by Lucas Flint
Dad didn't answer. He just looked down at me, making me feel very small, even though he wasn't that much taller than me.
Then I heard a gasp behind me and I looked over my shoulder. Incantation, Technical, Ghost, and Hopper had stepped through the portal, which was closed now, and were staring at Dad with even more surprise than me. Technical even looked like she was about to faint.
“Huh?” said Hopper, rubbing his eyes and then lowering his hands to look at Dad more closely. “No way … are you Genius?”
“Yes,” said Dad. His tone was curt. “You are the Young Neos, correct?”
“Yeah,” said Hopper. “That's us.”
Dad nodded and then looked at Incantation. “And you are Thaumaturge's apprentice, yes?”
Incantation nodded. “Yes. Why do you ask?”
“Because I am wondering if your master is aware that my son is here when he isn't supposed to be,” said Dad. His tone was flat now, but I could still sense the disappointment within it. “If I recall correctly, the correct protocol is that you have to first receive approval from Thaumaturge before inviting someone into the House or anywhere else on Hero Island.”
Incantation's face suddenly went pale. “Um, Genius, you know, it really was—”
“And I should probably report this to your master,” said Dad, interrupting Incantation like she wasn't even speaking. “I wonder how he would react if he learned that you invited someone into the House without his knowledge. I haven't spoken with Thaumaturge in years, but I remember that he never liked it whenever anyone bypassed his authority for any reason, even if that person was his family.”
“Please don't tell him,” said Incantation, putting her hands together and looking at Dad with fear. “We didn't mean anything bad by it. We planned to tell him and—”
“Don't worry,” Dad interrupted her again. “I won't tell him because you have not, as far as I know, done anything wrong or hurt anyone. He would probably never listen to me anyway, even if I dragged Bolt to him.”
Incantation sighed in relief. “Oh, thank you.”
Dad suddenly put his hand on my shoulder, but still did not look at me. “Instead, I am going to take Bolt home. We're going to have a little talk about telling the truth.”
I tried not to show any fear, but it was hard because I knew that Dad was not going to show me any mercy. I looked over my shoulder at the others, but none of them looked like they were going to come to my rescue.
But then, all of a sudden, Technical stepped forward. She looked really shy and timid, not even meeting Dad's gaze, but she said, “Um, Mr. Genius, sir?”
“Yes?” said Dad. “What is it? Do you have something important to tell me?”
“I just wanted to ask …” Technical took a deep breath, like she was about to ask for something very serious. She held out her mechanical arm and said, “Can I have your autograph? On my arm? Please?”
Although Dad's face was not visible, I could tell that Technical's request had taken him by surprise. “What?”
“It's just, um, I'm a really big fan and I really admire your work and I just can't believe I'm meeting you and I know your son,” said Technical, who was talking so fast I couldn't keep up with her even if I used my super speed. “So, uh, I just want your autograph, please?”
“Sorry, but I do not give out autographs, even to fans,” said Dad. “But I am glad you appreciate my work. Did you make that mechanical arm yourself?”
Technical nodded. “Yes. I based it off your artificial limb blueprints, the ones you never actually made.”
“You mean the Synth Limbs?” said Dad in surprise. “I didn't know anyone else was interested in them.”
“Well, I was and I figured out how to do it, so I made this arm for myself when I lost my old one,” said Technical. “I followed your blueprints exactly and it works perfectly, though I made a few minor modifications.”
“Interesting,” said Dad. “While I'd love to examine your arm to see how my ideas actually work in real life, I'm afraid Bolt and I must be leaving. But you should send me pictures of your arm so I can examine them later, okay?”
Technical looked like she could hardly believe her luck. She just managed to squeak out, “Yes, sir,” before looking away like she was overcome with embarrassment.
“All right,” said Dad. “But before we leave, I want to let you know that this is the only time I will not tell Thaumaturge about this. If I catch you do anything like this again, I will not hesitate to tell Thaumaturge, both about that and this one, too.”
