"C'mon White Owl," said Josh Bailey, my new publicist. "Its about your image; your brand recognition. You're hot among that demographic, and you really should go and show your appreciation..."
I cut him off there. Josh was everything Melody had been and more. Good looking, efficient, and hard working. But he also had a close circle of friends away from work and a slightly jaded way of looking at the world.
"Look," I said. "I'm a crime fighter, not a rock star. I don't do endorsements, or open trade shows, or pose for posters, or give media interviews. So why would I do an appearance at the Queen City Supercon?"
"Because that's your biggest group of fans. Even the police have mixed opinions of you. These people ADORE you. Don't you think you deserve a little positive feedback after all you give? And it's not like you don't do public appearances at all. What about the Children's Hospital Telethon last year?"
I sighed, trying to hide the sorrow of that night. "That was for Charity, Josh," I said. I squeezed my left arm, unconsciously, remembering the terror as Melody broke it that night.
"But that's the best part White Owl," Josh gestured wildly. "You'll be there! The Supercon can charge an extra admission for your appearance, and all of that money will go to the Burns Unit at Children's Hospital."
At the mention of the Burn unit, I felt my final resistance crumbling. "What would I have to do?"
Josh beamed with victory in his eyes. "Fly in, pose for pictures with fans, sign a few autographs, answer a few questions. Maybe ninety minutes of your life, and you're out."
I held up a gloved hand. "That's all good, except for personal photos. I want all cameras and cell phones checked at the door. I can provide photos. I don't need someone trying to use a flash ray device to try and control my mind."
"Lighten up, will you? We're not setting up a police state, White Owl. Security is already pretty tight at these things as it is, and you;ll be in a secure zone for your show. Haven't you ever gone to a comic book show?"
"No," I replied tersely. "It seems a bit--well geeky--to me. And I can't see anyone else in the Guild being caught at one."
"Are you KIDDING?" asked Josh. "Yes its a big Geek Show. But it's also fun! You'll see people dressed like Valiant, Danger Woman, and all the rest of you. As for the Guild, well, Danger Woman is a regular at the Supercon in Atlanta, and Captain Valiant will be making an appearance at EmpireCon this weekend.
My eyes widened. "Oh really?"
"Oh yeah, and the audiences LOVE them." Josh looked at his Rolex. "Wow! I need to get back to the office. Look, I don't have to know today; so you still have time to decide. Get back to me by say--Wednesday next week?" Josh stood up and extended his hand. I shook it and thanked him, then headed out into the sunshine of a Queen City January.
I flew home thinking Josh may have been right. Had I been shunning the people I protected? I had felt that I needed to be aloof, as an additional way to keep the citizens safe. In some ways I felt announcing my appearances was to paint a big target on the venue--in this case the Expo Center. It was a tough decision, so as I landed and got inside, I called Virgil for his take.
"Tell you what, Athena," he said. "Why don't you come out Friday and spend the weekend with me? You can be my guest at EmpireCon."
"As White Owl? Don't be silly--I wouldn't want to steal your thunder."
"No, as Athena and Virgil. When you get here Friday, I'll have to let you in on a deep dark secret of my dual identity. Only the Butler knows about it--so I'll have to swear you to secrecy."
"My word of honor Mr. Coleman. How does one dress for a Supercon?"
"Well if it's your first one, jeans, tee shirt and comfortable shoes. You don't have to look too nerdy. Unless you WANT to do the costume competition."
"That sounds like it might be fun!" I said. I wonder if I could pull off White Owl?"
"We'll see," laughed Virgil. "See you Friday."
Friday morning, I flew out of Queen City and landed two hours later in Empire. Virgil met me at the terminal and whisked me to his Porsche. We dined at the Coleman foundation, and took the elevator to the Penthouse on top of the building.
"Stirling! I'm home. And I've brought company." A slender but well-toned man in a butler's uniform stepped from the hallway and smiled.
"It's delightful to see you again, Ms Nikos," said Stirling. He stroked his mustache and harrumphed at Virgil. Taking my weekend case, he said. "I've put you in the green bedroom, Ms Nikos. As you recall..."
"It has a communicating door, with mine," finished Virgil. "You really shouldn't have, Stirling."
"But you're always so glad I did, sir."
I smiled at the two of them. Stirling knew his master's secret, and was pretty certain of mine. Not that I was worried, he was as loyal as the day was long. I followed Stirling to the green room and watched as he carefully unpacked my bag. "Will there be anything else, ma'am?"
"No thank you Stirling. I have work to do tonight."
"I hope not," said Virgil. "Because I had an evening of dining and dancing planned."
"But it's a grant proposal for a dig this summer," I protested. "I need to get it in."
"The Coleman Foundation will underwrite you, never fear." he said. "I have a little pull with the board."
I melted in his arms again. "All right, you win."
We spent Friday night in an exclusive restaurant, and I was amazed by the powerful men and women, on both sides of the law, who were in attendance. After he led me to the dance floor I hissed, "Is this a working dinner?"
