Suddenly you’re alone. Before you can fully process what’s just happened, though, something else comes hurtling though the hole in the roof, landing beside you with a rush of wind. You’re startled to find that it’s an elderly woman in a red track suit. This can only be Magnifica, the world’s most powerful hero. She was around long before any Crexidyne program to create superhumans, and has been retired for years.

  “I’ve been keeping my ear on her heartbeat,” the woman says softly, staring at the smoldering hole in the floor. “Ever since she called yesterday to warn me something big was going down.” She looks up at you, her face shaking with rage. “What did this?”

  “They have a satellite laser cannon… ” you say.

  “They had one, you mean.”

  She glances up at the sky, clearly about to launch into space and destroy the weapon responsible for Nancy’s death. Which is probably for the best — for all you know, the thing could be powering up right now for a second shot. Something gives you pause, though. On one hand you’ve got an orbital death laser, and on the other an alien invasion force. Perhaps you could put both those hands together?

  ▶ If you tell Magnifica to wait, in hopes of using the laser cannon against the aliens, click here for page 174.

  ▶ If you think it’s better that she destroys it before it does any more damage, click here for page 217.

  160

  “Maybe things have changed since I wore the tights,” Magnifica says, “but in my time, crapweasels like you didn’t get much love from superhero types.”

  “These days we protect and serve all innocent citizens,” a booming voice calls out from behind you. “It’s called justice. You may want to look it up.”

  You turn to see Magnifico, leader of the Justice Squadron, float through the same window you utilized during the terrifying blur of your own entrance. His uniform is a more masculine, modern update of Maggie’s old costume, although as far as you know, they aren’t actually related. He came on the scene several years after Magnifica retired, and you always assumed the two of them had worked out some sort of licensing deal.

  “That’s big talk from some runt wearing an old lady’s underwear,” Maggie says, almost spitting with contempt. Clearly there’s no love lost here. Magnifico lands on the floor in front of her — he’s at least a foot and a half taller than she is, and built like a fitness model. Maggie is still holding Moretti up by the throat, and he makes a little choking sound. “This is your innocent civilian?” she asks. “You know he killed your buddy Brain Stem, right?”

  “No, he didn’t.” Twin laser beams erupt from Magnifico’s eyes, and with a flash of light Moretti’s body burns to ashes right in Maggie’s grip.

  “I did.”

  Oh, crap. Maggie takes a step back, looking as shocked as you are. “Why?”

  “Orders.” He threads his fingers, his knuckles cracking loudly. Magnifico was never your favorite superhero, but nevertheless, your world just turned upside down. “Same reason I’m going to kill you.”

  You quickly bring up Magnifico on your wrist computer, but what you find is not encouraging. All of your standard attacks (knockout gas, blinding flash, sonic screech — you didn’t even know you had most of this stuff) have been ruled out as ineffective. Your notes indicate that he doesn’t have the strength or speed of Magnifica in her prime, but that prime was a long time ago. This guy is big-league for a reason. As far as you can tell, he’s unstoppable.

  Magnifica isn’t backing down. In fact, she’s taunting him. Her successor lunges at her, looking for all the world like he’s going to tear her head off.

  ▶ If you throw yourself into the fray in a desperate attempt to even the odds, click here for page 131.

  ▶ If you trust that Maggie knows what she’s doing, and let her handle Magnifico while you try to figure out what the hell is going on here, click here for page 268.

  162

  Your reign of terror starts tonight, and the streets will flow with the blood of the righteous. After cleaning out the vaults, you and the Ox part company, as he lacks the stomach for what you’re planning and, frankly, would only slow you down. There are a few heroes with the power to shift from solid form who might make trouble for you — Megawatt, Coldfront, and of course whatshisname from the Phenomenal Three — but most should succumb to your wrath as quickly as Magnifico did.

