Dark Hunter (6 page)

He ducked back down as Inferno roared in frustration, shooting a massive plume of fire skyward. He was about to pick himself up to try to stop the villain again when his earpiece chimed. He answered quickly, hoping the sound hadn't attracted the attention of the fiend.

“What?” hissed Chameleon in a whisper. “I'm a little busy right now.”

The voice on the other end was a fresh-sounding Californian surfer type, obviously one of the new Enforcers who had been drafted at short notice.

“Dude, I was told to tell you that, like, Tera … te-ra … however you say it, has, like, lost the
other
dude.”

Gunfire erupted at the end of the street as the Italian military finally arrived with a pair of armored Humvees. Chameleon cupped his hand against the noise as he tried to think. He hated the Enforcers' communications systems and had requested they outsource the job to a more reliable company.

“Teratoid?”

“Yo, that's the one.”

“He's lost Hunter's trail?”

“They said, like, they'll resume tomorrow. Or somethin' like that.”

“That was it? The whole message?”

“Oh, man, wish I could remember.” In the long pause that followed, a blazing Humvee twisted over Chameleon's head and smashed against a wall. “Oh yeah, I remember now. Something about that dude … um … the kid you mentioned who'd sprung from jail. They found a spy at Dibilobo … that prison. Spy said he was working for …” There was an intake of breath as he tried to recall the name. “Chromosome?”

Chameleon was shocked. “I'll report in later.” He cut the communication link before the surfer dude could hear the despair he now felt.

Chromosome had decided to step into Jake Hunter's life. How could things get any worse?

Many things struck Jake when he saw Chromosome descend from the COE shuttle. The first was that she was incredibly beautiful. Just under six feet tall, with long blond hair held tight in a ponytail and the looks of a supermodel—not really surprising, since she had vainly reengineered her own genetic structure to be perfect.
She didn't need makeup; it was all “built-in.” She wore a silver one-piece suit with black boots and a metal belt buckle with the logo “XX.” Jake wasn't aware that it signified that, genetically, all women have “XX” chromosomes, and men had “XY”—that's what really distinguishes boys from girls.

The second most striking thing ruined the whole illusion of perfect beauty. About a hundred chrome spiders, all identical and the size of tarantulas, scuttled from the ship and covered the ground around her while others raced across her body. Her Legion. Jake wasn't afraid of spiders, and he'd often taunted his sister with large specimens at home, but the sight in this context unnerved him and he took a step back.

She regarded him with keen blue eyes. “So you are the one they all talk about?” Her accent had a South African twang.

Jake nervously eyed the metallic-skinned spiders that patrolled the area but kept away from him. He noticed Mr. Grimm allowed several to crawl across his shoes, although he didn't look too happy about it.

“Suppose I am. You're the one who gave me the phone?”

“Yes. I didn't think a full-scale attack on Diablo was warranted when you had the ability to slip out. My name is Chromosome.”

“And you're a member of the Council of Evil, right?
Let me guess, you didn't want the Hero Foundation discovering how I can absorb and amplify so many powers. And you thought that it would be better if I worked for you?” Jake had been thinking about it a lot, and he'd been drawing up his own plans in response.

Chromosome gave him a dazzling smile. “Of course. But don't let my transportation confuse you. I am one of the eight members of the Council. We represent the epitome of evil, so I am told. Think of us as a government, and like all governments, people wish to overthrow us, like your pal Basilisk.”

Jake tried not to let his emotions show, but Chromosome saw the anger in his eyes.

“Somebody you no doubt would like to get hold of? He's still alive, you know.” Chromosome circled Jake as she talked, always her Legion scouting the ground ahead. “And like governments, we have internal power feuds happening all the time. I sent one of my supporters to help Basilisk bring down the Hero Foundation. She's still with Basilisk now, in fact. Shall I tell you where?”

