Wonder Heroes 4.02

With the Wonder Heroes, save for Matt O’Dette, all dead, countless hostile interstellar invaders took advantage, and waged war on a variety of fronts. Emboldened Necrodroids haunted the Internet cafés of Paris, in Brazil the skies were filling with forced perspective non-Euclidean wormholes, a city in China became self-aware, and the Living Molecule was seen in Melbourne. The armies of Earth did what they could against these threats, aided when possible by Wonder Hero Ultra, who seemed at once to be both everywhere and nowhere.

Susan Daystrom was in her dorm room, studying her physics textbook by candlelight. The power had gone out hours ago, thanks to an attack in New Jersey by Interferonian puppeteers. Occasionally strange sounds could be heard in the skies above the campus. Susan was afraid, but decided to concentrate on her studies, and wait for the cell networks to come back on line so she could call her mother in Chicago, and let her know that she was okay. Somewhere far away she thought she heard gunfire. It was the world, caving in on itself. She put on her earphones and listened to her iPod, hoping the charge would last through the night.

There was a knock on her door. Susan removed an earbud and listened, unsure if she had heard it. The knock came again, more insistent this time, and she heard some familiar voices. She answered the door to see Steve and Dave standing there, Steve slightly drunk.

“Maybe not,” countered Steve, sitting on the edge of her bed. He looked at the other bed in the room. With a hint of jealousy he asked, “Where’s Lindsey?”

“She’s down the hall, spending the night with Keith. She said she was too scared to be alone.” Susan smiled. Steve was still pining for Lindsey. Life does goes on.

Steve thought for a moment. “Posi-Void’s dead. The Wonder Heroes teleported him into the sun when it went cold. There may be some of his minstrels around, but the regular army can handle them.”

Fully clothed, Steve and Dave were lying in bed on either side of Susan. Their heads were opposite hers and she was surrounded on both sides by white, tube sock clad feet. Next to the bed was an empty bottle of tequila. The sun was up, and a single ray of sunlight slipped through the curtains and streamed across Susan’s forehead. Her dreams smelled like feet, and she dreamed the distant sound of a helicopter.

There was a knock on her door, and she ignored it. There was a second knock, and she awkwardly climbed over Dave, trying not to wake him, and knocked over the empty tequila bottle. It made almost no sound on the carpet when it fell.

“Hang on,” is what she tried to say, but her throat was dry and her voice was raspy and little sound resembling speech was made. She heard the doorknob to her room jiggle and then the door opened. She jumped back and said, “Hey!”

Two men entered the room wearing the uniforms of army officers. One of the men was pocketing what Susan assumed to be lock picks.

“Susan Daystrom?” asked the first officer, flicking the light switch. Power must have been restored some time last night, thought Susan, and her alarm clock flashing 3:14 at her from the nightstand confirmed her suspicions. “I’m Captain Overstreet and this is Captain Doyle.” Overstreet looked at Steve and Dave, side by side on Susan’s bed, covering their heads with sheets and pillows to avoid the lights and noise. “Are we interrupting something?”

Susan tried to clear her head. She was not sure what these men wanted, but she did not want to give them the wrong idea. “No, they’re just friends. We had a late night of tequila and Wonder Heroes trivia, you know?”

Susan found herself alternately pushed and dragged out of her dorm room and then outside where an army helicopter waited, its blades spinning idly. By this time Susan assumed the officers were who they said they were and gave up resisting them, or asking pointless questions. Once Susan was settled on board, the helicopter revved its engines and rose into the air, heading west.

Inside the helicopter Susan found herself seated behind the pilot and Captain Doyle, and next to Captain Overstreet. Straining forward, she could just peek outside the helicopter window and see the ground far below.

The pilot called back, speaking too loudly. “There were some Ptera-Pods sighted within six hundred miles, but the coms seem to indicate that we’re clear.”

Overstreet did not miss a beat. “Susan Daystrom, 22, studying for her Master’s in biomedical engineering, aikido medalist in the last Olympics, daughter of Merdice Lincoln and Edmund Daystrom...”

Hours passed, and Susan was forced to use an airsickness bag kindly provided by the ever-efficient Captain Overstreet, who sat ready with bottled water and a breath mint when she was through. Susan wrinkled her nose by way of apology.

Soon the helicopter was in New Mexico, high above the desert and the mesas. Susan strained to see out the windows, to catch her first real glimpse of Wonder Base, and even from her disadvantaged point of view, the sight was amazing.

The Wonder Base was a large hexagonally shaped building that jutted out the top of, and was built into, a wide flat mesa. The building was divided into six triangles, their points meeting at the center of the base, each triangle a slightly different metallic hue. Because of the way the Wonder Base was constructed, starting from the top and penetrating into the mesa, the building was unique in that the top floor was considered the first floor, and the numbering continued downwards.

Susan was engrossed by the view; she had forgotten Overstreet was there. “I’ve seen it on TV,” she said, “and in that 3D IMAX movie, but this… It’s just staggering.”

