#19 - "The Calm Before The Storm"

"Alright! I'm coming, I'm coming!" James Christopher Sculley made his way down the stairs mumbling the entire way. He had been concentrating on his writing heavily for the last several weeks. All the time and effort was bearing fruit-- his first novel was reaching its completion!

But, all that had been interrupted by the ringing of the front door bell. Somewhat annoyed at being drawn away from his work, Jim reluctantly had gone to see who was at the door. All those feelings changed as Jim opened the door.

"I don't believe it!" Jim stood in the doorway, his jaw fallen. "What are you doing here?"

"Now what kind of greeting is that?" Standing in the doorway was none other than his sister, Stephanie Sculley.

"You should have given me some sort of warning...", Jim stammered out.

"But that, dear brother, would have ruined the surprise," Stephanie answered with a smile. "I did tell you that I would be coming down for a visit. Don't you remember?" (Editor's Note: Back in Spectrum #12)

"Well in that case, my dear sister, you have your wish. I am most surprised." The two exchanged a long hug. Jim showed his sister into the dwelling, helping her carry her luggage. "But you really should have called first. I could have met you at the airport..."

"As Jim or as Spectrum? I imagine that would have turned a few heads. Arriving in Los Angeles with a bonafide super hero waiting for me at the gate. They probably would have thought me some kind of criminal femme fatale. Besides, you don't even have a car. Did you really want to carry me all the way to Van Nuys?"

"Not with your luggage," Jim responded with a grin. "Sheesh, what do you have in here? Rocks? Or are you moving in?" He sat the bags beside the foot of the stairs and shut the front door once more.

"Some extra work just in case I get bored." Stephanie looked around the house. "It's been a long time since I was last here."

"That's right... Mom and Dad moved in here after you left home... I think?"

Stephanie smiled. "That's right, Jim. More of your memory is coming back. That's great."

"Only in bits and pieces, but the puzzle is beginning to take shape. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to remember anything about the time I was missing."

"I'm sure that will come back to you eventually. You've done a good job in fixing up the place."

Jim shrugged. "I may not be the neatest of persons, but I don't want to live in a trash heap either."

"Have there been any new developments about father?"

"I'm afraid not," Jim answered, staring at the floor. His father had been missing for nearly a month now. "There are simply no leads-- no clues for the police to follow. Some hero, I am-- can't even find my own father."

Stephanie placed her hand on Jim's chin, forcing him to look her in the eyes. "I'm sure that dad can take care of himself. Have you considered that maybe he planned this disappearance?"

"To what end?", Jim asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"I really couldn't begin to guess. Until and unless he turns up, we can imagine what the truth might be until the cows come home."

"Very true," Jim said in agreement. "Would you like something to drink? Some lunch?"

"Sure, that would be wonderful. Thanks." The pair made their way to the kitchen, where Jim began work on making sandwiches. Stephanie eyed the cluttered sink, sighed, rolled her sleeves up, and set about cleaning the sink full of dishes. "What is it with men and dirty dishes?"

Jim looked over and smirked. "What is it with women and uncluttered sinks? At least this way I know where the dishes are."

"That's what cupboards are for, brother dear."

"Oh, that explains it. I wondered what those were for. Or maybe it's this house? Every time Whitney comes over, she has this compulsion to clean something."

The dishwater ready, Stephanie began to scrub. "So how have you two been anyway?"

"That's kinda hard to say. I wouldn't call us a couple-- but we're more than friends. I don't know what I would have done without her help. It took nearly a week to clean this place up and she did a lot of the work. After that, I pretty much re-painted the entire house. Let me tell you, it really needed it."

Setting another plate in the dish rack, Stephanie took a sip from her soda and looked at Jim. "Then what's the problem with you two? I mean, you're a cute couple and seem genuinely fond of each other. Is it, you know-- that?"

"That?" Jim looked up from his labors, a confused look upon his face. Realization replaced the confusion, quickly followed by embarrassment. "There's nothing wrong with that!"

"I had hoped not, but--"

"Let me tell you, Steph. Me and Whitney have wonderful, passionate sex. I can't begin to tell you..." Jim groaned and put his hand on his face. "I can't believe I just told my sister that. Sheesh."

"That's a lovely shade of red, Jim," Stephanie said with a laugh. "Then what is wrong?"

Jim considered for a moment, as if carefully choosing his words. "In all honesty, I think that we can't live with each other. We're great for a while and then things go bad. I can't put my finger on exactly why."

