PRIMUS Agent Danny Peterson yawned in boredom. Currently decked out in combat gear, the operative half-heartedly paced back and forth at his assigned post. Guard duty could be the most tedious of tasks assigned to lower level military personnel. Still, it was a task that had to be performed. With the fall of the LA VIPER's Nest earlier in the evening, there was a chance that unknowing VIPER Agents may try to return to the base. Danny silently hoped that they would. Boy, would they be in for a surprise.

"Why..., hello there...", a woman's voice softly announced in a seductive tone from behind.

Momentarily startled, Danny managed to spin in the direction of the speaker, his rifle ready to be fired. "Don't move!"

Much to his surprise, he found a scantily clad woman slowly sauntering up to him. As part of his PRIMUS training, Danny had been instructed in the art of quickly sizing up a situation and acting accordingly. The agents needed to be able to take in a scene, make rapid observations and take action.

That training went right out the window as Danny observed the vision of loveliness before him. The woman was barely over five feet in height with flowing, long brown hair. She wore a skimpy satin purple leotard which was legless, but did cover her arms. Her hands disappeared into short white gloves, while matching boots adorned her feet. A white sash was tied about her waist and hung low on her hips. There was a large cut out on her chest that exposed much of her feminine charms.

"I'm sorry if I startled you," the woman continued as she approached, her hips swaying in a mesmerizing dance. "But as you can see, I am unarmed. No need to point that silly rifle at me." She spun slowly, allowing Danny a complete look at her curvaceous body.

There was something familiar about the woman, but Danny couldn't seem to place it. His mind was far too distracted to cogitate. His combat gear was suddenly becoming very warm. Without realizing it, Danny lowered his rifle. "What are you doing here?", he finally asked. "Who are you?"

"Oh, I just heard about what happened here tonight," the woman answered coquettishly. "I can't explain it, but there's just something about a man in uniform---" The seductive woman stopped speaking as she had now maneuvered in front of the stunned PRIMUS Agent. Casually, she reached up and put her hands around the man's neck. She moved closer, her enticing purple lips only inches away.

Startled beyond words, Danny didn't fight the woman's advances one little bit.

"There's just something about a man in uniform that makes me hot...," she whispered as she closed her exotic gray eyes and kissed Danny fully on the lips. The woman moaned softly in pleasure as she enjoyed the lingering kiss. Her hands moved to the sides of Danny's head and there was a momentary flash of light and energy. Danny's eyes shot open wide and then closed permanently as he fell to the floor, dead. He never even had time to scream.

"Hot to kill," the woman finished, eyeing her handiwork. Her psychic knives could cut through concrete just as easily as they did Danny's skull. Death was virtually instantaneous. "They don't call me Mind Slayer for nothing."

"You could have done that from a safer distance, lass," Scorpia complained as she slinked out of the shadows, Shamrock following behind her. "We must strike quickly before they realize that they are under attack." The Irish Strongman wiped the perspiration from his brow.

"Of course," Mind Slayer countered. "It just wouldn't have been as much fun to do it that way."

"I've always said that the last thing a man should see in his life is a beautiful face and a friendly smile. Let's keep moving."

"Right behind you, me wild Irish rose," Shamrock commented as he followed Scorpia. He could easily understand just how the PRIMUS agent would have been so distracted. Mind Slayer's antics had attracted his full attention as well!

While Scorpia and Shamrock moved deeper into the VIPER's Nest, Mind Slayer paused long enough to adjust her costume and straighten her hair. Then, she stepped over Danny's lifeless body in pursuit of her teammates with barely an afterthought. This was only the beginning of PRIMUS' night of unlimited terror...

#14 - "Long Way 'Til Dawn"

"'Bout time," Spectrum answered with a yawn. The colorful mutant likewise stood and tried to loosen up. He just hoped that Silver Avenger Joseph Gray would be bearing good news. That this all night ordeal was going to have a happy ending. "Are you ready?"

Spectrum's query was directed at the third person currently in the former VIPER Command Center, the girl known as Icicle. She was in her ice blue and white costume, but had been secured with Suppression cuffs, special restraints that supposedly prevented the use of her ice generating powers. The manacles appeared heavy, but Icicle bore their weight with ease.

