| Roll Call: |
|---|
 Black Diamond |
 Muskateer |
 Enchantress |
 Firestar |
 Huntress |
 Lightburst |
 Nightengale |
 Supreme |
 Texas Ranger |
 Thing |
"What are we doing here?", Supreme wondered aloud, his hands gesticulating at the surroundings. He, like Black Diamond and Lightburst, were currently high atop one of the many skyscrapers that framed Park Avenue. Midday traffic moved slowly in the street down below.
"I'm playing a hunch," Black Diamond explained, her blue eyes scanning the hustle and bustle of Park Avenue on the look for trouble. With the Thing picking up the rest of the team in California, these three currently represented the entire main Avengers Team that was available.
"What kind of hunch?" Supreme seemed to be bored and annoyed at the whole thing. Lightburst stood stoically a short distance away, keeping Diamond between himself and Supreme. The purple-clad hero kept his attention towards the street below.
"If you would have watched the news or picked up a newspaper, you would already know that there's nearly a hundred million dollars in diamonds being shipped in today," Diamond explained. "A big promotion for one of the local department stores. It also makes a very tempting target for just about any criminal. So, it seemed like a good idea to stake out the area."
Supreme cracked his knuckles loudly. "I pity the fool who tries something with us on guard!" The prospect of action immediately bolstered the large man's spirits. "I guess some of Hunter rubbed off on you after all."
"Perhaps," Diamond offered. "Although, I think he would have called this one a 'no-brainer'. Someone is bound to---" Black Diamond's voice trailed off as her unique sixth sense started kicking in. "Keep your eyes open! Something is going to happen soon... I can sense it."
The trio didn't have long to wait. Down in the street below, a small motorcade of cars made their way up the street. A large van was being escorted by several sedans. Unexpectedly, some unseen force grasped the lead sedan and flung it high into the air, causing it to tumble end over end as it sailed back down the street!
Black Diamond gasped in surprise and immediately leaped over the edge of the building. "I've got to catch that car before someone gets hurt!", the heroine thought to herself as she streaked towards the airborne sedan. Flying into the cars path, Black Diamond hung in the air and waited for the unusual missile to arrive. As gently as she could, Diamond caught the sedan bringing it to a halt, an easy task given her great strength. "Hold tight, gentlemen, I'll have you back on the ground in a moment.
Back in the direction from which the vehicle had been thrown, a man in a yellow and black costume hovered in the air above the street. A symbol of an atom done in white was on his chest. "Attack my Conquerors!", the man shouted with a distinct Middle-Eastern accent. "Bring the diamonds to me, this I do command!!"
Upon seeing the man, Lightburst took to the air and fired a light blast. "You've picked the wrong target, Neutron! The Avengers will stop you!" The attack sailed wide of the Conquerors leader.
Finding himself now alone on the roof, Supreme looked down and found a vacant spot on the street below. Stepping over the edge, the gaudily colored Avenger landed on the concrete with a thud, creating a small impact crater in the process. He looked around for a foe to fight. "Okay, so where are the rest of Neutron's goons?" Having fought the Conquerors in the past, Supreme knew that they traditionally had four members. Along with Neutron, there was Arc, Ankylosaur, and Wyvern. However, none of these other individuals were in sight at the moment.
Across the street, a bald man wearing denim blue overalls stood calmly taking in the scene. People were running and screaming around him as those with any sense sought shelter. Nearby, a man riding a motorcycle sat in awe, watching Neutron as he used his magnetic powers to toss the sedan into the air. Eyeing the bike, the man approached and shoved the rider off the motorcycle and into the street. "Take a hike, punk! I need your bike."
"Hey! What do you--??" The biker rider suddenly shut up as the bald man suddenly started to grow in size! Ten feet! Twenty! Finally rising to a full twenty-five feet in height! "Never mind!", the bike rider yelled as he ran for safety. "It's insured!"
"Here's a present for you!", the large man announced. As he grew, the giant picked up the motorcycle and launched it into the air towards Supreme! "A special delivery from Big John!"
