off to the left deeper into the Hive. On either side of the hallway were three office doors, each one unmarked. The air was cool and fresh, a much welcome relief from the humidity of the night air outside. I did not see any security cameras or guards, meaning that I was safe for the time being.
