Jack looked back at the crowd that filled Hero Square. He was not moved by it. “They’ve been wrong before too,” he said. “You really want to know what I am? What I’m going to be?” Stendeval waited. Jack tried to tell him, but he just couldn’t seem to spit it out just yet. “I’m… I’m exactly what you were describing in there. I’m a villain! The worst villain ever!”
“You know, a wise Mecha once told me that ‘hero’ and ‘villain’ are words that get overused sometimes. That some so-called villains are just people who are misunderstood.”
“I know what Jazen said, and there’s no misunderstanding with me. I killed thousands of people. More than that, even! Way more! Everyone here! The whole Earth!”
Stendeval looked at Jack like he was speaking in tongues. “You did?” he asked, confused. He looked out at the gorgeous sunset lighting the sky against the open sea. The whole Earth seemed just fine for the moment. “When did you do all that?”
Jack rolled his eyes at Stendeval. “I didn’t do it yet… I’m going to do it.”
Stendeval pondered Jack’s answer with a very serious look on his face. He thought about it long and hard before finally asking, “Why?”
All the questions were getting Jack frustrated. “I don’t want to do it,” he said. “I don’t have a choice. It’s what my future is. Revile told me. I told me.” Jack decided it was time to come clean and say it. It would feel good to say it. “I’m him!” he told Stendeval. “Revile! I grow up to be him.”
Stendeval pursed his lips and looked at Jack. “I know,” he said.
Jack stared at Stendeval like he had thirteen and a half heads. “You know?”
Stendeval just shrugged. “I know,” he said nonchalantly. “That is to say… I know that Revile is one possible future for you.”
“Possible!” Jack shook his head. “I saw it. I talked to it. He was here, Stendeval. I met the future. It was me. It had my face! And what do you mean, you know? How could you know?”
“It began during the Battle of Empire City,” Stendeval said, “and if you calm down, I will tell you about it.” Jack took a deep breath. His patience was just as short as it ever was, but he held his tongue and let Stendeval speak. Stendeval waited until Jack was fully ready to listen, and then continued.
“Twelve years ago, the Rüstov attacked,” Stendeval said, “and Legend and I were right where we belonged—in the thick of the fight, alongside the other heroes of the day, doing our part to turn back the Rüstov invaders. The battle raged on nearly an entire day before we started to gain back any ground against our attackers, but we never gave up. We were just turning the tide when the Rüstov brought out their supersoldier. At least that’s what we thought he was at the time. Chance alone placed us in Revile’s path when he came hurtling through the sky, tossing Empire City’s defenders aside like they weren’t even there. He was invincible in battle and unwavering in his focus. Amid the chaos, through the wreckage and the rubble, I saw his target. A lone crying baby lying helpless on a street corner. You.”
Stendeval shrugged. “What this creature wanted with an innocent baby, we had no idea, but naturally, Legend and I intervened. As the strongest of Empire City’s heroes, it was our duty to take on the strongest of our enemies and protect the weakest of our people. But once we engaged Revile, we found we were too evenly matched. No matter how much damage we inflicted upon him, he regenerated. No matter how many times he knocked us back, we would not relent. In the end, he tried to reason with us. He knew me, and told me I would one day know him as Jack Blank. He told us what had happened to him and what he intended to do. He told us that the baby was him, and that he was here to kill it. That he had come back in time to prevent a dire future and we had to—had to—let him go through with it.”
“Why didn’t you?” Jack asked Stendeval, somewhat miffed.
Stendeval laughed at Jack’s question. “You were a baby. You never hurt anyone. How could we stand by and let that happen to you?” Stendeval shook his head. “We couldn’t do that. Legend told me to get you out of there. That he would hold off Revile. I didn’t like leaving friends in danger, but I was low on power from the battle. I had only enough energy left to escape with the baby. With you, Jack. I was the one who hid you in that orphanage in New Jersey. I hid you far away where no one would ever look. And I stayed out there, watching over you.”
“At St. Barnaby’s?” Jack asked. “Where were you?”
