Tales of the Parodyverse

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L!
Sat Mar 19, 2005 at 01:59:30 am EST
Subject
A New Direction for the Semi-Tranparent Lad Stories! Plus, Guest Stars!
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A few years ago in a very special office at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, DC ...

"Now, Herbert. Remind me what I'm signing again?" The president asked, before he signed the paper before. He doesn't have time to read it all.

"Don't you remember, sir. Last week at the State Dinner, I told you about my plans for a Resource Center for Meta-Humans?" Herbert reminded him.

"Oh, Yeah! That's right." The President said. He then signed the piece of paper, sort of sloppy, but it was his signature & that's all that mattered.

"Here you go!" he said, giving Herbert the paper back.

"Thank you, sir." He said as put the piece of paper back in a file folder he was holding under his arm.

"Would you like the Pen?" The President asked as he offered the pen.

"No, sir. You can keep it." Herbert said as started to walk away.

"Alright. We still on for golf on Saturday at Camp David?" The President asked.

"Yes, sir." Herbert said with an evil smile on his face. The smile wasn't because of golf, he always let the President win. But, the smile was because the President has just set in motion phase one of Herbert's plan.

Herbert exited the Office & then said hello to an intern. "Hello, Monica." As he said hello, he gave her slight nod of his head.

"Hello, Mr. Garrick." She said, then she went to the President's Office.

Herbert knows what she's doing in there with the President but doesn't bother to stop it. He's got to have something the hold over the President just in case. He pulls out his cell phone from his suit jacket's inside pocket & dialed a number. The phone ring as Mr. Garrick made his way down the hallway. He nodded hello to people as they went by. Herbert was calling the back woods of Alaska.

A man, with a gruff voice, on the other end of the phone picked up. "Hello?"

"General MacTaggart?"

"Yeah, what's it to you?"

"This is Herbert Garrick, remember me?"

"Yeah, Your Bad News Herb. The President's Advisor on those super powered freaks running around the country."

"Among other things, but yes I am."

"So, what do you want? I was enjoying my retirement before you called." General MacTaggart said & Herbert can hear light a cigar.

"Are you ready to take me up on my offer?" Herbert asks. Garrick & MacTaggart met at a State dinner a few months ago. This was before the General retired from active service.

"Sure, why not. What else is an old warhorse like me going to do anyways?"

"Write a book?" Herbert said, sarcastically. Now, Phase Two of his plan is finished. On to Phase 3!
--------------

A few years pass...

The Federal Meta-Human Resource Center starts up & grows. Until almost every state in the union has at least one FMRC office in them. There is one in Parrodipolis & That is were young Mr. Ben Hermes has come today.

He comes after the recommendation of one of his regular customers at the Gulp 'N Go, Sonic Boom. Sonic Boom is also a member of the FMRC. Ben's heard good things about the FMRC, most of them are from Sonic Boom. They provide training, discounts, informational classes, access to files on various hero and/or villains for the Meta-Humans who sign up for their services. Sonic Boom said he's uses them for some quick cash because they pay their heroes for their services.

Ben has taken the bus from Goth Haven to the FMRC building. It's close to Parody Plaza & Off Central Park. Ben walks up to the building & walk through the rotating door into the lobby. Ben tries to walk through the lobby. It's busy with people in costumes & people in business suits. Ben finally makes his way over to information desk. There sat a woman in Business attire.

"Uh, Hi!" Ben said.

"Hello." she said. "How may I help you?"

"I'd like to join up."

"Ok. We'll need to fill out a short form. Ok?"

"ok. Then what happens?"

"Well, I fill out the short form & enter you in the database. You go through a short information session and in four to six weeks, we will send you a packet saying that your now a member. That packet will have your FMRC ID Card, which will get you most of discounts and special offers for our members. Also in the packet it will spell all your benefits."

"Ok."

"Good." The Receptionist said as she took out a form & a pen, then asked. "Name?"

"Ben Hermes." He replied.

"Ok." She said & wrote down on blank space next to the word "Name" on the form.

"What's super hero code name?"

"I don't have one."

"That's ok if you don't have one, we can help you get one." The Receptionist said & wrote down 'Unnamed Teen Hero' on the blank space next to the words "Code Name" on the form.

"Ok."

The Rest of the form was pretty easy. It asked for an address, social security number, Phone number, work history, age, date of birth, a few references (Ben had Brooke & Gordo put down.) & a few other things.

"That's it!" The receptionist said.

"Now what?" Ben asked.

The Receptionist pointed to a room behind & to the left of her. "See the room with the sign above it that says 'Welcoming Center'?"

"Yes."

"I need you go there for the next part."

"Ok. Thanks!" Ben said that walked over there.

"Your welcome! Hope to see you around, Ben!" She called out to him as he walked away. She also waved at him.

Then, she turned back around. She picked up the phone receiver & dials an in building number. It's picked up on the other end & She says "We have another one!" Then, they both hang up.

Ben walks into the Welcoming Center is just a room with chairs & and a movie screen on the front wall. Ben takes off his coat & sits down about half to the front of the room. Almost immediately the movies starts, the door closes & lights dim. There were some generic credits telling Ben that he's watching a government produced film, it's a year old. Then, it shows Ben a blank white room. Then, Ben can hear someone walking & they walk on the screen.

