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| Annual #2
November 2006
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Mirage |
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Wolfsbane |
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X-Treme |
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Speedball |
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Nova |
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Kymaera |
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Wiz Kid |
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Arsenal |
Our Father of
The funeral was large by any standards. But in instances like this, they always were. Though most would deny it, almost everyone was fascinated by superhumans, their exploits and extension, their associates. Morbidly enough, not even weddings drew as much media attention as funerals did.
And naturally, the funeral of Donald Parvenue, multi-billionaire and patron of an entire city, was no exception. CNN, Fox News, and of course all the local channels devoted hours of air-time to it. The line of mourners that followed from the funeral home to the grave went as far as the eyes could see, and most of Donald's friends and associates agreed that the line wasn't nearly long enough.
Edie Sawyer, her daughter Katie, and the entirety of Force Works (wearing their full uniforms) were at the forefront of the mourners. Both state senators, three congressmen and hundreds of representatives from around the world joined them. Nova, Speedball, X-Treme, Arsenal, Mirage and Kymaera were the pall bearers, as per the last will of Mr. Parvenue. Arsenal numbly placed the casket down with his comrades and took his seat.
The concerned stares of his teammates were no more substantive to him than the rays of the morning sun.
The priest said some words meant to comfort and reassure the living, but Arsenal heard none of it. All he could think of was his time before he met Parvenue. Bouncing from foster home to foster home, he had nothing and no one but himself. When he finally found a foster parent that gave a damn about him, Robert soon knew in his heart that he would have to leave, unwilling to be a burden to the kind woman. Joining the Air National Guard gave Bobby a sense of camaraderie, but it wasn’t until Parvenue took him under his wing after Sublime’s terrible experiments that Bobby truly felt that he had family. That feeling was enhanced even greater when Parvenue formed Force Works, but Bobby would never, indeed, couldn’t ever forget… where his family first started.
And now that man was gone. As his plane crashed in the middle of the ocean, there weren’t even any remains to bury along with the casket. The team held out hope for a brief moment that he might have survived, but it was not to be. Wiz Kid scanned the area for signs of a teleporter, Dr. Strange verified that there were no mystic incursions and soldiers from Atlantis swept the area and found nothing abnormal. Despite the circle the heroes traveled in, they found nothing whatsoever that might give them the slightest hope that the man who’d founded and funded Force Works was still alive.
Robbie Baldwin looked at the casket, yet found he could only see reflection of the mistakes and errors that led his team to this dark day. Cameron Hodge, a bigoted and hateful man somehow reincarnated as a computer virus crashed Parvenue's plane, but the Robbie felt that they could have saved him were it not for King Bedlam's attack that occurred at the exact same time. Hodge was impossible to predict, but Bedlam...Bedlam was simple physics.
Nature abhors a vacuum. When Force Works devastated the local drug trade and crime lords, it was only a matter of time before someone tried to step up and fill the vacuum. That Force Works was a little above the average street hero in terms of raw power didn't matter in the end. The scum of the underworld rose to the challenge like the good rats they were, and now it cost them one of the kindest and one of the most idealistic people Speedball ever had the pleasure to know.
Tarene Hayden looked at the casket and cried for the grand father-figure that she’d never see again. Her mind had been tampered with some time ago and even though she was now free, the effects remained to this day. The only family she felt any real connection to was Force Works, and losing a member like this felt like losing a part of herself. But her grief was balanced in no small part by anger at the villain who’d hurt her family. Staring at the oak casket through her tears, she silently vowed to never lose family again, no matter the cost.
Like her teammates, Danielle Moonstar grieved, but by no means as much as the others. She would miss Parvenue dearly and mourn what he could have contributed to the world, but she knew from personal experience his spirit was in a better place. She felt a little guilty though, worrying more about how Arsenal would take Mr. Parvenue’s death and how the team she led would continue without his support, than his actual death. Parvenue was the kind of man who thought ahead (a basic requirement of any good business man), but their business was one rife with uncertainties. The sooner they were back on their feet, the better.
The priest finished his eulogy, and the crowd started to trickle away, Danielle quickly moved to Bobby's side.
"How...how are you hanging in there, Bobby?" Dani put her hand on his shoulder for comfort. He didn't seem to notice.
"Fine," he answered. It was less than convincing.
"If you need to talk, or..."
"I need to be alone," Bobby grunted.
“Bobby…”
“Leave him be,” Adam Sol, otherwise known as The X-Treme, suggested firmly.
