Thursday, 17 August 2017
The Danger Room, Vanguard HQ
“You know, it’s been over a year since we learned about the Hunter and Ultra and the Bastion and all,” Chilz said, pulling back as a katana flashed past his face. He blew a blast of super-cooled air at the blade, which the Blue Flame had already heated to an incandescent red. “But the Old Man still hasn’t filled us in on the real story behind his “son,” the greatest hero of all time.”
“Yeah,” the Blue Flame agreed, as the blade fractured into several pieces and fell musically to the floor. “I mean, he said we were on the inside now, but it’s almost like he doesn’t really trust us.”
“Nicely done, boys,” Artemis said, tossing aside the now useless hilt of the katana she’d been wielding. “You managed that combo maneuver almost perfectly. Chilz, your ability to use your cold powers in more subtle ways is really improving – I think you’re finally moving past the need to “channel” your power through your hands.
“Blue Flame, your precision control over the temperature, dimensions and, especially, shape of your plasma is growing daily. You both have some way to go before you achieve full mastery, of course, but I think your journeys are well begun.”
The unusual praise from their teammate and trainer was so surprising that both men were momentarily distracted from their complaints about the Hunter. The two hour-long training session, focused on using this their contrasting powers of fire and ice in tandem and to the best effect, had been grueling — training with Artemis always was. That was expected, but the praise (at least without follow-up critiques) was decidedly not.
“In fact,” Artemis continued into their surprised silence, “it’s the steady improvement you’ve both shown, especially in that fiasco last month with Kronos, the Norn, and the Hand of Fortune, that’s convinced the Hunter that you’re ready to… level up, as he put it. I suppose it shouldn’t surprise me that he knows all about your gaming addiction.
“In any case, I think you’ll find him more receptive to your questions about Ultra when you see him next. Which may be awhile, unfortunately, given his current focus on countering Nemesis’ long range goals in his alliance with Ebony Night — and is why he has given me the green light to fill you in on the basics.
“So hit the showers and get into some civvies, then meet me on the roof. We’ll be joining John and Kyle for dinner at John’s place, where we can talk without interruption.”
“What about Totem and Phantom Ace?” Chilz asked, careful to use code names. True, she’d used civilian names, but they were still powered up, so maybe this was a test. He didn’t want to risk b’ wrath and a possible change of heart over a stupid slip-up on basic team protocol.
“They’re on monitor duty this evening,” Artemis said, tapping out a code on the wall panel. The holographic battlefield around them flickered and vanished. “Totem has never expressed the same level of interest as you boys… which may just be because he didn’t grow up with the legend of Ultra. But I suspect he’s actually learned enough to satisfy any curiosity he might have on the subject during his time studying with Arkanos.
“Phantom Ace, on the other hand… hasn’t quite earned the Hunter’s full trust yet, I’m afraid. Between his questionable past and his on-again-off-again commitment to the team, it may take awhile before that changes. If keeping what you learn tonight confidential, even from a friend, is going to be a problem for you, I’ll understand should either of you choose to back out.”
Chuck glanced at Jonny, who frowned as he gave the question some thought. Both men had reverted to their human forms and their Q-lon 7 costumes now, so it was easier to read his friend’s thoughts on his face. Chuck knew Jonny liked their teammate… so did he, for that matter. But it wasn’t like Gideon didn’t keep plenty of secrets himself, even after 15 months, and they both knew it. Hell, it had taken him months to drop the fake name he’d first given them and share his real name.
“I… don’t think it will be a problem, Artemis,” the Blue Flame finally said. “I’m not wild about it, but I understand… and I gotta admit, the curiosity is killing me!”
“Agreed!” Chilz said when Artemis looked toward him. “So lead on, boss, we’re ready to level up!”
————————
Half-an-hour later Chuck stepped from the roof of the AzTech Pyramid onto the penthouse terrace of JJ Astor’s home, the last to step through Quanta’s portal. Kyle’s portal, he corrected the thought, as his teammate waved to him from where he was manning a large grill. It had only been a month since Kyle had “come out” to the whole team, and Chuck was still getting used to thinking of him as anything except Quanta. But they were all out of costume tonight, so civilian names were appropriate.
