"The Negative Girl"
1
It's a strange feeling, not to be wanted. For more than fifty years, the Negative Entity had been linked to Larry Trainor. It had sustained him, prolonged his life, even maintained his life when Larry had been to all intents and purposes, 'dead' – true it had for a while flirted with another human being, a woman called Valentina Vostok – but it had always retained that link to Larry and so when the time was right, it had fully returned to him and remained with him even while he was in a very altered condition as the dual-being, Rebis. Now though, it was time to depart. It would find another host.
2
"It's like a disease, isn't it, some horrible disease?" Anna asked.
Larry was unable to reply. He seemed to be emotionally overtaken by what he was seeing: a young woman in considerable pain.
"No, Anna. It's not," Rita replied.
"But I'm dying. I can feel it killing me. I'm just getting weaker and weaker."
Rita turned to Larry: "Larry, you have to do something," she pleaded.
"What can I do? The Negative Man has left me and it's gone to Anna. I'm sorry for Anna but I'm free of it."
"But it's killing her!" Rita continued.
Larry paused before speaking again. His voice betrayed the emotional upheaval he was experiencing: "The bandages will help her survive. She will have to wear the bandages!"
"Larry, she's seventeen! What sort of life is that for a seventeen year old girl?"
"Hey, I wasn't that much older than that when I was cursed with it!" Larry snapped back. He felt as if he were being backed into a hole and especially resented that it was Rita who was forcing him backwards. Why was she doing it? "She needs to put on the bandages. You can help her, Rita!" He handed Rita the bag he was carrying. "Put the bandages on, Anna. It'll take away the pain and you will survive."
"It's up to you, Anna, but I can't think of anything else that will help you," Rita said gently.
Anna nodded her head to agree to the suggestion. Rita then helped her to her feet and they shuffled into Rita's bedroom. Larry watched them close the door behind them and turned to look out of the window at the view. Only thing was, his mind was elsewhere, reeling at the thought of taking on the burden of the Negative Man once more. He thought he was free, at last but now? He did not know what to think or do.
Several minutes later, the door opened and Rita emerged leading Anna who was now completely covered in the bandages. She had put back on her dressing gown but had not done up the tie.
"You'll begin to feel better soon," Larry said helpfully as Rita led Anna to a seat.
Anna nodded accepting Larry's words. "I can feel it squirming inside me. And … it's like it's talking to me," she said.
"Yes, you'll get used to that as well," Larry added.
"It talks to you?" Rita queried looking at Larry. "Why did you never say anything about that before?"
Larry shrugged his shoulders. "I never thought it worth mentioning ..."
"Larry lived with the Negative Man for years. He can help you," Rita said to Anna.
"I can help you," Larry added.
"Can you take it off me?" Anna asked looking straight at Larry.
"Are you looking at me?"
"Yes, I don't want it. Can you take it off me?"
"I don't think it's that simple, Anna" Rita explained.
"It never is, is it?" Ann sighed.
"Perhaps you should tell Larry what happened," Rita said.
3
"I had been to a party. You see, a friend of mine was entertaining some business men from out of town and she asked me and some other girls, if we would tag along with her to this party. I had nothing else on that night so I said, yes. And at first it was okay, but I think I may have had a few drinks too many – though I'm usually pretty good at not getting too drunk. Anyway, I decided to get away and headed outside to get some air. I managed to slip away without much trouble and headed home."
"Where is home, Anna?" Larry asked.
"I share a small apartment in Venice Beach. It's clean, it's okay, I suppose."
"So did you have far to travel?"
"A taxi ride."
Larry accepted Anna's geography-update and indicated for her to carry-on with her story.
"Outside, I really began to feel ill and I think I must have collapsed. The next thing I know is that I woke up in a hospital bed. But I'm in this special room and all the doctors are wearing radiation suits…"
"That must have been due to the Negative Entity, when it had left me and for some unknown reason, attached itself to you," Larry said.
"I suppose so," Anna said. "I later found out that one of the doctors here had once worked with someone who knew you and was familiar enough with the Negative Man to get in touch with you."
"But you wouldn't answer their call so they got in touch with me," Rita explained. "That's when I first met up with Anna."
"And Rita called you," Anna added. "That's it, really, I suppose. Does that mean I'll now have to be the Negative Girl?"
"I guess so," Larry replied, "though I have no idea how to influence the Negative Entity into leaving you permanently. I don't even know if such a thing is possible."
Anna looked forlornly at Rita. "I don't want to live if living is like this."
Rita took hold of Anna's bandaged hand. "Don't talk that way, Anna. We'll do what we can, won't we, Larry? We'll find a way to … "
Larry finished what he thought Rita was about to say: "Make me the Negative Man again?"
