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Post by Admin on Apr 21, 2024 18:42:10 GMT
is not really done yet
see shipwreck of Dione and Michael C ( Liberia) off the Goodwin Sands, Kent, United Kingdom. July 8 1956
She just bought nice clothes at the boutique. What is she going to do with them?
She flies across the ocean and she prevents two ships from crashing into each other in the fog off Nantucket (why is she down there?) Near England, she stops two more ships from colliding.
She should foil a plot in Great Britain by spies from Boromania. Sir Hugo Drax, a Boromanian agent, plans to target London with a nuclear missile.
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Post by Admin on Apr 22, 2024 15:37:41 GMT
The Story So Far
It is 1965. Victoria (Vicki) Waltyngford is half-English, half Punjabi, and is secretly the super powered woman named Zenith. She changes from Vicki to Zenith using a magic word and a gesture. She got her powers 10 years ago but has never used them until now, Instead for the last 5 years she has lived a quiet life in Smallton, Indiana, as the fiancé of Bill Mandel, a college professor of archeology. Her father and mother were archaeologists, and she had grown up always on one expedition or another. One one of these, she had met Bill, on another, Bill had proposed, and on another, she had gained the power to change to Zenith, and decided to remain as Vicki. When her father had retired to become a professor at Oxford University, Vicki had moved to Smallton. She and Bill planned to get married as soon as Bill was offered tenure.
Vicki had been miserable living that quiet life; she was used to a life of constant adventures, but she put that aside in order to be a 'proper' fiancé .
Finally the couple had broken up, because Bill was selfish and often chose his career over her. Vicki finally changed back to Zenith and flew to Boston on her way to visit her father in England. Along the way, she used her powers to deal with 3 natural disasters, and she decided to relax with some shopping after she finally arrived. In a very exclusive ship on Newbury Street, she encountered an old friend named Dora Flint (Dorrie). Dora is a famous archaeologist and she is in Boston to receive an award from Harvard University.
Vicki and Dora went out for dinner together and they were accosted by several drunken men. Dora scared them off by drawing a pistol and proving she can shoot. When they were alone gain, Vicki revealed her powers to Dora, and was a bit put off when Dora wasn't as awed or amazed as Vicki expected. Then Dora revealed that she had once been a super being named the First Jaguar but she was now retired.
Vicki and Dora are chatting after dinner. They are in a room in one of the fanciest hotels in Boston. Later on Dora needs to return to her own hotel in Cambridge so she can get a good rest before the award ceremony tomorrow. |
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Post by Admin on Apr 23, 2024 17:49:56 GMT
After dinner, Vicki and Dora retired to Vicki's fancy hotel room to catch up over a bottle of expensive wine, talking about various archeologist expeditions around the world they had been parts of, Dora's very successful professional career, and Vicki's recent misadventure with Bill. But underlying their casual chatter was a weighty topic that had been lingering in both of their minds - the First Jaguar and Zenith.
"So, Vicki, should I expect to hear more about Zenith in the future?" Dora finally asked, trying to sound casual but her tone betraying her intensity. It was no surprise; Vicki herself had been contemplating the potential good that Dora could have done in the world if she had continued being the First Jaguar, and now she found herself wondering what kind of impact she could make as Zenith.
Vicki's face lit up with excitement. "Well, first I plan on visiting my father at Silverhall Manor," she replied. "But after that, yes, you will definitely be seeing much more of Zenith!" As she spoke those words, it felt like the right path for her to take. "Although I hope not every day is as eventful as today was." She then proceeded to recount her busy day to Dorrie. "Did that happen to you guys as the First Jaguar?"
"We had days like that!" Dora laughed, "but thankfully not every day!" She turned thoughtful. "If you're going to be spending more time as Zenith, I suggest making some changes to your costume. That long skirt is bound to get in the way sooner or later. There's a reason Lady Lambda, Flux, Dr Aeon, and the Red Lynx all wear tights - and it's not just to show off their legs! Why did you choose that outfit anyway?"
"To be honest, I'm not sure if I chose it or not," Vicki mused. "The first time I transformed into Zenith, that's what I was wearing. But I wonder if it's somehow connected to the magic? Maybe I can control it and change my outfit. I'll definitely consider getting rid of the skirt," Vicki said, already envisioning a new and improved costume.
