Prologue:

"That'll teach me to disobey orders," Kurt complained. Not being allowed to go off base for two weeks was bad enough, but getting laundry detail on top made this punishment rather severe. He'd prefer to be out partying with his unit instead of washing clothes. Who wouldn't?

Kurt, like everyone else inside the base, worked for the criminal organization known as VIPER. Barrett was just a grunt, one of many here. But he had the misfortune of crossing his squad leader, landing him in this most undesirable situation. Boredom quickly set in and he started to wish that something would happen. Anything. Being underground the entire time didn't help matters any. Cabin fever was running high.

Unexpectedly, there was a tap on Kurt's shoulder that startled the man. He nearly jumped in surprise. "Jesus!", he screamed, losing his composure. "Very funny, wise guy! I--" Kurt turned around to find a man in a gray bodysuit with blue accessories before him.

"Pleasant evening," the unexpected intruder said in greeting a moment before he laid Kurt out with a powerful right handed cross. Sabre caught the man before he could hit the floor and gently pushed him underneath the folding table. "Sleep tight, my good man, and this will all be over with before you awaken."

#11 - "Snake Pit"

"Green is definitely not my color," Spinnerette objected. The diminutive heroine regarded the VIPER uniform that she had donned over her red and black costume with a critical eye. "Couldn't you find anything smaller?"

"No," the Empress answered simply. "That's the smallest one there was. I'm glad I don't have to wear that stupid costume." The heroine was still miffed about having to spend her Saturday night sacking a VIPER base. Why not on a more boring night? Say a Monday or Tuesday?

"VIPER probably has a height requirement, short stuff," Blizzard teased. Fortunately, Spinnerette's full-face mask obscured the dirty look she shot the icy hero. "I'm not having any trouble getting into my uniform." Like Spinnerette, Blizzard wore a green and gold VIPER uniform over his hero costume.

"I always suspected that you were a cold-blooded reptile," Spin commented aloud.

"There was nothing in the files about any height requirements," Mockingbird added, trying to lighten the moment but not really succeeding. "Not one that I noticed anyway."

"How long is this going to take?", the Empress complained. "Someone is going to walk in here at any second."

"My sensors indicate that the corridor outside is currently vacant." The report came from the dark blue and gray clad Vindicator. Unlike his present companions, Vindicator was a automation. A type of remote controlled robot being operated by TJ Lawrence Jr. back at the LawTech labs. While appearing as a large human, the Vindicator was filled with sophisticated weapons and equipment. He spoke in a deep, mechanical sounding voice that his new companions found unnerving. (Editor's Note: Vindicator is explained in greater detail in Scarlet Sabre #2)

The five heroes were currently in the laundry room of the VIPER base they had been planning to take down. Sabre had initially secured the room and then ferried the others here via his ability to teleport. Likewise, he had snuck the other batch of heroes into the base by the same method.

"Are you guys ready yet?" The query came from Spectrum over the communicators that each hero in this endeavor possessed. The devices were courtesy of Spinnerette and borrowed from the Guardians' stores.

"Just about, Hairball," Spinnerette reported. "Chill out down there."

Spectrum sighed at Spinnerette's response in a storeroom two levels below. Also waiting in the room were Morning Star, Shockwave, Sabre, Impact, and Satara. "Just a few more minutes," Spectrum informed his teammates rhetorically. Everyone present had heard the conversation take place on his or her own communicator.

"Hairball?" Satara wondered aloud. "How did you get a nickname like that, Spectrum? There's got to be a good story behind that one. Come on, give!"

"I'd rather not say," was Spectrum's reply on the matter. Was she ever going to forget about him being swallowed by that giant alien cat?

Impact, dressed in his new red, gold, and dark metallic gray costume paced the chamber like a caged animal. "Are you alright?", Morning Star asked in a concerned voice.

"Pre-game jitters. I'll be fine as soon as we kick off this party. Thanks for the concern."

"Hmmm...", Spectrum thought to himself. "Bryan can be civil when he wants to be." There was no great love lost between the two brothers in the past. Now that they were living under the same roof, the friction between the two was only increasing. Fortunately, Shockwave let Bryan stay at the Hero for Hire offices last night. A situation made necessary due to several reporters trying to interview Bryan about his reasons for quitting football. Of course, Morning Star was a beautiful woman and not his brother either.

