Accidental Hero (Jack Blank Adventure) (36 page)

Stendeval smiled.

“Well, then, young hero, it seems to me that you have quite a future in store for yourself after all. There is much work to be done before you get there.” He reached out his hand to Jack. “Let us begin.”

Fourteen years ago I sat on a picnic blanket with my wife and told her all about this great idea I had called the Imagine Nation. For two full hours I gave her a long and incoherent, yet painfully detailed description of this story. By the time I was done, my car had a parking ticket, and the only person who had any idea what I was talking about was me. But she listened to every word, told me it sounded great, and said I should write it. If that’s not love, I don’t know what is.

This story has changed in a million different ways since that day, and I have to say it’s a relief to finally get it out of my head and down on paper once and for all. I don’t have to memorize the details and tell them—or more accurately, ramble on about them—to anyone ever again.
It’s all neatly packaged together in the collective pages of this book, which you would not be holding if not for some truly fantastic people, whom I would like to thank here:

Emil K. Hemsey and Joe Buoye, who read the very first draft of this book and told me straight up what needed fixing. This story is a better one because of them.

Superagent Chris Richman, who read that draft and then helped me take it to the next level, a feat he followed up by helping me achieve my lifelong dream of getting published.

My editor, Liesa Abrams, whose passion and excitement for this story was evident from the start and made her an absolute joy to work with.

My mom and dad, whose love and care in raising me gave me every opportunity in the world and made everything I have possible.

And finally, my beautiful wife, Rebecca, who believed in me from day one, and my son, Jack, who inspired me before he even got here, and whose arrival kicked off the greatest adventure of my life.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you all so very much.

TURN THE PAGE FOR
A SNEAK PEEK AT
JACK BLANK’S NEXT
ADVENTURE.…

A jolt of nervous energy shook up Jack’s spine, and a hush fell over the room. Suddenly Jonas Smart had everyone’s undivided attention. He was easily dismissed when trying to stir up fears using vague allusions to faceless threats, but if he had real, tangible evidence to share… that was something else entirely. The members of the Inner Circle leaned forward, but Smart made them wait as he basked in the glow of their anxious concern.

“I’m afraid I’ll have to play you the raw data,” Smart told the group. “I don’t have an alien-language translator with me.”

“Of course you don’t,” Noteworthy said. “I suppose you expect us to just take your word for what this so-called message says?”

“No,” Smart replied. “Since you all trust Jack so much, you can take
his
word. Jack speaks Rüstov. Don’t you, boy?”

All eyes turned to Jack. He didn’t like the position Smart was putting him in. “I see what you’re doing,” Jack said. “Trying to get me to vouch for whatever it is you’re going to use against me next? Forget it. That’s not going to happen.”

Smart sighed. “The message isn’t about you, Jack. If it were, you would have heard it long before now.”

Jack realized that what Smart said was probably true. Still, he wanted no part in whatever this was. “That doesn’t matter,” he told Smart. “I’m not helping you. And I don’t
speak
their language, by the way. I just understand it when they talk.”

Smart gave Jack a smirk. “Splitting hairs, aren’t we?” he asked. “So be it. Even your limited abilities would serve our purposes here today, but if you’d prefer to help cover up Rüstov activity rather than shed light on it, that’s fine. We’ll simply do this later, without you.”

Jack frowned. That was no good either. He didn’t want to be the mouthpiece for Smart’s latest attempt to reignite fears about the Rüstov, but if he wanted to stay in the
loop, he was going to have to play along. He didn’t have much choice. Jack had been covering up Rüstov activity ever since he’d first learned about the spyware virus, and this was his chance to find out if Smart knew anything about it. He agreed to translate the Rüstov transmission for the Inner Circle, and Smart pushed a button to launch the holo-computer’s audio player.

Jack listened intently as Smart played the intercepted message. Everyone else heard only the techno-organic clang of Rüstov speak, but Jack understood every word, as clear as a bell:

Glave to command. Glave to command. Report: Operation proceeding as planned. Phase one complete. Now in position. Risk level: zero. Moving forward with phase two. Inform the Magus that his loyal subject stands ready to strike a crippling blow against the Imagine Nation. In five days Empire City will belong to him. Long live the Magus. Long live the empire. Glave out.

