Table of Contents
Prologue--Alien Arrival
1. Threat From Above
2. Hero Behind the Counter
3. Rescue From the Roof
4. Friends and Mothers
5. Competition With Herself
6. A Hero's Secrets
7. Starship Infinity
8. A Hero's Tale
9. Store Rules
10. Hyperspace
11. Behind Every Great Hero...
12. Superhuman Confrontation
13. Management Style
14. To the Next Level
15. Into the Unknown
16. Human Potential
17. Secrets of the Back Room
18. A Hero's Reach
19. Confronting the Creep
20. A Villain's Secrets
21. The Big Reveal
22. And Scene!
23. Cruel Revelation
24. A Creep Exposed
25. The Journey Home
26. Between Family
27. Between Friends
Images
Ms. Infinity
Ms. Infinity
Bonnie Boring
Bonnie Boring and Lisa Lin
Hal Holstein
Professor Betty Boring
Misery
Ms. Infinity ©2015 Andrew Kirschner. Text and all images by Andrew Kirschner.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Prologue—Alien Arrival
Thirteen years ago, Earth’s greatest hero was a frightened teenage refugee from a distant world.
She arrived secretly on Earth late one winter night, culminating a vast, two-year flight, confined in a small, metallic spaceship, alone with her mother. Though that ship could never be called home, at least it was safe. Safety was not something she was used to.
She now faced a whole new world with a new name, Bonnie Boring. There was now the promise of a better home, and a future wide open with possibility, but also the daunting prospect of starting over in a strange and unfamiliar world where she could never truly belong.
At least outwardly, Bonnie seemed human. From their studies, the pair had adapted human language and culture to near perfection; they could very well pass for New Yorkers. Both Bonnie and her mother, now called Betty Boring, were petite and slender, with dark brown eyes and olive-colored skin. They were dressed casually in t-shirts and jeans, their dark hair pulled back in ponytails. Bonnie was thirteen in Earth years while Betty was thirty-two.
They now sat together in the ship’s small kitchen, sharing their last meal before landing. Betty talked excitedly of their future. Bonnie did little but smile and nod politely. As they began to clear the table, Bonnie finally spoke nervously.
“Mom,” said Bonnie, “I’m still finding this name strange. ‘Bonnie Boring?’ I don’t know.”
“It is your name dear,” answered Betty, “Close as we can get in human language.”
“Yeah I know. This whole human language is weird and gross. Who speaks with the same thing you eat with?”
“We do. From now on, this is how we communicate. We are going to live as they do.”
“I know.”
“There’s really nothing to argue about. Look honey, the time has finally come. Tonight we are going to our new world.”
And so late that winter night, in an isolated section of Rockaway Beach, Queens, New York, aliens landed.
The ship was invisible and undetectable. It appeared in the utter darkness of an abandoned beach, unseen by human eyes. As the wind blew mercilessly across the barren white sand, the vessel slowly descended in the last seconds of its journey, then came to stop a few feet from the ground.
Aboard the ship, the companions were about to disembark. Betty got up from the bridge and approached her daughter in the kitchen. With a warm smile, she put her hand on her daughter’s shoulder.
“This is it! We’re here! It’s time!”
Betty motioned at her daughter to begin their exit, but Bonnie did not move. She stood still, with a blank look on her face.
“Bonnie,” said Betty patiently, “This is what we have been waiting for. We are now entering our new world.”
Bonnie was still silent, looking down, glued to the floor.
“Honey, we can’t stay here forever. We need to move on with our lives.”
Bonnie stayed defiant in her stillness and silence.
Finally Betty reverted to the ways of their old world, one last time. In a communication that could not be heard or perceived by human senses, she assured her daughter, I will protect you.
Bonnie looked at her mother, and was comforted. At last she moved toward her. Betty put her arm gently around her daughter’s back, and they made for the exit.
A crevice opened in the air. Two figures climbed out, and into the dark, February cold. As they exited, they both took a deep breath and embraced, tears in their eyes.
“This is it!” shouted Bonnie, “Wow! We’ve really made it! Mommy! It feels amazing to be on solid ground again!”
“It really does,” said Betty, “I thought we’d never make it. Bonnie dear, look around. We’re safe! This is our new world.”
It may not have been much to look at, the beach in the wee hours of the morning in the dead of winter. But after what had seemed like an eternity in a cold, sealed, lifeless spaceship, any living, natural landscape looked like a paradise. With childlike wonder, they looked upon ivory sand dunes, blowing stark against the black sky and the ocean, equally dark save for the white foam that periodically bubbled and faded. An occasional weeping plant interrupted the blankness of the ground, each seeming desperate to hang on in a cruel environment. The voices of Bonnie and Betty were all but overwhelmed by the white noise, with the powerful whistling wind prevailing over the gentle caresses of the tides. In the distance was the faint glint of the Manhattan skyline.
