In fact she knew exactly what it was. She was scared.
Damnit! Her mother was right. She was scared. More than scared. She was panicking inside. How could she not admit this before? She was not okay. She had just nearly died. She didn’t remember it exactly, but she knew about it, and somewhere inside her were fresh, terrifying memories, memories of being hit, of falling, memories of laying alone, forlorn, nearly dead.
And there he was, Johnny Gunn, free and clear, and everyone cheering at him. Did it have to be spelled out? She lost. And now she was supposed to fly out into this, and do what exactly? They didn’t want her. That was obvious now. Not long before, an entire town had rejected her help. Would it go any better now?
She was hated. She knew it. What was all this for anyway? Just to be ganged up on by everyone in sight? America hated her. Earth hated her, just like Center. Why wouldn’t they? Who needed a freak like her anyway?
Lisa must have wondered why Bonnie stood there, nearly frozen. Indeed, inside she was just barely containing her panic. She was inches away from a second breakdown. With great force of will, she held herself together, only just.
Could she go through with it? The thought terrified her. She knew she had to, but she dreaded it with every fiber of her being. But then again, did she have to?
No. That was it. She was done. No more Ms. Infinity. Why was the world depending on her anyway? They lived this long without her. This wasn’t even about the disapproval of others anymore. Never mind her mother or Johnny Gunn. Now she was saying it was over. It was over.
“I hope this turns around somehow,” said Lisa, “This is terrifying!” She kept her hard eyes upon Bonnie.
“It…certainly is,” said Bonnie, doing her best to ignore Lisa’s expression, “I…I wish I didn’t have to see this.”
“You wish you didn’t have to see this? That’s all you have to say?”
Bonnie closed her eyes, shaking. When she finally spoke again, her voice finally gave in. “Yeah! I wish I didn’t have to see this. Alright?”
“Now don’t tell me you’re afraid.”
“Does that surprise you?”
Lisa suddenly did a double-take.
“I guess it does surprise you,” said Bonnie.
“It’s not that,” said Lisa, “I thought I saw someone from high school in the crowd. But now that you mention it, I’m not feeling the sympathy for you right now.”
“Well you’re a lot of help!” said Bonnie.
“You know what? You’re pretty frustrating”
“So, what are you expecting from me exactly?”
“Bonnie, it’s enough. You don’t have to pull this. Just go and do your thing. I’ll play dumb if you want me to. I mean really, telling me you’re afraid? What’s that for?”
Bonnie paused and looked at Lisa earnestly. “Lisa, it’s not what you think. It’s not always as easy as all that. Yes, really, I’m scared. Can you please understand that much?”
“You?”
“Yes Lisa,” said Bonnie, with fear evident in her eyes, “me.”
Suddenly the conversation was cut short. Several yards away from them, well outside their safety zone, a man collapsed. He held his shoulder for a moment, with a look of shock. Then he fell, suddenly unconscious.
“That man just collapsed!” said Lisa.
Bonnie said nothing. She was frozen inside. But Lisa sprung to her feet and ran, right into danger. Within a second, men with semiautomatic rifles were everywhere around her, and a glass bottle flew inches away from her head. Lisa scarcely seemed to notice. She simply ran to the man’s side. Bonnie finally snapped out of her state of shock and ran after her.
Lisa kneeled next to the man. “Are you alright sir?” she said.
There was no answer. She took his wrist and felt his pulse. “Weak pulse!” she said, “He’s barely breathing too.”
Bonnie finally reached her friend, now in a precarious position, kneeling in the street with a riot going on all around her. But she didn’t care. “Bonnie!” she said, “Call 911! This man is in cardiac arrest!”
A man nearby heard them. “I got it!” he said, promptly dialing his cellphone. He seemed to get through quickly enough, but it was not clear if anyone could get to the scene. For a moment Bonnie felt yet another pull of responsibility, but then she couldn’t imagine just what she could do. She wasn’t a doctor. She had no concept of how to help a person in this situation, even with her superpowers. But then right before her, Bonnie felt a rush of awe and relief at the sight of the hero who knew exactly what to do: Lisa Lin, CPR-Trained, Pre-Med Graduate.
