Megamatrix Hero Within by Phil Hester, Jon S. Lewis, Shannon Eric Denton, Jake Bell Page B
Ads: Link
afterlife beckoning him to cross over.
It came from Neptune's Spirit.
Lord Trident's magic spear glistened within the glass case above the desk. When his eyes locked onto it, the pain in Fletcher's chest, his entire body, faded to a numb throbbing. He calmly extended his hand toward the case, which caused one of the guards to grab and pin his wrist to the couch.
At Fletcher's command, Neptune's Spirit freed itself at last. For more than a decade, it has patiently awaited the return of its master and at last the time had come to reunite. In a shower of glass shards, the trident broke free of the case and hurried to Fletcher's hand, stabbing the guard who'd pinned his wrist cleanly through the forearm.
The guard fell backward, letting go of Fletcher's arm and clutching his own bleeding wound instead. But the other guards, Napalm, and Technein barely noticed his cries of pain.
That's because when Neptune's Spirit reached Fletcher's hand, they were a little distracted. For years, the ruler of the seas had been missing, but now that he was back, the water itself celebrated.
Every pipe in the entire mansion burst at once, and none in a more spectacular mess than those in Napalm's lavatory. The toilet and sink exploded in a scene reminiscent of the 4th of July if fireworks were replaced by indoor plumbing. Fragments of porcelain tore through the wall separating the bathroom and the office, allowing streams of water to spray through the hole left behind. Water from the upstairs pipes that had burst began seeping through the ceiling. The room looked more like a dam ready to burst than an office.
As soon as the water touched his skin, Fletcher realized why he'd felt so thirsty. He'd been dehydrated. Now, as he soaked up the deluge pouring forth from the wall and ceiling, he felt every cell of his body restored. Better than restored. He felt every cell rejoice. The pain from the device was gone, and with it his concentration problems.
Fletcher took advantage of the distraction of exploding plumbing, rolling off the couch and using the handle of Neptune's Spirit to trip two of the security guards all in one fluid motion. He got to his feet and grabbed the remaining guard by his shirt and tie, then tossed him across the room on top of the others as they tried to stand, knocking them all down.
He pointed the tips of Neptune's Spirit at Technein's throat. Technein stared at the handle, silently panicking at every twitch of Fletcher's hands. The ability to interfere with any electronic system was worthless against an ancient magical sea spear. That was why he'd had Napalm kill Lord Trident instead of doing it himself.
It would take next to nothing. With less effort than it would take to slice a ripe peach, Fletcher could plunge the trident into Technein's throat and end the supervillain's reign over the city. Yet something within him restrained him. He didn't want vengeance. He wanted justice. But more so, he didn’t want to be like Technein or Napalm or Tremblor. He wasn’t a murderer.
"Over by the window," Fletcher ordered, giving Technein a quick, painful poke in the chest. "You, too," he shouted at Napalm
Napalm, who was nearly fully restored and ready for another blast, happily joined them by the large bay window that overlooked his fishing boat in the marina, ready to kill Lord Trident all over again.
"You think if you get rid of me you can just take over the whole city and it's that easy? What are you going to do?" Technein said. "Kill me?"
"No," Fletcher declared, "superheroes don't do that. I'm going to bring you to justice."
Napalm and Technein both laughed. "And how are you going to do that?" Technein laughed. "There's no justice left on Earth, dummy."
"Maybe not on land," Fletcher said with a sly smile, slamming the base of Neptune's Spirit on the floor of the office.
The two supervillains shared a quizzical look for a second before they heard the roar. The first thing they noticed when they spun around was that
It came from Neptune's Spirit.
Lord Trident's magic spear glistened within the glass case above the desk. When his eyes locked onto it, the pain in Fletcher's chest, his entire body, faded to a numb throbbing. He calmly extended his hand toward the case, which caused one of the guards to grab and pin his wrist to the couch.
At Fletcher's command, Neptune's Spirit freed itself at last. For more than a decade, it has patiently awaited the return of its master and at last the time had come to reunite. In a shower of glass shards, the trident broke free of the case and hurried to Fletcher's hand, stabbing the guard who'd pinned his wrist cleanly through the forearm.
The guard fell backward, letting go of Fletcher's arm and clutching his own bleeding wound instead. But the other guards, Napalm, and Technein barely noticed his cries of pain.
That's because when Neptune's Spirit reached Fletcher's hand, they were a little distracted. For years, the ruler of the seas had been missing, but now that he was back, the water itself celebrated.
Every pipe in the entire mansion burst at once, and none in a more spectacular mess than those in Napalm's lavatory. The toilet and sink exploded in a scene reminiscent of the 4th of July if fireworks were replaced by indoor plumbing. Fragments of porcelain tore through the wall separating the bathroom and the office, allowing streams of water to spray through the hole left behind. Water from the upstairs pipes that had burst began seeping through the ceiling. The room looked more like a dam ready to burst than an office.
As soon as the water touched his skin, Fletcher realized why he'd felt so thirsty. He'd been dehydrated. Now, as he soaked up the deluge pouring forth from the wall and ceiling, he felt every cell of his body restored. Better than restored. He felt every cell rejoice. The pain from the device was gone, and with it his concentration problems.
Fletcher took advantage of the distraction of exploding plumbing, rolling off the couch and using the handle of Neptune's Spirit to trip two of the security guards all in one fluid motion. He got to his feet and grabbed the remaining guard by his shirt and tie, then tossed him across the room on top of the others as they tried to stand, knocking them all down.
He pointed the tips of Neptune's Spirit at Technein's throat. Technein stared at the handle, silently panicking at every twitch of Fletcher's hands. The ability to interfere with any electronic system was worthless against an ancient magical sea spear. That was why he'd had Napalm kill Lord Trident instead of doing it himself.
It would take next to nothing. With less effort than it would take to slice a ripe peach, Fletcher could plunge the trident into Technein's throat and end the supervillain's reign over the city. Yet something within him restrained him. He didn't want vengeance. He wanted justice. But more so, he didn’t want to be like Technein or Napalm or Tremblor. He wasn’t a murderer.
"Over by the window," Fletcher ordered, giving Technein a quick, painful poke in the chest. "You, too," he shouted at Napalm
Napalm, who was nearly fully restored and ready for another blast, happily joined them by the large bay window that overlooked his fishing boat in the marina, ready to kill Lord Trident all over again.
"You think if you get rid of me you can just take over the whole city and it's that easy? What are you going to do?" Technein said. "Kill me?"
"No," Fletcher declared, "superheroes don't do that. I'm going to bring you to justice."
Napalm and Technein both laughed. "And how are you going to do that?" Technein laughed. "There's no justice left on Earth, dummy."
"Maybe not on land," Fletcher said with a sly smile, slamming the base of Neptune's Spirit on the floor of the office.
The two supervillains shared a quizzical look for a second before they heard the roar. The first thing they noticed when they spun around was that
Similar Books
