Council of Evil Read Online Free PDF

on three landing skis. A series of narrow fins ran along the back of the craft, giving it the appearance of a menacing shark. As Basilisk approached, a pair of gull-wing doors hissed open, revealing two plush seats inside. Basilisk hauled himself into the driver’s seat, and gestured for Jake to sit alongside.
    â€œWow!” Jake said, running his hands along the black carbon-fiber bodywork. “What is this?”
    â€œIt’s my own invention, a SkyKar. And if you don’t mind, we have an appointment to keep. Get in.”
    Basilisk seemed to sense Jake’s hesitation. “Hunter, this is a mission I need your help with. This is where your training begins. After this you will be returning home until I need you again.”
    Jake took a deep breath and nodded. He slid into theseat. The doors automatically folded down, and the dashboard lit up in an array of digital displays around a central monitor screen. A Head-Up Display (HUD) projected against the windshield gave all manner of flight data.
    â€œYou will need to buckle your harness,” Basilisk said as a rising engine hum vibrated through the SkyKar. Jake looked down at his seat, his fingers scrambling for the seat belt. He found one strap, but before he could locate the other the vehicle tilted upward and accelerated at a phenomenal speed. Jake was pushed back in his seat by the sudden g-force and felt the breath crushed out of him.
    â€œAnd never call me
Bas
again.”
    The SkyKar leveled out and the intense effect of the g-force vanished from Jake’s body as quickly as a blanket being pulled away. He gasped for breath, both hands gripping the dashboard for support.
    â€œI warned you to strap yourself in,” commented Basilisk.
    â€œA little more warning next time would be preferred,” snarled Jake. He peered out of the curved windows. “We’re flying!” It was a much better view than through the small portholes of airplanes; he could see the towns below, laid out in yellow and white pinpricks like a mirror to the stars above.
    â€œFlying? You haven’t experienced anything yet,” Basilisk said as he pivoted a monitor screen to face Jake. On it was the banner Villain.net, and a range of icons beneath that; many more than last time. “As a minion you get to choose four powers. It’s a touch screen.”
    Jake eagerly examined the display. As before, every icon depicted a stick figure in a pose, some with lines coming from their hands, others with lines from their head. There was the occasional symbol that Jake recognized from playing on his Xbox: the radioactive sign and another he was pretty sure meant biohazard. He shuddered at the thought of that one: would he come out with oozing lumps of pus like a giant zit?
    â€œWhat do they all do?”
    For the first time, Basilisk hesitated. “Ah, yes. That’s a slight, uh,
design
problem with the site.” He faced Jake, but even this close his features remained hidden in the shadows of his hood. “A lot of the elements of this site were stolen and we don’t have descriptions of all the icons. We only know a few. You’ll just have to make an educated guess.”
    â€œStolen? From where?”
    â€œDownloading superpowers through the Internet is not the same as downloading your favorite song, you know. Just choose instead of asking questions.”
    Jake looked back at the screen. With no key to whatthe symbols could be, he indiscriminately stabbed his finger at four of the icons. As before, the surface of the monitor writhed like a living thing and formed a thin tendril toward his head. It was an unsettling experience, over in a second.
    â€œWhat did you select?” Basilisk asked keenly.
    â€œUm … I don’t really know. I just randomly hit things.”
    â€œWhat? You should
think
about your actions. Being thoughtless will get you killed!”
    Jake glared at the hooded figure and felt, not for the first