Capes and Flames
“It''s not well documented, but evidence suggests that the first villains might predate the first heroes, while others suggest they appeared at the same time. I tend to lean towards the shared timeline.”
“The Blackhand, while they were active even as early as World War I, didn’t start fielding their own super powered agents until sometime after the creation of the Guardians and the third Reich''s Ubertrooper program. Most likely they stole the technology.”
“So, of course, one of the worst came out of this era. Chimera, the living disaster, has been profiled as everything from a narcissist to a schizophrenic. Today, based on the attack on the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the destruction of so much of Oak Ridge Tennessee suggests to me that, whatever else he is Chimera is a clear and present threat to humanity that I urge the United Nations to list him as a warlord, wanted by the world court, and all nations on the Earth hunt this monster, who is no longer anything like a man, before he manages to truly become an existential threat to the world!”
Canadian representative to the UN, 2003.
Solaris let out a happy gasp as the movers brought in a heavy medium sized safe. “She quickly had it open and pulled out a cedar wood box, she opened it and relaxed. “Ah wonderful it is safe and sound, " she reached in the box and revealed a dark red woolen capelet, covered in badges, medals and ribbons. She set it on top of the safe bending down again to look in it ahh that didn’t hold as well. Penny, can you get a camera over here? I am worried that the instructions on what goes where for my capelet will disintegrate if I move it.”
"Shit, yeah. I can get that." She said, hurrying to take pictures, then a short video of the list. "Nice use of a cape, but that doesn''t look like a hero-cape kind of thing."
It’s not, it’s a nurse’s cape. I got it when I graduated from school. I wore it at full formal events. The College of Heralds had a fit figuring out where all the awards and sashes from other countries would go.”
"Okay, that''s kind of cool, in an old school sort of way." Penny admitted. "Do we need to get the cape in a display or is it in a safe for a reason."''
Solaris tapped her chin, I wanted to keep it safe, I was worried someone would try to steal it. but I guess it would be nice to display it. I think I’d need a manikin to do it right.
"With the old uniform, maybe? Could put it in the corner of the home office, for now. I''ll look into finding a display case for it, and a manikin."
“That could work,” she said, her fingers running over the pins and medals. “Nothing too ostentatious though.” She saw her huge oak desk being carried into the office. “Have you settled in? After arguing you down from finding your own new apartment I would be disappointed if you were avoiding it.”
Penny rolled her eyes and nodded. "Bedroom furniture is about all I need. Well, that, and I will finally have to break down and buy a car. At some point you, me and Marcus are going to go in different directions for some reason.”
Solaris shrugged “We can go pick one up for you. Then we can go furniture shopping, I told the vintage furniture woman to just take the lot of it away, excepting what we’d already put in place, and she may put it up for consignment.”
"We will need a lot of it. With a living room, family room, entertainment room, and four bedrooms to fill, I mean. And that’s ignoring those random little rooms we aren’t sure what they were for. And the sunroom. I’m kind of glad they left everything in the guest house. It means Granny Ruan is comfortable already, and so can ride herd on the movers and delivery people.”
“I’m glad she was willing to manage the house. I’m likely to be fairly mobile for a while, I gave her the basic staffing list but told her I’d leave the hiring to her discretion. She is a proper whipsaw of a woman.” Solaris said approvingly
“I am not sure what whipsaw means but thank you I suppose.” The older woman said with a chuckle. “I heard you talking and thought I would peek in. Going furniture shopping?”
“And a car for Penny.”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“I’ll find something on my own later.”
“Actually, would it be possible to get a car for the house? Something simple for when errands must be run and you’ve already taken my grandson on some errand?” Granny Ruan asked.
“Tell you what, we’ll drop you off at a dealership, you can select one or two for the house to use. I trust your wisdom and can always veto your choices if I dislike them.
“Oh, and Penny, remind me to order Michelle a cheesecake and a bottle of champagne. This is the perfect house, and she deserves to be treated.” I still can’t believe she found this so quickly.”
Penny, distracted, didn’t see Solaris lean into whisper instructions to the older woman
An hour later saw Elizabeth and Penny walking into Dreamland Furniture. "I''d toyed with going to a place I found on Fifth avenue, but the stuff just looked like crap online. I figured we’d try here first." Penny said. They found a massive showroom filled with sectional couches, recliners, dining room and bedroom sets.
