By Chaz Hamilton
Being the last day of League War 4, Chaz found the shuttle to be packed. Some capes had been so desperate to make their way to the Stellar Battle arena they allowed their friends to use Shrink Ray technology on them and traveled in small carry-on cases made of clear plastic and containing seats from children’s toy collections.
“You up here to cover the final day of battle?” Zen asked. The Area 51 leader and owner of the Antarctic Bar and Grill sat across from him, casually snacking on pieces of freshly smoked fish wrapped in white freezer paper.
Chaz nodded. “The editor finally agreed to let me come up here once the insurance agents finished with me. You heard about Midgardsormr’s rampage at the Sentinel building, right?”
“Yeah, I read about that,” the penguin threw his beak back and squawked. “And I thought our interview had some rough edges to it. Did Krystal put a hex on you or curse you or is it simply bad karma?”
“I wish I knew.” Chaz shrugged with obvious uncertainty. “Why are you on the shuttle? I thought you would be up here with your league, The Colony 51, already.”
“Emergency at the shop.” Zen flipped a chunk of fish up in the air with his, well, flipper and caught it in his mouth with a snap of his beak. “Two freezers went down. Imagine that, an ice bar with no ice.”
“That would defeat the purpose.” Chaz felt momentarily clever. “Or should I say, the porpoise.”
“Leave the polar punning to a professional, buddy,” Zen retorted. “Those service guys tried to rip my assistant manager off, charging all sorts of ridiculous travel and shipping fees. I went down to straighten out the situation. Told them exactly where they would find themselves if they didn’t clean up their act.”
“Some remote icy shelf where their bodies would never be found?” Chaz guessed, trying to imagine how a penguin hero might flex his muscle to intimidate ordinary workmen.
Zen shook his head rapidly with total surprise, his beak slobbering strings of spit to the left and right. “Small claims court! What kind of business-penguin do you think I am? I showed them the paperwork for the extended warranty I optioned when I bought the equipment.”
“I’m sorry,” Chaz found himself giggling at the penguin’s reaction. He’d never seen a penguin hot under the collar before. “I’ve been talking to so many capes lately that intimidation seems like the first option for every occasion.”
“On the battlefield, sure,” Zen nodded after wiping his bill with a flipper. “But never when doing business, or when witnesses are around.”
“I probably should apologize for my behavior during the interview now that I have the chance.” Chaz offered a napkin to Zen. “I wasn’t the professional I should have been.”
“Eh, don’t worry about it.” Zen took the napkin in his beak and proceeded to stuff it beneath a flipper for later use. “Your interview got some new customers out to the bar for me. Good-press or bad-press, it doesn’t matter. It’s all about the exposure. Preferably a southern one.” Zen squawked again, pleased with his own play on words.
A voice cracked over the cabin’s speakers. “If you look out the window to your left, you should be able to see the asteroid discovered late last night traveling near the earth’s orbit. No need to worry, it’s path with take it far from us but it will be an impressive sight to behold.”
Chaz leaned forward with most the rest of the people on board to view the bright yellow point of light with an equally bright tail trailing along after it.
*****
“This is going to be a massacre. I refuse to be a part of this,” Wyldfyre threw the clipboard containing the day’s league match=ups across the room and into a wall, a trail of smoke from the burning paper left hanging in the air behind it. “That should not be the team we are going against. Don’t’ they know how to assign these things anymore? We should be up against the 51 ORDER 66, not the Dark Guins!"
“It is what it is, Wyldfyre,” Chained Angel tried to rally her teammate, but even she felt the sting of disappointment from the pairing. “Yes, I agree the winner of the third tier from last round should face the winner of the fourth tier in a perfect world. Instead, we are up against the losers from the first tier of Division 7. Show some class. Don’t be such a hothead.”
Wyldfyre stepped up to Chained Angel and put his face within inches of hers. She could feel the heat radiating from him like a blast furnace. “I’ll show you a hothead, you overgrown chicken.”
Chained Angel stood her ground, staring directly into his eyes, while at the same time, feeling very aware of the pressure from the eyes of her other teammates pressing in on her from around the league pit. Her wings instantly shifted from white to black. “Take a seat before I make you take a nap, Wyld. You’ve earned enough of my respect to get one warning. Make use of it.”
