Summary: After Arielle is hesitant to join the team on the latest mission, Cole, Horatio, Serena, and Devi attempt to cheer her up with stories of their early adventures.
Ben Park, a California-based comic book artist, hunches over the desk in his studio, muttering to himself as he quickly sketches out the first few panels of his new comic: LoveHacker. “Six friends endowed with super abilities face love, laughter, and wild shenanigans all while fighting the good fight and trying to keep the city of San Francisco safe from dangers seen and unseen.”
“Three cheers for our glorious leader!” Captain Hustle shouts as he, LoveHacker, and Lady Revolution enter the hideout. LoveHacker takes an exaggerated bow as her teammates applaud, happy to be back with her ragtag crew. “I take it the anonymous tip led to a successful victory?” Horatio looks up from his place on the floor with Arielle. Serena shortens her sign-hammer’s handle, laying it across the table while her teammates go to switch into their civilian clothes.
“Whoever it was that saved our asses? They left no details out! Get this, I’ve never seen a lipstick so, green!”
“It was more of an aquamarine!” Cole calls out, but Serena waves him off. “Yeah, yeah. Anyway, her sister was sporting pink lips and makeup straight out of a horror show. We get to this abandoned hair salon in Mission District, also what is it with evil guys and their abandoned buildings? But Devi slides in all invisible, and sure enough, there was the stupid cat.” Horatio turns to Arielle, answering her unasked question. “Kitten,” he smiles, and Arielle nods, though the corner of her mouth dips into a frown. Devi reappears, wearing a flowery maxi skirt and sits down next to Serena, who hasn’t removed any of her suit yet. “Pink Lips and Aqua Lips. Names brought to you by yours truly.” Devi cups Serena’s chin affectionately, but Serena pushes her hand away. Cole appears then, taking a seat as well. “It’s okay, Serena. We can’t all be as creative as me,” he jokes, and everyone but Arielle laughs.
“We can’t all let the cat go either,” Serena grumbles and Horatio joins them at the conference table. “Kitten got away?” he turns to look at Cole who sniffs. “Hey! But we caught the Rainbow-Lip sisters aka the ones padding her pockets!” Serena yells back, “That’s great and all Cole, but she could easily find other people to pay her!” Devi throws her hands up, attempting to calm them both down. “I’m sorry I didn’t go with you guys,” Arielle mumbles, and Horatio happens to catch her words. “Arielle, you have nothing to apologize for. There’s no need to rush out there before you’re ready.” Arielle snaps, “You keep telling me to take my time and I can suit up when I’m ready, and whatever, but did any of you honestly need a moment before you were out fighting Mad-Man and Kitten, and Metamorphis?” Her outburst silences the room. She sighs, moving to sit next to Horatio, forehead against the table.
“You got your powers and boom, you were perfect.” Serena snickers, followed by a snort from Cole, and even Devi bites back a grin. Arielle sits up, confused at their amused faces. Even Horatio shakes his head, but not unkindly. “Arielle, we were a mess when we first got our powers!” Devi laughs, her face equal parts reflective and amused at the past. “We were more like masked vigilantes,” Cole agrees. “Brooke didn’t know her own strength, Horatio had migraines that left him nearly unconscious and instead of making his mind move objects away from us, we were the main targets!” Serena’s face turns stormy, almost mimicking Arielle’s from earlier. “And Amy wanted to be in charge so badly.” Arielle doesn’t miss the way everyone’s eyes flicker over to Devi before looking away again. “Amy?” she asks, not expecting an answer in the heavy silence. Devi bites her lip, drumming her fingers on the table. “She was… a good friend of mine, who had… different ideas about what it meant to be a hero.” She looks Arielle directly in the eye. “I know you’re struggling Arielle, but you’re twice the person she was. You aren’t born good or evil… it all comes down to choices. I think that’s why you’re here.” She offers a small smile, and Arielle relaxes. “Good riddens to the Wicked Witch of the hot mess,” Cole groans, leaning his head back.