"Quiet," Shockwave instructed. "Someone is coming down the hall." Much like Vindicator upstairs, the sensors in Shockwave's armor were making sure that the heroes remained undisturbed until they were ready to strike. Everyone in the chamber was silent, waiting for the 'go' command to be given.

"I'm ready," Spinnerette informed her companions. She had made a few adjustments to her VIPER uniform, but it was still not a perfect fit. It would simply have to do. Stepping up to the door, Spinnerette adjusted her helmet and took several deep breaths. The opening moves in this invasion were hers to make alone. She pushed open the door and walked out into the hallway beyond.

"Oh, yuck," the heroine thought to herself. "What a disgusting color scheme." The disguised Spinnerette was at the intersection of two long corridors. The walls of the corridors were painted an ugly pea green in color. The concrete floors were white with VIPER emblems every few dozen feet. "Let's get the show on the road."

Casually, Spinnerette started down the corridor on her right. This should be the least dangerous part of her mission. Several doors came into view on the right hand wall. A series of large lockers filled wall space between the doors. The top half of the left-hand wall was actually reinforced glass allowing an unobstructed view into the full-sized gym on the level below.

Spinnerette walked to the end of the corridor, trying not to stare at the security cameras as she passed. Hopefully whoever was watching those cameras would pay her no heed. After all, she was just another person in a VIPER uniform as far as they knew.

The last locker was Spinnerette's target. According to their intelligence reports, this hallway housed several units of VIPER Agents. While each agent kept his sidearm with him at all times, rifles and heavier weapons were stored in these security lockers. Each unit commander had a key. As soon as the heroes were discovered, VIPER Agents would make a beeline to these lockers. Only to find the door now sealed with a patch of webbing, courtesy of Spinnerette's webshooters.

Turning, Spinnerette made her way back down the corridor, pausing only a few seconds in front of each locker to secure it with webbing.

"No sweat," Spin thought to herself. All the lockers in the corridor had been sabotaged. The heroine returned to the intersection where the laundry room was located. Along one wall was the elevator. Unexpectedly, the elevator door opened and a VIPER operative walked out. Spinnerette froze in her tracks, unsure of what to do.

The man started to head towards Spinnerette and came to a stop when he spotted her. "Diana? Is that you?"

Spinnerette nodded 'yes' in response to the question.

"You're early," the man chastised. "Not that I mind. I've been lookin' forward to this all week. What's with the helmet?"

Raising her hand to her face, Spinnerette gave him an 'uh-uh-uh' gesture.

The man started to chuckle, a wide grin on his face. "Oh, you are the kinky one. I can get behind that. Where do you want to go?"

Turning, Spinnerette walked backwards towards the laundry room, giving the VIPER Agent a 'come here' gesture as she went.

"Oh, man the laundry room?" Nervously, the agent looked up and down the corridor. He shrugged to himself and followed. "What the hell. You only live once." He rushed to catch up with 'Diana', placing his hands on her shoulders as the pair entered the laundry room. "So, you ready to party, babe?"

As soon the door closed behind them, the man got his answer. A sudden punch to the breadbasket made him double over in pain. A follow up chop to the back of his neck laid the man out.

"Get your hands off of me, creep!", Spinnerette whispered as loud as she dared. "I'm not that kind of girl."

"That was close," Blizzard remarked as he dragged the unconscious man away from the door and dropped him next to the laundry man Sabre took out earlier. "Looks like we're starting a collection."

"There's going to be a whole lot more of them by the time we're finished." Spinnerette went to open the door once more. "I'm halfway done. Just hold tight. Then it'll be your turn, snowflake."

Exiting the laundry room once more, Spinnerette went down the left-hand corridor this time. It was much like the previous corridor, only reversed. The lockers and quarters were on the left, while the gym windows were on the right. The only difference was that this hallway didn't end at a wall. Instead, it widened out to form a large recreation area. According to the plans provided by SIMON, the cafeteria and kitchen were off the lounge as well. Fortunately, those VIPER Agents in the rec area were too preoccupied to notice a lone VIPER Agent. Spin was able to seal these lockers with webbing in short order as well.

