Cologne, Germany
Author's Note and Disclaimer: I don't own the X-men Evolution, GI Joe, or Red Witch's Misfits franchises. However the character of Corporal Nathaniel Demerest, 22 SAS, is my creation. The Special Air Service is the United Kingdom's special forces. The character of Camille Leclair comes from a video I watched in French class.
Red Witch, do you think you could tell me more about the new Misfits for my next few chapters.
Don't worry I'll get back to Kilo Two Zero soon.
~ ~ ~ ~
Cologne Cathedral, Germany: The cathedral's towers stretched into the night sky like a giant hand reaching towards heaven. It literally radiated majesty to the man walking along towards her sanctuary. For a year now, the man had been on a journey to nowhere in particular. After injuries sustained on his last mission two years ago he had decided to take a backpack journey across Europe.
After thirteen years of military service, he had no idea what he would do. He'd joined the Territorial (Reserve) Army SAS as a boy soldier at the age of sixteen and had served Her Majesty's Army for thirteen years since then. A chance explosion and damage to his inner ear had pretty much insured that the British Army wasn't keeping him in the SAS for long. In the instant of a blast a constant of his adult life was gone. He felt a ringing in his left ear, his deaf ear, and gulped down another tablet of pain killer.
The doctors said he'd likely never walk again because of the balance and equilibrium problems, but he'd proven them wrong. Those quacks didn't know what they were talking about. He was able to walk within six months, run in six more months. He was able to almost reach his old level of conditioning while he was in the Regiment. He'd crossed the German border six days ago, unaware he was being followed.
~ ~ ~ ~
"Why do our new recruits always have to be hard to find...?" Cover Girl groaned under the weight of the eighty pound rucksack she carried.
"Some people are hard of head. And from the looks of this one, his skull's made of lead." Roadblock replied. For about two weeks they'd followed their new recruit, never getting close enough to talk to him. Despite his ninety pound backpack he was able to stay two to three miles ahead of them for all of their following.
"Well at least he decided to stop in a town this time." Cover Girl replied, "I may be used to camping in the woods, but I'll take a five star hotel any day."
"You could have it worst, you could be Shipwreck." Roadblock replied, "Babysitting and training and all. I bet he's not having a ball."
Cover Girl laughed lightly, "I bet he's got his hands full."
"Hey he's stepped into the cathedral." Roadblock said, "Makes our job easier."
~ ~ ~ ~
Nathaniel Demerest, the man they'd been following, pulled a rosary from the pocket of his jeans and dropped to his knees in the pew. "Our father, who art in heaven..."
Grandmother had said her faith had gotten her through the bombardment of Normandy during World War II. The rosary he held in his hands had been a gift she'd given him before he joined the Territorial Army as a fresh faced sixteen year old boy.
He noticed the cathedral door opening as he said another Hail Mary. Turning around he saw an auburn haired woman, pretty enough to be a model, and a muscular black man. They'd been following him since he entered the city of Cologne, and they were Americans from the look of them. He kept an eye on them in case anything were to develop
~ ~ ~ ~
"Nathaniel Demerest?" Roadblock asked the praying man.
"Yes." The man replied. He was about 5'9", with a compact, muscular build with short black hair and intense black eyes.
"Do you check your answering machine or your mail?" Roadblock asked, "Because you seemed to respond as slow as a snail..."
"Right." Demerest replied, "In case you didn't know, I'm medically disqualified from military duty. Deaf in one ear..."
"You served in the Territorial SAS, the reserve regiment, from the age of sixteen until the age of twenty-three." Cover Girl began.
Demerest looked surprised at first, he'd left before GI Joe started looking for him. "How'd you..."
"You then wanted more out of life then being a member of the reserve special forces in the UK." Roadblock continued.
Demerest was glad he'd packed the Glock 17 in a holster underneath his olive green shirt. If these two were COBRAs he was going to draw and shoot. First the larger of the two, then the red head, but they could be GI Joes, so he decided not to draw and fire yet. He would hear them out.
