Polar Opposites

By Kai Strand

The supers are balanced. Academies have altered their curriculum to teach both sides of the super power spectrum. All's well in the super world. Right? When Mystic kidnaps Oceanus, Jeff learns it isn't all right. Turning to the newly balanced supers for assistance, he panics to find they've done nothing to rescue Oceanus. When no ransom request follows, he worries Mystic's plan never included returning his girlfriend. Frustrated, he's forced to work with the only super willing to help. Oceanus' ex-villain, ex-boyfriend, Set. Mystic isn't the only one hiding something. Nothing about Jeff is balanced. Temper flares result in scorched clothing or flying furniture, and his charm has become an indiscriminating people-magnet. Jeff is convinced, or maybe just hopeful, that his lack of control is directly related to Oceanus being gone. But will he and Set find her before Jeff loses control completely and will they find her alive?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Whiskey Creek Press
• Release date: Jun 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781611608359

Kai Strand

When her children were young and the electricity winked out, Kai Strand gathered her family around the fireplace and they told stories, one sentence at a time. Her boys were rather fond of the ending, “And then everybody died. The end.” Now an award winning children’s author, Kai crafts fiction for kids and teens to provide an escape hatch from their reality. With a selection of novels for young adult and middle grade readers Kai entertains children of all ages, and their adults.

Book preview

Polar Opposites

[Super Villian Academy Book 2]

by

Kai Strand

WHISKEY CREEK PRESS

www.whiskeycreekpress.com

Published by

WHISKEY CREEK PRESS

Whiskey Creek Press

PO Box 51052

Casper, WY 82605-1052

www.whiskeycreekpress.com

Copyright Ó 2014 by Kai Strand

Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 (five) years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

Names, characters and incidents depicted in this book are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or the publisher.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

ISBN: 978-1-61160-835-9

Cover Artist: Angela Archer

Editor: Rick Reisinger

Printed in the United States of America

Dedication

Super powers show up in my world in strange and glorious ways. For example, my oldest daughter, who has the amazing power of achievement. Congratulations on the Bachelor of Arts in Music, honey.

Chapter 1

They never talked about how they ended the world. Twice. Jeff glanced at Oceanus, bent over her phone in the passenger seat of his car. A curtain of black hair shielded her profile from view, but he thought he saw her smile.

He reached over and tucked her hair behind an ear. Yep, she was smiling. So was he. He felt his skin heat, but not as a side-effect of his super power ability to create fire. This heat was due to thoughts of Oci running her small warm hands down his back and tilting her face up to accept his kiss.

How about a movie? Oceanus asked.

Which one? Jeff replied, scanning the traffic and then his girlfriend.

Oci’s thin arms, delicate wrists, and bird-like legs that barely reached the floorboards, all gave the impression she needed protection and caring for. Whereas, with her super strength, she could lift the car they drove in onto two wheels if someone were trapped underneath.

Oh, perfect! Oceanus flung her hair over her shoulder and straightened in her seat. Her smile illuminated Jeff’s peripheral vision as he concentrated on traffic. The one I want to see starts in forty-five minutes. That gives us plenty of time to get there, get popcorn and some good seats, and watch the previews. I love the previews, don’t you?

Jeff glanced at her again. The devilish glint in her eye made him frown. What movie?

Oceanus peeked through thick black lashes. Jeff was pretty sure she even batted them a bit. What movie, Oci?

"Accidental Hero. At Jeff’s groan, Oceanus chuckled. Come on, you have to admit the storyline looks kinda familiar. Besides, the special effects look amazing. You love that crap."

Jeff stared at the traffic and said nothing. He knew it was useless. He could mount the best argument against seeing the movie, but Oceanus always got her way. Cursing his Oceanus-shaped soft spot, he turned at the next intersection and headed toward the theater.

The whiny guitar tones of the heavy metal song Super Villain erupted from his cell phone. He looked at the display and saw Mother’s number. Can you answer that?

Reaching for his phone, Oceanus said, You know, now that we aren’t technically super villains anymore, you should consider changing your ringtone.

Jeff rolled his eyes and slapped his phone into her palm.

Hi Sarah, Oceanus said. Her grin fell to a frown. Uh huh.

What’s she saying? Jeff asked. Oceanus held up her hand to hush him, and her brow furrowed. Yeah.

Is everything okay? Jeff considered pulling over so he could just take the phone and find out for himself what Mother had called about. Put it on speaker.

Oceanus glared at Jeff. Right away?

