Academy #2 - "Leap of Wraith" - copyright 1994 by Dave Van Domelen A Coherent Comics UnIncorporated Production ============================================================================ [cover shows two shadowy figures falling down a seemingly infinite shaft, bird's eye view. Both figures seem to be female, but neither is very sharply defined. A corner banner at the bottom proclaims, "Also this issue: World Politics"] ============================================================================ Selected Sections from _Modern History_ Cliff's Notes (TM), 2021 Edition [Note: ellipses enclosed in brackets are used to indicate deleted text] The Godmarket ------------- [...] The most important thing to realize about the effects of the Godmarket is the social classes targeted most strongly. Everyone knows that the poorest in every society flocked to these new gods, seduced by the promises of a good life, or even a not-insufferable life. Especially hard hit were the poor of advanced countries, who had access to all the varied methods of recruiting used by the gods (television being a major method). In less-developed countries, people who would otherwise have been claimed as worshippers were saved simply because they had yet to hear of the new gods. Experts have estimated that for every day more between the start of the Godmarket and the Causality Wars, another 100,000 would have died. But the poor stand out because there were so many, and so many of them died. But almost as important in causing the turmoil of the remainder of the century were the very rich. As has happened throughout history, the rich got involved with religion as a means of increasing their personal power. The loss of so many powerful business and political leaders at a time when their power was so desperately needed made the situation all the worse. Nations without a strong middle class ceased to exist for all practical purposes. When the poor and the rich are all there are, their loss means everyone is gone. This was exacerbated by the "miracles" performed in many of the more stratified countries, ensuring that everyone did know about the gods there. Whether an emergent nation survived at all depended largely on whether it had any "native" gods that sought to win back their old geographical locations. However, few nations were so without modern telecommunications as to be totally spared. And the revolutions that rocked many of the survivors once the technologically-endowed elite died killed tens of thousands more. But that's another section. [...] The North American Combine -------------------------- [Publisher's Note: this section contains material previously not cleared for publication in North American editions.] The roots of the North American Combine were humble enough, but the final product was to prove a conspiracy theorist's greatest vindication and also greatest rebuttal. In the 1970's and 1980's, a series of Executive Orders established broader powers for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Some pointed out that these broad powers could lead to a "shadow government" supplanting democracy in a time of crisis, and never letting go. Others claimed this was mad rambling, and that crises like Hurricane Andrew and the devastating firestorms of 1978 (started by a group of flame-using superterrorists) proved the need for a strong FEMA. FEMA quickly established ties to the Department of SuperHuman Affairs, due to the large number of artificial disasters brought on by the Third Heroic Age. Meanwhile, Canada and Mexico, without strong SuperHuman Affairs departments of their own, developed de facto ties with DSHA. These ties were formalized in a much-publicized rider to the North American Free Trade Act, giving the United States large discretionary powers in dealing with superhumans in all three countries. In the end, budgetary concerns helped NAFTA past the other two governments, since the only real alternative was to spend billions on their own programs. Over the next few years after NAFTA, FEMA got more and more involved in Canada and Mexico, being more able to get on the scene quickly than the local agencies and following in on the DSHA's coattails. They always pulled out once local emergency relief was in place, but they were becoming a normal sight outside the United States. There was some grumbling, especially from Canadians, but most people were simply glad to have the help. Then the Causality Wars hit. Even in Canada, as much as 15% of the population was killed. 23% of the United States died (although a smaller percentage of legal residents) and 60% or more of Mexico and other Latin American nations died immediately. Worse, much of the higher governmental structure had vanished (see section on the Godmarket for reasons). FEMA stepped in immediately, being run mainly but mid-level bureaucrats and designed to function without a 'head.' When it became apparent that no superhumans existed anymore, the DSHA personnel stepped in wherever FEMA needed people. After a few weeks, it became apparent that a government was needed. The military, weakened by massive losses (despite official orders, over half of the enlisted men ended up worshipping Ares or Thor) also lacked a clear legal authority to step in and take over. The remaining officer corps was reluctant to play the part of military Junta, and went looking for a government. Congress was almost gone, however, and President Quayle (see "The 1990's" for how the Two Term