The Invasion

by Katrina Kahler

Captain Lobo looked at me. “Will you sign a waiver taking responsibility for this new superhero type girl?” he asked me.

  “Do I have to? I hate signing waivers…”

  “Nobody likes signing waivers,” Mo said.

  “For once, Mo is right,” Captain Lobo nodded at him. “But we need a waiver in order to leave you alone and not get into trouble with our boss.”

  “Fine!” I said. “If it will get rid of you, I will sign it.”

  Captain Lobo lowered his head. “Nobody likes us FART guys…”

  “Maybe it’s the name, Cap?” Mo said, handing him a piece of paper on a clipboard. Not sure where Mo had kept that stored.

  The captain showed me the paper. “Yes, we still use paper. We’re a little behind the times.” He pointed to the dotted line. “Please sign here. Do you need a pen?”

  “Nah!” I told him. “I have heat vision. Remember?” Activating my heat vision, I burned my signature into the paper. I even impressed myself with that move. “See, I have control!” I told Mo.

  Captain Lobo looked at my still smoking signature. He blew on it to cool it down. “This works for me.” Pointing to the blimp he shouted, “Men…to the FART blimp! Now!”

  The four FART men took off and left us alone.

  “Man, those guys just love to linger around,” Carmen said with a snicker.

  “They so do!” I agreed. “Let me take you to BMS Labs now. Hopefully, you’ll be able to talk to the giant butterflies we have slowed in time there!”

  “Cool!” Carmen said.

  “It is pretty awesome,” I agreed.

  Dear Diary: While the FART team can be annoying, I realize they are just doing their jobs. They are the government’s representatives to keep the people safe. Sure, that Captain Lobo takes himself pretty seriously, but keeping people safe is serious business. Of course, I manage to do it and be serious about it without being a twit. But then again, as Mo pointed out, my performance hasn’t been totally perfect. Nobody is perfect. Even superheroes mess up from time to time, or even all the time. The trick is to learn from our mistakes.

  As for Carmen, or Butterfly Queen, my gut and my brain tell me to trust her. When the two of them agree, I’m hardly ever wrong. I just don’t get the feeling that Carmen is up to no good. I truly believe she wants to help. Sure, I guess she could be the one behind the butterfly attacks. But I don’t get that vibe from her, not at all. She has the vibes of a sweet girl who wants to do her share to help the world. I think that’s what most people want.

  Sure, I have never seen her before. Sure, it might be a little strange that a girl with wings who claims she can talk to butterflies, shows up just as the town is faced with giant butterflies. But when you think about it, there would have been no reason for her to show up until the butterflies came. I would think talking to butterflies isn’t the most useful ability in the world. Of course, her wings are cool, but they do make her stand out in a crowd.

  Another Test

  Flying towards BMS labs, I struck up a conversation with Carmen. I needed to learn more about her.

  “Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?”

  “No, of course not,” Carmen said with a smile.

  “Did you always have wings?” I asked.

  She smiled and shook her head. “I’ve had weird marks on my back since birth but we thought they were just birthmarks,” Carmen said. “Then I turned 13, and poof, wings slowly grew.”

  “Did it hurt?” I asked.

  “More like a weird tickle,” Carmen said.

  “I see your wings look just like butterfly wings,” I said.

  “They do,” Carmen said. “They’re so light, I don’t even usually notice them. But they’re very strong, they carry me easily. I’ve even carried my mom without much of a drop in speed. I don’t have to think about flapping them, it just kind of happens. I steer with my eyes. If I want to fly, I look towards the place I want to go to and I automatically fly there.”

  “When did you realize you could talk to butterflies?” I asked.

  “Actually, I can talk to all sorts of flying insects, but Butterfly Queen seemed like the best name,” she said.

  “Can you talk to flies and mosquitos?” I asked.

  “Yeah, flies really have fast brains…they are always buzzing. Not much good comes from them. Mosquitos are usually on the prowl for food. But they will stop and chat if I let them take a sample from me,” Carmen said.

  “What about bees,” I asked.

