by Kevin Rau
Rael found a pair of sunglasses to wear that wouldn't look horrible indoors, to hide his eyes in public.
We ate a pleasant lunch at Mama Lucci's. Her little diner made tasty healthy food, so it had become one of our favorites over time. I couldn't help but wonder if it mattered any more, though. Still, it was a menu friendly choice for Tina.
While we waited for our meal I looked up the number for the regional H.E.R.O. office, called and asked if Captain McCain was working today. He wasn't available.
I said, “The mutants that were captured are probably being held by the local police, they have the jail facilities. I think, anyway. They sure as heck won't let us in without a H.E.R.O. card.”
Lance said, “We've got the temp cards.”
I said, “We need costumes too, Lance has gone through three nice shirts and pants. I've ruined several shirts now.”
Rael said, “What do we do, charge the costumes and hope we make enough to cover it?”
I said, “They must take time to make, maybe we pay on pickup?”
Rael said, “Hmm, speaking of costumes, we need to ask if they prevent scent from going through them. If so, then you need a skimpy costume, Steph.”
“What?!”
“You were calming people down at the accident scene by a scent. I have a very sensitive nose now. Probably makes me more susceptible too, damn it. Anyway, if a suit blocks the scent, depending on what part of you releases the scent you may need to have the costume scanty in that area.”
“I think it's my skin. I feel a tingling all over when it happens.”
Lance said, “Did I miss something here? What are you talking about, Rael?”
“Dude, sometimes you're thick. She did it at the house and at the accident scene. We got caught up in all of those, and it might be too subtle for you to notice, but she's putting out something, perhaps a pheromone that affects other people. That and she always smells great. Beyond great. That's not normal.”
Lance said, “Hmm, you might be right.”
Rael smacked himself in the forehead.
Tina chimed in, “I only saw you walk around the streets at the accident scene and people were calming down. Is that what you were doing?”
I said, “Yeah. When I get really emotional, or want to help others it seems to happen. My skin tingles all over, kind of in waves.”
Tina said, “And you claimed you didn't know why you smelled so good!”
“No, I just didn't put my smell and the power I've been using together.”
Rael said, “Yup, definitely a tiny, itsy bitsy costume. Maybe just a bikini.” His mental image of a bikini was ... barely there, to say the least.
I rolled my eyes, “And high heels, I suppose?”
“Yeah, that would do nicely.”
I sighed, “Fortunately, you don't get to decide my costume. I don't mind being revealing, but come on.”
Lance dialed the number for the costume maker his mother had forwarded from Rael’s father. I listened in his mind while he called.
He pushed a few buttons; then someone picked up. He spoke with them briefly. She asked if the calling number was his cell number, and would text the location to go to after she'd received confirmation of him working with the H.E.R.O. program. She said it should be fast ... if true.
Lance said, “If we have to wait a while, let's swing over by Score! I’d like to talk to John. He'll be pissed about missing last night.”
I agreed, until we knew if H.E.R.O. would pay enough to live off from, Lance and Rael needed their jobs, and I needed to keep tutoring to keep one of my larger scholarships.
We climbed in the car and Rael drove us to the bar. I looked at the H.E.R.O. phone and put us 'on duty.' We might as well see if anyone needs help....
We pulled into the bar’s parking lot, and Lance walked into the employee entrance. He grabbed a rock from the bushes outside the building before heading in.
After a few minutes he came back out. He brushed dust off his palms by the bushes.
He got back in the car and said, “He's okay with it, although he'd rather be able to announce that I'm a super. By the way, I got the text with the location.”
He gave it to Rael, who proceeded to drive us there.
Rael said, “What’s up with the dust?”
Lance replied, “I crushed a rock for John. I figured it’d be hard to disbelieve that.”
In about fifteen minutes, we arrived at a nondescript office building.
We walked up to the glass door, but it was locked. We heard a buzzing sound while we looked for a button to push, and the door clicked open. We walked in, and a receptionist said, “Third floor, office 302.”
I caught her mindview, and discovered that she was a super. She wondered if she was as strong as Lance. She assessed us as we walked by. Wow, I wonder how much a super security guard runs?
Rael pushed the button, and we entered the elevator. We found room 302, and as Rael reached for the door it buzzed open. We walked into a nice waiting room, with very sturdy oversized chairs.
