Chapter 1 - The signal
She gave a deep sigh as she walked to the sink to clean off the dinner dishes. "Looks like another ho-hum evening she sighed to herself as she washed her dishes clean. She glanced out the window as she turned the water off, stopping dead in her tracks as she looked up into the sky. "What the... It can't be!" she thought as she stared in shock. That, that's the Heroes signal!". She couldn't believe her eyes, was she seeing things? She wiped her eyes to be sure, but no, it was still there, the same signal that used to shine up in the sky every night, a beacon calling all the Heroes out to the club. No; no not the same; it
was different; similar, but different, enhanced somehow. She squinted to get a better look, but just like that, as suddenly as it appeared, the sign was gone. What on earth could this mean she wondered. That sign had not shown up in the sky for over six years. Her mind wandered back, back to that fateful night. Back to the last time that sign had ever shown brightly up in the sky. Then she looked over at the red phone nervously. It had been over six years since she had last picked it up. Surely it couldn't still be active? Well, there was only one way to find out. She picked up the handle and pushed the button. "Hello, Abby?" She said softly... "It's Cherry."
Chapter 2 (6 Months Earlier) - The Beginning
Beth watched Cait curiously as she walked up carrying an unusual object. "Look what I found on the mountain" Cait whispered, a bit out of breath. "Any idea what this is?"
Beth's eyes widened in shocked recognition. "Holy crap!" she exclaimed, "You found the old Heroes signal! You remember the stories I told you of that secret place where all of the SL Superheros used to gather? Well, this is the signal! Whenever there was a gathering, this signal would shine up in the sky, a beacon calling the Heroes to the club".
"Kind of like the bat signal?" Cait inquired.
"Shhhhhh!" scolded Beth. "There are copyright cops around every corner!".
"Well, if the place was so great, how come it was never rebuilt?" Cait asked curiously.
"It's not that simple" Beth replied. "That original club was designed and built by none other than Rorrim Wigglesworth, the genius designer/builder who hasn't been seen or heard from in years. The original plans were lost in the explosion that destroyed the club."
"But you're a great builder" Cait argued. "I'm sure you could do it if you put your mind to it.
"Sure, I could do the build" Beth replied with a sigh, "But the DESIGN was lost. Nobody could match Ro as a designer, not even me. If I had the plans, then sure, but without them, it's just not possible."
"That's a shame replied Cait. I never saw the original club, and there are a lot of Heroes in SL in the same boat. I wish there were some way to bring it back."
"Me too Cait, me too," replied Beth sadly. Well, let's take a look at that thing. If nothing else I can restore it, and we can donate it to a museum or something. Hang on a second, what's this? there seems to be a compartment here on the bottom...". Beth opened the compartment and pulled out a blue, rolled up paper". "Oh my god!" Beth exclaimed! "This is it! These are the plans!"
Cait's eyes widened. "To... To the original club?"
"No!" exclaimed Beth, "Even Better! These are the plans for the new, improved version of the club. Ro had been designing a new club before she vanished without a trace. They're not complete, but there's enough here to go on, and I'm certain I can complete the rest!"
"You mean... we can do it? We can rebuild Heroes?"
"Not only can we rebuild it, but we can also make it even better than the original! Follow me. We've got work to do!"
End Chapter 2
Chapter 3 - Old Friends, Old Enemies
"Cherry!" Abby exclaimed "Is that really you? Oh my god, it's been a minute, hasn't it?"
Cherry winced, pulling the phone back from her ear for a moment. "Yup, same old Abby", she thought with a smile., "Yup, it sure is, and yes, it sure has". "Look, we can talk about old times later, but I called for a reason. I just saw the Heroes signal up in the sky! Well, not the same, it's been modified, but it was definitely the Heroes signal. Where did you find it, and where did you turn it on from?"
"You saw what?" Abby replied in shock "That's not possible, that signal was lost in the explosion, along with everything else in the club."
"Well clearly 'not possible' is an over-statement, because I saw it" Cherry replied curtly.
