Category Archives: Book 04: Alien Machines & Evil Beatniks

Arc 4.2: Under 30

Under 30: Part 16

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I couldn’t have explained it in so many words then, but saving Sean wouldn’t be simple.

I had a little bit of a head start because I was below him, and most of his metal defenses had been facing Dixie Supergirl. So I wouldn’t have to avoid much if I kept on flying upward, and a little to the left—where his back had been.

The big problem would come when I caught him.

The second he stopped falling, he’d get hit in the head by a chunk of steel reinforced concrete, or a ten foot section of railing.
Continue reading Under 30: Part 16 →

Arc 4.2: Under 30

Under 30: Part 15

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I barely saw him leave—just a blur of green and white. Jody followed, running away so quickly he might as well have teleported.

Out of the corner of my eye, Jaclyn appeared in the air, arcing upward, and landing at the edge of a third floor cell as I flew in. We both skidded to a stop on the floor, ripping the brown carpet.

Dayton stood on the walkway, past the shattered remains of the wooden door and its frame. He began to turn his head back toward us, probably noticing the noise, but even as he did, his eyes widened, and he began to pull himself over the metal railing.

I couldn’t see if he made it because fire filled my vision except for a string of errors from the suit’s readouts, all of which could be summarized by the phrase, “It’s getting too hot.” Continue reading Under 30: Part 15 →

Arc 4.2: Under 30

Under 30: Part 14

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I sent everybody a red, and a message. Then I ran back to the lab, and started to put on the Rocket suit.

I’d spent a lot of time fixing and modifying the Rocket suit that summer, but I hadn’t spent much time figuring out how to get it on faster. You know how the armor comes from all directions and attaches itself in the Iron Man movies? I needed that.

The portable briefcase version wouldn’t have hurt either. Continue reading Under 30: Part 14 →

Arc 4.2: Under 30

Under 30: Part 13

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Sunday night, Marcus and I placed roachbots around the city, and sat back to wait for something exciting to happen.

It didn’t. We went home around two in the morning, having discovered that people really did sneak in after the beach officially closed to drink. They also got discovered by rangers, and then ticketed and fined by the police.

It seemed distinctly less fun than the stories I’d heard.
Continue reading Under 30: Part 13 →

Arc 4.2: Under 30

Under 30: Part 12

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The sole good point about Sean calling to gloat was that I could at least be sure that he didn’t expect me to call back. Lucas, I felt fairly sure, did.

Clicking on the icon that distorted my voice to match how the Rocket sounded in person, I set the voice mail program to dial. I felt sure Lucas would catch that this was an official call—which was good considering he’d probably inherited his grandfather’s resistance to mental tampering.

Daniel had put in our version of the Block on each Justice Fist member back when we all fought Prime and the Cabal’s private army. He’d told me to assume Lucas didn’t have one.

Continue reading Under 30: Part 12 →

Arc 4.2: Under 30

Under 30: Part 11

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I wore the full Rocket armor. Pulling the stealth suit out of my closet at home would have been faster, but according to Grandpa and the reports, Dixie Superman had been tough. Flying into a fight with Dixie Supergirl in less than full gear sounded stupid.

And how much did I want to bet that more of her group was in the crowd?

After running to HQ, plus five minutes worth of pulling the armor on, and a twenty second flight to Grand Lake State Park (with Marcus gliding behind me, shifted into the form of a pair of wings), we were too late.

Not completely too late because she wasn’t gone, but it would have been better if we’d all arrived and attacked simultaneously.
Continue reading Under 30: Part 11 →

Arc 4.2: Under 30

Under 30: Part 10

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After Vaughn and Jaclyn sat down, we started to make a plan.

“At least we know how it’s been done before,” Jaclyn said. “Once we stop his followers and reveal who he’s possessing, he disappears. Hey, do you think we might be able to take the ring if we’re wearing gloves?”

“I don’t know,” I said, “it’s magic. Who knows what the rules are? When one of the Hangmen lassoed me with his noose, it didn’t paralyze me like it was supposed to, but with Evil Beatnik, it might go the other way. The original League surrounded the ring with concrete and bulletproof glass for a reason.” Continue reading Under 30: Part 10 →

Arc 4.2: Under 30

Under 30: Part 9

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Vaughn leaned back from the table and thought about it. “I can’t think of a single way I’ve been influenced.”

“Not noticing is the whole point of influencing somebody,” Rachel began.

I interrupted her.

“My theory goes like this. Evil Beatnik can influence people that might be vulnerable to possession. We’re all under thirty, but those of us who are anti-authority, and who are, or at least try to be cool, are most vulnerable. Continue reading Under 30: Part 9 →

Arc 4.2: Under 30

Under 30: Part 8

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In the face of mounting embarrassment, what was left of the League arranged to meet in HQ on Saturday evening. Rachel and I arrived before everyone else. She’d gone to an open mike night on Friday, so this was the first chance we’d had to talk in two days.

We sat down at the table in the main room, and waited.

“I completely forgot to tell you about the Ice Twins yesterday morning,” I said. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologise. I needed the sleep. I stayed at Lucas’ house until four in the morning.”

“Whoa.” Continue reading Under 30: Part 8 →

Arc 4.2: Under 30

Under 30: Part 7

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Jaclyn and Marcus had arrived first. I arrived second—but only because I grabbed the stealth suit instead of the full Rocket armor.

So instead of appearing almost knight-like in shining gold armor, I appeared in armor that looked like a black leather jacket with matching pants, and gray helmet. Plus, I’d worked out a way to hang my guitar next to the rocketpack on my back in a way that felt comfortable. Granted, it still looked like a guitar hero controller, but it was useful.

Ambulances, police cars, and a Metahuman Containment Cage (generally called “boxes” because of their shape) pulled into the parking lot as I landed. Continue reading Under 30: Part 7 →