Where Infinity Begins

by Andrew Kirschner

  In this environment, Bland Beauty began to grow. Like any child, she was helpless in infancy, and progressed to crawling and walking. Yet she reached these milestones at extraordinarily young ages. And she soon displayed tremendous strength and agility, visibly greater than the males around her. In this culture, this was a tremendous embarrassment to her family, especially to the father.

  As word of Bland Beauty spread, her mother suddenly found events spinning completely out of control. Soon it was not safe for mother or daughter, least of all within their own home. And then Bland Homemaker’s wartime actions came back to haunt her. The military exposed her role in that war, and it became the pretext for which they singled her out as a criminal and an unfit mother. On a dark day, her young daughter was taken from her arms and imprisoned far away.

  In those days, Bland Beauty was little more than a toddler by the definitions of Earth. Yet so powerful was the experience of imprisonment that she would still recall it vividly throughout her lifetime. She was held in splendid isolation, in a tremendous, fortified tower, in a remote area in one of the planet’s polar regions. She was given the best luxuries Center had to offer. But she was guarded tightly, held within a very small area, prevented from using her prodigious and growing physical abilities by the limits of her quarters, and by strict rules that were maintained by many guards under the command of her father. When she disobeyed, she was beaten. When the general was present, she was given even crueler punishments that she would never speak of. Deep was her frustration. Many times, she would bang at her walls in anger, only to face more punishment. Yet it was from one of these episodes that her freedom was eventually achieved.

  Bland Homemaker travelled stealthily through many great dangers to rescue her. She approached the prison alone and invisible. Peering through the walls, she watched her daughter for many days. She endured extreme cold and powerful winds and suffered deep inside as she saw her small daughter mistreated. But she watched intently, with a single-minded focus on the impossible task of freeing her.

  It was during one of the child’s outbursts that the mother saw an opening. As her daughter began to anger, she stood at the ready, carefully predicting the exact time and place where she would strike. Soon the child slammed at one of the outer walls. Outside, her mother kicked in at the wall just below at the same moment. The result was that the girl’s power was more than doubled. The wall was indeed broken and the child escaped.

  Into the frigid air the child flew, aimlessly, uncertain of where to go. To her surprise, her flight was much faster than she expected; she did not realize that she was being carried aloft by winds provided by her mother. She saw a mysterious light in the air, and she came to see that it was guiding her. For a long polar night, little Bland Beauty flew over the dark, frozen waters of the Farthest Seas, enduring tumultuous winds. As a faint dawn appeared, she did indeed reach a small, isolated town on a far coast. There she was reunited with her mother, seemingly against all odds. She never questioned how the event had occurred.

  Her mother held her close and fled into the night, headed for her family home on the North Coast of the Great Continent. There was little choice but to go by land. By now the general’s men would certainly be on full alert. Flying now carried a risk of capture, for even invisible flight still left a trail which their devices could follow.

  A great distance she ran, millions of miles by Earth’s measure, Center being a planet many times larger than Earth. By day they hid, by night they ran. Many dangers they endured, and Bland Homemaker struggled ever to keep her young child safe as they ran. Yet she endured, holding ever to the belief that they were drawing ever closer to safety.

  But after many days of flight, the mother faced a shock that she would never recover from. Upon arrival, Bland Homemaker discovered her home leveled to the ground. Amidst the ruins were the unburied remains of her family. There was a message from General Strongman, threatening death to her if she did not surrender.

  The women who lived nearby promised to help Bland Homemaker rebuild, but she knew there was no safety in remaining where she was. Alone with her child, she fled into the wilderness.

  For many years Bland Homemaker and Bland Beauty lived in hiding. Sometimes they lived on the land, constantly moving, ever mindful of the risk of capture. They took advantage of their superior abilities for hiding, for invisibility was a power that was only in their bloodline. They also possessed the power of shape shifting. Most Centerians could do little more than distort their faces and bodies, a device that was useful more as a means of threatening others than as a disguise. Their bloodline was gifted in this art; they could transform enough to look like completely different people. The necessity of hiding caused them to hone these skills to great lengths.

