"A Friend in Need"
Part Two: "Second Opinion"
by
Aaron Storck
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Questar Labs - Medical Research Lab The room was spacious enough, but with all of the research staff coming in and out and the myriad of monitoring equipment lining the walls and on carts, Wally Wood felt a bit cramped. He was seated next to the bed in a visitor's chair and right now he had the most important job in the room: keeping the occupant calm. "If I stay here any longer I'm going to go crazy," Grav said fidgeting around while a Questar medical technician drew blood from his arm. "I should be out doing something." "This is the best place you can be right now," the former hero assured the man. "Look at that team out there," he added nodding toward the large window set into the wall across from the foot of the bed. Grav glanced over where the former hero was indicating. Through the open blinds he saw Franklin Richards, his genius friend from Armor, reviewing some test results with Dr. Johnny Quest, one of the most brilliant men in the world and owner of this facility. Beside them was Dr. Stephen Strange, sorcerer and world-class surgeon who was collecting the latest blood samples from the technician who had just left the room. All of a sudden Grav felt badly when he remembered what day it was. "Hell of a way to spend Christmas. They should be at home with their families." Wally shook his head, chuckling quietly. "I don't know Franklin very well, but if he's anything like the other two, I know that this is what they'd rather be doing. Trust me." The patient managed a slight chuckle of his own. "I know Frank well enough to know that you are probably right, Señor." A moment passed before Wally spoke again. "Of course there will be HELL to pay at home for Johnny and Steven. Their wives are forces of nature. "But they will understand," the older man admitted, cutting Grav off before he could speak. Something caught Grav's eye and he looked up. "Speaking of forces of nature..." Wally Wood, too, looked over to see what Grav was referring to. Charging through the ward like a runaway train was his daughter Holly, better known to the world as Dyna Girl. The red and gold clad heroine burst into the room, raising her voice at no one in particular. "... smug, arrogant, megalomaniacal..." "Hi, honey," Wally said, trying to assert a bit of calm into his daughter's verbal storm. Holly huffed a moment and slowly relaxed her clenched fists. "Hi, guys," the Forte powerhouse said, almost managing a smile after a moment of calm. "Anything happen while I was gone?" "Nothing new, hon. It's going to take time you know," Wally said, well aware of his daughter's extreme lack of patience. "Where were you, by the way?" Grav asked her. "You charged out of here pretty quick, guapa." Collecting herself for a moment, she then answered, "I went to see Maxwell Ravenscroft." "Oh no," the woman's father answered, burying his face in his hand. The wheels of his mind were already turning, envisioning scenario after scenario... most of which ended with Ravenscroft in a wall somewhere and his daughter on trial for assault. "How'd THAT go?" Grav asked, more amused than actually curious. "I don't want to talk about it."
Magnolia Peninsula The view of Lake Washington was particularly spectacular today. The sky was free of clouds and the sun blazed high in the bright blue morning sky. Traffic was light over the SR-520 floating bridge since most people had taken this Friday morning before Christmas off, but congestion around the shopping malls was worse than ever as last-minute gift buyers scrambled to complete their lists. Not that Dyna Girl noticed any of this. She rocketed over Lake Washington, heading south over downtown Seattle and Queen Anne hill, out toward the peninsula. Magnolia was host to a number of nice homes, but very few mammoth ones. The view of the Sound and the waterfront is what attracted people to this very exclusive neighborhood, rather than the desire of owning a sprawling estate. Dyna Girl touched down in front of the Ravenscroft home and looked around. The home wasn't obscenely large, but the grounds were quite expansive, at least for this zip code. The high walls and obvious security measures indicated to the heroine that the man valued his privacy. Too 'effin bad, she thought to herself as she lifted gently into the air and glided over the walls. She made sure to stay out of the range of the dogs roaming the grounds, more out of concern for the animals than herself. The surveillance cameras weren't well hidden and she was sure that whatever security forces "ol' Max" had on the premises were alerted to her presence by now. Oh, well. She landed at the main entrance and rung