"You joined the Parachute Regiment to get a solid infantry background then ran Selection for 22 SAS. You were finally badged as an SAS operative at the age of twenty-three..." Cover Girl continued.
"Right, this stuff isn't exactly common knowledge..." Demerest began, "However any half decent spy can break into archives and figure out that information..."
"Your maternal grandfather is German, but you don't mention that often." Roadblock said, "No need to be ashamed of the nationality of your kin."
"You were wounded in action against a terrorist group called COBRA in a secret operation off the coast of Scotland two years ago..." Cover Girl began, "An operation that only personal with certain security clearances can access."
"Operation Snakebite..." Demerest began, his eyes taking a faraway look. Three British SAS operatives together with three men from GI Joe, codenamed Flint, Duke, and Low Light had parachuted onto an island where COBRA was attempting a project on the scale of Moreauseau again.
"Two SAS soldiers died, the survivor was seriously wounded, deafened in his left ear, balance and equilibrium effected..." Cover Girl continued.
"So what help would I be to the unit?" Demerest replied, "I'm crippled..."
"Demerest, they swore you'd never walk again, that you'd be confined to a wheel chair for the rest of your days." Roadblock said, "You walked within six months of your wounds. You then ran within a year of being injured..."
"Your file doesn't say anything about me blacking out occasionally, the nightmares, or..." Demerest replied.
"We believe our medical staff discovered a way to help you..." Cover Girl replied, "It's nothing short of a miracle..."
"It is in the grace of God that I recovered..." Demerest replied.
"You know we're on the same side..." Cover Girl said, "It must be hard trying to sleep after what you saw during Snakebite..."
"You've got no idea." Demerest replied.
"The nightmares, the memories you don't want." Roadblock said, "The fact that you've been discharged doesn't help..."
"It's not like I'm unemployed, my friend." Demerest replied, "The Regiment keeps its cripples. I'll be teaching sniping after my yearlong sabbatical draws to a close."
"You mean your yearlong backpack trip through France and Germany..." Roadblock replied.
"Yes." Demerest replied.
"What if I told you the SAS was willing to reinstate you to full combat status?" Cover Girl said.
"I'd say you were mad." Demerest replied.
"Not really. Our medical team has come up with many amazing innovations..." Roadblock began.
"I'm not going to turn myself into a bloody lab rat..." Demerest said, angrily.
"That's not what we mean." Roadblock said, "Only if you're one hundred percent keen."
"I must see what God has to say about this." Demerest replied, going back to the pew for his prayers.
Fifteen minutes later he returned, "I have your answer. Yes. What exactly am I doing?"
~ ~ ~ ~
Several weeks later, after finishing his experimental surgery, Nathaniel Demerest met his new responsibilities for the first time. Cover Girl was driving him in a jeep to Shipwreck's house.
"So, what exactly is this new unit?" Demerest asked.
"We work with a slightly rambunctious team of mutant teenagers, most of them orphans. They're actually ok once you get to know them." Cover Girl replied.
As they stepped from the jeep a silver streak ran by them at high speed. "Hi Cover Girl, bye Cover Girl...."
"PIETRO!!!!!!!" came the enraged shout from inside the house.
"Uh oh..." Cover Girl said, donning a Kevlar helmet. She handed Demerest one as well.
"Is this normal?" Demerest asked.
"More often than you think." Cover Girl replied, as Demerest donned the helmet.
Wanda came running downstairs, her red t-shirt sported numerous damp spots, as did her black jeans. "Get every one of those dead bugs out of my shampoo NOW!" Wanda shouted.
"Wanda," Cover Girl said, as Scarlett Witch began to power up, "Say hi to Mr. Demerest, he's going to be staying with us..."
"Yes ma'am." Wanda replied, making a mental note to kill Pietro later.
"Nathaniel Demerest."
"What do you usually go by?" Cover Girl asked.
"Nate will do..." Demerest replied.
"We've gotta find you a codename, but there's no rush..." Cover Girl replied.
"Welcome to Casa Delgato," a bearded sailor said, "Nathaniel Demerest, right?"
"Right." Demerest replied.
