Cosmic Girl Rising Up

by R S J Gregory

  Beth waves at the startled passengers who are pressing their faces against the windows. We’re both wearing our costumes, so I don’t worry too much. Her white leather catsuit does reflect the sunlight a little too much, though. I could use some sunglasses. We soon leave the aircraft far behind as I accelerate more. We’re ten minutes out from Chicago, and according to Beth’s GPS information on her cell phone, we’re now flying over Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. New York is not far away now.

  “I hope he’s home.” Beth calls out over the wind.

  “He’d better be.” I shout.

  “What if he’s not?” Beth shouts back.

  “I guess you’ll have to do some snooping.” I shout.

  I look down at her cell phone. We’re coming up on Harrisburg. I begin to descend slowly, so that we have time for the ice to melt from us. A thin layer of ice began building up a few minutes back. As we get lower, the ice begins to melt slowly. Beth’s shoulder length light-brown hair begins to get damp, and starts to look darker. I stop and hover to allow the water to drip from us. The moisture is making Beth slippery, so I hold her upright, and let the wind dry her. After a few minutes, we’re a bit drier, so I scoop her legs up and cradle her again in my small arms as I fly us east.

  We’re still a few thousand feet up, when I hear a faint roar. After a few seconds, the roaring begins to get louder. I look around, but it’s Beth who sees them first.

  “What is it?” I ask urgently.

  “Jets. Fighter jets. Two of them.” Beth calls back as she gazes over my shoulder.

  “Oh, great.” I moan. “Can you let them know that we’re friendly?” I ask.

  “I’ll try.” Beth answers as I begin to pick up speed again.

  “Boy, they’re pissed.” Beth says after a few seconds.

  “Did you try and explain?” I ask.

  “Yeah, but I think I made things worse. They’re freaked out.”

  “What are they doing now?” I ask.

  “They’re talking to their commanding officer.” Beth says, and then I see her eyes narrow as she looks at them. “Oh, no. They’re asking permission to engage.”

  “That doesn’t sound good.” I answer and look around me.

  Of course, there’s nowhere to hide up here.

  “They’ve got the green light. Get us out of here!” Beth screams in my face.

  I groan and accelerate. I lose them for a few seconds, then I hear the roar of their engines behind me, along with another sound. My head explodes in pain, and I hear the familiar ringing in my ears for a split second. Uh, oh.

  “They’re firing!” Beth shouts, and ducks her head as bullets wiz by around us.

  Let’s see how agile they are. I arch my back and head upwards and accelerate faster. I hear the sonic boom behind me as I rocket towards the upper atmosphere.

  Are they following?

  ‘Yeah, but they’re quite far below. Still climbing though.’

  The sky is crystal clear with hardly any clouds for hundreds of miles. As I climb, I look down past Beth’s shoulder at the earth far below. I see a glimmer of blue and white further to the east, and smile. The ocean. We’re not far now.

  The smile vanishes as I get the short warning in my head again. Something hard slams into my right foot. The impact makes my foot go numb instantly, then something hard hits my left calf.

  ‘They’re firing again!’ Beth’s frightened voice almost shouts inside my head.

  “You think!” I yell, then another bullet hits me in the middle of my back.

  “Aagh!”

  The pain and the force of the impact makes me drop Beth, as I find myself flung forward and go head over heels. I look down at the fighters shooting at me as I hang upside down in the air, only dimly aware of Beth’s screams as she drops from the sky like a white pebble.

  I plunge downwards headfirst, and dodge the bullets as they rocket up towards me. I then hear the roar of the guns as I get closer.

  I stick my middle finger up at one of the fighter pilots as I rocket past him on my way to catch Beth before she hits the ground. I catch up with her after a few more seconds, and catch her in my arms. She cries and hugs my neck tightly. I continue flying down, and then bank right and head south. In all of the craziness, we’ve overshot New York, and are now over the Atlantic. I make a wide turn to the south and then head back west. I skim the mighty waves as I hurtle towards our destination. The crash and boom of the waves is soothing; but my body is exploding with pain. My back is killing me, and I can’t feel my right leg.

  “Do you see them?” I ask Beth through clenched teeth.

  “No.” She answers amid sobs.

  “I see a beach.” I call out, as feeling begins to come back into my right foot.

  The feeling is agony, and tears start to leak from my eyes, and I gasp for breath.

  “I think it’s Brighton Beach. We’re close to Brooklyn.” I hear Beth say, but I’m finding it hard to focus on anything.

  I waver a bit in the air, and then as we reach the beach, I fall to the sand and collapse. I hear a few shouts and calls of alarm, but I feel myself slipping away.

  “Cosmic Girl?” I hear a man’s voice say.

  Then everything goes dark, and I slip into oblivion.

  Twenty Five

  When I open my eyes, I’m still outdoors. I can hear the blare of car horns somewhere. I groan and lift my head, but it feels like it’s weighed down with boulders. Where am I?

  “You okay?” I hear a man’s voice speak.

  Sounds like the same guy I heard before I blacked out.

