|
|
Lodestone
“Broadcast News” by Martin Maenza
A brown-haired high school senior, dressed in jeans and a blue sweater, sat on the tan carpeted floor; a
small plastic item with many buttons sat in his hands. “I thought we were going to play Double Destiny on the Nintega?” Jimmy Parker asked. His blonde-haired classmate whose family room it was reached for the television remote and changed from the
auxiliary mode to channel 3. “In a minute, Jimbo,” Keith Willis replied as he adjusted the volume. “First, I want to catch the news.” Jimmy cocked his eyebrow. “The news? You?” He poked Keith’s Victoria Savages sweatshirt in the right arm. “Who are you, and what’d you do with my best friend?” “Ssshhh,” Keith said. “I’m trying to listen.” “Okay,” Jimmy said softly. He had known Keith since grade school and knew that when his friend had his mind set on something that there was no changing it. As always, he just would have to go with the flow. The two teenagers sat in silence and watched the screen for a few minutes. *** “I’m Jeff Koch, field-cameraman here at WVIC”, the male voice-over said, “and this is my
exclusive interview with Victoria’s heroes after their recent battle with a
trio of costumed criminals.”1
The image switched to a rooftop scene. The blonde woman most of Victoria knew as Magnet, dressed in a gray costume with red trim, boots, gloves and mask, stood in the foreground. Behind her was the similarly dressed and younger blonde Lodestone and the brown-haired man dressed all in silver known as Steel. “Thank you for agreeing to talk with me,” Jeff Koch said from behind his camera as he filmed the scene. Magnet smiled. “We’re always happy to spare a few moments for the media, now that this situation is under control.” Around them was the shattered remains of equipment that had been erected on the rooftop. Off to the far side, police officers could be seen escorting manacled criminals to the stairway that led inside. *** In another television studio across town, the news director of WVTV shook his head disgustedly as he watched
their rival’s broadcast. The black-haired man in the white dress shirt and gray tie turned to the tall man
before his desk. The later wore a white polo shirt, dark jeans and a tan field jacket with the studio logo on it. “Gates, I thought Lodestone was your beat,” the slick-haired supervisor snapped. “How’d WVIC scoop us on this?” Rick Gates just shrugged his shoulders. “What can I say, Mr. Peabody? I guess this Koch guy was in
the right place at the right time.” Peabody grumbled. “Well, next time you need to be in the right place at the right time.” The cameraman simply said, “Sure thing, boss. I’ll make sure I get kidnapped by the criminals just to get an exclusive.” He turned to walk away, smiled to himself and turned back. “Say, does our company insurance cover that kind of liability?” Peabody’s face was turning more red. “Out!” Rick Gates smiled again. “Yes, sir.” The news director turned back to the television screen. *** “And you did a great job, too!” Jeff Koch gushed in his own unpolished manner. “It was amazing how you took those villains out.” “Thanks,” Magnet said. “You said you had some questions for us?” “Oh, yeah,” Jeff said. “Right, sorry.” He cleared his throat a bit. “So, what brings you and Steel back into action? It seems like it’s been ages since the city’s seen either of you.” “We’re around,” Magnet said, “never too far away, and when we are absolutely needed, we’ll be there. Just like today, for instance.” “Did you come because Lodestone was in trouble or because your old enemy Assault was involved?” “Both,” Magnet replied. She glanced back at Steel and Lodestone behind her. “While Lodestone is a very
capable young woman, Assault would have likely done her serious harm had we not intervened.” “Right,” Steel chimed in. “He used your very TV broadcast to call us out, and we couldn’t let him think we were afraid to face him again. We knew it would be a showdown, but we were ready to face it. He and his accomplices fell faster than a house of cards.” “I knew you’d take them out,” Jeff admitted. “I wasn’t worried.” “Neither was I,” Lodestone added. “We had the situation well in hand,” Magnet said. “Assault seemed to think there was a connection between you, Magnet, and Lodestone,” Jeff Koch
continued. “I am sure the viewers are wondering the same thing I am – is there a connection and, if so, what is it exactly?” *** Across town, in a locked room above his mother’s garage, a red-haired twelve year old boy with thick glasses
sat at a work table. Across the way, next to a bank of computer monitors, was a television that was turned on. The same WVIC news program was on his screen as well. Edward Tackett looked up from the circuit board that he was putting the finishing touches on as he listened
to the broadcast. He nodded at the screen and simply said aloud, “This should be interesting, very
interesting.” He then went back to work on the latest enhancements for his mobile enhanced computerized henchman, or M.E.C.H. for short. *** Lodestone tried not to suck in a quick breath upon hearing the question. Next to her, Steel tensed slightly. Magnet, however, remained very calm and collected; it was if she had been anticipating the question and had
already worked over a response in her mind. “No doubt you can see that Lodestone’s costume is very similar in design and colors as my own,” the elder
heroine began. “The similarities are not by chance at all. Our old enemy Assault thought there was a parent-child relationship between us. I would say that Lodestone and I are good friends, and we have a mentor-mentee relationship when it comes to her heroic exploits. In the past, I have helped to teach her how to use her powers effectively and to gain from the wisdom I have from using my own for so many years. It
made perfect sense really, if you think about it. Her powers are very much like my own, so who
