The Superhero's Return

by Lucas Flint

  Blizzard sat down next to me and put an arm around my shoulders. “Hey, Bolt, are you okay? You seem stressed.”

  I looked at Blizzard. “Why wouldn’t I be? My dad tried to clone my deceased uncle and my mentor helped him and neither one even mentioned that to me. And now my uncle’s clone is apparently wandering around somewhere, having broken into one of Dad’s secret vaults—which is another thing Dad never told me about—and stolen some of his old technology for some unknown reason. Oh, and I can’t forget the Neo-Killer, either.”

  “I know how stressful this all must be to you, but I still think you should calm down a little,” said Blizzard. “I’m sure Mecha Knight has a good reason for not telling us this. I’m not sure what that good reason is, but—”

  “Maybe,” I interrupted. I stood up and began pacing back and forth in front of Blizzard, my hands folded behind my back. “Still, this is a lot of information to take in all at once. Next time I see Mecha Knight, I should ask him about this and see what his response is.”

  “I could ask him when I go back to Hero Island the day after tomorrow,” Blizzard offered. “I’ll have to report back to him in person when I return to Hero Island, so I could ask him then.”

  I stopped and looked at Blizzard. “Blizz, I appreciate the offer, but I’m not sure I want to involve you in this. Plus, Mecha Knight probably wouldn’t answer your question just because you asked. He’d likely just ignore it or tell you to go away. I need to talk to him myself.”

  “Then call him up,” said Blizzard. “You have his number, don’t you? Why not call him up right now and ask him about Project Revival?”

  I stared at Blizzard in a deadpan way. “Yeah, like Mecha Knight would just be willing to honestly answer my questions about this top-secret project he was involved in that he never even mentioned to another human being before. And Mecha Knight definitely isn’t the type to keep secrets like that, no sir.”

  “It was just a suggestion,” said Blizzard. “Just trying to be helpful here. No need to snip.”

  “I know,” I said with a sigh. I rubbed my forehead. “So much stuff has happened over the past couple of days that I’m a little on edge. Hard to be relaxed when a notorious and highly successful serial killer has chosen you to be his next target and you’re forced to sit inside all day until someone else stops him.”

  “True,” said Blizzard. “Still, I’m sure we’ll get this all figured out. As long we still have each other, we’ll be okay.”

  “You’re right,” I said. I sighed again and looked at the ceiling. “Being cooped up here in the Braindome is what’s really driving me up a wall, honestly. I’d prefer to be out on the streets helping Brains and Vanish catch criminals. I feel like a trapped rat here.”

  “I understand,” said Blizzard. She stroked her chin. “I’ve got an idea. Why don’t you give me a tour of the Braindome? I haven’t had much of a chance to look around. If I’m going to spend the next couple of days here, I should at least get to know the place a bit.”

  “Not a bad idea, actually,” I said. “It would also keep my mind off this crap, but I’m still worried about it.”

  Blizzard stood up and walked up to me. “Don’t be. You don’t really have anything to worry about, anyway. The Neo-Killer can’t even get in here, so you’re perfectly safe.”

  I smiled and took Blizzard’s hand. “You’re absolutely right, Blizz. Come on. We’ll start our tour at the Practice Arena. It’s my favorite place in the whole facility. I’m sure you’ll love it, too.”

  -

  Our tour of the Braindome lasted about an hour or so. I took Blizzard to every room in the place, from the crime lab in the basement to the helicopter pad on the roof. I also introduced her to a lot of the workers, who were all perfectly happy to see her. One woman even wanted to take a selfie with Blizzard, surprisingly enough, which was how I found out that Blizzard had a lot of fans on her own. Not that I was entirely surprised to learn that, however. I was a pretty big fan of her myself, after all, being her boyfriend and all.

  It was a nice distraction from the revelations of the past day. It felt more like a date than a tour, honestly, which was nice because it had been over a month since our last date and I had been worried that we might not gel together after being apart for so long. Yet our little date went as well as our previous dates had, which was a relief.

