Continued from Chapter 1: The Plan of Meta 7
by The Time Trust
The Moontower was a misnomer. It was not a tower. It was much, much bigger than a tower. A better word applied to it would be mountain, and a large mountain, at that. At nearly five miles in diameter, it was about the size of Mount Everest. Its shape was round, like a globe, and at this moment it was buried halfway underground, its top half popping out from a five-mile-wide crater on the Moon.
If it was large from the outside, the inside was massive. The scale was truly impossible to guess. Within it were chambers as tall and wide as skyscrapers, filled with numerous matter-transmuting engines. It was, in short, a small, hollow planet meant to house many generations of beings for long-term space travel. And that is what it had been, millennia ago, when it brought a race of reptilian extraterrestrials to this world.
Now, it was under the care of Meta 7, former metahero and current chairman of the U.N. Board of Metahumans, commonly called the Meta Board. He had named it the Moontower for the fact that it was a tower on the Moon that overlooked the Earth, but it was more akin to a dome or even a bubble. He was fond of the name, though, so he had an actual tower constructed atop the dome of the extraterrestrial ship, and the Moontower was created. It was the perfect headquarters for a metahero team. All it lacked was the team. That was about to change.
Meta 7 had invited the members of the Meta Board to meet for the first time at the Moontower to discuss his plans. Already a few had arrived, and others were just arriving.
"Walrus!" Meta 7 said, smiling as he slapped his old friend, Chewy Walrus, on the back. "Thank you for accepting the position on the Meta Board."
"Well, it's provisional," the Walrus replied. He was a serious-looking, slightly paunchy, brown-haired man wearing a blue costume with goggles that made him look like the scientist he had once been. "I haven't made up my mind to stay just yet. I'm... not really a bureaucrat."
"Oh, of course," replied Meta 7. "But I do appreciate your help. You'd be surprised, but there were hardly any takers when Doctor Quantum gave up his seat on the board earlier this year. Well, hardly anyone notable... yourself excepted, of course." He paused to smile. "So how is the EPS treating you these days?"
"Oh, same old, same old," said the metahero. He smiled and said thoughtfully, "I've been with the Elitum Protection Squadron for fifteen years, now, but... well, heck if I know why the Shark hasn't given me more leadership responsibilities. Gosh knows I've earned it."
"'Leadership responsibilities,' hmm?" Meta 7 pondered. "Keep that in mind, old friend. We may need someone with your experience in just such a position."
"Don't get me wrong, Kohoutek," the Walrus replied. "I'm not ready to pack it in just yet. The EPS has been good to me. Let's just say that I'm... open to possibilities."
"I fully understand," Meta 7 said, smiling knowingly. "And this must be... the Worm?"
A younger man, about twenty years old had come up to stand next to the Walrus. The Worm wore a dark green jumpsuit with a cowled mask covering his head and the upper half of his face. "They call me Grow Worm, sir," he said, shaking Meta 7's hand.
"Oh?" said Meta 7, amused. "And why is that?"
Grow Worm's arm went limp and drooped, falling to the ground like a piece of chewed gum that had been stretched too far. His hand, however, was still clutching Meta 7's. "Well, as you can see, I have the same powers as my partner," the Worm said, grinning.
"Excellent, excellent," Meta 7 said. "And how are you finding the EPS? Besides the colorful monickers, how are they treating you? Are they providing you enough challenges?"
The Worm glanced briefly at the Walrus and said, "I've been mostly happy with my work at the EPS since I joined a couple of years ago. We've really made a difference. But... I'm also open to possibilities."
"That's just what I like to hear," said Meta 7. He watched as Chewy Walrus and Grow Worm took their seats, the Walrus at the board's panel as the official EPS liaison, and the Worm in the guest's section.
Meta 7's smile faded somewhat as he spotted two young metaheroes walk over to him. "Ah, and how are you lads?" he asked. "Is it too much to hope for a Seven Senses reunion?"
"I'm afraid not, sir," said Ace Martian, the English telepathic member of the team, a teenager with unkempt dirty blonde hair and glasses with round frames who wore a dark blue cloak over a blue-and-black costume. "Too much water under the bridge."
