Free Rise of the Heroes by Andy Briggs Page B

return he had trawled the Internet in the hope that he would stumble on Hero.com, but to no avail. Pete sighed heavily. He hated arguing with Toby, but he couldn’t help himself. To make him feel worse, he’d had nothing but a background soundtrack of his parents arguing in the kitchensince he’d been home. The topics were always the same: bills and money. He glanced around the living room. It wasn’t bad, but even he could tell it could do with some decent furniture and a new coat of paint.
    The image of the cases filled with money drifted across his mind. All that cash would surely solve his problems at home. It would certainly stop his parents from fighting. Money solved everything. Didn’t it?
    He wondered what spurred Doc Tempest on to become a villain. As he climbed the stairs to his bedroom, Pete could easily imagine his pockets overflowing with wads of banknotes. Was it really a bad thing to use superpowers to forge a better life for yourself?
    But he knew the answer. Years of reading comic books had formed Pete’s morals. Unfortunately he knew the difference between right and wrong. Plus he had no doubts that using Hero.com powers to perform an unscrupulous act would get him banned from using the Web site. And that was too terrible to contemplate. He’d just have to make the most of the hand he’d been dealt.
    He slammed his bedroom door shut to block out his parents’ voices. He was a hero, and he’d act like one no matter what.
    Problem is, the villains always seemed to have the most fun.
    * * *
    A weekend wasted!
    Pete and Emily had both visited Toby and Lorna in the hope that they would have another chance to try the Web site. But that opportunity never came; Sarah seemed to be working on the computer all day, and she had made no offer to leave them alone in the house.
    Lorna had dropped a few hints to her mother, that perhaps she would enjoy going for a walk? This simply raised Sarah’s suspicions, and Lorna gave up on that approach.
    Toby started to worry that their mother had discovered their intentions, and was making sure the children didn’t get to spend any time on the computer.
    A phone call on Saturday evening drew Sarah away from the machine. The joy in her voice turned into melancholic tones as it appeared their dad wouldn’t be coming home as planned; the dig was keeping him away for at least another week.
    As Lorna and Toby listened from the top of the stairs, Toby began imagining his father with superpowers, traveling the world. He could only guess at the adventure he was embroiled in now. No doubt something big that kept him away from home for so long. Their mother’s gentle sobbing brought him back to reality. He swapped glances with his sister, and Lorna walked down the stairs to console her mother. Tobywould have liked to go too, but he knew they would probably end up arguing.
    Sunday dragged like only a Sunday can. Pete called, and Toby let Lorna talk to him. The two friends hadn’t spoken since the mission, and neither seemed willing to make a simple apology.
    It was clear their next dot-com adventure would have to wait. And with a sense of utter despair, Toby realized tomorrow was back to school—their midterm break was over.
    Back to school … could that sentence sound any more agonizing?
    Pete’s shoulder hurt as he was slammed against the wall for the third time. His backpack slipped, school-books tumbling into rain puddles. He had attempted to repair his glasses with glue but had ended up making them more lopsided, and now they had glue-prints over the arms too. His only other option would have been a pair of thick, cheap glasses he’d been given free by the optician. He’d thought that wearing those would make him more of a magnet for bullies.
    Now as he looked up at the hulking figures of Scuffer, Knuckles, and Big Tony surrounding him, he realized that his glasses didn’t make any difference. He realized