See this chapter's accompanying illustrations at the following link: https://tapas.io/episode/805458

Once back at ScienceTech, Marjorie and Quinnie were greeted with cheers and chants by the staff. Some lifted the girls up on their shoulders and carried them inside the conference room where the rest of the staff was waiting.

“Liberty triumphed once more! Hip, hip, hooray!” chanted a ScienceTech scientist.

“You sure showed these terrorists! Great job, Liberty!” continued a ScienceTech security agent.

“That’s right! You made America proud!” added yet another ScienceTech lab assistant.

“Fellas, fellas! Don’t give me all the credit; it was a team effort!” said Quinnie.

An old woman and a younger man were standing on the stage. She was tall and lanky with long bristling grey hair, goggles and a white lab coat on; the typical mad scientist look. They were holding huge envelopes.

“Everyone, be quiet. I need your attention for a very special communication!” said the old woman.

Everyone calmed down. The old woman and the not so old man looked at each other, nodded and tore open their envelopes which contained a remote control. They then pressed the sole button on their respective remotes which in turn caused a monitor to pop out of the floor.

“Please direct your gaze to the monitor. President Eisenhower has a few words for our little team!” said the old woman.

Marjorie was in shock. “The” president? Addressing everyone here? What an honor! A few seconds later, the president appeared on the monitor while his voice was conveyed through the many speakers scattered around the room.

“Greetings, everyone! Let me begin by congratulating you all for swiftly and efficiently eliminating the Eastern Bloc threat that has hit ScienceTech today. The terrorists have stopped at nothing to kidnap one of our finest Champions and in their evil processes have injured and killed many fine men and women,” said President Eisenhower.

All lowered their heads to mark the president’s mention of the causalities to the facility’s staff.

“However, we shall never give the enemy the satisfaction of seeing our people in disarray or even low spirits! Liberty! You have done well! Your timely intervention has prevented the worse and your country is this much better because of your actions!” said President Eisenhower.

“Think nothing of it, Mr. President. It is my duty to protect America,” replied Quinnie.

After the ad-hoc gathering, Quinnie had taken Marjorie to her new room. Once there, Marjorie assaulted her with a barrage of questions.

“So you are a superhero? I mean, you use your gifts to help people in need, right? Have you met the president? Do you have a sidekick? Can I be your sidekick?” enthusiastically asked Marjorie.

“You could say that, yes,” replied Quinnie a bit embarrassed.

“Wow! This is incredible! How long did you have your gift? How come no one ever knew of this? Not even Father!”

“Margie…We never had a family…The one you have known never existed, really,”

Marjorie’s pleasant and chipper disposition quickly turned into confusion.

“This can’t be true!”

“You and I…we aren’t like regular people. You see, the gifts we have, they come from deep within us, from our seed cores,”

“Seed core? Don’t be silly, Quinnie! Our gifts come from God!”

“You have been taken out of your simulation too early. You should’ve been imparted with this knowledge about your nature, your role as a Champion, your spirits…everything!”

“Spirits? Seed core? Champion? You make it sound like we are robots or something…”

“Margie, I am serious. We are not human,”

“…”

“We are masses of carbon held together around a seed core fueled by spirits or alcohol if you will. Our exterior looks is just that, a facade to make us palatable to our fellow Americans’ eyes,”

“…”

Marjorie remained silent for a long moment.

“Are you ok, Margie?” asked Quinnie, finally breaking the awkward silence.

“Alcohol? Quinnie! What are you talking about! We are too young for that!” said Marjorie, with an uncomfortable laughter.

“It is true; we need to consume a little of our spirits of choice to use our gifts,”

“What if moth…” Marjorie didn’t finish her sentence.

“I know it is a lot to take in, but like I said, had you completed your time in the simulation, all this would be common knowledge for you,” said Quinnie.

“But…we are more than just…matter, right?” asked Marjorie.

“That’s right! We are civil servants, with awesome gifts! And nice booze!”

“Stop talking about…that so callously!” seriously objected Marjorie.

“By the way, mine is Bourbon,” said Quinnie.

“What?”

“My spirits of choice, it’s Bourbon!”

“…”

“You’ll figure out yours soon enough,”

Another awkward moment of silence.

“What is your gift?” asked Marjorie.

Quinnie jumped on her feet and started a sort of dance/pantomime as she described her gift to Marjorie.

“TRUTH, JUSTICE AND THE AMERICAN WAY! I call my gift the Patriotic Flames! My flames come in three colors: Red for the cleansing burn of truth! White for the stopping power of justice! And Blue for the freedom afforded by the American way!”

“Wow! You even have a dance and everything!” impressed by the presentation.

“Yep! People love it!” proudly replied Quinnie.

A knock on the door interrupted the conversation.

“May I come in, girls?”

The same old woman from the presidential address to the facility’s staff was standing in the doorframe.

“Of course, Dr. Bless. Come right in,” said Quinnie.

