Chapter 51

Sweet Sorrow

Groening International Airport

-HELGA-

And just as I had gotten him back, I had to let him go again.

Holiday Break was ending, as it always did. Today, Arnold and his family were returning to San Lorenzo, and tomorrow, it was back to the daily grind of school. A bunch of classes I mostly didn't care about, at least one teacher who I know had it out for me due to snarking back to him on the first day of school, and once again, I'd have to do it without Arnold.

Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm over the moon that as of New Years' Eve we were officially back together, but…

"It just isn't fair. Two days. Two days, and I have to say goodbye all over again."

"I know. I wish we had longer. Maybe I should've asked if I could stay here…"

"Uh uh. You need this time with your folks. Besides, all this adventuring in the jungle has been really good for you." I gave him a poke in his beefier pecs. "Really, really good."

He blushed. "Well, I don't know about that."

"Oh please, you're turning into a football-headed Tarzan or something. You done that? You ever swung from a vine?"

"Well, once or twice. I haven't made a habit of it or anything like that."

"Well, whatever it is it's doing wonders for you. You're like… some kinda sun-bronzed Greek god or something."

"So I guess that makes me a better match for a rosy-pink love goddess."

"Careful, or I'll smite thee." I sighed. "It's gonna be a long six months."

"I know. I mean, we're gonna talk every night if we can, but it's not the same."

"Ahem." That was Shaia clearing her throat. "I was giving the two of you your space, but I ould not help but overhear. I am of the understanding that your school has an extended break in the spring?"

"Yes," Arnold said. "It's called 'spring break.'"

Shaia raised an eyebrow. "Appropriate. Hmmm… well, it has been quite pleasing for me to visit Hillwood, and I have had the pleasure of making a lot of friends here, so… why don't you return the favor, Helga?"

"That's a great idea!" Arnold agreed. "You could come down to San Lorenzo for Spring Break. You'd be just in time for Carnivale! It'd be perfect!"

"Um, there's one major snag in that plan, Arnoldo… cost. It ain't cheap. I don't know how I'd afford it." Still… that would be great. Spring break with Arnold in the midst of a lush tropical paradise? Could it be any better?"

"We'll think of something, Helga, I know we will." Oh, Arnold, so optimistic, so idealistic, so determined to achieve the best of all outcomes! Would that this bustling metropolis were not in desperate need of my mutagenically-gifted talents! Would that I could abandon my responsibilities and join you in the heart of Eden, for so doth my hearts yearn! And yet, to do so would be a betrayal, for it that very love for you that spurs me forward to be the best version of myself. O, hideous paradox that denies me that which I desire!

Yup, my love poetry muse has returned. Gonna be churning out more of that crap in the near future. Don't get me wrong, I still want to get started on my first mystery novel, but for now, I just feel… inspired again.

"Maybe. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to come down there for break, it just doesn't seem very likely in the near future."

"Hey, things can change. I think these last couple of weeks certainly proved that, didn't they?"

"True enough. *sigh* I wish my wings were powerful enough to carry me there, but I get tired just crossing a few counties."

"We will find a way. I promise. And until then, you'd better keep in touch with me."

"Oh, don't you worry about that, F. H. There is no way I'm going to let you forget about me."

And then, just like that… he was gone.

I told myself it would be different this time, that we would be in touch more, but as I watched the plane fly off into the sunset, all I could think of was

You came back to me only to leave
Why is joy so quick to deceive?
I should be happy to have you back
yet all I can think of is your lack

Hmm… I guess I'm still a bit rusty. Gonna have to work more on that later.

Grandpa had offered me a ride home, but I kinda wanted to be by myself for a while, so I turned him down. I figured I'd make my own way home… the scenic way. There are three things I like to do when I'm feeling down, you see… number one is crawl up my own ass and drive everyone away, which I've started to realize is counterproductive; number two is eat ungodly amounts of junk food, which was still on the table for later. That leads to number three. Change to my cooler half, put on some tights, and go seek out some ill-intentioned ne'er-do-wells to take my frustrations out upon. I'm still not sure if any of my coping mechanisms are socially responsible, but at least the last one sometimes leads to good results.

At first, I had thought about bringing my costume along in my messenger bag, but there were a number of problems with that idea. One. Airport security. My costume wasn't exactly made of typical materials (and incorporated a fair bit of metal into its composition), and would set off a bunch of red flags if I tried to get it past the scanners, not to mention the questions it would raise if they got a good look at it. And, even if I had somehow gotten through without being strip-searched or getting my secret identity exposed, there was the further question of just where I would change. Airports weren't exactly full of easily-accessed private areas, which was probably a good thing if you really think about it, but terribly inconvenient for your typical superhero.