"Cherry, it wasn't me. You know we talked about this after the explosion. When Cal blew up the club, we lost a lot of good people. I'll never forgive myself for that, and you know I'll never be able to start up Heroes again. I just couldn't.
Cherry winced at the sound of his name. Caliente Lemon. He had been one of their most trusted friends. He had been involved in every aspect of running the club, and he knew every nook and cranny. All the strong points. And all the weak ones. Neither Abby nor Cherry had ever dreamed he was secretly working with the Villains. He knew exactly where to plant the explosives, and the exact time to set it off to do the most damage. The club had been destroyed, taking many great heroes with it. Bunny Savage, Virginia Haystacks, Azrai Barzane, Garbo Szondi, MajorP McQueen. There were too many, and it hurt too much to try and remember them all.
"Abby... It wasn't your fault. You couldn't have known. Cal fooled me too. There was no way anyone could have known what he was planning"
"It was MY club Cherry, so that MAKES me responsible. I should have known, and I should have found a way to stop him."
Cherry sighed. Abby still hadn't changed her view that this was all her fault. But one thing was clear; Abby was not the source of the signal.
"Ok" Cherry replied sadly. "I can't change your mind on that. I hope someday you realize that this was Cal's doing, not yours. So back to the signal then. If not you, then who? And why? What does it all mean?
"Honestly, Cherry, I have no idea. All I can suggest for now is that we watch and see if it shows up again. And if it does, we'll get to the bottom of it.
Cherry reluctantly agreed. She said her goodbyes, hung up the phone and looked back up into the sky. Abby was right. There was nothing else they could do. Nothing else but watch, and wait.
End Chapter 3
Chapter 4 (3 Months Earlier) - If You Build it, They Will Come
"This is incredible!" Cait exclaimed as she walked through the entrance. She stood there with her mouth, agape for what seemed like an eternity before she found her words. "I can't believe you've done all this in the week I was gone. What you have done this, this looks like six months worth of work!"
"That's why I needed the plans" smiled Beth. "With these plans, I can get done in months what otherwise would have taken years. It wouldn't even have been possible without them."
"But still... this is just amazing. It's like a miracle."
Well, the real miracle is yet to come. Building this place is the easy part. When Heroes blew up, all the heroes that survived were scattered to the four corners of SL. Getting the word out to them won't be easy. I know one thing though, it won't happen by itself. We need help; this is where you come in Cait. Take this list, and find out where these people are. Every name on that list is essential to making this happen.
Cait read through the list, and couldn't help being a little intimidated:
Abby - Codename: Nightgirl - Abby was the owner and visionary behind the original club. Abby was an absolute legend in the business. Getting her help was a necessity
Cherry - Codename: CherryBomb - Cherry had been the manager and top DJ at the old club. Hopefully, she still had a few contacts and could help in reaching some of the others.
Becky - Codename: Heartbreaker - Becky was another top DJ, If you find Cherry, you'll find Becky, they were inseparable.
SuperSexx - Codename: Super - Another great DJ. Super disappeared after the explosion, but I've heard rumors that she's resurfaced recently. Cherry and Becky should be able to help.
"There are others that can help, but start with those 4. Find out where they are, and then get back to me. Don't contact them yet. When the time is right, I'll let you know".
"But Beth... it's been over six years. How do you know I can find them, and even if I do, how do you know they'd even be interested in being a part of this again after all this time?
"Don't worry Cait," Beth said with a smile. "I know these people. If we build it, they will come."
End Chapter 4
Chapter 5 – Remembering
The next few days passed slowly. Cherry glanced up at the sky frequently, both hopeful and fearful that she would see that signal again. That signal and the conversation with Abby had brought about a flood of memories. She couldn't escape them; they haunted her all of her waking moments.
She thought back to the earliest days before the club had even opened. Back when she and Abby had marvelled in amazement at what Ro had built.
Before we knew it, opening night had been upon us. The club was an instant success. Heroes had flocked from far and wide to come to the first gathering. Bunny had played the first set, and everything just seemed to fall into place after that.
Cherry had been made the DJ manager, and she hit the ground running. Garbo joined the family shortly after, and then Cal. The Dream Team was in place, and there was no limit to how high Heroes could rise.
