Hunting Heroes: A Superhero Novel by Derek Pozel Page A

possible,” Sage turned his head back to Patriot. “It appears when he touches us we lose our powers. Shadow Guard and Granite were both badly beaten during their encounters with this individual. I am guessing he has to physically overpower or exhaust an Afflicted to extract their powers. During their fights with this man, their powers had no effect on him. It is what is intriguing about this character. Can someone be immune to everything or certain abilities? The possibilities are endless of what he can do and what we can’t do to him. Would my cognitive reasoning and memory vanish? I would love to do tests on him to see the extent of his powers.”
    “First, we catch him. Then you can perform your tests on him,” Patriot let out a groan.
    Sage tugged on his earlobe. “He could be a solution to the more dangerous guests at the Hotels.”
    Patriot’s face contorted into a frown. “We need to catch him quickly and quietly. We cannot let word of someone with his powers get out, especially if he can take the powers of the Afflicted. You read both reports?”
    “Of course and they are stored into my memory,” Sage said.
    “Good, destroy the physical copies immediately,” Patriot said. “No one outside you, Bloodhound and I, can know the full extent of those reports and what he can do.”
    Patriot reached into the desk, pulled Shadow Guard’s report from the top drawer. He slid both to Sage. “Get rid of them.”
    “As you wish,” Sage said. “The others will inquire about Shadow Guard and Granite.”
    Patriot sighed. “I’ll handle it.”
    “Early retirement?” Sage’s eyes narrowed to tiny slits.
    “No, we’ll be truthful of this man’s abilities,” Patriot said. “We’ll keep the finer details of his target to ourselves for the time being.”
    “I’ve haven’t seen you this excited in a long time my old friend.” Patriot said. “It’s good to have you back.”
    Sage hung his head. “Losing Elizabeth has kept me distracted from my duties. I understand the importance of the Assembly. I’m sorry I have not been around lately, I need time.”
    Patriot shifted his weight forward. “Take all the time you need. Even though she wasn’t an Afflicted, she was still part of the Assembly. She was part of our family and I miss her too, so does Zoe.”
    Sage rubbed his eyes and forced a smile. “Thank you. Let’s get back to this new enemy. This man is such an enigma. Can he be our counter?”
    “Could he be a mimic and we’re over thinking this?” Patriot said.
    Sage tilted his head upward. “Well, it is possible, I don’t think it’s the case with this one. We have encountered three mimics over the years. The one who absorbed the abilities by touch and the one who drank the…” Sage cleared his throat. “Who had to kill an Afflicted and drink their blood to gain their abilities.”
    Sage tapped his fingers on the oak armrest of the chair. “There is nothing in Granite’s or Shadow Guard’s statements which give the impression he is a mimic.”
    “It’s what I was afraid of,” Patriot said. “We don’t know who he is and we don’t know what he is capable of. If word gets out about this Afflicted and his ability to take our powers, it could be a disaster for all the Afflicted in the world.”
    “Many of our enemies will do whatever it takes to control him,” Sage said. “The governments of the world would love to have him in their pocket and use him as leverage. What bothers me is what happens to him when he does take a person’s power? You simply cannot destroy our powers and the energy which fuels them.”
    “He might be immune to us,” Patriot said. “He can turn off our powers and take them away. This is what we need to focus on. I know you’re curious about this one. Figure out a way to protect our people on the streets. Then you can worry about energy and where it goes after we catch him.”
    Sage waved his hands. “Fine.”
    “I’ll admit,” Patriot said. “This