“Don't worry, Genius, sir,” said Incantation quickly. “We promise never to invite your son here ever again without your knowledge.”
“Yeah,” said Hopper. “It wasn't really our fault, anyway. Bolt insisted that we invite him.”
I glared at Hopper. “Whose side are you on?”
Hopper just shrugged, while Dad said, “Well, I hope you behave better in the future. Come on, Bolt. Let's leave.”
Before I could say good bye to the Young Neos, Dad turned the Teleportation Buckle on his belt and suddenly we were standing in the living room of our house again. I blinked several times before looking at Dad, who removed his helmet.
“Honey,” Dad called, “I got Kevin back.”
A second later, Mom stepped out of the kitchen. She looked incredibly worried and angry; not quite as worried as she looked back when Master Chaos was around, but still worried anyway.
“Hi, Mom,” I said, giving her my best smile while waving at her slightly. “I—”
“Why did you lie to us?” said Mom, interrupting me before I could even think of what I wanted to say. She may not have been a neohero herself, but her angry and worried tone made me cringe nonetheless.
“Lie to you?” I said. “I wouldn't exactly call it lying—”
“Yes, it is,” said Dad, causing me to look at his disapproving face. “You told us you were going to spend the weekend at Malcolm's place. But you lied.”
“Well, okay, I lied,” I said, throwing my hands up into the air. “I mean, how did you even find out?”
“Valerie told me,” said Dad.
My earcom crackled to life and Valerie said, “I am so sorry, Bolt, but I just couldn't keep your real location a secret to Genius forever. My programming makes it impossible for me to lie, so I had to tell him where you really went.”
“It's all right, Val, I understand,” I said. “You don't need to say anything. This conversation doesn't have much to do with you.”
“Okay,” said Valerie, though she still sounded apologetic.
Then my earcom crackled off, and as soon as it did, Mom said, “Kevin, why did you lie to us?”
Both Mom and Dad were looking at me with the hardest glares in the world. I felt like I was being interrogated, but I tried to keep my cool anyway, because I didn't want to behave like I was guilty of anything.
“Well, I just wanted to see what the Young Neos were like,” I said. “I wasn't going to stay in the House with them. I was just trying to see if I'd be a good fit for the team.”
“Even when we told you that you couldn't join?” said Dad. He sighed in frustration. “Kevin, were you even listening to what I told you a week ago?”
“I was,” I said defensively. “I just didn't see any harm in going there and seeing what their base was like. I was planning to come home on Sunday.”
“It doesn't matter what you were planning to do,” said Dad, shaking his head. “You lied to us and went somewhere you are not supposed to without our permission. You even got Valerie in on the lie.”
“I know, I know,” I said, holding up my hands. “But I don't see the problem. No one was hurt; well, except for Firespirit, I guess, and the people he killed at the Sagan rally.”
“You fought a supervillain at a Sagan rally?” said Mom, sounding even more stricken than Dad. “A supervillain who killed innocent people?” Her eyes darted to my chest, which was still smoking slightly from where Firespirit had hit it. “Is that smoke?”
/> “He was trying to kill Sagan,” I said. “And we managed to stop him without any of us getting killed. It's not a big deal.”
“Risking your life to fight a supervillain assassin isn't a big deal?” said Mom. She looked like she was about to faint. “Kevin, I know you have super strength and all, but that was still dangerous.”
“I know, but so what?” I said. I patted my chest. “I'm still alive and breathing and Firespirit is going straight to Ultimate Max. He's not going to hurt anyone else for a long time.”
“That doesn't change the fact that this is your second supervillain fight in a week,” said Dad, “even though we told you that we didn't want you fighting supervillains unless they attack you first.”
“Well, maybe I like the superhero life, have you ever thought of that?” I said in annoyance. “You know I don't go hunting down supervillains, but if there's a crazy guy throwing fireballs at innocent people or a big shirtless guy trying to smash someone into paste, well, it's my duty to stop them because of my power. I thought you'd understand that, Dad.”