"Right," said Meta 7. He was smiling politely but could not easily hide his impatience with the young metaheroes. He completely ignored the smallest and youngest of the two, the thirteen-year-old Disco Stave, only addressing Ace. "And will we be expecting Mr. Silver today?"
"Ah, about that..." said Ace sheepishly. "Doug... wasn't able to make it to the meeting today. He's asked me to fill in on his place at the board."
"He's really sorry about it," offered Disco Stave, who wore a blue costume with white boots and gloves and a full-face mask open at the scalp to reveal a shock of brown hair. Meta 7 glanced at the boy briefly and looked away.
"No Knight De Facto, then," Meta 7 said, speaking of Doug Silver's professional name as leader of the Seven Senses. "Well, I'm sure it won't make a difference one way or another." He waved at someone in the distance and flashed that person a smile. "You can find your seats over there," he said offhandedly to the two teenaged metaheroes. He walked away from them and approached the man he had greeted. "Nightwatch! How are you, old boy?"
Ace glanced at Disco. Neither of them were feeling very welcome at this party.
After several minutes, all twelve members of the Meta Board had assembled. Besides the chairman, Meta 7, the following metaheroes were present:
Ace Martian, Seven Senses liaison (filling in for the absent Doug Silver);
Chewy Walrus, Elitum Protection Squadron liaison;
Crimson Bluestar, future metahero representative and liaison for the 31st century's Legion of Meta Protectors;
Damocles, the Meta Board's vice-chairman;
The Great Smidgen, Golden Age metahero representative;
Her Majesty's Champion (HMC), representative of the Forgotten Metaheroes;
Mycroft, non-meta detective hero representative;
Nightwatch, European metahero representative;
Primate, teenaged hero representative;
The Scout Marksman, non-meta athletic hero representative;
Superfast Man, Silver Age metahero representative;
Sky Bull (officially "Sky Urus," but everyone called him Sky Bull), former member of the Metamen 5.
In the guest section of the hall were the following:
Disco Stave, former Seven Senses member and guest of Ace Martian;
Grow Worm, EPS agent and guest of Chewy Walrus;
Johnny Morphus, former Metahero League of America member and guest of Meta 7;
Matthias Apostle, former Metahero League of America member and guest of Damocles.
Meta 7 stood, addressing the U.N. Board of Metahumans. "Gentlemen, as per my instructions, you've all brought with you a list of nominees, worthy metaheroes who would make excellent members of a Meta Board League. I'd like each of you to tell me what you've prepared." He looked to the tall man next to him. "Vice-chairman?"
"Thank you, chairman," said Damocles, standing as Meta 7 took his seat. "Now, I must admit that, when our chairman told me his plans for creating a new metahero team to work under the aegis of the Meta Board, I had my doubts. Since then, I've allowed the idea to grow on me, and I've been carefully researching potential candidates. If you'll all turn to the screen..."
Damocles used a remote control to dim the lights as the screen lit up with a photograph of an intense-looking man in his early thirties, with swept-back, short dark hair and thick, horn-rimmed glasses worn ironically. He was dressed in jeans and an untucked, dark button-up shirt. Besides his intensity, he looked completely normal, except for the strange-looking keyboard strapped in front of him, upon which he was busily typing. A small holographic screen that he was intensely focused on was projected from the keyboard.
"This is the Write Guy," said Damocles. "He's not a widely known hero, but his abilities hold much potential. He can use a device he calls his Cosmic Keyboard, which he says gives him 'artistic license' over reality..." He paused as a few people chuckled mildly. "The device actually focuses his inborn meta-ability, allowing him to do things that even the most powerful of us cannot, such as bending reality to his will himself. The Write Guy can use his device to turn his own ideas into hard fact, within certain limitations. Simply put, if he writes it, it happens. With his device he can also travel into other dimensions, allowing him to access parallel worlds." He clicked for the next slide.
