The OK Team (22 page)

Walking down the street, I think about how long we've all been at school together without me realising who they actually were. And about how many clues have been right in front of me. What a loser.

‘Hey Torch,' I say, when Simon and I are a little away from the rest of the group. ‘How long did it take you to realise I was Focus?'

Simon looks at me from under his hair and smiles. ‘Don't take this the wrong way, but there aren't that many kids in the area born out of focus.'

‘Oh right, I guess. It, um, took me a while to work out who you guys were,'

‘Frederick and I fessed up to one another pretty quickly,' Torch says. ‘I put two and two together when I saw Frederick fly for a mark in footy and land metres away. I pulled him aside and lit my finger and he almost fell over. It was pretty funny.'

‘What about Ali? I mean, Liarbird?'

‘That was Yesterday. She told Frederick that she had worked out why Ali never talks. She reckons it was her ability “to see” that worked it out, but we reckon it's just some girl vibe and she got lucky.'

We head back to Torch's house. We're a bit nervous about running into Mr Fabulous, but Torch says he's not the sort to hold a grudge. It turns out he's not even there, but lots of other Heroes are: mostly Papa Torch's crusty old mates, but also a few other heroes of different ages, powers and gradings.

Everybody is gathered in the living room around Channel 78737. As we find some space where you can see the screen, I notice the bookshelf next to me shift slightly.

I squint and see that it's actually Leon standing in front of it, melded into the background as ever.

‘How are you?' he says.

‘Brilliant! Never been better!' I say honestly.

‘I see you're back with your team. That's great.'

‘You knew I wasn't?'

‘Focus,' he says, with an edge to it. ‘We know everything, remember?'

‘Do you know if Golden Boy is going to take out this meteor before we're all dust?'

‘No,' he admits. ‘I don't know that. Golden Boy is missing. I'll feel bad for him, but I think they're going to have to send in some overseas Triple As. Get the job done.

This is getting too tight.'

‘When do they let the non-Hero world know about the threat?'

Leon laughs. ‘They probably won't. This kind of thing – well, not this dramatic, but potentially Earth-threatening – happens about ten times a year and non-Heroes haven't got a clue.'

‘What if the meteor lands?'

Leon shrugs. ‘It's still better, isn't it? They'll never know what hit them.'

Channel 78737's news flash music starts up, so we turn to the TV. Papa Torch tells everybody to shut up and stop that chattering. Then realises it's Ice Man's frozen teeth that are chattering, as usual, and apologises.

On the screen, a male Hero newsreader in a full deep blue cowl and cape appears.

NEWSREADER:
Less than two hours now until the asteroid impact zone. Still no word from our teams covering Golden Boy's home and other haunts. Gotham has an emergency meeting scheduled for one hour from now.

Meanwhile, a Hero haze has been placed around the entire city.

A picture of an old man in a trenchcoat and sunglasses, smoke steaming from his nostrils, appears on the screen. He looks vaguely familiar.

NEWSREADER: Another major hero story is emerging, believe it or not, in the shadow of the asteroid. Hero Hall of Famer Mr Fabulous has been kidnapped.

Yes, that's right. The old timer, currently in Melbourne to assist Golden Boy during his first world save, has been nabbed by an old nemesis, Scorch, who hadn't been seen for three decades before briefly being spotted yesterday. Scorch is being assisted by some rising young Villains, led by somebody calling himself ‘Moonface'. We believe Mr Fabulous is being held hostage at what used to be the Planetarium at the old Melbourne Science
Museum.

Local Hero Southern Cross had this to say . . .

SOUTHERN CROSS:
Scorch and these young punks have terrible timing. We're worried for Mr Fabulous, but we've decided to give him the respect he deserves. We assume that a legend of his standing won't let anything too bad happen down in the museum until we have seen off this meteor and can turn our full attention to his
rescue.

NEWSREADER:
So there you have it. Hang tight, Fab, and if there's anything or anybody left in Melbourne a couple of hours from now, we'll see if we can get around to a rescue.

It's all happening down under.

The image on the screen changes to the huge old science museum, topped by a rusty satellite dish. Several Villains can be seen for a moment, tiny against the massive dish, waving and yelling at the flying camera.

NEWSREADER:
Hero TV will have a remote camera at the scene between now and the asteroid, just in case. Good luck, Mr Fabulous.

The newsflash ends, and I realise I'm standing.

‘Captain Rewind, were you recording that?' I ask.

‘Of course,' says a Hero with white hair and a giant TV screen where his chest should be. ‘Why, son?'

‘Can you please rewind to that shot of the science museum? Where you could see the satellite dish?'

The screen on his chest comes to life, showing what we just saw, but now scrolling back a few seconds. I can't believe I'm working with such a local Hero legend. I take the moment to say to him, ‘I'm Focus, by the way. A friend of Papa Torch's grandson. It's nice to meet you. I've always been a fan.'

‘Thanks, kid. Now what did you want to see?'

‘Can you zoom in on the dish itself ? Where the bad guys are . . . That's it. Closer . . .'

‘Focus? What's going on?' It's Torch, with the rest of the OK Team behind him. We're all looking at Captain Rewind's screen.

‘There!' I say, pointing, and my thumb is a little blurry in excitement and fear. ‘Look, in front of the other villains.

