The Superhero's Son Omnibus Volume 2

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

“You can't leave the Compound to meet Professor Hernandez,” said Renaissance, staring down at me with a cool, indifferent expression that I had come to associate with him.

I stood in front of Renaissance in the suite where my parents and I stayed. Mom was somewhere in the library, catching up on some reading she had missed when we fled our home, while Dad was in his room tinkering with something. Even so, I bet Dad was listening in our conversation through my earcom, which was connected to his, although he was apparently leaving me to talk with Renaissance by myself.

It was the day after I had spoken with Tara and I had called Professor Hernandez to find out if he wanted to meet with me. I had managed to get his assistant, a peppy-sounding twenty-something girl named Alicia who said she'd be happy to schedule a meeting with the professor for sometime this week. According to her, Professor Hernandez had been following the news of Robert Candle's power thefts very closely and had been interested in meeting a victim of Robert's thefts for a while now. I had managed to arrange the meeting for today, without clearing it with Renaissance, because I assumed that Renaissance would be okay with me leaving the Compound to meet the one guy who might be able to restore my powers and perhaps the powers of the other surviving victims of Robert as well.

But instead, Renaissance was as unmoved as a brick wall. With his arms folded behind his back and his suit oh so perfect, I was starting to understand why Malcolm didn't like him that much.

“What?” I said. “Why? Professor Hernandez might be the only person in the world who can help me get my powers back. You're a fellow superhuman. You understand, don't you?”

“I understand that losing your powers is highly traumatic, but Director Smith was very clear when he said that Guests in the Compound are not supposed to leave until the threat to the Guests has been nullified,” said Renaissance. “Because Robert Candle is still very much active in the outside world, you and your parents must remain here. You cannot go out and meet anyone, not even friendly people like Professor Hernandez.”

“But Robert won't be able to find me,” I said. “You guys could just sneak me into the University of Fallsville without anyone even noticing. Then, when we're done, we can go back to the Compound here and never have to leave it again until Robert is defeated.”

“Too risky,” said Renaissance. “Robert Candle has already displayed the ability to locate you without anyone telling him where you are. If we let you leave, then he might track you down to that school and kill you, thus rendering all our work to protect you useless.”

“Then send me with bodyguards,” I said. “Diver and Mimic are still around, aren't they?”

“Mimic left yesterday to return to Washington on a special mission from the Director,” said Renaissance, “while Diver, like myself, has been assigned to this facility and cannot simply go off and play bodyguard with you while you travel back to the States to talk with a professor who may or may not know how to help you.”

“Then bring Professor Hernandez here,” I said. “He can come here and talk to me in person.”

“Only authorized government officials and agents are allowed inside the Compound,” said Renaissance. “Because Professor Hernandez is not an authorized government official or agent, I could not bring him here even if he agreed to travel here.”

My hands balled into fists, but I couldn't think of a good counterargument, because it seemed like Renaissance had a good objection for each and every one. “But I need my powers. If there is even the remotest chance I could get my powers back, I might be able to help find and defeat Robert.”

“That is not your job,” said Renaissance. “Besides, Robert has already stolen your powers once. Has it ever occurred to you that he might be able to steal them again?”

“He probably can't, considering he's already stolen them once,” I said. “But even if he could, it wouldn't just benefit me if I went to Professor Hernandez and spoke to him about my problem. It would benefit the entire superhero community.”

Renaissance raised an eyebrow. “How so?”

“Well, Robert's stolen other peoples' powers already, so we could use the Professor's knowledge to help Robert’s other still surviving victims, too, assuming it works,” I said. “Don't you want to help your fellow superhumans?”

Renaissance shook his head. “Not if that means going against my clear and well-defined duties. The Director would kill me if I let you leave the Compound for any reason.”

“But you could just come back to life if Cadmus killed you,” I said.

