Where Infinity Begins Read online

  Ms. Infinity

  Where Infinity Begins

  By Andrew Kirschner

  Cover by Scott Hillman.

  © 2018 Andrew Kirschner. All Rights Reserved.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Contents

  1. Super Fan

  2. A Hero’s Routine

  3. House of Power

  4. Cleared for Takeoff?

  5. Making the Case

  6. Heroic Emergence

  7. The World Reacts

  8. This Time from Space

  9. Identity Complex

  10. Space and the Single Girl

  11. Impressions of a Hero

  12. A Hero Scorned

  13. Fly Like Nobody Is Watching

  14. Work Like It’s Your Last Day On Earth

  15. Centerian Missile Crisis

  16. A Hero’s Limits

  17. Rifts and Renewals

  18. Under the Gunn

  19. Taking a Plunge

  20. A New Normal

  Bland Beauty-The Story of Ms. Infinity’s Origin On Her Native World

  Ms. Infinity Art

  1. Super Fan

  It may not have seemed a particularly momentous day, but it was the day that a hero began to emerge.

  Deep in the bustling crowd of New York’s Comic Con, Bonnie Boring might have hid in plain sight. Just under five feet tall, with olive skin, brown eyes, and black hair, she was one of many costumed fans walking the red tarps.

  If anything was distinct about her, it was the sheer energy and enthusiasm with which she pursued each activity. Everything from high-fiving young girls, to posing for pictures with fans, to pretending to perform super feats, she approached with the excitement of a child at her birthday party. Or maybe it was like a girl who had never had a birthday party, never eaten cake and ice cream, never been sung to. She looked like she could barely contain her glee.

  As the day came to an end, she strolled toward the exit with Amy, a tall blond woman in a Power Girl costume.

  “This was awesome!” said Bonnie, “Thanks so much for inviting me. Really, thank you.”

  “That’s okay,” said Amy, repressing a laugh, “You really don’t have to keep thanking me. I love coming here.”

  “I’m also sorry I kept you waiting. They held me at security. I saw that it’s run by Johnny Gunn. That might have been part of it…”

  “I don’t know,” said Amy, “I didn’t notice anything there in particular. I was waved right on.”

  “Yeah. You would be.”

  “Why…?”

  “It’s alright. Not your fault. Look. It was nice of you to take your boss’s daughter to this. I hope I wasn’t too loud. I don’t get to do this stuff much. It’s a part of me I’ve always been ashamed of. I…I just, I guess I can’t talk about it.”

  “You know, there’s no shame in running around in a costume from time to time. What do you do, by the way?”

  “Right now I’m a cashier.”

  “Really?” said Amy.

  “Yeah,” said Bonnie, “I just started work at The Big Box in Woodside, Queens, right near my house. Is that really so surprising?”

  “Well…”

  “I always get that. People expect more from the daughter of a physics professor. My Mom’s constantly bothering me to go back to school.”

  “If anything,” said Amy under her breath, “it’s surprising that she has a child at all…”

  “Did you say something?” said Bonnie.

  “Oh!” said Amy, “Nothing. So, it’s just you and your mother at home?”

  “Yes,” answered Bonnie.

  “Nelvana!” cried a man walking by in an orange robe with dog ears, “You’re awesome!”

  “Thanks!” answered Bonnie, “Hong Kong Phooey rocks!”

  “Hong Kong Phooey!” said Amy, “I thought that costume was vaguely familiar.”

  “I’m still amazed people recognized my costume.”

  “Here they would. I mean, you certainly dug deep. Nelvana of the Northern Lights hasn’t been published since the 1940’s, and she’s Canadian. But she still has her fans.”

  “I’m also a huge Wonder Woman fan,” said Bonnie, “I would dress like her in a heartbeat, but she’s already well represented. There just aren’t that many really powerful female heroes, and even fewer with dark skin. Hey, look! I have to say hi to them again. Hey! Roger and Jake!”

  “Oh! Hi,” answered a short man, dressed in a red costume with a large yellow “M’ on the chest, and a blue cape. With him was what looked like a dog character with a doghouse over his head.