  “They are hard workers. No jokes there. They are always buzzing here and there with a job to do. They are not mellow at all.” She paused. “The ones who are fun are beetles, they love to sing; especially old songs. I have no idea where they learned them.”

  “Could you talk with insects before the wings came?” I asked.

  Carmen shook her head. “I always liked flying insects, but I couldn’t talk until my wings sprouted. Mom says that my brain probably needed to mature.”

  “What does your mom do?” I asked.

  “She’s retired now. She used to be a scientist at BMS labs and Future Now Labs. She was more a support scientist!” Carmen said.

  “Let me guess, she worked with bugs!” I said.

  Carmen shook her head. “Actually, she worked with communication devices!”

  I thought about what Carmen had said. Her powers certainly had something to do with communication. So maybe her mom had something to do with her powers. Sure, it could have been a coincidence. I know life sometimes throws out weird and freaky coincidences. But I had to check this one out.

  “Just to clarify, what’s your mom’s name?” I asked.

  “It’s Wanda Perez!” Carmen told me.

  MAC beeped. Looking down at his screen, I read the information…Wanda Perez PhD in electronics from MIT. Worked at BMS Labs from 1999 until 2009. Worked for Future Now labs from 2009 until 2012. No citations against her.

  “Why did she leave lab work?” I asked.

  “She wanted to spend time with me!” Carmen replied.

  “And your dad?” I asked.

  “Never knew him. Never needed to know him,” she said. “Life is good with just me and my mom.”

  I was glad Carmen seemed happy. Before I could say anything else though, I heard a missile whizzing towards me. Turning to the sound, I saw three missiles coming at me. Activating my heat vision, I focused on the missiles and they burst into flame.

  “Drat!” I heard a very familiar voice from below. On the ground, wearing huge purple robotic armor, stood my wannabe arch-rival, Paula, the future mad scientist.

  “Who’s that?” Carmen asked.

  I sighed. “A girl from Moonvale who is rich and wants to be a mad genius so she spends her allowance on making devices to fight me. She considers herself my arch rival. Do you want to meet her?” I asked.

  “Sure!” Carmen said.

  Gliding down to the ground, I said, “Hello Paula…”

  “Please, I prefer my new nickname…Purple Power Person!” Paula said.

  “Can I call you PPP for short?” I asked.

  “I’d prefer not!” Paula said, stomping a robotic foot.

  “Then PPP it is!” I said. Pointing to Carmen I said, “This is my new friend, Carmen.”

  “Nice wings!” Paula remarked.

  “Thanks!” Carmen replied.

  “I was being cynical!” Paula told her. “Man, you Starlight City kids just don’t get it.” She sighed and turned to Carmen. “So, what’s your power, Tinker Bell?”

  “I can fly!” Paula said.

  “Yeah, I’m an evil genius. I did the mental math when I saw the wings! Anything else?” Paula taunted.

  “I can talk to flying insects,” Carmen told her.

  “Oh, wow, so you’re like a bug girl!” Paula laughed. “What a silly power.”

  A swarm of bees surrounded Paula’s face. Paula started waving at the bees with four of her robotic arms. “Please? Bees? They can’t break my armor!” She laughed
.

  “Nope, but they can distract you!” Carmen said.

  Paula had paid so much attention to Carmen and the bees, she had forgotten about me. Moving at super speed, I jumped up and pulled her armored helmet off.

  “Hey, no fair!” Paula scolded. “I’m the bad guy! I’m supposed to distract you!”

  The bees now had an opening shot at Paula’s face.

  “Order them to get into the armor!” I called out to Carmen.

  The bees swarmed inside Paula’s armor. “Get out! Get out!” Paula shouted.

  “If I were you I’d release that armor before I order the bees to sting you!” Carmen said.

  Paula pressed a purple button on the middle of the armor. The suit fell off her and onto the ground.

  The bees all flew out of the suit. They spun around Paula without actually stinging her. I took the armored suit and flung it into space.

  “Man, that’s a waste of a perfectly good two weeks’ allowance money!” Paula moaned.

