Book excerpt: He works for the United States Federal Government to ensure the slower pace of progress. He hates unobstructed innovation and accelerated invention. He believes in doing things the hard way, even the wrong way, but especially the inefficient way. To him, waste is just another way to utilize resources, and incompetence is a prized characteristic of human nature. He is… Counterproductive Man! As a fully licensed agent of the government, it is his sworn duty to protect the interests of the United States by thwarting ingenuity and productivity. Utilizing his own methods of obstruction, he has accepted the role of a hero with enhanced capabilities. He can leap tall buildings with the aid of a magnetic jump pack, and he can break glass with his sonic disruptor pen. With every department of the United States Government at his disposal, he can bring swift retribution against those that oppose him. Even though he does not work in secret, little is known about this masked crusader. For many inventors, he is simply the personification of oppressive bureaucracy. Technological advancement in product or process is Counterproductive Man’s enemy, and while he is not the brightest star in the Milky Way, he might be the most annoying. In this story, the origins of his inefficient and combative partner unfold, as do the initial conflicts with his archenemy. Counterproductive Man learns to work with others, something he does not do well, and he feels the stinging pain of defeat. Still, this is a hero that embodies the domineering perseverance of any government agency bent on having its way. He will fight his adversary to the end in order to defeat unbridled progress and to remain true to his name… Counterproductive!