Where Infinity Begins

by Andrew Kirschner

  As Bonnie watched her other self on TV for the first time, she was thrilled, and more nervous than she had been in many years. On the one hand, this was indeed the thing she was wishing for. Being recognized for her own unique qualities was a privilege she had never really enjoyed.

  But it was coming at a cost, and it was potentially very big. She had just unleashed something that was very strange to the world, something which might be taken in many different ways. At the very least, the reporter had felt the need to create a false impression of the interview. What did that portend?

  Like many times before, she found herself jealous of Lisa. She could just be human, and- fit in in fundamental ways that Bonnie never could. If only she knew what a privilege that was.

  Lisa returned home to find shocking news breaking on her TV. She was almost as surprised as anyone as she watched the mysterious, apparently magical young woman who had saved a school bus from a deadly accident.

  But while it was remarkable to watch Ms. Infinity flying the bus to safety, Lisa was much more interested in the brief interview that she gave. A strange savior she seemed indeed, just as the reporter called her. Yet Lisa discovered something very interesting and strangely familiar in her mannerisms, especially in her nervous tick just before she flew away.

  7. The World Reacts

  The news of a real superhero with real superpowers created shockwaves throughout the world. Opinions on this strange, apparently magical being were many and varied. Ms. Infinity inspired tremendous adulation, but also much fear and loathing.

  Almost instantly there were Ms. Infinity fans of all ages, nationalities, and religions. Her name would be invoked in many different contexts as a symbol of feminism, power, and (super) human capability. Girls of all ages looked up to her. Before long the superhero provided major competition to Barbie and the Disney Princesses as the top choice of roles for girls’ pretend play. She was a definitive symbol for women’s liberation, a source of hope and motivation for women of all walks of life. There many male fans as well, some perhaps only for her beauty, but also many, like Hal Holstein, who saw her as a comfort and inspiration.

  Inevitably, there were many who were disturbed that such a powerful being was female. She was called everything from “bitch” to “cold fish” to (inevitably) “slut.” The social media soon lit up with unflattering drawings of her that suggested, with little subtlety, that she was a man in drag. She was also used in violent fantasies, and sometimes overtly threatened.

  Many were also claiming that her entire existence was a hoax. There were numerous theories alleging that her various feats had been faked. Frequently these came with the assumption that there was a man working behind her.

  Whatever the individual beliefs, Ms. Infinity was a sensation. Before long, her likeness was everywhere, from T-shirts to coffee mugs to notebooks and even carnival rides. Unfortunately for the heroine herself, every single one of these items was unlicensed. Bonnie Boring would never see a penny of the profits. After all, she was not available for licensing, nor could she be. Signing a contract would have necessitated revealing her true identity.

  For her part, Jenna Storm was now famous for her interview. She now acted to leverage her newfound fame to further her career. The morning after Ms. Infinity’s first appearance, she arrived for a meeting with Tom Goran, Director of Broadcasting at A-NY News. Upon entering his office, she noticed a twiggy, young blond woman sitting near his side, then shot him a look to kill.

  “What’s going on? I’m here to have a meeting with you,” said Jenna, “It’s private.”

  “Hi Jenna,” said Tom, “This is Namaste. She is an up and coming model. She is going to be the subject of a special segment next week.”

  “Oh,” said Jenna, trying to hide her contempt, “Well, pleased to meet you. My name is Jenna Storm.”

  “Hi Jenna!” said Namaste, “You’re the weather girl, right?”

  “Um, no,” said Jenna, “I do human interest stories. Do you mind if Tom and I…”

  “She doesn’t mind at all!” interrupted Tom, “She will stay right here. You can say anything to me right now.”

  There were many anythings that Jenna felt like saying at that moment. Nonetheless, she kept her composure. “Very well. It’s about my assignment.”

  “Thanks again for that report,” said Tom, “They’re still talking about it at the club.”

