Comes Great Responsibility
by
Chuck Kienzle
Comes Great Responsibility
Copyright 2019 by Chuck Kienzle
All Rights Reserved
Cover by Rebecacovers
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e book may not be sold or given away to any other person.
This book is a work of fiction and the Names, characters, places and incidents are works of fiction. An resemblance to actual events, places or people, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Chapter 1 – Monday, July 19, 1:15 AM Eastern Daylight Time
“Wake up!”
I opened my eyes, held my breath and listened. I expected to hear someone breathing, but I didn't. I threw off my covers, sat up and saw, in the darkness, an image of a man at the foot of my bed. The image was black and white so I could only see that his hair was dark and his skin fair. He seemed Central European, maybe Hungarian. He was tall and wore a gray jump suit.
I got out of bed and said,” Who the hell are you and what do your want?”|
“My time is short. You must go to where your counterpart stays, soon. We, from your home world, will arrive there soon.” the man said and then the image faded.
I turned on my nightstand's light. Many would call my bedroom a bit impersonal. It had a bed, nightstand, dresser, armoire and a door to a closet. The walls and ceiling were painted off white, the same color they had when I bought the house. There were no pictures or knickknacks. I did not like being reminded of the past.
My counterpart, he said. That would be Apollo, this world's version of Superman, but here he was real. I had been Artemis, the Supergirl, but I gave all that up five years ago. Now, someone wanted me to go back to that life, at least visit it. Neither Apollo, or John, as I called him, or I knew anything about where we came from. John appeared in the Panama Canal Zone sixty years ago as a child, perhaps two years old. Once he learned English, he told of always being in the same room. He was cared for by a few people, who sounded like doctors and nurses. I appeared thirty years later in the northern Pennsylvania forest as an infant. I was found by deer hunters and one of them, Doctor Charles Tarlock, with is wife, adopted me.
Despite the super-powers we developed, we seemed human. Our genome was human, with a few unique differences. Our blood types did not match any any previously found. The guesses for our origin ranged from parallel worlds to alien genetic manipulation. I always had questions that could not be answered, until now. All I had to do was go back to where I vowed never to go.
I called the Agency and told them to expect visitors from my home world and that I would arrive there tomorrow. I was between contract assignments so left a message with my contract manger saying I would be unavailable. I, almost, called my parents, but mother would only worry. I looked down at the “watch” on my left wrist. It would be so easy to take it off and then I could have flown to the Agency's headquarters. No, I had resisted the temptation for five years and would not give in now. Instead, I used my phone to book a plane reservation from Cincinnati to El Paso in the morning and packed a bag.
I landed in El Paso about eleven thirty and rented a car. It was a hot two hour drive in the desert to reach Alamogordo. The air conditioning worked overtime to fight off the nearly thirty-seven degrees Celsius outside temperature. My suit jacket was thrown over the passenger seat. I wished my suit had a shorter skirt. I brushed my hair out of my face. I had recently turned my hair back to its natural black from blonde. It just seemed right.
It had been five years since I was last on this highway, going the opposite way. I had vowed never to come back.
I had all the powers of the fictional kryptonian, or could emulate them. I thought I could do anything, save anyone. I was wrong. A group of super powered terrorists exploded a nuclear power plant near Cleveland, and despite my best efforts, thousands died, including the man I loved. It, was, also, when I lost control. I broke that day and turned my back on being a super-hero. All I wanted was a normal life. A life where no one depended on me to save the world. I would have stayed in that life, if I has not got that message the night before.
As I approached the town, I saw a sign that said: Alamogordo: Home of Apollo, the Superman. The town had been know as the place where the first atomic bomb was exploded. Later, John made it his home. He said he needed a place where he could walk among people, but not generate a crowd. This was the best option the government gave him. It was not unusual to see him, out of uniform, as he walked through downtown. He was always nice to his fans and asked them to call him John,
Of course, entrepreneurs tried to move in, but, at Apollo's insistence, only two large motels and a tourist center were allowed to be built. Still, it was still one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world. People made the round trip from El Paso, just to stay for a day in hopes of seeing Apollo or any other super-hero. The state prevented development else outside the city, except the development of New Alamogordo. It was where most of the employees of the Agency's headquarters lived.
I passed the tourist center, about a mile out from the Agency headquarters. Even in this heat, the parking lot was full. People wanted a chance to see a super-hero, even if it was just a dot flying in the air. Usually, they were disappointed. In the distance, I saw an eight-foot-tall chain link face with the three-story Agency headquarters beyond. The gray building took up a city block. Only the entrance marred the flat wall of the front of the first two stores. The third floor had a bank of now shuttered windows.. The fence was just to keep sight seers away. Anyone else would be stopped well before they got to the headquarters building.