Limit was repealed to allow him to serve his third term) had been a powerful Superhuman and thus victim of the Causality Wars. In stepped FEMA again. It had the structure, it had the personnel and most importantly it had the legal authority. FEMA assumed full governmental powers for the duration of the crisis, a crisis which only recently has been officially declared over. It's uncertain exactly how Canada and Mexico got drawn in, but it is known that by the time FEMA assumed full powers (October 12, 1998) it had already set up disaster relief in both nations. The ruling PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party) in Mexico had already been rocked by the electoral scandals of 1994 and the ensuing minor revolts, and was totally destroyed by the Godmarket. The only remaining Mexican power structure, its Army, was convinced to take orders from FEMA with a minimum of trouble, and Canada followed suit soon after. After the immediate riots and famines had been brought under control, a process that took nearly two years, it became apparent that the FEMA structure was the best government they could hope to have for the near future, especially given the rise of several warlords in South America and the threat of the Chinese. Delegates from FEMA and the remnants of the legitimate governments of Canada and Mexico met in St. Louis, chosen for its central location, and the North American Combine was officially born. The Articles of Combination were signed on January 1, 2001, creating a single government to control the three nations. In structure, the Articles were a mixture of parts of the United States Constitution and FEMA's operating guidelines. States and Provinces were shifted one step down the political ladder, with the three former nations now having the powers reserved to states and the Combine as a whole operating as a Federal government. Some of the smaller former States and Provinces (now called Districts officially, although the old titles are still used) were merged, such as New England District, Maritimes District and Appalachia District. A structure borrowing from the Bill of Rights and Canadian Precedent was established, but the Combine government could suspend any part of it during a state of emergency, and at first suspended it all. At this time (2021), all but Article 2 (Freedom of Religion) and Article 34 (Equal Rights for Homo Sapiens Magi) have been put into effect. There has been little public demand for enactment of Article 2, as the Godmarket is still fresh in the minds of some, and Article 34 may never come into effect. On the other hand, although the rights are not guaranteed, neither have they been seriously violated since 2014. Since 2001, the Combine has moved fairly steadily back towards the democracy from which it was born, with the exception of a brief backslide in 2013-2014 after the Big One destroyed a large portion of southern California District. It hasn't gotten there yet, but the fact that this can be published shows it's making progress. It is speculated that pressures from other nations in the United World organization over the past three years is primarily responsible for activation of Article 1, Freedom of Expression. Especially given the powers that the UW has over the Internet. This will be discussed at greated length in the new section on the UW. [...] Eurasian Union -------------- Europe was already making hesitant steps towards economic unity before 1998 with the EC, or European Community. However, the dislocation brought about by the Causality Wars made something like the EC a necessity for survival. The charismatic Lenard Duvallier was one of the few major political leaders in Europe not to be tempted by the Godmarket. Some say because internationalism was his religion and he would not abandon it so easily. In any case, he was largely responsible for making the EC a reality in 2002. In 2003, the economically devastated former Soviet Republics petitioned for membership, offering great natural resources but insufficient capital or skill to exploit them. For although Western Europe had a modest 12% death rate from the Causality Wars, Eastern Europe lost anywhere from 40% to 80% of its population, depending on the region. India and its neighbors followed suit, wishing protection from the increasingly insular and threatening China. Following the example of the North American Combine, the Eurasian Union was formed, with the backing of Duvallier, who saw it as just another step towards his dream of a world government. On May 5, 2005, the Eurasion Union was formed as a tightly bound economic union but a loosely bound political body. As a result, the Union quickly took on plutocratic characteristics, with the richer nations flexing their muscles in the poorer nations. A brief war broke out over Bangladesh as China tried to absorb that nation as it had Korea and all of Southeast Asia, but the Union gave up Bangladesh as part of a treaty to ensure Japan's safety from Chinese domination. Japan joined the Union in 2010 after several years of de facto membership. As the result of being a primarily economic structure, the rights of citizen varied from state to state, although certain commerce-related rights were guaranteed throughout the Union. Over time it became more convenient to have if not the same laws, similar laws throughout the Union, and such were changed to suit. The result is similar to the old British Commonwealth, with certain laws and rights taken