🚀 go-pugleaf

     The Awesome Amalgamated Airship "Angela Shearstone" slowly came to a
landing at Logan's Airship receiving field.  The facilities were a little
behind the times, Logan International Airport having only recently admitted the
growing airship and blimp market.  The new terminal had a weather lock that
could be affixed to the gondola's hatch.  It was long -- close to a hundred
yards -- but it was better than having to hit tarmac.
     Dianna Potentiate sat at her business class table.  The trip had taken
three days -- the Shearstone wasn't an express.  Nor was it one of the small,
speedy airships favored by most business travelers.  The trip itself was
supposed to be the reason for going.  She finished the scotch and soda she was
drinking.  The Executive Class travelers were being offloaded first, and Dianna
was kind of dreading getting off the comparatively safe airship.
     "Attention please," the steward's voice said over the lounge intercom,
"Awesome Amalgamated Airships is now offloading business class passengers whose
final destination is Boston, as well as those transferring at Logan
International Airport.  Please exit the Airship in an orderly fashion.  The
captain and crew of the "Angela Shearstone" thanks you for letting us serve
you.
     Dianna looked up at the wall mural -- an abstract done by the woman the
Airship was named after.  It seemed peaceful -- serene.  The quiet side of the
She-Devil.  Dianna saluted it with her drink before she finished it off and
stood, grabbing the samsonite carry-on bag that held her uniform.
     She walked along the long rubberized corridor, feeling it rise to the
second level of the building.  She stepped out, and made her way along the
throng towards the main concourse.
     They were waiting for her, of course.
     There were three of them.  Two of them were actually probationary members,
but that didn't really matter.  They were the members who could pick her up,
who also weren't in some way involved with the Industrial Revolution.  On the
right hand side was Eric Shapiro, in an ill fitting gray suit with a red tie.
His hair was better combed than normal, Dianna noticed.  On the left hand side
was Dianna's clone and sister, Danielle Potentiate.  She wore a conservative
red v-neck sweater over a white blouse and a wool skirt.  And between them,
dressed in a deep blue suit that was immaculately tailored, stood Bruce Rogers.
     Danielle looked somber.  Gary looked serious, for once.  Bruce....
     Who could read emotion into the way Bruce Rogers looked?  He was ramrod -
straight, as always.  His face was calm, as always.  One couldn't read anything
in his eyes.
     "Dianna," he said quietly, "we're here to pick you up."
     "I know that," Dianna said.  "I have no luggage, so I'm ready to go."
     Bruce gave a short nod, and turned.  The four walked towards the
escalators.  Gary and Danielle were both a few feet behind, flanking Dianna and
Bruce on either side.  Bruce and Dianna were side by side.
     It was odd.  No one there had any authority to arrest Dianna.  The Federal
Government had already released all participants with all charges dropped.  But
Dianna knew she had been taken into custody.  And Dianna didn't argue with it.
Whatever happened, justice would be done.


                               The Adventures
                                   of the
                        Adjusted League Unimpeachable

                                 Episode #76
                         "Origins Volume the Fourth"
                  "Knights in Blue Spandex Part the First"
                                     by
                    Eric, Lord Sabre, available for hire

                             CONTINUITY CARPING

          All right, let's be serious.  This Superguy Continuity thing?
     It's crap.  Complete and utter crap.  I hereby challenge you to find
     three good men who think it isn't innately horrid.  I mean,
     Continuity is all-important when we get to the beginning of the
     season (like we are now) and The Swede proves what an utter masochist
     he is by compiling the new year's version of The History of The
     Superguy Altiverse (reserve your copy now!), but aside from that
     specific time, what is Continuity good for, huh?
          Therefore, you're going to notice some guest stars in this
     series, and I might make some reference to outside events and the
     like, but for the most part this entire story takes place just a
     couple of weeks after the Industrial Revolution, and I for one don't
     care if it fits in Continuity ever again!  Hah!  So there!  Nah nah
     nah nah nah!
          Sorry.  I haven't had nearly enough tea today.