Jake knew she was taunting him, and he liked her less with every passing second. Jake wanted to get his hands on both Basilisk and Chameleon, but that would have to wait until after he won back his family.

“I'm not going to work for the Council,” he said,
tensing because he anticipated a violent reaction. Instead, Chromosome laughed pleasantly.

“Good. I don't want you to, either. I will be blunt with you. I am tired of my fellow Council members and wish to replace them. The whole organization will run more efficiently with a woman's touch, don't you think?”

Jake dared not answer with what he really thought. He glanced at Mr. Grimm, who was staring at him intently.

“But don't get me wrong. This is no petty power struggle. I have bigger, more impressive plans. The Council, the Foundation, they're just speed bumps to my goals. I don't want you working for me, either. You're such an independent boy. Too clever to be a lackey, and too strong for me to completely trust you.”

Jake knew he was being buttered up, and he was embarrassed to discover it was working.

“I don't understand what you want from me.”

“I want to trade favors. Virtually every established villain is currently applying to the Council for their crazy schemes to carve a patch on the globe they can call their own. With Primes hiding and no toy heroes left anymore, it's becoming almost too easy. My problem is that idiots on my side respect the Council
too
much; they are terrified of breaking the rules. So I can't trust them for what I have in mind. On the other hand
you have those like Basilisk.” Jake bristled again at the mention of the name. A slight smile tugged the corner of Chromosome's mouth. “I know you are very well acquainted with him. He most definitely can't be trusted. He likes his secrets too much.”

Jake felt his skin crawl, then realized that it was because several spiders were creeping up his legs. He tried to shake them off but they wouldn't budge.

“I want you to do me a little favor. Kidnap the president of the United States.”

Jake brushed the spiders off him; it was like batting away metal ornaments. “Why would I do that?”

Chromosome shrugged. “Why not? In return I will give you …
Psych
.”

Jake's eyes narrowed. “How do you know I'm looking for him?” He instantly regretted speaking out. Like with Mr. Grimm, his comment had confirmed his intentions.

“Wouldn't everybody seek out the one who snatched
everything
away? I can give you his exact whereabouts, daily routine …
give you back your life
. And no matter what that little reptile Chameleon may have told you, the process he used on your family
is
reversible. But only Psych can perform it. Only he possesses that ability. It was one of several powers deemed too dangerous to synthesize.”

She folded her arms and raised a perfect eyebrow.

“Do we have a deal?”

Jake gawked. While the task sounded feasible, the ramifications of kidnapping the president were huge. People
would
notice. But being handed Psych would save him so much trouble. Chromosome's intentions were irrelevant to Jake. Once he had his family back he could then turn his attentions on the two warring factions of heroes and villains, and destroy them both.

“We have a deal.”

Chromosome looked pleased. “My associate Mr. Grimm will find you at the relevant time and give you the details of the operation. When you hand me the president, I will deliver you to Psych's door.”

She headed back up the ramp of the ship, her Legion skittering after her.

“You better not betray me,” warned Jake.

Chromosome stopped and whirled around, a look of surprise on her face. “Whatever made you think that?”

“If you don't do
exactly
what you promised, then I will destroy you.” Jake hoped that didn't sound like an idle threat.

Chromosome's surprised expression turned back into her winning smile. “They were right about you. Smart. How fast you boys grow up.”

Then she left, the Council shuttle silently taking off, heading back the way it had come. Jake momentarily thought about following, but decided against it.
Although he didn't like it, Jake just had to wait and see how things would turn out.

Lorna had been true to her word and was waiting for Jake as he cautiously approached her house. Once they were safely in the garage, he noticed that she looked immensely tired, but she shook off any questions by saying that she'd had a hectic day.

She had laid out a camping air mattress with several thick blankets and provided Jake with a clean set of clothes that she'd sneaked out of her brother's closet. She had also prepared a chicken and rice frozen meal in the microwave, and there was juice to drink. To Jake it felt like paradise.

