The Superhero's Son Omnibus Volume 2

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

Flying through the sky again reminded me why I loved flying so much. The wind in my hair, the way everything just sort of melted around me as I focused on flying to my next location, the way my aerodynamic suit allowed me to fly without obstruction … it was still an amazing experience, even knowing where I was going.

And best of all, it was fast. Within minutes, I spotted the warehouse where Dad and I had fought Master Chaos, the father of Robert, what seemed like a lifetime ago now. Police and SWAT vehicles surrounded the building on all sides and I also spotted more than a few G-Men at various points around the building, but no one was entering it from what I could see. Of course, that made sense, because Robert’s threats were probably serious.

Landing in front of the entrance to the warehouse, I heard someone nearby shout, “Bolt?” and I looked over and saw a huge man with a metal horn on his head walking toward me, his G-Men patch on his right shoulder glinting in the sunlight. Two police officers—including a guy who looked like the police chief—were following behind him somewhat timidly, probably because he looked twice as big as both of them put together.

“Iron Horn?” I said, turning to face him as the huge G-Men agent approached. I remembered him from the time he protected my school from Master Chaos last year. “I didn’t know you were here in Fallsville.”

Iron Horn stopped several feet away from me. The huge horn that grew out of his forehead, which was covered in special metal armor to protect it and make it stronger, made him look even more intimidating than he already did. “Director Smith assigned me to this mission. I was part of the team meant to capture Robert Candle at the university, but I came here when we heard news that Candle is holding a hostage in here.”

Iron Horn gestured at the warehouse with one massive hand. “But I don’t understand how you just flew here. I was told that Candle had stolen your powers.”

“I got ‘em back,” I said, patting my chest. My head felt a little light, but I didn’t tell him that, because I just assumed that it was one of the side effects of the serum. “Anyway, what’s the situation look like?”

“Grim,” said Iron Horn. “Though we have the warehouse fully surrounded, we cannot enter it because Candle has a hostage, a girl named Tara Reynolds. It is just like the situation last week, when he kidnapped that boy Malcolm Rayner.”

I nodded. “How is the hostage? I heard she was already hurt.”

“Yes, Candle has posted pictures on the Internet showing that she has been harmed already,” said Iron Horn. “As far as we know, she’s still alive, but how long that will last in Candle’s hands, we don’t know.”

“Given how crazy Robert is, I doubt that will last for long,” I said. “Well, I’m going in anyway. I’m the one who Robert wants, so our best chance of saving Tara is for me to go in and confront him.”

“I agree,” said Iron Horn. “But before you enter, do you have any powerless gas?”

“Yes,” I said. I patted the capsule in my pocket. “My dad gave me some before I left. I’m going to try to throw it at Robert and use it to take him down.”

“Okay,” said Iron Horn. “The police and the G-Men will be on standby to provide you with whatever backup you need.”

I nodded. “Thanks. Anyway, I’m going in now. If I need any help, I’ll be sure to let you know.”

“All right,” said Iron Horn. “Good luck, Bolt.”

I nodded again and then walked over to the entrance of the warehouse. I stopped in front of it for a moment, feeling the capsule in my costume’s pocket again one last time before I opened the door and entered the building.

-

I was expecting to be attacked as soon as I entered the warehouse, like there was supposed to be some kind of an ambush. It seemed like the perfect set up for one, at any rate, but I entered the building without any trouble. Of course, Robert probably wanted to kill me with his own bare hands, which would explain why he didn’t set up an ambush.

Walking through the gaps between the crates, I was reminded heavily of the first time I came here. I had come here to fight Robert’s dead dad, Master Chaos, who had been threatening to come after my family and kill us. Thanks to a surprise appearance from my own dad, however, Master Chaos died and I had assumed I’d never come back here. I guessed that Robert wanted to have our final showdown at the scene of his own dad’s death, probably as some sort of poetic irony or whatever, though I was kind of surprised that Robert was even capable of thinking that way. Maybe he’s smarter than I thought.

Regardless, I kept my wits about me as I walked. I didn’t hear much aside from my footsteps, but in case Robert was hiding somewhere, I wasn’t about to let him take me down before I could fight.

But eventually, I heard what sounded like boiling water, which made me wonder if Robert was trying to make spaghetti when I finally reached the center of the warehouse and saw a large, metal vat full of bubbling green acid in the center of a cleared area. And Tara was hanging above it from a chain.

Tara looked awful. Her glasses were cracked, just barely hanging onto her nose, and she had a black eye. Her head was hanging limply on her chest, while the lower half of her shirt was ripped, revealing her bruised belly. She was also missing her shoes, though her feet didn’t appear to be broken or anything.

“Tara?” I said, stepping toward her, but then a familiar voice said, “Stop right there or she dies.”

