[OLD] The Scorpion Mission (#2)

Five

They hurried over and Victoria handed the binoculars to Dr. Newman. "Captain said he saw something approaching on the radar," Victoria explained. "It's a motorboat. He asked me to take a look."

"Can you see who's on it?" Tyler asked.

"There's a guy driving," Victoria said. "But I think he's the only one."

Whoever it was, they were only a few minutes away. "Call over a few Supers," Dr. Newman said. "Then get the crew to pull him up."

Victoria nodded and walked over to where a few kids were training.

Tyler turned to Dr. Newman. "Are you sure?" she asked. "We have no idea who this guy is."

"Whatever he wants, we outnumber him," Dr. Newman said.

"I could turn into a fish and go spy on him," Felix offered.

"That won't be necessary," Dr. Newman said as a few crew members approached. "We'll pull up whoever it is and talk to him."

The stranger parked their boat next to the ship. While the crew pulled him up, Tyler and the others waited in tense silence.

A boy about nineteen, dressed in all black, stepped off the boat when it came to a stop. Tyler and the others only had a moment to register his presence.

"Supers," he said. "My name is Malcolm."

Next to Tyler, Dr. Newman tensed. "I hope, for everyone's sake, that you don't mean Malcolm Somnus," he said.

Malcolm's gaze shifted to Dr. Newman. "You know who I am?"

"I've heard rumors," Dr. Newman said, taking a step forward. "When I worked for the government, there were whispers of some sort of special agent. Someone was sending him into U.S. facilities to steal information. They called him—you—the Nightmare Kid."

There were a few seconds of heavy silence. "Well, I suppose my reputation precedes me, then."

"So it is you?"

"Yes."

Dr. Newman turned to the Supers. "Detain him," he ordered. "I don't want anyone speaking to him unless he's locked up."

The Supers around Tyler surged toward Malcolm. He looked almost bored as he held up his hand.

Tyler gasped when the kid next to her fell to the ground. She knelt down and grabbed the kid's arm. He didn't seem to have any injuries. After a moment, Tyler realized he was asleep.

Newman was down, too, she realized with a jolt, and other kids were dropping. Tyler's heart hammered in her chest. Her gaze flickered to a gun lying a foot away from one of the Supers. She reached out and grabbed it.

No one was within ten feet of Malcolm. Staying low, Tyler made her way around the back of the crowd. She pressed herself up against the railing and inched closer, praying Malcolm would keep his back to her. She'd had one lesson on firing a gun, but she couldn't remember what she'd learned. Even if she did, her hands were shaking like crazy.

All the Supers that had been training on deck hurried over to the commotion. Clutching the gun, Tyler pulled herself to her feet and watched another wave of kids go unconcious. Her gaze darted back to Malcolm.

With a deep breath, Tyler lunged forward and swung the gun. It collided hard with the back of Malcolm's head. Tyler breathed a sigh of relief when he collapsed.

The sleeping kids began stirring, and within about a minute they were all up. As soon as Dr. Newman was up, he hurried over to where Malcolm lay.

"I'm so sorry," Dr. Newman said. He looked at Tyler. "I didn't even know he was real. If I had known it was him, I wouldn't have let him up."