"I don't know," Icicle finally answered, shaking her auburn hair from her face. It was the truth. The young woman could have never imagined how much her life might have changed in the last few hours. Enraged at her refusal to battle Spectrum and his associates the Nest Leader turned on her, leaving Icicle little choice but to side against VIPER. Perhaps that was for the best as she doubted deep down inside that she would have had the strength to go down this path on her own. Regardless of the outcome, she was now committed to her current course of action.

The Silver Avenger strode into the room with purpose followed by a trio of armed agents. The large chamber had seen significant damage during the conflict between VIPER and X-Factor. Control consoles had been smashed and shorted out. Machines had been blasted to pieces and now filled the floor with debris. Gray ignored the rubble and headed towards the costumed trio while his men kept guard.

"You have news?", Morning Star inquired tentatively.

"I have been in contact with my superiors," Gray answered gruffly. "There will be no deal."

"What?!", Spectrum quickly responded in anger. "That's not fair!"

A stunned look came to Icicle's face. Where once there had been a slim flicker of hope, there was now nothing. All she had to look forward to was prison. The young woman sat back down in shock and began to sob, her small body shaky softly. "I don't want to go to prison..."

"You told them everything, didn't you?", Morning Star asked. "About Icicle's invaluable assistance recently? She provided vital clues that prevented the destruction of Dallas. We're talking about an entire city, Gray. Not to mention helping take down this very nest."

"That and more," Gray responded. "If it was up to me, I'd go along with your hair brained scheme. PRIMUS has been more than accommodating to X-Factor as of late, but you are simply asking too much this time. My superiors have grown weary of your antics. Icicle will be bound over for trial with her fate to be determined by jury." Gray paused a moment before continuing to speak. "I'm sorry. Take her into custody, men."

"You can't do this!," Spectrum uttered angrily, physically putting himself between Icicle and the PRIMUS operatives. Icicle looked on, fearfully. "I won't let you treat her like some common criminal!"

"Spectrum, no!," Morning Star interrupted. "You're letting your emotions get the better of you. This won't help either Icicle or yourself. If you interfere, you're just going to make things worse."

While Spectrum contemplated his teammate's words, Icicle spoke up in a soft voice. "She's right, Spectrum. You've done all that you can for me. I don't want you to get into trouble on my account." Trying desperately to put on a brave front, Icicle circled around Spectrum.

"You're both right, of course," Spectrum finally answered, much to Morning Star's relief. Turning, he placed his hands on Icicle's shoulders. "I made a promise to you and I intend to keep it. I'll help out any way that I can. But right now, we have to play by their rules." Turning back to Silver Avenger Gray, Spectrum added, "Be gentle with her."

"Do not be concerned. Icicle surrendered to us as opposed to being apprehended. It will help her out in the long run." Gray nodded towards his agents and they moved to take Icicle into custody.

Spectrum stood aside as Icicle was escorted away. "I'll see you as soon as I can. I promise."

Icicle just nodded her understanding. Resigned to her fate, Icicle morosely followed her guards. They hadn't gone more than three steps when an emergency signal came over their communication devices. "Under attack---!", was the extent of the message before the speaker's voice was silenced.

Stunned, the PRIMUS Operatives halted. "Let's move, men!" With the Silver Avenger in the lead, the men rushed from the chamber.

"We can help," Morning Star offered. "Whatever the trouble is, your men might be overmatched."

Gray paused for a moment. "Come on, then." With that, Gray and his men ran off followed by Morning Star.

"We better find out what's going on," Spectrum told Icicle.

The icy mutant stared at her bonds for a moment, as if wondering if she could shatter them. "I could get away during all this confusion," she announced half-heartedly. "Make my escape. Run away again and try to make a new start."

"But what's that going to solve, Jennifer? It's just going to put off the inevitable and make you look like an even worse criminal. You'd be destroying the chance that you have now."

"I guess you're right, Jim," Icicle answered with a heavy sigh. "You don't know how much your faith in me means to me."

Spectrum smiled under his mask at Icicle. "Let's go find out what the problem is. Maybe we can help." Putting his arm around Icicle's shoulder, Spectrum led his friend towards where the others had gone. They couldn't have gone that far during the brief exchange.

Elsewhere in the nest, PRIMUS Agents were dying. Scorpia had unsheathed her trademark claws and had methodically gone to work. The body armor worn by the PRIMUS operatives quickly proved woefully inadequate protection. Scorpia's claws shredded her enemies, sending blood splattering everywhere. The villainess moved like a blur among the men, never giving them a good target to fire upon.

