James’s heart sank. There were so many folders, with probably hundreds of papers. There was no way they’d get through all of these anytime soon. If the Supers were resorting to this, it meant they truly had no leads.
“We appreciate your help,” Afectrus said as she turned toward the door. “Let me know if you need anything.”
With that, she disappeared, and James, Katie, and Rocky were left alone in the small, windowless room, sitting in a sea of paperwork.
“Well, this sucks.” Rocky opened the folder in front of him and peered at the closest piece of paper. He read aloud, “November 4, 2019. Richmond, Virginia. A tunnel collapses, trapping ten cars inside. Supers on the scene: Leo and Auri. Response time: ten minutes.” He snapped the folder shut. “Are we really supposed to read through all of this? I feel like I’m back in school.”
Katie opened her folder and rifled through the papers. “If this is how we can help, then let’s help.”
So they got to work. James pulled the closest folder to him and opened it. His report, at least, was a little more exciting than Rocky’s.
Action Report: June 28, 2018
Person of Interest: Fran Duehimer
Background: After 6 months of searching, the Supers locate the hidden laboratory of Dr. Fran Duehimer, a known bioterrorist who was responsible for the New Jersey bombing.
Supers on the Scene: Calico, Myrcellus, the Bolt, and Mungus
Description: The Supers arrive at the base at 4:45 a.m. A skirmish breaks out between Duehimer’s hired security and the Supers. All targets are successfully apprehended with zero casualties. Upon entering the facility, the Supers discover that Duehimer is in the early stages of developing a chemical substance capable of diminishing the Supers’ powers. The facility is shut down. The Bolt leaves the scene to report to headquarters. Calico, Myrcellus, and Mungus remain behind to investigate the facility further.
Result: Fran Duehimer was not apprehended, may still be at large. No leads. The chemical was destroyed and the facility shut down.
Mission: Success
James smiled faintly as he read the report, remembering Derek telling him about Duehimer. The man had evaded the Supers for months, and James recalled Derek telling him with frustration about all the dead ends and failed leads. But finally, they had found him. Or at least James thought they had. According to this, Duehimer hadn’t actually been captured; his facility had just been raided. The scientist must have escaped. As far as James knew, Duehimer had never been heard from again.
And what was this chemical the report was talking about? Was it the same thing Calico had said the government used against Ros? If so, the report was incorrect. Apparently, it hadn’t been destroyed. James shivered. What if someone else got their hands on the chemical, someone who wanted to see the Supers fall?
The rest of the papers in the folder were much more boring than the action reports—there were sheets upon sheets of financial reports and spreadsheets, information on each security guard apprehended, arrest information, correspondence with the local police and the government. James didn’t see how any of that could be relevant to what they were searching for, and by the time he reached the tenth spreadsheet full of numbers, his eyes had glazed over. When he finally got to the bottom of the pile, he blinked, realizing he hadn’t read a single word on the last five or so pages.
“Listen to this,” Katie said, holding up a piece of paper. James was dismayed to see she already had two completed folders stacked next to her and had just started on a third. He glanced at Rocky and was relieved to see he had just started his second. “January 18, 2019,” she read aloud. “Location: Key West, Florida. James Bolt is kidnapped and smuggled onto a stolen tanker.”
She looked up at James in horror. Rocky threw back his head and laughed as James was hit with a flood of memories.
Rocky and his family had invited James on vacation with them in Florida. James’s mom had been apprehensive about letting him go, but James had badgered her until she gave in. As it turned out, his mom had been right to be worried. Two days into the vacation, James and Rocky were hanging out on the beach. James went into a nearby restaurant to use the bathroom. As he was washing his hands, he was grabbed from behind and pulled out the back door. Head covered, shoved in a van, the usual. Nothing to worry about. But when the headcover was pulled off, he got a new surprise—he was sitting on a massive boat on the ocean, the Florida shoreline barely visible on the horizon.
“The Supers are contacted by Tyra Malik, and the Bolt and Leo respond to the scene. Response time: one hour. James Bolt is pulled from the water and resuscitated. Immediately treated for a stab wound to the shoulder.” Katie’s mouth dropped open. “You were stabbed? And almost drowned? What happened?”
James shrugged sheepishly while Rocky roared with laughter. Katie shot him a disdainful look.
“You know, Derek saves me so often that sometimes I try to make it more difficult for him,” James said. “Usually they’re not bold enough to hurt me because they want a ransom or something. But I guess these guys didn’t care. When I made for the edge of the boat, one of them swung at me.” He pulled the collar of his shirt down to show the top of his shoulder, where a straight red scar ran from the bottom of his neck to his upper chest. “And normally I time it so Derek catches me when I jump, but I was off my rhythm. The water knocked me out cold from that high up. They said I was lucky not