Stephanie dove into the dishes once more. "There's a definite physical attraction, but you can't put up with each other for long periods. I'm sorry to say, brother dear, but I don't think that Whitney is the woman for you."

Finishing up with the sandwiches, Jim dried two of the recently cleaned plates and sat his lunch-making efforts upon them. "Lunch is ready, sister dear."

"I'll be done in a minute."

Jim sighed and considered his sister's words. "Steph, you just might be right. But I'm not ready to write this relationship off. Somewhere, deep down inside I still feel that things can be made to work out."

The dishes completed, Stephanie joined Jim at the table. "Maybe you will. I certainly hope it works for you."

"We've had a few dates-- mostly me thanking her for helping clean the house up. You know-- the usual: dinner and a movie. Except for that one night, we've been drifting towards friendship more than romance."

"That one night?", Stephanie asked, flashing a knowing smile.

"Remember when I called you that my short story was bought by 'Fantastic Tales'?"

"Yes-- 'Edge of the Borderlands', was it not?"

"That's the one," Jim nodded in agreement. "The day I got the royalty check, we went out and celebrated. First rate dinner, wine, the whole works. Whitney spent the night here. As the saying goes, it was an evening to remember."

"Sounds romantic."

"Very. I do have to say that Whitney has always been the one pushing me on in my writing endeavors. She's like a kid on Christmas morning when I get a story finished. I even based one of the characters in my novel on her."

"Your novel?", Stephanie said, slightly surprised. "When did you start it?"

"Just a few weeks ago. Once I got the house problem under control, I splurged and got myself a regular PC, using the money I earned working with Shockwave and Blizzard."

"You told me about that." Stephanie took a bite from her sandwich. With the great assault on the Tanghal Tower last month, the Heroes for Hire received more media attention than they could have ever imagined.

"Right. Anyway, the story came to me in one of those flashes of inspiration that happen when you least expect it. I've been writing just about every day now for the last few weeks. I'm just about finished. In fact, I was working on it when you knocked on the door."

"Really? I'd like to take a look, if you don't mind."

"Not at all. I always like to find out what my readers think."

"Is my namesake included in it?"

Jim smiled. "Would I write a book and dare to leave you out of it?"

"Great! I love the idea of being immortalized as a amazon with a sword."

The two chatted through lunch as Stephanie brought Jim up to date on her latest news. Once the dishes were dried and put away, the two retired to the front room.

"So what's been going on with Spectrum?", Stephanie asked as she curled up on the couch. "With you spending all your time in front of a computer keyboard, you haven't been keeping me up on super gossip."

"Sorry, Steph. When I get into a writing groove the rest of the world just seems to fall away."

"I noticed", Stephanie responded in an icy tone.

"It's a good thing you don't have super powers too," Jim observed. "Between our combined sarcasm things could get very ugly."

"How do you know I don't have super powers?" She was perfectly serious in her statement.

Jim did a double take. "You mean--?? You have--?? And you didn't--??"

Not being able to contain herself, Steph broke out laughing. "No, I don't have super powers. At least nothing that I've noticed. Still, don't you think it's odd for you to have powers and for Bryan and I not to have them?"

"You have a point there," Jim answered, holding his chin thoughtfully. "I never really thought about it that way before. Assuming my powers are the result of Dad's, then why not you two as well?"

"Maybe they just haven't surfaced yet?", Stephanie offered.

"That could be-- I am two years older than you and five years older than Bryan."

"So when are you going to visit Bryan?", Stephanie asked, changing the subject.

"It keeps slipping my mind," Jim responded. "I've just been so involved in myself, that I keep forgetting about seeing him."

"Well, I'll just have to take care of that. I'll call him up and all three of us can go out to dinner."

"Sounds good. It'll be nice to see Bryan again. At least I think it will."

Stephanie shifted on the couch. "Getting back to Spectrum..."

"Oh right. Things haven't been as exciting these last few weeks. My reputation has improved a great deal, however."

"The national exposure you got from helping to save Dallas was a definite boon," Stephanie said in agreement.

"Good PR never hurts."

"So what was it like working with Morning Star and Hornet? That must have been something special."

Jim nodded his head in agreement. "I didn't get much of a chance to talk to Hornet, but I spent quite a bit of time with Morning Star. Let me tell you, she's one tough, gorgeous, and classy lady." He could have said much, much more, but there are some things that you just don't share with your sister!

"You've certainly been meeting some interesting people as of late."