  We ended the tour when lunch rolled around and I took her to the Braindome’s cafeteria. The Braindome’s cafeteria was located on the ground floor and reminded me a lot of the cafeteria at my old high school in Texas, only smaller, cleaner, and with much better food. We grabbed pizza and fries and sat down to eat at one of the tables when Brains and Vanish walked into the cafeteria. The two of them looked exhausted, especially Brains, who was practically dragging himself into the cafeteria. They didn’t look hurt, but I imagine they must have been exhausted from dealing with whatever supervillain they had been fighting in Showdown earlier.

  I waved at them and they waved back, but they didn’t come over to sit with us until they got their food. Once they filled their trays, Brains and Vanish sat down next to us, Brains on my side of the table and Vanish on Blizzard’s side, though even sitting down they looked very tired.

  “Are you guys all right?” said Blizzard, looking from Brains to Vanish and back again. “Was that villain really hard to beat?”

  “The villain we just defeated was a lot tougher than we anticipated,” Brains said with a yawn. “He called himself Razorblade and could cut through just about anything. Made him hard to capture, though we beat him in the end.”

  Vanish tugged at a portion of her hair that looked strangely shorter than the rest. “He got some of my hair when I wasn’t paying attention. I feel embarrassed just walking around like this, but I won’t be able to do anything about it until it regrows.”

  “Why not cut the rest of your hair to match?” said Blizzard. “It wouldn’t look very pretty, I guess, but it would look a lot better than it does now.”

  “I might very well have to do that,” said Vanish with a sigh. “Not looking forward to it. I love my hair the way it is and hate changing it.”

  “Don’t worry, honey,” said Brains. “I still think you’re beautiful no matter how you do your hair. It’s all fine to me.”

  “Thanks, Ryan,” said Vanish, flashing a smile back at him. “I knew you would say that, but I appreciate it just the same.”

  I leaned forward just then and said, “What about the Neo-Killer? Heard any news about him while you guys were out?”

  Brains shook his head. “Unfortunately, no. Phobia and his agents are still searching the city for him. Phobia says they’re narrowing down the list of possible hideouts, but I’m not sure they’ll have any luck finding him. Showdown is a big city and there are a ton of places for a criminal like the Neo-Killer to hide.”

  “Well, I hope they find him soon,” I said as I took a bite out of my pizza. “I’m getting bored in here, even with Blizzard. I want to be back out on the streets helping you guys keep Showdown safe again.”

  “Understandable, but until the Neo-Killer is arrested, you are going to have to stay put,” said Brains. “It’s for your own safety.”

  “We can always resume our powerless training if you want,” said Vanish after taking a sip of her water bottle. “Defeating Razorblade took a lot less time than I thought it would. We could resume after lunch if you’d like.”

  “Powerless training?” Blizzard said. She looked at me. “Are you training to fight without powers?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. Brains suggested it. That way, if the Neo-Killer sprays me with powerless gas again, I won’t be entirely defenseless.”

  “Cool,” said Blizzard. “I’ve always wanted to take powerless training myself, but have never been able to find the time to do it.”

  “You definitely should,” said Vanish. “Every superhuman could benefit from knowing how to defend themselves without their powers, especially nowadays, with powerless gas b
eing so rampant. I could train you if you’d like.”

  “Thanks for the offer, Vanish, but since I’m not going to be here very long, I’m afraid I will have to decline,” said Blizzard. “But maybe sometime in the future you can come to Hero Island and teach a class there. I’d definitely attend it.”

  Vanish smiled. “Perhaps when Joey is older. Right now, I don’t want to travel too much and leave him alone. But I’ll keep it in mind.”

  Blizzard nodded, but then she touched her stomach and said, “Uh oh. Does anyone know where the bathroom is? I need to use it.”

  Brains jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “Just down the hallway and to the right. Not hard to find.”

  “Thanks,” said Blizzard. She stood up. “I’ll be back in a flash.”

