West Pacific Supers: Rising Tide

by Johnson-Weider, K. M.

  “And if you’re wrong?” asked Cosmic Kid.

  “Then we’ll just have to improvise,” said Dr. Sterling.

  Cosmic Kid’s HoloBerry rang and he quickly answered it. “Hello?”

  “Kid, this is Blue Star I’ve been trying to get hold of you - what’s happening at HQ?”

  “Starfish is here and trying to kill Dr. Sterling. What’s the condition of the team?”

  “Gabrielle’s dead, Camille is en route to the hospital, and I’ve been helping the WPPD deal with Starfish’s pets,” said Blue Star. “But with Starfish there I’ll be at HQ as quickly as possible.”

  “We could use the help,” said Cosmic Kid, who decided not to pass on the news of Gabrielle’s death and Camille’s incapacity to Midnight and Dr. Sterling.

  “No,” said Dr. Sterling. “Tell Blue Star to stay there till the creatures are taken care of and protect the WPPD.”

  Cosmic Kid looked at her incredulously. “Are you insane - we need his help!”

  “Yes, but the WPPD at Starfish’s house need him more than we do,” said Dr. Sterling. “Tell him once the situation is stabilized there he can come to provide assistance.”

  Cosmic Kid sighed and spoke into his HoloBerry, “Blue Star, Dr. Sterling says you need to stay there and help the WPPD until the situation is under control.”

  “Negative, I’m coming back,” said Blue Star who then ended the transmission.

  “He’s on his way,” said Cosmic Kid triumphantly.

  “Fine, I’ll just have to make some adjustments in my plan,” said Dr. Sterling, bringing up a webcam in Operations on the monitor. Starfish was there with Fortina Knox and two men who were carrying shotguns. “Hello, Dr. Keller — we seem to keep missing one another.”

  Starfish looked around but apparently Dr. Sterling’s voice was coming from several sources in Operations. Still he quickly composed himself. “So it’s a game of hide and seek? I know where the safe rooms are and if need be I can start torturing your staff until you show yourself.”

  Dr. Sterling picked up her HoloBerry and hit a key. There was a musical ring from Starfish. He frowned and answered his HoloBerry. “Dr. Sterling, I suppose.”

  “Yes,” said Dr. Sterling with a smile. “The WPPD and West Pacific Supers are en route. You can either surrender or come to the legal department.”

  “Legal department?” asked Starfish. “What are you planning on doing - stopping me with an injunction?”

  “Nope, just going over your contract. It appears you are in violation of several clauses that forbid stupidity, cowardice, and poor hygiene.”

  “Yes, yes, witty insults and while I run to the legal department, you will no doubt move to accounting,” said Starfish. “I’m not a fool. You have five minutes to come to operations or I pop open Safe Room E and kill everyone there. I’m done playing your games, Annie, now I’m making the rules.”

  “Chickenshit as always Dr. Keller,” said Dr. Sterling, cutting off her audio connection but leaving the webcam on to watch Starfish.

  “Yeah, well, I’m not the one hiding am I, Annie,” said Starfish. “I know you have something planned and I’m not biting, so come see me or people will start dying… do you hear me, Annie? I’m done playing around… I’ve beat you and you know it.”

  Dr. Sterling turned towards Midnight and Cosmic Kid. “It appears my original plan is not going to work.”

  “How long will it take him to get into Safe Room E?” asked Cosmic Kid.

  “If he doesn’t have the passcode, it might take 30 minutes for him to bash his way into the room, but I have a suspicion he has the passcode,” said Dr. Sterling with a worried tone.

  “Then let’s go get him,” said Midnight. “You stay here, Annie. Cosmic Kid and I will face off against Starfish and friends.”

  “No,” said Dr. Sterling, typing a command to reconnect her to Operations. “Alright, Dr. Keller - here’s the deal. You send Fortina Knox and your two friends outside of Operations and Cosmic Kid and I will come and meet you.”

  “I’m curious what trick you plan on using and want to see it, Annie. Bedazzle me with some delightful toy you had in the Kill Safe for me,” said Starfish. “I’ve taken some precautions as well. Anyway, time is ticking; I’m waiting.” Starfish waved at Fortina Knox and his two other minions and they headed out of Operations. Dr. Sterling cut off the connection and sat quietly for a moment.