“Excellent. they have a lot to choose from.” Solaris’s eyes were drawn to an enormous three-part navel blue sectional with silvery gray trim. “Ohh, that looks lovely.”
"Well let''s go look at it. If you like it, that''s another room started." Penny said, following her boss towards the couch, chuckling at the salespeople talking in a corner, deciding who would approach. The agent knew they looked young, so they weren''t expecting much of a sale, the poor dumb suckers.
Solaris sat down. “Oh yes, I rather like this. It will need a coffee table, otherwise there is nowhere to put drinks. And a nice fluffy rug.”
"It''s nice, and big enough for the living room, which is a concern... and they are sending the youngest, most scared looking salesperson to us. Oh, this is going to be fun."
“Great fun!” the blonde agreed, picking up just as Penny had that the sales staff was underestimating them.
“Hi, welcome to Dreamland. I’m Lisa, can I help you look for something?”
“Oh yes, let’s start with this. We’re going to buy this couch, along with this table, I think. Now, what do you have in bedroom sets? Oh, and perhaps deck furniture?”
Solaris took a deep breath as they left the store, carrying two bags of bedding. “Lord, the other salespeople looked like they were going to swallow their tongues, they were so shocked, and Lisa’s eyes were about to pop out of her head when I handed her my card!”
"Yeah, I think we''ve disrupted the local economy enough. We can hit Best Buy for electronics later. Or send Marcus with a wad of cash and a dream." Penny said, walking back towards the car. The sound of motorcycles growling filled the air, then yelling. "I wonder what that''s about." Penny muttered, looking around.
A man with dozens of visible prison tattoo''s came roaring up on a sketchy looking bike, yelling something with a ball of flame in his hand. Penny dove to the side instinctively, while Solaris, who had turned late, wondering what all the noise was about, took the fireball directly, instinct causing her to lift the bag between her and the flame.
The bags melted and the sheets and linens caught fire. Solaris dropped them on the ground, not afraid of the flames but not wanting to catch her clothing on fire. "Alright. I am now a bit perturbed." She looked the flame wielder over, his face and arms were covered in crude language, swastikas and other unpleasantness.
She took the heavy-duty silk pillow from Penny. “Penny, go and make sure everyone stays in the store. And see if you can get my bag''s contents replaced.” She turned back to the bikers "Now, who are you? I''ll need your name for the paperwork I am sure I''m going to have to fill out."
"I''m the Anarchist Knight! I am here to tear down the system, which you helped create!"
"Lord, give me patience.” Solaris said, rolling her eyes. “You are a long list of bad decisions and a disappointment to your parents. Now you are going to take those bikes, which are too good for you, and leave. Or you are going to try to learn to fly, your choice.
"Stupid bitch." He snarled, charging her as his hand burst into flame as he threw a Saturday morning cartoon grade haymaker at the tiny woman, relying on bulk and strength over anything one could call skill.
“Add a potty mouth to your list of sins. Solaris said dodging with almost no effort, catching his fist with her own as if he was a small child to judge his strength “Flying lessons it is.” She swung the silk pillow in a sorority house pillow fight uppercut.
Anarchist Knight sneered at her ''catch'' and ignored the swinging pillow, until it hit with the force of a sledgehammer and sent him flying thirty feet into the air, crashing down on top of an abandoned cart, crushing it.
Two of the other bikers charged Solaris, a third watching and shaking his head in apparent dismay. One tried to tackle her, diving for her waist while the other tried to clothesline her to bring her down.
Solaris sighed “Let me guess, Sir Bad Decisions over there held the sum of your brain cells. Well, nice to see Nazis haven’t changed. She let them make their hits, she figured she could let them hurt themselves on her.
The tackle slammed into her, the man knocking himself out hitting what amounted to a brick wall. The clothesline guy was luckier in that he remained awake, but less so in that he hit second, and managed to dislocate his shoulder, the loud and wet pop filling the air, followed by him screaming. The petite woman hadn’t budged.
She turned her head, to see the remaining biker was just shaking his head and had already dialed a phone. “I’m not part of his gang. I’m his lawyer. He invited me to ride and talk about his current probation. That conversation just got a lot easier.”
“Thank you?” She half said and half asked as she knelt down to look at the men, it didn’t look like the man concussed himself. Then she frowned at the man in the cart. My aim is off, need to spend more time on the golf course,”