"So I assume you don't actually already have a flight booked with BOAC tomorrow?" Dora changed the subject. "Are you planning on flying as Zenith? "
Vicki's response sounded uncertain. "That's my plan. I flew all day today, stopped three natural disasters, and wasn't even tired. So I'm sure I can handle it."
"What about navigation?" Dora asked. "Today you were flying above land, so you could have stopped and asked for directions pretty easily - but it would be tough to find a local resident 1500 miles from shore to give you directions! "
"I'm confident my 'third eye' will help with that," Vicki replied, sounding a bit uncertain. "I can concentrate on a place and after a while, I can get a good sense of its location and distance. And I’m planning to fly along the coast to Newfoundland, and then to Greenland, and then to Iceland, and then to Scotland, and finally home. It will take me longer - but if I get really tired I'll have some places I can rest along the way."
Dora nodded in understanding. "As the First Jaguar, getting lost was impossible. The Hero Twins - the Sun and the Moon - have an intimate knowledge of every inch of the Earth since they pass over it every day. Perhaps this knowledge comes with being the First Jaguar. But your third eye sounds like it will serve as a reliable guide for you."
Feeling reassured by Dora's confidence, Vicki smiled. "I think so too. I did some practicing yesterday and was able to see and differentiate between Newfoundland, Greenland, Iceland, Scotland and England."
"Good that you are being careful," Dora nodded her approval. "Even with powers, getting lost over the ocean could be deadly!"
It wasn't too long afterward that Dora had to leave. "Full day tomorrow," she pointed out. "Starts with breakfast with the President of Harvard and the other Boston-area universities, the governor and the mayors of Boston and Cambridge." She sighed, already tired of the ceremonies. "And then they keep us busy all day."
Vicki took a deep breath and closed her eyes, focusing on an image of a new outfit for Zenith. She pushed back her hair and brushed the hidden gem on her forehead before saying in a strong, confident voice: "I become perfection!" For a brief moment, the room was filled with multicolored light and when it faded, Victoria had transformed into Zenith - but a different version, wearing a stunning new outfit.
Dora couldn't help but whistle in admiration. Instead of her usual long, concealing Shalwar kameez, Zenith now sported a revealing red leather bustier and short skirt over black tights, with a wrap-around skirt flaring open. She was wearing knee-high boots with high heels that put her at least 6'8" tall. The sinuously floating red and black scarves accompanied her, adding to the dramatic effect.
"Every man within miles is going to be staring at you now!" Dora laughed. "I do remember you always loved having the guys flock around you! Maybe you should to into fashion design!"
Zenith couldn't resist twirling around like a model, arms outstretched and her long half-skirt billowing behind her. She couldn't help but feel empowered and beautiful in her new look.
"When I was with Bill, I always felt like I had to pretend to be meek and shy so I wouldn't get a 'reputation' that would wreck his career," Zenith's confession left her feeling both ashamed and empowered. "I spent years playing the role of a submissive partner, suppressing my true self in order to please Bill and protect his career. But he never even acknowledged the sacrifices I was making. I can't believe it took me so long to realize how miserable I was!" She laughed, recalling her 'craps night with the lads' adventure and the consequences she could never have predicted - reasserting her independence . "The only time I let the real Vicki out, I got thrown in the clink!"
She didn't directly address Dora's comment about wanting attention from men, but she didn't deny it either. In this moment, standing tall and confident as Zenith, she finally felt free to be herself and embrace all aspects of her personality - and her powers!
As the two friends hugged goodnight in the lobby of her Cambridge hotel a little later, Dora was struck by the difference from their first greeting, earlier that day. She was a head taller than Vicki, and she'd easily picked her friend up and swung her around in excitement at seeing her again. Zenith was at least that much taller than she, and Dora certainly wouldn't be whirling her around! And they were now both a bit sad about parting, while earlier there had been nothing but excitement at seeing a good friend again after a long time... 'With your new powers, you shouldn't be a stranger any more," Dorrie noted. "We'll keep in touch, and you can drop in and see me any time!"
Back in the hotel, Vicki sighed as she drifted off into a peaceful sleep. Zenith's successes of today suggested she should be able to deal with anything tomorrow threw at her!
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Post by Admin on May 12, 2024 17:08:25 GMT
Vicki was up early. It only took about 2 minutes to pack her new clothes into her new bag, and then she was ready to go. After she checked out and declined a cab ride, she found a quiet corner on a side street, set down her bags, and with a swirl of brilliant lights in all the colors of a rainbow, Zenith replaced Vicki. Instead of banishing her floating scarves, she ordered them to wrap her bag - and THEN she banished them.
