M2K Presents
Force Works 16
Striking Out
England, Epping Forest
-Whack!-
Kymaera, world famous hero and Atlantean royalty, brushed yet another offending branch out of her face and heatedly demanded, "Dani, remind me again why we're in England in effing forest?"
Underneath her yellow mask, Dani smiled, very amused. Unlike Namorita, Dani was at home in forest. Dani had grown up in the mountains long before she'd discovered her mutant powers, and still kept her affinity for nature throughout her trials. Even now, dressed in a bright yellow and blue uniform that she'd worn while infiltrating the terrorist Mutant Liberation Front, Danielle Moonstar almost seemed to glide thru the forest, as if she were only a natural extension of nature itself. In contrast Namorita was clumsy and inexperienced as all get out in the forest, and was like a fish out of water (a thought that brought another smile to Dani's face)
"It's Epping Forest, and we're hear because our informant has it on a credible source that the local boogey man who's been stealing food and killing livestock is more than he seems." Moonstar explained, "And these international missions raise Force Works' profile. Why I sent Arsenal down under yesterday."
Behind the two young women, a creature over nine feet tall and as broad as a three quarter backs emerged from the earth like the quite birth of a titan, and looked towards the young heroines. With a learned stealth springing from over a year of inhabiting the forest and silence that would seem otherwise impossible for such a mammoth creature, it began to stalk the two women as they walked thru the forest.
"So what's the deal with you and Arsenal, anyways? I thought you were interested in him back when we went to Nature's Gift, but that speech you gave him before you sent him on that mission was a little much."
Dani shrugged with uncertainty, "Am I interested in him? I dunno, honestly. I barely have time for a real life anymore. Hell, I haven't had a real conversation with Rahne since forever. Force Works just eats my time non stop."
"If you didn't keep sending us on all these missions all the time, you might have time for a life." Namorita observed dryly as they continued walking thru the forest, seemingly ignorant of the giant quietly following them, "I also wouldn't have to hike thru this damn forest."
"I thought you were pro environment?" Dani teased as they continued walking, both young women seemingly ignorant of the hulking creature that inched closer and closer
"Just because I want to save the rain forest doesn't mean I want to be in it." Kymaera retorted, "You know Dani, you could let me do some of those team reports Sawyer's always demanding. I did a lot of paperwork when I was running Oracle Inc, and I doubt what you do even compares to that."
"Really?" Dani asked incredulously, as if someone had just told her she'd won the lottery, "Because that'd be a load off my back."
"Sure, what are girlfriends for?"
Mirage then lashed out with a snap kick that sent the unprepared Namorita tumbling backwards, and out of the path of two ham sized fists that came crashing down where she's been only moments before, and missing Dani by only a foot herself. Stepping back to get a clearer shot, and with speed that would make Hawkeye proud, Dani notched and unleashed a psychic arrow at the creature's head, causing it to stagger back in pain.
"To watch your back, among other things."
"Damn, I didn't think he could move that fast!" Namorita exclaimed as she flew to her leader's side. She now saw the monster fully, whereas before she could only hear his approach while playing at hapless heroine. It was earthy brown with an incredibly oversized left eyebrow that enclosed the entire eye, and wore torn badly torn jeans about his waist. The beast wore a grin of insane malevolence as his one good eye sized up the two young women. Kymaera felt a slight chill run down her spine as she watched the creature stand there.
Dani set her jaw and appraised the situation. From what she could see, her informant and his information was 100% correct. Crap. "Phil Sterns, AKA Madman. Sometimes foe slash worshipper of the Incredible Hulk, last seen in England attempting to grab political power by kidnapping Prince Charles, of all things." Dani summarized, "What are you doing here, terrorizing livestock?"
"Man depends on nature to survive! I will conquer nature, and then the world!" The aptly named Madman boasted proudly. He ripped a tree out of the ground, and threw it like a missile at the two Force Workers. Both ducked out of the way, and the tree streaked past them and headed out of the atmosphere. Kymaera gulped hard as she saw this, fear beginning to grip her body. In contrast, Dani was as steady as the tides and released several arrows that pushed Madman back.
"I'll stomp you into the ground and grind your bones to make my bread!" Madman shouted as he leaped towards Kymaera like a speeding bullet. Hard learned instincts took over as she dodged the gamma-saturated monster. Madman continued on his path, unable to stop his almost supersonic lunge forward.
"The Hulk!? This guy's taken on the Hulk, freakin' insane and it's just you and me?!" Kymaera demanded, teetering between hysterical and enraged, "Are you suicidal? Why isn't the rest of the team here!? We'll be killed!"
"Calm down," Dani said with an almost supernatural calm, "my powers are based on telepathy, remember? His physical strength doesn't matter, in theory. And he's only taken on the Hulk twice. No one else would be effective against him and would just get in my way. Now shut up and get ready, he's had to have stopped by now, and I don't doubt he's heading back here right now."
Kymaera still had plenty of anger and fear left in her, but she also knew when to table said rage for a later time, in the hopes that there would indeed be a later time. The two women formed a makeshift circle, their backs to one another, and tensed for attack. One minute passed, then another.
"Think he's given up on us?" Nita asked
"You think we're that lucky?"
"Oh hell no."
"There's your answer, then."
"You hear that?" Kymaera asked.
"No, what?"
"A whistling noise, it's getting louder..."
Dani looked up to see a small, brown dot in the clear, white sky getting bigger and bigger and heading directly at them like a guided missile, "I really should have seen this one coming."
Kymaera grabbed Dani by the shoulder and flew away from the ad hoc landing zone as quickly as her little winged ankles would carry her, which sadly wasn't too fast. She'd barely made it twenty feet before Madman crashed down to the earth like a runaway meteor, flattening trees and sending an earthquake throughout most of the countryside. Kymaera protected Dani as best she could with her body, but the force of the landing sent them both tumbling thru the air like a leaf caught in the wind. They came to a rolling stop about twenty feet away from the insane monster.
"Think it's too late to call in Captain Britain?" Kymaera quipped as she stared as the eight-foot tall, muscle bound creature that stalked towards the young women.
"No need." Dani grunted matter of factly as she moved into a more comfortable position. She then tapped her communicator, "Bring down the thunder."
Dani then smiled at Kymaera, "Plan B. We're just the cheese in the mousetrap."
A crackle of thunder drowned out Kymaera's reply, and Madman looked up and watched in awe as the clear sky suddenly became gray and ominous. It was as if nature itself was angry with Madman, and that wasn't far from the truth.
"Oh my."
A blinding lightning bolt, unlike anything nature itself could create, reached down from the sky and struck Madman with enough electricity to light Las Vegas for a year. The villain was brought to his knees gasping in pain, his body covered in third degree burns that his gamma radiation spawned healing factor, by no means as powerful as the Hulk's, struggled to heal. Straining his one good eye open, he watched as a seeming angel fell from the sky ready to smite him.
Tarene descended down from the clouds, her red cape trailing behind her while the wind blew her blond hair about ready for action. Despite the situation, Tarene felt an incredible amount of pride and anticipation regarding this battle. Dani had shown an incredible amount of confidence in the young heroine, for once. Not that it was completely unfounded. Ever since she'd discovered her origin with the help of Dr. Strange, Tarene had felt a renewed sense of power and strength. No longer was she unsure or clumsy with her power. Tarene knew now she was a goddess, and that naturally made her superior to any villain. And now, this mission would be a test, of both her powers and determination. Tarene touched the ground gently, and glared at Madman with confidence.
"Please give up now." Tarene ordered, war mallet clutched in her left hand and crackling with power.
"No."
