Teen Superheroes Box Set | Books 1-7

by Pitt, Darrell

  Their fall was abruptly halted in mid-flight. Brodie swung about and saw a masked face at the side of the capsule. The mask was blue in color and had a small Union Jack above the eyes. The young man behind the mask looked to be about twenty years old.

  ‘What is it?’ Ebony screamed. ‘What’s happening?’

  ‘It’s okay,’ Brodie said. ‘There’s a flying…super person at the window. He’s got us.’

  ‘Oh, good.’

  The masked man flew them towards the island, gently placing the escape capsule on the rocky beach. Brodie disengaged the lock, and they clambered out onto the pebble beach as the masked hero leaped back up into the sky. He sailed into the distance with his crimson red cape flowing gently behind him, his rear end very comfortably encased within a pair of stretch pants.

  ‘Very nice,’ Brodie said.

  ‘You mean the uniform?’ Ebony smiled.

  ‘Oh…absolutely,’ she said. ‘The uniform. We need uniforms.’

  Out at sea, the battle was continuing. The sky had become a mass of fire and smoke. They saw something slowly falling towards the ocean. Ebony cried out in shock.

  ‘That’s the Helix,’ she said.

  Although there had only been five Tagaar warships, it appeared they were all carrying a full complement of fighter craft. There were now hundreds of airborne vessels roaring across the sky. Costumed heroes were in the middle of the fray as battleships fired at Tagaar vessels while being attacked by alien ships.

  The sky turned green.

  ‘What’s going on?’ Ebony asked.

  ‘It appears the Tagaar have reinstated the barrier,’ Ferdy said.

  ‘You mean—’

  ‘We are cut off from the outside world.’ He nodded towards the Solar Accelerator at the top of the hill. ‘Only those of us who have made it through the barrier can stop the EMP now.’

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  I landed us safely at one end of Cargall Island. It had been a tense few minutes as the Atom had fallen apart in mid-flight, but I was able to fashion a flying platform to get us to the island. Despite a killer headache, my powers had worked fine. Just as we landed on the beach, I heard a hiss behind us as a second green dome encased the island.

  Mister Brown was clenching his leg.

  ‘Are you all right?’ Chad asked.

  ‘My leg’s broken,’ Mister Brown said. ‘I don’t think I can go on. You’ll have to leave me.’

  I looked more closely at Dan. He was gripping his arm. ‘Is your arm okay?’

  ‘It’s fine.’

  Chad examined it more closely. ‘I’m no doctor, but I think it’s broken too.’

  ‘It’s not.’ He looked angry. ‘I can keep going.’

  Laying a hand on his shoulder, I said, ‘I know you can, but someone has got to look after Mister Brown.’

  ‘But he can—’

  ‘This island is probably crawling with Tagaar warriors.’ I drew him to one side. ‘He needs protection.’

  Dan nodded. ‘Okay,’ he said. ‘But I’m happy to come if you need me.’

  ‘I know,’ I said firmly. ‘But we need you to guard Mister Brown—and yourself.’

  Chad and I carried Mister Brown into a cave in the rocks. I glanced up and down the beach. No one would see either him or Dan as long as they stayed out of sight. Dan still looked rebellious and annoyed at being left behind.

  ‘We’ll be back for you ASAP,’ I promised. ‘Stay alert.’

  Dan nodded. ‘Be safe.’

  We hurried up the beach to a clump of trees. Ahead of us lay a small, winding street with a scattering of houses on both sides. One of the buildings had burnt to the ground. Dead bodies lay in the street. Beyond it, the road continued to the installation. The yellow beam of the EMP grew brighter with every second.

  ‘We’re at the right place,’ I said.

  ‘I’d say so,’ Chad said. ‘You know something else, buddy? It’s you and me again.’

  ‘The dynamic duo?’

  ‘More like The Chad and…well, Axel.’

  I groaned. ‘Let’s go.’

  We hurried up to the closest house and took shelter on the side away from the installation. The body of an elderly woman lay on the stone path outside. The sight enraged me. ‘The Tagaar think they’re warriors, do they?’ I muttered. ‘Hard to imagine a harmless old lady putting up much of a fight.’