“I do understand it,” said Dad. “But I do not agree with it. Nor do I agree with your interest in the Young Neos.”
“Why not?” I said. “Sure, they're a little weird, but I'd still like to be on the team. They could provide me with all sorts of ways to develop my powers. Why are you against me joining them?”
Mom and Dad exchanged looks, like they were trying to decide what to tell me. I didn't really know what they were so worried about me knowing. I just folded my arms over my chest and waited for their response.
Then Dad looked at me and said, “We just don't want you putting your life in danger like that. We just want you to live a normal life.”
I could tell they had other reasons for not wanting me to join the Young Neos, but I was in no mood to find out their real reasons.
I just said, “Well, I'm almost an adult, Dad. Soon, I'll be out of the house and able to do what I want with my life. You won't be able to tell me what groups I can and can't join, so maybe you should just accept that I'm going to do what I want.”
“You're right that soon you'll be an adult and out of the house,” said Dad. “I also cannot really stop you from doing superheroics.”
“See? We agree,” I said. “So—”
“So I'll just take your super suit from you until you graduate,” said Dad.
“Wait, what?” I said. I put my hands on my body, which was still covered by my suit. “You can't take my suit away from me.”
“Yes, I can,” said Dad. He held out his hand. “After all, I gave it to you in the first place, and because you are still under my authority, that means I have some control over what you wear. Besides, you can't fight crime or supervillains without your suit, seeing as you have been working very hard to keep your identity a secret from the world.”
My hands balled into fists and I looked at Mom in desperation. “Mom, you don't agree with Dad, do you?”
“Actually, I do,” said Mom. “If that is what will keep you from putting yourself into needlessly dangerous situations, then I am in full support of your father's decision to confiscate your costume.”
I considered just running out of the house and leaving Mom and Dad behind, but then I realized that Dad would probably just catch me somehow anyway. Besides, I bet the suit-up watch was connected to Dad's other devices, meaning that he could probably take it from me regardless of what I did.
So, reluctantly, I pressed the button on my suit-up watch and, in an instant, I was back in my street clothes. Then I removed the watch from my wrist and handed it to Dad, who took it without a word and put it into one of the pockets of his own super suit.
“When will I get it back?” I asked.
“After you graduate, of course,” said Dad, looking at me again.
My eyes widened. “After I graduate? That's a year away.”
“I know,” said Dad. “I don't want you doing any sort of superheroics while you are in school. With Master Chaos gone, there's really no good reason for you to use your powers or fight crime. You can pass your tests without needing to fly.”
I looked at Mom again, but as always, she seemed to support Dad's decision wholeheartedly.
So my shoulders slumped. “Then I guess I'm going back to school on Monday, then.”
“Yes,” said Dad. “I am sorry, Kevin, but we just want what is best for you. That's all.”
I nodded, but deep down, I was angry and annoyed. “Okay. I'll just go back to my bedroom, then.”
With that, I turned and left the living room, making my way to my bedroom, but slowly. I was now wondering if my superhero career was over, because despite what Dad said, I had a feeling I would never be getting my suit back. This was going to be a long year, that was for sure.
Chapter Nine
Instead of spending the weekend cooped up in my room, I actually called Malcolm and asked him to meet me for lunch at Rod's Burgers, a local burger joint in town. I needed to talk with him about what happened, so he agreed to meet me there tomorrow.
So on Sunday, at lunch, I went to Rod's Burgers, ordered one of Rod's famous burgers from the cashier, and then went and sat down at one of the few unoccupied booths in the place, my mouth watering at the delicious smell of the burger. The restaurant was packed, mostly from the church crowd, many of whom were just getting out of church. Thus, everyone was dressed really nicely, except for me, which would have made me feel awkward under normal circumstances but I was too distracted by the idea that I would never be a superhero again to care about that. I just kept an eye out for Malcolm, who had texted me that he would be there soon.
