Ultraboy had been attacked and captured many times, he'd learned long ago to hold his breath for a long, long time and that faking unconsciousness meant he didn't have to get beaten unconscious.
It was a skill Ultramom did not possess, so when he saw through slitted eyes that she was unconscious as well, he knew that this time he couldn't just wait for his mother to rescue him; he would have to rescue her, but first, the gas needed to be turned off. He waited, holding his breath.
Finally the gas stopped and a robot carrier appeared to drag him from his cell. Four more appeared to carry Ultramom from her cell, one at each of her limbs, while only one dragged Ultraboy by his feet away. With a pang. he realized that fighting five of the robots was probably beyond him and with Ultramom out of the picture, he had to be smart, not the impulsive boy he played at being.
Ultraboy had been raised to be a superhero, but he did not enjoy it, or the adventures, he just wanted a simple and easy life, but he couldn't bring himself to let down Ultramom.
When the robot approached a cell, Ultraboy pulled himself up and punched a hand clear through a seam in the armor, severing hydraulic links and freezing the machine in place without destroying it, which would have caused Dr. Bruder to be warned. A shove pushed the broken robot into the corner of the cell under the security camera, where it couldn't be seen, ripped a limb from it, covered it with a blanket. It wouldn't fool a close inspection, but a cursory glance might think he was in there.
He locked the cell door and snuck down the hall with all the skill his occasional attempts at avoiding adventure had leant him. He froze when he heard loud noises from around the corner. Ultraboy hovered and looked aroun the corner from well above the height a man's head should have been... |