She remembered the kooky contests; damsel Trivia, Frenchy gets Fried, Cal in a tutu, Sheep, Tornados, Particles, Formal balls, Holiday parties, Fashion Shows, Auctions, RFL Weekend. It seemed that the club just could not be stopped.
And then, just as quickly as it began, it all came crashing down on us, literally.
Abby announced that Ro had secretly been working on designs for a new club, an entire Heroes complex; this was to be a massive rebuild that would take several months, but once complete Heroes would be bigger and better than ever. There was to be one final bash to say goodbye to the old club, and then it would be closed for renovations.
Cherry took a deep breath. She hadn't let herself think about that last night for a long time. She knew she had to face it, though, so she let herself remember. The crowd had been massive. It was as if every hero in SL had come to the club that night. The honour of playing the final set had been hers, and for her last song, she played the first song, of the first set that had ever been played at the club – Heroes by David Bowie. Abby had gotten up on stage with her at the end and given a speech, thanking everybody for their support over the years, and telling them to get ready for Heroes 2, the NEXT greatest club SL has ever seen!
That's when it happened. Cherry saw Major P rush up to Abby frantically pointing across the room Cal, who was standing next to what had always been an innocent light switch. Not anymore, though. Cal had rigged the club with explosives, and the light switch was the trigger. Major P had discovered the plot but had been unable to defuse the bomb.
"Grab Him!" Abby had yelled. "Don't let him throw that switch!!
Cal had just laughed. "It's too late Abby. It's too late for all of you. There is never going to be a Heroes 2 because there aren't going to be any Heroes left to fill it."
The last thing Cherry remembered was Cal reaching for the switch, and then it had all gone black.
The Heroes that survived the blast had scattered to the four corners of SL. Abby and Cherry had survived the explosion, but their spirits were broken. Ro disappeared shortly after and was never heard from again.
Cal's evil plot had worked. Heroes 2 was never going to happen.
Cherry looked longingly up into the sky once again. Or was it? She wondered vaguely.
End Chapter 5
Chapter 6 - (One Month Earlier) Rounding Third
"So how did you make out? How did the Sleuthing mission go?" Beth inquired as Cait walked in.
"Yeah, it's good to see you too" Cait replied with a touch of sarcasm.
"Sorry" Beth smiled. "I've had my head down building this place for so long I've forgotten my manners. It IS great to see you, I've missed you while you were gone".
"That's better" grinned Cait. "Ok, so here's what I found. Becky was easy, she's a big time stripper in a posh downtown club".
"Yeah, that's not surprising with her bod" replied Beth
"SuperSexx took a little work. She travels a lot, but comes back to town a couple of times a month to visit her sisters. We should have no trouble contacting her when the time is right"
"Good, good, good" replied Beth. "But what about Abby and Cherry? It would be really helpful to have them on board for the opening..."
"Abby wasn't too hard. She's been focusing on her secret identity working as a copyright attorney. She has quite a successful practice as I understand. She won a big class action suit against Marvelous Comics a couple of years ago, you probably read about it?"
"Yeah, sounds vaguely familiar" Beth retorted.
"Cherry was the hardest" Cait continued. "She's been keeping a pretty low profile working out of her home doing professional voice overs on commission."
"CHERRY is doing voice overs?!" Beth snorted. "That's hysterical, we couldn't even get her to talk on the mic when she was DJing!"
"Well I didn't say she was good at it" Cait responded. "I checked out her stuff at the voice over store, and she only had about a dozen available. I asked the clerk about it and he said she sells pretty well, but takes FOREVER to complete a commission. Apparently every one she does takes her about 45 or 50 cuts to complete"
"Yeah that sounds about right" said Beth, Rolling her eyes. "What about the extra ones I asked you to look into?"
"Sorry, no luck on those. Elisha I understand comes into town from time to time, but hasn't been seen in months. Ditto QT, she went underground about 6 months ago and nobody has any idea where she is. Azrai is whereabouts unknown, her trail goes dark shortly after the explosion. We know she survived it, but god only knows where she is."
