Excelsior (5 page)

The apartment had all the comforts of home: television set, sofa, coffee table, twin size bed, laptop computer and a small amount of clothes easy to throw in a suitcase at a moment's notice. A wooden case the size of a shoe box was the only item in the middle of the coffee table.

Katherine always counted her blessings that Mr. and Mrs. Norris were so accommodating to have her as a tenant. They have been the perfect landlords, and she always appreciated their weekly invitations to join them for Mrs. Norris' famous meatloaf.

Katherine pressed a button on the jeweled box in the middle of the coffee table, then sat down on the sofa. A ball of light slowly rose from the small box and morphed into the form of the head and shoulders of an old man with a white beard. His eyes looked sunken in, a combination of black and gray.

“Klierra. Are you all right? You look exhausted.”

Katherine nodded and allowed herself just a hint of a smile. It had been too long since anyone referred to her as Klierra. She ran her hand through her red hair, which had already started to turn gray after only ten years on Earth. “This planet is less forgiving than our own, Acerus.”

“What has happened since you last made contact?”

Katherine took a deep breath and then answered. “The humans here have discovered the remains of Danaak. His body should have dissolved during the amount of time it had been on this planet, but it had been preserved by the jewel, just as we feared. Now that he's been uncovered, it won't be long before the jewel will start to regenerate his body.”

Acerus sucked in a deep breath before responding. “I wish you had some better news to report. What about the main reason why you have been sent there?”

“The sword has been located, but as of now, there has not been any other sign of him.”

Acerus gently rubbed his forehead. “You do realize what this means for both Earth and for us if Danaak is revived and there is no one to stop him?”

Katherine's voice trembled as she spoke up. She had never spoken like this to the High Elder. “I promised you I would find him, and I will not break that promise! I have already arranged for the sword to stay in this immediate area, so once I find him...”

Just as Katherine raised her voice, Acerus raised his. “He MUST be found! Or else there will be no one to stop Danaak from getting the sword!”

Katherine nodded. “I understand. I will not fail you.”

“Do not worry about failing me. Just find him. Do what you must.”

Katherine nodded, then hesitated before asking her next question. “Is there any news about my sister?”

Acerus’ scowl immediately started to soften. “So far, there is nothing. I am sorry.”

A tear started to slide down her right cheek. “There has to be something. They would not have just taken her to add her to the slaves they already have. Otherwise they would have taken anyone.”

“If you have not felt the connection with her being severed, then she must be alive, Klierra. Be thankful in that. A Denarian with a gift like hers must be very valuable to them.. All I can ask is that you concentrate on what must be done. Have faith that you will see her again soon.”

The hologram faded away. Katherine wiped her tears away, leaned back on the couch, then looked up at the ceiling, her mind exhausted.

After sitting still for several moments, Katherine opened up her laptop computer, logged onto the Internet and clicked on her Favorites option. The .jpeg file of a beautiful sword surrounded by velvet ropes appeared on the screen. A burly security guard stood beside the sword in the picture.

“Where are you?” Katherine whispered as she kept her eyes on the gleaming sword. As she looked at every little detail of the sword, she asked herself if she should give it one more shot. She clicked on her browser and typed in one word...

Excelsior.

The same search results as before opened on her screen, the list reminding Katherine about the many uses for the word "Excelsior" on the Internet. The word on the state flag of
New York
. The radio show host who would end his shows with “Excelsior, You Fathead.” A starship shown in a popular science-fiction film and television series named “Excelsior.” And, of course, some guy named Stan who uses the word “Excelsior” to end his columns.

But one recently listed line caught Katherine's eye, a new listing that had never been posted online before. Katherine looked closer at the monitor and saw an online comic called “Excelsior,” the main item on a web page for a Mr. Matthew Peters.

Katherine leaned forward and clicked on Matthew's web page. She sucked in her breath as she saw the comic about a man named Excelsior. A warrior who wielded a powerful sword and fought for the people of his home planet. The planet: Denab IV.

For the next two hours, Katherine clicked on every issue on this site that she could find. The details that had gone into the characters of this comic took her breath away. The life that she had known on Denab IV was illustrated for the entertainment of readers.

The more she read, the more elements she recognized. The day when one of the first generation of Denarians came in contact with the sword and absorbed Excelsior’s lifeforce, making him a man for the very first time. The first moment when he held up his sword and began to levitate, one of the only elements of his godly powers that remained when he was banished to become a human. The Krunations that tried to execute a sneak attack on Excelsior and were cut down one by one where they stood. All there, and all for readers' entertainment.

How did these stories find their way here? Who could have taken these moments that were so vividly accurate and illustrated them like this?

And who exactly was this Matthew Peters?

Katherine clicked back to the main home page, and read the latest batch of comments that were left for Matthew in regards to this most recent issue:

ExcelsiorFan97 (Registered) said – Great issue this week, man. What happens next?

RocketMan233 (Guest) said – Dude, this is pretty cool. Where’d you come up with this?

Sword of Power (Guest) said – First?

ExcelsiorFan97 (Registered) said – Hey, SOP get the [CENSORED] outt here! Go take that “Frist” crap over to Moveitime or somethin!

DenabIV (Registered) said – Hey Matt, when do we get to see his origin? I got some ideas for future issues. Should I send them to you?

RavenMortis Nemesis (Registered) said – Way to rip off King Arthur, douche!
EPIC
FAIL!

Matt’s Friend (Registered) said – Why'd you leave me to get beat up like that? We're gonna have words!

HelmetCatch85 (Guest) said – Excelsior has a beer and cheets on hsi wife!

