Starwoman #2 by Neil Gow

Courtney has returned to Opal City, but the reception she has received from the locals has not been the one she expected. She finds herself alone in the city with both the Shade and Opal's new crime boss, Mr Fingers, keeping watch on her.

The Knight Memorial Observatory

Courtney pulls her leather coat - to call it a jacket was a little silly as it came to her knees - around her as the wind whistles around the hillside where the Observatory has been rebuilt. She rubs her hand across the commemoration plaque, allowing the untarnished brass to shine beneath.

When Theodore Knight gave his life for the people of Opal
It cemented a bond that we all knew but never believed.
This city will always have a Star watching over it
And a Knight to protect it.

Courtney shakes her head. Over the last few days she has been keeping her head down, trying to get a feel for the city and the people that live here and to her dismay, one thing has become increasingly apparent. The hero-worship that accompanies anything to do with the Starman legacy is claustrophobic. No wonder Jack was so quick to get out of here when he could! Between the Observatory that overlooks the city (complete with fifteen foot tall granite statues of fallen Starmen bearing beacon-style cosmic rods that project light into the night sky), the dozen or so streets named after various members of the Knight family and the inability for the people to apparently move on with their lives, it was like Opal City was caught in a holding pattern. Which was horrific for Courtney when you consider her rather explosive entrance into the City's life. Over the last three days, the reaction to her taking the mantle of Starwoman had grown from quiet discomfort to outright condemnation and even accusations that it was a 'crime against history'!

" You from around here, lil' lady, or are you just sight-seeing?" A walrus-moustached janitor sweeps leaves from around the plaque.

" I...I...no, sorry, I'm just passing through. I thought I would come up here and y'know, pay my respects?" Courtney shuffles her boots and tries not to catch the eye of the old man.

" That's mighty generous of you, miss. There ain't many people from out of town want to show their appreciation for what Mr. Knight and his kin did for Opal." The man sticks the shank of hisbroom under his arm and leans on it. "Say miss, don't I know you from somewhere?"

" No, no, you must be mistaken, I've never been here before."

The old man's face breaks into a warm grin. "Blue Valley - that's where I've seen you before. Years ago, I used to be a caretaker at the High School there and I'm sure you used to be there." He strokes his facial hair and twists his mouth in a pretend show of concentration.

Courtney relaxes a little. "Oh yeah, I used to be a student there, but that was a long time ago now. My name's Courtney."

" Well hello Courtney. My names Kelvin and it's an pleasure to meet you, again. So, how long have you been in Opal?"

" Only a few days."

" And are you stayin'?"

" I ..I think I am. I'm having a little trouble fitting in. It's a pretty strange place."

" Don't worry there Courtney, Opal just takes a little gettin' used to. I remember when I first moved here, I couldn't understand the way things were but soon enough I got with the flow. Opal's just like any other city, you've got to find it's pulse - listen to the way it breathes - when you do that, you'll find your place."

Courtney smiles and nods slowly. " Thanks for the words of wisdom Kelvin. Maybe I'll see you around later?"

" I'd bet on it, lil' lady." Kelvin starts to brush again and Courtney begins to walk back down the hill. When she is far enough away so that she can't hear, Kelvin turns and whispers after her. " And ignore what they say about you, kid. You're going to do a great job...Starwoman."

The Home of Mr. Fingers

" Has word gone out yet? I'm not seeing the requisite level of activity amongst the scum as I would have expected?" Mr Fingers runs his hands through the hair of the young blonde that was rubbing the inside of his leather clad calf. " I hope that they aren't having second thoughts?"

" No, no...the word has gone out sir. I think the eh..scum, are just biding their time. Formulating plans, as it were." The sweaty balding minion before Mr Fingers dabs his forehead with a crumpled handkerchief.