"I wasn't going to say that!" Rita replied quickly. "I was going to say, we'll find a way to help Anna cope with living with the Negative Entity, if we have to!"
"Yeah, that too!" Larry added sulkily. He then went on in a more upbeat manner: "Now that you have the bandages, you'll begin to feel better, stronger, normal … well, almost normal anyway."
"I hope so," Anna replied.
"Yes, you will. I feel confident about that," Rita added.
"In fact, I feel better already, but sleepy."
"That's good!" Rita explained. "We should probably go now, but we'll come back to see you tomorrow, won't we Larry?"
Larry agreed and they left Anna to rest. They continued talking as they walked towards the hospital's exit.
"We'll have to do something for her, Larry" Rita confided as they left the hospital.
"Yes, but what?"
"I'm not sure yet, but if there's anyway we can get the Negative Entity to move on to someone else, then we should do what we can to make that happen."
"But who? Who's to say who it will move to? It could pick out the biggest thug on the West Coast!"
Larry glanced at Rita's expression. He recognised it as one where she was determined to carry something out. And he was already worried what that might mean for him. While he had been in the same room as Anna, Larry had not let on but he had 'felt' a strange, momentary tug from the Negative entity. It had passed as quickly as it came but it had happened all-the-same.
Not long after when Larry opened the door to Rita's hire-car: "Perhaps you should get her a costume," he suggested.
Surprised by Larry's comment, Rita checked: "Who are you talking about, Anna?"
"Yes. If there's an emergency and you need a costumed partner, well …. You may need back-up." And he then added: "After all, she did mention being the Negative Girl …" And then with a shrug he added: "I was only thinking of you."
"An all-female Doom Patrol, now that would be an improvement!"
"And I could be your Special Adviser, like in Charlie's Angels."
"I see … And what would be your code-name?"
Larry considered that for a moment before replying: "How about … Doctor Doom?"
"H'mmm … It is catchy, or we could shorten it to the first two letters of each word … 'Do-do'!"
"Toilet humour, really? You realize that it is the lowest form of wit, don't you?"
"Well, if the 'do-do' fits …"
4
Harley was playing baseball with his friends in a field near his home on the outskirts of Muncie, Indiana. He was nineteen and had given in to the pleading of his thirteen year old brother, Pete, to play with him. He would not admit it to Pete, but he was actually enjoying the game and was getting ready to bat when another friend, Carl called by. Carl was sent into the outfield to attempt a catch of Harley's 'home-run'. Harley was ready, Pete delivered his fastball and Harley caught in perfectly. But the moment he struck the ball, something unexpected happened. There was a powerful blast, an explosion, hurling Harley to the ground. Pete and Carl ran immediately to his aid.
"Harley! What happened?" Pete screamed.
"Was it lightning?" Carl asked looking at the sky. "There's hardly a cloud up there!"
Harley was coming round. He sat up not appearing to be seriously hurt in any way. "That was strange," was all he said. He then got to his feet and without another word to Pete or Carl began to wander off. Both Pete and Carl ran after him and tried to reason with him but he effortlessly shrugged off their attempts to hold onto him and to persuade him to sit down and recover from the shock. "Go get your parents," Carl urged Pete. "I'll stay with him and try to get some sense out of him. He's probably in a state of shock." Pete ran off while Carl tagged Harley as he made his way towards town. Much to Carl's astonishment though, it soon became apparent that Harley was not actually walking on the ground as he headed in the direction of Muncie. He appeared to be walking on the air several inches above ground and as the ground fell away the closer he got to town, Harley continued walking higher and higher into the air. Within a few moments Carl was unable to follow Harley anymore as Harley passed high above a busy, major highway. He never reached Muncie however. Harley had never had the opportunity to travel and the sudden thought of visiting Los Angeles must have crossed his mind for he instantly disappeared from the sky above Muncie and re-appeared above the Hollywood Hills. Los Angeles sprawled from horizon to horizon in all its grime and glory.
The appearance of a young man 'walking' through the air caused considerable commotion across downtown LA as Harley hastened towards the Pacific Ocean. News of the appearance even filtered through to Rita and Larry at their hotel.
"Why would you think that we should even get involved - though by the fact that you're in-costume I gather that you think it's worth investigating?" Larry said between sips of his dry martini. "It's not an emergency. It's not even a crime to walk through the air, is it?"
Rita seemed keen though: "No, I know it's not a crime, but still …?"
"You want to check it out coz it's unusual?"
"Exactly."
Larry shrugged his shoulders and took another drink. "Well, I can't stop you."