  At other times, they found shelter in homes of people they met and trusted, for Center had many people who lived on the fringes, and who had little loyalty to the established order. Many were suffering greatly under the regime. Some of them had been forcibly relocated from their homes. Many had lost family in senseless acts of cruelty by the military. The president of the time, The Peoples’ Fury, was known for brutal policy and heavy-handed execution. They would also hear the name of General Strongman. Many of the communities were devastated by his platoons, and some families, women in particular, had personally felt his cruelty.

  The families who took them in were of very modest means. Their homes were much smaller and far more Spartan than those they had been accustomed to. Some also showed the signs of devastation from invasions from the regime. Yet many of these hosts also showed tremendous hospitality, warmth, and generosity toward their guests. Bland Homemaker was certain to teach her daughter to show them kindness in return.

  And from here, more than any time in her youth, Bland Beauty would keep some memories that did not bring her pain. In later years Bonnie Boring would marvel that she had not grown to be cynical, considering her circumstances. Her mother deserved most of the credit. Under even the worst of circumstances, she learned the difference between right and wrong, and always to value herself and others.

  Bland Beauty often surprised her hosts with her feats. Patriarchal as this culture was, many of the people she met were unnerved by the sight of a powerful girl. Yet many more were inspired by her. Ever curious, she would learn new skills from the people she met.

  Deep in an isolated, sub-polar region, she met a large, extended, nomadic family who specialized in the art of creating illusions. It was a central part of their tribe’s culture, and all-but unknown outside of it. They showed her some remarkable shows, so elaborate and life-like that they were very much like movies, but produced on the spot by the will of a number of people working together.

  Bland Beauty eagerly learned what she could from them. She never came close to attaining their level of proficiency, but with much practice, she found that she could produce some elaborate and very convincing illusions. This skill would become crucial to her survival in her last years on Center. It would also become part of her power arsenal years later as Ms. Infinity, both for battle situations and for more trivial matters as enhancing her transformation.

  As she grew, she heard of her mother’s childhood trips to other planets within their empire. She had never had the privilege of space travel, stuck as she was in constant refuges on Center. Many years later, in her full adulthood, she would casually fly far into space without the aid of spacecraft. But in her youth, she could only look out into the stars and wonder about other worlds.

  She even considered the unthinkable questions about what might lie beyond their empire. Her senses were becoming extremely powerful, and she was beginning to see things vast distances away. She wondered if one day she might flee to a place beyond Center’s reach, where she and her mother could be safe forever.

  In those times, as Bland Beauty grew, her abilities became ever greater. And while her hosts pledged quiet about her for her protection, inevitably there was much whispering between them. In time rumor would
spread of the remarkable, rebellious girl who travelled around and performed miracles. Eventually these tales would move beyond Center’s fringes and into its cities, soon even to the City of Progress.

  As the public spoke increasingly of a girl of great power, the military leaders were incensed, for these stories were a threat to their rule. And when her name became known, it was a new embarrassment to General Strongman for having failed to restrain her. The general was now second in the presidential succession. But with his obvious failure to restrain Bland Beauty, he found himself personally shamed, and now lost his position. Only by her death could he reclaim his honor.

  The general sent many attackers, first girls who were known by his men, then wayward boys, then even full-grown soldiers. Yet while many did injure her, she prevailed each time. Her strength was ever greater as she grew, as was her cunning. And when she did not defeat her foe by physical combat, she had a new trick that would suffice to turn the tide, using her growing legend against the cowardice of her foes. When the tide would turn against her, she would seem to fail, either playing dead or mysteriously disappearing. But soon after she would make a spectacularly staged comeback, using her newly learned art of creating illusions. This would convince her foe that she had changed into a tremendous, omnipotent being. Her enemies would invariably flee from the scene, though they knew they would face cruel punishments upon their return.