                                                                      * * * * *
*

     The gallery was only about a quarter-full.  Some people had shown up for
the preliminaries, of course.  But they were small change.  They hardly
mattered in comparison.  The main event was the question.
     But then again, everyone knew the answer.  Still, the major news services
had reporters there.  Radio Free Hero's Boston affiliate, a smaller man named
Matt, was audio taping for later broadcast.  And a few interested people had
shown up.  But no one expected anything terribly interesting.
     Well, almost nobody.  There were two people who expected quite a show.
One of them because he had seen the script, even if no one else had, and as for
the other....
     Andy Awesome made his way down the aisle, nodded and smiling for the
various cameras or fans, Superheroic or not, that he passed.  He made his way
to the fourth row, where She-Devil, Rat and Figuremaster were already sitting.
     "Sorry I had to be late," he said.  "My research into the harnessing of
the ambient energy released by lethargic sitting around all day which still
manages to tire you out -- my own Couch Potato Battery theory -- had reached a
crucial juncture.  Have I missed anything of import?"
     "They went through the Masked Bruce already.  Gave him three weeks docked
pay, three hundred hours community service and confinement to the base for a
month," She-Devil said, thoroughly bored.
     "And if he refuses?"
     "Dismissal.  Same with all of them."
     "I see.  How long has Unorthodox Lass's--"
     "Girl's."
     "--whoever's case been underway?"
     "About ten minutes.  Mostly just procedural stuff."  Figuremaster also
sounded bored.
     "I see.  It will be interesting to see what penalty she is assigned, given
that her misfeasance is essentially the same as the Masked Bruce's."
     "Except she lost."  The She-Devil sounded somewhere between smug and
bored.  Next to her, Rat yawned.
     Andy arched an eyebrow.  "Rat, you also find the proceedings to be less
than exciting?"
     "Better believe it, Andy.  It's like watching C-Span live.  I thought
there'd be *something* to liven the proceedings up."
     "Hm.  I should think that given the precedents being set here today, you
and She-Devil would be quite interested."
     "What do you mean precedents?" The She-Devil asked.  "We're not on trial?"
     "How many people did you kill during the battle outside the Bob City
Correctional Institute (Best Bastille In Bob), Angi?"
     "God, who keeps count."
     "Precisely," Andy said.
     "But wait," Figuremaster said.  "Andy, the reason the Masked Bruce,
Unorthodox Girl--"
     "Lass."
     "--whoever and Spandex Babe got in trouble was because they acted against
the charter of the A.L.U., as well as--"
     "Figuremaster," Andy interrupted, his face grave (though awesome), "you
may find the proceedings boring.  Anyone watching the live proceedings might
find them boring.  But tonight, the decisions that are made here will be
broadcast all over America.  And as the Adjusted League Unimpeachable is the
first super team to publicly react to the Industrial Revolution, what they
decide to do will influence what the public expects the rest of us to do,
concerning our members.  For example, what they expect from the Awesome
Force...."  Andy let his voice trail off.  From the scowls on the faces of the
two most violent Awesome Force members, he knew his point had been made.

                                   * * * * * *

     Spandex Babe listened absently as the Masked Bruce recited the charges he
was bringing against Unorthodox Lass.  A few minutes before, Unorthodox Girl
had brought her charges against him, so it seemed kind of strange, but it all
fell within the Parliamentary Rules set forth in the Charter of the Adjusted
League Unimpeachable, as well as the Internal Code of Regulation.
     Codes and procedures that had seemed silly until that day.  Codes and
procedures that had been there in case someone wanted to Rules Lawyer around
something Trashman decided.  But no one ever had.  Before the Revolution,
Trashman would have just listened for a few moments, thought about it, and
passed judgment absently, and fairly.
     It wasn't likely that things would ever be that simple again.
     The Codes had required that an Executive Board member present the charges
and prosecute them, if necessary.  It was never necessary.  The code required
that the three seniormost Executive Board members not involved in the case sit
as co-adjudicators, with the Seniormost (the leader, preferably) acting as
Chief Counsel.  A bell was set before him, as the model for the A.L.U.'s
internal justice was military, not civil.
     Spandex Babe was supposed to be one of the Counsels, but she had
officially declined for reasons of conflict of interest.  The Masked Bruce
would have been next, but the one case he wasn't formally bringing the charges
in, he was implicated in.  Unorthodox Lass declined becoming a Counsel.  And
Dangerousgirl and Kid Solipsism, while both present of course, and both on the
Board that would be making all the decisions, were still probationary members.
     Which left only two Executive Board members currently active.  Trashman
was Chief Counsel of course, and the Dash -- her Stereo Knopler Effect
Stereochair having been moved in here for the purpose -- was Second Counsel.
As for the problem of the Third Counsel, Trashman had gotten around it by
asking Mighty Guy to serve in his capacity of a Charter Member Emeritus.
Mighty Guy had said yes.
     Spandex Babe found herself looking at Mighty Guy as the Masked Bruce
summed up.  It was hard to read his expression.  She was tempted to call it
childlike, but of course it wasn't.  Even Trashman had said that the rumors of
Kent's stupidity were exaggerated.  His thoughts were just so fast, they tended
to outrun the ideas that went with them.
     Disappointed, maybe.  Maybe that would fit.
     The Masked Bruce' voice filtered into Spandex Babe's consciousness.
"...these events and charges, as well as the potential for others of which we
may not be aware, are brought forth in open council, sir."
     "Are you prepared to prove these events and charges, if it should prove
necessary?" Trashman asked.  His voice was calm and collected.  It sounded like
he was asking the Masked Bruce to take out the garbage."
     "I am," the Masked Bruce said.
     Trashman turned to Unorthodox Girl.  "Unorthodox Lass, you have heard the
Masked Bruce's statements.  I am now going to ask you if you contest or do not
contest them.  If you do not contest them, it will be taken as an admission of
guilt in the matter.  Do you understand?"
     "Yes."  Unorthodox Lass's voice was cracking.  She sounded horrid.  All of
this, following on the horrors of the Revolution, and the horrors of her
imprisonment just a few months before.  It seemed so wrong.
     "Unorthodox Girl, given the statements, testimony and charges that have
been brought before the Executive Board of the Adjusted League Unimpeachable by
the Masked Bruce, I now ask if you contest or do not contest them as given."
     "I do not contest," she half-whispered.
     Trashman nodded and seemed to consider this.  "As you have not contested
the events and charges brought against you, this Council of the Executive Board
of the Adjusted League Unimpeachable must find you guilty.  Pending full
membership ratification, I hereby impose the following conditions and
restrictions upon you, effective immediately.  The next twenty-one days of
active service shall be without remuneration of any kind.  You shall perform no
less than three hundred hours of community service of a type that shall be
approved of in advance by the Chief Executive Officer of the Adjusted League
Unimpeachable or the A.L.U. Liaison to the Rogers Foundation.  All off-duty
time for the next thirty days you shall spend confined to the Adjusted League
Unimpeachable Central HeadQuarters for Morally Outstanding and Upright
Superheroes, Exclusively, and furthermore you shall refrain from using the on-
site recreational activities during this time period.  Any failure to comply
with this judgment shall be seen as a formal declaration of resignation from
Rogers Industries, the Rogers Foundation, and the Adjusted League
Unimpeachable.  Do you understand these terms?"
     "Yes."
     "You may step down.  This case is closed."  Trashman picked up a long,
thin metal rod and struck the bell before him three times, with a second's wait
in-between.
     There was some shifting.  "There shall be a recess of ten minutes before
this Council hears any more petitions or charges," Trashman said smoothly.
"This Council is in recess."  He struck the bell twice in rapid succession and
swiveled up.  Mighty Guy and the Dash also filed out -- the Dash faster than
the others, of course.
     Spandex Babe didn't choose to move.  She sat in the Active Member's
gallery, her fingers steepled.  She tried to appear calm, but she knew the axe
was about to fall.

