Powerless

Kenna is tired of being "normal."

The only thing special about her is that she isn't special at all. Which is frustrating when you're constantly surrounded by superheroes. Her best friend, her ex-boyfriend, practically everyone she knows has some talent or power. Sure, Kenna's smart and independent, but as an ordinary girl in an extraordinary world, it's hard not to feel inferior.

So when three villains break into the lab where she interns, Kenna refuses to be a victim. She's not about to let criminals steal the research that will make her extraordinary too.

But in the heat of battle, secrets are spilled and one of the villains saves her life. Twice. Suddenly, everything Kenna thought she knew about good and evil, heroes and villains is upended. And to protect her life and those she loves, she must team up with her sworn enemies on a mission that will redefine what it means to be powerful and powerless...

The Hero Agenda Series:
Powerless (Book 1)
Relentless (Book 2)

Chapter 1

If I could have any superpower, right now, I'd choose the ability to reach through glass. One thin, little pane is all that separates me from bliss...of the midnight-snack variety, to be exact. The chocolate bar hangs halfway to freedom but refuses to take the plunge, as if the vending machine is mocking me, taunting me.

As if it knows I'm powerless.

Annoyed, I slam my palms against the glass. Everything inside shudders. My chocolate bar-pure Swiss milk chocolate dotted with toasted hazelnuts-doesn't budge.

"Come on," I beg as if the candy can hear me. "Just a little farther."

No such luck.

Then again, when have I ever been lucky? I'm just glad no heroes are around to see me lose a battle with a vending machine. I would be the punch line to every joke for a year.

Thankfully, the lab is pretty much empty at this time of night. Even Mom went home two hours ago, leaving me to transcribe the notes from today's sessions. I prefer to work when no one is around. My experiments fall into a gray area in the Superhero Code of Conduct, and even though I'm not technically a superhero-yet-I try not to piss off the powers-that-be. The last thing I need is to lose my lab privileges before I've perfected my formula.

Copying down Mom's scribblings is like deciphering some previously unknown ancient language. It isn't exactly the most glamorous summer job ever, but it pays okay and gives me access to the facility.

I'm almost done with tonight's transcription from the digital white board Mom and her team spent all day filling with chemical equations for her newest power-enhancing formula. Maybe twenty more minutes, and then I can get back to my test samples.

My stomach rumbles in protest, reminding me that I skipped dinner. I really want that stupid chocolate bar. But since I just used my last quarters, my only hope is that one of the security guards upstairs has change for a ten.

I turn away from the vending machine alcove and start back around the corner to grab my wallet from the lab.

Right before I make the turn, I hear hurried footsteps. Not wanting a repeat of last week's collision with Dr. Harwood-my favorite jeans still smell like sulfur-I hang back a step.

But the boy who rushes around the corner looks nothing like the balding, old scientist who works nearly as many late nights as I do.

No, this guy is tall and lean, but not too skinny. He's got major biceps and I can see the outline of some pretty impressive muscles beneath his shirt. Yum. He's probably about my age or a little older, eighteen or nineteen maybe. And everything about him is shrouded in black-his tee and jeans, his heavy-duty boots, his shoulder-length hair-everything but his eyes.

If we weren't in superhero central, I'd say he looks like a stereotypical villain.

You'd think with all that darkness, he'd be nothing more than shadow. But he's all angles: his cheekbones, his jaw, even the collarbones I can see peeking out from the low neckline of his tee. Light seems to reflect off him like moon glow at midnight. Surrounded by all that sculpted darkness, his icy blue irises burn like the hottest flames.

Our gazes collide, and though I know it's vain, I instantly wish my hair wasn't pulled back in a messy braid and that I was wearing something-anything-more appealing than my dad's ratty old 1996 Stanley Cup Champions tee.

Hot guys in the underground lab are few and far between-Who am I kidding? Hot guys in my life are few and far between-so most of my wardrobe choices involve comfort and whether I mind if the garment gets ruined by acid, dye, or any of a million other compounds we work with every day.

If my best friend, Rebel, were here, she'd be doing an I-told-you-so dance because she's been wanting to give me a makeover forever. That, and she'd already have his number and email address, and they'd be making plans for their date this weekend. Me, I can't even manage a simple "hello."

The fact that he's scowling at me, those dark brows slashing low over those bright eyes, isn't helping anything.

"The lab is supposed to be empty," he says.

His voice is flat, but his comment almost feels like an accusation.

"I'm working late," I answer, trying not to sound defensive. "What are you doing here?"

He lifts an eyebrow. "You're working in the hall?"

"I needed a break to come get chocolate," I say, gesturing at the vending machine behind me.

He nods down at my empty hands. "You don't have any chocolate."

"That thing hates me. Took my money and kept the candy bar."

In a graceful movement that looks almost choreographed, Dark-and-Scowly steps around me and up to the greedy machine. He presses his palms to the glass, just like I did. Hey, maybe he has the power to reach through glass. After all, around here pretty much everyone but me has some kind of super ability.

When his hands don't immediately sink through the surface, I say, "I tried smacking it already. Didn't work."

Moving his hands closer to the edge, he curls his fingers around the frame. Then, with his boots braced on the floor, he gives the whole machine a solid shove. The heavy hunk of metal rocks back once, then comes forward, its front legs hitting the tile floor with a sharp thud. On impact, the chocolate bar sails against the glass before falling into the trough below.

He turns to face me, a cocky smile twisting one side of his mouth. "Takes a special touch."

I duck down and reach through the hinged door to grab the candy bar.

"You're my hero," I joke.

He snorts. "Right."

I stand up, chocolate clutched safely in my hand. There's an awkward silence that stretches into uncomfortable territory. When I can't take it anymore, I wag the candy and say, "Well, thanks."

I start to walk around him, to head back to the lab, when he steps into my path.

"So, what boring work do you have to take breaks from?"

I try to sound casual, like I'm not eager to keep talking to him. "I'm transcribing notes in the manipulation lab."

As I point down the same hall he came from, he turns his head to follow the direction of my gesture. I automatically check for the mark of the League beneath his right ear. If it's there, I can't see it behind his hair. He could be a hero. Or he could be an ordinary, just like me.

Suddenly self-conscious, I tug a piece of hair forward to cover my unmarked skin.

When he looks at me again, his scowl is back in place and even deeper.

He asks, "You're working in Dr. Swift's lab?"

"She's my mom. I'm helping her out." I shrug. "There are worse summer jobs."

He gaze skims over me. "You're Kenna Swift?"

And that's the end of that.

My mom is famous in hero circles. She's developed more than a dozen different formulas for the superhero world, from sprays that thaw victims of freeze rays to supplements that keep thought-readers out of someone's mind. She's earned the League Medal of Valor three times. And those were just for the inventions they know about. She's their very own Einstein, Edison, and Jobs rolled into one.

The only thing I'm famous for is being the powerless daughter of a superhero. My dad was one of the best of the best. And I'm...nothing.

I shift my weight, wanting to redirect the conversation away from me. "You never answered my question. What are you doing down here so late?"

Those bright blue eyes sear into me as he takes a step back. "I have to go."

His sudden evasiveness makes me suspicious, so when he starts to move past me, I sidestep into his path. "Excuse me," I say, "but this is a secure level. Are you even authorized to be down here?"

"My dad," he says, scowling at me. "He's a security guard."

A security guard? The facility might...