the bell. Immediately, a very big man wearing sunglasses and a radio earpiece answered the door. The heroine noticed a slight bit of energy crackling off of the large knuckle-guards that he was wearing. Where Ravenscroft managed to acquire a pair of standard UNCLE Combat Knucks is something she would make sure and ask her friend Dane Casey when she saw him next. "Ravenscroft. Now." The woman leaned forward, clenching her fists, egging the security man to take a swipe at her. "Leave." "No. I'm here to see Ravenscroft. I'll go around you or through you. It's your choice." The man opened his mouth, about to respond, and started to raise his fists when he suddenly lowered them and stepped aside and motioned for Dyna Girl to enter the foyer. "Professor Ravenscroft will see you. Please wait here." Dyna Girl stepped inside and the bodyguard closed the door behind her. He stood next to the door in a non-threatening manner. Within moments, an older man dressed in a servant's uniform walked briskly toward the pair. "Please follow me, miss." The servant led the heroine to a pair of large wooden doors. He was about to open them for her, when she gently put her hand on his shoulder. "I'll announce myself, Jeeves." "Very well, miss." The man turned and went off to resume his other duties. Holly flung the doors open dramatically and stepped through. It took a moment for her brain to register what she was seeing. Then it struck her. "Aw, crap," she muttered almost to herself. The room was fairly large and over two stories high. In the middle was a tall Christmas tree and there were a number of children scattered about the room, most in the process of unwrapping or showing off gifts. Observing the children were nearly a hundred adults, all dressed casually but nicely. Roaming around the room were a number of servants holding trays and tending to the needs of the guests. And in the corner was a small string quartet playing a medley of Christmas favorites. And all of them turned to look when Dyna Girl burst into the room. "Dyna Girl!" the children closest to the heroine squealed in delight when they saw her. Most came rushing up to her and she proceeded to smile and give out a few hugs to the children. "What a pleasant surprise," Maxwell Ravenscroft said as he and an older woman approached her. "Dyna Girl, I'd like you to meet Mrs. Coleman. She is in charge of the Calantha Ravenscroft Foundation's orphanage. She is doing some tremendous work over there." "Hello, Mrs. Coleman, it's a pleasure to meet you," Holly said genuinely. "Mind if we get a few pictures?" the woman asked. "That would be wonderful!" Dyna Girl said with a dazzling smile, all the while seething with anger as Maxwell Ravenscroft watched in delight. Almost thirty minutes passed and Holly had posed for photos with all of the children, the executive board members of the Calantha Ravenscroft Foundation, a good number of the attendees (who also happened to be major donors), and with Maxwell Ravenscroft himself. As the two posed for the final photo, Ravenscroft said, "I'll have a copy of the photo sent over for you, care of the Forte Museum." "Wonderful," Holly said with a smile that masked her irritation. With the last photo taken, Dyna Girl said in a sweet tone, "Professor, I hate to take you away from your guests, but I would like to speak with you for a few moments." "Certainly!" Ravenscroft made no move to leave the room. "It's a private matter, Professor." "Really?" Again, Ravenscroft did not move. Holly swallowed her pride, what little there was left. Then she smiled sweetly again, "I need your help Professor. Please." "My help?" Ravenscroft said, just a bit louder than necessary. "Of course! I would be happy to help, if I can. Please follow me." The industrialist gestured toward a door and led Dyna Girl into his study. Once inside, the man closed the door. "I really must thank you, Dyna Girl. Your appearance will earn the Foundation at least another one hundred thousand dollars in donations today." "At least it's going to a good cause," she replied honestly, but bitterly. "Now, how can I... help you?" "I need all of your research material on Miguel Garcia. Grav." "Why, I don't have any material on Grav. Unfortunately, that and other valuable data was destroyed over ten years ago in the attack on NRG." Ravenscroft looked genuinely saddened as he was forced to recall the destruction of the "crown jewel" of his industrial empire. With the loss of NRG Labs, the majority of his businesses ultimately collapsed. A moment later, he brightened. "Say," he said with a note of encouragement, "you might check with Dr. Mark Kellerman. He worked with Grav in the early days. I understand that he's with Armor Security now. If anyone would