The Superhero's Clone Read online

  Sitting at my desk in my room, I nodded. “Yeah. He broke the ropes and then got away by using one of Dad’s Teleportation Disks. I did a quick search of the forest around us, but I couldn’t find him anywhere. Valerie couldn’t find him, either.”

  Blizzard shuddered. “This is awful. It’s like those horror movies with the serial killer who keeps coming back from the dead, only this is real life. Do you think he’s going to come after us again?”

  I bit my lower lip and sipped a cup of warm coffee. “I hope to God not, but given how he still hates my guts, I think it’s safe to assume he’ll try to take me out again eventually. Guess it depends on whether Seth has a tight leash on him or not.”

  Blizzard nodded, but she looked even more scared than me. Not surprising. Although the Neo-Killer’s hatred was for me and me alone, he had nearly poisoned Blizzard to death with a unique virus of his own making. If it hadn’t been for a miracle—literally—Blizzard would have just flat out died entirely. The Neo-Killer’s return, even as a clone, was a terrifying turn in what was seeming more and more like one of the scariest nights of our lives so far.

  When Black Blur and I returned to the Braindome in Showdown, Black Blur had been immediately admitted to the local hospital, because his injuries had been deemed too serious for the Braindome’s in-house medical team to treat effectively. According to what I’d been told, Black Blur would be sent back to Hero Island in the morning to be treated there, so Black Blur was out of the game right now. Despite how much I disliked the guy, I realized how much it hurt us to lose him like that. Hopefully, Healing Touch would heal him up right away, although that wouldn’t be until tomorrow morning at least.

  I had also explained to Brains and Vanish what happened in Vault F. In particular, I focused on the return of the Neo-Killer, which had caused Brains to declare that he was going to increase security around the Braindome until the Neo-Killer was no longer a threat. I suppose that meant we’d be safe if the Neo-Killer ever returned to Showdown, but I wasn’t quite so sure about that. I’d also told them about what happened to Mecha Knight, although there was nothing they could do about that just yet.

  In any case, I was tired from tonight’s events, so Blizzard and I had retired to my room to rest. I had given Blizzard a detailed rundown on everything that happened, starting with Black Blur and I entering Vault F and ending with the disappearance of the Neo-Killer, and she had listened as closely as always. I appreciated how good a listener she was because it made me feel a little better after how horribly this night was turning out so far.

  “And Mecha Knight is still missing, too,” said Blizzard. Her frown deepened. “Did you say that Seth brainwashed him or something?”

  “Looks like it,” I said. “Mecha Knight did seem to recognize me, but he didn’t really treat me like he knew me. He just tried to kill me like every other character in the game, although he ended up getting killed himself, ironically enough.”

  “That’s still not good,” said Blizzard. “As long as Mecha Knight is under Seth’s control, that means he has access to one of the members of the Leadership Council. He could be using Mecha Knight’s knowledge of the NHA to get all sorts of trade secrets from him, which could endanger the organization as a whole, especially with the Neo-Killer back and working for him.”

  I blinked. “Huh. It never occurred to me to look at it that way, but you’ve got a point.”

  Blizzard sat up and crossed her legs. “I’ve just been giving this a lot of thought, that’s all. I mean, I care about Mecha Knight on a personal level, too, but his disappearance is a lot bigger than just a missing friend. The consequences for this could be pretty severe if we don’t save him soon.”

  “If we can save him,” I said glumly. “He sure seemed to be completely and totally under Seth’s thrall. It might still be possible to save him, but I’m not sure.”

  “Just think positive thoughts, Bolt,” said Blizzard with a smile. “Besides, you know how smart Mecha Knight is. I bet he’s doing everything he can to fight against Seth’s brainwashing. There’s no way he could possibly be happy about being Seth’s slave. That just isn’t the Mecha Knight we know.”

  “You’re right,” I said. “But that brainwashing seemed pretty thorough. Still, we shouldn’t get down. That won’t help us save Mecha Knight or stop Seth.”

  Blizzard nodded. “But that begs the question: Where is Mecha Knight now?”

