8FOLD: Journey Into # 25, "The Black Spot"

[Tom Russell]

On Tuesday, April 9, 2019 at 3:53:39 PM UTC-4, Scott Eiler wrote:
> This is an excellent story to have as part of the history.  I loved the 
> negotiations, particularly the banquet dinner.  One never thinks of the 
> likes of Darkseid having to entertain guests.
> 
> But there's one thing I was wondering about...
> 
> On 2019-04-08 21:18, Tom Russell wrote:
> 
> >     "Fear not!" cries an echoing, mechanical voice from within the
> > blackness. "I am not your enemy! I am the One! Alone! The single and
> > only free thing in all the universe! Untethered, unchained, a being of
> > pure joy and discovery! I AM MONAD!"
> >     Bethany blinks. "...'kay. I'm Knockout Mouse."
> >     "Well met, daughter of Earth," says Monad. She then turns toward
> > Julie Ann. "Child of Vanirron."
> >     "Have we met?" says Julie Ann.
> 
> Monad seems essential to the mission, and yet she just shows up without 
> knowing anyone.

Eh, not entirely true. Julie Ann doesn't remember meeting Monad because when last they met, Monad was the human woman Van Morrison.

The sequence of events here is -- Julie Ann and Bethany have been going planet to planet and system to system looking for allies; word has gotten around; Monad knows what the Pulse is really after and, being a former resident of the earth herself, seeks them out to pass along this information; and so she shows up.

Monad is one of those cosmic beings of immense and ill-defined power, so tracking down the last daughter of Vanirron and her escort probably isn't a big deal.

> How else was Julie Ann Justice going 
> to keep Bethany safe without her?

Well, it's debatable how safe Bethany is at this point.