"Awk! Special Delivery! Awk!" A green parrot said as it flapped into the foyer. It had a particularly sexy bra hanging from it's beak and dropped it atop Shipwreck's head.
"Shipwreck! You are dead!" Cover Girl said.
"HELP!!!" Shipwreck shouted as Cover Girl chased him around the house with an umbrella.
"Odd," Demerest thought, "I've been here for less than five minutes and this place is already starting to sound like squadron lines..."
He walked upstairs to his assigned room, carrying his bergen (ruck sack) over his shoulders and placed it on the bed of the upstairs room. As he walked out of the room he ran into a column of thin air.
"What the....?" Demerest said.
Xi materialized in front of him, "What the...?" Demerest began.
"You must be one of our new caretakers...I am Xi."
"Nathaniel Demerest. What are you doing...?" Demerest asked as Xi put his hand atop his head.
"You are recovering from a severe wound that affected your balance." Xi said, "I can sense the powers of other mutants...Now if you'll excuse me, I must go pounce on my team mates to keep my skills sharp."
"Odd." Demerest remarked, mystified as the mutant disappeared into thin air.
"Eventful first day, huh?" another kid asked. He looked to be eighteen, with black hair, "Lance Alvers, everyone calls me Avalanche."
"Nathaniel Demerest. I've not been codenamed yet..." Demerest replied.
"For us, usually it has something to do with you, like a personality trait of some sort." Lance replied, "So what do you do?"
"I'm a member of the Special Air Service." Demerest replied.
A large ship's bell sounded then, "Awk! Dinner is served! Dinner is served! Awk!" Polly said, as he flapped up the stairs.
The whole gang was seated at the table for dinner. "Alright guys, remember to clean this place up extra." Shipwreck said, "The French news team is coming here to do a report on the Misfits tomorrow."
"Awk! A show of insanity! Awk!" Polly squawked.
"Maybe I'd better put somebody in their cage..." Shipwreck said.
"Dad, then we'd have to put you in a cage, because if she's good looking and female we're gonna have a real riot on our hands...." Althea quipped.
"Or a couple lawsuits..." Low Light replied.
"Wait a minute? Lawsuits? Riots?" Demerest asked.
"Now look what you guys have done, you're scaring the new guy..." Shipwreck began.
"On the contrary mate." Demerest began, "You remind me a little bit of Sergeant Utterson, a.k.a. El Supremo..."
"What?" Low Light said, "He's not afraid."
"This bloke, whenever he got drunk, would put on wrestling tights and attack the mailman or anyone nearby. The mayor of Hereford is still slightly miffed about being airplane spun and body slammed..." Demerest replied, "Damndest thing is his Spanish is absolutely horrible when he's sober but fluent when he's drunk..."
"Pass the mashed potatoes please..." Lance asked.
"Potatamoes..." Claudius gurgled gleefully as Shipwreck fed him another spoonful. However, this spoonful wound up splattered all over Pietro who thought Lance threw it.
"Take that Rockhead!" Pietro shouted, throwing a spoonful of gravy at Lance.
"Oh yeah!" Lance shouted, throwing a handful of peas, "Take that you silver haired freak..."
"Lance, your aim is about as good as your taste in women and knowing Kitty your aim can't be all that good!" Pietro said.
"Die!" Lance shouted, throwing a handful of ice cubes at Pietro. Unfortunately they hit Wanda.
Suddenly objects began to fly around the room as Wanda powered up. "Wanda, remember what we talked about, no more psychotic episodes..." Roadblock gulped.
"Too late..." Pietro quipped.
Wanda dropped all the floating items and ran after Pietro, cornering him in the downstairs bathroom.
"HELP! MOMMY! ANYONE! Glub blub blub! HELP!!!" Pietro screamed like a small girl.
"Oh Lord, I don't wanna know what happens when the French news crew shows up tomorrow... I don't wanna know." Roadblock moaned.
~ ~ ~ ~
AN: So what does happen when the French news crew shows up to do their story on the Misfits. The standard fare of course...
Anyone who could help me think of a codename for Demerest (saving that for the end), help would be greatly appreciated.