  I frowned. “The Neo-Killer mentioned that he woke up in a tube in a factory somewhere, but he said he didn’t know where the factory is.”

  “Could it be another one of those Vaults?” said Blizzard. “Do you think it’s at least possible that the Neo-Killer was cloned in one of those?”

  “I guess so,” I said slowly, “but I’m not sure which one. It can’t be Vault A, because the G-Men seized control over that one. It’s probably one we haven’t found yet if it’s a Vault at all. I know Seth said he wanted to destroy the Vaultwork so we couldn’t track him down, which must mean that he’s using the cloning equipment in one of the Vaults in order to make clones like the Neo-Killer.”

  “But you said he destroyed the Vaultwork, didn’t you?” said Blizzard.

  “And killed Olga while he was at it,” I said, nodding, still thinking of Olga’s last words to me. “That means we won’t be able to track him down easily, which is exactly what he wanted.”

  “So we’re back at square one,” said Blizzard, her shoulders slumping. “Right?”

  “Sure looks like it,” I said with a sigh. I rubbed the back of my head. “Except it’s even worse, if you think about it because the Neo-Killer is back and is probably going to come after me again at some point.”

  “Didn’t you say the Neo-Killer stole some of your DNA at Seth’s request or something?” said Blizzard, tilting her head to the side. “What is that about?”

  I hesitated to voice my opinion aloud, but seeing as I couldn’t lie to Blizzard, I said, “I think he’s trying to clone me.”

  “Clone you?” said Blizzard in surprise. She leaned forward curiously. “Why would Seth want to clone you? You’re not dead.”

  “I don’t know why for sure,” I said slowly, “but perhaps he wants a version of me he can control. Look at the other two clones—Phaser and the Neo-Killer—he made. Both of them more or less follow his orders. He’s offered me to join him several times. Maybe he’s tired of me saying no and has decided to make his own Bolt.”

  “Well, I guess that’s possible,” said Blizzard, resting her hands on her knees, “but it still strikes me as very odd and very concerning. But I wouldn’t be worried if I were you.”

  “Worried?” I said. “Worried about what?”

  Blizzard winked at me. “Even if he creates a clone of you, I’ll still like you more. I prefer the authentic over the counterfeit if you catch my drift.”

  I had to chuckle at that somewhat cringey joke. “Thanks for the reassurance, though if he does make a clone of me, I’m not sure even you would be able to tell the difference. They’re pretty good.”

  “Don’t worry about that,” said Blizzard. “No way I would ever confuse you for anyone else, even your own clone.”

  I smiled. “Thanks.”

  Then Blizzard unfolded her legs and stood up. “So … now that this is over, are we going to resume our date tonight?”

  I looked at Blizzard with a mixture of disbelief and surprise. “Wait, you mean after emphasizing how important it is that we find Mecha Knight, you just want to throw that all away and resume our date?”

  Blizzard shrugged. “I know it seems a little odd, but there’s not much we can do for Mecha Knight right now. Plus, you promised me we would do it when you got back from Vault F, so—”

  Blizzard was interrupted by the ringing of my smartphone, which lay on my desk next to the lamp. I picked up my phone and saw that it was an unknown number, but I was so curious to find out who could possibly be calling me this late at night that I answered the phone and said, “Hello, this is
Bolt. Who’s calling?”

  “Bolt?” said a familiar fake deep voice on the other end of the line. “Glad you answered. I was worried you might not be awake at this hour, but—”

  “Edge?” I said, looking away from Blizzard. “Is that you? How did you get my phone number?”

  I could just imagine Edge Vigilante cringing at how quickly I found out it was him. “Uh, it’s not that important. What’s important is that I have some information I need to talk to you about.”

  “Information?” I said. “About what?”

  “About my grandfather,” said Edge. “Due to some recent events, I need your help. I know you’ve already fought my grandfather a few times, so you’re the only person I can turn to for help.”

  “Uh, sure, Edge,” I said, glancing at Blizzard, who had her arms folded in front of her chest and was tapping her foot impatiently, “but do you think it could wait until tomorrow? I’ve got something to do tonight and I’m not sure I can meet with you right—”

  “No,” Edge insisted. “It has to be tonight. Preferably as soon as possible. Trust me, you’ll want to know this. It will help you understand my grandfather better … and how to beat him.”

