SW10: New Bosnia #3: The Land of Smoke and Soapflakes

[Scott Eiler]

NEW BOSNIA
Part 3:  The Land of Smoke and Soapflakes

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Catalogue of Universes:

- SW10 (Superhuman World 10) plus variants MW01, MW02, TW03

- LNH (Legion of Net.Heroes / Looniverse) plus variant Tooniverse, 
incorporating elements of the Charlton Universe

- MV (Marlo Vivo / Super Wizard from Space)


Dramatis Objecta et Personae:

- Scott Stiles, a.k.a. the "Super Savior", from Earth-SW10 ("Superhuman 
World 10").

- Psychovant the Duck, from Earth-SW10.

- The Chancellor Wyatt Ferguson of the Council of Ordered Realities, 
originally from Earth-SW10 but now resident on Earth-MW02 ("Earth-Council").

- The Sultan Hope Springs VII, resident on Earth-TW03 ("Earth-Turkworld").

- Two "Kubrik's Kubes", cosmic artifacts from the "Looniverse" 
("Earth-LNH").

- Atomic Rabbit / Atomic Bunny, from the "Charlton Universe" circa 1955, 
via the LNH Tooniverse.

- Gavrilo the Super Hermit Wizard Monster Bee from Beyond, from the 
universe of the Super Wizards From Space ("Earth-MV").

- Tor the Monster Bee, originally from Earth-MW01 ("Earth-Tyrmj"). 
Stung by Gavrilo.

All characters and items are now on Earth-TW03 ("Earth-Turkworld") 
unless otherwise specified.

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What Has Gone Before:

The superhuman former basketball player Scott Stiles, also known as the 
Super Savior, has led 144,000 religious refugees from his 
famine-stricken Earth to an alternate Earth whose leading power is 
Turkey.  The Turks were ready for them.  They were captured near New 
York City by the army of this universe's Sultan, Hope Springs VII.

A hermit wizard monster-bee from yet a third universe was sucked along 
with the refugees.  He used his wizard powers to resist capture, stung 
one man, then saved Scott Stiles and flew away.  The stung man became a 
monster-bee and followed.  They hide now in a warehouse in Bayonne, New 
Jersey - known as New Bosnia here.

Mr. Stiles went out exploring, and heard about the True USA - which only 
goes as far west as Denver.  (The Confederacy is "Southron USA" here.) 
Meanwhile, the Turks attracted the super-bees to the rhododendron patch 
of the Staten Island Gardens, and gathered biological extracts for 
analysis.  There the bees captured a rabbit and a duck - Atomic Bunny 
and Psychovant the Duck.  Those are currently depowered, though 
Psychovant can still speak.

The Sultan, along with the visiting Chancellor Wyatt Ferguson from yet a 
*fourth* universe, began planning against the invaders.  The Sultan has 
many consultants with many plans to deal with bees.  One plan seems to 
have begun.

Previous Episode:  New Bosnia Part 2:  The Land of Coins and Diners 
(http://www.eilertech.com/stories/2011/newbosnia2.txt)

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Tuesday 24 May 2011

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There was a whistle in the sky.  The wall of the warehouse crashed open.

Another whistle.  Something flew through the hole in the wall, and 
spewed smoke.

Scott Stiles said, "Huh?"

Psychovant yelled, "You $#@!head!  Incoming fire has the right of way!"

"Right... Time to bug out!  Tor!  Gavrilo!  Move it!"

The two Monster Bees flew... deeper into the warehouse.

"Huh??"

"Y'know, when bees are under stress, they gorge on honey?"

"Riiight...  How do *you* know this?"

"Y'know I'm a *cyborg* duck, right?  I'm a walkin' Wikipedia...  *Leave 
'em!*"

"No!  In this organization we don't leave people behind!  Or ducks, or 
bees, or whatever!"

"Ehh, wasn't your Super-Savior Rapture *full* of people left behind?"

"Yes it was.  But no more!"  Scott Stiles picked up Psychovant and the 
little Atomic Bunny, and chased the bees.

As Psychovant had predicted, the bees were feeding.  Scott yelled, "Hey! 
  Fire!  Time to go!"

The bees went.

Psychvant said, "Well goody for them.  Now *we* gotta fly.  You're a 
Super-Savior, you can fly, right?"

"Nope."

"Well, sorry 'bout your luck.  See ya!"  The duck started flapping his 
wings.

"Not so fast!"  Scott Stiles had a hand around Psychovant's legs.  "We 
stay together!"

"Well, 'we' better chase those bees then!"

Scott dashed outside with the duck and the bunny, and looked for the 
bees.  What he saw first was snowflakes drifting down - but it wasn't 
cold!  "Huh?"

"Ptui!!"  The duck spat.  "Soap flakes!"

"Soap flakes?  Why??"

"Bees hate that stuff!"  Psychovant pointed at a covered bus stop.  The 
two bees were huddled inside it.

Scott looked up.  Blimps floated there.  One had a searchlight - which 
zeroed in on the bus stop.

Scott put the bunny in a pocket.  Then he picked up a stone, covered his 
eyes, faced up at the blimp, and threw.

The searchlight went out.

That grating duck voice said, "Really?  You just took out that thing 
*blind*??"

"I can't fly, right?  I got to be good for *something*."   From Scott's 
pocket, the bunny squealed amusedly.

"... Gavrilo!"   The wizard-bee jerked to attention.  "I can't help you 
with the soap flakes.  But you can shield yourself!"

Gavrilo stayed still and silent.  But the other bee said, "He waitzzz 
for your orderzzz."

"Right, thank you Tor."  The bee bowed.  "Gavrilo!  Shield this bus 
stop, err, this structure, and twice the length of your body around it!"

A glowing, crackling shield appeared above them.  Scott thought crazily, 
this was a lot like teaching Sunday school.  Being literal was helping.

"Tor!  Let us mount up on you!"  The bee bowed again, and Scott climbed 
on.  "Gavrilo!  Fly out of here!  Tor!  Follow him!"

The party lifted into the air.  Scott could see artillery shells flying 
toward them.

And the bees were flying toward the cannons.

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To Be Continued in New Bosnia Part 4, The Land of Guns and Women!

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Author's Notes:

I publish these fine New Bosnia stories on rare occasions when I tire of 
drawing Powernaut cartoons.  This is one such occasion.  I'm about to 
end the 1969 series, which is my second longest ever.  So I'll have 
earned a break - yet I'm upwards of four weeks ahead on art, not 
counting any breaks.  As such, I've spend one of my usual productive art 
days finishing this New Bosnia serial episode instead.  And I'm going to 
squirt it out before I can think too much more about it.

I'm filling this story with dialog, which is something I really ought to 
practice more.  But I still believe in short things to read.  So this 
episode is short.  I'll probably produce twice as many New Bosnia 
installments as I originally planned.  That will make the total 
somewhere around eight.

As I publish, there is a Rec.Arts.Comics.Creative High Concept Challenge 
on for Fictional Nations.  If New Bosnia doesn't qualify, *something* in 
this story will.  But I don't have a good track record of cramming the 
challenges into my stories and then winning the award, and I'm not going 
to throw this challenge in to my story just to make the contest look 
bigger.  So I'm going to sit this one out for once.

(signed) Scott Eiler, 27 September 2014.  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.