League of Super Heroes: Rise of the Villain (Book #1) Read online

  The League of Super Heroes

  Rise of the Villain

  By Celeste Ayers

  Published by Celeste Ayers at Smashwords

  Copyright 2013 Celeste Ayers

  All right reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form without the prior written permission from the author.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Written in Canada.

  More from Celeste Ayers:

  League of Super Heroes (The Hit Party Games):

  Rise of the Villain

  Enter the FREEZE

  Royal Rumble

  CHAPTER ONE

  The sound of a car alarm rang out, waking Justice Man from his sleep. His eyes open, adjusting to the darkness that filled the room. It had been another long night patrolling the streets of Rusten City and he was having trouble drifting off. Earlier that night, Justice had caught a group of thugs hanging out around Muscle Man’s Auto body shop and the things they said to him were now embedded in his mind. Justice shook his head, he knew better than to think of such negative things, it was rule number one in the Super Hero Handbook.

  Rule 1: Always think positively, villains can smell fear and they grow strong off negative energy. Starve them of this power by never questioning your abilities as a hero.

  Justice pulled back his sheets and got out of bed, his muscular legs flexing as he stood. He stretched his chiseled arms above his head and yawned, “Hey Freeze you up?” he called out to his roommate. Freeze was a fellow Super and a damn good friend, they had known each other for many years and trained under the same man. Hearing nothing but silence, Justice assumed Freeze was still out patrolling, but he wasn’t worried, he knew Freeze could take care of himself.

  The cool hardwood felt great on his feet as he walked towards his immaculate kitchen, it was clear to him the maid had been earlier that day. Justice opened the double doors of his fridge, the bright florescent light stinging his eyes. Inside there was a pizza box with a note scribbled on it in black marker.

  Hey J, gone away on assignment might be gone a while. Can’t say where I’m going, take care of yourself. –F.

  The note was short and simple; much like the man who had written it. Justice wasn’t surprised his friend had taken off without saying good-bye; he frequently got called away on hero business. Justice on the other hand, considered himself a free agent, working as a Defense Attorney for the Rusten City Court was his primary job. He hadn’t considered himself a full time hero in a long time, after all crime was down by nearly thirty percent. There was no need for Super Heroes’ anymore, not since the new mayor had taken over. Mayor Masterson had taken over the city two years ago when it had been revealed the previous mayor was in the pockets of multiple gangs.

  It had been a great two years for J, putting away drug traffickers and mob bosses alike. But now the city had cleaned up, it had lost some of that edge. At first, he only noticed this at night when he roamed the streets for evil only to find everyone had already been locked up. But after all the trials and hearings passed, he began to notice he was no longer necessary at work. This had Justice dreaming of action and adventure, but with crime rates so low, it seemed such times were far from possible.

  CHAPTER TWO

  It was already bright out just as Justice had finally fallen asleep, the sounds of the morning birds sending him to bed. His golden hair stuck up in all directions, as though he had been electrocuted. Drool pooled on his dark red pillow case and glistening on his tan, chiseled cheek. Ghost Girl sat at the end of his bed waiting for him to wake up, she never liked to startle people when it wasn’t necessary, but he wasn’t showing signs of waking anytime soon. She walked into the bathroom, grabbing the cup on his bedside table, and filled it with cold water. If he wasn’t going to wake up on his own, she would have to give him some…encouragement.

  The water spread over his face as J flung open his eyes, the cold chilling him down to the bone. “WHAT THE HELL!” he called out, jumping up and laying his wide eyes on Ghost Girls petite silhouette. “What the hell Genny, what was that for!” his voice boomed, as he pulled a shirt over his well defined chest. He saw her eyes follow, as if trying to look as long as possible.

  “Sorry J, I waited as long as I could but we have a bit of a problem. Freeze is away on assignment and”, she paused for a moment. “Well, a League Super Hero turned up dead last night, I didn’t know who else to turn to. I’m sorry.” She batted her eyelashes at him, knowing full well he couldn’t resist.

  Justice smiled at Genny, she was a great hero with a strange power. He had met many heroes in his day, but none that could take on non-corporeal form. She had certainly been an asset when he was in the field, she could break into any facility without tripping any alarms, and she was quick too. Justice realized he was still smiling and that she was looking at him a little strange, as though he had done something wrong. “Oh, about the hero who died? So sad.” He said hurriedly, “I’m not sure what you want me to do though Genny; you know I’m no longer apart of the league of super heroes.” The statement made his stomach drop.

  “Justice you know that I wouldn’t come to you unless I had to. Like I said, Freeze is gone and someone out there is after us, someone out there killed a hero last night. I’m just trying to protect the league; I thought you would help.”She disappeared, the look of disappointment lingering in the room. Ghost girl was always making speedy exits with no warning, something Justice Man had not missed in her absence.

