Post by dans on Apr 3, 2023 2:32:01 GMT
Two young women, quite different in appearance and dressed very differently but clearly both mystery heroines, stood in greeting when a third woman, very regal in appearance, entered the sumptuously appointed reception room of the Citadel of Concordance, the headquarters of the Equity Concord of America where they had been waiting. The third woman cheerfully greeted the other two. “Gulfstream! Sirocco! It’s wonderful to see you both again! But you’re full-fledged members of the Equity Concord now; you didn’t need to sit here waiting for me!”
“It was her idea,” Sirocco, a swarthy woman with thick black hair, attractive but severe features and an athletic build, wearing a dark brown leather costume with gold trim, nodded her head at the woman she’d been waiting with. She sounded a bit sullen.
“I figured that since you were already scheduled to give us our tour, we ought to wait where you could find us, rather than having to search for us. And besides, I didn’t want to get lost on my first day on the job!” This was Gulfstream; her voice was chirpy and chipper. While Sirocco was visually exotic, she was fully human. Gulfstream was even more exotic, with very pale blue skin and green hair. Other than her coloring, she was fully human, with the physique of a swimmer. Her face looked younger than her mid-twenties, and people often said she looked ‘innocent’. She wore a navy blue costume with a blue skull cap.
“OK, let’s make that the first stop on the tour, then!” Margo the Magician replied. “It’s really hard to get lost in the Citadel… well, actually, not that hard, really.” She shrugged. “It happens… But if you DO get lost it’s easy to find our where you are and how to get where you want to go. Please step over here.” She pointed to an intercom unit set in the wall, not far from the door through which she’d entered. “Let’s start with introductions – each of you say something, as if you are introducing yourself. Just a dozen words or sol Gulfstream, you go first.”
“I’m Atlanta Svandóttir, also known as Gulfstream. I’m honored to be a member of the Equity Concord of America. Is that enough?” She looked questioningly at Margo, who nodded.
“I am Sirocco, from Algeria. My other name is Sayruku Tariq. I am looking forward to seeing the Citadel. Is that adequate?” Margo nodded again.
“From now on, the Citadel will recognize your voices and it can reply to simple questions, such as: Where are we? What is the fastest way to reach the Hall of Heroes from here?’” She faced directly at the panel as she spoke. A pleasant but clearly artificial androgenous voice answered.
“You are in the main reception room. Proceed through the internal doors to your left where you will find the stairs and the elevator. You are currently on the ground level; proceed to sublevel one. Turn left out of the elevator or stairs and follow the corridor to the Hall of Heroes.”
She turned away from the intercom. “If you speak directly to the intercom, the Citadel will also respond to some simple commands as well, such as ‘Turn off the Light in this room’ or…” she turned back to face and address the intercom panel directly again, “…I’d like to speak to The Rush please.”
“The Rush is currently on a mission. Shall I notify him of your request when he returns?”
“Thank you, no – cancel that request.” She walked through the door on the left, followed by the new members. “Let’s use the stairs, shall we?”
“Was that a… thinking machine?” Gulfstream sounded a little intimidated.
“This is the Hall of Heroes where we remember our retired…” she pointed to the right, “…and fallen members.” She indicated the left.
There were half a dozen retirees honored on that half of the room, with life sized statues of each hero or heroine in their favorite costumes, as well as readings and videos commemorating their most famous feats and cases. The other side of the room was decorated more somberly. Margo gave the younger women more details.
“We are fortunate that since the team was first called into existence in 1942, only two of our members, Fearless Flint and Crystal Queen, have died in actual battle with our enemies. Flint’s powers were always unpredictable, and in his final battle, his body changed back from nearly indestructible red flint to his ordinary human self, and a powerful blow that he would have simply ignored seconds earlier snapped his spine, killing him instantly. Crystal Queen was a reformed criminal, and although she took pains to establish a new secret identity when she reformed, some members of her former gang recognized her and caught her with her guard down. They didn’t outlive her by very long though.” Margo’s voice was grim for an instant, then she gestured, indicating several other memorials. “A number of our former members, most of whom were active for years before the ECA was even formed back during World War 2, have since passed on due to natural causes.” The new members could see the names of War Eagle, Dr. Mystery, Hugo Hercules, and Joe Strong. There were several others; Gulfstream promised herself she’d be back here soon and would learn all she could about the departed members.
They trooped down another stair; Margo didn’t bother asking for directions this time. “I find the stairs to be faster and more convenient than even the fastest elevators,” she commented, then back to her tour guild role: “Storage and supplies; if we needed to ‘they’ say we have enough stuff to live on for 10 years down here without ever climbing up to the surface. I’m not sure what the reasoning is behind that is - if there’s ever a catastrophe that large, we’re ALL going to be up there fighting with everyone else, not down here hiding.”