Scorpia herself showed no trace of emotion as she cut a bloody swath through her enemies. No remorse, nor a trace of regret. Neither did she show any particular joy or excitement in response to the terror she was causing. She did not taunt her foes or even respond to them in any way. Scorpia carried out her task with a cold, deadly efficiency.

Mind Slayer was much more animated as she fought off an advancing trio of PRIMUS Agents. As usual, she brought her obvious charms into play against easily distracted men. "I can tell how much you boys want me, but I'm not that kind of girl!"

One of the agents fired his SP-4 at the petite psionic. Before making contact the projectile exploded, unraveling into a large nylon reinforced net. However, before it could envelope its intended target, Mind Slayer sent it flying back with her telekinesis. The net encircled the stunned PRIMUS agents, sending a trio of them tumbling to the floor.

"Oh, wait a minute! I am that kind of girl," Mind Slayer added with a sheepish grin. "Sorry!" Pleased with her results, Mind Slayer turned around to see how the others were fairing.

By now, Scorpia had driven off any remaining opposition. A pile of twisted and mangled bodies lay at her feet. Splashes of blood marred her black body suit, but blended in to her crimson boots, gloves, and cape. "'Ow are ye making out, Shamrock?", the villainess wondered.

"I've got 'em all," Shamrock reported. The large Irishman was currently holding six large metal lockers, stacked on top of each other in his arms. They appeared quite heavy and bulky, but their weight was nothing to the superstrong Shamrock. Each of the six lockers held VIPER weaponry and equipment. These weapons would go to the first troops to be brought into Terror Unlimited.

A pleased look came over Scorpia's face. So far her plan was working to perfection. She had expected some PRIMUS forces to be stationed inside the VIPER's Nest, but not an overwhelming number. Her expectations had been met so far. "Back out the way we came in," she ordered, striding past Shamrock. "We'll be far away before PRIMUS realizes what has happened. By then it will be far too late."

With Scorpia's guidance, Shamrock made his way back to the elevator. His burdens were so large that he couldn't see around them. Mind Slayer fell in after Shamrock. The psionic paused long enough to blow the netted PRIMUS Agents a kiss. "Sorry, boys, but I can't play with you any more. It would have been fun, though!"

"Cease and desist, murderers!", Silver Avenger Joseph Gray suddenly shouted in a commanding voice. Behind him were three more PRIMUS Agents and the heroine Morning Star. All five were breathing heavily as they had rushed up the stairs to the top level of the nest in search of the battle site. Arriving on the scene, the grizzly sight of his men scattered about on the floor made Gray's blood run cold.

A concussion dart was Scorpia's simple answer to the Silver Avenger's order. The dart exploded among the PRIMUS Agents, sending them all to the floor. Morning Star withstood the explosion with ease and remained firmly on her feet however, the blast doing little more than blowing her long hair about.

"Your little crime spree comes to an end right here and now," the heroine announced as she moved forward. Behind her, the Silver Avenger rose to his knees, trying to shake off the effects of the explosion. His men were still down.

"Morning Star!", Mind Slayer cursed in anger and frustration. The psionic had a long, sordid history when it came to superheroines. Simply put, she hated them. Morning Star was one in particular. Her lethal bursts of razor sharp mental energy were immediately launched Morning Star's way.

"I was expecting that, Mind Slayer," Morning Star stated as she rushed forward, avoiding the attack with ease. "You're very predictable."

"I hate you, you-- you witch!", Mind Slayer screamed in frustration.

"Enough of this foolishness," Scorpia commanded, interrupting the upset mentalist. She raised her arm in preparation to launch another dart. "The poison in this dart is strong enough to kill a bull elephant. More than strong enough to stop the great Morning Star right in her tracks. Please continue to advance and make yourself an even larger target."

The threat brought Morning Star to a halt. Knowing Scorpia's reputation, she had no doubt that the dart was as toxic as she claimed. Tense seconds paused as Scorpia pointed her weapon. Behind her, Shamrock eased into the elevator with his burdens.

"Shoot her already!", Mind Slayer cried out. "Wipe that smug grin off of her face!"

Scorpia confidently walked backwards into the elevator, a stern glance sending Mind Slayer inside as well. "We fight at a time and place of my choosing," Scorpia informed Mind Slayer. "There will be other conflicts where you can extract the revenge you so desire, lass. However, now is not such a time."

