Hero's Day

Every grown superhero has vanished off the face of the Earth. A boy without powers or the desire to have any must step up to find everyone's family.

Not everyone wants to be a hero, regardless of what the perks may be. Jordan may be the teenage descendent of ancient royalty, lauded heroes, and the richest of the wealthy elite, but all he wants is a peaceful life and ain't nobody gonna get in the way of it.

 

 

And then his parents and every other superhero mom and dad disappears off the face of the earth. Is this yet again a problem with the space-time continuum? Why can't they leave it alone! But it's a much bigger problem than that, and Jordan must put his feelings aside to use everything he has to bring the families of Earth's heroes back together.

Jordan Lake- 16. The first child of a billionaire secret detective and a European princess-hero, Jordan has no interest in being part of the superhero world and generally stays outside of it. That all changes when he and other children of heroes discover their parents to be missing from the world, and must band together to find them.

 

 

Jordan is a dark-haired, handsome teenager with a practical, almost passive attitude, and growing up with shocking everyday events (a burrito heated with laser vision blew up the kitchen) has left him very difficult to faze. Jordan has no powers since his mother's abilities are passed through the female bloodline, but he manages just fine with stealth, tactics, and common sense. Growing up with a sister and a best friend with super strength has also left Jordan adept at fighting stronger foes.

 

He doesn't appear to react to the mass superhero-parent disappearance, at first believing it may be another change in reality or the flow of time (which has happened at least twice before, much to everyone's irritation). Once he feels the seriousness of the situation, Jordan sends out a text message to every superhero-child he knows, telling them to make excuses for their parents at work and to get together in groups for safety's sake. In his parents' 'hero den', Jordan gathers a few supplies and removes all data from the super-computer as instructed to during emergencies. He wears the custom-made USB drive on a chain around his neck.

Zachary (Zack) Stanton-16. Despite living cities away, Zack is Jordan's lifelong friend and the only son of the world's greatest hero. He is the first to notice his father's absence and bring it to Jordan's attention, starting a chain reaction of similar discoveries all around the world.

 

Though he has brown hair Zack is basically a golden boy with a fun-loving, child-like attitude. He has his father's enhanced strength, speed, and flight capability, but since he's half human his invulnerability and heat vision are on mediocre levels. He and Jordan (in spite of the latter's refusal to take part in the hero world) are known as the 'perfect pair', capable of fighting together on a instinctive level.

 

 

Zack flies Jordan to the Light's Tower where heroes gather, but they find it empty of both personnel, equipment, everything but the walls and the security system. Jordan's father created the latter so he's able to find the passwords and disarm it with little effort. All the superhero-children phone in to demand any knowledge of the parents, but Jordan snaps at them to calm down, stay together, and get ready to fight if need be. He locks down the Tower before leaving with Zack to answer a message.

Thomasina Pembroke-Appears 25, but may be much older than that. Publicly she's known as the beautiful daughter of a oil tycoon, who secretly manages as the head of his own cult and league of assassins. Thomasina invites Jordan Lake to the lavish family manor in London, where her father Rake speaks to him privately to arrange a deal.

 

The ideal femme fatale, Thomasina uses whatever she has--beauty, intelligence, wealth, and so on--to achieve her father's aims. It's always been a question as to whether she's gone as far as murder like the rest of the cult to do so. Jordan recalls tagging her file with 'daddy's girl' in light of her singleminded devotion to her father, an act which his own father punished him for as he altered a protected file.

Rake Pembroke-A respected oil tycoon on the outside, he is the feared and worshipped head of a cult called the White Snake. He claims to have the greater good behind his every action, and thus adheres to some kind of honor code, but the man is more greatly defined by his fear of death. It's usually hidden beneath the manner of a cultured businessman and self-made god.

