Viral Vengeance
Disclaimer: "Oh boy." – Scott Bakula as Sam, Quantum Leap
Chapter 2: Fun with The New Guys
A mall in Los Angeles
"Dude…I…I…I…" Jack McCormick grunted. He was grunting under the weight of a whole lot of shopping bags. "Dude…can't…breathe…"
"Hate…girls…really…hate…girls…" Rusty Collins grunted, being in the same predicament that Jack was in.
"Dude…I gotta transform…" Jack groaned. "As a gorilla, I can easily carry this stuff." Jack then activated his powers. Fur sprouted on his body as he changed into the powerful great ape. They passed by a man, who screamed.
"GORILLA! OH MY GOD!" He then leapt over the ledge.
"This…isn't helping much, dude." Jack grunted.
"You think?" Rusty tried to snap. "What the hell is it with women and shopping? Urgh!"
"Oi! Come on, you bloody slowpokes." Betsy Braddock demanded. "Can't you two hurry up? You'll get lost! And we still have a lot more stuff to get."
"Shouldn't we help them?" Sally asked concernedly, looking at Jack and Rusty, whose faces had turned red with exhaustion, and their brows showed they were sweating bullets. "I don't think that they can handle the load of shopping." Betsy chuckled.
"Sally, me dear, don't worry. They're men. That's their job. It would be rather ungentlemanly of them to have us carry all that shopping."
"DO I LOOK LIKE A DAMN GENTLEMAN TO YOU?" Rusty snapped angrily.
"Uh, Bets…" Jack piped up. "Maybe you, like, you know…like…you know…like, not buy so much stuff?"
"Excuse me?" Betsy blinked. "My dear Jack, I happen to be a member of a rich and influential British family. I have a lot of money, and a lot of stuff I need." Jack blinked.
"Really?" The surfer bum blinked. "I thought like, you British dudes liked tea and crumpets and that kind of thing." Betsy looked at the blond teen with a deadpan expression.
"I'm going to ignore that last statement you made, on account of the fact that you have no idea what you are talking about." Betsy told Jack simply.
"Uh…okay…" Jack blinked.
"That's it!" Rusty growled, dropping his bags.
"Oi! Watch it!" Betsy exclaimed. "I hope you didn't ruin me shoes!"
"Screw this! I'm going to the arcade!" Rusty grumbled.
"Dude, like, don't leave me here!" Jack exclaimed.
"Come on, you twit!" Rusty snapped. He then walked away, grumbling.
"I'll go, like, calm him down." Jack sighed, putting down his bags gently, changing back into his human form, and running after him. Betsy groaned.
"That's just bloody great!" Betsy groaned.
"Oh, dear…" Sally sighed.
The arcade
"Come on…come on…" Rusty moved a joystick and pressed a button frantically. The game machine started to play a triumphant music, and the red-haired mutant grinned. "Yes! Whoo-hoo! Yeah!"
"Hey, dude! I've, like, looked all over for you." Jack walked in. Rusty sighed.
"Let me guess, it's about my little freak-out back there, huh?" Jack nodded at Rusty's assumption.
"Yeah, dude. That's it." Jack nodded. "You alright?" Rusty nodded.
"Yeah, it's just…" He sighed. "It's just sometimes…that rich pain in the neck Braddock…she just drives me nuts sometimes, you know?"
"Yeah." Jack nodded sympathetically. "I totally get it. I'm not as slow as some people totally think." Jack and Rusty had developed a kind of bond during their time together in Freedom Force. Jack's laid-back nature had complimented Rusty's temper well. "Hey dude, I look at it this way, man. Betsy is used to total privilege and all. She may still need time to adjust to being here." Rusty was about to make a smarmy remark, when…
"Hey!" A voice demanded in the boys' direction. Rusty and Jack turned around and noticed a couple of jocks from the local high school sneering at them.
"Hey!" The first one called, wearing a letterman jacket.
"Aren't you two of those Freedom Force freaks?" The second jock, dressed in a leather jacket, sneered.
"What's it to you two retards?" Rusty scowled, crossing his arms.
"Come on, dude. Let's just like, ignore him." Jack groaned.
"I saw you once on the TV." Letterman Jacket told Rusty.
