Steve couldn't believe what he had gotten himself into. A few days ago, the only things that seemed to matter were that he was now an Avenger and living it up. His biggest problems were making sure he looked good for the press and trying to figure out how to deal with his feelings for Firestar. He even had that pretty much under control. Then all hell seemed to break loose.
"Wasn't I just saying to 'Gale that superheroing was supposed to be fun?," Steven said to himself as he wandered to the refrigerator and gulped down a carton of cranberry juice.
In the span of a mere 3 days, he had discovered government secrets about himself and Cassie, overcome his paranoia and anxiety around team members like Nightingale and Black Diamond, engaged in secretive computer hacking of the base's computer system, been promoted to second in command of the team, and even had a date with no less than Black Diamond herself. Steven hoped that was something he could manage to keep under control.
Muskateer had gone from a wide-eyed, wisecracking jokester to a responsible, effective, wisecracking jokester, without his even realizing when it actually happened. Somehow, being on the outside looking in was simpler, easier and oh so much less complicated.
Steven thought briefly about having his security clearance increased and then being promoted to Di's right-hand man, partly due to secretly digging through the Avengers computer. "In this case, crime really did pay," he said with a mischievous smirk. "I suppose I should tell Diamond the whole story one day."
Later that morning, Steven found himself waiting near the garage entrance, dressed in jeans, a blue T-shirt and mirrored sunglasses. His packed bags sat on the steps nearby.
"We weren't certain that you would be up and about so early, Muskateer, considering your late night escapades," Nightingale, in her civilian identity of Christina Blackledge, said as she approached with Cassandra Sheppard, better known as Firestar.
"Oh, did you see some action last night?", Cassie asked, innocently.
"Well," Christina and Steven both looked at each other and then at Cassie. "Nothing quite like that, kiddo. Linda and I went out for chicken wings," he said with a smile.
"Oh, I get it," Cassie said. "Brown nosing the boss, now? I didn't think that was your style."
"Very funny, Cass," Steven said. "But I did manage to get promoted to second in command of this buncha' loonies. Musta done somethin' right, huh?"
"So you were really brown-nosing then!"
"Get in the car, before I have to hurt you," Steven threatened playfully.
"Did you see that? Give someone a title and they think they can push everyone around," Cassie complained to Nightingale.
Sensing things might be getting out of hand, Christina piped in with some information regarding the upcoming training mission. "Black Diamond has decided that she'd like you two to have some testing done. Basically to find out the extent of your powers and to get your medical profiles."
"She filled me in a bit last evening on the trip. Have my bags all packed and ready," Steve said. "There are quite a few questions I hope this trip answers." Not the least of which was the remarkable revelation that showed Firestar on the scene when the Avengers Mansion had been destroyed.
"To accomplish this," Christina continued, "I will escort you both to Sanctuary for the day. I actually have another appointment there to keep anyway. Muskateer, I hope you took lighter clothes to wear for the trip. Sanctuary Island is in the tropics."
"Yeah, I've been to the tropics before. Not exactly the place for armor," Steve answered.
"Doesn't matter how high the temperature goes," Cassie chimed in, "it doesn't bother me."
"Oh sure, you guys with the neat powers just love to rub it in to us normal guys, huh?"
"If you two are ready then?" Christina asked. The trio slipped into a dark sedan with tinted windows. In moments they were on their way to the U.N. Building.
"What's with the secret service routine, 'Gale?", Muskateer asked. "Besides the quickest way to the airport is the other direction."
"We're not going to the airport," Christina said simply.
"How come everyone has to play twenty questions?", Muskateer remarked impatiently. "Where are we going, then?"
"Sanctuary, obviously." Muskateer just looked at her. Sensing his obvious growing frustration, she added, "But not by the route you would be expecting."