"Shaggy Faust," Damocles said, displaying a photograph of a tall, lanky man in his late twenties and appeared to be, for all intents and purposes, a rock star. He had an overall retro-mod look with a few current touches and, with his sunglasses and expensive fur-lined jacket, resembled Lenny Kravitz. "None of us are completely certain what his metapowers are, but doesn't he look cool?" A few more people laughed this time. "Seriously, have any of you had a conversation with this man? He provides among the most entertaining and intelligent dialogue in anyone I've ever met. In fact, that's the key to his success. Once you hear his voice, he can talk you into doing literally anything."
"Why don't you marry him?" someone shouted, and several people laughed.
"Who was that?" Damocles said, laughing. "Smidgen, was that you? You know I'm spoken for, old-timer." More laughter.
"Can we get on with it?" Meta 7 interrupted.
"Of course, of course," said Damocles, bringing up the next slide, a photograph of an alluring, dark-haired woman who wore a black and blue costume, the black parts appearing to be as dark as a shadow. "Obsidienne. She has the ability to restore confidence in our too-often all-male metahuman get-togethers by bringing a touch of feminine charm. Her actual metapower is her manipulation of of darkness, but I've heard rumors of other metapowers. I'm willing to allow her in, if she gives us some input on her other miraculous abilities." He clicked the next slide.
"Agent F7," Damocles said as he showed a photograph of a bare field, with a small shrubbery right in the middle of it, and nothing else. "As you can see, or perhaps as you cannot see, he -- or she, since we really cannot know for sure -- is very good at not being seen. He has built a reputation for himself in the intelligence community for being the ultimate information gathering superspy, who could constantly work behind the scenes to help the team without ever being recognized. Agent F7, an expert in disguise, has been known to show up under various assumed personas. You know, like, 'Was that really just a janitor... or was that Agent F7?'" More laughter. Damocles clicked to the next slide.
"The Cavalier Genius," said Damocles, as a photograph appeared of a smiling, confident-looking Latino man with a dark goatee, who wore a black-and-gold swashbuckling outfit with a knight-and-horse insignia and a wide-brimmed hat and carried a sword. "He would be the brains of the outfit, simply because of his extensive knowledge of history and numerous other subjects." He clicked to the next slide.
"Sigma," he said as a photograph appeared of a young African-American man wearing a form-fitting, all-white costume with a black logo in the shape of the sigma (Σ), the eighteenth letter in the Greek alphabet, "the heart and soul of any team, he can choose from amongst any one of eighteen powers that he wishes, except he can only use each one at a time."
"And then there would be..." Damocles clicked to the next slide, which turned out to be a photograph of himself in his blue mask and navy blue and maroon bodysuit. The board members laughed. "...me. As most of you know, I am able to change my shape to a limited degree. I have a wide variety of weapons influenced by the finest weapons makers in the business, including a metal quarterstaff that fires energy beams from either end, a handy device, let me tell you.
"As well, I'm able to use my control over my physical form to heal most wounds, and my physical abilities are roughly four or five times better than that of the average Olympic athlete. I'm a pretty impressive unarmed combatant, if I do say so myself, and I have a specially built helicopter. My mask has sensor equipment built into it. Finally, a heart of gold beats beneath my brooding, tough guy exterior." At that, several board members laughed raucously and began clapping.
After the laughter died down, Meta 7 stood and said, "Quite a performance, Dam. I'm glad to see you've taken this so seriously."
"Thank you," said Damocles. "I try."
Meta 7 shook his head, trying to keep from smiling. "Now, perhaps we could get back to the business of selecting our team. Johnny Morphus? I believe you were telling me earlier that you had an intriguing proposal for the team."
"Thanks, Kohoutek," said Johnny Morphus, standing to address the board from the guests' section. Johnny had short-cropped auburn hair and wore a bronze-colored, multi-patterned costume with a long green cape and green gloves. "And thanks to all of you for allowing me to visit today. My idea is to create not merely another Metahero League of America, like the one a few of us were members of a decade ago, but instead a new twist on that old idea."
The lights dimmed once more, as Johnny waved his hands, using his power to cause shimmering, three-dimensional images to form in the chamber.
"Welcome to the MLI, or Metahero League International..." he said as the images coalesced into dreamlike versions of a few familiar-looking heroes, including some who were present at the meeting. One image stood and began to run very quickly, racing circles around the others. This was a speedster dressed head-to-toe in a form-fitting red uniform with blue and gold fringes and wearing a yellow visor.
