Chapter Text
Lunella Lafayette, AKA Moon Girl, was the newest hero in town. Over the past few months, she'd fought fearlessly to protest the Lower East Side of New York City from all manner of dangerous villains and ferocious creatures, while also being a source of inspiration to the people in her neighborhood and millions around the world.
“And that's how my helmet is able to convey exactly what I'm feeling when I'm in my costume!” said Lunella, pointing to her helmet's electronic visor. It was currently displaying a pair of closed eyelids, though underneath it, her eyes were wide open and she could see her best friend Casey, phone in hand, streaming everything live. “They say the eyes are the windows to the soul, and Moon Girl's eyes are the windows to everything going on in my beautiful mind! And right now, they're saying how much I love each and every one of y'all!”
The visor then flashed a pair of blinking hearts, and Casey stepped out from behind the phone after mounting it, walking over to Lunella and putting an arm around her while waving to the viewers with the other.
“That's it for this week's episode of Moon Girl Magic, make sure to like, subscribe, and leave a comment below with any questions you might have for Moon Girl and me! We'll do our best to answer as many as we can in next week's stream, and until then, remember that science is magic, knowledge is power...”
“And you are worth fighting for!” said Lunella, closing out the show before Casey turned off her phone. “Whew... that was a pretty good show, huh?”
“Good?” Casey replied, as she began packing up her streaming equipment. “It was great! We've got more viewers than ever, and you're really getting the hang of the whole 'superhero science presenter' thing...”
“Well, if astronaut legend Dr. Mae Jemison can seamlessly transition from courageous space hero to science educator, so can I!” Lunella replied, having lost none of her love for her longtime science idol, even after the whole 'Skipster incident'. “But... I'd never have the confidence to do it if it wasn't for you. I get so nervous talking to people, even online and in costume!”
“Are you kidding, Lu?” asked Casey, turning to her best friend with a proud smile. “You're a natural! Sure, I guess I deserve some credit for all those pep talks and affirmations, but you're still the one putting yourself out there! Talking to the people, saving the world... you're the bravest person I've ever met. If anyone's getting a confidence boost here, it's me.”
Lunella smiled, her electronic visor briefly showing a few digital teardrops. Casey leaned in to give her friend a hug, and as she did so, she briefly checked the number of views their stream had gotten.
“You really are a hit, the stream's getting more and more hits every day, and- oh... my... GOSH.”
“What?” asked Lunella, breaking off the hug to check what Casey was looking at on her phone.
“We... we did it... WE DID IT!” shrieked Casey, before giving Lunella another hug... this one much more aggressive than before.
“Did what? Taught somebody how to make their own e-motion visor?”
“No, we... we're #1! We're the #1 influencers on WorldWatch!”
“Really?” asked Lunella, the eyes on her visor blinking rapidly in surprise, before displaying “#1” in one eye and a question mark in the other. “But I thought Brittney Glass was #1 for like 18 months running?”
“She was, until now!” Casey shouted excitedly, showing Lunella a chart with subscriber counts. Sure enough, Moon Girl was now the #1 most subscribed channel on all of WorldWatch, several hundred subscribers over the new #2, and still climbing. “I can't believe it, I thought it would take YEARS to pass Brittney, but we did it in six months!”
Casey let out another scream, dancing around the room excitedly.
“And it's all thanks to you, Lu, you and your awesome... awesomeness!”
“But it's your channel, Case... you're the one who put Moon Girl out there... I'm just glad so many people are watching, we'll be able to do some real good in the world reaching out to this many people.”
“Uh huh, uh huh...” Casey said, still starstruck by just how many subscribers the channel had. “We... we need more stuff!”
“Don't even ask about sponsorships, you know I don't want Moon Girl bein' beholden to any corporate overlords,” said Lunella. “Especially after the whole incident with the Muzzlers, those creeps almost made a mess of the L.E.S.!”
“I'm not talking about sponsors, I'm talking about collabs, I'm talking about taking our show on the road, bigger, better, brighter! Now that we've got the subs, we've got negotiating power! ...we might even be able to get Selena Gomez!”
“...still reelin' from the Beyonder pulling the old bait and switch on you, huh?”
“I will never forgive that guy, Lu.”
“Well, you know what they say,” said Lunella, putting her hand on Casey's shoulder. “'Tis better to have had Selena Gomez as a follower for one minute than to never have had her as a follower at all.'”
Casey sighed, then smiled. There were so many thoughts racing through her mind... but no matter what, one thing was clear. Moon Girl was the number one channel on WorldWatch, and that was Casey's ticket to stardom. But even so, she'd never ever forget the wonderful friend who'd brought her there... and she wanted Lunella with her every step of the way.
