The scene was a warehouse fire in El Paso, Texas. The police were out in full force. Dozens of VIPER operatives were in custody, as the warehouse was in reality a front for an underground research facility. Fire fighters moved in to contain the blaze.
The Sorceress turned as she spotted Captain Lightning approaching. "Tanya!", the Captain shouted. "I managed to retrieve some hard data! Even the location of another nest!"
Tanya Chamberlain, better known to the world as the Sorceress, turned to regard her fellow Superior Seven member and team leader. "That's wonderful, Captain! However, things are not so cheerful on this end."
A booming voice added, "The others are still inside the complex." The speaker was the Superior Seven member known as the Titan, who was currently thirty feet tall.
Rounding out the onlookers were members of the Young Champions team, a group of young heroes in training. Foremost among them was the man known only as the Gladiator, the team mentor and widely considered the greatest hand-to-hand combatant on the planet.
Next to him was a young woman in a tiger stripped outfit who went by the name of the Tigress. Hovering overhead was a man with large white wings: the Archangel.
The ground rumbled and a muffled explosion could be heard! Another explosion followed and it blew the roof off of the warehouse! The fire fighters fell back to cover while debris rained down around them.
The assembled heroes looked on with great trepidation. Their teammates were still inside! "They're the toughest we have...", Captain Lightning added in a low voice. "If anyone could survive that, they can."
Inside the base, Centurion of the Superior Seven led a small group of individuals towards the surface. Sapphire, an azure giantess warrior of the Young Champions, assisted him. Together they had discovered that some unknown creature had viciously slain the Comet, yet another member of the Superior Seven. A fierce battle ensued and in the process they discovered a trio of teens who apparently had been experimented on by VIPER scientists. The teens, Jason and Jessica McTaggert, and the odd Jennifer, each now possessed super powers.
The first explosion had sent them into motion. The hall outside the lab was a horrific battlefield. Centurion led the way and Jennifer flew after him. Jason caused the floor to rise up and carry him and his sister away. Sapphire brought up the rear.
The second explosion sent a fireball surging through the base! A door burst open under the explosion and launched down the hallway crashing hard into Sapphire. The azure giantess was sent to the floor under the impact, but was otherwise unharmed.
A great wall of fire rushed down the corridor towards the group! Jason, more by reflex than intent, attempted to shield Jessica with his body. It didn't matter much as the wave of fire washed over them. Strangely, Jason was aware of the fire around him, but it didn't hurt him. Jessica was not so fortunate and she was unconscious in Jason's arms in a heartbeat.
Up ahead, Jennifer was sent hurtling down the hallway riding the wave itself. Centurion wasn't fazed by the assault, his armor more than sufficient to protect him.
"That was fun!", Jennifer said with a giggle, being no worse for wear. "Can we do it again?"
Centurion ignored her and stared back towards the others. Jason picked himself up and gently placed Jessica over his shoulder. The floor rose up once more and propelled him forward.
Likewise, Sapphire was unharmed. She tossed the door aside and continued on. "Which way leads out of here?"
"I've got the layout stored in my armor's computer systems." Centurion consulted the readout inside his helmet while responding to Sapphire. "Go left, then right and you'll come to the elevator. That's your ticket out of here!"
"Are you not coming?"
"Not yet-- I've got a friend to recover--"
Sapphire placed her hand on Centurion's shoulder. She noted that her hand was imprinted on his shoulder from when he had attacked the teens thinking that they were VIPER operatives. She silently nodded and led the way to the surface; Jason riding on the floor while Jennifer flew.
Centurion activated his boot jets and flew off.
A third explosion shook the complex as the group reached the elevator. This was the very same elevator that Sapphire and the Comet had used to penetrate the VIPER base earlier. The elevator car was smashed and laying at the bottom of the shaft, Sapphire didn't always know her own strength. She sent Jennifer flying up the shaft as if the girl was little more than a paper airplane. "Hold on!", Sapphire said as she encircled Jason and Jessica with one arm and drew them tightly to her powerful frame.