Dr. Bless sat across the girls.

“Girls, today’s attack on the facility has been rough for everyone but none has been more unhinged by the terrorists than Marjorie here,” said Dr. Bless

“I am doing fine…” said Marjorie with a pout.

“Dr. Bethany Bless. I am the founder, director and head researcher of ScienceTech; my baby! Goodness gracious, I have practically raised you as my own and it is still amazing to see you outside of the simulation, child,” said Dr. Bless.

“You sound so familiar Dr. Bless…” pensively remarked Marjorie.

“I hope I do! Aherm, Young lady, you march right to your father’s study, this instant!” said Dr. Bless as she recited her line.

Marjorie froze as she heard these words.

“You sound just like…mother? Is that you?” asked Marjorie, confused.

“Hahaha! You could call me that since I have provided the voice for your virtual mother,” replied Dr. Bless.

“I don’t understand…why?”

“The virtual simulation in which you were living for the last few months was meant to provide you with a proper childhood in a record time! Two months to be more precise,”

“So no one was real? Everyone that I have known and loved was a fakery?”

“In a way, yes. But as I played the role of your mother, everyone else was played by actual people! People working in our science facility! We are like a big family here…”

“I know that I am not human…But to everybody else, what am I?”

“You are the product of American ingenuity, child! You are a gifted young lady with a patriotic fiber stronger than that of anyone in the country!”

“Really?”

“Marjorie, you are to become a Champion of the United States of America!”

“I…I…can’t…I have sinned and lost my gift…”

“Child, you have been taken out prematurely from your simulation. It may have tempered with your gift. But know that yours is a powerful gift; one you will be called to use to help those in need!”

“I want to help…”

“That’s the spirit! Child, you are a CHAMPION! Never forget that!”

“I…won’t…”

“Excellent! In the coming days, Quinnie and I will train you and help you develop your gift to its maximum!”

Marjorie looked at Quinnie.

“I’d be like Bucky Rodgers? A hero?” asked Marjorie.

“It’s all up to you! But you will start as my trusty sidekick until you’ve grown enough to become your own Champion,”

“Amazing!”

Dr. Bless stood up and walked to the door.

“Well, girls, tomorrow we will start training Marjorie. Her unfortunate premature exit from her pod has caused some…problems. But never fear, with my help, you will become the greatest Champion yet!”

Dr. Bless left the room.

“I don’t know what to think of today’s events, Quinnie. I feel so lost…If I hadn’t seen you, I don’t know what I’ve done. Where I’d be…”

“Don’t think about that, I am here now. From now on, we are partners, you and I!”

“Yes!”

“I will show you everything I know and make a great Champion out of you!”

“Quinnie?”

“Yes?”

“Can we still be…sisters?”

Quinnie reached out for Marjorie and hugged her.

“Of course we can! You are my little sister, silly! Virtual simulation or not!”

“Thank you, Quinnie.”

Quinnie handed out a fresh change of clothes to Marjorie who was still wearing the lab coat Ms Esquire had handed her. It was a cute yellow pajama.

“Quinnie?”

“Yes?”

“What superhero name should I give myself?”

“Mmmm…I don’t know. Take me; I called myself Liberty because I use my gift to create a shield made of solid flames,”

Quinnie conjured her round shield.

“It looks so amazing!” marveled Marjorie.

“Thanks! You should find a name that fits your gift,”

“My super-strength…Maybe I could be Power Girl!”

“Hahaha…That’s silly. It sounds a bit too forceful,”

“Or maybe Megaton Punch Master!”

“Ouch, this one is even weirder!”

The two were laughing hard. After a moment they calmed down.

“You know, I chose the name Liberty for another reason,”

“Tell me,”

“I did because it means protection, support, security. All things I strongly believe in. I believe that each and every single American citizen is entitled to security. With my gift, I want to make them feel safe and sound. Especially in this world we live in now,”

“…”

“We thought that defeating the Axis nations would be enough to eradicate the threat of Nazism and Communism, but we were so wrong. Now, we are deep in another kind of war…a Cold War…”

“Quinnie…”

“Look at me, rambling about stuff again. Listen, I have to go for now. But think of your Champion moniker carefully! Find a name that reflects what you believe in, Margie,”

“I will!”

After Quinnie had left, Marjorie lay in her bed and stared at the ceiling. What did she believe in? Truth, justice and the American way! But, Marjorie didn’t want to use her gift to hurt anyone. No matter how evil they might be.

“I will find a way to save people without hurting anyone. Even the bad guys,” thought Marjorie.

This is America and everyone is free to do as they please. Then one word that came to Marjorie’s mind: Freedom.

Marjorie hopped off her bed and walked to a nearby mirror. She then heroically posed with her hands on her hips, looking upwards.

“The United States was founded on many principles. Chief amongst them is Freedom! That is it. I will henceforth be known as Freedom Lass!”

See this chapter's accompanying illustrations at the following link: https://tapas.io/episode/805458