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What Has Gone Before: The year is 2003. Wyatt Ferguson, Ellipsis, a Superman-type hero named Captain Mighty, and an All-Girl Racing Team are sponsored by Nevada Power and Light. They have gathered at a marina near Chicago for a publicity appearance.
Meanwhile, beyond...
"Chancellor Stanjem, the threat analysis is ready."
"Bottom line?"
"Of all the alternate Earths, there is only one which has more than one hero who could usurp your leadership in Ordered Realities. It's SW10."
"Hrm. That's the one with Ellipsis, right? And the Powernaut?"
"Right. However, the Powernaut is inactive now; people aren't even sure he ever existed. That world has at best a pale substitute now. But Ellipsis is indeed one of the possibilities. The other is a seeming non-entity named Wyatt Ferguson. Despite Mister Ferguson's relative lack of power, Ellipsis considers him a rival. And episodic analysis indicates this Mister Ferguson could be an important factor."
"Well then. Let us send them a threat and gauge their response."
*From the diary of Wyatt Ferguson.*
I'm sure Ellipsis "heard" me. I saw him wince.
Then my friend Roxie the race car driver got everyone's attention, at a microphone. "Sorry, everyone, but we've gotten a tornado alert. Please follow hotel staff to shelter."
Everyone grumbled but went. Here near Chicago, tornadoes were always possible. But I knew better. The Weather Channel had said there were were no storms happening two hours before.
So I ducked up one of those Employee Only doors. It led to a banquet room where I could look out a window. A storm front was approaching - with red lightning bolts coming out. Even one lightning bolt of the usual color would have been impressive - but it was more like one red bolt every five seconds.
Then Captain Mighty (the Big Hero from the conference) came out from the hotel! Somehow I heard him say, "Speed of, a Mighty Thunderstorm!" He flew back and forth across the storm front! It responded with more lightning, striking at him!
But then I heard that Ellipsis voice in my head. "This Is A Reality Storm. He Will Only Make It Cause More Destruction. I Must Stop Him." Yes, Ellipsis always speaks like this. Even in person.
Okaay. Good time for an impromptu trip, somewhere well west of Chicago. I headed toward my hotel room for my luggage. I keep it mostly packed so I can leave promptly. I know all the short cuts across reality.
But then... "I Require Witnesses. You, Roxanne Scott. And You, Wyatt Ferguson."
Oh, $#!+.
The next thing I knew, I was in a four-person forum. Roxie was across from me. Ellipsis was at the head, confronting this Captain Mighty. "You Are In Mind Space. You WILL Answer To Me. You Worsen The Storm. YOU WILL STOP." Oooh, I recognized Ellipsis mind control.
Captain Mighty shuddered at first. But then he said, "... No! Power of - a Mighty Hero!"
He transformed. He'd been about 6'6" and big-jawed, with a cape. But he became more Buck Rogers-like, 6'3", with a sort of poncho. He said in a different voice, "Oh. I'm back."
Roxie gaped and said, "Powernaut?"
"... Racer Girl?"
"Uh, no! Not me! But I'm a big fan of her cartoons! Uh, I was as a kid anyway. Not that I'm not now..."
"Ssh. The door just opened. Right now you can be the Racer Girl if you want."
Ellipsis was silent. Oh, fat lot of help he was. So I spoke up. "Uh. 'Powernaut'. Are you another of those Superman wannabe clones like this Captain Mighty was?"
"Super man? Want to be? CLONE? NO! Just, there is danger! Let me and Racer Girl fix it!"
"Racer Girl?"
From Roxie's spot, a woman spoke. "Yes." She'd turned taller and blonde, with some kind of small glowing pyramid in her hand.
Ellipsis whispered to me, by his mind standards. "Somehow they now draw upon archetypes from beyond. Their power is highly increased. I can no longer easily stop them."
So it was apparently my call. "Provided you hurt no one, do what you will."
Powernaut said, "Thank you!"
Our mind conference dissolved.
Out the window, I saw things whipping around the storm front, somehow drawing it up into the sky!
Ellipsis whispered in my mind once more. "No good will come of this. However freakish weather becomes, it will do as it will, until it is controlled at its source."
"Fine. Just don't ask me to hack a weather control radar to do it. That never worked out well for me."
After, beyond...
"Chancellor Stanjem, we have SW10 results. The Powernaut made a brief appearance to confront trouble, but has since disappeared. We also think we can rule out Wyatt Ferguson as a factor; his first impulse was to evade trouble, not confront it. That leaves only Ellipsis who wishes to control trouble."
"Excellent. Just add Ellipsis to the list with the others, then. We'll get to him in due time."
This story is in response to High Concept Challenge, "Missing Story". It takes place in 2003, immediately after the RACC-reprinted story "Four Heroes". I originally published that story as www.eilertech.com/stories/me2003.htm#4heroes . That web page shows abundantly what comes after, from the perspective of the 2003 storyline. The mystery villain Chancellor Stanjem has a major role, as does the Council of Ordered Realities (which appeared as recently as 2011, with one Wyatt Ferguson as Chancellor).
2003 has a home team: Ellipsis and Wyatt Ferguson. Ellipsis's power dwarfs Wyatt's. It pretty well dwarfs anyone Ellipsis knows, even including one "Captain Mighty" who is the most powerful being the U.S. Government has access to. But Wyatt is great at impromptu stuff. Ellipsis is great at not doing impromptu stuff, so he is not the best at prompt decision making under weird conditions.
2003 has a visiting team, whom Captain Mighty's mysterious power has opened a door to. The Powernaut and his ally Racer Girl were last seen in 1966, in cartoons which some people within SW10 may remember. (Powernaut 1966!) Now that the door is open, they or people like them may be seen again. (Powernaut 2005!)
I've put everything I could into this story. It makes more sense now that I've waited ten years to finish it. It has become a true "Trinity" episode for my universe, with one remaining mysterious thing from beyond. So it's still Four Heroes.
I have no immediate plans to publish this story on my web site. It obviously belongs in 2003, but it relies on Powernaut plot elements which are not found there before 2005, as well as some nomenclature which I only introduced in 2010. I can't really put it with Powernaut comics, unless I some day decide to draw it. I might have to stow it alongside my Superhuman World 2012 Annual, but I have better things to write for the 2013 Annual. So right now, this is a RACC-only special!
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