Rather than wait for Madman's attack, Tarene rushed forward and struck Madman with a right hook that sounded like a bomb detonation and caused Madman to stagger back. Tarene followed up with a flurry of blows that forced the monster on the defensive, never giving him pause. Struggling under the powerful onslaught, Madman slammed his powerful mitts together and produced a sonic boom only inches away from Tarene's head. While the force of the pressurized air was less than nothing to the young goddess, the resultant sonic boom was not. Waves of pain shot thru Tarene's skull, and gave Madman an perfect opening to counter attack. He struck the young woman directly in the solar plexus and sent young Tarene flying backwards, head over heels like tumbleweed.
"Haha! I am the master of the forest!" Madman boasted proudly.
"You really didn't want to do that." Mirage stated as she approached the beast.
"Oh? Then close your eyes, because you won't like what I do next." Madman warned as he took a step forward, and was instantly knocked several feet back when a blast of mystical energy slammed into his chest. Tarene strode forward, her face snarled in hatred over her defeat.
"Force Works! Kneecap!" Dani ordered suddenly. Kymaera, who had quietly positioned herself behind Madman, flew forward and slammed into the back of the unsuspecting Madman's knees with all her strength, sending him crumbling to the ground. As he fell forward, Mirage projected the illusion of total blackness into Madman's fractured mind, greatly confusing the creature so that he did not immediately stand back up.
"Tarene! Hit him with your best shot while he's defenseless!" Mirage barked
Tarene, who still had a look of hatred on her face as a result of her minor defeat, barely acknowledged the order other than with a grunt. All she really saw was Madman kneeing before her with a mocking grin plastered on his face. She strode forward, her pace quickening until she was running full tilt, and once she was within arm's length, unleashed the most powerful haymaker of her young life. Both Dani and Namorita had already thrown themselves to the ground, having learned their lesson about powerhouses and the shockwaves their blows can unleash.
When they finally looked up, all they saw Tarene alone, with Madman nowhere in sight. However, there was a small spire of dust trailing off towards the sky situated where Madman had been only moments before, clearly indicating his situation. Tarene watched the small spire of dust, which she saw as a testament to her victory, disappear with smug satisfaction. She then looked down at the hand she'd struck Madman with.
"Owowowowowowowowowow!" Tarene yelped as she shook her hand rapidly in an effort to ease the pain.
"Wow, Tarene, you probably knocked him into the Thames River!" Namorita exclaimed as she flew to the young woman's side.
"Umm, probably in the Atlantic." Tarene said sheepishly.
"The Atlantic?" Dani asked, amazed and dumbfounded all at once.
"Yeah." Tarene said, averting her eyes, "sorry."
"Well, I did tell you to hit him with everything you had." Dani said casually. Dani felt it was more her responsibility to know and set Tarene's limits considering the young woman's situation, "And two of us here can fly. We'll just follow him, call SHIELD and the local media, and call it a day."
888
Madripoor
"Just what are you trying to say?" The human rocket asked his companion as he scanned the trash laden, dingy alleys of Lowtown below, looking for their prey.
"Just that you could stand to be more...creative with your powers." Wiz Kid, held aloft by a hover pack of his own creation, stated bluntly.
"Oh? How's that genius? I get by just fine, man."
"Have you ever thought about using your super..."
"Superspeed in combat?" Nova finished the sentence for him, "no I don't like to do that, because something harder than a brick, like my fist, going really fast would probably kill whoever I was fighting. Try again."
"What about vortex attacks? Fly around someone so fast that you create a vacuum around them, thus depriving them of air and suffocating them into submission."
Nova looked at Wiz Kid with a raised eyebrow, "Sounds like a good way to get hit. Look 'Kid, I don't know if you mean well or not, but I'm not a broken piece of machinery, so stop focusing on ways to fix me. I get by just fine fightin' like I do. Just find this Aardwolf loser so we can get out of here and I can get away from you."
"Fine, fine. I've had a lock on his genetic signature for a while now; I was simply making small talk until he stopped moving. He's about two blocks away from our position, likely in a safe house following our dismantling of his organization."
"Good. Lets show this scumbag just how safe his house really is."
888
Chon Li, better known as (much to his chagrin) Aardwolf raged inside his luxury safe house. Until only hours ago, he'd been the premier crime lord in Mandipoor, what with Hydra removed, The Folding Circle arrested, Tyger Tiger dead and Viper gone. But now, because of the actions of two super heroes, he was in full retreat in one of his many safe houses. On the outside, the building looked more like one of the many run down tenement buildings that populated the tiny island, but on the inside it was stocked with rare art, fine furniture and other comforts the average citizen of Mandripoor would never know. Though in many ways, the poor of Mandripoor were responsible for this fine, cultured apartment. It was financed the lavish apartment with the money Chon Li cruelly bled from them. But right now, none of that matter to Aardwolf as he held an impromptu conference with his most trusted generals.
"Who are these freaks?" Aardwolf demanded of his men, "the way they just came in and started smashing things, can they be SHIELD?"
"They're not SHIELD, sir, we have an understanding with them. We keep things quite, and they look the other way." One man explained.
"They're American heroes, sir. I think I saw a special about them on CNN. Work Force, Force Champions, something like that." Another man added.
"So why are they here, after me?"
"Because you're a scum bag who's starting to look into pornography and slave trading." An electronic voice boomed from outside. No sooner had the men heard that than the far wall exploded inward, throwing everyone inside to the floor. When the men were able to stand back up, they saw Nova and Wiz Kid standing authoritative where the north wall had once been.
"We all know which way this is gonna go, don't we?"
Aardwolf watched as his men pulled out their weapons...and then dropped them to the floor in resignation.
"Cowards!" With a bestial snarl of defiance, Aardwolf charged towards the two heroes, unwilling to believe that he could be defeated so easy. Nova stepped forward to meet the attack, and Aardwolf slashed at him with an incredible ferocity. Sadly for Aardwolf, his claws weren't nearly strong enough to pierce Nova's tough hide. Nova reached out, grabbed Aardwolf by his neck and hoisted him into the air.
"You know, my buddy Night Thrasher told me about you a while back, and I wasn't impressed then." Nova said as he tightened his grip around the mutant's neck, "I mean, Night Thrasher pretty much walked all over you despite your powers. Now that I can see you for myself, I know that what he said earlier was true."
Aardwolf's eyes rolled up towards the back of his head as he faded from consciousness. Nova dropped his limp body to the floor, "You're nothing more than a bully who picks on guys weaker than him. And I hate bullies."
"I've secured his assistants and called SHIELD to pick them up." Wiz Kid informed Nova, "If you're done being high and mighty, perhaps we could head home?"
Nova rolled his eyes in tired irritation, "You know, you and toothpick were made for one another. So damn annoying."
888
Columbia, South America
"Arsenal, if anyone ever asks, I was never here." Speedball stated as he and Arsenal walked down an uneven and rather worn dirty road thru the middle of a run town. The buildings and houses of the town they were in (and describing it as a town was being generous) were riddled with bullet holes; scorch marks and other signs of violence, "I mean seriously. This is embarrassing."
"Look, I don't care if this doesn't stroke your ego, but Dani's right, this needs to be done." Arsenal snapped, "these guys have been running protection for drug cartels for too long, and none of the locals have the abilities to handle these guys."
As they walked down the street, the few people who had been conducting their business in the open fled as soon as they saw the two brightly dressed heroes. Both Speedball and Arsenal were thankful for that fact (indeed, it was the main reason they chose to approach their foes so overtly.) Hopefully, most potential bystanders and or potential hostages would seem them and head in the opposite direction.
"But come on! You read the same files as me, it's like a twenty year beating up on a ten year old kid." Speedball explained, "It's too easy, man."
"If that's your biggest objection, than..."
"It is, but not in the way you think." Speedball explained, "Maybe we're throwing our weight around a little too easy, ya know? Maybe we should take into account whether or not we should do what we're doing, know what I'm sayin'? Like when we beat up all those drug dealers back in Metro City way back when."