The message tied Jack’s stomach into a Macedonian knot. Five days until the Rüstov controlled Empire City… On its face such a claim seemed impossibly ambitious, but Jack knew better. The Rüstov had maintained a low, almost nonexistent profile since the Revile
incident last year, but Jack knew the dangers that were lurking beneath that peaceful facade all too well. But was now the time to tell everyone about it?

“Well?” Noteworthy asked Jack. “We’ve heard Jonas cry wolf about the Rüstov before. Tell us. Was this more of the same, or was it real?”

Jack looked up at the Circlemen. The fear in his eyes was unmistakable. The members of the Inner Circle all leaned forward, trading nervous glances with one another.

“It’s real,” Jack admitted. “That was definitely a Rüstov agent talking.”

A concerned murmur ran though the Inner Circle. From the look on Smart’s face, Jack knew he was taking a creepy sense of pride in the tension he’d helped create. Jack didn’t like letting Smart use him this way, but he had to tell the truth. For one thing, it was written all over his face, and for another, if he lied, Smart would eventually play the translated message and Jack would be found out anyway.

Jack translated the message, and the sphere fell silent as each Circleman paused to consider the hidden Rüstov threat.

“People need to hear about this,” Hovarth declared.

“Hovarth!” Noteworthy blurted out, casting a reproachful eye toward his fellow Circleman. “Do you want to cause a panic?
No one
should hear about this. Not yet. There isn’t any proof the threat is real.”

“Not real?” Smart shot back. “Empire City’s favorite son just confirmed it was. You all heard him.”

“I heard no such thing,” Noteworthy countered. “Jack confirmed it was a genuine Rüstov transmission. He didn’t say anything to validate its content. How could he, unless he knows something about the Rüstov’s plans that we don’t?” Jack gulped. He felt like he was sinking in quicksand. Up in the Cognito seat at the Inner Circle’s table, Stendeval made a subtle, almost imperceptible motion for Jack to keep quiet. Smart opened his mouth to speak, but shut it once again without saying anything. Noteworthy seized the opportunity to keep going. “Of course the Rüstov
think
their plan is unstoppable,” he continued. “If they didn’t, they’d form a different plan.” The socialite Circleman shook his head. “No, until we’re presented with concrete evidence to back up these claims, it’s nothing more than hearsay. And it’s dangerous.”

“I find myself agreeing with Circleman Noteworthy,” Stendeval announced.

“You can’t be serious!” Smart said. “The only danger lies in ignoring these warnings.”

“We will ignore nothing,” Stendeval said. “We have a responsibility to maintain order and peace in the Imagine Nation, and we will do so.” Stendeval turned to his fellow Circlemen. “We must investigate this Agent Glave and his plans, each of us through our own channels. We must bring all possible resources to bear, but treat the matter with the utmost discretion. If word of this were to get out…”

“It would be hysteria,” Noteworthy said. “I second Stendeval’s motion. Anything less would be irresponsible.”

“Agreed,” Virtua said. “I’ve seen what fear of the Rüstov does to people in this city. I’ve no desire to see it again.”

Chi pressed his fingers to his lips in silent deliberation. “We must be swift,” he said, raising his head after a moment. “Five days is hardly any time at all.”

“And who is swifter than the ZenClan ninjas?” Stendeval asked. Chi nodded in agreement. He was on board with Stendeval’s plan. “Hovarth?” Stendeval asked, turning
to the Inner Circle’s last member. “What say you?”

The giant king of Varagog rubbed his beard. “I am unsure about this,” he said. “But until I am sure, I will stand with the Circle.” Hovarth rapped his knuckles on the table and nodded toward Stendeval. “Aye.”

Smart shook his head and stuffed his pocket holo-computer back inside his jacket. “Fools,” he spat. “Blind fools, all of you! Lucky for the people of this city, I’m not without my own resources. I have my own work… my own ‘channels,’ as you say. Know this: I intend to conduct my own investigation. The truth will come out,” he said, turning to look down at Jack with a hard stare. “I won’t rest until it does.”

Jack swallowed hard.
You and me both,
he thought. These days the truth was what kept Jack up at night.

has been obsessed with comic books and superheroes since he was five years old. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and family, where he is hard at work on the next book in the Jack Blank series.