Chapter 6: Uncertain Times
by Chaz Hamilton
Poundcake exercised at a punching bag hanging beneath what appeared to be a reinforced swing set in the house’s backyard. She wore a pink tank-top and a pair of pink silken boxing shorts with white trim. A young boy, perhaps four or five years old pumped himself into the air on a chained seat beside her, swinging back and forth into the air while laughing happily. His t-shirt read “Momma’s Boy: Wanna Make Something of It?”
“This isn’t what I expected,” Chaz mused to himself. “How are we going to do this?”
Starmaster landed behind a tall fence before she spotted them. “Just go and try talking to her. You’re good at asking questions. I’ll keep an eye on the two of you and step in if she gets aggressive.”
“Can’t you just… I don’t know… read her mind and find out what we need?” Chaz paced back and forth, finding himself still a bit intimidated by her physique.
“I don’t do that.” Starmaster shook his head. “Yes, I can do it, but I don’t invade people’s thoughts without permission or a damn good reason. It isn’t like going through a file cabinet, either. It’s far more complicated to do that than people think. Mr. Spock made it look easy."
Chaz bit at his lower lip, obviously concerned.
"Don’t worry, you can do this. Treat it like investigating any other story.” With that comment, Starmaster seemingly faded away, leaving only the faintest of outlines.
Chaz found it very difficult to focus on where Starmaster hovered, his eyes shifting to look either left or right of where he knew the Star Force leader to be. “What are you doing?”
“I call it an Interdiction Field,” Starmaster said. “It makes it difficult for people to see me. I’ll stick close to you and she shouldn’t even know I’m there.”
Chaz took a deep breath and walked to the gate leading to the backyard and knocked on it.
“Come on in,” she replied cheerfully.
Chaz opened the gated door and walked in, his body tense with worry. “Hello.”
Poundcake whirled around, a look of shock across her face. “What are you doing here? You… you… you have to leave.” She hurried over and picked the boy up from his swing.
“I just need to know where you got your information.” Chaz closed the gate behind him as he approached her. “Five minutes. That’s all I ask.”
She looked around, eyes darting with the fear of a trapped animal. She clutched the child in her arms and bent her knees, the muscles of her thighs quivering until she launched into the air over Chaz’s head. Her arc would easily carry her over the fence, if not several blocks away, Chaz judged as he craned his neck to follow her path.
Before she passed over the concrete fence, Poundcake stopped moving, becoming suspended in mid-air. She twisted and strained as she attempted to continue moving, trying futilely to resist an intangible force. “How are you doing this? Let us go!” She cradled the child close to her chest as he started to cry. “I tried to warn you. Don’t do this to me!”
Starmaster shimmered back into sight. “We’re not here to hurt you, but we need to know more about the threat. Friends of yours from the Bakers Dozen has already attacked Chaz at the Sentinel building. The League War is only three days away. What do you know?!” Gesturing with his hand, a blue flare ignited around his limb and he lowered Poundcake closer to the ground but did not put her in contact with the earth.
Poundcake hugged the boy and shushed him. “It’s OK. Don’t cry. Momma’s got you.”
Chaz could see tears streaming down her cheeks as she tried to comfort the child. “Susan. He’s a very handsome young boy. Do you want to take him inside?”
She looked around her backyard, searching her surroundings, and nodded.
“What’s his name?” Chaz asked.
“Charles.” She replied, bouncing him softly while stroking the back of his head. “I call him Chuckie.”
“We didn’t mean to scare either of you,” Chaz continued. “But you know something bad is going down. We can’t let that happen, can we?”
She shook her head, her pony tail flicking from side to side. “He said someone attacked you.” She pointed toward Starmaster with her chin. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think they would do that.”
Chaz looked at Starmaster and nodded at him. “Let her down, please.”
The flare faded from around Starmaster’s hand as he set Poundcake, or Susan Shockley from the records Krystal provided, onto the grass. The four of them moved inside her house, and after Susan placed Chuckie in his bedroom, she and Chaz took a seat at opposite sides of her kitchen table with Starmaster standing near the patio door.