A dozen yards down the corridor, she pointed to a massive airlock, in a large open room set into the right wall. “The submarine dock is on the other side of the lock. It's not actually ever flooded, but this lock is a safety precaution in case the dock is ever breeched. The glass in this window is stronger than steel, so you can check first if you ever have any doubts.” Through the window, which was as clear as any normal glass window Sirocco could remember, they could see several submersible vessels floating in a basin filled with water, and at the far end of that basin, an even larger airlock. “Again, the reasoning isn’t clear to me – we’re over 2,000 miles from the Atlantic here via the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway and over 1,000 miles to New Orleans via the canal and the Mississippi River. But if there’s ever a watergoing menace in the Great Lakes, we’re ready!”
Another massive airlock in an open room directly across from the submarine dock. “This leads to the lower Hanger deck. All our fliers are stored down here; there’s an elevator to get them up into a matching hanger in the Airbase, topside. Several military planes are hangered there as camouflage but they can be cleared in seconds.”
The underground levels of the Citadel of Concordance were buried deep beneath Missibizi Airfield, a National Guard base on the western shore of Lake Mishugami, a few miles north of the city limits of Freshport, the capitol of the state of Wabash, in the Allied Confederation of American States. The Reception Room and some ancillary areas were in the ECA Compound on the surface adjacent to the Airfield, and temporary quarters for any Concord member who needed them were part of a walled compound shared by the Airfield and the Equity Concord, each Concord suite equipped with a small elevator down to an assembly are on Sublevel 1.
Margo continued: “This lock is protection in case someone were to drop a bomb on the topside hanger. And the roof in the topside hanger is movable for our VTOL aircraft. In an emergency, we can have the Condor in the air in under 4 minutes from a standing start!” Though the Equity Concord had many flying vessels, when several of them flew together, they normally used the Concord Condor, a hypersonic flying fortress. “If we have to fly to get there, in the Condor we can get to any spot on Earth in under 5 hours!” Many members of the Equity Concord could get there much sooner than that, but sometimes they needed the whole team and not everyone on the team was up for near-instantaneous travel halfway around the globe.
“It was her idea,” Sirocco, a swarthy woman with thick black hair, attractive but severe features and an athletic build, wearing a dark brown leather costume with gold trim, nodded her head at the woman she’d been waiting with. She sounded a bit sullen.
“I figured that since you were already scheduled to give us our tour, we ought to wait where you could find us, rather than having to search for us. And besides, I didn’t want to get lost on my first day on the job!” This was Gulfstream; her voice was chirpy and chipper. While Sirocco was visually exotic, she was fully human. Gulfstream was even more exotic, with very pale blue skin and green hair. Other than her coloring, she was fully human, with the physique of a swimmer. Her face looked younger than her mid-twenties, and people often said she looked ‘innocent’. She wore a navy blue costume with a blue skull cap.
“OK, let’s make that the first stop on the tour, then!” Margo the Magician replied. “It’s really hard to get lost in the Citadel… well, actually, not that hard, really.” She shrugged. “It happens… But if you DO get lost it’s easy to find our where you are and how to get where you want to go. Please step over here.” She pointed to an intercom unit set in the wall, not far from the door through which she’d entered. “Let’s start with introductions – each of you say something, as if you are introducing yourself. Just a dozen words or sol Gulfstream, you go first.”
“I’m Atlanta Svandóttir, also known as Gulfstream. I’m honored to be a member of the Equity Concord of America. Is that enough?” She looked questioningly at Margo, who nodded.
“I am Sirocco, from Algeria. My other name is Sayruku Tariq. I am looking forward to seeing the Citadel. Is that adequate?” Margo nodded again.
“From now on, the Citadel will recognize your voices and it can reply to simple questions, such as: Where are we? What is the fastest way to reach the Hall of Heroes from here?’” She faced directly at the panel as she spoke. A pleasant but clearly artificial androgenous voice answered.
“You are in the main reception room. Proceed through the internal doors to your left where you will find the stairs and the elevator. You are currently on the ground level; proceed to sublevel one. Turn left out of the elevator or stairs and follow the corridor to the Hall of Heroes.”
She turned away from the intercom. “If you speak directly to the intercom, the Citadel will also respond to some simple commands as well, such as ‘Turn off the Light in this room’ or…” she turned back to face and address the intercom panel directly again, “…I’d like to speak to The Rush please.”
“The Rush is currently on a mission. Shall I notify him of your request when he returns?”