know about Grav, he would." Ravenscroft's eyes twinkled and he smiled as he made that last comment. Dyna Girl was losing patience. "Dr. Kellerman's research doesn't cover THE CLONE you made of Grav, Professor. THAT is the information I want." "Clone? Why, what on earth are you talking about?" Ravenscroft asked in a smug voice, crossing his arms. "Drop the act, Professor. I'm here for that research." Dyna Girl leaned in toward him. "I'm not leaving without it." "I'm afraid I have no idea what..." A knock on the door interrupted the scientist's denial. "Yes? Come in." "Sorry to disturb you, sir." It was the servant that had led Dyna Girl to the ballroom. "Mrs. Coleman asked if you are ready to address your guests." "Yes. Thank you, Jennings." The domestic left the room and Ravenscroft turned to face his uninvited guest. "I'm afraid that your time is up. I must return to my other guests. I'm sorry I couldn't have been more help to you." "I'm not leaving, Ravenscroft." "Then I'll have no choice but to call UNCLE and have you arrested for trespassing." Maxwell Ravenscroft's smug but genial visage turned cold and hard. "It would be a shame if those sweet children out there had to see Dyna Girl being hauled off to jail." She knew he was right. "This isn't over, Max. Not by a long shot." "You're almost as impetuous as Vanguard." Ravenscroft crossed the room and held the door open for Holly. As she walked past him fuming, he added one more thing: "Tell Grav I said 'Merry Christmas.'"
Franklin Richards entered the room and pulled up a chair to join the trio. Dyna Girl sat on the edge of the hospital bed and all three looked at the newcomer, eager for news. "Well, the good news is that I have five days worth of treatments and tests that I can cross off the list," Franklin said with a forced smile. "We know what didn't work before I 'rebooted,' so now we look in other directions." "So what's the bad news, hermano?" Grav asked. Franklin ignored his friend for the moment. "Additionally, we have more resources at our disposal this time. Doctors Quest and Strange are now in the loop and are attacking this problem from different angles. Also, this research facility is among the best in the world. "And..." Franklin paused and looked at Grav, slightly ashamed. "And?" Grav asked, waiting for Franklin to complete his thought. The younger man sighed. "And even though you told me not to, I called my dad and Mark Kellerman. They are consulting from L.A." he said hurriedly. "Okay?" "No, it's not okay! Dammit, Franklin..." "What's the big deal?" Holly asked. Grav was tight-lipped as he sat stewing, so Holly turned to Franklin. "So?" "He's embarrassed," the time-shifting genius admitted for his friend. "He thinks that Doctor Kellerman and my father will respect him less because of what he is... or maybe because of what he isn't." "That's stupid," Holly said, cutting right to the point. "No it isn't," Grav countered. "Doctor Kellerman is an honorable man. He knew that Ravenscroft was doing things that were wrong and so he washed his hands of it and walked away. Now, to ask him to get involved again is unfair. "And Doctor Richards... he took a chance on me when no one else would. He put his reputation on the line to get Armor started again. Tell me, how can I look him in the eye when I know that my entire life is a lie and that I am nothing more than a... what am I?" Grav struggled for the words, trying to express the torrent of emotion that he felt, "A product of unethical science? And how does that affect his reputation when the public finds out what I am?" "Why don't we worry about that when the time comes, son?" Electro Man offered. "And when it does, I think you'll be surprised." "Look, Miguel, I'll be honest with you," Franklin said standing up from his chair, "we're not much better off than we were before you came to Seattle. I know you wanted to keep a tight lid on this, but the more minds we have working for us, the more likely we are to nail this thing down. "I called Doctor Hines over at the university. As you know, they possess what little research and equipment left over from the original NRG Labs..." "So THAT'S why you broke into the campus lab," Holly interrupted her friend with her sudden realization. "You were looking for something." "Any samples of his... I mean... the original Miguel Garcia's unaltered DNA. Ravenscroft must have had a sample he used to clone Miguel from. We were hoping to find something at the university," Franklin admitted. "Unfortunately, Doctor Hines' search came up empty, Miguel. I'm sorry." "Why's that sample so important?" Wally Wood asked. "It's the one thing we don't have. Doctor Kellerman was able to provide us with a good amount of information on the