Team Up

by Lucas Flint

  Suddenly, Mr. Space came to a stop and held out his arm to stop Beams and Shade. “We’re here. Look below.”

  Stopping in front of Mr. Space’s arm, Beams was glad that Mr. Space had stopped them because they had reached the edge of a tall cliff, whose bottom he could not see. Nor could he see what Mr. Space was pointing at until a sudden break in the storm happened, giving him a bird’s eye view of a sight he would never forget.

  The ruins of a massive city stretched out in the bowl-shaped valley below them, stone and metal structures rising from the earth and snow like the fingers of a giant. Looming buildings which resembled ancient skyscrapers towered above their smaller counterparts, while wide streets were darted with holes like knife wounds.

  At one point, the Lost City must have been a beautiful and majestic place, but its best days were clearly long behind it. Some of the taller buildings had collapsed or fallen over, while the roofs of several other standing buildings had caved in, allowing snow to accumulate within them. The Lost City was silent and still, with nary a hint of life in its limits.

  What caught Beams’ eye, however, was the massive temple-like structure rising from the center of the city. It resembled the Temple of Dread back on Jinkopa, looking almost like a photocopied version. Whereas the original Temple of Dread was still in decent shape, however, this ancient temple looked as if it had been abandoned for years. One of the towers had even collapsed outright at one point, leaving nothing but a massive pile of stone and snow where it once stood, while another tower leaned against the tower nearest it and there seemed to be a hole in the roof of the main temple itself.

  Before Beams could see much else, however, the howling snow returned, blocking his view, though in his mind’s eye he could still see the temple itself quite clearly.

  “That’s the Lost City?” said Shade, looking at Mr. Space. “Never seen anything like it. It’s beautiful, in a haunting sort of way.”

  “Legends say it was the most beautiful city not just on Earth, but in all the multiverse before the Dread God was killed,” said Mr. Space. “In any case, we’re actually here now. I bet the God Slayer is in that abandoned temple in the middle of the city.”

  “That’s probably the most logical place to start looking,” said Beams, nodding. “But, er, how do we get down there without hurting ourselves?”

  Mr. Space gestured at a pathway to the side that Beams had not noticed before. “This pathway should take us down to the city limits, but be careful, because the steps are probably frozen and the ones that aren’t frozen might give way under our weight.”

  “Then what are we waiting for?” said Shade. She hugged herself. “Let’s get down there and start a fire in one of those buildings or something. It has to be warmer than being out in the wind like this.”

  “Okay,” said Mr. Space. He turned toward the path. “Follow me. It shouldn’t take us long to get down there, even if we take our time.”

  Just as Mr. Space took a step forward, a loud, bellowing cry suddenly rose above the howling wind. It was followed by another cry in response, and then another, until soon bellowing war cries could be heard on all sides.

  “What the heck?” said Shade, looking around in alarm. “Where is all of that screaming coming from? The Darzens?”

  “Can’t be,” said Mr. Space, drawing his sound blaster from its holster and holding it before him defensively. “The Darzens don’t do war cries, not like this. But I don’t know who it could be.”

  Beams didn’t, either, but then he heard footsteps in the snow nearby and saw a heavy wooden staff coming through the snow toward Shade, who apparently didn’t hear it coming.

  “Shade!” Beams shouted. “Down!”

  Beams shoved Shade down to the ground, but the wooden staff slammed into his helmet and sent him staggering backward, his head spinning from the blow.

  Then Beams’ foot stepped off the cliff and he plunged to the ground below, screaming the entire time.

  -

  Read the rest of Amalgamation HERE!

  Other books by Lucas Flint

  The Superhero’s Son:

  The Superhero’s Test

  The Superhero’s Team

  The Superhero’s Summit

  The Superhero’s Powers

  The Superhero’s Origin

  The Superhero’s World

  The Superhero’s Vision

  The Superhero’s Prison

  The Superhero’s End

  The Young Neos:

  Brothers

  Powers

  Counterparts

  Dimensions

  Heroes

  Minimum Wage Sidekick:

  First Job

  First Date

  First Offer

  First Magic

  First Mentor

  First War

  The Supervillain’s Kids:

  Bait & Switch

  Tag Team

  Blood Gems

  Prison Break

  The Legacy Superhero:

  A Superhero’s Legacy

  A Superhero’s Death

  A Superhero’s Revenge

  A Superhero’s Assault

  Dimension Heroes:

  Crossover

  Team Up

  Amalgamation

  Lightning Bolt:

  The Superhero’s Return

  The Superhero’s Glitch

  The Superhero’s Cure

  The Superhero’s Strike

  The Superhero’s Clone

  Subscribe to my newsletter and get a FREE exclusive novella!

  If you would like to be the FIRST to know about my newest releases, please subscribe to my weekly newsletter by clicking this link HERE. Newsletter subscribers are always the first to know about my newest releases, exclusive deals, updates on my books, and more. Plus, all subscribers get Happy Birthday: A Minimum Wage Sidekick Novella for FREE just for signing up!

  So click this link HERE to sign up today!

