SW10/REPOST: Me 2003, Wave 2 #2: Four Heroes

[Scott Eiler]

Author's Note:  I post this old story today because it's one of the 
first times I ever posted about a place I didn't know.  I did that more 
recently for Ketchikan and Britannia Beach, with mixed success.  This 
story pretty much inspired that.  In retrospect, the story still works.

I've been traveling in the places where the story's Nevada vs. 
California backstory matters.  The pivotal historic character is one 
Isaac Roop.  In California, he was this very week portrayed in his home 
town as a rebellious tax-evading loonie in a cabin.  (And I've seen the 
recreated cabin!  http://www.eilertech.com/photos/2013/ca/roop2.jpg)  In 
Nevada, his portrait hangs in the Statehouse as a Provisional 
Territorial Governor!  (And I've seen the portrait! 
http://www.eilertech.com/photos/2013/nv/roop.jpg)

I fixed a misspelling and updated a broken hyperlink when I reviewed the 
story today.  Other than that, I present the story here without 
revision.  It describes very well the reasons Ellipsis and Wyatt 
Ferguson don't get along.  And it sets up my 2004 plotline, which pretty 
well *broke my whole story* and let the Powernaut get in to run things 
in 2005.

Full story with hyperlinks is at 
http://www.eilertech.com/stories/me2003.htm#nevada .

---

 From the diary of Wyatt Ferguson.

---

Four Heroes. It's a lot like Goofus and Gallant in the children's 
magazines, only brought to you with corporate sponsorship by  Nevada 
Power and Light. But you won't find the full story on their web site; 
you'll only find it here.

The story starts with a party at a Chicagoland marina. It's a barbecue 
held by Nevada Power and Light, at a Chicago marina on Lake Michigan. 
And there's a springtime storm coming.

• First hero: "Captain Mighty". They've found a Superman clone or 
something, and made him their spokesman. He's at the party. When  he 
sees a storm coming, he lets a woman talk him into erasing the storm 
front with super-speed. She must have been his public relations contact 
or something.

• Second hero: "Ellipsis", also known as Stephen Wolcott. When  he  sees 
a storm coming, he sneaks into the marina for the party, to discuss how 
to take advantage of it.

• Third hero: me, Wyatt Ferguson. They actually  declared  me a hero on 
their  web site. When  I  see a storm coming, I still go hiking, but I 
take my favorite trenchcoat. I can make it to a train station, and from 
there to Chicago to the party.

• Fourth hero: Roxanne Scott. She's actually a friend of mine from high 
school. We both grew up in Indianapolis, where practically all of us 
dreamed of growing up to be a race car driver. But she actually chased 
her dream. And she's finally got her ride. Her sponsor wants her there 
for this promo event, so when  she  sees a storm coming, she's not going 
anywhere except the party.

Well, suffice it to say, the party comes off as expected, and we're all 
there.

• I'd like to meet this "Captain Mighty". But his cloud of public 
relations people aren't letting anyone close to him.

• Roxanne the race car driver is not guarded at all, but she's got 
throngs of fans. I spend most of the party getting to her to say Hello.

• Ellipsis is moderately well guarded. But I don't need to meet him; 
I've already met him, at least once a year since 1999. We're getting to 
be like those annual teamups in the comic books.

   - In  1999,  I  actually  saved  his ass not  once but  twice. But 
it's not on the record or anything, so he'll never have to publicly 
acknowledge me for it.

   - In 2000, he messed with my vacation in  Greenland. I, in return, 
messed with a geopolitical power play he had planned there. Fair is fair.

   - In 2001, I messed with his life. But I was under orders. He and his 
wife had confronted terrorists in New York City, just like he did once 
in 1991. And his wife was a casualty again, just like in 1991.

   - But by 2001, I'd become an agent of Death. And I was on a mission 
to collect his wife. We soon established that not even all  his  power 
could stop me while I was on a mission. All he could do was sacrifice at 
least one other life to save his wife. And he  did  that... when he 
stayed by his wife's side while the World Trade Center was destroyed.

   - He has reason to blame me for that carnage. I have reason to blame 
him for it. But neither of us blew up the Towers. This shows the limits 
of blame.

   - In 2002, we ran across each other at the  end of human life on 
Earth. We neglected to argue with each other then. I guess we're behind 
the schedule now.

   - And so far  this  year, I've heard of Ellipsis breaking part of the 
Arctic loose from Canada.


That's set up enough political intrigue already... but no he's got 
something planned in Nevada as well.

• This new power source he's got planned for Nevada, is molecular-level 
technology that absorbs all sunlight and converts it to "solar energy". 
The catch is, the collector is the  entire  size of Nevada. It's going 
to spread out all over the state, and absorb  all  sunlight which plants 
and buildings don't catch.

• The government of Nevada loves this idea. They're tired of tourists 
being scared away from Las Vegas by 110-degree heat. And I know from 
Texas experience, that amount of heat can be  deadly. Besides, they 
(correctly) point out, there's a lot of talk about reducing global 
warming, but not a lot of  action  to make the Earth cooler, until now.

• The government of Idaho, on the other hand, fears this idea. 
Meterological studies show, that if Nevada starts  absorbing  a state's 
worth of heat (instead of  reflecting  it like Nevada customarily does), 
it will set up low pressure cells which bring rain to Nevada instead of 
Idaho. There goes the potato crop.

• The government of California doesn't like this idea much either. ◦ 
When Nevada came into existence in 1864, it claimed everything east of 
the Sierra Nevada mountain range, including such lovely territory as 
Death Valley. Some California and Nevada county sheriffs actually 
fought a war for possession of one county. (Do a Web search on 
"Sagebrush War" if you don't believe me.) Now Nevada's bringing back its 
old claim, because it wants the extra land to set up its power arrays in.

◦ The governor of California is having trouble with this. On the one 
hand, Californians love solar power and want to avoid chronic power 
failures; on the other hand, Californians have this thing about 
preserving their deserts. The public argument on this issue is so great, 
there's a rumor that the governor's going to move to Louisiana and run 
for office there instead, just because it's easier. Crusher Joe Corrigan 
the professional superhuman wrestler has already announced he's 
available to replace him.

• This, of course, is setting up a conflict between states in the U.S. 
Government. Whatever the courts decide after months of challenges, at 
least one state will lose... and that state will have powerful 
motivation to appeal, perhaps to the United Nations. Which seems to fit 
the agenda of Ellipsis to destroy all national power.


Anyway, I don't think much of that agenda. In fact, I think loudly and 
negatively against it throughout the party. I'm  sure  I got Ellipsis's 
attention; I saw him grimace. (18 April, 22 October)



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

When you *are* the leader... whatever goes wrong... whether you did it
or not... *you* are held responsible. - Barack Obama

I know. - Archie Andrews

- from Archie #617, March 2011, scripted by Alex Simmons.