Fingers laughs out loud. " You really are a miserable specimen, aren't you? Formulate a plan? They could no more forumlate a plan than this gorgeous specimen in my lap." The woman just looks up and mouths something in some Eastern European dialect. " Yes, yes, pretty one, I am talking about you."

" We have had word that a couple of gentlemen from outside of the city have heard about your offer and are very interested in fulfilling your requirements."

" Well that's a relief isn't it? Who is it? No..no..don't tell me, the anticipation will make it better, I'm sure. Now, onto more important things." He grabs the woman by the hair and toss her aside. " Bothersome. Attractive but bothersome. Have the preperations been made for my acquisitions?"

" Yes, yes they have. We have the guards bribed, the plans sorted, the timetables fixed and we've even got the top South African gem cutter on hand. When the Star of Babylon enters the Opal City Museum, our people will acquire it and split it into twelve pieces, which should slip easily into the world's diamond markets, amassing you ... another... small fortune."

Fingers rubs his hands together. " Excellent. Now, the other matter?"

The balding man has stopped sweating and produces a small palmtop computer from his jacket. He taps the screen and then hands it to Mr. Fingers. " The contract has been signed and our people are ready. As soon as the diamond transactions are completed and the funds transferred, we will remove the Big Man from Midway City and we can begin our expansion."

" My expansion. My expansion....yes, soon what I started here will spread across the United States. Soon, I truly will have a finger in every pie. A finger... it was a joke?"

The balding man chuckles nervously and backs away from Fingers.

McCready's Bar

"And now I think I'll have just one more shot before I hit the road, Harvey" The man's dirty blonde hair flops forward as he hangs his head down, only to flick it and his head back to reveal a cheeky grin. "And make it a large one because I'm having one of those days."

" It can't be any worse than my day, Mickey. Business has been very quiet around here." The barman slowly swirls the cloth in his hand around the inside of the glass.

" Why do you do that?"

" The tourists expect it. They see an old bar like this and when they walk in they expect to see the barman wiping a glass. Better than me scratching my ass?"

" Harvey McCready, as a shining example to bachelors around the world, you are second to none." Both men laugh out loud, missing the gentle tinkle of the bell above the door of the bar. The two men that enter are uncouth looking, rough at the edges, wearing long jackets and shifty looks.

" Can I help you guys?" Harvey turns to them, his hand still wedged into the glass. Both men look startled and then pull guns from under their jackets. One is a old revolver and the other is a swan-off shotgun.

" Give us your man, fat man, or I'll pop you and the pretty boy!" The one with the shotgun brings it up, switching his aim between the barman and Mickey, nervously, whilst the one with the revolver moves around to the till. Mickey just pushes his glass to the side and holds his hands up.... and then a haze falls over his eyes. The smell of acrid cigar smoke and cheap perfume fills his nostrils and in the back of his mind he can hear the plinky-plonky music of a bady tuned piano. His eyes run over the two robbers with practiced ease. His heart stops pounding and he lowers his hands to his sides, feeling for guns which just aren't there.

The man with the pistol spins around and leans over the bar, waving the gun in his face. " Hands up, you mother! Hands up!"

" Don't you go wavin' that shooter around unless your willin' to use it, boy." His last word is drawn out longer than it usually would be.

" You stupid fu.."

Mickey's hand whips up like a striking snake and grabs the pistol, twisting it and dislocating three of the robbers fingers. He spins on his seat and fans the pistol, sending a rain of bullets across the bar. He hits his target, catching the other robber in the hand, blowing the shotgun out across the floor. Both men are now on their knees, screaming from their injuries. " Now barkeep, about that drink?"

And then he collapses off his stool, unconscious.