  ‘They don’t know what fighting is,’ Chad said grimly.

  We hurried up to the next building. A Tagaar warrior marched down the hill behind the group of scattered houses. I wanted to attack but resisted the urge. Our goal was the Solar Accelerator. We waited until the alien moved out of sight before continuing up the hill. Taking refuge in the ruins of another building, I spotted one of the Tagaar warships perched on the hill next to the Accelerator.

  Something dripped down my shirt. I was having another nosebleed.

  ‘Are you okay, Axel?’ Chad asked.

  ‘Absolutely. I normally save this trick for children’s parties.’

  ‘Very funny.’ He watched me closely as I pinched my nose. The bleeding stopped after a moment. ‘If you need to stop—’

  ‘Let’s keep moving,’ I interrupted and hurried away from the building.

  We continued up the hill to a stone wall and peered around it. A wire fence surrounded the installation, but this had been torn down in places. The body of an elderly security guard lay on the ground near the gate.

  ‘I think we’re going to make it,’ I said. ‘Once we get into the building—’

  The sound of footsteps came from behind us, and we turned to see two Tagaar warriors advancing with weapons ready.

  Chad groaned. ‘Can’t it be easy for once?’

  Chapter Forty

  Dan watched Mister Brown as he slept in the rocky cave. Actually, he was unsure if the man was asleep or unconscious. His face looked pale, and his eyes had been shut for several minutes. Sighing, Dan could imagine how he felt. His left arm was in a makeshift sling, but it was hurting more all the time. Continuing with the others would have been a serious mistake. They needed able-bodied people—not a short, dumpy kid with a broken arm.

  It wasn’t easy being the youngest of the group.

  Dan stuck his head out of the cave—and pulled it back in. ‘Uh oh,’ he muttered.

  A Tagaar warrior was making his way along the beach. There appeared to be only one of them, but one was enough. He was still some distance away. Dan looked around wildly. Axel and Chad had told him to look after Mister Brown, but now he was uncertain as to exactly how he was supposed to do that.

  Wait a minute, he thought. Mister Brown has a gun.

  Dan took it from him gently. It was small but would suffice. He’d been trained in the use of guns during his time with The Agency. He knew how to fire one, but he wasn’t sure how effective it would be against a Tagaar. Of course, he also had his powers. Unfortunately, he was only able to manipulate metal, and there wasn’t a whole lot of that around.

  He peered out from the gap again. The warrior would be here within moments. It would probably be best to—

  A heavy hand landed on his shoulder. He didn’t move at first. Then he slowly shifted his head to see a Tagaar soldier standing behind him. Dan gulped. The alien towered over him by about three feet.

  Dan tried to keep his voice even. ‘Do you know you look like a fish?’

  Dan pulled the trigger. The first bullet hit the alien in the stomach. As it raised its own weapon, Dan fired again and hit it mid-chest. The third bullet slammed into its throat. Green blood poured from the wounds. The alien made a final attempt to speak before collapsing to the ground.

  Falling back against the rock, Dan heart’s thudded wildly in his chest. The gunshots had been like a series of explosions, but Mister Brown hadn’t moved at all. He really was unconscious. Still gripping the weapon, Dan swung about and looked back down the beach.

  Empty.

  Hmm. The other warrior must have heard the gun.
<
br />   But where had he gone?

  Dan stepped cautiously from the enclosure. He still had the weapon raised, and he was ready to use it. The entire beach lay deserted. The waves continued to sweep up and down, tumbling over the stones on the shoreline. He peered towards the hills. The warrior wouldn’t have had enough time to move out of sight.

  So where is he?

  He heard a single splash of water come from the ocean. Turning, he was ready with the gun, but the Tagaar had made an incredible leap from the water. As well as looking like fish, Dan realized, they were able to behave like them as well. The warrior covered twenty feet in less than a second.

  Dan fired until the weapon was empty, but the shots went wide as the Tagaar slammed into him. He hit the ground. Trying to scramble free, the warrior grabbed his left arm—his broken arm—and lifted him into the air.

  Aaarrhhh.

  The pain was unbelievable. It was so terrible that Dan thought he would pass out. But he couldn’t do that. If he did, he’d die, and so would Mister Brown. And Axel and Chad were relying on him.

