GoldHeart

Chapter 2: Prison Visit

ALTO'S POV

ACCESS GRANTED. WELCOME, SHADOWHAND.

My fingers fly across the keyboard. I've really got to change the opening screen- if someone hacked into my laptop, I can't bear to think what might happen. Now that I'm one of the most powerful villains in Pandomin, I've got responsibility and a reputation to uphold. Those girls in the other room don't bother my concentration while I search the news. Their voices are muffled by the sound of the TV show, which sounds like another girly romance.

The news feed I have access to is different than any other site. I have undercover police officers who report to me whenever something major happens. Plus, since I'm a journalist, I can see the unedited news articles right from downtown before they're published. The latest headline is "GOLD HEART TAKES DOWN DR. SEISMIC".

"Damn her!" I murmur. She's been taking down every single criminal I hired. Everytime I think I find a person powerful enough to kill her, they're captured in a week. If only I knew who she was I might have a chance at destroying her once and for all. Wow, I just realized how cheesy that sounds. But I can't be preoccupied with her right now. I click on the article. The report says that Dr. Seismic is in prison already. What a easy fight for Gold! I sit back in my swivel chair and put my hands behind my head to think. If he's in prison, he might be questioned. A greedy weak-minded swine like him would probably rat me out if he was given enough money. There's only one thing I can do now.

I grab my signature wingtips from under the desk and lace them up neatly. Then I put a black leather jacket on over my t-shirt. The final touch is a large cloak that I hide under the floorboards. It has a large hood that covers my face in shadow and effectively transforms me from a sloppy journalist to a mysterious supervillain. Maybe I'm a bit vain, I think, examining myself in the mirror and putting on some leather gloves, but I do look good. I designed this costume myself, after all. Girls aren't the only ones who can sew.

After opening my door a crack to check that Vegas and Bryony were distracted, I climb out of my window that leads to the fire escape. I sprint down the stairs two at a time and jump the last flight into the smelly alleyway. Now I turn and concentrate on ten different bricks in the opposite wall, all identical. I never have trouble remembering the order of the bricks, but no police officer could realize my secret. Inside each seemingly insignificant brick I've installed mechanisms that will recognize when anything other than a shadow touches them. That's right, I mastered umbrakinesis. Instead of using my fingers to touch the bricks, I simply concentrate on the falling evening shadows so they stretch out like tentacles and press each one. Out of the ground emerges my jet-black jaguar through a large camouflaged hatch. I jump in and back out of the alley.

A lot of my friends who became supervillains hired evil henchmen as soon as they were out of school. "Alto, why don't you just get a few stupid henchmen?" I remember Diesel asking me. We were sitting outside the school in between classes to get some air. The huge dark school, like a great castle, loomed overhead against a storm cloud sky. Villain school was just like it sounds- not very pleasant.

"That's simple," I stated flatly, "they're stupid. I hate stupid people."

He snorted. "That's immature."

"You're such a big shot, Diesel. You can afford evil henchmen," I told him. And this was true. Diesel was at the top of every class because of his ever-convenient weapon- molecular combustion. In short, he blew things up. I was someone who usually relied on brainpower to get what I want. "Since everyone will be scared of you anyways. But what about me? I'm not letting some brainless jocks mess up my reputation."

"What reputation?"

"Reeeally funny."

"I'm just kidding, you wimp. Lighten up a little," Diesel said. "Henchmen are cheap! As long as you've got money, they'll stick with you until the end."