The Superhero's Son Omnibus Volume 1

Chapter Five-1

Chapter Five

Malcolm and Tara didn't talk to each other for the rest of the school day after that, even when they sat next to each other in class. They didn't even acknowledge each other's existence. I tried to stay friendly with both of them, but it didn't seem to help. I knew politics could divide people, but it was really hard seeing my two best friends act this way because of some petty political disagreement. I hoped it wouldn't last for long. I bet that by the end of the week, they'd be friendly to each other again.

How wrong was I. By the end of the week, Malcolm and Tara were still as hostile toward each other as they had been on Monday. And I really didn't know how to mediate between them, because I didn't know much about politics or how to solve political disagreements. I just tried to avoid the topic whenever I hung out with them, though the tension in the air was always so thick that I could practically taste it.

So I tried to focus on other things, like Incantation's offer. Even though Malcolm had convinced me to accept it, I didn't want to go to New York right away. If I activated the Star Caller and was whisked away to the Young Neos' headquarters in New York, my parents would notice my absence and probably come straight to New York to haul me back. Then Dad would probably invent some kind of machine to take away my powers or maybe construct a bunker made out of titanium to keep me from ever leaving the house again or something like that.

Therefore, my plan was simple: Wait until the weekend, then tell Mom and Dad that I was going to spend the weekend at Malcolm's house and would be back by Sunday night. Of course, what I really intended to do was contact the Young Neos and have them take me to their headquarters so I could see it. I even told Malcolm about it, just in case my parents contacted him or saw him over the weekend for some reason.

Thus, when Saturday finally came, I said good bye to my parents, left the house, and walked in the general direction of Malcolm's house for a couple of miles. Once I was safely out of the sight of my house, I quickly changed course, heading for an abandoned lot that I had discovered on my way to school one time when I was looking for a shortcut. As far as I knew, no one ever came over to this lot, which meant that I would be able to suit up without being seen. It was early morning, too, so most people weren't awake just yet.

Once I got to the lot, I pressed the button on my suit-up watch and soon was in my full superhero costume. Then I pulled the Star Caller out of my pocket and was just about to press the red button when a voice in my ear said, “Bolt? What are you doing?”

I paused in fear. “Valerie? What are you doing here?”

“Well, I am connected to your earcom, so I'm always with you wherever you go,” said Valerie. “But why are you in your super suit? Did you not tell your parents that you were going to be staying at Malcolm's house over the weekend?”

Damn it. I had forgotten about Valerie. My earcom was so small and unobtrusive that I sometimes forgot that it was there. But I couldn't just remove it now, not when Valerie was aware of what I was doing.

“Well …” I tried to think of a good excuse, but it was hard because panic was starting to take over. “Um, I was actually thinking of flying to Malcolm's house.”

“In your super suit?” said Valerie. “I know that Malcolm knows of your secret identity, but I assume that the rest of his family does not. If you fly there, though, then they will see you and know who you are.”

“Yeah, but, um …” I looked around hurriedly, trying to think of a good explanation. “Well, actually, I'm not going to fly to Malcolm's house at all. Instead, I am going to, er—”

“Is that the Star Caller in your hand?” said Valerie. “The device Incantation gave you after you spoke with her last week?”

I knew Valerie was an AI and therefore not very easy to fool, but I still cursed under my breath when I realized that she noticed the Star Caller.

Because it was obvious that I couldn't keep lying, I said, “All right, Val. I'm not going to Malcolm's house. That was a lie. I'm actually going to contact the Young Neos and go to their base on Hero Island instead.”

“Why?” said Valerie. “I understand that Genius forbid you from joining the Young Neos.”

“I don't really want to join them, per se,” I said. “Just meet their members, check out their base, and see what they do and stuff like that.”

That was a flat-out lie, but I hoped that Valerie wouldn't notice.

“But why did you have to lie to your parents about your true intentions, then?” said Valerie. “Why shouldn't I contact Genius and inform him of your deception before you leave?”

Because then I'd get into trouble, but I knew that line of reasoning wouldn't work with Valerie, so instead I said, “Because Dad doesn't really need to know this. I mean, it's not like I'm going after some powerful supervillain or whatever. I'm just going to go and visit Hero Island for a while. I'll be perfectly safe.”

“Genius would not be pleased if he found out that I hid your real location from him,” said Valerie.

“Well, you don't really need to 'hide' it, per se,” I said. “Just don't say anything if Dad asks you about me.”

“You want me to lie to my creator?” said Valerie.

“Not lying,” I said, shaking my head. “Just, well, not mentioning the facts. That doesn't count as lying, does it?”

“Technically, I guess it doesn't,” said Valerie. “But I still do not like it.”

“You don't have to,” I said. “You just need to do it, okay? I mean, you've helped me in the past, haven't you?”

“Yes, but my helping you has gotten me into trouble with Genius,” said Valerie. “I can't say I have benefited from being your secret keeper.”

“Well, how's about you keep my secret just this once and I will never ask you to do this for me again?” I said. “Doesn't that sound reasonable?”

“I suppose,” said Valerie. “But just this once.”

“Great,” I said. “Knew I could count on you, Val. So just sit tight while I contact the Young Neos.”