Sword of Power (Guest) said – It’s FIRST, not FRIST you [CENSORED]!

Katherine's eyes narrowed as she read further down the page. What kind of conversation was this? And what did HelmetCatch85 mean? “Haves a beer and cheats on his wife?”

By the time Katherine reached the bottom of the page, she realized that she wouldn't get the information she needed out of these comments, especially the last ones when almost every word was censored out. So she clicked on the link that said: ABOUT ME. New text opened up on the screen, and Katherine read on…

“Matthew Peters is the creator, writer and artist of Excelsior. He had been developing this character since 2011 and now that his comic is gaining more exposure, he hopes that this will become one of the most popular characters on the Internet. He is preparing to graduate high school and will be attending
Hunter
College
in the fall to major in Communications. He lives in
New York City
.”

No word at all about his parents. Where could they fit in all of this? The mentioning of high school gave Katherine a clue of his age, but she couldn't find a picture. How was she supposed to find him?

Katherine stepped away from her computer and walked over to a black suitcase that was near her luggage. After opening it, she pulled out a small box, opened that one and reached inside. She pulled out a set of large dark goggles with two wires leading to a small control box, with the Denarian emblem stamped on the bottom. The emblem created by the Elders as a symbol for freedom featured the handle of Excelsior’s sword with the pale blue planet of Denab IV taking the place of the jewel at the end.

She walked back to the computer and began her search. “You’re almost home.”

CHAPTER 3

Matthew had just finished his third impression of a bobble-head doll, and as he jerked awake, he reached for the can of cheap generic cola to fortify him. Empty. He threw the can aimlessly at the overflowing waste paper basket beside his bedroom desk and looked down. The details of his new sketch of the Highest Elder looked just right. He let out a silent yawn and he propped his head up with one hand. Maybe one more sketch if his eyelids would just cooperate.

SLAM
!

Matt’s eyes shot open and his heart began pounding as the sound of the front door jolted him awake. What time was it? Had he missed his first class? He began fumbling in his dresser for some clean underwear when he looked out his window.

“Why is it dark?” He checked the time:
8 p.m.

Matthew let out a deep breath and sagged back into his chair. A deep gurgle reverberated in his quiet bedroom. He had gotten so caught up in his art that he forgot to eat dinner again. Matthew looked at the walls and smiled. “It was worth it.”

He didn’t have decorations on his wall; he had a universe. Excelsior’s universe. Matthew turned so his chest pressed against the back of his chair and gazed at the makeshift timeline he had created using six white sheets of paper taped together. One big blue tack stuck into the far left end of the line.

He squeezed his eyes shut and opened them a couple of times, then shook his hands as though he were flinging off water droplets. Once he felt his circulation going, Matthew stood up and propped his sketchbook up like an easel. He then took five steps away and smiled. Perfect, he thought. The eyes looked just right, weakened yet wise at the same time. And Acerus in particular looked fantastic. It wouldn’t be long in his storyline before the Elders could have their big moment in the sun. Matthew laughed a little at this ironic thought.

There was a knock on his bedroom door.

“Yeah?”

Jason Peters walked in. While Matthew didn’t care about style, even he knew that his uncle wasn’t going to be a babe magnet. “At least his shirt is clean this time,” he thought. A frayed tan corduroy sports jacket from 1983 covered Jason’s wrinkled white button-down shirt. His dark hair managed to look bewildered, as if it didn’t know which way to lie. And the hollows under his eyes were almost the same shade as his considerable stubble. Jason reached down with one hand and adjusted the belt on his droopy jeans. In spite of his scrawny frame, his gut was getting bigger.

“How’s it going, man?”

Jason pushed the comforter off the unmade bed and sat down. Matthew prepared himself to point out the work he just finished when he noticed the glass in Jason's left hand. The tumbler had three cubes of ice, half-full with an amber liquid. He didn't have to smell his uncle to recognize whiskey.

Matthew tried to hide his disappointment. “Not too bad. Shouldn't you be on a date right now?”

Jason rolled his eyes. For a second Matthew had a glimpse of how he must look when he got bored listening to Mrs. Burton. “She cancelled... again.”

“What happened this time?”

“I told her I was at the office finishing a story and I’d be there in an hour, maybe less. She called me an asshole and a liar and hung up.” He shrugged. “What can you do, right?”

Matthew tried not to sound skeptical, but he couldn't help himself. “And you were at the office, right?”

Jason nodded. “This time I really was, yeah. So what are you working on?”

Matthew smiled and handed Jason the sketchbook. His uncle carefully set down his drink and took the book. He studied the pages, nodding from time to time.

“These are the Elders, huh? I was wondering what they looked like while you’ve had them in the shadows.”

“Do you like them?” Jason's opinion regarding the comic meant a lot to him.

Jason caught Matthew’s tone and gave him a smile. “I like them a lot. I just want to make sure that you know this is what they’ll look like. You’ve been holding off on showing their full faces for so long that you’re basically building up hype. If you’re sure this look won’t disappoint, then you gotta go with it.”

Matthew nodded. “I think they’re good to go. Like you said, I have to make sure they’re worth the wait.”

“What issue are they coming out in?”

“I think I’m a couple away from revealing them. I just showed Excelsior coming back from defeating Nocterar and it’s just a little bit more time before he gets incapacitated.”

Jason stood up and walked over to the timeline on Matthew's wall. “So that would put you...” He pulled the blue tack out of the wall and moved it six inches to the right before pushing the tack back in. “...over here. When Danaak takes over, right?”

“Yup. And I didn't get to tell you, since you were... out. Working or whatever.”