Teen Superheroes Box Set | Books 1-7

by Pitt, Darrell

  I shrugged. ‘Let’s see what’s on it.’

  He put the card in. It contained a single video file. A familiar, yet surprising face, appeared on the screen.

  ‘Hello, friends Axel, Brodie, Chad, and Dan,’ he said. ‘This is Ferdy.’

  We stared in amazement at him.

  ‘How…’ Chad began.

  Ferdy continued. ‘You are probably wondering how and why it is that you can see Ferdy,’ he said. ‘Ferdy will explain. When Axel and Chad went to the alternate future, they didn’t realize that Twelve used Liber8tor to travel back in time a year and warn his earlier self what was about to happen.’

  That’s what we thought happened.

  ‘There was little that the Ferdy locked within Liber8tor could do,’ Ferdy said. ‘As much as Ferdy wanted to help his friends, Twelve disconnected most of Ferdy’s systems. There was one system that Twelve forgot to disconnect: Ferdy’s internal email system.’

  I nodded. So Ferdy wasn’t able to communicate with anyone else. Only himself.

  ‘Ferdy sent himself a message,’ Ferdy said. ‘That is why this Ferdy is speaking to you today.’

  ‘Okay,’ Dan said. ‘That’s…great, but how does this help us?’

  ‘Ferdy was able to hack into the Bakari computer system,’ Ferdy said. ‘Twelve’s plan to travel to Washington to begin his takeover of the planet was known to Ferdy. There was little that Ferdy was able to do about it at the time. To act may have produced a catastrophic collapse of the timeline, the destruction of the universe, and a new Big Bang.’

  ‘Well,’ Chad said. ‘We wouldn’t want that.’

  ‘What Ferdy was able to do was download the specifications for Twelve’s ship. This includes the shield code for the hive. If Twelve were ever successful in making his plan come true, Ferdy thought that this information would be helpful.’ He paused. ‘And fourteen percent of 65,784 is 9209.76.’

  Ferdy smiled. ‘Ferdy hopes this information is useful,’ he said. ‘And you’re welcome.’

  The video ended.

  We stared wordlessly at the screen.

  ‘Ferdy,’ I said.

  Our Ferdy replied. ‘Yes, Axel?’

  ‘Thank you.’

  ‘Ferdy must point out that this was not technically this version of Ferdy who has given you assistance.’ He stopped. ‘However, Ferdy thanks you anyway.’

  ‘This means we can disable his shields,’ I said.

  ‘Then let’s stop talking about it,’ Brodie said, settling into the cockpit. ‘Dan, I’m going to send the code. Be ready to fire.’

  Taking the other seat, Dan readied the firing system. ‘Ready.’

  ‘Transmitting.’

  ‘The energy signature from the hive is fluctuating,’ Ferdy announced. ‘It appears the hive’s barrier is inoperative.’

  ‘Dan!’ Brodie said. ‘Fire!’

  Dan hit the controls. ‘Firing all weapons!’ he said.

  Rockets, lasers, and everything else the Flex fighter had onboard was launched at the hive. They struck in a simultaneous barrage of explosions. The ship weaved about and started heading away from the White House. Dan hit the communications control.

  ‘The hive’s barrier is down!’ he yelled. ‘Fire everything you’ve got!’

  There was a moment’s hesitation, and then other ships fired dozens of rockets into the hive. It lurched through the air for only a few more seconds before coming to a crash landing on the road in front of the White House. The assembled armada continued firing at it, blanketing the whole area in smoke, dust, and fire.

  The smoke cleared, revealing the damage done to the hive. Sitting half-buried in the broken asphalt, it had faded to a dull brown. Smoke poured from a dozen places.

  General Clarke’s voice came over the intercom. ‘Twelve,’ he said. ‘Surrender—or we will destroy you.’

  Twelve responded immediately. A gap opened in the hive. There was a brief movement from inside, and then robots began pouring out like rats leaving a sinking ship.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  The robots scattered in all directions.

  ‘Split up!’ I yelled.