When everyone had finally left, Bobby numbly went over to where the caretaker had left his shovel, and began to fill the grave of the first family member he’d ever had.
MARVEL 2000 PRESENTS
Force Works Annual #2
"A NEW OLD DAY DAWNING"
Written by Daniel Ingram
Several Days later
Rahne Sinclair, Wolfsbane to her teammates, rechecked the instruments for what had the be the thousandth time. The aircraft was state of the art, and according to Wiz Kid idiot proof, but considering how Parvenue...passed away and the similarities to her own journey, one couldn't help but be nervous. The minor fear gnawing at Rahne's gut passed when she saw her destination approaching on the horizon.
Not surprising considering
the circles they traveled, the world famous research island had experienced its
own series of adventures in recent weeks. Rahne was somewhat fuzzy on the
details, something regarding a battle between X-Force and the
Rahne pulled the aircraft around to the rear landing pad, and smiled warmly as she saw Moira there waiting for her. Gently touching down, Rahne began running through the shutdown procedures as quickly as possible and was at the hatch within a minute of landing. The blasted thing took too long in Rahne's humble and impatient opinion, so she changed into her full wolf and squeezed past the opening door the moment the opening was wide enough.
Rahne’s paws barely touched the tarmac she sprinted towards her mother, leaping into the air, changing back into human and bowling her mother over as Rahne embraced her.
“Oof! Bloody hell, lass, I’m nae as young as I used ta be!” Moira protested, though she reciprocated the hug fiercely.
“Sorry, mum,” Rahne regained her composure some and helped her mother to her feet, “I guess I was a little more worried aboot what happen wi’ X-Force than I let meself believe.”
“What happened was awful,” Moira stated, her voice laced with remorse overlapping a deeper hurt. Rahne suspected there was more to what happened than Moira let on, but before she could press the matter, Moira took that option out of her hands, “terrible as that was, that’s nae why I asked ye to come visit. Well, nae the only reason. I have missed ye terribly, luv.”
Rahne could see her mother
tense as they walked inside the
“Then why’d ye ask..."
Rahne's voice trailed off as her enhanced senses started processing the world,
and the scents therein, around her. Given her familiarity with
“Reverend Craig…”
“Rahne, A…A’m here because I want tae make up for my…mistakes…” Craig explained with a good amount of hesitation.
At first, her mouth was to dry to speak. That the man that had haunted her dreams, shaped her fears and destroyed her self worth since before she could remember was now apologizing felt...wrong. As if he could brush aside all her pain with some simple words.
That thought burned in her heart, and the young Scotswoman found her voice again.
“Mistake? Ye led a bloody mob to burn me at the stake!” Rahne shouted, each word louder than the last, “ye treated me like me like trash when I was a child, made me feel worthless on the best o' days and when I needed ye most...as a guardian, as a father, ye tried to kill me!"
"Ah know, Rahne, and ah know an'..."
The Reverend never say the right cross that slammed across his jaw. All he saw were stars on the edge of his vision and Rahne Sinclair standing over him with righteous fury.
"And the only bloody reason yuir here is because the world recognizes me and my friends as heroes!" Rahne shouted, hot tears making their way down her cheeks. Rahne turned to Moira with accusing eyes, "And could ye betray me like this?! I hate you!"
Rahne stormed off into the bowels of the facility, towards where her old room lay. Neither Craig nor Moira moved to follow. Reverend Craig looked pathetically heart broken, but Moira didn't look the least bit surprised.
"This'll be one bloody long day," Moira sighed.
Mirage, Kymaera and Wiz Kid pored over the papers sprawled out in front of them. Though he was considered part of the Force Works 'brain-trust', Nova the Human Rocket just leaned against the far wall, waiting for his lover and teammates to finish their reading. Though he was hardly an idiot, Richard Rider was a man who led with his gut over his head every day of the week and twice on Sunday. Papers could lie far more easily than any living being, after all.
Sitting at the opposite end of the table were three people, two Nova had just met only hours ago. Irene Basheda, head of World Watch (Nova had barely heard o' 'em before now) and her 'security consultant', Bruce Hoffman. There wasn't a person in the room who didn't peg the man as a former spook. The way the man looked them over, evaluating them with eyes capable of seeing any subtle threat or slight advantage. That made Nova suspicious. Spies always had agendas and retired spooks, well, they had to be the worst of the lot. What they lacked in authority, they tried to make up for in sneakiness.
