The Superhero's Son Omnibus Volume 1

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

I spent pretty much the whole weekend cooped up in my room, thinking about my plan and figuring it all out. I didn't come out very much except to use the bathroom or get meals. Neither Mom nor Dad asked me about what I was doing, but that was fine, because I didn't want to share my plan with them, not when I knew that they wouldn't support it. After all, they had been doing everything within their power to keep me away from Master Chaos, whereas I was already planning to confront him myself.

I didn't know where Master Chaos was. For all I knew, he could be on the other side of the country or maybe even on the other side of the world. But I knew he was after me and I knew that if I went after him, sooner or later I would find him, and once I did, we would fight and one of us—and only one of us—would survive.

But I couldn't put my plan into action right away. I needed help. I couldn't go to Mom or Dad for help for obvious reasons, but I knew someone who would be willing to help me. I even sent him a text message on Sunday, telling him to meet me after school on Monday so we could talk about it.

That someone was Malcolm, who agreed to meet me after school. I didn't tell him the details about what I wanted to talk with him. I just told him that I had something very important to tell him, a secret that he would not be allowed to share with anyone else. Malcolm seemed really interested in my secret, but he didn't bug me about it. He just said that he couldn't wait until after school for us to hang out, because we hadn't actually hung out after school since I arrived in Silvers. I didn't invite Tara, for obvious reasons.

But it turned out that we might have to postpone the meeting for a while, because as I walked up to John Smith High School, I saw a couple of people standing on either side of the entrance who I had never seen before. One was a tall, muscular black guy whose skin looked like literal oil, with a few fancy golden rings around his fingers, while the other was a white guy with a huge, rhinoceros-like metal horn jutting out of his forehead. Both of them wore an identical black uniform with a bald eagle head patch on their right shoulders, although I didn't recommend the patch.

They looked like police men or Secret Service guys, but there was no way that the President of the United States was here. I stopped on the sidewalk and watched as other students entering the school walked by them. Some of the students stared at the two large men, while others just kept their heads down or looked straight ahead. I didn't blame them. Those two guys looked like they could crack concrete with their bare hands, or, in the case of the horned guy, with that huge metal horn on his head.

“Kevin!” said a voice behind me, causing me to look over my shoulder and see Malcolm, with his backpack slung over his shoulder, walking up to me.

“Hey, Mal,” I said as Malcolm stopped next to me. I looked at the two men at the entrance to the school, who had their hands folded behind their backs and had not uttered a word so far. “Who are those guys?”

“Oh, they're with the G-Men,” said Malcolm. “You know, the government-sponsored superhero team?”

“Yeah, I guessed that already,” I said. “But who are they, exactly? And why are there two G-Men here in Silvers, of all places?”

“The guy with the oily skin is Black Gold,” said Malcolm, pointing at the muscular black guy I had noticed earlier. “He can turn into and control oil.” Then he pointed at the horned guy. “And that's Iron Horn. See that horn on his head? It's actually a metal covering, protecting the huge horn that grew out of his skull from harm. He's one of the physically strongest neoheroes in the world and even went toe-to-toe with Omega Man once and almost won.”

“Really?” I said. I glanced at Black Gold and Iron Horn, whose attention seemed more focused on the sky than on the street before them. “I thought the G-Men were just a bunch of losers.”

“Yeah, they're not as cool as the Neohero Alliance, but they've still got some pretty cool guys on their team,” said Malcolm. “Though I'd watch what you say to Iron Horn there. His Neo Ranks page says he has a really bad temper and doesn't take well to jokes made at his expense.”

I could believe that. While both of the two G-Men agents looked tough and unfriendly, I could at least see Black Gold cracking a joke. Iron Horn, on the other hand, looked like he was in a perpetually bad mood, like he had woken up on the wrong side of the bed every morning.

“So what are they doing here?” I said, looking at Malcolm again. “I don't remember Principal Thomas telling us that we'd have a couple of G-Men guarding the school today.”

“I heard about it from my older brother,” said Malcolm. “He works under Cadmus Smith, the Director of the G-Men. Said that the government is worried that Master Chaos might attack our school, so they sent a couple of their agents to protect it.”

That puzzled me until I remembered that Dad said that the government was likely going to do something about the fact that Master Chaos had sent that robot to try to kill us. I hadn't realized they'd send these two agents so soon, however. I thought we wouldn't see a response from the government for a while.

“Why do they think Master Chaos might attack our school?” I said, looking at Malcolm again.

“Because they think Master Chaos wants to kill one of the students here,” said Malcolm. “Remember Robert Candle? He's actually Master Chaos's son. Crazy, right?”

“But Robert was harmed by an air bomb,” I said. “An air bomb he made. Why would Master Chaos think that any of the students here had anything to do with harming Robert?”