  In the time it takes to drive to New York you narrow your list of potential targets to one: Luminati is a shining beacon of kindness and hope, so snuffing her should prove particularly dispiriting to the superhero community. Also, she glows like a goddamn nightlight, so you spot her flickering above the Manhattan skyline before you’ve even made the city limits. As you follow her into a darkened warehouse, you’re already starting to wonder if her murder will provide the same rush you felt with Magnifico. If not, no worries — there are plenty of victims out there, just waiting for you to eviscerate them one by one.

  The only flaw in your plan? Most of those theoretical victims are actually waiting together in one big group. As you creep through the door, you discover roughly 40 costumed heroes, including Coldfront and the entire Phenomenal Three, packed together like sardines. You can’t imagine what brought so many of them together, but one of the things they’ve been discussing is the final transmission from Magnifico’s communicator, showing a gooey purple maniac ripping his internal organs out through his face.

  To say that they kill you would be an understatement.

  THE END

  163

  Why not play to your strengths? You force the Ox to pull over by popping a tire with a targeted energy blast and then swoop down in front of him once he’s out of the van, ready to dart away when he lunges at you. He doesn’t lunge, though. “You again? Seriously, dude. Get outta here before I have to kick your ass again.”

  Oh, he is going to have to kick your ass. But this time you’re ready for it. You crack your helmet to let Migraine out and then start flinging plasma bursts and insults at the Ox in rapid succession. At first he ignores you and just starts changing his tire, but you don’t let up. If there’s one thing you know, it’s how to get under somebody’s skin. You’re a reporter.

  Suddenly you’re hit with a flying tackle, and find yourself pinned to the ground with a frothing, purple-faced Ox on top of you. Bingo! He starts pounding away at you, but you’ve been through this before. Your suit will protect you! Then you feel a rush of air on your chest, and realize that he’s tearing pieces of your armor right off you.

  Uh-oh. What now? You can’t use the orbital death lasers — your partner is in his brain! Also, you’re kind of directly underneath him. One thing’s for certain, though: his adrenaline is pumping like friggin’ crazy. Migraine never said exactly how long he would need, but if it’s more than about 20 seconds, you’re not confident you’ll walk away from this.

  ▶ Abandon the mission! If you make a desperate attempt to escape the Ox’s clutches and live to fight another day, click here for page 277.

  ▶ Never surrender! If you tough it out, hoping that Migraine can finish the job before the Ox finishes you, click here for page 62.

  164

  Magnifica thinks you’re just dragging things out unnecessarily, but agrees to accompany you. “Tomorrow,” she says. “All that detective stuff chaps my ass, and anyway it’s one o’clock in the goddamn morning.” The jet’s cloaking device renders it invisible, so you climb back into the cockpit to get some rest. First, though, a little research.

  Brain Stem. Real name: Barnaby Herbert Llewelyn. Not trustworthy, for the record. Psychic and telekinetic abilities. Justice Squadron member for eight years. Also, Nightwatchman seemed to really dislike the guy. He was found stuffed into a refrigerator on an abandoned farm in upstate New York last Tuesday.

  The next morning, Magnifica greets you with a low grunt and the two of you set out for New York — separately, of course, as you’ve been informed that invisible jets are for pussies. The old bird can still fly without any trouble, and to your relief she leaves her walker behind. By the time your jet lands, she’s waiting for you.

  “If you’re looking for empty beer cans and used condoms, you’re in luck,” she says. “Mystery solved.”

  You check your wrist screen to see what you can find out about the crime scene, but it’s blank. That can’t be good. You take a few steps back toward the jet, and the screen comes to life. But when you retrace your steps it goes out again — there seems to be some sort of dead zone. With a little trial and error, you find that the zone is actually a line, and it leads directly to the farmhouse. Llewelyn’s body is long gone, but nobody cleaned up much afterward, and the kitchen area in particular is still swarming with flies and crusted with gore.

  “Jesus, what died in here?” Magnifica says. “Oh, right. Well, unless you got magic brain powers like the dead kid, I don’t know what you think you’re gonna suss out.”