  I took in Paula’s dyed hair. She was always experimenting with different colors. She also had unusual taste in clothing choices, something I was sure Wendi and Patti wouldn’t approve of.

  “Paula? Why do you keep doing this? It seems like once a month you have some sort of new invention to attack me with…”

  “It’s a hobby. We all need hobbies,” Paula said. “I’m learning from each battle and growing stronger.”

  “Perhaps, but I’m also growing stronger!” I noted.

  “So, I am both helpful and evil. I am the total package!” Paula insisted. “Tell your new friend to call off the bees and I’ll be on my way.”

  “Yeah, okay, I got it,” I said and looked at Carmen. “Please tell the bees thanks and to take off now.”

  The bees flew away from Paula, back to doing whatever it is that bees do.

  Paula pulled on her jetpack and activated it. It was the same type of model that Zeke wore. “I do appreciate you being my arch enemy!” Paula said. “You’re more fun to fight than Super Clone. First, he’s a classmate and that makes it awkward. And second, Zeke always follows him around, and that zombie is annoying. Surely even somebody as goody two shoes as you must notice that.”

  I nodded. “I’ve noticed. But I’m not a total goody two shoes…”

  Paula laughed. “Sure you are! I bet you even floss your teeth three times a day!”

  “That’s not being a goodie two shoes, it’s being practical!” I told her.

  “You’re invulnerable,” Paula pointed out. “Immune to cavities!”

  “Still, it’s good practice!” I said

  “Like I said, goodie two shoes!” Paula said. “We are the perfect foes. Though, I don’t appreciate you throwing a perfectly good set of evil power armor into space.”

  “I liked the purple color!” Carmen told her.

  “See, she has good taste!” Paula said.

  “Will you make like a tree and leave!” I told Paula.

  Paula activated her jetpack and took off. “See you next month!” she said. “Someday I will defeat you! Then, man, my blog will be really popular!!”

  Carmen and I watched as Paula flew away.

  “I could get the bees to attack her again?” Carmen suggested.

  “Nah, bees have more important stuff to do!” I smiled. “Let’s go chat with some butterflies. I’m anxious to hear what they have to say. I’d love to get to the bottom of this quickly. As you can see, I have enough problems with people in my life, I don’t need mad butterflies of doom!”

  “I don’t think anybody needs butterflies of doom!” Carmen said.

  “Yep, that’s a good point!”

  “If anything, you are more equipped to deal with them, being super and all!” Carmen added.

  “Once again, another good point!” I admitted. “Let’s get moving! Hopefully, we’ll get some answers! I want answers!”

  “I do too!” Carmen told me.

  Dear Diary: I like Carmen. She seems like a good, secure person with a cool head on her shoulders. She knows how to make the most out of her powers. I like that about her.

  What I don’t like is my monthly test from Paula. Sigh. I guess I should think of myself as lucky, being a person who has an arch rival to push me to new heights. Of course, though, I don’t feel lucky about that at all.

  Questions

  Carmen and I found Jason and Hana in the butterfly field, studying the time frozen butterflies. Tanya sat there in a beach chair looking proud of her work.

  “Wow, this is amazing!” Carmen said as we landed next to the field.

  “Yeah, the giant butterflies are kind of cool,” I admitted. “But they kind of accidentally destroy things. We can’t let them roam free, at least not in public.”

  “I’m actually talking about being able to hold them in time like that!” Carmen said. “That definitely beats my power.”

  Nodding, I said, “Yeah, Tanya has that effect on people.”

  We walked over to Hana and Jason, who were scanning portable monitors. They finally noticed us.

  Hana looked over Carmen from top to bottom and then front to back. “You’re new,” she commented.

  “I’m 16, I’m hardly new,” Carmen replied, showing a little spunk.

  “Well played,” Hana said. “How fast can you fly?”

  “No idea…” Carmen said.

  “How strong are you?” Hana prompted.

  “No idea…” Carmen said.

  “Well, we will analyze all that. You certainly came to the right place. What do they call you, my dear?”

  “My name is Carmen.”

  “Nice name, once we deal with the current threat, you will get the training you need,” Hana told her.

