by Lucas Flint
“There you are,” I said.
I ran over to the trees, but only with my normal speed, because there were too many trees for me to feel comfortable running at super speed. I ran around the trees just in time to see a cloaked person running through the bushes ahead of me.
“Hey, you!” I shouted. “Stop! Who are you?”
The cloaked figure stopped for a moment and looked over its shoulder at me. Although the figure’s hood obscured their features, I thought the figure was female for some reason; maybe it was the way she ran.
But in any case, the figure immediately turned and resumed running, vanishing among the trees and bushes almost like a chameleon.
I ran after her, tearing through the bushes, pushing aside branches, trying to keep her in sight. Every time I caught sight of her, she would slip out of my sight again. She clearly didn’t want to be seen or caught; I didn’t know why, but maybe she was a spy sent by the G-Men or something. Whoever she was, I was going to catch her and make her tell me why she was watching me.
I burst through another set of trees and now found myself standing in a clearing. The ground inclined here, going down to a small gulch that had no way out. And the cloaked girl was standing right inside it. She whirled around, but stopped as soon as she saw me, because I was now blocking her only way out.
“Hey,” I said. I kept my tone friendly, but at the same time I didn’t let down my guard, because I had no idea if this girl was dangerous. “You’re trapped, so you can stop running. If you give up peacefully, I promise not to hurt you.”
The girl hesitated. She looked both ways, but she was pretty well trapped by the gulch and the walls were too steep and smooth for her to climb.
“Come on, now,” I said. “Can’t you at least tell me your name? Are you a spy from the government or something?”
The girl stepped back. I tensed, thinking she was going to try to run away, even though she was completely and totally trapped.
But then the girl raised her hands and began singing a very soft, low song. It was very comfortable and beautiful, making me think of a lullaby almost. My eyes drooped, but I shook my head to stay awake. This girl clearly had powers, perhaps the ability to put someone to sleep, and I couldn’t let her do that because I had no idea what she might do to me if I fell asleep.
But it was … so … nice …
I shook my head. I ran down the incline toward her, but I was starting to get drowsy and confused. My world rapidly grew dark around me, my memories became muddled, and in an instant I saw nothing at all.
-
“Bolt?” said Incantation.
I shook my head and looked around. I was standing on the lawn of the mansion, with Incantation and Hopper before me. I was looking over my shoulder at the trees, where I thought I’d seen something, but now I saw that it was just a deer, which bounded off into the trees out of sight.
“What did you see?” said Hopper.
I blinked and looked up at the sky. The sun had moved a little, but as far as I could tell it wasn’t very late in the day, maybe late morning by now.
“Huh?” I said, looking at Hopper again.
“I said, what did you see?” said Hopper. “You were looking over your shoulder at something.”
I frowned and rubbed the back of my head, which was starting to ache again. “I … guess it was just a deer. Thought I saw someone watching us.”
“Well, there’s no one in the forest who could watch us,” said Incantation. “Remember, we’re miles away from the nearest town and this is private property, so there probably aren’t any hikers or campers around here.”
“I know,” I said. I frowned. “Was I always standing here? Did I … did I go into the forest?”
“You just stood here staring at the forest,” said Hopper. He sounded a little concerned. “You haven’t left at all. Why?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I thought I’d gone and run out to the forest to see what was in there.”
“Must be your amnesia,” said Incantation in a sympathetic voice. “It’s making you ‘remember’ things you haven’t actually experienced.”
“Is that one of amnesia’s effects?” I said.
“Maybe,” said Incantation. “But I’m sure you just spaced out for a moment. Happens to all of us at one point or another.”
“Yeah, it’s nothing to worry about,” said Hopper. “Just take it easy.”
I frowned. I was certain that I had gone into the forest to check on whoever (whoever? No, whatever, because it was a deer. Why’d I think whoever?) was watching us. Yet despite that certainty deep in my bones, I had no memory of what I might have done in there. I had a vague feeling of chasing … something? … but I didn’t know for sure. It felt like a part of my memory was whited out, but maybe it was just my amnesia at work again messing with my memories.
Shaking my head, I said, “You guys are right. I probably just spaced out. Let’s get ready for tonight’s mission. It’s going to be tough and we all need to be in top condition so we can pull it off without a hitch.”
Chapter Five
When the clock struck midnight, Incantation, Hopper, Sarah, and I stood in the garden at the back of the mansion, exactly where Thaumaturge had called us. The air was cold, but with the moon out, I had no trouble seeing my surroundings. We were all suited up and ready to go, even Sarah, who had somehow managed to stuff herself into a skintight red suit that left far too little to the imagination. I said nothing about that, though, because I didn’t want to bring Sarah’s wrath down upon me.
Speaking of Wrath, he and Thaumaturge stood opposite us. Well, Thaumaturge did; Wrath was leaning against a nearby apple tree, casually eating an apple he’d plucked from its branches. Despite his nickname, I don’t think I’d ever seen Wrath get angry, though given how crazy he seemed, that was probably a good thing.
“All right,” said Thaumaturge. Despite how late it was, he looked wide awake and alert; maybe he’d drunk some coffee or something. “Is everyone ready to go?”