  Appendix 1: The Superhero's Son

  Kevin Jake Jason (Bolt). The protagonist of The Superhero’s Son and one of the protagonists of The Young Neos sequel series. He is an eighteen-year-old man and son of the late superhero Genius. He is also the twin brother of Ronald Jason, also known as White Lightning, and has a girlfriend named Blizzard. He is the former leader of the Young Neos and current NHA member. He can fly, has super speed, super strength, and can shoot red lightning bolts from his hands.

  Theodore Ronald Jason (Genius). One of the first superheroes, starting his career at the age of 11 as Boy Genius, and father of Bolt. He was also a founding member of the Neohero Alliance and one of the most famous and well-respected superheroes even after his death. He had the ability to create anything he could imagine.

  Ronald Jason (White Lightning). The twin brother of Bolt. Has the exact same powers as Bolt, though he is less experienced than him.

  Neohero Alliance (NHA). The largest and oldest superhero organization in the country. Run by the Leadership Council. Its headquarters is Hero Island off the coast of New York.

  The Young Neos. The most famous teenage superhero team in the country. It is run under the supervision of the Neohero Alliance, specifically Mecha Knight. Its current leader is Stinger.

  John Waterson (Omega Man). The most powerful superhero in the world and current President of the NHA. He has many of the same powers as Bolt, but he is far more powerful than Bolt and is well-respected by heroes and feared by villains in equal measure, despite spending most of his days running the NHA rather than fighting crime as he used to.

  The Midnight Menace. The leader of the Independent Neoheroes for Justice. While not as powerful as Omega Man, the Midnight Menace is still one of the most feared and mysterious superheroes in the world and often straddles the line between legal and illegal methods of fighting crime. He controls shadow and can move without making noise.

  The Independent Neoheroes for Justice (INJ). The second largest superhero organization in the world. It broke apart from the NHA ove
r disagreements about how to interact with the US government and be superheroes in general, though in recent years the two organizations have made efforts to restore relations. It is based in California, though the exact location of their base is a strongly guarded secret.

  The Leadership Council. The ruling body of the NHA. It has seven members who vote on various matters relating to the NHA.

  The Justice Statue. A massive statue of Omega Man and the Midnight Menace shaking hands, which is a symbol of unity between the NHA and INJ.

  Hero Island. The base of the NHA. It was created by the superhero Mr. Miner, who rose it from the seafloor. It is a popular tourist destination in addition to providing shelter for NHA members.

  Hero Island Janitorial Team. The team in charge of keeping Hero Island clean and in order. It is mostly made up of non-superpowered humans and is led by Curtis Brown.

  Jack Ruger (Mecha Knight). A member of the Neohero Alliance Leadership Council and the supervisor of the Young Neos, as well as the informal mentor of Bolt after Genius’ death. Mecha Knight can control and talk to technology. He himself is a human consciousness downloaded into a robotic knight, though this is a well-kept secret that very few NHA members know.

  Hero Island Security. The security team for Hero Island. Like the Janitorial Team, they are mostly made up of normal humans. Led by the superhero Muscle.

  Black Blur. Current member of the Leadership Council. He has super speed and doesn’t get along well with Bolt.

  Tsunami. An infamous supervillain who is currently imprisoned in Ultimate Max. He can control water and has something of a god complex. He is also the father of the superhuman twins Bait and Switch.

  Pokacu. An alien race of biomechanical beings who were under the control of their planet known as the Mother World. The Pokacu invaded Earth twice, but were repelled by Earth’s superheroes each time. The Pokacu were wiped out when Bolt and Nicknacks blew up the Mother World. There are only two known surviving Pokacu: Graalix and Nicknacks (see individual entries for more info).

  Mother World. The home planet of the Pokacu people, as well as their ruler and creator. The Mother World sent the Pokacu people across the universe in an attempt to conquer it, but was eventually destroyed by Bolt and Nicknacks sometime before the start of Crossover.

  N’ckn’ax (Nicknacks). A Pokacu who broke free of the Mother World’s control and warned humanity of the first Pokacu invasion. He was originally a member of the Leadership Council before resigning to find the remaining members of his race who had also broken free from the Mother World.

  Graalix. One of the two known surviving members of the Pokacu race, Graalix is fanatical in his devotion to the Mother World and has been in a deep depression since her destruction. He was believed to have died after the second Pokacu invasion, but was actually secretly retrieved by the G-Men for study.

  Powerless gas. A unique type of yellow-colored gas which the Pokacu army used in their conquest of Earth. For reasons not well understood, powerless gas can render a superhuman exposed to it powerless, ranging from a few minutes to a full day depending on the amount they were exposed to. Though rare after the first Pokacu invasion, the crashing of dozens of Pokacu mother ships all over the world after the second Pokacu invasion mean that powerless gas is now much more common and easily available. Some people are even attempting to make artificial versions to mass produce, though results have been mixed.

  The Starborn. A race of technologically advanced aliens who genetically engineered humanity’s ancestors millions of years ago, which is why superhumans exist. They are mysterious and powerful and can cross dimensions. Their current whereabouts are unknown.

