Metro City

Adam Sol rose from his bed gingerly, every muscle aching. Since the latest mission, he felt like little more than a walking bruise.

He swung his feet over the edge of his bed, and grunted as he rose. While he healed faster than humans, he was still grateful for the fact that Mirage had given the entire team two weeks to recover.

Adam found himself a little torn over the idea of vacation. All his life, from the age of five to now, he'd been so goal orientated. Whether it was trying to master that next kata, to find his real back ground or to grab that last thread from his past, as long as Adam could remember he was marching towards some intangible goal. Now that now that he had nothing outlined for the next two weeks, the young Shi'ar warrior literally didn't know what to do with himself.

But for once, he found the uncertainty liberating. With so much free time, he might finally be able to take in the local culture. He was ashamed almost to admit how little he really knew about the local culture.

No time like the present to change that…

&&&

Marvel 2000 Presents

Force Works 33

"This Land of Confusion."

Part 1

&&&

Metro City, Genetically Unchallenged Art Museum

Richard Rider, dressed in a tux his girlfriend had bought for him, looked at the name and then to his lover and asked, "Genetically unchallenged?"

"It's something of a stab at the media's attempts at political correctness by referring to mutants as genetically challenged," answered Namorita Prentiss. She was dressed in a form fitting ruby dress with a slit up the side. She held a Champaign flute, while, ironically, Rich just had a glass of water.

Apparently, it was unfashionable to serve beer at an gallery opening.

"So it's like a post modern thingy," Rich said.

Namorita took a sip of her drink to keep from chuckling, "Something like that."

"Hey, one of us has to play the dumb blond," Rich remarked as he checked his reflection on a painting's glass cover. Ever since Namorita had become the public face of Force Works, Nova was concerned about being seen in public with her. The last time his secret identity was compromised, his little brother lost a finger. That wasn't something he took casually, "but did I really have to shave? I liked my stubble."

Namorita brushed her webbed hand across his face before kissing him lightly on the lips, "The face needles lose their attraction after a while, honey. Clean shaven is in, babe."

"I dunno, I think I'd feel a little more comfortable with some grunge," Nova remarked, "though I don't think any amount of clean-up is going to make me feel right."

"What do you mean?"

"Ever since our last mission, I just haven't been feeling myself," Nova sighed.

"You can't blame yourself for what happened, you had no way of knowing…"

"I was mission leader," Nova snapped, quicker than he should, "buck stops with me. And it's not just that, it's all this…"

"What do you mean?"

"This right here," Rich waved his arms towards the gallery and the dozens of well dressed people within, "All this art and stuff. I want to make a difference, I really do, but all it seems like all I end up doing in punching things. You and Dani get our message out and all I do is stand there like an idiot statue…"

"'To each warrior their weapon', my people say," Namorita squeezed Rich's hand, "I've never thought of you as stupid…"

"Oh really?" Nova cocked an eyebrow.

"Well, at least not once I looked past your Queens upbringing," Namorita smiled, "I know you're here to make a difference. Just because you can't write an essay on what doesn't make it any less important. And losing one fight doesn't make you any less of a leader or man."

"I suppose. It's just that sometimes I feel like a caveman swimming a club," Nova sighed.

"What we do is far more than that. We fight threats others haven't even heard of, let alone stopped. And we couldn't do that without you, honey. One loss doesn't change how good you are at beating up the right person," Namorita replied, and then with a slight smirk, said, "and, for what it's worth, I really, really like your club."

"Namorita!"

Rich and Namorita took a self conscious step apart as Irene Basheda stepped forward from the crowd. Irene was the acting CEO of World Watch, Force Works main sponsor, but she never came close to fulfilling the stereotypical role of the heartless CEO.

"How are you and..?" Irene knew the man with her was Nova, but played along anyway.

"Hal Stewart," Richard Rider answered.

"How are you two enjoying the opening?"

"Needs better snacks and less pretentiousness," Rich commented.

"It's…" Namorita glanced at the model of a destroyed building simply titled X, and then to an immaculate reproduction of the Mona Lisa with three eyes and green skin, "well, to be honest, it's a little bipolar as far art goes, to be honest, even when one takes into consideration the natural diversity of cultural art. But I suppose I knew that when I accepted an invitation on behalf of my cousin."

"Wait, you're here representing Namor?"

"Yeah, I told you that this morning, Ri..Hal!" Namorita snapped, "I knew you weren't paying attention…"

"Why are you here for Namor?"

"There are some who claim that Prince Namor is the first mutant," Irene answered, "as far as the public knows, or is concerned, anyways."

