by Lucas Flint
White Lightning himself seemed pretty happy with the arrangements, probably because he got to be with me. I got him signed up with a speech therapist who would help him learn how to talk better, but he was already accepted by the rest of the team.
Well, sort of. Although no one rejected him or argued with my decision to include White Lightning on the team, the others were clearly not entirely comfortable around him. That wasn’t surprising, given how he had been on the news almost nonstop since his attack on the White House several weeks ago and how he had fought me a few times; Blizzard, especially, didn’t trust him much due to how he had attacked her once. But I was sure that, with time, he would be accepted into the team.
Speaking of White Lightning, the Apocalypse Switch was indeed destroyed. Reports from the Pacific Northwest of a nuclear explosion going off appeared on the Internet and TV, but I got the most accurate report from Cadmus Smith, who told me that Ivan had successfully destroyed the Apocalypse Switch and the ship that had carried it. The hazmat crew sent to deal with the nuclear fallout (which wasn’t nearly as large as they thought; apparently, Ivan had somehow managed to contain the explosion into a smaller area than it could have been) found no remains of Ivan or anyone else, aside from some tattered radiated clothing remains. That meant that Ivan’s sacrifice had been successful; and, while I was glad to know that the Apocalypse Switch was no longer a threat to humanity, I still felt very sad about Ivan’s death anyway.
As for the others, Triplet returned to his private investigation business in New York City. He told me that the NHA were going to pay him highly for helping to solve the mystery of Mastermind, but he was thinking of relocating his business to somewhere cheaper due to how expensive NYC was. He mentioned a city in Texas, called Rundown, that he was thinking of moving to, though I didn’t know for sure if he was going to actually move there or not.
Emma, on the other hand, had decided to enroll in college in order to study neogenetics. She was hoping, like Tara, to learn how to turn off superpowers. I found it sad that, even after all of this, she still wanted to be ‘normal,’ but I didn’t bother to argue with her about it. But she did inquire about when the new superhero school would open, like she was interested in attending it, which told me that maybe she was interested in keeping her powers after all.
And, finally, Rime was also pardoned for his help in defeating Mastermind, even though he should have gone to jail. Rime told me he was quite glad about that, though surprised given how he hadn’t done nearly as many good things as Ivan or me. He also told me that he was going to go visit his wife and daughter, who were in California. I asked him if he was going to try to reapply for membership in the INJ, but he told me that he was not and would instead find something else to do. I have to admit that I had mixed feelings about Rime being pardoned; he had, after all, killed Tara’s dad, even if that was eleven years ago. I did briefly speak to Tara about this and she didn’t sound very pleased about it at all, but I guess there was nothing she could do about it.
As for Malcolm, he told me that he was going to go to the military, just like his older brother Renaissance. He seemed pretty happy about that decision, which made me glad, too, because I remembered how he always had such a hard time living up to the standards set by his older brother. He also informed me that my rank on Neo Ranks was at a 10 now, which was the highest rank you could achieve, which was a pleasant surprise, given how I’d forgotten all about Neo Ranks.
Then there was the new school being opened by the NHA and the INJ. Despite the fact that the INJ was still in the process of rebuilding San Francisco, I was told that the Theodore Jason Academy for Young Superhumans was still on schedule to be opened in the fall, likely in mid September, around when school started. They even had a list of students waiting to get on, though neither I nor my friends would be allowed to see the school until it opened in September.
But that was fine. I didn’t know for sure what the new school was going to be like, but I knew it was going to be good, because it was going to be run by both the NHA and INJ. I had already met a few of the teachers and knew they were going to do a great job.
As for Grandfather, he was still in Ultimate Max, where he was going to remain for the foreseeable future. I did visit him once, however, and told him about Mastermind. He seemed happy to hear that Mastermind was dead, but at the same time he was clearly unhappy about remaining behind bars. I felt a little sorry for him, but there was nothing I could do for him, since I wasn’t planning a second breakout and did not think that I could convince Cadmus to convince Plutarch to pardon him anyway. But I told Grandfather I would continue to visit him in prison again, which lifted his spirits quite a bit.
Speaking of breakouts, Mimic and the other escapees were, to my knowledge, still out there somewhere. Thanks to the chaos and confusion that White Lightning and Mastermind had created, no one knew where they were. But they had not been pardoned for their crimes, so I was determined to bring them all back in to justice as soon as I could find them. Mimic, in particular, was someone I wanted to capture, because I was worried that he would use his knowledge of the G-Men and the government to commit greater crimes than the others could.
But I also decided to take a break from superheroics for a little while. I mostly spent my time on Hero Island or in NYC, where I took Blizzard on several dates. As much as I enjoyed fighting crime and saving the country, it had been a long time since I had last gotten to relax and live a normal life and I was determined to enjoy it. The rest of the team told me they’d hold the fort down while I was taking a break, which made me feel less guilty for taking a break. Even White Lightning told me to take a break; he had to stay on Hero Island for safety reasons, so he couldn’t hang out with me, but I planned to ease him into normal life as soon as I returned to my duties.
