The Expanding World

by Katrina Kahler

  Time to think this through. I didn’t need Glare Girl as an enemy but I also didn’t need her coming to fight me, especially when I might be surrounded by security. Plus, I couldn’t let my friends down. I couldn’t let anybody stand in my way.

  “Okay Glare Girl, you’re either with me or against me. And as powerful as BAD may be, trust me, you don’t want me as your enemy.” I made a fist. “You really don’t want to go against me.”

  Glare Girl took a step back. She squeezed both her fists together. “Well then, I do believe all heroes need an arch-rival.” She leaned forward and focused her eyes on me. She squinted.

  I felt my body heating up. In fact, my hair started to crackle with energy.

  “Martha, stop!” Ellie pleaded.

  “Come on girls, we can work this out,” Jeanie said slowly. “Let’s all take a step back and collect our breath.”

  Glare Girl took another step backward. “Why should I stop? I’m winning!”

  I took a step back too. I took a slow breath. “You should have taken your aunt’s advice.”

  I thought of the polar ice caps and frozen drinks. I exhaled on Glare Girl. My breath encased her in a block of ice.

  “Ha, I’ve put her on ice!” I laughed.

  “Ah, I wouldn’t bet on that,” Ellie said, pointing at Glare Girl.

  Sure enough, her ice block turned red and started to shake. The ice crumpled off her. Heat from her eyes slammed into my shoulder, knocking me down. The glare did pack quite a punch. I leaped up to my feet. I flew through the air and landed on top of Glare Girl, driving her to the ground. She tried to focus her eyes. I covered her eyes with my hand. My hand shook with the pain, but I kept my left hand locked over her eyes. With my right hand, I gave Glare Girl a pinch on the neck. The pressure on my hand stopped, Glare Girl went limp.

  I turned to Ellie and her mom. “She shouldn’t be a problem now. We should be in and out before she wakes up.” I smiled. “Now I just need a good way in. You said you could teleport me in?”

  “If you’re okay with being shrunk,” Ellie said.

  “I’m cool with that. I trust you.”

  Jeanie stepped forward. “You still have a problem. Ellie Mae just can’t show up at BAD for no reason. They always call her; she doesn’t call them.”

  “What if I go to visit Dad?” Ellie asked.

  Jeanie looked at me. “Her dad, my husband Don, works for their R&D department.”

  “So he’ll know about my friends?”

  Jeanie shook her head. “No, he’s only involved in the legitimate stuff. He would never condone holding people against their will. Believe me, honey, most of what BAD does is for good. Doctor Dangerfield really wants to help people.”

  “So, she is in charge?” I asked.

  “Yes, very much so.”

  “Then why is she so secretive?” I asked. “If she’s helping people?”

  “She claims her experiments are in the very early stages. She doesn’t want to go public until she is sure the experiments work for the masses. She also says she’s afraid people will try to steal her technology and misuse it. That’s why the company is mostly underground,” Jeanie laughed. “Most people in this city don’t even know BAD exists. If they ask me or my husband, we just tell them we work for a think tank. Which is true.”

  “How do you get me in there then?” I asked.

  “In my purse. While Ellie May can’t go there on a whim, we can certainly stop in for a family dinner. Like I said, most of what they do, in fact, everything we see them do, is legitimate and legal, but they do make their staff work long hours. Luckily they encourage family picnics.”

  Okay, that certainly didn’t sound very evil to me. Still, I had to get in there to see what was up.

  “Let’s make this so!” I said. I pointed at Glare Girl.

  “Great!” Ellie Mae smiled. “I love a picnic, and seeing my dad.” She pointed at Glare Girl. “But what do we do about her? I love my cousin but she does have a temper. And she’s already waking up from that nerve pinch.”

  Sure enough, Glare Girl was starting to stir. “Both of you hold your breath!” I said. I raced over to Glare Girl. I popped my foot out of my shoe. She started to push herself up off the ground. I wiggled my toes under her nose. She stopped moving upwards. “OMG!” she sighed. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head. She rolled over holding her throat.

  “You didn’t kill her, did you?” Ellie asked.