as guaranteed without an actual declaration of rights. Some attempts have been made at creating Articles similar to those in the Combine, but with limited success. The philosophy being one of "if it isn't seriously broken, don't fix it." Despite this, the Union remains the strongest hotbed of pro-United World sentiment on the planet, due in no small part to Duvallier's rousing promotion of the body. [...] The People's Republic of China ------------------------------ Much less is known of this nation than most are comfortable with, as it withdrew into a Cold War-era insularity at the turn of the century. No reliable figures on their losses are available, and offical statements of less than 3% losses are seriously doubted. Most estimates fluctuate between 40% and 75% losses for the Chinese. What is known about China is that their armed forces survived quite well, as demonstrated by their annexation of North and South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Laos, Kampuchea, Borneo, Burma, the Malay Republic, portions of far Eastern Russia, Kazakh and Uzbek by 2001. Formation of the Eurasian Union, plus the threat of nuclear reprisal once central authority over such weapons was reestablished halted China's empire-building drive, but not before Bangladesh and the Philippines fell under their hegemony. It is strongly suspected that China trades with the Pranir, although not to the extent that Khadam does. Social conditions are estimated to be roughly the same as in the early 1960s, although there is apparently more capitalism in their economy. Experts believe that China's Communist government has been reduced to figurehead status and that the real power is the military, a belief supported by their capitalistic leanings and the fact that Hong Kong is still a major port city (although no longer as free as it once was). China is the largest nation not to join the United World. [...] Australia --------- Relatively unaffected by all of the turmoil of the past two decades, Australia maintains strong ties to both the Eurasian Union and the North American Combine because of the constant threat of China to the north. The government in Canberra has resisted joining either of these two bodies, and as a nation the Australians seem to take a perverse pleasure in maintaining their independence while teasing the Union and Combine with occasional hints of leaning one way or the other. Australia has joined the United World, which has reduced pressures from the Union and the Combine to join them specifically. [...] South America and Africa ------------------------ These two continents suffered perhaps the greatest percentage losses in the Causality Wars. It is estimated that fully 94% of Africans and 86% of South Americans died, either in the Wars or in the smaller bloodbaths that immediately followed. As a result, there are no real governments on either continent, with the exception of Khadam and parts of the Moslem Coalition in northern Africa. Petty warlords rule segments of both continents, drawing from tribal structure in Africa and from the Drug Trade's structure in South America. Certain parts of both continents have been carved up by corporations and exist as "company towns" for the sole purpose of extracting resources from the land. None of these pseudo-nations are members of the United World, although some fall under the laws of member nations. [...] Moslem Coalition ---------------- The aftermath of the Godmarket and Causality Wars succeeded in unifying most of Islam under the fundamentalist banner, with differences between Shiite and Sunni put aside for the first time in a millenium or more. Many nations with high Moslem populations were annexed by China or joined the Eurasian Union, but the Middle East hung together and formed a single Theocracy. Despite defensive use of its small nuclear arsenal, Israel was overwhelmed and retreated to Cyprus, where the government and many of the people continue to live as a nation in exile. The Moslem Coalition joined the United World in 2019 as a provisional member, due to strong opposition to certain aspects of the world government. As the climate becomes more relaxed with time, it is expected that the Coalition will eventually become a full member. [...] The United World ---------------- Founded in 2018, the United World is a stronger world government than the United Nation was in many respects. It has great powers in dealing with extraterrestrial matters (such as the Pranir smugglers) and in International Law. This includes making it the only real body with power over the Internet. Unlike the UN, the UW delegates are elected by the people of the member countries (one of the major sticking points with the Moslem Coalition). For every 10 million citizens, a nation gets one delegate. Geographical blocks of 10 million people at a time are drawn up by the member nations, but must be approved by a UW committee (drawing up the districts alone delayed signing of the treaty by 3 years). Thus, between the current member nations, there are 178 delegates, representing all the various groups within each nation. The United World meets in Perth, Australia, a location chosen due to Australia's neutrality with respect to the two member superpowers. Thus, despite having only two delegates, Australia is able to wield noticeable influence in the UW due to the infamous phenomenon known as "access." [...] ============================================================================= The