I froze and looked over at a spot between two large crates. Robert Candle emerged from the shadow between the two crates, but he hardly looked human anymore to me. His hair was messed up and torn up in several places, he had a load of scars on his face, arms, and hands, and his clothes looked like something he had fished out of a dumpster. His eyes were bloodshot and twitched every now and then, making him look crazier than usual. He even looked like he had bulked up, which was odd because there was no exercise method in the world that let you gain those types of muscles so fast.

“Robert,” I said as Robert stopped where he was. “As ugly as ever, I see.”

“Shut up,” Robert snapped. He pointed at Tara. “Make one false move and your girlfriend dies.”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” I said in annoyance. “But whatever. No one is going to die today, except maybe you.”

“Except me?” Robert repeated. “What a joke. You don’t even have any powers. Idiot.”

“Says the guy who dropped out of high school to become a bad knock-off of his father,” I said. “All you’re really missing is the cowboy hat and strange sense of fashion and you would look just like your dad.”

“Don’t talk about my father,” Robert snarled. “You aren’t allowed to. You aren’t even half the man he was.”

“Your father was a monster who killed lots of people and probably would have killed much more if we hadn’t stopped him,” I said. I took a fighting stance. “But what does it matter? I know you don’t listen to reason, Robert. Like your father, you’re too crazy to listen to anyone who disagrees with your behavior.”

“That’s because I’m in the right,” said Robert. “I’m always right. I don’t need ‘reason.’ I just need power, as much power as I can get, because power is what will help me avenge Mom and Dad. Once I am the most powerful superhuman in the world, none of the people who made my life a living hell will survive.”

“That’s your goal, then?” I said. “Is that why you’ve been collecting superpowers? To become the strongest superhuman in the world?”

“It’s just a means to an end,” said Robert, “and that end is to kill you and everyone you’ve ever known and loved. I will make you feel my pain, make you feel it even worse than me.”

“But if I’m already dead, then how can you make me feel your pain?” I said. “You’ve clearly not thought this through, but I’m not surprised, given how dumb you are.”

“Shut up,” said Robert again. “I don’t know why you’re acting so big, since you don’t have your powers anymore, but it doesn’t matter. I’m going to crush your skull into powder and then stick your corpse on a pike for everyone to see what happens when they cross Robert Candle.”

“Ew,” I said. “But you know, there’s no reason to bring Tara into this. If it’s a fight you want, I’m perfectly willing to take you on without fearing for my friend’s life.”

“I don’t care,” said Robert. He punched his fist into his other hand. “I’m just covering my bases. If I hadn’t kidnapped your girlfriend, you wouldn’t have come out of your little hiding hole to fight me. This was the best way I knew to make you come out and fight me, and it worked. Who’s the dumb one now?”

“Still you, because you really don’t know what you’re about to get into,” I said. I rolled my shoulders. “Normally, I don’t like killing my enemies, because I tend to believe that the police should have a chance to arrest you and try you in a court of law. But now? I’m not even going to hesitate.”

Robert smirked. “Hesitate? What, you gonna take off your shoe and throw it at me?”

I shook my head. “No, Robert. I am going to kill you. After all the people you’ve killed, after all the powers you’ve stolen, after all of the stress and worry you’ve put me and my parents through, after kidnapping my friends … you are too dangerous to be allowed to live. I won’t hold back.”

“You still don’t get it, do you?” said Robert. “I’m stronger than you. I can kick your ass six ways from Sunday. By the time I’m done with you, you won’t even remember your own name.”

“Then bring it,” I said. “I’m ready when you are.”

But to my surprise, Robert shook his head. “Nah. I know you’ve got a trick up your sleeve, so that’s why I’m going to make sure I have an advantage over you.”

Robert suddenly ran at me. I thought he was going to punch me, but instead he ran past me, though I felt his hands reach into one of my pockets and grab something.

Then Robert returned in front of the acid vat and held up a clean, gleaming capsule with my powerless gas inside it.

“Hey!” I said. “Give that back.”

Robert smirked. “Why don’t you get it yourself?”

Robert hurled the capsule over his shoulder. It flew straight into the acid vat, where it melted, unleashing a small cloud of yellow gas into the air below Tara before it rapidly dissipated.

“There,” said Robert, wiping his hands together. “Now we’re equal.”

My hands balled into fists my super strength coursed through my veins. “So I guess it will just have to be an old-fashioned fight to the death, then.”

“Sure looks like it,” said Robert. “Gotta admit, I’m kind of surprised you’re going to fight, because I thought you’d be shitting yourself in fear now. After all, I—”

I didn’t let him finish, because I activated my super speed and ran at him as fast as a bullet. I punched Robert in the face, the blow sending him flying backwards. He crashed through several crates before coming to a stop inside a large crate full of what looked like bowling balls.

I ran over to him before he could get up, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, and raised him up. His face looked bloodied and broken now, though he still managed to look at me in surprise.

“What?” said Robert. He actually sounded surprised. “What … was that?”

“That, my friend, was a punch to the face,” I said. I pulled back my other fist. “You remember that I said I was going to kill you? I wasn’t kidding when I said that. At all.”