  Blizzard quickly left our table and then the cafeteria itself, leaving me sitting alone with Brains and Vanish. I watched her go for a moment until she disappeared through the cafeteria doors, after which point I returned to eating my pizza.

  “Blizzard’s such a nice girl,” said Vanish. She looked at me with a smile. “Isn’t she?”

  I nodded and swallowed the rest of my pizza. “Yeah. One of the reasons I love her.”

  “How long have the two of you been dating?” said Brains as he wiped his mouth with a paper napkin.

  “About a year now,” I said. “It sure feels shorter, though. Time seems to fly whenever I’m with her.”

  Brains chuckled. “I felt the same way when I was dating Vanish. Actually, Vanish and I weren’t much older than you and Blizzard when we first met, right, honey?”

  “Right,” said Vanish, nodding. “But we didn’t start dating until we graduated high school, and didn’t get married until after college.”

  “How long have you two been married, anyway?” I said, glancing from Brains to Vanish and back again.

  “Five years this month,” said Brains. “And we’re just as in love as the day we first met.”

  “More, actually,” said Vanish. “And now we have Joey, who makes our little family complete.”

  I nodded. It all sounded kind of cheesy to me, but at the same time, I also kind of liked hearing them. “Good to hear. You guys seem happy together.”

  “We are,” said Brains. He suddenly looked at me with a mischievous smile on his face. “So, when are you going to propose to Blizzard?”

  I was in the middle of taking a drink from my soda when Brains asked that question and I nearly choked on it. “What did you say?”

  “I was just asking when you plan to propose to Blizzard,” said Brains. “The two of you have been together for over a year now and obviously love each other a lot. Why not take the relationship to the next level, if your relationship is as serious as it seems?”

  I gulped and put my soda can down, glad that my costume could hide my blushing face. “Well, we’re both kind of young—”

  “So?” said Vanish. “My own parents got married when they were seventeen and sixteen each and they’ve been married for over sixty years. I think you two could make it work.”

  “Uh, maybe,” I said, shifting uncomfortably in my seat. “It just seems a little sudden …”

  “Have you at least considered doing it?” said Brains. “Not saying you have to—you shouldn’t get married unless you really want to—but I just wonder if that thought has ever crossed your mind before.”

  I took another bite from my pizza so I wouldn’t have to answer right away. The answer was that I had considered proposing to Blizzard at some point and I kind of suspected that Blizzard expected me to as well. I just hadn’t done it yet because I was busy with other things. It wasn’t like I planned to dump her for anyone better at some point. I mean, I guess we could always break up for some reason, but that just didn’t seem likely to happen. Marriage seemed like the next logical step in our relationship, but I was hesitant to take that step for some reason. I guess I just didn’t feel ready for it, though that seemed like a lame excuse whenever I said that aloud.

  “Well, whether you’ve thought about it or not, you should at least consider it,” said Brains. “Ultimately, it is your choice, but if you ever need someone to talk to about marriage, I’m your man.”

  “Same here,” said Vanish. “We’re always ready and willing to support you, Bolt, even if you do disobey us sometimes.”

  I cracked a smile. “Uh, thanks, you—”

  “I’m back,” said Blizzard suddenly, sitting down at her seat. “Did I miss anything?”

  I exchanged quick looks with Brains and Vanish before saying, “No, you didn’t. We were just discussing my powerless training again. That’s all.”

  Blizzard nodded in understanding and then returned to eating her food. I watched her eat for a moment before I resumed eating again as well, but my thoughts began to wander despite how hungry I was.

  I still didn’t feel quite ready to marry just yet, but on the other hand, was anyone ever truly ready to get married? Seemed like every married couple I knew always told me that you could never truly prepare for marriage or children. It made me wonder just what I was waiting for, exactly, especially since I suspected that most of our friends would be supportive of a marriage between us and it would probably work out well.

  I pushed that thought out of my mind for now, however, to focus on finishing my lunch. I had more urgent things to worry about than marriage. I would consider it at some point, but there was no point in getting married if I was going to get killed by the Neo-Killer.