So, I compromised. I have a few outfits that look normal, but are designed with "access flaps" for my extra body parts. Once I got tired of watching Arnold's plane dwindle into the stratosphere, I departed the airport and looked for a decent place to change. Thankfully, there was a small alcove with concrete barriers that hid me from passersby and no visible cameras. I opened up the flaps in my coat and pants, and… what else did I need to deal with? Oh yeah. Shoes. My toe claws would absolutely wreck my sneakers, and I'd gotten pretty attached to my current pair. Right, shoes off, socks off, stow 'em in my bag… done. One last thing… my visor was back home with the rest of my suit, but I did pack a tie-on bandana mask to go with casual outfits (the need for one became clear after my beach adventure back in the summer). Between that and letting my hair out of its ponytail, I should look sufficiently different enough that nobody would recognize me. The odds of that happening were pretty low to begin with given that Helga Pataki wasn't exactly a celebrity. Rhonda might have issues with her public presence, but Helga was still more or less as anonymous as the name she wrote on her love poems.

And so, I launched myself into the air and took a long, leisurely flap back into town. The air was cold and bracing this evening, and even with my enhanced tolerance for the cold, I could feel it. Especially up here. To compensate, I generated a bubble of heat around myself. To pass the time, I workshopped more rhymes in my head, hoping to maybe find more inspiration in the twinkles appearing one by one around me. Sadly, my initial burst of inspiration wasn't repeating itself. But that's how it is with inspiration. You can't purposely invoke it, it just comes, and right now it wasn't coming. And without inspiration around, my only companions on this flight were my own thoughts. And I hate those guys. Why didn't I see this coming?

*ringtone*

That was Phoebe's. Welcome from a distraction from being in my own head, I picked up. "Hey, I said."

"Hello, Helga. I determined that by now, a sufficient amount of time would have elapsed since Arnold's ETD. Taking into account the time spent watching his plane fly off into the sunset… although, of course, that would be inaccurate, since his plane's trajectory would be southeast, not due west…"

I stop to marvel once again how Phoebe seems to know me better than anyone, better than myself, certainly (but then, I've always been terrible at knowing myself). "Overexplaining again, Pheebs."

"Gotcha. Abridging! Anyway, I was just calling to check on how you were doing. Given that you picked up the phone immediately instead of ignoring it and holing up in your room for two days, I would assume your state of mind is better than it was the last time you saw Arnold off."

"Yeah, I haven't had that crash I did the last time. I guess that break built up my tolerance for being on my own, or something like that. Or maybe it's the fact that we recommitted to each other just before he left. I feel more… connected to him now. Less like I lopped off one of my own limbs."

"Graphic. Well, I'm pleased to know that you're in a better state."

"Yeah, I'm gonna be video-calling him every chance I get, of course, so it's not like I'm gonna forget his face or anything. In fact… he invited me to come down for Spring Break. There's no way it's actually gonna happen, but-"

"Why not?" Phoebe asked. "Spring Break in San Lorenzo sounds like a marvelous idea."

"'Why not?' Oh, I dunno, the fact that we're teenagers and we don't have money, Rondalloids excepted…"

"Actually, the American dollar is quite strong currently against the San Lorenzo peso, which means that a sojourn to that nation would be quite feasible, economically speaking. I'm certain a cheap flight reservation would be easy to arrange if you plan it out. In fact… we might be able to save even more money with a group rate."

"Group rate? Wait, are-"

"Yes, I am proposing exactly that. Specifically… a group Spring Break trip to San Lorenzo."

"Oh, come on, Pheeb, nobody's gonna sign on for that."

"You'd be surprised. I'm sure everyone would love to see Arnold again, and Shaia made quite a few friends among the group during her time here, as well. If we asked, I'd wager that more of them would sign up than you'd think."

I wasn't sure what to think about that. Sure I'd be seeing Arnold again, and in a tropical paradise to boot, but I'd be sharing the trip with a bunch of fifth-through-sixteenth wheels, depending on just how many joined in. But then… would the trip be happening otherwise? "Yeah, well, I'll think about it…" I finally said. "You seem really insistent about this."

"Yes, well, I figure a week or so away will take my mind off fretting about college acceptance letters," she replied.

"I thought you said you got over that."

"Oh, Helga, that was just a lie I told Gerald to keep him from worrying about my mental state. I'm actually extremely stressed. I mean, sure, I'll probably get into Stamford, but what about Johns Hopkins? Am I good enough for them?"

"Wait, I thought you said Stamford was your preferred school?"

"Well, in the sense that it's closer to home and has a very good med program, but Johns Hopkins has more prestige!"