He stood for one long second before snorting and moving to a chair. He picked it up, spun it around so the back faced the group, and slammed it to the ground before swinging a leg over it, pivoting, and dropping heavily into the seat. The imprint of his hand could clearly be seen captured in the melted plastic of the backrest.
“No, we are not going to win this round. If you thought facing PAIN was bad, this is going to make them seem like a paid vacation to Tahiti.” She took a deep breath and tried to think of some encouraging words to bolster her team. “This is our crucible. Will we face our fate with dignity or with our tails tucked between our legs?”
“We knew going in we weren’t going to come out league champions,” The Unstoppable Nightmask said. “I say we go in and take our licks and show we aren’t afraid to play the game as it should be played. No walking away from a challenge. We stand fast before it and show our mettle.”
“Never quit. Never surrender.” Catalyst added. His eyes darted amidst his teammates searching for signs of recognition.
“You really are a nerd, aren’t you?” Prysmatica laughed. “Me too. I loved that movie.” She ran her fingers through her long blue-black hair. As her fingers worked their way through, the strands of hair shifted in color to a pale icy-blue shade. “I don’t have anything better to do. Let’s go get our asses kicked.”
“It is the mighty willow that survives the storm by bending beneath its wrath,” The Infinite Tempest said. “Is it not true when they say that which does not kill you only makes you stronger?”
“I hate all of you,” Wyldfyre smoldered from his seat. He pointed at each gathered person. “You I hate. You I hate. You I hate—”
“We get the point!” Chained Angel shouted at her surly companion. “You hate us. You hate everything. Why don’t you leave? Screw the team. I don’t care anymore. All I really want is for you to shut up and quit making us all as miserable as you are.”
She stared at him. If daggers coming out of her eyes had been one of the powers Morphons granted her, Wyldfyre would be impaled by enough to rend every inch of flesh from his frame.
Breaking into a fit of laughter, Wyldfyre leaned back and fell out of his seat and onto the floor. “Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. Pay up, sucker. I told you I could do it, El Rey.”
El Rey held a hand up to his face, embarrassment written all over it. “I was only kidding. I didn’t think you would seriously try.”
“What are you two talking about?” Chained Angel shot confused glances at the two of them, her voice still full of anger.
“He said since you were an angel, all goody-two-shoes and everything, I couldn’t piss you off.” Wyldfyre rolled onto his side. “Now how could I let a challenge like that go unanswered?” He continued to chuckle from the ground.
Chained Angel closed her eyes hard and brought a hand up to the bridge of her nose. She pinched at the skin there as she fought back her amassed fury. “I really do loathe you sometimes.”
“Yeah,” Wyldfyre kicked at the ground gleefully. “Most people do.”
“Everyone, go take a break.” Chained Angel turned her back to Wyldfyre. “Come back around three.”
She walked away, leaving the team in the pit and headed to the outermost section of the arena facility. Why did Starmaster have to leave? He should be dealing with that lunatic, not me! Eventually she found herself in a corridor that encircled the space station with large glass-steel observation window. A large yellow light streaked through the field of black, many magnitudes brighter than the stars filling the sky.
Picturing herself in the act of taking Wyldfyre out an airlock and placing him on the forefront of the burning celestial body for all eternity, she allowed the need for retribution from the reaper chained to her soul to abate. Wyldfyre could never know how close he came to releasing a side of her that should never see the light of day.
*****
Technicians in the operations center of the arena monitored the myriad operational systems of the new incarnation of league war battleground. Life support, power distribution, anti-gravity, and many other functions kept the space-base habitable. If only one system went down, there could be life-altering (or ending) consequences.
“How are things looking with the oxygen/nitrogen levels? We are near top capacity for occupancy. Lots of people breathing up there, you know.” The chief of operations, Smiley O. Brian asked.
A younger technician rapidly shifted screens on his computer and studied the new display. “Levels are well between earth norms, sir. I think having added the arboretums has helped the deficiencies we noted earlier. Your wife came up with a good plan, sir.”
