“Okay,” said Betty, “If you don’t like it, that’s fine. What is it about that name? Too long?”
“Well Mom,” said Bonnie gingerly, “I want to support you. And sure, I’ve made creative use of my shape shifting powers. But how do you really think people are going to react to a big hairy primate sweeping the streets?”
“No Bonnie. I’m not talking about the animal. I mean guerilla, as in guerilla warfare. A guerilla public servant is actually a thing. It’s someone who takes local problems into his or her own hands, usually in secret. I already do that using my powers with invisibility. So, I now have a superhero name, just like you.”
“Interesting,” said Bonnie, now leaning back in her chair, “So…when do you make your debut. I mean, are you making a costume?”
“Oh, I’m not going to make any public appearances or anything,” said Betty.
“Are you going to leave a calling card or something? Like scratching into the pavement, ‘The Guerilla Public Servant was here?’”
“Oh no, honey! That would be an act of vandalism. It would defeat my whole purpose. Besides, I don’t see any need to advertise this.”
“So you’re not going to go public about this?”
“No. No need.”
“Then…are you telling anyone except me?”
“As of now…no.”
“Then what’s the point of the name?”
“I think it sounds cool.”
Bonnie sat up and thought for a few seconds. “You know something, Mom? You’re right! I think it’s very cool! Guerilla Public Servant you are!”
That morning, Johnny Gunn called Pam into his office.
“How can I help you?” said Pam.
“Come,” whispered Johnny, “Into the back…”
Johnny motioned Pam to follow him. He pushed a bookcase slightly; it was discretely placed on small wheels, and behind it was a secret room. Johnny closed the door behind him, failing to take notice of his receptionist as she lingered in his office while he and Pam sat down on leather chairs at a small, shiny table.
Johnny looked up at Pam with an unusually careworn face. “As you know, I will be making my announcement this Wednesday. It’s my defining moment. It’s America’s defining moment. However, I have a major concern.”
“What is the concern?” said Pam.
“That witch is the concern!” said Johnny, “She’s destroying everything! By now I should be in complete control of all of the country’s security, and its banks. I should be on my way to running everything in America. This is my country, not hers!”
“Yes. I know how she ruined things for you. When she saved the school bus…”
“…Right after our bombers started working, I was ready to expand from Gunn Secure New York and go nationwide, and then she gets in the way, and now all the attention is on her. I would have had all of the federal security agencies in my pocket by now if not for that weirdo alien!”
“And we’re not too keen on her spaceship rescue either…”
“…I had that rebuild contract in my hand! You know that, right? You lobby the right people in congress, you persuade the right people to cut corners in the right places, and you get yourself the no-bid contracts. But no! She had to spoil this too!”
“And the banks. Don’t bother. I know. That was your M-80…”
“…and that would have been the first of hundreds of break-ins in a week, set to crash the whole banking system. But, no. After that, our henches all got cold feet.”
Just outside in Johnny’s office, the receptionist was cringing.
“So where do we go now?”
“We’re still going forward. I’ll make my announcement. What few holes are left in my plan, we’ll be able to cover up once we’re in power. But with that Infinity Harlot in the picture, we’re screwed. We simply can’t go on with her around.”
“So…”
“My dear Pam, we have to destroy her. A simple bomb blast won’t do it. Firearms won’t do it. Temperatures in the thousands won’t kill her. We have to go nuclear. There is no other way to go.”
“I believe you are right,” said Pam, speaking tentatively, “Like I said, she is hard to beat. I do hope you thought things through though. This is going to be hard to hide.”
Johnny looked back at Pam with an intense, proprietary expression, and spoke impatiently. “Pam dear, I don’t think that way. I’m no small power. I don’t depend on others for approval. I don’t need to ask permission from the government. And I don’t care, I never did care, and I never will care what the public opinion is! I am a force to be reckoned with! When I decide something, I go through with it. If that means going nuclear, then I go nuclear, and the world will have to deal with the consequences. I make the rules. The rules don’t make me! Do you understand?”
Pam looked at Johnny with a mixture of fear and awe. “I do, sir.”