Author's Note and Disclaimer: I don't own the X-men Evolution, GI Joe, or Red Witch's Misfits franchises. However the character of Corporal Nathaniel Demerest, 22 SAS, is my creation. The Special Air Service is the United Kingdom's special forces. The character of Camille Leclair comes from a video I watched in French class.
Red Witch, do you think you could tell me more about the new Misfits for my next few chapters.
Don't worry I'll get back to Kilo Two Zero soon.
~ ~ ~ ~
Cologne Cathedral, Germany: The cathedral's towers stretched into the night sky like a giant hand reaching towards heaven. It literally radiated majesty to the man walking along towards her sanctuary. For a year now, the man had been on a journey to nowhere in particular. After injuries sustained on his last mission two years ago he had decided to take a backpack journey across Europe.
After thirteen years of military service, he had no idea what he would do. He'd joined the Territorial (Reserve) Army SAS as a boy soldier at the age of sixteen and had served Her Majesty's Army for thirteen years since then. A chance explosion and damage to his inner ear had pretty much insured that the British Army wasn't keeping him in the SAS for long. In the instant of a blast a constant of his adult life was gone. He felt a ringing in his left ear, his deaf ear, and gulped down another tablet of pain killer.
The doctors said he'd likely never walk again because of the balance and equilibrium problems, but he'd proven them wrong. Those quacks didn't know what they were talking about. He was able to walk within six months, run in six more months. He was able to almost reach his old level of conditioning while he was in the Regiment. He'd crossed the German border six days ago, unaware he was being followed.
~ ~ ~ ~
"Why do our new recruits always have to be hard to find...?" Cover Girl groaned under the weight of the eighty pound rucksack she carried.
"Some people are hard of head. And from the looks of this one, his skull's made of lead." Roadblock replied. For about two weeks they'd followed their new recruit, never getting close enough to talk to him. Despite his ninety pound backpack he was able to stay two to three miles ahead of them for all of their following.
"Well at least he decided to stop in a town this time." Cover Girl replied, "I may be used to camping in the woods, but I'll take a five star hotel any day."
"You could have it worst, you could be Shipwreck." Roadblock replied, "Babysitting and training and all. I bet he's not having a ball."
Cover Girl laughed lightly, "I bet he's got his hands full."
"Hey he's stepped into the cathedral." Roadblock said, "Makes our job easier."
~ ~ ~ ~
Nathaniel Demerest, the man they'd been following, pulled a rosary from the pocket of his jeans and dropped to his knees in the pew. "Our father, who art in heaven..."
Grandmother had said her faith had gotten her through the bombardment of Normandy during World War II. The rosary he held in his hands had been a gift she'd given him before he joined the Territorial Army as a fresh faced sixteen year old boy.
He noticed the cathedral door opening as he said another Hail Mary. Turning around he saw an auburn haired woman, pretty enough to be a model, and a muscular black man. They'd been following him since he entered the city of Cologne, and they were Americans from the look of them. He kept an eye on them in case anything were to develop
~ ~ ~ ~
"Nathaniel Demerest?" Roadblock asked the praying man.
"Yes." The man replied. He was about 5'9", with a compact, muscular build with short black hair and intense black eyes.
"Do you check your answering machine or your mail?" Roadblock asked, "Because you seemed to respond as slow as a snail..."
"Right." Demerest replied, "In case you didn't know, I'm medically disqualified from military duty. Deaf in one ear..."
"You served in the Territorial SAS, the reserve regiment, from the age of sixteen until the age of twenty-three." Cover Girl began.
Demerest looked surprised at first, he'd left before GI Joe started looking for him. "How'd you..."
"You then wanted more out of life then being a member of the reserve special forces in the UK." Roadblock continued.
Demerest was glad he'd packed the Glock 17 in a holster underneath his olive green shirt. If these two were COBRAs he was going to draw and shoot. First the larger of the two, then the red head, but they could be GI Joes, so he decided not to draw and fire yet. He would hear them out.