  CHAPTER THREE

  The sun was bright and the roads seemed to shimmer in the summer heat, Justice walked into the dirty garage and looked around for his friend. Mike was the strongest guy he knew, a feature that Mike loved to show off, especially in the company of women. Justice caught a glimpse of his friend buried beneath a 1964 Ford Mustang, his bald head peeking out from beneath the exhaust. He walked over to the car and crouched down, “Hey Mikey. Got some bad news about the LOH, think we could talk in your office?”

  The car lifted off the ground, as if with ease, Mike’s massive frame emerging from beneath it. He placed the car down and motioned for Justice to lead the way to his office. Once inside the room, Mike lit a cigarette, a habit he had never been able to kick and one that made Justice angry. “Put that crap, you know how much I hate cigarettes. That stuff’ll kill you.” He coughed for emphasis as Mike put the smoke out, he didn’t seem too amused with J’s surprise visit.

  “J, I told you not to bother me with this league stuff. We ain’t needed in this city no more.” Mike had a raspy voice as if his throat was coated in tar and his lungs filled with smoke. Justice knew it was going to take some convincing to get Muscle Man on board, but he needed someone to help him figure out who was killing heroes and he didn’t know who else to trust these days.

  “Someone is killing Supers Mike; I need your help to figure out whom. You’re the muscle, I need you c’mon man.” Justice pleaded, knowing that talking up the muscle head was the only way to coax him into helping. “You know if we figure it out they might give us a reward.” He added at the end.

  Mike sighed, running his oil stained hand over his weathered face as if he were thinking. He turned to Justice and stared into his eyes, “This is the last time you come to me, you hear me Justice?! I will help you figure this out, and then I’m done. For good.”

  The men shook hands and agreed to me
et up later at an old diner downtown. Justice walked out of the shop smiling ear to ear, he was happy to have Muscle Man’s help. He knew that it was going to be weird working with his old team mate but did they ever work well together. It put his mind at ease knowing that he had help in his search; little did he know he wouldn’t have to look too long.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  The diner smelled like old coffee and perfume, while same pictures that had been on the pale blue walls for the past thirty years hung desperately clinging to their wires. Their waitress, Flo, had come around to take their orders and fill their cups with lukewarm coffee. Mike and J had gotten right down to business, starting a list of people who were possible enemies to the league of heroes. They sat in their booth, exchanging ideas and reminiscing on old times stopping only to turn Flo away. It had been a long time since they had spoken of these things; sure they both patrolled a little here and there but never really met any kind of trouble. Back in the day, their lives were filled with action and violence. Killing villains had been a rewarding job, but there were no real villains left these days. They had all either died or had been locked up, something the heroes found troubling.

  Hours passed as they went through the list, crossing off the names of people who were gone or in jail. They couldn’t figure out who was doing this, which was a foreign feeling to them. At the league of heroes, they never lost. They always ended up triumphant and victorious, a record that Justice was scared to break with this case. “What about the Giggler? He always hated us for locking up his son, and no one knows what happened to him. I bet you he’s the one behind this!” Mike boomed, looking up at Justice with eager eyes.

  “No, no it couldn’t be The Giggler. I killed him four years ago in Peru; he was running a cocaine plant. It has to be someone we don’t know; we’ve exhausted every other option!” Justice was growing tired of this; they had been at it for hours and had made no progress. Ghost Girl was relying on him and he wasn’t about to let her down. He just wasn’t sure how he was going to figure this out. He closed his eyes, thinking hard when suddenly he felt cold steel on the back on his neck.

  “Don’t turn around, we have both of you. I have a message for you, from my master. You Supers think you hold the power in this city, you believe that you rule Rusten, but it isn’t so. There is another in control, and now he’s here to take this city back. You will never stop him, for he knows what you will do before you do it. You will live, but only for now. Good-bye HEROES!” the voice cackled, Justice could feel the blade disappear, a drop of blood trickling down his back.

  Mike was enraged, his body fully clenched and his eyes slit. He had never been defeated, he had never been held down. But somehow this person was stronger than the one and only Muscle Man, something that was not sitting well with the muscled out, rage machine. “When I find that son of a bitch, he’s going to wish for death. NO ONE MAKES ME LOOK LIKE A FOOL.” Justice Man shrank back, the last thing he wanted was to get in Mikes way when he was angry. He needed to let him cool off, so he told Mike he had to go and to check in with him later.

  Justice man ran out of the diner, he wasn’t sure where he was going to start looking but he knew time had run out for questions. He needed to find the person responsible for all of this, before his friends ended up dead. The world can’t afford to lose anymore heroes.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Adrenaline pumped through J’s body as he sprinted through the city, making for home. He hadn’t felt this alive in a while, the threat of danger made his heart race. He felt invincible; fighting evil gave him a rush. He began to sweat thinking of that knife pressed against his jugular, the cold voice ringing in his ears. These thoughts brought back memories of the old days, when everyday could have been his last. He stopped dead in his tracks, his brain was forming a plan, the way it used to back in the day-effortlessly, and instantaneous. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed a familiar number, “Hey its J, call the Healer Man and Ghost Girl, meet me at the old lair.” He hung up, not waiting for a response. He changed direction and headed toward Mikes, he would need the old teams support if he was going to stop this disaster before it began. Justice wouldn’t have any more hero blood on his hands.

