Secrets of a D-List Supervillain Read Online Free PDF Page B

couple of José clones going to recover all the goodies from Tyranosorcerer Rex’s lair. Looting sounds like such a bad word.”
    “Why José and not one of the others?”
    “I figured if there were any traps, José could always grow new clones. Plus, he lost as much as I did when Patterson, or one of his flunkies, used that Robodestroyer suit to get rid of our robots in Florida. In fact, if you make some cosmetic adjustments to the Protector armor that Promethia put on the West Coast Guardian’s to replace Patterson; it might match the profile of Robodestroyer.”
    “Strange coincidence,” Stacy comments, and twirls final bits of pancake in the syrup on her plate.
    “Yeah, I thought so, too. Is it my old pal, Joe Ducie, in the armor or is he pulling the strings behind the scenes?”
    “I don’t think so. The West Coasters have closed ranks lately. Athena thinks it might be Tape Delay inside the suit now.”
    “Who’s that?”
    “A Canadian named Amanda Rae Westfal, who can see seven seconds into the future. She’s a very limited precog. Not an awesome ability by itself, but add a set of powered armor to it and it’s a potent combination. Word is Promethia is using her to soften their image. They’ve also put First Aid into a set of armor as well.”
    “I’ll keep that in mind,” I say, and make a note to update the rest of the team. If that is the case, I could see Tape Delay could be a problem, even if the armor she is wearing is far outclassed by Mega. “Anyway, so I guess it starts with me figuring out where Rex’s lair is, but I’m serious, no laughing.”
    “I promise,” she says. I don’t believe her because I know what’s coming.
    • • •
    “I don’t think there’s anything you can do for him,” one of Jose’s clones said to me. We stood in front of the stone statue that used to be one of the most intricate pieces of technology in the world—Andydroid.
    I scraped a sample off of the back of Andy’s wrist and prepared it to go through a molecular analyzer to see if there were any signs that the process was reversing itself.
    “I have to try,” I said. Many people, and that used to include me, don’t give José any credit. His power allows him to grow five copies of himself. At just shy of six foot and two hundred pounds, the Mexican kept himself in good shape and knew a decent amount when it comes to both martial arts and firearms, but he wasn’t super strong or durable. It was more like having a small group of highly trained individuals who worked together so closely that they knew what the other one was thinking... except in Jose’s case, they actually did. That’s why I’d hoped to get him in my cheap sets of armor. Even those substandard suits, combined with his groupmind ability, would be a formidable combination.
    “Why?” the clone asked. “His inventor said he’d just rebuild him and restore from the last time he was backed up. It’s like me. If this body dies, I’ll just make another one.”
    “It’s not quite the same,” I countered. “Yeah, I was there when the good doctor briefed us. His last complete backup of Andy was about ten weeks before the bugs showed up. That new Andydroid would be a stranger to me. This one is my friend.”
    In a sense, it was just like the situation with Aphrodite all over again. Maybe that’s what bugged me the most about it, but I wasn’t about to admit that to anyone if I could help it.
    “Then good luck, Cal. I checked this week’s supply shipment.”
    “Let me guess, just like last week. No synth-muscle. Effing Promethia!”
    José nodded. “I used to admire Mr. Patterson, but now he is just a petty and spiteful man waging a war against someone who wants nothing to do with him.”
    His sentiments weren’t exactly true. If an unarmored Lazarus Patterson walked through that door right now, I’d have no problem scooping up my pulse pistol and playing energy weapon piñata with his body. Then again, the Mexican member of