He regretted not answering himself. What could be so important?

Sure, sure, Sarah. I’ll tell him. Oceanus clapped the phone closed like a castanet.

Jeff stared at her as long as he could without crashing. Well?

She wants you to pick up a gallon of milk on the way home.

What? He pulled into a parking place at the theater and stamped on the breaks harder than he meant to. They rocked forward in their seats, straining against their seatbelts and then bounced back into place. All that for milk?

First she explained that since you moved back home, she hasn’t been able to keep enough milk in the house, then she shared a rather heartfelt story about how you drink directly from the jug and effectively assure she will never partake in the milk unless she is the first to open it. She seems to be developing a new peeve. Oceanus arched an eyebrow at Jeff and then swung out of the car.

Disappointment washed over him when he realized picking up a gallon of milk wouldn’t get him out of seeing Accidental Hero. With a deep breath, he pushed open his car door and unfolded his six-foot, four-inch body from his creaky old Skylark. He’d grown half a foot in a year, and the only reason he wasn’t a bumbling giant was due to the extensive physical training he received at school that kept him in control of his ever-lengthening limbs.

"Oci, can’t we see Bombanator or Ever Love instead?" Jeff whined. He caught up with her in three long strides and wrapped an arm around her.

"Ooo, you’re even willing to see Ever Love in order to avoid Accidental Hero?" Oci tucked up under his arm and slid her hand into the back pocket of his pants.

Jeff nodded and scanned the faces of the people in the long line in front of the theater. He recognized a couple guys and a dozen girls from his old high school and one kid from his new academy.

A concussion of air hit Jeff and Oceanus just before a clanging fire alarm sounded somewhere to their left. A plume of thick black smoke bloomed into the air above a restaurant. Oceanus had barely slipped her hand out of Jeff’s pocket before he bolted in that direction.

He skidded to a halt outside the restaurant when he was assaulted by a wave of intense heat emanating from the door, which was hanging askew. He heard cries and screams from inside and tried to press in through the front entrance, but the heat proved too much for him to overcome. Another flash rattled the door and sent an oven blast of heat through the gap, driving Jeff further backward.

People stumbled out of the neighboring store, coughing and gasping for air. Jeff barged through the exiting crowd. Inside he saw where the explosion had buckled the adjoining wall. Thick gray smoke billowed into the store as if desperate for a clean breath of air. He peered through the fissure in the wall and blinked against the stinging smoke. No fire blazed immediately on the other side. The opening was only as wide as Jeff’s thigh, so he grabbed the wall with both hands and tore away drywall until the hole was large enough for him to slip through.

Smoke choked his airways, and Jeff coughed into the crook of his elbow. He entered into the dining area of the restaurant. Tables and chairs seemed to quaver like ghosts through the thick haze and flickering light of the flames. He nabbed a slightly singed cloth napkin from the floor and tied it like a bandana over his nose and mouth.

You can get out over here! Jeff yelled to the stragglers who stumbled around in the thickening smoke.

Concentrating inside himself, Jeff siphoned a small amount of magnesium from the muscle in his arm that helped his elbow to bend. He pooled the magnesium into his palm and ignited it. A small blue ball of electric fire spun in his palm. He held it high in the air. Over here. Grab hands and come toward the blue light.

Frightened cries and moans preceded a stream of limping and hunched over people who emerged from the dense smoke. Some were smudged with soot, and they were all drenched from the overhead sprinklers. Jeff pointed toward the hole in the wall and hurried them through. Even after all the people were ushered safely from the dining area into the store next door, Jeff could still hear moans from deeper within the restaurant. Tears streamed down his cheeks from the smoke irritation and water dripped from his hair. He extinguished the blue fire and dispersed the magnesium while he searched for the source of the moans. Stumbling over a chair lying on its side, he pushed through double swinging doors into the kitchen. Intense heat nearly drove him back out again. Now Jeff heard the moans clearly. Just in front of him, a man lay pinned under a charred and mangled stove.

Hang on, dude, Jeff shouted to be heard over the cacophony of flames.

He grabbed the appliance that lay across the man’s legs and rotund belly, but a searing pain burned his hands and forced him to pull them away before he had a chance to shift the stove. Jeff drew a breath from deep inside his lungs and blew on the stove, hoping to coat it with a layer of the frost he could produce, but the heat and smoke in the air snuffed it out before it could be conjured.

What do you need? Oceanus shouted over the din of raging flames.