  “Right. So that’s the thing. I have just pulled out a major coup. I scored the very first interview with Ms. Infinity. I’d have to say that this makes me important to the team…”

  “For certain. You know that you’re Paul Kiefer’s favorite correspondent. That’s why you always make an appearance in the studio when he’s anchoring. He insists on you! You have a great rapport. Really, you two are a New York treasure.”

  “Thank you. But I think it’s time I moved on from just doing fluff pieces. I’m a journalist. I was top of my class at Barnard. I’m capable of so much more than…”

  “Listen Jenna, keep smiling! That’s how you keep this job.”

  “Excuse me! I want to more than keep this job. I want to move on. It’s time I did real reporting.”

  “Oh honey, everyone wants things, but…”

  Jenna cut Tom off abruptly. “No! You listen to me! I’m in demand now. You now have to work at keeping me. Give me a better assignment, or I’m out of here, and I’ll be some other anchor’s favorite perky sidekick!”

  Tom looked at Jenna in surprise. “You know, you’re lucky to have this. You’re not that pretty.”

  “Cut the crap! Are you giving me a better assignment, or not?”

  Tom paused for a moment. Then shaking his head, he looked at his schedule. “Well, Paul is on vacation after today. The Space Launch rocket is landing tomorrow. We don’t have anyone covering that. We usually pull a feed from another source, but if we have our own reporter, it can give us some prestige, and I guess you’re a name now. So, can you go to Florida? You’ll have to pay your own way.”

  “I can fly faster than anyone except for Ms. Infinity.”

  “About that. Since you want a larger role, your superhero might be some help. Human interest stories like that are a staple with lady reporters.”

  “No Tom. I don’t want to keep doing fluff. I’m a journalist. I want to be taken seriously.”

  “Well I suppose. You know, I remember you asked her real name. If you got her true identity, now that would be a scoop.”

  “Oh, Sure. How hard could that be?”

  The phone rang, and Tom took it. Namaste spoke to Jenna quietly. “Don’t worry honey. I know how it is. They’re always telling me to smile, even when I feel like I want to die. But I think of all the girls who used to piss me off in high school. Now I’m a model, and they’re probably all just fat housewives. I bet their husbands wish they were with me. Remember that. Now you’re a model!”

  “I’m not a model,” said Jenna, “I’m a reporter. I’m a journalist.”

  “You’re a girl,” said Namaste, “It’s the same thing.”

  Though neither Jenna nor Tom knew it, there was someone in the building at that very moment who had met Ms. Infinity in her secret identity, though he no inkling of this fact himself.

  Hal Holstein had been spending months trying to get his foot in the door somewhere. Many resumes had gone out, and so far the best and rarest result was an actual rejection. Most of the time, there was no answer at all. He decided to take a more aggressive route. He put on his best clothes, and took the subway to Manhattan to visit some news organizations.

  Hal composed himself as he entered the headquarters of A-NY, remembering to “look the part” of a reporter. Immediately he encountered a large guard desk in the lobby, which he approached with his best, confident look.

  “Pleased to meet you, sir. My name is Hal Holstein. I’m a reporter.”

  The guard looked at Hal suspiciously. “Do you have an appointment?”

  “Hi. It so happens I don’t. But I b
elieve that the powers that be would be pleased to see the opportunity before them.”

  “Beg pardon?”

  Hal took out his resume and handed it to the guard. “Here, sir.”

  “Oh!” said the guard, “You’re looking for a job.”

  “Yes sir.”

  “Okay. I’ll send this upstairs. Thank you.”

  “Is there a number I can call to follow up?”

  “Just the front desk. Thank you.”

  “No other number?” asked Hal.

  “Sorry,” said the guard.

  Hal looked at the guard one more time, then turned and left. “Well, on to the next.”

  Later that morning, Johnny Gunn made a public announcement.

  “So, this character comes out of the blue, this shrieking girl in a weird costume, and she goes right for a busload of children. I know for a fact that she wasn’t called by the police or the fire department. Who is this freak? Is this creature even human? We didn’t even get a real name. ‘Ms. Infinity?’ What the hell is that?

