Wonder Heroes 4.0

by Ahlquist, Steve

  Sea birds scattered at Jay’s sudden appearance, and were flying in every direction around him, a flurry of beating wings and feathers. Jay’s mind was overwhelmed by panic: his situation a living Hell, and his Wonder Armor, taxed to its limits to just keep him alive and whole, could do nothing to allay his fears. Jay vanished from the beach and the armor was immediately forced to shunt all its systems into ventilating the heat from the red-hot magma he was completely submerged in. Jay closed his eyes and brought his knees to his chest, tears streaming from his eyes. His own terror threatened to kill him.

  In a flash of golden light Theodore arrived at the truck just as Kalomo and Jay leapt through the teleportation gate in pursuit of the Jaimie Karasik, the robots, and the escaped, rat-like Spratsis crew members. Theodore tried to put his confrontation with the General out of his mind as he dealt with the situation at hand. This might be his last adventure as a Wonder Hero and he was determined not to screw it up.

  Susan landed behind him, with a mini-nuclear bomb under each arm.

  “Are those nuclear missiles?” asked Theodore, amused despite the situation.

  Susan nodded. “One of these was yours.”

  Theodore’s smile vanished. “Sorry I’m late.”

  “It worked out, but that was bad timing on General Rumpole’s part.” Susan detected Theodore’s mood and asked, “Is everything all right?”

  “I’ll tell you later…”

  Suddenly the Wonder Computer interrupted. “Warning. Wonder Heroes Jet and Ghost are trapped in a non-repeating teleportation cascade.”

  “Pull them out!” said Theodore, but even as he said it, he knew that it was a stupid thing to say. If the Wonder Computer could rescue Jay and Kalomo, it would have.

  “I cannot get a lock on them,” said the Wonder Computer.

  “I know, I know,” said Theodore. He looked at Susan with great concern on his face.

  Susan asked, “What’s a non-repeating teleportation whatever?”

  Theodore ripped the panel off the side of the computer controls built into the base of the make shift teleportation unit. “Think of it like skipping a rock across the water. The rock bounces off the water until it’s out of energy, then it sinks below the surface.”

  Theodore patched the teleporter’s computer system into his gauntlet, and quickly began overwriting the programming. “Jay and Kalomo are skipping around the world, until they run out of energy, then they’ll be absorbed permanently into subspace.”

  Matt arrived. He had not looked so haggard and beat since they first met him. He had been updated on the situation en route. “The Wonder Computer can pull them out of the cycle,” he said, “but their location keeps randomizing, and the computer can’t get a lock.”

  Theodore used his gauntlet to take control of the teleporter. “Computer, I’m shifting the algorithm into reverse. Jay and Kalomo should start to appear in places they’ve already been.”

  “So the Wonder Computer can grab them?” asked Susan, “That’s brilliant.”

  Theodore nodded. “I hope so,” he said.

  The Wonder Computer began to process this new information. “Please stand by.”

  Kalomo appeared in deep red darkness, and struggled to pull himself free. He ripped his upper torso from the side of a large blue whale, blood filled the water, and with regret Kalomo realized that he had probably killed the great beast. He disappeared from the water and was back in the desert he had just left. In the distance he could see Salt Lake City again. He had just been here, which would be impossible during a non-repeating teleportation cascade. Something new was happening.

  The desert and Salt Lake City disappeared, and Kalomo almost cried out with relief when he realized he was back in Canada, with Theodore, Susan, Matt and Jay. He lost his balance, and sat down against the side of the truck. Jay was also on the ground, groaning and holding his stomach.

  Theodore crouched down next to Kalomo. “You okay?”

  “Nothing hurt but my pride,” said Kalomo, “I convinced Jay to jump into that trap with me. How’s he doing?”

  “He’ll be fine,” said Theodore, offering Kalomo a hand up, “but he might never trust you again.”

  As Kalomo found his feet he asked the question that was bubbling to the surface of everybody’s mind. “I just want to know one thing.”

  Theodore braced himself for the question that would force the confession that would destroy his teammate’s faith in him forever.