Worse than that, whenever they started something and it got outta hand, it fell to the army, or in this instance, Nova or another team powerhouse, to cleanup after them. When Nova fought against the Skrulls alongside the Nova Corps, a few missions were launched just to wipe the ass of so-called intelligence branch, always with a high cost. Simply put, Nova didn’t like spies no matter their stripe.
“So…”, began Mirage, “I’ve read your proposal, but I’ll be honest, most of this stuff might as well be gibberish to me. Basically, you want to sponsor Force Works, right?”
“Yes and no,” Irene answered, “World Watch is a human rights watch group sponsored by a host of international companies. Despite what many would have you believe, there are more than a few businesses out there with a conscience. Like the Red Cross, or Amnesty International, we help those who cannot help themselves and speak for those who cannot speak for themselves."
"When Mr. Parvenue died, he made sure that our finances were well taken care of," Kymaera said as she flipped through one contract and moved onto another, "and what you're offering isn't sponsorship per say. As far as the public would be concerned, Force Works and World Watch would be joined at the hip, interchangeable ideologically. Don’t think for a second we’re going to compromise our ideals for you.” Kymaera's tone was polite, firm and final. She knew she was speaking for her teammates as well.
“I don’t expect you to,” Irene countered gently, “if you’ll look at our record, I think you’ll find our goals compliment each other rather nicely.”
“You know we ain’t like that last guy you hired, War Machine,” said Nova, “we try to respect international law, at least to a wide degree.”
“We understand that…” Irene began.
“Then why did you hire a company man?” Nova cut in quickly.
“Because we both know the world ain’t a very nice place,” Bruce Hoffman answered, speaking for the first time since the meeting began, “there are assholes in the world who like to use aid workers as human shields or bargaining chips. Sometimes, you need someone who speaks their language. And that’d be me.”
“Bruce has had a long career in intelligence and counter intelligence work because he came aboard World Watch,” explained Irene, “he’s been invaluable in navigating some of the…less kind parts of the world. It's not as though employing former spies is an uncommon business practice."
"Don't worry yourself, kid," Hoffman reassured, "I know what kind of super human intervention is tolerated, and what ain't."
"'Cause you broke an' exploited all those rules already, right?" It was more of an accusation than a question. Rich felt he knew the answer already.
But what happened next he had no way of expecting. Bruce Hoffman's brown hair, with white temples looked like they belonged on a wizened college professor, his face had the lines of a sixty year old, but physically he appeared rather fit. The reason why became obvious to all as his appearance changed from a man wearing casual business clothes to a man dressed in head to toe red spandex with a stylized yellow slash across the chest.
“You never did like spies, not since the campaign on Alpha Seven went south, didja Rider?”
Nova the Human Rocket did a double take as he looked upon a man who was a spitting image of his old (and deceased) friend, the 1950s superhero known as The Comet. It wasn’t just that Hoffman looked like perfectly like Comet, he managed to sound exactly like him, not only referring to something only the two of them would know, but perfectly duplicating the older man’s raspy voice and the nuance of his accent.
‘Comet’ shifted back into Hoffman, leaving the heroes slack jawed.
“Shapeshifting and apparent telepathy. Useful tools for the spy trade,” Taki observed, “but how did you evade the psi-shields I’ve given every member of Force Works?”
Hoffman reached into his pocket, removing a single smoke, “I’m pretty low on the power scale, so I slide under the radar. I can only read surface thoughts, but with some concentration I can create a kind of telepathic static so’s whoever I’m focusing on pretty much hears what they think they ought to.”
“And the shapeshifting?”
Hoffman blew out a ring of smoke, and sighed, “Limited by gender, height, and weight, to a degree. As I’m sure your friend Mr. Hunter of Shield informed you."
Moonstar sat there stunned, when Hoffman mentioned her source inside SHIELD. If wasn’t that she suffered any illusions regarding her friend and his loyalties. He passed on some Intel with his superiors silent approval, but she thought the circle of people who knew that numbered no larger than a half dozen people, including herself, her friend and Director Fury himself.
"So you have a few tricks, what use is that to us?" asked Taki.
"I'm tapped into the intelligence community, ‘Kid. I know the right people, I know what rules to break, when to break them and how to side step the rest. I'm a wet dream for you self righteous brats." Bruce snorted, “I live and breathe the world you barely get a taste of with your half-assed contacts and hacking.”
"And you're so humble about it too," Nova snorted.
"And you, Ms. Basheda?" Taki inquired evenly, "you didn't get to be the head of World Watch by being an idiot. If Force Works becomes affiliated with World Watch, the aid your company provides will come under increased scrutiny, in the best case scenario, removed from an area in need or worst case, used as hostages against us."