It was easy to see that the mentalist was more than ready for a fight. But nonetheless she obeyed Scorpia's orders. "I'll slay you later," she waved to Morning Star.

"You're not going to get away so easily," Morning Star promised as the remaining PRIMUS agents rose to their feet and gathered behind the heroine. "X-Factor will stop you."

"Do so at your own peril," Scorpia countered and she fired the dart.

Morning Star's eyes grew wide at the sight of the approaching missile. Deftly, she sidestepped the attack and the dart sailed harmlessly past. "It's only dangerous if it hits me!"

An unexpected groan of pain caused Morning Star to turn. While the dart might have missed her, it had struck one of the PRIMUS Agents behind her! The dart had embedded itself into the man's chest. Choking the man fell back into Silver Avenger Gray's hands. Shocked into a stunned silence, all Morning Star could do was watch as the agent convulsed a few times and then became still.

Anger swelled up inside the heroine. Yet another senseless death had occurred. She had been so concerned in saving herself that she hadn't considered that the missile might strike someone behind her. "You'll pay for that man's death!", Morning Star vowed as she turned back towards Terror Unlimited, her fists clenched in rage.

"I doubt it, lass," Scorpia responded a split second before the elevator door shut.

With a snarl of frustration, Morning Star sprinted forward. Upon reaching the elevator, the heroine dug her hands into the door and violently forced them open. Looking down, she could see the elevator car had already reached the lower level of the Nest. Ignoring the momentary vertigo going through her head, Morning Star stepped into the elevator shaft in pursuit of Terror Unlimited.

Two levels below, Spectrum and Icicle were attempting to locate Morning Star and the PRIMUS Agents. They had sprinted away so fast that Spectrum had lost track of where they had gone in the VIPER Base. No sign of them could be found in the corridor outside the Command Center, nor were they in the adjacent hallway. All was ominously quiet.

"Where the heck did they go?", Spectrum lamented as he looked up and down the corridor. The colorful mutant paused for a moment, straining to hear any distant sounds of combat. But there was nothing.

"Sounds do not travel from level to level," Icicle informed her friend. "If they came this way, then they probably took the stairs to one of the other levels."

"How do you know so much about this place?", Spectrum asked in all sincerity. A disbelieving glance from Icicle was his immediate answer. "Oh, how stupid of me. I'm so dimwitted at times. Forgot that you lived here."

"Don't remind me. This has to be the most hideous interior decorating that I've ever seen. Going to prison would be better than this place."

"It hasn't come to that yet, Jen. We need to keep a positive attitude."

"Oh, I'm positive that I'm going to prison," Icicle shot back curtly. "Can't get much more positive than that. No sir, not at all."

Spectrum didn't respond to the minor tirade as a distant sound reached his ears. Perhaps the fighting was coming closer to him. "Do you hear that?"

"Someone is coming down the stairs," Icicle responded, pointing towards the far end of the corridor. The sound became louder and louder. Whoever or whatever was coming was getting closer with each passing second.

Almost from reflex, Spectrum moved in front of the icy mutant to shield her from any potential danger. "You better get behind me, Jen. No telling if this is going to be friend or foe."

Spectrum stood at the ready, his hands pointing forward ready to blast the first person to emerge from the stairwell door. Suddenly, the door burst open and a squad of PRIMUS Agents spewed forth. Weapons drawn, they raced down the hallway all but ignoring Spectrum and Icicle.

"They're coming down in the elevator!", the squad leader shouted to his men as he sprinted towards the distant lift. "Fire on my command!"

"What's going on?", Icicle wondered aloud. While she was somewhat relieved that the agents weren't coming after her, she couldn't help but wonder who their real target was.

"Not a clue," Spectrum answered equally confused as he walked after the PRIMUS Agents, Icicle following closely behind. The Squad came to a stop some forty feet before the elevator. The two men in front dropped to one knee and aimed their weapons, while their comrades stood behind them. Tense seconds passed as the men waited for the elevator doors to open.

Finally, the doors started to slide apart. They hadn't opened more than an inch before Scorpia fired yet another dart from her arsenal. The projectile landed before the PRIMUS Agents and exploded with a tremendous concussive force. The blast scattered the agents down the corridor. The force of the explosion even sent Spectrum and Icicle to the floor.