  “I want to know how this Jaimie Karasik chick keeps kicking our asses,” said Kalomo.

  Like a death row inmate given a temporary stay of execution, Theodore exhaled.

  “I’m wondering the same thing,” said Matt. “What exactly is she?”

  “I might know something, eh?” said an alien, rat-like voice sporting a slight Canadian accent. The Wonder Heroes turned to see a lower-order Spratsis with mottled fur wearing ill-fitting dungarees and an oversized flannel shirt.

  Matt walked to the fence and the Spratsis recoiled cowered slightly. “What do you know?”

  “I know a lot,” said the Spratsis, “Well, a little anyway, you know? And I’m willing to make a deal, eh?” The Spratsis smiled with yellowed, razor sharp teeth.

  Matt crossed his arms. “What kind of deal?”

  “I want to live in a nicer place,” said the rat creature, gesturing behind him, “with cable and Internet.”

  Matt looked at the flaming trash barrels and Quonset Huts. He could understand the alien’s demand. “Okay. Deal. I’ll get you a private cell at the Wonder Base. Cable and Internet. Now what do you know?”

  The Spratsis smiled a rat smile. The Wonder Hero’s word, he knew, was better than a contract. “The female human?” said the Spratsis, “She called herself Aierta.”

  Matt frowned. “No deal if you feed me tall tales, mister.”

  “No no no. These are not ‘tall tales.’ I tell you the truth,” protested the Spratsis, fearing for his deal, “She claimed to be Aierta. She was recruiting experienced crew.”

  Susan looked at Theodore. “What’s Aierta?”

  Theodore shook his head. “I have no idea.”

  Matt gestured for the alien to come around and exit the fenced in holding area. “What’s your name?” he asked

  “The humans call me B-27,” said the alien, “my Spratsis name would not be convenient for you.”

  Matt nodded and pointed at the Spratsis, saying, “Stay close.” Turning to the rest of the team, he said, “We should get back to Wonder Base…”

  “Sorry to interrupt, Matt,” said Theodore, raising his hand, “but I’ve got something important to tell the team.”

  Matt frowned. “Can it wait until we get back to New Mexico?”

  Theodore shook his head, looking guilty. “No, not really.”

  The five Wonder Heroes and the Spratsis informer B-27 found seats at a TGI Friday’s just outside Calgary. The manager was happy to seat them in a little used function room, and the team pretended not to notice the steady stream of people who found a reason to walk past the door and gawk at them.

  Matt’s gauntlet told him again that General Rumpole was calling from the Wonder Base, but Matt ignored the call. He was too busy trying to figure out what to do next. Theodore sat in his chair, his eyes down, his drink untouched. He had spun his story to the team, holding nothing back.

  Theodore admitted hacking the government database and getting his name on the list of potential Wonder Heroes. In fact, he was the well-known hacker who went by the name of Perfect Teddy 23. That Indian radio reporter, Rehab Veneer, had made the connection, but since becoming a Wonder Hero Theodore had spent time erasing his past from the web. Apparently he did not do a good enough job of it, because General Rumpole had found out. He left out the part about Walter Watanabe’s involvement.

  “I put myself entirely in your hands. Whatever you tell me to do, I’ll do,” said Theodore in conclusion.

  Jay finishe
d off his second beer. He was still reeling from his experience in the teleporter, so he instructed his gauntlet to ease off on the nanobots and let him get a little drunk. “You got through the Wonder Heroes computer network? That’s a hell of a hack.”

  “It was the government network,” said Theodore, “It’s got a few exploitable security gaps. Once the Wonder Computer thought I was the government, it let me in.” Theodore tried to hide his pride in this singular accomplishment. Realizing he had not, he looked up and added, “It was all low priority stuff.”

  Kalomo said, “Well, speaking for myself, and I think Jay might feel the same way: You saved our asses today, and I’m happy to keep you on the team. Everybody makes mistakes Theodore.”

  Jay popped the top off a third beer and lifted it in mock toast to Theodore. “Amen to that, brother.”