"Sanctuary has a host of side projects that go along with its basic services. One of them is the ET division-- ET as in extra-terrestrials. A sort of Sanctuary for aliens. A few years back one of the guests was an alien by the name of Enon. He was an explorer from an advanced culture who was having trouble with his vessel. Anyway, Eurostar attacked and attempted to kidnap Enon and steal his craft. They were repelled and in gratitude, Enon built a teleportation system to connect Sanctuary Island to the main land. Very few people know of this, so it's to be kept a secret."
"A teleporter? Cool. I was hoping there was some way I could get my hands on the one at Chicoma Mountain Labs, if only for a little while," Muskateer said excitedly.
"It doesn't hurt, does it?", Cassie asked, sheepishly.
"Not unless they make a mistake in putting your molecules back together," Muskateer said with an evil grin on his face. Cassie just slapped him on the shoulder.
Eventually, they made their way to the UN Building and into the secret underground portion, where the teleporter to Sanctuary was located.
"Alright. Someone, other than Lightburst, has a worse sense of humor than I do," Muskateer remarked. Beyond the security area, accessed by their Avengers ID cards, was an area which looked like it had just come off the set of Star Trek. Three teleporter pads, 2 normal sized and one large one, sat in the midst of the odd scene.
"This isn't part of Bloopers and Practical Jokes, is it?", Muskateer said, looking around. "If Dick Clark or Ed McMahon walks out, I'm gonna be pissed." Christina chuckled at the comment and led the two new Avengers to the teleport pads. She worked the control panel for a few seconds and then joined them.
Before anyone even knew it, a bright light covered them and they found themselves standing... in the very same room.
"Not funny, 'Gale," Muskateer said, then he saw that the two people operating the controls were rather unusual looking women. One was tall, very muscular, and blue! Both her hair and skin were actually shades of blue. The other woman looked like a living statue made of chrome or silver.
"Far out!", Firestar said, stepping off the teleport pad. She looked herself over, as if making sure that everything was in the right place. She didn't want to admit it, but Muskateer's earlier comment had made her a little nervous.
"Hey, Firestar, are you sure your nose was there?", Muskateer joked as he walked past her.
"Very funny," she answered. But when no one was looking she checked her image in a reflective panel, just to be sure.
The silver woman walked up and introduced herself. "Welcome to Sanctuary. I am Metalla and this is Sapphire, part of the security staff." The large blue amazon just nodded in their direction. As he walked past, Muskateer dipped his sunglasses to peer at her over them. "We have some initial paperwork for you two to fill out," Metalla continued, referring to Firestar and Muskateer. "Welcome back, Nightingale. Dr. Marin is expecting you. We can handle things from here."
"Now, behave, or Sapphire will have to hurt you." Nightingale looked directly at Muskateer when she said this.
"Hey, it's me."
"That's precisely what I meant," she said, as she walked off.
Muskateer and Firestar were then shown to comfortable seats and handed a clipboard and pencil. "Please fill these out, to complete your registration here at Sanctuary. Your initial testing can begin as soon as we are done here."
"You guys don't waste any time, huh?", Muskateer observed. "Hmm, none of these questions lend themselves to much humor."
"'Gale did say to behave, Musky," Firestar reminded him.
"Hey, sometimes, I just gotta be me." Muskateer was uncharacteristically straightforward with his answers, except for the line asking for his legal name. There he penciled in Throatwobbler Mangrove. Under the comments section, he wrote: 'Need funnier registration form. Too serious."
Metalla looked over the forms and got a strange, uncertain look on her face for a moment as she read Muskateer's. "Everything appears to be pretty much in order. I will forward these on to Pooka, who will complete the background checks."
"You have a stuffed bear doing your paper work?", Muskateer dead panned. Firestar tried to stifle the giggles.
"I see we have a comedian here, Sapphire," Metalla said. "Pooka is the administrator of Sanctuary."
"Do you want me to hurt him for you?", Sapphire asked Metalla, in a serious tone. Muskateer looked back at the tall blue-hued warrior. She appeared as though she would give most people a run for their money.