"You joined the Parachute Regiment to get a solid infantry background then ran Selection for 22 SAS. You were finally badged as an SAS operative at the age of twenty-three..." Cover Girl continued.
"Right, this stuff isn't exactly common knowledge..." Demerest began, "However any half decent spy can break into archives and figure out that information..."
"Your maternal grandfather is German, but you don't mention that often." Roadblock said, "No need to be ashamed of the nationality of your kin."
"You were wounded in action against a terrorist group called COBRA in a secret operation off the coast of Scotland two years ago..." Cover Girl began, "An operation that only personal with certain security clearances can access."
"Operation Snakebite..." Demerest began, his eyes taking a faraway look. Three British SAS operatives together with three men from GI Joe, codenamed Flint, Duke, and Low Light had parachuted onto an island where COBRA was attempting a project on the scale of Moreauseau again.
"Two SAS soldiers died, the survivor was seriously wounded, deafened in his left ear, balance and equilibrium effected..." Cover Girl continued.
"So what help would I be to the unit?" Demerest replied, "I'm crippled..."
"Demerest, they swore you'd never walk again, that you'd be confined to a wheel chair for the rest of your days." Roadblock said, "You walked within six months of your wounds. You then ran within a year of being injured..."
"Your file doesn't say anything about me blacking out occasionally, the nightmares, or..." Demerest replied.
"We believe our medical staff discovered a way to help you..." Cover Girl replied, "It's nothing short of a miracle..."
"It is in the grace of God that I recovered..." Demerest replied.
"You know we're on the same side..." Cover Girl said, "It must be hard trying to sleep after what you saw during Snakebite..."
"You've got no idea." Demerest replied.
"The nightmares, the memories you don't want." Roadblock said, "The fact that you've been discharged doesn't help..."
"It's not like I'm unemployed, my friend." Demerest replied, "The Regiment keeps its cripples. I'll be teaching sniping after my yearlong sabbatical draws to a close."
"You mean your yearlong backpack trip through France and Germany..." Roadblock replied.
"Yes." Demerest replied.
"What if I told you the SAS was willing to reinstate you to full combat status?" Cover Girl said.
"I'd say you were mad." Demerest replied.
"Not really. Our medical team has come up with many amazing innovations..." Roadblock began.
"I'm not going to turn myself into a bloody lab rat..." Demerest said, angrily.
"That's not what we mean." Roadblock said, "Only if you're one hundred percent keen."
"I must see what God has to say about this." Demerest replied, going back to the pew for his prayers.
Fifteen minutes later he returned, "I have your answer. Yes. What exactly am I doing?"
~ ~ ~ ~
Several weeks later, after finishing his experimental surgery, Nathaniel Demerest met his new responsibilities for the first time. Cover Girl was driving him in a jeep to Shipwreck's house.
"So, what exactly is this new unit?" Demerest asked.
"We work with a slightly rambunctious team of mutant teenagers, most of them orphans. They're actually ok once you get to know them." Cover Girl replied.
As they stepped from the jeep a silver streak ran by them at high speed. "Hi Cover Girl, bye Cover Girl...."
"PIETRO!!!!!!!" came the enraged shout from inside the house.
"Uh oh..." Cover Girl said, donning a Kevlar helmet. She handed Demerest one as well.
"Is this normal?" Demerest asked.
"More often than you think." Cover Girl replied, as Demerest donned the helmet.
Wanda came running downstairs, her red t-shirt sported numerous damp spots, as did her black jeans. "Get every one of those dead bugs out of my shampoo NOW!" Wanda shouted.
"Wanda," Cover Girl said, as Scarlett Witch began to power up, "Say hi to Mr. Demerest, he's going to be staying with us..."
"Yes ma'am." Wanda replied, making a mental note to kill Pietro later.
"Nathaniel Demerest."
"What do you usually go by?" Cover Girl asked.
"Nate will do..." Demerest replied.
"We've gotta find you a codename, but there's no rush..." Cover Girl replied.
"Welcome to Casa Delgato," a bearded sailor said, "Nathaniel Demerest, right?"
"Right." Demerest replied.