  Magic brain powers? Your equipment is thought-controlled. “I think I’m picking up some kind of psychic interference,” you say. “It starts here and points very clearly in a straight line.” Maybe you can use your GPS to figure out where that line ends. You walk away from the farmhouse until you regain telepathic wristphone service, and then try to extrapolate the data. The problem is, you have no idea how far the line of interference stretches. “Could be Toledo. Kansas City, maybe? Santa Fe?”

  “Santa Fe.” Magnifica spits on the ground. “Goddamn hippie city. I know exactly who that thing is pointing to.”

  Before you can press her for information, though, your screen lights up. It seems to be some kind of supervillain alarm. “Doctor Diabolus, The Turtle, and Lightning Queen are busting up national monuments in Washington, D.C.,” you say. “Hmm, that’s random. I’ve never heard of those three working together before.”

  “Let ’em,” Magnifica says. “You said I only had to help with the Brain Fart thing, and I sure as hell didn’t sign up for general patrol duty.”

  Should you at least check it out? Whatever’s going on, it might be related to your Crexidyne investigation. Then again, it’s not like the Eastern seaboard has a shortage of costumed heroes to handle this sort of thing.

  ▶ If you think the threat to the nation’s capital demands your immediate attention, click here for page 298.

  ▶ If you decide to follow Brain Stem’s psychic trail to New Mexico instead, click here for page 99.

  166

  You make a mental note: if you ever encounter a group of aliens from across the galaxy, don’t wave. “Evasive maneuvers!” you shout into your helmet. There’s no sense of motion, but in a moment your viewscreen flicks back to life, and you find yourself careening wildly through the air. Is that intentional? Are you evading?

  Not well enough. You’re briefly enveloped in one flash of blue light, and then another. The voice in your head starts up again. Revive the following coordinated bituiui momentum, it insists, then spits out a string of numbers. What does that even mean? There’s another flash, and this time you feel your armor shake.

  “BETTER evasive maneuvers!” you yell. The voice just repeats itself. “Okay, do it!” you say. Nothing happens. Is it waiting for a specific command? “Bituiui momentum! Go!”

  With a pop, everything goes white. You feel your armor begin to shift around you, and soon it has reconfigured into a small pod — you can freely move your arms and legs inside the tiny chamber, but have no idea what’s happening outside. “Hello?” The suit doesn’t respond. Is this bituiui momentum? There don’t seem to be any more energy blasts, at least. You start to get bored, and check your phone messages, but can’t get a signal. Then, after about eight minutes, you feel the armor shift back into its previous configuration.

  Beneath you is the giant, flaming yellow surface of the sun. You know that it takes the sun’s rays eight or nine minutes to reach Earth, which would indicate that you’ve been traveling at the speed of light.

  But where are the rest of the Guardians? Can’t they travel just as fast? You think it through. Assuming light speed is a universal constant, if they started out three seconds behind you they could chase you forever and always be three seconds behind. They couldn’t even signal ahead and have someone cut you off at the pass unless their communications could travel faster than light. Technically, you suppose they could stay on your tail until you starved to death in your little pod, but three cheers for an interplanetary police squad having more important things to do with their time than that. Since they knew they couldn’t catch you, they apparently didn’t even try.

  Okay, then, what next? Your suit starts spouting gibberish again — something about safe harbor? A safehouse? You realize that these can’t be recorded messages. Your suit is communicating with you. Or trying to, at least. You have no idea why the Cosmic Guard attacked you, but your alien battlesuit just saved your life. You try holding a conversation with it, but just get more telepathic gobbledygook.

  Telepathic? Hmm. Brain Stem, a member of the Justice Squadron, is a telepath. He might be able to get inside the suit’s mind, or get you better psychic reception or something. Then again, Moretti mentioned a traitor. Can you trust the Squadron? Can you trust Moretti? You’re fairly sure you can trust your suit. So maybe you should take its advice, skip the Justice Squadron, and find that safehouse.

  ▶ If you track down Brain Stem and ask him to help you figure out what the hell your battle armor is talking about, click here for page 293.