"I do, and I agree to an extent, Speedy. But these guys are below the radar for guys like Avengers and Excalibur and are too much for the regular cops to handle. Someone's gotta do the jobs they won't, or can't." Arsenal defended.
"I never realized just how trite that sounded until just now." Speedball sighed to himself.
"You children should not be here." A raspy voice hissed. Speedball and Arsenal stopped their conversation and saw a pale white man with a balding head and long white hair wearing a pure black suit standing in the middle of the road.
"Senor Muerte, correct? My friend and I would like to have a few words with you regarding your recent activities." Arsenal stated as business like as possible
"Lord, why didn't you say 'surrender now evil villain?' It's only a little more cliché'." Speedball said as he shook his head and hid his face in his hands.
"Shut. Up." Arsenal said out of the side of his mouth without even bothering to look sideways at the embarrassed Speedball.
"I'm sure the cowards in your country would be impressed by your threats," Senor Muerte derided, "but you are in the grasp of...The Grip! And you will not survive!"
In as dramatic a fashion as possible, five men wearing specialized armors emerged from hiding places around the two heroes, and within moments Arsenal and Speedball were surrounded by the villains.
"The Grip, lord could we face a bigger team of losers?" Speedball asked as he looked up towards the sky.
"Speedball, if it's not too much to ask, just shut up and do your job, okay?" Arsenal asked as he sized up his foes. "Three on one. Bet I can kick their asses faster!"
"Oh, now you're talking!" Speedball said, thankful to get some sport out of this mission.
888
Arsenal released an optic blast at Senior Muerte's feet, stunning the criminal into unconsciousness.
"Can't have the leader wandering off during the fight." Arsenal thought to himself as he shifted into his steel form. Only a moment later he found himself engulfed in flames created by the armored Napalm. Ignoring the flames, Arsenal closed the distance between him and Napalm and tore the supply cables out of the man's hand torches. The flick of a finger was all it took to take down the armored mercenary. Only a split second later, Arsenal was besieged by hurricane force winds from Napalm's teammate, the unimaginatively named Windmill. A single optic blast ended his threat. Arsenal then looked towards Speedball, a smirk plastered on his face.
888
Speedball turned towards the armored Grip member known as Uzi as the villain unleashed a hail of bullets at the bouncing hero. Speedball absorbed the bullets kinetic energy, causing the bullets to drop harmlessly to the ground. But before the Masked Marvel could launch an attack, he was hit by the yellow armored superfast Sprint. Speedball flew thru the air, maneuvered himself so that he ricocheted back towards the fight, and collided bodily with Sprint, Uzi and lastly into the armored villain armed with vise grips for hands (and naturally called The Vise). Speedball brought himself to a halt, and looked towards Arsenal. They smiled as they realized what had just happened.
They'd defeated the fifth rate villains at the exact same time.
"Damn, you were right. These guys are losers if you can beat them so easy." Arsenal quipped.
"Oh, please, that was sooo weak," Speedball said dismissively, "leave the funny stuff to the professionals. Lets call the locals and then get on home."
"Why so down? I mean, it's not like we do this for glory..."
"Because we're supposed to say that after we beat the guys like Dr. Doom and the like, not curb stomp a bunch of losers." Speedball sighed, "look, just...just drop it okay? Just...forget I said anything."
Arsenal eyed Speedball worriedly as he tapped on his comm. unit to call the local authorities.
888
Location Unknown, Nature's Gift
As Kymaera and Mirage made their way thru a crowd of mutants towards their location, Mirage was grateful that she was not only was her uniform armed with telepathic dampeners, but that she was also fully trained in methods to defeat telepathic intrusion. After all, the suitcase in her hanging in her right hand would provide a tempting target to the most law biding mutant. Dani kept her eyes firmly locked on her well-dressed, three- armed escort all the while straining her peripheral for anyone who paid too much attention the two heroines. True, Dani's illusions hid the women's true appearance, but one could never be too careful in a room full of mutants.
"The doctor has been waiting for you." Their escort said as she ushered them thru a sliding metal door. Inside, sitting at a metal desk that looked like it was once a prop on the set of Star Trek, was a plump pale skinned man known to a select few as Dr. Trekker.
"Ms. Moonstar, welcome. I trust my information was helpful in your crusade?" He asked sincerely.
"That it was. We've collared a ton of criminals on several different continents thanks to your help."
"Then some token of... appreciation would naturally be in order."
Dani tossed the suitcase up onto Dr. Trekker's desk, "Naturally. Inside is eight million dollars. A small sum to you, but it should demonstrate how much Force Works values our...business relationship."
"That's really too much," Dr. Trekker chuckled good naturedly, "The only appreciation I was really looking for was...a favor."
"I'm sure, but why bother?" Dani asked, just as good-natured, "I mean, so long as you obey the law and do nothing unethical, Force Works will consider you an ally, a friend even. And we do favors for our friends without a second thought, so where's the need? Again, please accept this money in payment for your services. I insist."
Dr. Trekker sighed in slight disappointment, "Very well, Danielle, if you insist. Should you ever need any more information, please don't hesitate to call me, eh? Oh, and since we're friends, I'd thought you like to know this."
Dr. Trekker slid a photo of a red armored woman armed with swords, knives and a whip, forward. "This young woman's named Conquest. She's a supposed Examplar, and has been seen in Metro City before vanishing from the radar."
"She probably left, because the Worktower hasn't picked her up." Dani stated.
"Or she has a cloak." Dr. Trekker suggested
"Maybe. Well, thanks for the heads up, we'll be seeing you."
888
"Don't you just hate it when they try to pull that 'you owe me a favor, no matter what' crap?" Danielle asked as she and Kymaera approached the bar to get a drink.
"Yeah, it's so 1980s." Kymaera replied, "I have to admit, you do know how to stuff 'em though."
"It's a hard earned skill, though I doubt Trekker would have asked for anything too bad. Look, since we got nothing lined up tomorrow, why don't we get the team together and do a night of dancing?"
Namorita tapped on her right ear lightly, "What's this I hear? Danielle Moonstar, reincarnated Patton, suggesting that we relax?"
"Keep up with the sarcasm and you'll wake up with clipped wings, smart ass."
"Ah, good we have you back. Sure, why not? You go get the others, I'll reserve us a table."
888
The Workplace, Metro City
"...Lets just say being the only kid on the planet with hair as opposed to feathers was a little hard. I never really fit in, no matter how hard I tried, and I tried." X-Treme finished. He and Rahne, who was at rapt attention, were sitting on a leather couch in X-Treme's new quarters. After their mission, they had spent the rest of the day just exchanging stories.
"I know how ye feel." Rahne said, "the other kids in Kinross jus' loved to look down their nose at the town bastard. I don' think they'd do that if they knew what we've done now."
"I hope not." X-Treme said as he took his hand and rested on Rahne's own. The young mutants exchanged a look, and then began to lean closer to one another.
"Ah, my final victims."
Rahne and Adam both shot upright like they were children who'd just been caught stealing. They looked towards the door and saw Dani leaning up against it, casually dressed.
"Oh...Dani, what's...up?" Adam asked
"I'm just getting everyone together so we can head down to Nature's Gift. You guys were last."
"Oh, okay. I've been there once or twice, good place."
Dani wrinkled her nose at that. Even though he'd opened up some, Adam was still clock full of mysteries.
"Also, Adam? No weapons." Dani ordered, "we're getting in a nasty habit of breaking the rules at Nature's Gift as is."
"But what if we get attacked? I mean, with the lives we lead and all...I'll need a weapon, just in case."
"Umm, Adam? You are a weapon." Dani stated matter of factly.