A tall, curly blonde woman walked into the room. Her eyes were gray, and she was slim of build. She looked relaxed, though her clothing was stylish.
She introduced herself. “I'm Dr. Turnquist.”
We introduced Lance as Spartan, me as Psystar, and Rael as Black Tiger.
Rael said, “We got your name as a costume maker....”
The Doctor said, “Just getting started with the H.E.R.O. program?”
I said, “Yes, we changed last night, although each of us has a parent who is a super.”
She said, “Welcome to the ranks of supers, then. I was told you've already been active?”
I replied, “Yes. I'm not sure what they'll consider things we've done at this point. I'd guess at the very least Spartan's work on the bar and hospital last night, and our work today on the crash scene. They might consider other work done at the hospital if they are generous.”
She asked, “And I take it you've had clothing issues so far?”
Lance chuckled, “That's a mild way to say it. Rips, tears, and blood stains are conspiring to destroy our clothing.”
“That they do. So you knew enough not to buy a professional wrestling style costume at least.”
“Yeah, that stuff would rip up fast too.”
“So your group is looking for four costumes? Clothing only, no accouterments?”
“Three costumes. Tina's here for support.”
“Do you need a means of communicating with each other, unless you are three individuals, not a group?”
“We're a team. We have cell phones, what are you thinking of?”
“Something more like satellite radio communication via earpieces or such. That type of thing costs quite a bit more though.”
Lance said, “I don't even know how much we'll be paid from H.E.R.O. We need to be able to afford something.”
The Dr. said, “There are numerous factors H.E.R.O. uses to pay superheroes. The potential damage to civilians, lives likely saved, damage caused to the area, supervillains captured, damage likely prevented, etc.”
“So ... we still have no clue.”
“The pay is quite good – it very much depends on your activity level and types of problems handled. I'm guessing that none of you are wealthy, would you like me to put this on a relatively short payment plan? Each suit runs a base five thousand dollars, but self seal tears in themselves. Special additional items can add to it, but I'll let you know if you want any, to give other options. Chunks ripped out need to be repaired by me though. The type of material you want isn't overly relevant; I can make something that feels like silk as easily as metal. Protective gear costs much more though.”
Stephanie asked, “What drives the cost? The material type? The amount covering the body?”
The Doctor said, “No, it's more the difficulty in making the garment of clothing. A complex design with a lot of intricacy takes me longe
r than a plainer garment. Colors are easy, and a suit can have multiple colors. Again, my use of special tools and my powers commonly allows me to make the costume while you are here.”
Rael asked, “Will scent, or a pheromone pass through the clothing?”
She said, “Will it protect you from a gas? No.”
I said, “Great, so I don't need a skimpy costume just because I release pheromones, assuming that's what they are.”
The Doctor replied, “Wait. That might be a little different. It wouldn't entirely stop it, but it might severely restrict your range. The density of the material is higher than normal, which restricts gas flow, but doesn't make it air tight. Do you breathe out the gas?”
“No, my skin tingles all over; I'm guessing I emit it from all over my skin.”
“Ah, then I'm sorry to say you'll want a more revealing uniform.”
Rael mentally cheered. I gave him an evil eye.
Dr. Turnquist led us into another room with a tall floor to ceiling apparatus. It looked like some of the more exotic cable based workout machines, with poles running up on each side and in the back.
“I’ll assume that none of you are self conscious. If so you may not want to be in the hero business. Embarrassing things occur all the time.…”
We all replied that we were fine with whatever.
“Spartan, would you please strip down to your underwear and step onto the foot shapes on the floor in my scanning machine?” Lance did as directed. She moved his arms and general position slightly. “Hold still now.”
She typed a little on a computer and bright laser lights started at the floor to touch Lance. Devices moved from his feet to above his head, moving the lasers up his body. She performed the scan a second time and mumbled “Good, good.”
Rael went next, with similar results. Tina watched the boys closely, she was glad she’d come along.
I asked, “Should I keep a bra on?”
The Dr. replied, “That’s fine, unless it is overly thick or padded, unless you intend to always wear a padded bra.”
“I don’t wear a padded bra.”
“It should be fine then.”
I stripped down and stood in the machine.
Lance asked, “So what did that do?”
Dr. Turnquist replied, “It scans your exact body shape. Most superheroes choose skintight costumes, so it helps a lot.”
Tina asked, “Why do superheroes tend to wear skintight costumes?”