Supreme eyed the motorcycle as it hurtled through the air and didn't bother to move. The giant's aim was lousy and it landed wide to the right of the Avenger. The bike hit the street and skidded along until bouncing off another car. "Hah!", Supreme yelled back. "You may be big, but you sure ain't Supreme! Just stay right there, high pockets, I'll be happy to cut you down to size!"
However before Supreme could gather himself and leap to engage this enemy, Black Diamond and the sedan she was currently carrying landed before him. "There you go. One nice, soft landing." Releasing the vehicle, she turned back towards her teammate. "Big John? When did he join the Conquerors?"
"Search me," Supreme answered. "Why don't you give me a lift and I'll cut'm down to size."
"Thank you for your assistance, Black Diamond." One of the car doors opened and a man in a dark blue body suit with a crimson cape and cowl emerged. A balancing scale in white was on his chest. "The landing that felon had in mind could have been most painful." In the background, the other passengers vacated the vehicle.
"I've heard about you," Black Diamond stated, pointing a finger at the man. "You're the Sword of Justice-- the leader of the Wild Cards!"
"At your service, dear lady." The Sword of Justice bowed deeply and gallantly kissed Diamond's gloved hand. "I would greatly enjoy your company, fair maiden, but alas, there are felons present that need to be brought to justice!"
Supreme fumed to himself as the Sword of Justice took liberties with Diamond. She was his woman, after all! "You mean those heroes for hire bozos you--", he added aloud.
Supreme's question was suddenly cut off by Black Diamond. "Look out!", the heroine yelled as she shot into the air once more.
Off in the distance, Neutron brought his magnetic powers into play once more. He grabbed the sedan again and hurtled it towards the three heroes! "Like all lesser beings, you shall be conquered!"
The Sword of Justice acted quickly upon Black Diamond's warning. He leaped backwards and tumbled over the crude projectile towards safety with grace and ease. Supreme wasn't as lucky and the sedan slammed into the Avengers' powerhouse, driving him across the sidewalk and into the side of a building. "Hey!", was all he managed to say before disappearing behind the sedan.
Lightburst streaked back onto the scene and hovered in front of Neutron. After his initial pass, Neutron had lost track of the colorful Avenger. "Let's see you avoid me at point blank!" Unleashing, his trademark lightburst, Neutron was struck full in the face!
Spots played before Neutron's eyes. "You'll pay for this indignity, you cretin!" It was bad enough to have to participate in such a petty operation, but now Neutron was being directly assaulted! If he had been fully confident of the replacements for Ankylosaur and Wyvern, Neutron would have never had participated in his mission. Such things were beneath his dignity and better left to followers. Neutron's genius was better served in other tasks than the simple acquisition of wealth.
"I'll save ya, boss!", a voice cried out with a trace of a Turkish accent. "Arc will trash this guy real good for you!" A man in a blue and yellow outfit slammed into Lightburst. As he made contact, there was a blue flash of electricity.
"Aigh!", Lightburst screamed as the energy seeped through his protective force field. Arc held on to Lightburst and let the momentum of his leap carry the pair away from Neutron and back towards the pavement below. Lightburst was groggy from the attack and subsequent impact.
Arc began to hammer away at the helpless Lightburst. "No one hurts the boss! No one!" Blow after blow rained down on the Avenger. Mercifully, he quickly lost consciousness.
Elsewhere, Major America emerged from the rear sedan in the procession. The patriotically clad Wild Card was tall, had short blond hair, and was extremely handsome. He eyed the nearby Big John. "Your sorry butt is mine, big man! No one is going to steal anything with the Wild Cards on the job!"
Gauging the distance, Major America leaped towards Big John. In spite of his size, the giant deftly avoided the leaping Major. The Wild Card sailed harmlessly over Big John's right shoulder and landed on the street behind him. "Dream on, loser!", Big John taunted. He picked up an abandoned van and lifted it over his head. "Big John is a one man demolition crew! You're going down, pretty boy! Or rather down under!"
