because you’re a player in their game, too, and it can consume you. If it does, you’ll be out of the business before you know it and selling insurance. So … any other questions?”
“How?” Nancy asks, feeling like she’s drowning. “How do I stay me through this? The stories I’ve been writing about what happened between Kid and Fake Out? Most of that was a lie. He was,” she pauses to lower her voice, “he knew her before she went all super villain. She was his partner.”
“Ah,” Carol nods, finishing her coffee. “Those are tough ones. If you out that, bye bye his career and bye bye your career.” She drums her fingers on the table, thinking through her options. “Do you know,” she asks, “that Shining Light dated a reporter?”
“What?”
“Yeah,” Carol says, rolling her eyes. “Makes you wonder, doesn’t it? The first superhero in the world, the only one that predates World War II, the one people loved, dated a reporter.”
“Professor Sil didn’t mention that.”
“Sil?” Carol asks, her momentary surprise giving way to a shake of her head. “Michael Sil, as the Lord is my witness. Now there’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time.” Carol laughs. “Him? Him I slept with.”
“Ew.”
“He might not be much now, but he was quite the hot shot reporter back in the ‘70s. I met him when Sun crossed paths with Gentleman Beaneater. God, Bernie hated that case, but not Michael. Heroes always get nervous when they have to start working the dirty side of the street. Oh, stop, listen to me. Reminiscing. There’s a mall opening I need to get to.”
“Just one more question,” Nancy says as Carol stands up and drops a five dollar bill on the table.
“Don't ask it,” Carol says.
“But —”
“You’re going to ask if it’s worth it,” Carol says, “and there’s no way to give you a definitive answer. For me, it was worth it. For Elaine Eastman, it wasn’t.”
“Who’s Elaine Eastman?”
“Exactly,” she nods, pulling on her coat. “Tell Michael I said hello, and file a story that’s critical of Kid. Not one that makes him look terrible, but one that lets him know you can bite.” Carol winks. “But maybe he already knows that? Take care, Nancy. See the sights when you’re in town. It’s the greatest city in the world.”
6
Nancy files a story that questions whether Kid Rapscallion is doing enough community outreach and waits in her apartment for Jason’s reaction.
It never comes.
He doesn’t watch her report because he is busy being Duplication Girl’s date at a wedding in something called the Shadow Nebula. He bought a tiger from someone who just stopped by his place at the Grand with one to sell, names him “Fred,” and gives him as a wedding gift.
Nancy gets angry and depressed and knows, though she will not admit it, that she will never really be anything more than Jason’s PR rep.
7
Jason discovers his interest in Duplication Girl goes beyond the sex, and they spend the summer of 2000 dating. Nancy knows, but doesn’t report on it. When July arrives and Jason tells her she can go public with their relationship, Nancy declines. She says it’s because she’s going on vacation, and that she’ll give the story to Kira Erdrich.
Jason is having sex with her when she makes the call to Kira ten minutes later.
8
Excerpt from More Than a Copy: The Autobiography of Duplication Girl’s Third Self
Published, 2009, Atomic Anxiety Press
The summer of 2001 was the best time I ever had. Duplication Girl moved out of the Revolutionaries’ Fort and down to Las Vegas to be with Jason. Eagle ’62 discovered that DG had brought back several cases full of Ikanium powder that she and Jason had bought from space pirates after Calling Bird’s wedding.
(I can’t believe he gave her a tiger for a wedding present!)
DG and Jason were going at it all the time and in all kinds of ways (the only rule Jason seemed to have was
“How?” Nancy asks, feeling like she’s drowning. “How do I stay me through this? The stories I’ve been writing about what happened between Kid and Fake Out? Most of that was a lie. He was,” she pauses to lower her voice, “he knew her before she went all super villain. She was his partner.”
“Ah,” Carol nods, finishing her coffee. “Those are tough ones. If you out that, bye bye his career and bye bye your career.” She drums her fingers on the table, thinking through her options. “Do you know,” she asks, “that Shining Light dated a reporter?”
“What?”
“Yeah,” Carol says, rolling her eyes. “Makes you wonder, doesn’t it? The first superhero in the world, the only one that predates World War II, the one people loved, dated a reporter.”
“Professor Sil didn’t mention that.”
“Sil?” Carol asks, her momentary surprise giving way to a shake of her head. “Michael Sil, as the Lord is my witness. Now there’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time.” Carol laughs. “Him? Him I slept with.”
“Ew.”
“He might not be much now, but he was quite the hot shot reporter back in the ‘70s. I met him when Sun crossed paths with Gentleman Beaneater. God, Bernie hated that case, but not Michael. Heroes always get nervous when they have to start working the dirty side of the street. Oh, stop, listen to me. Reminiscing. There’s a mall opening I need to get to.”
“Just one more question,” Nancy says as Carol stands up and drops a five dollar bill on the table.
“Don't ask it,” Carol says.
“But —”
“You’re going to ask if it’s worth it,” Carol says, “and there’s no way to give you a definitive answer. For me, it was worth it. For Elaine Eastman, it wasn’t.”
“Who’s Elaine Eastman?”
“Exactly,” she nods, pulling on her coat. “Tell Michael I said hello, and file a story that’s critical of Kid. Not one that makes him look terrible, but one that lets him know you can bite.” Carol winks. “But maybe he already knows that? Take care, Nancy. See the sights when you’re in town. It’s the greatest city in the world.”
6
Nancy files a story that questions whether Kid Rapscallion is doing enough community outreach and waits in her apartment for Jason’s reaction.
It never comes.
He doesn’t watch her report because he is busy being Duplication Girl’s date at a wedding in something called the Shadow Nebula. He bought a tiger from someone who just stopped by his place at the Grand with one to sell, names him “Fred,” and gives him as a wedding gift.
Nancy gets angry and depressed and knows, though she will not admit it, that she will never really be anything more than Jason’s PR rep.
7
Jason discovers his interest in Duplication Girl goes beyond the sex, and they spend the summer of 2000 dating. Nancy knows, but doesn’t report on it. When July arrives and Jason tells her she can go public with their relationship, Nancy declines. She says it’s because she’s going on vacation, and that she’ll give the story to Kira Erdrich.
Jason is having sex with her when she makes the call to Kira ten minutes later.
8
Excerpt from More Than a Copy: The Autobiography of Duplication Girl’s Third Self
Published, 2009, Atomic Anxiety Press
The summer of 2001 was the best time I ever had. Duplication Girl moved out of the Revolutionaries’ Fort and down to Las Vegas to be with Jason. Eagle ’62 discovered that DG had brought back several cases full of Ikanium powder that she and Jason had bought from space pirates after Calling Bird’s wedding.
(I can’t believe he gave her a tiger for a wedding present!)
DG and Jason were going at it all the time and in all kinds of ways (the only rule Jason seemed to have was
Similar Books