The smell of grilling meat wafted over Chuck, and his stomach growled. Tiki torches set around the terrace lit up the dusk, and the lights in the swimming pool cast glowing ripples on the glass walls of the penthouse apartment. The large teak table to the right of the pool was already set, and JJ was handing Artemis a beer from a large cooler near it. In short order the steaks were done, the baked potatoes with all the trimmings and the corn-on-the-cobb were laid out, the salad tossed, and the five friends sat down to eat.
The talk was general and desultory during the meal, but as soon as the dishes had been cleared and the after-dinner drinks selected, Artemis turned serious. The sun was long set, leaving no more than an orange and purple glow on the western horizon, and the brightest stars were beginning to come out through the haze of the city lights when she finally turned to the subject that had brought them together.
“When I suggested to the Hunter that you two were ready to be let in on some of his secrets,” she said, addressing Jonny and Chuck in the flickering light of the torches, “he said he’d agree – on the day I thought you were ready to share some of my secrets. He has an annoying talent for pointing out other people’s blind spots… and hypocrisy. A function of existing for 22,000-odd years, I suppose.
“So, before we get to your questions about Ultra, let me introduce myself properly. I’m Jane Valentine.”
As she spoke, her cloak shifted and flowed, transforming into a pair of comfortable-looking jeans, sandals, and a white peasant blouse with intricate green embroidery at the collar and wrists. At the same time her hair went from raven black to a fiery copper-red, and a shadow that Chuck hadn’t even realized lay over her features melted away. The effect was astonishing, and went beyond the changed hair color – her features, her emerald eyes, her figure, all were the same, and yet somehow she was someone other than Artemis, now.
“Jane Valentine?!” Jonny burst out, startling Chuck out his own surprise. His friend looked even more gobsmacked than Chuck felt, and was on his feet, leaning over the table, eyes wide. “The private investigator Jane Valentine? The same one my mother hired to find me when I was ten and ran away from home?”
“The very same, Jonny, yes,” Jane said, her eyes alight with an amusement Artemis seldom allowed to show. “Not one of my more difficult cases, of course, you being ten and having $17.15 to your name. As I recall, I found you with your best friend in a rather comfortable fort the two of you had somehow managed to build in a hidden corner of the Xiongwei Shan Chinese Garden.”
“Wait, you ran away from home?” Chuck turned to Jonny. “I thought you and your mom had a great relationship…”
“We did,” Jonny shrugged. “But I was ten, and getting shit at school from some kids about not having a dad. One day, after Mom refused to tell me about my father, again, I packed up and ran off… as far as my friend Sang’s place. He suggested we camp out in that fort we’d been secretly building for weeks… two days there and I was pretty much ready to come home. But I was too embarrassed, and stubborn, to do it. Then this beautiful lady was suddenly crawling into our hideout…”
Chuck almost burst out laughing as Jonny shut up and turned beet red. Jane just smiled and sipped her Ninkasi Triceratops IPA… but didn’t leave him twisting long. “You were an adorable child, and I’m glad your mother took my advice and signed you up for those martial arts classes at the dojo I recommended. As I suspected it might, the discipline stuck with you, eh?”
“That was your idea?” Jonny said, recovering his control and sitting back down. “I wondered why she seemed to reward me, after that running away crap, instead of grounding me for life.”
“She loved you very much, Jonny, and even in the brief time I knew her I could see she blamed herself for your actions, not you. Whatever her reasons were for keeping information about your father from you, however hard it was on you at the time, I’m sure she was doing it to protect you. It’s what good parents do.
“Which rather brings us to the Hunter’s reluctance to share information about his own child. Even with Ultra gone, many of the facts about his life, powers, and identity could still prove dangerous to people the Hunter cares about.”