  He needed metal. If he had metal, he could turn it into a weapon. Without it—

  The warrior laughed. ‘You are tiny and weak,’ he said. ‘Pathetic! We will take over your world and use you as food for our tables.’ The warrior stabbed a finger into his chest. ‘We are Tagaar. We have—’

  ‘Uniforms made of metal,’ Dan said and focused on the armor. The warrior cried out as his uniform started to crush his body, and he released Dan in disbelief. Dan hit the sand hard, but he remained focused on the alien. With every passing second, the alien’s uniform closed around him more tightly until green blood poured from a dozen places.

  The alien fell to his knees, gave a final choking sound, and fell forward on his face—dead. Groaning, Dan settled his arm into the makeshift sling once more and crossed over to Mister Brown’s side. The pain in his arm was terrible, but he was determined to stay conscious.

  Mister Brown opened his eyes slightly. ‘Everything under control?’ he said softly.

  ‘Everything’s fine.’

  Dan sat back on the rocks and waited.

  Chapter Forty-One

  Brodie and the others watched the alien fighter ship land. Within seconds, aliens started pouring out. Ebony formed a metal shield from the air. Brodie had already picked up a length of pipe to use as a weapon. Ferdy grabbed a boulder.

  ‘Ferdy likes to play ball!’ he yelled and threw the rock. It knocked over half a dozen warriors.

  He grabbed Ebony’s shield, and they started forward under a hail of weapons fire.

  ‘They wouldn’t be so tough without their guns,’ Brodie complained.

  ‘I might be able to give us an edge,’ Ebony said.

  She touched the ground and focused. Brodie watched as it slowly disappeared. Within seconds, she’d created a hole a hundred feet deep. Most of the warriors fell in. The remaining few leaped free at the last instant and continued toward them around both edges. Ferdy picked up another rock and took out a few more.

  Two remaining warriors raced towards them. Brodie ran forward and flipped one over her shoulder. She slammed a series of punches into him. The warrior leaped back to his feet and launched a series of punches to her abdomen and face.

  This guy’s faster than I expected.

  A spear arrowed through his body, impaling and killing him instantly. Brodie swung around to see Ebony standing coolly at her elbow. She’d already killed the other warrior.

  ‘Thanks,’ Brodie said.

  ‘Any time.’

  They rounded the massive hole and caught sight of two more figures moving towards them. Brodie was ready for another attack, but then she recognized them.

  ‘Axel!’ she said. ‘Chad!’

  Axel threw his arms around her. ‘We met some resistance along the way.’

  ‘So did we,’ Ebony said. ‘Where’s Dan?’

  Axel explained about his broken arm. At that moment, the pulse emanating from the Solar Accelerator brightened perceptibly. They shielded their eyes from the light.

  ‘It’s getting brighter,’ Chad said.

  ‘It is,’ Ferdy agreed. ‘Yellow is a primary color.’

  No one felt there was enough time to query why this was important, so they continued to the building. Two ships were now parked outside: a massive warship and a smaller fighter craft. Both were now silent and still. The group hurried around the side of the building to a doorway. Brodie stuck her head through the gap. She was expecting to see a high-tech scientific laboratory. Instead, they seemed to have arrived at a kitchen. They crept inside, pulling the door shut behind them. Brodie felt the hair standing up on her arms; there was electricity in the air.

  They crossed to the next door. Computer equipment and electrical devices lined the walls. In the middle sat a concrete bunker. Yellow light was pouring from it and growing brighter with every passing second.

  The room was empty.

  ‘Ferdy,’ Chad said. ‘You should start to power down that thing.’

  Ferdy nodded. He started to examine the controls. A low laugh came from the other side of the equipment. They turned to see a woman with green eyes slowly approaching them.

  ‘So now they’re attacking me with children,’ Morgan Le Fay said. ‘What a waste.’

  Chapter Forty-Two

  I couldn’t move.

  As soon as the woman looked at me, I found myself frozen to the floor. Only my eyes could move. The others were similarly affected. Ferdy’s hand hovered over the control panel. Chad remained in mid-step. Brodie and Ebony were also stuck in place.