  “Nah, she’ll just sleep for the rest of the day.” I quickly popped my foot back into my shoe before I actually did kill her. I picked her up and carried her into the house.

  As I plopped her down on the couch, I got a text from Mom.

  MOM>Hey, where r u?

  LIA>Chatting with a new friend and her mom.

  MOM> Oh, I’m going on another date tonight. Hope ur ok with that?

  LIA>NP Mom…I want you to be happy.

  MOM>I hope u won’t have to save us tonight.

  LIA>Ah something tells me Glare Girl won’t b a problem 2nght.

  Dear Diary: First off, it is amazing how my foot odor is still my most potent weapon. I try not to think too much about that. But, man, when I'm nervous, my feet just sweat, and it’s certainly not a sweet sweat. Oh well, Jason tells me it’s my body’s way of defending itself. I like to think he’s right, and it’s not that I’m gross.

  My fate, and perhaps the fate of Thomas and cute little Felipe, is now in the hands of two people I’ve just met. I have to hope this isn’t a trap. Actually, I know it isn’t. I may have just met Ellie Mae Opal and her mom, but I can sense they’re good people. I trust my senses. Of course, even with them on my side, I’ll still be going into BAD against long odds. Luckily, I’m pretty sure this is nothing Super Teen can’t handle. Now, as for my mom dating a reporter who is trying to discover the identity of Super Teen, and my dad dating his android assistant, that’s something Lia Strong is going to have to learn to handle. I’m not a kid anymore. Heck, I’m most likely the strongest person in the world. My parents deserve to be happy even if their choices are weird.

  Can They Be Trusted?

  As Jeanie packed a nice picnic dinner, I made plans with Ellie.

  “I’ll shrink you so you fit into our picnic basket,” Ellie explained to me.

  “They don’t check the baskets on the way in?” I asked.

  “No,” Jeanie answered from the kitchen. “Like I said, BAD is really trusting. As long as you don’t wander into the restricted areas.”

  “You don’t find all of that suspicious?” I frowned.

  “A lot of companies have restricted areas. BAD says it’s because of chemical use and radiation. Until now, I’ve had no reason to doubt them. Like I said, they have always been good to my family.”

  I had to think again about whether I was doing the right thing. I was pretty much just putting my fate into the hands of two strangers. Sure, they seemed like very nice people, but they also seemed to really trust BAD. That couldn’t be good.

  Jeanie walked into the living room carrying the picnic basket. “You look concerned,” she said to me.

  “BAD has been good to you,” I said.

  “They have,” Jeanie said. “And so now you’re worried that we might be bringing you into a trap.”

  “I’d never do that!” Ellie said.

  I put my hand on her shoulder. “I know, Ellie.”

  “But she can’t be totally sure she trusts me,” Jeanie said. “After all, I am a lawyer for BAD.”

  “I want to trust you,” I said, looking Jeanie in the eyes.

  “Look Super Teen, trust me or not, but I’m your best chance to get into BAD. Sure, Ellie Mae could teleport you in, but security would notice you fairly quickly. Sure, you might be able to take them on, but if your friends are there, they could move them elsewhere pretty quickly. You may not trust me, but I’m still your best chance,” Jeanie’s eyes were locked on mine.

  “She has a valid point,” MAC said from my wrist. “Besid
es, I have been doing a voice analysis of her and she appears to be telling the truth. Either she is being truthful, or she is a fantastic liar!”

  Jeanie’s eyes jumped open. She pointed at my wrist. “Wow, talk about smartwatches.”

  I glared at MAC. “Yep, he’s smart but a bit annoying at times.”

  “I just speak the truth!” MAC said.

  Jeanie put her hand on my shoulder and looked at me again. “Trust me Super Teen, if BAD is holding people against their will, I will do everything I can to help you free them!”

  “They did do a lot to help your daughter and niece,” I said.

  Jeanie grinned. “Yes, they did, and I am so grateful. But not so grateful that I would let them hurt other innocent people. I would never allow that. Never!”

  “Okay,” I said with a weak smile.

  “You ready to get shrunk?” Ellie Mae Opal asked me.