“Thank you, no – cancel that request.” She walked through the door on the left, followed by the new members. “Let’s use the stairs, shall we?”
“Was that a… thinking machine?” Gulfstream sounded a little intimidated.
“A genie!” Sirocco contradicted her a little scornfully.
“It’s not really a machine at all, and it isn’t really a genie either,” Margo replied. “It’s a simple magical construct, based on the idea of a computer. It doesn’t really think, and it doesn’t have a wide range of responses. But you can talk to it from anywhere you see one of the intercom panels – and there’s at least one in every hall and room. If it knows how to do what you want it to do, well, your wish is the construct’s command.”
“A kind of genie, to be sure,” Sirocco crowed. Gulfstream seemed relieved by the explanation.
“A very simple, limited genie,” Margo agreed. “And not very smart. If it understands you, and you ask it the right questions, it will do what you tell it to, but not much beyond that. But like a genie, it does what you tell it to do – NOT what you WANT it to do. So it can surprise you sometimes.”
Both women nodded. They were both from nomadic societies: Gulfstream’s people lived in the North Atlantic Ocean and followed the Gulf Stream in a constant clockwise circle, while Sirocco had grown up in a nomadic clan in the Sahara Desert in Algeria. In both societies, magic was much more common than machinery, and everyone knew the legends of the vagaries of dealing with genies!
“My people use trained octopi in similar roles," Gulfstream was relieved to find a comparison. "Although they can't speak, they can follow simple instructions - and sometimes the results are surprising!" Her curiosity was roused. "Did you create this genie construct?"
“I did – I consulted with Voltess…” (another member of the Equity Concord), “…who is an electrical engineer with a strong interest in the study of computers. It’s kind of interesting how constructing a magical spell is similar to what they call ‘programming’ a computer!” Neither of the younger heroines really followed this – although they had each lived the last few years of their lives in the Allied Confederation of American States, neither was really familiar with the aspects of the more advanced technology available today, particularly in the rapidly changing field of computers.
“Can you tell us more about yourself?” Gulfstream asked. She seemed a bit starstruck by the famous, powerful, and beautiful Margo.
“I am half homo magi, through my mother – do you know the term?” Neither did. “Dozens of generations ago, a large extended family group in Eurasia discovered that many members of the family had some degree of inborn control over magical forces that normal humans might require years of study to learn. They used their powers to conceal the large mountain valley in which they lived and remain isolated from the rest of humanity even today. My mother was from this concealed valley, a strong-willed woman who tired of her limited horizons and set out to see the world. On this tour, she met my father – a world famous human magician. Tragedy eventually separated them, and further tragedy befell my father, brother, and I – and in that further tragedy, my father was killed and I discovered the true extent of my powers.” She wasn’t really comfortable talking about her origin, and she was relieved when they reached the next ‘stop’ on their tour.
“It’s not really a machine at all, and it isn’t really a genie either,” Margo replied. “It’s a simple magical construct, based on the idea of a computer. It doesn’t really think, and it doesn’t have a wide range of responses. But you can talk to it from anywhere you see one of the intercom panels – and there’s at least one in every hall and room. If it knows how to do what you want it to do, well, your wish is the construct’s command.”
“A kind of genie, to be sure,” Sirocco crowed. Gulfstream seemed relieved by the explanation.
“A very simple, limited genie,” Margo agreed. “And not very smart. If it understands you, and you ask it the right questions, it will do what you tell it to, but not much beyond that. But like a genie, it does what you tell it to do – NOT what you WANT it to do. So it can surprise you sometimes.”
Both women nodded. They were both from nomadic societies: Gulfstream’s people lived in the North Atlantic Ocean and followed the Gulf Stream in a constant clockwise circle, while Sirocco had grown up in a nomadic clan in the Sahara Desert in Algeria. In both societies, magic was much more common than machinery, and everyone knew the legends of the vagaries of dealing with genies!
“My people use trained octopi in similar roles," Gulfstream was relieved to find a comparison. "Although they can't speak, they can follow simple instructions - and sometimes the results are surprising!" Her curiosity was roused. "Did you create this genie construct?"
“I did – I consulted with Voltess…” (another member of the Equity Concord), “…who is an electrical engineer with a strong interest in the study of computers. It’s kind of interesting how constructing a magical spell is similar to what they call ‘programming’ a computer!” Neither of the younger heroines really followed this – although they had each lived the last few years of their lives in the Allied Confederation of American States, neither was really familiar with the aspects of the more advanced technology available today, particularly in the rapidly changing field of computers.
“Can you tell us more about yourself?” Gulfstream asked. She seemed a bit starstruck by the famous, powerful, and beautiful Margo.