"Showtime!", Spectrum commanded. "You all know what to do."

"I hope we're ready for this," Shockwave thought to herself as she raced out of the room powered by her jet-skates. The armored heroine streaked down the gaudily decorated corridor with Sabre and Morning Star giving chase.

Reaching the intersection holding the elevators, Shockwave turned down the left-hand corridor. "Uh-oh! We've got trouble!", she thought to herself. Walking towards Shockwave was an unsuspecting VIPER agent!

Barely having time to think, Shockwave simply lowered her shoulder and barreled headlong into the surprised snake! The VIPER operative was violently thrown back, bounced off a wall, and crashed to the floor unmoving. He never even had time to cry out.

Deactivating her jet-skates, Shockwave stopped and looked back. "I hope I didn't hurt him."

"That'll be the least of his worries," Morning Star suggested as she and Sabre came around the corner. "You did the right thing. We've got to keep moving!"

Reluctantly, Shockwave turned back around and made her way further down the corridor. As she did, an alarm went off, filling the VIPER base with a horrible screech. The heroes ignored it, as they knew their presence was going to be discovered eventually anyway.

"The wolves are loose, I say loose, in the snake house," Sabre noted sounding exactly like Foghorn Leghorn as the trio reached a large steel door set into the wall. It was the security checkpoint that led to the base's command center. "Where's that stupid dog when you need him?"

Inside the command center was the number one priority in this mission: the capture of the Serpentine Crystal. It was a special device that allowed each nest to communicate with each other and with the VIPER high command. If it could be captured, then the authorities would be able to locate other VIPER installations with ease. It would strike a tremendous blow against VIPER operations worldwide. However, the highly secured area of the VIPER Nest was protected by a special force field that blocked Sabre's teleportation ability. The invading heroes would have to reach that area under more conventional means.

Shockwave quickly went to work on the security system. The system consisted of a hand scanner, coupled with a video camera. She pried off the palm scanner's cover and delved into the wiring underneath. "Hopefully I'll be able to bypass the scanner and get the door to open," she remarked as she feverishly worked. Sabre and Morning Star kept watch, waiting for the inevitable reaction to their intrusion.

A few seconds later the expected VIPER response came. From further down the hallway, a five-man VIPER attack force emerged from an opening. The heavily armed team opened fired at the invaders!

"This is gonna be good," Blizzard told the Empress. "I wish I had brought some popcorn." The two heroes were at the end of the long corridor that Spinnerette first traveled down. The icy hero, his own task completed quickly, had already removed his VIPER uniform and waited patiently with his girlfriend.

"I'm sure these clowns are going to enjoy the little trip we're going to send them on," the Empress gloated.

The alarm had sounded a few seconds earlier. The couple could already hear activity coming from the agents quarters as unit commanders barked orders to their troops. The doors burst open and VIPER operatives ran out and promptly slipped and fell on their rears. The scene was like something out of the Keystone Cops as the snakes tried futilely to regain their footing, only to fall once more.

"Oh, yeah. I like it!" Blizzard basked in the glory of his handiwork. A few minutes before the alarm had been sounded, and after Spinnerette finished her task, the frosty hero had coated the corridor floors with a layer of super-slick ice. Just as the VIPER Agents were finding out!

Chaos reigned in the corridor as the snakes tried to move towards the weapons lockers. Those few who made it were stunned to find the storage units sealed shut with webbing. Not only couldn't they stay on their feet, but they were denied weapons as well!

"Okay, babe, do your thing!", Blizzard instructed the Empress. As he did, Blizzard generated a four foot-high wall to protect them. A few of the snakes had pulled out their side arms and were taking aim.

"I've always said that men get blown away by my presence." The Empress confidently gestured towards the flailing agents, bringing the powers bestowed upon her by the Crown of the Elements. Fierce winds were unleashed into the corridor, forcing the agents to go sliding backwards. A few managed to secure handholds, but most of the VIPER Agents ended up piled together a large mass of green and gold humanity. A few pistol blasts were fired at the two, but were put down by precision retaliatory attacks from Blizzard.

