“The microscopic residue we found on Arthur turned out to be more that we thought initially.” Denton Daniels, possibly the smartest man alive and a member of The Five, was heading up the team of genius heroes who were looking into Arthur’s case. “We thought this was standard dirt and dust, when looking under a standard microscope. But looking closer, the atomic structure is unlike anything in our universe. It’s close, but there are subtle, and mostly inconsequential, variations."
“It’s possible,” interjected James Johnson, incredibly smart scientist who, as the result of an accident, turned into the incredibly powerful but incoherent Behemoth. “That these look different because their home universe vibrates at a slightly different speed than our own. Somehow they were transported into alignment with our universe and now vibrate at the same rate. But they still might maintain the slightly different structure. This could be evidence of the multiverse.”
“That,” said Daniels. “Was what I was starting to lean towards. If we want to reach this universe, from our end we’ll need to figure out what vibration would create this structure. We’ll also need to find a way to safely shift our own vibrations.
“But should also share what we’ve found with our more magically-inclined counterparts. They may be able to discover a way more quickly than we can, since we’re starting from scratch. And I also imagine Arthur might appreciate hearing that his help and patience with our tests has produced a breakthrough."
I’ve already told you what Kenneth Jackson did to my mentor Dr. Everitt. It pains me that I was never able to tie him to that crime. But that’s by no means the only run-in that I’ve had with the crook. He’s a dishonest cheat who has a particular beef with me.
His message against me, and all other superheroes is that we aren’t needed. He views us, and me in particular because of my alien origin, as non-humans. And that instead of inspiring humanity to reach new levels, as I and my fellow heroes have tried to do, that we instead prevent humans from reaching their potential. It’s a message that has resonance with a segment of the public, and he’s certainly built a significant amount of support for it.
But it’s all nonsense.
Jackson just wants to get away with his criminal activity and heroes stand in the way of it. Myself in particular, because he also makes Polestar City his primary home. His beef with heroes might go even deeper than that. Not unlike the financial villain, George Soros, Jackson sees himself as a god. And if it weren’t for superheroes, he wouldn’t have anyone to dissuade him of that self-image. We are what stands in opposition to it, and he’s dying to see himself as the most powerful being on Earth.
I’ve stopped what feels like hundreds of Jackson’s plots over the years. He’s one of the villains that has gained the extended lifespan by preying on one of humanity’s most constant but least acknowledged fears: corruption in places of power. But the world fails to recognize his age and lack of aging, for whatever reason they seem unable to see that outside of a costume. That means a lot of years putting an end to his plans, but too many have still succeeded.
Jackson’s a brilliant mind and does a phenomenal job of removing evidence that could tie him any of his criminal acts. I’ve almost never found any, even with New Moon’s help, and the few times I have, Jackson has been able to get off anyways. It’s been my suspicion that he paid off influential individuals involved in those cases, but I’ve never been able to prove that either.
Jackson runs a dirty business, but anything that can be proved is legal. More than legal, it often is coordinated with governments across the world, including the United States. There might be corruption in the business world, but it can’t hold a candle to these governments. Some of the more zealous superheroes have wondered whether we should establish ourselves as a governing body over ll others. But most of us, including myself, couldn’t begin to fathom the idea. Besides, New Moon would destroy anyone who tried it…even me.
Now Jackson wants to be president. The Select are not under any sort of government control or influence, but we have attempted to remain on good terms with the United States government, where many of our members hail from. That will be much more difficult to do if Jackson gets his way.
The primary allegiance of The Select is to be on the side of Good and the side of Justice. Our goal is to defend the weak from being forced against their will. We follow that to the best of our ability to see it, and when in doubt use as much caution and as light a hand as possible. We try to hash out our battles internally. We try to welcome when a few of us stand in opposition to the ideas of most of us. We’ve made mistakes, and those have given fuel to Jackson’s campaign against superheroes. But on the whole, the people seem to trust us. Polling doesn’t tell you everything but we’ve continually received higher approval ratings than any politicians in freely elected countries. A Jackson presidency would test all of that.
We know who he really is. And it might test people’s trust in us if we were to take a public stance against the actions of a Jackson led public, but we would likely have no choice. Even now our official stance of not taking sides in political races is being tested. Some of our members want to take a public stance not in favor of any candidates, but at least opposed to Jackson. I admit that I’ve been tempted as well. But I know we can’t do that.
We will stand aside and let this unfold. But we won’t stop keeping a watchful eye on Jackson and all his doings. And if the United States government ends up more as an enemy than an ally, then we will deal with the difficulties that creates when the time comes. Until then, we’ve got as much to handle as always including the counterfeiting operation and the sudden reappearance of King Arthur, in addition to the standard array of crooks, thieves, and terrorists bent on global subjugation.