“Very well, then,” said Johnny, “I have contacted Will Roach to assure the money flow. You will now call my foreign contacts.”
Linda slipped away before Johnny and Pam saw her. Sitting on her desk, she felt terrible pangs of worry. She spoke quietly to herself. “My brother was in that bank vault. She saved him. I’d rather not see her killed.”
She was quiet as Johnny and Pam returned. She wondered what she could do to stop them. For now, all she could do was watch helplessly as they prepared for the demise of Earth’s Greatest Hero.
14. Work Like It’s Your Last Day On Earth
Johnny Gunn lorded over Pam as she spoke on the phone.
“Yes sir,” said Pam, “You have some loose nukes, right? As many as you have.”
“And it’s gotta be done immediately!” shouted Johnny.
“Right,” said Pam, “So, you know how much money is on this, right? I’d call back right away if I were you.”
As Pam hung up, Johnny slammed his fist on the table. “Friggin’ wimps! When I’m running things here, I’m not gonna have to wait for anybody to ‘call me back.’ I’ll actually have my nukes. You’ll see. I get results.”
“I don’t doubt it for a minute,” said Pam.
Bonnie killed time before work by flipping channels on her TV. “Come on! There has to be something good and trashy. Reality shows? Talk shows? Ugh. Where did all this horrible good taste come from?”
She flipped to A-NY News and saw Jenna Storm chatting with Paul Kiefer at the anchor’s desk. Her eyes suddenly lit up with an idea she had. “Infinite Power!” she called, and with a puff of smoke, she changed into Ms. Infinity once again. Then slipping through the escape hatch in her closet, she flew high into the sky, and across the East River into Manhattan.
As the now-internationally famous superhero landed on a Midtown street, crowds of people turned and looked, many grabbing their cellphones to get selfies in front of her. All eyes were upon her as she entered the Prismatic Cable Building that contained the A-NY studios. Some whispered, wondering if she was doing an interview, or maybe stopping a crime.
As she appeared in the lobby, the guard—the same guard who had virtually ignored Hal Holstein days earlier—stood up at attention. “Welcome, Ms. Infinity! How may I help you?”
“Hello, sir,” she said, “I was wondering if I could speak to Ms. Jenna Storm. I would be happy to sign in.”
“One moment, please.” He picked up the phone. “Hello. Ms. Storm? Ms. Infinity is here…Hello? Ms. Storm? Hello? Oh sorry, Ms. Infinity. She hung up. I’m not sure if we got cut off or if she had to run for her cue. Or… I hate to say it, but you don’t have an appointment. They do get pretty antsy here about people who come in off the street…”
Suddenly the elevator opened, and Jenna Storm ran over to Ms. Infinity. “It’s you! Oh my God! Ms. Infinity! Welcome!”
“Hi Ms. Storm,” said Ms. Infinity.
“Oh! Please! Call me Jenna.”
“Well thank you very much, Jenna.”
Jenna looked at Ms. Infinity, as if waiting for her to reciprocate with a familiar
name. After a few seconds, she said, “So Ms. Infinity, what can I do for you today?”
“Well I hope this isn’t presumptuous, but I was wondering if we could do another interview. Recently there have been accusations made against me, and I wanted to set the record straight.”
“I can’t believe you think you have to ask me that! I’m the one who should be begging you for an interview. Rich, did you sign her in?”
“It’s Dan. So Ms. Infinity, do you have ID on you?”
“Oh,” said Ms. Infinity, “I’m afraid I don’t carry any ID with me. I’d be happy to do this outside if…”
“Don’t worry,” said Dan, “Go on inside.”
“Thank you very much, sir,” said Ms. Infinity.
“Here,” said Jenna, “Follow me into the green room and have some refreshments. We’ll set up the studio, and I’ll get you when they’re ready.”
After dropping Ms. Infinity off, Jenna pulled a young woman over by her arm. “Listen Constance, you’re coming with me.”
“That’s not my name,” said the woman.
“Never mind that!” said Jenna, “You have a job to do.”