"Superfast Man," said Johnny, "or, as some of us call him behind his back, Superfast Know-it-all Man."
"Hey!" half-heartedly protested Superfast Man, who couldn't help but laugh with the others.
"Sorry, Superfast," said Johnny. "Because of his experience, he'd make the perfect team leader. Hey, he's superfast and he knows it all, baby..."
The image of Superfast dissipated now, replaced by the image of the "rock star" metahero seen earlier. "Shaggy Faust," said Johnny. "Our vice-chairman skimped a bit on the details of his metapowers earlier, but I happen to know that he bartered his soul for ultimate knowledge of pop culture and cool lingo."
The image disappeared, replaced by one resembling none other than the chairman himself, looking powerful in his dark gray business suit. "Meta 7," said Johnny, "thought to be mad by the world at large, the trees tell him a different story."
"Very funny, Johnny," said Meta 7.
Another image appeared, this time of a tough-looking figure wearing a red cloak with a peaked red hood and carrying a large firearm, with two scantily clad women hanging onto his legs in a classic sword-and-sorcery pose. "Cardinal Synn," said Johnny, "who offends evil into submission with sarcasm and a big #^@%!*& gun. The power to summon sexy pixies as backup doesn't suck, either." Several people laughed.
The image changed to the same man typing madly on a keyboard as seen earlier. "Write Guy," said Johnny, "he writes... and it is." He waved his hand again, erasing the image and slowly forming a new one.
"And of course, Chewy Walrus and his faithful sidekick, Grow Worm," said Johnny, as the images of the two EPS agents in their blue and green costumes formed in mid-air, stretching their arms and legs to incredible lengths.
"Wha...?" gasped the Walrus.
"'Faithful sidekick'?!" said the Worm.
"The bendable, edible defenders of right are back... to have crime... take a bite out of them," concluded Johnny, winking.
"I do believe we've been insulted, Worm," said Chewy Walrus amidst the laughter.
"Very theatrical, Johnny," said Meta 7. "I see some of you have had a bit of fun with your assignment."
"And don't forget that Cardinal Synn is really the second coming of our original team's member, Mister Synn," said Superfast Man.
"He died and came back... how novel," said Grow Worm, rolling his eyes, as he spoke to the others in the guest section. "Why haven't any other metaheroes ever used this idea?" He then said, loud enough for the board to hear, "Oh, yeah, and Superfast? I know you know it all, and all, but wasn't the Golden Age Mister Synn a part of the Mysterymen Board Society, and then was reborn in the present day as Cardinal Synn? I think I read the files on that somewhere..."
"Actually, now that you mention it, Worm," said Superfast Man, "I seem to remember, during a crisis back in the eighties, most of us returned unscathed, yet there was no Mister Synn. Then came this Cardinal Synn fellow. A replacement? Or is he the immortal one who saved our world from the evil and wicked antimatter world? Hmm... This is something we should check out."
Chewy Walrus glanced at the Worm and said to Superfast Man, "Well, actually, I believe if you looked into it further, it's more or less obvious that the mysterious figure in question is actually Mister Synn's son from the former alternate Earth-Z, snatched to safety in the nick of time by the Arch-Moderator for his own nefarious schemes. Wasn't that a crisis, though? Woo, my mouth was dry for weeks!"
Meta 7 threw his hands in the air in disgust, saying, "There goes another meeting."
"Okay, okay, here's my Meta Board League," said Nightwatch, grinning as he stood. The English metahero was dressed in a half-masked black costume with a red line running diagonally across the chest like a sash, a fringe of gold along the collar, golden lines running down his arms and legs and golden gloves, and he wore a black fedora. "Mycroft: the ability to obsess about totally inane details at a crime scene." He paused for laughter. "Harpy-Wing: the power to distract Mycroft from his sleuthing by being totally hilarious and throwing in pop culture references at a whim." More laughter. "Throne: the ability to piss off Chief G by mentioning his ex-girlfriend, Harpy-Wing." Still more laughter. "Chief G: the ability to have a discussion about anything without bringing up Harpy-Wing." A few chuckles. "Meta 7: the ability to come up with whacked-out ideas."