 

Through his daughter Rake invites Jordan to his London residence, and privately offers a deal to trade information. Namely he wants the secret files of Jordan's father in return for using his underworld influence to help find out what happened to the world's heroes. Jordan pretends to consider the offer to get Rake to talk, and senses that the man is somehow responsible for the disappearance. He refuses Rake's offer and calls his father's trusted secretary to get information on Rake's most recent business dealings.

 

 

Thomasina offers to follow Jordan, but Rake tells her there would be no point. Like his father Jordan is a formidable man who is to be respected to the point of fear.

Wanda Helman- A 'mere manager for the government' that is often behind the USA's secret weaponry and training programs meant to counter the heroes' power if they were to go rogue. This no-nonsense woman is waiting for Jordan in the private Lake jet that brought him to meet Rake Pembroke, along with an equally no-nonsense, but more aggressive former general who oversees the actual field operations of her 'management'. Both demand to know what went on between Jordan and Rake, disbelieving his honest answer of 'nothing'. Wanda points out that the men of the Lake family never get away with just nothing when they set out to get something. She's a bit startled when Jordan asks if she trusts him, and wants to know what he intends to do. The plane is then attacked by unknown assailants.

 

Jordan pushes Wanda and the general out of the jet with parachutes, then jumps out at the last minute while answering a return call from his father's secretary. Zack flies by in time to catch him during the freefall. Jordan makes another call to the older hero-children on his contact list.

Diana Lake- 10. Jordan's little sister, who is initially entrusted to female relatives for her own protection, only to run away so she can join her brother and the others to find their parents. Despite her headstrong nature and brave front, Diana is quickly frightened by a world without their family and her inability to know what to do about it.

 

She instantly sets off Jordan's temper once he finds out she's not with their relatives. Thanks to her enhanced strength and flight capability, Diana safely eludes or fights back against villains until she makes it to an ocean shore. There her pursuers are suddenly taken out by a tidal wave that leaves the rest of the beach and land untouched. A teenager in green tribal garb walks out of the tidal wave to gently scold Diana on being and fighting alone.

Nicomedes- 16 (in human years). Third son of Poseidon, king of the seas, and a cousin on Jordan and Diana's maternal side. He's the only one with the inability to communicate with sealife, but can manipulate water and possesses their people's ability to breathe underwater without gills. He receives a message from his father alerting the extended family about Diana's escape from her female land relatives, and finds her in time on a beach. She's taken to the underwater capital where Nicomedes's mother takes charge of the girl, and lets Jordan know that Diana is safe.

 

With his father's permission Nicomedes goes to land and joins Jordan and Zack at the Lake mansion. Jordan ignores his easygoing, 'loopy' cousin as he reviews the information sent by his father's secretary.

Davis Ashton- Creator and owner of AshCorp, rival to Lake Industries owned by Jordan's family, partly because Davis doesn't mind using lowhanded and illegal methods to achieve success. An arrogant and suave man that has been known to undergo many transformations of 'enlightenment' while going to extremes to show his loathing of Zack Stanton's hero father. The hate extends to Zack and to Jordan's father, his enemy in business.

 

Using the power of the Lake name, Jordan simply walks into Davis's office. He reveals knowledge of Davis's business dealings with Rake Pembroke, involving research into genetic study of various heroes. Davis smoothly denies such things, but becomes more serious when Jordan presents proof on paper. In accordance to Jordan's demands, Davis grudgingly admits the research but honestly doesn't see what it has to do with the heroes' disappearance. Jordan replies that he thinks he does, and warns Davis to cut all ties with Rake Pembroke if he wants to protect his company.

 

 

Davis may not know how the genetic research is related to the heroes' disappearance, but knows that's what he intended to happen. He calls in a teenage girl named Pandora to take out Jordan.

Pandora- The super-powered blond clone of a heroine with flight and strength powers similar to Zack Stanton. She has a sadistic nature that quickly disappears in the face of frustration, for she's unable to land a solid hit on Jordan when Davis Ashton calls her in to take the boy out. Jordan says he's used to sparring with much stronger opponents, and doesn't have the time to play with Pandora. Zack is about to fly in on cue when he's beaten to the punch, both literally and figuratively.