The Doctor looked at her, “Why do supermodels wear form fitting clothing that often highlights or shows off their body? I've spoken with a lot of heroes over the years. Almost all of our bodies are changed either at or soon after the big change that makes us a super. By changed I mean they become extremely efficient, burn off most fat and gain muscle. So most heroes have great bodies, they like to flaunt them.”
Tina said, “So ... they are all vain?”
Dr. Turnquist laughed, “Possibly, but there is another reason, baggy clothing could catch on something or be grabbed. Something skintight can't be gripped easily by an opponent, nor caught in a car door, nor drag you down while swimming, etc. There are a lot of combat and action type reasons not to wear baggy clothes, or capes, or a jacket over a suit.”
Rael said, “Now that makes sense. I had planned on having a leather jacket or something like that with mine, but you just convinced me not to. I have no desire to have it grabbed and allow someone to restrain me.”
“Interesting that you mention jackets, few supers get overly cold. A jacket isn’t needed for cold weather, so the only reasons to wear one become vanity or utility to hold or hide items.”
Lance said, “Capes too? Damn, so many comic book heroes look great in capes.”
Dr. Turnquist said, “I'll make a costume with whatever you want. However, a cape is pretty easy to grab, and comic books don't show the bloopers.”
“Bloopers?”
“What would happen if you dove out of a car, and part of your cape was still in it when it drove off? You'd bounce along behind it, rip off the cape, or in your case, if you are a brick that is, you could damage the car. Have you ever run through a factory with a cape on as it billows behind you? What happens when it catches in some gears or other turning parts?”
Lance nodded, “Okay, okay. Thank you for sharing that with us, I wouldn't have thought of the cape getting caught.”
Dr. Turnquist held up her hands. “I don't want to dissuade you from choosing whatever costume design you want here. It's your costume. Just know the dangers before wearing something.
He asked, “How about goggles? Is there any reason not to wear those, or glasses or shades?”
She asked, “Glasses could be torn off pretty easily, but I have some designs that are tight to the head, and the eyepieces could be more goggle-like so someone wouldn't get a hold of the rim. Is your eyesight bad?”
“No, but I can jump really fast, and it also would be nice to have something blocking my eyes from dust and such. I've already been in a cave-in as of last night; there was a ton of dust floating around. Is there a problem with utility belts?”
“Not at all, I have a variety of styles, and I can change the material type to match what you want it to feel like.”
“Something strong enough that I don't accidentally rip it. I'm damaging a lot of things so far when I'm in a hurry.”
Rael said, “So how could we hide our costume under clothing?”
Dr. Turnquist replied, “You have three options here. One, you could avoid wearing the costume unless you go out 'superheroing' so to speak. Two, you could wear part of your costume, that which will fit under a shirt. You might have to alter the clothing you wear for that option. Three, an expensive option is to use one of two devices created by a colleague of mine. One changes the properties of cloth set to the right frequency so it becomes invisible and back. You can still feel the cloth, though. The other is a device that makes the cloth invisible, and phases it. In a nutshell the costume pretty much isn't there until you hit the code on the device.”
Lance said, “Whoa. That could be embarrassing if someone else pushed the button on the device during a fight or rescue.”
“No, it's a code. Like a security code. He changed it from a button to a code due to exactly that problem in the early models.”
Lance asked, “Do we even want to ask how much something like that costs?”
“Fifty thousand dollars per. Pretty reasonable, I think.”
Rael made a choking sound, “Ouch. To you maybe! Is there something built in so we don't get paparazzi focusing on our groin?”
She smiled, “Yes, all of the men's costumes have that. No need to have the media, or certain members of the public raising an outcry about such things.”
She continued, “So, shall we begin designing? Who first? Oh, go ahead and get dressed now.”
Lance said, “I'll go first, I know what I want.”
Dr. Turnquist turned on a large display on the wall, and the 3D scan of Lance appeared on one side. She proceeded to go through a list of designs for the top. He chose a tight fitting yellow top with a red V shape starting between his pectorals and widening to about 5 inches on each side of his neck, then going back down in the V in the back to a similar point.
His legs were also tight fitting and yellow, with a red stripe starting at the beltline to mid-thigh, then crossing to the inside. In effect it created a yellow V if he stood with his legs tight together, with the bottom of the V being at his knees on the inside.