  I nodded.

  Ellie Mae pointed at me. She squeezed her fingers together. I felt myself shrinking to miniature size.

  “Okay, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this,” I said.

  Jeanie leaned over and picked me up. She placed me gently in the basket. “There’s some fried chicken for you in there!” she told me.

  “Mom, should we drive or teleport there?” Ellie asked.

  “Driving is so slow and normal,” Jeanie laughed. “Besides, you know the location well!”

  A brief moment later, far inside the wonderful smelling picnic basket, I heard Jeanie talking to whom I assume were BAD security people.

  “Yes, we’re here to have a nice picnic dinner with my husband, Don Opal.”

  “Have a wonderful evening,” I heard the guard say.

  I felt myself moving for the first time since I’d been put into the picnic basket. Man, my life was weird. We walked for a bit. I heard an electronic beeping. I assumed it was a code to a door or something. I believe I heard a door slide open.

  A man’s voice said, “What a pleasant surprise!”

  I heard a kiss. Ah, how sweet! The lid to the basket popped open. Jeanie looked in. “You can get out now,” she told me.

  I leaped out and found myself staring at the surprised face of Ellie’s dad.

  “Super Teen,” Don said. “What’s going on here? Is this another training mission like the one in Starlight City? I didn’t agree with that… but Doctor Dangerfield insisted no one would get hurt and that it would also be a good experience for Super Teen. Having an arch-rival will inspire her.”

  “It did kind of inspire me to be better,” I admitted.

  Ellie pointed at me. I felt myself stretching back to normal size.

  “Daddy, she’s here to find her friends,” Ellie told him. “She says BAD was bad and that they took her friends away.”

  Don shook his head. “No, BAD wouldn’t do that. All the people they recruit are asked to take part in our research. Nobody is forced.”

  “I’m sure you believe that, but I need to search the place myself, especially the restricted areas!” I said.

  The door to the lab opened. In walked Doctor Dangerfield with a couple of security people behind her. The security personnel wore blue body armor.

  “Super Teen, if you wanted to visit my lab, all you had to do was ask.” Doctor Dangerfield said. She turned to Jeanie. “We scan all packages that come into the complex. We noticed your picnic basket had something special inside of it.”

  “You can’t do that!” Jeanie protested.

  “Actually, this is private secure property. We can do it and we certainly do,” Doctor Dangerfield said to Jeanie. Doctor Dangerfield turned her attention to me. “Super Teen, my staff and I will gladly give you a tour of our facility. All you have to do is ask.”

  ‘“I want to see the restricted area!” I insisted.

  Doctor Dangerfield smiled. “I assure you we have no restricted areas here.”

  “I’ve seen them,” Ellie protested.

  Doctor Dangerfield put a hand to her ear, listening to a headpiece. “My aides assure me those were just for a test simulation they were running. There are no restricted areas here.”

  Ellie touched me on the shoulder. “Well, one way to make sure…”

  A shimmering sphere appeared in front of me. The shimmer cleared to reveal a long black hallway. Ellie grabbed my hand and said, “Come.”

  We passed into the sphere. We came out in the long black hallway. Red lights lining the hallway started blinking. A robot voice said, “You have entered a restricted area. Please wait to be detained and escorted out.”

  Four silver hover drones dropped from the ceiling, they looked like electronic beetles. Red dots appeared on both Ellie’s shoulders and mine as well. The two front drones fired beams of energy at us from their eyes. A beam hit Ellie, she fell to the ground. A beam hit me. It bounced off me.

  “My turn!” I told the four hovering drones.

  I leaned forward and focused my heat vision on the drones. They all shattered into pieces. I bent down and picked up Ellie.

  “I’m okay,” she told me. “She pointed down the hallway. Leave me, they won’t hurt me. Check the door at the end of the hall.”