 

Abby Prinz- 17. Daughter of the heroine whose genes Pandora was created from. Unlike Zack Abby has inherited the full extent of her mother's power; she can grow a pair of wings from the skin on her back and matches Pandora in a fight despite the latter's enhancement. Abby comes from a line of fierce warriors on both sides of her family, creating a fiery girl that flies into battle without a moment's hesitation (much to Jordan's exasperation).

 

 

She disobeys Jordan's order to stay guard over the younger hero-children to find her parents herself. Irritably Abby acknowledges her lack of detecting powers, and so she tracks down Jordan at AshCorp headquarters instead. She kidnaps him from there to insist on joining the investigation team, but Jordan lets loose with his temper. He points out that Abby nearly endangered the innocent people outside the building with her all-out fight against Pandora, and refuses to let Abby anywhere near the investigation if she can't practice consideration.

Eric Waltham- The retired general that carries out Wanda Helman's field operations. A crusty, slightly paranoid man who adamantly believes that the heroes of the world will one day turn on mankind. He is also of the opinion that a few innocent sacrifices are acceptable.

 

 

Nicomedes's water ability allows Jordan and Zack to sneak inside Eric's secret facility while Abby is forced to wait outside (as a back-up plan). Jordan rifles through Eric's desk and the labs closest to the ex-general's office to find proof of the genetic research that was carried out under his protection. He gets his hands on certain papers of interest when the teenagers are detected and they must fight their way past security.

 

Eric righteously tells Jordan that he's being played for a fool, already being used by the heroes as a cash source like his own future heirs will be. The ex-general rants about the dangers of super powers and the people who wield them, and Jordan replies that it's no different than normal people. As for his actions in the investigation, there's nothing wrong with a boy looking for his own family. Jordan escapes the facility with Nicomedes, Zack, and Abby.

 

 

Wanda Helman demands to know what Jordan took from Eric's office and the labs he's supposed to be protecting. Eric replies that he hasn't had a chance yet to assess the damage, and that they should raise surveillance levels on Jordan Lake. Wanda reminds him that the last time they tried that, the boy successfully sued them for stalking and provided recorded proof for the courts. Whatever it was that Eric did on his own, without Wanda's permission, he better not have provoked the Lake son.

 

On her own Wanda discovers that Jordan took the original video and paper records that connect Eric Waltham to Rake Pembroke and Davis Ashton. Upon seeing what that connection is, Wanda furiously goes to Eric's office only to find him gone.

Shadow- A murderous masked mercenary paired with Pandora to attack Light's Tower, specifically to assassinate Jordan Lake and steal his father's data. They arrange a mass of villains to attack the Tower at the same time, luring them with the treasures of weaponry and information they could take from there. Some only require the bait of Zack Stanton, the son of Earth's greatest superhero and their most hated enemy.

 

Shadow carries on a humorous, good-guy chatty behavior that Zack labels as being 'even more loopy than Nicomedes' who at least doesn't talk enough to kill people. However Shadow has a shrewd mind that exploits the emotional weakness of others, such as Pandora's hate and jealousy of Abby as a beloved daughter who was given the choice to fight when she was not. Shadow is pitted against Jordan who takes control of the Tower's security system and directs the older hero-children to defend the Tower. He's impressed by Jordan's tactics but falls into a dark mood. Shadow quietly infiltrates the Tower to disarm the security and allow the villains to flood the Tower, enabling him to kill them all with a self-destruct program.

 

 

But Jordan has already removed the program and trapped Shadow inside when the latter tracks him to the Tower's main hall. Shadow gloats over his impending murder of the boy, not surprised to know that Jordan already knows his true identity. Shadow's real name is Frank Morgan, a former sidekick and ward of Jordan's father. According to the files, Frank died years ago at the hands of an arch-enemy. According to the truth, Frank showed dangerous signs of going overboard in his actions towards criminals, and his actions eventually escalated into his near, not actual, death.