"The world hasn't been safe for aid workers for a long time, Mr. Matsuya," Irene answered, "if we are removed there are plenty of organizations willing to replace our efforts. Unlike most businesses, we welcome competition. And if our workers are kidnaped, well...Hoffman himself has arranged for their safety before. I think we can arrange something for the future..."
“I think we’ve danced around the issue enough, so I’ll cut to the chase,” Moonstar stated, “we know just about everything we need to know except what’s most important. What do you and World Watch get out of this?”
“Ideologically, we get assistance with our stated goal to monitor human rights and provide aid for those in need or cannot help themselves,” Irene explained calmly, “in Africa mutants are prized as child soldiers, the Black Tarantula holds a considerable amount of power over the drug trade in the Americas and there are countless superhuman warlords ruling their own little fiefdoms. There are countless crimes out there the regular authorities cannot and will not stop, and other heroes never touch."
Almost unbidden, Richard Rider and Namorita Prentiss thought back to when they founded the New Warriors with a promise much like that, to fight the crimes others never did. The appeal of that never really died in their hearts, even after so much time.
"As far as practical concerns go, our past association with War Machine has damaged our creditability. I believe that if you allow us to sponsor you, it would go a long way to improving our image and thus, our ability to help others.”
“So if I understand this right,” Taki began, “in return for a world wide information network and funding, your organization gets a ride on our moral credibility.”
“…we have moral credibility?” asked a surprised voice.
Only Irene failed to scowl at the Human Rocket.
“You’d be surprised about
how many people admire your work, actually. Not just in the
“I think we’ve heard enough,” Moonstar stood up, “if you’ll give us a moment to confer, we’ll give you our answer.”
The four young heroes moved into an adjacent room, followed last by Wiz Kid.
“We good?”
Taki examined his wrist monitor, “No bugs, Nova.”
“Just makin’ sure. Can never be too careful with guys like Hoffman.”
“Nita? You’re the only one here with real experience with business deals. Is World Watch on the level?”
“As far as I can tell Dani, they're cool. I have a team of expert lawyers I prefer to use for this sort of thing, but at a glance everything is exactly what they say it is."
"And I like what they're
selling, I gotta admit. Even if it comes attached with a spook.That bit about
"It would be a nice change of pace to rely more upon professionals than my own hacking and research skills. An entire network would certainly allow me greater time for more productive projects."
“It’d allow us to do a hell of a lot more than just put out fires once every other week, as well.”
“Nothing this good comes without a drawback though.”
“You’re right about that Dani. We do this, we’re gonna be twice as busy as before and with our luck, twice as many enemies. We’d be cookin’ with gas, we got an idea how not to get scorched?”
“Handsome’s right. Ideally,
we’d be taking a bigger bite out of crime, and
“Taki’s got ideas on that I’d bet.”
“Dark is the day I don’t have something planned for anything,” Wiz Kid handed the co-leaders several print outs from his tech pack, “here’s a list of possible recruits. I’d recommend you two begin feeling them out while Namorita and I go back and begin negotiations with World Watch to accept their proposal. I’d help with recruiting, but I’ve been told I lack certain social skills.”
“Been told? We all but scream it every day!”
“Besides, you’d probably brainwash or blackmail ‘em into joining.”
“I’d never brainwashing anyone into joining, for many reasons. Tactical and ideological chief among them.”
“I note that you left blackmailing off that list.”
Taki shrugged, “We all have our flaws. Some are more willing to exploit them than others.”
“Your flaws or theirs?”
“No comment.”
Charlie Burlingame leaned back on the mattress of his ‘cell’, sighed, and continued flipping through the channels. As far as cells and prisons went, this one was pretty damn nice. It was better than that old A.I.M base Bedlam’s Cabal took over and vastly superior to the Vault prison cell the Commission on Superhuman Activities stuck him in after he was captured. He wondered if they would have treated him better if it hadn’t been his connection to the Thunderbolts.
The Thunderbolts…
Once upon a time, Charlie was proud to be a member of the reformed villains. Hell, he was closer to them than his real biological family (currently scattered and not really giving a damn about him either). That opinion slowly changed when the team refused to search for Jolt, a fellow team member, after she disappeared on a mission. Sure, they were under attack because of another villain, but so what? If you were willing to give 110 percent to save faceless strangers, you ought to be twice as willing to save a friend.