“I don't know, but that's the current theory,” said Malcolm. “Anyway, Master Chaos is supposed to be crazy. He probably doesn't even know what he's doing. I heard he was a patient in a mental asylum before he got his powers, so he's probably suffering from some kind of mental illness or something.”

I didn't consider that very likely. If Dad was telling the truth, then Master Chaos knew exactly what he was doing, even if he did have some kind of mental illness.

But I didn't say that out loud. I said, “Is that all?”

“Well, I also heard on Neo Ranks that one of the top government secret weapons that Master Chaos stole was seen near town,” said Malcolm. “Allegedly, it attacked Bolt, though he defeated it. You know, that new hero who lives right here in good old Silvers?”

I had to hide my surprise at Malcolm's knowledge of my recent encounter with one of Master Chaos's robots. “Where did you hear about that?”

“Like I said, on Neo Ranks,” said Malcolm. “I was just reading the Rumors board and someone claimed to have witnessed a battle between Bolt and a transforming robot a couple of hours outside of town. I don't know anything else about it, though.”

Witness? That didn't make any sense. Dad and I were alone when we were training. Sure, I did blow up the robot, which likely would have drawn the attention of anyone nearby, but Dad had specifically picked out a training area that didn't have any people in it. Either that person on Neo Ranks was lying and had somehow learned about my encounter with the robot somewhere else or Dad was secretly talking about our training sessions online, which hardly seemed likely to me, though the first explanation didn't make any sense, either.

Whatever the case, I wasn't sure what to make of this. Sure, having two neoheroes protecting the school from Master Chaos made sense, especially if Iron Horn really was as strong as Omega Man, but I also felt worried. If the government thought we needed two powerful neoheroes protecting the school, then that meant that they thought it was very likely that Master Chaos was going to attack the school sometime soon. I didn't see any sign of Master Chaos nearby; nonetheless, I felt nervous, because I knew that any clash between Master Chaos and the G-Men wouldn't be pretty.

It also made me rethink my plan. I was originally planning to slip out of school today and go flying around the country in search of Master Chaos, but if these two G-Men were here, then I likely wouldn't be able to do that. And if I tried, they'd probably just catch me and bring me back to school.

Nonetheless, I was determined to get that confrontation with Master Chaos one way or another, so I said, “Well, I'm glad that we've got two powerful neoheroes protecting us.”

“Yeah, it's cool,” said Malcolm, nodding excitedly. “While the G-Men aren't as cool as the NHA, I still think they're pretty awesome. After all, how often do you see real life superheroes in Silvers? Not very often, I think.”

“Right,” I said. “Anyway, we should go inside. School's about to start.”

“Oh, yeah,” said Malcolm. Then he frowned. “By the way, what did you want to talk with me about after school? I mean, you don't have to tell me now if you don't want to, but if you could give me a heads up, I'd appreciate it.”

I looked at my suit-up watch, which also happened to double as an actual watch. “Looks like we have some time before our first class.” I looked up at Malcolm again. “Let's go inside and find a private place to talk. It shouldn't take us very long, so we should be done in a few minutes at most.”

“Well, I hope so,” said Malcolm as he and I started walking toward the school's entrance, “because I've been late to Mrs. Tanner's class too many times this week and she's not going to be happy if I'm late again.”

“Why are you late to Mrs. Tanner's class?” I said, tilting my head to the side. “Don't you live close to the school?”

“Eh, just home problems,” said Malcolm. His tone made it clear that I wasn't supposed to ask him what that meant, so I didn't.

We walked past Black Gold and Iron Horn. I tried not to look suspicious and I don't think either of them paid me or Malcolm any more attention than they did to the other students entering. Still, I worried that they might somehow be able to sense the presence of a nearby neohero and that they might reveal my secret identity here and now, although I knew that was silly, because neoheroes couldn't sense each other like that.

When Malcolm and I got into the crowded hallway of the school, I led him to the boy's bathroom. Once we were inside, I locked the door and turned to face Malcolm, who was now looking at me impatiently.

“So? What did you want to talk with me about?” said Malcolm.

I didn't answer right away. I walked past him, checking each stall, just to make sure there wasn't anyone in here with us. Every stall was empty, so I turned around to face Malcolm again.

“All right,” I said. “What I am about to show you will probably blow your mind, so you have to promise me not to scream. Okay?”

“Um, okay,” said Malcolm, although he sounded really hesitant. “You don't have a dead animal or something in your backpack, do you?”

“Of course not,” I said. I dropped my backpack on the ground. “But you're sure you won't freak out?”

“Absolutely,” said Malcolm. “I am a very calm person. I never freak out over anything. When you come from a family as large as mine, you kind of get used to seeing freaky things.”

“All right,” I said. “Here we go.”

I pressed the button on my suit-up watch. The screen flipped open, my suit shot out, and I was suddenly dressed from head to toe in my super suit.

