"Come on Silvia - I've not seen Junior in weeks and he's always asking to see you!" whines Joe

Silvia sighs "Joe, he still doesn't like me"

"He's just jealous cos he's gotta share me with ma' main squeeze-" Joe grins as he pulls Silvia close.

She giggles and smiles back at him.

"-but if you get to really know him you'll really like him. He's like that little brother you've never had"

"Alright, just this once and only for a few days okay?"

Joe hugs Silvia tightly "He's going to be so excited! I'll get in touch with Junior, get my Old Man to sort out the Film and we'll head off!"

Silvia groans, but someone has to keep an eye on Joe as he's well known for overstaying in Movieland and forgetting to return to the real world.


It's late in the evening and the dusk is beginning to settle into Blue Town. The dry Wild Western town is eerily quite as Joe and Silvia warp in from the real world.

"This place hasn't changed a bit", remarks Silvia as she takes in the scenery, "it's just like the last time we were here."

"Something's not right..." Joe mutters, "...where's Junior? He knows I'm coming, he's always here by the fountain"

They walk solemnly down the dirt path towards the Captain Blue Fountain. Joe still scanning the village buildings for any sign of life.

Arriving at the fountain Joe puts his hand to his forehead and looks around. Not that he can see much in the duskiness, but that never stopped Joe trying.

"Where is Junior? This isn't like him at all..."

"Maybe he's asleep? It is dark…" replies Silvia

"But the whole town to be this quite?"

It's only now does Silvia notice there are no lights on in any of the store windows and houses.

Joe cups his hands around his mouth and yells "YO JUNIOR WHERE ARE YOOOOU?!"

His words echo around the empty street.

Joe sighs, "maybe he's playin' a prank with the whole town?"

"NOT FUNNY DUDE" he yells.

They both pause for a moment and hear nothing but their own breathing and the wind echoing around them.

"Where is he? This isn't like him…" Joe's voice is filled with sadness

Silvia puts her hand on Joe's shoulder, "we'll find him, don't give up Joe"

"Joe? Is that…?" A quite voice breaks the silence.

Joe and Silvia turn to see a dull golden coloured woman emerging from a dark side alley.

"Rachel!" They both exclaim and rush over to great her.

"Do my cameras deceive me? Is it really you two?"

Joe rubs her metallic head and she holds his arm, if her eyes were capable of tears she would be crying.

"Joe..and Silvia…" Rachel reaches out and touches Silvia's face, "it's been so long…"

Joe notices that Rachel's body isn't a shiny as it once was. Her armour plating is dented in places, her limbs have odd coloured metal repair patches and her body parts are not all the same colour.

"Rachel, where's Junior?" asks Silvia

"He's not been called that in a while…" she responds

Joe and Silvia both share the same puzzled look.

"He should still be at his workshop, come Dear Friends", she continues motioning for Joe and Silvia to follow.

As Rachel walks Silvia notices she now walks with a slight limp.


The workshop is a converted downstairs area in Junior's home. It's stock full of tools, weapons, books, mugs and scattered notebooks. Every surface has a combination of books, magazines, notebooks, dirty mugs, plates, cutlery or all of the above. It's clear the owner is interested in many things but cleaning and organisation isn't one of them. A young man sits working away at the table facing the wall.

It doesn't take Joe very long to pick out that distinctive hair style and he exclaims "YO JUNIOR!"

The figure doesn't respond and continues to work.

Rachel tries to say something but Joe rushes off, eager to great his friend.

"Yo, what's up with you ignorin' me like that?"

Joe gets more frustrated as Junior doesn't respond to him.

"YO JUNIOR!" Joe yells as he pokes Junior in the back

The young man yelps, drops his screwdriver and quickly turns around, facing Joe

"J-J-Joe?" He asks, utterly bemused by the person standing in front of him.

Junior has aged a lot, his face is even a shock even to Joe. Junior is now in his mid 20s, with a sloppily kept goatee and a scar running across the side of his face leading into his right ear.

"Junior w-w-what happened? Y-you...scar!" Joe exclaims

"Joe wait", Junior motions for Joe to stop and presses something in his left ear.

"He's deaf Joe", Rachel explains

Joe confusedly points at Junior and then back to Rachel, "but how, he?"