"Hey, if they don't want you, that's on them. The question isn't whether you're good enough for Johns Hopkins, it's whether Johns Hopkins is good enough for you. Frankly, every college should be coming up to your doorstep begging you to attend."

"That's very sweet of you to say."

"Sweet nothing, it's the absolute truth. You're the smartest person I've ever known. You should be teaching, not studying."

"Okay, now you're just buttering me up."

"True. The point is, don't you dare tell yourself you're not good enough."

"Okay, I won't."

I had a feeling she was just saying that to get me off her back, just like she had with Gerald, but it wasn't as if I could prove it either way. I chose instead to drop the topic. "So, you wanna patrol later?" I asked.

"Maybe," she said "With school starting back up, I need to make sure I've where I want to be."

"Are you actually doing homework at the last minute? Did someone kidnap you and replace you with a clone or something?"

"Oh, no, I got all that done right away. This is about reading ahead."

I smirked. "And you were worried they wouldn't accept you."

"Okay, okay, your point is made..."

"Right, I'll see you later. I'm gonna take the long way home," I said, disconnecting. Listening to Phoebe's worries was a nice reminder that the world wasn't always about me, that my own problems were just a tiny blip in the vast universe.

I was gonna be okay. I'd been okay for six months, and I would be okay for a few more. And hey, if we di manage to pull this spring break thing off, I'd be seeing him again a lot sooner than I thought.

Meanwhile…

Elk Island. A nearly-deserted outpost located in Bartlett Bay. Once disputed by English Canada and the United States, it had been claimed by the latter following the treaty signed after the so-called "Pig War" in the 1840s (Reports that this skirmish was fought earlier are, of course, erroneous, since the United States had no claim in that area prior; still, re-enactors continue to mistakenly wear colonial garb due to tradition). These days, aside from Port Porcero, maintained by the Society for the Preservation of Hillwood and now used only for educational and historical purposes, and a few reclusive individuals who call it home, the island is mostly wilderness.

…that is, on the surface. Beneath, a veritable honeycomb of passages and caverns exist. In the past, the space was used by the criminal organization led by Edwin "Wheezin' Ed" Maldonado, for the purposes of extending both his wealth and influence, and his superannuated lifespan. Upon the defeat and death of Wheezin' Ed, the compound was seized by the government, and sealed off.

On paper, anyway.

In reality, it was not long before it was in use again. Not officially, of course. Officially, this was still an abandoned, sealed facility. But not everything done by the government was official.

In fact, one could not even say this was a government operation. The government's official position was that they had no official position on superhumans. They would neither endorse nor condemn them.

But there were elements within the government that were far less sanguine about the existence of beings with fantastic powers, and were seeking active ways of controlling and, if necessary, neutralizing such beings.

These covert efforts only escalated once the existence of human/alien hybrids became public knowledge. With walking, flying proof of the extraterrestrial among us, those elements within the government found proof that their fears were not exaggerated. Sure, it seemed that they were on our side, but how could they be trusted to not turn against us?

And so, quietly, these elements consolidated their power, and quietly, they acquired the space under Elk Island and, quietly, stepped up research on ways to deal with the alien problem.

In charge of this facility is a man we have met before, Major Gustav Caudell. Those of his superiors who served the cause pegged him as an ambitious man who would be perfect to further their own ambitions, and so, he was recruited and placed in charge of the operation. Officially, of course, it did not exist, and on paper Caudell was assigned to a base in southern Wyoming. He did put in the occasional trip there for the sake of appearances. Unofficially, he was the commander of this site (the irony that his own son was romantically involved with one of the very creatures he was working to neutralize was, of course, tragically lost on him).

Officially, the site had no name, of course.

Unofficially, it was known as The Imperative.

And their goal… well, there was one surefire way to maintain superiority over superhumans.

Make your own.

A.N.: Wow, this one took forever. And honestly, I've been a bit burnt out, so the next chapter might be slow-going too. Thanks to all my readers, followers and reviewers for putting up with me.

Veganmama: Yep, I'm a longtime Trek fan. Just recently binged the first two seasons of Discovery. Wound up crushing hard on Tilly.

Jose: Well, the Green Eyes are used to it, but it can lead to misunderstandings outside the tribe (which of course almost never happens because Shaia's basically the only one to leave the city for centuries)

The "crazy" dance: Good for nostalgia, bad for dishes.

Esmeralda: Glad to see you caught up, hope you enjoy what's coming up… soon as I get to it, anyway.

Next: I finally follow up on a plot thread I set up in an early chapter and kind of forgot about until now, as we go "Back to School"!