  I half-wanted to believe that Edge was just being his usual, er, ‘edgy’ self, but there was real sincerity in his voice now, sincerity he couldn’t hide even behind his best fake deep voice. And if Edge was telling the truth about knowing how to beat Seth, then that might help us save Mecha Knight as well.

  Taking a deep breath, I said, “Okay, Edge. I’ll meet you. Just give me the location of the meeting and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Less than half an hour later, Blizzard and I teleported outside a large, abandoned warehouse on the city limits of Showdown. The huge warehouse was pretty nondescript, located near a few factories that were currently shut down for the holidays. In the distance, I could see the thousands of Christmas lights strewn along the buildings of Showdown, as well as the lights from the city park, but this far out from the city, where no one lived, there weren’t any hints of the season save for the light snow on the street.

  “Is this the place?” said Blizzard, stepping away from me and looking around the empty parking lot that we had appeared in.

  I glanced at my suit-up watch’s GPS system. “Sure looks like it. My watch shows us this is the address Edge gave us.”

  “Why did he have to pick such a rundown place to talk to us?” said Blizzard, looking up at the dilapidated warehouse with a puzzled frown on her face. “I mean, I don’t mind the cold, but surely it wouldn’t have hurt him to come over to the Braindome and talk with us over a nice warm cup of coffee instead?”

  Scratching the back of my neck, I said, “I’m not surprised. Edge likes to think he’s some kind of edgy anti-hero. It’s even in his name: Edge Vigilante.”

  Blizzard looked at me in disbelief. “Edge Vigilante? Is that really his name? Please tell me you’re joking.”

  “Why would I joke about something as super serious as Edge Vigilante’s name?” I said with a smirk.

  Blizzard groaned. “And here I thought our names were a bit silly.”

  “Yeah, I know,” I said, “but he’s a good kid at heart. He just takes himself a little too serious is all.”

  Blizzard nodded. “I just hope we don’t stay here too long. Remember our date.”

  I smiled, but couldn’t help but feel a little guilty. Despite what I’d promised Blizzard, I couldn’t just pass up an opportunity like this. Edge Vigilante was the grandson of Seth Richards, although Seth hadn’t known that when the two first met. I knew a little bit about the history between Edge’s parents and Seth, but I didn’t know the full story and I was hoping to learn more about it tonight. If Edge was indeed Seth’s grandson, then I figured he probably did have some important information on Seth, information that might even help us track him down and save Mecha Knight.

  I had tried to convince Blizzard to stay back at the Braindome, but she insisted on coming with me so I wouldn’t forget our date. She practically forced me to sign a blood oath swearing that we would finish our date after our meeting with Edge. I really did intend to keep my promise this time, but it sure seemed like the whole universe was conspiring against us. Or, more likely, it was just Seth and his cronies constantly interrupting our business.

  But at the same time, I didn’t mind bringing Blizzard with me. I didn’t expect any trouble with Edge, but given all of the craziness that had happened tonight, I felt it prudent to have an ally by my side. After all, Black Blur had helped me defeat the Neo-Killer. If someone else sent by Seth came after me, then I would at least be prepared for it. Two were better than one, after all.

  “Let’s go inside,” I said, rubbing my arms. “Probably warmer in there than it is out here.”

  Blizzard and I entered the warehouse, which was as dark as night until I found a switch that I flipped on. The lights on the ceiling flickered on, but only about half of them, while the other half remained dark. Even half of the ones that did flicker on were dimmer than normal, but it was enough light to allow us to see that we were alone, aside from the piles of boxes and crates that were scattered everywhere. On the ceiling, the words ‘WAREHOUSE 24’ were painted in faded red paint.

  Despite the emptiness of the warehouse, however, I had the oddest feeling that we were being watched.

  “Ugh,” said Blizzard, waving her hand in front of her nose. “So dusty. Clearly, no one has bothered to clean this place in forever.”