Central Core of the Academy was one of the more impressive pieces of architecture in the modern world. Nearly a mile deep and a hundred meters across, it was originally filled with massive powerplants and security devices designed to keep in even the most powerful of supervillains. It was the feature that gave Northwoods Correctional Institute its nickname, "The Pit." Now, with the structure being used for less security-intensive purposes and with much reduced power requirements, the majority of the shaft had been cleared out and provided a breathtaking view. The bottom third was plugged by the geothermal taps that now powered the whole complex, and the few living areas at that level had been largely abandoned as too costly to keep at a comfortable temperature. A few upperclassmen who were able to ignore the heat (or even thrived on it) and valued their privacy had recently been allowed to take up residence in some of the lower areas. But Jen Kleinvogel never really liked the depths. She preferred soaring in the sky above, sometimes even reaching heights where she couldn't breathe comfortably. But tonight it was raining heavily, a real sky-opener thunderstorm. And she knew from experience that long before she could get above the roiling clouds of such a storm she'd be totally drained...if not electrocuted by the lightning which passed between the clouds. So she settled for the upper reaches of the Central Core. It wasn't as free as outside, but it was dry, and large enough for her to get at least some straight-flight time. The biggest problem she had with using the Core was that the walkways all around it were shielded to prevent people from falling out. A half mile was a long way down, after all. But that meant she had to enter and leave the Core at the very bottom. That, or find a maint guy and get him to open one of the service hatches. Neither option was terribly convenient, especially at night. Jen alit on a small ledge set into an elevator tube for use by the repair staff and looked down. Something like a thousand meters straight down onto the heat shielding over the geotap. She could faintly make out the marks made by the engineers planning installation of a new anti-gravity cushion...whenever someone could figure out how to make a reliable one, that is. Maybe when that got installed (if ever) they'd open up the Core a little and she wouldn't have to take the 'vator all the way down to get in. Essay built one for a final project last winter, but it conked out as soon as she got more than a hundred meters or so away. Her eyes travelled up the plexwalled shaft, idly watching the elevators doing their slow dance, automatically moving between the floors, occasionally stopping to pick up someone.... Then she saw someone falling in the Core. She sprang from her perch and tried to make out who the person was even has her mind almost automatically computed a flight path that would let her intercept the target with a minimum of damage to both. It was hard to see through her own antigravity field, like wearing really dark sunglasses. The effect worked both ways, making her look like a shadow or ghost in flight. Her conscious mind made the identification just a fraction of a second too late to tell her body. It was Lana Smith, one of the younger kids. And a Ghoster, able to become phantasmal. It explained how she got into the Core, but also let her fall right through Jen's grasp. Sparing no time to curse herself out, Jen dove for the younger woman, remembering as she arrowed down that Lana was the same age as Essay's cousin, the one who Burned Out today. Could that have made the girl jump? But the psychs should have counselled anyone close to Carlos, right? Jen caught up and grabbed Lana around the waist, pumping her agrav field to the maximum to keep Lana from slipping through again. On the plus side, Lana's control over her Ghosting power wasn't good enough to let her ignore gravity fields, and while this meant she could keep falling Ghosted, it also meant Jen could grab her if she tried. On the minus side, to be sure of not letting go, Jen had to generate a really strong agrav field, and the two shot upwards. Not only was this taking them farther from safety at the bottom of the shaft, Jen had maybe three seconds before the pair splattered against the roof of the Core. Jen's field might keep her from being hurt, but she doubted she could keep her grip through a collision like that. Only one real option. Jen shifted her hold and snapped Lana's head sharply to one side in a modified sleeper hold Grind had taught her. She felt Lana go limp and cut power just in time to bounce jarringly off the ceiling. Jen wracked her brain. Did Lana have Advanced Recovery powers? It might explain why she tried such a drastic method, since the more common suicide approaches wouldn't necessarily kill her. But it did mean Lana could wake up in seconds. "Damn!" Jen spat. They still hadn't installed the "Panic Button" system inside the Core. She could hope someone saw them and hit the alert, but Jen's own powers made her hard to spot. Only choice was to hope she could get them down to the bottom before Lana woke up and took a faster route. Turned out Lana was a fast healer. This time Jen was a little more ready for it, though, and tried something she'd been thinking about practicing lately. And when she did it, she really wished she'd done more than think about practice. Jen's power let her generate both gravity and