I looked at Malcolm again. His mouth hung open and he was staring at me like he had just been electrocuted. In fact, I was almost convinced that he had died right there and then, which would have been really hard to explain to Dad if he found out.

“What …” Malcolm seemed to have lost the ability to speak. “What … Huh? … Um …”

“Your eyes aren't deceiving you,” I said. I patted my chest. “This suit is the real deal. It's not some kind of fancy cosplay or anything.”

“No way …” Malcolm shook his head. “Nah, man. This has got to be a joke. Did you and Tara get together to make me think that you're Bolt?”

“No, I really am Bolt,” I said. “This isn't some kind of joke. Besides, you know that Tara would never have gone along with a joke like this, if it was one. She hates neoheroes so much that she'd probably punch me if I suggested this plan to her.”

“Right,” said Malcolm, who didn't sound entirely convinced. “Well, I don't see any proof that you're Bolt, aside from that convincing-looking suit you're wearing, but it could just be a replica you bought from a store or something.”

I sighed and, focusing on my flight powers, hovered a few inches off the floor. It was a very gentle movement, but Malcolm stumbled backwards, almost falling onto his behind. He stared at me in horror, like I had just transformed into some kind of monster.

I gestured at my suit again. “Is this proof enough? Or should I lift the entire school above my head?”

“Okay, man, okay,” said Malcolm, holding up his hands like he was afraid that I was going to punch him through the bathroom wall. “I believe you. Can you stop floating like that? It's creepy.”

I raised an eyebrow as I landed on the bathroom floor. “Creepy? I thought you were going to say it's cool.”

“Cool?” said Malcolm. “Look, if you weren't, well, you, then I might think it's cool, but knowing that my best friend is a neohero … I dunno, man. It's weird.”

“Well, it's also true,” I said. “But I won't use my powers around you right now if it will freak you out like that.”

“Thanks, man,” said Malcolm. Then he looked at me with more curiosity. “How long have you been a neohero? When did you get your powers?”

“I—” I began, before Malcolm interrupted me by whipping out his smartphone and saying, “Hold on. I need to get your Neo Ranks page up so I can include this information in your bio.”

I dashed over to Malcolm before he could open the Neo Ranks app, however, and snatched his phone out of his hand, holding it just outside of his reach as I stepped away from him.

“Hey!” Malcolm protested. “That's my phone! Give it back.”

“Not if you're going to be putting up all my secrets on Neo Ranks,” I said, shaking my head. “I'm technically not supposed to be revealing my secret identity to anyone. I'm just revealing it to you because I think you deserve to know, because you're the only person outside of my family I trust with this information.”

Malcolm lowered his hands. “Okay. I won't post anything about Bolt that you tell me on your Neo Ranks page. Now can I please have my phone back?”

Sensing that Malcolm was telling the truth, I handed him back his phone, which he put into the pocket of his jeans. Then he looked at me again and said, “All right. I'm ready to listen to your story.”

“Okay,” I said. “I'll try to be quick so we're not late for class.”

As quickly and briefly as I could, I explained my origin, where I got my suit from, who my dad was, and everything else I thought Malcolm needed to know. Malcolm listened, his expression becoming more and more excited the more I told him. I didn't understand what he was so excited about, but I didn't ask him about it until I finished.

“And that is why the G-Men are protecting the school,” I finished. “Master Chaos is after me. Or really, he's after Kevin Jason, though he doesn't like Bolt, either.”

Malcolm looked like he was trying to process everything I had told him. I expected him to start asking me some pretty serious questions, like what I thought Master Chaos was planning or if I felt prepared to risk my life to fight him.

Instead, however, Malcolm said, “Your Dad's the Genius? One of the Four Founders? That's badass. Can I get his autograph?”

“What?” I said. “Is that your biggest concern? Aren't you worried that your best friend is on the hit list of one of the world's worst supervillains?”

“Yeah, sure, that's serious, but my other question still stands,” said Malcolm. He rubbed his hands together eagerly. “Oh, man. This is awesome. I'm best friends with the son of one of the most famous superheroes in the world. And here I thought you were just a kid from New York.”

I was starting to rethink my decision to share my secret identity with Malcolm, but I supposed it was too late now and anyway Dad wouldn't trust me with the Memory Hacker.

“Well, I'm glad you're supportive, at least,” I said. “But it doesn't matter whose son I am. What matters is that Master Chaos is after me. That's why Black Gold and Iron Horn are protecting the school.”

Malcolm's eager grin suddenly vanished, replaced by an anxious frown. “Holy cow. You mean Master Chaos is after you specifically?”

“Yeah, I just said that,” I said, feeling annoyed that Malcolm apparently hadn't been listening as closely as I thought. “But I'm not going to wait until Master Chaos comes knocking at my front door or attacks the school. I'm going to search for him and fight him on my own terms.”