  “Roger!” said Bonnie, “I just wanted to say hi one more time.”

  “Bonnie, right?” said Roger, “I love the Nelvana costume.”

  “Hey, Thanks man!” answered Bonnie, “I love your costumes too. Mighty Man and Yukk rock! Best part of the contest by far.”

  “What do you think?” said the man in the dog costume, “Do you think it helped that I kept the dog house on the whole time?”

  “No, it didn’t, Jake,” snapped Roger, “It didn’t help anything!”

  Jake looked away, presumably rolling his eyes under the doghouse. He then turned to Bonnie. “You know, I’m impressed that anyone recognized the outfits at all.”

  “Of course,” said Bonnie, “I found the old episodes online. You know what? The two of you are a great set. You should have won a hundred times over. That Captain Nice guy had nothing on you.”

  “Thanks,” said Roger, “Yours is even cooler. You even had Moon Girl beat.”

  “That’s kind of you,” said Bonnie, “Hey, ‘till we meet again!””

  “You’re pretty popular here,” remarked Amy.

  “Thanks,” said Bonnie “Oh! Look at that costume. Hey you!”

  A woman in a full-bodied blue and yellow costume waved back. “Hi. You like my costume?”

  “Krystala is the bomb! The colors are so cool. I thought about going as Darna. You know, the Philippines have some decent female heroes.”

  “Thanks,” said the woman, “My boyfriend is here as Captain Barbell.”

  “Good choice. Krystala can totally take him, if you ask me. You know, if I did do Darna, I might have gone with the Indonesian version. I look more like her.”

  “There’s an Indonesian Darna?”

  “Sure. That movie from the early eighties?”

  “Wow. I didn’t know that.”

  “The costume looked more like Wonder Woman than Darna, and the movie was kind of dumb, but I liked her. Cool meeting you.”

  “My goodness,” said Amy, “You are quite the fan!”

  “My best friend Lisa laughs at me. She says I’m the only adult she knows who gets autographs from the costumed characters at Times Square.”

  “Funny,” wondered Amy, “I’ve seen esoteric characters, but I don’t I’ve seen this many before this year. I feel like I’m dressed for the wrong party.”

  “Anyway,” said Bonnie, “Thank you again. I’ve never had another experience like this. I mean, I just can’t describe it, but it’s like it’s my whole life has been leading up to this moment.”

  Amy paused, trying to hide her discomfort. “Well,” she said tentatively, “I know people get very worked up about their superheroes. So, if it helps, you know that there are communities of people who you can join. Any connections you made here could fill you in.”

  “It’s time,” said Bonnie to herself, “There is just so much injustice in the world.”

 
“Well…sure,” said Amy, “Cosplayers can do good work, like visiting sick children in hospitals. You may have to go as a better-known character though. Also, it’s volunteer work, so you know, it doesn’t pay.”

  “It’s just something I have to do. That’s it. There’s no longer any way around it.”

  “So long Bonnie. It was great meeting you. Say hi to your mother for me, okay?”

  “I will. Thank you again!”

  Bonnie stepped outside, and started toward the gates. Her heart was racing, many feelings inside her that she could not describe. She had been fighting something all day, and felt she could go on no longer. Scurrying about quietly, she slipped around the concrete buildings until she found a secluded spot behind a wall. She closed her eyes and took deep breath, feeling a guilty thrill. She looked around to assure herself that nobody was watching. Then, simple as sprinting forward, she flew far into the air.

  A split second later, Bonnie was high above the clouds. New York was miles below, an abstract picture of protrusions from its various islands amidst the rushing waters. Upon her were the mighty blasts of ceaseless winds that dominated the stratosphere. Yet she hovered in perfect comfort, as though she were floating in a pool. Her hair and cape blew powerfully behind her. She spread her arms and threw her head back in a gesture of euphoria.

  “This is me!” she cried, “At last! After all these years, I can say it. This is me!”