“I was never far,” Stendeval said. “Who do you think donated all those comic books to St. Barnaby’s in the first place? I used my powers to keep you hidden from any prying eyes until the time was right for you to come home. I knew that Empire City wouldn’t be safe for an infected child after the invasion… so I kept you hidden and wrote Circleman Chi to expect us back in twelve years’ time.”
Jack was baffled by Stendeval’s tale, as well as his actions. “Why?” he asked. “Why bring me back? Why now?”
“Because the time for me to make decisions for you is now past. You are old enough to decide your own future. You are old enough to learn how to protect yourself. It is up to you to decide if you will become Revile or something else. You can choose your own path. I stopped hiding you at age twelve and wrote to Emissary Jazen Knight, telling him where to look for you. Now here we are.”
“Jazen,” Jack said, remembering the rest of the problem. “You don’t know about Jazen! The Rüstov were using him against me and he didn’t even know it. They have another virus. A computer virus that lets them control the Mechas. That’s how they got to Silico back during the invasion. He didn’t know what he was doing either!”
“Another virus?” Stendeval repeated, leaning in toward Jack with a concerned look.
“The Rüstov aren’t through with us,” Jack told Stendeval. “They’re coming back, and when they do, they’re going to use the Mechas against us to get here. Innocent Mechas who don’t even know they’re infected.”
Stendeval took a moment to think about what Jack was telling him. He looked surprised, but he didn’t appear to doubt Jack’s word for a moment.
“This is very serious, Jack,” Stendeval said, still turning the matter over in his head. “It seems to me we’re going to have a need for a hero who can talk to machines. Someone who can find out which Mechas are infected and help cure them. Someone who has experience in resisting the Rüstov infection.”
“I can’t cure anyone,” Jack said. “I can’t save anyone. Jazen was my best friend and I couldn’t save him!”
“All the more reason for you to stay here and train in our school,” Stendeval replied.
“No way,” Jack said. “The more I learn, the stronger Revile is going to be one day,” he warned Stendeval. “I’ve already learned too much.”
“And now it is time for the greatest test of your life to begin,” Stendeval replied. “I meant what I said back in the sphere, Jack. Our combined might could not stop Revile, but you can. As for becoming him…” Stendeval waved his hands. “You’re thinking about this all wrong. Do you remember our first lesson? Do you remember what I asked you up on the Cloud Cliffs?”
Jack thought back to that first day at Mount Nevertop. He remembered being afraid to walk on the floating stones, then finding out that he already was. “You asked me if I had known the road ahead, would I have walked the same path,” Jack said.
“Exactly,” Stendeval said. “I ask you once again. You have seen the road ahead. You know where it leads. Will you still choose to walk it?”
Jack thought about that for a minute. “No,” he said.
“But now you know you could,” Stendeval replied. “That is all. Jack, just because you know something can happen doesn’t mean that it must happen. It is good that you learned Revile’s true identity. It is. You must be aware of all possibilities before you, but Revile’s past is not necessarily your future. As I told you on Mount Nevertop, the path you choose to follow is your own. You are stronger than the Rüstov, Jack.”
“Today,
maybe,” Jack said. “What about tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow will be what you want it to be. I do believe the Rüstov will bring war back to Earth, and you may very well be the key to its outcome, but it doesn’t have to be in the way they think. You must prepare to overcome that which is the worst in you—this dire future of yours. It is a great burden, of that there is no question, but the future is not written. It lies in the choices you make. Our future is ours to decide. Always.”
“You really believe that?” Jack asked. “Even with everything we’ve seen?”
“I know it,” Stendeval replied, steadfast in his opinion.
Jack couldn’t believe what he was hearing. As usual, life in the Imagine Nation never ceased to amaze him. “You really want me to stay here?” Jack asked. “Really?”
“Where else would you want to go?” Stendeval replied. “You came here to find a home. You came here to find your family. Look around you. You have both. This is your home. Those people over there… they are your family.” Jack looked down the path and saw the others waiting for him underneath the sphere. Blue, Allegra, Skerren… they all hung back watching Jack and Stendeval with concerned eyes. “Of course I want you to stay, Jack, but the choice still has to be yours. You have to decide those things for yourself. A better tomorrow is always possible, but as we say in the Imagine Nation, you must believe in it to get there.”