Beth sighed. "That's too bad. Having a couple of those in the fold would have helped a lot, but if we can get Abby, Cherry, Becky, and Super on board I think we're good to go." Beth's eyes narrowed. "What about Lemon?"
"Nothing. Not a trace since the blast. My best guess is he didn't survive it"
"He survived it" Beth grunted. "He wouldn't have thrown that switch if he wasn't sure he could get out. I guess we'll deal with him when we have to. Anyway, take a look. there are a few Ts to cross and Is to dot, but we're just about ready. Oh and check this out! I fixed the Heroes signal, AND updated it!"
"That's Fantastic! You've really done a great job here, this place looks great! So what's next"
"Well, tonight we're going to do a live test with the signal. Let's see if we can get their attention before we officially make contact. We should be fully ready in about a month. I'll light up the signal once a week until then. Get ready Cait. We're rounding third, and heading for home!"
End Chapter 6
Chapter 7 - Making Contact
In the coming weeks, the Heroes signal appeared in the sky three more times, always on Friday night at 8pm. Each time it stayed lit a little bit longer, but never long enough to trace it back to the source. Abby and Cherry had started meeting regularly, and had brought Becky in as well. SuperSexx joined them when she was in town.
"This is frustrating" Becky stated. We've seen that thing 4 times now, and we're no closer to figuring it out than we were when Cherry first saw it. Not to mention it only comes up on Friday nights, which is when my best paying customers come to the strip club"
"Oh for pete's sake Sis, you can take your dang clothes off anytime. This is important, we have to figure it out!" Cherry exclaimed.
"Yea? Well from where sit we're not figuring out squat. I think this is all a big joke somebody is playing, and you two have fallen for it hook, line, and sinker." Becky sniffed
Abby sighed. "I'm afraid Becky might be right, this could very well just be somebody messing with us."
"I refuse to believe that" Cherry retorted. "There's more to this than just some sick joke. That signal was lost for over 6 years. I assume it was damaged in the explosion, and now it just happens to be found by somebody with the skills to not only repair it, but modify it? There's no way that's just a joke. Somebody is up to something, or at least trying to get our attention."
"Well they've got it" Becky sighed. "But now what? We've investigated every lead, pulled ever string, and turned up squat. Let's face it, we're at a dead end here"
Just then a strange figure walked up. "Hello Abby, Cherry, Becky. It's so good to finally meet you all!"
"Um, do we know you?" Abby asked suspiciously
Cait smiled. "No you don't, but I know all of you, my partner has told me all about you, and all of your exploits at the old Heroes club. My name is Cait, and as I said it's a pleasure to meet you all"
"And who exactly would your partner be?" Cherry asked Snidely "Are you and your partner responsible for the Heroes signal we've been seeing the last few weeks?"
"We are." Cait responded. "As for who my partner is..." She reached into her pocket and pulled out 4 envelopes. "We would like to request your presence at a meeting tomorrow night. The address is in the envelops. Cherry, if you would be so kind as to give the 4th one to your sister SuperSexx I would appreciate it"
"Lemon" Becky said through gritted teeth. "It's got to be Lemon. This reeks of his style"
Cait laughed. "No, I promise you it's not Caliente Lemon. Trust me, my partner is somebody you will want to talk to. That's all I can say for now. I'll look forward to seeing you all tomorrow night"
At that she turned and walked away without another word, leaving the three former heroines speechless.
"Well, I think it's safe to say we've cleared our dead end" Cherry stated finally.
"Yea, and then some" Abby responded
"Well, this is going to be one long 24 hours. I guess I may as well head to the strip club and make a little cash in the meantime."
"Try and show up to the meeting with your clothes ON tomorrow, will you Sis?" Cherry commented,
"Oh Shuddup" Becky laughed, and got up and walked off.
"What do you think Abbs" Cherry said with a worried look. "Do you think this is Cal setting a trap?"
"No..." Abby replied thoughtfully. "Despite what Becky said, this isn't really his style. If he were involved he would be aiming bigger than just the 4 of us. No this is somebody else."
