The Secret of the Supers (The First Superhero Book 4) (8 page)

W
e stepped
into Ellie’s office that was only a little bit wider than her desk. The place was crammed, as Drew, Avery, and Ellie were already in there, with Avery behind her desk and the other two sitting in chairs across from her. With me and Selena, it was packed in pretty tight.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“We’ve received reports of Jigsaw and some of his soldiers being seen entering a nearby library,” Ellie said. “We’re going to check it out, and maybe even put an end to this.”

“That sounds good to me,” Drew said, clapping his hands together.

“First off, however, we need a plan,” Avery said. “Avery, you’ll use your invisibility to get close and listen in to anything you might hear that’ll help us figure out anything we can about them and what they’re doing here.”

Avery nodded her head, a smile breaking across her face. “I think I can handle that.”

“Good. You’ll be given a set of Eximus handcuffs to use and detain as many people as you can. Don’t accidentally set them off while you’re holding them.” Ellie’s gaze shifted from Avery to the rest of us. “That goes for all of you. We don’t want anybody to go down in the middle of this.” She looked up at Selena and I. “The two of you will be with me. We will wait for Ellie’s signal, and then we’ll attack, trying to take as many Supers as we can in custody.” Ellie looked at me. “Kane, we’re going to let you handle taking down Jigsaw. You have the most experience with these sorts of things. If you need help though, let us know and we’ll try our best to get to you.”

I chuckled. “Don’t worry, you’ll learn pretty quick this isn’t a one man show.”

Ellie ignored my comment and turned her attention to Drew. “You’ll be given an Eximus rifle. Your job is to shoot as many Supers as you can—that aren’t us of course. Stay a safe distance away, though. We don’t want to have to babysit you,” Ellie said with a smile, knowing she was pushing a button.

Drew’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “Don’t worry, you won’t have to worry about any babysitting.”

Ellie paid no attention to him, and stood from her seat. “Alright, if you’ll all follow me, we’ll get out there. Let’s be quick about it too, we don’t know how long Jigsaw is going to stay.

****

W
e landed
in front of the towering library that looked like it could’ve come straight from a fantasy novel. The outside was intricately carved with various designs depicting Britain’s history.

“So do we just walk in the front door and hope they don’t see us?” Drew asked.

“I’ll walk through the front door,” Avery said with a smirk. She suddenly turned invisible, and despite all the things I’d seen and done, was still taken aback. “But they aren’t going to see me.”

We could hear her bound up the steps to the front door of the library. They were probably the loudest thing around, since the streets were absolutely empty. There weren’t even any cars out now, and there definitely wasn’t anybody walking around. The sky was overcast and a cold breeze nipped at me. I wore a light jacket, and stood bouncing up and down waiting anxiously for Avery’s return.

A few minutes later, the large brass front doors to the library swung open seemingly on their own. Avery became visible as she leaned out of the doorway. She waved for us to come on, and so we ran up the steps.

Drew’s gear banged up and down on his back, and the handcuffs attached to our pants jiggled around. I was nervous about using them, seeing as we weren’t really shown, only told as they were shoved into our hands. We didn’t really get the chance for a demonstration, but as far as I was aware, once they were clicked on there was a three second delay before they activated so that you’d have a chance to get your hands away before the Eximus energy began flowing.

We reached the top step, and Avery held the door open for us as we entered the library. The place was dark, and the smell of old books assaulted my nose. It took everything I had in me not to go into a sneezing fit. A dull light came in from the windows around the tall ceiling, and among the walls.

“Stay here,” Avery said. “Keep an eye out while I go look ahead.”

We nodded as Avery turned invisible once again and went off searching for the location of Jigsaw and his men.

I sighed in frustration. I wanted to hurry up and get out there, start taking care of business. My adrenaline was pumping, ready to go. But yet, I had to sit here and wait. I guessed this was how things were going to go. Avery moves forward, we follow, she moves forward, we follow again. Over and over again until we found out where Jigsaw was. If it were up to me, I would’ve just flown around until I saw them, and then we all would’ve started kicking their ass. But kicking ass wasn’t the only part of this mission. Ellie and her superiors needed information. They needed to know exactly what Jigsaw’s plans were. And Avery being amongst them invisible, listening in to their conversations was our best chance.

“Is this how it usually goes?” I whispered to Ellie. “Do they normally attack libraries?”

Ellie shrugged. “Not really. It’s pretty random. I’m surprised they didn’t make more of a ruckus when they were coming in. The way they’re trying to be sneaky about whatever this one is, it makes me anxious.”

“Yeah, it’s definitely strange. I’ve never known The Legion to be subtle,” I said.

We stood there in silence for a few more moments before Avery came back. “Okay, they’re on the third floor,” she said, pointing up to the third floor balcony. The ceiling in the middle of the library went all the way up to the roof, but along the way in rings were different floors. I counted six of them in total. “They’re towards the back it sounds like, and they’re searching through a bunch of books. I’m going to go back up and listen in. You guys can go ahead and get in position though.”