“Don’t be a suck-up, Julian,” the chief said with a stern smirk. “And don’t get distracted playing video games when you think I’m not looking. What was it this time? Galaga again?”
“No, sir,” Julian replied. “I was using the exterior cameras to take a look at that rogue asteroid. I don’t know how, but I think it shifted its direction and is coming toward us.”
“Asteroids don’t do that, my boy, You’re seeing things that aren’t there. Are you nervous about our being in space for the first time, the so-called final frontier?”
“Oh, no sir.” Julian shook his head emphatically. “This is where I want to be. Out in the new frontier. That’s where the adventure is.”
“Well, keep your eyes on what you’re supposed to be doing then, unless you want me to reassign you over to medical. I hear they will need extra hands on deck in the Recovery Room after today’s fights.”
*****
After he left the league pit, following Chained Angel’s frustrated outburst, Catalyst moved from section to section of the arena, checking the reading of the sensor devices he placed around the facility. Prysmatica accompanied him, following closely behind and studying the people while he interpreted his readings.
“It is interesting to see how little some things have changed.” She commented, running her hand against the metal of a support strut in the walkway. “I do have to admit that as marvelous a feat of technology this may be, it lacks the character of the Colosseum in Rome.”
Catalyst turned to her and considered her thought but failed to remark on her comment.
“Do you disagree?”
“I’ve not seen the Colosseum in person, only photographs or video, so I will take your word for it.”
“But you like gadgets and technology like this, don’t you? I would have thought you would feel right at home here.”
“My mother disappeared on a space station such as this over a decade ago.” Catalyst returned to his work. “I have no great love for such a place.”
“Oh,” Prysmatica replied, feeling embarrassed.
“Hey, Alan,” Chaz yelled from across the hallway. “Alan Marcus. I’m so glad to finally see someone I know up here.”
Prysmatica glanced over in Chaz’s direction and recognized the speaker. “OH! I’ve got to go. See you at three in the pit.” She hustled away before Chaz found his way over to Catalyst.
“You made it,” Catalyst said. He grinned at the reporter and pointed at the press ID badge stuck to Chaz’s sport jacket. “Big day for news.”
“I suppose.” Chaz shrugged. “It’s not like people don’t already know who’s going to come out on top.”
“We going to be on bottom,” Catalyst said. “Not very bottom, but still bottom.”
Chaz took note of the devices Catalyst studied. “This doesn’t look like league prep. What are you doing?”
“Strange reaction coming from structure of the arena. Something is creating a sub-audible resonance field all around the station.”
“What does that mean? Are we in danger?”
“Not harmful. Unusual frequency. If you could hear it, it would sound like shouting at top of lungs.”
Chaz’s eyes widened as if he suddenly remembered something. “I did some more digging on the material lists that Eli Hendrick’s company shipped out for construction of the station. There were a few that I didn’t recognize but I haven’t had time to do any research on them yet.” He brought out his tablet and retrieved an invoice file. He handed the pad to Catalyst. “Could any of these be the cause?”
Catalyst inspected the materials. “Adaman…, vibran…, harmonium. Why would they want to use harmonium?”
“Yeah,” Chaz said. “That’s one I didn’t know about. What is harmonium?”
“It is a very rare compound. It absorbs sound and redistributes it on a much lower frequency wavelength, far below human hearing. Harmonium could definitely be causing the distortion.”
“Maybe they used it as a means of sound dampening. You know, like in a recording studio. To help keep it quieter with all the people milling around and talking up here.” Chaz shrugged.
Catalyst considered the idea. “Not typical use. Very small quantity, not enough to put in much of the station. Military uses it for tracking. Easy to pinpoint target from long distances with right sensor equipment.”
“Who would need to track something the size of this? It’s not like anyone on Earth would need help finding it. Shuttles are going back and forth constantly.”
An identical thought crossed both their minds at the same instant. They spat out the name in unison. “LEGION.”
“We need to find Krystal Fae. She can verify if what we’re thinking is even possible.” Catalyst tapped his pockets, searching for his BADGE communicator.
“Hold on. Let me try something. You get on the horn with the rest of your league.” Chaz pulled out a wristband with a crystal set into the material of the band. He put it on and thought of his co-worker as he concentrated on the gem. “Krystal Fae. Get your fairy ass over here. There’s trouble coming.”