better to help her train?” Magnet turned her head to give Lodestone a reassuring smile. “In fact, I’d even be willing to say she has the potential to surpass even my abilities given time and more experience. She has many years ahead of her.” Lodestone couldn’t help but blush slightly at the praise from her mother. Magnet turned back to Jeff and his camera. “When she decided to take up the role as a hero here in Victoria, I was extremely honored that she decided to base her costume on my own. It could be seen, in a symbolic way, as a passing of the torch down from
one generation to the next.” *** Keith Willis bolted up to his feet and thrust one fist into the air. “Yes! I was so right!” He went for the phone on the nearby end-table. “Who you calling?” Jimmy asked. Keith started punching the digits as he replied. “Miss know-it-all Brekmann,” he said. “Cynthia?” Jimmy asked. “Why?” “Remember last Spring when we were all talking about Lodestone?” Keith said. “I told Cyn then that there was something more to the blonde heroine than she let on.”2 Jimmy pondered a second. “Um, wasn’t it Jo who said that?” Keith waved his friend off as he hit the last digit and let the phone on the other end start to ring. “Doesn’t matter. All that matters is…Cynthia? Keith. Glad I caught you home. Listen, you better sit down, girl, ‘cause you’re about to be schooled.” Jimmy just rolled his eyes and turned back to the television. *** “So any response by coming to her aid today – that wasn’t a parental thing?” the interviewer asked. “It was a protective thing,” Magnet said. “Teachers are protective of their students just as parents would be protective of their children.” “It’s what anyone in an older generation would do for someone who is of a younger generation,” Steel chimed
in by stepping forward. “The heroes of this city, well, we have to stick together and help each other out sometimes. That’s what today was about.” Just north of Victoria, Georgia, in a modest home in the residential community of Ashebury, the same
brown-haired man and his beautiful blonde wife watched a taped version of the same news broadcast. “So,” Beverly Harper said as she turned to her husband. “We’re now the ‘older generation’? I’m not sure I
like what that implies.” Kyle Harper shrugged his broad shoulders slightly. “Hey, I was just trying to help. I didn’t want that
reporter trying to nail down any more specifics than was required.” He took his wife’s hands in his and gave them a sensual squeeze. “Besides, just because we’re older doesn’t mean we still can’t keep up.” Beverly smiled. “True,” she said. “We’re just a little rusty is all. Maybe we need to do some occasional family work-outs. I’d be beneficial for Clare and keep us a bit more limber.” “I like limber,” Kyle purred. “Do you two have to act like that in public?” a voice called from the stairs. High school senior Clare Harper was descending them. “I think we’re embarrassing our daughter,” Beverly said. “Let her be embarrassed,” Kyle said as he leaned forward and nuzzled his wife’s neck. “Daddy!” Clare exclaimed. Kyle laughed. “Just playing with you, honey,” he said. “Well if you’re going to be like that, I’ll just go back up to my room until dinner,” Clare said. “Anita wanted me to call her back. It seems my friends are all buzzing about that interview too. Anita said that
Cynthia called her after Keith called Cynthia.” “One second,” Beverly said. She wriggled free from her husband’s amorous embrace and rose from the couch. “We’ve got something to give you first.” “Oh,” Clare said. “What?” Beverly went to a small cabinet and dug into the back. “It was something we were going to give you for Christmas in a few weeks,” she said as she pulled out a box. “But after everything, your father and I decided you should get it earlier.” Just then, the phone on the end table rang. Kyle got up and picked it up. “Hello?” he said into the mouth
piece. “Oh, Sal, hey. Two times in one week. Not another crisis is it?” Beverly and Clare watched Kyle silently as he listened on the phone. “Uh huh,” he said into the phone. “Yeah, we saw it. We were there after all.” He laughed and listened. The man then smiled and motioned to his wife to go-ahead. “No, we’re not planning on coming out of retirement full-time. You know how it is.” Beverly crossed the room. “Your father might be awhile,” she said to Clare. “Here you go.” She handed the box to her daughter. rClare looked at the white box with a simple red bow. “Oh, cool!” she said. She pulled the ends of the ribbon and the bow collapsed. She then unwound the ibbon and put it on the nearby table. Carefully, she pulled the box lid off and glanced inside. “Oh…wow! Mom, is that…?” “Yes,” Beverly said. “It’s one of those new cellular phones. Very small and portable. It has its own rechargable battery and everything.” Clare pulled it out of the box and marveled at the device. “This is so awesome! Way better than
Cynthia’s. I can’t wait to call Anita and tell her!” “Slow down, honey,” Beverly said. “This is really something for emergencies and something you can use when you’re Lodestone. This way if you get into a difficult situation you can contact someone for help. I programmed our home number in there as well as a direct line to Captain Bonilla at the Victoria Police Department. It also has a locking feature where you enter a pass-code in order to use the phone. That’ll keep things a bit more private for you.” “Oh,” Clare said, slightly less excited then before. Then, she realized how much of a loving gesture it was from her parents and got felt a bit better. “Thanks, Mom.” She gave the woman a great big hug. “It’s great.” “You’re welcome, Clare,” Beverly said. Clare released her mother from the embrace and crossed the room. She put her arms about her father and hugged him. She mouthed the words ‘thank you’ to him. Kyle smiled at her while saying into the phone. “Yes, we’re pretty confident in her abilities as well. What parents wouldn’t be proud?”
1
You read last issue's story “the Parent Trap”, right? - the Editor.
2
In issue #5 “Circle of Friends” - the Editor.