Chapter 6 : Stardust Rising
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“One year, three months, two weeks, and five days…” Maxwell muttered as his fingers typed furiously on the glass shard keyboard. It was yet another night hidden away in the secluded basement at Peeradigm East beneath the PhyPer pit. Random sparks of vividly colored lights pulsed ominously around the dimly lit room. Another shadow quickly stirred from beneath a hacked together glass console.
“What was that Max?” Tracy mumbled, as she raised her head up from under the translucent control panel, a crystal memory tile tucked between her lips.
“I believe he was reciting the precise number of days he has been stuck in this universal revision.” Synthia’s voice echoed from a small intercom box. Wires dangled precariously where Maxwell and Tracy had been splicing into them.
Maxwell sighed, “If you must know, it’s the number of days since I’ve had a cup of Earl Grey tea. The lack of citrus in this universe just befuddles the mind.”
Tracy slipped the final memory crystal into place, then looked up briefly confused, “What is a citrus?”
“Citrus, a type of carnivorous fruiting plant that was hunted to extinction during the herbi-wars of the first century. It had a propensity for squirting acid in its victims eyes just before attack.” Synthia quickly recited. “King Bagel led the march into the Fruitropics where the Fruitites conspired to swiftly annihilate the remaining Lemony army.”
Maxwell simply shook his head, disturbed by Synthia’s response, “Bloody hell, so depressing. I’m ready to destroy this dastardly reality.”
Lights blazed across the room as it shimmered into a pristine white science laboratory. “Me too!” Tracy suddenly shouted, “The modifications are done! Bam!” Tracy stood up and dusted off her blue overalls, grabbing a wire tie from her toolbelt to re-secure her fallen ponytail. “Synthia, feel free to join us!”
Synthia materialized, giving Maxwell a quick lick down the neck for fun. “She’s right, Maxie. The overload systems are complete and directly linked with PhyPer control. Our make-shift control room is fully functional, minus the good bits.”
“Well hurrah.” Maxwell waved his hands with slight sarcasm. “Now we just need to steal Mistress Kimmy’s master tablet, overload the power matrix, and escape to the Starfalls bunker with the Asset, assuming he’s even there, before our evil Mistress knows what’s happening.”
Tracy blushed, “I can’t wait to see it! To see him and his ship! Oh my, that will be amazing… I heard he once blew a hole across a dozen universes just to save his true love!”
“What?” Maxwell was taken by surprise.
“Starfalls and Captain Mal...mmmph” Maxwell and Synthia both lept to cover Tracy’s mouth. “You can’t say his name!”
“Umph, Get off! People say it all the time and nothing bad has ever happened.” Tracy huffed.
Maxwell sighed, “Hello? Broken reality, split universes, collapsing pocket universe...”
“Oh. Right.” Tracy gasped. “Well, He’s literally the stuff of legend. The secret order of alien technologists have written volumes about him. I even went to Texas with my coven to visit Starfalls back in grad school. The place was invisible, but we knew it was there, we could feel him watching. Our tin-foil cranial energy convergence domes allowed us to see a tiny glimmer where the crash site probably might have been most likely…” Tracy beamed.
“Tin foil hat? Really girl?” Synthia laughed as she materialized a tin-foil pirate hat and placed it mockingly on Tracy’s head.
“Not funny.” Tracy smirked, “Especially since it was all true.”. After a few moments of modelling her new hat in her overalls and toolbelt, Tracy suddenly started to vibrate, “Um, Synthia! What did you do? Ouch! The hat is tingling!”
Synthia reached to remove Tracy’s hat but recoiled in shock, her fingers singed from a burst of energy.
Tracy’s voice changed, becoming slow and deliberate, “I see you are proceeding with your foolhardy plan to cast off this bespoke veneer in favor of last world’s model.”
Maxwell looked into Tracy’s eyes at a tiny flicker of light dancing across her retina like a radio signal, then smiled. “You are as perceptive as always old friend. It is good to finally hear from you. I had feared you stranded between spaces.” Maxwell spoke with respect and adoration, relieved the Asset was finally making contact.
“I simply see the predictable, as may your enemies I must warn. Perception is a game you humans play, like a child with its toys. When you arrive I will save you a seat, complete with your coveted tea.”
“And the others? Synthia and Tracy shall be joining us.” Maxwell asked more than stated.
“No. I am afraid their destiny must cross a different path for this world to end. Monster Kimmy must be restrained before order can be restored. I shall leave Tracy insight for when the time comes. Tell her I send my sincere gratitude and will thank her personally, in another life of course.”
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“... and we are ... Live!” Harvey the cameraman pointed at Tasha to start reading the news prompter.