He went with black gloves, slightly tacky to make grabbing someone or something easier, much like a set of gloves for American football players, with a red V beginning at the outer forearm, spreading around the arm just before the elbow.
He changed the sleeves so that a similar red pattern went up the forearm, and crossed from the inner elbow to the top of the triceps in an upside down V. He chose a tactical style red belt, with a series
of pouches on each side. The buckle was black to match the chest top, outer elbow and knee areas.
Last, he chose tight goggle style glasses, with the glass tinted red.
Dr. Turnquist said, “This will be an easy costume to do. You want the material to feel like a rubbery material, sheer like the form fitting Body Armor shirt you have on now, or anything else?”
Lance said, “If you can really make it feel like this shirt, I'd love that. I'm used to wearing them.”
Rael said, “Yeah, I think you personally support that company.”
“I like them, and I'm not ashamed of my body.”
Rael continued, “Yeah, you better not be with them. We need to get Steph some of them.” He looked pointedly at me and grinned. I stuck my tongue out at him.
The Doctor said, “One last thing, do you want the boots and gloves a color of black and shininess so you can wear them with other clothing and not look unusual?”
“Yes, please. Were it not for that I'd have gone with red gloves and yellow boots.”
She smiled at him. “All right, who's next?”
Rael said, “I'll go.”
Rael's idea of a costume was much simpler. He chose a black, tight-fitting t-shirt style top with a tiger paw logo in gray on the chest. Fingerless black gloves for the hands, and black tight-fitting pants covered the legs. He picked out a different style of black tactical belt with a small pouch on the right, left, and back, and a round gray buckle. For boots he chose a style that looked more like black leather buckled boots that almost reached the knee. Apart from the material, his costume design looked more like something he could have bought himself.
I said, “You don't think all that black looks too ... villainish?”
Rael said, “No. I'll let La ... Spartan be all colorful and shiny. I'd rather not be seen by every villain in the area.
Tina said, “Looking at the design on the screen, are those pants tight enough to wear under jeans?”
The Dr. replied, “Yes, they are. You’re seeing the need for superheroes needing to change anywhere, aren’t you?”
“Right. Ste … Psystar, you’ll want something that is low enough on top so you can wear it with other shirts. Otherwise you’ll really limit your clothes.”
I said, “I agree. I want people to see me and think 'heroine' at first glance. Hmm, I want something sexy, and it needs to have enough open for the pheromone thing to work.”
I chose a white top that covered from the waist to the top of each breast. It went around the chest under my arms and ended at my lower back. The center had three wide oval cutouts showing my belly button on the bottom one, and barely open on the bottom of the breasts on the top cutout.
Dr. Turnquist said, “You won't be able to wear a bra with this.”
I said, “Will it have support built in?”
“Yes. You shouldn't have much of a problem with that after the change anyway, but it will help prevent some bouncing during some activities.”
“That's all that's needed then.”
The shoulders and arms were left bare apart from white gloves that covered half of the forearms. A gold belt that matched the color of my hair came next. I chose form fitting white shorts, similar to short biker shorts. I considered various miniskirts, but the shorts looked better on the screen… Also, I couldn’t hide a miniskirt under jeans or pants. The shorts were low cut so I’d be able to wear them under a variety of pants or skirts, though the top went down to them and appeared to seal with them when pressed together.
I picked white boots that came halfway up my calf, and had a low heel to allow some fighting. I didn't think I'd need them for running as it would be faster to just fly.
Dr. Turnquist said, “That's it?”
“Yep.”
“You do realize that your face isn't covered? You won't have a secret identity.”
Lance said, “I'd rather be a public figure, I think.”
“Friends and family might be endangered. Also, you'll have the colored glasses that will help a little. People won't be able to see your eye color, eye shape, or eyebrows.”
I chose a partial face mask, colored white that I could attach quickly, and would stick to the skin until peeled off. Rael added a similar black mask that covered enough to make identification difficult, but was easy to add or remove.
Dr. Turnquist said, “All right then. Let me check if I have the belts, boots, and Spartan's glasses in stock. If I do, we can trial fit them and I can alter the size, color and material to fit you snug.”
Rael said, “You just happen to have things in our sizes on hand? How will you change the colors?”
The Doctor chuckled, “I have powers as well, and tools that make changes to the materials at the molecular level. It's one reason why heroes come to me to make costumes, I can make them fast and sized perfectly. Some heroes don't keep multiple costumes on hand, or not more than two copies.”