With a loud grunt, Big John slammed the van down on top of Major America! The patriotic Wild Card was lost from sight. "Who's butt is sorry now!?", Big John roared as he continued to apply pressure, crushing Major America with the van!
Having avoided being struck by the sedan, Black Diamond flew at Neutron. "Surrender now, Neutron! Before anyone gets hurt!" With the Conqueror's leader blinded by Lightburst, he seemingly made a very easy target.
"Underestimate me at your own peril, Avenger! You are Homo-Superior like myself. You should join with us instead of opposing us! Mutant-kind will eventually rule this world! It is our destiny!"
"Not as long as I'm around they won't! Having super-powers doesn't make you a better person. In my book, you're just a common thug with delusions of grandeur."
Unexpectedly, Neutron turned and fired a magnetic pulse at Black Diamond. The energy struck the Avenger, and sent her flying backwards. "Then you will fall before me like all other lesser beings!", he growled in frustration.
"How did he do that?", Black Diamond wondered as she narrowly avoided crashing into a delivery truck. "He could sense my presence without being able to see...?"
The Sword of Justice sprung to his feet and broke into a sprint. He raced towards the van containing the diamonds. Their safety was his paramount concern. As he approached, the rear doors of the vehicle suddenly burst open. A woman wearing an elaborate royal purple gown was launched out of van. She flew through the air and crashed unceremoniously upon the hood of the sedan Major America had just exited, shattering the windshield upon impact. The golden scepter she carried fell from her hand and rolled onto the street.
"Psi-Queen!", the Sword of Justice shouted. Changing course, the Wild Cards leader rushed to assist his teammate. "The miscreant who dared harm this lady shall face justice! This do I swear!"
"Now I'm mad!", Supreme announced as he shoved the smashed up sedan away, no worse for wear from the collision. For a moment, he considered throwing it back at Neutron, but ultimately decided against it. There were bystanders to watch out for. While most people had vacated the area when the fight began, a few hardy souls stayed behind to watch the battle. Di would probably have a fit if he contributed to the destruction already caused by the conflict. Supreme certainly didn't want to be in her doghouse!
Seeing Big John continuing to crush Major America with a van, Supreme settled on a different tactic. He flexed his powerful legs and leapt into the air. Big John was a huge target and with his back turned, he was totally unaware of Supreme's incoming attack.
"Cannonball!" Supreme yelled as he tucked himself into a ball and slammed into Big John's back! The giant was sent sprawling forward and landed on top of several abandoned cars, crushing them with his huge bulk. Supreme tumbled to the street after the impact.
The van imprisoning Major America was suddenly ripped in half as the super-strong Wild Card unburied himself. "Fun time's over for you, big man! It takes a lot more than that to harm Major America!" With a gleeful laugh, Major America leaped at the sprawled Big John. He just hoped his performance was being caught on camera.
"Psi-Queen!", the Sword of Justice repeated. He had reached the sedan and now stood over his fallen Wild Card teammate. "Can you hear me?"
"Ambushed...", was all the psionic heroine could mutter. Weakly she tried to point back towards the van carrying the diamonds.
The Sword of Justice followed Psi-Queen's trembling finger towards the vehicle. His eyes grew wide behind his cowl as he saw the last of the Wild Cards, the exotic Silver Spectre, hurtling through the air towards him! Raising his arms, the Sword of Justice caught his teammate, but the force of the impact knocked him off his feet and on top of the still groggy Psi-Queen.
"Why do criminals always want to do things the hard way?", Black Diamond thought to herself as she streaked back towards Neutron. He wouldn't catch her unaware again. Reaching her target, Diamond took a swing at Neutron, but he simply flew away from her punch.
"Don't touch me!", Neutron screamed, almost in terror. "No one may touch me!" Bringing his awesome magnetic powers into play once more, Neutron flung Black Diamond away like a child discarding a toy. The heroine sailed backwards once more and smashed into and through the roof of a mini van.