“Which of them attacked you?” Susan asked. She sat with her arms folded on the surface of the table, her eyes focused on the floral centerpiece between the three of them. “I bet it was Mixer. The bottom of her body looked like a living tornado, right?”
“Yes,” Chaz agreed. “Are you still leading them?”
“Hell no,” Susan’s head shot up and she shook her head emphatically. “I just got Chuckie back and I wouldn’t risk losing him again by repeating past mistakes. I left that group, or I should say, they ditched me, over a year ago. You can check with my parole officer.”
“Left the group, but didn’t cut ties with all of them, did you?” Starmaster took a step closer. “I’m not trying to read your thoughts, but you are practically shouting to me with fear for someone very close to you. A woman named… Sheila. She told you something, didn’t she?”
Poundcake stared at Starmaster, her eyes narrowing as her nostrils flared. “That’s personal, buddy. I don’t care who you—”
Starmaster held up a hand, this time without a flare from his powers, and cut her off. “I’m not doing anything. Some thoughts are simply too powerful for me not to hear. You’re scared for her.”
Her features softened and she turned her face back to Chaz. “She was… is my oldest friend. When our gang was arrested, the lawyer for the owner of the building we tried to rob offered them a deal. He would drop the charges against all of them and let me plead to the lowest felony count if they agreed to work for him. Behind my back, they took it. I went to prison for six months and they all got off scot- free.”
“Do you know this man’s name?” Starmaster asked, tapping at a panel on the wrist of his costume.
“Hendricks. Eli Hendricks.”
Chaz recognized the name immediately as one of the owners of a manufacturing company working on building materials for the space arena. “And your friend Sheila is working for him now?”
Susan nodded. “Last I knew, she was. She called me out of the blue a few days ago, warning me not to take part in the Stellar Battle. She knows I like to fight and thought I might get the fool idea of joining some league. Her exact words were ‘If you go up there, you won’t ever see Chuckie again.”
Starmaster snapped to attention and placed two fingers to his right ear. He nodded several times as if in conversation for less than a minute.
“Everything alright?” Chaz asked.
“I’m not sure. BADGE needs me for something.” Starmaster looks away again. “Chained Angel? Can you get the others together and ready a couple of beds in the basement? I’m bringing in some people in that need protection. I need you all to take over on this for me for a while.”
Chaz and Susan exchange confused looks before she asked, “Is he talking about Chuckie and me?”
“I don’t know what’s going on?” Chaz pushes his chair back and stands. “What are you thinking here?”
Starmaster lowers his fingers from his earpiece. “Her former friends already attacked you for the little you knew. If they find out what she has shared, she may be the next target, and I don’t want that on my conscience.”
“And you’re just going to up and leave us?” Chaz blurted, annoyed with the sudden change.
“When Director Nova and BADGE call…” Starmaster waved his hands with uncertainty, acknowledging an implied lack of control. “Would you tell Nova ‘NO’”?
“I call it an Interdiction Field,” Starmaster said. “It makes it difficult for people to see me. I’ll stick close to you and she shouldn’t even know I’m there.”
Chaz took a deep breath and walked to the gate leading to the backyard and knocked on it.
“Come on in,” she replied cheerfully.
Chaz opened the gated door and walked in, his body tense with worry. “Hello.”
Poundcake whirled around, a look of shock across her face. “What are you doing here? You… you… you have to leave.” She hurried over and picked the boy up from his swing.
“I just need to know where you got your information.” Chaz closed the gate behind him as he approached her. “Five minutes. That’s all I ask.”
She looked around, eyes darting with the fear of a trapped animal. She clutched the child in her arms and bent her knees, the muscles of her thighs quivering until she launched into the air over Chaz’s head. Her arc would easily carry her over the fence, if not several blocks away, Chaz judged as he craned his neck to follow her path.
Before she passed over the concrete fence, Poundcake stopped moving, becoming suspended in mid-air. She twisted and strained as she attempted to continue moving, trying futilely to resist an intangible force. “How are you doing this? Let us go!” She cradled the child close to her chest as he started to cry. “I tried to warn you. Don’t do this to me!”