"That won't be necessary," Metalla said to her azure-skinned companion. Turning back to Muskateer, she explained, "Sometimes Sapphire doesn't understand the nuances of our language. She is an alien, after all."
"Really?," Muskateer said, sarcastically. "And here I thought she was Czechoslovakian." Sapphire was puzzled by this comment. She would later be heard asking Metalla if these 'Czechoslovakians' were mighty warriors.
From there, the two Avengers were shown down a flight of stairs to the infirmary for the first stages of their testing: an examination. The doctors were currently busy and the Muskateer and Firestar were forced to wait for the time being.
"There's some really odd questions on that registration form, huh, Musky?", Firestar said, making small talk.
"Yeah, well, they have to cover a lot of possibilities in just a few questions, I guess," Muskateer answered. "I thought it would be a little more interesting, personally."
"So you gonna join the place?"
"Sure, why not?", Muskateer responded. "Never know when a place like this could come in handy."
"It's certainly a lot nicer than New York," Firestar commented. "And just a teleport away."
"That's a definite plus for us land-bound heroes, 'Star. Gonna have to find a few excuses to come back to this place. Especially during the winter."
Just then a nurse, Susan Chang, interrupted the heroes' discussion. "The doctors are ready for you now." The nurse led them into separate examination rooms.
Dr. Angelique Marin was one of the foremost experts on meta-human medicine. She ran the medical division on equal terms with Dr. John Brinton. They were assisted by nurses Eileen Compton and Chang. Dr. Brinton completed Muskateer's physical, while Dr. Marin examined Firestar.
By the time the two heroes were dressed back in their super hero costumes, Nightingale arrived again. "Just in time to give you two a tour of the island," she said. Stepping out of the Arrival Center, the air was quite warm and the sun shone brightly in the sky. Palm trees lined the paths of the complex. A few other super heroes and villains wandered about the immediate area.
"I could get into this place," Muskateer said.
"Yeah, me too," Firestar chimed in. In a flash she altered her costume to a bikini in the same yellow, orange and black colors. "That's much better."
"Not bad from where I'm standing either, hot stuff," Muskateer commented. "One of these days, you guys are going to have to show me how to do that!"
"Why thank you, Musky", Firestar said with a smile. "But a girl has to keep some secrets."
"Not with that outfit, you're not," he said slyly. "Hey, is that really Borealis over there?"
"Who?", Firestar asked, not knowing who she should even be looking at.
"Your computer work has served you well, Muskateer," Nightingale remarked. "Villains as well as heroes are welcome here. This is truly neutral ground."
Sanctuary Island at one time had been a volcanic atoll. The master villain Dr. Destroyer claimed the island and transformed it to fit his needs, giving it high cliff walls and a plateau. From this small South Pacific island, Dr. Destroyer launched his first major bid for world domination and was narrowly defeated by an assembly of heroes.
The island, dubbed Destruga, was abandoned after that. UNTIL, the United Nations Tribunal of International Law, claimed it for a time and used it for live-ammunition exercises.
Later still, it was turned over to Hyperion to be used as Sanctuary. By now much of the sharp cliff walls had crumbled, forming soft beaches that surround most of the island. The plateau was distinctly tropical; plenty of palm tress, swaying grasses, and colorful tropical birds.
A seventy foot tall lighthouse sat on the southern tip of the island, near the arrival dock that suspiciously resembles the set from Fantasy Island. A large training facility sits just to the north of the lighthouse.
The north side of the island is dominated by a nine-story hotel complex. A large outdoor pool and a track sit out behind the hotel. A convention/gym area building connects to one side of the building.
After a quick tour around the island, the trio were all seated inside Tahiti's, the four-star restaurant that occupies part of the ground floor of the atrium of the hotel, finishing up their lunch.
"Aren't you warm in that get-up, Musky?", Firestar asked. Muskateer was still wearing his full costume, complete with kevlar armor.