"Namor's a mutant?" Rich scratched his head, "really?"

"It's… complicated, actually," Namorita answered, "but all the same, mutant culture is so much of a blank slate right now, I felt it was more important to embrace the idea for the moment than trying to explain it."

"So they're groping for whoever they can get," Rich replied, "Namor, Magneto, really hope they don't go for Doom to make their own personal axis of evil."

&&&

"My warrior culture vastly outstrips your technological ability!" Vibraxis' sheer contempt was laced in every third word, "you haven't a chance!"

"Your isolationist cultural upbringing cannot possibly compare to my countless hours of study," Technocrat's dismissive tone was casual, practiced. He moved his pawn with deliberate slowness, "this chess match is already over, you simply don't realize it yet."

"The attitude of a true imperialist," Vibraxis remarked, "but Wakanda had repelled your kind before, and the result here will be the same!"

"Oh God, you two are insane!" Blink turned off the TV and stood up with a huff, "there's not enough room in here for me and both your egos!"

"Well, that was quicker than I expected," Taki muttered under his breath. He began to push the Chess set up as Vibraxis rushed to claim the now free TV, "tell me, what entertainment are you in the mood for?"

"I remember reading that the BBC was going to do a documentary on Arabic art," Vibraxis answered, "if it's alright with you, I'd like to see what commonalities it has with African art. I only took two courses in arts study before leaving my homeland, and I simply cannot tell you how much I regret that."

"It sounds fascinating," Taki wheeled himself in front of the two hundred inch television that he had personally created (if one was to indulge in bad habits, there was no need for restraint), "the Tivo has automatic access to television archives from the last two months. Simply key in BBC and we should be able to find it."

"Excellent," Within seconds, Vibraxis was scrolling through the BBC archives, "Taki, I do not wish to offend, but might I ask a personal question of you?"

"Why do I keep myself confined to this wheelchair?" Taki knew the question already.

"Exactly. You don't confine yourself to it in battle, yet you confine yourself to it here in private."

"Many reasons, I suppose," Taki mused, "but the biggest is the same reason why you take pride in your Wakanda heritage despite being an expatriate. The accident that, figuratively, took my legs defined my life in more ways, not just physically. It took my parents, and forced to handle certain difficulties day and day out before my powers emerged=. It shaped who I am, so much to the point that walking still doesn't truly remove me from my chair. So I keep it, to remind myself of who I am. Honestly, it serves to keep me humble."

"Because when people think of Takeshi Matsuya," Vibraxis smirked, "they think humble."

"I make no apologies for my intelligence," Taki shrugged in good humor, "though in my defense, I could be much worse."

Vibraxis felt a shiver travel down his spine that had nothing to do with his powers.

&&&

Blink was making her way back to her room when she heard a distinct buzz. Having served on two different teams with super-speedsters, she recognized the sound as someone in constant motion just under the sound barrier.

With nothing better to do, she followed it to Force Works' so-called 'secondary communications bay'.

If the building was ever inspected by government officials, Force Works would explain away the room as a back for their main communications systems in the event of an attack. But in reality, it was a collection of highly specialized and dual use computers that constantly monitored communications between all known (and a few unknown) intelligence agencies, listened in on every frequency that wasn't public and connected to over a dozen message boards run by concerned citizens who knew how to keep an eye out for questionable behavior and bring it to the attention of superheroes.

In short, it served as a search engine for Force Works when they needed intelligence on or for a mission. And like most search engines, it required hours upon hours worth of effort, of discreet fact checking and confirmation, to find anything that was actually true and useful.

So Blink imagined that was why Sabre was darting around the room, looking over screen after screen and still looked like she was coming up empty.

"What the heck are you doing?" asked Blink.

Kim skidded to a halt, saw Blink at the door way, and before Blink could intake another breath, the monitors all changed. Clarice, used to speedsters, didn't even bat an eye.

"…nothing."

"You know that without Taki, Dani or Nova, these computers are pretty much worthless, right?" Blink stated, "you need special codes to get at the juicy stuff. Everything else is just what they want us to hear, see and think."

Kim's jaw dropped, "You're kidding…how did you know that?"

"Because Dani explained it to the four of us the day after we joined!" Blink chuckled, unable to believe how similar Sabre was to her old teammate, Quicksilver. Both were unable to listen to anyone but themselves, and confident in the idea that superspeed was the solution to every problem.

Blink expected an angry tirade, or a quick dash. Instead, to her surprise, she saw Sabre's eyes beginning to water.

"Kim, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Sabre wiped her eyes, "I was just hoping to find…never mind. You wouldn't understand."

