The Big Bathtub (IC)

[Supercape]

Professor Quill was rather excited today. Teaching undergraduates was a variable affair, from the mind-numbingly boring to the stimulating and invigorating experience he hoped for today. Usually of course, it was somewhere in the middle.

He shuffled his notes. "Quantum entanglement and observer effects, the biomechanical effect." Or, "Treehugging", as he heard some students snigger in the corridor. Well, it was true, some elements of botany and observation of such did creep into his talk. Hmph. Well, his idea's may well be viewed as crackpot and baloney. But he knew the truth.

As if to emphasise the point, he winked at the light above him which suddenly glowed ten times brighter.

[Electra]

It felt odd to be back in school, Stesha decided as she settled back into her desk-chair and looked around the classroom, but she kind of liked it. She hadn't wanted to follow her dad into teaching, but she'd enjoyed school, and she liked learning things. This class on quantum physics sounded pretty deep, but she thought it would be interesting. If nothing else, she wanted to at least start getting a handle on what it was Derrick did all day. If they were going to be married in a matter of months, it made sense to explore some of the things he was interested in.

And if nothing else, going back to college meant her hair was suddenly cool instead of bizarre. She'd already gotten several compliments on her green locks, with one person asking her how she'd gotten the color so even. That was always a hard one to answer, but luckily the professor got started and saved her from having to fib. The professor looked like a nice guy, Stesha decided, which was a big point in his favor. If she needed to ask for help on the more difficult concepts, it helped to have a nice teacher.

[Supercape]

Professor Quill started his talk. As usual, one third were paying attention, one third were not, and one third were practically asleep. Looked like there had been a big party on campus last night from the scruffy and unkempt look on several male students - sports scholarships by the look of it.

He couldn't help notice the young lady with the green hair. Very odd. Kids today.

The lecture wasn't going particularly well, or particularly badly. Too many people for his liking. He wasn't a bad teacher, he just preferred seminars. He had a reputation as giving very good small group talks. He always got slightly unnerved by all the eyes on him in a lecture hall.

Fortunately there was a break halfway through. Pouring himself a glass of water and adjusting his bow tie, he walked up to the green haired lady. Crowds made him nervous, people didn't. And if nothing else, Quentin was a curious chap.

"Hello dear lady. And who might you be? And, pray tell, is that magnificent green hair what the kids call "cool" these days?"

[Electra]

Stesha gave him a smile that lit up her face, turning from an average looking woman with green hair into someone rather more attractive. "I'm Stesha Madison, Professor, I just started auditing the class. My degree is in botany, but I'm trying to expand my horizons. I think it's really interesting the way you weave quantum physics into the other sciences, but I think it'll take me the rest of the semester to really wrap my head around it. And I've been told by several people today that my hair is cool, so I guess I'll take their word for it." She looked around. "This is a bigger class than I thought it would be."

[Supercape]

"Yes it is indeed Ms. Madison. No doubt that idiot Liebniz has rallied some students around to start heckling me. I swear he pays them. "

Whilst the young lady was very much his junior, she had just the kind of eager inquisitive mind that Quill loved, and she was rather cute. He never went for the whole Student/Teacher relationship thing, but there was always a charming smile and glint in his eye.

And she had a lovely smell. Like cut grass, or flowers.

"Well, my dear, I do hope you aren't in with Liebniz. You look like you have a sterling mind. I do so much hope you enjoy the second half. And any questions, do please chip in or catch me after the lecture. I'm not too busy. "

And with that, he went to face the crowd again.

[Electra]

Stesha settled back into her seat to listen to the lecture, when suddenly her phone vibrated to signal a text message! She surreptitiously pulled it from her pocket and checked the sender. The Freedom League, she recognized the number right away. They needed her somewhere! Sliding her notebook into her purse as quietly as she could, she rose and slipped out of the room, trying not to draw any attention. She felt bad that she would miss the professor's lecture, but someone, somewhere needed help!

Outside in the hallway, she checked her messages and got the details. Several university students had set off across the river in an improvised boat, which had overturned! One had swum to shore, but three were still clinging to slippery rocks in the middle of the river! Hastily, Stesha called in to confirm that she'd be right there, then ran for the door. Of all the days to take the flowers from her hair before the end of the day!

[Supercape]

Just as he was explaining his theory on photosynthesis and quantum mechanics, Quentin heard a beep from his phone. He pulled it out, and his face reddened. A call from the Inceptors about some idiot university students drowning in the river. Of all the confounded stupidity.

