“Probably all a bunch of crackpots.”
“Sometimes you need a crackpot to change the world.”
“Like me, for instance?”
“And me.”
“Come on, you’re the straightest gay girl I know. Starla’s the only one squarer than you.”
“Be nice.” Melanie kisses her again. “And hurry up. Elise and Paul are getting ready to leave.”
“I wouldn’t want to miss that.”
She rolls her eyes but her heart isn’t really in it. She takes Melanie’s hand and allows her girlfriend to lead her away from the cell. She catches one last glimpse at her other self. Then she turns back to Melanie and knows why she didn’t end up in the padded cell.
***
It’s not a long swim from the new Super Squad headquarters to Pacifica. Paul trails behind her, the distance growing between them the closer they get. She finally has to stop to wait for him to catch up. “Don’t be nervous,” she says. “They’re not going to flay you alive.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Of course. You’re a friend of the queen.”
“Oh, well. In that case I’ll be fine.”
There’s sarcasm in his voice. She can understand why. If Pacifica had polls like on land, her popularity would be in the single digits. “It’ll take time for them to adjust to having a woman on the throne. By the time Ariel takes over for me, it’ll be old hat.”
“Let’s hope.”
She tries to put on a brave face, but she isn’t much more confident than Paul is. She knows there have already been whispers in the palace corridors about replacing her with someone else. To quash those rumors, on her first day of office, Elise gathered the population in the main plaza. She brandished the golden trident and shouted, “Anyone who wants to challenge my right to wield this scepter or to sit on the throne of Pacifica, do it now in front of all these witnesses.”
No one came forward. That doesn’t mean they aren’t still plotting against her. Like the old surface kings she has to have someone taste her food to make sure it’s not poisoned. She keeps the magic seashell with her in bed to fend off any attackers. For the same reason, she keeps Ariel’s crib next to her bed.
It would be much simpler to take Ariel and go live in another ocean, far away from Pacifica. But she can’t do that. She tried to abdicate her throne first to her mother and the council and then later to that shithead Lord Neptune. The result was that she lost Erek and her mother; she nearly lost her daughter as well. The experience taught her that this is her job and woe to anyone who tries to get in her way.
They finally get close enough to see Pacifica. Paul lets out a gasp. She smiles a little at this. She has seen the place so often that she’s forgotten how awe-inspiring it can be to a newcomer. A city not quite as big as Atomic City or Focal City but still a city of thousands, built entirely on the floor of the ocean. It’s a sprawling marvel, a testament to the strength and resilience of her people, the people she has been chosen to lead and defend. Looking upon the place now, she feels the weight of the responsibility on her shoulders. Unlike before, it’s a weight she’s ready to bear.
She leads Paul through the front gates. He draws a few cursory glances. Pacifica is very much like a small town in that everyone knows most everyone else. She’s certain that word of an outsider is already spreading.
They descend into the bazaar so Paul can see the wares his new people have to offer. There are a lot of startled gasps and bowing at her approach. She’s certain there are quite a few whispers in her wake as well. Paul stops to finger a statue carved from coral. It’s not as fine as Erek’s, but then no one quite had his talent, his love for sculpting. “This is beautiful,” he says.
“If you want it, it’s yours,” Elise says.
He pats his loincloth. “I don’t have any money on me.”
“It’s fine.” Elise turns to the merchant. “Send a bill to the palace.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
She selects a nearby café for them to dine at. “Pacifican cuisine isn’t much,” she says. “Kind of hard to cook when you’re underwater.”
“It’s all right. I’m sure I’ll get used to it.” Paul sniffs at a piece of kelp. He sticks it in his mouth and begins to chew thoughtfully. “If nothing else it’ll help me stay in shape.”
They share a laugh at this. She’s glad Paul decided to spend some time down here getting to know his new people. With about everyone here hating her, she needs a friend. More than that, she needs someone she can trust to be around Ariel.
For that reason, she takes him to the palace. She shows him around the throne room, the treasury, the kitchens, and the many other rooms before they go up to her quarters. “This is pretty fancy,” he says, looking around at the enormous master bedroom with its giant clam-shaped bed.
“That bed is surprisingly comfortable.”
He looks down at the floor. “Elise, you know I still can’t—”
“I wasn’t asking you to do that.” She shakes her head. “My husband died only a few weeks ago. You think I want to start bringing guys home already?”
“No, Your Majesty.”
“Don’t you ever call me that. At least not in private. I’m still Elise to you when we’re alone.”
“Yes, Elise.”
“Don’t be a smart-aleck.” She motions him over to the side of the bed. “And here’s my pride and joy.”
Ariel’s asleep in her crib, a thumb in her mouth. Paul lets out a sigh. “She’s so cute. Just like her mama.”
“She’s going to be a chip off the old block.”
As if she senses the attention, Ariel’s eyes open. “Mama?”
“That’s right, my darling. Mama’s here.” She scoops Ariel out of the crib. She presses her daughter to her chest. The first night Elise came home, Ariel screamed at the sight of her. It wasn’t until Elise sang her favorite lullaby that Ariel calmed down. They’ve gotten reacquainted since then, to the point that it’s like how it used to be between them.
