The Superhero's Son Omnibus Volume 2

Chapter Three-3

Dad's tone, as always, was suspicious, but I had to admit that he had a point. I didn't distrust Cadmus quite as much as Dad, but that didn't mean I thought of him as a trustworthy person. That included his agents, like Shade, who I still couldn't quite figure out. But I was willing to listen to Cadmus's idea.

“We have a program designed specifically for situations like this,” said Cadmus. “It's called the Superhuman Relocation Program. In short, if a particularly dangerous supervillain is after an individual or a family, we can take that individual or family and relocate them to a safe, top secret facility where they will not be found by the supervillain in question.”

“Superhuman Relocation Program?” I repeated. “Why not just use the normal Witness Protection Program?”

“Because superhumans are a bit different from normal humans, as you are aware,” said Cadmus. “The Witness Protection Program is applied primarily to normal humans trying to avoid other normal humans and is thus staffed by normal humans. The Superhuman Relocation Program, on the other hand, is under my control and is designed specifically for superhumans and their families who need protection from supervillains.”

“How safe is it?” I said.

“Let me put it this way,” said Cadmus. “In its thirty years of existence, no one in the Superhuman Relocation Program has ever had their new location compromised. You and your family would be quite secure if you choose to participate in it.”

“Why should we go with your program?” said Dad. He gestured at the medical station. “Ashley, Kevin, and I would be just as safe on Hero Island as we would be in whatever facility or Compound you throw us into.”

“Not necessarily,” said Cadmus, shaking his head. “For one, Hero Island's location can be found with a quick Internet search. And, while its security is tight, the fact is that one member of the Candle family has already breached it twice and she didn't even have superpowers. It would not take much for Robert Candle to find Hero Island, come here, and kill you.”

“I do not like to admit it, but Cadmus has a point,” said Mecha Knight, speaking up suddenly. “Hero Island is one of the safest and securest locations on the planet, but if Robert can absorb powers just by a touch and has a variety of powerful abilities at his disposal already, then he might be able to overpower our defenses through sheer brute strength alone.”

“Precisely,” said Cadmus, nodding. “If you choose to go into our program, however, you will be whisked away to a secret government Compound whose location is known to only a select few people in the government. Even President Plutarch doesn't know its location.”

“So you think Robert wouldn't be able to find us, if we went there?” I said.

“I can guarantee you that he will not be able to find you there,” said Cadmus. “Like I said, not one of the people in the program have ever been compromised by the supervillain after them. In every case, the supervillain was arrested or killed before he could find them, and the individual or families were allowed to return to their normal lives. You would be one hundred percent safe.”

That sounded pretty good to me, but Dad said, “Past performance doesn't guarantee future results, Cadmus. I thought you would know that.”

“I do know that,” said Cadmus. “I also know that, unless you want to live in fear that Robert Candle will break through Hero Island’s defenses and come after you and your family for the next few days, weeks, months, maybe even years, that you would be better off going into hiding under our protection.”

“How do we know you will actually protect us?” said Dad. “Our personal history together hasn't exactly been stellar.”

“I am aware of that, but you three are all American citizens,” said Cadmus, “and it is my duty, as an agent of the federal government, to protect all American citizens regardless of my personal history with them. The agents under me share that same duty. Right, Shade?”

“Yes, sir,” said Shade, nodding. “We're committed to protecting US citizens no matter who they are or what kind of danger they face.”

“I hope, then, that you can see that you would be wise to join the Program,” said Cadmus. “But ultimately, it is your choice and, if you choose to reject it, then there is nothing I or anyone else in the G-Men can do about it.”

Mom and I looked to Dad, because as the head of the family, he was the one who would make the final decision. Dad didn't look happy about it. He was scowling at Cadmus and seemed to be trying to look for any tricks or hidden deceptions, like he thought Cadmus was trying to scam us.

“Honey, I think we should accept Cadmus's offer,” said Mom, causing Dad to look at her suddenly. She looked worried and concerned. “There really isn't much we or the NHA can do to keep ourselves safe from Robert. I know how you feel about the government, but in this case it might make sense to trust them, if their Program is as good as they say it is.”

Dad then looked at me. “What do you think, Kevin? Do you agree with your mother?”

I bit my lower lip and looked at my hands. Under ordinary circumstances, I would have said no, pulled on my costume, and run out the door to find and beat Robert before he hurt anyone else.

But without my powers, that was a different story. There really wasn't anything I could do against Robert, at least not without getting killed or beaten to within an inch of my life. I couldn't even lead the team properly without my powers; I wasn't a Visionist, so I didn't believe in powerless people being accepted into superhero organizations.

So I said, “I think we should accept it, Dad. It's really the only choice we've got at this point if we want to live.”

For a moment, I thought Dad was going to disregard what Mom and I said and just flat out reject Cadmus's offer. He certainly looked like he was about to and I would have understood, even if I didn't agree with it.

But then Dad sighed and, looking at Cadmus, said, “Okay. We will participate in the Program. If this is what we must do to ensure our safety, then I'm fine with it.”

“Excellent,” said Cadmus. “Shade and I will leave now and prepare the Compound for your arrival. After that, we will send someone to pick you up.”

“How long will that take?” said Dad.

“Just a few days at most,” said Cadmus. “Until then, I suggest you stay here at the House, where you will be much safer than you would be at your actual house.”

With that, Cadmus turned and walked out of the room. Shade gave me another little wave before she followed Cadmus out the door, which slid shut behind them when they left.

Then I looked at Dad and Mom. Dad looked annoyed at the fact that we needed government protection, while Mom looked relieved that we were going to be safe.

As for how I felt, I wasn't sure. If Cadmus was telling the truth, then we would be safe, but it still felt like a loss to me. I felt like a loser, like I was running away.

And what was worse was that I would never get my powers back. Ever.