“I better head home, it's almost suppertime and Dad's making 10-layer waffles... gotta make sure Devil gets plenty of cold cuts on his stack. You wanna come over and eat with us?”
“I think I'm just gonna stay home and work on our '#1 channel' special for next week's stream... figure we'll need to party in style, you know?”
Lunella giggled before heading toward the window to make her exit. As she started to climb out, Casey once again placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Thanks again... for everything, Lu. This really is your #1. People love Moon Girl... I always knew they would. You're the best, and I'm glad you let me show off Moon Girl to the world.”
“I couldn't do any of this without you,” Lunella replied, squeezing Casey's hand before taking off into the sky. Casey watched her fly away, then headed back inside to take it all in. #1 on WorldWatch, manager to the newest (and greatest!) girl genius superhero, and the best was yet to come. She flopped down onto her bed and spent a few minutes just staring at that #1 ranking, wondering just how she could get those numbers even higher... and make Moon Girl not just the top streaming channel on WorldWatch, but the greatest superhero of all time.
You really do deserve it, Lunella... I just hope Brittney's taking all of this okay.
O-O-O
“I can't believe I'm NUMBER TWO!”
In an upscale apartment in Midtown Manhattan, WorldWatch's newest #2 streamer was fuming. Brittney Glass hadn't been #2 in a year and a half, and she was taking it quite hard, as her beleaguered assistant could attest to. Unlike Casey, who was the same age as Lunella, Brittney's assistant was, at 28, exactly twice the age of her client, and, unlike Casey, her client had quite the temper.
“Ms. Glass, please, it's really not the end of the world-”
“Who does that Moon Girl think she is?!” screamed the young influencer, storming over to her assistant with fists clenched. “And how could you let this happen?”
“There's... nothing I can do about other channels, and Moon Girl really is quite popular,” said the assistant, adjusting her glasses. “Your channel hasn't lost any subscribers either, in fact, you've been gaining-”
“I haven't been gaining enough, and it's all HER fault! That stupid Moon Girl and her... stupid manager, that... Casey Corduroy-”
“Calderon,” her assistant corrected.
“Whatever!” Brittney screamed back.
“There really is nothing wrong with being #2...”
“Of course there is, it's literally POOP!”
The beleaguered assistant let out a sigh, used to these kinds of rants from her client, though they always caused her stress level to elevate. The only reason she still worked for Brittney Glass is because it paid well, but she was eagerly anticipating the day when she could save up enough to find another employer... or maybe just retire.
“Don't you sigh at me, this is your fault too! You need to get me more subscribers... thousands of them, tens of thousands of them by next week! If I'm not #1 again by the time Moon Girl does her next stream, you're fired!”
“...of course,” said the assistant. “I have some suggestions-”
“Just go,” said Brittney, pointing toward the door. “We'll talk tomorrow morning, I just need to think for a while...”
The assistant turned and left without a word, leaving her young client alone to sulk and rage on her own. That's exactly what Brittney did... the blonde girl paced back and forth inside her apartment, deep in thought, wondering if it was perhaps her own flaws that had cost her her #1 spot on WorldWatch... if, indeed, Moon Girl really was as great as her subscribers believed her to be, and even if perhaps she should call up her assistant and apologize, and resolve to become the best influencer she could be, whether she was #1 or #2 or whatever.
This self reflection lasted all of ten seconds before Brittney laughed to herself and shook her head.
“No...” she said, walking over to her closet and opening it up. “I have a much better idea...”
Behind the many rows of expensive dresses and racks of expensive shoes, there was a secret switch. When Brittney pressed it, the back panel of the closet slid open to reveal one more outfit... far more expensive than even the fanciest designer dress she owned, and far more important to her overall plans.
We all knew it would come to this sooner or later... thought Brittney, a twisted smirk crossing her lips.
O-O-O
As the sun was just dipping below the horizon of the evening sky, Casey Calderon lay in her bed, looking at her phone with a smile still etched on her face. After supper, she'd come right back up to plan out the next phase of Operation Moon Girl And Casey Calderon Take Over The World... In A Heroic Way, but even as she swiped back and forth between the latest gossip on social media and the pages of potential influencers she and Moon Girl could work with, she kept coming back to that WorldWatch rankings page, just to see that the channel was still #1. She couldn't help but be proud of herself for the accomplishment, even if it really was all because of Lunella. She'd done so much to get Moon Girl out there, and was bringing attention to the Lower East Side as well... the Muzzlers' attempt to gentrify the L.E.S. and the block party/protest/superhero fight that had saved it had made national news (even if half the panelists had taken the Muzzlers' side... and that was supposed to be on the 'left wing' news channel). She was a star in her own right, and she had to admit to herself that part of what she was doing was to put herself out there as well. Even while Moon Girl was making headlines, Casey's makeup tutorials and fashion reviews were also getting massive amounts of hits and subscribers... sometimes she felt selfish for piggybacking off Moon Girl's fame, but she always tried to keep things in perspective.