“Yep,” I said, nodding. “We’ve got everything we’ll need. We’re all set.”
“Excellent,” said Thaumaturge. “And you have studied the maps of the White House’s layout that we gave you earlier?”
“Yes, sir,” said Incantation. “I now know the place like the back of my hand.”
“As I expected from my student,” said Thaumaturge. “Remember the plan: Get in, get the files, and get out. Kill Plutarch if possible, but if not, that is fine, because once we rescue our leader, Plutarch will be the first to die.”
“And do you all know what to do if everything goes to hell?” asked Wrath as he took another bite from his apple.
“Yeah,” said Hopper. He raised his wrist, showing off his own suit-up watch. “The others will send me an emergency message asking for a portal back to base. I’ll then open the portal and bring everyone back. If they’re unable to reach the portal, I’ll send you in to go rescue them instead.”
“Smart,” said Wrath. “Maybe this next generation of kids isn’t as bad as the old people say they are. Still way too whiny for my tastes, though.”
“Right,” said Thaumaturge. “Well, now that we’ve reviewed everything, it’s time to send the team. Hopper, open the portal.”
Hopper gave Thaumaturge the thumbs up and then raised a hand. Instantly, a door-sized portal opened up just a few feet away from us, though the swirling textures and colors on the other side made it impossible to see what awaited us.
“You three, enter,” said Thaumaturge, gesturing at the portal. “Once you retrieve the files, send a message to Hopper and he’ll open another portal for you. And Technical has taken down the White House’s security systems, though they won’t be down forever. She’s given us ten minutes at most before they’re back online, which should be enough time for you three to get in and retrieve the folder with our leader’s location on it.”
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll go first.”
I walked thro
ugh the portal. I expected it to be strange, but to my surprise, it was just like walking through a normal doorway. As soon as I stepped through the portal, I found myself standing outside a building I recognized as the Oval Office, though the curtains had been drawn and it was completely dark on the inside, like all the lights had been turned off. I looked both ways, but did not see any Secret Service agents or G-Men nearby, though I heard the sounds of cars and people coming from the streets of D.C. somewhere in the distance.
A second later, after I gave them the clear, Incantation and Sarah stepped through the portal as well, which closed behind us soundlessly. The three of us looked around the area once again, keeping an eye out for any possible obstacles, but the area was entirely clear of any threats to our mission right now.
“Odd,” I muttered. “Where are all the Secret Service agents?”
“Technical told me that she set off an alarm on the other side of the White House complex,” Incantation whispered in return. “Said that the Secret Service agents are going to be distracted by it, but only for ten minutes or until they realize its a distraction and come after us.”
“Then let’s move,” I said.
The three of us quickly and carefully made our way to the nearest door into the Oval Office. I raised my fist to smash the lock, but Incantation held up a hand, indicating that she was going to handle it. As much as I enjoyed smashing locks, I lowered my fist and stepped back, allowing Incantation to move in front of the door.
She withdrew her wand from her robes and tapped the door once. A small click told me that the door was now unlocked, so I opened the door and peeked my head into the darkened Oval Office.
Like the rest of the place, the Oval Office was currently empty. Pictures of past Presidents lined the walls, along with an empty fireplace and two sofas facing each other, with a long coffee table in between. I noticed the security cameras in the corners of the room, but they were focused on the ceiling and appeared to be off. Technical’s work, no doubt.
Since the place seemed safe, I pushed the door open more and stepped inside, holding the door open for Incantation and Sarah to follow. Once we were all inside, I closed the door, plunging the entire Office into pitch black darkness.
But then there was a small flash and Incantation’s wand was now glowing a pure, white light, which illuminated her beautiful face, though the shadows it cast just made Sarah look uglier. In any case, the light let me see my surroundings, including the desk at which President Plutarch sat whenever he was working.
“We’re in,” I whispered. “So we think that the folder with our leader’s location is in that desk?”
Incantation nodded. “Yes. That’s what our G-Man agent told us before he was caught.”
“What if they moved it by now?” I whispered.
“I doubt it,” said Sarah with a snort. “No way they’d ever expect us to get into here.”
I supposed that Sarah had a point. “All right. Let’s go and get those files. Time is ticking.”
We walked over to the desk. Going around to the other side, I saw several locked drawers, but none of them were marked. I looked up at Incantation and Sarah, who stood on the other side of the desk opposite me.
“There are a bunch of drawers,” I said. “Do we know which one has the files?”
“Our agent told us it was the drawer at the very top,” said Incantation.
I nodded and tried to pull it open, but the drawer was locked pretty tight. “Looks like it’s locked.”
“Let me help,” said Incantation.
She reached over the desk and tapped the drawer with her wand once. I immediately tried pulling it open again, and this time succeeded. I flashed Incantation a thankful smile before I looked down into the drawer and began digging through its contents.
Because we were in a hurry, I didn’t focus very much on any one document. Most of them were classified top secret and seemed to cover a whole bunch of secret things that the government was up to, including what appeared to be an incredibly extensive spy network in Russia and another report on the Chinese military possibly incorporating superhumans into their army. But again, none of it interested me very much, because none of it so far seemed to cover our leader’s location.
