Age of Shiva (The Pantheon Series) by James Lovegrove Read Free Book Online

the team. There are things we have to keep secret – even if they’re no longer as secret as we would like right now.”
    “Anything to do with what happened last night?” I asked, cunningly putting two and two together. Not that it was that tricky a piece of arithmetic. “The Mirage and the two men in that ‘chariot’?”
    “Very much so. But that’s just the proverbial tip of the iceberg. This is something big, Zak. One of the biggest somethings there’s ever been. The repercussions will be immense, the consequences world-changing. We’d like you in on it. Would you like to be in?”
    “Give me a clue. Just a hint. What’s going to sell it to me?”
    The three members of the Trinity Syndicate exchanged glances.
    “In a word,” said Lombard, “superheroes.”
    “You what?”
    “You heard. Real-life superheroes.”
    “A super team, to be precise,” said Krieger.
    “Like in the comic books,” said Bhatnagar, “but in the flesh.”
    “Powers. Armour. Weaponry. The works,” said Lombard.
    “And we’d like you to design them for us,” said Krieger. “Come up with the costumes, the accessories, the colour scheme, the insignia. Work out how they should look.”
    “Me?” I said.
    “You’re the go-to guy, that’s what everyone in your line of work says. You’ve done revamps of some of the classic characters and generated several brand new ones. This is right in your wheelhouse, son.”
    “What do you say?” said Bhatnagar. “Interested?”
    “Have you offered this to anyone else?” I asked. “Frank Quitely? Alex Ross? Dave Gibbons? Jim Lee? Come on, you must have.”
    “You’re the only one, Zak,” said Lombard. “Top of the list. First refusal.”
    “Well, shit. I don’t know. This is so sudden. Right out of the blue. Superheroes? Really?”
    They nodded in unison.
    “Can I see?”
    “Thought you might say that,” said Krieger. “What do you reckon, Dick, Vignesh? A demonstration for Mr Bramwell? No harm in that, surely.”
    “Wasn’t last night good enough?” said Lombard.
    “Ah, but Zak hardly saw anything,” said Bhatnagar. “It was dark, and over in no time. Right, Zak?”
    I shrugged. “I’m not even sure what I saw. Did one of the planes blow up? What happened to the other one?”
    “Best you don’t ask,” said Krieger.
    “But if you downed their planes, isn’t that like an act of war? Won’t there be reprisals?”
    “Let’s just call it a diplomatic incident and leave it at that. We’ve been up half the night making phone calls, soothing brows. The lid’s back on the pot – for now.”
    “It’s a risk, showing him anything more,” Lombard said. “Can we trust him? What’s to stop him blabbing?”
    “Zak knows we know where he lives,” said Bhatnagar. “Besides, he tested well in the psych evaluations.”
    “I have?” I said. “When did I do those?”
    “You didn’t sit any actual tests. We worked up a full personality profile based solely on your online presence and records, especially your activity on social networks. You scored highly in the compliance section.”
    “Meaning I’m a pushover.”
    “More or less.”
    I didn’t have the balls to argue with that. Which proved that the psych evaluation was pretty much on the money.
    “Whatever happens, you’re not leaving this island without signing a confidentiality agreement,” said Krieger. “And believe me, the clauses in that are tight enough to make your eyes water.”
    Lombard pondered, then decided. “Ah, what the hell, why not? Doubting Thomas here needs proof? Let’s give it to him.” He yoked an arm around my shoulders and hugged me to him as though we were drinking buddies at the pub – although it felt somewhat like a headlock as well. “I have a good feeling about you, Zakko mate. I think you’re going to be one of us. You’re going to fit right in.”
     
    1 Like Jesus. Or Superman after Doomsday killed him.
     
    2 It was the slogan that used to appear on DC’s