Adam put his hand on his chin and thought for a moment, "Oh, well, you're right about that. We'll head out."
"Actually Adam, I need to speak with Rahne in private."
Adam glanced at Rahne, and she nodded almost invisibly at him. Adam brushed past Dani, leaving the two young women alone.
"What did ye need to talk tae me about?" Rahne asked.
"Would you like to bring Doug with us to Nature's Gift? I know he's human, but I think I could get him in, and he does know you're a mutant, after all."
Rahne's heart stopped dead at the question.
"I haven't told Dani yet, have I?" Rahne asked herself solemnly, "No time like the present."
"I'm...nae seeing Doug anymore."
"What? Why?" Dani asked, mildly shocked that she hadn't known Rahne had broken up with her new boyfriend, "You guys were kinda cute together. A little retro, yeah, but cute."
Rahne, for the first time in her life, cursed the fact that she wasn't a better liar, "Because he hit me."
Dani took a step back and looked like she'd been smacked in the face, "I did what now?"
"What?"
"He hit you?"
"Aye, badly." Rahne confessed while looking away, still ashamed of how she let Doug mistreat her
"I'll kill him." Dani said matter of factly, "I'll pull out his teeth one by one and then...!"
"Dani, I've already addressed the issue, an' I'd prefer nae to have to deal with it again." Rahne said with a steel resolve as their eyes met.
For a full minute, the two mutants were silent.
"I...I need to go," Dani finally said as she turned away from Rahne and stormed off. Rahne watched her leave with a heavy heart, but didn't immediately follow.
888
Nature's Gift
"...Agreed, but you see, the World Bank does more harm than good as it exploits Third World Nations with crippling high interest rates and damages their ability to function in the world market." Namorita explained to a group of well-educated mutant women she'd had the good fortune to run across. Before the other women could make a counter argument, Taki (who'd joined them for the discussion) raised his hand.
"If I may interrupt for a moment, your boyfriend is about to embarrass you." Taki pointed, and Namorita turned to look where an obviously inebriated Richard Rider was having a colorful argument with a crowd of Eurotrash.
"And I'm telling you, World War 2 didn't start until 1942!" Nova slurred. He took a good drink from his beer and continued, "until then, it was just Germany making every one else their bitch!" Nova pointed a finger at a large, heavyset man, and then fell face forward to the floor. X-Treme, embarrassed, moved to help him back up
"Odd. From here, it doesn't look he's declared war on an entire people." Namorita commented.
"Because he hasn't."
"He's not kidnapping another man's wife, is he?"
"No."
"Flooding New York?"
"No."
"Attacking a major city with a sea monster?"
"No."
"Then he's not embarrassing me." Namorita turned back to face the group and took a sip of her bottled water, "Now, where were we?"
888
"Eight ball, corner pocket." Robbie predicted as he leaned the billiard table and took aim with his cue stick.
"Just shut up and take the shot, toothpick." Bobby mumbled, already feeling for his wallet. Robbie made the shot easily, smirking the entire time.
"That'll be fifty bucks and two monitor duty shifts." Robbie extended his hand out for his hard earned swindled money, "I'll take the cash now."
"Just how the hell did a geek like you become so good at pool?" Bobby asked as he handed over his money.
"I bounce, man, I'd have to be good at angles if I wanna be able to fight. I got the stuff down to a science now." Robbie pocketed the money, "Besides, when I was in the New Warriors, my leader...really encouraged me to learn how to use my powers better."
"Encourage how?"
"He threatened to strip me of my powers and clothes, tattoo racial slurs all over my body and drop me in the middle of Harlem." Robbie said in all seriousness, "That's how."
"Now, see, that I would have paid good money to watch toothpick." Bobby smirked, "Sounds like your old boss Night Thrasher was just as much a hardass as Dani."
"Yeah, but that was because he wanted us to kick ass and make it home alive." Robbie explained, "It was tough love. Really, really tough love. Like Dani dishes out."
"Speaking of which, where is she?" Bobby asked, "And where's Rahne?"
"I dunno. You know how girls are, they're probably busy putting on their makeup."
888
The Workplace
Rahne opened the door to Danielle's room and to no one's surprise, was greeted with a sight general destruction. Pictures were shattered, furniture upended and or torn. In short, it looked a tornado had hit the room. And standing in the epicenter was Danielle Moonstar, one foot standing on the remains of a plain wooden coffee table and a look of pure self-loathing on her face.
"Are ye done wit' yuir temper tantrum yet?"
"Almost, but then I remember who has to clean this place up."
"I'll help ye with that." Rahne said as she righted a knocked over chair and sat down, "But are ye ready to talk?"
"What's there to talk about? I failed as a leader and a friend. Pretty simply as far as I see it." Dani said as she sat down on her mauled couch adjacent to Rahne.
"No ye haven't. Ye've forced a team o' misfits into an effective and respected fighting force." Rahne corrected, "Force Works is more effective than X-Force or New Warriors ever were."
"Okay, then I failed you completely as a friend." Dani retorted
"Letting Doug beat me was muh fault, Dani. Lets nae pretended otherwise, alright?"
"I still should have known." Dani said firmly, "Looking back, I remember each and every time you came to me for advise, and remembering blowing you off like it was nothing. I fucked up, can we at least agree on that?"
Rahne steepled her hands together and rested her chin on them, "I think that e'er since ye returned from Asgard, we've tried to pretend everything's the same it's always been. But that's a lie. We're nae the same people we were in the New Mutants. We've changed, but our friendship is still based on who we were when we were younger."
"Then we need to change that." Dani said, "Remember when we would sit around and just tell each other our secrets all night long? Our grudges, fears and anything else that just came to mind?"
"Aye, of course." Rahne replied, "my happiest memories of the institute, in fact."
"Well, it's been too long since we did that. I'll go first. I'm bi sexual, Rahne. I love you more than anything, but not romantically."
Rahne absorbed the information for a moment, "Oh. Ye don' have to worry about lectures aboot fire an' brimstone from me, Dani. So long as yuir happy, but, since we're dropping bombshells... I killed a man when I was with X-Factor."
Dani stopped just short of gasping in response to Rahne's admission. Dani was no stranger to killing and death, but she'd never expected Rahne to be as well, "Have...you made peace with it?"
"Somewhat. I try every day." Rahne admitted, "Yuir turn tae answer a question. Why'd ye leave Asgard?"
"I was kicked out because my actions led to the death of an entire family." This time it was Rahne who nearly gasped.
"What happened?"
"I allowed a father who'd been killed in battle to see his family one last time. He killed his family so he wouldn't be alone in Valhalla." Dani explained, "Thanks to Odin, the family got better, but I still hold myself responsible for their deaths. Your turn."
"Oh. Well, I'm deathly afraid Joseph Moira away from me."
"You needn't be, he's her returned son, but he's more matured now." Dani reassured her, "X-Corp is confident he won't hurt her, and Joseph knows the X teams will come down on him like the wrath of God if he harms her."
"I don' mean he'll take her from me like that." Rahne corrected softly.
Dani understood a moment later, "Oh."
"Yuir turn."
888
Later
Dani blinked her eyes as consciousness returned to her formerly slumbering form. She looked around and realized she was in bed, still fully dressed. Dani still encumbered by the mental cobwebs of sleep, remembered confessions, crying, laughing and solemn admissions, though hazily and not exactly in that order. Dani looked down and saw Rahne's head resting on her stomach. Dani lightly ran her hand thru Rahne's long red hair. A tiny smile came across Rahne's face.
"It's good to finally be back." Dani thought to herself. As carefully sat up as far as she could without disturbing Rahne, which thankfully still allowed her to grab what she'd been reaching for. Dani pulled the covers up over herself and Rahne, and drifted back to sleep.
