Work Text:
Olga's Hero
By David Lee Rickman II
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Date: April 02, 1993
Mary Hartley hurried down the alley. She was almost mugged, but luckily had a stun gun in her pocket. She wished her fiancé¥ didn't work in this section of town.
Sabastian didn't have a lot of funding, and he needed a cheap place for his lab. She knocked on the lab door. Sabastian opened the door.
"Mary, you know I don't like you coming to this section of the city." Mary kissed him. "I haven't seen you in two days."
"I am glad you came though." Sabastian rubbed his hands together with excitement. "It's done!"
Mary followed Sabastian to the middle of his lab. "So what's this big secret project?"
Sabastian typed some code onto a computer keyboard.
"Surprise!," Sabastian yelled.
"It's...It's me!" Mary walked up to the holographic image that appeared in the middle of the lab.
"I have perfected holographic imaging displays. The 'holo grail' if you will."
"But why me?"
"Perfection." There was a knock at the door of the lab. "After I see who that is, I'll show you how it talks and moves like you." Sabastian turned off the image as he walked to the door.
"Who's there?"
"Pizza man.," came the voice behind the door.
Sabastian opened the door. "I didn't order any.."
Two men suddenly busted through the open door and knocked Sabastian down.
"O.K. homie, give us everything valuable and you won't be hurt."
A man smoking a cigarette tossed it on the floor.
"Hey, the bat cave! Look at all these gizmos!" He then walked over to Mary. "Hey baby, got some sweet stuff for me?"
Mary spit in his face and he knocked her down. As she fell, she broke the valve of a film etching tank. As the etching solution spilled on the floor, the discarded cigarette set the solution on fire.
"Mary!"
"Sabastian!"
Sabastian walked around the flames toward Mary. Before he could reach her, a ceiling beam fell on her. Then he could feel his flesh on fire.
****
Location: NNL base, Nevada "Hey Olga."
"Don't talk to me Mr. Parker."
"But all I.."
"All I wanted was to see the magician turn a woman into a tiger. Yet again, you lied on why we went to Las Vegas."
"I really was going to take you but.."
"There he is! Turn up the volume!"
A guard turned up the volume of the TV in the break room.
"Yet another criminal was stopped in Las Vegas by the mysterious superhero known simply as 'Hologram.'"
"Now there's a real man Mr. Parker. He does good annonymously, and always saves the day."
"I do good, and I don't need to be a superhero with gadgets. Do you know how many times I have saved your life by backstepping?"
"None of which you can prove."
"What do you mean, it's your equations that let me do it."v Talmedge knocked on the door. "Sorry for interrupting, but we need both of you in the conference room."
****
Moments later Mentnor turned on the projector.
"Yesterday in Las Vegas, a nuclear suit case was set off in a subway."
"But Las Vegas is still there."
"I said it was set off, I didn't say it worked.
Seventy people have been expose to radiation sickness, with an average increase of two new reports per hour.
Just five hours ago, Senator Burke was sent to the hospital."
"He's a member of the NSA council of project Backstep."
"Right Olga, and it makes the NSA worried not to know who placed the suit case there."
"Probably some towel-head Bin Laden groupie," Ramsey said leaning back in his chair.
****
"Anti-phase canceling on," Owsley said toggling a console switch.
"Hey Olga," Parker said lowering the visor of his helmet. "Would you like me better if I had those crazy sunglasses like Hologram."
"I'd like you better if you could get Hologram to go on a date with me."
"Ouch! Those words hurt."
*****
The two thugs hid in the dark alley pulling on their ski masks. A man was walking near them. This was going to be a simple robbery they assured themselves. Just hold the gun in his face, take whatever valuables he possessed, and dump the battered body in the shadows with the alley dumpsters.
****
"Hold it right there dude.," One of the punks ordered.
He smiled toward the other thug with a pillowcase.
"Trick or treat.," They both crowed.
*******
Instantly the man's brown hair became apparent in the darkness as a row of blinking lights along his forehead and huge green eyes glowed on his huge sunglasses.
"Holy sh--! It's Hologram!" Hologram made a movement to tackle the punks when a brilliant blue comet appeared out of nowhere heading toward him. The brief distraction gave the punks an oppertunity to escape.
*****
Hologram continued to watch the ball as it struck Earth. As blue sparks slowly died along the sphere's surface, Parker tumbled out. "Hologram?" Parker gasped lifting his visor. Hologram ran away and disappeared into a swirling white light.
*****
"Yes Conundrum?" Bradley asked picking up the phone.
"Tomorrow a nuclear suitcase will malfunction and poison a subway. Senator Burke happened to be there. We couldn't find out who put it there, so I'll have to be on the subway."
"Very good Conundrum. Do you need Donovan to come as backup?"
"No. I am fine."
****
Parker stood in Washington Square waiting for the 8:47. As he waited, he heard a woman scream. Frank turned and saw a thirty-something man with glasses and long hair trying to steal a well-dressed woman's briefcase.
****
"What the H---. That's the nuclear suitcase," Frank thought. Before he could act, Hologram jumped from behind a pole and grabbed the assailant's wrists. "She said stop." A jolt of electricity came from Hologram's hands and stunned the man. Hologram lifted the briefcase. "Here ma'am."
****
"Hold it," Parker held out his wallet displaying his I.D. "Frank Parker. N.S.A This woman is under arrest and the briefcase is evidence."
****
Hologram's sunglasses made a hum as he stared toward the briefcase. "There is a high amount of Gamma radiation and?.My G--, I almost?" Hologram began to run away. "Hey, wait a minute," Parker yelled. A swirl of white light surrounded Hologram and he disappeared.
"How the H--- does he do that?" Parker asked himself as he handcuffed the woman.
*****
Parker was amazed an hour later after returning to the motel as Hologram was sitting in his motel room.
"Hello Parker," Hologram said. "I wanted to thank you."
"Well, I just happened to be there at the right time."
"Burke told me a different story."
"Burke talked?"
"He owed me a favor."
"Well, since I helped you do, I get a favor?"
"Sure."
"Can I see what you really look like?" Parker begged.
"No,"
"Why? Some superhero law?"
"No. Because most of my body was burned long ago and without this holographic illusion I am very grotesque.
Most people think this illusion is to help me fight crime. The reason I fight crime is because once I kept silent and stood by as criminals terrorized my neighbors. Then criminals came and took the life of the woman I love. Then I realized nobody was going to step forward or speak out for me."
*****
Later that day Olga and Donovan stood outside Parker's motel room. "Just a minute," Parker shouted before opening the door.
"O.K. Parker, what was so important for us to hurry here?" Olga asked impatiently.
"I just wanted you to meet a friend."
The bathroom door of the motel room opened and Hologram stepped out.
"Olga, meet Hologram. Hologram, meet Olga." Hologram came to Olga and lifted her hand to lightly kiss it.
Olga looked with amazement into Hologram's green holographic eyes. "I..I am glad to meet you Hologram. This is a dream come true."
Parker imitated a cough to get Olga's attention. "Now Olga, remember you said if you met hologram, you'd go on a date with me."
"I did?"
"Yes, Olga. Before I left the base, you said you would, remember?"
"Uh, yes I do."
*****
Donovan and Parker started walking to the government van outside.
"Did Olga really say that before you backstepped?"
"Well, she said 'date' and 'Hologram' in the same sentence, but I wasn't exactly clear what she said."
The End