Elise bounces her daughter in her arms for a minute. Then she turns the girl to face Paul. “This is your Uncle Pauly-Wally. Say hello.”
Ariel makes a noise that Elise euphemistically translates as a hello. Paul sighs again. “Hi, kiddo,” he says.
“You want to hold her?”
“I don’t think I should. I’m not really good with kids.”
“Go ahead, give it a try.”
Elise presses Ariel into Paul’s hands. She fusses for a few seconds as Paul holds her like a live grenade. Once Elise instructs him how to hold the baby, she calms down. He rocks her more confidently in his arms. “Aren’t you so precious?”
“She is,” Elise says. The most precious thing in the whole world. And no one is going to take her away from Elise again.
***
It takes three minutes for Allison and Sally to get back to Gleason. They stop at the park where Sally left her car. In the bathroom stalls they change out of their costumes. For her new role as Sally’s “sidekick,” Allison had a new costume made. It’s largely the same as her old one, only the blue has changed to pink now to look more kid-friendly. She folds this up and then puts on a pink T-shirt and jeans.
Sally drives Allison back home. They sit in the driveway even after Sally puts the car into park. “I should probably be going. Mom still worries about me.”
“That’s what mothers do.”
“You want to come in?”
“That’s not a good idea. You know what your mom thinks of me.”
“She would have thought that about anyone who married me. I was all she had after Dad died.”
“I know. How’s she taking the idea of you being a superhero?”
“I haven’t told her.”
“Are you kidding?”
“No.” Allison sighs and shakes her head. “You know how she is. If she thought I were out there risking my life, she’d tie me to the bed.”
“You could break the rope.”
“You know what I mean. Even if she did accept it, she’d probably blab it to everyone in the city.”
“Plus you don’t want her to know you’re hanging out with me, right?”
“What? No! She knows how I feel about you.”
“How do you feel about me?”
“I love you, Sally. You know I still do. I always will, no matter how old I am.”
“I talked to Starla at the meeting.” Allison braces herself for what she knows is coming; she’s known this would come up eventually. “She says she can make some more of the stuff that changed her back. If you want to try it.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. We don’t know what it’ll do.”
“Well, look, the stuff they gave you the first time took your powers away like it did to Starla. Why shouldn’t the opposite be true?”
“But you see what it did to me the first time.” Allison pushes up the glasses she wears now merely for show. “The reason I got so much younger than Starla or Elise is because my system is accelerated. If I take that ‘cure’ now, what do you think will happen? I could end up fifty, sixty years old. Is that what you want?”
“So you’d rather stay a little kid?”
“I’m not that little. Just five years and I’ll be an adult again. That’s a lot better than being five years from getting an AARP card, don’t you think?”
“If you were fifty at least we could be together again. The way it is now, what am I supposed to do?”
She looks over at Sally, tears in her eyes. “I’m not going to ask you to wait for me. That’s not fair to you. I want you to be happy. If you find someone else, someone who’s a grown up, it’s all right for you to date him—or her. I won’t say I won’t mind, but I’ll understand.”
“Oh, Ally.” Sally leans towards her; at the last minute she changes her trajectory to kiss Allison’s cheek. She runs a hand through Allison’s hair and smiles. “I’ll always love you. You know that.”
“Thanks.” Allison clears her throat. “Um, I was thinking. Maybe I could come over sometime to babysit Jenny.”
“I think Jenny would like that. She’s been missing Aunt Ally reading to her.”
“Great. So how about this Friday?”
“Sounds like a date.”
Sally kisses her cheek again and then Allison climbs out of the car. She walks slowly up the sidewalk to the front door. She turns to wave to Sally as she backs out the drive.
Mom of course is waiting for her at the door. “What was that all about? Have you been crying?”
“It’s all right, Mom. I’m fine.”
“I’ve got some milk and cookies in the kitchen for you.”
“Thanks, Mom.” She lets Mom put an arm around her to lead her into the kitchen. Though she hates to admit it, there are some perks to being a kid.
***
Starla’s hand lingers over the door. She’s still not sure if this is a good idea or not. Billy flashes her an encouraging smile. With a deep breath she knocks on the door, careful not to cave the whole thing in.
The door opens a minute later. “Oh my goodness!” Greta cries out. “It’s so good to see you again. Come in, come in.”
Greta motions for Starla to come inside. “Don’t mind the mess, dear. I’m still settling in here. I must say it’s not as nice as the old house, but better than a rest home I suppose.”
Starla follows Greta inside. When Greta turns, Starla thrusts the flowers she bought into Greta’s hands. “I brought these for you.”
“I see that. They’re very lovely. Why don’t you and your young friend have a seat while I fetch a vase?”
“All right.” Starla shuffles into the living room and sits on the sofa. Billy sits next to her and takes her hand. She’s grateful for his presence to soothe her nerves. This isn’t going to be easy for her.
Greta sits down in her armchair opposite them and asks, “What brings you kids out here?”
“I wanted to see how you were doing. After the fire—”
“Oh, I’m fine. The doctor says I’m healthy as a horse. Just had a little smoke inhalation. All thanks to you, dear.”
