Star Harbor Nights

Despite her fatigue, that evening found Allison touching down lightly on the shores of Olympus Island, the world-famous headquarters of the Pantheon of Heroes. She wore her Mindfyre uniform, so she didn't have to concern herself with the possibility that she might have been seen flying out across the bay and over the short stretch of open water beyond it. In fact, it was kind of thrilling to think somebody might have seen Mindfyre flying across the bay in the direction of the Pantheon.

Her roommate Amy strode ashore just behind her. "Waded" was not the right word, for the water moved and flowed around her legs without resistance.

"We could have just taken a Chariot^*," Amy said. She paused for a few seconds, stretching herself out langourously while the dripping water just sort of flowed away from her body, leaving her skin and hair perfectly moisturized but otherwise dry.

"I know, I know," Allison said, unabashed. "Flying in by myself just feels more right. Like, if I get here under my own power then it feels like I earned it."

"Oh, you worry too much about that stuff," Amy said. "You should be worrying about what would have happened if you passed out again..."

"I didn't pass out, I fell asleep."

"...while flying over the deep blue sea," Amy finished.

"If I'm ever admitted to the Pantheon myself," Allison said, emphasizing the "if" heavily, "I don't want anybody thinking it's just because I'm the friend of a founder's daughter. Least of all, me."

"You make it sound like being my friend is small coffee," Amy said. "You should know by now that I have more rigorous standards than any mere super team."

"I never doubted it for a moment," Allison said.

They headed inland up the gentle slope to the Pantheon's front steps. The main structure on the island was a strange marriage of Egyptian and Greek cultural influences, with touches here and there from other mythologies... much like the make-up of the Pantheon itself. The main bulk of the building was shaped like a pyramid, with a columned gleaming white front section that resembled the Parthenon in its glory days. Twin doors, the colors of burnished copper and decorated with too many symbols for the eye to take in, barred the way in.

Amy strode up to the double doors and stood in front of it, impassively. The carved eye of Horus, set in the center of the doors at about head level, briefly lit up as its internal sensors did a combination biometric examination of her face and a retinal scan.

"Welcome Amphitrite, daughter of Poseidon," an electronic voice said as the doors slid open.

"They changed the herald!" Allison said.

"Yeah, you don't know how hard it was to talk my uncle into that," Amy said.

"Oh, but I miss the old one," Allison said.

"Hail to thee, oh Amphitrite, Blessed Goddess of the Mother Ocean," Amy intoned in a deep, booming voice. "Please... Uncle Zack's such a cornball."

"I can't believe you call him that," Allison said. "'Uncle Zack.' He's Zeus... you're talking about Zeus."

"You know, I'm going to let you in on a little secret... we're not really, actually gods," Amy said in a mock whisper.

"I know," Allison said. "You're superheroes. That's even better."

"Well, so are you, silly," Amy said. "So pick your jaw up off the floor and get over it."

"I'm just saying, I liked the old herald," Allison said.

They bickered good-naturedly about this as they made their way through the illustrious corridors of the Pantheon's headquarters, past displays that were a mixture of restored antiquities and trophies from battles with modern day monsters. There was no hostility in their verbal sparring, and it helped put Allison at her ease in what othewise would have been an overwhelming situation. Even though she knew perfectly well that the Pantheon was composed of mutants like herself, to her they were gods of a sort... or at least legends.

They both knew the way to Thoth's lab, the cavernous underground chamber where he kept his massive computers and state of the art research and development facilities.

Allison knew the history of the place. That was why, Amphitrite's protestations to the contrary, Allison would always feel like an outsider intruding into a hallowed place.

The detective Thoth was wearing the lightly armored bodysuit of his costume, though the distinctive bird-beaked cowl and the cape with its feathery fringe hung on a stand, as they often did when he was working. He was alone, which didn't surprise Allison as she had felt the presence of no other minds as she and Amy entered the lab. Her experience (or "dream") with the psi-proof room had made her more aware of the small, subtle pressure in her head that was caused by the proximity of other intelligent beings. She'd felt that she and Amphitrite were alone when they entered the building, and her mind was telling her now that Thoth was the only person in the sub-basement.

"Come on down... most of the team's away on a call," Thoth called as they entered on a catwalk high over the floor. "I got stuck on reserve duty... actually, I volunteered. You know how your dad goes crazy when he's cooped up inside, Amy, but I like having a chance to do a little research or finish up some experiments in relative peace and quiet."