Renaissance looked at me like I was being intentionally stupid. “Regardless, the fact is that rules are rules, and the number one rule of the Compound is that the Guest or Guests cannot leave the Compound until the threat to their lives is neutralized or we receive orders from Director Smith or the President himself to let you out. Until and if Director Smith or President Plutarch give me orders to let you go, you and your parents will stay right where you are.”

“But I already scheduled a meeting with Professor Hernandez for later this week,” I said. “I'll miss it if you don't let me go.”

“Too bad,” said Renaissance. “It's your fault for scheduling a meeting ahead of time that you couldn't guarantee you would actually be able to attend. You will simply have to miss it.”

“But—”

“Besides, Professor Hernandez is not going anywhere,” said Renaissance. “Perhaps you will get a chance to meet with him after we kill Robert.”

“How's that search going, anyway?” I said. “Have you guys actually located him yet?”

“No,” said Renaissance. “Robert Candle has not been seen by any of our agents and both the NHA and INJ have not reported any success in finding him, either.”

“For being such a powerful government organization, you guys sure have a hard time locating one dude,” I said.

Renaissance ignored the jab and said, “Regardless, I do not have the authorization to let you out. So until I receive word from the Director or the President saying otherwise, you and your parents will stay down here where you are supposed to be. Good day.”

With that, Renaissance turned and left the room, the doors sliding shut behind him as he left. I stood there in the suite for a moment, feeling angry and frustrated, but I didn't know what to do. I thought about breaking out on my own, but I didn't have the powers to do that. I didn't even have the underwater suit that Graleex gave me; I had given that over to the G-Men shortly after arriving, because I didn't really need it and I thought the G-Men could put it to better use than me.

Yeah, I understood Renaissance's points, but that didn't mean I liked them. He didn't really understand what it was like to lose your powers and then be denied the chance to get them back. If he did, I'm sure he would have told me that he was going to ask Cadmus to let me out to go meet with Professor Hernandez. I was now starting to understand why Dad and so many of the other older neoheroes disliked the G-Men.

But how was I supposed to leave? It seemed like I was going to be stuck down here until Robert was dead. Maybe that wasn't such a bad thing, but what if Robert killed Professor Hernandez before I could talk with him? If Professor Hernandez did, in fact, know of a way to restore my powers, then that would make him a huge target for Robert, who I doubted wanted his victims regaining their powers after he stole them.

Sighing, I walked over to the dining table and sat down in my chair, feeling hopelessly powerless and weak. I thought about going to the gym and maybe working out, because I usually felt better whenever I worked out, but today working out would do nothing to help me in this situation.

Then I heard a door open and looked over to see Dad walk out of his room. He was no longer in his Genius costume, although I noticed he was wearing one of the gauntlets on his right arm, probably because his gauntlets by themselves had a ton of different gadgets and abilities that were useful no matter where he went.

“Hello, Kevin,” said Dad, stopping when he saw me. “I heard you speaking with Renaissance. It sounded like your discussion got heated.”

I sighed and rested my chin on my hand. “Yeah, I know. I was just trying to convince him to let me go.”

“Go?” said Dad. “Go where?”

“To visit Professor Nathaniel Hernandez,” I said. “He's a well-known expert on neogenetics. I thought he might be able to help me get my powers back. Have you ever heard of him before?”

Unsurprisingly, Dad nodded. “Yes. I even met him once, a long time ago, when he started studying neogenetics, even before neogenetics became its own independent field of study. Very smart man.”

“You did?” I said. “What did you talk with him about?”

“I let him examine my brain and body to determine the source of my powers,” said Dad. “I was around your age back then, I believe, maybe a year younger. Professor Hernandez based many of his initial theories off his study of my biology, though I believe he's studied many more superhumans since then and refined his theories based on what he's learned from them.”

“Well, that's great to hear,” I said. “Now that I know you've met him, I can just tell him that I'm your son. You'll help me meet him, won't you?”

“Why?” said Dad. “What can you expect me to do? I'm not in the government. I assume Renaissance told you that he can't let us out because Cadmus won’t allow him, right?”