Sapphire leapt up the shaft with a mighty bound. Her free hand smashed into the side of the shaft at the height of her leap and provided a hand hold. Sapphire's feet created their own purchase a moment later.
"Uhm, ma'am," Jason stammered out, "Whatever you plan on doing, make it quick!"
Sapphire turned and could see a new ball of fire starting to fill the shaft. Already the intense heat could be felt as it rose towards them in pursuit. "Pretty," Jennifer commented as the fire approached.
Sapphire gritted her teeth and leaped once more. She soared past Jennifer and grabbed the girl by the leg as she passed. Her superior strength sent the group towards the top of the elevator shaft. Below them the flames continued their relentless pursuit! Jason involuntarily screamed.
Sapphire rammed the top of the elevator shaft and burst through it into the warehouse above! Her momentum continued to carry them out of the warehouse and high into the air.
The assembled crowd below watched in awe as the azure giantess seemingly erupted out of the building followed by tongues of flame. Sapphire soared some sixty feet overhead and then gravity took hold of her and dragged her back down to earth. She landed outside the burning warehouse making a sizeable impact crater.
She released her grip on Jennifer and the young woman floated off. Jason's heart was beating a mile a minute. Sapphire released him and Jessica, both sinking to the concrete.
"Let's not do that again," Jason muttered still slightly in shock over what had just happened.
The heroes on the surface rushed to join Sapphire and her charges. Archangel reached them first. "Way to go, big blue! You bagged a trio of snakes. I'll get the one in the air." The winged hero veered off towards the seemingly oblivious Jennifer.
Sapphire shook her head and shouted, "No, she is not the enemy!"
Archangel didn't listen and grabbed the young girl by the arms. "Come along peacefully, miss."
"Hiya!", Jennifer said with an overly cheerful giggle. "Pretty wings!"
"You sure are one friendly snake." The slightly confused Archangel then attempted to pull Jennifer towards the ground. Suddenly, a white glow surrounded the hero and he felt the tug of gravity increase! "What--? What are you doing to me?"
The force of gravity multiplied many times over in a span of seconds. Archangel's wings beat furiously in a futile attempt to stay airborne. He plummeted like a rock and hit hard on the concrete. He laid on the ground nearly motionless as the gravitational pull increased.
"Jennifer!", Jason shouted. "Jennifer, stop it!"
The young girl turned in mid-air and waved. "Hiya!"
The force pinning Archangel down immediately ceased. Groggily, he sat up. The Tigress was there to pull him to his feet. "There's one girl who sure knows how to deal with birds," she commented.
"Yeah, really. I've never felt anything like that."
"Jennifer," Jason continued, "Come over here." Jessica started to come around and Jason released her.
With a cheerful, "Okay!", Jennifer started to sail in, but was distracted by the sight of the thirty foot tall Titan. "WOW! You are big!"
Titan just smiled. Having seen what occurred with Archangel, he decided not to do anything that could be considered offensive.
Captain Lightning and the Gladiator arrived on the scene. "What do you have here?", Gladiator said approaching his student.
"Young supers," Sapphire replied.
"So VIPER was behind the wave of young supers," Captain Lightning rationalized. "Makes sense."
"Who are you people anyway?" Jessica had regained her wits and found herself surrounded by a host of costumed individuals of various shapes, colors, and sizes.
"I am the Gladiator, Miss--?"
"Jessica McTaggert."
"I'm her brother: Jason. The flakey one flying is Jennifer."
"We have much to discuss, Jessica," Gladiator continued.
"Perhaps inside the jet?", Captain Lighting offered. "It's getting a bit crowded out here."
By now the many reporters on the scene were rapidly approaching. "Excellent suggestion, Captain," the Sorceress responded. "Why don't we all move into the jet and away from this inquisitive crowd. I can help you young ones get into something more comfortable."
"Sounds good to me! Someone needs to give those jerks a lesson in fashion sense." Jessica moved towards the jet followed by Jason. It took a bit of talking to get Jennifer to go inside.