  I shot down the hallway at super speed. A couple of laser turrets appeared from the walls. They fired at me but I easily dodged their shots. I noticed a patch of yellow ick on the floor, right before the door. I leaped over it and smashed through the door. I rolled into a huge room with a dome ceiling and just three beds in it. One of the beds held Felipe, another held Tomas, the third held an older woman who I figured had to be Felipe’s mom. The three of them had weird rings with diodes on their heads. The diodes were connected to some sort of computer and a big glowing tube. The tube seemed to be filling with golden energy. The three of them laid there unconsciously. I rushed over. I looked at the computer and the tube. Oh my, this went way beyond my eighth-grade science level.

  I wanted to just pull off the diodes but I was afraid that would do more harm. I heard footsteps behind me. Doctor Dangerfield was there along with her security team. The big surprise was Doctor Dangerfield looked as shocked as I did. “What in the name of Newton is this?” she asked.

  I took a step forward while pointing at my friends. “You call this volunteering?”

  Doctor Dangerfield put her hand on her chest. “Super Teen, you have to believe me… I had no idea what was going on here.”

  I shook my head. “I find that very hard to believe,” I said.

  “You can believe her,” a voice very much like Doctor Dangerfield’s said from behind her.

  Another Doctor Dangerfield walked into the room. She was followed by two other Doctor Dangerfields. I’m not sure who looked more shocked, me, the security people or the original Doc Dangerfield.

  “C1, are you behind this!” Doctor Dangerfield said, pointing at my friends.

  The copy of Doctor Dangerfield grinned. I did not like that grin. “I’m C2,” she said.

  Doctor Dangerfield shook her head. “You all look alike to me!”

  “Doctor Dangerfield, what’s going here?” I asked.

  Doctor Dangerfield turned to me. “I’m a busy, busy woman. I have a lot to do and quite frankly, I love my research but hate the day-to-day details that go into running a company, so I cloned myself,” she said calmly.

  “Oh, of course, you did, that sounds SO logical,” I said.

  “Well, they aren’t straight clones of me, they each have bio augment devices in them to help them do even more.”

  “Oh, that makes it so much better…” I groaned.

  Doctor Dangerfield shook her head. “You would not believe the pressure I’m under doing all this. Trying to make the world a better place is hard! With a surprisingly large amount of paperwork involved!”

  One of the clones tapped each of the guards on their shoulders. The guards fell to the ground. “That’s okay, Doctor,” the clone said, “we’re now relieving you of all the pressure.”

  Dear Diary: I’m sure that somehow, so
me way, there may someday be a use for clones. But man, for a smart woman, Doctor Dangerfield sure did a dumb thing cloning herself. Sure, at times I guess I think it might be cool to have two of me, one to do the homework and regular girl stuff, the other to fight crime or maybe see Brandon. But then I realize it wouldn’t be wise to split myself like that. The homework, the boys, the saving the world, the whole package is what makes me, me. There are no shortcuts to a complete life, even when you are super. Looks like Doctor D had to learn this the hard way.

  Hard Knocks

  Doctor Dangerfield held up her arms. “Wait, you three were only supposed to do the boring stuff I didn’t want to do!”

  The lead clone laughed. “Sorry, Doc, we’ve decided to take over. Not just this lab, but eventually everything. We can use these naturally super beings here to supercharge our biodevices, making them even stronger. Soon, everybody in the world will want one of our implants!”

  “That sounds so wrong…” I said.

  The lead clone cackled. “How is it wrong to make everybody better? They will all be faster, stronger, immune to most diseases…”

  “I do not laugh like that!” Doctor Dangerfield insisted.

  “Doc, stick with the program,” I said. I looked at the lead clone. “Okay, what’s the catch?”

  “Why do you think there’s a catch?” the lead clone snickered.

  “I do not talk like that!” Doctor Dangerfield insisted. She turned to me. “They want to be able to control the biodevice users.”

  “Oh that IS so, so wrong,” I said.

  “And not anything I wanted,” Doc Dangerfield sighed.

  The lead clone chuckled. “Ha, you non-bio-enhanced non-clones think so small!”

  The second clone stepped forward. “You wanted to make the world a better place and that’s what we will be doing. Everybody will be better and under control.”

  Doc Dangerfield shook her head. “That’s not what I wanted…”

  The third clone moved towards her. “Sorry, boring original version of us, you have no say in this matter.”