"Good shot, boss!", Arc called out from the ground. Lightburst was slumped at his feet. "I trashed this guy real good for you!"
"Your performance has been adequate," Neutron informed his lackey in a sarcastic tone. It was high praise to Arc's ears.
"It's a diversion!", the Sword of Justice yelled. "Someone is in the delivery van!" Gently, the swordsman set the Silver Spectre off on one side and rolled off of the now unconscious Psi-Queen. Rapier drawn, the Sword of Justice advanced on the van. In spite of the doors being open, it was dark inside the vehicle. Unnaturally dark.
"Oh, hell!", Major America muttered upon hearing the Wild Cards leader's warning. Reluctantly, he turned away from Big John. "Looks like this is your lucky day, punk!" Running, Major America rushed to join the Sword of Justice at the delivery van. Protecting the diamonds was more important than taking Big John down a few pegs.
"This has not been one of my better days," Black Diamond muttered as she pulled herself out of the, thankfully, abandoned mini van. The vehicle had nearly been split in half upon her impact. "I always hated fighting in traffic. Too many weapons of opportunity for villains to use." Standing up, the Avenger's leader looked around the battlefield to gauge her next move.
Off in the distance, she saw Supreme in the grasp of Neutron's magnetic power. The hero rose into the air and was flung down the street, much like Black Diamond had been. "Supreme!", Diamond yelled. She quickly gauged the general direction of his flight path. The heroine let out an audible gasp upon seeing his destination. While Supreme could easy withstand the impact, the crowd of people he was sailing towards were not as fortunate!
Launching herself into the air once more, Black Diamond streaked after Supreme. Pushing herself to the limits of her flight speed, the heroine managed to grab a hold of Supreme's leg and direct him away from the innocent bystanders. "Nice catch, boss," Supreme complimented, as he looked up at the heroine. "You'd've made a helluva center fielder."
"Thanks," Diamond answered with a smile. "How about we finish off these guys?"
"Just show me who you want bonked!"
Grasping Supreme's hand, Diamond released his leg and turned to fly back towards the Conquerors with the large Avenger in tow. However, the villains were nowhere to be seen. Even the gigantic Big John was no longer present. "They're gone!"
"Those losers ran away!", Supreme complained. "I never did get a good lick in!"
"Join the club, Supreme," Diamond answered in dismay. "Join the club." As the heroine vainly looked around for any sign of the Conquerors, she happened to notice Lightburst prone in the street. "'Burst!" Still carrying Supreme, Black Diamond made a beeline towards her fallen teammate.
The heroine landed a few steps away from Lightburst. She could tell that he was still breathing. A quick check revealed that he was just unconscious. The purple-clad hero was beginning to come around.
"Oh--- my aching head." Gingerly, Lightburst sat up. "I feel like I just had Grond dance on my body."
"Lucky guy," Supreme noted sarcastically. He wouldn't be shedding any tears over Lightburst being beaten upon. A disapproving glare from Black Diamond sent the large man walking away. "I think I'll go see how the Wild Cards are doing."
"Should I get medical assistance?", Black Diamond asked, turning back to Lightburst.
"No... I'll be all right." Assisted by Diamond, Lightburst rose to his feet. "Give me an ice pack, and I'll be fine."
"Why don't you take off, then? We'll meet you back at the Mansion later on."
"Thanks," Lightburst answered. "I think I will." Without another word, Lightburst flew off and was quickly out of sight. Black Diamond watched him depart with a concerned look on her face. She had hoped that Nightengale would have been able to get to the bottom of Lightburst's problems, but that was not to be. The Psionic-Avenger had her own troubles on Sanctuary this past week. (Editor's Note: As shown in Young Champions #6-8)
Local law enforcement agencies were on the scene a few minutes later, followed closely by the media. The press swarmed around the Wild Cards, the media darlings of the day. The Sword of Justice did most of the talking, while the Silver Spectre posed seductively for the cameras. Psi-Queen stood by impassively, her full-face shield concealing any emotion. Major America flirted outrageously with any pretty girl he could find.