The doors were fully open before Spectrum could gather his wits. Shamrock had already emerged with his burdens and was heading down the other corridor, while Scorpia and Mind Slayer kept vigilant guard.

"Of course you realize, this means war," Spectrum commented as he regained his feet. Looking towards the source of the attack, the colorful mutant was shocked to see Scorpia and Mind Slayer before the open elevator. "Scorpia! Mind Slayer!"

The comments drew the immediate attention of the villainesses, both of whom uttered "Spectrum!" in unison. A few beats passed while all three were quite startled to see the other.

"Kill him!", Scorpia yelled angrily. Such display of emotion was uncharacteristic for the villainess, but this time she felt it justified. Once she realized that there were two seemingly identical men going around as Spectrum, the pieces of that particular mystery fell into place. Scorpia realized that it was this Spectrum with whom she had shared her passions while inside the Claw's Dome. It was also this Spectrum she had unwittingly given information to and unknowingly aided in allowing Spectrum to escape with several heroes. For one of the very few times in her life, Scorpia was the one being used. She didn't like it one little bit, either. (Editor's Note: Back in Spectrum #22)

Scorpia fired yet another poisonous dart towards Spectrum. This time the hero was prepared and raised his personal force field. The dart harmlessly bounced off the light field and fell harmlessly to the floor. "Little force field, I love you!", Spectrum exclaimed to no one in particular. "Now it's my turn!"

Spectrum fired a blast of orange light towards Scorpia, but missed the nimble villainess. "Mind Slayer-- attack!", Scorpia commanded as she dodged the incoming blast.

Scorpia's order shook Mind Slayer out her momentary reflection. She had also encountered Spectrum before, back when they were all prisoners of Genocide. In fact, it had been Spectrum who had rescued her after the Genocide base had been destroyed. The petite mentalist could have very easily frozen to death in the snow-covered mountains had Spectrum not found her. (Editor's Note: Back in Spectrum #2-5)

Later on, she encountered Spectrum yet again in Los Angles. It was his suggestion for her to join up with Scorpia as part of Terror Unlimited. The two were lovers for a time until her Spectrum seemingly changed form and fell into a coma under mysterious circumstances. There were, or rather had been, two Spectrums. Mind Slayer couldn't be sure if this was the one who saved her life or not. But that didn't matter as Scorpia had given her an order and Mind Slayer always followed the instructions given to her.

Noting the glowing energy field around Spectrum, Mind Slayer chose not to fire her razor sharp mental daggers. Instead, she launched an attack aimed directly at Spectrum's mind. While the assault wouldn't permanently harm the hero, it should hurt him enough for Terror Unlimited to get away.

"Don't mind if I do," Mind Slayer announced as she concentrated intently on the hero. Her mind bolt streaked forward and slammed hard into Spectrum, completely ignoring his force field. Spectrum screamed in pain, his hands raising in a futile gesture to protect his head. The force of the onslaught sent him back a few steps and finally to his knees. A second later, his forcefield vanished.

"Spectrum!", Icicle cried out in shock. Angered by the brutal attack to her friend, Icicle turned and pointed towards Mind Slayer. An ice ram should take care of her quite nicely. The icy mutant began to generate her attack only to have it suddenly suppressed by her manacles. "Damn!", she cursed as she vainly tried to free herself from the restraints.

"I've always had that effect on men," Mind Slayer cooed as she took a couple of steps towards Spectrum. She barely even seemed to notice Icicle's presence. "Putty in my hands and weak in the knees. My thought blades could make short work of him now."

An unexpected crash diverted Mind Slayer's attention away from her target. Turning back, she could see that Morning Star had returned! The heroine had crashed through the top of the elevator, landing in the car below.

Enraged, Morning Star stalked after Mind Slayer, a look of grim determination on her face. "Leave him alone!"

"You'd best be worryin' about yourself, lass," Scorpia noted as she popped her claws and went after Morning Star. The heroine leaped back to avoid a deadly thrust. "You'll find Scorpia to be more than even you c'n handle."

"Let's put that theory to the test." Morning Star and Scorpia engaged in a silent, deadly dance as the heroine studied her foe. Scorpia was Morning Star's match when it came to speed and agility. Morning Star was forced to concentrate more on avoiding those deadly claws than to launch any attacks of her own.