The story was much the same in the other hallway as well. Her initial task complete, Spinnerette causally entered the lounge avoiding contact with the others as much as possible. When the alarm sounded, the VIPERs went into action. They rushed out of the lounge intent on reaching their weapons and defense stations. None of them noticed the coating of ice on the floor until it was too late. Cries of confusion came over the serpents as their front ranks were quickly dropped to the floor.

Behind them, Spinnerette ripped out of her VIPER uniform. "Thank God! I don't think I could have taken another minute inside that horrible thing!" Seeing that a few of the agents were hesitant to go out into the icy corridor, Spin helped them out. Tumbling forward, she landed feet first on the back of two operatives and violently flung them out into the hallway. "Let me help you join your pals!" It was a domino effect as they collided with more agents, sending more snakes out of the room.

Almost unnoticed, Mockingbird soared over the confusion. Reaching the lounge, the heroine turned and landed next to Spinnerette. The Guardian had tossed the few remaining VIPERs out of the lounge. "You may wish to cover your ears," Mockingbird suggested.

Bringing the power of her sonic carapace into play, the Mockingbird screamed! It was a hideous wail that physically impacted upon the hapless snakes. Coupled with the ice below their feet, the sonic scream drove the snakes backwards, much like the Empress was doing in the other corridor.

"It's working!", Spinnerette shouted, hands firmly over her ears. Nearly sixty VIPER agents were being pushed towards the intersection of the corridors. Hopefully, their morale would be broken by this disabling attack and they would use the elevators to escape this level and flee the base entirely right into the waiting arms of PRIMUS.

"Hang on!", Morning Star yelled as an explosion engulfed the trio of heroes when a concussion grenade went off. The heroine withstood the blast better than either of her teammates. "Keep working, Shockwave. Sabre and I will deal with these guys!"

"I'll be with you, I say I'll be with you, in a second," Sabre added remaining in character while trying to shake off the effects of the blast. "That boy doesn't know his own strength."

Morning Star turned and rushed down the corridor. It appeared to be a typical five-man attack unit that VIPER employed. One of the snakes wore Minotaur Armor. Two employed blaster rifles, one the grenade launcher, and the last held another large weapon. Morning Star soaked up the blaster fire as it struck her. A purple aura sprang into existence around her. "Thanks for the power boost, boys! Now let me return the favor!"

A second later, the last VIPER Agent fired and a net was shot around Morning Star. She stumbled underneath its grasp and fell to the floor. "Got 'er!", the baiter shouted in triumph. "She's all yours, mauler!"

The man in the Minotaur armor grunted in glee. With Morning Star helplessly wrapped up, she was easy pickings. The Nest Leader would be most pleased to have this heroine out of the way. Morning Star had regularly foiled VIPER plots in the past and was high on the local nest's most wanted list.

"It's not going to be that easy, I say that easy, friend," Sabre informed the mauler. As he spoke, an energy glow came over Sabre's hand, energy that was then transferred into the steel marble he held. Sabre reared back and threw the glowing marble at the mauler!

"URK!", the mauler went as he fell over backwards. The unusual attack had blown its way through his protective armor and force field leaving the man barely conscious.

"Lay down suppression fire!", one of the baiters barked to the blasters. "The mauler is down!" However, only one of the blasters sent fire down he corridor. "Why didn't you fire!?" The baiter turned to berate the other blaster when he spotted the man unconscious on the floor. Standing behind him was Spectrum, who waved at the baiter.

"All I did was this," Spectrum explained as he fired an orange energy blast at the baiter, "and down he went. Oh, I guess you figured that out." Spectrum had followed Shockwave, Morning Star, and Sabre using his ability to warp light to remain safely out of sight. It was this ability that allowed him to get the drop on the attackers.

Summoning up all her strength, and bolstered by the energy she had absorbed, Morning Star ripped apart the net that had been imprisoning her in a sudden burst. "I hate those things," she muttered to herself. Rushing down the corridor, Morning Star quickly vented her frustrations by taking down the last two VIPER Agents. She simply picked one up in each hand and violently slammed them together.