“Toe-day’s top story! Has Mistress Kimmy’s latest feet gone too far? Is her sole obsession with designer shoes making her dumb as heel.” Tasha paused, rage building behind her blue eyes for the audience to see. “Bob, What the hell did you stick on the prompter! I can’t read that <bleep>! ”
Bob chuckled, “Ugg, We keep skeechering out the same flip floppy stories every day, a total croc if you ask me. I thought we needed better footage, Tasha.”
“Not funny, Bob, what if she’s watching!”
“The audience needs to get pumped, Tasha, but all your stories are laced with pretty strings and ribbons. It’s a-boot time we show the story arch feet-uring Mistresses rampage across restaurant row with her doppelganger. It’s happened 10 times just this week!”
“Um, guys, we’re still live!”
“It’s a story arc, Bob, not a story arch! You just sound stupid now!” Tasha fumed.
“Well you didn’t say I was stupid at 3 am when you showed up at my place with your TapThat-Tab, Lovedoll App, and 5 shots of…”
“Um, guys, you really need to...” Harvey panned to a mysterious light materializing behind the news desk.
“What, Harvey!” Bob and Tasha both turned to yell at Harvey, who was frozen in fear.
Mistress Kimmy smiled for the camera, “It’s okay Harvey, you keep filming the raw,” she paused to grin at Bob, “footage... You will get plenty of sole gripping, nail biting, feet-urettes with Mistress Kimmy’s patented and polished brand of entertainment.”
Kimmy tapped a few buttons on the glowing shard of glass extended from her arm. Bob suddenly collapsed, falling face first onto the news desk as if his head was made of lead. Quickly he compressed in pain as he crumpled into a small heel shaped man. With one final tap of the glowing glass shard, his body glazed over into red patent leather with ankle strap.
“Oh such a strapping man, yet so small. You know what they say about shoe size” Kimmy laughed as she picked up Bob, then tossed him nonchalantly to Tasha. “He should be just your size” Kimmy winked seductively while Tasha examined the 2 inch thick 6 inch long rounded heel beneath the shoe that looked strikingly familiar. Running a finger down the heel she could swear she heard a loud moan from the leather.
“I for one appreciate your wonderful reporting, Tasha. No man should ever embarrass, humiliate, or sabotage such a beautifully talented individual as yourself.”
Tasha sat stunned, “Why thank you very much, my most glorious Mistress, I am so flattered!”
Harvey rolled his eyes, “Really? You had to say flattered? You know how she gets her kicks!” Harvey immediately covered his mouth as Kimmy laughed maniacally. “I didn’t say that! What the fu…” Harvey tried to argue.
A split second later Tasha was holding 2 red patent leather heels.
“Today’s top story. Going toe-to-toe with Mistress Kimmy is a bad step for your future because it always ends in de-feet.” Tasha dangled her 2 new shoes in front of the camera as she and Kimmy laughed together.
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“That was utterly disturbing” Tracy shook her head.
Kimlie laughed, “Bob had it coming, though, don’t you think?”
“I suppose, but just wondering...”
Kimlie grabbed Tracy’s hands and held them to her chest, “You can ask me and Milk anything, I won’t get mad, just speak your mind.”
“Well, do you ever think your sister goes too far? Like certain things aren’t even meant to be in this reality, type of too far?”
Kimlie paused, “You mean like me and Milk aren’t supposed to be Kimlie, my sister should be a bubbly, happy, accident prone bimbo, and this reality is all make believe, that someone, somewhere just dreamed all this up as if it’s some sort of messed up fetish fantasy?”
Tracy looked shocked, “Well, sure okay, do you think that might be true?” Tracy hoped Kimlie would say yes. She could become a powerful ally in distracting Kimmy.
“Nope! But I know Maxwell sure does! He believes that craziness alright. He’s talked to me and Milk about it over and over again for the past year. He even calls Milk, Ted. Ted of all things! Can you even imagine, Milk being some weirdo named Ted!”
“I mean, if it were true, and I’m not saying it is, how could this Ted’s dna even bond to me as Milk does? We would have to be blood relatives, but Max says we were boyfriend and girlfriend in his weirdo fantasy land. He said Amy was involved with me and Milk, but I don’t know any Amy.. none at all. Do you?”
“Um, no. No Amy at all Lizzie.” Tracy looked shocked, “Why did I just call you Lizzie?”
“That’s my name, Leslie Anne Hawthorne, Lizzie, Wizzie, Ms. Stardust, Hot Wired, The Ivory Ghost, Tap Queen, The Starlette of Starfalls, the Bane of Caine.” Kimlie quickly spouted off her aliases from different realities.
“Woah, Holy glitch in the matrix!” Tracy could’ve sworn she just saw Kimlie’s body phase in and out of a dozen different outfits and hairstyles as she spoke. “Can you say that again?”