  Mike was sitting out front his shop, sipping some herbal tea clearly deep in thought. “I have an idea on how to make a pre-emptive strike against the villains. I’m going to need your support Muscle Man, you’re going to have to get over your fears and help me destroy these evil bastards. I have Invisible Man and Ghost Girl onboard, the Healer has always offered his powers when others are in need, now I need you to help me break Explosion Man out so we can win with a BANG!” he slammed his fist into his palm for emphasis, forgetting his own immense strength.

  Mike laughed, almost choking on his tea. He could tell Justice wasn’t going to give up so he gave in, knowing full well he could crush his friend if he wanted. Now that he was on board, he wanted to know more but he knew this was not the place to discuss such top secret things. They jumped into Mike’s car and sped off towards the lair, somewhere neither of them had been for years.

  The lair was exactly as Justice had remembered. The chipped white paint and broken glass gave the sprawling house an eerie look. That was the whole point; the league had built their lair beneath this house to keep people from going inside. Everything about the property screamed “RUN!” from the broken down station wagon on the front lawn, to the boarded up doors. Justice knew that there were traps set in place to keep away the few brave and curious teens, so he stopped the car. Mike jumped out and ran across the lawn, jumping expertly over the trip wire placed just before the porch steps.

  Once inside, the darkness swallowed both the heroes. The floorboards were stiff and creaked with each step; the air was damp and smelt of rotting wood. Mike felt his way along the water stained walls, feeling for the seam of the hidden door. He stopped suddenly and jumped back, startled. “Aren’t you gonna buy me dinner first cowboy!” a voice called out from the darkness.

  Vince laughed, showing himself to the heroes. He was dressed up in his old costume, the sleek black suit looking dapper as always. “Sorry boys, didn’t mean to scare you. Everyone is waiting downstairs, let’s go join them!” He opened the door and motioned for them to go first. Mike and Justice exchanged a look, heading down the spiral stairs towards the light.

  The room opened up before their eyes, the modern furnishings and clean bright walls were welcoming to the men. Even more welcoming, the people sprawled across the furniture and their exhausted faces. Justice knew he had no time to waste, so he got right to business, telling the league of his plan to break Explosion Man out of prison.

  Every super hero knew the tragic tale of Lex; he was a hot tempered guy who lost it on the wrong man. Lex had always been the roughest of the group, his anger was his power and boy was he powerful. If provoked, he could quite literally become a human bomb causing a massive explosion. His powers had come in handy more than a few times, creating doorways in steel walls and getting them out of tricky situations. When he had ended up in jail, Justice had sworn to help get him out but was never able to get the team on board. Years had passed and it was about time they freed their wrongly imprisoned friend once and for all.

  CHAPTER SIX

  The prison walls were tall, each wall monitored by a guard tower equipped with all sorts of fire power. The heroes knew it was an impossible task, the thought of which made their skin tingle with anticipation. Most of them hadn’t felt this way in a long time; they had a purpose to fulfill and a mission to accomplish. There was no room for error, the slightest wrong move could trigger the alarm and send all of them to an early grave. In hushed tones Justice addressed the group, going over the plan of action one last time before they separated. The idea was to use their powers and the element of surprise to get in. He scanned the group, each of their faces covered in their token mask. It felt good to be a hero again, but his task wasn’t up yet.

  Healing Man went first, he was the bait. I
t was his job to distract the guards while Ghost girl and Invisible man slipped inside unnoticed. Having a ghost on your side was always helpful, as there was not a wall out there she couldn’t walk right through. Once inside, Invisible man was to steal the keys to Lexs’ cell and break him out while the others kept their eyes open for trouble.

  Justice watched as his friends disappeared, wishing he could do more to help but knowing stealth was their best bet. His eyes followed the movements of the guards from his hiding spot bellow, the glint of their shiny guns catching on the search light. He knew that ten feet from him lay Muscle man ready to attack if anything went wrong. “HEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!” an ear piercing scream came from inside the walls of the prison, Justice looked up quickly trying not to make any sudden movements so as to alert the guards of his position. His eyes stopped on a human leg sticking out of the prison wall, as though stuck in the cement. Justice jumped up realizing that it was Ghost girl and something must have gone terribly wrong. He touched her leg and called out to reassure her.

  All around them alarms began going off and lights scanned the ground searching for the culprit. Justice was panicking, forgetting the first rule of the Super Hero Hand Book. He knew that this was all his fault, he had formed the plan and brought them all here. If anything happened to his friends, their blood would be on his hands.

  Muscle man sprang into action, slamming his body into the cement wall indenting a large crack. The muffled voice of Ghost girl cried out in pain with every hit. Seconds later the cement shattered and out fell the cut up body of their friend, she was barely awake when she uttered, “It’s a trap.” The words burned their way into J’s mind as he stared into Gennys’ eyes, unable to look away. He called out for Healing man and took off towards the wall of the prison. Whoever was responsible for this was going to pay, with their life.