Dateline: Monday, April 27, 1981, 5:47 PM, Pacific Daylight Time.

"Hey, Dash," Violet said while cooking dinner, "you never did tell me what happened to your cast."

"Oh, yeah," Dash responded. "Kim knocked it off for me."

"Huh?"

"Yeah, she, uh, liquefied, I guess, then she sort of poured herself into the space between the cast and my leg, and…"

"…And when she snapped back into solid form, the cast exploded off?" José finished.

"Yes, exactly. Oh, and speaking of Kim, today is her birthday and I sort of invited her over to our place for dinner." Dash grinned his best fake innocent grin.

"What do you mean you 'sort of' invited her?" asked Violet. "Either you did or you didn't. Which is it?"

"All right, I did, I was hoping you wouldn't mind. Do you?"

Now Violet was known among the members of the NSA for her hospitality, but Dash dropped this on her a little too soon for her taste. "When is she coming over?" she asked.

"I don't know, we didn't schedule a specific time."

"Dash!"

"I'm sorry!"

Violet sighed. "I guess we don't have a choice then. I'll have to make enough food for five people tonight."

Just then, there was a knock at the apartment door. "Why don't I get that?" José offered. He opened the door to a girl he did not recognize. She had long, flowing brown hair and wire-rimmed glasses over her piercing blue eyes.

"Hello," she said, "is, uh, Dashell here?"

Dash ran to the door with his trademark speed. "Kim! You made it!"

"Well, of course I did! Not even a car crash could keep me away."

"You ain't just whistling Dixie, Kimberly Lavender!"

"Wait," José protested as Kim stepped inside, "this is the Kimberly Lavender that you have kept on talking about?" He turned to Miss Lavender. "The way Dash talks about you, I was expecting you to look like Bo Derek."

Kim's face turned candy-apple red. "Dash always says I'm much more beautiful than I really am. And you are?"

"I am José Hernandez, codename Heartth-." He stopped himself before he gave away his secret identity. He shut the door so the public wouldn't hear him.

"It's okay," Kim said. "All of you are supers, members of Alpha Force. Dash told me everything."

"Dinner will be ready in just a moment!" Violet called from the kitchen.

"Thanks for letting me have dinner with the team, Python," Kim responded.

Violet looked at her very sternly. "Please don't use my codename when I'm out of costume, okay?"

"Sorry, I, uh, didn't mean anything by it."

"Is that Kimberly Lavender I hear?" Ashley asked in a singsong voice.

"Oh, hi there, Ashley." Kim wasn't exactly sure what to say, she barely knew the girl. "Nice to see you again."

"Wish I could say the same!" she responded, laughing at her own lame joke.

"So, are you part of this super team too?"

"Yes, ma'am! I mix it up with the bad guys as Blind Tracy."

"Blind Tracy?"

"Middle name," said everybody in unison.

"Thank you!" said Kim, and she held the 'TH' sound for a half-second longer than normal.

"DINNER'S READY!" Violet called. Within seven seconds, everyone was at the table ready to eat. "José, will you say grace, please?"

Everyone folded their hands and bowed their heads in silence as José prayed, "Dear Lord, thank you for the food we are about to receive. Thank you for bestowing upon us powers beyond those of mortal men." Violet kicked him under the table. "And women. May you bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies, and us to thy service. Amen."

"Amen," everyone echoed. Then they all began to eat.

"Hey, guys," Kim said, trying to start a conversation, "I thought you should know that I turn 18 today, and I was wondering if you guys have an opening available on the team?"

Ashley dropped her fork. "Why would you want to join our team? So you can spend a little more time with your boyfriend?" She snickered.

"Yes, that's exactly why I want to join. That, and I've always wanted to be a superhero."

Stymied, Ashley just resumed eating. That's when Violet spoke up. "You know, at Alpha Force, we're more than just a super team. In a way, we're more of a family."

"Sounds great," Kim said. "I could use a new family to replace my old one. My father hates supers and my mother is way too clingy. Where do I sign?"

"Not yet. You still need to answer a few questions. Standard stuff, I'd do this to my little brother if he wanted to join."

"You already did, Vi."

"Oh, shut up, Dash. Anyway, have you ever been arrested?"

"No."

"Have you engaged in hero work before?"

"No."

"Have you ever been a super villain?"

"No."
"Do you have a codename yet?"

"No."

"Well, you need to get one if you're going to be a superhero." Then Violet turned to the rest of the team. "C'mon, people, I need to hear some names!"

"How about Amoeboid?" offered José.

"Maybe Meltergirl?" said Ashley.

"Fluid Frankie?" added Dash.

Kim laughed at every suggestion. "How about Liquegirl?" she said. "My mother used to call me that when I was four or something."

"Catchy," said José.

"It's poetic in it's own right!" said Dash.

"It's better that Le Femme Aqueous," said Ashley.

"Well, team, I have some bad news," Violet said in a somber tone.

"Please don't tell me you've decided not to let Kim join, Vi," Dash begged. "PLEASE!"
"The bad news is…" Violet continued, "now that we're going to have Liquegirl living with us," Dash was jumping for joy until Violet told him to settle down, "I'm afraid that Alpha Force is going to have to relocate its headquarters to a more suitable facility."

"Huh?" said Ashley.

"We're gonna move!" Dash explained.

"Aye, me!" José said. "And I just got settled in here, too!"

"Okay, Kim, you don't mind bunking with Dash tonight, do you?"

Kim looked over at her beau. "Uh, no I guess not."

"Great, you and Dash sleep in his room, Ashley can sleep on the couch, you like that, right?"

"Sure do, boss."

"José, you can sleep in my bed tonight. I'll sleep on the floor in the living room. Tomorrow, after work, I'm going to look into buying us a house. Good night, Alpha Force!"

"Good night, Vi," they all said.

(A/N: Well, you didn't expect me to leave the supers in that two-bedroom apartment forever, did you? No, especially since their arch-nemesis is their landlord! Of course, since Herr Cannon's target is suburban developments, there is the chance that he might come pounding on their door with a giant ball of lead, eh? Either way, the team is not safe until he is stopped. Hey, don't forget to hit the review button so I can see how well or poorly I'm writing! Chapter 29 is coming! BTW I deleted my baseball story, hope you all aren't too disappointed.)