 

Jordan's initial deduction was that Rake Pembroke set things in motion. He was using the occult to find a way to eternal life, not just an extended one, but for some reason extended underworldly knowledge to Davis Ashton in return for political influences. Ex-general Eric Waltham joined the trade by taking the genetic samples gathered by Davis and Rake for research. The experiments resulted in possible gas-type poisons that caused total cell breakdown, literally reducing a person to ash once they've breathed it in. The ultimate goal of the three was to destroy their hero enemies completely. Rake Pembroke then took his turn once more, basing a spell on the experiments made it easier to cause the mass disappearance of the world's heroes while preventing harm to the spellcaster. Normally such high-level spells came with a terrible price.

 

But what brought the men together? Typical villainous alliances brought together by their common hate for super-powered knights? Rake, Davis, and Eric each betrayed Frank's existence in the things they said, especially once they were het up, and Jordan found confirmation by finding Frank Morgan's DNA among the samples. The blood had been collected recently. The former sidekick was alive.

 

 

Frank laughs in saying that his blood was a Trojan Horse, carrying a chemical additive which would have frozen the blood to the point of breaking the glass vial it was held in. Vapors would be released and the entire lab would be contaminated along with its samples. Eric's experiments were already rotting as they speak. And as for Jordan's father...the man wanted to be rid of Frank Morgan all along, seeing the boy as a nuisance to him and the hero work. He allowed Frank's aggressive behavior to escalate and left the sidekick for dead, so easily and happily accepting his death. Now Frank was going to step out of his mentor's shadow and complete the last stage of his revenge by killing the true-born heir, Jordan. He wasn't so protected now that his superpowered family and friends, at least the adult side, was gone. What could a couple of kids do even if they did have powers?

 

 

In his turn Jordan reminds Frank that his father didn't just gather physical profiles of the people around him, but also psychological profiles as well. Frank's issues stem from his origins as a young orphan growing up in a violent part of town, his intense attachment to the one family figure he had in his life, and the fear that he'd one day lose it. Every little lecture and criticism from Jordan's father fed that fear, leading to Frank's violence towards criminals, his near death, and his current Shadow persona. What Frank/Shadow wants is not to get revenge, but to take Jordan's place as a true son connected by blood. In cold, cruel humor Frank accepts Jordan's study of his psyche and attacks. Jordan fends him off while continuing to provide strategy for the others. The fight is interrupted by Pandora's arrival inside.

 

 

Beaten in battle by Abby, Pandora's own psyche has broken. In a furious manic state she attacks both Jordan first, but he safely lures her outside to prevent damage to the Tower. An explosive from one of the villains is set off nearby, and at the last second Shadow throws Jordan from the Tower out of harmful range. Zack catches him before he hits the ground. They hurry back inside to complete the spell Jordan was working to bring back their parents.

 

The spell will take time to work but is ultimately successful, and the villains are beaten back from the Tower. Wanda Helman meets Jordan there, observing that the Tower suffered little damage but Pandora is dead, killed by the detonation blast. Any trace of Frank Morgan, AKA Shadow, cannot be found, but surely he must be dead from being that close to the blast. Wanda wonders out loud if Shadow knew the truth, that Jordan's father was devastated by Frank Morgan's death and initially forbid Jordan from having any part in the hero world because of it. Wasn't it Jordan, all along, that had lived in Frank Morgan's shadow?

 

Jordan only shrugs and says he never liked the hero life anyway. It's too full of annoyances. He walks away from the Tower with Zack, and discourages Wanda from entering by locking up the Tower with a converted garage opener.

 

They go to the shore to pick up Diana and to see Nicomedes off. Diana and Zack immediately throws themselves down on a bed and sofa for a nap, but Jordan goes to his parents' den to return the data to the super-computer. The door opens just as he's finishing up, and Jordan raises his head to greet his father.