  2. A Hero’s Routine

  The Big Box was a monster of a store. Its façade, together with the adjoining garage, monopolized a long block of Northern Boulevard. Its interior, bathed in flood lighting, seemed to house every possible category of consumer goods in its many, sprawling departments, crowned with broad, glaring blue signs, and adorned with numerous brightly-colored advertisements. In the front end, the long row of cashiers struggled to keep up with the constant ebb and flow of customers.

  Amidst the cavernous noises of the crowd, Bonnie was leaning against a wall near the food vendors in her uniform, a blue polo shirt with the yellow logo reading “The Big Box,” and khaki pants, arguing with her mother on her cellphone.

  “Mom!” she said, “I know! Yeah. I know. Look, it’s nothing I haven’t heard before…Right, but can you please hear me out? Can we discuss this tonight? Thank you. Just please keep an open mind. Please? Alright, thank you. Yes. Lisa’s coming over for dinner.”

  She then put her phone away and started back to the registers. “Maria,” she called to her supervisor, “I’m back from my break!”

  As she returned, she joined two of her friends. Lisa Lin, her best friend, came over to lean against Bonnie’s register. She was about the same height as Bonnie, thin with straight black hair. Bonnie’s neighboring cashier was Julia Hu. She was somewhat taller than Bonnie and Lisa, with her black hair colored with red streaks.

  “Arguing with your mom again?” asked Lisa.

  “Yeah,” said Bonnie, “I don’t want to go into it.”

  “What was going on with you before your break?” asked Julia, “You seemed to take a long time with that one customer.”

  “That guy was weird!” said Bonnie, “He didn’t stop talking the whole time! Was he trying to cheat me or something?”

  “Uh…yeah!” said Lisa, “I told you about him. He’s one of the creeps we deal with here. You don’t remember?”

  “She wouldn’t remember!” said Julia, “She’s just staring at the boys!”

  “Oh, no,” sassed Bonnie, “They’re all looking at me! I’m just being polite by looking back at them. I got it goin’ on? Right, Lis?”

  Lisa looked at her sidelong. “Let’s not go there, girl. You got that face on you, and the voice! You in full moxie mode!”

  “Moxie mode?” asked Julia.

  “Yeah, that what Lisa calls it,” said Bonnie, “She seems to think I have particular style of being wiseass.”

  “Believe me, Julia,” said Lisa, “I would know. I remember her like this during high school. She used to sass the teachers and administrators with it.”

  “Really?” said Julia, “And they let her get away with that?”

  “Not exactly,” said Bonnie, “I spent a lot of time in detention.”

  “She did,” said Lisa, “I used to feel bad for her.”

  “Yeah,” said Bonnie, “Miss Number Three in our class! Lisa was too perfect. She took every extracurricular activity too. She had to be the youngest person I ever knew who was CPR-trained.”

  “My mom has made me keep that up too. I have to renew it every two years. I guess it goes with the pre-med degree. Both things that I may use one day. We’ll see.”

  “So what rank was Bonnie?” asked Julia.

  “Depends,” said Bonnie, “Lisa, how many people were in our class?”

  “Anyway,” said Lisa, “I have like five minutes left on my break. I have to take care of a few things.”

  “Number one or number two?” shouted Bonnie as Lisa walked away.

  Maria walked by Bonnie’s register, clipboard in hand, and looked at Bonnie in annoyance. “Bonnie, stop your chatting and pay attention!”

  "Hey, Maria,” said Bonnie, “I’m kicking butt at this job! I’m really cooking today.”

  “Maybe. Just don’t forget the greeting,” said Maria.

  “Every time?”

  “Yes, Bonnie. Every time. I do it. So can you.”

  Bonnie looked to greet the next customer. At the front of her line, there was a young man on his knees, playing peek-a-boo with a baby in a stroller.

  “Excuse me, sir! Sir?”

  “Oh, hi!” he said in embarrassment as he got up and stood at attention. Bonnie could now see that he was a very good-looking young man, of medium height and build, fair-skinned with brown hair and hazel eyes.

  “Good afternoon,” said Bonnie with a smile, “From the world to your block at The Big Box!”