Lorna watched him with concern as he ate, and he deflected her questions about the arguments with his family by simply saying he didn't want to talk about it. Instead they talked about movies they had seen recently, music, what they both didn't like about school—although Jake's list was much longer than Lorna's—sports, and anything else they could think about.

Jake was used to talking to his sister, but talking to Lorna was a whole new experience. She was smart, but not in a way that made him feel stupid, and she was much funnier than his old gang. It wasn't as though he was talking to a
girl
at all.

* * *

It was difficult to sleep. While thoughts of revenge powered his every step, the moment Jake sat down and had time to think, Chromosome's ambitious plan to kidnap the president weighed on his mind. He had kidnapped before, a flabby Ukrainian businessman who wasn't expecting to be snatched away by a supervillain. But the president was a different matter. He would be seriously protected. At the time Jake didn't care why Chromosome wanted him to do it, but now the enormity of the task was making him wonder if the risks were worth it.

He shook the doubts away. Of course the risks were worth it. It was for his family.

No
, he corrected himself,
I'm doing it for me
.

The following morning Jake and Lorna left her house very early before the rest of her family woke up. They decided to catch a train to a Six Flags theme park in the next town. Jake had asked for sunscreen to protect his skin. Since overdosing on the Villain.net powers he had become pale and sensitive to bright light. Even a cold winter sky could make his skin smart. He also asked for a cap. Lorna gave him her New York Yankees baseball cap, which he pulled low over his face. But he need not have worried as nobody took any notice of him.

The park was packed despite the cold, overcast day, but at least it wasn't raining and people were enjoying the Christmas parades and jovial atmosphere. Lorna had paid for them both to get in, and bought hot dogs to eat in between multiple rides on roller coasters that had them screaming all the way—although Jake had to pretend he was scared as the experience was
nothing
compared to what he'd done over the last few weeks. But the rides and Lorna's company prevented him from dwelling on the enormous task Chromosome had given him. He was determined to enjoy the moment and not think about the future. At least for today.

As they sat enjoying a Coke, he noticed that Lorna seemed thoughtful.

“What's the matter?”

“I was just thinking that you're much nicer than people think.”

Jake remained silent. If only he could tell her the truth.

Lorna continued, refusing to meet his gaze. “I mean, you're fun. And not a total idiot.”

“Thanks,” Jake said, trying to decipher if that was a compliment or not.

“So I was wondering if this … you know, made us boyfriend-girlfriend?”

She looked embarrassed and Jake had to look away as he felt suddenly confused.

“Well, um … I …”

He closed his eyes; he was stammering like a fool. He took a deep breath and turned to Lorna. She was smiling, amused by his unease. Her hand snaked across the table and gently touched his.

Jake's eyes went wide and he suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Oh my God!”

Lorna snapped her hand back, frightened and confused by his reaction. It took a second for her to realize that Jake was looking over her shoulder. She turned to see the massive figure of Teratoid smash through several snack kiosks, roaring like a gorilla as it batted away two orange-coated security guards.

Jake immediately knew the creature was after him. He grabbed Lorna's hand.

“Listen to me. I … I'm going to call the police. Meet me at the gate!”

Lorna nodded. It didn't occur to her to point out that Jake had a cell phone and could have called from anywhere as they both ran.

Screams rippled through the crowds, and Jake found himself pushing against the crush of people trying to flee. He leaped over the counter of a shooting range stall to avoid the crowd. He couldn't just face this foe in public, he'd be recognized instantly—and Lorna would know his secret. But luck was with Jake: a motorcycle helmet and a worn leather jacket lay
behind the counter, left by an employee eager to save his skin. Jake put on the helmet, and pulled down the tinted visor. With the jacket it was a perfect disguise.

Jake soared into the air and unleashed a fireball at the monster below. The beast howled in rage and searched the skies to locate its attacker. That's when Jake saw Teratoid's face.

“Scuffer?” he said in astonishment.