Starla’s cheeks warm. She wonders if Greta has noticed that Starla is about six inches taller now and not nearly so skinny. Her body has grown too much to wear Greta’s sisters old clothes; at the same time she’s too short to wear her old clothes, necessitating a shopping spree to update her wardrobe. With a stop at the Crystal Lair she managed to program the machines to give her the same bob Harriet had cut for her; it has certainly made it easier to fly now that she doesn’t have to worry about hair whipping in her face.
“I was glad to help.” Starla gathers up her courage to say, “Have you heard anything about the shelter yet?”
“Oh yes. You won’t believe it. I could hardly believe it myself. This nice young girl from the Holloway Corporation called me. She said they’ll pay to rebuild the whole shelter. I thought I would faint by the time she got done.”
“That’s wonderful news,” Starla says. She had asked Robin for a donation, but her friend had apparently gone one better. It occurs to her that perhaps this is a return payment for Starla’s silence about how Ezekiel Stanford met his end.
“And what about you? How are you making out?”
“Um, well, I got a job at Billy’s newspaper. I’m going to be a copy editor.”
“Congratulations! Things are definitely looking up for you.”
“Thanks. But I thought maybe I could still help at the shelter. Part-time.”
“Of course you can, dear. You’re welcome there anytime.”
Starla nods her thanks. Now they have to get to the hard part. She looks over at Billy, who smiles encouragement again. “I wanted to thank you for all the help you gave me. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
“It was no trouble at all. Having you here was such a blessing. It reminded me of why I do what I do.”
“There’s something you should know. I wasn’t…I wasn’t entirely honest with you.”
“Oh?”
“My name, my real name, is Starla Marsh.”
Greta nods slightly. There’s a long moment of silence. She finally asks, “Is that all that was worrying you?”
“Yes.”
“Well, dear, I didn’t think Star Smith was your real name. Your real name is much prettier.”
“Thanks.” Starla looks over at Billy. He has a parcel wrapped in brown paper on his lap. “I brought back your sister’s clothes and glasses.”
“That’s very kind of you, but I’d rather you keep them. They’ll do much more good in your closet than in my attic.”
Starla isn’t sure about that now that the clothes won’t fit her. To avoid hurting Greta’s feelings, she says, “I suppose you’re right. I thought since they were your sister’s—”
“I don’t need those keepsakes. I have my memories of her. And you’ll be doing a lot more to keep her alive by wearing those pretty clothes.”
“I guess.” Starla wonders if a tailor could find a way to let the clothes out enough to fit her. She reaches into the bundle to take out the cat’s eye-shaped glasses. The prescription lenses are still in them, putting everything around Starla out of focus for the moment. “I really have grown accustomed to these.”
“They’re yours, dear. Use them in good health.”
They share a brief hug. Now that her awkward errands are done, Starla is able to converse normally about everything going on in the news and to catch up on happenings in the neighborhood. Billy doesn’t say much; he’s here mostly for support.
In the cab on the way back, she kisses him briefly. “Thank you so much for being there. I wasn’t sure I could do it myself.”
“It’s no problem. I was glad to do it.”
“I don’t suppose you’d mind doing it again, would you?”
“What do you mean?”
Starla takes a deep breath. “I was thinking of going back to Rockford. I thought mayb
e I could introduce you to my folks.”
Billy stares at her in shock. “You’re going to tell them?”
“Yes. They’re my parents. And I’m sure they’re still hurting over Stan Shaw dying—again. At least if I tell them they’ll know he’s not really gone.” She smiles at Billy. “But Pa might get a little protective of his daughter. He might not exactly roll out the red carpet for you.”
“Does he keep a shotgun in the house?”
“Of course.”
“Well, good thing you’ll be there to protect me.” They kiss again, this time much longer. During this kiss, Starla knows everything is going to work out fine.
***
A month later, Starla is alone in Stanford’s robot factory on Titan. The Super Squad has already teleported here to take everything of value back to their new headquarters. Starla has returned alone to turn off the lights, so to speak. Since the teleporter network is disassembled, she’s the only one who can get here now.
She piles up the remains of the last batch of giant robots near an airlock. Then she opens the door to jettison the debris into space. They should be safer strewn around Titan than in here, should someone break in. She supposes that’s a little paranoid, but after everything that has happened, she has reason to be paranoid.
It takes her hours to strip the rest of the machinery from the walls of the factory. This too she flushes out into space. It might be simpler to collapse the whole area, but that might do irreparable harm to the moon. This way might not be as quick, but it will be less risky.
Once she’s done with the machinery, she makes her way down to the generator room. This is the only equipment that hasn’t been torn out yet; Robin hadn’t wanted to take it down until they’d safely gotten the electronics out. Now that everything else is gone, Starla figures it’s safe to take the generators.
As she’s about to pull the plug, a console on the control board comes to life. The message that appears on the display sends a chill through her. “Greetings, Gor-Bul,” the message begins. Who could have sent that? No one except the service drones and the computer at the Crystal Lair know her true name. The message continues, becoming even more ominous. “I am coming. When I arrive, your world will die.”
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