SW10: Superhuman World 2011: Endgame #2

[Scott Eiler]

What Has Gone Before:

http://www.eilertech.com/stories/2011/endgame1.txt

Gaio Matrix is an evil mage - and an alien.  His alien race (the 
Caladrians) considers Earth troublesome and wants to smash it. 
Coincidentally, one of the moons of Jupiter has exploded, triggered by 
one member of the Infrared Sunbreaker Choir.  Meteors are now on a path 
to Earth; many of these are "dinosaur-smasher" size.

U.S. Vice-President "Crusher Joe" Corrigan largely handles security 
matters for President Barack Obama.  He's heard about the meteors.  So 
he's sent Wyatt Ferguson, now a National Security Advisor, to 
Lansing-Michigan.  Wyatt will supervise the Space Jellyfish in a 
ceremony to detect all aliens on Earth.

Meanwhile, the evil mages of Earth are having their magic competition, 
the Black Mage Olympics.  As part of this contest, they've started 
setting off volcanos.  The evil mages hate that the superhuman Ellipsis 
has made his technological powers public.

On Tuesday 11 October 2011, Wyatt's ceremony fell apart when Gaio and 
his mysterious allies swarmed it with brood aliens from Venus.  Wyatt's 
ally the Alien Beast saved the public, despite an intervention from 
people with Ellipsis tech.  But now the Alien Beast is in a coma. 
Wyatt's sworn to hunt the villains.

---

13 October 2011:

Wyatt once had Tracker powers.  He'd stored them in his car, which was 
fifteen years old but refused to die.  So he drove his Tracker through 
the Dreamtime.

The Dreamtime was famous for sucking away one's powers, soul, or worse 
if one only let it.  All of Earth's superhumans *except* Wyatt had gone 
through it once. 
(http://www.eilertech.com/stories/2005/journal_melon.htm )  Today it 
seemed especially sucky.

First, it tried to fire off his powers uncontrollably.  Well, duh, 
Wyatt's main power was to go into the Dreamtime.

Then it tried to find his weakness.  It found he was lazy but 
obsessive-compulsive.  While the trap considered what to do with this, 
the Tracker kept going.

Finally it tried to deconstruct him.  But some force within him just 
said No.  Wyatt had long regarded Higher Power, not always but often in 
a Christian way.

As Wyatt came to, his car was crashing into a bedroom!

---

Gaio Matrix had wards around his private sanctuary - but his enemies had 
enchanted an automobile machine to break them!  Gaio reflexively shot a 
magic lightning bolt against it.  It should have *melted* the machine - 
but something within it absorbed the magic!

The automobile opened its top.  A man floated out with a stick - 
crackling with magic lightning!  He said, "Oh, please."  Then he struck 
with lightning from the stick - and said, "Odin smite thy corpse!"

Gaio grunted.  He had his wards up by then.  "Weak human!  I do not 
*care* how blessed your battlestaff is by your Earth deities! You do not 
strike *me* down!"

"No.  I don't.  But I know who does..."  The human waited for mystic 
dramatic pause, and then said, "Me!"

Gaio prepared for a strike from above.  But this human dodged to the 
side snd swept his legs aside!  With a fluid motion, the battlestaff 
swung around and smashed down on Gaio's head!

... heh.  Three or four more of these, and the human might actually hurt 
him.  Gaio intensified his wards, and stood.

Then there was a low rumble in the distance.  Gaio gloated, "Do you hear 
that with your limited hearing, human?  I've just won!"

 From behind Gaio, flame erupted with a mighty BOOM!  Gaio winced in 
pain.  Were *all* humans going to assault his ears so?

 From out the flame struck a larger stick of greater force - over and 
over, with magic flame all around!  Meanwhile the other staff struck 
with lightning!

Thud.

...

Wyatt huffed, and said, "...Thank you, Mighty Tim.  A bit late, but 
still in time.  Did I actually help you?"

"Yes, I think you did."  The man behind the other stick was six and a 
half feet tall, muscular, and armored.  He was also the world's most 
powerful teleporter, and a superhero.  "Now when did you learn to shoot 
flame yourself?"

"*Flame*?  No, that was all you.  I brought the lightning.  Magic staff 
of Odin, y'know."  Wyatt raised his stick.

"Hmmm..."  Then the Mighty Tim noticed something.  "Wyatt, did you know 
you had a passenger?"

Wyatt turned.  From the open top of his car, an unkempt man in a 
baseball cap and sunglasses waved back.

"Doctor Lithium!  But you were exiled to... oh, right.  The Dreamtime." 
  (http://www.eilertech.com/stories/2004/politics3.htm )

"Dreamtime.  Fairy Land.  Whatever."  The unkempt man spoke - then 
raised his hands, as Wyatt and the Mighty Tim both pointed their staffs 
at him.  "Hey, wait a minute!  I'm on your side!  I helped you fight 
that magic guy!"

"Oh, right.  The magic guy."  Wyatt turned to the Mighty Tim.  "I'm not 
really equipped to take prisoners."

"Don't worry.  I am."  The apartment burst into more flame.  A special 
agent came out from each burst, as the flames dissipated.

Wyatt was startled at first.  Then he turned to the Mighty Tim and 
asked, "They with you?"

"Indeed.  Cleanup team.  And they can take Doctor Lithium while they're 
at it."