  “Annie, I should go with you instead of Cosmic Kid,” said Midnight.

  “Sorry, but this appears to be an invitation-only event,” said Cosmic Kid, holding out his hand. “Give me the gun.”

  “No! This bastard killed my father. I’m taking him down,” insisted Midnight.

  “This bastard is responsible for the death of who knows how many homeless, day sailors, and other innocents due to his monsters and the Infinite Circle,” said Cosmic Kid. “Besides your father, he also killed Meltdown and Gabrielle. I agree he has to be brought down, but no offense - I’m better than you and I have the best chance of the two of us of doing it.”

  “He killed Gabrielle?” asked Midnight quietly.

  “Yes, he’s killed three supers and we need to make sure he doesn’t get to four. Trust me, I can get him.”

  Midnight nodded and handed the gun to Cosmic Kid before turning to Dr. Sterling. “What do you need me to do?”

  Dr. Sterling held out her hand to Cosmic Kid. “Give me the gun.” Cosmic Kid gave her a questioning look, but handed over the weapon.

  “The plan is simple, Cosmic Kid and I will enter through the secret corridor from my office to Operations,” said Dr. Sterling. “Midnight, you will engage Fortina Knox and those outside of operations. I will lock the doors into Operations from my office, but you need to keep them from reinforcing Starfish.”

  “If I can deal with them, should I come in to assist?” asked Midnight.

  “No, do not enter Operations,” said Dr. Sterling. “In fact, if you can draw Fortina Knox away that would be best. I’ll tell Blue Star to assist you when he arrives. You go get in position and we’ll signal you when to engage.” Midnight nodded, looked at Cosmic Kid and back to the gun in Dr. Sterling’s hand, and then left, taking the backpack that Dr. Sterling handed her and that was filled with things they had taken from the armory.

  Dr. Sterling stood up and headed for the nearest staircase to take up to her office. Cosmic Kid jogged up alongside. “This is a stupid plan; I don’t think I can stop him if he goes to kill you. I also don’t think depleted uranium bullets will take him out.”

  “No, I suspect he has jacked himself up on iodine and other counters to radiation to protect himself,” said Dr. Sterling. “I should have anticipated that, but fortunately he was sloppy and let it slip. That means we need to go to Plan B.”

  “What’s Plan B?” asked Cosmic Kid, who was beginning to suspect where Dr. Sterling was heading.

  “We go in, I shoot him with the depleted uranium, and then you use the Cosmic Blast.”

  “The Cosmic Blast? Dr. Sterling, it’ll destroy operations - it’ll kill you. It’s pretty powerful.”

  “I talked to the Ultimate League when we drafted you; I’m well aware of its potency.”

  “I should go in alone,” said Cosmic Kid.

  “I thought of that, but if he sees you alone he will expect the Cosmic Blast and may be able to prevent you from engaging it. You’ve only done it a few times; your control is minimal. With me there, he’ll discount you using the Cosmic Blast and that will give you a chance to use it.”

  “But you’ll die!” Cosmic Kid couldn’t believe that Dr. Sterling would be willing to do this.

  “I have contingencies, but regardless this is the plan - do you understand?”

  “Okay, but this is a stupid plan.”

  “Which is why it will work.”

  They quickly reached Dr. Sterling’s office where she typed several commands on her computer and then went to a bookcase that opened to reveal a secret passage. “Inside,” she told h
im, “I need a moment,” and then she closed the door again, leaving him in a passage that extended in various directions. He made a mental note that when he built secret passages he wouldn’t use bookcases to hide the entrances; it was a little cliché. After a few minutes, the door opened and Dr. Sterling entered and began leading him towards Operations.

  “Who knows about these passages?” asked Cosmic Kid.

  “You, me, and Midnight now know they exist,” said Dr. Sterling.

  “That’s all?”

  “Mr. Awesome knew, but that’s all. In fact, Mr. Awesome and I handled some of the construction within HQ to ensure their secrecy.”

  “So… what other secrets are there in this building?”

  “Plenty, but most are on a need-to-know basis,” said Dr. Sterling.

  “Wait, Blue Star doesn’t even know about these passages?”