As long as I remember to never, ever let my own fame get in the way of my friendship with Lunella, it's all good. Besides, I'm doing a public service promoting Moon Girl, don't I at least get to benefit a little?
And while Casey was scrolling, her phone began to ring. The number looked unfamiliar, but she answered anyway, hoping against hope that Moon Girl's new #1 ranking had attracted some much-wanted attention...
Please be Selena...
“Hello?”
“Hey, girlfriend!”
Not Selena, but the second best thing.
“Brittney Glass?” Casey stammered, sitting up suddenly.
“Yeah, how's it going?”
“It's going awesome!”
“That's good to hear! Hey, congratulations on #1! Nobody deserves it more than you and Moon Girl!”
“W...wow, that is... really awesome to hear coming from you, thank you! No hard feelings about-”
“No way!” Brittney interrupted with an excited giggle. “I think Moon Girl's doing some amazing things, protecting the Lower East Side and teaching kids about science, you're doing really important work and I respect her so much for everything she does.”
Casey's hand was trembling. Just a year ago, she was watching Brittney Glass' stream every day... her iconic celebrity hangouts and instant makeovers were incredibly inspirational, her mindful affirmations had inspired so much of Casey's work, and she was just such a... girlboss that Casey couldn't help but become an instant fan. Before she'd met Lunella, Brittney Glass was the most inspirational person Casey had ever seen, and she'd have given anything to meet her. Now, the two were talking on the phone, and Brittney was personally congratulating Casey for having the new #1 channel on WorldWatch! She'd have fainted if she wasn't already so used to amazing things happening to her recently.
“It means... so much that you'd say that,” said Casey. “I'm... I'm a big fan of your channel too.”
“Shut up, really?”
“Heck yeah!” replied Casey, feeling a surge of confidence. “Your makeup tutorials, your fast fashion flash mobs... my friend Lunella always said they're a waste of money and materials, but I'm a huge believer in your fast fashion sustainability pledges.”
Brittney laughed, and Casey blushed.
“So what's Moon Girl think of fast fashion flash mobs?”
“Oh....!” Casey stammered, suddenly searching for a response that wouldn't accidentally out her best friend's secret identity. “Well, she's... too busy to worry about stuff like that, she's always out protecting the Lower East Side from, um, bad guys and stuff!”
Brittney laughed again.
“Speaking of Moon Girl, I'd love to do a collaboration video with you guys sometime. You know, to celebrate your new #1 status?”
Casey let out a loud gasp, almost dropping her phone. It slipped from one hand, but she grabbed it with the other and quickly pressed it to her face, hoping she hadn't dropped the call.
“You wanna collaborate with me and Moon Girl?”
“I do! I've already got a few ideas... we could do a superhero fashion show, or she could show off some of her gadgets and I could try to glam them up, or we could stage a fake kidnapping and Moon Girl could rescue me, something like that, you know? But those are just my ideas, I'd love to hear some of yours!”
Casey's mind was already racing with ideas for a collaboration with Brittney. She'd barely heard what her fellow influencer had said, her mind was so distracted by her own plans, but she managed to stammer out a 'yeah' and an 'uh huh' while Brittney was talking.
“That sounds... really... great! I... I've got some ideas too, I just need some time to put them all together in my head!”
“Well, are you free tonight? It's kind of late, but we can meet up and then I can have my driver take you home. Or we could meet tomorrow, but I'd really like to meet soon because I want to do a stream with you and Moon Girl as soon as tomorrow if that'd be okay?”
“That would be awesome!” Casey shouted excitedly. “I think I can make it tonight, where do you wanna meet up?”
Normally, Casey would never meet up with a stranger late at night like this, but this was Brittney Glass... she knew her dads would understand, and if she needed backup, Moon Girl was just an emergency phone call away. Not that she'd ever need backup against a fellow influencer...
“I'll text you the place, can you meet me in a half hour? We'll hang out, come up with some ideas for the stream...”
“Want me to video call Moon Girl when I get there?”
“Oh, no, I'm sure you two can hash things out in the morning. If there's anything she's not cool with, just let me know and we can change things up on the fly. A streamer's always gotta be prepared, right?”
