"Where are Rory, Matthew and Alex?" Mr Sanders asked as he walked into the changing room the next day.
The team had assembled for a quick meeting about the match next week against St John's Wood Secondary School. However, three of their members hadn't turned up, most unlike them.
"Not sure Sir, they have not told us anything," Jason said.
"Well we need to have this meeting anyway."
Mr Sanders went through all the details for the next match and made sure everyone was happy with what they were assigned.
Soon they headed out to the canteen for lunch.
"Where are those three, it isn't like them to miss a meeting like that, unless they are ill. However they normally let one of us know don't they?" Wally said.
"Yeah, we won't be able to tag them today," Jason said.
"But can we be certain that it is a member of the team? Could it be one of the teachers, they were also wearing similar kit yesterday?" Wally asked.
"They look to young to be one of the teachers. It is definitely one or more members of the team."
"But why would they do this, what is their motive?"
"Yeah, that is the bit that I have been puzzling over. What possible motive could they have for wanting to kill dad, but also attack us?"
Ben wandered over to the table as he brought his dinner from the kitchens.
"Hey how's it going?" he asked.
"We're good thanks," Jason replied. "We were just discussing the latest developments in discovering who our attacker is."
"And?" Ben asked expectantly.
"Well apart from believing that it is definitely a member of the rugby team, we have no motive or previous knowledge of any of them trying something like this before."
"They must be pretty powerful if they think they can take on your dad."
"Or very stupid," added Wally.
"Whatever they have got planned, they are certain that they will achieve their goal and that they will rid the world of Superman and any of us if we stand in his way."
"He must be sloppy though if he left the kit in view like that," Ben thought out loud.
"Or he could be setting a trap thinking that we might expose ourselves by questioning and investigating it," added Wally.
"Then we must do as dad said. Tread carefully and be sure that whoever he is or if it is a group, they don't get wind of what we are up to. It must be a total secret."
"Agreed," Ben said.
Wally also nodded his agreement with Jason's comments.
As they were talking, the school's tannoy system came to life with Mrs Richard's voice.
"This is an emergency announcement. All pupils are to quickly and quietly return to their form rooms and staff are to join them. Members of staff who are not form tutors are to ensure all pupils are out of the corridors and other rooms and attend their from groups. Members of the senior leadership team are to meet with myself in my office. Reception staff are to seal the school gates. Move now!"
Everyone started to move toward their form rooms, some of the younger students panicking at the situation. Since the arrival of super villains, these had become common to keep kids safe in the event of an attack.
"Do you think this is a drill or the real thing?" Wally asked.
"I'm not sure, but if I had to hazard a guess, I am pretty certain that this is the real thing," Jason replied.
They walked into their form room and sat in their places. Their form teacher Mr Osbourne walked in soon after them.
"Sit down please," he asked as he moved over to the desk. "As some of you may have already guessed, this is not a drill. There has been an attack close by and we need to keep you safe. Right I need to do the register."
He reached down and opened a draw in the desk. He pulled out an iPad and set it down. Unlocking it, he loaded the registration app that the school used and set about checking every one was present.
Just as he finished the register, there was a knock at the door and Mr Jenner, one of the assistant headteachers, walked in.
"Mr Osbourne," he started. "Mrs Richards would like the year 11s moved to the hall please."
"Thank you sir," Mr Osbourne said, as Mr Jenner moved out of the room. "Ok, sensible stand up, tuck your chairs in and line up at the door please."
The class did as they were told and Mr Osbourne got to the front of the line. He led them down to the hall.
"Do you think we should go and help?" Wally asked.
"You mean leave school and go and deal with something we have no idea about?" Jason asked.
"Why not?" Ben said.
"Do you guys even have your suits with you?"
"Never leave home without it," Wally replied, a large grin on his face.
"Ok then, if it will make you happy, let's go and see what all the fuss is about," Jason said, giving in to Wally's look of pleading.
When they next passed a set of toilets, the three of them slipped inside and went into a Cubicle each. Shutting the doors, they each changed into their suits.
"Are you both ready?" Jason asked.