He had no particular love for drunken university football players (as they no doubt were), but life was life and there really was no choice. It was right next to the university.

He could do little other than mumble some half baked excuse. "I am sorry ladies and gentlemen, but I am afraid I am called away on urgent... err.. experimental business. Critical experiment. Unfortunate timing, there you have it. I will reschedule."

Running out of the classroom he had the presence of mind to shout back "chapter 4 of Rammsteins book on Quantum fractals... by next week..." his voice trailing down the corridor.

He dashed into the gent's toilets, and was relieved to see them empty. With a flash and spinning of cloth, his tweed jacket and suit transformed to the magnificent textiles of supercape.

Dashing back out to a near empty corridor, he started to fly down towards the lecture hall exit.

[Electra]

Just at that moment, the door to the women's restroom burst open and someone darted out, making Supercape pull up short to avoid a collision! "Sorry, sorry!" Fleur de Joie turned to see who she'd nearly crashed into, and was startled to see another superhero standing there. What a coincidence! "I didn't realize anyone else had been called up!" She hastily adjusted her cowl to cover a few trailing strands of green hair, then took another look at the new hero. Did he look familiar somehow?

[Supercape]

Damm this stupid cape! Snapped Supercape, as the huge blue sheet got tangled up in the doorhandle.

He stopped, seeing the hooded superheroine infront of him.

Er...Um... I mean Damm! this super cape is.. um... damm... super... his voice trailing off along with his concentration.

Wasn't that a lock of green hair?

He tried peering closer, but the hair had disappeared under the hood. The face looked familiar too.

Damm this cape! He quickly rearranged the atoms of his costume so the cape became slightly more practical, and disentangled it from the door handle. As he did so, the cape briefly became the tweed of his normal costume before settling on the glistening material of his costume. A lapse of concentration on his part.

Was that Ms. Madison?

"Madam, I believe we are required at the river!"

He couldn't resist.

"I am sure you can catch Professor Quill's lecture another time!"

[Electra]

Fleur's mouth dropped open slightly. "Professor?" she blurted, then caught herself. "You're right, of course. We'd better get to the river right away. Allow me?" She opened her hand to allow the seed she'd been clutching in her fingers to grow. As soon as it was a few inches tall, which took only seconds, she laid a hand on the caped hero's arm and sucked them both into the plant network. There was a moment of overwhelming green and the scent of fresh-cut grass, and suddenly they were at the scene of the accident!

They were not the first on scene, a squad car was present and a small gaggle of students, including one boy who was soaking wet and shivering even in the steamy August heat. A large clawfooted bathtub was still bobbing its way down the river with a girl trying desperately to climb inside it, while two other students clung to rocks out of reach of the shore! It was a dangerous situation already, made only worse by the giant barge bearing down slowly on the scene! If the students weren't rescued quickly, the barge itself or its massive wake would surely drown them.

[Supercape]

Supercape didn't like this one bit. Not one bit at all.

"The name's Supercape Madam. Bit of a pickle this. That barge isn't going to stop in time. Not by a long shot. If its even seen those fools."

Supercape concentrated a bit, focussing on the water molecules beneath the young girl. A little nudge here, a tweak there, and the atom's pinged into action, the bond's between them magnified by several magnitudes. Beneath her appeared a rock hard icy bridge that floated up and slid her gently into the bobbing bath tub.

"Well, at least she won't drown. Get crushed, maybe. Unless we do something."

But what?

[Electra]

Fleur looked at the flapping cape, then at Supercape. "Can you fly?" she asked him helpfully. "If you can, maybe you could go out and grab the girl, bring her back? I might be able to catch those boys on the rocks, but she's going too fast for me to nab her." Concentrating, Fleur stretched out her hands towards the water, closing her eyes to slits. Nothing happened for a few moments, and then a sort of greenish blur became visible under the water near the rocks. Green tendrils began to poke above the water as the seaweed from the bottom grew to gigantic proportions.

[Supercape]

Supercape sighed. He wasn't exactly in bad shape. He cycled to work, and had fairly good stamina. But he wasn't a spring chicken and he wasn't sure he could carry her.

"I'll try".

He wheeled his arms and gave them a quick stretch, giving his biceps an experimental stretch. If nothing else the girl could grab his cape. But she was frightened, scared, and wet. She didn't look to tall or heavy, so he might be able to carry her in his arms. He would give it all he had, that was for sure.