                                   * * * * * *

     For the first time, the gallery was a buzz of excitement.  Reporters were
talking into microphones and microcassette recorders animatedly.  News had just
been made, even if it wouldn't be as important as what would happened next.
     In the fourth row, sputtering had broken out.
     "I don't believe it," She-Devil spat.  "We're talking about a conspiracy
to kill all the mages on the planet, and Trashman slapped her on the wrists
with a ruler?"
     "This bites," Rat bitched.
     Andy looked thoughtful.  "Not at all.  Trashman assessed the same penalty
to Unorthodox Girl--"
     "Lass."
     "--whoever as he did to the Masked Bruce.  He has established a precedent
there, too.  He's treating the Revolutionaries and Counter-Revolutionaries the
same way."
     "But Andy, that's wrong," Figuremaster said, seemingly disturbed.  He had
been shaken, since the incidents of the Revolution.  "The Revolution's goals--"
     "Dan, are you still an American?"
     "What?  Sure, but--"
     "A group that forms for a specific goal at most is guilty of conspiracy to
commit a crime.  Remember -- the Revolution did not attack anyone.  The
*Counter*-Revolution -- including you, I would add -- were the ones to launch
the attack.  Indeed, it is my assumption that had the Federal Government not
dropped the charges laid against all participants, them Revolutionaries would
have pleaded self-defense, and may well have won."
     "What?' She-Devil screeched.  "Oh sure -- and the bombing of Berlin was an
Allied War Crime, too, right?"
     "They are not analogous situations," Andy replied coolly, even as he noted
movement out of the corner of his eye.  Someone in the next-to-last row was
moving to the front of the gallery now.  Andy recognized him, though not many
others would, especially outside of his costume.  But even in his impeccably
well-tailored suit, Andy recognized the well-build man with the white streak in
his hair.
     So why was he moving?  And why did he look amused.
     "Andy, are you listening to me?" the She-Devil demanded.
     "Not at the present," Andy replied, his awesome honesty shining through.
     Rat leaned closer to him.  Beyond her role as a subordinate member of the
Awesome Force, she had become very important to Andy Awesome.  "What is it,"
she whispered, knowing Andy's awesome hearing would pick it up.
     "I don't know yet," he whispered back.  "Keep an eye out, though."  He
then raised his voice again.  "Angi, if you would be kind enough to repeat what
you just said?"
     But his eyes stayed on the man in grey.

[End of Part One]