One day Crystal will be “Science Girl”. She’s got an aptitude for engineering. She just needs to apply herself a bit more and show more confidence in her work. Perhaps her “science girl” skills would be useful in the predicament she, Marcus, Smith and Holly now find themselves. I wouldn’t want to be stuck in a mausoleum for an android!
I think a bit of a background on Pegasus is in order. Pegasus was an Agent of S.T.A.R. like Stan, Andrea and even Phil. Like Norad, he was an android and was a prominent member of the team. Pegasus was unfortunately destroyed by Terra Nova and his remains were brought back to the Department of Metahuman affairs for study. Some of his parts were used in the construction of the android Starbolt we know as Norad. The rest is indeed history.
Though, it should be noted that Phillip Smith aka Bullseye was once very good friends with Kevin’s mother, Charlotte as they were both on the team. Charlotte passed away as seen in Starbolts #469: The Call.
The elder Agents getting the spotlight is the theme of this year. We’ve gotten nuggets of backstory for several of them and more are on the way. It’s always a good idea to learn more about the legends of the past before we move forward. The Agents may be Earth’s mightiest heroes. But, they are people with deep backstories!
Tune in next time as we delve into the background of Norad’s “father”, Pegasus!
Well, that’s one android down and another to go. Now the team has to save Norad from the nanobots. Sadly, they’ve taken quite a bit of a heel turn. They want a new body and are willing to torture Norad and boot out who they call “an aberration”. I’m not sure they can be reasoned with. Time will tell.
As far as Crystal goes, she clearly has huge motivation in saving Holly. Like her, Crystal was also a victim of Terra Nova. It’s a topic we’ve discussed many times in the comic. She wasn’t about to let Holly fade away into the night because of what TN did to her. Sara and Crystal will discuss her actions next time. I’m pretty sure she’ll be understanding. This situation proves that while Crystal does have some smarts, she’s more her mom than anything else. She wouldn’t be a great scientist. But, she is an amazing Lady Liberty.
Anyway, at least the emergency transfer was a complete success. Now Team Science has to figure out a way to save Norad AND give the contentious nanobots what they want in a timely manner. They have been getting rather pushy….
Has… has it been so long? Where are we? What are we doing here? Why are parents filming their children on train tracks? Why are anime nerds trying to grift fans in the guise of outbuying the corporations? WHY ARE THE OCEANS ON FIRE?!
We don’t really touch on the last one, but we DO cover the rest, plus more!
This week’s comic puts the focus solely on Norad as we figure out what makes him tick. He’s clearly becoming more human all the time as his brainwave patterns are based on his co-creator, Kevin Stanton’s. As such, he might have Kevin’s mannerisms when it comes to love. Love didn’t come easy for our boy genius in the beginning. Now he’s with Angela and is all the better for it. In Norad’s case, the android has a lot more to contend with. He’s not sure if his feelings are real or not. He’s unsure about a lot of things. They’ll be worked on, I am sure.
Now we come to Syntax. It’s clear to me that residual bits of Holly Demers still exists within the Syntax program. They’re reasserting themselves as evidenced by that kiss. Holly is acting on what she considers to be instinct. When she kissed him, she didn’t know she was once human and now she does know. It remains to be seen what this means for her going forward. Syntax is proving to have a positive effect on Norad, I think. He’s learning a lot about emotions and in turn she is learning what it is to be human through his eyes. She is definitely an ideal companion for Norad!
And now we have the Nanobots. Sigh. These little guys are certainly making life hard for our friend Norad, aren’t they? Well, they’re definitely testing Norad. What answers could they be seeking? What do they want with Norad? We’ll find out soon enough.
See ya next time!
Oh and it should be noted that Syntax is looking up Holly’s life and everything about showgirls in that panel. She’s trying to sort through it all. Poor Syntax. Don’t worry. It’ll get better!
Well, it looks like Syntax really is an actual “ghost in the machine”. She was killed by Terra Nova and put into a metal form. Terra Nova likely picked her for Sven’s experiment because she would be easily missed regardless of how attractive the young woman was. If you’re in Vegas, what’s one missing showgirl among thousands? That was Sven’s philosophy. Don’t ask me why Tom is smiling holding her unconscious body. That was clearly taken before the procedure.
Either way, it looks like Sara and the rest of the Starbolts are fixing yet another of Terra Nova’s leftover mistakes. I think I’ve lost count of how many nefarious plans the Starbolts have fixed since the fall of that terrorist organization.
So, what happens now? Well, Syntax is going to be uploaded into a new body. Norad, too. From there, Syntax is probably going to have to save Norad. After saving him and the nanobots, the future is unclear. Will she stay with the Starbolts? Will she leave and return to Las Vegas? That last one is extremely doubtful!
I did talk to my co-writer, Sam about how Terra Nova seems to take in attractive women and turn them into weapons and do all sorts of experiments on them. We both figured it is a coincidence. Or it could be that Terra Nova likes to create femme fatales for their sick games. At least they are gone and now the Starbolts have to clean up what they left behind. Who knows what other loose threads Terra Nova has left hanging around? It’s hard to say. They have so many secrets! More are bound to be revealed, soon!
This week we see what happens when Sam Beckett leaps into the world of medieval LARPing and has to contend with a love triangle, a stolen manuscript, and the return of Alia the Evil Leaper!
Well, it looks like the nanobots that inhabit Norad are no longer passive and docile. I suppose it makes sense that they are desperate now that they’re facing their own extinction. Since their deaths are inevitable, they will do whatever it takes to get the Starbolts to listen. What do they want? Will they release Norad and Syntax?
Speaking of Syntax, we’ve now got a glimpse into who she really is. Or was. Her name was Holly Demers and she was once a Las Vegas showgirl. Terra Nova seems to have a thing for women don’t they? Sara, Crystal, Shenra and now Syntax have all been part of some sick experiments. Don’t worry. Guys have been subjected to experiments, too. They were an equal opportunity terrorist organization after all.
Here’s how I see Syntax’s creation. Holly was a showgirl and she was taken out by Terra Nova after they found that no one would miss her. They took her mental engrams, personality and everything and put it into a metal shell. I’ll explore this in detail next week as she is going to have a heart-to-heart talk with Sara about her Terra Nova origins.
Back to the Nanobots. Why didn’t they just TELL Norad what was going on? Surely he’d have listened. Here’s hoping for the best for the nanobots. They sure aren’t making live easy for our android friends. Will Norad and Syntax get new bodies? If so, what happens to the Nanobots? Tune in and find out!