"I love it when a plan comes together," Spectrum joked as he joined up with the others. "How are you coming on the door, Shocky?"

"Not good," the armored heroine responded. "I'm beginning to think that the wiring I need to access isn't even in here."

"We don't have time for this," Morning Star remarked. The assault plan was dependent on how fast the heroes could access the command center. Speed was of the essence. Nothing could slow them down. "Sabre, give me a hand."

The Blood swordsman complied and the two latched on to the steel door, digging their fingers into the metal to get handholds. With one tremendous display of strength, the two ripped the steel door off of its hinges and tossed it aside!

"We should have done that in the first place," Spectrum observed. He glanced down the hallway, back towards the way they had come. So far, no opposition had come from that direction. But, that was to be expected if everything was proceeding as planned.

Blaster fire came from the newly created opening and the battle was joined once more!

"Come on, let's go!", Impact urged impatiently. "Let's do it already!" The anticipation was driving him crazy.

"Patience," Satara casually replied. The blonde Blood warrioress peered out the slightly ajar doorway. The two novice heroes had remained behind in the storeroom while the others went on the offensive. "My father taught me many things about the art of warfare. Chief of which was having the patience to strike when it is to your advantage. That moment is rapidly approaching!"

There was movement in the corridor as a group of five heavily armed VIPER Agents rushed past. According the information SIMON provided, there were two groups of five-man assault units ready for action on this level. If everything had gone according to plan, one of the units would be ambushed by Spectrum and dealt with by the others. This second group was Satara and Impact's responsibility.

Satara closed the door, but kept her hand on the handle. "Okay, this is it," she informed Impact. Holding her free hand out, Satara did a quick and silent five count. Upon reaching zero, Satara flung the door open and stood back.

Impact streaked into the air, flew out of the door and immediately turned to his right. The five-man assault team was fifteen feet ahead of him. "WAH-HOO!!", Impact cried as he accelerated towards the snakes. True to his name, Impact violently crashed into the combat unit, sending its members bouncing off the walls and tumbling down the corridor from the unexpected assault. Further down the corridor, Impact slowed and turned back around to make another pass.

Following Impact out into the hallway, Satara latched on to the nearest snake and slammed him hard into the wall. They were already woozy from Impact's initial attack and made easy pickings. Impact flew back, this time targeting a VIPER Agent in Minotaur armor. Another tremendous crash followed and the operative went flying helplessly down the corridor.

Shouting out another victory cry, Impact returned and landed near Satara who had just put down the last VIPER Agent. "Just like the coach drew it up on the chalk-board! Those turkeys never knew what hit them!"

At that same moment, a brick bounced off the side of Satara! The attack startled the heroine more than anything. "What the heck--!!"

"Just as you will not know what hit you!", a sinister voice intoned from further down the corridor. The young heroes turned to face this new threat. It was a man whose body seemed to be composed entirely of reddish-orange bricks standing nearly 8 feet tall! "Now you do not face simple VIPER Agents. Now you face the power of the Brick!"

"So far, so good," Spinnerette thought to herself. The VIPER Agents were being driven back on two fronts thanks to Mockingbird's sonic screams and the Empress' command of the winds. A few tried to fight back but were quickly put down. But Mockingbird was getting tired. She flew back into the lounge to catch her breath. Taking to the walls and ceiling, Spinnerette took out the few who were offering resistance.

Those reaching the elevator area were not as safe as they initially suspected. It was true that they were finally off of the ice patches and that they could fire their pistols unhindered. Unfortunately, those who stayed behind to fight had to deal with another threat.

Vindicator dropped the energy cloak that had been concealing him and waded into the unsuspecting agents. His robot body was superhumanly strong and easily resisted their hand held weapons. He was like a gray and blue speck in a sea of green humanity. He simply thrust his arms about and couldn't help but hit a target.

"Way to go, babe!", Blizzard encouraged from down the other corridor. The ice wall he had erected for protection had been knocked down several times by now, but he simply erected another one. "Keep blastin' them!"

"I don't know how much longer I can keep this up, Blizzie," the Empress wearily sighed. "I'm not used to something like this."