"A lot of people see Freedom Force on TV." Rusty countered. "What? You want an autograph?"
"You guys deal with superpowers and stuff. I bet you guys couldn't win a fight without them." Leather Jacket scoffed. Rusty laughed.
"Pal, my old man is in the Navy. Put two and two together." Rusty answered.
"Dude, let's just leave. They're total idiots, for sure." Jack sighed.
"Yeah, you should listen to the Valley Girl over there." Leather Jacket smirked.
"Oh yeah, Valley Girl. That's totally original, dude." Jack rolled his eyes. "Like, don't you total dweebazoids have something better to do with your time?"
"Yeah." Letterman Jacket hit his palm with his fist, smirking. "Showing everyone that you so-called 'superheroes' are nothin' but punks."
The Food Court
Betsy and a worried Sally sat in the Food Court nearby the arcade, enjoying some sodas.
"Don't you think that you were a little hard on Rusty and Jack?" Sally asked Betsy. "I mean, they weren't exactly thrilled with you using them as pack mules."
"Ah, you Yanks have no concept of chivalry." Betsy chuckled.
"Well, we Americans have tried not to be like the English in every single way for over two hundred years." Sally smiled. Betsy shrugged.
"I guess so." The purple-haired telepath said. She then sighed.
"Let me guess." Sally smirked knowingly. "It's Mr. Drake, isn't it?"
"Yeah…" Betsy sighed. "What does he see in Miss Cheney? I mean, I'm rich, I'm beautiful, I'm smart, and I like a good fight."
"Miss Cheney told me about when Mr. Drake first joined Freedom Force." Skids remembered. "She said it was a very…bad time for him. She said he had a lot of issues when he first joined up." (1)
"Huh." Betsy nodded. "Emotional troubles. I have heard that Starway is a sucker for those types."
"She's had it rough herself." Sally explained, sipping her soda. "She sympathized with him."
"Uh-huh." Betsy nodded. "I'm sure." She then picked up something telepathically. "Uh…" She put her hand to her head.
"Betsy, are you alright?" Sally wondered. Betsy nodded.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just picked up Rusty and Jack-" She was interrupted by sounds of a fight coming from the arcade. "Oh, bloody…"
"Oh, no…" Skids moaned as she and Betsy got up. The two mutant girls ran into the arcade and saw, amidst a crowd of hooting arcade-goers, Rusty and Jack getting into a fight with Letterman Jacket and Leather Jacket.
"Yah!" Rusty ducked a hook from Letterman Jacket and nailed him with an uppercut. It caused Letterman Jacket to stumble into a game machine. "Yeah! How you like that, punk? I told you never pick on a Navy brat!"
"Whoa!" Jack ducked a jab from Leather Jacket. He then grabbed the outstretched arm of Leather Jacket and flipped him over onto the floor in a judo-style throw. "Dude, I may not enjoy beating dudes to a total pulp, but I can so take care of myself, man."
"Alright, you two." Betsy grabbed Rusty and Jack. "You guys are gonna be in big trouble!"
"Are you alright?" Sally asked with concern.
"We're okay, dudette." Jack reassured with a smile.
"Yeah, but they ain't." Rusty smirked, pointing at a wincing Letterman Jacket helping up Leather Jacket.
"Awww, look…" Letterman Jacket smirked. "They're hiding behind their girlfriends, heh heh." Betsy narrowed her eyes at the two. She walked up to them.
"HI-YA!"
WHAM!
The purple-haired telepath nailed them both upside the head with one roundhouse kick.
"Ouch." Jack winced.
"Come, Robin! To the Batcave!" Letterman Jacket mumbled before falling down to the ground facefirst.
"Holy Krispy Kreme, Batman!" Leather Jacket mumbled before joining his companion.
A club in Los Angeles, that night
"…We're gonna rock toniiiiiiiiight! Tonight!" Ace Starr wailed into the microphone as the band finished playing the song. The lion-like member of Freedom Force was performing in a club in his native Los Angeles. The clubgoers cheered in delight, in awe of Ace's singing and guitar talent. Ace Starr was clad in his stage clothes…which weren't so different from his regular clothes. The laughing feral jumped off the stage, and he got lots of claps on the back and compliments.
"You ruled, Ace!"
"Another great show!"