“I am half homo magi, through my mother – do you know the term?” Neither did. “Dozens of generations ago, a large extended family group in Eurasia discovered that many members of the family had some degree of inborn control over magical forces that normal humans might require years of study to learn. They used their powers to conceal the large mountain valley in which they lived and remain isolated from the rest of humanity even today. My mother was from this concealed valley, a strong-willed woman who tired of her limited horizons and set out to see the world. On this tour, she met my father – a world famous human magician. Tragedy eventually separated them, and further tragedy befell my father, brother, and I – and in that further tragedy, my father was killed and I discovered the true extent of my powers.” She wasn’t really comfortable talking about her origin, and she was relieved when they reached the next ‘stop’ on their tour.
By now, they had reached the corridor in Sublevel 1, and it led them into a very large room, filled with statues and displays. Margo introduced the room in a much more somber tone of voice than her usual cheery manner.
“This is the Hall of Heroes where we remember our retired…” she pointed to the right, “…and fallen members.” She indicated the left.
There were half a dozen retirees honored on that half of the room, with life sized statues of each hero or heroine in their favorite costumes, as well as readings and videos commemorating their most famous feats and cases. The other side of the room was decorated more somberly. Margo gave the younger women more details.
“We are fortunate that since the team was first called into existence in 1942, only two of our members, Fearless Flint and Crystal Queen, have died in actual battle with our enemies. Flint’s powers were always unpredictable, and in his final battle, his body changed back from nearly indestructible red flint to his ordinary human self, and a powerful blow that he would have simply ignored seconds earlier snapped his spine, killing him instantly. Crystal Queen was a reformed criminal, and although she took pains to establish a new secret identity when she reformed, some members of her former gang recognized her and caught her with her guard down. They didn’t outlive her by very long though.” Margo’s voice was grim for an instant, then she gestured, indicating several other memorials. “A number of our former members, most of whom were active for years before the ECA was even formed back during World War 2, have since passed on due to natural causes.” The new members could see the names of War Eagle, Dr. Mystery, Hugo Hercules, and Joe Strong. There were several others; Gulfstream promised herself she’d be back here soon and would learn all she could about the departed members.
They trooped down another stair; Margo didn’t bother asking for directions this time. “I find the stairs to be faster and more convenient than even the fastest elevators,” she commented, then back to her tour guild role: “Storage and supplies; if we needed to ‘they’ say we have enough stuff to live on for 10 years down here without ever climbing up to the surface. I’m not sure what the reasoning is behind that is - if there’s ever a catastrophe that large, we’re ALL going to be up there fighting with everyone else, not down here hiding.”
A dozen yards down the corridor, she pointed to a massive airlock, in a large open room set into the right wall. “The submarine dock is on the other side of the lock. It's not actually ever flooded, but this lock is a safety precaution in case the dock is ever breeched. The glass in this window is stronger than steel, so you can check first if you ever have any doubts.” Through the window, which was as clear as any normal glass window Sirocco could remember, they could see several submersible vessels floating in a basin filled with water, and at the far end of that basin, an even larger airlock. “Again, the reasoning isn’t clear to me – we’re over 2,000 miles from the Atlantic here via the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway and over 1,000 miles to New Orleans via the canal and the Mississippi River. But if there’s ever a watergoing menace in the Great Lakes, we’re ready!”
Another massive airlock in an open room directly across from the submarine dock. “This leads to the lower Hanger deck. All our fliers are stored down here; there’s an elevator to get them up into a matching hanger in the Airbase, topside. Several military planes are hangered there as camouflage but they can be cleared in seconds.”
The underground levels of the Citadel of Concordance were buried deep beneath Missibizi Airfield, a National Guard base on the western shore of Lake Mishugami, a few miles north of the city limits of Freshport, the capitol of the state of Wabash, in the Allied Confederation of American States. The Reception Room and some ancillary areas were in the ECA Compound on the surface adjacent to the Airfield, and temporary quarters for any Concord member who needed them were part of a walled compound shared by the Airfield and the Equity Concord, each Concord suite equipped with a small elevator down to an assembly are on Sublevel 1.
Margo continued: “This lock is protection in case someone were to drop a bomb on the topside hanger. And the roof in the topside hanger is movable for our VTOL aircraft. In an emergency, we can have the Condor in the air in under 4 minutes from a standing start!” Though the Equity Concord had many flying vessels, when several of them flew together, they normally used the Concord Condor, a hypersonic flying fortress. “If we have to fly to get there, in the Condor we can get to any spot on Earth in under 5 hours!” Many members of the Equity Concord could get there much sooner than that, but sometimes they needed the whole team and not everyone on the team was up for near-instantaneous travel halfway around the globe.