Lisa was instantly focused on her task, her back to all else. As always when in a position to help another, she cared about little else, not about her safety, her comfort, and least of all about the attention that the deed would bring from others. It is unlikely she imagined how great was the power of her example at that time. Could it possibly have occurred to her that she was saving Ms. Infinity, and with her the country, if not the world? Surely it was of minimal concern that behind her was her best friend watching in complete reverence, for before her was exactly the example she needed to revive her faith.
As Lisa worked her procedure, as she calmly and earnestly delivered a lifeline to a man in distress, Bonnie watched quietly, crying tears of release. For before her was her own greatest hero, the example she needed to aspire to. As Lisa worked, not for one moment was there any sign of panic, nor did her actions show either undue hesitation or rash overreaction. Lisa Lin always worked with an expert’s grasp of the situation in front of her, and a clear understanding of the procedures she was to follow.
Lisa carefully calculated each move. She established an airway, assured that it was clear, then alternated rescue breaths with chest compressions. It took several cycles. Between the man’s large bulk and the many repetitions, it might well have been reasonable to expect Lisa to falter from exhaustion. But Bonnie knew her friend better. If she seemed slight in appearance, it was but a façade. Beneath the exterior of a small woman was the soul of a giant!
The ambulance finally arrived. The EMT’s struggled to operate amidst the chaos, but within a couple of minutes, the man was taken away. Bonnie was still looking at Lisa, wide-eyed in awe. She put her hand on Lisa’s shoulder.
“You!” she exclaimed, tears still in her eyes, “Lisa! You are a hero!”
“Gee thanks!” said Lisa.
“Seriously Lisa!” beamed Bonnie, “You just saved a life! You should be proud. I know I am!”
“Really?”
“Of course! You have no idea what that means to me!”
Lisa picked herself up and wiped the sweat off her brow. “You know Bonnie, you of all people should not be so surprised. I mean…”
Lisa suddenly realized that she was talking to the air. Bonnie was gone.
As Bonnie snuck around the block, looking for a place to transform herself into Ms. Infinity, some twenty feet away, Jenna Storm was setting up with Jake. Suddenly, something caught her eyes.
“Jake!” she called, “Look! Look! That must be her!”
“Who?” said Jake.
“Her! With the glasses! Of course! Her! I should have noticed her before. She must by Ms. Infinity in her secret identity! Follow her!”
“Wait a minute!” said Jake, “What are you asking me here?”
“Catch her changing.”
“Are you out of your mind? I’m not sneaking up on a woman and filming her when she’s changing.”
“And why not?
“Well call me crazy, but I can do without committing a sex offense.”
“Look, fine. I’m a woman. I’ll take the camera.”
“That goes against union reg…”
“Don’t even bother! I can have you reassigned so fast, it will make your head spin!”
“Look Jenna, we’re in the middle of an extremely newsworthy event here, and I don’t think we should miss anything.”
“Oh, I can more than make up for it,
” said Jenna as she took the camera and snuck toward her mark.”
Jenna quietly followed her target, hoping to catch her while not being seen. After a minute or so, she caught the eye of a young woman. After exchanging glances, it dawned on Jenna that this was the companion of the woman she was following. But she realized it too late. By then the girl had walked in front of her. “Here she is!” she called, “She is filming you!”
“Thanks Yasmin!” called a tall, dark woman in glasses and a pants suit as she approached, “You may become a producer yet!”
“Thanks Liz,” said Jasmin.
It happened that at that very moment, Bonnie Boring had just slipped into a momentarily empty staff door of a hotel. Just out of sight of a Manhattan street, a petite customer service girl transformed herself into the most powerful woman on Earth.
“Uh…hi?” said Jenna sheepishly, Liz Leland, my friend and colleague! So…uh, how are you?”
“What the hell are you doing?” snapped Liz.