But his teammates didn’t see it that way. So Charlie abandoned them, tired of waiting. Eventually he found Hallie again, but ended up captured by the same villain who kidnaped her. Not his finest moment that, but at least his teammates finally got their act together and saved them both. But their initial unwillingness to help save Hallie stuck in his mind. His opinion of the team started to sour…
…and went straight to hell when the Commission on Superhuman Activities burst into their supposed secret base with monster man-droids months ago. Being the hot head that he was, Charcoal the Burning Man was the first one to wade into battle, easily explaining why he was also the first one defeated. Charlie vaguely remembered the fight, only the important fact that, when the dust settled, history repeated itself, after a fashion.
His teammates had abandoned him now, not Jolt. Charlie knew in his heart that Hallie would never have left him to rot, but he also knew there was no way in hell she had the ability to rescue him. The other Thunderbolts, Atlas, Songbird, Moonstone though, they had the ability. Hell, what super criminal didn’t have the ability to break out of jail? If they wanted to, if they really wanted to, they could have saved him.
And they didn’t.
So Charcoal rotted in some cell in the basement of the Vault while the Commission tried to find some use for him against his old teammates. That was pretty hard, as they quickly came to the same conclusion Charlie reached. The Thunderbolts just didn't give a damn about him. So when King Bedlam approached them, they allowed him to take the once Thunderbolt in the hopes that once Charlie had blood on his hands, he might actually be useful to them. Maybe they hoped to flip him on his teammates after that.
Bedlam did his best to turn Charcoal the reforming villain into Charcoal the whipped dog and though it hurt his pride to admit it, the self declared King Bedlam came pretty damn close to making him just that. His telepathic mojo was pretty damn impressive and only got worse the longer Charlie was on the team. Unable to think straight without Bedlam’s permission, Charcoal did what he was told to keep what little bit of his life he had left. But when Sabre shattered his body, somehow as he instinctively reformed his body, somehow Bedlam’s brainwashing was purged.
Picking the right side wasn’t so hard after that, regardless of what happened to himself. The Thunderbolts might not have been real heroes, but Charlie sure as hell was. When the Cabal escaped or was caught, Charcoal stayed put.
All things considered, when Charcoal explained his side, the team was pretty sympathetic. They took some understandable precautions, locking him in an ad-hoc jail cell while they ‘sorted things out’. Nova, Wiz Kid, Mirage, most of the team members floated in and out, to keep him company and to get to know him better. They would do right by him, Charlie thought confidently. After all, they weren’t Thunderbolts.
He’s just changed the channel for the millionth time when he heard someone knocking on the door.
“Yeah?” he shouted over the television before turning down the volume.
To his surprise, it wasn’t any of the older heroes who entered, but the Thor-Girl (his nickname), Tarene. She looked terribly uncomfortable standing there in the door way, fiddling with her hands and looking terribly nervous, and rather timid. Not at all looking like the power house King Bedlam briefed him on. Sure, she was in full costume carrying her war mace but her manner hardly portrayed her vast power.
Though, thinking about it for a moment, Charlie wasn't too surprised. He didn't exactly look like a guy who could give the Thunderbolts a tussle by himself unless he changed into his bigger, badder and blacker form.
"May I come in?"
"Sure," Charlie stood up and looked around for a chair to offer Tarene, but there wasn't much in the room besides a TV, bed, a few loose magazines and comic books, and that was it, "umm, I'd say make yourself at home, but this room would make that an insult. What's up?"
"Well...I wanted to talk to you about Dan...Mirage. She's going to offer you a place on the team, and..."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Charlie held up his hands in disbelief, "I know you guys won't screw me over, but I doubt she ask me to join the team. Probably give me a hundred bucks, a bus pass and see me on my way."
"No, she'll offer to let you join," Tarene's voice was as timid as any Charlie had ever heard, "I...I j...just wanted to t...tell you..."
"Yeah?"
"I'll kill you," Tarene's voice went from timid to lethally sharp in the blink of an eye.
Charlie considered changing into his Charcoal form, but only for a moment. He could literally feel the power that permeated the air, and Tarene didn't seem to be focusing her power at all. In fact, she hardly seemed to recognize the electricity in the room. If she even thought about bringing that power to bear...
"I just lost someone I cared about. Someone I considered a member of my family. I don't want that to happen again," Tarene tightened her grip and continued in a conversational tone, "ever. So if you betray us, I'll end you. Painfully. Do you understand?"
Wide eyed in stark fear, Charlie said the only intelligent thing he could, "Yes 'em!"
"Good!" Tarene's went from threatening to cheery at break neck speed, "I'll see you later then!"