"What did you say earlier Joe? I didn't catch that your mouth moved too fast"

"You, old, scar, deaf...? When did all that happen?" Joe has too many questions and just can't comprehend it all.

"Old? Hahaha-" Junior laughs as he stands up his full height now evident, "-Joe it's been over twelve years since you were last here"

Silvia is stunned so much time has past but Joe is still Joe and focuses on the simplest things.

"D-D-Dude you're as tall as me!" Joe exclaims

Junior stands fully upright next to Joe and uses his hand to measure the tops of their heads.

"Oh I am too" he laughs "I never though I'd see that day"

Silvia sighs Junior may look different but he's truly not changed one bit.

With everyone somehow finding a space to sit in the messy room, even if the "chair" is a pile of magazines, Junior sits back down by his desk and sighs.

"Right you both had a ton of questions, what was the first?"

"Scar" answers Joe

"Deafness" cries Silvia at the same time as Joe

Junior looks confused at them both, it's clear he didn't understand a word of that. He glances at Rachel who signs both words at him before pointing at the person who stated it.

"So this -" Junior traces the scar along his face with his finger "-that was Hulk. He threw his axe and it landed on my helmet...ruined a good helmet mind you" he scowls before continuing.

"Couldn't hear much in the right ear after Hulk, but Charles finished the job recently. I got too close to his screech...can't hear a thing without this -" he takes out the hearing aid in his left ear before setting it back in "- tell ya one thing, I get a great night's sleep now" he laughs.

Silvia looks Junior up and down while Joe takes in all the new changes in his best friend, it's going to take him a little bit to put it all together. She notices the coloured bracelets on Junior's arms.

"What's with all the bling? You've got more jewellery than me" jokes Silvia

"Oh these things?" Junior asks while shaking the bracelets on his arms. "Well this one-" he points to the grey one on his left arm, "-is hooked up to those town's security. Nothing gets past the alarms without tripping this"

"Except us" remarks Joe

"Well you two warped into town, not entering by normal methods" comments Rachel.

"I think we need to tweak the design to accommodate for that eh, Rach?" laughs Junior.

Holding up his right hand, Joe and Silvia can clearly see two bracelets - one yellow and one purple. Junior points to the purple bracelet

"This one, Alastor's. If he needs me he pings it. Although we've not heard from him in a long time. I dunno if this thing even works anymore, and then this", Junior continues pointing at the yellow bracelet, "-that's Rachel's, she makes me wear it-"

"For your own safety!"

"Sure Mom"

"How else am I going to alert you when you're not wearing your hearing aid?" she protests

"She's got a fair point there, even I was able to sneak up on you-" comments Joe

"-and we all know how loud Joe can be" finishes Silvia

"See they agree with me!"

Junior rolls his eyes, "you know I'm a grown man and not some little kid anymore, right?"

Rachel signs something to Junior, it's clear she doesn't want Joe and Silvia to know whatever it is she's saying. Junior pouts, sticks his tongue out at her and signs something else back to her. Rachel glares at Junior and return signs words back at him. Silvia and Joe watch this tennis match of sign language before Joe breaks the silence.

"Ahem...we're still here you know"

"Well, she started it" complaints Junior

"You didn't have to stoop so low" defends Rachel

"That has to be the quietest argument I've ever seen" remarks Silvia

The bracelet on Junior's left arm vibrates and blinks red, he stares at it and then at Rachel who nods.

"They're here..." he mutters, "Joe, Silvia..." Junior's tone is commanding now, "...it's not safe here for you two..."

"Whatta mean?" questions Joe as Junior rushes up

"It's not safe here" Junior repeats as he grabs a set of faded, battered and slightly ripped blue body armour which was hung up on the wall.

He wraps the armour around his chest, pulling tightly on the loose belts, before grabbing long leather gloves with thick bracers, followed by a pair of long metal claws and slips them over his leather gloves.

"This world is far more dangerous since you were last here, you both need to stay put" Junior commands.

"No way, we're a team" chirps Joe, "there's nothing we can't achieve together!"

"Ah the ever optimistic Joe..." sighs Junior, "oh boy are you in for a shock..."