Mind Slayer watched as the two women fought, desperately desiring to get her own piece of Morning Star. However, her fear of angering Scorpia kept her on the sidelines. The mentalist would stand ready should her talents be needed. No matter how she looked at it, in Mind Slayer's mind there was no way Morning Star was going to survive this fight. "Stab that self-righteous bitch for me!", Mind Slayer cheered on. "Rip 'er apart!"

With Mind Slayer's attention diverted, Icicle went to Spectrum's aid. He was still dazed from the mental onslaught he had just endured. His head was spinning and he couldn't concentrate.

"Here," Icicle whispered to him. "Lean on me for support. We've got to get you out of here."

"I'll give you a hand," another voice added, startling Icicle. Turning, the icy mutant could see that the Silver Avenger was back on the scene. No doubt he had returned to the lower level by way of the stairs. So caught up was Icicle in what had been going on, she never even noticed his approach.

"No... Got to save, 'Star," Spectrum mumbled groggily. "Can't let her fight them alone."

"I can help!", Icicle said to the patriotically clad Gray. "You're going to need all the assistance you can get against these crooks! Let me use my powers!" Icicle held up her Suppression Cuffs to further emphasize her point.

"I--," Silver Avenger Gray managed to answer, genuine confusion etched on his face. He had just witnessed his men cut down by these deadly terrorists. Perhaps with Icicle's help they still might prevail. But, no she was a criminal and to turn her loose would mean disobeying his orders. Above all things, Gray was a soldier. "I cannot."

Finally, Morning Star saw an opening and took it. She struck fast and hard, her powerful punch sending Scorpia flying. "You are good," Morning Star complimented in relief, "But not good enough."

The heroine turned her attention back towards Mind Slayer. That was a big mistake as Shamrock seemingly had come out of nowhere and rocked Morning Star with a quick jab. The purple-clad heroine never even saw it coming. Shamrock's punch launched Morning Star back into the rear of the elevator where she impacted with a tremendous crash. The heroine went through the car and stopped at the wall beyond. Stunned, she collapsed to the floor in a heap.

"No one hurts me wild Irish rose!", Shamrock threatened angrily. "Aye, 'specially no Yank!"

"What a punch, big guy!" Mind Slayer observed the devastating punch with a great deal of glee. "That took the witch down a few pegs!"

Seeing that Morning Star was no longer a threat, Shamrock lifted Scorpia into his arms and carried her off. "Let us be on our way!", he said to Mind Slayer. "We've got what we come for."

"Be there in just a second," Mind Slayer purred as shadowy energy gathered about her hands. "I've got the golden opportunity to put the great Morning Star six feet under. I'm not going to pass it by!"

"She's going to kill her!", Icicle pleaded to Gray. "She and Spectrum are among the few people who ever showed me any kindness. I can't just let her be killed without trying to help. Please! Let me save her!"

Gray glanced at Mind Slayer much further down the corridor. There was no way he could stop the mentalist from completing her intended deed. Turning back to Icicle, he could see the look of genuine concern in her face. More importantly he saw something in her eyes that told him that Spectrum and Morning Star's faith had not been misplaced. There was a good person inside of Icicle that just need some coaxing and prodding to come out. In that instant, Gray became a believer.

"Do it!", Gray instructed Icicle as he snapped the manacles in half with his great strength. "And damn the consequences!"

Without hesitation, Icicle turned towards Mind Slayer. The mentalist had her back to the icy mutant. Ahead of Mind Slayer, Icicle could see the prone form of Morning Star. Gesturing her hands at Mind Slayer, Icicle generated an ice ram that slammed into the back of the mentalist, sending her forward and face first into the rear of the elevator car. The unexpected attack rendering Mind Slayer nearly unconscious.

"Yes!", Icicle celebrated in a combination of joy and relief.

"This isn't over with yet, kid," Gray added as he rushed down the corridor. Mind Slayer and Scorpia might be down for the moment, but Shamrock was still a considerable force to be reckoned with.

Looking back, Shamrock saw Mind Slayer go down from the unexpected attack. "Stupid lass," he muttered to himself as he went to collect the mentalist.

The Silver Avenger and Shamrock met in front of the elevator. "I owe you big time," Gray threatened as the closed in on Shamrock. The Silver Avenger intended to tackle the superstrong Irishman, but unexpectedly he slipped on a shard of ice and fell flat on his face.