The Adelphi Buildings

Courtney drops three cartons of takeaway onto the box that she is using as a table until the rest of the furniture arrives. She slumps on her sofa and tears the top off the fried rice. She never knew that job hunting could be this much hard work. Traditionally, super-hero types don't work. They have an mega-powerful organisation sponsoring them, or a stipend paid by some mysterious benefactor. Even those that do have really great, heavily 'freelance' jobs that let them take time off to , oh, visit Apokolips and wrestle Darkseid. Cool jobs like photographers, journalists, fashion models or research scientists. So far today, she had received three half-offers, pending her finding someone to act as a reference for the last three years of her life. The first one was in a pizza restaurant, the second as a drug store attendent and the last one was stacking shelves at a supermarket. No college degree, no experience and no references. Even McDonalds turned her down because she was too old!

She stops halfway through scooping more rice into her mouth as she hears the door to her apartment open. If this was another one of the landlords little social calls she would just have to punch him. She sits up and turns to see a tall, dark haired woman, dressed in a rather chic purple-patterned wraparound shirt and plain baggy black pants. The woman smiles at her, and in a still-recognisable asian accent says " Well, if it isn't the most elusive woman on the planet?!"

" Kiku!!" Courtney leaps up and runs across her apartment, spilling food everywhere, and flings her arms around her old friend.

" Now that's the sort of welcome a girl could get used to! How you doing Court?" Kiku wriggles free of Courtney's grasp and jumps over the back of the sofa, stretching her legs out. "Oh wow - it is so nice to take the weight off my feet!"

" What are you doing here? I mean... you should have called..or.."

Kiku looks around the sparse apartment. " Courtney, have you got a phone connected yet?"

" Uhhmm...no. It's been a bit frantic."

" Exactly. If I'd announced I was coming, you would have ran around trying to get the place nice and clean and homely and probably tried to lay on some food and who knows what else. I know you, Courtney Whitmore." Kiku laughs. "Anyway, if you knew I was coming, no doubt they would have found out as well."

" And who are they?"

" The press. The fans. The pilgrims. I take it when you went off on your little voyage of discovery you gave up on the news and stuff like that? Very puritan. I've kept my place in the Justice Society for three years now and after that business with the salvation of Bahdnesia and everything last year, it's all gone a bit mad."

" How mad?"

" Oh let's see. I was voted the third sexiest woman in the world last month. I get flowers everyday from a certain blonde haired Hollywood star who is besotted by me. I've been offered a seven figure recording contract.."

" You?!"

" Exactly! And to tap it off, there is a hardcore of the more religious Bahdnesians that believe I'm their holy saviour. If I don't keep a low profile I have these little bald guys trying to cast lotus petals in front of me and the chanting. Please - enough with the chanting!"

Courtney giggles. " And you just hate it, don't you?"

" Hell no! It's great but it just gets on top of me a little bit. Too much.." Kiku laughs and reaches down onto the low table, scooping up a carton of takeaway. " You eat this stuff?"

" Yes."

" That doesn't look natural?"

Courtney grabs the carton and scoops a little into her mouth. "Please don't tell me the Island Girl has gone all native. Beefburgers and french fries for you now? I've spread my wings over the last few years." Courtney chews down and then stops suddenly and looks around. " Hang on Kiku, there's something very wrong here?"

" What?" Kiku rolls off the sofa and couches, listening for whatever Courtney has heard.

" Where is he?"

" Who?"

" You know who! MZ!?!"

" Ah! MZ! The T-bolt Boy Wonder is off on some Society business. He's pretty independent nowadays, for a t-bolt."

" Is he still 'yours'?"

" Oh yeah, sure, but for the most part we've stopped all of that 'you-do-what-I-say' stuff. He's quite the hero now. Even has his own action figure. Cute little thing it is as well. I assume I can sit down again?"

" Sure." Courtney slips down onto the sofa next to Kiku." So what have you been up to? What's happening in the JSA."

" Girl, I didn't come all this way to tell you stuff you can find out on the 'Net....sorry, forgot, no time=no connection....anyway, I came here to catch up with you. You just disappeared on us all. We were worried." Kiku picks up a newspaper off the floor and waves it at Courtney. " And what's this all about? 'Starwoman a menace!'. What have you been doing wrong?"