"Yeah, that I have. That's the one thing that most people don't know about heroes. They're real people too. Oh sure, some have ego problems, like some movie or rock stars, but most are pretty much like you and me."

"Other than the fact that they run around in tights, busting criminals?", Stephanie added with a smile.

"Everybody has their quirks, sis. I got to meet the Freedom Squad, too. Including American Eagle."

"How exiting! The original American Eagle was always one of Dad's idols."

"He was everyone's idol," Jim said in agreement. "He's a fine example of what I've been saying. With American Eagle, what you see is what you get. He's the same on TV as in person."

"So how did this come about? You meeting American Eagle, that is."

"Well, back when I was helping out Shockwave and Blizzard at the Tanghal Tower we were attacked by a whole mess of villains on the last night. Other heroes arrived to help out, including the American Eagle. Seems that there's some kind of nutty contest going on among the criminal types. It was American Eagle's idea that us soloists should band together with the Freedom Squad." (Editor's Note: Mentioned back in Spectrum #16)

"So, I've stopped by the Freedom Squad's base a few times. Got to meet the rest of the Squad and got to know some of the others a bit better."

"Come on, tell me who you've met already," Stephanie asked eagerly. "You can't get gossip like this in SuperHype!"

"Let me think-- I ran into Shockwave there a few times, as well as Blizzard, but he wasn't there as often as Shocky. I met Sabre a few times-- he's a pretty cool guy. He does incredibly good imitations-- including a hilarious American Eagle."

"Can't say that I've heard all that much about this Sabre."

"He's kind of quiet about his past which is understandable given this profession. Sabre can imbue objects with some kind of nasty energy. Usually he puts it into his sword, hence the name, or into marbles that he carries to throw at distant foes."

"Marbles? That doesn't sound all that dangerous."

"Yeah, it doesn't," Jim said in agreement. "But, he's almost as strong as Morning Star, so they pack quite a wallop!"

"I guess... Thrown hard enough it could be very painful."

"I ran into Morning Star a few times as well there. Turns out that some really weird things happened after our little adventure with VIPER."

Stephanie leaned forward with interest. "What kind of weird things?"

"Okay, VIPER was having advanced weapons built for them by some ugly spud from the future. That's what they claimed. Can't prove it one way or the other. But afterwards, all traces of these weapons just vanished! It's like someone ransacked the weapons manufacturing base we found underneath the White Hart Inn. The weapons were gone, as well as any plans and instructions."

"You're right: that is weird. You think that VIPER still has these weapons?"

Jim shrugged. "Don't know. Both Gravimetric Bombs vanished a few days after that. Hornet and Captain Lightning claimed to have disarmed the devices, but you really have to wonder just what's going on. Black Scout and the Bertlahrs disappeared as well. It was like all traces of this incident were being removed. I'm just waiting for the men in black to show up at my doorstep."

"Getting back to the Freedom Squad, Goshawk and the Empress were around almost all the time. The Squaders ran some drills for us. Even had some aerial combat drills with American Eagle and other flyers."

"I thought there was something different about you," Stephanie observed. "You're a bit leaner and added some muscles."

"It's really helped. I don't get tired so easily from using my powers."

"That's great, Jim. A large gut and tights do not mix."

"Geez, thanks a lot, sis. Oh, I ran into Icicle again."

"The girl from Denver?"

"That's the one," Jim answered. "I was weary from writing, so I took a trip to the beach. Figured that some sun and a swim would clear out the old cobwebs. Lo and behold, I saw Icicle there as well. Not in costume, of course, but sitting on the sand relaxing."

"Who would have thought you'd find a snowy villainess at the beach?"

"I was taken aback a bit myself. Seems that she's an amateur artist and was down there drawing. We chatted for a while. But she's still not ready to quit her VIPER career."

"You sound disappointed, Jim."

"I guess in a sense I am. Icy's not a bad person, Steph. She's had some bad breaks and ended up caught in circumstances beyond her control. She thinks that VIPER's the only ones who care about her. I guess I have to show her they don't before she'll come around."

"She might never come around. You have to face that possibility."

"Perhaps-- but she did clue me into what VIPER was trying to do in Dallas. Icy's definitely got a conscience. But, that's mainly all that's new on the Spectrum front."

"No wonder you haven't called lately," Stephanie replied. "You've been busy. Now, why don't you show me what you've written so far?"

"Come right this way..."

'...At last, the amphibious horror began to weaken. Validar stabbed it once more, severing another tentacle with his mighty blow. Off to the warrior's left, Perrel threw one of his daggers. Lady Luck was with her follower once more as the weapon bit deep into the meat of the appendage. It released its hold on the healer, Schar.'