Almost forgotten in the background, Black Diamond and Supreme helped gather up the damaged vehicles so that traffic could start moving again. "These guys are starting to get on my nerves!", Supreme grumbled. "We did more than they did, and yet they're getting all the credit!"
"They certainly seem to be popular with the media," Diamond observed as the reporters clamored around the Wild Cards. "But this is not a popularity contest. Let them have their day in the sun."
"Sword of Justice!", a tall reporter with fiery red hair and sparkling green eyes called out as she made her way through the crowd. "Sword of Justice! Patricia Eisenhart, CBI news. May I have a word with you?" A cameraman trailed after the reporter.
The swordsman smiled and took the lovely reporter's hand and gently kissed it. "I will certainly make time for you, my lovely lady."
Patricia actually blushed at the gesture. "Uhm, yes. Thank you." The reporter quickly regained her composure. "Sword of Justice, can you tell our viewers what transpired here today?"
"But of course. The Wild Cards were hired by Tiffany's to guard their hundred million dollar diamond shipment. We were en route when waylaid by the Conquerors."
"In spite of the Wild Cards driving off the Conquerors, I have heard rumors that the diamonds were indeed stolen from your custody. Can you confirm this?"
The Sword of Justice did not even flinch at the reporters question. "First off, Patricia, permit me to set the record straight. Several of the world famous Avengers were on hand and were a tremendous aid in driving off the Conquerors. The Wild Cards are most grateful for their assistance."
This remark caused several reporters to approach Black Diamond and Supreme. While Supreme happily did most of the talking, Diamond tried to keep an ear on what the Sword of Justice was saying.
"Secondly, there was a fourth, as of this time unknown, member of the Conquerors who did indeed raid the diamond's transport vehicle. However, this was all an elaborate ruse as instructed by our employer. The real diamonds where never here."
The Sword's comments caused a wildfire of chitchat to pass through the throng of reporters. "So what you are saying is that the real diamonds were never in this motorcade?", Patricia continued.
"That is correct, Ms. Eisenhart," the Sword of Justice explained. "The motorcade was our employer's idea to garner publicity for their sales event. In reality, the diamonds should already have arrived via secret courier several minutes ago."
"Can you elaborate further on this courier at this time?"
"Yes, I can, since I see that the courier has arrived." The Sword of Justice pointed up into the sky overhead. A woman in a gray and black bodysuit streaked through the air at incredible speeds. She made a pass and returned a few seconds later at a much lower altitude. The flying woman buzzed the crowd before landing as close to the Wild Cards as she could. The woman stood about 5'5" in height. Her form-fitting suit covered her entire body except for a small portion around her eyes where she wore tinted goggles.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the press, may I present to you the newest associate of the Wild Cards: Jet!", the Sword of Justice announced with a flourish.
Jet causally waved and simply said, "Hi."
"As her name suggests, this young lady can fly at incredible speeds. She transported the diamonds over several trips a short time ago. All in all, another job well done by the Wild Cards!"
The media was eating up the Sword of Justice's claims, much to the chagrin of Supreme. "Can we get out of here now?", he asked Diamond. "Before I start getting nauseous?"
Black Diamond nodded in agreement. After excusing themselves from the reporters, Diamond took Supreme's hand and flew off towards the Avengers Mansion. "I can't say I approve of their tactics," Diamond remarked as she soared over the New York skyline. "People could have been hurt from this 'publicity stunt'. It's a good thing that we were on hand."
Later that afternoon, the Avengers Quinnjet slowly descended to the landing pad behind the Mansion. Upon touchdown, the entire landing pad was lowered into the sub-level underneath while the driveway slid back into place.
Once safely in the hangar, the passengers disembarked while Black Diamond watched from a distance. Muskateer led the way, several bags in hand. At least she was pretty sure it was the swordsman. While his costume superficially resembled his old one, the color scheme had been altered. All the orange had been removed from his costume and was now replaced with white. The previously white cape was now a dark green in color that matched the plume in his hat. "I see you have a new look," Diamond stated as she approached. "I think I like it."