Bonnie looked around, marveling at the sights in each direction. “Wow! It doesn’t seem real. We finally have a home. You know something? I even like the talk. I’m still convinced burping has to be part of the language somewhere. I’m going to have to try it out sometime.”
“The important thing,” said Betty, “is that we have found a world where we can be safe.”
“Right,” said Bonnie, “And where I’m not persecuted for my abilities.”
Betty took a deep breath. “I know.”
“I picked this planet because it is so far away,” said Bonnie, “I don’t think they can reach us here. But one thing worries me. Human abilities are way below our kind. I’m only going to stand out way more here. They are nowhere near as strong as us. They think in only three dimensions. They can’t even fly. Even their space program is pathetic. They’ve never gone anywhere but their own moon. Look at that! I can leap to that thing without trying!”
Betty looked at her daughter with concern. “Listen honey. Somehow we are going to have to fit in here. I’m not liking the idea of you doing things like that around them.”
“But then what was the point of leaving? I want to be myself and not have to worry about what people think.”
“You know. I understand that. You are special, and it’s your right to be special. What you have to understand is that we want to be part of this culture, dear.”
“Maybe if I sneak up to the moon…” said Bonnie, pensively.
Betty was increasingly concerned. It was now clear to her that she had a potentially dangerous situation on h
er hands. There were many things that she had always wanted to teach her daughter, yet could not be learned in either the hostile environment of their old world or the sealed-in existence of the spaceship. It was going to take time for her to learn. There were going to have to be some hard decisions made for the meantime.
“Bonnie honey,” Betty began, “There is another thing I wanted to discuss. We aren’t going to just be part of this world. We want to be helpful and responsible members of it. You know that we escaped an oppressive and dangerous place. Others are not so lucky. It still hurts me inside to think we left behind everyone we knew.”
“I really hope I can make friends here,” said Bonnie,
“Well honey, you are a delightful girl. I’m sure…”
“You know what?” interrupted Bonnie, “Do I have to look like this? As long as I’m starting over…”
Bonnie started to transform. She became taller, and her hair became lighter. She might have continued, but Betty interrupted her.
“No Bonnie!” she demanded, “Stop that right this minute!”
“Mom?”
“Change back right now!”
Bonnie looked at her mother defiantly, but Betty conveyed an authority far greater. After a moment, Bonnie reversed her transformation and became herself again. The look on her face showed she was not only angry but frightened as well. It was clearer than ever to Betty that she would have to watch her daughter very carefully.
“Bonnie dear,” said Betty gently, “You will be yourself here. There is no reason to change this beautiful and perfect face and body. Forget what you learned from the old world. They can’t hurt you anymore. You are beautiful, and you have so much to offer. Don’t run away from yourself. This is where you will shine. I know it.”
“Even if I’m a freak?”
“So that’s also what this is about?” said Betty, “My baby, you are wonderful! The things that are different about you are what make you most special. Honey, you are going to be part of this world, and you are going to matter. This is certainly a better place, but it’s far from perfect. This world still has plenty of suffering and injustice, and many dangers as well. In the long run it will be our place to help those who need us.”
Bonnie’s smiled once again. “Well, shouldn’t be too hard for us. Next to these humans, we’re powerful as anything. Kind of like giants, except that we’re not particularly big. Actually I was hoping we would be tall here, but no, humans are no smaller, and we’re short here just like before. But never mind that! Compared to them, we have superpowers! We could probably fix all the problems here in half a day if we wanted to.”
“Bonnie, no!” cried Betty, “That’s the last thing I want you to think! That’s the thinking that ruined life in our old world.”
“Well that’s a new one on me. I thought it was the jerks that called themselves leaders. Look, with my superpowers…”
“Bonnie dear!” interrupted Betty, “What you call ‘superpowers’…bless you honey but don’t you see the danger here?”
Bonnie stared at her mother suspiciously. “Mom, what are you trying to say?”
“My sweetheart, you are coming here with only the best of intentions. But do you understand? Even oppressors often begin with good intentions. Whatever we do, we should never, ever become the oppressor. That is a tragedy that happens again and again, but I don’t want to be one to repeat it.”
“Mom, you’re confusing to talk to, especially when you get into one of your preachy speechy things. But I really don’t like this one. Where are you going with this?”
Betty closed her eyes, and taking a deep breath, put her hand gently on her daughter’s shoulder. “Bonnie, my love, you have been hurt. I cannot pretend to understand all that you have been through, and I have been there with you for nearly all of it. But I love you dearly, and nothing destroys me more than seeing you go through pain. But you’re going to have to trust me. What I’m about to say will no doubt be the last thing you want to hear. It may hurt. But you have to know I would never say it if I didn’t love you with everything I have. Bonnie, my baby, you’re going to have to hide your powers.”
“What?” cried Bonnie.
“Shhh,” whispered Betty, gently patting her daughter’s hand. “I’m sorry dear. But this isn’t like before. This isn’t about people who will hurt you. This is about people who are much, much weaker than you. We have to learn how to live among them. I want you to be part of this world and enjoy all it has to offer. I want you to have friends and go to school like everyone else, and then have a job and a career, and one day have a relationship and maybe get married and have a family of your own.”
