Chapter 3

On the floor below, Jolt tore through the building as fast and quietly as he could, looking for any sign of Fever and Bounce.

It was so unlike Bounce to be this upfront. The kid was harmless, so far as foes went, but his troublemaking could always lead to an unexpected accident.  Fever was far too inexperienced to think ahead. He still reacted to the here and now too much, and that meant even Bounce could accidentally do him harm.

The silence of the empty school hallways was making Jolt worry.  He should be hearing Bounce laugh, or the distant running of feet… or something!  But instead there was silence.

The doors on this floor all seemed locked, so he hit the stairs three at a time.  His years as a child soldier back home in Israel had taught him from an early age to think quick, maintain his fitness and fight hard when needed, so the stairs weren’t an issue, even after all that running.

When Jolt’s powers had surfaced during puberty, he took those lessons and fled to a better life in the west… only to learn that western cultures were just as cruel to each other. The only difference was they weren’t as overt about it.  As that sad realisation dawned on him, he committed himself to use his strengths to better the world, not for one nation or belief, but for everyone. World Citizens. One step at a time.

Jolt paused at the top of the stairs and listened. Nothing.  He eased forward and then suddenly, a snort, like a muffled laugh, from somewhere up ahead.

Jolt rushed forward with stealth, bracing himself against the wall as he reached the corner.  He craned his neck to listen. A moment later, he heard the sound again: quiet laughter.  Cautiously, he peered around the corner. At first, he saw nothing in the dim light of the unlit corridor, and then his heart skipped a beat as his focus found its mark.

At the far end of the corridor, Bounce crouched, hugging the leg of a figure Jolt couldn’t immediately identify. In a trick of the light, the black skin of the stranger seemed to shimmer, as though covered in oil.  The stranger stood in the centre of the walkway, facing Jolt’s direction, as though expecting him. 

More surprising than that, Jolt saw Fever to one side of them, pressed unmoving against the wall, arms up by his ears as though nailed to the wall.

Jolt stepped into the corridor. He faced the stranger like a scene from a gun-slinging showdown, and it was then that he recognised the man.

“Seduction!” he gasped and involuntarily reeled back a step.  One of the world’s most dangerous villains was standing before him. The last he'd heard, Seduction had barely been stopped from seizing control of New Zealand’s government and turning the entire country into an orgy of slaves.

“Another one for the harem,” Seduction laughed, his powerful voice booming down the corridor.  Bounce echoed the laugh, bobbing up and down in excitement.

Jolt stepped forward, fists clenching as he felt the tingle of electricity entering his fingertips.  He let the power build up slowly, rising with each step. He needed to get close enough to Seduction to make physical contact. One jolt of electricity from his fingertips and Seduction would be out for the count. 

He was too far back to be caught by Seduction’s hypnotic eyes, but he didn’t know how far reaching that deadly gaze would be.  He kept his own eyes focussed on the villain’s chest to be safe, admiring the rippled stomach and towering torso that could make any man swoon.

Seduction stood his ground, allowing Jolt to come to him.   

It has to be a trap! Jolt thought, but as his eyes scanned the empty corridor, he could see no trip wire or sensor or other deadly contraption. Both Seduction and Bounce were showing too much skin to be hiding a weapon, and there hadn’t been enough time for the super villain to have taken control of Fever's mind yet.

Jolt edged forward. Perhaps Seduction didn’t know of his powers and was hoping to grapple Jolt down and force him to stare into those eyes. 

Bounce snorted, and covered his mouth to hold back a burst of gleeful laughter.

Jolt was only a few metres away from them now. He dared to raise his eyes slightly, just in time to see a smirk slide over Seduction's lips.

“Now,” the villain said with unnerving calm. 

Bounce squealed with delight. For a moment, his entire body seemed to wobble as he transformed to rubber and bounced himself across the hall to slam into the wall beside Fever. 

An instant later, the high pitched bell of the fire alarm screamed through the air.  The fire sprinklers burst to life, and water plummeted down on Jolt, connecting with the electricity that had been building up through his arms. His eyes widened and his mouth opened in a gargled scream as his body convulsed violently and the power surge threw him into the wall. His body stiffened and shook like an Earth tremor as the water turned his own power against him.

He slipped in the water and lost his footing, crashing to the ground where he lay in spasms until the energy subsided.

Seduction came forward and looked down on the fallen hero.  His eyes ran lasciviously over Jolt’s toned, masculine chest and he 'harrumphed!' with satisfaction before lifting the unconscious figure into a fireman’s hold.

“Bring him,” Seduction ordered Bounce, nodding towards Fever.  “This is where the fun begins.”