“You know it!” replied Casey, before she and Brittney shared a laugh together like old friends. I can't believe this is happening. Brittney Glass is chatting it up with me... and she's laughing at my jokes! And they're not even jokes! I can't imagine how much she'll start laughing once I actually start telling jokes. And she wants to work together with me and Moon Girl! Could this day get any better?
“Great! I'll see you in a half hour then!”
“I'll see you too!”
“...I can't wait for us to work together,” said Brittney warmly.
“You have no idea how much you've made my day,” Casey replied. She then put down the phone, taking a deep breath before letting out another loud squeal. “I can't believe this is happening!”
She jumped out of bed and made her way to the door... in just half an hour, she'd be working with her influencer idol... and tomorrow, she and her best friend would be doing a live stream with her.
At least, that's what Casey thought as she left the safety of her apartment and began making her way to the mysterious address Brittney had given her...
O-O-O
That mysterious address led Casey to a warehouse just north of the Lower East Side, a warehouse that actually looked quite normal on the outside. It was in good repair, it looked as if it was occupied currently... and it was in a fairly nice section of town, sandwiched between a pair of upscale apartment buildings.
This must be where she does some of her outside shoots... thought Casey, wondering if she'd recognized the building from some of the streams she'd seen Brittney in. Guess we might need a bigger place for tomorrow's stream, Moon Girl is a superhero after all!
The inside of the warehouse didn't make Casey nervous either. After passing through a hallway lined with empty offices, she stepped out into the main space, which consisted of a large, well-lit room with a few stacks of boxes and a forklift in one of the far corners.
“Oooh, air conditioned, this must've taken a lot of sponsorship money...”
Casey continued to walk out toward the center of the room. As she did so, she felt a chill... and it wasn't necessarily the air conditioning.
“Brittney? Hello?”
Casey looked down at her phone.
I did get here a bit early. I was really excited!
Before Casey could form anymore thoughts, the lights in the room suddenly turned off, leaving only the glow of her phone to illuminate the darkness. As Casey gasped and moved her finger toward the emergency call button, she suddenly found her arms pinned to her sides by tight metal cables that wrapped several times around her body with such force that it caused her to drop her phone entirely.
“Hey!” Casey shrieked, before reaching out with one of her feet to press the button. A moment later, her phone was rendered useless... as it was blasted into pieces with a white laser. Casey gasped, and the lights in the room came back on. “Let me go...!”
Casey began struggling, and looked up to see her captor... a figure clad in an outfit that covered most of her body from head to toe in a bright metallic sheen. She had a helmet and visor quite similar to the one worn by Moon Girl, though her visor was white and her helmet was shimmering gold. She wore a shimmering white jumpsuit flanked with golden armor on her chest, waist, legs, and hands, and her feet were clad in heeled shoes that made a distinct clicking sound as she walked. Her long, blonde hair was sticking out from behind the helmet, swishing behind her head as she walked, almost like a cape, matching the shine of her armor almost perfectly. The wires that bound Casey were connected to a gun-like apparatus held in her captor's hand, and with a flick, the end of the wire was severed, leaving Casey wrapped but leaving her bonds unconnected to the device, which was then unceremoniously tossed aside. As the armored figure came toward her, Casey had no clue who her captor was, all she knew was that she couldn't move her arms... and even worse, her phone had just been blasted into oblivion!
“...you're gonna pay for my phone, you know!” Casey shouted, trying to mask her fear with anger. “Judging by how fancy that outfit looks, I know you can afford it!”
The armored figure just gave a quiet laugh, a laugh Casey almost recognized as she drew close.
“I think that phone's the least of your worries right now, Casey...”
Casey couldn't quite pin down the laugh, but she definitely recognized the voice.
“...Brittney!” Casey shouted accusingly, twisting in the tight metallic bonds.
“I'm not Brittney!” shouted the armor-clad figure, her hands suddenly lighting up with energy as she began to lift into the air. Casey, still wriggling and attempting to free herself, followed them with her eyes as they continued to rise several more feet. “Not anymore... I'm...”
O-O-O
The Beyonder: 14-year-old social media star and influencer Brittney Glass was the number one streamer on WorldWatch for 18 straight months. As she was gaining fans and followers from around the world with her videos on fashion, shopping, and life in New York City, she was using much of the money she made on a secret project, hiring several of the world's greatest scientists to construct a superpowered suit that could utilize the power of internet fame to generate an unlimited supply of energy. The more likes she got, the more powerful she became... and while Brittney was taking over the world of social media, she was plotting to take over the world for real, should she ever feel so moved. Viewing her fall of one place as her fall from grace, she decided that day was today. Now, Brittney has a new username.