  But soon the general found a deadly match for Bland Beauty. Living with him was a runaway named Misery. Though she had come from a privileged home, she was treated with apathy by her parents, rejected in favor of her younger brother, Savior of War.[1] When she ran away from home, she was not even pursued.

  And so Misery was found by the general, full of anger and malice. The general taught Misery to hate according to his interests, especially the girl who had shamed him. Thus Misery hated Bland Beauty even before she met her. And while she was bitter, she could be very subtle. Furthermore, she was also very strong, though she was careful not to visibly surpass the general himself. Never would it occur to the general, or any of the other men around, that Misery could one day become dangerous to them in turn.

  When the general’s other assassins failed, he ordered Misery to attack Bland Beauty. Misery found her alone one day in the midst of the Lost Desert of the Eastern Continent. She ambushed her, and Bland Beauty was indeed quite unprepared. She might have indeed been killed if not for her greater strength. Even so, she resorted to her newfound trick of casting illusions; she tried to fool her foe by playing dead, then creating a spectacular illusion of herself returned as a vengeful apparition.

  But Misery was not fooled. Rather she saw the illusion, and inferring that it had taken a conscious and sustained effort to produce, took it to mean that her enemy was indeed still alive. She attacked Bland Beauty once again as she lay on the ground. But Bland Beauty was also ready for Misery’s attack, and rebounded powerfully. Nonetheless the battle was indecisive, and dragged on for a great while. But then a powerful wind began to strike, which blew a tremendous sandstorm.

  This might have proven trying for both girls, but somehow it was not so. The wind, and the sand it blew, seemed to only hit Misery, strangely though since they turned many times as they fought. And soon Bland Beauty prevailed, and had Misery at her mercy. She was about to slay her, but her mother finally appeared. Seeing that Misery was only a little older than her own daughter, she persuaded Bland Beauty to spare her. Yet Misery would only come to resent her enemy more for her mercy. And when she returned to the general, she was punished cruelly for her failure.

  Yet the general sent Misery once again. And in her second attack, in the Great Mountains of the South, Misery very nearly prevailed. And she was about to slay her with a final blow when another mysterious event turned the tide. Suddenly, a tremendous beast appeared and attacked Misery, carrying her out into the wilderness. She injured her, but strangely did not kill her. And she returned once again to punishment from the general.

  Nonetheless, Misery was the general’s greatest hope, and she would continue to fight Bland Beauty numerous times. She was the closest she had to an equal. For while Misery was not as strong as Bland Beauty, she was far more brutal, possessing of a cruel heart and little conscience. Misery was also much more disciplined. She would often match a powerful move by Bland Beauty by a coldly planned response. And as much as Misery despised Bland Beauty, Bland Beauty would also come to detest Misery in turn. And this was a sad development for her mother, perhaps the cruelest blow of all, to see her daughter reduced to hate.

  One day, when Bland Homemaker was away, meeting with a family who she hoped might take them in, a messenger came to Bland Beauty. He brought word that General Strongman wanted to see her. On the holographic message, the general spoke eloquently. He seemed to apologize for past cruelties, and promised not to hurt her—even to protect her—in the future.

  Through her long and uncertain years of traveling and hiding, she had developed a deep longing for safety. Young as she was, now nearing the onset of adolescence, she was impulsive. Without even waiting for her mother, she went with the messenger, and spoke to the general. He promised that he would keep her safely within his walls, and that he would now send for her mother as well.

  Upon her return, Bland Homemaker found her daughter missing. She quickly deduced where she had gone, and immediately followed her. But she was turned away at the Progress Military Compound, forbidden from ever entering.

  Much had changed in the years since they had gone into exile. Though less than ten Earth years had passed—only six seasonal rotations on Center[2]—the presidency had changed hands no less than four times due to assassination. This instability reflected the uncomfortable mingling of many disparate cultures due to a growing colonial empire; by necessity the military government included members of colonized peoples in addition to Centerians, themselves a diverse people, and many conflicts arose.