"Speaking of finishing up experiments..." Amy began, the barest hint of an edge to her voice.

"I know that tone," Thoth said, holding up his hand. "Don't worry, I know what you're here for, and the armor is ready."

"You really didn't have to," Allison said. "But I appreciate it."

"Don't mention it... any friend of Amphie's," Thoth said. He quickly added, "And, of course, our charter includes giving aid to like-minded individuals, which you are... so really, the fact that you're Amphie's friend is incidental. I'd have done the same for anybody."

Allison snuck a glance back at Amy, but she'd already replaced whatever face she'd made to make Thoth change tracks so quickly with a mask of bored innocence.

"So, what's the rest of the team doing?" Allison asked when they'd made their way down the maze-like platforms and stairs.

"Nothing too dire," Thoth said, with a look which the girls interpreted as meaning "Nothing I can tell you about, so please don't ask." Neither of them was completely satisfied, but they knew they wouldn't get anything else out of him if he didn't want to share it. "Why don't I show you what I've made? I think you're going to be impressed."

"Considering it's a month late from when you promised, we'd better be," Amy said, ignoring the mental "elbow" Allison gave her in the ribs.

"Trust me, it's a thousand times better than it would have been a month ago, or even a day ago," Thoth said. "I just kept having these little strokes of inspiration, one after another... and after I saw your fight last night..."

"You saw that?" Allison interjected.

"I saw the surveillance footage from the store's camera," Thoth said. "And from the bank across the street. Not the best angles, but I think I pieced together the general sequence. Anyway, I can say that if you'd had what I'm about to show you, it would have gone much differently. But... why talk about it when I can show you it?"

He lead them over to a work table, where an outfit was laid out. It looked like a set of motorcycle leathers: jacket, pants, gloves, and boots. The primary color was black tinged with blue, or a blue that was so dark as to almost be black, with flame-like highlights of pure, fierce crimson. Sitting alongside them was a pair of red visor-like wrap-around shades that would also serve to protect her eyes.

"I know it's a bit of a departure from your current look. My wife helped with the design, of course," Thoth admitted. "I'd be some sorry excuse for a detective if I couldn't tell who has the fashion sense in my family."

"Thank her for me," Allison said. "Oh, and for the nerve strikes she taught me... I had to use one in my fight with the Aces."

"What do you think it's made of?" Thoth said, gesturing towards the outfit. He seemed about to burst. "Go ahead and guess. Touch it, feel it."

"It looks like leather," Allison said, picking up the jacket. The blue undertone was more visible when it moved, as it shimmered under the lab's lights. "Feels that way, too... to the fingers, anyway, but it's not. It's something much stronger."

"How can you tell?" Thoth asked.

"It feels stronger," she said. "When I prod it with my mind, I mean. There's a feel to the molecules, like they're bound to each other and they're not going to get up and dance just because I say so."

"Poetic," Thoth said. "And yes, it's extremely resistant to heat and flame, so the molecules really won't 'dance' for you. Almost nothing you could possibly encounter should be able to tear or penetrate it, either. It's synthetic, an organic polymer that's modeled after leather but was never alive. I call it Nemealion. The, uh, shininess is from microscopic embedded crystals... I just added them this morning, to help scatter laser fire."

"I realize it's meant to protect me, but does it have to be so heavy?" Allison asked, hefting the garmet in her hands.

"Only when you're not wearing it. The inner lining's a titanium alloy mesh," Thoth said. "Normally, that might slow you down some... titanium's light, as metals go, though that's not saying much... but this is mixed with a substance that should--if my theory's correct--act to focus your psychokinetic field more strongly around you. It should make you stronger and faster on your feet, and allow you to stay aloft with a fraction of the effort you're using now. How does that sound?"

"Too good to be true," Allison said, awed but also a little apprehensive. Such miraculous power boosting gadgets had a reputation for backfiring on their users.

"Don't worry, I've worked with this stuff pretty extensively before I even thought about adding it to your armor. I call it memory metal," Thoth said. "Both because it has the ability to hold the impression of multiple shapes within its molecular structure, and because of its other properties that are... well... I don't quite know the extent of them, or how they work. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say it's a little bit magical."

"I thought all you super-science types were of the opinion that 'magic' was just a technology you didn't yet understand," Allison said.

"Yeah, most of the guys still hold to that," Thoth said. "But I've just become more... how shall we say, open-minded."