“I have to finish something here for Tom…”
“Oh no! If you don’t come with me right now, even Tom won’t be able to save your pathetic job.”
Jenna came into the green room with Jake, bringing a camera and a microphone.
“I’m sorry,” said Jenna, “The studio is taken. Do you mind doing this in the green room?”
“Oh, sure,” said Ms. Infinity.
“Barbara!” called a woman’s voice outside in the hall.
“Who’s that?”
“Oh. Don’t mind that,” said Jenna as she set up the microphone, “They’re giving out assignments out there. I’m also sorry that all we have is bagels. If I’d known you were coming, I would have had something prepared for you. Actually, what do you eat…or do you eat?”
“Yes. I do. And bagels are fine. These are good actually.”
“You really can’t get good bagels outside New York.”
“That’s for sure! They say it’s the water.”
Jenna’s eyes picked up. “So I hear.”
“Linda!” called the voice. Jenna fixed her eyes on Ms. Infinity.
“Are we ready to begin?” said Ms. Infinity.
“Whenever you’re ready,” said Jenna, “Please remember to answer in full sentences.”
“Yes. I remember.”
“Diana!” called the voice in the hall. Jenna’s eyes stayed fixed on her subject.
“So, are you going to ask a question?” said Ms. Infinity.
“Yes,” said Jenna, “Welcome, Ms. Infinity. It is a great honor having you here in New York City. How do you like it here?”
“Oh!” said Ms. Infinity, “Ya know, I love this town.”
Jenna listened intently to the superhero’s answer, noticing a trace of a New York accent in her voice. Usually she spoke very properly when in this guise. It was part of her persona, a conscious effort to separate Ms. Infinity from her Bonnie Boring identity, and her rather pronounced Queens accent. Together with her power of shape-shifting, this helped to make her disguise impenetrable to all save Betty Boring and Lisa Lin. However, it seemed she could not lose the accent completely.
“Liz!” called the voice. Ms. Infinity twitched slightly out of disorientation. Jenna stayed fixed on her.
“I know you’re an alien, but do you live here now?”
“I’m a private person. I’m not going to give away my location.”
“Jennifer!” called the voice.
“Forgive me for my curiosity. You seem to appear out of nowhere, and then you’re gone.”
“Well, I can’t be saving the world all the time. There’s only so many hours in a day.”
“I guess so,” said Jenna, “I can’t blame you for having your own responsibilities. I certainly have mine. You know, being a woman working twice as hard as men for half the pay.”
“Yeah,” said Ms. Infinity with a trace of world-weariness, “We all live that life.” Jenna looked at her intently, the more so when she gave no reaction when the voice called, “Andrea!”
“You know that’s the kind of thing that unites women everywhere. I’ve experienced the glass ceiling here.”
“I don’t doubt it. We all get looked down on.”
“Donna!” called the voice outside.
“It’s every industry,” said Jenna, “Everything from the medical field to Wall Street, even things like the casinos. That was a story I did in an internship back in the day. They are often harassed by their bosses, and they take a lot of abuse from patrons.”
“The service industry is tough,” said Ms. Infinity.
“Indeed, it is,” said Jenna, picking up on the interest Ms. Infinity had just taken, “I don’t know how well you know the girls who work the casinos down at Atlantic City.”
“No. I’ve never been.”
“Not a gambler? Or not from New Jersey? I mean, it would be funny if you were a Jersey girl…”
“Oh, God!” said Ms. Infinity, “Me? No. I mean, nothing against them.”
“Cassandra!” called the voice. Jenna continued to watch Ms. Infinity carefully.
“I’m from Long Island myself,” said Jenna.
“Oh. Okay,” said Ms. Infinity, apparently disinterested.
“Before I moved out, I used to drive in from there. It’s a lot of traffic on the L.I.E., especially in Queens. I don’t know how well you know the boroughs. Manhattan people never seem to bother with them.”
“Yeah. I know,” laughed Ms. Infinity, “They really don’t.”
“Sue!” called the voice.
“You wouldn’t be part of the bridge and tunnel crowd, would you?”