"Try me," Blink replied, "I used to serve on a team with Sabretooth and Pyro, so I can officially say that nothing is too crazy for me."

"I was looking for my dad."

Blink shrugged, "So why do you need to keep that secret? I'm sure Dani would help if you just asked."

"Because every time I raise a ruckus about it, leads vanish!" Sabre growled, "I asked my grandfather's friends about him, and they just look away and don't explain a damn thing. Hoffman never gives me anything…I know he's involved in something bad, I'm not that thick."

"Maybe he's just underground," Blink suggested, "your Grandfather and his friends were the first mutants, and it runs in the family, right? I can see the CIA or whoever wanting to keep someone like him secret."

"Grandfather would have told me," Sabre sighed, "He had no idea his son even visited Vietnam until an CIA contact told him I might be his granddaughter."

"You mean your Dad didn't serve in 'Nam?" Blink took a moment to realize how dumb she'd been, to assume that Kim was born during the Vietnam conflict.

"Only if he was fighting it by himself," Sabre replied, "Let me tell you, being the youngest mutt born isn't any fun."

"I can imagine."

"My grandfather's friends loved me, but made it a point never to mention my father," Kim grinded her teeth, "All my mother said about him was some creative profanity."

"Kim…"

"Look, I can handle that I wasn't a planned pregnancy and all that," Kim ran her head through her hair, "but I just want to know…who he is, why he…what he was doing in Vietnam. And I want to do it quietly and without too much drama."

"Look, trust me when I say I know what it's like to have a sociopathic family member, but there's no need to be ashamed," Blink reassured her.

"Easy for you to say," Sabre countered, "my Grandfather's blood is the only good thing I have."

"Oh, hold on a sec! We both know that's not…"

Blink's voice trailed off, when she realized she was talking to empty air. She thought about chasing after Kim, but thought the better of it.

After all, as Quicksilver once explained, when you moved faster than sound, it was hard not to view every conversation as a lecture.

&&&

Metro Mill Shopping Center, Food Court

"Can you believe the amount of homework Mr. Lutz gave us?" Charlie Burmingame took a sip of his coke, "I swear, that guy just loves to watch us squirm."

"It's not that bad," Tarene defended, "he talks about most of the stuff in class, the homework is just to emphasize it."

"We have a day off from school because of a day off because of a teacher workday," Julius Gold made a dismissive gesture with his hand. Six feet tall, weighing some two hundred pounds and moonlighting as one of his Hight School's best football players, Julius was anything but the average Jewish youth, "lets not spend it whining about school, alright?"

"The movie starts soon, right?" Angelica Young unconsciously moved her hand to the hood that concealed most of her face. Though it was hard to guess her exact power at a glance, with green skin, and yellow eyes, it was hard to miss her mutant nature.

"Oh, don't be like that," Julius said, "we still got an hour. Besides, you shouldn't be hiding a pretty face like that."

"Easy for you to say," Angelica muttered. Even though there were a number of obvious and not so obvious mutants who attended their high school, being out in public was always difficult for her.

Ironically enough, Angelica's parents had moved her family to Metro City because of the mutant population that had migrated following Force Works' settling into the city, yet there never seemed to be enough members of her own kind around enough to make her feel any less self conscious.

"We got some time, and I got some disposal income to burn. Lets wander around and see if they have anything worth grabbing," Charlie proposed, "cause there are too many fatties and not enough hotties to make hanging out at the food court worthwhile."

The four friends stood up and walked out. Angelica hung towards the back with her head down, consciously trying to avoid any attention and naturally drawing more odd stares because of it.

"Is there anywhere you'd like to go?" Tarene asked her friend, naturally oblivious to Angelica's desire to be invisible.

"I…I don't come here a lot," Angelica replied.

"You should," Tarene replied, "the prices are pretty good and they have a lot of neat stores, like a Discovery Channel planet!"

"Sounds…interesting," Angelica smiled. She didn't care about the store, but found that she loved the way Tarene always talked to her, as if was perfectly normal. While her family loved her, they stumbled around how to talk to her ever since her powers first emerged. Awkward didn't begin to cover it.

But not with Tarene. She simply sat down on day next to her at lunch, and began talking to her like nothing was the matter. And unlike other kids, Tarene never seemed to regard her as a curiosity, just a friend. Her naivety could be a little confusing and a little annoying at times, but Angelica could think of no better friend.

Angelica looked towards her friend, thankful to have her and then accidently walked into someone going the other way.