"Nightwatch: the ability to have a cable guide for the next hundred years implanted in his mind," quipped Mycroft, who wore a Sherlock Holmes-inspired costume, complete with a deerstalker cap and pipe. "I know how much you like to watch."
"Har-de-har-har," said Nightwatch flatly as the others laughed.
"All right, all right," said Meta 7 as the laughter began dying down. "Can we please get back to the purpose of our meeting? Does anyone else have a lineup? Preferably one worth mentioning?"
The room was quiet for several long moments.
Finally, everyone turned as the thirteen-year-old Disco Stave stood and said, "I have a list of heroes."
Meta 7 stared at him and smiled nervously. "Go on, by all means."
Disco Stave said, "The Meta League of America would consist of the Arch-Moderator, with the omnipotent power to change time. Superfast Man -- he's super-fast, and he knows it all. Myself, with the catch phrase, 'My real name isn't even Steve!' Chewy Walrus and Grow Worm, the League's stretchy dudes. Agent F7, the mysterious one. And the Write Guy -- he writes!"
The board was quiet, and then a few people clapped at his lineup suggestion as Disco sat down. Ace Martian flashed Disco an approving smile.
"You did good, kid," rasped the Great Smidgen, a short, bald, mustachioed, old metahero in a red and blue circus muscleman costume whose heyday was in the 1940s.
"'And a child shall lead them'," whispered Damocles to Meta 7.
Nightwatch stood up again and said, "Thank you, Disco Stave, for getting us back on track. I actually did bring a serious suggestion, but Steve brought up an interesting angle, whether intentionally or not, when he called the new team the 'Meta League of America'... As you know, I'm English, and the majority of my cases take place in the U.K. or mainland Europe. I've worked in several European countries, in fact, several times alongside metaheroes in those nations. So... while I've brought my own list of nominees for a Meta Board League, I'd like you to consider my proposal for a separate team altogether.
"Okay, so you have your 'Meta League of America.' Now it's time for the Meta League of Europe, consisting of..." He used a remote control to launch a holographic projection in the center area in front of the board, and a figure identical to himself appeared. "...myself, Nightwatch, able to see beyond ordinary human vision, allowing me to see from afar places across the globe and even glimpse into the future. I am also a teleporter, able to instantaneously travel to virtually anywhere in the world. My mind's-eye vision also helps me to teleport to the right place. It's one of the reasons I took the name Nightwatch."
"We all know you got the name from the painting, 'Watch," shouted Mycroft, referring to Rembrandt van Rijn's famous 1642 painting, The Night Watch or De Nachtwacht.
"Sure, but that was after I'd already gained my powers," added Nightwatch, shrugging. "I could've just called myself Teleporto or something, to go with the theme." He clicked to the next hologram, a figure wearing nondescript dark clothing with his hands over his face, as if adjusting a mask. "Agent F7, master of disguise, spy extraordinaire and walking encyclopedia, who I must point out is also English, not American, so he wouldn't be in the MLA." The next hologram depicted a raven-haired woman wearing a long, purple robe, with sparkling energy seeming to radiate from her jewelry-covered hands. "Kazmantra, the mystic of the group." Another hologram depicted a man dressed in formal attire, wearing a black and gray suit with a top hat and white gloves and holding a silver cane for show. "The Silver Troubleshooter, the perfect gentleman of the group." The next hologram showed a man wearing a brown costume with a masked and hooded cape. "Hammerman, whose superstrength and superspeed last for all of 14 minutes. All these are Brits."
Another hologram depicted a man dressed in red and black in a costume akin to the devil's whose hands were completely engulfed in yellow-red flame. "Hellstone of Sweden, who can generate flame-bursts both large and small." The next hologram showed a huge, powerfully built, lizardlike green man wearing no costume at all. "Espen Saltfjord of Norway, who claims to be a relative of the Loch Ness monster." The final hologram showed a confident-looking young man in a tight red T-shirt and black jeans with wild, long black hair shooting from his scalp at all angles. "And Musgosu of Spain, the foe of monsters everywhere (except our own lizard monster, of course) who can make someone relive the same moment twice to catch them off-guard, a terrific deja vu ability. In fact, I've theorized that each deja vu moment creates a new independent timeline of reality, and should be interpreted with an indefinable sub-text, henceforth I'd coin his power as terrifi-deja-nu."
