Prism's Journey 01

         EPISODE ONE
         The Mission

    Beep beep! Beep beep!

    Beep beep! Beep beep!

    Beep beep! Beep beep!

    The sound of the wrist-com filled the little room, yet its signal fell on deaf ears. Or rather, panicked and distracted ears.
    Prism hurried about the apartment-like chamber, searching every conceivable hiding place. These places had only two rooms and the basic necessities; designed for temporary use by heroes who need a quick rest or change, or whose headquarters were far away. Low ranked heroes like Prism didn't get their own personal hideouts.
    “Where is it?” she wailed out loud. “Where is it!”
    There weren't many places it could have been.
    The wrist-com continued its beeping, indifferent to her plight.
    “Oh, fine!” she said in a huff. “I'm coming.”
    She picked up the wrist-com and hit the answer button, and Paragon's face appeared on screen.

    “Ah-- Paragon!” she said in surprise. He was the last person she wanted to see, and almost started crying. “I- I'm sorry...! I...”
    “It's okay,” he began.
    “I... I can't find the invitation you sent me! It can't have gone far...! I, I, I...”
    “Prism,” Paragon said trying to get her attention. “Prism!”
    “Huh?”
    “You don't actually need it. It's fine.”
    “What?”
    “It's not a ticket or anything,” he explained. “That's just for us to let you know that you're on the guest list.”
    “Y, you're sure...? I don't want them to turn me away because I can't prove that you guys invited me.”
    “Everyone there will already know who's allowed and who isn't. You don't need... You just... Just come, and they'll let you in, I promise.”
    “Okay. If you say so.”
    “If anyone says otherwise-- which they won't-- just signal me and I'll set it straight right away. Okay?”
    She let out a deep sigh of relief.
    “Still,” she said after a moment, “I wanted to keep it. You know, for like, sentimental reasons.”
    Paragon hesitated.
    “I get the feeling it'll turn up sooner or later. Just... try not to worry about it for now, okay?”
    “Yeah. Okay.”
    “Alright then. You take care of yourself, kiddo. And stay out of trouble for the time being.”
    Prism saluted with a gesture of exaggerated military severity, despite her cheerful smile. “You can count on me, sir! I will sit here and watch TV. That way, I won't get turned into an animal again, or anything else that would keep me from attending your wedding-- Oh my god! I can't believe you're getting married! Yiiieeee!” what had started as an attempt at a serious statement ended in giddy excitement and a squeal of joy.
    Paragon couldn't help but smile, and almost blushed at the reminder of the big day.
    “I know. I can hardly believe it myself.”
    “And everyone's gonna be there!”
    He nodded. “Pretty much, yeah.”
    “What about Doctor Science and The Saint? Are they coming?”
    “They said they will certainly try.”
    “Ooh! Ooh! What about Shooting Star?”
    “Definitely. But the rest of Star Force won't.”
    “How 'bout--” she began, but stopped, and her eyes grew wide. “Oh my god! Guardian Girl is going to be there, isn't she?! Oh my god! She's my hero!!”
    “Well, actually--” Paragon began before he was interrupted.
    “I cannot believe I'll get to see her in person!” she exclaimed. Then, in an awe-stricken whisper, she added “I might even get to talk to her! She will be aware of my existance...!”
    “I'm sorry, Prism, but Guardian Girl won't be there.”
    “Oh no...!” she replied, crestfallen. “But why? How could she say no to your big day?”
    “She didn't say no, because I didn't ask.”
    “What? You mean you didn't invite her? Why wouldn't you invite her?! She's the daughter of your mentor, and your former partner in hero-ing! And you two used to be a couple, too.”
    “That's why I'm not inviting her.”
    “What?! So, just because you two dated for a little while she not allowed to come to your wedding? You can't hold that against her! That's not fair!”
    “I'm not saying she's forbidden from attending,” he tried to explain, “I'm just not specifically inviting her. It wouldn't be... appropriate for me to ask her.”
    “That's stupid!” Prism shouted; angry, but more at the situation itself than Paragon himself. “She should be there. She deserves to be there.”
    “I know. But...” he began, then briefly looked off in another direction. “Uh, something just came up. I gotta go. Anyway, I just wanted to remind you that you are allowed to come-- we're both expecting you to come-- whether or not you actually have an invitation.”
    “Okay. Thank you.” She was quickly regaining her composure. “See you there for sure!”
    He nodded. “Paragon out.”
    “Prism out!” she chimed in, but the call had already ended. “Oh well.”
    She sat on the couch that, aside from a single chair, was the room's only provided seating. With a click of the remote, she turned on the TV.

    A few channels flickered by before she saw something that caught her attention. A woman was being interviewed on one of the local news stations. Her dark hair was short and neat, and her eyes were brown. She wore a light grey jacket, and had an disposition of equal parts kindness and confidence. Prism recognized her as Laura Zelnik, a popular supporter of meta human rights and research who had already shut down two test labs that were conducting unethical experiments. She was talking with three others on a news segment about meta humans in general. The program was already in progress.
    “--and so you want to increase funding for these meta human programs.” one man said. “Is that correct?”
    “Yes,” she replied. “Now that L.O.R.E. has been shut down, all of the funding that they were taking advantage of is basically up for grabs. Some of that could surely be used to benefit these programs.”
“I see, but what do you say to the people who disagree with you, saying that we're just 'giving our tax dollars to people who already have super powers'?”
    “Well, first of all, we're not giving them our tax dollars,” she replied. “We're funding scientific research that will help us to better understand the meta human phenomenon. 'Us' as in humankind-- both meta and non-meta. Considering all there is to know on the topic, we are, as a species, woefully ignorant. We know so much about how the human body works-- lungs, blood vessels, nervous systems; all of it. By comparison, we know so little about meta genes, and the effects they have. We still don't know how The Veil works, or why meta humans have it.
    “Secondly, they don't all have 'super powers'. Many meta traits manifest as superficial, or so minor that they hardly merit being called 'super' at all! I got to talk to a kid in one of the research programs whose skin is mostly bluish in color, and that is literally his only meta trait. There is an elderly woman who can turn the pages of the books she reads with her mind, but nothing more than that. Hardly the sort of traits that allow one to fight crime.
    “On top of that, research from such programs have recently linked meta human traits to certain disabilities and disorders. In other words, being a meta human isn't always all it's cracked up to be. Meta humans are vastly more susceptible to everything from colorblindness, to attention deficit disorder, to depression, and more.”

    The news segment went on for a bit, mostly on the topic of meta humans, though the conversation spanned everything from government funding, to the more psychological and philosophical. Prism had seen Ms. Zelnik on TV before. She always had something profound or encouraging to say, whether she was advocating a new development program for young meta humans, or promoting a positive message.

    Once the program was over, she turned off the TV. She sat in the quiet room, her mind adrift in random thought. Soon, something Paragon said resurfaced in her memory.
    “I just wanted to remind you that you are allowed to come, whether or not you actually have an invitation.”
    “I don't have an invitation,” she said to herself, the wheels turning in her head. “But I'm allowed to come. I wouldn't be turned away.”
    “I'm not saying she's forbidden from attending,” said the Paragon in her head, “I'm just not specifically inviting her”
    “Guardian Girl didn't get an invitation, either. And he said she wouldn't be turned away. She just doesn't have an invitation with her. Therefore... Guardian Girl can come, too! She just has to know that she can.”
    She stood up, suddenly full of cheer and excitement. “Guardian Girl will attend the wedding after all!”