'Finrod and Argent weaved their magic in concert. Daggers of eldritch energy leaped from the hands of the elven mercenary. Unerringly, they struck the monster. A stroke of lightning from the lovely sorceress burned through the strange creature.'

'Swordswoman Stephanie struck again and more of the creatures body were scattered across the area. Having caught his breath, Validar entered the fray once more. Several quick sword thrusts later, the Kopru collapsed into its pool of mud. Within moments its tentacles ceased to writhe and they silently slid beneath the mud. It was finally dead.'

'Validar paused to reflect upon his handiwork. The adventurers he had assembled for this mission at first appeared to be a mismatched group. Swordswoman Stephanie was strong and powerful with her blade; taking orders was her weakness. The arrogant, silver haired Argent was as dangerous as she was lovely. The lethal spells she could weave were undeniably powerful. The seemingly different priests had become fast friends and lovers. Schar was as different from Perrel as night was to day. She was quiet, reserved, and most vigilant in her service to the cause of life. Perrel was freewheeling and lived life to the utmost. As a servant of Lady Luck, he always pushed the odds. Rounding out the group was Finrod, master of no one particular skill, but rather a nice compliment to the others. He knew some magic and could handle a sword well enough. Their journey to this place had forged them into a deadly weapon.'

'The mystery of the Sea of Dread had been solved, the great black pearl recovered. The journey back to Tanaroa would be a treacherous one, but no more treacherous than the trek to Taboo Island. And from there... From there greater perils and greater glory."

Jim leaned back in his chair to admire his work. "Finished! It's finally finished!"

"Jim!", Stephanie's irritated voice cried out from elsewhere in the house. "Where are you?"

"Upstairs, sis", was his response. Jim could hear his sister's footsteps as she climbed the stairs. A moment later, she entered the room. It had been a bedroom at one time, but Jim had converted it into his writing room. "It's all done, Steph!"

"Are you still writing?", Stephanie chastised. "Some vacation this is turning out to be. I've been here three days already and you've been at the keyboard more than you've been with me. I thought we were going out for a drive? I've been waiting for almost thirty minutes."

"I'm sorry, I got an inspiration and the rest of the book fell into place. The novel is all done, so now I can spend the rest of your vacation with you. I need to get away from it for a few days before I attempt any editing anyway."

"Sounds good, Jim. I'll check out your newest additions later. Right now, we've got to get moving."

"Give me a second to freshen up and I'll be all ready to go."

A short time later, the pair are speeding down the thruway in Stephanie's rental car. Jim watched as his sister began to enter a Los Angeles neighborhood that he was unfamiliar with. "Where are we going? I thought we were picking up Bryan?"

"Don't you know where we are?"

Confused, Jim shook his head 'no'. "Not really. Should I?"

Stephanie maneuvered the car to the side of the road and parked. Turning off the ignition, she exited the car. Still puzzled, Jim likewise got out.

"None of this looks familiar?"

"Now that you mention it, vaguely. I can't put my finger on it, though. Should it be significant?"

"I would hope so," Stephanie answered. "Jim, this is where we grew up. This was our home." Stephanie pointed to a plain looking house in the middle of the block."

"Home?" Jim stared at the dwelling, desperately trying to remember.

"Carl lived over there," Steph said, pointing towards a different dwelling. "You two were inseparable in grade school. Over there was Sally's house... Tom's... Old Man Bauer's..."

Images from the past played before his eyes. He could see two boys playing catch. Girls jumping rope. An overthrown baseball breaking a window. A group of children wearing party hats eating cake and ice cream.

"It's all bits and pieces-- snippets of memories with no explanation. No sense of order... no frame of reference. They're a blur."

Steph nodded to her brother, a disappointed look on her face. Without a word, they climbed back into the rental car and drove off.

A short time later, Stephanie pulled up to the entrance of the Heavenly Gates Cemetery.

"Is this where...?" Jim let the query hang. It wasn't a subject that he cared to talk about-- even with his own sister.

"Yes. This is where mother is." Stephanie slowly steered the vehicle into the cemetery. A series of narrow roads led to the location.

"I didn't know... Dad wasn't around long enough..."

Reaching over, Stephanie placed her hand on Jim's and gave a squeeze of encouragement. "Now you know for sure. Come on."