antigravity sheaths around herself. Normally she'd use one at a time, relying on the winglike shape of the sheath to maneuver. Sometimes, when she needed to turn on a dime, she'd create a small area of opposite field and use it like someone running down stairs would grab the railing to make a turn. But it had always been a small field compared to the main one. Now, however, she generated maximum agrav on her upper torso and maximum grav on her lower torso and legs. This let her hold onto Lana quite firmly without rocketing either up or down. Unfortunately, it hurt like hell. And Jen couldn't keep the two pulls balanced very well, and started bobbing up and down. She couldn't keep this up for long. "Lana!" she hissed through clenched teeth. "Stop fighting me! Whatever it is, it's not worth killing yourself over!" Great, Jen thought. That sounded like something out of a bad movie. Lana was sobbing something, nearly incoherently, as she struggled. Her eyes were squeezed shut and she shook her head back and forth as if she hoped that it, at least, could break free and fall. Jen could make out the name "Carlos." "Lana, I know Carlos's death has to be hard on all of you...all of us. But...." Lana's sobbing turned into screams. "But nothing! I LOVED him! We were going to be MARRIED!" Her tone abruptly grew quiet and reluctant. "I'm carrying his baby...." Shit-Damn-Hell.... They must have kept the relationship secret, otherwise the psychs would have made sure she was under observation and getting loads of counselling. Not too hard to do, really, when one of the people in the relationship can Ghost. Jen really didn't know what to say. If she was in Lana's place, and her age, she might have flown up into a cloud and then just let go too. Suddenly, Jen felt something in her gut snap, a burning pain that shocked her into letting go of Lana. The pain kept her from focusing...she fell too, maybe a little slower, but she fell. A red haze started to fill her view. She started to black out from internal injuries, and thought to herself, "I wonder what they'll make of *this* pair of corpses...." Was she still falling? Her vision had gone from red to a sort of grey, but she was pretty sure the wind was whipping past just as fast, she could feel it. But why wasn't anything moving? Ah, now it's moving. This must be some sort of weird hallucination brought on by the injuries, she mused. Then she let go of consciousness and everything faded to black. * * * * A few weeks had passed and the excitement generated by Howard's last-second rescue of Kleinvogel and Smith had died down enough that he could finally get some free time alone again. As one of the only real sorcerors on the planet, Howard tended to engender a feeling of unease in those he met, a feeling he liked to encourage, because it meant they left him alone. It wasn't so much that he was antisocial, more like he preferred his own company to that of others. Moving from one district to another as a FEMA brat, he'd never really been able to make any long-term connections to people. But when he discovered the books of magic in his father's possessions, he had a friend for life. He knew his father wasn't a mage...all the magic had died before he was born. The books must have belonged to one of his father's friends, one of the superheroes the man had worked with back in the 1990s. The fact that much of the book was written in Latin, with notes in Romanian, didn't daunt him. He simply learned those languages, getting by on the scrawled translations in the margins at first, making his own translations later. He was thrilled when he first realized that the english words in the book had been penned by none other than Tymythy Twysytd. He was less than thrilled when he found he lacked the capacity to duplicate Tym's abilities, but he quickly found where his talents lay. Elemental magic. By the time his parents discovered his "secret," he was powerful enough to learn without the help of the tomes, powerful enough to demand they let him continue in his art. And they did, sending him here to the Academy, where for the first time he had the chance to form some real human contacts. But by that time, he no longer really wanted to. He located a spell in his tome which allowed him to bind a fire elemental to an amulet and be protected against heat. With this, he was able to take up residence in the lower levels of the Academy, which suited him much better. Even if it meant Scorch and Sylvester were his neighbors. He had been on his way out of those quarters that night, to watch the storm and attempt to scry patterns of the future from the chaotic turmoil of the clouds. Then he saw the two figures falling and quickly summoned up a wind to lower them safely to the ground. One had tried to slip through, being a Ghoster and, as he later found, a jumper. But his winds were magickal and supported her despite her desires. Unfortunately, this had made him something of a celebrity, and when he had to venture out of his demense he would invariably attract crowds of younger students. Feh. He didn't like being called "Howie-mon" any more than his father had, and now he knew why it got on his father's nerves so much. Oddly, several of his peers were treating him with the kind of distance he desired. Not that he minded, of course, but it was odd that the normally ebullient Scorch would *not* try to strike up a conversation with him in the hallways. Maybe some good had come from the event after all.