It was about a week since Althea had put out the call for a gathering of all the extraterrestrials on Earth. Understandably it was taking a while given the logistics and security measures involved for such a gathering. Meanwhile there was nothing for the Misfits to do but wait…and occasionally glue feathers to Beachhead's mask. Hey, everyone deals with killing time in their own way.

But all that changed when General Hawk came to Misfit Manor one day with a mission that took them straight to a place where mutants, conservatives, and Yankee fans dread: Boston.

"Okay, listen up!" Althea ordered. "According to the report Trinity picked up on their scanner the police suspect that one of the abandoned buildings here is being used as a refuge for runaway mutants. Boston has a pretty racist streak, which is why the mutants here are being so secretive. We have to go and find them before the Friends of Humanity or any other hate group or mob attacks them."

"Let's just find the place and then get lunch. I'm hungry!" Fred said.

"There's a shocker." Pietro rolled his eyes.

As the Misfits walked through the abandoned street Xi suddenly froze.

"Xi? What is it?" Althea asked.

"We have company."

"Where?"

"All around us!" Xi hissed.

"Over there!" Lance called as he pointed at someone in a trench coat and a battered old hat emerged in front of them.

"And there!" Pyro added another two similarly dressed people appeared on their left. Several more arrived, surrounding the Misfits.

"Who are you?" Wanda called.

"Your worst nightmare." The one in front said in a deep, malevolent voice as he tossed off his hat and shucked his trench coat, revealing a midnight black shadow form underneath.

"Ebon," Althea said, recognizing the Bang Baby almost immediately from the battle at Sky High. "Long time no see. Have you found yourself another gang to run?"

Being without a mouth, Ebon couldn't smile but the tone in his voice more than made up for the lack. "After a fashion. Allow me to introduce my associates, some of whom I'm sure you recall." Ebon said as he waved his hand at the others, who also removed their trench coats revealing the red and white uniforms of the Hellions.

"Quentin Quire, a.k.a. Kid Omega." Ebon started, indicating a malevolent looking purple-haired boy with a Hitler-like hair cut. "Baran Flinders, better known as Mammoth formerly of the HIVE Academy." A large, vaguely animal-looking teen glowered at the Misfits. "And Manuel Alfonso Rodrigo de la Rocha, also called Empath."

"Haven't seen him in a while." Tabitha's eyes narrowed. "I thought you were with the original Hellions."

"Things change." Empath sneered.

"Nice to see you catching up on old times." Ebon said. "Allow me to introduce the last two members of the New Hellions, Laurie Garrison a.k.a. Wallflower and Julian Keller a.k.a. Scion. She's the daughter of a prominent member of the Hellfire Club and he's an up and coming prodigy in the Hellions."

"What do you creeps want?" Althea asked.

"Simple." Ebon said reasonably. "We intend to kill you."

"We're not about to be beaten by knock-offs!" Lance snarled. "Bring it on!"

"I don't think that will be necessary. In fact, I think you'll simply surrender." Wallflower sneered as she released pheromones into the air which filled the Misfits with a terrible, uncontrollable fear.

"No…stop…" Althea said her face pale and sweating.

"Make it stop! Make it stop!" Pietro pleaded.

"That's right, feel the fear. Feel the fear!" Wallflower cackled.

"Good lord I think I love that girl." Empath snickered. Unfortunately for the Hellions, in her unthinking panic Wanda accidentally released her hexbolts in all directions striking (among other things) a fire hydrant. The water gushed up into the air and rained down upon the Misfits. The water not only cleared the air of pheromones, it gave Althea a chance to do what she did best.

"Nobody screws with my feelings!" Althea shouted as she sent a burst of water at Wallflower, knocking the Hellion girl away. Then the battle was joined.

Mammoth and Fred rushed at each other, with Mammoth being the one who went flying. Kid Omega attempted to use his telepathy against the Misfits but not being that familiar with them, made the mistake of reading Pyro's mind.

"Arrgh!" Quentin shouted as he grabbed his head. "Pineapples! PINEAPPLES!" Pietro and Wanda took advantage of his distraction and ran up to him.

"Wonder twin powers, activate!" Pietro said as he smacked Quentin in the face.

"Form of…kicking your ass!" Wanda shouted as she did just what she said she would.

Empath gulped at the sight. "Better him than me." He said. Then he noticed something yellow and round rolled next to his foot. "Oh no!" Empath shouted as he leapt away just as Tabby's time bomb exploded.

"Get back here!" Tabby shouted as she hurled bomb after bomb at Empath. Ebon loomed and attempted to envelope the Misfits, but was hurled back by Wanda's hexbolts. Scion used his telekinesis to fly into the air and hurled cars at the Misfits. Trinity responded with psychic lightning.

Rahne transformed into a wolf and was about to head into the fray when she caught a faint scent. Almost without realizing it Rahne started to follow it, away from the fight and down the block to a run down building that looked as though a stiff breeze could knock it over. She made her way through the broken door and into the house.

"Hello?" Rahne called as she shifted back to her human self and started to wander about. "Is anyone here?"

"Rahne? You in here?" Tabby asked as she and the Misfits walked in. "Why'd you leave? The fight was just getting good!"

"Remind me to tell you what Todd did to Empath before the Hellions ran away." Althea snickered.

"I think there's someone in here." Rahne answered. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, Rahne finally noticed someone lying prone on the floor, unconscious.

"Somebody call Lifeline, tell him we're bringing someone directly to the infirmary." Althea ordered as they hurried over. It was a young woman, naked and beaten. She had bluish-black bruises all over her body, including one right over her eye, which was swollen shut.

Rahne took a slow step forward then paused when she felt something moving underneath her foot. She lifted her foot and found she had trod upon what looked like a tail. The victim stirred slightly and slowly pushed her long purple hair out of her face. Rahne gasped as she took in the tail, the hair, and the face. Even battered and bruised, she'd know it anywhere.

"No…" She said in horror. The victim looked up at her with her one open eye.

"F-furfriend?" She whispered piteously before passing out.

It was Catseye.