“You mean, like Ultra Lad?” Chuck asked. “Or rather, Ultrason… I always liked that name better anyway. But was he really Ultra’s kid? I didn’t think that was ever verified.”
“And didn’t he die during the Invasion, too, like Ultra?” Jonny added. “So who’s left? I mean, besides the Hunter himself.”
“Well, that’s what we’re here to talk about,” JJ said, touching a button on his watch. “I’ve engaged the security baffles, so we’re safe to talk here. Rather than answer questions piecemeal, though, maybe we should start with an overview… Jane, you knew Ultra, so why don’t you get it rolling?”
“That would probably be best, John,” she agreed, took one last pull from her beer, and settled back in her chair. “It was eight months after his first public appearance that I first heard of Ultra, in January of 1939—“
“How could you have gone that long without hearing about him?” Jonny burst out. “Everyone in the world knew about him after that picture on the front page of the Daily Star – June 3, 1938! And as long as we’re opening up and all – how old are you, anyway? I mean it’s pretty obvious you’re…”
Jane sighed, and for just a second Chuck could see Artemis very clearly. Jonny must’ve seen it too, because he tapered off mid-question and shrugged sheepishly. “This will go much quicker if you save your questions until I’m through with this part, please. But to assuage your curiosity… I was born the year the Civil War ended, on a plantation just outside of Savanah, Georgia.
“Which means I’m 155 years old. Except that I spent some time in Shambhala, as you already know, and time passes differently in the that hidden land. What was two-and-a-half years there for me, was 25 years in the Outer World. So, I entered Shambhala in late June of 1914, and left it on the 11th of January 1939 — which means I’m really only 132 years, experientially speaking. You can take your pick.
“So, that’s why I didn’t hear of Ultra immediately; and I didn’t actually meet Ultra until after the War. Our first meeting, in fact, was during that infamous 18 month period when he all but vanished from the public view. He was still doing what he always did, helping people, but doing it out of costume and as anonymously as possible. It was during our second encounter, which involved a powerful telepath, that I began to suspect there was more to the man’s powers than the obvious.
“After my training in Shambhala I have fairly good mental shields, and my Cloak adds to my psychic defenses. Nonetheless, it took everything I had to hold the Mind Reaver at bay and out of my head that day in ’46. Ultra, on the other hand, didn’t even seem to notice the man’s psionic attacks… I’ll always cherish the look on that monster’s face when Ultra walked up and simply flicked him on the chin with one finger. He was out for two hours.
“But it was after that fight that I began to watch Ultra more closely. It took awhile, but I eventually came to the conclusion that almost all his powers were psychic, not physical at all. Oh, he was very strong, at the absolute pinnacle of human ability — but he did things that not only went far beyond the physical limitations of the human form, but beyond the bounds of physics.”
“I came to the same conclusion when I was a teenager,” Kyle said, digging another drink from the cooler between him and Jane. “And so did others, over the years, but no one published anything, at least not in the popular press. I think we all figured, if Ultra wanted to keep the true nature of his powers secret, he probably had good reason, and who were we to disagree?”
“I think he did feel he had a good reason,” Jane agreed. “He understood that your average person in the street could accept super-strength – it was just an extension of what everyone has, after all, just more of it. But mental powers – that wasn’t part of normal human understanding, and people tend to fear what they don’t understand. Why stir up trouble (and possibly give his enemies another angle of attack) by making the true source of his power public?
“He tried his best to keep it under wraps, of course, but even he couldn’t always control the situation. Since he would never let protecting his own secrets endanger the lives of innocents, you therefore got the occasional movie reel of him grabbing a crashing plane by the wing, and not simply ripping it off; or video of him swinging a tank by its cannon without ripping it off; or news footage of him lifting an oil tanker without pushing his hands clean through its hull. Most people never gave it much thought, of course, but to anyone with any knowledge of basic scientific principles those were pretty telling clues.