“Kimlie Smith and Milk at your service. Why? It’s just our name.” Kimlie looked annoyed.
“What do you think when you hear the name..” Tracy paused thinking back to one of the names that felt burned into her brain for some reason, “Ms. Stardust?”
Kimlie’s form shuddered and immediately began to speak, “When I was a teen I watched a meteor crash at Starfalls before my very eyes. As the glowing alien dust covered my body, part of it bonded, making me one with the universe, able to command gravity with a single thought, and the power to blast adversaries with shockwaves of rainbow stardust that I can use to transform them in any way I can imagine. When not fighting crime, I work as a barista named Lizzie at the local Overflowing Cups, but the rest of the world knows me better by my other name, Ms. Stardust!”
Kimlie immediately impacted the floor as if she had fallen from a few inches in the air, Milk sloshing in her sweater.
“Wow!” Tracy’s mouth dropped, “Just like some sort of galactic superhero! Your body even sparkled like glowing glitter for a moment and was floating!”
“What are you yammering about?”
“You didn’t just experience that?”
“Experience what? Watching my sister destroy two guys on local television, turning them into heels for all time? Yes. She’s a magnificently brutal bitch and I wish I were strong enough to stop her, but I’m not…. And do you know the worst part? I get a thrill from watching her do it. Are you happy now? Hell, I wish I could wear you right now strapped across my Milk filled chest! It makes me feel terrible, but amazing, at the same time...” Kimlie smiled like a predator, reaching out for Tracy, then suddenly snapped out of her daze, shaking in fear.
Tracy smiled, thinking up a plan, “How would you like to help save your sister?”
Kimlie frowned, “And everyone calls me the ditz. Didn’t you just hear what I said? I just can’t. I could never turn against sis.”
“Oh, I wasn’t talking to you.” Tracy paused, “I was asking Ms. Stardust”
Kimlie’s form immediately began to shudder again, Tracy quickly slapped a metal bracelet upon her glowing wrist, locking her into the new form.
“Lizzie Stardust at your service.” the levitating girl smiled down at Tracy.
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“Don’t be so mad Max! The Stardust chick said she would help! We have a real superhero on our side now!”
Synthia looked down at herself and back up at Tracy irritated, “Um, Hello? Have we even met?”
“Sorry Synthia…You’re still a hero in my book.”
“Gee thanks.” Synthia smirked and then gave a hair flip of disdain in Tracy’s direction.
“That’s not the point.” Maxwell sat flustered, “You can’t simply go about mixing up realities! Don’t you think I would have tried that? The results are unpredictable! Especially with Leslie and Ted discombobulated as they are!” Maxwell gasped, “Ted…”
“Tracy, dear girl, you didn’t happen to see what happened to Ted when you summoned Ms. Stardust? Did he appear?”
Tracy thought for a moment, “You mean Milk? I just thought he would stay Milk.”
“Oh dear girl, Milk was never Milk, and Ted, well that’s quite literally another story.”
Maxwell sat in thought for a few moments before finally looking up with hope, “I believe we can use this to our advantage. I have a plan to sort everything out.”
“I hope you don’t mind, I brought coffee for everyone.” Lizzie juggled a tray of cups into the secret basement lab and quickly handed them out.
“It’s good to see you again, Leslie, or should I say Ms. Stardust.” Maxwell smirked.
“Max, up to no good again I see.” Lizzie’s eye’s glowed with rainbow sparkles before she burst into a smile and ran over giving Maxwell a giant hug.
“Too… Tight!” Maxwell choked out.
Lizzie immediately released him, “Sorry! How long has it been?”
Maxwell thought for a moment, “I believe 3 realities have passed since yours.”
“Wait,” Tracy took a sip of the coffee, ”This is amazing by the way… So you two know each other, like for real.” Tracy leaned over to Maxwell, “She knows all about your reality altering shenanigans?”
Leslie laughed, “I have super hearing you know, and yes, I know Max’s secrets. How do you think things evolved beyond my world without a super-villain stopping him? I had to literally hold back the forces of Dankness for Max to complete the evolution from my world to the next.”
“So you are okay with all of this?” Synthia looked sarcastically over at Leslie, “Just allowing your entire world to disappear without even trying to, well, escape?”
Lizzie whipped off her fake glasses and smiled, “Once I understood the whole picture, it only made sense. My world was never meant to be, and the real world is in danger. We have an obligation to sacrifice for the greater good!”
Tracy came and grabbed Leslie by the hand, pulling her back down to the ground, “Sorry, you were floating again, Ms. Stardust” Tracy giggled.
