Accidental Hero (Jack Blank Adventure) (11 page)

Blue walked out to meet Jack and Jazen, flanked by several large members of his police unit. They were all part of the Brute Force, a squad of Empire City’s toughest supercops. They escorted Jack safely through the
mob and deposited him at a special VIP area directly under the black iron sphere.

Standing in the VIP area were two other children Jack’s age. The first, a girl with liquid metal skin, shrieked when she saw Jack and turned into something resembling a puddle of mercury. A boy, dressed in the garb of a young squire from Varagog, actually drew two swords on Jack before Jazen stepped in to stay his hand.

“Easy, Skerren, we’re all friends here,” Jazen said to the boy. The young swordsman muttered something decidedly unfriendly and skulked off on his own. “What’d I tell you?” Jazen said to Jack. “No worries.”

“Yeah, we’re doing great,” Jack replied, pointing up at a NewsNet screen that read
RÜSTOV SPAWN TERRORIZES HERO SQUARE!

Jazen grumbled at the headline and led Jack to the marble pedestal. They walked up a staircase that was carved into the sides and stood directly beneath the sphere. “Here we go,” Jazen said. A moment later, the platform began to rise up toward the iron globe above them. The sphere’s swirling rings whizzed by over their heads, and Jack thought about just how much it would
hurt to get hit with them. He also took note of the solid iron frame of the fast-approaching orb. “Shouldn’t that thing have a door?” Jack asked.

A ring swung by, inches from the top of Jack and Jazen’s heads. Jack ducked, missing whatever Jazen said in reply as they continued rising toward the sphere. There was no door opening up that Jack could see. They were going to slam right into the bottom.

Another ring flew by, but closer and faster this time. Jack and Jazen were almost at the sphere, and just as Jack was sure they were going to be crushed against the bottom, they passed right through it. The iron surface gave way and became soft metal that ran over Jack’s skin like melted chocolate, only without the stickiness. Jack passed through the sphere unharmed and emerged inside the sanctum sanctorum of the Inner Circle. As the metal exterior of the sphere slid off his skin, Jack looked around. This was the place where his fate would be decided. The rest of his life, however long or short it might be, would hinge on the next few minutes in this great, round room.

On the outside, the sphere of the Inner Circle was only about ten or fifteen feet across. On the inside, the sphere was bigger than a football stadium. There was enough room to fit fifty thousand people or more, and the only thing more striking than the vast space hidden inside the sphere was its complete and utter emptiness. Jack and Jazen were alone, standing in a pit, and looking up at a table that ran around them in a circle. The pit wasn’t very deep, but it was still an intimidating spot to be in. Jack was scared, though he trusted that Jazen knew
what he was doing. He was pretty sure he did, anyway.

Six separate tunnel openings lined the walls of the sphere. Each one had the name of an Empire City borough inscribed above it and a path leading to a seat at the tribunal. Jazen explained that this was where the Inner Circle met, although it was more like the Half Circle these days. There were supposed to be six Circlemen, one person elected from each borough. When all six were there, they were said to be at “Full Circle,” and could choose a seventh member to join them. “Right now there are two empty seats,” Jazen explained, pointing up toward the empty chairs. “That seventh seat once belonged to Legend. The seat next to it, the one from Cognito, belonged to Stendeval.”

There was that name again. Jack remembered Jazen mentioning Stendeval’s name back when Jonas Smart was talking about executions and dissections.

Jack’s reaction to the name must have struck Jazen as odd. “You don’t know Stendeval,” Jazen probed, “do you, Jack?”

Jack’s eyebrows tied themselves up into knots. “Know him?” he asked. “I just got here. I don’t know anyone but you and Blue.”

“Right, right, of course,” Jazen said, clearly disappointed. “It’s just that no one’s seen him in twelve years, and I thought maybe… never mind.”

“Who was he?” Jack asked.

“He was the Circleman from Cognito. That’s what we call them,” he added, gesturing up toward the seats. “He held his seat for almost five hundred years. He was a real hero, like Legend. And he was a good friend.”

“Five hundred years?” Jack asked. “How’d he live so long?”

“It had something to do with his powers, but I’m not exactly sure.”

“Why hasn’t anyone replaced him?” Jack asked.

“He was there so long,” Jazen said. “After five hundred years he was more than just a man. He was an institution. No one could replace him. No one wanted to try to fill his shoes. Also, you have to understand, Cognito is an odd part of town. The whole place is one big hideout. People go there to disappear, not run for elections. If they wanted to be in the public eye, they wouldn’t be in Cognito.”