  Racing to the rear of the ship, Chad and I leaped out and took to the air. He gave me a wave and headed after one robot as I pursued another. The robot flew down a nearby street, firing randomly at an apartment block. The upper wall exploded, raining debris down onto the street below. Unsuspecting pedestrians looked up in horror as chunks of brick and mortar fell toward them.

  I created an invisible protective barrier, allowing the pedestrians to scramble for cover inside the building.

  Bam!

  A blast of power slammed into me, knocking me into a nearby building where I crashed through a window and landed on someone’s desk. The startled woman fell backward off her seat and onto the floor.

  ‘Sorry,’ I said. ‘Crazy alien attacking city…robots with laser eyes…attacking…’

  She sighed. ‘Not again.’

  ‘Afraid so.’

  I flew back out the window. By now, the robot was firing its orange beams at people on the street. Dead and dying people lay everywhere. I sent a barrage of air cannonballs into the robot’s back. That got its attention. As it turned, I drove a force of wind into it, sending it crashing into the road below.

  Raising its hands, the robot fired more beams at me. Weaving, I avoided the beams, but they caused havoc on the buildings around me. One struck a billboard on a nearby roof. The billboard’s supports collapsed, and it toppled down into the street.

  A dozen people stood below. Zooming over, I used my powers to catch the billboard in midair. Flinging it at the robot, I made a direct hit, sending the creature crashing into the ground again. It hit hard but almost immediately started to extricate itself from the wreckage. I built up a mighty blast.

  One…two…three…

  Now!

  I slammed the wind into the creature.

  Windows all around shattered from the impact. Car alarms exploded up and down the block. Some people were even thrown off their feet as the ground shook, but I hit the creature a second time and then a third time. On each occasion, the robot seemed stunned but quickly recovered.

  Now I created a tiny tornado and drove it into the robot’s chest. The robot shot at me again, and I weaved about, missing the blasts.

  Come on, I thought. Just keep it up…

  I forced the tornado into a tight beam of wind, twirling it faster and faster. For the first time, I actually saw a dent in its skin. I’m finally making an impact! The robot refocused on me and fired both blasts in my direction. They missed, but they broke my concentration, and my wind tornado dissipated.

  No!

  Snatching up a piece of asphalt, the robot hurled it at a passing woman. I flew, catching it in midair. The robot followed up by shooting another blast at me, but I used the asphalt as a shield this time. It focused both beams on it, increasing power with each passing second. I started toward the robot as the tarmac started to crumble.

  How do I stop this thing?

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Brodie sprinted down the street. One of the robots had come this way, firing power bolts into the buildings as it passed. Its passage had only taken a moment, but it had caused immense destruction. Ambulances and police vehicles were turning up, but it was too much for the emergency services to deal with alone.

  ‘Help!’ a woman cried. ‘Help!’

  A hole had formed on the roadway. A car had fallen in with a bus teetering on the side. Racing to the edge, Brodie peered down and saw the vehicle had landed in an underwater drain. A river of water poured through it. The vehicle’s front end was crushed, with the driver jammed behind the wheel.

  Neither of the doors would open; they were flush against the sides of the hole. Jumping onto the hood, Brodie punched her hand through the windshield, shattered it, and tore it free from its housing.

  The water was already at the woman’s chest.

  ‘Hold on!’ Brodie yell
ed.

  ‘My leg’s jammed!’

  Climbing in beside her, Brodie’s eyes searched under the dashboard. It pressed down onto the woman’s legs. She didn’t seem to be in pain, but the water was rising with every passing second. The woman would drown within minutes.

  ‘What’s your name?’ Brodie asked.

  ‘Sharon.’

  ‘I’m diving in under your legs. I’ll try to push the dashboard back off you. Be ready to pull yourself free.’

  ‘Are you strong enough to do that?’

  ‘I’m stronger than I look.’

  Brodie took a deep breath and dived into the murky water. It was an awkward maneuver; she had to be upside down to wedge her shoulder under the dash. Finally, she was in position, the churning current all around.

  Come on, she thought. Heave!