"You won't come with me?"
"I could follow you in a taxi, I suppose" he added.
"Now you know that won't be necessary." Rita increased her size and took hold of Larry in her hand and swept him up into the air as she headed off across the Valley to where the 'air-walker' was last spotted.
"You could have given me a warning!" Larry yelled. "I think I left my stomach back at the hotel-bar!"
"Oh stop your wining, Larry. You're getting a free trip across LA aren't you?""
"Never mind that, just tell me when it's safe for me to open my eyes!" he yelled back.
Rita put Larry down on top of a flat rooftop while she paused to study the air-walker. He didn't appear to be doing anything criminal but his appearance was causing a disturbance down on the ground where crowds of people gathered to watch in amazement at his passing. Cars on the freeway were also slowing down and, not surprisingly, it wasn't long before several accidents had taken place by cars being rear-ended thereby bringing the freeways to a grinding halt. Rita's appearance wasn't helping the situation either. Harley watched Rita's approach with great interest.
"I know who you are," he said turning towards her. "You're Giant Girl, one of the Lawless Legion!"
"Ah, no, I'm not!" Rita replied hesitantly. "I'm known as Elasti-Woman and I'm a member of the Doom Patrol!"
"Well whatever your name is," Harley announced, "you deserve to be behind bars!" With that, Harley raised his hands towards Rita and she immediately found herself imprisoned in a narrow though gigantic metal cage which Harley had caused to be formed from out of the air. Although surprised by the cage's sudden appearance, Rita was able to shrink her size and easily slip out between the bars.
Before making another move though, Rita reconsidered her options. She now knew that whoever this person was, he was able to manipulate matter at will. This was power beyond which she had previously experienced and she realised that the danger not only to her life but perhaps also to all life on Earth, was considerable. Without a super-powered Larry or Cliff to back her up, suddenly she felt very alone.
She would have to be more cautious in her approach to the young man. He was still standing motionless in the air facing the Ocean, his attention focussed intently on something in the far distance while Rita's fleeting presence on the scene was forgotten.
Rita rushed to consult with Larry: "Did you see him, what he did? How is such a thing even possible?"
"I saw it and I don't know," Larry replied. "You can't go up against him alone. It's too dangerous."
"I'm not even sure that he is dangerous. He hasn't harmed or threatened anyone! He just seems detached from our reality…"
"… And that makes him dangerous. I think we need to get close to him and try just talking to him. If I were the Negative Man I could try and do that, but ..."
"But you're not."
"Yes, I know, then there's Alice: she could do it?"
"But she's nowhere around."
"What about Anna?"
Larry's attention suddenly shifted back towards Harley. "Oh, oh," he muttered. "Now he's rearranging the landscape!"
Rita turned to see that Harley was now marching headlong towards the Pacific Ocean and was causing whole buildings to disappear or dissolve into dust as he approached the coast.
"To hell with it!" Rita snarled. "We're going to have to try again!"
"Then take me with you this time. I may be able to distract him long enough for you to do something."
"Where's the Justice League when you need them?"
"I'm planning a very stern letter to my Congressman about that very thing."
Rita expanded her size and picking up Larry she hurried across the city towards Harley. There was a large open semi-circle of city on the landward side of where Harley stood. His attention was still focussed on the Ocean but he had now descended to stand on the beach. Rita decreased her height to her normal size and with Larry at her side they nervously approached the young man. "Hey, that's quite a sight, isn't it?" Larry said. Harley paid him no attention. "I love the sea … Did you bring your shorts? It's a great place for a swim! I'm more of a speedo-man myself, given the opportunity of course, not that I've had much opportunity until recently."
Harley slowly turned to face the cause of the annoyance.
"What's your name? What are you doing here?" Rita asked.
"I am Harley, Harley Twigg. I've never seen the Ocean … until now."
"I thought not," Larry replied. "It's really something, don't you think? I'm Larry by the way, and this is Rita."
Harley glanced at Rita before returning his attention to Larry. "You're very chatty … and annoying." Harley waved his hand in Larry's direction and he was immediately sent hurtling through the air. Larry landed in a heap on the ground, bruised and dazed by the force of his landing. As he tried to shake off the ringing in his ears he noticed someone approaching – someone swathed in bandages. It took Larry an instant to realize that Anna was helping him to his feet. Apart from being entirely covered in bandages she was wearing a black tee-shirt and baggy leggings.
"What are you doing here?" Larry asked.
"I heard from the radio that you were here. I've come to help, if I can."
"It's too dangerous!" Larry explained. "There's a guy down there next to the water: he's moving things around with his mind!"