"More like his ego won't allow him to admit there's a technology he doesn't yet understand," a voice practically purred as a dark form dropped down from somewhere among the rafters of the room. The light caught the lighter highlights of her tousled chestnut hair as she fell. Bast was out of uniform, wearing a black sleeveless vest with a high furry collar, black leather pants, and high-heeled boots that made not a sound as they hit the tiled floor. "Don't worry, Allison... you can trust his 'memory metal.' It's actually a little gift, from me to you. My husband likes to take credit for cataloguing the star metal, but he forgets my claws were the first place he ever encountered it."

"Oh, please, I'm not likely to forget that," Thoth said with a smile. "If I forgot everything about our first meeting, I'd remember your claws."

"I made sure of that, didn't I?" Bast said, sidling up to him. "I can't delude myself that I'm the first woman to ever have you, but I was the first and only one to mark you."

"Um, ew," Amy said.

"Oh, she blushes," Bast said. "But one day, you'll find a man worth sinking your claws into and you'll understand."

"Let's all not talk about my claws," Amy said.

"So, what'll it to do my telepathic reception?" Allison asked a bit loudly, bringing the subject back around to the armor.

"If anything, it'll make it stronger," Thoth said. "The metal can actually be made to act as a receiver or dampener for mental energy... I made this receptive, obviously, or it would block all your powers. I don't have a psychic sensitive to test it on, but the mesh should act as a sort of antenna."

"Is that why I can never pick anything up from your mind?" Allison asked Bast. Even after she clapped eyes on the dark-skinned woman, she still wasn't sensing her mind. "Because your gear acts as a blocker?"

"Yeah, sure... why not?" she said, shrugging.

"But you're not wearing any now," Allison said.

"No, I'm not," Bast said, smiling enigmatically. She threw back her head and yawned impressively. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a rather full day planned... I'll be asleep in the solarium if anybody needs me... or, more to the point... if anybody wants me."

She slunk off up the winding path up and out of the lair, not needing to look back to know her husband's eyes followed her every step of the way. Amy cleared her throat.

"Oh, yes... Allison, why don't you go get changed?" Thoth said, his thoughts returning to the subject at hand. He gestured to a large upright panel that stood off to the side. "You can use that lead shield as a privacy screen."

"Why do you have a lead shield set up here?" Amy asked as Allison carried the outfit back behind the bulky shield.

"No real reason," Thoth said.

"No, really, why?" Amy pressed.

"Just a theory I was trying," he said.

"If I ask Bast, what would she tell me?"

"I... uh... well, playing with the goggles gave me an idea for miniaturizing a high-resolution back-scatter Roentgen projector/imager," Thoth said. "It didn't pan out."

"You were trying to make x-ray glasses?" Amy said, cutting through the technobabble.

"That's a rather crude characterization of my aims, but, uh, yes, that's not inaccurate," Thoth said. He added defensively, "I'm not the first inventor who's tried it."

As Amy glared at him, he added, "It would have been purely for crime-fighting use, and legitimate scientific inquiry."

Finally, he admitted, "Okay, so I just wanted to see if I could do it."

"You boys and your toys," Amy said. "Have you never thought what would happen if something like that fell into the wrong hands?"

"I think if one of my enemies penetrated the lab, a little dimestore novelty like that would be the least of our problems," Thoth said.

"What enemies? You have a seventeen-year-old son," Amy said.

The conversation was interrupted by a startled cry from Allison. As she had pulled on the leatherine pants, she had felt an odd tingling spreading over her skin. When she slipped on the jacket and zipped it closed, though, she felt an odd sensation, like she was falling sideways... though not in any actual physical direction... as her body's psychic aura aligned itself with the metal mesh inside the armor. A moment later, she felt an even odder sensation. It was as though she'd slipped on a pair of glasses and was seeing the world in perfect focus for the first time, though nothing had visibly changed.

She walked dazedly from around the lead screen.

"Is it working? Was I right?" Thoth asked in a sort of awed whisper. There was a note of eagerness and uncertainty in his voice that seemed out of place.

"It's working beautifully," Allison assured him. She felt his shock and wonder before it showed on his face, and she realized the reason for it: he hadn't been speaking aloud. She'd picked up his surface thoughts without even trying.

* The Pantheon's all-purpose vehicle, used for deployment to distant locations as well as shuttling visitors to and from the island.