"A new Villain?" Cherry inquired
Abby thought for a minute, and then a strange little smile lit up her face, "Or maybe... Just maybe... an old Hero"
End Chapter 7
Chapter 8 (Present Day) - Endgame
The 4 girls sat in silence, looking around nervously. They had no idea whether they were waiting for a friend, or a new super villain who was plotting to kill them. fortunately they didn't have to wait long. After about 5 minutes, the door opened, and two figures strode confidently over to the table,
"Beth!" Abby exclaimed "I'd hoped it was you! But where have you been? We haven't seen you since about a year after the explosion. And why all the secrecy? If you wanted to see us all you had to do is call"
"I've been keeping a pretty low profile" Beth responded. "Cait and I opened up a little island club a while back, just a small local thing, and we've pretty much been doing that. As for all the secrecy and why I didn't call, there's been a lot going on the past few months. Rather than try to explain it, it will be easier to just show you. The lamp in the center of the table is a teleporter. If you touch it, all of your questions will be answered.
One by one the heroines touched the lamp, and they found themselves standing outside a massive steel door.
"One second" Beth said. "Security..."
She punched in a code on the keypad, and the massive door groaned open.
"Follow me" said Beth.
The 4 heroines followed curiously, still not quite sure what Beth had in store for them. Then they saw it. The dance floor. The lights. The massive cave. The Hero banners. The Sheep. It was Heroes.
"I'm getting the band back together" Beth said flatly
"But... but how is this even possible?!" Abby stammered. The plans were lost in the explosion, and Ro hasn't been heard from in years!
"The ORIGINAL plans were lost. As you know Ro had been working on a rebuild project for a new, improved Heroes. She had hidden the plans in the heroes signal, which Cait found here on the island about six months ago. Once I had the plans, I knew we could do it, and we rebuilt heroes. Now I know what you're all thinking, why would we want to go down that road again after all this time? And after everything that happened with the first club? Now I know what happened was a tragedy, but I think SL needs Heroes, not only as a place for Heroes to gather and unwind but also as a..."
"OMG, Will you shut up already?!" Cherry interrupted "You had me at "We Rebuilt Heroes" Of course I'm in!"
"Count me i too, this is awesome" Becky chimed in.
"Me three" Chimed in Super. "You're not gonna have a party without SuperSexx!"
"Abby?" Beth asked cautiously "What about you?"
"I don't know Beth... After everything that happened at the first club, I don't know if I can get drawn back in again. How about if I leave the club operations to you guys, and I just come in as a sponsor? Your heroes will still need costumes, I assume?"
"That they will" smiled Beth. "I think we have ourselves a deal. Well then... Ladies, I present to you the all new HEROES: Infinity!"
And to anyone who has survived to the end of this story, we present the Heroes: Infinity Core Staff:
Cait - Principal Owner, and awesome DJ!
Beth - Minority Owner, General Manager, Club Designer and Builder, and Awesome DJ! (And principal Cherry Speak editor)
Abby - Principal Sponsor (And maybe if we beg enough we can get her to host!)
Cherry - DJ and hack story writer
Becky - DJ
Super - DJ
Other staff who didn't make it into the story, but are just as much a part of the family:
Gwenni - DJ
Doc - DJ
Cat - Host
Wyn - Host
Sky - Host
Annie - Host
We look forward to seeing you all at the new club - HEROES: INFINITY!
The End?
Nope! Just the Beginning! :)
<10 minutes of rolling credits and bad music later...>
Epilogue
The 6 Heroines sat around the table, the final staff meeting before opening night. Suddenly Abby's phone beeped, she had just received an instant message.
Abby gasped as she opened the message, then her eyes blazed fire.
"Tell them to come packed" She said to Beth fiercely. "Tell the Heroes to show up in costume, powered up, and ready to fight. There's a storm coming. I don't know when, and I don't know where, but it's coming and we've got to be ready."
"My god Abby, What is? What was in the message?"
Abby put the phone down on the table. There was no text.
Just a picture of a man's behind. In a TuTu.