  “Funny how she arrives right after that bomb goes off. You all noticed that, right? Well, one at look at her, and it doesn’t take a lot of imagination, does it? Yeah. Don’t worry. I call out the enemies of America.

  “Americans are tired of letting strangers enter our nation. This creature, this vermin, is a threat to our way of life. I understand our problem better than anyone. I have the guts to stand up and fight! Rest assured that America will be safe from this witch!”

  As Johnny Gunn walked away from the podium, he approached Pam. She helped him into his car, and followed him inside. As they rode away in the back seat, they spoke together.

  “Well Johnny,” said Pam, “You certainly have made your stand. I’m proud of you, as always. I hope you’re ready, though. You have made yourself an enemy.”

  “I’m not afraid of any girl! Don’t you ever say that! My dad was never afraid of any girl either. He was the king, get it? He was able to build this company because he was the man! He would be disgusted by her.”

  “Maybe,” said Pam just over a whisper, “but he’s got nothing on my dad...”

  “What you babbling about?” said Johnny.

  “Never mind. So, my brave man, are you going to attack her?”

  “Well…uh, you know what? Yeah! Of course! I’m here to defend my country! I’m pretty brave, you know. I will stand up for freedom, even when nobody else will! Johnny Gunn is the greatest defender of freedom in the country’s history, if not the world’s. I will certainly stand up to a weird witch when she threatens us.”

  “I knew that you would! But may I ask you, on what grounds exactly?”

  “What?”

  “You know, what reason will you give?”

  “Do you even understand what I’m doing here?”

  “I do. You are my hero as always! I see the crowds cheer you and my face lights up! But you know that the press might be at you with questions like these…”

  “Are you with me or against me!! If you’re on my side, I expect some faith!”

  “I see,” said Pam.

  “Don’t you worry, Pam. She can’t stop me. I will see to it that she is taken care of immediately.”

  “I’m with you there,” said Pam, “To put an end to her will now absolutely be my cause as well as yours. I just don’t think that it will be as easy as you think.”

  As she watched the press conference on her living room TV, Betty Boring’s face nearly went white. She looked at Bonnie in shock.

  “Ah, don’t worry, Mom,” said Bonnie, “I can take him!”

  “Is that all you can say?” said Betty, “I hope you’re not…”

  “No! I’m not going to do anything illegal. But what can he do to me, really?”

  “Bonnie! I don’t like that! Don’t start thinking that way!”

  “Alright,” said Bonnie, “I have to get to work. I…just, don’t worry. I’m on it.” With that, Bonnie left her mother to her worries.

  Betty was not only shocked. She was also extremely angry at herself. Up until now, her main concern had been whether her daughter might abuse her own power. It was only now hitting her hard that she had missed a much more obvious danger, the reaction of the public. Their life on Earth had given her a sense of safety that she had long taken for granted. She now began to recall deep and dark memories of her life on their native planet, where she lived the ordeal of protecting a girl who was a pariah for her abilities.

  “No! No!” cried Betty to herself, “Sweet Prayer of the Dwelling! I can’t believe it has come to this! Seeing a tyrant come to power is hard enough, but now if it’s about her too…!”

  She slowly calmed herself down, turning herself to her faith. This all had to be part of a plan. Several nights ago, she had celebrated the Eve of Empowerment, alone in silence, yearning for the family she lost many, many years ago. But that celebration was never meant to be kept alone. It was about the community. As someone who was privileged, it was on her to help empower others. Simply protecting her daughter accomplished little besides preserving her small family’s safety. This whole thing needed to be about far more than that.

  Still, being a mother, she could not but think of her child. She would be there whether anyone knew it or not.

  Hal stood in a café on Seventh Avenue, depressed after a long, fruitless day of pounding the pavement. As he waited for his iced tea, he overheard a conversation among the people near him at the counter. He soon noticed that he recognized one of the people talking as an acquaintance from college.

  “Hi Jacquie,” said Hal as he walked up, “Funny seeing you here.”

  “Oh hi,” said Jacquie, “You are…what, from New Paltz? Howard? Wait, no. Will?”