  Theodore smiled weakly. “Thanks guys.” He looked over at Susan and Matt. Matt said nothing, he was deep in thought, his face betraying no motion. Next to Matt B-27 ate his potato skins. He evidently liked them quite a bit.

  Susan caught Theodore’s eye. “You tried to tell me, when we met. You told me you didn’t deserve to be in the same room as all the other candidates.”

  Theodore could feel Susan’s disappointment in him, he regretted betraying her most of all.

  “Would you have told us this if you hadn’t been caught?”

  The question caught Theodore off guard. “Yes,” he said immediately, but from deeper inside the true answer burbled forth. “No. I…” Theodore rubbed his eyes to stop from crying. “I don’t know. I wanted to, but…”

  “Is there anything else we should know?” This question came from Matt. Even B-27 looked up in surprise. Matt had said little since they sat down.

  “No. Nothing.”

  Matt shook his head, he had decided on his response. “That’s it then. Stay on the team. General Rumpole is only our liaison. I love the guy like a father, but he’s not a Wonder Hero. He doesn’t get to decide who gets to be what, we do.”

  Theodore allowed himself to smile. “Really? I don’t know what to say.”

  Matt smiled. “It took me a while to separate my feelings for Harlan from my feelings for you and that golden gauntlet, Theodore. You’ve only been doing this for a while, but from what I’ve seen you’re going to be a greater Wonder Hero than Harlan Flicker ever was.”

  Theodore looked at Susan. He wanted her forgiveness most of all. She had listened to Matt and forced a wan smile.

  “Then it’s decided,” she said, “Theodore stays on the team.”

  They raised their glasses and bottles, and clinked them over the table.

  As the team ate their food and finished their drinks, Theodore occasionally tried to catch Susan’s eye, but she was very deliberately not looking at him. Theodore realized that Susan had not given an opinion about his continued presence on the team. After Kalomo, Jay and Matt voted for him, Susan had simply accepted their opinion, leaving open the question: Did she forgive him or did she simply not want to go against her teammates?

  These were the thoughts that haunted Theodore as B-27 interrupted with, “Can I get another order of these potato skins?”

  Wonder Heroes 4.21

  Following the arrest of Japanese sales representative Miyo Mabuki, who confessed to activating the giant stone monsters known as the Neboukichan, a series of careful excavations were undertaken, and the six remaining creatures transported to the large fields that surrounded Narita Airport. Of course the government had contracted Watanabe Industries for the job, and the astronomical amount of money Walter Watanabe demanded was small compared to the actual cost. His company may have lost tens of millions of dollars on the deal, but Walter wanted access to the giant alien robots, and to any technical secrets they might contain. He saw it not as a loss, but as an investment.

  There were eight of the Neboukichan in all, the first two that had been destroyed by Walter and the Wonder Heroes, known as Innocence and Modesty, and six more, named Anger, Health, Happiness, Reflex, Dream and Ice. All attempts to understand a pattern in the names had come to naught. Miyo Mabuki, the used car sales representative whose map and confession lead the authorities to the slumbering monsters was little help: He claimed to have found the map folded in a used book he had purchased years ago. He also claimed to have activated the first Neboukichan by accident; he did not think the ancient ritual would work. He activated the second robot in a fit of temporary insanity, and claimed alien mind control as his defense. There was, of course, legal precedent for this.

  For the time being Mabuki sat in a cell, awaiting a trial under maximum security. It was thought by most legal experts that he would spend the rest of his life in prison. Rumors swirled that there was more to Mabuki’s story than he was willing to admit. Witnesses reported seeing nearly a hundred black-robed cult members at the site of both incidents, but no arrests seemed forthcoming, and the government seemed to be content with pinning the guilt for the entire debacle on Miyo Mabuki.

  Walter had come to Narita Airport today to meet with the scientific team he had tasked with analyzing the robots, to learn what they could from them. The Neboukichan were ancient, and indications from the map recovered from Mabuki was that the robots were part of a long lost underground religious tradition. Walter was forced to hire historians and archeologists as well as his usual assortment of engineers, physicists, chemists and exobiologists.