Courtney tucks her feet up under her and settles down for the duration. " I had to get away from it all. It was all getting too much for me. The fame, the pressure, the ... well, the legacy. I missed out on college so that I could be a superhero and then I realised how much I had missed. My heart just wasn't in it. So I decided to disappear for a while. Do some travelling. See place, meet people.."

" Men?""

" Obsessive"

" So sue me!"

" Yes, 'men' but places moreso. I went to Africa and Australia. I spent a lot of time in Asia as well. I even managed to spend some time in Bahdnesia. Nice place. I just wanted to disappear, and I did."

" For three years! That's some disappearing! The only way we managed to calm everyone down was by asking MZ to let us know that you were alive. He was remarkably reluctant.."

Courtney giggles. " Before I left I told him I would ground him if you ever wished me back."

" Figures. The threaten of uber-violence from a strong woman has always over-ridden my control over him. He's such a dweeb sometimes."

" And that's it. I travelled, I saw places and then I came back."

" To Opal?"

" I had to. When Jack passed his legacy onto me he entrusted me with this city. I owe it to him to try my best to make a go of it. It's just that ... well, if your name isn't Knight in this town, the people don't seem to think you have the right to protect them. In fact, they downright resent it."

" Star."

" What?"

" Star. The word they want is Star - not Knight. It's not a Knight thing. Sure, the Knights were the Stars for a while, but the Star-thing is the thing that gets them going. You need to be the Star, not a Knight."

" Excuse me, but since when has Kiku Thunder become some sort of expert in superhero things."

" Please! I'm a member of the Justice Society and this sort of thing is all Alan talks about. There's barely a day goes by that we don't get one of his lectures about 'the responsibility of power' or 'the importance of legacy'." Both women burst out laughing and hug each other " It's good to see you again Court!"

" You too Kiku!"

" Say, have you got any dessert for this?"

" No fridge."

" Of course. OK, lets go out for dessert. It's my treat."

" Where?"

" Where else?"

The Local I-C-Yog

" THIS is the 'bankrupt frozen yoghurt empire' that you never stopped complaining about when we were kids?" The two women stand in the middle of a huge open-plan internet cafe-cum-fast food hall. All around the room there are young people surfing the holo-net and eating frozen yoghurt. Courtney picks up a menu and runs her finger down the selection. " I was the guinea pig for some of these?!"

" Uncle Johnny called it serendipity, but I just call it being in the right place at the right time. When the smoothie bubble burst and there was that scare about eating too much fruit, I was in the position to buy back the remnants of what Peachy had ruined. MZ suggested we hook it up with some holo-net stuff and voila - the fastest growing food chain in the USA! And they all belong to me."

" You really have got it together, haven't you?" Courtney looks away from Kiku, hoping her friend doesn't detect the jealousy in her voice.

" Court... I can't say I haven't. After all the crap I had to go through when I was a teenager, this is what? Karmic payoff. I just wish.." Her wish is cut off when the huge front window of the shop shatters and implodes, sending shards of glas flying through the diners. Blood sprays everywhere and the room is filled with screams. Mothers grab their children to their chests and dive to the floor as bullets flying around the room.

Kiku waits for a pause in the fire and rolls from behind a pillar to stand in the middle of the room. As she springs to her feet she throws off jacket and takes a fighting stance. Facing her is a man easily seven feet tall, dressed in black and grey camoflagued combats. His head is encased in a black helmet, with infra-red scopes and other miscellaneous technology. His hands appear to have been removed and have been replaced with weapons - guns, blades, launchers - a walking arsenal of death.

" I want Starwoman. Now."

Kiku extends her hand and beckons him forwards. " This is my shop and you do not do that to my customers."

" Says who, little girl?" The assassin raises his hand and a red spot appears in Kiku's forehead as the targetting system locks on.