  “This place has been abandoned for over ten years,” said a distinctive fake deep voice above us. “Perfect for clandestine meetings between supers.”

  Suddenly, a short, but lithe figure dropped down from the rafters. He landed in a three-point landing, although it was kind of an awkward landing, and then he stood up and looked at us. With his dark leather costume, spiked helmet, and patch eye, I had no trouble recognizing Edge Vigilante, even though it had been a couple of months since I last saw him.

  “Who are you?” said Blizzard. I could feel coldness radiating off her stronger than ever, which always happened whenever she was about to attack someone.

  “I am the darkness which lurks in men’s soul given physical form,” said Edge in his fakest, edgiest voice. His hands tightened into fists. “I am the dark judgment inflicted on all criminals, I am—”

  “Hey!” I said, smiling and waving at Edge. “Edgar Vigilant! Long time, no see.”

  As I anticipated, Edge glared at me and said, in a higher-pitched voice that was probably closer to this normal voice, “It’s Edge Vigilante. My name is not Edgar.”

  I chuckled. “Don’t worry, bro. I was just messing with you. Trying to lighten up the mood a little, you know?”

  “The mood is never lightened when Edge Vigilante is around,” Edge said. He looked around and muttered, “Joker doesn’t take anything seriously, I swear …”

  “Did you just refer to yourself in the third person?” asked Blizzard incredulously.

  “Yeah, I did,” said Edge, glaring at Blizzard. “I am Edge Vigi …Vigilan … uh …”

  Edge seemed to lose focus when he looked at Blizzard. While Blizzard just looked confused by this, I had an idea of what was going on, so I pointed a finger at Edge and fired the tiniest lightning bolt I could muster. The tiny, barely visible bolt hit his head, and it did the trick, making Edge start and shake his head like he was just awakening from a bad dream.

  “Huh?” said Edge, looking around in confusion. “What was that?”

  “You zoned out there for a minute, bro,” I said, draping an arm around Blizzard’s shoulders protectively. “Not a good look for a superhero.”

  “I’m not a superhero,” Edge insisted. “I’m a vigilante. There’s a difference.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Sure there is. Anyway, Blizzard, meet Edge. Edge, meet Blizzard. She’s my girlfriend.”

  “Um, hi?” said Blizzard. Even though I was sure Blizzard could beat Edge
herself, she clung rather close to me as if she was afraid of him. “Nice to meet you.”

  Edge just nodded at her once, like he thought that made him look badass or something. Instead, it looked kind of awkward. “Yeah, I’ve heard about you. You’re shorter than I thought.”

  Given how Edge was at least a few inches shorter than Blizzard, I found that kind of hilarious, but I could tell that Edge’s mannerisms were starting to scare Blizzard, so I said, “Well, with the introductions out of the way, I think it’s time we moved onto the purpose of this meeting. Right, Edge?”

  Edge looked at me suddenly. “Right. We really should get to business. The streets of Showdown still need my help and I can’t afford to spend too much time talking to you two.”

  Blizzard raised an eyebrow. “I think the streets of Showdown are just fine under Bolt’s protection if I do say so myself.”

  Edge, however, ignored Blizzard as if she had not said a word. “Now, I told you that I had some information about my grandfather, information I think you could use.”

  “Yeah, I remember you saying something like that,” I said, nodding. “What kind of information are we talking about here? Like his current location? Or maybe what his plans are? Because I think I’ve already got an idea about what he’s trying to do.”

  “Nothing like that,” said Edge, shaking his head. “I don’t know where my grandfather is any more than you do. But I think you deserve an explanation for my relationship with my grandfather … and why I want to stop him more than anyone else in the whole world.”

  I scratched my chin. Back on Seth’s yacht, I remembered well the revelation that Edge was Seth’s grandson and was trying to stop him, but with all of the excitement that had happened that night, I had never gotten the full story from Edge. “Why do you want to tell us that now, if you don’t mind me asking? I’m not against hearing the story, per se, but—”

  “Because you need to know it,” said Edge. He looked down at his boots. “And I can’t … I can’t stop Seth on my own. I need help. I need your help. It’s the only way I’ll be able to stop him.”