The End
Force Works 16
Striking Out
England, Epping Forest
-Whack!-
Kymaera, world famous hero and Atlantean royalty, brushed yet another offending branch out of her face and heatedly demanded, "Dani, remind me again why we're in England in effing forest?"
Underneath her yellow mask, Dani smiled, very amused. Unlike Namorita, Dani was at home in forest. Dani had grown up in the mountains long before she'd discovered her mutant powers, and still kept her affinity for nature throughout her trials. Even now, dressed in a bright yellow and blue uniform that she'd worn while infiltrating the terrorist Mutant Liberation Front, Danielle Moonstar almost seemed to glide thru the forest, as if she were only a natural extension of nature itself. In contrast Namorita was clumsy and inexperienced as all get out in the forest, and was like a fish out of water (a thought that brought another smile to Dani's face)
"It's Epping Forest, and we're hear because our informant has it on a credible source that the local boogey man who's been stealing food and killing livestock is more than he seems." Moonstar explained, "And these international missions raise Force Works' profile. Why I sent Arsenal down under yesterday."
Behind the two young women, a creature over nine feet tall and as broad as a three quarter backs emerged from the earth like the quite birth of a titan, and looked towards the young heroines. With a learned stealth springing from over a year of inhabiting the forest and silence that would seem otherwise impossible for such a mammoth creature, it began to stalk the two women as they walked thru the forest.
"So what's the deal with you and Arsenal, anyways? I thought you were interested in him back when we went to Nature's Gift, but that speech you gave him before you sent him on that mission was a little much."
Dani shrugged with uncertainty, "Am I interested in him? I dunno, honestly. I barely have time for a real life anymore. Hell, I haven't had a real conversation with Rahne since forever. Force Works just eats my time non stop."
"If you didn't keep sending us on all these missions all the time, you might have time for a life." Namorita observed dryly as they continued walking thru the forest, seemingly ignorant of the giant quietly following them, "I also wouldn't have to hike thru this damn forest."
"I thought you were pro environment?" Dani teased as they continued walking, both young women seemingly ignorant of the hulking creature that inched closer and closer
"Just because I want to save the rain forest doesn't mean I want to be in it." Kymaera retorted, "You know Dani, you could let me do some of those team reports Sawyer's always demanding. I did a lot of paperwork when I was running Oracle Inc, and I doubt what you do even compares to that."
"Really?" Dani asked incredulously, as if someone had just told her she'd won the lottery, "Because that'd be a load off my back."
"Sure, what are girlfriends for?"
Mirage then lashed out with a snap kick that sent the unprepared Namorita tumbling backwards, and out of the path of two ham sized fists that came crashing down where she's been only moments before, and missing Dani by only a foot herself. Stepping back to get a clearer shot, and with speed that would make Hawkeye proud, Dani notched and unleashed a psychic arrow at the creature's head, causing it to stagger back in pain.
"To watch your back, among other things."
"Damn, I didn't think he could move that fast!" Namorita exclaimed as she flew to her leader's side. She now saw the monster fully, whereas before she could only hear his approach while playing at hapless heroine. It was earthy brown with an incredibly oversized left eyebrow that enclosed the entire eye, and wore torn badly torn jeans about his waist. The beast wore a grin of insane malevolence as his one good eye sized up the two young women. Kymaera felt a slight chill run down her spine as she watched the creature stand there.
Dani set her jaw and appraised the situation. From what she could see, her informant and his information was 100% correct. Crap. "Phil Sterns, AKA Madman. Sometimes foe slash worshipper of the Incredible Hulk, last seen in England attempting to grab political power by kidnapping Prince Charles, of all things." Dani summarized, "What are you doing here, terrorizing livestock?"
"Man depends on nature to survive! I will conquer nature, and then the world!" The aptly named Madman boasted proudly. He ripped a tree out of the ground, and threw it like a missile at the two Force Workers. Both ducked out of the way, and the tree streaked past them and headed out of the atmosphere. Kymaera gulped hard as she saw this, fear beginning to grip her body. In contrast, Dani was as steady as the tides and released several arrows that pushed Madman back.
"I'll stomp you into the ground and grind your bones to make my bread!" Madman shouted as he leaped towards Kymaera like a speeding bullet. Hard learned instincts took over as she dodged the gamma-saturated monster. Madman continued on his path, unable to stop his almost supersonic lunge forward.
"The Hulk!? This guy's taken on the Hulk, freakin' insane and it's just you and me?!" Kymaera demanded, teetering between hysterical and enraged, "Are you suicidal? Why isn't the rest of the team here!? We'll be killed!"
"Calm down," Dani said with an almost supernatural calm, "my powers are based on telepathy, remember? His physical strength doesn't matter, in theory. And he's only taken on the Hulk twice. No one else would be effective against him and would just get in my way. Now shut up and get ready, he's had to have stopped by now, and I don't doubt he's heading back here right now."
Kymaera still had plenty of anger and fear left in her, but she also knew when to table said rage for a later time, in the hopes that there would indeed be a later time. The two women formed a makeshift circle, their backs to one another, and tensed for attack. One minute passed, then another.
"Think he's given up on us?" Nita asked
"You think we're that lucky?"
"Oh hell no."
"There's your answer, then."
"You hear that?" Kymaera asked.
"No, what?"
"A whistling noise, it's getting louder..."
Dani looked up to see a small, brown dot in the clear, white sky getting bigger and bigger and heading directly at them like a guided missile, "I really should have seen this one coming."
Kymaera grabbed Dani by the shoulder and flew away from the ad hoc landing zone as quickly as her little winged ankles would carry her, which sadly wasn't too fast. She'd barely made it twenty feet before Madman crashed down to the earth like a runaway meteor, flattening trees and sending an earthquake throughout most of the countryside. Kymaera protected Dani as best she could with her body, but the force of the landing sent them both tumbling thru the air like a leaf caught in the wind. They came to a rolling stop about twenty feet away from the insane monster.
"Think it's too late to call in Captain Britain?" Kymaera quipped as she stared as the eight-foot tall, muscle bound creature that stalked towards the young women.
"No need." Dani grunted matter of factly as she moved into a more comfortable position. She then tapped her communicator, "Bring down the thunder."
Dani then smiled at Kymaera, "Plan B. We're just the cheese in the mousetrap."
A crackle of thunder drowned out Kymaera's reply, and Madman looked up and watched in awe as the clear sky suddenly became gray and ominous. It was as if nature itself was angry with Madman, and that wasn't far from the truth.
"Oh my."
A blinding lightning bolt, unlike anything nature itself could create, reached down from the sky and struck Madman with enough electricity to light Las Vegas for a year. The villain was brought to his knees gasping in pain, his body covered in third degree burns that his gamma radiation spawned healing factor, by no means as powerful as the Hulk's, struggled to heal. Straining his one good eye open, he watched as a seeming angel fell from the sky ready to smite him.
Tarene descended down from the clouds, her red cape trailing behind her while the wind blew her blond hair about ready for action. Despite the situation, Tarene felt an incredible amount of pride and anticipation regarding this battle. Dani had shown an incredible amount of confidence in the young heroine, for once. Not that it was completely unfounded. Ever since she'd discovered her origin with the help of Dr. Strange, Tarene had felt a renewed sense of power and strength. No longer was she unsure or clumsy with her power. Tarene knew now she was a goddess, and that naturally made her superior to any villain. And now, this mission would be a test, of both her powers and determination. Tarene touched the ground gently, and glared at Madman with confidence.
"Please give up now." Tarene ordered, war mallet clutched in her left hand and crackling with power.
"No."