Incantation and Sarah weren’t helping because they were keeping an eye out for any Secret Service or G-Men agents. We didn’t hear any yet, but we weren’t going to let this mission fail due to carelessness, not when we were so close to victory.
At last, I found something. Raising the document from the drawer, I put it under the light emanating from Incantation’s wand in order to read it better:
REPORT ON STATUS OF SUPERHUMAN CRIMINAL BARNABAS SAGAN
“I found it,” I whispered excitedly, causing Incantation and Sarah to look at me. “This is it.”
“It is?” said Sarah. She almost squealed in excitement. “You mean we’ll find Grandpa?”
“Yeah, yeah,” I said, flipping open the document. It had a picture of the Visionary, plus a report that listed his height, weight, race, etc. “Let’s see, let’s see, let’s see … ah, here we go. Facility Fifty-Two is where they’re keeping him.”
“Facility Fifty-Two?” Incantation repeated. “What’s that?”
“Not sure,” I said. “But according to this document, it’s located somewhere in a desert in Arizona. Seems to be some kind of secret government facility.”
“Does it say what they’re doing to him there?” said Sarah in worry.
“No,” I said. “At least, I don’t see anything. We’ll need to bring this document to Thaumaturge so he can read it and he can tell us what it says. We don’t have time to read it ourselves right now.”
“Right,” said Incantation. “Well, we got what we were looking for. Time to leave.”
All of a sudden, I heard a click somewhere in the darkness beyond the light of Incantation’s wand. It sounded like someone had locked the door, causing all three of us to start and look up.
“What was that?” Sarah whispered. She sounded terrified and was actually sweating.
“Someone locked the door,” Incantation whispered. “But who?”
“Me,” came a playful, young feminine voice from somewhere within the darkness.
Before our startled eyes, a young woman in black stepped out of the shadows and into the circle of light created by Incantation’s wand. She had pale skin, dark hair, and appeared to be in her early twenties, but there was something very strange about her. Her black clothes seemed to be clinging to the shadows, as though the shadows were a part of her, and there was something incredibly familiar about her face, even though I had no memory of her at all.
“Who are you?” I said. “G-Men?”
The woman frowned, like I’d offended her. “Bolt, I thought you’d recognize me. Are you just playing hard to get now or what?”
“Why would I recognize you?” I said. “I’ve never seen you in my life.”
The woman’s frown deepened. “And now you’re acting like you’ve never seen me? I guess they really did wipe your memories, didn’t they?”
“Who did?” I said, though the back of my head started aching when she mentioned ‘memories.’ “No one has touched my memory.”
“Director Smith is going to be very pleased to learn that his theory about your disappearance was correct,” said the woman. She sighed. “That means I’m going to have to listen to his gloating for the next three weeks. Damn it.”
“I still don’t know who you are or how you know me,” I said. “Identify yourself.”
“Fine,” said the woman. She put a hand on her chest. “My name is Shade. I am an agent of the G-Men and I am here to put an end to your little plan to save your beloved leader.”
Chapter Six
Shade … the name stirred a memory somewhere in the back of my mind. It felt familiar, like I’d said the name myself many times before. I even thought I saw a memory—me standing on top of a school somewhere, facing a woman who looked very much li
ke the woman standing before me—but then my mind went blank and the back of my head burned.
“Ow,” I said, grabbing the back of my head and biting my lower lip. “Headache.”
“Don’t worry,” said Shade. “Once I capture you and your friends, I’ll make sure you get some pain pills for that.”
The pain in the back of my head faded, causing me to lower my hand and glare at the woman. “How did you know we were going to be here? We didn’t tell anyone about our plan.”
“Well, I certainly didn’t know that you, in particular, were going to be here, Bolt, but we knew that Vision was likely to try to break into the White House sometime,” said Shade. “Your friend, Mimic, told us that he’d told you all about the files with Sagan’s location. And, since you disappeared about a week ago, Director Smith figured that Vision was going to try something like this soon, probably with your help. Hence why I was assigned to the White House to protect the Oval Office.”
“I disappeared a week ago?” I said. “What are you talking about? I’ve been with Vision the entire time.”
“Don’t listen to her, Bolt,” said Incantation. “She’s lying. She’s trying to confuse you so you doubt yourself.”
“I’m not trying to confuse anyone this time,” said Shade. “Actually, you’re the one who is trying to confuse poor Bolt, though I’d say it’s more like you’re trying to deceive him than anything. And I can respect that, since sometimes you have to play a little loose with the truth in order to get a guy, but come on, this is pathetic.”
“I don’t know you,” I said, though the words sounded false even as I spoke them. “I’ve never even met you before. And Incantation isn’t deceiving me. We’ve been dating since high school and I trust her with my life.”
Shade raised an eyebrow. “Wow, the brainwashing must have been really thorough. You honestly sound like you believe that crap.”
“I believe it because it is true,” I said. “Incantation and the others would never lie to me.”
