Free Super Villain Academy 2: Polar Opposites by Kai Strand Page B

phone. “The Balancer is here, and he wants to see his mother!” He nodded. “Yep, that’s what he says.”
    The man nodded again in response to whatever the person on the phone said. Jeff was struck by the shrewd expression in eyes so washed out by age.
    “Right,” the man spoke into the phone before hanging up. As soon as the receiver settled into its cradle a cacophony of sound erupted, making Jeff duck and look around. All at once, a metal gate rolled across the front door, barring entry or exit. A wall of thick iron bars rolled down, blocking access to the hallway that led deeper into the office building. The old man moved with such speed that Jeff barely registered the movement before his arms were yanked behind his back and bound together with what felt like really strong tape.
    “What the…?” Jeff said. He struggled to break the man’s grip, but was surprised to find it too strong.
    “Relax, son. Don’t struggle, and we won’t have to hurt you.”
    “What the hell did I do?” Jeff barked, still trying to pull himself from the man’s hold.
    “Watch your language, son.” The old man’s voice quavered with age.
    Jeff’s cheeks burned pink, because a one hundred year old hero held him captive. He stopped struggling when a woman approached up the hallway. She looked professional in a black pants suit and white blouse with thin black pinstripes. Her hair was pulled back tight behind her head, and she wore glasses with rectangular lenses and thick black frames. Instead of stopping at the gate, the woman melded right through the bars and reformed into the ultra-professional on the other side. Jeff’s mouth gaped.
    Even though she wore high heels, the top of her head only crested at Jeff’s breastbone. She stood in front of him with a curled lip and flared nostrils as if he smelled like stinky cheese. “Who is it you say you are?” she asked.
    “Um.” Suddenly, Jeff wasn’t sure who to claim to be. Jeff Mean? Polar Tohler? “Sarah’s son, Jeff. I thought she worked here. Do I have the wrong place?”
    The woman pushed her glasses up her nose and stepped closer to Jeff, peering closely at his face. When she blinked, he thought he heard the faintest shutter click of a camera.
    Jeff had to fight the desire to lean away from her. “I have my driver’s license in my back pocket, if that’ll help.”
    “Government identification,” the old man scoffed. “Right.”
    The woman cocked her head to the side as if someone whispered in her ear. She raised her eyebrows and looked at Jeff. “He’s clear.”
    The old man dug into the front pocket of his pants. “Well, I’ll be.” He pulled out what looked like a pocketknife, but the blade he unfolded from it glowed lime green.
    “Dude, what’s that for?” Jeff couldn’t see far enough over his shoulder to see what the old man planned to do, but then he felt a relief in pressure of the tape around his wrists.
    The old man snapped the strange blade closed and shoved it back into his pocket before tearing the tape off Jeff’s wrists.
    “Ouch!” Jeff said, rubbing the red welts the tape left behind.
    “I would’ve thought he’d be a bit more to reckon with,” the old man said to the lady.
    “Have you seen that movie, Accidental Hero?” the woman asked and then nodded her head toward Jeff.
    Jeff huffed. “Can I see Mother now?”
    The woman nodded, and the old man stepped over to the phone and dialed something that made the gates roll back into hiding. Jeff followed the woman down the hall and onto an elevator. There were no buttons to push to indicate which level they wanted to go to, and Jeff remembered the building was only a single story. Still, he was surprised when the elevator descended and his stomach did the strange flipping thing that usually happened on a roller coaster.
    “What is this, like NORAD?” Jeff asked.
    The woman peered at him, blinked (without a shutter click, Jeff noted) and looked back at the door.
    The doors finally