The Invincibles Read Online Free Page B

looking for them, even if he didn’t even know where to start. He could see everything in the world, but that maniac had still hidden those children from him. The Death Reaper was probably laughing his ass off about it as he burned in hell.
    Hyperman knew he shouldn’t get down on himself. Horrible things happened and, sometimes, not even hyper-powers helped, but he’d never give up trying to do something about them.
    A napkin smacked against his cheek. He glanced up.
    “ You went off into your quiet little place,” Lindsey teasingly said.
    “ Sorry. I’ve had a lot on my mind lately.”
    “ It’s okay. You actually look sort of cute like that with the weight of the world on your shoulders.”
    He chuckled. “I’ll try to look thoughtful and broody then.”
    “ We’ll have you model for it and take pictures,” she said. “I’ll write an article and proclaim you the moody boy of the new century.”
    They both laughed.
    Suddenly, soul-shockingly loud rocket blasts roared from above.
     
    ***
     
    Everyone in the diner jumped. Waitresses dropped trays of food. People fell out of their seats and knocked over tables. Drinks spilled. Outside, cars stopped and thumped into each other. Sirens and horns shrieked. Bikers rode into trees. Everywhere, everybody looked to the sky.
    Hyperman jolted up in his seat, pretending to be as startled as anyone. He had sensed this coming from far off and would only interfere in the situation if he must. He wasn’t about to ditch Lindsey without a very good reason.
    Far above, Dynamo-Man in his sleek, gleaming, high-tech armor battered through the clouds after a pair of black, spiked death-droids. Small missiles and hot laser beams filled the sky between them. Explosions boomed and flames flashed, but Dynamo-Man incinerated any falling debris and chased the death-droids away over the horizon. The people all around Hyperman breathed a sigh of relief. Several nervously laughed.
    While tempted to suit up and help, Hyperman determined that Dynamo-Man had the situation well in hand. He’d likely blast those death-droids to pieces out over the ocean without needing any help at all. He was a well-experienced hand at that sort of thing. Therefore, Hyperman could sit down, relax, and enjoy his date.
    Lindsey gulped down her lemonade and set the glass shakily back onto the table. She ran her hands through her hair and massaged her temples.
    “ You okay?” Hyperman asked, taking her hand.
    “ Seeing something like that’s a lot to take,” she said. “It’s just not…not right. People shouldn’t be able to do things like that. Things like that shouldn’t exist!”
    Hyperman stiffened up in his seat. He and Lindsey had never discussed her views on superheroes before. He’d never thought she would be anything but awed and grateful. Most people were whenever he’d had a chance, as Cal, to chat them up about it.
    “ Well,” he said, “if certain people couldn’t, who’d save the world?”
    “ Why do we need to have the world saved?” she asked.
    “ What? Are you kidding? Look at how many idiots get powers and try to hurt someone with them.”
    “ Are you talking about the so-called heroes or the villains? Because I have trouble telling them apart sometimes.”
    “ It’s not hard. One side’s trying to protect you and the other’s try to do whatever the hell they want.”
    “ They all seem to do whatever they want, Cal, and the rest of us can’t do anything about it.”
    His mouth opened in the shape of a small oval, and his hand slipped away from hers.
    “ You really feel this way?” he asked.
    She shrugged. “Look, I’m grateful whenever Hyperman saves the universe. Really, I am. But I figure it’d be safer without him and the other big hero guys around with their super-fights causing so much collateral damage.”
    “ They help clean that up.”
    “ Not all of it. Not even they can fix all the cities that get thrashed and save the people that die.”
    “ They do