  She pushed upwards. The plastic and metal chassis resisted for a moment. Then there was a groaning, a rush of air bubbles, and Sharon’s leg slid free. Gasping as she resurfaced, Brodie was pleased to see Sharon was dragging herself free. Scrambling through the windshield, Brodie helped her back up to the street.

  At that instant, Brodie looked down and spotted another person in the hole, an old man who lay half-buried under concrete and pieces of road. Hopping back down, Brodie pushed through the current to him.

  ‘Can you move?’ Brodie asked.

  ‘I can, but I think my arm’s broken.’

  Grrrrrrr.

  Brodie turned just in time to see the bus, perched precariously on the edge, start to slide into the pit. It would slam into the spot where they were perched within seconds.

  ‘We’ve got to move,’ she told the man. Slipping his uninjured arm around her shoulder, Brodie swam against the flowing stormwater. The bus inched forward. Gripping the man around the waist, Brodie stepped onto a broken pipe and hoisted them up just as the bus gave another screech. Balancing a foot on some shattered concrete, Brodie pushed off, propelling them free as the vehicle smashed into the pit.

  A paramedic came racing over to take charge of the old man. Thanking Brodie, she gave him a final farewell before casting an eye at the carnage ahead. Most of the city block lay in ruins with injured people everywhere.

  Where do I start?

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Booooom!

  Dan maneuvered the sheet of metal through the air as the robot fired. Boooom! The robot fired again, and Dan deflected the impact, using the piece as a protective shield.

  This thing is hard to beat.

  Dan’s ability to manipulate metal was saving him, but he hadn’t been able to gain the upper hand. Focusing on a nearby vehicle, Dan propelled it through the air at the robot. It crashed into the creature, pushing it into a nearby building.

  Nothing moved for a moment. Then the robot emerged, shoved debris away, aimed its hands at Dan.

  Booooom!

  The makeshift shield saved him again as the power blast drove him back. He was beginning to wonder how he’d ever beat this thing. Axel and Chad had struggled to defeat the robots before, and they were the big guns of their team.

  So how can I win?

  He considered turning and running, but then he looked around the street. Most of the block had been blasted by the robots. Some people were sheltered under the broken awning of a building. Others had taken refuge inside buildings. A lot had scrambled into the underground subways to escape.

  I can’t leave. It means the robot will turn its attention to them—and they have no chance of surviving.

  Dan focused on a street pole. Keeping his shield in place, Dan made the pole thinner and brought it to a sharp point at one end. Then, using his powers, he wrenched it out of the ground and flung it at the robot. The pole flew through the air—only to be caught by the robot.

  The creature dove directly at Dan’s shield, slamming him backward onto the sidewalk. Dan gasped as his back scraped across the concrete. That’s gonna hurt later. The robot wrenched the metal shield away from him and lifted the pole directly overhead to drive it into Dan’s chest.

  Dan focused on the pole, driving it back as the robot strove to bring it down. Then Dan started to bend the pole with his mind, slowly wrapping it around the robot’s neck. Dan forced the robot back, tightening the pole until a grinding sound came from its neck. The neck constricted until it cracked, and the head broke off its shoulders.

  Yes!

  Confused, the robot felt about for its head before shrugging and turned back to Dan.

  You’ve got to be kidding.

  Headless, the robot raised its arms to continue its attack. Dan stopped it by driving the hood of a car between it and himself. As the robot’s power beam hit the hood, Dan rolled out of the way as the robot continued forward, tearing the metal to pieces.

  Dan grabbed another street pole, quickly made one end pointy, and drove it at the robot. This time the pole impaled its body. Dan followed up with a second pole. Now the skewered robot stumbled about the sidewalk like a drunk. Getting ready to fire a third pole at the robot, the creature randomly started firing its power beams about.

  One struck Dan, sending him flying. He hit his head. Everything went dark for a moment. Then he found himself looking at a broken piece of sidewalk. He heard the sounds of burning buildings and distant crashes. Blinking, Dan sat up and saw the robot was still meandering about firing randomly. He’d been lucky not to get hit a second time.

  Focusing once more, Dan drove a third pole through the robot. This time the creature staggered and dropped to one knee. Its arms weaved randomly about before it fell flat onto the concrete.

