Free Team Omega by Christopher G. Nuttall Page B

Young Stars franchise.  Officially, he’s nineteen; old enough to be reasonably mature, but young enough to serve as an idol for the children.  He’s been nineteen for a while now; his birth certificate may have mysteriously vanished, yet there is enough evidence left to confirm that he is at least twenty-five years old.  His lawyers issue a storm of legal threats every time someone questions his age, so don’t count on it being breaking news any time soon.”
     
    Jackson blinked in surprise.  No one had realised Youngster had been officially nineteen for at least six years?
     
    “On the record, he’s as sweet and wholesome as your mother’s apple pie,” he continued.  “Off the record, he’s got a reputation for being a bit of an asshole.  He has slept with countless super-groupies, many of whom may have been younger than sixteen when he fucked them.  Even if he was nineteen, he would still be a pervert, but there won’t be legal trouble, because he has a small army of lawyers on his side.
     
    He shrugged.  “No steady girlfriend, no mother...and a father who sees him as a source of money.  That sort of shit is always a recipe for trouble.”
     
    Jackson nodded.  Youngster didn't seem very nice, but most of the super teams he’d been studying tended to have skeletons in their closets.  At least one super team had broken up after discovering that its founder had very bad intentions...too late to stop him from using them to rob a bank and escape with the cash. 
     
    “His power level is generally rated as a low Level 4,” the Professor added.  “Most of them probably relate to gravity in some way; he can fly, has a limited form of invulnerability and is formidably strong.  On the other hand, he does need to breathe”—he winked at Jackson—“and has a handful of other weaknesses, all of which will be covered in the detailed briefing notes.
     
    “Next up is Sparky.”  He clicked the remote, using the projector to show an image of a Latino girl showing off her cleavage, Jackson sucked in his breath and heard some of the others doing the same.  “She actually is eighteen years old, but like Youngster she has a bit of a reputation behind the scenes.  Unlike him, there are plenty of teenagers and even young men willing to brag online that she picked them up after a show and took them to bed, where they spent the entire night with her.  You won’t be surprised to discover that she’s done nude shoots for Playboy in-between her activities with the Young Stars.  Her powers all involve manipulating electric power; she has a very limited flight ability that doesn't seem to be anything like as flexible as a normal flyer.”
     
    “And you can go look up the pictures of her online later,” the Sergeant injected.  There were some chuckles from the team.  “And if we do have to fight her, don’t hold back.  Any freak is dangerous, even the sexy ones.”
     
    Professor Blunt cleared his throat.  “Nova and Brute have been teamed up by the Young Stars as a message about the importance of racial harmony,” he said.  Jackson had to smile; Nova was a tall African-American, while Brute was at least as large as the Sergeant—and looked older than twenty years old.  “They detest each other, although no one is quite sure why; they never share a room or a flight if they can help it.  There’s probably quite a story in there somewhere if we knew what it was.  Maybe they just pretend so that people don’t think that they’re secretly lovers or something stupid like that.
     
    “Nova’s main powers involve manipulating fire and superheated plasma, including using it to fly and shield his body.  Although he’s rated as a Level 3, do not turn your back on him; the best tactic we’ve been able to devise involves burning away the atmosphere near him to put out his fires.  Alternatively, hose him down and hope for the best.  If worst comes to worst, rely on your body armour to take the