  Jason walked over and offered Carmen his hand. “Hi, Carmen. I’m Jason! Welcome to BMS labs.”

  “Carmen, what’s your last name?” Hana asked.

  “Perez,” Carmen said.

  “Wait, your mom used to work for BMS labs!” Hana remarked in surprise.

  Carmen nodded. “Yes, but I was very young. I don’t remember.”

  Hana smiled. “The lab was a lot smaller and a LOT more secretive in those days. Not many humans remember it.” Hana shook her head slowly. Her smile turned to a frown. “I would have liked those days.” She pointed to the giant butterflies that floated around us, suspended in time. “In those days, we wouldn’t have to deal with stuff like this. Now we need to fix somebody else’s mistake!”

  “That’s why I brought Carmen here. She can talk to flying insects. She can find out what the butterflies know,” I said.

  “Is that true?” Hana asked Carmen.

  I didn’t like the fact that Hana didn’t take me at my word. Why would I make up something like that? My relationship with Hana already felt pretty strange, since I didn’t love the idea of her dating my father. (I admit, it’s petty on my part, or at least old-fashioned, but I didn’t like the idea of my dad dating an android that he had made. A hot looking android, no less.)

  “Of course I can!” Carmen told her. “Why would Super Teen say that if it wasn’t true?”

  “Who knows why kids say anything these days,” Hana replied.

  I fought back the urge to pound Hana. I took a deep breath. Turning to Carmen, I asked, “Are you picking up any thoughts from these butterflies?”

  “Not when they are frozen in time,” she told me.

  “Right, good point.” We walked over to Tanya, who had shades on as well as noise-cancelling headphones, and seemed to be sunning herself, unaware of anything going on around her.

  “I think she’s asleep,” Carmen said.

  I nodded. “Yeah, looks like it.”

  “You going to wake her?” Carmen asked.

  “I just don't want to startle her. Because of her time-warping powers, I have no idea what could happen.”

  “Oh, scary…” Carmen said.

  “Scary doesn’t begin to cover it…” I sighed.

  Gently tapping Tanya on t
he shoulder, I said in my most relaxing non-threatening voice, “Tanya, Tanya, wake up, please…”

  “I’m not ready to get up yet, Mom. Five more minutes…” She yawned. Even her sleeping breath was pleasant.

  Looking at Carmen, I said, “This might be the biggest challenge we’ve ever faced…”

  “Seriously?” she asked.

  Jason walked up behind us. “Her little sister turned me into a door once. And then another time she sent me into another dimension.”

  “Oh, so you are serious!” Carmen said.

  “Yeppers,” Jason said.

  Hana appeared beside us and threw her hands in the air in frustration. “Ugh, I can’t believe you three humans are having such a hard time dealing with Tanya.”

  Hana tapped Tanya on the shoulder. “Girl, wake up! I’m not scared of you.”

  Tanya jumped forward in her chair. “I’m awake!” she said.

  Looking down, we saw that Hana had been transformed into a wind-up toy version of herself. “Oops, did I do that?” Tanya asked.

  “I warned her not to awake you rudely!” I told Tanya.

  Tanya stood up and stretched. She sniffed herself. “Yep, I’m still good.” She noticed Carmen. “Hey, weren’t we in first grade together?” she asked.

  Carmen shook her head. “No idea. I can’t remember that far back. I’ve been homeschooled for as long as I can remember.”

  Tanya pointed in front of her. An image appeared of Tanya sitting in a classroom with a bunch of kids. “This is from three years ago.” She flicked the image like a normal person would flick a tablet photo. The images of previous years started scrolling by. Tanya stopped at a photo from what had to be ten years ago. She pointed to herself in the photo. In the image, she held a stuffed bear and smiled. “Ah, I loved Big Bear!” Tanya said.

  “Big Bear…nice name!” I smirked at her.

  “Hey, I was like five!” Tanya said. Pinching the image, she flicked through until she came to a cute little girl with a yellow ribbon in her hair. “That’s you!” Tanya said.

  Carmen leaned into the picture. She smiled. “That is me!” She sighed. “Sadly, I don’t remember that.”