While that was going on, Starbolt burst out of the warehouse carrying a huge, scaly form. "How do you like your burnt iguana? Here Stripes, this is more your line than mine."
The Tigress regarded the large half-man, half-alligator that her teammate dropped at her feet. "Get real, flame brain. This supposed to be a sign of affection? I'm not totally feline, you know."
"Then I guess that comment about 'singed fur smelling bad' wasn't the real reason you didn't want to go out with me, huh?"
"Gee, you just figure that out Einstein?"
Captain Lightning turned away from the bickering Young Champions and back to Sapphire. "What of the others? Comet? Centurion?"
Sapphire began to speak, but everyone's attention was diverted back to the warehouse. A gasp of astonishment went through the assembled crowd. Centurion walked out of the warehouse, his armor hot and blackened. In his arms he held the body of the Comet...
An hour later, the Lone Star 3 rose into the air above the warehouse district. Its jets kicked in and the craft soared off over the El Paso skyline. Starbolt flew after the craft, gaining speed almost as rapidly as the Superior Seven's jet. Both were out of sight in seconds.
Watching from the ground were Captain Lightning and the Centurion. They had remained behind to tie up the loose ends.
The fire had long been out. Once Centurion exited the base, the Sorceress enveloped the warehouse in a magical force field. The fire soon burned itself out from lack of oxygen. Centurion then proceeded to give the base a full exploration, locating and neutralizing any possible dangers before allowing normal law enforcement agents access.
Captain Lightning personally worked to smooth things out with the local authorities. The Superior Seven had always had excellent relations with the local law enforcement agencies. Statements were taken and recorded. Refreshments and food were passed out, although not everyone had an appetite.
The Captain had taken the opportunity to contact The Ranch, the Superior Seven's base located outside of Dallas. The remaining members of the Superior Seven needed to be informed of the Comet's fate. Maverick was particularly devastated as she and the Comet had a longstanding relationship. Earthquake couldn't think of any words to say to comfort his teammate over her loss.
Titan piloted the craft over the Texas landscape. They would reach the Ranch in less than twenty minutes. In the passenger section of the jet sat the Gladiator, the Tigress, Sapphire, the Sorceress, Archangel, Jennifer, and Jessica and Jason McTaggert. The teens no longer wore the VIPER unisex body suits. The Sorceress used magic to change them into something more comfortable. Jason wore a tank top and blue jeans, while Jessica changed into jean shorts and a halter top.
Jennifer had been more difficult to work with. She actually liked the VIPER body suit! They did manage to get her to change into a blue and green bodysuit, one without VIPER implications.
The Gladiator stood and addressed the teens rescued from VIPER. "I represent a special project in progress at Sanctuary. We seek out young superbeings and provide them with training and guidance."
"An extraordinary amount of young supers in the El Paso area is what attracted our attention," the Sorceress added.
"Precisely," Gladiator continued. "It was our hope to locate several of the teens and offer them proper training on Sanctuary. This is now what I offer to you."
"Okie," Jennifer said cheerfully.
"Yeah, Sarge, blondie really needs help," the Tigress said sarcastically. The feline heroine had only been listening to the conversation in passing. She had heard it all before. While she would not openly admit it, the Tigress had benefited greatly from her time in the Young Champions. But she could see that her own time with the group was drawing to a close. She was eager to cut out on her own.
Gladiator was slightly taken aback by Jennifer's quick response. "There's no need to decide right here and now. Take your time and think about it. You can contact your families once we reach the Ranch."
"The Ranch?" Jessica said with a smirk. "Okay, so maybe I have super powers, but I have no idea what I can do or how to use them."
"We can uncover the extent of your powers and help you come to terms with them. That is what the Young Champions were created to do," the Gladiator explained. "We will also provide basic combat training, even continue your education, and provide whatever other services you might need."
"So what's the catch?" The idea of being tutored in the use of his newly found powers was appealing to Jason, but he was wondering just what Sanctuary received in return.