“Was she really that awful?” Arielle asks, turning to Horatio who won’t mince his words, but he takes a moment to gather his thoughts.
“She was a little, misguided. Frustrated, and um, distracted.” His eyes flicker to Devi, who catches his gaze. Cole leans forward, looking down the line to address Arielle. “Promise me now you won’t get yourself into a love triangle with your former best friend and former boyfriend.” Arielle blinks in surprise.
“Oh. Um, okay.”
“You know what’s a fun story?” Devi suddenly brightens up, not so subtly changing the subject. “The Mixologist and Lady Revolution’s first run in with Electric Shriek.” Cole grins, looking from Horatio to Serena. “Fun, or funny?” He quickly backs away from Serena’s striking zone as Horatio shakes his head the memory. “What happened?” Arielle questions, and Devi sets the scene. “Oh, you know. It was a typical day at the Double Tap. Horatio was working the night shift, and had just let Parker go home for the day. Serena came in to celebrate the end of midterms…”
“I need a beer, stat!” She slid into the booth in a heap, looking to Horatio expectantly. “But wouldn’t you rather have a nice–”
“Alcohol. Here. Fast. Now.”
Horatio sighed, fixing a plain beer before sliding it across the table to Serena. Not even halfway through her drink, the lights flickered. “Forget to pay the electric bill, Horatio?” Serena joked, but Horatio’s expression clouded. She drowned the rest of her drink and rapped the table. “Earth to Horatio!” A sharp pain caused him to seize up and he gripped the nearby bar stool for support. Serena shot up, running to him, but Horatio shook his head, slowly standing again. “A man… with electricity flowing through his veins.” Serena gave him an odd look, but together, the two of them left the Double Tap, in pursuit of the one causing trouble. Screams and cries for help rang out in the street, and they followed the sounds until one sound in particular caused them to stop short. “What fresh hell is that!” Serena fell to the ground, shoving fingers into her ears to stop the screeching, Horatio falling beside her doing the same.
Up head, people were strewn across the street, some holding their ears, others lying still on the ground, temporarily paralyzed. In the middle of it all stood who we now call Electric Shriek, a knitted mask pulled over his face.
“That’s him!” Horatio yelled though the ringing in his ears.
“What?”
“That’s the man of electricity!” As soon as Horatio spoke, Electric Shriek took off, shooting a bolt of lighting in the air to distract those who watched. “Oh no you don’t!” Serena yelled, much louder than necessary, taking off in a sprint. “Serena! You don’t have any weapons!”
Serena turned around, yelling back at Horatio. “What?” Her teammate pulled himself up slowly. “No! Weapon!” Serena only shook her head, pointing to Shriek’s shrinking figure. “Throw me!” Serena yelled, and Horatio now questioned how well he could hear.
“You…what?”
“Throw me! Use your mental powers and launch me over! It’ll be quicker.” Horatio’s eyebrows disappeared underneath his beanie. “Serena! My powers don’t work like that! I-I’m not even sure how they work yet. Serena!” Tired of talking and no action, Serena took off again, hopping over bodies, and dodging stalled vehicles and motorcycles. “I’ve got ya now! You’re so lucky I don’t have my hammer,” she muttered, Just as she gained ground on Shriek, she drew her fist back, zeroing in on her target. But instead of a straight line, she felt her body fly over Shriek’s and land straight into a dumpster, the foul scent of trash in her mouth and nose.
“HORATIO!”
“And just like today, the bad guy happened to get away.” Arielle giggles as Devi finishes the story. “Morale of the story, you don’t suck as much as you think you do,” Cole supplies, and Serena slowly turns on him, a wide smile that can only mean trouble. “You know Arielle, if you’re ever having a bad day, just remember that Cole made out with Mad-Man.” Arielle’s jaw drops, seeing Cole in a new light.