Ellie nodded and turned to us. “Alright,” she whispered. “Selena, Kane, the three of us are going to fly up and be waiting on the fourth floor on the opposite side of the library. We’ll be watching as best we can from there, waiting for Avery’s signal.” She turned to Drew. “You go up and wait on the third floor. Avery will find a good vantage point for you. Wait there, and when you see the three of us move in to attack, you start shooting.”

Drew nodded his head, tapping on the Eximus blaster that slung across his chest.

“Alright, let’s get in positions.”

Avery, Selena, and myself all flew up to the third floor fast enough to not be seen, just in case any of the people with Jigsaw were looking out across the balcony. We hunched down behind the balcony wall, peaking our heads over to watch the scene unfold.

After about thirty seconds, I saw Drew appear from the stairwell, led by—I assumed—an invisible Avery. He got into position behind a bookshelf diagonal from where Jigsaw and his crew were going about their business.

It was hard to see back into the third floor thanks to the harsh angle we had, but from what I could see, the sight was both amusing and confusing. A bunch of hardened members of The Legion of Richter, with god-knows-what type of powers, were standing around, flipping through a bunch of books. I couldn’t understand why they were, but I knew there had to be a reason. Hopefully in the small amount of time she had to listen in to their conversation, Avery would be able to find out.

After just a minute or two of sitting there, anxiously watching, I saw the closest Super’s, to the edge of the balcony, hands go behind his back.

“What th—” he began to say, but then the Eximus cuffs activated, and he fell to the ground, convulsing.

“I think that’s our signal,” Selena said.

“About time,” I said as I jumped off the fourth floor balcony, and flew into action.

I
flew down
, zeroing in on my first target. A short pudgy man who had a large pair of sunglasses on his head. He was looking at his friend who Avery’d just brought down, confused. He had no idea what was going on.

I slammed into him, sending him straight to the ground. In a swift motion, I handcuffed his hands together, jumped off his back, and kicked the other Super next to him through the bookshelf to his left.

A bunch of Supers began to emerge from bookshelves all around, trying to see what was going on. Standing towards the back, in a small clearing with chairs and desks to work at, was a large hispanic man, his arms covered in tattoos, a thick book held in his hand. He tossed the book aside, and his eyes began to glow. “It looks like we’ve got company,” he said with a sneer. “Take care of them, boys.”

About a dozen Supers started attacking. They all had some form of super strength or speed. It was like fighting twelve less powerful versions of myself.

One lunged at me, and I simply slammed my fist into his face. The man collapsed to the ground, and I clicked a pair of cuffs on him before turning to see another man coming at me. He slammed a book into me hard, causing me to stumble into the bookshelf to my right. I kicked at the man’s leg and he fell to the ground. I got up and grabbed him by his shirt, jumped in the air, and flipped him back on the ground hard.

Right as I was about to click a pair of the Eximus cuffs on him, someone slammed into me, knocking me through the balcony, across the library, and through the second floor. I flew through one bookshelf, sending paper and books through the air like confetti. The second bookshelf stopped me as it toppled backwards, sending all the other ones in the row falling like dominoes.

I pulled myself up, searching for my attacker. He took a step towards me, and I realized it was Jigsaw.

“I recognize you,” he said as he stepped through the hole in the bookshelf. “What’s little ol’ Kane Andrews doing all the way over here?” he asked with a sneer.

I jumped up catching him off guard, and wrapped my arms around his legs. I pulled him to the ground, and clambered on top of him. I punched him in the face a couple of times, but he got his arms underneath me and threw me up in the air. I slammed into the roof of the second floor, the ceiling cracking around me. I caught myself and floated there. Jigsaw jumped up to knock me through to the third floor, but as he jumped up to get me I dodged out of the way.

Jigsaw burst through the ceiling causing pieces of drywall to rain down on the second floor. I flew out off the second floor and up in front of the third floor balcony. I floated high above the ground, watching through the bookshelves as Jigsaw regained his composure and looked for me.

I looked behind me and saw Selena and Ellie fighting the other Supers. They were holding their own, although there weren’t many of them in handcuffs. Avery had joined Drew, and the two of them were shooting Eximus into the fray.

I turned my attention back towards Jigsaw as he stepped out from the bookshelf. We made eye contact, and he let out a roar in frustration. He ran towards the balcony, used the edge of the half-wall as a step, and launched himself towards me. I dodged out of the way easily, and Jigsaw turned and came for a second attack.

He swung at me, and I blocked his punch and countered it easily. I went on the offensive and got a few knocks in before he started to return the favor. The two of us floated three stories above the ground inside the library, fighting each other like two boxers in a ring. Jigsaw was a good fighter, easily dodging my punches for the most part. I found it hard to get a few of my own in, but succeeded here and there. He was definitely a much more trained fighter than the Supers I’d faced recently. All the time Selena and I had been practiced meant that I wasn’t just some amateur fighter either. I could dish it out and take it in.