  Once the Neo-Killer was arrested and it was safe for me to go out again, I would give marriage more thought.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  The rest of the day was filled with powerless training. As usual, Vanish managed to kick my butt, using her Indestructonium pole to give me a hard time. More than once I was tempted to just use my powers outright and take her down, but I would always catch myself at the last minute and use my martial arts skills or pole instead. Besides, I knew that if I hit Vanish with one of my usual super punches, she would probably die or be crippled for life. She may have been a superhuman, but her powers didn’t include super strength or durability.

  But unlike my last session, I was a lot better, actually getting in a few solid hits on Vanish that even she didn’t see coming. I got a lot better with my pole, too, learning how to wield it more smoothly and naturally. It didn’t quite feel like an extension of my body just yet, but it was starting to, and I felt like it would become natural after a few more sessions.

  I also told Brains and Vanish about Project Revival, though I did not tell them that Mecha Knight was somehow involved. For some reason, Mecha Knight’s involvement in Project Revival seemed like something that ought to be kept secret, at least until I could figure out exactly what kind of involvement Mecha Knight had. It was just enough that Brains and Vanish knew about Project Revival and its possible aim and purpose, at least for now. I even asked Valerie not to mention Mecha Knight’s involvement in Project Revival to them, which she agreed to.

  As expected, they were both horrified and shocked by this revelation. Vanish in particular became anxious when I told her about a possible clone of my uncle running around because apparently, she had a deep set fear of cloning for some reason. Brains seemed less shocked, but he still found it disturbing and said that he would inform the Leadership Council about this as soon as possible.

  I wasn’t so sure about that, however. If Mecha Knight was involved in Project Revival, then would the Leadership Council even act on this information? He was a member of the Leadership Council himself, after all. I didn’t want to think he would try to squash it in order to save his reputation, necessarily, but I was still worried about it. Mostly, I was worried that the NHA might take over Vault B for ‘further investigation,’ which might mean I wouldn’t get access to it.

  But it was too late now. Brains said he was going to call the NHA tonight and there was nothing I could do about it. I just told Valerie to hurry up her investigation. That way, I would at least ha
ve access to all the same information the NHA did, regardless of what the Leadership Council did.

  I expected I would sleep well tonight, but before going to bed, we received a phone call from Phobia, who asked me to come to his office in the morning to talk more about the Neo-Killer. He promised me that I would be safe in his office and that he would take extra security measures to ensure that the Neo-Killer did not attack us while I was at his office.

  I questioned why we couldn’t just have the interview in the Braindome, but Phobia insisted that it had to be done in his office for ‘security reasons,’ as he put it. I took that to mean that he didn’t trust Brains, which made sense because the G-Men and the NHA were not exactly on friendly terms with each other. I imagine that Phobia thought Brains might try to record the interview for his own purposes, though that seemed paranoid to me.

  In any case, I accepted the interview because it was an opportunity to get out of the Braindome and go somewhere else for a change.

  So, the next day after breakfast, Vanish teleported me and Blizzard to the G-Men’s headquarters in downtown Showdown. Brains volunteered to stay behind in case of emergency, but I had a feeling he really didn’t want to go talk to a G-Man agent. I couldn’t blame him. As much as I liked the idea of getting out of the Braindome, I also felt apprehensive about meeting with a G-Man agent, even if this agent claimed to be one of my fans.

  We teleported into what appeared to be an open office area in downtown Showdown. It was very different from the Braindome, looking more like an ordinary open office plan than a high tech workplace. It was also a lot smaller than I expected, with just three desks set up and just as many people sitting at them. They appeared to be G-Men agents, based on the patches on their shoulders, but they wore polo shirts and slacks instead of the usual G-Men uniform, which made them look more like your typical office worker than an agent of a secretive and powerful government agency. I even wondered if they were superhumans at all. Appearances could be deceiving, but it was usually pretty obvious if a person was super or not.