  ▶ If you just take your best guess at deciphering the gibberish and try to follow your suit’s instructions to safety, click here for page 90.

  168

  You saunter off, having emerged from your first encounter with a supervillain utterly victorious. Still, that doesn’t mean you’re ready for the fast lane. You decide that, for now, Cleveland is more your speed. Besides, smaller cities need heroes, too! You spend the afternoon experimenting with your powers and learn quite a bit. Once night falls, you hit the streets looking for evil.

  You find it. Or low-grade thuggery, at any rate. It’s a weeknight, meaning the downtown core is pretty vacant, but you hear a scream as some goon grabs a woman’s purse and takes off down a back alley. After your run-in with the Ox, purse snatchers may be a bit anticlimactic, but you’ll take what you can get. You rush to confront him, but he takes one look at you, drops the bag, and flees. Hmm. That was so easy, it wasn’t even any fun.

  “Drop the purse, scumbag!” You turn to see the glowing eyes of the Nightwatchman peering down at you from a rooftop. At least, it looks like the Nightwatchman. It sounds more like some frat boy doing a goofy-sounding fake voice. Also, he trips and twists one ankle as he scampers down from his perch.

  Certainly this is some local Nightwatchman poser, which would also explain why he wasn’t eager to tangle with the Ox this morning. He can’t seem to get it through his head that you took the purse from the original snatcher in order to return it to its owner, and didn’t steal the thing yourself.

  You’re almost ready to give up and just fight the little twerp when a big, jellyfish-shaped craft the size of a bus pops out of the night sky above you. Holy cow! First meteors and supervillains, and now alien invaders? Cleveland is amazing today. The craft fires a beam of blue energy at the Nightwatchman, just missing him as he leaps out of the way. You get a better look at the ship in the glow, and realize that it’s made of the same type of metal and bears the same distinctive markings as the Cosmic Guardian you saw earlier.

  The Guardian always claimed to be part of an intergalactic peace-keeping force. Could this ship be one of theirs? You look more closely at the way it moves, and realize that it might very well be a single, enormous alien being in a Guardian battlesuit.

  And it’s clearly after the Nightwatchman wannabe. Is he the bad guy here? Maybe you should help it apprehend him. Then again, he seems honorable enough, if a bit confused. And that thing did attack him unprovoked — perhaps he’s the one who needs your help.

  ▶ If you help the Nightwatchman to fend off the Cosmic Guardian, click here for page 185.

  ▶ If you team up with the Cosmic Guardian to bring the Nightwatchman to justice, click here for page 270.

  170

  All the clues point to Thorpe, and you’re ready to get some answers. “I got this,” Magnifica says, grabbing you by the waist again, and picking up Octavia with her other hand. Oh, no. After 20 seconds of windshear and oxygen deprivation, you come down hard on a penthouse balcony. Crexidyne headquarters, perhaps? Before you have a chance to get your bearings, Magnifica tears the balcony doors right off their hinges.

  “Reggie!” Her voice booms through the suite. “How’ve you been, old man?”

  You hear the whir of machinery, and see a golden, metallic figure approach from inside. More droids quickly follow, and Magnifica lunges at the first, snatching it by a limb and hurling it at the next in line. They both explode. “These are damn cheap robots, Reg!” She drives a third mechanical guard into the wall with her bare fists. “Must be some cut-rate twerps come to thwart your ugly ass these days, if these are your defenses!”

  Magnifica continues tearing through metal as Octavia drops to one knee, her eyes turning ghostly white. “I think he’s here,” she says, hands on her temples. “Or something is, anyway. Its mind is a mess. Yow. I can’t even tell if that’s a person.”

  Magnifica quickly reduces the remaining robots to shrapnel. You search the suite and find Thorpe cowering in a bedroom, bearded, wild-eyed, and crusted with filth. He barely acknowledges your presence, muttering to himself under his breath. “Damn,” Magnifica says. “He was always crazy, but like supervillain crazy, you know? Not meth-freak, Howard Hughes crazy.”

 

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