Rather than wait for Madman's attack, Tarene rushed forward and struck Madman with a right hook that sounded like a bomb detonation and caused Madman to stagger back. Tarene followed up with a flurry of blows that forced the monster on the defensive, never giving him pause. Struggling under the powerful onslaught, Madman slammed his powerful mitts together and produced a sonic boom only inches away from Tarene's head. While the force of the pressurized air was less than nothing to the young goddess, the resultant sonic boom was not. Waves of pain shot thru Tarene's skull, and gave Madman an perfect opening to counter attack. He struck the young woman directly in the solar plexus and sent young Tarene flying backwards, head over heels like tumbleweed.
"Haha! I am the master of the forest!" Madman boasted proudly.
"You really didn't want to do that." Mirage stated as she approached the beast.
"Oh? Then close your eyes, because you won't like what I do next." Madman warned as he took a step forward, and was instantly knocked several feet back when a blast of mystical energy slammed into his chest. Tarene strode forward, her face snarled in hatred over her defeat.
"Force Works! Kneecap!" Dani ordered suddenly. Kymaera, who had quietly positioned herself behind Madman, flew forward and slammed into the back of the unsuspecting Madman's knees with all her strength, sending him crumbling to the ground. As he fell forward, Mirage projected the illusion of total blackness into Madman's fractured mind, greatly confusing the creature so that he did not immediately stand back up.
"Tarene! Hit him with your best shot while he's defenseless!" Mirage barked
Tarene, who still had a look of hatred on her face as a result of her minor defeat, barely acknowledged the order other than with a grunt. All she really saw was Madman kneeing before her with a mocking grin plastered on his face. She strode forward, her pace quickening until she was running full tilt, and once she was within arm's length, unleashed the most powerful haymaker of her young life. Both Dani and Namorita had already thrown themselves to the ground, having learned their lesson about powerhouses and the shockwaves their blows can unleash.
When they finally looked up, all they saw Tarene alone, with Madman nowhere in sight. However, there was a small spire of dust trailing off towards the sky situated where Madman had been only moments before, clearly indicating his situation. Tarene watched the small spire of dust, which she saw as a testament to her victory, disappear with smug satisfaction. She then looked down at the hand she'd struck Madman with.
"Owowowowowowowowowow!" Tarene yelped as she shook her hand rapidly in an effort to ease the pain.
"Wow, Tarene, you probably knocked him into the Thames River!" Namorita exclaimed as she flew to the young woman's side.
"Umm, probably in the Atlantic." Tarene said sheepishly.
"The Atlantic?" Dani asked, amazed and dumbfounded all at once.
"Yeah." Tarene said, averting her eyes, "sorry."
"Well, I did tell you to hit him with everything you had." Dani said casually. Dani felt it was more her responsibility to know and set Tarene's limits considering the young woman's situation, "And two of us here can fly. We'll just follow him, call SHIELD and the local media, and call it a day."
888
Madripoor
"Just what are you trying to say?" The human rocket asked his companion as he scanned the trash laden, dingy alleys of Lowtown below, looking for their prey.
"Just that you could stand to be more...creative with your powers." Wiz Kid, held aloft by a hover pack of his own creation, stated bluntly.
"Oh? How's that genius? I get by just fine, man."
"Have you ever thought about using your super..."
"Superspeed in combat?" Nova finished the sentence for him, "no I don't like to do that, because something harder than a brick, like my fist, going really fast would probably kill whoever I was fighting. Try again."
"What about vortex attacks? Fly around someone so fast that you create a vacuum around them, thus depriving them of air and suffocating them into submission."
Nova looked at Wiz Kid with a raised eyebrow, "Sounds like a good way to get hit. Look 'Kid, I don't know if you mean well or not, but I'm not a broken piece of machinery, so stop focusing on ways to fix me. I get by just fine fightin' like I do. Just find this Aardwolf loser so we can get out of here and I can get away from you."
"Fine, fine. I've had a lock on his genetic signature for a while now; I was simply making small talk until he stopped moving. He's about two blocks away from our position, likely in a safe house following our dismantling of his organization."
"Good. Lets show this scumbag just how safe his house really is."
888
Chon Li, better known as (much to his chagrin) Aardwolf raged inside his luxury safe house. Until only hours ago, he'd been the premier crime lord in Mandipoor, what with Hydra removed, The Folding Circle arrested, Tyger Tiger dead and Viper gone. But now, because of the actions of two super heroes, he was in full retreat in one of his many safe houses. On the outside, the building looked more like one of the many run down tenement buildings that populated the tiny island, but on the inside it was stocked with rare art, fine furniture and other comforts the average citizen of Mandripoor would never know. Though in many ways, the poor of Mandripoor were responsible for this fine, cultured apartment. It was financed the lavish apartment with the money Chon Li cruelly bled from them. But right now, none of that matter to Aardwolf as he held an impromptu conference with his most trusted generals.
"Who are these freaks?" Aardwolf demanded of his men, "the way they just came in and started smashing things, can they be SHIELD?"
"They're not SHIELD, sir, we have an understanding with them. We keep things quite, and they look the other way." One man explained.
"They're American heroes, sir. I think I saw a special about them on CNN. Work Force, Force Champions, something like that." Another man added.
"So why are they here, after me?"
"Because you're a scum bag who's starting to look into pornography and slave trading." An electronic voice boomed from outside. No sooner had the men heard that than the far wall exploded inward, throwing everyone inside to the floor. When the men were able to stand back up, they saw Nova and Wiz Kid standing authoritative where the north wall had once been.
"We all know which way this is gonna go, don't we?"
Aardwolf watched as his men pulled out their weapons...and then dropped them to the floor in resignation.
"Cowards!" With a bestial snarl of defiance, Aardwolf charged towards the two heroes, unwilling to believe that he could be defeated so easy. Nova stepped forward to meet the attack, and Aardwolf slashed at him with an incredible ferocity. Sadly for Aardwolf, his claws weren't nearly strong enough to pierce Nova's tough hide. Nova reached out, grabbed Aardwolf by his neck and hoisted him into the air.
"You know, my buddy Night Thrasher told me about you a while back, and I wasn't impressed then." Nova said as he tightened his grip around the mutant's neck, "I mean, Night Thrasher pretty much walked all over you despite your powers. Now that I can see you for myself, I know that what he said earlier was true."
Aardwolf's eyes rolled up towards the back of his head as he faded from consciousness. Nova dropped his limp body to the floor, "You're nothing more than a bully who picks on guys weaker than him. And I hate bullies."
"I've secured his assistants and called SHIELD to pick them up." Wiz Kid informed Nova, "If you're done being high and mighty, perhaps we could head home?"
Nova rolled his eyes in tired irritation, "You know, you and toothpick were made for one another. So damn annoying."
888
Columbia, South America
"Arsenal, if anyone ever asks, I was never here." Speedball stated as he and Arsenal walked down an uneven and rather worn dirty road thru the middle of a run town. The buildings and houses of the town they were in (and describing it as a town was being generous) were riddled with bullet holes; scorch marks and other signs of violence, "I mean seriously. This is embarrassing."
"Look, I don't care if this doesn't stroke your ego, but Dani's right, this needs to be done." Arsenal snapped, "these guys have been running protection for drug cartels for too long, and none of the locals have the abilities to handle these guys."
As they walked down the street, the few people who had been conducting their business in the open fled as soon as they saw the two brightly dressed heroes. Both Speedball and Arsenal were thankful for that fact (indeed, it was the main reason they chose to approach their foes so overtly.) Hopefully, most potential bystanders and or potential hostages would seem them and head in the opposite direction.
"But come on! You read the same files as me, it's like a twenty year beating up on a ten year old kid." Speedball explained, "It's too easy, man."
"If that's your biggest objection, than..."
"It is, but not in the way you think." Speedball explained, "Maybe we're throwing our weight around a little too easy, ya know? Maybe we should take into account whether or not we should do what we're doing, know what I'm sayin'? Like when we beat up all those drug dealers back in Metro City way back when."