“The truth is, Ultra was the most powerful contact-telekinetic in history, with a host of related psionic abilities. His heat vision and cold breath were simply the telekinetic ability to excite or slow down matter at the atomic level; his flight and speed were self-telekinesis, of course; and his invulnerability was a telekinetic shield that extended a few centimeters beyond his body. Did you ever wonder why his costume almost never seemed to suffer damage, or even get dirty, but his cape regularly got shredded?”
“Oh. Well, I think most people thought it was made of some super-cloth from his bt,” Chuck laughed. “Or his home dimension, or wherever people thought he came from. But what about his other powers, like his super-senses?”
“All powerful psionic abilities. His microscopic and telescopic vision were forms of clairvoyance, and his super-hearing was clairaudience – how else could he “hear” things on the other side of the planet almost as they happened? Which leads us to his most subtle, and uncertain, power. The Hunter believes his offspring possessed a slight precognitive ability. Nothing he could control, or was even aware of — if it existed, it was completely unconscious. But it would explain why Ultra always seemed to be in the right place at the right time… and his simply astounding reflexes, especially in combat or high stress situations.”
“So, could he read minds, then, if his powers were all mental?” Jonny asked. “I can see why he’d want to keep that secret… I think telepaths are just creepy, and I’m pretty sure that would’ve freaked people out.”
“Hmmm, maybe don’t tell Totem that,” JJ laughed. “Or at least not Raven. But I know what you mean. I’m extremely grateful my armor protects me from mental attacks and intrusions, I have to admit.”
“In any case, no, Ultra was not a telepath,” Jane went on. “Empathic, perhaps, certainly able to read body language and micro expressions; maybe sense emotions, to some extent. But he was definetly no telepath. I’ve sometimes wondered if his father didn’t set deep psychological constraints on him in utero, to channel what he must’ve known would be formidable mental powers into more physical manifestations?
“Ultra’s son seemed to inherit essentially the same power set, however, so maybe it really was simply genetics and the luck of the draw. Ultrason—“
“So Ultrason really was Ultra’s kid?” Chuck was the one interrupting this time. He’d always been a huge fan of Ultra Lad, for all that the Teen Squad had broken up the year before he was born, and Ultra Lad had vanished when he was only two. He’d devoured Ultra Lad comics as a kid, though, and couldn’t get enough of the archival footage of the real teen in action.
Chuck had been 16 during the Invasion, and even through the fear and horror of those few days, he’d been thrilled to see Ultrason (obviously an older Ultra Lad, returning at the moment of crisis), and devastated when his hero had fallen protecting his father, his back broken over the knee of an armored alien fighter. There’d never been any mention of him afterward, amongst the dead, and many assumed he’d simply died of his injuries later. But Chuck had preferred to believe the rumor that Ultrason had been sent to his mothers home, Salomon Island, to be healed… and maybe someday to return?
“Was Gaia really his mother then? Is he still alive on—“
“Yes, he is still alive but no, not on Salomon Island,” Jane said, sighing. “And no, his mother is not Gaia. This is where we get into more… delicate areas, and the primary reason for the Hunter’s reticence. You see, Ultra had a secret identity, and a family.
“Yes, I know, everyone has always assumed the man couldn’t have a secret identity — he wore no mask, was seemingly everywhere, all the time, and had the Bastion to retreat to when he needed time away. And while he was no media hound, there are decades of pictures, film and video of him, including his rare public speeches. It’s not like a pair of glasses and a comb-over could conceal that famous face.
“Except that’s exactly what they did… when combined with one other psychic power Ultra possessed. Even more subtle than his theoretical precognitive power, but more certain, was an ability to project a… it’s hard to describe… a confusion field, maybe? It made anyone who met him as Carl Cohen see… someone other than Ultra. Older, less handsome, hair a little thinner… nothing dramatically different, but clearly not Ultra in any way.”
“Wait, you’re saying Ultra was really Carl Cohen?” Kyle sat up, suddenly much more focused on the conversation. “The history and economics author and professor Carl Cohen? Why didn’t I know that?”