I don't suppose you have got any strength potions amongst all those pots and plants, have you?"

[Electra]

Stesha pursed her lips. Most of the people she knew who went around flying and wearing capes were very strong as a matter of course, or could fake it when necessary. She hadn't really considered the problem of strength. "Um... not on me," she admitted. "Do you think you could get hold of the bathtub and push or pull it across the water? You'll be working against the current, but it won't be as hard to drag something to shore as to lift it out of the water, right?"

Out in the water, the barge was drawing ever closer, its ominous shape looming up less than a quarter mile away now. One of the policemen was on the radio already, but with the current and the massive inertia, it would surely never stop in time. One of the boys was suddenly lifted clear of the rock he'd been clinging to, wrapped in a thick layer of seaweed. He didn't seem to appreciate it much, yelling and flailing, but he was held fast.

[Supercape]

"Right then. Well I guess I needed the exercise!" Grinned Supercape.

He stood quite still and concentrated. The air around him snapped and popped, and there was a growing smell of ozone. The space around him seemed to stretch slightly, and after a few seconds, he vanished completely.

Instantly reappearing beside the young girl, in a magnificent display of cape and colour.

"He.. He...Help" The girl was wailing. Then, as supercape appeared, her jaw dropped.

TIme to get wet, then thought Supercape as he floated down and half submerged himself. The barge was getting horribly close and let off a few frantic horn blasts.

Supercape took the young lady around the waist, wishing he had bigger muscles. "Hold on lady", he shouted over the horn blasts. And with that, he gritted his teeth and started flying up. His muscles ached with the strain of dragging the girl with him, but he gritted his teeth and concentrated.

"Come on you fool. Don't fail now or it will be a right old pickle and no mistake" he muttered to himself as his muscles started cashing in cheques he would be paying for the next day or two.

Up he shot with the lady in tow, shooting over the head of the barge.

[Electra]

Fleur kept an eye on the aerial rescue as she did her own work, murmuring encouragement under her breath. "Come on, you can do it, just a little higher..." She had to devote most of her attention to the two boys who were equally endangered though, so she could do nothing to help Supercape directly. As the boy snared in the seaweed squirmed and struggled, a large and incongruous yellow flower grew out of the seaweed and suddenly swallowed him up! Before the other stranded boater could so much as protest, she repeated the procedure on him, nearly scooping him up and letting the plant swallow him, just as the first waves of the barge began soaking the rocks!

Back on shore, Fleur tossed a seed onto the ground, which instantly grew into a tulip as tall as she was. Its giant head bent the stem over nearly double, and when it bloomed, it spat out the two wet, terrified, but unhurt boys. She let the police and other bystanders care for them as she watched with bated breath as Supercape strove for altitude. The bathtub had overturned and was bobbing dangerously in the water as the barge drew closer. Just as the hero and his passenger cleared the bow of the first set of cargo carriers, the bathtub was sucked into the undertow of the barge, and was gone, just like that. Stesha let out a breath of relief, waving him in to shore.

[Supercape]

Supercape's arms were on fire, and he was breathing heavily and sweating.

"Hey, aren't you cape's meant to be strong?" asked the girl.

Supercape was flying just above the barge, and could afford to relax a little. He gently floated down to the barge deck, not relishing carrying the young lady back to shore.

Rearranging his cape on the atomic level, to a particular splendid, large and impractical golden shimmering haze, he turned to the young lady. "You are more than welcome, young lady" he bowed, and when he arose from his bow, a shining "SC" was emblazoned in white on his chest.

Even the young lady was impressed as he flew off back to the shore.

"Wow, he really does have a SUPER cape!"

[Electra]

By the time Supercape returned to shore, blankets were being provided to the boys and plans were being made for the retrieval of the girl from the barge. Fleur was reporting the successful resolution on a communication beacon with the Freedom League insignia on it, and wrapped up when she saw him coming in for a landing. "Nicely done!' she told him. "My heart was right up in my throat, but you pulled it off just in time. All the kids are safe and accounted for. You all right?"

[Supercape]

"A little damp, my dear. Nothing a dry towel or a bit of atomic excitation won't clear", he replied, and with a brief furrowing of his brow, a puff of steam emitted from his newly dry clothes.

He was still breathing hard. "To tell you the truth, madam, I am a bit out of breath. "

Leaning closer and whispering he added "I am quite new to all this hero business, I am afraid."