"Awk! Special Delivery! Awk!" A green parrot said as it flapped into the foyer. It had a particularly sexy bra hanging from it's beak and dropped it atop Shipwreck's head.
"Shipwreck! You are dead!" Cover Girl said.
"HELP!!!" Shipwreck shouted as Cover Girl chased him around the house with an umbrella.
"Odd," Demerest thought, "I've been here for less than five minutes and this place is already starting to sound like squadron lines..."
He walked upstairs to his assigned room, carrying his bergen (ruck sack) over his shoulders and placed it on the bed of the upstairs room. As he walked out of the room he ran into a column of thin air.
"What the....?" Demerest said.
Xi materialized in front of him, "What the...?" Demerest began.
"You must be one of our new caretakers...I am Xi."
"Nathaniel Demerest. What are you doing...?" Demerest asked as Xi put his hand atop his head.
"You are recovering from a severe wound that affected your balance." Xi said, "I can sense the powers of other mutants...Now if you'll excuse me, I must go pounce on my team mates to keep my skills sharp."
"Odd." Demerest remarked, mystified as the mutant disappeared into thin air.
"Eventful first day, huh?" another kid asked. He looked to be eighteen, with black hair, "Lance Alvers, everyone calls me Avalanche."
"Nathaniel Demerest. I've not been codenamed yet..." Demerest replied.
"For us, usually it has something to do with you, like a personality trait of some sort." Lance replied, "So what do you do?"
"I'm a member of the Special Air Service." Demerest replied.
A large ship's bell sounded then, "Awk! Dinner is served! Dinner is served! Awk!" Polly said, as he flapped up the stairs.
The whole gang was seated at the table for dinner. "Alright guys, remember to clean this place up extra." Shipwreck said, "The French news team is coming here to do a report on the Misfits tomorrow."
"Awk! A show of insanity! Awk!" Polly squawked.
"Maybe I'd better put somebody in their cage..." Shipwreck said.
"Dad, then we'd have to put you in a cage, because if she's good looking and female we're gonna have a real riot on our hands...." Althea quipped.
"Or a couple lawsuits..." Low Light replied.
"Wait a minute? Lawsuits? Riots?" Demerest asked.
"Now look what you guys have done, you're scaring the new guy..." Shipwreck began.
"On the contrary mate." Demerest began, "You remind me a little bit of Sergeant Utterson, a.k.a. El Supremo..."
"What?" Low Light said, "He's not afraid."
"This bloke, whenever he got drunk, would put on wrestling tights and attack the mailman or anyone nearby. The mayor of Hereford is still slightly miffed about being airplane spun and body slammed..." Demerest replied, "Damndest thing is his Spanish is absolutely horrible when he's sober but fluent when he's drunk..."
"Pass the mashed potatoes please..." Lance asked.
"Potatamoes..." Claudius gurgled gleefully as Shipwreck fed him another spoonful. However, this spoonful wound up splattered all over Pietro who thought Lance threw it.
"Take that Rockhead!" Pietro shouted, throwing a spoonful of gravy at Lance.
"Oh yeah!" Lance shouted, throwing a handful of peas, "Take that you silver haired freak..."
"Lance, your aim is about as good as your taste in women and knowing Kitty your aim can't be all that good!" Pietro said.
"Die!" Lance shouted, throwing a handful of ice cubes at Pietro. Unfortunately they hit Wanda.
Suddenly objects began to fly around the room as Wanda powered up. "Wanda, remember what we talked about, no more psychotic episodes..." Roadblock gulped.
"Too late..." Pietro quipped.
Wanda dropped all the floating items and ran after Pietro, cornering him in the downstairs bathroom.
"HELP! MOMMY! ANYONE! Glub blub blub! HELP!!!" Pietro screamed like a small girl.
"Oh Lord, I don't wanna know what happens when the French news crew shows up tomorrow... I don't wanna know." Roadblock moaned.
~ ~ ~ ~
AN: So what does happen when the French news crew shows up to do their story on the Misfits. The standard fare of course...
Anyone who could help me think of a codename for Demerest (saving that for the end), help would be greatly appreciated.