"Oh, there you are," Charlie turned his head and saw Mirage standing in the doorway, "Tarene, I need you to find Bobby and have him meet me at the hangar, okay? I'll be down in a few minutes, I just need to talk to Charcoal here."
"Okay!" Tarene chirped happily.
"Charlie, right?"
Unsure of exactly what to say, Charcoal just mumbled 'yeah?'.
"I've been talking it over with Nova, and here's the deal. We're pretty sure we can get you out of the Commission's hands, but..."
"I have to join? Sounds fair."
Mirage rolled her eyes, "Please let me finish, please. As I was saying, but we don't know what you want. You helped pull our ass out of the fire, so getting you clear of the Commission is the least we can do. You can join us, if you'd like, or we can arrange to set you up with a foster family."
"Well, dunno if that'd be a good idea," Charlie rubbed the back of his head nervously, "most my relatives suck, and Baron Zemo might go after me with the whole revenge yadda yadda thing."
“Zemo’s dead.”
“Heard that tune before.”
"Good point, but we'd make it work, Charlie. Whatever you decide, you're under our protection now."
"What you guys do sounds cool and all..."
"You don't have to decide now," Moonstar turned to walk away, "just think it over. I'll be back later. You can give me your answer then. But...don't make any mistake. The work we do isn't just punching the latest villain in the face. That's not how we operate, and not how we make a difference. Keep that in mind while you're thinking it over, kid."
Hangar
Danielle handed Rider a list of names and gave him a minute to look it over. Arsenal stood behind her, his arms across his chest and his face far too passive considering recent events, in Nova's opinion. Still, that was gonna be Dani's problem since she asked the pretend mutant to tag along with her.
"So, according to Taki all these guys would make good members?"
"That's what he said. They're young but experienced. Heck, we both recognize a few of the names on the list."
"Rage, Powerhouse, yeah I think I recognize those names just a little," Nova remarked, "how many are we shootin' for? Don't think we need an army.”
“Yet.”
“Smile when you fantasize about world conquest," Nova smirked, “I think four or five would be a good number. Gives us enough people for two teams.”
“Agreed, plus that’d be easier to coordinate into units. If you get someone, give me a call so I know. Happy huntin', Rich.”
“Hey, who can resist a face like this?”
"Whew," Miguel Santos, otherwise known as the former Avenger Living Lightning, deactivated his powers and touched down, wiping imaginary sweat from his brow, "man, I heard from War Machine a while back that some street gangs had started old A.I.M weapons. Thought he shut them all down though."
Nova the Human Rocket was silent for a moment, scanning the old warehouse with the alien technology in his helmet. Besides himself and Living Lightning, the warehouse was filled with unconscious gang-bangers and assorted technology that seemed more in step with Star Trek than West Side Story.
"He did," assured Nova as he set back down on terra-firma," These guys just found an old A.I.M safe-house about a week ago. It was something we've been meaning to look into when we got the report, but we've been...distracted."
"If your team knew about these guys, why'd you invite just me?"
Nova rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of how to start. Though he'd been a member of plenty of organizations, membership was usually just dropped in his lap (or, in the case of Night Thrasher, dropped off a building).
"Well, to be blunt, Force Works is looking for some new recruits, new blood. Your name was one of the one's we came up with." Nova choose to leave out the fact that Living Lightning's former teammate, Charcoal, was currently staying with them. If he joined, any issues that arose could be addressed as they occurred. If he didn't, well...what he didn't know wouldn't hurt them.
At first, the former Avenger didn't know what to say. Miguel knew he wasn't a lousy hero, but the thought never occurred to him that another team of super heroes would actively seek him out. The thought was flattering, at least at first.
But it didn't take long for the electrical hero for remember the reports that he'd seen, to recall what a few of his fellow heroes thought about Force Works'...less than stellar reputation. In the hero community, their methods were divisive, and their attitude seen as arrogant (rumor had it they verbally attacked the X-Men, so say nothing of their confrontation with the West Coast Avengers).
"I'm sorry amigo, I'd like to, but after my time in the Thunderbolts...I need to show I'm a true blue hero before I go out and do anything too radical," Living Lightning didn't sound half as convincing as he'd hoped, "thanks for the offer. No hard feelings, I hope."
"No, of course not. See ya around," the two shook hands politely, and Nova flew off towards his aircraft, "you worthless, pansy excuse for a lightning bug hero. Turn us down but join the Thunderbolts..." the muttering didn’t stop for a long, long time.
“You want me to join Force Works?”