"I do, and I agree to an extent, Speedy. But these guys are below the radar for guys like Avengers and Excalibur and are too much for the regular cops to handle. Someone's gotta do the jobs they won't, or can't." Arsenal defended.
"I never realized just how trite that sounded until just now." Speedball sighed to himself.
"You children should not be here." A raspy voice hissed. Speedball and Arsenal stopped their conversation and saw a pale white man with a balding head and long white hair wearing a pure black suit standing in the middle of the road.
"Senor Muerte, correct? My friend and I would like to have a few words with you regarding your recent activities." Arsenal stated as business like as possible
"Lord, why didn't you say 'surrender now evil villain?' It's only a little more cliché'." Speedball said as he shook his head and hid his face in his hands.
"Shut. Up." Arsenal said out of the side of his mouth without even bothering to look sideways at the embarrassed Speedball.
"I'm sure the cowards in your country would be impressed by your threats," Senor Muerte derided, "but you are in the grasp of...The Grip! And you will not survive!"
In as dramatic a fashion as possible, five men wearing specialized armors emerged from hiding places around the two heroes, and within moments Arsenal and Speedball were surrounded by the villains.
"The Grip, lord could we face a bigger team of losers?" Speedball asked as he looked up towards the sky.
"Speedball, if it's not too much to ask, just shut up and do your job, okay?" Arsenal asked as he sized up his foes. "Three on one. Bet I can kick their asses faster!"
"Oh, now you're talking!" Speedball said, thankful to get some sport out of this mission.
888
Arsenal released an optic blast at Senior Muerte's feet, stunning the criminal into unconsciousness.
"Can't have the leader wandering off during the fight." Arsenal thought to himself as he shifted into his steel form. Only a moment later he found himself engulfed in flames created by the armored Napalm. Ignoring the flames, Arsenal closed the distance between him and Napalm and tore the supply cables out of the man's hand torches. The flick of a finger was all it took to take down the armored mercenary. Only a split second later, Arsenal was besieged by hurricane force winds from Napalm's teammate, the unimaginatively named Windmill. A single optic blast ended his threat. Arsenal then looked towards Speedball, a smirk plastered on his face.
888
Speedball turned towards the armored Grip member known as Uzi as the villain unleashed a hail of bullets at the bouncing hero. Speedball absorbed the bullets kinetic energy, causing the bullets to drop harmlessly to the ground. But before the Masked Marvel could launch an attack, he was hit by the yellow armored superfast Sprint. Speedball flew thru the air, maneuvered himself so that he ricocheted back towards the fight, and collided bodily with Sprint, Uzi and lastly into the armored villain armed with vise grips for hands (and naturally called The Vise). Speedball brought himself to a halt, and looked towards Arsenal. They smiled as they realized what had just happened.
They'd defeated the fifth rate villains at the exact same time.
"Damn, you were right. These guys are losers if you can beat them so easy." Arsenal quipped.
"Oh, please, that was sooo weak," Speedball said dismissively, "leave the funny stuff to the professionals. Lets call the locals and then get on home."
"Why so down? I mean, it's not like we do this for glory..."
"Because we're supposed to say that after we beat the guys like Dr. Doom and the like, not curb stomp a bunch of losers." Speedball sighed, "look, just...just drop it okay? Just...forget I said anything."
Arsenal eyed Speedball worriedly as he tapped on his comm. unit to call the local authorities.
888
Location Unknown, Nature's Gift
As Kymaera and Mirage made their way thru a crowd of mutants towards their location, Mirage was grateful that she was not only was her uniform armed with telepathic dampeners, but that she was also fully trained in methods to defeat telepathic intrusion. After all, the suitcase in her hanging in her right hand would provide a tempting target to the most law biding mutant. Dani kept her eyes firmly locked on her well-dressed, three- armed escort all the while straining her peripheral for anyone who paid too much attention the two heroines. True, Dani's illusions hid the women's true appearance, but one could never be too careful in a room full of mutants.
"The doctor has been waiting for you." Their escort said as she ushered them thru a sliding metal door. Inside, sitting at a metal desk that looked like it was once a prop on the set of Star Trek, was a plump pale skinned man known to a select few as Dr. Trekker.
"Ms. Moonstar, welcome. I trust my information was helpful in your crusade?" He asked sincerely.
"That it was. We've collared a ton of criminals on several different continents thanks to your help."
"Then some token of... appreciation would naturally be in order."
Dani tossed the suitcase up onto Dr. Trekker's desk, "Naturally. Inside is eight million dollars. A small sum to you, but it should demonstrate how much Force Works values our...business relationship."
"That's really too much," Dr. Trekker chuckled good naturedly, "The only appreciation I was really looking for was...a favor."
"I'm sure, but why bother?" Dani asked, just as good-natured, "I mean, so long as you obey the law and do nothing unethical, Force Works will consider you an ally, a friend even. And we do favors for our friends without a second thought, so where's the need? Again, please accept this money in payment for your services. I insist."
Dr. Trekker sighed in slight disappointment, "Very well, Danielle, if you insist. Should you ever need any more information, please don't hesitate to call me, eh? Oh, and since we're friends, I'd thought you like to know this."
Dr. Trekker slid a photo of a red armored woman armed with swords, knives and a whip, forward. "This young woman's named Conquest. She's a supposed Examplar, and has been seen in Metro City before vanishing from the radar."
"She probably left, because the Worktower hasn't picked her up." Dani stated.
"Or she has a cloak." Dr. Trekker suggested
"Maybe. Well, thanks for the heads up, we'll be seeing you."
888
"Don't you just hate it when they try to pull that 'you owe me a favor, no matter what' crap?" Danielle asked as she and Kymaera approached the bar to get a drink.
"Yeah, it's so 1980s." Kymaera replied, "I have to admit, you do know how to stuff 'em though."
"It's a hard earned skill, though I doubt Trekker would have asked for anything too bad. Look, since we got nothing lined up tomorrow, why don't we get the team together and do a night of dancing?"
Namorita tapped on her right ear lightly, "What's this I hear? Danielle Moonstar, reincarnated Patton, suggesting that we relax?"
"Keep up with the sarcasm and you'll wake up with clipped wings, smart ass."
"Ah, good we have you back. Sure, why not? You go get the others, I'll reserve us a table."
888
The Workplace, Metro City
"...Lets just say being the only kid on the planet with hair as opposed to feathers was a little hard. I never really fit in, no matter how hard I tried, and I tried." X-Treme finished. He and Rahne, who was at rapt attention, were sitting on a leather couch in X-Treme's new quarters. After their mission, they had spent the rest of the day just exchanging stories.
"I know how ye feel." Rahne said, "the other kids in Kinross jus' loved to look down their nose at the town bastard. I don' think they'd do that if they knew what we've done now."
"I hope not." X-Treme said as he took his hand and rested on Rahne's own. The young mutants exchanged a look, and then began to lean closer to one another.
"Ah, my final victims."
Rahne and Adam both shot upright like they were children who'd just been caught stealing. They looked towards the door and saw Dani leaning up against it, casually dressed.
"Oh...Dani, what's...up?" Adam asked
"I'm just getting everyone together so we can head down to Nature's Gift. You guys were last."
"Oh, okay. I've been there once or twice, good place."
Dani wrinkled her nose at that. Even though he'd opened up some, Adam was still clock full of mysteries.
"Also, Adam? No weapons." Dani ordered, "we're getting in a nasty habit of breaking the rules at Nature's Gift as is."
"But what if we get attacked? I mean, with the lives we lead and all...I'll need a weapon, just in case."
"Umm, Adam? You are a weapon." Dani stated matter of factly.