*****
Krystal Fae relaxed as the Legacy of Spawn’s masseuse rubbed at her shoulders. The third round of the Stellar Battle against the 5th Precinct: World Police was going well for her team at the moment, so she decided to reward herself with some TLC.
“Krystal Fae. Get your fairy ass over here. There’s trouble coming.”
Chaz’s thoughts came through strong, even containing bits of information about his perceived dilemma, images of a penguin sitting in a shuttle seat eating smoked salmon, and an attraction to a blue-haired co-worker at the Sentinel.
“Sven, sweetie.” She tapped her masseuse on the hand while he caressed her shoulder. “That will be all for now. I’ve got to go back to work. No rest for the wicked, you know.”
She levitated into the air and zipped away toward Chaz and Catalyst’s position.
*****
Chaz, The Star Force, and Krystal Fae gathered at the nearest support strut where Catalyst found traces of harmonium embedded into the station’s infrastructure. Catalyst covered the implications of the strange, exotic metal’s presence on board. Prysmatica stood off to one side in her photonic-plasma state, trying to stay out of Chaz’s direct line of sight.
A handheld device Catalyst rubbed over the metal chirped with sudden rapidity as it passed over the surface and then faded after he moved it a few inches further. “Small pieces have been scattered all throughout the arena, hidden in tiny pockets buried in the material’s core.”
“And you want us to go around the arena and dig these out and destroy them?” The Infinite Tempest asked.
“That would take hours, if not days,” Krystal said. “I might be able to use a spell to transmute the substance, but that could be equally dangerous if it is present in the hull of the arena itself.”
“I still don’t know why you think this stuff is dangerous.” HowlingMoon commented. “The arena is huge and not at all hidden. Transmissions are coming in and out all the time from the media outlets broadcasting the battles. Why do you think the Legion is going to attack us all the sudden?”
“All the transmissions you are talking about are directed at the planet Earth below us.” Catalyst pointed out a nearby window at the bright blue marble the station orbited. “The waveform the harmonium is broadcasting on is radiating out in every direction. Anyone who knows how to look for it will easily find it.”
Wyldfyre leaned against the wall containing the window, keeping his distance from the group in general. “Big deal. I’m sure BADGE made sure this place has defenses. What is Legion going to throw at us this time that we can’t handle? A military assault? We’ve kicked their asses before. Some kind of missile? Photonic Torpedoes? The power hitters of any league could handle taking those out. What’s left? The State of Texas?”
Chained Angel drew in a breath to silence Wyldfyre once again, tired of his unhelpful dialog, until his final comment struck an errant memory from her elementary school days. “They couldn’t, could they?”
Krystal’s eyes narrowed, catching a faint telepathic glimmer of the possibility the angel imagined. She lifted her BADGE communicator began to speak with urgency into it.
“Prysmatica, you can travel in space faster than any of us here in your photonic form.” Chained Angel looked at her incandescent companion. “Can you go and scout that rogue asteroid they spotted yesterday from Berkley’s observatory.”
Giving a quick nod, Prysmatica flew through the clear window and into space.
“They are locking the arena’s exterior sensors on it right now,” Krystal Fae said as she covered the communicator with her free hand.
“What are you both thinking?” The Infinite Tempest asked. “You science-types lost me.”
“Dinosaurs.” Chained Angel searched out the window, waiting for the stations rotation to turn enough to bring the stellar phenomenon into view. “What killed the dinosaurs, Tempest?”
“They say an asteroid hit the planet…” The Infinite Tempest fell silent as he began to understand. “Ohhhh. Well, $%#@.”
“There are asteroids out there that are as small as a car or as big as a quarter of the moon,” Chained Angel said. She looked at Wyldfyre. “Or the size of the state of Texas.”
Wyldfyre smirked. “Guess I figured it out for you then. You’re welcome.”
Catalyst and Krystal Fae stared at his tablet, pointing at streams of data flowing across the panel. Their hands ran into one another until Catalyst pulled it away from her and gave her a dirty look. He reached in a pocket, retrieved a small corded device, and plugged it into the side of his tablet. A wide holographic interface screen sprang into life before the two of them.