Emily, one time member of X-Force known as Siphon and current staff member of X-Camp, looked at her former teammate with a look of equal parts confusion and surprise. The two were standing in a barren dirt field where nearly a dozen mutant delinquents were doing push ups while the former leader of Freedom Force, the Crimson Commando, was barking out orders and offensive remarks befitting a real drill sergeant.
Moonstar nodded, “We’re expanding, and having you in our corner would be a great help. We’ve worked together before, so I know what to expect from you.”
“That’s…that’s kinda awesome Dani, but I can’t,” Emily sighed, “I can count on one hand the number of real fights I’ve been in, and X-Camp’s staff turn over rate is too damn high. We had to bust ass since Mimic left, Caliban’s here mostly for muscle and Kylun tries to do the sage warrior bit, but I think this job is getting on his last nerve too.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, but I understand,” Dani sighed. Siphon was a long shot at best, Moonstar knew that going in. But having another friend on the roster would have been nice, regardless of their experience, “besides, the work you guys do here easily compares to what Force Works does. Hell, I’d say straightening out mutant brats saves the rest of us time down the road.”
“That’s the idea. Hey, Rahne told me you shacked up with a teammate,” Emily gave Dani a suggestive grin, “So…which one? That hunk X-Treme? Big and beefy Nova?”
“Oh, she gossips about my love life and keeps completely mum about hers!” Mirage rolled her eyes, “I’m seeing Arsenal, the blond guy with wings.”
“Oh really? Never pegged you for the boy scout type. How’s that working out?”
“It…could be better. I guess you’ve heard we lost our backer, right?”
“I saw something about that, yeah.”
“Well, Mr. Parvenue was something of a father figure to Arsenal.”
“Ouch. How’s he taking it?”
“I really don’t know,”
Danielle replied, in a tone that conveyed none of the strength Emily had come to
associate with the young
"Oh hell no," Elvin Halliday didn't even wait until the Human Rocket's feet were on the ground, "so don't even ask."
"Oh come on, Elvin, help a brutha out!" Nova pleaded sarcastically, "I promise, working with Force Works is alot more interesting than attending private school.”
Elvin Halliday, once known as the Avenger and New Warrior known as Rage stared up at the clouds in the sky, “Who says I want interesting, Bucket Head? I'm getting a nice education, have some good friends and no one's trying to cave my skull in for doing the right thing. People here treat me at least half way normal, at least until an unnamed Human Rocket dropped outta the sky. Thanks for waiting until my lunch period, at least."
"Don't be like that," Nova pleaded, "Force Works does the exact same kind of work we did in the Warriors, but we need help. I know it cost us," to put it mildly, Nova thought to himself silently, "but don't tell me you weren't proud of the work we did, as a team."
"I'll never say that, man. Even when my grandma was killed 'cause I was a Warrior, I never thought that," the child giant answered, "and if I see someone in danger, I'll stop it no doubt. But you guys...you're in too deep. You live at your headquarters, get paid, all that stuff. It's like a career choice for your team!"
"What's wrong with that? Personally, I always hated the fact about how my personal life always suffered because I was putting my neck on the line," Nova countered, "our setup takes care of that. Works better for us and better for those we're bustin' our ass to save."
"I know, but your setup ain't much different from the Fantastic Four's or Avengers. Living, breathing and eatin' super heroic stuff twenty four seven. That ain't how I want to live my life man, sorry."
"No problem, Elvin. I'll admit, a normal life is tempting sometimes," Richard Rider hovered several feet in the air, ready to take off, "but I think some people weren't meant for that. See ya around."
"Take care man, and say high to the old crew for me!"
Whitman and Kara Knapp (former members of Alpha Flight known as Manikin and Persuasion respectively) were stunned when they received the call from Wiz Kid that members of Force Works would like to speak to them about possible membership. They reluctantly agreed to meet Arsenal and Mirage, listened quietly to Dani's pitch and when she was done, the couple politely declined.
The couple explained that they'd retired from Alpha Flight and from super heroics in general for the moment so that they could live a regular life. In the back of her mind, Moonstar found herself growing sicker and sicker if that excuse. Warpath, Alex Power and more than a few others had thrown that out as they declined membership, and though some part of her understood the logic, an even bigger part of her found it baffling. Because, at the end of the day, none of the people she talked to were remotely ‘normal’. It’d been her personal observation that no matter how hard a hero tried to live a normal life, something, either some enemy with a grudge, some world threatening peril or some combination of the two would inevitably drag them back into the life.