  The new president was a member of a tribe from an outlying planet which had periodically rebelled, chosen for a place in the presidential succession as a tactic of appeasement. The sudden, suspicious death of Storm of Justice had made him president, but one who was poorly recognized by the mainstream. In order to ingratiate himself with the public, he changed his name from one meaning “Light of Courage” in his native culture to “Death Grip” in Centerian communication. But this president was more imperiled than any before or after, and constantly preoccupied with concerns for his safety. General Strongman took Death Grip’s peril as an opportunity for himself. But he also knew it could not be realized unless his daughter was eliminated once and for all.

  Yet Bland Beauty knew not her own danger. Her mother’s absence was explained as a temporary delay for her own business, and she scarcely questioned it. During her stay at the military compound she met many people, other generals, diplomats, even President Death Grip himself. She soon developed a false sense of safety, and quickly became mischievous in turn. She would contrive many pranks on the men around her, especially the president, and indeed none, even the general himself, ever traced the source of the melee. However a much crueler secret was in store for her.

  One day as she walked around the compound, she discovered Misery in the midst. Incensed, she began making her way towards her father’s quarters to demand her removal. But she was stopped by a wife of an officer. She calmed her down, quietly explaining Misery’s close relationship to the general. [3]

  Bland Beauty’s anger was now replaced by fear. She strongly suspected that Misery must be scheming against her, and that she had influenced the general to attack her; she seemed unable to believe that the opposite was true. Nonetheless she was correct in her suspicion that an attack was imminent.

  Bland Homemaker had made many failed attempts to enter. Then one day she saw a solider being beaten by his superior officer. As she listened she discovered that the cause of his punishment was a picture he carried of the wife of a general. As the soldier was dragged away for further d
iscipline, neither man realized that the picture was left behind.

  Bland Homemaker studied the picture carefully, then using her shape shifting powers, she disguised herself as the woman in the picture. Then in that form she did at last get past the guards of the compound and gain entrance. But while she knew that this was a perilous adventure that could not last long, it was worse than she realized, for she was impersonating the dead. And shortly after Bland Homemaker entered, she was discovered by one who knew the woman she impersonated, her widower, and indeed—as was an open secret around the compound—her killer, General Imperial.

  It seemed like all hope was lost. She was now caught, likely to be executed, and her daughter would have nobody to protect her from the fate that awaited her. But General Imperial was a man of questionable loyalty to the president, and with designs of his own that rivaled General Strongman’s. He also found Bland Homemaker attractive. Rather than arrest her, he took her to his office, and offered her a deal.

  That night, General Strongman sent one of his underlings into Bland Beauty’s room. As he saw her sleeping, he pulled out a sword and aimed for her throat. And he would certainly have slain her at that moment, for strong though she was this was a weapon of Centerian craft, many times harder and sharper than any known on Earth. But the girl that he saw sleeping was but a vision. What he stabbed was nothing but an empty bed, as the girl herself watched invisibly from outside the window.

  It was clear that she was in deadly peril if she remained. Yet she was unsure how to escape. The security included walls that were impenetrable by even the strongest Centerians, and soldiers on constant watch in all directions. Flying away would have meant being spotted instantly; even if invisible, she would have left an air trail. But General Imperial had hinted to her that he might make a deal with her if she wanted to get out of her situation.

  When she found him, she was quite surprised at the proposal that he made. He was a man of extreme, inflated ambition. He had plans for conquest, continually rejected by Center’s leadership, that involved the entire galaxy, and eventually the known universe. Behind the backs of state officials he had spent many years conducting research about extremely far-flung planets, using his travels for planets within their galaxy and the accounts of contacts he had made for places beyond. He had an extensive book containing his research. He hoped that Bland Beauty’s strength could be used toward his ends.