  The Servants of the Starborn. A lesser race of aliens who serve the Starborn and act as their heralds, preparing worlds for their arrival.

  The Department of Superpowered & Extraterrestrial Beings (The G-Men). A superhero team sponsored and funded by the federal government, which also deals with various superhuman and alien problems that other government agencies cannot. Lead by Cadmus Smith.

  Cadmus Smith. The current Director of the G-Men. He can read minds and is immortal, having been born in the 1920s. He wants what is best for the US and is willing to do what it takes to keep the country safe, no matter how immortal it may be.

  Sarah Bradford (Shade). A prominent G-Men agent who is Cadmus’ second-in-command. She can control shadow.

  Ultimate Max. The best and only superhuman prison in the country. It is home to most of the country’s most dangerous supervillains and criminals and has only ever suffered two prison breaks since its founding.

  Project Neo. A secretive government project originally designed to study the newly discovered superhumans, but was eventually changed to focus on developing weapons and technology to defend against superhumans. It was shut down in 2017 after thirty years of activity.

  Test Subjects. Ten Superhumans who were experimented upon by the government in an attempt to understand superhumans. Cadmus was Test Subject 001.

  Environs. Special suits designed within Project Neo to help humans survive alien worlds.

  Vision. A superhuman cult/terrorist group dedicated to spreading Visionism, an ideology which states that superpowers are a social construct created to further social inequality and that they must be abolished in order to create true equality and justice. It was disbanded not long after the death of its leader, Barnabas Sagan (also known as the Visionary).

  Neo-Vision. A brief, more radical revival of Vision with the same basic ideology, but whose members were more likely to commit terrorist acts out in the open rather than infiltrate and take over institutions from within. It disbanded when its leader, the superhuman Incantation, was defeated and arrested.

  Sarah Jane Watson. The granddaughter of Barnabas Sagan and a member of Vision who has telepathic powers. She is currently in the custody of the federal government.

  Dwayne Masters (Hopper). Another Visionist with the ability to open interdimensional portals. He is currently in the custody of the federal government.

  Polly Jones (Technical). Another Visionist with the ability to build anything and combine technology with flesh. She is currently in the custody of the federal government.

  Earcom. An ear-mounted device which allows for distance communication.

  Neogentics. The study of superhuman genetics.

  Neohero. Another term for superhero, though it is rapidly falling out of favor with the superhuman community due to the preference for superhero.

  Blood Gems. Two mysterious stones that allow genetically-related superhumans to trade powers with each other. One of the stones is purple, the other is orange. They are currently in the possession of Bait and Switch.

  Jason Greggs (Bait) & Grace Greggs (Switch). Superhuman twins who used the Blood Gems and are the children of the supervillains Tsunami and Electrica. They are currently attending the Theodore Jason Academy for Young Superhumans. Bait has super strength, while Switch can shoot metal fingernails, though they often switch powers thanks to the Blood Gems.

  John Mann. An American billionaire of Italian descent. He was the main antagonist of The Young Neos and the founder of the Venetian supervillain team.

  The Venetians. A supervillain team that worked for John Mann. Each member was named after the Venetian mask they wore, with powers inspired by the same. After the Young Neos defeated them, the Venetians are no longer active.

  Appendix 2: Minimum Wage Sidekick

  Alexander Fry (Beams). Protagonist of the Minimum Wage Sidekick series. He is a sixteen-year-old boy who has the ability to shoot lasers from his eyes, as well as briefly increase his stamina, speed, and agility by firing his lasers into his eyelids. He gained his powers by accidentally drinking it from a potion made by his science teacher. He is the sidekick of the superhero Rubberman. He also has an older brother, James, who was once a sidekick himself (see ‘James Fry (Lightning Fist)’ below).

  Dennis Pullman (Rubberman). The official superhero of Golden City. He is a successful b
usinessman and entrepreneur, as well as a rising star within the superhero industry. His powers include being able to bend and stretch his body like rubber. He gained his powers from touching the Rubber Ball and his life is tied to the Rubber Ball’s existence as a result.

  Adams. The personal butler and assistant to Rubberman. Adams is an elderly Scottish man who worked in the military and as a doctor prior to becoming Rubberman’s butler. He has no powers of his own, but is perfectly capable of taking care of himself in a fight.

  Munroe Acquisitions, Inc. The largest superhero acquisitions agency in the country. It was founded by Charles Munroe and was run by his daughter, Sasha Munroe, until she was arrested for her various crimes and sent to jail (see ‘Sasha Munroe’ below for more information).

  Beams Fan Club. A fan club at Golden City High for Beams. Founded by Beams’ best friend Franklin Maddox.

  Frankly Maddox. Beams’ best friend at school and a big fan of Beams. He was originally unaware of Alex’s true identity as Beams until Beams revealed it to him.

  Sasha Munroe. The primary antagonist of the Minimum Wage Sidekick series. She is a middle-aged black woman who wanted Rubberman to sell his business to her and used all sorts of dirty, underhanded, illegal, and downright evil tactics to try to get his business from him before she was finally arrested. She is currently in jail.