  “Where am I?” I ask.

  “My place.” The man says, then I hear some movement, and a man in his thirties crouches over me.

  There’s something about him which is familiar somehow. He smiles, but looks concerned. “You okay?” He asks again.

  “Who are you?” I ask, and try to get up, but it feels like every muscle is hurting.

  “I’m Reilly.”

  “Where’s….my friend?” I ask cautiously.

  “She’s inside getting some chow.” He answers and points behind me.

  I turn my head slowly, and see that I’m on a balcony. Glass doors behind me are open, and inside I can see Beth, still in her white catsuit, eating a bowl of noodles with a fork.

  I ease myself up into a sitting position, and rub my aching back.

  “Your friend told me what happened. Typical, huh?” He says and holds out his hand to me.

  “Yeah. I guess my last visit was less expected.” I grumble, as I take his hand and try and get up. “Ow!” I groan, and manage to get up on to one knee.

  “Come on, almost up.” Reilly says and tugs on my arm.

  I take a deep breath, and then force my body to stand up. I stand for a few seconds, and wait for my stomach to settle before attempting any more movement.

  “They really shot you?” Reilly says and puts his arm around my shoulders.

  “Yep.” I reply, then try and move one leg forward gently.

  The scene suddenly makes me laugh. Here I am, trying to walk, as some strange guy supports me, when this morning I was flying through the clouds like an eagle.

  I stop and burst out laughing.

  “What the hell is so funny?” Beth asks from the glass doors.

  I look up and grin, then cry out in pain again.

  “Well, she lives.” Reilly says, and steps back as Beth comes over and helps me into the living room.

  As Beth helps me to sit down in a soft looking green couch, Reilly walks in, and then stops near a fake looking fire and watches me with keen blue eyes.

  “So why is the Air Force shooting at Cosmic Girl?” Reilly asks Beth.

  “I wish I knew.” I grumble and relax into the couch.

  “They were scared.” Beth says, and then turns and faces Reilly.

  “We’re different. That scares them.” Beth adds.

  “Thank you, Reilly.” I say meekly, and try to smile.

  “You’re
welcome.” Reilly says as he watches me.

  “Why did you help us, anyway?” Beth asks and folds her arms.

  “She helped me once.”

  “I don’t remember you.” I groan.

  “Well, you wouldn’t, would you. You were busy dealing with those bank robbers.”

  “You were at the bank?” I ask.

  He nods, and smiles at me. “You were amazing. Fearless. Had I known then, that you weren’t bullet proof, I would have been even more impressed.”

  “No one must know!” I cry out, and then groan and rub my leg.

  “Hey, I’m not telling anyone. Your secrets safe.” Reilly says quickly, and then walks towards me and kneels down.

  He takes my hand and brushes some hair away from my masked face.

  “I’ve been wanting an opportunity to see you again. To say, thank you.” He lifts my purple gloved-hand, and kisses the back of my hand.

  “Just trying to help.” I mutter as the room starts to spin.

  “And this is the thanks you get?” He mutters under his breath, and then kisses my hand again and stands up.

  “You know, you’re a lot shorter than I remember.” Reilly says and chuckles as I frown at him.

  “Look, Romeo, we aren’t sightseeing. We’re here to find someone.” Beth says.

  “Who?” He asks.

  “Paul Thomas Richardson.” Beth says as she stands protectively near me.

  “The movie producer?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Why are you looking for him?”

  “Let’s just say there’s blood on his hands, and leave it at that.” Beth says.

  “Okay.” Reilly says and holds up his hands.

  “I-Spy. Calm down, please.” I mutter as I close my eyes for a second.

  “Do you know him?” Beth asks quietly.

  “I know of him, but I don’t know him.”

  “Any idea where we might find him, if he’s not at home?”

  “You know where he lives? Must be bad, if you’re after him, huh?”

  I nod slowly. “Can you help?” I ask.

  “Most people know where the Hollywood big wigs are in New York. There’s a restaurant in Manhattan, where you’ll usually find some of them meeting at. It’s called The Razzle, I think. ”

  “Can you take us there?” I ask.

  “You’re in no condition to travel.” Reilly cautioned me.

  “He’s right.” Beth says and looks down at me.

  “What time is it?” I ask.

  “4:32 p.m.” Beth says.

  “Give me a couple of hours. Okay?” I ask and then fall asleep before they answer.

  “Hey, wake up.” I hear Beth’s voice whisper in my ear.

  I hear another voice. A woman’s voice, and she sounds angry.

  “What the hell are they doing here?”

  “She was hurt. I couldn’t just leave her on the beach.” I hear Reilly reply from the next room.

  “She doesn’t look hurt. Do you really think I’m that stupid?”

  “Please, Sonia, let me explain. She really is Cosmic Girl.”

  “I don’t care what she calls herself. I want her out of here, and I mean right now.”

  “She’s not staying, just resting up. She’ll be going when she feels better.”

  “And how about how I feel?”

  “Don’t make this into something it’s not. I thought you knew me better than this?”