Susan recalled that the roof of the Wonder Base served as a miniature airport. As the helicopter approached she could see several short runways, similar to those one might find on a large aircraft carrier, as well as many helicopter and VTOL landing pads. The little airport was busy, with helicopters and small jets coming and going at an alarming, but well coordinated pace.

The first floor of Wonder Base served almost entirely to support the airport, but also contained rooms for visiting dignitaries, a communal dining area, and an area for press conferences. Essentially this floor was a place for the world to interact with the Wonder Heroes.

The second floor was where the Wonder Heroes maintained their quarters. Below that, on the third floor, was where the Wonder Heroes kept their offices. Beyond being the protectors of the Earth, the Wonder Heroes were also a major industry. Here they licensed toys and movies and the rest of the bric-a-brac that went with being worldwide celebrities, but on a more serious note they also licensed and regulated access to the many alien technologies they met with in their battles. This was a source of considerable revenue, and the money was used to fund the philanthropic Wonder Hero Foundation.

The fourth floor was where the laboratories and science labs were. Here alien technology and biology was studied with an eye towards bringing the Earth more in line with the technologies of the various alien menaces that threatened to destroy it. Only the best and brightest minds on the planet were allowed to work here. The Wonder Computer, the most advanced synthetic intelligence in the known universe was housed on this floor and often assisted the scientists and researchers.

The next two floors of the Wonder Base, five and six, consisted of quarters and amenities for the Wonder Base staff, scientists, and high ranking military. Like a miniature city the two floors contained apartments, restaurants, and stores. Schools and daycare were provided for the children, and complete medical services provided for everyone.

Level Seven was the hanger deck. This level was accessible from within the Wonder Base but also from outside. Large hanger doors lead outside at the foot of the mesa. Level Seven was also ground level. Here a United Nations joint military task force maintained the fourth largest standing army on Earth. The army base extended out from and around the mesa, dotting the desert with air-conditioned Quonset Huts. Inside the hanger deck were the various Wonder Vehicles, advanced spacecraft the Wonder Heroes occasionally used to defend the planet.

Below Level Seven, underground, were the tombs. Here were housed those aliens captured over the years by the Wonder Heroes. Many of the cells were designed to house life forms that breathed strange atmospheres inimical to human life. Some of the life forms here were creatures of energy, house in plasma containment units. One of the creatures, the Plavox, was little more than a mathematical equation housed in a computer circuit sealed within a solid lead cube to prevent informational leakage to the outside universe. The creatures here were deadly and dangerous.

“Base, this is Bird 7-7-5 requesting permission to enter the bubble,” said the pilot, again just a little too loud. Susan suspected an occupational hazard of living under the constant thrumming of the helicopter’s blades was a slight loss of hearing.

A voice came over the helicopter’s speaker, a voice that Susan instantly recognized. Anyone in the world would have recognized that voice. It was the calm, mellow, slightly mechanical voice of the Wonder Base Computer. “7-7-5 you are cleared to land.”

As the helicopter made its final approach towards the Wonder Base, Susan caught a glimpse of the bubble. Normally completely transparent, it could be seen as a subtle swirl of rainbow coloring as the helicopter approached. The bubble was the selectively permeable force field that protected the Wonder Base. Though the Wonder Computer allowed the helicopter to pass through the force field with ease it was rumored that the bubble could withstand an atomic bomb blast, or a star gone supernova.

The helicopter landed on the top of the Wonder Base. The sun was bright and the temperature hotter than the milder Massachusetts climate Susan had left behind. She held her hand up and squinted to shield her eyes. Overstreet pointed to a door built into what appeared to be an elevator.

Overstreet turned serious, and said, “There’s a worldwide crisis, miss, we don’t have time for such things,” but then his smile returned and he added, “but things could change.”

Susan laughed as the helicopter rose into the air. She turned and walked towards the elevator. As she approached the doors they parted, letting out a refreshing blast of air conditioning. She stepped inside and the elevator door silently closed behind her. The Wonder Base Computer spoke aloud. “Susan Daystrom, identified. Temporary type-1 clearance granted.”

Susan spun around at the sound of people behind her as a second elevator door opened to reveal a large room with small crowds of people milling about. She realized the elevator had already moved her inside the Wonder Base, to Level One. “I didn’t feel the elevator move,” she said in surprise.

“You’re a sentient computer,” Susan said out loud, not sure where to look to let the computer know that she was speaking to it. “This is so cool that I’m talking to you. Uh, how are you?”

Susan felt the people in the room looking at her, appraising her, maybe trying to figure out who she was and why she was here. Susan was doing the same thing to them, and though some faces were familiar, she could not place anyone. The only things the people in the room seemed to have in common was that they were young, healthy, and seemingly intelligent.

Susan made her way past large windows that looked out over the New Mexican desert and to the buffet, an impressive spread that had a broad selection of lunch and breakfast foods. She bee-lined for the coffee.