Synthia shook her head, “Just super…”
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Street lights twinkled like stars across the city as Ms. Stardust hovered above it all, looking down in her sparkling crystal and white jumpsuit and cape. A modest amount of glitter accentuated her overflowing cleavage, pale skin, and galaxy blue lips.
As she scanned the streets from above to find Mistress Kimmy she could see transformations going wild across the city. Her mouth dropped open as she watched a frat party quickly turn into a sorority party at the local university. The Right on Cue Pool Hall was positively glowing in energy as she watched a man being absorbed into one of the barmaid's breasts on a lost bet. A group of guys engaged in darts were giggling as they instantly took on female traits with each missed throw, and a woman was quickly becoming a burly man as she guzzled down pint after pint of beer. A rave on 5th street was also aglow in transformative energy. The scene was difficult to discern as a tablet controlled disco ball was continually changing people into all different things as the light hit them. Apartment complexes and homes were filled with exotic bursts of energy as residents played with their gadgets.
“So many people with these tablets. It’s a wonder everything is so quiet in this reality.”
It only took a few moments to recognize the sound of screams coming from Shoe Circus in the commercial district. Peering down through the walls with her gravity vision, Lizzie could see the horrific scene of Mistress Kimmy terrorizing the family store.
“I wish I could stop this bitch cold.” Lizzie thought out loud as her eyes glowed a crystal white, “but I’ll stick to Max’s plan, for now.” With a quick swoop down she popped into an alley and angled her arms down at her side. A rainbow of stardust engulfed her body as she morphed into another form. Stepping from the dust, Lizzie looked exactly like Kimlie, all the way down to the Milk. Her clothes had transformed to that of a skirt, blouse, and mary jane shoes, with all the character of a naughty school girl outfit.
Skipping into Shoe Circus with a tablet in hand, Lizzie played her part.
“Found you sis! This tablet thing is amazing, but shouldn’t we be going?”
Mistress Kimmy ran her fingernails down her own legs, putting deliberate runs up and down her nylons mixed with blood. “Deal with that, Bitches.” Kimmy laughed at her nylons as she pulled up and buckled a pair of knee high leather boots.
“All ready...” Kimmy turned to face Lizzie. “Well that’s certainly a new look for you, sis.” Kimmy looked Lizzie up and down, briefly pausing at the metal bracelet wrapped around her wrist.
“Let me grab you some hose, my treat.” Mistress Kimmy quickly started tapping out commands on her glass shard. Two girls hiding behind the sales counter uncontrollably stood and walked to Lizzie, kneeling at her feet.
With a confidence and strength that took Mistress Kimmy by complete surprise, Lizzie reached over and pulled her hand off the tablet, “That really isn’t necessary… sis.”
Thankful for the intervention, the two girls ran out of the store.
Quickly changing her demeanor, Lizzie giggled, “I mean, I already made some from a perv up the street, silly! You should have seen when he split in two, it was real mean and gross and I bet he hurt a whole lot from me being such a meanie.”
Looking back down, Mistress Kimmy noticed Lizzie’s legs were indeed coated in white thigh high nylons that she must've somehow missed a moment ago.
Confused, Mistress Kimmy allowed Lizzie to take her by the hand, completely oblivious to the stardust that briefly covered her arm and master tablet while being tugged out of the store.
“We should really be off. I made reservations at a new place, Francesca's.” Lizzie smirked at mistress Kimmy.
Mistress Kimmy couldn’t quite figure out what had gotten into Kimlie. She was usually very timid and restrained but tonight she was bold and outgoing. Smiling, Mistress Kimmy gave her a big sisterly hug, “My, aren’t we growing up tonight. I’m so proud of your transformation.”
“If you only knew” Lizzy mumbled under her breath as Kimmy reached to activate her master tablet for transport, “Francesca’s, I’m not familiar with that place…”
“NO!” Lizzie again grabbed Kimmy’s hand away from the glass shard. “I mean, allow me, sis.”
Lizzie punched coordinates into her own tablet for a location in One Europe then grabbed Kimmy’s hand in a bone cracking grip as they both vanished.
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Back in the PhyPer control room Synthia snatched up the master tablet as it materialized, a gift from Ms. Stardust after having swapped the master tablet with a fake.
“I’m sorry, but I wasn’t programmed to be like little miss perfect stardust, I am what i am.” Synthia mumbled as she placed a small crystal between the master tablet’s screen and her hand, a burst of light briefly flashed. “We have the tablet, Tracy.”
Maxwell tapped his ear from the makeshift basement control room, “What’s the status on Kimmy?”
“One moment, I’m scanning.” Tracy’s fingers quickly glided across her tablet and watched a map sweep across the Atlantis sea. “Ms. Stardust did it! Evil bitch Kimmy is out of the country and as Synthia confirmed, we have the tablet!”