"Bit of bad luck for you, boyo," Shamrock laughed as he kicked Gray hard, sending him flying down the corridor. Much like his namesake, the Shamrock was always lucky. He scooped up Mind Slayer, tossing the small woman over his shoulder with as much effort as one would a light jacket. "Let this be a lesson to you coppers. Don't cross Terror Unlimited!"

After making that announcement, Shamrock rushed off with Mind Slayer. Icicle fired off another ice ram, but completely missed the Irish Strongman. Further along in the tramway tunnel waited Scorpia and the weapons they had acquired. All things considered, this mission had gone rather well. Without any more interference, Terror Unlimited finally made good on their escape.

Twenty minutes later, Morning Star and Spectrum had recovered from their attacks. They, along with Icicle were back inside the VIPER Command Center. Silver Avenger Gray paced back and forth before them, a squad of agents behind him.

"You're putting me in a very uncomfortable position," Gray remarked to no one. "I have been given orders to follow, but..."

"But Icicle pulled all of our butts out of the fire," Spectrum finished. "I told you that she wasn't a desperate criminal." Icicle almost beamed from the praise. It had been so long since anyone had spoken about her in such positive terms.

"I haven't had many friends and I couldn't let them hurt you," Icicle explained. "I had forgotten how it could feel to have people who genuinely care about you around. I don't want to lose that again."

"Can we not reach some sort of compromise?", Morning Star suggested hopefully. "All things considered?"

Gray thought about the situation for a few moments. Finally, an idea came to him. "Here are my terms. If you don't accept, then Icicle is shipped off to jail."

"We accept then," Spectrum quickly inserted. He couldn't bear the thought of Jennifer going to jail to be among real criminals. That wouldn't help her at all. If anything, it would probably aggravate the situation even further.

"Let's hear the Silver Avenger out first," Morning Star added, "before making any rash decisions."

"Icicle will be under probation for a period of time yet to be determined. She slips up, she gets tossed into prison. You two are her probation officers. She so much as jaywalks, all three of you will be up on charges."

"That's a bit drastic," Spectrum observed in surprise.

"If it means staying out of jail, I'll behave!", Icicle added excitedly. Right now she'd happily accept any terms to maintain her freedom.

"Secondly, she's under house arrest and is only allowed to go out of PRIMUS sight with either of you two."

"Basically, we're baby sitters then," Morning Star concluded.

"Let's just say that I'm putting your faith in Icicle to the test," Gray answered with a grin. Finally, he was going to be able to make life a bit tough for X-Factor like they had for him. "She'll be injected with a transponder, of course."

"You mentioned something about 'house arrest'?", Spectrum queried. "What does that exactly entail?"

"It seems to me that we have this now emptied VIPER Base just sitting here completely unused. I can't destroy it since we could potentially damage the buildings overhead and it seems such a shame to let it go to waste. We certainly don't want VIPER or any other criminal element to return to this sight, so I think it would be an ideal place for Icicle's incarceration. Plus you could use it as a base for X-Factor. A very nice solution to many of my problems."

A stunned silence filled the room following Gray's announcement. The smile on the Silver Avenger's face grew wider. Astonishment, on the other hand, was clearly etched on Morning Star, Spectrum, and Icicle's faces.

"You mean I have to stay here?!", Icicle asked incredulously. "In this pit?"

"You want us to move into a sacked VIPER Base?", Spectrum replied in shock.

"Those are my terms. Take'm or leave'm."

Morning Star and Spectrum exchanged glances between themselves and Icicle. The icy mutant looked on hopefully. It was the kind of look that neither of them had seen in her before. Nor was it one that was easy to resist. Spectrum looked back at Morning Star and shrugged. "Seems we have very little choice."

"Agreed," Morning Star nodded without much enthusiasm.

"We accept your offer."

"Excellent," Gray beamed. "I'll make the arrangements and have guards posted at the entrances. I'm sure that this is going to be a very good arrangement for all of us."

"Oh thank you!", Icicle cried out with tears of joy. She gave the Silver Avenger a big hug and then Spectrum. "Thank you!"

Spectrum gently patted Icicle's head while he spoke to Morning Star. "Well, I wonder how well this is going to go over with the rest of the team."

"Hard to say," Morning Star answered. "But I can tell you one thing. I'm going to be buying tons of paint. This VIPER Green has got to go!"

The End

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