  “No, and we’ll keep it that way,” said Dr. Sterling taking a narrow staircase down. “Now we should be quiet the last bit. Starfish doesn’t have superior senses, but he may have accessorized with technology.”

  Cosmic Kid nodded and followed Dr. Sterling as quietly as possible. He watched when she slowed and sent a message from her HoloBerry to Midnight. Then she went to a wall and pushed a button lock. The wall slid back and she led the way into a storage closet; he suspected the one connected to Operations. After Cosmic Kid got out, she closed the door; he didn’t see how he could open it from in here. She walked to the door and opened it, heading decisively into Operations. They were in the main area, just outside the glass-enclosed command center where Starfish was sitting in Dr. Sterling’s chair. He was startled to see them, but quickly composed himself, got out of the chair, and headed out of the command center.

  “Annie, Patrick, it is a pleasure,” said Starfish. They all heard gunfire and sounds of a disturbance outside. “Oh, let me guess - your vigilante friends, Annie? I wasn’t expecting you to dip into the discount bin, but an effective riposte.”

  “Give it up, Starfish,” said Cosmic Kid. “The WPPD and the rest of West Pacific Supers are on the way.”

  “Hardly, the WPPD is busy with my pets and also a little crime spree across town. As for the rest of West Pacific Supers, they’re out of commission. Come now, what’s the plan Annie? I’ll even give you the first move.”

  Starfish spread his arms, exposing his chest as a clear target. Dr. Sterling yelled, “do it!” She leveled the large pistol at Starfish and fired four depleted uranium rounds into him, but two of them actually passed through his spongy body and hit television monitors behind him. Cosmic Kid closed his eyes and reached deep into his body for a spark he knew was there. He touched it with his mind and pushed as hard as he could.

  “That’s the best you have, Annie?” laughed Starfish. “I’m disappointed. Now give me the three things I asked for, and Patrick and you don’t have to die - I’m a reasonable…”

  A surge of cosmic energy, the power of the stars, flared out from Cosmic Kid. It disintegrated Dr. Sterling, the computers, desks, chairs, and then it hit Starfish. It shredded his body far faster than he could heal and then the energy surged out blasting out the walls, ceiling, and floor before it stopped. Cosmic Kid fell with a crash to the ground, which was now a floor below. He lay there, unhurt, but exhausted. He was also completely naked as the Cosmic Blast had destroyed his costume, utility belt, HoloBerry, and everything he had on him.

  “I killed Dr. Sterling,” said Cosmic Kid, standing up awkwardly and dizzy. He started climbing up smoldering wreckage scanning for any sign of Dr. Sterling or Starfish.

  “You’re naked,” said Midnight who had entered the devastated area.

  “Ah, the vaunted investigative perceptions of vigilantes,” said Cosmic Kid irritably.

  “What happened?” asked Midnight.

  “I killed both Dr. Sterling and Starfish,” said Cosmic Kid angrily. “She sacrificed herself to defeat Starfish.”

  “No, I didn’t,” said Dr. Sterling, exiting from what was left of the storage room.

  “What? You’re alive!” yelled Cosmic Kid.

  “Yes, and we do have a dress code in the building.”

  “How did you survive? I saw you get vaporized!” Cosmic Kid tried to work through the options, but his mind was too tired.

  “It was a hologram,” said Dr. Sterling. “Seriously, we have a dress code and Midnight - stop ogling him. Where is Fortina Knox?”

  “The gas canisters helped and I managed to get her out a window, now Blue Star is dealing with her,” said Midnight, who turned awkwardly and tried to look at a spot on a wall away from Cosmic Kid.

  Cosmic Kid finished climbing up to their level out of the hole he had made. He was quiet; he knew it hadn’t been a hologram next to him in Operations. He could tell a hologram from a real person. Dr. Sterling had been killed, but she had apparently reformed. That meant she was a mutant or something else. She obviously didn’t intend to tell him; it was another of her secrets. There was a lot more to Dr. Sterling than met the eye.

  “Cosmic Kid, will you quit staring at me and go get some clothes on!” said Dr. Sterling. “Midnight, go help the Trio downstairs - I fear they are making a mess of the museum.”