Jack held back tears. Stendeval knelt down and put a hand on his shoulder.
“For all its wonders, Jack,” Stendeval began, “this is not a perfect world. A perfect world would be easy. A paradise that requires no further input from us. That is not the Imagine Nation. Imagination is ever changing and never static. It is always in motion and in constant flux. Imagination is like the future—uncertain. If this place… if the Imagine Nation is to be a perfect home for you, then you must make it so. Do you understand what I’m trying to tell you?”
Jack looked down at an inscription written on a pedestal at the foot of the monument. The words were familiar to him. They read:
Never underestimate the power you have over what happens today. Never forget the power today has over tomorrow-Legend
“I think I do,” Jack said.
“By your actions today, you have already met Jazen Knight’s definition of a hero,” Stendeval said, looking down at Jack. “Your actions tomorrow will decide if that continues to be the case. So, tell me again who you really are. Tell me for today and tell me for tomorrow.”
Jack wiped his tears away and took a deep breath. “I’m Jack Blank,” he said. “I’m not Revile, I’m not a Rüstov… and I’m not going to be either,” he continued with conviction. “I’m going to be whatever I want.”
“And what is that?” Stendeval asked.
“I want to be a hero,” Jack answered. “A real hero. Like Jazen.
Stendeval smiled.
“Well, then, young hero, it seems to me that you have quite a future in store for yourself after all. There is much work to be done before you get there.” He reached out his hand to Jack. “Let us begin.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Fourteen years ago I sat on a picnic blanket with my wife and told her all about this great idea I had called the Imagine Nation. For two full hours I gave her a long and incoherent, yet painfully detailed description of this story. By the time I was done, my car had a parking ticket, and the only person who had any idea what I was talking about was me. But she listened to every word, told me it sounded great, and said I should write it. If that’s not love, I don’t know what is.
This story has changed in a million different ways since that day, and I have to say it’s a relief to finally get it out of my head and down on paper once and for all. I don’t have to memorize the details and tell them—or more accurately, ramble on about them—to anyone ever again. It’s all neatly packaged together in the collective pages of this book, which you would not be holding if not for some truly fantastic people, whom I would like to thank here:
Emil K. Hemsey and Joe Buoye, who read the very first draft of this book and told me straight up what needed fixing. This story is a better one because of them.
Superagent Chris Richman, who read that draft and then helped me take it to the next level, a feat he followed up by helping me achieve my lifelong dream of getting published.
My editor, Liesa Abrams, whose passion and excitement for this story was evident from the start and made her an absolute joy to work with.
My mom and dad, whose love and care in raising me gave me every opportunity in the world and made everything I have possible.
And finally, my beautiful wife, Rebecca, who believed in me from day one, and my son, Jack, who inspired me before he even got here, and whose arrival kicked off the greatest adventure of my life.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you all so very much.
TURN THE PAGE FOR
A SNEAK PEEK AT
JACK BLANK’S NEXT
ADVENTURE.…
A jolt of nervous energy shook up Jack’s spine, and a hush fell over the room. Suddenly Jonas Smart had everyone’s undivided attention. He was easily dismissed when trying to stir up fears using vague allusions to faceless threats, but if he had real, tangible evidence to share… that was something else entirely. The members of the Inner Circle leaned forward, but Smart made them wait as he basked in the glow of their anxious concern.
“I’m afraid I’ll have to play you the raw data,” Smart told the group. “I don’t have an alien-language translator with me.”
“Of course you don’t,” Noteworthy said. “I suppose you expect us to just take your word for what this so-called message says?”
“No,” Smart replied. “Since you all trust Jack so much, you can take his word. Jack speaks Rüstov. Don’t you, boy?”