"Oh!" Angelica took several nervous steps back, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"

"You should be, you stupid Frankin!" the other person spat. Angelica looked at the man she'd run into, and swallowed hard. Torn clothes, over a dozen piercings in his face and tattoos running up and down his arm, there was no mistaking the young man she'd walked into for an upstanding member of society.

"It…it was an accident," Angelica stammered.

"Yeah, that figures. You look like a walking accident, Frankin," the teenager snapped, and took a step forward, "I ought to teach you to respect your betters!"

Before the gang banger could do anything, Charlie grabbed him by the back of the shirt, and swung him around as he pushed him away.

"You say one more thing and I'll break your damn jaw," Charlie spat.

The punk's hand began to glow green, "I'd like to see you try."

"Charlie, that's enough," Tarene stepped between the two boys. She grabbed a metal stud on the boy's jacket and casually flattened it in her hand, "you should go, no one wants you here."

Tarene's voice was flat, emotionless but the young gangbanger could feel the steel hidden inside of it. He looked down at his flattened metal stud, and then to the crowd that was gathering.

"Yeah, whatever," the boy pulled away from Tarene, "so the little Frankin thinks that hanging out with norms will make her any less of a freak. Well, you'll always be something the gene pool spat out!"

The boy made a 'Whatever!' expression with his hand and then stormed away. Charlie and Tarene took Angelica aside as the small crowd began to find something else to focus on.

"Hey, you okay?" Charlie knew it was a stupid question, but he had to start somewhere.

"I'm fine," Angelica's voice was dry, and she kept wiping her eyes.

"What was that guy's problem?" Charlie asked.

"He was a mutant," said Tarene.

"Wait, what?"

"Frankin is an insult for…frea…," Angelica took a breath, "…ob…obvious mutants, ones that don't look completely human."

"So mutants got racist terms for other mutants? That's the stupidest thing I ever…"

"And since when has racism ever been intelligent?" Tarene countered.

Charlie opened his mouth to respond, then thought the better of it. It stung his pride a little bit, Tarene of all people hitting him with a snarky remark. But he knew her well enough to know that she was naïve, not stupid and at the moment, absolutely right.

"Can we please just go to the theater?" Angelica pleaded, "please?"

"Yeah, okay sure," Charlie replied, "I left Julius at the game store. You two head go on ahead, I'll go grab him."

Charlie, seething inside, found his friend quickly, and explained what happened.

"I have dibs on his kneecaps," Julius said in all seriousness.

"Dude, he's a mutant," Charlie tried his best to sound concerned

"And probably shoots some pansy ass beam," Julius countered, "jerk don't see us coming, we don't have a problem."

"Yeah, but I bet he'd get some buddies and come back," Charlie replied, "look, its done man. The girls are waitin' for us. Go on ahead, I need to use the bathroom."

"…fine," Julius sighed, "but I find out you tried to kick his ass without me, and I'll hit you instead."

"Hey, he's a mutant, what could I do to him?"

&&&

The Work Place, Gym

"Seventy eight…seventy nine…eight!"

Danielle Moonstar flopped backwards on the mat, her lungs burning for air and her stomach aching. She tried to exercise a minimum of two hours every day, but it wasn't something she could always find time for. And when she missed a day, her body let her know it.

"…why couldn't I have physical perfection as a mutant power?" Dani groused.

"You look just fine from here, Dani," Bobby Greggs replied. He was at one of the modified weight machines. Thanks to some tinkering by Technocrat, they could apply enough weight to make it a work out for Tarene, Nova or Arsenal. It was without a doubt an engineering miracle, something Technocrat took every opportunity to remind them.

"Oh I'm sure," Danielle rasped. She pushed herself to her feet and stretched her back, "so, what are you doing later?"

"No plans," Bobby replied, "I haven't been teaching for a while. The Stealth Wing needs some maintenance, but that's about it. What about you?"

"Hoffman, Rich and me are going to go over some intelligence chatter," Danielle replied, "think you might be up for going to Nature's Gift later? I haven't had a night out for fun in too long."

"Ya know, we are already sweaty, no reason we can't have a certain kind of other fun…"

The building began to rang, and Arsenal just groaned and leaned back against the machine.

"Rain check," Dani smirked. She sprinted to the monitors at the gym wall, "…oh crap."

"What is it?"

"Gang riot, two blocks are just going at it."

"That's all?" Arsenal threw his head back and laughed, "you and I could handle that without breaking a sweat!"

"Yeah, under normal conditions," Danielle answered, "but this is different."

"What do you mean?"

"The gangs involved are all mutants."

"…oh crap."

"Yeah."

Next issue: Force Works has to put down a gang riot