Wonder Heroes 4.0

by Ahlquist, Steve

  Across the country, one or two television stations, in anticipation of the obvious, cut the feed, but many, perhaps in shock at the events that had just transpired, did not, or did so too late. Susan Daystrom watched with the now silent students in the dorm’s recreation room as Matthew O’Dette directed a purple beam of energy that transformed Harlan Flicker, world-renowned superhero and now an undeniable supervillain, into a splash of red gore.

  Wonder Heroes 4.02

  That night, the Earth was under attack.

  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.

  Entering Susan’s dorm room, Dave noted the candle and the open book. “Oh my God, are you studying?”

  “Life goes on,” said Susan as she closed the book and sat down by her desk.

  “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.

  “We don’t want to be alone either,” said Dave, holding up a bottle of tequila. “That’s why we’re here.”

  “Yeah, we’re hiding from the TAK satellites and the Ptera-Pods…” began Steve.

  “…hoping that the flat nexus doesn’t reopen…” continued Dave.

  “…or the anti-humans return…”

  “…or Sol Inviticus.”

  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.”

  “Where was I when all this was happening?” asked Susan.

  Together, Steve and Dave said, “Studying.”

  Dave held the tequila out again. “Tequila?”

  Susan rose from her seat. “I’ll get the glasses.”

  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?”

  “No,” answered Overstreet, “we need you to come with us…”

  “What? Where? Who are you with?”

  “I’m not authorized to say.”

  Susan crossed her arms. “Well, I’m not going anywhere with you.”

  “We’re authorized to use force and we haven’t much time.”

  Adrenaline helped Susan to think. “Can I see your IDs?”

  Overstreet and Doyle stepped forward and took Susan by the arms. “We’ll show you on the helicopter.”

  “Let me grab my things…”

  “We don’t have time for that, Miss.”

  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.

  “Is it safe to be flying?”

  Overstreet shrugged his shoulders. “No. Not really.”

  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.”

  “That could change in a minute, though,” said Overstreet, “so think positive thoughts.”

  “You sure you have the right Susan Daystrom?”

  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...”

  “Okay, okay, you got me. Why?”

  “You’re a smart girl. I’m sure you can figure that out.”

  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.

  “Tequila,” she said.

  “I understand,” said Overstreet.

  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.

  “Impressive, isn’t it?” asked Overstreet, also craning his neck for a view of the famous building.

  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.

  “Okay Susan. This is where we leave you. The elevator will take you where you need to be.”

  Susan smiled. “Thanks, I guess, for kidnapping me…”

  Overstreet returned the smile. “My pleasure,” he said, smiling, “Maybe one day you’ll return the favor.”

  “Are you making a pass at me?”

  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.”

  “Thanks,” said Susan under her breath.

  Susan was only mildly surprised when the Wonder Computer responded, “You’re welcome.”

  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.

  “Null inertia fields were initiated for your comfort,” replied the Wonder Computer, by way of explanation.

  “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?”

  “I am fine, Susan, thank you for inquiring. I have another party waiting to use this elevator.”

  “Oh,” Susan hopped off the elevator, and the doors shut behind her, “sorry.”

  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.”

  “What site? The Olympics?”

  “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.”

  “That’s creepy.”

  “No, it’s way cool.”

  Susan grabbed a plate and began filling it with fruit. “So everybody here is on that site?”

  “The website just made guesses. From the look of things I’d say they got it half right.”

  Susan put out her hand. “I’m sorry, you know me but…”

  “Theodore. Theodore Studebaker,” he shook her hand quickly, and Susan smiled.

  “What are you famous for Theodore?”

  “I’m a behavioral economics major and very surprised to be here. I’m part of the fifty percent no one predicted.”

  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.

  “It’s old Rumpy himself,” Theodore whispered, as if Susan would not have known.

  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.”