Recognise that guy?'

He's jumping up and down, making rude gestures. We can't see his face because he's wearing a huge white mask that is shaped like the Moon, and a black bodysuit with a half moon on the front, but we all know the body language and the massive musclebound body. We know who we're looking at.

‘Scooby Doo!' says Liarbird.

‘Scumm,' says Torch. ‘We should have known.'

‘Yeah,' I say. ‘He and all his lughead mates not being at school today, of all days. It's up to us, team.'

‘What?' says Yesterday, looking shocked but a bit excited too.

‘We're going to save Mr Fabulous.'

‘Are you nuts, Focus?' says Torch. ‘We're not ready. That's a job for real Heroes.'

‘We are real Heroes. The moment we choose to be.

That's what I've finally realised. That's why I can finally do what Mr Fabulous asked and make different parts of myself disappear when I want them to. It's all about believing in the ok team rides again yourself. I AM a Hero and I CAN control my power.'

They stare at me. Then Cannonball suddenly grabs me a in a bear hug. ‘Yeah! A Hero is a Hero. No matter what!!!'

‘Nice speech, kid,' says Papa Torch. ‘You finally get it.'

He creaks out of his chair and shuffles over to his grandson. ‘You want to know a secret, Simon?' he says gently.

‘When I started, all those endless years ago . . . guess what my only power was? My first sign that I was a Hero?'

‘No way!' says Torch. ‘Are you serious?'

‘Yes,' says the old man, flicking a wrinkled finger until a flame appears. ‘Only this.'

Torch looks as if this is the line he's waited his whole life to hear. He calmly nods, points his much younger index finger, and shoots a burst of flame across the room as though it's the most natural thing in the world. A candle bursts neatly to life on the dining room table, exactly where he'd aimed.

I high-five him – and the rest of the team – and we charge out of the room. A gaggle of ageing, past-it Heroes cheer like a footy crowd from Papa Torch's front patio as the OK Team runs across the lawn.

‘Leon, you want to come with us?' I ask.

‘No, I'm going to find out what's happening with Golden Boy. Call me if you need me.'

I nod, and check the OK Team is still all there.

It's time to go to work.

CHAPTER 29
MOMENT OF TRUTH

T
he science museum is across town, on the other side of the West Gate Bridge. With an hour and a half before the meteor is due to hit, we don't have time to catch public transport.

‘Switchy,' I say. ‘Make like a helicopter.'

‘Focus . . .' he says.

‘Don't think. Don't question. Just do.' I stare him down.

‘Switchy, you can be whoever or whatever you want to be . . . including yourself. Be 500 per cent sure that you're capable of it, for me. Right now, we need a helicopter.'

He takes a deep breath, nods once, turns red, shakes, and suddenly I'm staring at a wheelbarrow.

‘Come on, Switchy. You can do it!'

The wheelbarrow shakes, turns red, and POP!, I'm staring at a helicopter.

‘Rock and roll!' I say. ‘Everybody, in. Let's go, Switchy.'

Switchy's made himself into a fast helicopter and we're there inside of five minutes, touching down outside the museum. The enormous bluestone building is at least five storeys high and half a city block in size. I take a few moments to look at the building, to look at our surroundings, to think of a plan.

My team gathers around me, waiting for instructions. I can't help but enjoy how ‘right' this feels, and how natural leadership suddenly is.

‘Before we start, everybody, hands and gloves in,' I say, extending my right hand in front of me. ‘You know what to do. I'm OK!'

‘You're OK!'

‘WE'RE OK!!!!!!'

We say it like we mean it. I get shivers, and not from my power.

I make my hand vanish then reappear, and they all look surprised, then smile.

‘See,' I say. ‘Nothing to it.'

I turn to those grey eyes.

‘Liarbird. In a moment you're going to lie your way in there, with Switchy. I'll already be in there, and so will Cannonball. There's one thing we all have to be really clear on. Liarbird, it's fantastic that you're starting to control when you tell the truth and when you lie, but telling the truth doesn't come naturally for you yet. Under pressure, during a battle, I think it will be easier and more natural for you to lie. If any of us ask you a question, we're going to assume any answers you give us are your usual lies. OK?'

She frowns, thinks, and finally says, ‘Yes, got it.'

‘No,' I say, a little sharply. ‘What did I just say? Tell me again, have you got it?'

This time she nods, and doesn't hesitate. ‘No, I have no idea what you're talking about.'

‘Good,' I grin. ‘Right, Cannonball. There's a broken window four floors up. It looks narrow, but it's probably big enough for you to get through if you don't touch the broken glass. I want you in there, noiselessly, and ready to act when I call you. OK?'

Cannonball looks way up the wall to the tiny broken window. ‘You want me to fly straight up there and through that window?'

‘Yep. And you will, because you can. Believe in yourself, Cannonball. I believe in you.'

He nods and poses a very Heroic, typical Cannonball pose. ‘Right, then. LET'S FIRE THE CANNON!'

‘Mr Fabulous said you weren't allowed to say that,' says his sister, hands on hips.

‘He's not here though, is he,' says Cannonball. ‘And anyway, as of now, I'm being who I want to be. Just like an elk.'