"Catch your breath and I'll pick up the slack." Blizzard fired an ice ram down the corridor, slamming it into more VIPER Agents. "I can keep these clowns entertained in the meantime."

"Guess I'll have to crash your party then, punk!" A split second before being struck by a powerful punch, Blizzard became aware of a man simply appearing between him and the Empress. It was a tall black man dressed plainly in black exercise pants and a blood red T-shirt. But what was most remarkable was the man's eyes-- they were missing! Instead of pupils, there was simply a black void where shadowy flames danced about.

The blow threw Blizzard back up against the wall, stunning him. The Empress shrieked in surprise. This wasn't part of the plan!

"Think yer tough pickin' on folks who can't fight back. Let's seeya go ten rounds with Shadow Fist!" The muscular man struck a boxing pose and went after Blizzard again.

"Gangway!", Spectrum yelled as he flew into the security checkpoint. The agents' blaster fire was more annoying than anything. Between his force field and his natural resistance to light-based attacks Spectrum could easily stand up to the barrage. There were six armed guards in the room, along with two technicians who had wisely taken cover. Another steel security door barred their way into the main command center.

"Time to pull a play of out Bryan's playbook," Spectrum thought to himself. The agents weren't all that spread out, so Spectrum just plowed into them bringing their barrage to a sudden stop.

Sabre, Shockwave, and Morning Star followed close behind, laying into the guards as they went. It was all over before the snakes knew what hit them.

Woozily, Spectrum picked himself back up. "I've got to remember to stop doing that stunt," he remarked as Morning Star helped him to his feet.

"You're not thick-headed like your brother," the glowing purple heroine observed.

"Times like this I wish I was. We've got to keep moving. Got to get this door opened."

Morning Star nodded her understanding. "Come on, Sabre, let's put on a repeat performance."

"Shan't be necessary, my charming colleague," Sabre explained. Turning, Spectrum and Morning Star could see that Sabre was holding one of the technicians at sword point. "I believe our friend here can be convinced to open the door for us. Isn't that right?"

"Okay, okay!", the frantic technician cried out. "Just don't hurt me!" Quickly, his hands worked the controls and the door started to open.

"See?", Sabre grinned. "All you have to do is ask politely."

"I'll have to remember that," Morning Star answered, a grin also on her face.

"More guards are coming," Shockwave reported, a trace of nervousness in her voice.

"You and Sabre hold them off. Me and 'Star will go after the crystal."

"Gotcha boss." Sabre withdrew his blade and followed Shockwave out into the corridor.

"Here goes nothing," Spectrum joked as he and Morning Star stepped into the command center.

Despite of having seen it on the floor plans inside SIMON, the chamber was much larger than either hero ever imagined. The command center was nearly fifty feet from wall to wall. At the center of the room was the Nest Leader seated in bizarre looking chair. Controls and devices lined the armrests, while the back rose up in the shape of a fanged serpent to completely cover the man seated in the chair. The Nest Leader's uniform was a modified VIPER uniform, but with a fanged cowl and snake emblem on his chest instead of a giant golden 'V'. Other consoles surrounded the main one in a semi-circle.

"You'll forgive my rudeness," the Nest Leader casually explained as he waved a large pistol towards the heroes. "But you'll find that I treat uninvited guests harshly. Very harshly." The Nest Leader gestured and immediately, nearly a dozen rifles were pointed towards Spectrum and Morning Star. The shooters were obscured by the many control consoles in the room.

"Had I known there were this many of you," Spectrum taunted, "I would have brought a housewarming gift."

"If you think this is going to stop us," Morning Star observed, "you are sadly mistaken. Surrender is your only option."

"I'm afraid you are mistaken, Morning Star," the Nest Leader confidently stated. "Surrender or die! Take them!"

At the command of the Nest Leader, his agents started to fire. Spectrum's force field protected him from most of the onslaught while the energy just made Morning Star stronger. Unexpectedly, a young woman in blue and white stepped from behind a console. Her jaw dropped upon seeing just who the invaders were. She had hoped that it would be anyone else but him. She couldn't face him.

"Now behold my ace in the hole! Icicle!", the Nest Leader commanded. "Destroy the invaders!"