Jack thought Cognito sounded like a good place for
someone like him to live. “What’s it like there?” he asked Jazen.

“I don’t really know. Without Stendeval, Cognito’s more mysterious than ever, and the Inner Circle… well, it just isn’t the same. I can tell you this: If Stendeval were here, we wouldn’t even be talking about anyone dissecting you.”

Jazen had a concerned look about him that he couldn’t quite hide entirely. He didn’t come right out and say it, but Jack got the feeling that with Stendeval gone, anything could happen.

Jack gulped as the clock struck noon. It was time. Jack heard footsteps in the tunnels, and the members of the Inner Circle began to enter the sphere. The first to arrive was a giant man dressed like a medieval swordsman, with a thick, bushy beard and a fur cloak. Jazen whispered that the brute was the warrior king of Varagog Village. Jack recognized him instantly as Hovarth, the barbarian warrior from his comic books. “Holy cow, that’s Hovarth!” Jack said. Hovarth looked down on him with a suspicious eye and rested a giant sword and battle-ax on the table. Next, a man with silver skin and a bright blue supersuit flew into
the room. He took his seat at the Galaxis chair. Jack knew who he was too.

“That’s Prime!” Jack exclaimed.

“Right again,” Jazen said.

“I don’t believe this,” Jack said. “He’s one of my favorite heroes!”

“One of ours, too,” Jazen said. “He’s the Circleman of Galaxis. He’s also one of the last Valorians in the galaxy, which is something you may or may not have read in your comic books.”

After Prime, a mechanical orb about the size of a grapefruit whizzed into the room. The orb settled by an empty chair and then projected a beam of golden light that formed the shimmering image of the most beautiful woman Jack had ever seen. She looked like a backup character from a sci-fi comic book Jack liked. “Is that… Virtua?” he asked.

Jazen looked at Jack, a little surprised. “Just how many comic books have you read, Jack?” he asked.

“A
lot
,” Jack answered.

Jazen told Jack he was correct, and that Virtua was the new Circlewoman of Machina. Like Jazen, she was a sentient program, a Hard-Light Holo projection of
a gorgeous artificial intelligence. She was followed by another familiar face: Chi, the Circleman of Karateka and leader of the ZenClan ninjas. Chi walked slowly toward his seat and then flipped through the air to land in it without making the slightest sound. He looked just like he had in Jack’s comics. He was an Asian man with snow-white skin, wearing a sleeveless blue karate robe over a black supersuit. He carried himself with a quiet, dignified authority—a dangerous ninja wrapped in a cloak of tranquility.

Finally, the Circle was joined by Jonas Smart, who also required no introduction. The Inner Circle was filled with heroes from Jack’s comic books. He hoped that would work in his favor, but had no idea how accurate the portrayal of these heroes in his comic books really was. Jack looked from face to face. Virtua showed signs of pity, Hovarth eyed him with contempt, and Smart’s expression conveyed outright disgust. Prime looked on Jack with a stern military gaze, and Chi’s face was impossible to read. “Call me crazy, but I don’t think any of
these
guys wanted you to bring me here,” Jack said to Jazen.

Jazen stared at Stendeval’s empty seat. He opened his
mouth to say something, but stopped when Jonas Smart knocked on the table, calling the meeting to order.

“Shall we begin?” Smart asked the rest of the Circle, leaving Jack to wonder what Jazen had started to say. “The reason I called this meeting is standing before you now,” Smart said, walking around the Circle like a lecturing professor. “Throughout the ages the people of the Imagine Nation have been blessed to live in the best of all possible worlds. As we in the Inner Circle all know, that is no accident. We have fought to keep things this way, and paid for our perfection with the blood of heroes. That fight continues today. Our world is under siege.” His face turned sour. “Twelve years ago we were invaded by an enemy who has targeted us as the next stop on an intergalactic feast. Invaders who go from planet to planet, eating up all life and natural resources before moving on to the next target. One needs only to look upon the oncegreen planet of Mars to understand the full scope of the devastation that the Rüstov leave in their wake.”

“Jonas,” Prime interrupted, “we were all there. The whole of this Circle fought in the battles. What is the point of this history lesson?”

Hovarth answered for Smart, speaking in a thick English accent. “I think the point, Prime, is that if we’re not careful, history might repeat itself.”