"They'll be out of the way until I call them back," she noted to herself with satisfaction. "Another aspect of my powers I never thought of before!" She was amazed - over the past 10 years she'd spent a lot of time wondering what powers Zenith might have that she didn't know about yet - and in the last 12 hours she'd discovered several aspects she had never even thought of before!
She floated up into the sky and out over the harbor and then proceeded north east along the coast, maybe a half mile up and a half mile out to sea. As a further check on her powers, she closed her eyes and concentrated on the airport in Gander, Newfoundland - it was <that> way, in the same general direction as the coastline. That was good enough for now. So how fast could she get there? She concentrated on increasing her speed and started to realize that she did have a limit. She had no way of knowing exactly how fast she was going, but she could feel that she was expending energy, and the faster she pushed, the more she had to concentrate on retaining her speed. "I guess I'll find out how long I can go before I get tired!" she thought.
She'd spent a lot of time poring over an Atlas before she left Smallton, when she could see land on both sides of her, she knew she's reached the Bay of Fundy, and she slowed a bit as she asked her third eye for directions once more. It was much more difficult, concentrating on her target while maintaining her flying speed, but eventually she could see the image of the Gander airport in he mind, and it was in the right direction... "Here goes nothing!" she thought when she reached Cape Breton Island. "The next 350 miles or so I'll be totally out of view of land!" She concentrated harder on flying faster - when she looked back she could see a long vapor trail behind her... without a watch, she could only guess that she covered that 350 miles in 20 minutes or so.
"I really wasn't worried in the least!" she reassured herself when Newfoundland came into vision way far in front of her. "Never a worry or a fear!" She was stunned at how spooky and lonely it had been, flying across seemingly endless ocean. If she disappeared during her trip, no one would ever find any trace of her! Still, she was gaining confidence in her powers; they had led her easily to her destination and she didn't feel in the least bit tired. "I think I'll skip Greenland and Iceland, and go directly home. She slowed to a half, and concentrated on Silverhall in North York, and was quickly able to see the picture in her mind - <that> way. She could tell it was much farther than Greenland or Iceland, but it was much easier to picture. "Must be because I'm familiar with it," she mused. "OK, here goes!" She oriented in the correct direction and pushed for more speed. Pretty soon, she was out of sight of land again, and the spooky, lonely feelings pushed their way back into her mind. Filled with nervous energy, she pushed herself to even higher speeds.
She spent much of the flight reviewing her life. What was she going to do in the future? The disasters she had averted convinced her that it was time to be Zenith full time - and she had to admit that being the center of attention again, as she had been on so many digs with her folks, was a strong draw. She realized she wanted to do her good deeds on the biggest stage in the world - and that meant New York City! But she couldn't be Zenith all the time - what could she do as Vicki? With her knowledge of archeology and the ancient history of several different civilizations, she'd easily be qualified to work at a museum, or maybe as a teacher of some sort, but those didn't suit her personality.
Perhaps her subconscious had been guiding her thoughts earlier, but suddenly it dawned on her... why not take advantage of 'the biggest stage in the world' - literally? In order to keep busy and retain her sanity in Smallton the past several years, she had joined the Smallton Players Theater Group and had produced, directed, and acted in dozens of plays, often obtaining glowing reviews in the local papers. "Broadway! I'll be an actress! That will be smashing!"
She was actually surprised when she finally was able to see the west coast of Ireland. "That was way faster than I expected!" she thought. "I must be flying faster than the speed of sound!" Flying over the Irish countryside was a lot less spooky than flying over the North Atlantic, and she was high enough that when she reached the Irish Sea, she could easily see the Isle of Man and beyond that, the coast of Wales. "Guess I can put up with being spooked for a couple of hours to save having to spend almost a day on an airplane in the future!" she decided. "I'll be home in another couple of hours, at most!" She decided she was going to fly more slowly over Ireland, Wales, and England, and see if she could recognize any features. "Not sightseeing exactly, but if I see someplace interesting, I can always come back!"
She was satisfied with her flight home! She'd proved to herself that she could navigate across great distances using her third eye, and that she could fly faster than sound, and she wouldn't suddenly lose her powers or get too tired to keep flying. And now she was going to get to see her father, and the Silverhall staff would treat her like a princess. Yes, it was a great day!
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