"The 'catch', as you put it, is that you'll need to earn your keep helping out around the island by performing whatever tasks you are best suited to do. For instance, Sapphire here is part of the security staff."
"I get to wash windows," Archangel offered.
"But it's not all schooling or work," the Tigress added. "Living on a tropical island does have its advantages."
"I could get behind that," Jessica said. She had spent much of her time as a beach bum anyway. Being in the tropics appealed greatly to her. "Count me in, Gladiator. I'll join your little school."
"What about, mom?" Jason was a bit surprised that Jessica would leave his mother and younger sister with so little thought.
"Jason, I left home a couple years ago. I got tired of all her little rules."
Jason was dumbfounded. "I didn't know..."
The Long Star 3 set down on its landing pad, raising a cloud of dust out behind the Ranch. A short distance from the pad was a huge hanger where the Superior Seven stored their various vehicles. Nearby was the residence area of the Ranch.
As the passengers began to file out, they found a metallic man waiting for them outside. He was obviously an android, his arms and legs pipe thin with no attempt to make them human like. His head was an oval with what looked like two miniature headlights for eyes and a small recessed speaker behind a mesh panel for a mouth. The android's trunk was rectangular in shape and, again, no attempt was made to make it human like. Oddly enough, it wore a cowboy hat.
Jessica and Jason eyed the odd robot as they disembarked the Lone Star 3. It stared back with its optical scanners. "Welcome to the Ranch, pilgrims!" The robot spoke with a very familiar western drawl. "The lil' lady must be Jessica McTaggert, code name: Tempest."
"John Wayne?" Jason recognized the familiar speaking style of the late American actor.
"You got that right, Jason McTaggert, code name: Terra Fire."
The Sorceress stepped up beside Jason and Jessica. "This is DUKE, our Major-Domo of the Ranch. Captain Lightning constructed him."
"The man has a weird sense of humor," the Tigress said to no one in particular, as she jumped out of the aircraft. She had seen the DUKE earlier when the Young Champions team arrived at the Ranch. All her senses screamed that it was something unnatural, causing her to keep her distance.
"What's all this talk about Tempest and Terra Fire?" Jessica noted the odd code names that the robot had attached to her and her brother's introductions.
"DUKE, do you have an explanation?" The Sorceress was puzzled as well.
"Certainly, ma'am. Ah took a gander at the data that Cap'n Lightning Pony Expressed in. Then transferred the necessary files into SIMON, like he asked. One of the files contained notes about the experiments those VIPER varmints ran on the little pilgrims. I also reported that Jason and Jessica were no longer missing to the proper authorities. There is no record of anyone matching Jennifer's description having been reported missing."
"WOW! What are you?!" Jennifer floated out of the Lone Star 3 and immediately spotted the android. She had never seen anything like it! At least that's what she thought.
"Welcome to the Ranch, Jennifer, code name: Nemesis."
"Nemesis?" Archangel parroted the robot's code name for Jennifer. "Sounds like an appropriate name to me. She sure knew what to hit me with."
"So tin man here has information about us?" This had gotten Jessica's interest.
"Ya got that right, lil' lady. However, the data is incomplete."
"Well come on! Give!" Jason was likewise eager to hear anything that would help him understand his newly found powers.
"Those low-down varmints were tryin' to turn the twins into elementalists. Jessica has air n' water powers, Jason earth n' fire."
"That explains Terra Fire", Jason muttered. "Terra means earth. I'm not sure I like it."
"Tempest... I like the sound of that."
Starbolt flew in and landed near the group. "What's this I hear about another fire elementalist?"
Gladiator approached and spoke. "According to the VIPER files, Jason is a fire and earth elementalist. Although, he does not appear to possess the same powers as you do."
"Either way, you've got your new recruits. That's great, 'cause I'm ready to cut out of here. It's time for me to be a star!" With that, Starbolt, rose up into the air on a trail of billowing fire, gave a wave to his cousin, the Sorceress, and then quickly accelerated out of sight.
"Wow, impressive", Jessica said, quietly.
"Unfortunate," was Gladiator's sole comment on the departure of Starbolt.
