Mount Charteris, Colorado. Ever since the remote base was confiscated from the Masters of Evil, it served was home for years to the super-team known as The Thunderbolts.
Charles Burlingame, A.K.A. Charcoal, the Burning Man, strolled thru its halls toward the lounge area and sat on a large couch. He tapped a control panel, console doors parted and a spherical camera floated out.
Charlie stood and paced the rug, "Begin journal entry for July, 8 2015. I decided on a staycation while the others chose locales. I guess that's the trauma of my dad yanking me to and fro. I'll no doubt be bleeding my heart to a therapist someday instead of a flying camera."
"I don't have the desire to escape like all my teammates. Erik doesn't have any family left, not that it'd make a difference if they'd been alive. The dude never feels homesick, and I feel sorry for him. He visited Cancun, and I hope he's having fun, as long as he doesn't drink the water."
"Melissa, that girl's confused with Abe out of the picture. No doubt he could use her support. But ever since Warren Worthington's frequent visits, they became friends and she sort of forgot Abe. Mel is happy with Warren around, and God knows what those two will be doing in Paris."
"Our leader Hawkeye suggested our vacations. I can't think of anyone who deserves it more than him. Before he left this week I asked him about this team's future, and he said we definitely have one. Anyhow, he chose a less exotic vacation spot, New York City, and I think he's there more or less to patch things up with the Avengers. That he really could use, cuz his relationship with Karla was torn apart at the seams."
"She's in Barbados. Hell, those two were inseparable ever since they kissed in front of us all those months ago. She genuinely loved him, and their pairing almost lasted. But once she lost possession of the Witchblade, she regressed to Queen Bitch and it prompted Clint to put their relationship in limbo. It's why they're not sharing this free time."
"Funny, they're not the only couple of this team that's separated. Ah, what am I saying? Hallie and I are separated for an entirely different reason."
Charlie noticed a framed photo of him and Hallie smiling in a Las Vegas cathedral. He grinned in recollection of the day it was taken.
"She's driving to Wisconsin to visit a family she discovered through a search organization. Until now, no one knew that Hallie was alive, healthy, married. She and I agreed that this was a visit she needed to do alone. I sure wouldn't have minded meeting her family. But we respect each other's wishes, and I love her too much not to grant the wishes she makes. Still, I really miss my wife."
"So this was the Thunderbolts week in review, I guess. Until next time, journal entry July 8, 2015 end." He placed the photo back on the shelf, and tapped the control panel. The spherical camera returned to the console. Charlie departed the lounge.
THE BEGINNING.