“Thank you, Hovarth,” Smart said. “That is exactly right. The Rüstov attacked us here first, knowing full well that if the Imagine Nation were to fall, there would be no one on this planet strong enough to stop them. These are dangerous times. The idealist traditions of our great nation notwithstanding, we do not need to be tempting fate by bringing new people into our lands, people we do not know or trust beyond the shadow of a doubt.” Smart pointed to Jack. “Emissary Knight has crossed the line by bringing this creature, this infected child, here. Knight will tell you this boy is somehow resisting the Rüstov technovirus. What I see is a Rüstov sleeper agent, brought here by a Mecha, no less! Emissary Knight expects us to stand by idly while he sneaks an infiltrator in to infect our perfect world? Impossible. I want this boy terminated and sent to my lab immediately, and Emissary Knight dismantled pending a full investigation.”

“You can’t do that!” Jack yelled.

Smart shot down a fierce look. “Emissary Knight, you will instruct your charge to be silent or—”

“The boy has a right to defend himself,” Jazen cut in. “And so do I, for that matter.”

“Jonas, please!” Virtua agreed. “Emissary Knight’s loyalties are well-known. Let the boy speak. I for one would like to hear what he has to say.” Chi and Prime agreed, and Smart sat down and sulked.

“What should I say?” Jack whispered to Jazen.

“Just tell them the truth,” Jazen said. “Tell them who you are. You’ve got nothing to hide.”

Jack swallowed hard and looked up at the Inner Circle. Smart’s words had cut him pretty deep, but Jack could at least take comfort in the knowledge that he wasn’t a Rüstov sleeper agent. He also thought about what Jazen had said earlier. It didn’t matter that no one else had ever survived the Rüstov infection. He could beat it. He was special. He had to be to make it this far, didn’t he? Jack wasn’t so sure. He didn’t feel very special. His stomach felt hollow like an old, dead tree. He could barely breathe, let alone speak.

“Hi. My name is Jack Blank?” he squeaked out, sounding
more like a question than a statement. “I’m uh… twelve years old, and I, umm…” Jack paused, unsure what to say next. “I wasn’t really ready for all this,” he admitted. “I don’t know anything about invasions, I don’t know anything about Rüstov spies… I don’t even know my real name. I just know that I’m not a Rüstov.” Jack was finding his voice. “I know it’s only my word against Mr. Smart’s, and you don’t have any reason to trust me. You don’t know me. But I know you. I read about all of you back where I came from. You’re my heroes. Heroes wouldn’t go through with something like this. The heroes I read about would give me a chance. Because I’m not a Rüstov. I’m just me. I’m just a kid who would really love to not be dissected.”

Jazen patted Jack on the back. “Well said,” he muttered. The panel stared back at Jack with curious eyes.

“What do you mean, you don’t know your name, boy?” Hovarth asked.

Jack shrugged. “I don’t know anything about who I am,” he said. “I only found out yesterday that I was born here. I have this birth certificate. We were hoping to find out more, but my file was ruined.” Jack took out his
infected file and placed it on the table above him. “I’m not looking to make any trouble for anyone. Really, I’m not.” The members passed Jack’s file around the table, examining it. Hovarth held it with only two fingers, keeping it as far away from himself as possible, before passing it to Prime.

Prime squinted at the file but didn’t seem to make sense of it. “Jonas, is there no other way to get any information about this boy’s past?” he asked. “No other way to find out who he really is? He may be telling the truth.”

“That information is immaterial—he is infected,” Smart replied. “As for his records,” he continued with a patronizing tenor, “I’ll spare you the history lesson and simply remind you that countless records were lost in the invasion along with a great many lives. His family is most likely dead.”

“Jonas!” Virtua scolded. “Don’t say such things!”

“We can hardly assume otherwise,” Smart replied. “The SmartCams have been constantly broadcasting his image since he arrived and no one has claimed him.”

“That’s hardly surprising given your coverage of his arrival,” Virtua countered. ‘“Rüstov spawn terrorizes Hero Square?’ A bit sensational, I think.”

“It’s the truth,” Smart said. “This boy is a danger to us all. I refuse to take any chances with him. Lives are at stake.”

“Including
his
life!” Jazen said. “He’s one of us. He has powers and he’s immune to the Rüstov infection. They tried to kill him because of it. When I found Jack, he had just destroyed a Rüstov Para-Soldier.”