Michael Vey 8, page 1
To Glenn Beck. Thank you for believing in Michael Vey from the very beginning.
Dossier: The Electric Youths
Michael Vey
Power: Ability to shock people through direct contact or conduction. Can also absorb other electric children’s powers.
Michael is the most powerful of all the electric children and leader of the Electroclan. He is currently studying international business at Boise State University as he prepares to someday take over as CEO of the Veytric Corporation (the former Elgen Corporation) from his father. Michael and Taylor are boyfriend–girlfriend. Many Tuvaluans still think of Michael as the lightning god Uira te Atua.
Ostin Liss
Power: Not an electric child.
Ostin is very intelligent, with an IQ of 155, which puts him at the same level as the average Nobel Prize winner. He is one of the original three members of the Electroclan and Michael’s best friend. He is currently enrolled in advanced courses in math and physics at Caltech in Pasadena, California. McKenna is still his girlfriend.
Taylor Ridley
Power: Ability to scramble the electric synapses in the brain, causing temporary confusion. She can also read people’s minds, but only when touching them.
Taylor is Tara’s identical twin sister, and is one of the original three founding members of the Electroclan. She is also Michael’s girlfriend. She and Michael discovered each other’s powers at Meridian High School, which they were both attending. Taylor and her twin, Tara, are roommates and psychology majors at Arizona State University in Phoenix. In addition to Taylor’s ability to scramble and read minds, a new power has begun to emerge. She dreams of events before they happen.
Abigail
Power: Ability to temporarily stop pain by electrically stimulating certain parts of the brain. She must be touching the person to do so.
Along with Ian and McKenna, Abigail was held captive by the Elgen for many years because she refused to follow Hatch. She joined the Electroclan after escaping from the Elgen Academy’s prison, known as Purgatory. She is currently studying to become a CRNA at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas.
Bryan
Power: The ability to create highly focused electricity that allows him to cut through objects.
Bryan is one of Hatch’s Glows, and one of two Glows still loyal to the former Elgen. Since the fall of the Elgen, Bryan’s whereabouts are unknown. He is believed to be with Kylee.
Cassy
Power: An extremely powerful electric, Cassy has the ability to freeze muscles from a distance of more than two kilometers. She also has the ability to cause mass heart attacks.
Cassy was rescued by the voice before the Elgen knew of her existence. She was raised and trained in Switzerland by the voice. She is currently working with Dr. Coonradt in Switzerland as a liaison between Veytric and the EU. She fell in love with Michael while battling the Elgen in Taiwan.
Grace
Power: Grace acts as a “human flash drive” and is able to transfer and store large amounts of electronic data.
Grace was living with the Elgen but joined the Electroclan when they defeated Hatch at the Elgen Academy. She worked with the resistance but had not been on any missions with the Electroclan. After the fall of the Elgen she went to work with Carl Vey and Veytric.
Ian
Power: Ability to see through electrolocation, which is the same way sharks and eels see through muddy or murky water.
Along with McKenna and Abigail, Ian was held captive by the Elgen for many years because he refused to follow Hatch. He joined the Electroclan after escaping from the Elgen Academy’s prison. He is currently leading an oceanic exploration team hunting for sunken treasure and shipwrecks. He has been featured on the History Channel and the Discovery Channel. He is currently working with famed producer Tim Horejs on a documentary called Atlantis Uncovered.
Jack
Power: Not an electric child.
Jack spends a lot of time in the gym and is very strong. He is also excellent with cars. Originally one of Michael’s bullies, he joined the Electroclan after Michael bribed him to help Michael rescue his mother from Dr. Hatch. He has been hired by the Veytric Corporation (the former Elgen Corporation) as the assistant head of security. He is currently stationed in South America. The distance has caused a rift between him and Abigail, who is currently studying at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas.
Kylee
Power: Born with the ability to create electromagnetic power, she is basically a human magnet.
One of Hatch’s Glows, she spends most of her time shopping. Kylee and Bryan are the only Glows who remained loyal to Hatch after the battle of Hades. Along with Bryan, she is currently a fugitive. Whereabouts unknown.
McKenna
Power: Ability to create light and heat. She can heat herself to more than three thousand kelvins.
Along with Ian and Abigail, McKenna was held captive by the Elgen for many years because she refused to follow Hatch. She joined the Electroclan after escaping from the Elgen Academy’s prison, known as Purgatory. McKenna is studying thermal engineering at Stanford University. McKenna and Ostin are still a “unit,” as Ostin calls it.
Nichelle
Power: Nichelle acts as an electrical ground and can both detect and drain the powers of the other electric children. She can also enhance their powers, though not nearly as much as Tessa can.
Nichelle was Hatch’s main source of power over the rest of the electric children until he abandoned her during the battle at the Elgen Academy. Although everyone was nervous about it, the Electroclan recruited her to join them on their mission to save Jade Dragon, and she has become a loyal Electroclan member. She is currently living in Spokane, Washington, where she attends Gonzaga University.
