Free Powerless by Tera Lynn Childs, Tracy Deebs

wandering these halls. I already know where they lead. At the same time, if sub-level three exists, that means, even with how well I know this place, I’ve missed something.
    Even worse, it means I’ve been in the dark for a very long time.
    The thought doesn’t sit well. But it makes me even more determined to prove these crazy suspicions wrong.
    Unsure of where else to start, I search my mom’s lab—back to pre-Nitro condition, thanks to the Cleaners—from top to bottom. I feel a little ridiculous pressing against walls, pushing buttons, and checking out every nook and cranny. But I don’t know what a secret entrance is supposed to look like, so I’m trying to examine anything and everything that might fit that bill.
    My mom’s lab is clean, just like I expected it to be. But really, I consider, while one might imagine the center’s top scientist would need access to the supersecret level, she wouldn’t be the only one. I think about Mr. Malone, about the Superhero Collective—the elite group that makes all the decisions in the super world—and their immensely huge egos. They would demand access to a special level. And not just access, easy access.
    Which means I’m totally looking in the wrong place. Although my mom is down here on sub-level one, the Superhero Collective’s offices are all above ground. They have huge offices with huge windows that reflect how important they are. Of course access to supersecret sub-level three—if it exists—would be wherever they are.
    Leaving my research in a pile near the door so I can swing by and get it later, I head for the elevators and the building’s third floor.
    As the elevator whooshes me upward, my stomach sinks. What am I doing? I almost reach for the button to take me back down. Not only is this a ridiculous wild-goose chase, but I could be in big trouble if I get caught.
    I’ve never been good with unanswered questions though.
    I have no choice. I have to follow the goose.
    The good thing about my mom’s pass? She has access to everything—even the inner sanctums.
    I decide to search Mr. Malone’s office first. I’ve seen my mom swipe her access card at the entrance to his suite.
    It works. I’m in.
    Walking into this room is like taking a step back in time to a nineteenth-century palace, complete with a king and an unlimited budget. Silk curtains, antique couches, expensive paintings.
    I try to ignore the opulence, but being here makes me uncomfortable. Not because I’m spying on Rebel’s dad, but because this office is all about power. It clearly belongs to someone who is impressed with himself and wants everyone else to be impressed too. Which makes me feel icky, especially given what Draven and Rebel said. A guy who turns his office into a shrine to his self-importance, who is so egotistical and power-happy that he actually named this building after himself… Suddenly, all the outlandish theories don’t seem quite so far-fetched.
    But taking in the view isn’t going to get me anywhere, so I start looking. I’m totally lost. There’s just so much in this room, so many places to hide a secret entrance.
    I peek behind all of the paintings, then check the filing cabinet, the closet, even underneath the rugs. I don’t find anything. No trapdoor, no secret panel. Nothing is even the least bit suspicious.
    There is a gigantic safe on one wall, tucked behind a painting of some epic battle scene, but it’s certainly not big enough for a human to fit through—especially one as tall and broad as Mr. Malone. I don’t know how to break the combo, but I feel pretty confident in assuming it’s not the secret door.
    At the same time, I wonder why he needs a safe anyway. What kind of secrets is he hiding? The heroes are supposed to be all about transparency. Secrets are for villains , Mr. Malone always says.
    Jeremy would laugh at how paranoid I’m being, but it’s a massive safe. It could hold a lot of secrets.
    Still, it’s not like I have the