“Yeah,” I said with a scowl. “Just a speel about not having the authority to let us go or whatever. It's ridiculous.”

“But understandable,” said Dad. “The outside world is even more dangerous than normal for us, Kevin, so I, for one, am not annoyed at Renaissance's refusal to let you go.”

I looked at Dad in disbelief. “I thought you hated the G-Men, but now you're siding with Renaissance on this? Whose side are you on?”

“I'm not much of a fan of the G-Men, true, but that doesn't mean I can't agree with them when they’re being rational,” said Dad with a shrug. “Going outside for any reason at all is incredibly dangerous. We know from experience that Robert will do everything within his power to kill you, and he has quite a lot of power to accomplish that task with.”

“I know,” I said, “but don't you think that it would be good if I could speak with Professor Hernandez and find out if he can help? Think about it. If I had my powers back, I could be out there helping to find and defeat Robert, rather than hiding in a mountain under the sea.”

“I am uncertain if Professor Hernandez could help,” said Dad. “He's a smart man, almost as smart as me, but even he hasn't yet found out how to 'turn on' powers, if that is even possible. Going to him might just be a waste of time.”

Dad walked past me toward the kitchen sink, where he grabbed a cup off the counter and started filling it with water from the tap.

“But what if it isn't?” I said. “Maybe Professor Hernandez is about to make a huge scientific breakthrough. Maybe we could help him do it.”

Dad turned off the tap and then turned around to face me, the cup of crystal clear water in his hand. “Since when have you cared about scientific breakthroughs? Look, Kevin, I can't imagine what it must be like to have lost your powers like this, but leaving the Compound would not help. Until Robert is no longer a threat, we need to stay here.”

“Are you sure?” I said. “The G-Men don't seem to have found Robert yet. What if they never find him at all?”

“I imagine they will at some point,” said Dad. “I never knew Robert well, but I knew his father's character, and Bernard could never wait for anything. Sooner or later Robert will lose his patience and stir up trouble, at which point the G-Men will take him down with the powerless gas I gave them.”

“But what if Robert will only show himself if I'm out?” I said. “Maybe the reason Robert has vanished is because he doesn't know where I am and isn't sure where to look. He might be waiting for me to reappear so he can get me. That would explain his disappearance, wouldn't it?”

Dad looked like he was thinking about what I said, which was amazing, because I never said anything that would make him pause and think. “That does seem logical. Robert, after all, has no reason to appear in public or in a place where the G-Men can get him. He would risk getting caught, if not killed, and he has plenty of time to wait until you reappear.”

“So if I never leave this place, then Robert will never reappear in public,” I said. “Right?”

“If your theory is correct, then yes, that appears to be the case,” said Dad.

I groaned. “But then that will mean we'll be down here forever. It's not like the G-Men are just going to let us go or anything like that, even if we ask nicely.”

“True,” said Dad. He shrugged again. “Oh, well. I prefer staying down here in relative safety versus being on the surface where Robert could get us at any moment.”

Dad had a point, but talking about this subject had gotten the gears in my mind turning. An idea was forming, one that I wasn't sure would work, but which I thought had its merits. Because if it worked, it would solve a whole bunch of problems for us all at once.

So I looked up at Dad again and said, “Dad, I have an idea.”

“Uh oh,” said Dad. “What is it?”

I ignored Dad's 'Uh oh' and said, “It's an idea that we could use to get my powers back and stop Robert once and for all.”

“Really?” said Dad skeptically. “Why don't you tell me about it?”

“I want to share it with Renaissance,” I said. “We need to call him back here and see what he thinks about it, because the plan will only work if we can get the G-Men's help.”

“I see,” said Dad. “All right. I'll see if I can get Renaissance to come back and listen to your idea. You seem very excited about it.”

“Of course I am,” I said. “If it works, it will solve many of our problems at once. There's no time to lose.”