“I’ve no idea,” Jane shrugged, taking the opportunity to finish off the Ninkasi and fish a new one out of the cooler. An imperial stout this time. “I suppose you just never asked. Maybe being more interested in his power set?”
“Huh. I suppose… I mean, until now I just assumed, like everyone else, that he just didn’t have a secret identity. Hell, I’ve got several of Dr. Cohen’s books, and I swear the picture on the back covers looks nothing like Ultra. Are you saying this power to cloud men’s minds extends to photographs, too?”
“Hardly, Kyle,” Jane laughed. It occurred to Chuck that she seemed much more… relatable in her civilian persona. He wondered if that would carry through to her Artemis persona, now that he knew about both. “Ultra couldn’t avoid the spotlight, but Carl could, and did. In-person meetings, such as classes and lectures, were no problem; but he was very careful about cameras in his presence. And when they were unavoidable, as for those book cover photos, he physically made himself up to look just as people “saw” him. I know the Hunter also doctored the family photos for his son and daughter-in-law, using Bastion tech.”
“Wait, if Gaia wasn’t his wife, then who was?” Jonny asked, perhaps assuming they were in the Q&A portion of the evening now. Correctly, apparently, as Artemis didn’t give him “The Look.”
“You’ve met her, more than once, actually,” JJ replied. “Louise Lancaster, the Managing Editor of the Daily Star. They married in early 1959, and had their only child, a son, in 1960. He got into the family business, as it were, much against his parents’ wishes, in 1976, and—“
“And today he’s Dr. Joseph Cohen, the head master of the very prestigious Brookhaven Preparatory School in New Atlantis,” Chuck interrupted, staring at his smartphone. “Which he founded in 2003, less than a year after the Invasion, despite being confined to a wheelchair.”
“And he is opening a West Coast branch, the Columbia Preparatory School, here in Astoria in less than a month,” Artemis added. “In fact, at my recommendation young Cassie Hartwal and Chris Terazzo are going to be in the inaugural class. Both schools are actually semi-covert training facilities for young meta-humans, to help them learn to control, and safely use, their powers.”
“Sort of like that show “Hero High,” on Netflix?” Jonny asked.
“Well, the show is loosely… very loosely, actually… based on Brookhaven,” Jane admitted with a grimace. “Joseph hates it, but it does help keep suspicion off the real thing. They’re not exactly training the kids to be heroes, either, although that is one option. But wearing a cape isn’t for everyone, and Joseph insists his students have other options, if they want them. There are plenty of ways to use super powers to benefit society that don’t involve fighting crime, after all.”
“How do they manage to keep something like that under wraps?” Chuck wondered, a question Jonny seconded.
“Well, the school – schools now – aren’t exactly a secret. But they do prefer to keep a low profile, and the government fully supports that, so SHADE helps where they can. The reputable media know not to pursue it, as long as the students don’t do anything they can’t ignore. It doesn’t hurt that Joseph has developed some interesting variations on his father’s powers since he became paraplegic.
“While he retains his invulnerability and his enhanced senses, he seems to have lost much of his strength, as well as the ability to fly. Instead, he seems to have channeled those powers into true telekinesis and contact-telepathy. Generally, he can only sense another person’s emotional state and, occasionally, flashes of strong or directed thoughts… unless he’s in direct skin-to-skin contact. Then he can probe deeper, though he’s far from the most powerful mind reader on the planet.
“But what really allows Joseph Cohen to keep his school “under wraps,” as you put it, is an extension of his father’s ability to cloud minds. Nothing so crude as mind control, Kyle, no need to get excited. He simply generates an almost subliminal disinclination in others to find anything interesting or particularly memorable about the place. No memories are altered, per se, no thoughts controlled, just a general feeling that it’s all very… ordinary.”
“Well, I guess it makes sense that the Hunter wants to keep his secrets, then, since he still has a grandson,” Jonny said. “Ultra’s old enemies might still try and go after his family, I guess.”
