Rogue Superheroes by Matt Cowper

Author:Matt Cowper [Cowper, Matt]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Matt Cowper
Published: 2019-02-26T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

Blaze

“Anything?” Sam's dad said.

“Nothing,” Sam replied.

Achilles barked, confused at the humans standing around in the kitchen. And why was Sam's hand in the hot oven?

The reason: after much discussion, they'd decided to turn on the bed-and-breakfast's oven, hoping its heat could jumpstart Sam's powers. Mr. Flexible was the leading proponent of this idea. He reasoned that if Nightstriker had said Sam should jump into a volcano, then perhaps being in contact with extreme heat would work.

But Sam had been holding his hand within a 450 degree oven for ten minutes, and there had been no noticeable effect. He'd touched the sides and grabbed the grills, and still he couldn't conjure flame. He still had his heat resistance, so the oven wasn't hurting him; Sam supposed that was one positive point.

They'd sent Bonnie, the Sea Whisper's owner, out to get some eggs, claiming that Sam loved massive omelets for breakfast. Bonnie smiled knowingly, and left without much discussion. As soon as she was out of sight, they'd huddled in the kitchen and begun their experiment.

Sam pulled out his hand and slammed the oven door shut. “This is pointless!”

“Maybe you should, uh, stick more of your body inside,” Mr. Flexible said, stroking his rubbery chin.

“Maybe I should take a nap in there,” Sam said. “Maybe I should stay in there overnight, like a roasting turkey.”

“Sam, don't be rude,” his mother said. “We're just trying to help.”

“I know, I know. But we don't have time to waste! We need to either find a much larger heat source, or come up with a better plan.”

“Maybe I could take you somewhere,” Mr. Flexible said. “If I elongate my legs, I can cover a lot of ground.”

“To where, though?” Sam's dad asked. “A nuclear reactor? Back to Z City, where every superhero is being hunted, to find someone with fire powers, or someone who's knowledgeable about these types of power drains?”

Mr. Flexible shrugged, and his entire upper body jiggled. “I don't know, Mr. Boyd.”

“If only I knew what would reignite me,” Sam muttered. “Dammit! If Nightstriker were here....”

“He'd growl at all of us, then come up with a solution in about thirty seconds,” Mr. Flexible said. “But that gruff bastard ain't here, so we just have to do our best.”

“I know, but...Lancaster has been gloating about the defeat of the Elites all day,” Sam said. “More and more superheroes are getting thrown into MegaMax or killed, or they're joining those despots so they can save their own hides. We need to make a decision on what to do – right now.”

“Well, what do you think, Sam?” his mother asked. “We've discussed all the options we can think of. You know your powers better than us. The ultimate decision lies with you.”

They all looked at Sam, and the assurance and energy he'd just felt trickled away. Now that it was time to make a bold choice, instead of complaining about the situation, he floundered.

Any path he chose was fraught with peril. If he returned to Z City, he risked capture.

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