  “You were closer the first time. It’s Hal. We were in a lot of classes together in communications.”

  “Oh yeah. The Jewish guy.”

  Hal paused, trying to keep from rolling his eyes. Putting on his best, most polite face, he continued. “Been hard finding work. I haven’t really gotten anything yet. I don’t know if you…”

  “I’m a production assistant at Spalsh and Jiggle.”

  “Oh. That’s an ad company, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you mind if I ask how you got that job?”

  Jacquie looked at Hal in annoyance. “I was hired. Now I work there.”

  “Uh, sure,” said Hal, “Well, good for you. It’s not easy to get jobs in this business.”

  “Maybe for you. Everyone I know has a job.”

  “Really?”

  “Sure. It’s months. I mean…of course.”

  Jacquie walked away without saying anything further. Hal watched with his eyes wide open in shock. As he stood, the barista came with his drink.

  “Here it is, sir. You didn’t want it sweetened, right?”

  “Yeah, right,” said Hal, “I’m just going to pour in my own sugar. Lots and lots of sugar.”

  That day, Bonnie and Lisa ate lunch in the small break room at work. There in the back of the store, the roar of customers was faint, and drowned out by the ever-present Muzak. Sitting around the plastic table on the attached, molded plastic swinging chairs, the pair ate their usual fare. Lisa had leftover barbecued chicken from the previous evening. Bonnie was eating what she usually resorted to when left to her own devices, a couple of hard-boiled eggs from home, and canned asparagus, with packets of ketchup and mayonnaise squirted in, none of it cut or mixed. Yet as they exchanged pleasantries, Lisa now looked at Bonnie with suspicion.

  Lisa’s hunch seemed absurd, delusional even, but somehow, she couldn’t shake it. Over the eleven years of their friendship, she had gradually discovered that Bonnie had some unusual abilities. Lisa had seen Bonnie perform strange feats, involving anything from super strength, to exceedingly powerful senses, to ESP. Several times, she even noticed what had to be telekinesis, such as the recent incident at the store. Ever a loyal friend, she would help her friend hide her powers, while pretendi
ng not to notice them herself.

  But was Bonnie Ms. Infinity? That would have not only have been a strange coincidence. It would have meant that she had a whole other class of superpowers than she had ever imagined. Could she really transform herself into another person entirely? Could she fly? The very idea that Bonnie Boring could be anywhere near that powerful was so ridiculous, Lisa was embarrassed to be entertaining it. But her gut was telling her a different story. It wasn’t even just that the facts might well match up. Lisa just felt it. That strange woman on the television was her! She looked different, but she talked exactly like Bonnie. Lisa knew her anywhere!

  “So,” said Lisa with a prying enthusiasm, “what did you do yesterday?”

  “Oh! Um…My mom and I went out for ice cream last night. We needed the time together.”

  “That’s all?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “Nothing else?”

  “Well, you know. We don’t get a lot of time to go out together, just me and her.”

  Lisa looked at Bonnie suspiciously. “You sure that’s all?”

  Bonnie’s eyes widened. “Yeah.”

  Lisa knew that look when Bonnie was dodging a question. In fact, for whatever reason, Bonnie was more nervous than usual. Lisa shook her head and continued eating. She only hoped she was wrong.

  As Bonnie and Lisa headed back to work, Helen Billings was waiting at customer service.

  “Helen!” said Lisa, “Nice to see you. How is your father today?”

  “He’s much better,” said Helen, “We were in the emergency room for five hours, but they decided not to admit him. He’s now on a breathalyzer. So listen, I just wanted to thank you. You really are a life saver.”

  “What happened?” asked Bonnie.

  “Are you this girl’s friend?” asked Helen.

  “She’s my best friend,” said Bonnie.

  “Well yesterday your best friend saved my father’s life. I had him in the emergency room, and they wouldn’t take him. Lisa wouldn’t let up until they let him in.”

  “That’s awesome!” said Bonnie, spooning Lisa, “Lisa’s always like that. You can count on her to step in whenever there’s a problem. I’m lucky to have her!”