"I love you, Ace!"
"Marry me!"
"You're the greatest!"
"Thank you, thank you!" The feral smiled and bowed. He noticed a guy sitting at a table, smiling at Ace, clapping. His blond hair was cut short in a crew cut. He was a rather large fellow, yet powerful. He was Fred Dukes, aka the Blob. With super strength, invulnerability, and the ability to increase his personal gravity, making him immovable, Fred served in the Brotherhood, who were also the east coast-based Freedom Force team. (2) Fred and Ace had become good friends over the past year, starting when Ace helped Fred during his time of mourning. (3) Fred always came to see Ace's shows, because he became a fan of Ace's unique style, which the feral called "Heavy Metal-meets-R and B". "Hey, Freddo my man! Ha ha!" Ace ran up to the table and high-fived the large man.
"Hey, Ace." Fred smiled. "How you been? Great show."
"Thanks. Glad you came." Ace grinned, always happy to see a friend. A waitress, a curvaceous dark-haired woman, walked up to the table.
"Hey, Mr. Dukes. Ace." She greeted. "Your usuals, right?"
"Thank you." Fred nodded.
"Right." She nodded. "Ace, we're on for tomorrow night, right?"
"Oh yeah." Ace grinned. "See you then, babe. Wear something nice."
"Oh, I will." The waitress winked as she went to get their order. Fred chuckled.
"I see you've had no trouble in the love department lately." The blond powerhouse snickered. Ace shrugged.
"Ah, well. What can I do? Chicks love ferals." Ace chuckled. "How have you been doing?"
"Meh, I've been doing alright." Fred shrugged. He then sighed. "Wow."
"Wow, what?" Ace blinked.
"Well, it's been over a year since…Rosey." Fred sighed.
"Yeah, I know." Ace nodded sadly. "You doing alright?"
"Yeah." Fred nodded. "Thanks for helping me out through it, man. You know, I'd still be a mess if it weren't for you."
"I figured you needed a friend, Freddy." Ace grinned. "I know you would've normally gone to your friend Todd, but you know, married life and all."
"Yup." Fred nodded. The waitress arrived with their drinks, and the guys thanked her. She gave Ace a wink, which the feral responded with in kind, and she sauntered off. "You know, it doesn't really hurt much anymore…I mean, I do miss Rosey, but I just remember something that you told me a while back." Fred smiled. "That she's still in my heart. And I don't feel bad anymore." (4)
"Exactly." Ace smiled. "So…you seeing anyone?"
"Nah." Fred shook his head. "I haven't really thought much about it. I've been concentrating more on missions and stuff." He sipped his beer. "I've also been doing an editorial in the local paper every so often. You know, a chance to express my opinions on things. I've gotten a lot of positive reviews."
"Oh, that's cool." Ace grinned.
"Yeah. I get a lot of fan mail. One person once called me 'the most insightful columnist he's ever read'."
"Well, I'm glad you found a hobby." Ace nodded.
"How's things been going for you?"
"Well, not bad, to be honest." Ace chuckled. "I'm playing at clubs whenever they need me, and I impressed a couple local executives. I'm working on songs for my first album."
"Sweet." Fred grinned. "Looks like you're getting along well."
"Yeah." Ace nodded. "You should've been at our last mission. We fought a living nuclear reactor."
"Wow." Fred nodded.
"Yup." Ace nodded. "We nearly had the sequel to 'The China Syndrome' on our hands."
"Ay-yi-yi." Fred winced, sipping his beer.
"Mm-hmm." Ace nodded. "I guess crazy things just keep happening when you're in Freedom Force."
"Amen." Fred grinned. "You know, I'm glad Fury recruited me. Despite all the ups and downs, at least I know my life won't be boring."
Next: Gone Out While Bobby and Lila go out on a date, something strange happens in California…
(1) – Bobby "Iceman" Drake first joined Freedom Force in "Black Ice"
(2) – In "Gifts and Curses" by todd fan, Nick Fury recruited the Brotherhood as the east coast-based counterpart of Freedom Force.
(3) – In "Gifts and Curses", Fred's girlfriend Rosemary died after she was captured by Spyder and fed to Magus.
(4) – In "Out Drinkin'", Ace told Fred that little nugget of wisdom.