Fighting it was pointless, Dani thought. But then that was only because she was born to fight, Dani reflected. Still, the thought of marrying another super hero held a certain appeal. You knew that your partner could protect themselves and had little fear of the villain of the week using them as a hostage. Plus, neither would be overly troubled by the double life thing that often came with super heroics.
Depressing a button in her belt, Mirage summoned down one of the space shuttles that were normally docked in Nova’s rarely used space craft.
How many other people our age say they have a space ship they never use? Mirage thought to herself. Next to her, Bobby Gregg, was about as talkative as a statue. As the aircraft began to descend, (thoughtfully hidden by Mirage’s powers. No need to advertise that there were heroes around) Dani decided to change that.
“Not even twenty five and they were married and retired from being super heroes. Think that we’ll be that lucky?”
Arsenal barely grunted as he entered the shuttle. He took the pilot’s seat without another word and began plotting their next course.
Dani scowled at his non-reaction, “Did you devolve when I wasn’t looking? Because mild grunts are about all I’ve gotten out of you.”
“You didn’t complain about that a few days ago,” Arsenal stared straight ahead.
“Okay, grunts and one crude remark.”
“Forgive me if I don’t give you a speech on my feelings,” Arsenal scanned the consul quickly, making a few necessary adjustments, “I was military, remember? They trained us for this.”
“They trained you for how to deal with it while in combat. You’re not in combat now.”
“Noted,” Bobby’s tone was disturbingly even.
Moonstar opened her mouth to say something, anything, but nothing came forth. True, she knew the pain of losing a parent, but she'd grown up with their love. They were believed dead for a while, but that short time was eclipsed by the time they'd spent together as a family, especially now. It pained Danielle when she realized she couldn't think of a way to comfort the man she loved.
M’Kano Khanata, otherwise known as the Master of Vibration Vibraxis, sighed deeply, recounting his past adventures with his teammates, “My battle with the Vibravore was truly one for the ages, my fine American friend. My allies and I, the Fantastic Force…”
“Fantastic Four?”
“No, Fantastic Force. As I was saying…”
“What kinda name is Fantastic Force? Kids these days, trying to make classic stuff all ‘kewl’ and hardcore, lordy…”
“Sir…”
“Only thing dumber would have been to call yourselves the Man-Scouts!”
“Sir, do you wish to hear this story or not?”
The man straightened a little bit, “No, actually. I came here for a cheese burger with mayo, no lettuce and no tomatoes, small sprite and small fries.”
M’Kano, properly chagrined, looked down at his register, “Cheeseburger. Got it.”
“Mayo, no lettuce…”
“Small sprite and fries. Understood. Please step aside, we’ll call you when your order is ready. Please enjoy your contribution to unfavorable American statistics.”
The man stepped aside grumbling, but the former hero didn’t care much. From powerful hero to menial servant in some backwater fast food chain, sweet Panther Lord how it galled the young man. He couldn’t bring himself to return to his homeland, not after casting some choice words and keeping his pride. And to the self proclaimed Master of Vibration, pride was everything.
When he looked up to serve the next customer, he received quite a shock. He wasn’t some inbred hick or annoying tourist who simply needed to fill their gullet as they went from point A to point B. No, this person wore a blue and gold uniform emblazoned with three interlocked stars in the shape of a V. His face was covered with a gold helmet with a large red star splitting the eyes.
“How…may I serve …” Vibraxis’ voice trailed off. He recognized the man standing before him as one of the many American heroes that populated the country, but he didn’t have the slightest idea why he’d be here of all places.
“Vibraxis…” Nova looked at the PDA with a smirk plastered across his face, “…master of vibration. I guess you’ve heard all the jokes about ladies lovin’ you, huh?”
“Indeed. Twice.”
“Shame, because you’re going to join Force Works. We’re a high profile team, after all and I’m sure that joke will be plastered across late night television. But there are worse things in our profession than getting nailed by the Daily Show.”
Vibraxis bristled. As much as he longed for the call of battle, to feel the blood pumping in his veins, he did not care to be ordered around by anyone. Who was this man to strut into this…establishment and order him to join his rabble of a team? Surely he had no idea who he was talking to!
“I think not. In fact, I cannot think of one good reason why I might bless your team with my mighty power.”
Nova leaned close and smiled a bit too broadly for M’Kano’s tastes, “I can think of one good reason for you to join.”
“Do tell.”
“Because if you don’t, I’m going to round up every homeless man within a twenty mile radius, bring them here with a hundred dollars each, and tell them to have it their way.”