  Rubbing his head, Dan gingerly climbed to his feet.

  One down, he thought. A hundred to go.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  There was a trick to destroying the robots, as Ebony quickly learned.

  Like anyone else, she had to dart and dive out of the way when one attacked her. She couldn’t let herself be blasted. One winged Ebony and almost knocked her out. Still, if Ebony got close enough, she could destroy them relatively quickly and easily.

  She sprinted across the road to the robot that had landed in the street. It was busily blasting buildings on the opposite side. People took refuge behind vehicles. Ebony raced up to the robot and slammed her hand against its back.

  ‘Oxygen!’ she yelled.

  The robot disappeared into nothing.

  Yes!

  Ebony was rarely able to use her ability to destroy her opponents outright like this. She couldn’t turn people to oxygen—there was the small issue of it being morally wrong to kill—but robots she could make disappear all day long and be fine.

  A high-pitched whine came high up from a nearby building.

  Cra-ash!

  Ebony looked up to see a news helicopter slam into the side of an apartment block. It had lodged into the windows on about the twelfth floor, by the look of it. Ebony sprinted across the street, raced through the front lobby of the building, and up the stairs.

  People were everywhere. A lot didn’t know if they should be evacuating the building or staying inside. Ebony ran until she reached the twelfth floor where a woman was leaning out of her door, tears running down her face.

  ‘Help!’ she screamed. ‘The helicopter—’

  Ebony pushed past into the apartment. One of the landing struts was lodged in through the wall. A twisted rotor blade was caught in another section. It was clear the helicopter was close to toppling from the building. People were still trapped in it. Racing over to the ledge, Ebony quickly turned the section of the wall to metal. She then extended it to the landing strut to secure it more tightly.

  The wall groaned. There wasn’t time to turn the entire building to metal. She had to get the people free of the chopper.

  Peering into the cabin, she saw the pilot was unconscious with blood pouring from his head. The female journalist beside him was alive but barely conscious. Ebony peered down. Saving them meant climbing into the precariously positioned vehicle. Taking a deep
breath, Ebony turned a section of the wall to oxygen, touched the transparent plastic cabin, and stepped across to it.

  The helicopter groaned under her weight. Carefully undoing the woman’s seatbelt, Ebony pulled her out of the seat.

  ‘Where…what…’ the woman began.

  ‘I’m getting you out,’ Ebony said. ‘Hold still.’

  Stepping back into the living room, Ebony dragged the woman free and into the building. Leaving her on a living room seat, Ebony started back to the window but stopped as the building gave an ominous groan. Ebony remained motionless until she thought it was safe to continue. Then she stepped back across the gap into the chopper’s cabin.

  The pilot was still unconscious. Undoing his belt, she pulled him back to the gap and stepped over the divide, ready to pull him across. The chopper gave another loud groan. A piece of metal gave an ear-piercing shriek. Ebony dragged the man across the gap and into the room as the helicopter and the entire section of wall fell away.

  Boom!

  The massive crash from the street was accompanied by the ringing of alarms.

  That was close, Ebony thought. Give me robots anytime!

  Chapter Forty

  Chad sent a burst of flame at the robot as it flew directly at him.

  Darting out of the way, the robot zoomed past, and Chad followed it up with a burst of frozen air. The robot slowly turned in midair, fired a power blast at him, and missed. Following up with alternating pulses of heat and cold, the robot faltered, tried to shoot again, and then dropped like a rock to the street. It slammed into the sidewalk and shattered into a thousand pieces.

  I’m getting better at this.

  That was the fourth robot he’d dispatched. The other three had taken longer. The only problem was that there were still several hundred to deal with. The nation’s capital had turned into a warzone. The military had moved in and was engaging with the robots, but with little success. They were no match for them. Other superheroes had also joined the fray with mixed success.

  Chad glanced up at a fighter craft racing across the sky. A robot shot a beam at it and struck the plane. Flames erupted from the fighter’s engine. It continued its trajectory, but there was no sign of the pilot ejecting.