That was why I decided to come down to Texas and visit Mom. It had been a long time since I’d last done that and Mom was getting lonely, at least according to Valerie, who was going to be installed into the House so she and Carl could work together to protect it. Thinking of Valerie, I wondered about how the Valerie of Mastermind’s universe was doing and how Mastermind’s empire was doing without his or Techno’s leadership; unfortunately, because no one had managed to build any working dimension-hopping devices in this universe yet, I doubted I would ever know for sure. But somehow, I had a feeling that everything was going to be okay in that universe, however it turned out.
Because I still had Dad’s Teleportation Buckle, I teleported to the front door of our house. I was getting good with it; ever since Mastermind’s death, I’d been practicing with the Buckle until I could use it almost as well as Dad. I didn’t even feel sick or dizzy anymore when I used it, which was a good sign that I was making real progress in mastering it.
Opening the front door, I said, in a loud voice, “Mom! It’s me! I’m—”
I stopped speaking when I looked into the living room and saw three familiar people seated in there: One was Mom, who sat on Dad’s old recliner with a cup of tea in her hands, while sitting opposite her on the sofa were Cadmus and Shade. Cadmus was sipping from a cup of tea like Mom’s, while Shade just smiled and waved at me when she saw me.
“Oh, Kevin,” said Mom, looking up at me with a smile on her face. “I’m so glad you were here. Did you fly or teleport?”
“Teleport,” I said, though I was looking at Cadmus and Shade instead of Mom. “What are these two doing here?”
“Nice to see you, too,” said Shade. “I almost thought you were going to say that you missed me there for a second.”
“Shade, please,” said Cadmus, lowering his teacup onto the plate in his hands. “There is no need to speak to Bolt that way.”
“Hey, I was just having some fun with him is all,” said Shade. She gave me a mischievous smile. “Right, Bolt?”
“Oh, these two just came by about an hour before you walked in,” said Mom. “They said they wanted to talk with you about something.”
“How
did they know I was going to be here?” I said. I looked at Shade. “Are you still watching me? Even when I shower?”
Shade scratched the back of her neck. “Well—”
“We have our sources,” said Cadmus. He looked at Mom. “Mrs. Jason, could you please let us speak with Bolt in private? The subject that we wish to talk with him about is confidential.”
“Okay,” said Mom. She rose from the recliner. “I’ll be in the kitchen, then, if anyone needs me.”
Mom walked out of the living room and into the kitchen, leaving me alone with the two G-Men agents.
Cadmus gestured at the recliner. “Have a seat, Bolt.”
“You’re telling me to have a seat in my own house?” I said incredulously.
“Yes,” said Cadmus, “because standing up for long periods of time can be uncomfortable.”
“Right,” I said. “I think I’ll stand, thanks. But what do you two want to talk to me about? If it’s about offering me another position in the G-Men again—”
“We know, we know,” said Shade. “You’ll just say no and we’ll have to knock you out and throw you into Ultimate Max again.” She said that last part very sarcastically, though at first I was worried that she was being serious.
“That isn’t what we wanted to discuss,” said Cadmus. He leaned forward, looking at me with his intense, serious eyes. “We wanted to thank you for aiding in the defeat of Mastermind. Without you, we likely would have failed to stop him.”
“You’re welcome, I guess,” I said. “Is that all you wanted to say?”
“No,” said Cadmus, shaking his head. “We also wanted to tell you that Project Neo has been canceled.”
I raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Project Neo has been canceled? For real?”
“Yes,” said Cadmus. “It was decided that Project Neo is no longer necessary and any and all persons associated with it have been transferred to other parts of the government. The various experiments, such as the environs, put under the Project’s purview have also been moved to other government departments. Therefore, for all intents and purposes, Project Neo is canceled.”
“Good,” I said. “After all of the trouble it’s caused us, I’m glad to hear that it is gone. I suppose you aren’t going with it?”
“The Department of Superpowered and Extraterrestrial Beings still exists as an independent government department,” said Cadmus, “with me as the Director, as always. It is not going anywhere anytime soon.”
“Great news,” I said sardonically. “But is that all you wanted to tell me? Just that the government is going to be slightly less corrupt from now on?”
“That’s not all,” said Cadmus. “In addition to the closure of Project Neo, we are opening a new, top secret group of government superhuman spies known as the Masks. They will be a subgroup of the G-Men, whose job is to handle missions and tasks that the rest of us cannot do openly.”
“I thought you guys already operated like that,” I said.
“No,” said Cadmus. “Technically, the G-Men are a public team, so there are certain things we cannot do without risking our reputation. That is where the Masks will come in.”
“And I am going to lead them,” said Shade, folding her hands behind her head. “I’ll be doing double duty, both as a G-Men agent and as a Mask. Should be fun.”
“Okay,” I said. “But why are you telling me this?”
“Because we would like for you to join the Masks,” said Cadmus. “Your skills, powers, and experiences as a superhuman would be useful for the types of missions that the Masks will undertake.”
I folded my arms across my chest. “This just sounds like another attempt to recruit me into the G-Men.”