  Brodie’s eyes moved about desperately in their sockets. They met mine. I saw pure, naked fear in them.

  ‘Superpowered teenagers,’ she said. ‘Is this the best that humankind can throw at me?’

  She shook her head as she slowly crossed to us. ‘I know all about your little group,’ she said. ‘The teenagers from The Agency. I know about your impressive range of powers.’ The woman touched Brodie’s hair and wrapped it around her fingers. ‘You must be Brodie. That’s lovely hair, my dear. I believe I will turn it into a teapot warmer.’ She smiled. ‘When you’re dead.’

  I wanted to scream at her. I struggled with all my might to move, but my body refused to budge.

  No, I thought. It can’t end like this.

  The woman stopped again. ‘Ebony! You look like a quiet little thing. But what power you have! The ability to transmute objects! My brother Merlin wanted that power all his life, but failed to attain it.’ She shook her head. ‘Poor Merlin. I had advantages he did not enjoy. My life changed when I saw an alien ship fall from the sky one night. When I investigated, I found a dying alien in the wreckage. His name was K’charn, and he offered me unfathomable power if I would help him live.’ She laughed. ‘What did I have to lose? I was a poor, helpless girl who would have ended up marrying some oaf of a farmer if I’d refused. So I assisted him, and my life has never been the same since.’

  The woman stopped before Chad. I saw him struggling against the woman’s power. In his eyes was a rage I’d never seen before. He wanted to kill this woman—and he would have—except he was as helpless as the rest of us.

  Please, I thought. One muscle. Just one muscle.

  I used all my might to move one of my fingers, but I couldn’t make it move—not even a fraction of an inch. I tried to use my ability to control air. Nothing happened! It was as if my power had been switched off. This woman could do anything—and everything—to us, and there was nothing we could do.

  ‘Chad. The boy of fire and ice,’ she continued. ‘A beautiful combination. Fire and ice. I traveled to the arctic once with Doctor Frankenstein.’ She swept her eyes across us. ‘Oh, yes. He was real—a brilliant, but sadly deluded scientist. I went there with him and his pathetic creature. I thought I could learn a new technology that would give me even more power, but it wasn’t to be. I spent three years alone on the ice waiting for rescue.’

  She laug
hed. ‘I’ve led a long and interesting life, but that is nothing as compared to what the future holds for me.’ She stood before me. ‘Human civilization will collapse once the detonation occurs, and then I will be free to murder to my heart’s content. And then I will move on to the stars.’

  The woman gently touched my face. ‘And young Axel,’ she said. ‘A child of air. Impressive. I believe I will make you suffocate your companions. That should be fun. And then you will suffocate yourself. Do you like that idea?’

  I wanted to spit in her face. Instead, I had to watch helplessly as she moved towards Ferdy.

  ‘But now I’m disappointed,’ she said. ‘Here it is. Ferdy. The mental defective of the group. People such as he should be put down. Destroyed. They have no place in this world.’ She drew close to his face. ‘Can you hear me? You pathetic oaf! You dummy! You will never—’

  Ferdy’s hand snaked out and grabbed the top of the woman’s head.

  ‘Ferdy has friends,’ he said. ‘Which is more than can be said for you.’

  The woman gave a horrified gasp as he squeezed hard and pulled upward. As he did so, the top of Morgan’s head ripped free. Underneath the handful of hair squirmed a frog-like creature the size of a man’s hand. It struggled to break free.

  ‘You must be K’charn,’ Ferdy said. ‘Goodbye.’

  Dropping the creature to the floor, he stepped on it, and K’charn made a bursting sound like an enormous cockroach crushed underfoot.

  My free will immediately return. I gasped, and the others cried out in relief as control returned to our bodies. I summoned up my power to attack Morgan, but it was unnecessary. Her beautiful black hair was rapidly turning gray as her skin wrinkled, and her body sagged.

  ‘No!’ she cried. ‘No. I’m Morgan Le Fay. I am—’

  She slid to the ground as the aging process took hold. A thousand years of aging caught up with her in seconds. Morgan gave a final, pathetic cry. We watched in horror as her hair turned white and fell out, her cheeks grew hollow, and her skin evaporated. Within seconds she was reduced to bone and dust.