“Have I mentioned you carry some very useful gadgets, Catalyst?” Krystal Fae nodded as she and Catalyst continued their work. Eventually, a diagram of the sector of space containing the arena, the planet Earth, the moon and the asteroid with dotted lines predicting an intersection point filled the holographic image. A countdown clock appeared as well, showing three hours until the predicted time of collision.
Prysmatica flew back into the chamber. Chaz and the others stared at her, waiting anxiously for her to speak.
“What did you find?” Chained Angel asked.
Prysmatica stared at her leader, and then back at the assembled group.
Krystal walked through the holographic image and removed her glasses, nodding at the young woman. “She says she saw the asteroid. It has eight engines propelling it from the back side and a large Legion vessel following closely behind, hidden in the debris of the tail. Those clever bastards.” Krystal replaced the glasses on her face. “That last bit was me, not her.”
Catalyst continued to work at his holographic interface. “According to the scans, the asteroid isn’t as big as Texas. More like Mexico. M-type. Nickel iron composition.”
“Well, if that ain’t a kick in the balls.” Wyldfyre snarked. “I was hoping for diamond, gold, and platinum.”
Krystal Fae ignored the comment. “This is quite a quandary. How do we stop it without creating chunks of debris that will crash into the Earth.” She glared out the window as the asteroid came into view of the room. “Haven’t I seen this in some movie before?”
“Oh, great.” Wyldfyre rolled his eyes. “Another nerd.”
Krystal turned her full attention to Wyldfyre, staring over the rim of her glasses and arching an eye. “Haven't you heard; we nerds rule the world now.”
A sizeable quantity of snow appeared above Wyldfyre’s head as he opened his mouth to speak, covering his shoulders and head with fresh white powder. Wyldfyre wiped away some of the accumulation while spitting chunks of ice out of his mouth. “You—"
“Cool it, mouthy,” Krystal Fae walks back to the holographic display. “I can make yellow snow too, if you would like?”
*****
Realizing the problem was bigger than the small group could solve alone, Krystal brought the group into a large conference room. Typically the site where the winners of League War were announced to the media outlets and questions were asked, now members of many of the leagues and staff from the BADGE facility met to discuss the current dilemma.
“You’ve all heard the information we have as of this moment. We have less than two hours before the asteroid is due to collide with the arena.” Krystal Fae stood at the podium and addressed the gathered people. “There have been efforts to alter the orbital path of the arena, but the asteroid compensated its course to match.”
“Do we have time to evacuate the arena?” Ability Mage asked.
“We could try, but we have to assume the Legion vessel would target the planet instead if the arena were evacuated.” Krystal replied.
“So, destroying it is our only option,” The Sword of Gerraxia of the 101st Spacerangers said.
Slayer B.A.S. of Dark Guins 51 nodded in agreement. “That always seems to work for me.”
Wyldfyre leaned over to the Infinite Tempest, seated beside him in the front row. He grinned as he thumbed back in Slayer B.A.S.’s direction and whispered. “I got in the ring with her this afternoon. She can kick my ass anytime.”
“If we do that, we have to make sure it is total destruction.” $uperMac of 666 HO$ spoke up from the back of the room. “One chunk making it past us could wreak havoc on the planet.”
Zen of Colony 51 raised a fin. “What does Director Nova think?”
“He’s looking to us to come up with Plan A and enacting it.” Krystal stepped around the podium, somehow not needing the microphone to carry her words around the room. “He and BADGE are working on Plans B through E.”
“Why only E?” Captain Marvel stood up from his seat, dripping meatballs from his submarine sandwich onto his reversed cape.
“If we can’t solve it by E, there won’t be any time for the rest of the alphabet.” Krystal sighed. “If we don’t find a way, then we are officially F’ed.”
The Celestial Guardian raised his hand. “If you could help me find the Other, perhaps they could help.”
Chained Angel stood from her seat in front of the backdrop canopy of the stage and stepped to the microphone. “Prysmatica of the Star Force is out there scouting the asteroid as we speak. There are eight engines embedded into the surface of the asteroid. We could use the shuttles and try to destroy the propulsion units.”