“Hi, Susan Daystrom, right?” Susan turned to see a man about her age, curly haired, taller than her but rail thin, wearing glasses and smiling awkwardly. “I saw your profile on the site, you know, before the power went down.”

“No,” answered the man with an easy smile, finding amusement in Susan’s answer, “It was a Wonder Heroes site. They were handicapping potential Wonder Hero replacements. You were a frontrunner.”

Susan and Theodore turned as the conversations in the large room fell to whispers. Several men and women, scientists in white lab coats and military officers in full uniform, entered the room. Leading them was General Henry Rumpole, who carried a megaphone in his hand. An older man with white hair, he was famous for always being composed and calm, even under the direst of circumstances. Today he looked stressed and nervous. His uniform, usually clean, pressed and perfectly presentable, was ruffled, and his suit coat buttons were undone.

General Rumpole fumbled with the megaphone and said, too loudly, “Excuse me everyone, if I could have your attention?” The General frowned and adjusted the volume as he cleared his throat. “For those of you who don’t know me, I’m General Rumpole, appointed by the United Nations to assist the Wonder Heroes in their defense of Earth. You all know that things have been rough since the events of yesterday. Rumors have been flying, and it’s time to put them to rest.”

The General made eye contact with several of the people gathered. “Each of you is a potential Wonder Hero replacement. In a few moments, we’ll bring you down to the labs and have you try on the various Wonder Gauntlets. As you can see, there’s about a hundred of you and only four positions. Good luck, people. Remember, you’re doing this for the entire world.”

Susan found herself almost unable to think. Despite her conversation with Theodore, and even though she knew, all along, that this was why she was brought here, she had been able to avoid confronting the truth. Until General Rumpole said it out loud, it was just an abstract impossibility. Now she was confronted with the very real possibility of becoming a Wonder Hero, and changing her life forever.

The rest of the room was in an uproar. The excitement coursing through the crowd could be felt like a jolt of caffeine. One of the potential candidates, a man in his early twenties, with deep blue eyes and short blond hair strode confidently up to the General. In a crowd of the best and brightest, this one could lead, and the others seemed to sense it. They made way for him and by some sort of silent election chose him to speak for them all.

The crowd brought their attention back to the General, and Rumpole continued, “The Gauntlets choose the Hero. We don’t know how, exactly, or what qualities the Gauntlets are looking for. We can only bring in the best candidates and hope for the best. So far, the Gauntlets have rejected every candidate we’ve brought to them.”

Next to Susan, Theodore said, under his breath, “Military.” Then he spoke loudly, and the entire room turned towards Theodore and Susan. “It’s rumored that the gauntlets distrust the military, and only choose civilians, to better represent the planet.” Susan suddenly realized that her hair must be a mess, and that she was wearing the same clothes she had been wearing the day before.

The General seemed to forget the megaphone in his hand and he said, loud enough for everyone to hear, “Yes, well, even so, the second and most important thing you should know is that once chosen, you will be a Wonder Hero, a defender of our planet, until you die. The Gauntlet cannot be removed until the, uh, the Wonder Hero dies.” The General looked angry at his inability to control his emotions in public.

“Can’t do what? This? Are you kidding?” Theodore shook his head as if to jumble Susan’s words into an order that made sense. “This is the chance of a lifetime. I mean, I know I don’t really have a chance, and it’s an honor just to be asked, but it’s the chance of your lifetime!”

Susan could not find the words to respond. She started to walk away from Theodore, from everything. She did not know where she was going. Theodore followed her.

“All my life I’ve wanted this, and even having gotten this close, I know I’ll never make it.” Theodore pointed to the blond the group had silently appointed their leader. “Look at Captain America over there, the all American boy. That’s Jay Parker. He’s on the website. Taking triple majors at Stamford, champion skier and decathlon-er… and the girls love him. He’s going to make it. He’s going to put on the gauntlet and the gauntlet’s going to choose him because the world always goes his way. He’ll be a great hero too, probably. He was born to be the kind of hero they write histories about.”

“Look at me. I wear glasses. I’m too thin, have only meager martial arts skills, and out of the hundred or so people here I’m probably number one hundred. I’ll never make it, even though I want it so bad I feel sick.”

“Then there’s you. You’re easily in the top ten percent here. You have one of the best chances of being chosen, but you don’t want it. They are about to hand you the keys to the kingdom and you’re ready to walk away.”

“I have plans for my life, Theodore,” Susan said, “I have things I want to do. Have you ever thought about what being a Wonder Hero really means? It means fighting and killing and fighting some more. It never stops, until you’re dead.”

Theodore looked Susan in the eyes, “While you’re enjoying your life's plan are you going to remember the people who fight and kill and fight some more to allow you to live that life?”

Suddenly alone Theodore looked down at the polished linoleum floors. “Probably not…” he said, but he was talking to himself. He looked up as General Rumpole read the first name off the list.