  “Uh, thank you, I think. What does that mean?”

  “Nothing,” said Bonnie, “It’s just our wonderful greeting.”

  “Wow!” said the young man, his liquid eyes twinkling, following Bonnie expressly, “You are fast! Much faster than the rest of the cashiers.”

  “Thanks!” said Bonnie, “Nice of you to notice. You are certainly polite.”

  “And thank you too.”

  “Have a nice day.”

  The customer, started to walk away, but stopped to look at Bonnie one more time. He hesitated, as if he was about to say more. But when it was clear that Bonnie was concentrating on something else, he spoke quietly to Julia.

  Bonnie was concentrating on something urgent. With her superhuman senses, she saw a man, about a hundred feet across the store, with an explosive device hidden in the sleeve of his jacket. She waited for him to come near a security guard. Then, using her telekinetic powers, she caused a loose shopping cart to collide with him to expose a portion of the device through his sleeve. When the man began to run from the guard, she caused the carpet to rise slightly in front of him, so he tripped and fell, and the guard apprehended him.

  Lisa was returning from her break when she saw the scene unfolding in front of her. She stopped in her tracks, and watched in surprise and relief. But then she thought for a moment. She decided to make one more trip to Bonnie’s register.

  “You know Bonnie,” said Julia, “that guy liked you.”

  “You think so?” said Bonnie,

  “Oh, totally! He asked me your name.”

  “Really? I was too busy to introduce myself. I didn’t mean to be rude.”

  “His name is Hal by the way. He said he felt a warmth about you.”

  “I could have told you that,” said Lisa as she arrived, “I feel it every time we go swimming!”

  “Shut up, Lisa!” said Bonnie.

  “I don’t get it,” said Julia.”

  “Julia,” said Lisa, I think you have a customer.”

  “Alright. Alright,” said Julia.

  “What’s up?” asked Bonnie.

  “Did y
ou see?” said Lisa quietly, “They just arrested a man with an M80. That could have caused a big explosion.”

  “Really?” said Bonnie, trying to sound astonished, “Wow! That is frightening. Good thing they caught him.”

  “Yeah. Good thing. Very lucky. So Bonnie, I just want to say, please be careful, okay?”

  “Well, that’s sweet of you! Of course! You too.”

  “Right, but…I’m just saying. You’re out in the world. Just watch yourself, okay?”

  Bonnie seemed to freeze up for a moment. Lisa stared back at her intently, noticing Bonnie’s familiar nervous tick. Bonnie turned away, as if she knew that the eyes upon her could see more than she cared to show.

  “I’m okay,” said Bonnie, “Nothing else happened. Really, I’m fine, and there’s nothing else to say about it cause, you know, nothing’s wrong…”

  “Alright,” said Lisa, “Whatever.”

  For the next half hour, the store was temporarily closed while the incident was investigated. Maria made some calls. “Hi Tracy,” she said, “I’m afraid there was an incident here. They caught a man with a small explosive. Lisa’s fine. Nobody was hurt. Oh yes. As a matter of fact, Bonnie is here. Oh no. You don’t have to tell her mom. I can call her. Well thank you. Even Julia’s? Well that’s sweet of you. Thanks, Tracy.”

  After Maria hung up, she turned to her co-worker, Nadine. “She took that well. You know, in the past, Tracy has gotten on my case a lot. She’s been more friendly lately.”

  “Well, her kids are grown,” said Nadine, “It’s not like me. I mean, I have a three-year old.”

  “I don’t know. No matter how old my kids get, I’ll still be worrying…”

  “No!” said Lisa, “I would know! You’re the one who can’t tell your own stink! You’re used to your own stinky body odor!”

  “It’s your farts again!” said Bonnie, “Lis is stinking up the place! Everyone knows it too. She tries to hide it, but it’s her!”

  “Nope! It’s you. ‘B.O. Bon Bon’ strikes again!”

  “No! It’s another Lethal Lisa Cloud!”

  “Is this what you girls do all day?” said Maria.