After a few moments of back-and-forth, I landed a solid kick to Jigsaw, sending him soaring to the left side of the library. He slammed into some bookshelves, flying straight through a couple of them. I flew over to continue our fight—and hopefully end it. But whenever I got to the spot I saw him fly through, Jigsaw wasn’t there. I saw the bent metal of the bookshelf that finally stopped him, so I knew where he
should’ve
been.

I looked up just in time to knock a book out of the way that had been barreling towards my face. I looked down the row and saw that four aisles away was Jigsaw, a smirk on his face as he threw another book my way. The book came flying at me fast. More than fast enough to kill a normal human. I punched it out of my way as I took off running towards Jigsaw.

He flew another book at me, then another. Both, I knocked out of the way with ease. He started throwing them fast and harder, and I knocked them to the ground just as easily. He started to panic, now throwing two and three at a time. I laughed as I closed in on him. It was almost like we’d taken a break to play a game. I was just a few feet away from him now, and I jumped into the air, my fist barreling down on him like a heat seeking missile.

Right before my punch connected, he held up a book to block it. My fist hid the front cover, and the pages exploded like it’d been rigged to blow. I punched straight through the book and right into Jigsaw’s chest. He slammed to the ground, and I grabbed him by the front of his shirt.

I held him up and pushed him through one bookshelf, then we walked through another, and another. I used him like a battering ram, slamming him through one shelf after another. I reached the edge of the floor, and slammed his head into the balcony, breaking away a piece of the stone wall. I held him by his throat up against the balcony, my grip tight, squeezing the air from him. No oxygen meant his powers were weakening by the second.

“What are you doing here?” I yelled loud in his face.

He reached up and grabbed my wrists, trying to pull my hands from his throat. I was no much more powerful than him, as I was making sure he wasn’t getting any breath.

“I’ll…kill…y—”

I slammed his head on the balcony once again, interrupting his speaking. I pulled him back up to my face, the cut on his forehead struggling to heal. “One more time, Jigsaw, or else you’re going to be in for a really bad time.”

Jigsaw opened his mouth to say something, his face turning blue. Before he could answer, a bolt of Eximus energy slammed into my side, sending me straight to the ground, my powers retreating.

Jigsaw fell to his knees, gasping for air. I struggled to regain control of my body, but the electricity was still having its own way with me.

“Son of a bitch!” Jigsaw yelled as he pulled himself up from the ground. He kicked me in my side, sending me sliding backwards across the ground. At least one of my ribs broke. The pain flared throughout me as I slid to a stop. I wanted to cry out, but the Eximus was still lingering. Just a few more seconds and my powers would be back.

“Fall back boys!” I heard Jigsaw scream.

Come on,
I thought.
Come on!
I screamed in my mind. The Eximus only had a second or two longer before it would dissipate. I felt the pain in my side beginning to leave. I moved my fingers, then my toes. The Eximus was gone, I was back in control. I jumped to my feet, ready to get back into action. But when I looked around, all I saw were Drew, Avery, Selena, Ellie, and only four or five prisoners.

Drew came running over to me. “Are you okay?” he yelled as he ran.

“Yeah,” I said, out of breath. “Who shot me?” I asked, anger rising within me.

I could tell from the look on his face that Drew didn’t want to answer that. “It was me,” he said, weak. “I watched Jigsaw reach for your cuffs,” he said, pointing to the Eximus handcuffs clipped to my pants. “I was trying to shoot him before he got the chance and used them on you. I missed though,” he said, looking away, his hand shaking with adrenaline. “I’m really sorry.”

I wanted to be mad at him, but there was no reason to. He was trying to help, and had Jigsaw been able to take me out like that, it probably would’ve been bad for Drew and Avery, seeing as how they couldn’t heal themselves. Besides, it was the least Drew could’ve done after what happened a few days ago. I might not have wanted it to happen while I was in the middle of fighting an enemy, but I couldn’t say I didn’t deserve it. “Don’t worry about it,” I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Accidents happen. You made the right call.”

Drew nodded, and Selena came flying up behind him. “Hey,” she said. “You good?”

I nodded my head. “Yeah, I’m fine. That Jigsaw guy knows how to put up a fight.”

“So do his men,” Selena said, looking back at where she’d come from. I followed her gaze and saw where the fight between her, Ellie, and Jigsaw’s men went down. The whole area was destroyed. Bookshelves were bent out of place, there were holes in the wall and ceiling, and pieces of paper floated over the edge of the balcony and down to the ground.

“Sucks we had to destroy all these books,” Drew said, kicking at one that sat on the ground.

I nodded my head. “Hopefully there weren’t any first editions,” I said. I walked past the two of them towards where Ellie and Avery were gathering up the prisoners. “Let’s go see if they need any help.”