Doctor Lithium said, "Err, no way.  Federal agents and I don't play well 
together.  Besides, I think there's a statute of limitations on 
assassinating Adolf Hitler."

The Mighty Tim responded, "That wasn't Hitler, that was the governor of 
South Carolina!"

"Well, it *was* sort of *both*," said Wyatt.  "And if we ask for a 
ruling *now*, judges will just ask, Who's Governor Arnold Wolf?" 
(http://www.eilertech.com/stories/2004/crockery.htm#fire )

Then Wyatt's cell phone rang.  It was Joe Corrigan's secretary.  She'd 
texted, "Wherever you are, come home.  It's all blown up."

Wyatt looked at the Mighty Tim.  He'd just gotten the same message.

Wyatt looked again at his message.  It was labeled, 18 October!  Wyatt 
had lost five days in the Dreamtime.

Wyatt said to Mighty Tim, "You going to DC?"

"Nope, they need me in Pocatello, Idaho.  But I could drop you off.  And 
your friend there will know what to do with Doctor Lithium."

"Hey, wait a minute..."  But before Doctor Lithium could finish that 
sentence, he and Wyatt were in Vice-President Corrigan's office!

...

Flack Chasterman had made a covenant with Gaio Matrix, in the manner of 
the Black Mages.  He delivered...

Jackson, Wyoming was enjoying year-round skiing for wealthy tourists. 
Those tourists all died.

The Yellowstone Park of Wyoming was built upon geysers and hot springs, 
extending well down into Idaho.  It was the world's biggest potential 
volcano.  This day, it blew.

Flack didn't really care what that meant for the Earth.  Earthly things 
were fleeting.  He had a reputation to protect, and *that* was forever. 
  And the games were on.

He turned to Lady Ebony.  "Do I win?"

"Dammit, you know the games are off!"

"Don't care.  Say it.  Do I win?"

"Fine.  You win."

"Gaio said it too.  So that's a majority right there!  He won't be 
making it to meet with us, though.  Better get going without him.  This 
planet's about to get real exciting.

"Our refuge is ready, though - in the Dreamtime!  Once we get there, our 
shields go up.  The Earth can burn."

...

In the Vice-Presidential Mansion, Crusher Joe Corrigan said, "Ah, Wyatt. 
  You got a ride...  Hey, Joe-Bob!"

"'Joe-Bob'?"  Wyatt turned.  "I thought you'd officially changed your 
name to Doctor Lithium."

"I did.  But he knew me when...  Hey, Crusher.  When'd you become veep?"

Wyatt interrupted.  "Well, I guess 'Crusher' knows what to do with you 
after all."

"Yeah," said Corrigan.  "Kick his ass if he don't take his meds!"

"But man, I'm clean," Doctor Lithium said.

"Don't care.  Listen up, Joe-Bob.  These two agents are gonna take you 
straight to the doctor.  Right now.  And if I don't hear back from the 
doc in an hour, I will drop everything I'm doin' and stomp you.  And you 
got *no idea* how pissed off I will be if I gotta do that.  Got that?"

"... err, got it."  Doctor Lithium left with the agents.

Wyatt resumed.  "Want to hear some status?  Like how 'Joe-Bob' got back?"

"Skip it.  This time *I* give *you* status.

"'Bout half of Wyoming just became a volcano.  Deaths at least in the 
tens of thousands.  More than that if Pocatello goes.  Plus...

"You know how the Earth was already having global cooling since the 
aliens changed its orbit? 
(http://www.eilertech.com/stories/2009/trillions.htm )  Well, a volcano 
like *this* is *ultimate* global cooling.  Plus...

"There's a bunch of meteors headed for Earth.  The two biggest are 
dinosaur busters.  We just had a secret Jupiter expedition, and it shook 
something loose.  People say it's 2% human survival if all the meteors 
hit.  The anti-Iv shields ain't gonna work again without Trillions help.

"Could actully be the end.

"Wyatt!  Give me ideas!"

...

To Be Concluded - in *Powernaut 2011* ! 
http://www.eilertech.com/stories/powernaut/2011.htm

---

Author's Notes:

I do not intend the next statement as hyperbole.  It is more an 
analysis...

I've written twenty years of fiction.  It's coming down to this.

I just hope I do the next story right.

...

This story ran short at first, so I invited the Usenet writers' commune 
Rec.Arts.Comics.Creative to submit a plot idea.  They came up with 
Mysterious Death.  Under the circumstances, Mysterious Resurrection 
worked better.  Given the venue for the story, this meant bringing back 
Doctor Lithium (created by Doug Robinson and used by permission).  He's 
been around since 1991, Ellipsis Year 1.  I hope the story gives all the 
relevant information without wallowing in it.

 From here, things move fast.  The storyline will shift over to the 
Powernaut web comic.  The lead guest star will be Leo the Pirate Vampire 
King, also around since 1991.  Doctor Lithium will be there too, which 
could get interesting.  Big finish to Superhuman World 2011!

-- 
(signed) Scott Eiler  8{D> -------- http://www.eilertech.com/ ---------

Let's take a look, if you will, at the Second Amendment of the
Constitution, which protects every American's right to shoot another
American.  This cherished constitutional right to shoot people and make
them dead is currently recognized in all fifty states, most recently
Florida.

- The Borowitz Report
(http://www.borowitzreport.com/2012/03/29/an-argument-against-healthcare/),
March 2012.