" You know, I love it when you guys say that? It makes it so much easier. Say's Who? Sez.." A hand covers her mouth before she can say the magic words that will summon MZ, the thunderbolt to her aid.

" This is my town Kiku, I'll taker it from here..."

Courtney stands in front of Kiku with her arms by her sides, palms out, facing the assassin. Her leather coat has been pulled back, so that he can see the Cosmic Converter belt around her waist. Slimmer and less obvious than the original, but still as potent. Her face is calm and still as she takes steady, controlled breaths, focusing her soul on the guns. Concentrate like you learned.

" You don't look so tough now, missy. The Boss said you might be trouble, but I don't think so." An arrogant laugh comes from beneath the helmet and the assassin lets the guns on both hands fire. A torrent of bullets and mini-missiles are released towards Courtney. Everything seems to slow down. Kiku screams. The customers scream. The assassin laughs. Courtney brings her hands swinging around in two small circles until they are level to her chest and then pushes them out. Her speed is amazing.

Stars flying from her hands, exploding against the barrage of bullets. Where they hit the bullets drop dead on the floor. Courtney does well - almost perfect - but she misses one mini-missile, which explodes at her feet and sends her flying backwards, scattering stools left and right as she crashed through them.

" You need help Court?!" Kiku screams across the din.

Courtney wipes some blood from her lip, looks down at it on her hand and shakes her head. " I've got him just where I want him." With a flex of her back she flips back onto her feet and springs up and over another burst of gunfire. The assassin shakes his head and fires a grenade towards a group of bystanders. Courtney's eyes widen as she spins to save them, but the distraction worked and a small blade is released from the guns and pierces her shoulder.

She screams and falls to the ground as the grenade explodes. She closes her eyes and slams her fist into the ground. She looks up and sees the carnage. She sees Kiku lying on the ground with a gash in her forehead. People are dead - because she wouldn't take any help. Tears flood into her eyes as she feels the assassin standing over her. She hears the click of the guns. This can't be the end.

" Time to die, Starwoman."

"Rod!" Courtney screams it as loud as she can. She didn't have to but her outburst had the desired effect - to stall the assassin for a second. Courtney's flat is opposite the I-C-Yog but even so, the sound of the shattering window is lost amidst the screams of the injured and dying. The assassin puts the gun array to Courtney's head just as the Cosmic Rod slams into his spine, at full speed. He buckles and drops to one knee, spinning to see his unknown assailant. Country scoots out from beneath him and the rod swings around into her grasp. She concentrates and two bubbles of energy form around his modified hands. Before he can reply with some pithy comment she slams the bottom of the rod into the faceplate of the helmet and then drives the spiked top into the man's guts. She twists it and pulls it out, leaving him bleeding and screaming. A large combat boot smashes into his face and he falls unconscious.

Courtney looks down at him and feels nothing. She hears nothing. Smells nothing. Everything is dead to her apart from her pain. They will come and she will have to pay. She knows that. It's just a matter of ...

" STARWOMAN!" She is shocked from her trance by a screaming mother holding the limp form of her daughter. Blood is dripping from her stomach. " She's alive! Please - do something?!"

Courtney looks around at the carnage. At all the people looking at her for help. They need her now. She gathers the child in her arms and rises from the ground. " Someone call 911. I'll get the kid to a hospital. I promise" And she flies off into the night.

The Home of Mr Fingers

" He failed." Mr Fingers snaps a chicken leg in half and hurls it across the room towards his two pacing Dobermans.

" Yes, yes ... she was apparently more resourceful and ..well, brutal, than we expected. " His balding minion cowers at the end of the table.

" Double the bounty. Get me professionals. I warn you, if I have to do this myself, someone - and yes, I mean you - is going to pay."

The balding man whimpers audibly and dashes for the door as another chicken bone pings off the back of his head.

