The Invincibles by Michael McNichols Read Free Book Online Page A

notebook computer. Back at his desk, he perched the computer on his lap, sipped his cinnamon-flavored coffee, and began clicking through his agents’ personnel files. He repeatedly speed-read each profile line by line over and over, trying to catch any hint that they weren’t who they claimed to be. He went over everything eight times and vowed to check everyone’s backgrounds again later before finally turning to his agents’ most recent reports.
    Ghosteyes and her boyfriend the Briar Bowman had tracked the money counterfeiter Paper Doll down to Argentina. The Red Scoundrel had arrested the Hound, Belfast’s most famous IRA bomber. In the American Southwest, the Answer was hunting the cannibalistic Wendigo monster that had wandered down from Canada. Nightshadow sent data concerning an alien gun smuggler to Areva, Earth’s Silver Seraph, since that was her area of expertise. For the same reasons, he forwarded a list of high-tech terrorist suspects to Gilgamesh.
    After putting his notebook computer away, he changed into a black karate gi and gave an hour over to meditation and yoga. Afterwards, he retreated into his private gym for weight lifting, swimming, and martial arts practice. Sweaty and sore, he still slaughtered a heavy bag with roundhouse kicks.
    Now punching and jabbing, he mentally mapped out the rest of his day. Once he ducked out of the office, he had to put on facial prosthetics and attend rehearsals of Macbeth at the Green Eye Theater where he was playing Duncan. Paul, who was starring as the title character, had promised to introduce him to some big-time drug dealers who worked exclusively with artists and actors. Later on, Nightshadow had to don a blonde wig and fake tattoos while working an evening shift as a bartender at Torchlight, an old uptown rock club. The Glow, a fluorescent-skinned, supposedly retired, super-criminal mob boss owned the joint, making it a prime hangout for cartels and assassins. Working a few shifts there allowed Nightshadow to check out who was in town and working together. After that, Nightshadow planned to throw on some filthy, putrid-smelling clothes and beg down in Triangle Park. Pretending to be homeless was a fantastic way to overhear gossip and tail suspects. The homeless blended perfectly into the background of almost anywhere.
    Once all that was done, he’d put on a wing-suit and patrol. If the city was quiet, he’d head back to his Triangle Park lair to once again try taking apart a helmet he’d found at the Death Reaper’s hideout after ransacking through the place. It looked far more high tech than anything the Reaper had ever used before, and Nightshadow felt certain it had been used to alter and warp those poor reaper children’s minds.
    The ones he’d caught now all resided in psychiatric hospitals across the country. He footed the bill, though they were all drooling, catatonic lost causes that weren’t responding to any medication or treatment. The other kidnapped children had returned home, but none of them had gone back to school yet and all were in therapy. Nightshadow knew they’d never be the same again, and he’d be watching them as they grew up, year by year, making sure they toed the line.
     
    ***
     
    “ THERE!” the Bride pointed as Nightshadow burst out through the ventilation shaft and crashed down onto her men. He tackled them all down to the floor and somersaulted away before they could grab and fire their old-fashioned tommy guns. He dove for cover behind a far table.
    “ SHOOT THAT FUCKER!” the Bride yelled in a spoiled brat’s loud, whiny, temper tantrum tone. She even pouted and stomped her heels. The sounds of her men’s guns rattling filled the entire room. Nightshadow scampered along just ahead of the bullets slamming into the walls, destroying tabletops, and knocking over chairs.
    The banquet hall had been made up for a wedding dinner with fine china and starch white tablecloths set out. A piano in the corner automatically