Trainee Superhero (Book Two) Read Free Page A

start
counting how many times Simon Smith has been carved into the
ceiling. I’m up to one hundred and twenty-seven when I get
bored.
    “Search for Ice Blood ,” I tell my
tat-a-gotchi.
    His list of achievements is intimidating; he
must have been one of the most powerful supers in the world. He
took out saucers single-handedly, and completed hundreds of
missions. Under number of kills was written “thousands”. Ice
Blood ’s rise was meteoric until its sudden, tragic end. He was
only twenty-five.
    “Search for Born Lucky ,” I say.
    I’m not surprised to find that Born
Lucky comes from a rich, politically connected family. He is a
powerful super, too, although not in the same league as Ice
Blood .
    “Reason for assignment,” I ask.
    The computer seems to think about this one,
then spits out: “Volunteered for the Cerberus Brawlers .”
    “Search for other volunteers,” I say.
    “None found,” the computer says.
    I’m not surprised.
    “Search Pet Shark ,” I ask.
    “Record classified. Error! Unauthorized
access detected-”
    The screen on my arm starts glowing red. I
stop my search and wipe any evidence of my prying with practice
that comes from years of misspent youth. I doubt anyone will be
able to trace the unauthorized access back to me, even if they
notice it. My tat-a-gotchi reappears on my arm and glares at me. I
feed it, and it falls asleep.
    I lie back on the bed, but it’s not long
before my thoughts are interrupted by a loud knock on the door.
It’s Past Prime , and he does not look happy. I try to look
innocent.
    “I’ve assigned you to a team. It’s only
temporary until our roster stabilizes,” he says.
    “I’m ready,” I answer.
    “You aren’t, but we are desperately short
handed. Be at the armory in twenty minutes.”
    He closes the door.
    I should be mourning the loss of Ice
Blood and his team, and part of me is.
    I should be terrified, and part of me is.
    I should be worried that I’m not up to
this.
    But all I can think of is that I am getting a
chance to fight saucers again, and this time I know what I’m
doing.
     
    Maybe I also have ice for blood.
     

Lesson Seven:
Take It Personally
     
    “We are not arrogant, no, not at all. We
serve the world.”
    - Green Heart , spokesperson for the
Superhero Corps.
     
    “Arrogant? Yes, and we must be. Humble minds
never overcame the impossible.”
    - Ice Blood , court martial
transcript.
     
     
     
    Have you ever wondered what superheroes do
when they aren’t busy saving the world?
    I never have. I just assumed they made a
seamless transition from living the high life to battling the
saucers… and maybe the other teams are doing just that, but the Cerberus Brawlers aren’t. The Brawlers have a squad
of six superheroes on call twenty-four hours a day, seven days a
week. Saucer attacks aren’t that common, and so we spend a lot of
time sitting in the armory waiting for an attack. A part of the
armory has been converted to a waiting room, with bookshelves and
screens to keep us distracted. It’s not very comfortable to sit
around in our armor, but it means we can be in our capsules in
minutes and be anywhere on Earth in twenty minutes.
    My first three shifts went by with no attack.
Or more accurately, no attack in our territory. There was a saucer
brought down near Auckland, but we weren’t involved. A smallish
devilserpent was found in the Amazon, but disappeared before anyone
could respond, and a scout saucer shot over Europe without being
intercepted. All in all, it was a quiet time.
    I never would have thought being a superhero
could ever be boring. It’s a strange, nervous kind of boredom that
pervades the armory, because it may be the last boredom we ever
live to have. One of my teammates is sitting in silence and staring
at a wall, which is slightly unnerving. Her name is Bad
Attitude , and she hasn’t said a word to me since we were
introduced. Another of the team, Slow Learner , is reading a
thick history book. Never