“With the Legion vessel directly behind them, I don’t think we would even make it near them.” Krystal Fae admitted with a worried face.
A small calico cat jumped onto the stage and rubbed up against Catalyst’s leg. Failing to catch his attention, she stretched up on her hind legs and swiped his hand with her fore-paw, claws extended.
"Ouch," Catalyst uttered. “Krystal, I think Crossroads has something to say.”
Krystal looked at the cat. She tilted her head as if in thought-provoking conversation. “Do you think you can do that in your current state?”
“What is she suggesting, Krys?” Tri-Blade asked.
In the middle of the room, Aflima leaned forward and whispered to Macaia’s Daughter in the row of seats ahead of him. “When did Crossroads become a cat?”
“Shhh!” Macaia’s Daughter waved him away. “Don’t’ you ever pay attention to what people talk about in the online forums? Krystal’s arch-nemesis Morgana made magical bullets that transformed Crossroads into a feline. Now shut it, I’m listening.”
Crossroads gracefully jumped onto the podium and met Krystal’s gaze.
“She says she can open one of her folds with one of her alternates so we could send capes directly to the asteroid without the use of shuttles.” Krystal put a palm up to Crossroads who raised a paw to complete the high-five. “That would work.”
“Can a portal let only energy pass through?” Catalyst inquired. “Why go to asteroid at all? Fire from here.”
The collected people in the room turned their attention to Catalyst with looks of amazement as he sat calmly in his chair.
“The guy with the goggles has a point.,” Neach-dion na h-alba said. “Can the cat do that?”
Crossroads nodded.
“She can,” Krystal said. “And I can create a one-way barrier as a safeguard against any of our atmosphere from escaping into the void of space. If we pull this off, Catalyst, what would the trajectory of the asteroid become?”
Entering the data into his tablet, Catalyst performed some calculations. He smiled and gave the thumbs-up gesture to the assembled heroes.
“Gather your best blasters people, from every league. We don’t have all day.” Chained Angel clapped her hands together. “I still have to bend over for the Dark Guins 51 before midnight. Let's get this done!”
*****
The Legion dreadnought's commander sat forward in his padded bridge-chair, eager to see his plan come to fruition.
“Sir, we’ve got activity on the asteroid.” His helm officer alerted him.
“What kind of activity?”
“I don’t know. We have readings of multiple energy signatures radiating from the area of engine seven.” The helm officer pressed multiple switches on his console. “The engine is taking damage.”
“SHOW ME!” The commander propelled out of his chair and to the helmsman’s side.
The large screen at the center of the bridge display showed a tear in space/time with hundreds of blasts of energy hurling out of the gap and against the structure of the engine. A large explosion erupted from the engines side and scored the metallic flesh of the surface of the asteroid, filling the screen with motes of mechanical debris and dust.
“NO,” The commander slammed a fist onto the back of his crewman’s chair.
“Engine 8 is now registering damage.”
One by one, the engines were destroyed in short order. As each exploded, the commander’s rage grew until he finally withdrew his blaster and fired at the ship’s viewscreen and blew it into pieces.
*****
Outside the dreadnought, Prysmatica watched as the vessel turned and departed the tail of the impromptu comet. She silently flipped off the ship before it engaged its hyper-flight engines and disappeared into the depths of space.
*****
Chaz waved as the collected heroes departed to complete their day's battles. Watching the leagues all line up and work together, side by side, seemed like the perfect ending for his story. He had taken several photographs that the people of Earth needed to see, examples of what could be accomplished if animosity could be set aside for the purpose of serving a greater good.
Krystal Fae stepped up beside him and stood silently as the final group of heroes passed.
“That was really something, hey Krystal?” Chaz waved to Catalyst, the last leave the room beside him and Krystal. “It’s been quite an event, this Stellar Battle, hasn’t it?”
She remained silent, causing Chaz to turn and study her face. “What’s wrong? Do you think that something else is going to happen?”
“No,” she said, gently shaking her head. She finally brought her gaze to him, her face a mystery. “We ARE going to have a talk about your use of the phrase ‘your fairy ass’, though. You had better sit down. I have a great deal to say.”
0 Comments