All eyes turned to Jack. He didn’t like the position Smart was putting him in. “I see what you’re doing,” Jack said. “Trying to get me to vouch for whatever it is you’re going to use against me next? Forget it. That’s not going to happen.”
Smart sighed. “The message isn’t about you, Jack. If it were, you would have heard it long before now.”
Jack realized that what Smart said was probably true. Still, he wanted no part in whatever this was. “That doesn’t matter,” he told Smart. “I’m not helping you. And I don’t speak their language, by the way. I just understand it when they talk.”
Smart gave Jack a smirk. “Splitting hairs, aren’t we?” he asked. “So be it. Even your limited abilities would serve our purposes here today, but if you’d prefer to help cover up Rüstov activity rather than shed light on it, that’s fine. We’ll simply do this later, without you.”
Jack frowned. That was no good either. He didn’t want to be the mouthpiece for Smart’s latest attempt to reignite fears about the Rüstov, but if he wanted to stay in the loop, he was going to have to play along. He didn’t have much choice. Jack had been covering up Rüstov activity ever since he’d first learned about the spyware virus, and this was his chance to find out if Smart knew anything about it. He agreed to translate the Rüstov transmission for the Inner Circle, and Smart pushed a button to launch the holo-computer’s audio player.
Jack listened intently as Smart played the intercepted message. Everyone else heard only the techno-organic clang of Rüstov speak, but Jack understood every word, as clear as a bell:
Glave to command. Glave to command. Report: Operation proceeding as planned. Phase one complete. Now in position. Risk level: zero. Moving forward with phase two. Inform the Magus that his loyal subject stands ready to strike a crippling blow against the Imagine Nation. In five days Empire City will belong to him. Long live the Magus. Long live the empire. Glave out.
The message tied Jack’s stomach into a Macedonian knot. Five days until the Rüstov controlled Empire City… On its face such a claim seemed impossibly ambitious, but Jack knew better. The Rüstov had maintained a low, almost nonexistent profile since the Revile incident last year, but Jac
k knew the dangers that were lurking beneath that peaceful facade all too well. But was now the time to tell everyone about it?
“Well?” Noteworthy asked Jack. “We’ve heard Jonas cry wolf about the Rüstov before. Tell us. Was this more of the same, or was it real?”
Jack looked up at the Circlemen. The fear in his eyes was unmistakable. The members of the Inner Circle all leaned forward, trading nervous glances with one another.
“It’s real,” Jack admitted. “That was definitely a Rüstov agent talking.”
A concerned murmur ran though the Inner Circle. From the look on Smart’s face, Jack knew he was taking a creepy sense of pride in the tension he’d helped create. Jack didn’t like letting Smart use him this way, but he had to tell the truth. For one thing, it was written all over his face, and for another, if he lied, Smart would eventually play the translated message and Jack would be found out anyway.
Jack translated the message, and the sphere fell silent as each Circleman paused to consider the hidden Rüstov threat.
“People need to hear about this,” Hovarth declared.
“Hovarth!” Noteworthy blurted out, casting a reproachful eye toward his fellow Circleman. “Do you want to cause a panic? No one should hear about this. Not yet. There isn’t any proof the threat is real.”
“Not real?” Smart shot back. “Empire City’s favorite son just confirmed it was. You all heard him.”
“I heard no such thing,” Noteworthy countered. “Jack confirmed it was a genuine Rüstov transmission. He didn’t say anything to validate its content. How could he, unless he knows something about the Rüstov’s plans that we don’t?” Jack gulped. He felt like he was sinking in quicksand. Up in the Cognito seat at the Inner Circle’s table, Stendeval made a subtle, almost imperceptible motion for Jack to keep quiet. Smart opened his mouth to speak, but shut it once again without saying anything. Noteworthy seized the opportunity to keep going. “Of course the Rüstov think their plan is unstoppable,” he continued. “If they didn’t, they’d form a different plan.” The socialite Circleman shook his head. “No, until we’re presented with concrete evidence to back up these claims, it’s nothing more than hearsay. And it’s dangerous.”
Accidental Hero (Jack Blank Adventure) Page 28