"Thanks. It sure beats my masquerade costume anyway, huh? Anything exciting happen while we were gone?"
"Quiet for the most part. Why don't you get yourself settled in, then come to my office and I'll bring you up to date. Say in an hour or so?"
"Sounds good, Di."
Next out was the Enchantress, and she too was attired in a new costume. It was much redder than her previous one and had white accessories. "Looks like you two went shopping at the same time", Diamond observed.
"You would think that to be the case, but in reality we made our changes independently," Gwen reported. "I get weary of wearing the same costume after a time."
"Looks good," Diamond responded. "Given the trouble I had in coming up with this outfit, I think I'll be sticking with it for a long, long time."
"It is hard to go wrong with basic black. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have several matters to attend to." Gwen departed the hanger area with Muskateer.
Black Diamond watched them depart with a grin. "I guess they've got things worked out," she mused to herself. Behind her, Firestar and the Texas Ranger had also disembarked the Quinnjet. "Welcome back to New York."
"Thanks, Di," Firestar stated.
"Howdy, ma'am," the Texas Ranger added with a tip of his hat.
"You're looking good, Cassie." The young Blood was nicely tanned and seemed in good spirits.
"I feel pretty good. But, it's nice to come home too."
"Sounds like you had a good time with your family," Di observed.
"Yeah, I really think I did. It turned out a lot better than I thought it would."
"I'd love to hear about it," Diamond replied. "Let me get Ranger settled in and then we can chat."
"Okay. I need to put away all the stuff I bought out there first, anyway." Firestar bounded off with a happy grin on her face.
Turning back to the newest reserve Avenger, Black Diamond extended her hand in greeting. "Welcome to the team, Ranger."
"Thankya kindly, ma'am." Ranger accepted her greeting. "Ah hope ta prove mahself worthy of such ah fine bunch of folks."
"While I appreciate your politeness, you don't have to call me 'ma'am' all the time. Di will suffice."
"Shucks," Ranger answered with a grin, "ah was jus bein' polite to a lady."
"Of course." Diamond handed Ranger what appeared to be a credit card. "This is your Avengers ID card. It will grant you access to the Mansion and our computer. I'm assuming that you're going to be staying here, since you are from out of town?"
"Ah'll bunk down here for the time bein', ma-- Di, provided it's not an inconvenience."
"No, not at all. Fortunately, we have one suite left." Black Diamond couldn't recall the Avengers Mansion being so full before. While it had seven sets of quarters, never before had they all been occupied at the same time. Thankfully, the Enchantress and Huntress had their own homes, while Nightengale was going to work out of her special apartment on Sanctuary.
"Just lead the way to the bunkhouse, lil' lady, and I'll stow mah gear."
Black Diamond smiled and gestured towards the exit of the hanger. "Follow me, please, and I'll give you a tour of the mansion and go over everything you need to know about being an associate of the Avengers." Life with this newest recruit was going to be interesting.
"You were right, Linda," Cassie stated as she relaxed in one of the chairs around Black Diamond's desk. The two were currently catching up on things in the Avengers leader's office. "Blade and Bryn are good people."
"I knew you had nothing to worry about. I got to know them while I was with the Guardians a few years back. You can count on Blade and Bryn to be there for you if you need them."
"I really like them. It's like having superpowers is no big deal to them. They seem like normal, everyday people."
"I'm happy you had a pleasant stay and that you finally have other family than your step-mother", Black Diamond stated. "Isn't Satara about your age?"
"Yes, she is. We had a blast together. Everyday we went to the beach. It's so gorgeous out there. She got me hooked on roller-blading."
"LA can be a fun place to live," Diamond observed. "I sometimes miss it myself."
"I can now understand why. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get a hold of my brother yet. Blade thought he was out in LA, but we couldn't locate him. Supposedly my Aunt Sala is here in New York, but Blade was unable to confirm that. He gave me her last known address."