Her super power was controlling water, making her Jeff’s favorite person at that moment. He pulled down the makeshift bandana and planted a passionate kiss on her lips. When they pulled apart, they grinned at each other until a loud creak rent the air and snapped them back to attention. Pointing to the flames that roared behind the trapped guy and licked up the side of the stove that lay across him, Jeff shouted, We need this fire out!

That’s being fed by a broken gas pipe, Polar. My water won’t put it out!

Be ready to pull him free, then. This time, Jeff ignited the hot, red fire in his fingers until his hands glowed and burned as red as the fire around them. He reached down and grabbed the stove and heaved it a couple feet into the air. Now!

Oceanus dragged the man out from under the stove. His groans escalated to cries of pain as she tugged and yanked him across the floor. Even with her super strength, she had a difficult time lugging the man’s excessive weight. When the injured man was clear, Jeff dropped the stove. He realized his error just as he made it and scrambled to catch the heavy appliance, but it slammed flat to the ground, no longer blocking the jet of flame that shot from the wall where the blast had broken the gas pipe. Duck!

Jeff dove toward the man and pushed with all his strength. The man slid across the tile floor and crashed up against the swinging doors, which popped open and promptly swung closed cracking him on the head. The man groaned, his eyes rolled back in his head, and he passed out.

The jet of flame licked straight over Jeff, who was sprawled flat against the floor. The heat scorched his jeans, making him thankful they’d been thoroughly soaked by the sprinklers. He suspected the back of his t-shirt was singed to nothing, and prayed all his hair was still there. He saw Oceanus struggling to drag the unconscious man through the doors into the dining area. Knowing he was on his own, Jeff let his body go slack and used just his arms to drag his body out from under the shooting flames. As soon as he was clear, he scrambled to his feet and stumbled through to the other room. He threw the unconscious man over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Run!

Oceanus slipped through the hole in the wall with no problem, but Jeff knew the hole wasn’t big enough for him and the man draped over his shoulder. Without slowing down, Jeff threw himself sideways against the wall. Drywall crumbled around them as he broke through the thin metal framing of the interior wall. A third blast rocked the restaurant just as Jeff tumbled to the floor of the adjacent store, the heavy man heaped over him. Propped on his elbows, Jeff gaped into the restaurant as flaming roof tiles and cracked beams collapsed onto the ghostly tables and chairs.

Everyone okay? The smothered voice of a fireman in an air mask drew Oceanus and Jeff’s attention from the spectacle of the collapsing room.

Yeah; I could use some help with this guy though, Jeff said.

Another fireman appeared, and the two masked men lifted the unconscious man and carried him out of the store. Jeff stood and brushed off his pants.

The sweet bright ping of Oceanus’ laugh sounded out of place in the destruction that surrounded them. You’re really worried about your appearance?

No! Jeff said defensively. Oceanus enjoyed teasing him about being more conscious of his looks than she was of her own.

Shall we? Oceanus asked, nodding toward the back of the store and grabbing his hand.

The first time Jeff played the hero in an emergency, he ended up being interrogated by authorities and asked questions he couldn’t answer. Policemen tended to become suspicious when the back of a T-shirt was burnt away, but the skin underneath was fresh and pink and unblemished. After that incident, Jeff and Oceanus learned to quietly slip away before anyone could identify them.

He yanked her back toward him and kissed her on the nose. Enjoying the mischievous promise in her expression, he let her pull him toward the storage room. As expected, they found a back entrance into an alley. Hand in hand, they strolled to the car, trying not to attract further attention with their soot covered, singed clothing. Jeff was extremely pleased he didn’t have to see the movie after all.

Chapter 2

You didn’t even hesitate! You were off like a shot as soon as that concussion hit. The kid who’d been in line at the movies was now seated at Jeff’s dinner table exalting his reaction time.

Look, um… Jeff looked at him.

Dozer, the kid introduced himself.

Look, Dozer, I was just in a better spot than you to see what was happening first. You would have been Johnny on the spot if you’d been where I was. Jeff looked down at the thinly sliced ham, applesauce and au gratin potatoes that had looked so appetizing when he’d gotten them from the cafeteria lady. Now his appetite was gone.

No way, Dozer shook his head faster and faster as he seemed to convince himself more and more. You reacted as fast as… as fast as… a hero! Dozer’s eyes grew wide and he whispered the last two words.

Jeff rolled his eyes. I’m not a hero!

Villains don’t react that fast, Polar, Oceanus said, using the nickname given to Jeff at his old academy. Her nose crinkled when she smiled down at her empty plate as he flashed her a withering look. I’m just saying that neither Dozer here nor I leapt to the rescue.