The two exited the car and made their way among the graves. A sense of dread filled Jim. Seeing his mother's grave was not something he was prepared to do. He never had been. Only Stephanie's encouragement kept him going.

They reached the gravesite and paused. The headstone was simple. It read: 'Here lies Helen Benson Sculley, beloved wife and mother, 1940-1984'.

The years of holding back his emotions over his mothers death finally gave way to a flood of tears. All the while Stephanie was there to support him....

An hour later, the reunion of the Sculley children took place at Genny's Place, a favorite Italian restaurant over the years. Bryan Sculley had arrived several minutes earlier and was making time with the waitress. Stephanie entered followed by Jim. Spotting Bryan, she waved and led Jim to their table.

"Hey!", Bryan said spotting them. He stood up and easily towered over the two. Bryan took Stephanie up into his arms, lifted her up into the air and spun around. "How's my favorite sister?"

"I'll be fine as soon as you put me down," Stephanie answered. "Bryan, I assume you recall our older brother?"

"It's about damn time you showed up again, big brother," Bryan responded with a grin. Setting Stephanie down, the youngest Sculley stood before his brother. "Where've you been keeping yourself, Jimbo?"

Jim was unsure just what to do. His memories when it came to Bryan were nowhere near as clear as those of his sister. Jim didn't recall just how much his 'little' brother had grown. He was now at least five inches taller and had the muscular body of an athlete.

"I'm not really sure, Bryan..."

"Oh yeah, Steph told me about that amnesia stuff."

"You've certainly grown", Jim stated.

The two men shook hands. Bryan squeezed hard during the exchange. "Ha! Looks like I'm the bigger and stronger one now!"

"Uhm, yeah, looks that way." Bryan always tried very hard to outdo his older brother, despite the age difference. He never had much luck except when it sports.

The rest of the evening passed as Jim got reacquainted with his younger brother. Bryan did most of the talking. Neither Steph nor Jim could get more then a few words in edgewise. Bryan's sports triumphs were his pride and joy. He was still something of a jerk-- that much Jim did recall, but he was family.

"I've got an early practice," Bryan announced. "I'd love to talk some more, but you know how it is." Bryan was attending USC on a football scholarship. The starting middle linebacker at the moment.

"We understand," Stephanie replied. "I'll be here a few more days. Stop by the house if you get a chance."

Bryan rose from the table. "Will do. Nice to have you back, Jimbo. Call me if you hear anything about dad."

"I will, Bryan. Good night."

With a wave goodbye, Bryan departed leaving Jim and Stephanie alone at the table. "Did that bring back any memories," Stephanie asked.

"A few. He still gets on my nerves."

"Your memory is coming back. You two never got along as kids."

"It's been an eventful day," Jim concluded. "An emotional day."

"Indeed it has."

The next afternoon, Stephanie was reading over the manuscript for 'The Sea of Dread'. "I like it, Jim," she announced. "Of course Swordswoman Stephanie is my favorite character."

"I figured she was."

"Argent is Whitney's character in the book, right?"

"That she is," Jim nodded. "Any comments so far?"

Stephanie thought for a moment. "I liked the fact that the characters were so unlike each other-- definable individuals, each with their own reasons for doing what they do. Stephanie and Finrod is not a pairing I would have imagined."

"Me neither. Each character has their own voice in my head-- they sometimes do things that even I don't expect them to do. I--" The ringing of the telephone cut Jim off in mid-sentence.

Picking up the phone, Stephanie said into the receiver, "Hello? One moment." She handed the phone to Jim. "It's for you-- a woman."

Curious, Jim accepted the phone. "Hello?"

"Hi, Jim, it's Shockwave," the voice over the phone responded. "Sorry to bother you. I didn't know you had company."

"Don't worry about it, Shockwave. It's my sister."

"Ah, I see. I just received a call from American Eagle. He's summoning all the heroes he can get in touch with to the Freedom Squad base."

"What's going on?", Jim asked.

"Unfortunately, he didn't say. American Eagle said he'd fully explain once everyone arrived. It sounds big however, Jim."

"Yeah, that it does. I'll be there shortly. Thanks for calling. Bye." Returning the phone to its cradle, Jim turned to Stephanie. "Something's come up-- American Eagle is calling in all the heroes he can find."

"Spectrum included, I gather. Go ahead, Jim. Don't worry about me. I've got the rest of your book to read."

"Thanks, Steph. Hopefully, this won't take long."

Jim concentrated and changed into Spectrum. Warping light around himself, he flew off invisibly towards the Freedom Squad base...