“You what?”
“It wasn’t Mad-Man! Stop saying that, before I text a certain someone about how much you miss her.”
“Touch my phone and I’ll break your fingers!”
Serena and Cole resort to squabbling again, and Devi and Horatio share a look before Devi glances at Arielle. Horatio gives her a warm pat on the back, and the three attempt to cut through the escalating argument before objects go flying.
*
“Well first off, you’re welcome.” Sergeant Techie’s heart leaps to his throat when he sees the familiar suit; the green, black, and rust red signaling danger like a poisonous animal in the wild. If he’d known the anonymous citizen in moral peril had been her, he’d never have made the trek to her late at night. Or any time for that matter. The GPS signal leading him directly to Twin Peaks should have tipped him off, but his sense of duty had taken over his common sense.
“Mark,” she began again, their not too distant history bubbling up to the surface again. The romantic feelings no longer pull at the Sergeant, and he wrestles with whether to tell the team about this rendezvous. Whether or not to tell Devi. “Killer Queen,” he addresses her by her villainess name, emphasizing how far apart they are in ideas, in morals. She shrinks back, and with his eyes, the Sergeant can easily strip away her suit and mask to reveal Amy. He swallows. “I guess I deserve that,” she concedes, voice softer, almost remorseful. “I’m giving you five minutes to explain why this isn’t a sorry attempt at a booty call before I leave.” Techie makes his voice unnecessarily sharp and Killer Queen snaps back to the present, scowling. “The Commander messed with the wrong girl. I’m after the insect freak. I um, request your assistance.” She looks away from Techie, as if embarrassed to admit the truth.
“Tip or no tip, what makes you think the League will run to your side to help? You burned that bridge!”
“I’m not asking for the League. I’m asking for you, Mark.”
Techie takes a step back, then another. This is what he got for falling asleep while Devi was over. When he’d come to, the apartment was empty, he was under Cole’s ugly fleece blanket, and had a text message from her saying she’d left hours ago. She hasn’t been back a full day, and Mark fights a wave of annoyance that he’s not with her now.
“Good-bye, Kil—”
“Obliviously my tip wasn’t enough since you guys let Kitten get away! You need me! She meets her buyer in three days’ time…” Techie can’t help it. Kitten’s hit-and-runs have left the city in a state of unrest, and the League on high alert, terrified of who she may be working for. Any clue would be helpful, and he’d be stupid not to pursue the lead dangling in front of him, ex-teammate or not. Techie looks up to the night sky for strength before looking to Killer Queen.
“I’m surprised you’re here talking to me and not after Mad-Man,” he narrows his eyes, hoping this is a trap of some kind, but her sincerity is hard to ignore. Killer Queen crosses her arms. “Let’s just say he and his precious niece are next in line.”
*
Dr. Cullum looks young, and flits about the Mainsingh Transglobal laboratory like someone in their late teens, but her wrinkles give away her true age. She peers into a microscope at a blood sample, scribbling away in a notebook. Dr. Cullum furrows her brow, angrier at herself for staying when she should have left months ago. Before this secret project could take up more of her time and energy than she wanted. It goes against everything she stands for to conduct these tests, but she no longer has a choice in the matter. Beside her lies her test subject, a twenty-two-year-old male. Smooth brown skin that looks ashen in the bright, harsh florescent light, and a lifelessness about him that likens him to a corpse, though he isn’t dead.
She looks at him strapped down to the table, remorse in her eyes. He’s old enough to be her son, and it tears her apart. “God, don’t let them find his brother.” She refuses to refer to the boy as a mutant, especially when it was no fault of his own what he’s capable of. He’s heavily sedated, and Dr. Cullum thinks of the young super in San Francisco, who indirectly kick-started the research for what led the young man in front of her to his current fate. The little information she’s recovered is kept in secret in exchange for her life. Dr. Cullum is trapped just like the young man.