Valerie went silent, but I could tell she was having some doubts about this. I knew, however, she would not go against her word, because she was very honest due to being programmed that way by Dad.

So I pressed the red button on the Star Caller. The button glowed a bright red for only a second before I removed my thumb, causing the glow to fade.

I didn't know how long I'd have to wait for a response, but apparently it wasn't for long, because a second later a dimensional portal opened up in front of me and someone walked out.

The guy who stood before me was about my age, maybe a year younger, with long dreads and dark skin. He wore a super suit that looked similar to mine, except it was green and yellow instead of red and black, and he wore a mask that looked like mine, except without the goggles. He also had a symbol on his right shoulder, a picture of a cartoon superhero flying, which I assumed was the symbol of the Young Neos.

“Hey there,” said the guy in a very friendly voice. He held out a hand. “You're Bolt, right? I'm Hopper.”

I shook the guy's hand and found that he had a surprisingly strong grip, even though he seemed very thin. “Hopper? Is that your real name?”

“Nope,” said Hopper, shaking his head. “It's my superhero name. It's a reference to my powers.” He gestured at the portal behind him. “I can hop across the world with these portals, hence the name.”

“Cool,” I said. I frowned. “But you answered the Star Caller rather fast.”

“Well, Incantation told me that you might be contacting us soon, so I've just been waiting for your response all week,” said Hopper. “Besides, I've always wanted to meet the guy who beat Master Chaos, so when you called, I didn't waste any time leaving the House.”

I scratched the back of my head in embarrassment. “Well, it's not that big of a deal.”

“Not that big a deal?” said Hopper. “Dude, Master Chaos gave even Omega Man trouble back in the day. Even Incantation has never beaten a villain on his level before. You should be proud of yourself.”

“Well, I guess you have a point,” I said. “So how are we going to get to Hero Island?”

Hopper thrust a thumb over his shoulder at the portal behind him. “We can get there using my portal. Follow me.”

Hopper turned and walked into the portal. I looked around one last time, just to make sure that no one was watching, and then walked into the portal after Hopper.

Having never walked through a portal before, I expected to find myself walking through some weird, technicolor void of despair that would make me think I'd gone on a trip.

Instead, it was actually like walking through a normal doorway. I simply stepped through the portal and found myself standing inside the hallway of what looked like a futuristic spaceship. There was no real transition between Texas and New York at all; in fact, the change in scenery was so abrupt that I thought that maybe I was hallucinating before I heard the portal close behind me with a tiny pop.

“Here we are,” said Hopper, spreading his arms to indicate our surroundings. “Welcome to the House, the base and headquarters of the Young Neos, located on Hero Island, New York.”

I looked around the hall. It was fairly large, like it was designed to allow large groups of people to walk around in. The walls, floor, and ceiling were covered with orange metal panels that were sparklingly clean, so clean that I felt dirty just looking at them, even though my suit was clean and I had taken a shower before leaving home. The hallway stretched out of sight, which gave the impression to me that the House was huge.

“Wow,” I said, looking around the hallway, impressed. “This looks like something straight out of a sci-fi movie or something.”

“It isn't just pretty,” said Hopper. He tapped the floor with his foot. “Made out of the strongest metal in the world. It can even withstand a nuclear blast.”

“Really?” I said in surprise. “Why is it so strong?”

Hopper looked at me like I had just asked a dumb question. “We're a bunch of hormonal teenagers with superpowers. You do the math.”

I nodded. “Right. So where is everyone else?”

“In the meeting room,” said Hopper. “Come on. I'll take you there.”

“Can't you just open a portal to take us there directly?” I said.

Hopper shook his head. “Nope. Incantation said I'm not supposed to use my portals in the meeting room. It's against House rules.”

“Why?” I said.

Hopper brushed back some of his dreads. “See, I can't just open my portals in a small, enclosed space like that. If I do, the portal has a habit of turning into a void that sucks people directly into it and drops them off in the most random—and hilarious—places imaginable.”

“Why?” I said. “Don't you have control over your powers?”

Hopper turned his hands into fists. “I do, but it's just a natural reaction. My portals work best in wide-open places, like that lot we were just in, or in larger enclosed areas like the hall. But turning it into a void can be useful in a fight. Just ask Seaweed.”

“Who?”

“Exactly,” said Hopper. “Anyway, come on. The others are waiting and they're all really impatient.”

Hopper immediately started walking down the hall. I followed him, but could not keep my eyes from wandering. I wondered what kind of security systems that the hall might have. I expected lasers or robots to come out of the walls and try to attack me, even though there was no reason for them to do that. This reminded me of Dad's inventions, but I quickly stopped thinking about that because I started feeling guilty whenever I thought about my parents, who didn't know I was here.

We soon came upon a set of doors that slid into the walls Star Trek style, which we walked through. When we passed through the open doorway, the doors closed behind us and I looked around at the room we had entered.

Hopper and I stood in a room that was somewhat open, but much less so than the hallway outside. Comfy sofas, chairs, and beanbags were scattered here and there, though most of them were set before the gigantic flat screen TV on the other end of the wall, which was currently off. I saw what looked like all of the newest video game consoles—plus dozens of controllers—underneath the TV, which meant that this was also their video game room. It was an awesome set up and I wondered if I'd get a chance to try it out while I was here.