Straightening up again, he adopted a more formal tone. Offering his hand, he intoned "My name is Supercape. Pleased to meet you, dear lady. " And adding, with a wink "lets just say nothing more about our other names for now, shall we. "

[Electra]

"Of course," Fleur said as she shook his hand, the blue eyes behind her domino mask twinkling with suppressed laughter. "The Freedom League, and all Freedom City, is grateful for your service." Lowering her voice, she told him, "If you like, now that the crisis is over, we could go have a cup of coffee and talk shop. I know a place." It always helped her to unwind a little after a mission when she had a chance, rather than bounce back into civilian life, and she was very curious how her quantum physics professor came to be heroing after hours as well.

[Supercape]

"Hmmm. Coffee eh?. Well, I'm more of a Tea man myself. Earl Grey. Glass of Port out of hours. But its a bit early for that of course. Still, spiffing idea in principle young lady. "

Supercape couldn't resist. Fleur was quite charming a quite his cup of tea. Making sure nobody was watching, he quickly formed a bow tie from his costume for a few seconds and gave it a twirl.

"And what are we wearing for this coffee, hmmm. Regular or super?", he asked, with a wink and a grin.

[Electra]

"It doesn't matter," she told him with a chuckle for his antics. "Though from the look of it, you can choose at a moment's notice. And I think I could arrange for a cup of tea, if not the port. Right this way." She reached out and took his hand again, touching the giant tulip with her other hand. It yawned open, revealing a grove of plants that looked to be growing wild next to a river, quite unlike the manicured lawn next to the river here. She guided him through, then touched one of the plants and sucked them both back into the green.

This time when they popped out, they were inside some kind of building, though on second glance, it seemed like it might be made entirely out of living plants. The walls were closely woven vines and leaves in all different shades of green, with windows and skylights of translucent leaves that filled the open area with soft greenish light. It was a big room with a high ceiling, and seemed very open even with the dark colors. The furniture was a mixture of normal pieces and items made of more plant matter, but it was familiar enough to let him recognize a sort of living room area, a table, and a small kitchenette. "This is my place," Fleur told Supercape proudly, pushing back her cowl and tugging off her domino mask. "It's still a work in progress, but I'm pretty happy with it so far. It's been really good practice. Are you okay with Orange Pekoe?"

[Supercape]

Supercape was astute enough to realise he was somewhere very different. And he was impressed. Very impressed. Although far from an expert, he had some knowledge of the botanical sciences, and he couldn't even guess at some of the species here.

"Magnificent, my dear. Where exactly are we? This has a very...mmmm...Terra Incogito feel to it, if you catch my drift."

He made a circle of the, well, kitchenette, and took in the sights and smells.

"Orange Pekoe hmmm? Any chance of a drop of milk with that?"

[Electra]

"Only in powder form, I'm afraid," Stesha told him apologetically, "I haven't gotten refrigeration set up here yet. I only eat for fun, so it hasn't really been a priority. But it's nice to have someplace to go for coffee or tea. Have a seat, and I'll be just a minute." She waved in the direction of the table, which was a base that appeared to be made of living vines, topped with a square of quarter-inch clear plexiglass. The chairs themselves were wooden and looked like they came from Ikea.

The kitchenette counter appeared to be made of the same sort of plexiglass on plant supports, with a pump and basin set into it on one side. Stesha pumped the handle till water flowed, then filled a carafe and started the coffeepot to make hot water. Apparently this place was wired for electricity, since there were also a few lamps dotting the space. Leaning against the counter, she smiled at her guest. "While we're here, you can call me Stesha, by the way," she told him. "I'm terrible about using codenames anyway."

[Supercape]

"Hmmm. Yes. I can relate to that." Supercape was relaxing. It was partly Fleur... well, Stesha, it was partly the magnificent floral landscape he was in.

It was partly, well, just having a cup of tea and not being a superhero.

Speaking of which... he furrowed his brow again, and his costume rearranged itself into a linen shirt and smartly pressed pale trousers, vaguely reminiscent of a British Gent in the land of the Raj.

"Quite the botanist, aren't you, Stesha!" he exlaimed. "I can't thank you enough. This place is so peaceful, tranquil. Just what I need. "

He sat down, crossed his legs, closed his eyes, and let out a big sigh. He stretched his sore arms.

"So how do you cope with these superhero capers, Stesha?"