I stopped my car in front of the gate. The sign read: Headquarters of the United Nations Agency For Super-Powered Affairs. The guard checked my old Agency ID, which I had not touched in five years. I forgot about it, until I decided to visit the Agency. Maybe, I always knew I might need it. The guard waved me through.
I pulled into the empty parking lot in front of the building. There were never a lot of cars in the parking lot. While, most Agency employees used buses to commute to work, there should have been some cars parked. In response to the message I sent ahead, the area was on security lock-down, which meant no parking. I parked the car, put the car keys in my purse and left the car. I walked to entrance and the the door opened when I reached it.
Chapter 2 – 11:15 AM Mountain Daylight Time
Apollo opened the door. He was in his skin tight black and white uniform with white boots, belt, gloves and long cape. He was five six, my height, which surprised many people who though the most powerful person on the planet should be taller. His, almost, always kind brown eyes shown on his chocolate brown face. His buzz cut was a legacy of being raised by the military.
He smiled at me and said in his patented baritone voice,” Good to see you.”
I walked into the Agency's front lobby. There were two security scanners inside the door. They looked like metal detectors, but they were far more than that. Two security officers in full body armor stood on each side of the scanners. A security officer in a black jump suit sat at the scanners' control desk. John walked through the one on the right and stopped for a moment. It was just protocol, his bio-shield blocked most sensors. I stepped into the left one and stopped.
“Your nullifier is disrupting the scan. Please extend your hand beyond the scanner,” the security officer who sat at the control desk said.
I did so and several seconds later the guard waved me through. As I walked out of the scanner I noticed that the two security officers were armed with energy weapons. That was new, five years ago, such weapons, due to their expense, would have been restricted to special assaul
t teams. They were either less expensive or the Agency had a higher budget.
The lobby was brightly lit, one floor and was forty by forty feet. On the floor was the Agency's seal: a eagle in flight with a figure of a man flying beneath it. The name of the Agency was printed around the seal's circle. I followed John to the desk at the far wall.
“Good afternoon,” the woman behind the desk said. The Asian American was dressed in a black jump suit and was armed with a standard sidearm.
“Please put you palms on the scanner,” she continued.
I put my palms on the scanner in the top of the desk. It glowed for a few moments.
“Clarissa Brown,” she said, then she handed me a visitor's ID badge.
I clipped the badge to my lapel and asked John,” How far will this get me?”
“The badge is for show. Security is now based on bio-metrics,” he said.
“So where can I go?” I said.
“Where ever I take you. The Director is anxious to see you,” he said.
John had been the Agency's Director since its founding forty years ago. He held the role until three years ago. After a battle against a super-powered criminal killed hundreds, John resigned. He said he no needed to spend his time being a hero. The Security Council appointed retired United States Senator Carl Tenneth, once, a anti-super-power advocate. Tenneth had moderated those positions after the Cleveland terrorist attack, but, I still did not trust him.
I followed John through the door into the complex. It was as I remembered, the corridor had white tile floors and light blue walls. The ceiling lights changed to LED instead of florescent.
“How did you learn that we would be getting visitors from a world we did not even know existed,” John said.
“An image, probably a hologram, appeared in my bed room last night. I'll go into details when we meet with the Director. There is no need to repeat myself,” I said.
If John to offense, he did not show it.
“I am somewhat surprised you did not evacuate the town,” I said.
“We did not want to start a panic. We are using a surprise security drill as a cover for the lock down,” he said.
“And how long before the media begins asking questions?” I said.
“The already have,” he said.
We passed a few people in the corridor. Most wore black jump suits and some were armed. A few wore the Agency's standard black suits, I did not recognize any of them.. I should have expected the staff turn over since I left. Some nodded at us and a few smiled. I was not sure of any of them recognized me. Five years ago I had been one of the most recognized people on the planet. I had spent the last five year doing my best not be be recognized.
Along the way, John asked,” What was it like to live without your powers?”
I, almost, responded with an angry remark, but, I understood why he asked his question. Like no one else on the planet, he knew what my powers felt like, what it meant to be stronger, faster, more powerful than almost anyone else alive.
“I still had my standard powers,” I said.
Most super-powered people had what were considered standard physical enhancements. They could run faster, jump higher and lift much more weight than a regular human. I could max out at a hundred kilometers an hours. I could jump over a two or three-story house. I could easily lift about five hundred kilos.
“That does not seem much compared to what you could do as Artemis,” he said.
“It was more than I needed or wanted,” I said.
My powered registration showed that I had standard powers. Although I did not have to tell anyone about my powers, my employers knew about them. It was required on any employment application. The law said they could not discriminate against or for powered people. Despite being an IT consultant, I was occasionally asked to move something heavy. It was easier to say yes than complain that is was not in my job description.
We stopped at the door to the Director's office. On the door were the word:
DIRECTOR
United Nations Super-Powered Affairs Agency,
Carl S. Tenneth.