“It isn’t,” Cadmus said. “The Masks will only go out when necessary. They won’t go out on missions all the time; therefore, you would not need to quit the Young Neos or anything like that. You would just need to be on call.”
“It would be another way of helping your country,” said Shade. “The kinds of missions you’ll do would be secret, but good. Plus, we’d get to know each other a bit more. Isn’t that a good thing?”
I shook my head. “Sorry, but the answer is no. I’m perfectly happy with the Young Neos and the NHA. Go look for someone else to join your covert little spy group. I’m not interested.”
Cadmus sighed. “I knew you would say that, but I considered it worth asking you anyway. Very well. I will let the President know your answer. We must leave now, since we don’t have a lot of time to sit around and talk if that’s your answer.”
Cadmus and Shade rose from the sofa and walked around the coffee table toward the front door. I stepped out of the way to let them pass, but then a question occurred to me as Cadmus walked past me and I said, “Cadmus?”
Cadmus stopped, as did Shade, and they both looked at me. “What is it, Bolt?”
“I just want to know something,” I said. “You once told me to mention to Mecha Knight that he’d won a ‘round’ of some ‘game.’ What did you mean by that?”
Cadmus looked somewhat taken aback by my question, but then his face turned cool and neutral again and he said, “A long time ago, back when the Department and NHA were first formed, Mecha Knight and I made a game between ourselves to be the first to find the best young superheroes and train them in our respective paths.”
“That’s a weird game,” I said. “Who won?”
Cadmus actually smiled, which was a weird expression on his face. “Mecha Knight, I am afraid to say, though I gave him a good run for his money, I think.” Then Cadmus looked away. “Anyway, Shade and I have to go. We still have a lot of work to do in Washington, but if we ever need your help on something, we will contact you again and let you know.”
“Right,” I said. “But I also have another question. Mastermind told me that you activated a device on that alien ship that activated the powers that lay dormant in humanity, thus creating superhumans. Is that true?”
Cadmus stopped smiling. He looked slightly troubled, but he said, “Yes, it’s true. I didn’t know he told you that, though I should have realized that he would.”
“Why did you do it?” I said. “I’m just curious. The question has been on my mind ever since Mastermind’s death.”
Cadmus’s expression became hard to read again. “Because I thought America—and the world—needed more heroes, the kind that could handle threats to Earth that normal humans can’t. That’s why.”
Before I could ask him what he meant, Cadmus turned and left. Shade winked at me as she followed Cadmus out the door. Shade closed the door behind them, but when I looked out the door’s window to see them leave, I saw that they were nowhere to be seen. I guessed they had probably left via Shade’s shadow travel powers. I wished that they hadn’t left so abruptly, though, because Cadmus’s answer just left me more confused than ever.
Pulling away from the window, I turned to go into the kitchen and talk to Mom, but before I could take even one step in that direction, my suit-up watch beeped and I looked down to see that Valerie was trying to call me.
Curious, I tapped the watch’s screen and said, “What’s up, Val?”
“Bolt!” Valerie said. “I have just received a message from Blizzard. She said that a new supervillain calling himself the Acidic Lizard—who produces steel-melting acid from his body—has just appeared in New York City and is going on a rampage. Mecha Knight has given the Young Neos orders to take him down, which includes you.”
I was about to tell her that I couldn’t make it, but then I heard footsteps on the wooden floor and looked up to see Mom. She was wearing an apron and carrying a ladle, like she’d been in the middle of making soup.
“Sorry, Mom,” I said in a sheepish voice. “Looks like I’ll have to visit another time. There’s a supervillain attacking New York and my team needs my help in defeating him.”
“That’s fine,” said Mom. She pointed the ladle at the door. “I know what the life of a superhero is like. There’s no need t
o apologize. Just go out and help your friends, but try to get back before dinner, okay?”
I nodded with a smile. “Sure thing. I’ll be back in a flash.”
So I turned around and burst out the front door, already turning the Teleportation Buckle and hoping I would get to the city in time to help my friends.
THE END OF THE SUPERHERO’S SON.
I hope you enjoyed my little tale. Please don't forget to give this book a quick review on Amazon. Even just a two-word, "Liked it" or "Hated it" review helps so much. Positive or negative, I am grateful for all feedback from my readers. Please just swing over to the book page and toss up your review, since the star rating you leave on the next page won't be visible online. Amazon simply uses that feedback for their internal recommendation engine.
What's Coming Next
Well, that's the end of the book. The Superhero's Son is now over. The adventures of Bolt are over for now and the world is safe (or as safe as a world full of crazy supervillains can be, anyway).
I had a lot of fun writing this series, but all good things must come to an end, and I think that after nine books and over half a million words, this series had pretty much run its course.
But that doesn't mean that I'm done writing stories in this universe. Coming early 2017, I will release the first book of The Young Neos, a brand new superhero series focused on the titular team as they deal with new threats and villains against America and the world after the end of The Superhero's Son. That means you will see Bolt again, but this time he'll share the spotlight with Blizzard, Stinger, Treehugger, Shell, Talon, and White Lightning. In addition to deepening the development of each team member, we will see an expansion of The Superhero's Son universe, which I am very excited about.