I’m not a hero! Jeff growled.

Dozer shrugged and, to Jeff’s relief, stood and walked off to his usual table.

Think about it, Polar: the only people who run into burning buildings to save people are firemen, policemen and heroes. Oceanus shoved a fork full of Jeff’s ham into her mouth.

He pushed the tray in front of her and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. His head snapped in her direction. Wait a minute. You were there!

Yeah, sure. This balancing act that we started eventually has me saving the day, but my villainy is still the initial reaction. I stood in front of the restaurant grinning like a kid on Christmas until it hit me that I could be helping. Oceanus frowned down at the plate of food that she’d commandeered from him. It’s cold.

Jeff shot a blaze of flame at the ham and caught it on fire. There, it’s not cold anymore.

Real mature, Polar. Scorching your ham doesn’t make you a baddy. Oceanus leaned back from the blaze and eyed him as he stood. She shook her head and crooked a finger at the drinking fountain. Water arced over the heads of a few students and splashed onto the flaming pork. What a waste.

Goodnight! Jeff stalked out of the cafeteria and down the hall, reliving that balancing act Oceanus had referred to. He’d been attending Super Villain Academy, where he’d first met Oceanus, as well as Source and Mystic. Unbeknownst to Jeff, Mystic had been sent to the academy to keep an eye on him by his dad, Frank—or Chill—as he was known in the villainy world. Knowing more about Jeff’s super heritage than Jeff did, Mystic got some crazy idea that having him would crown her queen villain or something, so she abducted him. She had clocked him over the head and dragged him off to some underground bunker where she kept him chained up while she attempted to sway him into liking her, like that was ever going to happen. Mystic’s main super power was psychic suave, but not even her ability to implant images of the two of them together in intimate situations could convince him she was the girl for him. In an unprecedented move, his villain dad and hero mother, with the assistance of his hero sister, Sandra, and his ex-villain friend, Source, rounded up a mixed group of villains and white hats to rescue him.

When Sandra and Source broke him out of the cell where Mystic had him chained up, Jeff was shocked to find the strange mix of supers battling Mystic and her minions. He’d waded into the thrall ready for battle, but as soon as he’d seen Oceanus, everything clicked into place for him. Prior to his abduction, Jeff waged an inner battle over good and bad. He tried to deny his increasing affinity for goodness, yet remained unable to tame his ever-present delinquent behavior. When Jeff saw Oceanus standing in the middle of the melee, he’d known right then and there that she was what balanced him, though he hadn’t expected what happened next.

On impulse, Jeff swept Oceanus into a kiss, and suddenly, the world had blinked out, turned cold, stopped. Just when the despair was about to squash Jeff out, the world erupted into a blaze of brightness and an overkill of happiness. Literally, overkill. The world ended again! Nothing remained but Jeff and Oceanus locked together in an embrace in the middle of some creepy cold void. The only thing tethering Jeff to reality was the vibrant feel of Oceanus in his arms, her warmth, her quivering body and the death grip she had on the front of his shirt. When the world was reborn, supers were balanced, neither good nor bad, as well as both good and bad. Super villains no longer had to wreak havoc and discovered that they cared if someone suffered—well, mostly. Super heroes no longer held themselves against an impossibly perfect standard, nor distrusted every move made by the ex-villains—for the most part.

Jeff still struggled to figure the whole thing out, even though he’d been there. Heck, he’d done it. Even though he’d been the catalyst, he couldn’t figure out how. The really odd thing was the part he hadn’t admitted to anyone; Jeff hadn’t changed a bit from the balancing. Pre-balancing Oceanus never would have spoken to his hero mother, but earlier she’d answered his phone like they were gal pals. And Mother. Her cold, no-break-the-rules approach to life had seriously mellowed. He’d even caught her lying to a friend to get out of attending a book club meeting last week. Mother, lying? Yet for him, nothing had changed. It remained as tear-your-hair-out conflicting as before. He couldn’t control either his good or his bad side. Both continued to grow with equal fervor. Neither side cooperated with the other like everyone else’s appeared to do.

Pulling out of his thoughts, Jeff found himself in the large main entry of the academy. At this hour, the only occupants were a sleeping student sprawled across a couple chairs he’d shoved together and a security guard. As soon as the guard spotted Jeff, she sprang to her feet and stood at attention.

Good evening Mr. Tohler, sir. Is there anything I can help you with?

Jeff squinted at her nametag.