process used to create Grav's powers. That's more than we had the last time," he said with a smile. "But without a starting point, we just don't know the exact nature of the genetic alteration. We need a sample to serve as a base line." "Can't you just 'reboot' back and get one?" Holly asked. "I've considered that as a last resort, Dyna Girl, but let me explain to you what would happen: I would have to jump back about fifteen years. That's longer than I've ever gone by far. Even if I survived, I would be in the body of a seven year old. Then I'd have to convince my father that he needs to help me get a DNA sample from someone that he's never heard of and preserve it for fifteen years. "Meanwhile, this is right about the time that he had to commit my mother to a sanitarium... Oh.. and Uncle Johnny had just died. Not really the best of times for any of us," Franklin said in a slightly snarky tone. "Then of course, I'd have to live out the next fifteen years of my life walking on eggshells to make sure that I did nothing to change the future dramatically. "So yes, technically I suppose I could do it... but I'd rather not. No offense, Grav." "None taken, hermano." "Sorry Franklin," Holly said sheepishly. "I didn't..." "It's okay, Holly." He put his hand on Dyna Girl's shoulder. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Dr. Quest suggested I try and call the alternate Reed Richards from the universe that those MAGIC heroes come from. Maybe he'll have an idea or two." Franklin left the room and Electro Man shook his head with a smirk. "Alternate universes. Time-travel. It was a lot simpler in my day..." "Oh my GOD!!!" Holly exclaimed. "That's it!" "What...?" Grav asked, startled and confused at Dyna Girl's outburst. Ignoring the others for the moment, the heroine keyed the silver button on her left glove and spoke, "Nightsable?"
The Parker Home
"I can't believe I have to. But there's no other way, Sam. Believe me." Samantha Parker, Nightsable, had been in the kitchen helping the other women of the household with the Christmas Eve meal preparations when Dyna Girl had radioed her. Dropping her domestic duties, the Forte heroine donned her costume quickly and opened a teleportal to the Questar Medical facility and met her friend. Once there, Nightsable opened another portal back to her bedroom at the Parker home for the two to return. Nightsable was busy removing her costume while Dyna Girl sat on the edge of the bed, imploring her friend to help. "Are you sure there's nothing else to be done?" Samantha asked as she hung her costume on a hanger and opened a small teleportal to her closet back in her own universe. Once she had hung the garment up, she pulled her arm back through the violet pool of energy and closed the rift. "They've only been at it for a few hours and, well... they're all geniuses." "Franklin was working on it for five days before..." Holly felt her throat tightening a bit as she began to think about her friend dying. She paused to swallow and then continued, "Before he had to 'reboot' and come back." "Well, you said that last time he was working by himself mostly. Now he's got Johnny and Stephen and..." "GODDAMN IT Sam!" Dyna Girl shouted, cutting off her friend. "All of them are saying the same thing: They need a sample of Miguel's original, unaltered DNA in order to save him! What part of this AREN'T you getting?!?" Samantha Parker was stunned into silence. Her friend was well known for her temper when she was wearing the costume, but she herself had never been at the other end of the barrel when Holly pulled the trigger. And, because Samantha had become extremely impulsive since gaining her powers only a few years ago, she nearly heeded her first impulse to fire back at her friend. But as she opened her mouth to speak, she looked up and saw the pain and desperation in her friend's face and was reminded of a similar face she'd seen years ago in her mirror when she found out that her superhero father was dead. And there was nothing she could do about it at the time. "I'm sorry, Sam." Holly forced herself to calm down when Samantha's eyes locked with hers. "It's just... I owe him so much. I..." "Okay," Nightsable said in such a quiet voice that Holly did not hear her. "I mean... I love him as much as I love you," Dyna Girl admitted before she broke down. She continued on, forcing out words over the tears that were now spilling freely. "You guys are like my brother and sister and if anything happened to EITHER of you, I'd..." "Holly." Samantha spoke softly, but forcefully. "Okay." Holly paused for a moment and contemplated what she had asked of her friend and what that friend had reluctantly agreed to. For as many years as she had known Samantha Parker, rarely