She is...
O-O-O
“PSYCHOSOCIAL!” Brittney screamed, lightning coursing around her as her supersuit lit up with the collected energy of millions of her followers.
“Well, you got the 'psycho' part right...” Casey muttered, glaring fiercely at Brittney.
“You and your little Moon Girl think you're so great, just because you have more subscribers than me!” Brittney shouted, pointing accusingly at Casey.
“...is that what this is about? Seriously?” Casey said, eyebrow raised in disbelief. “You're upset that we knocked you out of #1, so now you're what, kidnapping me?!”
“Yes, that's exactly right,” said Brittney with a smirk, prompting Casey to sigh.
“I should've known better,” Casey said, bowing her head. “Why, why, why did I come out to a mysterious warehouse to meet someone I only knew from one online conversation, even if it is my all-time influencer idol? Ugh, you know what they say, Casey, never meet your heroes...”
Casey shook her head rapidly, trying her best to push the self-doubt from her mind. Yes, she'd made a stupid mistake, she'd broken pretty much the first rule of the internet, but she couldn't do anything about that now, and even so, it wasn't her fault her idol had turned into a crazy supervillain kidnapper!
“But speaking of heroes... you had a supersuit this whole time?!”
“Yeah, I paid good money for it too, how do I look?”
“...pretty good, actually,” Casey replied, looking Brittney's suit over. “I love how the gold plating matches your hair, the shoulder pins are a nice touch... wait a minute, is that an e-motion visor? Did you rip off Moon Girl's idea?”
“I didn't rip off anything, one of the scientists who built the suit thought it'd be a good idea, and I agreed with him,” said Brittney, as images of brains and lightning reflected in her visor. “I think it really ties the whole thing together, don't you?”
“And those heels, wow... but isn't it hard to walk in those?”
“I don't have to walk, I can fly.”
“...good point,” replied Casey. “So, listen... if you've got a supersuit, why be a supervillain? You could get tons more likes being a superhero like Moon Girl! That'd probably put you over the top right there, wouldn't it?”
“A superhero? Please,” scoffed Brittney, shaking her head. “Nobody really likes a hero, villains are way more interesting. Think about it, you ever seen Mean Girls?”
“Only like 50 times,” said Casey.
“And who's the character everyone likes most from that movie? Hint, it's not Lindsay Lohan. It's Regina George! Everybody wants to be Regina! She's everyone's favorite! Even yours, admit it!”
Casey sighed.
“Okay, yes, but I'm also kinda partial to Gretchen Wieners! She's... she's a close second!”
“Point proven,” said Brittney, putting out her hand and striking a domineering villain pose. “Villains are way more interesting, way more stylish, way more fun, just better in every single way! Hashtag #gaslightgatekeepgirlboss.”
“Tell me you did not just say that unironically...” Casey groaned, rolling her eyes.
“And now I'm going to use you to bring Moon Girl here so I can bump her from the number one spot... permanently,” said Brittney, looking down at one of her gloved hands as it pulsed with power.
“You'll never get away with it!” shouted Casey, continuing to struggle in the wires that held her arms to her sides. “Just think about what you're doing, is getting back the number one spot really worth all of this?”
“It'll be more than worth it, I'll have more subscribers than ever... and who knows? Maybe I can take over both the virtual world and the real one... once all those likes come in from my new video, I'll have more power than I'll know what to do with!”
Realizing she wasn't going to be able to get free, Casey decided to turn and make a run for the exit, having heard just about all she wanted to hear from her former idol. She never imagined Brittney Glass could become a raging, psychotic supervillain, but as long as she was in that warehouse, she was in supreme danger... and, she knew, so was Moon Girl.
I can't let her get to Lunella... this is all my fault, I just need to get away...!
But Brittney was far too fast, and as Casey made her futile attempt to leave, the armored villainess was easily able to get in front of her, dropping down until she was hovering just a few inches off the ground, and slowly floating forward as Casey meekly tried to walk backwards to get away.
“What's the matter? I thought you wanted to collaborate with me... well, now you'll get your chance... you, me, and Moon Girl starring in a video together... we'll start streaming tonight... and the likes and subscriptions will come pouring in!”
Casey's eyes grew wider and wider as Brittney's shadow loomed over her... her wish was about to come true in the worst possible way, and though she desperately wanted Moon Girl to come save her, she knew that if she did, it might be for the last time...
Lunella, I believe in you... I just wish I could warn you about what I've gotten you into!