"Looks like you have even more relatives to meet yet."
"Yeah. Yrsa wants me to go to USC with her this fall," Firestar sheepishly admitted. "I haven't made a decision one way or the other on it yet."
"USC is a fine choice for a college. Having family close by you can stay with is a bonus."
"I think you missed the point. I'd have to leave the Avengers."
Linda gave an understanding grin. "I'm aware of that, Cassie. Being an Avenger is important, but so is getting yourself a college degree. None of us are going to be doing this all our lives. Doing what you think is right is more important than being loyal to me or the team. I'll support your choice to leave and go to school. In fact, I'd probably insist upon it. Besides, that's still a few months off. You need to finish up high school first."
"Thanks for being so understanding," Cassie stated with a grateful grin. "You're a good friend."
"Just trying to be helpful. Chris has informed me that your schooling will be every week night up until graduation. Classes will start around seven o'clock, our time. I guess you'll have a few other students with you, as well."
"Okay. What does that work out to Sanctuary time?"
"Right after lunch, about one in the afternoon."
"That's going to be weird," Cassie noted.
"Because of this, I'll be changing your times for Monitor Duty. As it stands now, you'll only have it two or three times a week. Probably in the afternoon."
"Sounds all right to me."
The door to the office opened and Muskateer strolled in. He stopped upon seeing that Diamond was not alone. "So what's happenin', ladies? Catching up on gossip?"
"I wouldn't exactly call it gossip," Firestar stated.
"Cassie was just telling me about her time in Los Angeles."
"Like I said," Muskateer noted, "gossip."
"You're impossible at times, Musky." Firestar rose from her seat and gently punched the hero on the arm as she passed. "I imagine you two have official things to discuss. I'll leave you alone."
"Something like that, kiddo. Talk at you later."
"'Bye, Cassie," Diamond stated as she watched the young Blood leave. Turning back to Muskateer, she added, "Shall we get down to business?"
The Texas Ranger looked around his new quarters in awe. Deep mahogany paneling was on the walls with matching trim. The furnishings were elegant, but functional. Plush carpeting went wall to wall. He never expected anything like this. "Sheeoot!! This is a might fancy bunkhouse!" He was almost afraid to touch anything.
Putting his meager possessions away took only a few minutes. Ranger sat on the bed wondering just what to do next. He was alone in the big city. Maybe there was something interesting on the TV...
Then there was a knock at his door and the Thing stuck his head in. "Hey, Tex! Ya in here?"
"Right hare, pahdner," Ranger answered as he rose and approached the door. "What can a feller do fer ya?"
"Thought ya might like to go out fer some pizza n' brews with me n' Supreme. Provided ya got nothin' better ta do?"
Ranger exchanged quick glances between the Thing and his television set. "Nope. Ah sure got a hankerin' fer some big city vittles. Lead the way, pahdner!" Ranger happily followed the rocky Avenger out into the hallway and towards the stairs to the ground floor. "Any others of the posse comin' along?"
"Junior'll be along after he's done with Di." Seeing Ranger's confusion, Ben added, "Muskateer."
"Ah."
Waiting at the foot of the stairs was Supreme. "I told you that he didn't want to come along," the large man reported. "He's sulking 'cause Arc busted up his face."
"His loss," Ben noted as he reached the front door. "I guess he's too dainty ta hang out with the boys."
Supreme laughed heartily as he joined the duo and they departed the Mansion. He was just guessing that Lightburst was sulking since he never actually spoke to the man. Why should they ruin the evening by having that jerk along?
Unnoticed by the trio, Lightburst watched them leave from his perch on the roof. Silently, he flew off in the opposite direction and into Central Park. Spotting a pay phone, he descended to the ground and made a call.
"Reporting as instructed," Lightburst spoke into the receiver. For the next several minutes he silently listened to the voice on the other end of the phone. "Saturday night. I understand. It will be done." Replacing the receiver, Lightburst flew off into the night once more.