had she given out any specific information about her own world, much less consented to bringing someone back with her. After all, the alternate reality that Samantha had come from was very much like the world that Holly grew up in, but was set roughly eleven years in the future. It was Samantha's fear, and the fear of this world's original Forte team, that any knowledge that was gained in a trip to her world could have an effect on events that had yet to unfold in this one. And now, whether it was because Samantha realized that there was very little hope to save Grav, or because she believed it to be the right thing to do, or simply because in desperation Holly had asked for her help, Samantha decided to break the one rule that she had lived by unswervingly since her arrival. Holly understood what it meant for Samantha to decide to help her, and immediately threw her arms around her best friend, pulled her close and buried her face in the fabric of her friend's sweatshirt. "Thanks," was all Holly could muster, but for Sam it was enough. "It's okay, Hol." Dyna Girl pulled away and wiped the mascara-stained tears away from her face and finally managed to smile a little. Nightsable was quick to return the smile, which was beaming and infectious and made Holly smile all the more while she tried to compose herself. "Uh.. listen, Hol," the Forte teleporter said after a few moments, "I know I shouldn't have to tell you, but when we get there we need to focus on Grav and be as quick as possible about it." "Don't worry, Sam. We’re there to find Miguel Garcia... at least the Miguel Garcia of your world. I don't care about anything else," Dyna Girl assured her friend. "You say that there's no hero named 'Grav' on your world. That means that 'your' Miguel Garcia will have no powers and have the 'baseline' DNA that Franklin and Johnny are looking for." "You're probably right, but I don't want to get your hopes up, Holly. If this doesn't work out..." Nightsable trailed off. She didn't want to consider the alternative. "If this doesn't work out, then it's up to Franklin, Johnny and the rest of the geniuses to think of something," the Forte powerhouse piped in, completing her friend's statement on a much more positive note than was originally intended. "Yeah," Samantha said, quickly agreeing. "But how about you and I see if we can't help 'em a bit?" Holly smiled and Samantha Parker opened up a teleportal large enough for two to pass through. ----------------- Samantha Parker's Apartment
"He'll be back in a couple hours." "How'd you find him so fast?" Holly asked her friend while admiring the apartment's decor. "It's not that hard when you have access to the UNCLE database," Sam responded, walking over to where her friend was standing. "I love this photo," Holly said holding up a framed picture that was sitting on Samantha's mantle. It was a picture of the two of them and their Forte teammate Bobby "Max" McMillan taken at a Mariner's game. "I didn't know you brought it here." Samantha smiled as she looked at the photo. "Mom loves to hear all about my life over there. I've made a scrapbook with our photos and newspaper clippings for her for Christmas. She's going to love it." "Christmas," Holly said in a quiet tone, wincing. "You were gonna come over here tonight and spend the day with your mom and sisters, weren't you? I'm sorry, Sam." "Nothing to be sorry for, Hol," the teleporter said reassuringly. "I'll have plenty of time." "Okay," Dyna Girl said morosely. She began to dwell on the fact that she was ruining everyone's Christmas plans. And then she realized that she had forgotten to call Ken since getting caught up in the events that began early that morning. And after last night... nice work, Wood. SOLID way to begin a relationship. Noticing her friend's dour expression, Samantha immediately tried to lighten the mood. "Hey, we have until two-thirty, why don't we get some lunch? It's a great day to be outdoors!" "You're nuts," Holly said, noticing the rain beading on the large window that looked out over downtown Seattle and afforded a view of the Space Needle. Samantha Parker grabbed her friend by the arm and led her down the hall. "It's a great day to be outdoors in L.A., which is where we are headed anyway. "Now," Sam said observing that Holly was still wearing her Dyna Girl costume, "let's see if I can find you something more appropriate to wear." The two disappeared into the bedroom and started rifling through the closet. ----------------- Sunset Boulevard