  The Neboukichan utilized technology that arose from a completely different set of organizing principles than that used on Earth. Unfortunately for Walter’s dreams of exciting new discoveries in robotics and engineering the only line of inquiry that had borne any fruit had been sociological and historical. This came by way of Professor Roh Dae-jong, a ninety-year old Korean antiquities expert. Walter’s updates from his technical team had been disappointing, but Professor Roh’s research was of some interest. Walter intended today’s visit to light a fire under his research team, and as a chance to catch up with Professor Roh’s research.

  As Walter drove his motorcycle across the tarmac and pass the dormant Neboukichan lying on their backs in the empty fields, he was pleased to see, just outside the hanger, a flash of red light that coalesced into the form of Susan Daystrom, Wonder Hero Crimson, dressed for a day out. She had just arrived by teleporter.

  The scientists had arranged themselves outside the hanger, and were waiting for their young boss to arrive. They watched as he zipped past them on his fusion-powered motorcycle, and pulled up alongside Susan Daystrom, now widely known to be Walter Watanabe’s girlfriend. Their relationship was ample fodder for celebrity gossip sites and weekly magazines.

  Susan smiled at the approach of Walter’s motorcycle. Walter, who previously favored the color purple for both Domaru, the power suit he wore to combat alien menaces and the various vehicles he drove, seemed to be switching over to the color green. The motorcycle was painted with green flames that matched Walter’s leather jacket and motorcycle helmet. Walter pulled up alongside Susan and flipped up his visor, revealing his wide smile.

  “Hey, baby! Need a lift?”

  Susan laughed. “Sure, Mister! Nice bike!”

  Susan summoned her Wonder Helmet without the armor and climbed on the back of Walter’s bike. She wrapped her arms under his and around him, pulling him close. She could smell his leather jacket and his aftershave. The fusion engine in the bike did not have quite the same vibration as a gas powered model, the ride was incredibly smooth and to Susan’s mind slow. She was used to Wonder Hero speeds.

  Walter and Susan dismounted the bike as Walter removed his helmet and Susan dismissed hers back to wherever Wonder Armor was stored. The assembled scientists and engineers for the Neboukichan project wore fixed-in-place smiles meant to placate their boss, but Walter saw through those smiles and knew that he would be disappointed by their progress and discoveries. Only Professor Roh showed any sign that he had discovered anything of interest.

  Of course,
all the assembled scientists were eager to be introduced to Susan. She was one of the world’s most exciting celebrities, and her recent romantic relationship with Walter Watanabe was of interest even to these men, dedicated to science. Walter took Susan by the hand and together they led the science team into the hanger.

  Once inside, they stood around a high table, and one by one the scientists issued the results of the various tests and experiments they had run for the last several days. Walter had been correct in his assessment: the science team had made no progress towards determining exactly how the Neboukichan operated. They were composed of essentially rocks and crystals, had no obvious source of power, and only the simplest of internal mechanisms. They were more rock than machine, and about as alive as either.

  After the dreariness of these reports was dispensed with, Professor Roh cleared his throat. As the oldest man here he had declined to stand at the conference table, and instead sat in a folding chair near the bathroom. He stood up painfully and slowly walked towards the group. Susan smiled as Professor Roh pushed aside two younger engineers and took his place.

  “The eight Neboukichan,” said the Professor, as if addressing a classroom full of children, “are ancient totems of power that according to legend were built by extinct ‘gods,’ or what we would today call aliens, sent to hurry along our Earth’s decent into chaos and entropy. The Neboukichan were defeated by ‘heroes possessed of spiritual power’ and in their failure and despair, buried themselves in the hills of Japan. The Kaiju Cult is a religion of death and nihilism formed in response to the Neboukichan’s defeat. This cult learned, through prayer and proper observance, how to tend to and activate the Neboukichan.” Professor Roh looked meaningfully at those gathered around the table.

  Walter could barely contain his impatience. “That’s fascinating history, professor, but hardly relevant to these robots, these machines.”

  “It is hardly history, young man. It is of deadly relevance.” The professor scowled at Walter and looked at Susan, “Do you recall your battle with the creature? Did you feel anything was wrong?”