  “I thought I knew you too.” The woman’s voice says, and then I hear a door slam shut.

  “Uh, oh.” Beth says quietly and sits down next to me. “You okay?”

  My head still feels a little groggy, but the worst of the pain is gone, now I just feel bruised, instead of broken. I nod my head.

  “Where are we? Are we still in Brooklyn?” I ask.

  “No. Reilly’s apartment’s in Long Beach.” Beth whispers.

  “How did we get here?” I whisper back.

  “He has a boat.”

  “Really?”

  Reilly walks slowly into the room from another doorway. He looks a little shell-shocked.

  “I’m sorry.” I say and begin to get up. “We’ll be going now.” I say and gingerly take a step forward.

  My leg doesn’t explode in pain, so that’s a good sign.

  “Hey, don’t worry about it. Just a misunderstanding.” Reilly says and waves his hand dismissively.

  “She’s lucky to have you.” I say, then hover off the wooden floor, and kiss him on the cheek.

  He smiles, and reaches up with his right hand and strokes my cheek.

  “Thank you.” Reilly says.

  I hover away and land back on to the wooden floor.

  “So, where’s this restaurant?” Beth asks.

  The restaurant is on Madison Avenue in Manhattan, across the street from the rear of St Patrick’s cathedral. A pretty low-key location for Hollywood big shots to talk shop over a rib-eye steak.

  I fly us to Central Park, and we quickly change back into our plain clothes behind some bushes. I slip my color contact lenses in, and then shoulder my backpack again.

  We then walk out of the park and head down 5th Avenue. We make a left at St Patrick’s cathedral, and walk along the sidewalk to the rear of the grand old stone building. We stand and stare across the street at the restaurant, The Razzle.

  The sky is beginning to darken, and the sun has sunk below the skyscrapers behind us, bathing the entire block in shadow. The lights are on in the restaurant, and we can see people sitting and talking. One woman is sitting on her own at a table. She wears a posh black and white suit, and dark sunglasses as she sips a glass of something sparking. I wonder who she is?

  “Angelina Jolie.” Beth says next to me as she leans against a wall.

  “Really?” I ask.

  Then I notice her lips. Oh, yeah, it is her.

  “Is Paul….what’s-his-face here?” I ask.

  “Give me a second.” Beth says and focuses on the restaurant.

  I wait for a few minutes, while she does a good impression of a street statue. I pull off my backpack and reach inside for my purse. I get the small card out, and flip it over and read the phone number again. I slip the card into my rear jean pocket, then put my purse back inside, and close the backpack, and slip it back over my shoulders.

  “I might have something…” Beth murmurs, then closes her eyes. “His name’s been mentioned. Someone’s thinking about him. Something about a film he’s producing.” Beth says and then opens her eyes.

  “Come on, guys. Get on with it.” Beth moans in frustration, and continues to stare across the street at the restaurant. “Ha. He’s here.” Beth says in surprise.

  I begin limping across the street towards the restaurant. Beth catches up with me.

  “You’re not just going to barge in there are you?” Beth asks.

  “Of course.” I say and open the glass doors. “Stay here, please. I need you to scan his little pea brain.” I say and hobble inside.

  “Do you have a reservation?” A young woman in a smart orange suit asks, as she sees me approaching.

  “I’m here to see Paul Richardson. I’m a courier. I have a package for him. It’s very urgent.” I say in my best serious voice.

  “Wait here, please.” The woman says, then disappears amongst the tables.

  I see her stop near a large round table in the corner. Three men in suits are sitting around it. One of the men looks up at the woman in the orange suit as she bends down to speak to him. He looks over at me, and then waves me over.

  Bingo!

  I hobble over to the corner table, and the woman in the orange suit passes me as she walks quickly back to the reception desk. I check the man who waved me over as I get closer.

  Just like his picture I saw before. Short blond hair combed back, which is starting to go white around his temples. He’s wearing thin round wire-framed glasses, which he takes off as I get closer. He’s wearing a dark grey suit, unbuttoned, and the slee
ves are pushed back up his forearms, exposing his navy blue shirt. His tanned face creases as he smiles up at me.

  “Hello there, little lady. You have something for me?” He asks in a slow southern drawl. Kind of reminds me of an older Josh Lucas.

  “Yes.” I say and reach into my back pocket, and pull out the card with the number he had written on it for Tony Bardino’s goon, Rick.

  “Here.” I say and pass the card to him.

  “What is this?” Paul Richardson asks as he looks at the card. Then his expression changes when he sees his own hand-writing.

  “You see, my friend, Rick, has been having trouble getting hold of your employer. He was expecting more money for the job he did…”

  “I’ll be right back, gentlemen.” Paul says, and then gets up and beckons me to follow him.

  He walks quickly over to the entrance to the washrooms, and then turns on me. He towers over me. He’s taller than Mitchell.

  “What the hell are you playing at coming here like this?” He asks.

  “Like I said, Rick is expecting more money for the job he did for you and your employer.” I say coolly.