Adam put his hand on his chin and thought for a moment, "Oh, well, you're right about that. We'll head out."
"Actually Adam, I need to speak with Rahne in private."
Adam glanced at Rahne, and she nodded almost invisibly at him. Adam brushed past Dani, leaving the two young women alone.
"What did ye need to talk tae me about?" Rahne asked.
"Would you like to bring Doug with us to Nature's Gift? I know he's human, but I think I could get him in, and he does know you're a mutant, after all."
Rahne's heart stopped dead at the question.
"I haven't told Dani yet, have I?" Rahne asked herself solemnly, "No time like the present."
"I'm...nae seeing Doug anymore."
"What? Why?" Dani asked, mildly shocked that she hadn't known Rahne had broken up with her new boyfriend, "You guys were kinda cute together. A little retro, yeah, but cute."
Rahne, for the first time in her life, cursed the fact that she wasn't a better liar, "Because he hit me."
Dani took a step back and looked like she'd been smacked in the face, "I did what now?"
"What?"
"He hit you?"
"Aye, badly." Rahne confessed while looking away, still ashamed of how she let Doug mistreat her
"I'll kill him." Dani said matter of factly, "I'll pull out his teeth one by one and then...!"
"Dani, I've already addressed the issue, an' I'd prefer nae to have to deal with it again." Rahne said with a steel resolve as their eyes met.
For a full minute, the two mutants were silent.
"I...I need to go," Dani finally said as she turned away from Rahne and stormed off. Rahne watched her leave with a heavy heart, but didn't immediately follow.
888
Nature's Gift
"...Agreed, but you see, the World Bank does more harm than good as it exploits Third World Nations with crippling high interest rates and damages their ability to function in the world market." Namorita explained to a group of well-educated mutant women she'd had the good fortune to run across. Before the other women could make a counter argument, Taki (who'd joined them for the discussion) raised his hand.
"If I may interrupt for a moment, your boyfriend is about to embarrass you." Taki pointed, and Namorita turned to look where an obviously inebriated Richard Rider was having a colorful argument with a crowd of Eurotrash.
"And I'm telling you, World War 2 didn't start until 1942!" Nova slurred. He took a good drink from his beer and continued, "until then, it was just Germany making every one else their bitch!" Nova pointed a finger at a large, heavyset man, and then fell face forward to the floor. X-Treme, embarrassed, moved to help him back up
"Odd. From here, it doesn't look he's declared war on an entire people." Namorita commented.
"Because he hasn't."
"He's not kidnapping another man's wife, is he?"
"No."
"Flooding New York?"
"No."
"Attacking a major city with a sea monster?"
"No."
"Then he's not embarrassing me." Namorita turned back to face the group and took a sip of her bottled water, "Now, where were we?"
888
"Eight ball, corner pocket." Robbie predicted as he leaned the billiard table and took aim with his cue stick.
"Just shut up and take the shot, toothpick." Bobby mumbled, already feeling for his wallet. Robbie made the shot easily, smirking the entire time.
"That'll be fifty bucks and two monitor duty shifts." Robbie extended his hand out for his hard earned swindled money, "I'll take the cash now."
"Just how the hell did a geek like you become so good at pool?" Bobby asked as he handed over his money.
"I bounce, man, I'd have to be good at angles if I wanna be able to fight. I got the stuff down to a science now." Robbie pocketed the money, "Besides, when I was in the New Warriors, my leader...really encouraged me to learn how to use my powers better."
"Encourage how?"
"He threatened to strip me of my powers and clothes, tattoo racial slurs all over my body and drop me in the middle of Harlem." Robbie said in all seriousness, "That's how."
"Now, see, that I would have paid good money to watch toothpick." Bobby smirked, "Sounds like your old boss Night Thrasher was just as much a hardass as Dani."
"Yeah, but that was because he wanted us to kick ass and make it home alive." Robbie explained, "It was tough love. Really, really tough love. Like Dani dishes out."
"Speaking of which, where is she?" Bobby asked, "And where's Rahne?"
"I dunno. You know how girls are, they're probably busy putting on their makeup."
888
The Workplace
Rahne opened the door to Danielle's room and to no one's surprise, was greeted with a sight general destruction. Pictures were shattered, furniture upended and or torn. In short, it looked a tornado had hit the room. And standing in the epicenter was Danielle Moonstar, one foot standing on the remains of a plain wooden coffee table and a look of pure self-loathing on her face.
"Are ye done wit' yuir temper tantrum yet?"
"Almost, but then I remember who has to clean this place up."
"I'll help ye with that." Rahne said as she righted a knocked over chair and sat down, "But are ye ready to talk?"
"What's there to talk about? I failed as a leader and a friend. Pretty simply as far as I see it." Dani said as she sat down on her mauled couch adjacent to Rahne.
"No ye haven't. Ye've forced a team o' misfits into an effective and respected fighting force." Rahne corrected, "Force Works is more effective than X-Force or New Warriors ever were."
"Okay, then I failed you completely as a friend." Dani retorted
"Letting Doug beat me was muh fault, Dani. Lets nae pretended otherwise, alright?"
"I still should have known." Dani said firmly, "Looking back, I remember each and every time you came to me for advise, and remembering blowing you off like it was nothing. I fucked up, can we at least agree on that?"
Rahne steepled her hands together and rested her chin on them, "I think that e'er since ye returned from Asgard, we've tried to pretend everything's the same it's always been. But that's a lie. We're nae the same people we were in the New Mutants. We've changed, but our friendship is still based on who we were when we were younger."
"Then we need to change that." Dani said, "Remember when we would sit around and just tell each other our secrets all night long? Our grudges, fears and anything else that just came to mind?"
"Aye, of course." Rahne replied, "my happiest memories of the institute, in fact."
"Well, it's been too long since we did that. I'll go first. I'm bi sexual, Rahne. I love you more than anything, but not romantically."
Rahne absorbed the information for a moment, "Oh. Ye don' have to worry about lectures aboot fire an' brimstone from me, Dani. So long as yuir happy, but, since we're dropping bombshells... I killed a man when I was with X-Factor."
Dani stopped just short of gasping in response to Rahne's admission. Dani was no stranger to killing and death, but she'd never expected Rahne to be as well, "Have...you made peace with it?"
"Somewhat. I try every day." Rahne admitted, "Yuir turn tae answer a question. Why'd ye leave Asgard?"
"I was kicked out because my actions led to the death of an entire family." This time it was Rahne who nearly gasped.
"What happened?"
"I allowed a father who'd been killed in battle to see his family one last time. He killed his family so he wouldn't be alone in Valhalla." Dani explained, "Thanks to Odin, the family got better, but I still hold myself responsible for their deaths. Your turn."
"Oh. Well, I'm deathly afraid Joseph Moira away from me."
"You needn't be, he's her returned son, but he's more matured now." Dani reassured her, "X-Corp is confident he won't hurt her, and Joseph knows the X teams will come down on him like the wrath of God if he harms her."
"I don' mean he'll take her from me like that." Rahne corrected softly.
Dani understood a moment later, "Oh."
"Yuir turn."
888
Later
Dani blinked her eyes as consciousness returned to her formerly slumbering form. She looked around and realized she was in bed, still fully dressed. Dani still encumbered by the mental cobwebs of sleep, remembered confessions, crying, laughing and solemn admissions, though hazily and not exactly in that order. Dani looked down and saw Rahne's head resting on her stomach. Dani lightly ran her hand thru Rahne's long red hair. A tiny smile came across Rahne's face.
"It's good to finally be back." Dani thought to herself. As carefully sat up as far as she could without disturbing Rahne, which thankfully still allowed her to grab what she'd been reaching for. Dani pulled the covers up over herself and Rahne, and drifted back to sleep.
The End