“Now Jenna,” said Ms. Infinity, “You know I don’t need a bridge or a tunnel.”
Jenna smiled. “No. I guess you don’t. So, can you tell me, speaking of New York, you do at least seem to favor it. What is it that you like about it?”
“I love New York for a lot of things,” said Ms. Infinity, “Above all it’s because everybody belongs. Anybody from anywhere might be our neighbor. New York is everyone, and everyone is New York.”
Jenna’s expression picked up. “Indeed.”
“Lisa!” called the voice.
“Listen,” said Ms. Infinity, “I appreciate the small talk, but I have a particular purpose here. I’ve been accused of some terrible things by Johnny Gunn. Can I please respond to these accusations?”
“Of course!” said Jenna, “I’ll cue you. So Ms. Infinity, there have been accusations that you were connected to the explosives that surrounded two of your superhero operations. Can you respond to them?”
“I certainly can respond. If there is one thing that is important to me, it’s respect for human life. Whoever set off those explosives was reckless with peoples’ lives. To me there is nothing worse than that. So simply put, I was most certainly not behind those explosions. I don’t know who was, but I was not. Is that clear enough?”
“It certainly is,” said Jenna.
“Betty!” called the voice.
“Listen,” said Ms. Infinity, “I do need to get a move on. I’m sorry if I can’t do more for you.”
“Okay,” said Jenna, “But can I please just ask this one more time? Ms. Infinity, who are you?”
“Like I have said, I am Ms. Infinity.”
“So you don’t have a secret identity?”
“Why would you assume that? And besides, what I do with my private time is up to me, isn’t it?”
“Is there anything else you have to say?”
“One more thing: Never forget the power you have inside you.”
“Do you mean anything special by that?”
“Everybody has power, whether they realize it or not. We can all do great things. The best thing I can do is remind people of their potential for good.”
Ms. Infinity said her goodbye, securing a p
romise from Jenna that she would not edit her statement in a way that might twist her words. Just after her departure, the voice called, “Jean!”
“Never mind, Connie,” called Jenna, “She’s gone.”
“For the last time,” said the woman as she walked in, “my name is Bonnie. Did it work?”
“I don’t think so. She twitched slightly on ‘Liz,’ but I don’t think that’s her name. But I did figure some things out. She has a job of some kind, otherwise she wouldn’t be too busy to be Ms. Infinity. I strongly suspect something in the service industry. Also, she lives in the boroughs, probably Brooklyn or Queens. Judging by her particular feelings about the city, I’m going to guess Queens.”
Pam continued to speak politely on the phone as Johnny Gunn watched her angrily.
“Three nukes?” said Pam, “I don’t know…”
“Idiots!” shouted Johnny “What’s so hard about this?”
“Alright, but where? Because if you drop three of them like…”
“Hey Romanov!” shouted Johnny into the phone, “You’re weak! You gonna have to do better!”
“His name is Presputnik,” said Pam, “So Uri, we really are at a breaking point…Really? Oh. Well, okay. Thank you, then. Then it’s a deal.”
As Pam hung up the phone, Johnny looked at her in shock.
“What kind of sissy move was that?” said Johnny.
“You didn’t hear what he said. Come. We have to fly over to Siberia. I’ll explain along the way.”
That day at work, Lisa could barely look at Bonnie anymore. She kept her interactions down to the barest pleasantries. It was amazing to her that Bonnie seemed oblivious to it. Bonnie also seemed to be forgetting some of the details of her training. On another day, Lisa might have reminded her. Now she just didn’t have it in her.
When Lisa drifted by the registers, Julia seemed to assault her with her chatter.
“Bonnie’s the bomb!” said Julia.
“Oh, she’s some kind of combustion,” said Lisa.
“That customer was here again, the one that always talks. And he be like ‘I want to make a change to this order,’ or whatever, and Bonnie be like, ‘What?’ and he be like, ‘I want to change this and that, and then he be like ‘I want my money back,’ and Bonnie be like, ‘You done! Go!’ Then he be like…”
Where Infinity Begins Page 14