Opal City General Hospital

Courtney has been ferrying people to the hospital for an hour now and she is exhausted. Not physically, but mentally. The pain on their faces weighs on her like chains. She could have avoided this. She is standing in the hospital foyer, waiting for word on Kiku. The doctor's said that she just had a cut and a concussion, nothing serious. That was a bonus. Three people had died in the attack. One teenage girl called Yasmin. One man called Peter and ... the police have had to call in forensics to help identify what's left of the person who took the blast of the grenade.Twenty five people were injured in the attack.

" Ex..Ex..excuse me?" A hand taps Courtney's shoulder and she turns to see the woman who had given her the child.

" I'm so sorry. So very sorry!" It was all Courtney could think to say.

" Tania's fine. The doctors have operated on her and they say that she should make a full recovery. They say that if you hadn't got her here so quickly, she would have died. You saved my baby's life!" The woman grabs Courtney and hugs her tightly. " Thank you, Ms Knight!"

Courtney opens her mouth to correct the woman, but then she closes it. Not today. Not now.

" I'm sorry to interrupt you, but I'm afraid we have to talk." A red-haired man in a suit places his hand on the emotiinal woman's shoulder. He looks old, but rugged. He isn't someone to mess with. " My name's O'Dare. Police Commissioner Clarence O'Dare. It appears the city has a debt of gratitude to you, young lady. You saved a lot of people's lives tonight."

Courtney looks sheepishly away. " They shouldn't have died."

" I know. I know. Believe me when I say that it's not something that you get used to and it's noth something that you ever should get used to. I should know. Listen Starwoman."

" Courtney. Please, call me Courtney."

O'Dare sighs and lowers his voice. " You are Starwoman, and if you want to pull this off you're going to be Starwoman to everyone and anyone. We O'Dares, we have a thing with whoever wears the Star, so please, don't think of me as an enemy, I'm not. I know a lot of the media folk have been kicking up a fuss about you coming here and taking up the mantle. I say tell them to go smoke it - you're the real deal, young woman. But you've upset someone big in Opal. Appears that the hired thug that shot up the diner was looking for a bounty that's been placed on your head. A big one."

Courtney looks up and almost laughs " A bounty? Dead or alive? You're kidding me - that doesn't still go on does it?"

" No it doesn't. This one is a wholly one-way thing. They want you dead."

" Who wants me dead?"

O'Dare looks around, as if he suspects they are being listened to. " We can't be certain, and even if we were, it's routed through too many fronts to ever pin it on him, but we reckon that it might be a guy called 'Mr Fingers'. He's a smooth operator. I reckon he's the source of maybe 20% of the crime in Opal, but we can't pin him for a parking ticket never mind anything else.

" Mr Fingers eh? Thanks O'Dare." Courtney turns and walks towards the door.

" Where are you going? You're not going to do anything stupid?" O'Dare makes to follow her but she is already in mid-air.

" Don't worry Clarenece. I've got a city to protect - a city that hasn't been protected for a while. I think it's time I got a little bit more active. It's time for the Star to shine!" And with that she zooms off into the night.

Next Issue: Starwoman#3 - Courtney decides to take the battle to Mr Fingers but discovers that he isn't as easy a catch as she suspected. The Shade makes his first judgement upon her, and Mickey Scalphunter discovers that not all women are what they appear.

Guiding Star

We have a winner! James Hickson suggested the above lettercol title and thus has earned himself the dubious honour of becoming a supporting character in Starwoman. I'm stunned anyone took up the offer after the mauling I gave Dreslinkski in Jesse and Jade, so well done to James for being so brave!

Reaction to Starwoman has been pretty positive and no-one has complained yet about the slightly bumper size of each issue (this one coming in at just under 5000 words!). It's also great to see that in the upcoming JSA maxi-series, DC have decided to 'age' Courtney up to 'Stargirl' rather than the unwieldy 'Star Spangled Kid'

Well, have a good Christmas everyone and see you next time!

Bye

Neil