Malcolm's face turned pale. “You're going after Master Chaos? Why? Do you want to get yourself killed or something?”

“I'm not suicidal,” I said, shaking my head. “I'm just tired of living in fear of Master Chaos attacking me or my family or friends. I don't want to risk your lives just to keep myself 'safe.'”

“You sound like a real neohero, you know that?” said Malcolm. “Like Omega Man, actually.”

“Well, I'm just doing what's right,” I said with a shrug. “I figure if I can track down Master Chaos myself and fight him on my own terms, then I can limit the amount of collateral damage a fight between us would likely cause.”

“So do you know where he is?” said Malcolm. “'Cause both the NHA and the G-Men have been searching for him and still haven't found a clue to his location.”

“No, but I know that Master Chaos is after me,” I said. “If I search for him, he'll probably come to me or reveal himself at some point. Remember, Master Chaos wants me dead, so I don't think I'll have to work hard to find him.”

“Okay, but how are you going to leave?” said Malcolm. “What about your schoolwork? Have you told your parents what you're planning to do?”

I looked down at my feet sheepishly. “Well, no, I haven't. My parents would never approve of me hunting down Master Chaos on my own. Dad doesn't think I'm ready to face him yet. He just wants me to let the NHA and the G-Men handle it and only to fight Master Chaos if I have no other option left. I think Dad is wrong, but I know I won't be able to convince him of that, so I didn't tell him what I'm going to do.”

“I think your dad might be right,” said Malcolm. “I heard that one time Master Chaos fought Omega Man, the Midnight Menace, and Lady sss all by himself and actually fought them to a draw. Those guys are some of the strongest and most experienced neoheroes in the world, so I don't know how well you'd stand against him in a fight.”

“I know,” I said. “I don't look forward to fighting him, but I must. I'm tired of hiding from him and hoping that the NHA and the G-Men stop him before he harms me or someone I care about. I want to be proactive.”

“If you say so,” said Malcolm with a shrug. “Listen, man, I'll support and pray for you whatever you choose to do. If you think that you need to do this to save your family and friends, then I'll help however I can.”

I smiled. “Thanks, Mal. I knew I could count on you.”

“Besides, you're the first neohero I actually know,” said Malcolm. He rubbed his hands together eagerly. “Man, I'd love to be able to go onto Neo Ranks and brag that I'm friends with a real neohero. Everyone else will be so jealous.”

“Let's focus on what's important at the moment,” I said. “First things first: I need your help to get out of the school without anyone noticing.”

“My help?” said Malcolm. “How am I supposed to help? Do you want me to tell Mrs. Tanner that you got sick and had to go home?”

“No,” I said. “Well, I mean, that's one excuse, but I'd need to get a note from one of my parents excusing me from school if I pretended to be sick and I don't have time to do that. I really just need help distracting Black Gold and Iron Horn.”

“Why would they stop you?” said Malcolm.

“Because I'm not supposed to be going after Master Chaos,” I said. “If they see me trying to leave, they'll try to stop me. I need you to distract them so I can get away. It doesn't need to be for long; I can fly very fast, so by the time they figure out what you're doing, I should be long gone.”

Malcolm gulped. “What if they get angry at me? They're neoheroes, after all.”

“I doubt they'll harm you,” I said. “After all, you're not doing anything illegal or harmful. You might get in trouble with the school, though.”

Malcolm ran his hands through his short hair, looking disturbed. “And my older brother really wouldn't be happy if he learned I got in the way of some of his colleagues. Nor would my parents, for that matter.”

“I know, but I need a distraction if I am going to get out of here and stop Master Chaos,” I said. “Can I count on you to do it? I know you are already in a lot of trouble with the school for other things you've done, but you said you would help me no matter what.”

“Yeah, I did,” said Malcolm. “All right, bro, I'll help you. Even if it gets me expelled from the school, I'd like to be able to tell everyone that I helped the famous Bolt defeat Master Chaos.”

“Famous?” I said. “I'm not famous, except maybe here in Silvers.”

“Yeah, but you will be famous after you defeat Master Chaos all by yourself,” said Malcolm, patting me on the shoulder with a large grin on his face. “Maybe you'll even be as famous as Omega Man.”

I briefly imagined myself flying down to some city somewhere, landing in the streets, and being mobbed by hundreds of fans (mostly hot girls). It distracted me for a moment before I shook my head and focused on the situation again.

“Yeah, that would be awesome, but that's not important,” I said. “Right now, I need to focus on getting out of the school without being caught.”

“Like I said, man, I'll help you in whatever ways I can,” said Malcolm. “So what's the plan?”

I glanced at my suit-up watch to see the time. “Okay. We don't have much time, so I'll keep it quick. Here's the plan.”