“And nobody will ever know who I really am?”
“Now listen. I didn’t say never. You will grow up, and you will find your place in this world. One day, you will figure out how and where you can use your powers to the benefit of the people of this world. But we’re going to have to begin by hiding our powers. This is just a necessity.”
“And now I can’t do anything that humans can’t do? Do you know how hard that will be on me?”
“Well,” said Betty, “I understand you have gifts you want to use. You may do things in private.”
“Thank you!” shouted Bonnie, “At least that’s something. If I’m going to have to go native, at least I want one corner to use my powers to infinity.”
Betty laughed, “Well, I hope you don’t mean that literally. I’ll need to see you sooner or later.”
“Not infinite time. You know, infinite power.”
“Now I really hope you’re not being literal. You don’t seriously believe you’re abilities are infinite, do you?”
“Well I never have found the outer limit of my strength. And if I never do…”
“…It’s not infinite! I assure you of that much. Everyone has limits. I don’t care who you are. We are mortal living creatures my dear, and infinity is a big number.”
“It’s also an eight lying on its side.”
“Right,” laughed Betty, “This language can be funny with its iconography.”
“The ship!” shouted Bonnie.
“What about it?” asked Betty.
“Well it sucks. I mean, not to be ungrateful. It got us here, but it looks like a fridge inside. There’s where I’m going to use my powers to infinity, or if you say so, not infinity. I’m going to soup that baby up!”
“I don’t know,” said Betty, “I really want you to live your new life here on Earth, not crawl back into the spaceship we inhabited all that time.”
“Just in my spare time. You can’t tell me it’s not private enough. It’s invisible from the outside! Please Mom! I’ll keep it on the dark side of the moon, and go there from time to time.”
“I guess it’s alright,” said Betty, “Just don’t forget your priorities.”
“Awesome!” shouted Bonnie, “You’ll see. This thing is gonna rock! I have lots of ideas for it. This is my infinity powers project!”
“Alright ‘Ms. Infinity,’” laughed Betty, “So that’s our decision. And so we begin our new lives. One thing we can say. We certainly picked an excellent city for starting over. Nobody stands out too much in New York.”
Bonnie smiled and spoke hopefully, “Maybe I have a bright future here.”
So Betty and Bonnie Boring began their new lives, moving into Woodside, a multicultural section of Queens. Like many who start over in an unfamiliar environment, they would take some time to adapt. For while they had studied and adapted Earth ways at a truly superhuman rate, there were inevitably some flaws in their learning. Noticeably the mother’s adaptation of their names to Earth speech showed an imperfect understanding of the use and meaning of surnames in Western civilization. This mistake would hardly prove fatal, but both mother and daughter would always have to endure occasional jokes about their last name.
This day of their arrival on Earth would turn out to be momentous for another, similar reason. With her innocent quip—“Alright ‘Ms.
Infinity!’”—Betty Boring had effectively renamed her daughter a second time. Strange that such a small moment would be remembered so well so many years later, but then this was a sensitive time. It was a monumental day for both of them, and Bonnie would remember their conversation vividly.
And so years later, when Bonnie Boring was ready, the world was introduced to its greatest hero…
1. Threat From Above
Where was Bonnie? Lisa Lin’s patience was running out. Once again, Bonnie had walked off casually without a word, leaving Lisa to deal with the line. She may have been her best friend, but she was frustrating to work with.
“Sorry for the delay, everyone,” called Lisa, “I’m handling this line by myself. My coworker will be back momentarily.”
It was Friday evening at The Big Box, and it felt like half of Queens was there. Aggressive shoppers dominated the landscape almost completely; only a few strange loiterers were hanging around the clothing aisles, speaking quietly, just out of sight of the registers. The aisles in every department were swarmed, from the electronics to the clothing to the toys, and even the groceries. Even the adjoining garage was full, causing a traffic backup on Northern Boulevard.
In the harsh flood lighting of the store, the staff did their best to keep up with the demand. Salespeople were running back and forth, scrambling to answer constant pages from the loudspeaker. Porters were struggling to keep up with New York customers’ typical regard for cleanliness. Many forgotten shopping carts were strewn about near the registers, all of which were backed up with long lines. Lisa’s line at the customer service desk was particularly overwhelmed with returns and exchanges, as well as complaints that the sale prices were not matching those advertised in the circular. She stood alone at an oversized counter, doing the work of two or more. Towards the back of the line, the customers were getting impatient.
“Where’s the manager?” called a man waiting a few places down the line.
“I called for him a while ago,” explained Lisa. “I can try again if you want.” Denny, the manager of the front end was also frequently unavailable. He spent a considerable amount of time in security, watching the cameras. The front end would often receive a call from him when the camera caught someone disengaged. It seemed however that there was little recourse when he was disengaged.
Ms. Infinity (Book 1): Earth's Greatest Hero Page 1
