Council of Evil Read Online Free PDF Page B

time, an intense dislike for the enigmatic Basilisk. Then he began to experience a crawling sensation in his hands, racing toward his fingertips. Basilisk suddenly stretched across the dashboard and hit a button. Instantly the sensation in Jake’s fingers vanished.
    â€œWhat just happened?”
    â€œI activated the power dampener. Otherwise you might have blown my SkyKar out of the air. And since you don’t know if you have flying powers or not, I didn’t think it was worth the risk. Besides, the vehicle’s not insured.”
    â€œPower dampener?”
    â€œIt inhibits superpowers.” Basilisk reached in the side of his seat and pulled out a pair of handcuffs with a digital keypad in the center to lock them. “Normally you need a generator the size of a house to dampen even the most basic powers. But my latest creation crams it all into a small chip. I used the same technology in these.Cuff a superhero and—
zap!
—their powers have been nullified. Just sold the first batch to a criminal called Tempest. Good luck to him.”
    Jake shook his head. This all seemed crazy. On top of everything else it looked as if Basilisk was a nutty inventor who sold his creations to other supervillains.
    â€œWe’ll be at our destination in a couple of hours,” Basilisk continued, “so sit back and enjoy the ride. When we arrive you’ll have ample time to vent your anger!”
    â€œBut I’m not angry.”
    â€œYou will be,” said Basilisk with a trace of mirth.
    Jake decided not to ask any further questions, as he figured they wouldn’t be answered anyway. He sat back and enjoyed the view. It was probably also best not to mention he didn’t have his passport.
    The SkyKar shimmied, and Jake felt his stomach lurch. He must have drifted asleep. He opened his eyes and was greeted by the rays of dawn peeking over the horizon. He could feel that they were descending. A quick glance at his watch told him that more than two hours had passed.
    Basilisk hit a button on the control panel, and the words “AUTO PILOT” illuminated. The gull-wing doors flipped open in tandem, and Basilisk half stood on his seat.
    â€œAre you ready?”
    Jake rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “Ready for what?”
    Basilisk snapped his hand out and unfastened Jake’s seat belt.
    â€œReady to
fly
!”
    Jake opened his mouth to respond—but before he could, Basilisk’s heavy boot slammed into his chest. Jake scrambled to hold on to
anything
as he was kicked from his seat and fell from the SkyKar.
    It was an odd experience. The descending SkyKar appeared to move away from Jake in slow motion as he fell at a slightly faster speed. The roar of wind bellowed past his ears and tore at his clothes. He managed to spin around onto his chest, and saw, below him, dawn light glinting off the glass towers of a sprawling building complex etched out in a rocky desert.
    It didn’t look as if it would cushion Jake’s fall.
    Basilisk suddenly glided into view, in full control of his dive. He zipped past Jake as agile as a hummingbird.
    â€œJake, you can fly!”
    â€œHow do you know? You don’t know what powers I got,” Jake screamed back through the wind. “I could have downloaded a superpower that helps me fall!”
    â€œI lied. I know what
some
of the icons mean. I configured the system to make sure flying was one of your chosen powers. It’s something I’ve learned at a high cost. I’ve seen too many sidekicks splattered!”
    The structure below was looming larger than ever, now fully taking up Jake’s peripheral vision. He closed his eyes, and thrust his hands down as if to cushion his fall. He could almost imagine the roaring wind in his ears had stopped.
    In fact the wind
had
stopped.
    Jake opened his eyes. He was no longer rushing to meet the ground, but instead hovered over the complex. Basilisk hung alongside, so in control