The Superhero Diaries 5.10: Invisible Help

The story continues…

There.

I’ve got it working.

This is Invisible Charlie from the Elite Force of Britain. I’m recording this on an adapted Dictaphone as I want to record events as they happen. Solar flares have caused major disruption all across the planet, but the main problem is that the powers of superheroes and villains everywhere have gone awry, due to a constant bombardment of psychic bursts from Psychic Sue. I can’t turn invisible, which isn’t too bad all things considered.

I’m currently in a basement room at EFB headquarters, but I’m about to go outside to see if there is anything I can do to try to resolve this issue.

Psychic Sue is also affecting every living thing on the planet, causing them to act completely different, almost zombie-like. Lycralad has also affected matter, so its molecules are constantly altering and this problem is also spreading around the world very quickly. Crimson Songbird is just shrieking constantly, so that is adding to the madness.

Right. Summary over. It’s time to go.

I’m in the stairway going up to the headquarters. The lighting isn’t working, so I can only assume that the power is now off.

OK. I’m at the top. This is it. I hope I can last long enough to try to calm Psychic Sue somehow. She’s in the medical lab in the doctor’s office on the second floor, with the others who are contributing to the problem.

I’ll not lock this door; in case I need to retreat quickly and by some chance I can get back down there.

OK. I’m in the reception corridor, which seems quiet, apart from the constant screeching. And – wait a minute! There’s a shadow outside the front door. And they are knocking. No, tapping something out. That’s SOS! They are calling for help. They mustn’t be affected. Any help will be better than none. I’ll have to risk it.

Hello.

H-hello. I-invisible Charlie. I’m Adam. A-adam Rawlinson. I think Lycralad is my friend. I don’t know why but whatever’s happening isn’t affecting me. Even my clothes! I had a compulsion to come here. A thought, but a really strong one said ‘EFB Go’.

Hi Adam. Come on in, quickly. We can work out what happened there earlier. I’m just glad I have help from someone! Let me just lock this door – who?! Adam – get behind me – this is the Dropped Apostrophe!

But look at his clothes – he looks unaffected.

You’re right. Apostrophe – you’d better be up to no good, today of all days. I don’t have time for you at the moment.

No. I’m here to help. Look at me. I’m fine. My colleagues are all like cavemen and I’m fine. I got your message. For today at least I’m one of the good guys.

OK then. Come on in. This first room here on the left is the kitchen. If you look through the window, you will see that is just a complete block of ice inside, and trapped within the ice is Viridian and a few others. We need to find some way to melt the ice and free Viridian – he isn’t affected as well, but is using his powers to keep the others alive. He will be the one to settle Psychic Sue, so we need to get him out.

Then I shall do that, Invisible Charlie. As a supervillain, I am aware that I shouldn’t really be inside your headquarters so I’ll stay here and do what I can. We do have a moral code, even as the bad guys. You can trust me.

I have no choice, Apostrophe, but thank you. Do what you can. Adam and I will go upstairs to find if we can do something else to settle Sue.

Adam – come with me.

Are you just going to trust him, just like that?

I – we have no choice. You can see that he is unaffected, and I did ask for their help as well. Right. OK. Upstairs we go. The medical centre is on the second floor.

You have a medical centre?

Oh yes. In this game you need one! One of the receptionists is – ah. Never mind. I nearly gave away a trade secret then and divulged a secret identity.

It’s OK. I can’t be trusted. I know that.

No. It’s not that, Adam. We need to keep our identities secret to protect everyone around us. Even our closest family and friends – or most of them – don’t even know what we do. People like the Dropped Apostrophe and others are always trying to get information such as that, and the less who know the better.

Ah. OK. Invisible Charlie,

Just Charlie will be fine.

Charlie, why aren’t I affected? I can hear that screaming clearly, it seems to be drowning out my thoughts, yet I can still hear them. And my clothes. They should be in shreds. They’re just normal clothes. I don’t get it.

I don’t get that bit either. I can see how our minds might not be affected, but the clothes? And another thing. The building looks structurally fine as well. There should be some distortions, especially being this close to Lycralad but nothing.

And Lycralad. Is he OK?

I’m sure he’s fine. How do you know him?

I think he’s my b – erm – I think I’ve worked it out. Something he said to me yesterday. Never mind.

Hmmm. OK. Here’s the medical centre. Psychic Sue, Lycralad and Crimson Songbird are all in the medical rooms down that long corridor over there. I think the first thing we need to do is sedate Crimson and stop that constant screaming. And once that’s done, we need to see what we can do to both Sue and Lycra.

Yes. The story continues next week. I can’t believe it…

Apologies for this post appearing so late, and for the rather obvious lack of my presence around the Blogosphere this week. Not that there’s anything really new there, but I’m just sayin’!