"You knew he was going to leave eventually," the Tigress added as she stood next to the Gladiator. "All of us will depart when we feel the time is right."
"I know. Starbolt has a solid mastery of his powers; there is no doubt there. It's his mental aspect that will get him into trouble."
"No kidding. He's a hot head!"
The group slowly made their way into the Ranch and was shown to the Rec Room by DUKE. To the surprise of the Superior Seven's guests, a second robot virtually identical to DUKE, minus the cowboy hat, was waiting in the room with refreshments.
"Just how many of these things do they have," Jessica whispered to Jason with a trace of apprehension.
"Which one is this?", Archangel asked sarcastically. "Hopalong Cassidy?"
"Naw, it's Roy Rogers," the Tigress added. "Except I don't see Trigger anywhere."
"You obviously have me confused with several retired cinematic stars of the western genre," the second robot rattled off. "Though for the life of me, I cannot understand why. I took the liberty to prepare refreshments for our guests. I trust they will be to your satisfaction."
"No western accent," Jason noted as he took a glass of lemonade.
"This is SIMON," the Sorceress explained as she accepted a drink.
"I don't remember any 'SIMON's' in the cowpoke's Hall of Fame," Archangel said.
"Oh, SIMON isn't for us, he's a gift Captain Lightning whipped up for a new hero team recently formed in Los Angeles called X-Factor," Tanya continued. "A few weeks ago, VIPER attempted to blackmail Dallas with the threat of a Gravitational Bomb. X-Factor provided us with the information we needed to foil their scheme." (Editor's Note: As seen in Spectrum #16-18)
"Quite correct, Madame," Simon added. "I am looking forward to working with my new masters."
"Additionally, the information Captain Lightning recovered contained the location of a VIPER Nest in Los Angeles. We're passing this knowledge on to X-Factor as well." Tanya then excused herself from the room, leaving the Young Champions and their new recruits alone.
The prevailing mood was a somber one in light of the brutal death of the Comet. Maverick was nowhere to be seen. The team's resident cowgirl and sharpshooter didn't emerge from her private quarters.
"This is really boring," Tigress said while perched on the back of the couch. As the heroes in training sat and waited, Jason was calling home in another room. "What are we still doing here anyway?"
"We are waiting for Jason to make his decision," Gladiator stated. "Whether he will go with us or return home." He turned to Jessica and added, "Have you any insight as to what he might do?" Archangel, Sapphire and Tigress turned to watch her as well.
"Don't look at me," Jessica said defensively. "We haven't even seen each other for quite a while now. Maybe ten or twelve years."
"I thought you were brother and sister, twins even," Archangel asked.
"Yeah, well, our parents split up and Jace went with our father to Detroit," Jessica explained. "My younger sister and I live with my mom in Florida. At least I used to..."
Jason wandered back into the room.
"Alright, kid, what's it gonna be anyway?", Tigress said to him, bluntly.
"Huh?" Jason was obviously confused by the feline heroine's query.
"What my student is trying to say, not so succinctly, is have you reached a decision regarding joining our program?" Gladiator was also eager for an answer, but didn't show it. Sapphire meanwhile seemed somewhat indifferent to the whole affair.
"Sure, count me in."
"Just like that?" Jessica inquired, slightly surprised.
"It's not like I've got much of a life back home anyway," Jason explained. "I was always better with cars than people. It would be too hard to explain the changes in me to everyone else. I need to find out what I can do and not hurt anyone in the process."
"Welcome aboard, pahdner," Archangel said mimicking DUKE's accent. "Looks like I'm no longer the team rookie!"
"Thanks. I think..."
"A wise decision, young man," Gladiator added extending his hand.
"Finally!", Tigress said as she leaped off the couch. "I'll go warm up the jet and get us out of the wild, wild west."
"Indeed. Let us go home."
The Young Champions made their way out to their own jet, while the Gladiator said their goodbyes to the Superior Seven. With the Tigress at the controls, the Jet took off on its journey to Sanctuary Island.