Quentin
Power: Ability to create isolated electromagnetic pulses, which lets him take out all electrical devices within twenty yards.
Quentin is the president of Hatch’s Glows. Before his defection, he was regarded by the Elgen as the second-in-command, just below Hatch. He is now a member of the Electroclan. After the fall of the Elgen, he moved to Florida, where he started several businesses, including a popular dance club called Q.
Tanner
Power: Ability to interfere with airplanes’ electrical navigation systems and cause them to malfunction and crash. His powers are so advanced that he can do this from the ground.
After years of mistreatment by the Elgen, Tanner was rescued by the Electroclan from the Peruvian Starxource plant and was subsequently staying with the resistance so he had a chance to recover. Tanner died in the battle of Hades. There is a monument to him, and other fallen heroes, on the north end of the island.
Tara
Power: Tara’s abilities are similar to her twin sister’s in that she can disrupt normal electronic brain functions. Through years of practicing and refining her powers, Tara has learned to focus on specific parts of the brain in order to create emotions such as fear or joy.
Tara is Taylor’s twin (they were adopted by different families after they were born) and lived with Hatch and the Elgen since she was six years old. Tara is now Taylor’s roommate at Arizona State University. Like her sister, she is studying psychology.
Tessa
Power: Tessa’s abilities are the opposite of Nichelle’s main power—Tessa is able to enhance the powers of the other electric children.
Tessa escaped from the Elgen at the Starxource plant in Peru and lived in the Amazon jungle for six months with an indigenous tribe called the Amacarra. She joined the Electroclan after the tribe rescued Michael from the Elgen and brought them together. She is currently just enjoying her life, painting and working on a book about her adventures in the jungle living with the Amacarra tribe.
Torstyn
Power: One of the more lethal of the electric children, Torstyn can create microwaves.
Torstyn is one of Hatch’s Glows and was instrumental to the Elgen in building the Peruvian Starxource plant. He is Quentin’s right-hand man. He was always a thrill-seeker and extremist and, with only his powers, would hunt anacondas and jaguars in the jungles of Peru. After the end of the Elgen, he moved to Florida with Quentin, but his need for danger pushed him into undesirable company.
Wade
Power: Not an electric child.
Wade was Jack’s best friend and joined the Electroclan at the same time he did. Wade was killed in the jungles of Peru when he was surprised by an Elgen guard. Jack commissioned a monument for his friend, which was erected in the jungle at the place where Wade fell. Though the site is difficult to get to, Jack visits the monument every year to lay flowers.
Zeus
Power: Ability to “throw” electricity from his body.
Zeus (real name Frank) was kidnapped by the Elgen as a young child and lived for many years as one of Hatch’s Glows. He joined the Electroclan when they escaped from the Elgen Academy. Zeus is currently trying to decide what he wants to do with his life and is in no particular hurry to find out.
The Three Elite Elgen Guard Units
Chasqui
Translated from the ancient Quechuan dialect, the word “chasqui” means “messenger of light.” The Chasqui are a special Elgen military order in Peru. Their roles are specifically connected to the Peruvian Starxource plant in Puerto Maldonado. Like the other elite Elgen units, they operate independently of the Elgen command.
Domguard
Also known as the “Order of the Amber Tunic.” The Domguard are a very powerful and secretive global force. They operate more as a cult than a corporate security force. Their intense, esoteric beliefs and their worship of the electric children make them the most dangerous of the Elite Guard.
Lung Li
The Lung Li (literally translated from Mandarin Chinese as “dragon power”) is a special Chinese Elgen military order. Their activities are limited to countries in the Eastern Hemisphere, including China, Singapore, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and the Philippines.
PART ONE
Prelude Resurrections
Chasqui Elgen Guard Headquarters, Peru
(Three Years Earlier)
“Your Eminence, we’ve just received an intelligence.”
“Intelligence,” the Chasqui sovereign repeated without looking up. “Why must they call it that? What is this intelligence, Lieutenant?”
“Admiral-General Hatch is dead.”
Eli Amash, the Chasqui’s sovereign leader, looked up from the maps he was studying. “Are you certain?”
“An agent on Funafuti radioed the message during the night.”
Amash pounded his fist down onto his desk. “The Domguard beat us to him. I didn’t expect them to make their move so soon.”
“It wasn’t the Domguard, Your Eminence. It was Michael Vey.”
The sovereign looked at him quizzically. “Michael Vey is dead.”
“That is what we believed, Your Eminence. But Vey is alive.”
“That’s impossible, Lieutenant. I saw him die. He was struck by lightning on the Hades radio tower just before that explosion decimated the island. Even if he survived the lightning and the explosion, he couldn’t have survived the fall from the tower. It was more than two hundred feet high.”
“We can’t explain it, Your Eminence. But we have confirmed it was Vey. We have multiple eyewitness reports, and one of our agents sent a digital video before he was captured by the Tuvaluan rebels. I have seen it myself. It is Vey. Only, his power has grown.”