"Yes," came a synchronised reply from the other two.
"Ok then," began Jason as he unlocked the cubicle door and stepped out, the other two following suit. "Wally, if you speed out to the end of the corridor and open the double doors at the end, I will bring Ben and we will fly out, meeting you a short distance from the incident. Does that sound good?"
"Yep, great plan," Wally said.
"If you are ok with me hitching a lift," Ben said.
"It's no problem."
They set about initiating the plan and before long, they were on their way, Wally running and Jason with Ben, flying. They came into view of the incident, just around the corner from the school. It was in the car park of the local Tesco Supermarket. Cars were billowing smoke out of their exhausts, people running around, cowering in corners and choking. However, that wasn't the detail that drew the three heroes attention the most. In the middle of the car park stood the figure from the videos. He wore the same clothes as in each of his broadcasts, but with the addition of a long white lab coat. He was dancing around, which out of context would have looked really strange, but for the fact that towering next to him, following exactly the same moves was a ginormous robot, made from cars.
"Whoa!" Wally's voice exclaimed over Jason and Ben's earpieces. "What has it got in it's hands?"
Jason used his x-Ray vision and scanned the robots hands. What he saw was a shock.
"It's dad," he replied bluntly.
As he did so, the robot raised his arms and brought them back down to the ground with such ferocity, that the pavement cracked all around them and left Superman sprawled on the ground, struggling to move.
"Why isn't he getting up, it should barely hurt him?" Ben asked.
"I don't know," Jason growled, "but we are going to stop it before it kills my dad."
With that, they moved in and landed in the car park, Wally skidding to a halt next to them. The masked figure turned to face them.
"So you came, after my warnings not to? Well you are to late. I am about to destroy Superman at last."
He raised his hand and the robot followed suit. He unfurled his hand and inside the robots they saw a long rod of a green, glowing material. Jason suddenly began to feel weak and fell to the ground.
"Jason, what's wrong?" Ben asked, going to his friend's aid.
"Its Kryptonite," the figure stated. "Just like Superman you can't stand it's power either. Interesting, I will have to remember that. Now prepare to watch this blade enter into the man of steel's heart and kill him."
He began to bring his hand down, the robot mirroring his movements. Ben ran forward towards the figure. In response, the figure threw various objects with his spare hand at Ben, who using some techniques taught to him by Alex, dodged each of the items.
The figure watched with a mixture of amazement and horror. He began to bring his hand down faster. Ben noticed this and quickly changed direction, heading to Superman's aid. Wally took Ben's position in trying to stop the figure and they had managed to get into a fight. The robot continued to match the movements and began to move erratically. Using more of his learned techniques, Ben managed to swerve around its legs and into the crater where Superman lay.
"Here, give me your hand," he told the weakened hero.
As he bent forward to help Clark stand, his body was suddenly hit with an excruciating pain. His hand went limp and he looked down at his torso. The Kryptonite rod was jutting out of his chest, blood dripping from it. With a great tug, the robot pulled the rod out and Ben crumpled to the ground. Everything from there was a blur. He was aware of the cry of exasperation from the masked figure and the shouts of pain and horror from Jason and Wally. He lay there on the ground, the pain worse than any he had ever encountered before. Blackness began to fold over him as he slipped from consciousness. Before he black out totally, he became aware of arms reaching around his body and lifting it up, cradling him gently. What happened next, he did not know, because that was when he decided to lose consciousness.
The masked figure had managed to escape and he stormed into his lair in a mixture of exasperation and horror. His plan had been thwarted once again, but worse than that, he had just plunged a rod of Kryptonite into his friend's chest. He pulled his mask off, tears streaming from his face. He had recognised those moves as the new Spiderman dodged around his attacks, because he had taught them to only one other person. Ben Parker.
Alex Manning sat there wondering how his friend could actually be one of the people that was trying to stop him. He was new to the school! How could he have know what was happening? Alex broke down more, slamming his head into his folded arms on the table. How much did Ben know? Did he know of Alex's identity? He needed to find out and if he did, silencing him forever was the only option.