"Hello" says the person. Recognizes the man from somewhere.

"My name is Mr. Epitome & I'll be your guide through this film."

Now, Ben thought Mr. Epitome was sort of a hard ass. But, he seems like a nice guy.

"Since your watching this film, you've decided to join up with this new exciting organization."

Then, four letters appear on the screen. They are standing vertically. As Epitome talked words starting with each letter appeared. "The name of this organization is The Federal Meta-Human Resource Center."

Mr. Epitome continues to give out information on the FMRC, but does it in an almost monotone voice. As Ben listens, he's eye lids start to close. They close then he opens them wide. Then, they start to close. They close & he opens them wide. He does this over & over again until he's fallen asleep.

Sometime later, Ben is rudely awakened by a bright light being turned on. He wakes up & looks around. The movie is over & standing in a doorway near the screen is a woman with pale skin & ghostly white hair. She was wearing a uniform he thinks he saw some SPUD agents wearing once when he visited his Brother.

"You fell asleep, didn't you?" she asks.

"No!" Ben says, trying to deny it.

"I've been standing here for the last five minutes, I could see you with your head slumped over. It almost looked like your were going to fall on to the floor."

"oh." Ben said, a bit embarrassed.

"Come with me!" She said. Turned around & walk through the doorway. Ben picked up his jacket & races after her. Once he went through the doorway, it closed.

"Follow me, Mr. Hermes." She said & motioned for him to follow her, He did.

They walked down a dark blue hallway, the walls to the left & right of Ben were lined with doors, but no doorknobs. Along the edges of the ceiling & floor were lights. Ben & the mystery woman follow a yellow line painted on the floor. Ben stops to open one of the doors.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." She said, not ever turning around or even stop walking. Ben went back to the line & followed behind her.

"Good." She said & continued to wall down the line "We don't want to be late for your fitting."

They walked to the end of the hallway, it did continued to the to the left of him & the right of him, but the yellow line stopped at the door in front of them. The Mystery lady then opened the door, Ben followed her in.

"Close the door behind you, Mr. Hermes." She said, Ben did. They looked to be in some sort of Laboratory. She motioned to a platform in the middle of the room & said "Please step on this, Mr. Hermes."

Ben hesitated. She sensed that "It's ok, It's not going to hurt you."

She was standing next to a control panel. Ben stepped on the platform & it lit up. She pressed a few buttons & lasers started to scan his body. Then, this robotic voice started to rattle off facts about him like his height, weight, rate of decay.

"What?" Ben asked after that was said. The Mystery woman said that Rate of Decay was his age & that his body had been decaying since he was born. The last thing the voice said that Ben had the power to become Transparent. Then, the woman pressed a few more buttons, wrote somethings down on a note pad. Then, said "Mr. Hermes. Please step off the platform." He did.

"We will be contacting you in a few weeks. Thank you & Goodbye." She said, opened a door & motioned for him to exit. Ben walked through the door & was back in the lobby. Then, the door closed behind him. Ben wasn't really sure what happened. He started to walk towards the exit.

"So, Mr. Hermes. How was it?" The receptionist asked.

"A little confusing."

"You'll get use to it."

"Also, I felt asleep during the movie."

"That's ok. I think most people do."

"Oh, ok." Ben said then started to walk off.

"See you later!" said the receptionist.

As Ben left for home, he wonders if joining the FMRC was a good thing.

THE END!

Next Time: Look for more of the FMRC's public side & maybe some on it's not so public side. Also, Ben gets a couple steps closer to being the Super Heroes he's sort of wanted to be!

----------------
FOOTNOTES:

This is 1st in a series of stories involving Ben Hermes & the FMRC. With him joining this organization we will see him getting a costume, his code name (Semi-Transparent Lad) & him doing some Super Hero stuff.

Some Declassified information of Mr. Garrick: Herbert P. Garrick is the Presidential Advisor on Superheroes and the Leader of the Anti-Mutant Campaign (Isn't that a conflict of interest?). He doesn't really like Super Heroes all that much. He also controls the robotic Sentinoids, those hero-hunting automatons, and now is the main force behind The Federal Meta-Human Resource Center.

S-P-U-D & what does that spell? : the Super-Menace Principal Undercover Directorate is the best-known of the Parodyverse's secret organizations. They are an international UN-backed task force charged with the responsibility to anticipate and respond to threats of an atypical nature (which include any thing Meta-Human and/or Extra-Terrestrial). Operating from their Helicarrier base and various outposts across the planet. They have jurisdiction during any & all planetary emergencies. They are lead by the cigar chomping, Dan Drury.

General Shamus MacTaggart is a retired US Military General, who now has some connection to The FMRC. This is General MacTaggart's first story appearance & won't be his last.

Ben's References are who?: The people Ben used a References are two of his friends. Brooke is Brooke Lynn Bridge & is Ben's Best Friend. She has had a few story appearances & will show up again. Gordo is Ben's friend Gordon "Gordo" James. Gordo works in the Morgue at the Goth Haven Police Department. This is Gordo's first mention in a story, he will some up later on.

A Thank you to Mike for letting me use Mr. Epitome. In talking to Mike about the FMRC & other things, He said that Mr. E would be involved in some like the FMRC, so he become their Spokesperson. Why he is involved with the FMRC is unknown at the moment. Maybe Mike will one day tell us!


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