Malcolm arrived roughly ten minutes after me. Like most of the other restaurant goers, he was dressed in nicer-than-usual clothes, a red button down shirt and tan slacks, though I noticed that his necklace was still tucked into his shirt. He got his order and then came over to my booth, where he sat down opposite me with his burger and drink.
“Were you at church or something?” I said to Malcolm, looking at his nice clothes in surprise.
Malcolm shrugged, though he seemed more embarrassed than nonchalant. “Yeah. My family is big into church. We were going to go to lunch together but I told 'em I was going to eat lunch with you. Didn't have time to change.”
“Huh,” I said. “I didn't know you were a Christian.”
“Yeah, I am, but it's not that important,” said Malcolm. He leaned toward me, his eyes wide with excitement. “I saw on the news that you and the Young Neos saved Sagan from that crazy fire guy.”
I looked around us briefly, but none of the other customers was paying attention to us. Everyone was too busy eating and talking to each other to listen to our conversation, but I was still careful to keep my voice low just to minimize the chances of someone hearing us.
“Was that on the news?” I said in surprise, looking at Malcolm again. “I haven't been paying attention.”
“Yeah,” said Malcolm, nodding eagerly. He sipped from his drink. “It was really awesome. It didn't affect your Neo Rank, but it was mentioned on the Sagan for President Facebook page.”
“Huh,” I said. “Did the news report mention anything in particular?”
“Nah,” said Malcolm, shaking his head. “Just said you and the Young Neos defeated Firespirit. Sagan gave a really inspiring speech afterward, talking about how he was still a firm supporter of neohero rights and stuff even after this and how he was going to keep going no matter what. It was awesome.”
I took a bite out of my burger. “That's what he told us, more or less, after we stopped Firespirit.”
“Wait, you mean you got to actually talk with Sagan?” said Malcolm, his jaw dropping. “Like, face to face?”
“Yep,” I said. “He seemed nice.”
“Nice? That man's amazing,” said Malcolm with a sigh. “Way better than Plutarch in every possible way.” He scowled. “I didn't even pay attention to what Plutarch said about it. Something about it being proof tha
t superhumans are dangerous or something. I dunno. He's an idiot.”
I didn't really care about Sagan or Plutarch, so I said, “The Young Neos also seemed to like Sagan a lot.”
Malcolm suddenly frowned. “Hey, why are you talking about the Young Neos like you're not one of them?” Then he glanced at my wrist. “Where'd your suit-up watch go?”
Sensing a good moment, I explained to Malcolm what happened yesterday, keeping it as brief as I could. I omitted the bit about Sarah Jane Watson, however, because I wasn't sure what to make of that craziness. I just told him about how I went to the House, my meeting with the Young Neos, and how we defeated Firespirit. I also explained about how Mom and Dad took my suit-up watch away.
“Damn,” said Malcolm, leaning back in his seat after I finished. “So you're not a member of the Young Neos and you can't be a superhero anymore?”
I nodded glumly. “Sadly. It means I'm just going to have to be a normal high schooler for now.”
“Aw, man,” said Malcolm. “This is really unfair. You should complain to the NHA or something.”
“What good would that do?” I said as I sipped from my drink. “Dad isn't even a member of the NHA anymore.”
“Good point,” said Malcolm. “Still, I wish there was some way I could help. After saving Sagan, I think you deserve a hero's reward or something. But your parents are treating you like you're a kid.”
“I know,” I said. “But what can I do? I'm still just a teen. Until I move out of my parents' house—which probably won't be until next year—I'm pretty powerless.”
Malcolm rubbed his forehead, a frown crossing his face. “Geez, man, I don't know. I wish I had superpowers of my own that I could use to help you.”
“Thanks for the thought, but it's okay,” I said with a sigh. “The world already has plenty of superheroes, after all, so it's not like I'm really needed.”
“But the world can always use more heroes,” said Malcolm. “At least, I'd feel safer knowing you could use your powers here in Silvers if nothing else, even though Silvers is a pretty safe town aside from the occasional drunk driver.”