"Yes, to an extent," said Virgil. He nodded over my shoulder, then spun me gently. I gasped when I saw the Gentleman Bandit dancing elegantly (how else?) with a woman with long rusty hair. She seemed familiar somehow, but I couldn't place her.
"The Bandit has a new trick," said Virgil. "He's been seen at several recent crime scenes with a woman no one can remember." Usually, he's seen the night before. But the crimes bear his hallmarks, without any other evidence of his being there."
"That woman? Is she?"
"Yes, she seems to be his latest moll. I haven't seen her up close yet. And no one in the Guild seems to know her. I think she's someone new on the scene. And probably nothing to worry about."
We spent the rest of the night dancing, then upon arrival at the Coleman Foundation, Stirling showed me to my room with the bed already turned down. I smiled at him and found out the communicating doors still worked. I felt bad to not take advantage of Stirling's handiwork, but Virgil's handiwork was every bit as good.
Saturday morning broke, and I slept in; rising to the scent of pecan waffles and bacon from the kitchen, along with the heady scent of Virgil's special coffee blend. I slipped beck into my room, and threw my robe around me, cinching it tightly. I padded into the kitchen and found Stirling, with an apron over his suit making breakfast.
"Good morning, Ms Nikos," he said, smiling. "Master Virgil will be in shortly. He had to handle a small crisis this morning." He nodded to the television and I could see a live feed of Captain Valiant bringing in a 767 jet to the DC airport. I heard the announcer say that the plane's landing gear would not descend and that the engines were out. Captain Valiant brought the entire flight down safely and gently.
"What a man," I muttered softly.
"Why thank you," I heard Virgil say, moments before I felt his soft lips on my neck. "But for which of my performances are you thanking me?"
I stopped and gaped at him. Virgil was dressed in a sweatshirt of the Fantastic Four, jeans and loafers. "Eat up," he said. "I still have the deep secret to share before we go."
Stirling's eyes rolled. "This is the secret that generally determines whether a woman stays or goes in Master Virgil's life," he confided.
I ate my waffles, intrigued. For most women, learning they loved a superhero would be the deepest darkest secret. So I really wanted to know. I stood up and took my coffee with me, following Virgil across the living room to a locked door. He held up a hand.
"Sorry, no coffee or other liquids in this room. You'll understand in a minute." He waited while I set my coffee down on the coffee table. In the meantime, Virgil unlocked the door and flipped a switch. I saw a light come on over a stairwell.
"Here, put these on," said Virgil handing me a pair of white cotton gloves. I followed him down the stairs to a dustless, near sterile environment. The room ran almost the entire length of the penthouse and all along three walls were shelves, lined with white cardboard boxes. The fourth wall had several frames. I stepped to the frames and found....
COMIC BOOKS? I burst out laughing. "This is your deep dark secret?"
Virgil looked a bit sheepish. "You don't think its a bit...geeky?"
I held my finger and thumb about an inch apart. "Maybe a little. But I know how passionate people can get about a lot of things. You don't seem to mind my Gems collection, so how could I get upset about this?"
"Good show sir, marry her immediately!" I heard Stirling say.
"We'll see, Stirling," replied Virgil. He turned back to me. "Well since its well established I'm a super nerd, shall we proceed to the Supercon?"
"Can you give me an hour?" I asked. "I need to shower and get dressed."
Two hours later, we wandered into Empire's spacious convention center. My jaw dropped when I saw how many comics, figurines, toys and more littered the huckster's area. But then I saw something really chilling. The Artifact Tables....
"Hey lady, you want a neuro dart from Quiver's crossbow? He shot it at the Golden Archer three weeks ago. Don't worry, the toxin's out."
"One of the Buffoon's rubber chickens..."
"I got pieces from Captain Valiant's costume here. Wrecker shredded it really well a few months ago."
"Storm Front's gauntlets. They don't work without the generators, but he had enough power to nearly fry White Owl."
"Virgil, did you see?" I asked, then stopped. Virgil was haggling with the vendor over the pieces of his costume. I walked away shaking my head. Virgil paid the vendor and came after me.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"That's so...morbid," I replied. "Selling pieces of costumes, weapons and so forth. People got hurt with those things...I got hurt with those gauntlets. And people collect and trade them?"
He put his arm around me. "Yes they do. In one way, its a way to honor us. In another, its a way of satisfying curiosity, or rooting for their favorites. By the way, White Owl is the most popular right now. Mainly because you don't LEAVE many artifacts."
"Really?" I asked. Virgil nodded.
We spent the day listening to artists, writers, buying comics (and I even got a few copies of Speed Comics, featuring the Black Cat) and enjoying ourselves. Deciding to spend the night, Virgil rented a room across the street in the Hyatt and we checked in long enough to dress for the night. Then we parted ways as Virgil was scheduled to make his appearance, and I wanted to enter the costume contest.
(to be continued)
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