“I…Look. Liz, can I talk to you quietly?”
“This better be good!”
“Listen,” whispered Jenna, “I’ve figured out your secret. I know who you really are.”
“Oh?” said Liz.
“I happen to know that you are really…”
Ms. Infinity then landed some twenty feet in front of them, amidst a crowd of rough, armed men who were terrorizing bystanders.
“Oh!” said Jenna in confusion.
“This insanity will end right now!” announced Ms. Infinity in a commanding voice, “There will be no more violence! I will not allow it!”
Many of the bullies turned away from the men they were threatening and started charging toward Ms. Infinity. “So!” said one man, “You’re the witch we’ve been hearing about!”
Ms. Infinity held her composure. Standing with her arms akimbo, she continued, “Do not debase yourself. You are better than this! Do not throw your life away on aimless cruelty!”
“Well listen to you!” said another man, “You think you know what’s best for us!”
“This ends now,” said Ms. Infinity.
“Oh, it sure does!” said a third man, pulling out a gun.
“Don’t!” shouted Ms. Infinity, “I’m warning you. There’s no going back!”
“You witch! You’re scared!”
“It’s not about me. There are lines you should not cross. You do not want to be criminals.”
“You know nothing, you weirdo alien! It’s time to be a national hero!” He pulled the trigger three times. He was then shocked to silence when he saw that the bullets bounced right off her.
“Now sir!” said Ms. Infinity as she advanced toward the man, “This is all pointless. Nothing comes of these things but death and destruction.” She took the gun out of the hand of the stunned man and crushed it in her hand.
“Not that you’re off the hook,” she said, “You are still guilty of attempted murder.”
“You can’t stop me!” cried another voice. When Ms. Infinity looked, she saw another attacker with a gun, but this time it was aimed at a protester whom he had pinned on the floor.
“Ha! Ha! Too bad!” laughed the man, “You’re helpless to stop me now!”
“And this makes you happy?” said Ms. Infinity, “You’re threatening someone who has done nothing to you.”
“Shut up!” he said. With that he turned, and attempted to shoot his prisoner in the head. But within the nanosecond after he pulled the trigger, the bullet had been stopped, and his gun taken and destroyed. A second later, he was tied up. His intended victim was unharmed.
“So this is what you wanted?” cried Ms. Infinity.
There was no answer. Everyone simply stood in confusion at the impossible scene they had just witnessed.
“Make no mistake,” said Ms. Infinity, “I am here to protect the innocent. I am not vengeful. I will not harm anyone unnecessarily. I will only see that justice is served.”
Jenna Storm and Liz Leland watched the scene before them in amazement. Jenna just remembered to turn the camera on Ms. Infinity a few moments after she landed. As things momentarily calmed down, Jenna lowered the camera and looked around for Jake.
“I knew it!” said Liz, suddenly knocking Jenna into alertness, “I knew she would be here sooner or later! But Jenna, I don’t care if you know who I really am. My real name isn’t even a secret. Yes. I’m really Elishiba Lahum.”
“What?” said Jenna.
“Yes. I’m Israeli. Liz Leland is my stage name. Wait. What did you think?”
“Oh never mind…it’s just, I mean your name is, whatever that thing was Jake said, with the same first letters…like in the comic books…”
“What does that mean exactly? Wait! Did you think I was her? Oh my God! You thought I was Ms. Infinity! That’s so cool!”
“Yeah. Funny,” said Jenna, her face now as red as a ripe apple.
“It’s ridiculous how Gunn picks on her,” said Liz, “I mean, what do you want to bet that if she were a man, nobody would say anything. I’m sick of seeing people offended by powerful women.”
“Oh,” said Jenna, “Yeah, I guess…now that you mention it…”
“Look,” said Liz, “I have to cover Gunn’s announcement. But we totally have to talk about that later! Wait. Aren’t you here to cover Gunn too?”
“Uh…yeah,” said Jake, now running up to Jenna, “We certainly are. Don’t you think we should get back to that?”