"...was thinking of getting Lucy one of those strapless tops like she's wearing," Samantha nodded in the direction of the woman in question and pointed slightly with her fork. "I know she's not much for 'girly' clothes, but I think it'd be cute on her. What do you think?" "Yeah, that'd be nice," Holly said absently. "You didn't even look!" Nightsable chided gently. "Sorry." Dyna Girl glanced up long enough to acknowledge her friend with a brief smile and then turned her attention back to her plate. She felt powerless and that irritated her. "You can't give up hope yet. What about everyone back home? Johnny? Franklin? All of those people at Armor? They are BOUND to come up with something." "It's not JUST Grav. There's more to it than that." Dropping her fork, Dyna Girl stopped probing her salad and looked at Samantha. "A LOT more." "What is it?" the other woman asked, her curiosity piqued. "I kissed Ken last night." "You mean kissed him, or KISSED him?" "I MEAN I was over at his place this morning when I got the call from Dane." "Oh my GOD!!! And you're just NOW telling me?" "I HAVE been busy, you know," Holly said just a bit defensively. "Hell, Sam, yesterday morning I was in Portland planning to go to the museum Christmas event. Today I'm in an alternate universe with one of my best friends trying to save another one's life. And there was plenty of crap in between. Cut me a LITTLE slack, would ya?" Samantha smiled back at her. "Okay, I'll forgive you. But when we get home, I want DETAILS," "Do you have a few hours?" Nightsable was about to respond when she was cut off by the sound of a large explosion. The force of the blast set off car alarms up and down the street and a few shop windows shattered nearby. Both Samantha and Holly turned at the noise and saw a large column of black smoke rising into the sky a couple of blocks away. Soon people from the surrounding businesses began to file out onto the street, wondering what was happening. In an instant, Holly was on her feet unbuttoning the blouse and removing the slacks that Samantha had given her to cover her Dyna Girl costume. "NO! Forget it! Uh uh!" Samantha said, standing to stop her friend. Dyna Girl slipped her trademark sunglasses on and wrapped her gold sash around her waist. "There could be lives at risk. I have to go," Holly explained, feeling a little guilty that she was happy for the distraction that the explosion provided. "Would you sit down, please?" Nightsable pleaded. By now, the rest of the cafe's patrons and staff were noticing the woman standing among them in the scarlet costume. Holly just smiled. "Here," she said, tossing the garments to her friend, and rapidly the Forte powerhouse took to the air and shot off toward the billowing smoke. Growling softly in frustration, Nightsable opened a portal back to her Seattle apartment and dashed through.
Two trucks had collided. One of them was a tanker and was undoubtedly the source of the explosion and the flames that had engulfed both vehicles. The flammable liquid that was spilling from the tanker had turned the intersection into a flaming lake that was growing and was threatening to set the surrounding buildings and other disabled vehicles at the scene ablaze. Swooping over the flames, Dyna Girl plucked still-occupied cars out of the way of the growing danger. Because time was short, she carried the vehicles two at a time halfway down the block to a large parking lot and told the panicked drivers to call for emergency services. Once she had gotten the half dozen cars that were immediately threatened out of the way, she turned her attention to the trucks themselves. The driver of the tanker was dead before Holly arrived, and the cab was now engulfed in the fiery blaze. The other truck was on its side and the trailer was covered in flames. For the moment, however, the tractor itself remained untouched. She landed next to the upset truck and peered through the windshield. Holly could see that the driver was not moving. Quickly she pulled the exposed door open and climbed inside. The man was breathing and Dyna Girl did not see any evidence that it was unsafe to move him. Worried about the fire at the back of the truck reaching the cab, she gently cradled the driver in her arms and kicked the windshield out, sending the glass frame several yards across the intersection. Gingerly, Holly carried the man free of the wrecked hauler and stopped suddenly when she saw the figure hovering a few feet off the ground in front of her. For a moment, Dyna Girl forgot all about the man she was carrying or the danger around her. Ages seemed to pass as Holly and the woman just a few feet away from her stared at each other in silence. Neither of the women moved or spoke until a voice beside them broke through the reverie. "Shit." Nightsable had just walked through a teleportal into a nightmare: Holly Wood stood face to face with Holly Wood.
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