Starmaster shimmered back into sight. “We’re not here to hurt you, but we need to know more about the threat. Friends of yours from the Bakers Dozen has already attacked Chaz at the Sentinel building. The League War is only three days away. What do you know?!” Gesturing with his hand, a blue flare ignited around his limb and he lowered Poundcake closer to the ground but did not put her in contact with the earth.
Poundcake hugged the boy and shushed him. “It’s OK. Don’t cry. Momma’s got you.”
Chaz could see tears streaming down her cheeks as she tried to comfort the child. “Susan. He’s a very handsome young boy. Do you want to take him inside?”
She looked around her backyard, searching her surroundings, and nodded.
“What’s his name?” Chaz asked.
“Charles.” She replied, bouncing him softly while stroking the back of his head. “I call him Chuckie.”
“We didn’t mean to scare either of you,” Chaz continued. “But you know something bad is going down. We can’t let that happen, can we?”
She shook her head, her pony tail flicking from side to side. “He said someone attacked you.” She pointed toward Starmaster with her chin. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think they would do that.”
Chaz looked at Starmaster and nodded at him. “Let her down, please.”
The flare faded from around Starmaster’s hand as he set Poundcake, or Susan Shockley from the records Krystal provided, onto the grass. The four of them moved inside her house, and after Susan placed Chuckie in his bedroom, she and Chaz took a seat at opposite sides of her kitchen table with Starmaster standing near the patio door.
“Which of them attacked you?” Susan asked. She sat with her arms folded on the surface of the table, her eyes focused on the floral centerpiece between the three of them. “I bet it was Mixer. The bottom of her body looked like a living tornado, right?”
“Yes,” Chaz agreed. “Are you still leading them?”
“Hell no,” Susan’s head shot up and she shook her head emphatically. “I just got Chuckie back and I wouldn’t risk losing him again by repeating past mistakes. I left that group, or I should say, they ditched me, over a year ago. You can check with my parole officer.”
“Left the group, but didn’t cut ties with all of them, did you?” Starmaster took a step closer. “I’m not trying to read your thoughts, but you are practically shouting to me with fear for someone very close to you. A woman named… Sheila. She told you something, didn’t she?”
Poundcake stared at Starmaster, her eyes narrowing as her nostrils flared. “That’s personal, buddy. I don’t care who you—”
Starmaster held up a hand, this time without a flare from his powers, and cut her off. “I’m not doing anything. Some thoughts are simply too powerful for me not to hear. You’re scared for her.”
Her features softened and she turned her face back to Chaz. “She was… is my oldest friend. When our gang was arrested, the lawyer for the owner of the building we tried to rob offered them a deal. He would drop the charges against all of them and let me plead to the lowest felony count if they agreed to work for him. Behind my back, they took it. I went to prison for six months and they all got off scot- free.”
“Do you know this man’s name?” Starmaster asked, tapping at a panel on the wrist of his costume.
“Hendricks. Eli Hendricks.”
Chaz recognized the name immediately as one of the owners of a manufacturing company working on building materials for the space arena. “And your friend Sheila is working for him now?”
Susan nodded. “Last I knew, she was. She called me out of the blue a few days ago, warning me not to take part in the Stellar Battle. She knows I like to fight and thought I might get the fool idea of joining some league. Her exact words were ‘If you go up there, you won’t ever see Chuckie again.”
Starmaster snapped to attention and placed two fingers to his right ear. He nodded several times as if in conversation for less than a minute.
“Everything alright?” Chaz asked.
“I’m not sure. BADGE needs me for something.” Starmaster looks away again. “Chained Angel? Can you get the others together and ready a couple of beds in the basement? I’m bringing in some people in that need protection. I need you all to take over on this for me for a while.”
Chaz and Susan exchange confused looks before she asked, “Is he talking about Chuckie and me?”
“I don’t know what’s going on?” Chaz pushes his chair back and stands. “What are you thinking here?”
Starmaster lowers his fingers from his earpiece. “Her former friends already attacked you for the little you knew. If they find out what she has shared, she may be the next target, and I don’t want that on my conscience.”
“And you’re just going to up and leave us?” Chaz blurted, annoyed with the sudden change.
“When Director Nova and BADGE call…” Starmaster waved his hands with uncertainty, acknowledging an implied lack of control. “Would you tell Nova ‘NO’”?
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