"I haven't had time to change yet, 'Star," Muskateer said, between bites of his grilled shark. "Besides, I feel a little odd being so casual around all these other supers here. It's hard being Muskateer without the mask and costume, you know?"
"Suit yourself. At least it's air-conditioned in here," Firestar said.
"So, 'Gale. What was it like fighting alongside the old Avengers, anyway?", Muskateer asked. "I'm curious how the new team stacks up against them."
"They were a much more cohesive team to be certain. Each of the members had more experience and we all knew the other's tendencies and abilities quite well," Nightingale explained.
"That makes sense," Muskateer said, "but I was referring more to the mystique, the aura you guys had. I mean, the Avengers are the premier super team on the planet. Must kinda be like going from the Giants one season to playing for Tampa the next, huh?"
"I'm not sure I understand the reference," Nightingale said, with a confused look on her face.
"Sorry, I just meant that the Avengers used to be an established and well-known outfit. Now, according to the media, anyway, no one is quite sure what to make of us. That's all." Muskateer watched Firestar as he talked. She happily munched on her salad.
"It really doesn't feel all that different. Rosters change all the time," 'Gale said. "People would often come and go. Besides, apart from you and Firestar, the others were or had been Avengers before."
"I just thought it would've been something to meet those guys," Muskateer said. "Did you ever get a chance to meet the Avengers or any other famous heroes before you joined, Cass?"
"No. Can't really say that I did," she answered. "St. Louis was pretty quiet on the super scene."
"I ran into a few heroes and villains in Chicago. Even ran across the Titanic Trio briefly. The Champions are based there too," Muskateer said. "Still there just seems to be something special behind the Avengers, you know?" Behind Firestar, a few tables away, Muskateer saw an attractive young woman looking at him over the magazine she pretended to read. She was dressed in a sleek black one-piece swimsuit and a black domino mask. Her hair was actually magenta in color. Muskateer couldn't decide if that made her more attractive or less.
"I suppose I take some of the fame in stride, having been a member of the team since it's inception," Nightingale stated. "Off and on, anyway."
"I can see that."
"You know, Musky," Firestar added, "we've been members a few weeks now. I wouldn't think you'd get caught up in the limelight for so long." Muskateer had been trying to test his friend, without her knowing it, about the surprising events that had taken place on the night the Avengers Mansion was destroyed. She didn't seem to even remotely betray her continued insistence that she had never been to New York before joining the Avengers, never met the Avengers, and genuinely had nothing to do with the death of two Avengers. Muskateer couldn't think of any better way to worm the info out of her. If she was lying, she was damn good at it. He basically decided that she at least believed what she said. Whether it was true or not was the mystery now.
"Guess I'm just a little excited about Di's promotion," Muskateer said. "Makes me feel a little more accepted by the team, you know." Muskateer glanced over at the admirer with the strangely hued hair. She was still looking at him, winked seductively, and then resumed reading her magazine.
"What a view this place has," Firestar said, looking out the glass walls at the beach.
"Tell me about it," Muskateer answered, referring both to the flirtatious mystery woman and Firestar's comment. He then noticed that Nightingale had caught him staring at the other woman, and quickly changed the subject. "The files say this place used to belong to Dr. Destroyer."
"I hope he doesn't come back for it anytime soon," Firestar gulped.
"Actually, the 'good Doctor' has been an infrequent visitor of Sanctuary," 'Gale explained. "For all we know, he may be on the island right now."
"Oh great," Firestar groaned.
"Sanctuary is a haven for supers, both heroes and villains. As long as one doesn't cause trouble, everyone is welcome here. You never know who you might run into here," Nightingale added.
As Muskateer finished his Key Lime Freeze, he replaced his mask and set his cavalier hat back on his head. Noticing a figure standing just over his shoulder, he looked up and saw that it was none other than Mechanon!
Muskateer burst from his seat and ripped his sword from its scabbard, sending his chair skittering away behind him. He leveled his sword at the villainous robot.
"Firestar and Muskateer. You will come with me," the robot commanded.