Nightwatch turned off the hologram projector. "Now, don't misunderstand me -- I haven't actually created the Meta League of Europe yet, but I plan on contacting each of the prospective members and asking them to join this team. Perhaps one team we create could protect America and the other Europe. The MLA and the MLE should be under the umbrella of the Meta Board League, the international advisory group overseeing both teams."
"If we go with this very good idea," said the Great Smidgen in his rasping, hoarse voice, "then there should also be a sub-team for the young metas of the world, a kind of training team. This could be made up of the most important junior members of the MBL, but the lineup would constantly change as people graduate into full-fledged status. As one of the youngest metaheroes during the Golden Age, I can understand what it's like to start out as a hero among the greats, so I'd be willing to volunteer to help train these young fellas."
"Sounds a lot like the Seven Senses," Ace Martian muttered to Disco Stave, who snickered.
"Did you have something to add, Mr. Martian?" said Meta 7 coldly.
"Uh..."
"Go on, youngster," croaked the Great Smidgen eagerly. "What's your lineup for the league?"
"My Meta Board League?" said Ace, looking down as if pondering whether he dared to say what was on his mind. After a moment's thought he said, "Well, if I'd had a choice, I would pick only the most powerful metaheroes and metaheroines in the world -- only the big shots. It would include Knight De Facto, Generator, Brain Tech, Disco Stave, Caped Cadet, Hooligan and... Ace Martian, naturally. Seven members, all having the same powers -- the ability to recreate reality." As if realizing he had brought the mood down, he smiled and added, "Naturally, the Arch-Moderator would be invited to fill in as the rotating member, since he could destroy the entire universe with a mere twist of his pinkie." Ace sat down as a few people smiled and chuckled at his ill-placed attempt at humor.
"That was beautiful, man," said Disco Stave. "I miss the Seven Senses, too."
"And I'll reluctantly join as the eighth member when I save the team during an adventure with my diamond-tipped arrow," quipped the Scout Marksman, a red-haired, bearded man wearing a tan-colored suede archer's outfit, as he flippantly posed with his arrow. After a moment's laughter, he said, "Sorry, guys. I couldn't resist."
"Asshole," muttered Ace quietly.
"Are there any other serious nominees for the team?" said Meta 7.
At that, Matthias Apostle, a blonde young man wearing a white choir robe, stood and said, "Okay, here goes. My candidates for the seven are Obsidienne, the Write Guy, Superfast Man, Meta 7, Nightwatch, Dragnet Zero and myself -- I can do that, can't I?"
"Sure, why not?" said Meta 7. "Everyone else seems to be doing it. And thank you for including at least one new candidate in your list, Matt. Dragnet Zero would be a good choice. Now, if there aren't any other nominees..."
"Prometheus X deserves a spot," offered Grow Worm. A few chuckled nervously at the suggestion, thinking it a joke.
Nightwatch had been squinting as he stared into the shadows in the corner of the room. His eyes, able to see beyond the range of human vision, first perceived that one of those shadows slowly seemed to take form and move into view. "The X," he whispered under his breath.
"Grow Worm..."
The mysterious being known only as Prometheus X stood among the metaheroes now, most of whom gasped, startled at how they had not noticed him there before.
"...you honor me with your mention for membership. Yet, I must decline." The others were too awestruck to say anything as the X continued. "I am but a... stranger... who goes where he is needed. Right now, I must depart through the ephemeral mists that separate the universes. I must reclaim your soul from the evil that is your image." And with this puzzling message left hanging in the air, he was gone, this stranger, like a phantom.
No one spoke for several moments. Although all had heard rumors of Prometheus X, only a few people in the room had ever seen him in person before. Finally, Meta 7 broke the silence and said, "And that, gentlemen, was the X. Impressive, I know, but if we could continue...? I'd like to end our meeting for now and arrange a time in the next few days when we can bring all our nominees, and a few others, to the Moontower for trials. This meeting is hereby adjourned."