"Well I thought that now that I am the Negative Girl, and all … Well, that I could help you guys?"
Larry tried to imagine what Anna could do to help: "Well Rita's over there, on her own …"
"Then I'll do what I can," Anna replied as she jogged off towards where Larry had indicated.
"Be careful!" Larry yelled after her as he groggily staggered to his feet.
Anna soon reached the top of a ridge of rubble and from that vantage point she could look down onto the beach where Harley and Rita were facing up to each other. Rita was attempting to talk to Harley but he was determined not to listen. His inherent good-manners however prevented him from striking a woman but that did not stop him from creating an inverted cup out of the sand and forcefully placing it around Rita. So unexpectedly sudden was the prison created that being immersed in total blackness completely stunned Rita and it took her a few frantic moments to realise that she had not been killed!
It was immediately following Rita's disappearance that Anna began her descent of the ridge of rubble and she made her way towards Harley. The Wonder Kid saw her approaching. He felt curious more than threatened by the newcomer and merely watched as the young bandaged woman slowly made her way towards him.
"What are you?" he asked with a sneer.
"I am the Negative Girl and you have attacked my friends," she answered.
"A Negative Girl: you don't look much like a girl?"
"Let Rita go, or else!" Anna replied.
Harley laughed at her bellicose attitude. "What can you do then?"
Anna could feel the Negative Entity squirming within her. She knew instinctively that if necessary she could release it and send it against the arrogant boy. How she was to do it though was still a mystery. She came to a halt and braced herself, holding her breath as she did so, she could feel the Entity within her body screaming to get out. Suddenly, the feeling grew in intensity and it leaped forth out of her. Immediately, she slumped to the ground but the Entity composed of negative energy burst out of her body and flew straight as an arrow at the boy – precisely as she had wished. Strangely, she could watch it and also see from its point of view at exactly the same time. The Entity wrapped itself around Harley causing him to experience a sudden feedback of energy. Such was the intensity of that feedback that he blacked out. When he came to it was to find Anna kneeling by his side. "That hurt," he muttered rubbing his forehead. Larry had by that time reached Anna and Rita was also free of her prison and she too was also by Anna's side.
"Serves you right," Anna replied.
Harley then gazed at Anna in a new light: "You are a girl!"
"What else would I be?" she replied.
He then took her hand. "I can feel something else when I touch you!"
"That is the Negative Entity," Larry explained. "It lives within Anna."
Harley looked at Larry and instinctively realized something of the Entity's history. "But it used to be within you!"
Larry nodded his head: "Yes, that's right," he said as he suddenly experienced a premonition that something unpleasant was about to happen.
"That doesn't seem fair," Harley remarked. He then released a spark of energy through his hand causing the Negative Entity to leave Anna and return to Larry. "There, that's how it should be."
Larry slumped to the ground as the Entity was absorbed back into him. Rita took him in her arms as his body slowly recovered from the shock.
"It's back," he muttered through gritted teeth.
Anna gazed in wonder at Larry and then at Harley: "You did that?"
"I can do anything I want," he replied. "I'm Harley Twigg, the Wonder Kid!"
He then leaned forward and gave Anna a swift kiss on her bandaged cheek and disappeared.
"He's gone!" Anna rocked back on her heels.
"Yes and the Entity's gone from you as well," Rita said. "It's returned to Larry"
"Then I can take off these bandages?"
"Yes and quickly," Larry added. "I need them … again."
5
Several weeks later when Anna was leaving college for home at the end of the day she spied someone she recognised waiting for her at the school-gate.
"You're quite pretty when you're not wearing bandages," Harley said.
Anna froze in her tracks. "What do you want?" she asked trying not to show her fear.
"I've been travelling," he explained. "I'd never seen the Ocean so I went to the Pacific at LA – You remember that, I'm sure? I'd never been to Egypt to see the Pyramids – I've done that now. I wanted to see the Great Barrier Reef and kangaroos – done both of those. I can tell you that it's very cold at the South Pole and that the Himalayas are spectacular …"
"That's nice," Anna replied.
"But I've come to the conclusion that yes, it is great to travel but it's even better if you can do so with a companion …"
"What does that mean?"
"I'm thinking of going to Rome … Would you like to go with me?"
Go with you to Rome, Italy?" Anna didn't know quite how to respond to Harley's request.
"Yes, I can promise that I'll bring you back before midnight tonight!"
"Before midnight?" Anna laughed at the thought of going to Italy and being back in her home in LA that very same night! "You can do that?"
"Oh, yes," Harley replied. He then reached out and took her by the hand. They were both smiling as they disappeared into thin air.
[END]