“Mmmm, not as many as you might think,” JJ said, waggling one hand in a balancing motion. “The criminals know that ultimately it’s a losing game to go after the families and friends of heroes. We don’t kill, under most circumstances, but if our loved ones started to die or be threatened, that would change. Fast. No one wants an all-out meta-human war, least of all the villains. At least not the sane ones.”
“Which leaves the insane ones, of course,” Jane added drily. “Which aren’t all that numerous, thankfully, but are dangerous enough to make secret identities worth attempting, for many. And Joseph has both a wife and a daughter, who weigh heavily in the Hunter’s calculations. While Wendy can take care of herself, being Gaia’s former protege Miracle Lass, their daughter shows no signs of having inherited the family powers.”
“Wait, Ultrason married his former teammate in the Teen Squad?” Chuck demanded. “There were rumors, but I never really thought—“
“Yes, well, it was years after the team broke up, and after they’d both retired,” Jane replied. “I suppose Karen’s in college by now… I haven’t seen her since she was 11 or 12.” Chuck thought she looked a little dismayed at how quickly time had passed in that regard… which made hi wonder what it was like, living for so long…
“Hey, is Ultrason, er, Dr. Cohen, effected by ultrite, the way his father was?” Jonny asked. “And how does that stuff work, anyway? I mean, it can’t be weakening them, if their powers aren’t really physical…”
“The crystals effect Joseph just as they did his father. The Hunter has long theorized that it was a function of the Seeker crystal technology to keep the growing fetus from damaging it’s own womb during development – it’s only the crystals from the gestation pod that have that effect, other Seeker matrix crystals never impacted either of the Cohens.” Jane paused and absently munched on a handful of habanero-spiced peanuts before continuing.
“What ultrite does do is dampen their psionic abilities almost entirely. Both men, but Carl especially, are very strong physically – as strong as the human form can be, essentially – and that’s not effected. So they’re not left totally helpless by exposure to ultrite crystals, but their super strength, senses, and most importantly their invulnerability, are gone, leaving them almost as easy to injure of kill as a baseline human. Which is how the Z’ardani managed to bring Ultra down in the end, thanks to the crystals that traitorous cur von Richtor gave them.
“Fortunately for Joseph, there’s very little of the stuff left anymore… the Alliance keeps some in the Overwatch, and I suppose the Overlord must still have some.” Jane’s expression had hardened when she mention Gearhart von Richtor, the Overlord, and Chuck suspected there was a story there… but maybe not one to pursue tonight…
“Yeah, it an’t be much,” Kyle agreed. “The Hunter knows the original mass of the gestation pod, of course, and has calculated the amount of ultrite known to have been used over the decades. He told me that about 93% of it has been accounted for – either in known hands, good or bad, or destroyed.”
“I thought that stuff was almost impossible to destroy,” Jonny said, polishing off the last of the chips and the artichoke dip. “Isn’t Seeker tech sort of self-healing?”
“Tough, yes,” Kyle agreed. “But hardly impossible. And the gestation pod crystals don’t seem to share the self-healing properties of most matrix crystals, thankfully. Not that self-healing helps if something is reduced to its component atoms – not even Seeker tech can’t come back from that!”
From there the conversation moved on to various stories of Ultra over the years, with Jonny and Chuck especially interested the ones Artemis had shared in personally. Her mood lightened again, and by the time the party broke up, just before midnight, everyone was mellow and relaxed. Kyle pulled Jonny aside after he’d opened a portal back to the Pyramid for Chuck and Jane, as JJ finished clearing up the last detritus of the evening across the terrace.
“Hey kid, would you mind stopping by my place for a quick nightcap?” he asked. “I’ve got something important I want to talk to you about, privately. If you’re not too bushed?”
“No, I’m good,” Jonny replied, curious about his friend’s suddenly serious tone. “And I wanted to borrow one of those history books of Professor Cohen’s you recommended, if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all,” Kyle assured him. “That be perfect, kill two birds with one stone.” With final wave to JJ, he opened a new portal to his own penthouse condo less than a mile away, and the two stepped through…