The Chasqui sovereign considered the report. “Perhaps being struck by lightning added to Vey’s power. What of Tuvalu?”
“The Tuvaluans have regained control of their country. They have overthrown the remaining Elgen forces and freed their prime minister.”
“Where are the Elgen boats?”
“All were sunk except for the Edison, which was out to sea when the insurrection began. We do not know the status of the Joule.”
“And where are Hatch’s electric children?”
“Also unknown, Your Eminence.”
The sovereign tapped his pen on his desk as he thought over his next move.
“… There’s more, Your Eminence. We have discovered the identity of the voice.”
“Yes?”
“The voice is scientist Dr. Coonradt, the inventor of the MEI.”
“Coonradt was also believed dead….”
“And he was working with Carl Vey.”
“Another dead man. Remarkable. The resistance was far more clever than we believed. Let us hope that Hatch stays dead. What of Hatch’s EGGs? Have they tried to take control of the Elgen?”
“No. Except for Welch, they are all in the custody of the Tuvaluans. We could free them.”
“No. Let the Tuvaluans deal with them and save us the trouble.”
“What are your orders, Your Eminence?”
“Send out forces to raid all South American Starxource plants. Secure all computers and files—then bring the Elgen soldiers and scientists to the compound in Puerto.”
“What if they won’t come?”
“Then eliminate them. Anyone not with us is against us.” He scratched his chin. “One more thing. I want you to bring me two Glows: the one they call Grace and the one they call Taylor. Grace has access to all the information the Elgen hold, every hidden account, the name of every official Hatch bribed or threatened along the way. She knows everything.”
“Do we know her whereabouts?”
“The last we knew, she was with the voice.”
“And the other Glow? What is her benefit to us?”
“The Glow Taylor has powers she does not yet fully understand or comprehend.”
“What kind of powers?”
“She can see the future. Grace knows everything that has happened in the past, but Taylor knows what will happen in the future. But we must hurry. With Hatch gone, the Domguard will immediately start hunting the Glows, so they can worship them in their twisted rituals.” He breathed out slowly. “I think I would like to know more about Michael Vey.”
“I will see to it, Your Eminence. Should we prepare to capture all the Glows?”
“In time. Right now, just bring me Taylor and Grace. Whoever captures Grace will rule the empire the Elgen built. But whoever captures Taylor will rule the world.”
PART TWO
1 The Second Act
My life is snoring.
Everything’s boring.
Tuesday, April 16 (My Birthday)
My name is Michael Vey. It’s been a few years since I’ve written anything about my life. Really, there hasn’t been a whole lot to write about. At least not anything you’d want to read. That’s because the last three years have been what most people consider normal—and by “normal,” I mean not being tied up and fed to rats or being hunted by a homicidal maniac who bought a cannibal fork so he could celebrate his victory over us by eating me.
I’m in my second semester of my junior year of college, working toward a business management degree. Even that sounds boring. I scribbled that rhyme—technically a couplet—as I counted down the minutes until class was over. Other than our upcoming Electroclan reunion, there’s nothing in my life that vaguely excites me right now.
The thing is, in a life like mine, normal doesn’t feel normal. I hear these college students around me talk about what they want to do with their lives. I’ve already faced death, brought down a dictator, captured billions of dollars, and saved the world from Elgen tyranny. What am I supposed to do for a second act? I mean, what other college student has the Tuvaluan medal of honor and is also on the Peruvian government’s Most-Wanted Terrorists list? (I’m still on it. You can see it online.) The thing is, easy living makes for boring reading. Who wants to read about someone’s normal day?
Since I last wrote, I graduated from high school, started college at Boise State, and went fishing with my dad in Alaska. Actually, the fishing thing had its moment. My dad and I were fishing for salmon at Mendenhall Lake in Juneau. After an hour we still hadn’t caught anything when I had an idea. I put my hand into the water and pulsed. You should have seen the fish jump out of the water. Six of them jumped into the boat. It was crazy. A thirty-inch king salmon smacked me in the face. Another landed in my dad’s lap. My dad hinted that it took the fun out of fishing, but really, how much fun is fishing anyway? Sitting around in a boat holding a stick? Besides, I don’t think catching fish was really what was on his mind. I think he just wanted to spend time with me. After him being gone for eight years, we had a lot to catch up on.
Which leads me to another thought. The last time I wrote, I had just found out that my father was alive, something I learned just as General-Admiral-President-Doctor Hatch—whatever he was calling himself back then—was about to kill him. I’m grateful he’s back, but it’s changed things. To be honest, reconnecting with my father was harder than I thought it would be. A lot harder. First, deep inside, I think I still have some resentment for what his “death” put my mother and me through. I’m not saying he didn’t do the right thing in faking his death. We were all in real danger, and faking his death was probably the only way my father could have kept us all from really dying.