  Midnight took a final peek at Cosmic Kid and then headed off at a sprint, no doubt worried about the other vigilantes or maybe the museum. Cosmic Kid shook his head - he was sure Dr. Sterling had been wearing a navy blue suit earlier, not a black one. “You aren’t going to tell me how you did that, are you?”

  Dr. Sterling smiled. “Nope, but you’re a smart boy and I’m sure you’ll figure it out in a few Seasons. But go get some clothes on, we have a crime spree to deal with and the team has suffered some grievous losses tonight.”

  “I can’t believe Gabrielle is dead,” said Cosmic Kid.

  Dr. Sterling walked around the blast crater to a place on the wall smeared with a garish yellow-green stain, which she began scrapping off the wall with a shattered piece of a hard drive. “Yes, we have lost both a team member and an excellent PR director, but she died in the line of duty. That’s a far nobler death than being blown up walking towards a Costume Launch. Now for the last time, while you do have an impressive physique, you really need to get clothes on.”

  “Yes, of course,” said Cosmic Kid, jogging for his office where he kept a spare costume. His first Season with West Pacific Supers was coming to an end and it was nothing like what he had expected. His old mentor, Dr. Nihilist, had once told him that all the teen team experience in the world couldn’t prepare you for the realities of being a professional superhero. He was finally beginning to understand what that meant.

  Chapter 44

  2:13 p.m., Tuesday, August 20th, 2013

  West Pacific Memorial Hospital

  West Pacific, CA

  Seawolf hated hospitals. They brought back too many memories of early childhood, when her mother would bundle her up in a coat and headscarf to shield her from the prying eyes of the neighbors as they snuck out of the house to visit so-called “mutant specialists”. The late ‘70s and early ‘80s were a time of rampant medical quacks who claimed to be able to cure mutancy. Back then, especially in small communities like San Pedro, California, where she was born to deeply religious second-generation Greek immigrants, having a mutant child was a source of shame and fear. Rachel had been conceived only after her mother had suffered several miscarriages. Seawolf could still remember her mother crying to the priest that perhaps God had not wanted her to have a child and this was her punishment for defying His will. The shame of having a mutant daughter only increased as younger, nonmutant siblings were born.

  Some of the doctors were more understanding than others, but most treated Seawolf like an oddity, a medical freak, the perfect test patient for “treatments” that ranged from electroshock therapy to drug concoctions that made her sick for days. Her mother hid her in the house as the years passed and the treatments continued to be unsuccessful; she never seemed to understand that the only times Rachel ev
er felt unhealthy were when she was under one of the medical regimes. Her father was more sympathetic to his little “Seawolf” as he called his young daughter, and she could still remember her parents screaming at each other over what to do with her. When she was eight, her sister was born, a cherubic little girl whom her mother doted on. In a fit of jealousy when Rachel was 11, she lashed out at her sister and her mother declared that Rachel was too dangerous to keep at home any longer.

  Her father delayed until Rachel turned 12 in 1987, when the highly publicized Hodges Institute Academy for Mutant Youth was founded. He drove her up the coast and dropped her off with a suitcase and a tearful hug. She spoke only Greek and had had no formal schooling. The Institute doctors were different than any she had dealt with before, especially Dr. Hodges, who never got angry when she refused to make eye contact or when she ran away from the other mutant children and hid under her bed. He had apparently inexhaustible patience. Once when she demanded in broken English to know when he was going to cure her, he told her about his own daughter. Diana had been born five years before Rachel and with far more severe mutations. Dr. Hodges explained that after his daughter’s birth, he had devoted everything to finding a cure for her. When she was six, he thought he finally had succeeded. He administered the “cure”, but there was an unexpected reaction and Diana died.

  “Very sad,” Rachel had said, uncomfortable at the sight of his tears. “But you do better now and cure me.”

  Dr. Hodges put his hand on Rachel’s shoulder. “There is no cure for you, Rachel, because you are not sick.”

  Rachel shook her head. She knew she wasn’t sick like people who had the flu; her ailment was everything about her. Her whole life people had been trying to find a way to transform her into something normal. She struggled to express herself. “I want to be like you,” she finally said.

  “Then work to make society a better place,” he said. “People used to kill and enslave people who looked different from them. It was stupid and wrong. People nowadays who think mutants need to change the way they look to fit into society are stupid too. There is nothing wrong with you, Rachel.”