John opened the door to the outer office. The office was a light gray, including the plush carpet. There were three office chairs along the left wall. The door to the Director's inner office was right of the desk where a middle aged man sat. He wore a dark brown suit with a light brown tie. He looked up at me and did not smile. Years ago, I had the unfortunate duty to meet Senator Tenneth in his Capital Hill office. The same man sat at the desk. He was the, then, Senator's chief administrative assistant. He did not smile then either.
“We are here to see the Director,” John said.
The man tapped the intercom button and said,” Director Tenneth, Apollo and Ms. Brown are here to see you.”
“Pete, send them in,” Tenneth said over the intercom.
The Director had redecorated. Only the Agency seal remained on the back wall. The left wall had a floor to ceiling wooden display case with photos and mementos of the Director's past. When John was Director, the wall was covered by photos of people Apollo had worked with or saved. The right wall was dominated by a large display screen. Tenneth sat behind the same oak desk I remembered seeing in his Senatorial office. There were four plush chairs in front of the desk. Only a photo of his wife was on the desk. They never had children.
The seventy year old former marine Major sat behind the desk in a leather office chair. His close cropped hair had begun to gray. He wore a dark blue suit with a blue tie that had a marine emblem tie tack. He had piercing gray eyes.
Manuel Hernandez stood in front of the desk. Five years ago, Manuel had been a senior security officer, now he was chief of internal security. He was six foot tall, built like a line backer. Unlike most powered people,he had no extra physical abilities. He could determine if someone was telling the truth. That put some people off, no me. Five years ago, I thought I had nothing to hide. He gave me a nod.
“Ms. Brown, please sit down,” the Director said.
I sat down on the left seat closest to the desk. John sat across from me in the right seat. Hernandez on the other side of John. I smoothed my skirt, sat bolt upright and looked Tenneth in the eyes.
“Why are you here? Ms. Brown,” Tenneth said.
“As I told my contact with the Agency, I had received a message that indicated people from the world Apollo and I came from were going to arrive here. I thought you should know,” I said.
“That I understand, but why did you come here. After you delivered the message, there was no need for you to come to the Agency's headquarters,” Tenneth said.
“I was told that I needed to come here, besides I have a lot of questions I need answered and only they may be able to answer them,” I said.
“It is worrisome that they wanted you to deliver the message in person,” the Director said.
“They knew who and where you were. They knew about this complex. They seem to know a lot for people who claim to be from another world,” Hernandez said.
“They knew exactly what to tell you to lure you back here. They may have been telling the truth or lying through his teeth. We have to be prepared for both options,” John said.
“I agree. I have already ordered the preparations fro the Damocles Option,” Tenneth said.
“You can't be serious!” I said.
The Damocles Option was a nuclear strike, to be used in the event of an uncontrolled super-powered attack. Unsaid, it was an option to stop John or I if either of us went totally out of control.
“The Security Council will never approve that,” I said.
After John intervened in the Cuban Missile Crises back in 1962, the five countries with nuclear weapons agreed to give up there ballistic missiles. Each kept a small number, under United Nations control. At that time, Apollo, who was given credit for stopping a nuclear war, had a lot of leverage.
“They would if Apollo advised them to do it,” Tenneth said.
I looked at John and sai
d,”You can't even consider this.”
John said something I never expected him to say,” We both know what someone with our powers can do. What if a dozen, a hundred, people arrive with those powers and they are hostile? We have to be prepared, but it must be the last option,” John said..”
“I agree. Ms. Brown, there is something you can do to reduce the need for a nuclear option,” Tenneth said.
“You mean that I become Artemis again. That is blackmail,” I said.
Deep down I was afraid that I would be drawn back into the Agency. That is why I did my best not to follow the news or social media. I did not want to hear about events that Artemis could have dealt with.
“You can't be considering using nuclear weapons, especially in a populated area?” I said.
“No, that is a choice. I can't force you to take off that nullifier on your wrist, but, a nuclear option might be necessary if we are faced with an attack with multiple people with Apollo's abilities. With the two of you, with your full powers, that possibility is is reduced,” The director said.
I knew that it was the last option, but I, also, knew just how powerful Apollo and I were. In the Director shoes, I would have had to consider it.
“Alright, I will take off the nullifier, but I don't know how much of my powers will come back. Also, it is only for this situation. I am not coming back to the Agency,” I said.
“Agreed. Apollo will escort you medical to assess your powers after your nullifier is off. Mr. Hernandez will reactivate your Agency status,” Tenneth said.
“You knew I would agree?” I said.
“We hoped,” John said as he stood up.
I followed him out of the Director's office. I hoped I was not making a mistake..
Chapter 3 – June 20, Noon
“Tenneth sometimes forgets he is no longer in the military,” John said as we walked out of the Director's outer office.
“I am only here to help until we know what is going on. I am not staying,” I said.
Comes Great Responsibility Page 1