"Things Change" Part Three

Reading this and this will probably help


The phone rang. Not recognizing the ringtone Charlotte Ouk debated answering, as she had just unrolled her yoga mat and was about to begin her excercises. Curiousity finally got the better of her.

"Hello?"

"Hello... Charlotte. This is Glory."

Charlotte did not need to be told that. The mechanically synthesized voice was unmistakable, "What is it?"

"As you recall we discussed..... perhaps meeting at some point. And now that the Parody War is now completed perhaps now would be an opportune time to.... discuss a possible schedule for this. This being meeting."

"Right," Charlotte scowled to herself. She sat in front of the utility table that bore her laptop and began checking dates, "I don't know how free I am, honestly. I'm pulling extra shifts at the hotel this week, and there's the other thing.... what did you have in mind?"

"Whatever you want, I am amenable to."

"That doesn't really help me here, Glory," the tall young woman noted dryly.

There was a pause, "I do have two tickets to 'Walt Disney's Princesses on Ice.'"

"Please tell me you're joking."

"I am in fact. Perhaps we can go do that other thing that you do," the Mutt of Might was very sure not to say anything that would identify Charlotte's second life as the vigilante Artemis.

"All right. Meet me in Strumpet's Alley at, um, 10:30. You know where that is?"

"Yes. Do not worry, I will find you. Goodbye."

Charlotte clicked off her cell, "I bet you will find me, nosy little bitch."

She pushed aside her day bed and pulled away the panel of drywall she had cut out to store her equipment. She looked at the sorry state of the arrows she had left (down to thirteen, with one broadhead badly chipped after being shot into an engine block at a wrong angle). The UV imaging in her mask/blindfold had been shorting occasionally as well, if used for too great at time. That meant using the soldering iron again, always a risky proposition when working with microcircuitry, but it was neccessary work if she wanted to be ready. She kicked her mat back under the bed.

So much for seeking Nirvana.

*****

"That's some mighty fine stenciling there, Mister Epitome."

Dominic Clancy grunted and looked down from his perch atop the stepladder. Katarina Allen, great golliwog grin on her face, watched as he painted in another vine of clematis along the border of the farmhouse's guest room, "You're mocking me, after asking for my help?"

"I'm not mocking you. I'm complimenting you and enjoying your discomfort because of my complimenting you. It's totally different."

Dabbing in some violet petals with his brush, the Paragon of Power sighed, "You used to be so nice."

Before Kat could come back with a reply Glory poked her shaggy head inside the room, "That is very pretty, Dominic," she said.

"Don't praise Dom's work, Glory; he finds it emasculating," Kat chuckled. She wore a small bluetooth that translated the Mutt of Might's unique language of growls and body movements. Dominic flicked a blob of purple paint onto her nose, "Hey!"

Epitome turned back to his work and smiled evenly, "Mess with the bull, get the horns."

"I am sorry to interrupt you both, but I wanted to let you know that I have arranged to meet with Charlotte tonight at ten thirty and will need to borrow Kat's translator."

"Sure, that's not a problem," Kat told the Dog Dynamo as she wiped her face with her sleeve, "You two are going to be out late. Are you patrolling?"

"Yes. Charlotte suggested it."

"I think the ice show is a better idea," Dominic hopped down from the ladder and ran his hand along Glory's back, "but if that's what you want to do."

The young Border collie ducked her head slightly, "It will be interesting to see how Charlotte conducts field operations," she said.

"That's true," the Legionnaire admitted, watching as Kat removed her translator and bent down to store it in one of the tiny boxes that ringed Glory's collar. The dog gave a woof of thanks and trotted off.

"Its good that Glory is making an effort to connect with Charlotte. "We should all be doing it," the blonde weaver stated.

"I agree, though I don't think the problem is on our end," Dominic kneaded the back of his neck, "One of the things Glory and I consider doing later, is building a cabin, away from the house, and offer her its use."

Kat nodded her head to show her approval, "That's a wonderful idea, Dom."

"Yes, well, let's see how things go," the big man with the Army regulation crew cut reached forward to gently pick at the splotch of purple paint that was mixed in among Kat's freckles.

She took his heavily callused hand in her's and massaged it, "Until then, let's get back to work here so the room is ready for our other guests."

"Guests implies we're letting others know where we live."

"Oh, please: you know Glory's going to want the Juniors to sleep over, and maybe Magweed and Griffin. Plus there's our friends in the Legion: Dream and April and- ahm, their family-"

The Exemplary Man grumbled, "I was building this house to get away from Big Chief Oedipal Complex."

"My poor, tortured artist," Kat moued before slapping Dominic's backside, "Now get back on that ladder. Those clematis aren't going to paint themselves."



Next: Glory and Artemis bond as only superheroes can; by beating up the bad guys. And, at long last, a secret is revealed!

Footnotes:

Artemis: Charlotte Ouk was the daughter of illegal immigrants from Cambodia. When she was not even six her family and many other undocumenteds were exposed to a virus created by the bio-terrorist known as Doc Toxic. Mr. Epitome thwarted the criminal's plot to poison tens of thousands more, but not before every one of Toxic's first victims died except for Charlotte. Having no family either in America or Asia the girl was surreptiously taken in by the Man of Might, who helped raise her. As years went by Charlotte became interested in fighting injustice like her mentor, who trained her in combat and law enforcement techniques, including archery. At one point Epitome even told her he would see to it that she would be given the same powers he had, by identical means. Then, when Charlotte was about 14, she learned that would not be the case, and that a trained canine would be subjected to the "Divine Spark" treatment. Incredibly upset, Charlotte ran away from where she had been living, taking the specialized bow and arrows Epitome had designed with her. She next appeared in Paradopolis as the vigilante Artemis, fighting street crime and some organized criminals. For the past three years Artemis has operated almost exclusively on her own, both out of a sense of duty to protect the weak and to show her 'father' that he was wrong to pass her over in favor for Glory.