She continued, “Before we move on, I need to verify that you are all fine with the five thousand dollars per suit. I can charge one thousand per month to your H.E.R.O. account once it activates if you want to be conservative. If you find you are bringing in much more, let me know and I can change that.”
Lance said, “Wow, that would be awesome.”
I said, “If you think we'll really bring in that much money from H.E.R.O. I'm okay with it.” The doctor’s mindview showed that would be an unusually low amount if we were active at all, they may already have more than that waiting to be authorized for payment.
Rael said, “I'm good with it as well.”
She said, “Great. Would anyone like water, soda, tea, etc. while you wait? It will likely take about ten to thirty minutes per suit, give or a take a few.”
Everyone asked for water. The doctor then asked us to give her a few minutes to check for supplies, and she'd be back out.
After she left the room, I said, “Wow! She actually resizes things with her powers, and then changes the material so it can repair itself. That's really neat.”
Rael said, “Here I figured we'd wait a week or two.”
Lance said, “Ouch. That would be a lot of ruined clothes in that time.”
In about ten minutes the Doctor came back in with a cart of clothing, boots and belts.
She had Lance strip down to his underwear again, and put on a plain gray costume. It was oversized even for him. She held one item at a time, her hand glowed, and the item shrunk to a snug fit on him. After all the items were on him and snug, she then took a pen shaped tool and made marks where his costume should change colors.
She had him strip down yet again, took the costume pieces over to a machine that stretched the fabric straight, and drew lines connecting the dots she had marked. Then another tool changed the color of the entire region touching that mark to the yellow, red, and black of his final costume.
Finally she ran her hands over each piece, her hands glowed again, and she held the costume to him. In less than half an hour his costume was complete.
She said, “Done. Try it on.”
He complied.
She said, “Do you like where the colors change now that you see it? We can move the V shapes up or down, darken or lighten the yellow or red, etc.”
Lance said, “This looks great. I'm amazed that you can do it so fast.”
She replied, “Keeping a lot of material in stock, having unreal high tech tools, and powers to make items fit and change the material composition work wonders together. But thank you, nonetheless.”
He said, “No, thank you.”
She went through a similar process with Rael, except with his, she added marks to cut off the material to make short sleeves.
The Doctor's process with my costume was more extreme than Rael's. She first drew free form on the costume to note where it would be cut. Then she verified with me that was where I wanted the cut, and used the cutting tool while the costume was on me.
“There
, done.”
I asked, “If the costumes self repair how do you get enough business to stay busy?”
The Doctor smiled, “I'm one of very few costume designers in the country that can make a self repairing costume; others only sell normal cloth types. That makes my clientele nationwide and more. I have the costume information secured in the system, so I can make more with a phone call.”
Tina said, “How do they self repair? Isn’t that spandex?”
Dr. Turnquist grinned, “It was, past tense. One of my abilities allows me to change molecular structure. The cloth now almost has a form of DNA to it. It remembers the cloth near it, and the edges of the tears reconnect and reform when a tear occurs. So it reseals itself from the outside of the tear to the center. If a portion is torn out, it can’t reform it, which is why you need to bring it in for me to repair it if that occurs. I know you are wondering how thirty minutes of time is worth five thousand dollars. It’s due to that unique property, plus the normally immediate service, plus the rarity of what I can do. I would honestly be surprised if more than five providers worldwide can make costumes like I can.”
Lance said, “I think you rock.”
The Doctor smiled. She had the three of us fill out forms allowing her to charge our H.E.R.O. accounts, including the amount, and we were done.
Dr. Turnquist had one last thing to mention to me, “The men have their small pouches for their H.E.R.O. card, keys, money, and cell phones. Here are the spots on your belt to slide in a few keys, the H.E.R.O. card, and money can slide into this spot. The cell phone will have to clip onto it. Here's a secure clip for you, no fee for it.”
I said, “Thank you.”
“Oh, and watch this bonus property of the material.” She stepped behind me and pulled the bottom of the shirt up just below my chest, then smoothed it out around my abdomen. It clung to itself. “There. You’ll be able to wear normal shirts that line up at the top of pants and still show a little skin without the suit showing. You can even stick the face mask to it.”
Chapter 27 – Mental Contact
Stephanie's Viewpoint