Lisa watched the action from a distance. She saw Ms. Infinity’s sudden appearance, and let out a sigh of relief. Wide-eyed in fascination, she smiled heartily at the heroine as she took her stand. When she saw her prevail over the bullies, she felt a rush inside. She resisted cheering out loud.
She wondered if it was safest to run back inside, but she was simply too fascinated to turn away. She was surprised at herself too for feeling pride rather than jealousy. But after all, that was her best friend out there!
Now that she was up close, she was even more impressed by Ms. Infinity’s boots than before. Not only did they fit her perfectly, but they also were a great style. She loved the yellow stripe that ran down the front; it just seemed to perfect the look. She had also wisely chosen to shun the perennial superheroine sin of the high heel. Good for her!
“This is our day,” said Johnny Gunn to Miles. I told you this was coming.”
“I don’t know,” said Miles, “I just have an uneasy feeling right now. Go ahead and laugh, but this is exactly the kind of venue I would worry about. I mean, it seems to scream ‘superhero confrontation,’ right?”
Johnny shook his head at Miles and shouted, “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. You see, that’s why I’m the king and you’re my uh, whatever. My advisor or something.”
“Wait,” said Miles, “You haven’t even decided what you’re calling your staff?”
“I have. I have. You’re the cabinet guy.”
“Alright. Patience. So Johnny, the cabinet is the president’s entire top-level staff, all of them together. Individuals are called Secretaries, Secretary of Transportation and so forth. But if you’re king, then you might want to call us ministers. You know, like Mister of…look. I’m more concerned with Ms. Infinity. Do you really think…?”
“You are such a worrywart. Keep up like this, and you be Minister of Worrywarts.”
“Can I ask you honestly, how do you know that she’s…”
“Shut up! You can stop with that she-devil. Like I told you, I killed her!”
“Oh Johnny!” cried a woman’s voice.
“Where did that come from?” said Johnny.
“Up here!”
Ms. Infinity was floating a few feet above Johnny Gunn and his underlings, her legs crossed in a seated position. When Johnny saw her, he nearly fell over.
“So Johnny,” said Miles, “Whatever you call ‘killing,’ maybe you can try it at my daughter’s next birthday.”
“Where did you come from?” shouted J
ohnny in dismay.
“Well,” said Ms. Infinity as she landed next to Johnny, “I want to tell you that I came back from the dead, but no such luck. No zombie apocalypse today. Just this ugly mess of your making. But now I have no further doubt who sent that nuclear attack.”
“I’d like to see you prove it!” said Johnny, “You can go ahead and try to have me arrested. It can’t be done. And if you try to kill me…”
“You pig!” snapped Ms. Infinity, “Taking advantage of other peoples’ decency. If that isn’t the way of the common criminal, then I don’t know what is!”
“Shut up!” snapped Johnny. Then turning to his guards, he shouted, “Arrest her!”
The guards backed off, apparently afraid.
“You’ll regret that!” shouted Johnny, then turning to Ms. Infinity, he said, “And you will regret this too! Not nice, trespassing on my rally! This is supposed to be a safe place.”
“Safe? This? I just stopped at least two murders! If this is safe, then I don’t know how much room that leaves for dangerous.”
“Shut up! I know better than you. I’m the most powerful man in America. You’re nothing but a weirdo freak! You should be locked up!”
“Oh you are precious, Mr. Gunn! But what exactly makes you better than me, or anyone else for that matter? You have power alright, but all you want to do with it is keep other people down. What are you doing to make this country a better place? I’ve known people who have nowhere near the money or power you have, but they are many times greater, because they care about others. You Mr. Gunn, are worthless.”
“I don’t care what you think,” said Johnny, “This country is mine, and there is nothing you can do about it.”
“How can you possibly expect to take over the whole country, from New York no less! You do realize the capital is over two hundred miles from…here…”
Johnny Gunn did not answer, but Ms. Infinity could easily detect a guilty look on his face.
Where Infinity Begins Page 21