The winged hero came to a stop and hovered several hundred feet over the ocean's surface. The girls slowed down as well.
"What's the big idea, 'Wings?", Tempest asked, hovering in place. The more she flew, the easier it became for her since air was her element. She was able to keep pace to Archangel with ease. "What did we stop for?"
"There's the source of our flare." Archangel pointed to a small fishing vessel in the water below. "I don't see anyone on board."
"Let's go take a closer look." Tempest flew towards the drifting ship.
Archangel caught up to her in moments. "Let's get one thing straight here, if we get into danger, you'll obey my instructions."
"Who died and made you dictator?", Tempest shot back sarcastically. "I can take care of myself."
"Because I have more seniority than you do in the program. I have had combat training, you haven't."
"It's just a boat in distress, 'Wings. It's not like the Conquerors are going to ambush us or anything."
"You might be right," Archangel replied. "But we're trained to be ready for anything and to assume nothing. Oh, geez!" All the while Archangel and Tempest had been bickering, Nemesis had continued on and was now standing on the deck of the boat.
"Ha! Looks like you've got a case of insubordination on your hands!" As Tempest turned and flew towards her teammate, an annoyed Archangel brought up the rear.
The landing of the three teens brought no reaction whatsoever. Nemesis eagerly searched the deck, looking for anything interesting to play with. Tempest and Archangel exchanged puzzled glances. So far there had been no indication that anyone was even on board the ship.
"Hello! Is there anybody here?" Archangel called out his greeting once more, but there was still no response. The only sound was the gentle lapping of the waves against the ship's hull.
"Maybe it's a ghost ship," Tempest offered with a grin. "They could all be below deck waiting to add us to their undead crew."
"You've got a weird sense of humor. I'll check out the wheelhouse," Archangel said gesturing towards the control center of the ship. "Why don't you check below deck?"
Tempest nodded in agreement. Locating a gangway down, she descended into the lower deck of the ship.
Archangel found the wheelhouse was also deserted. Partially filled cups of coffee were still here. He tested one and found it to be lukewarm. Whatever happened here, didn't happen all that long ago. But it was clearly by surprise. Where did the crew go? Someone had to fire off that flare.
Now alone out on the main deck, Nemesis continued to look around. The nets were neat to look at, but not all the much fun to play with. She wrinkled her nose when she looked into the open hold. "Smells fishy! Ooh, what's that?"
A noise attracted Jennifer to the port side railing. The water here was bubbling. A monstrous form moved beneath the water, rapidly rising from the depths to the surface. Nemesis looked at it in wide-eyed wonder. "Neato!"
"I trust you have a good explanation for this, Gladiator?" The man generally known as Pooka gave the mentor of the Young Champions a hard look. It all started innocently enough. Jason McTaggert was being tested on the variety of ranged powers he possessed, when he inadvertently created a small volcano on the test range!
Pooka was the administrative head of all of Sanctuary, a position that the club's founder, Hyperion, had personally filled. Pooka generally wore a black gi that made up his costume. He no longer bothered with a mask as his identity, Walter Harry, was known to the public.
Also on hand, and waiting for an explanation, was Sapphire, another member of the Young Champions, and Charcoal, the Head of Sanctuary Security. Charcoal stood about 5'6", and had short flaming red hair with sparkling green eyes. She wore a black leather biker's jacket over a t-shirt, with black leather pants. The whole made Charcoal look tough and was quite a contrast to the azure giantess.
"There's not much to tell," Gladiator said. "Jason was testing his power when this occurred."
The Peacekeeper was busy examining the small volcanic cone that now was on the shooting range. His scanners studied the unusual phenomena in close detail. From all appearances, it was indeed a miniature volcano, as it reached only eight feet up from the ground. Peacekeeper was one of the many spare bodies previously used by that robotic megalomaniac Mechanon. However, this copy had been reprogrammed to be nice to humanity, rather than try to destroy it. It additionally served as a member of security with Sapphire and Charcoal.
"The next thing I know, the earth split and this thing rose up."
"Do you know how much it will cost to fix this?", Pooka gestured wildly at the target range. The volcano had risen, spewing lava everywhere. The eruption burned a large hole in the roof of the shooting gallery. Lava covered an area over thirty feet wide.
"No," Gladiator said flatly. "That's your department. If I am to train these kids, then you have to expect damage. We'll get it all fixed up."
"Somehow." More annoyed than ever, Pooka stalked off. Keeping a club for super humans running was a daunting task and it sometimes made him irritable.
"Fascinating," Peacekeeper remarked.
"Whataya got, tin-britches?" Charcoal walked towards the Mechanon double, eager to hear his findings.
"Based on my scans and the data collected by Dr. Brinton, I would have to conclude that young Jason can telekinetically manipulate the earth. My sensors detected seismic activity moments before the incident at the firing range. I can only conclude, that in his angered state, Jason located a small pocket of lava and caused it to rise from the depths of the earth to the surface. The result of which you can plainly see."
Turning back to Gladiator, Charcoal asked, "Where's the kid now? We can't have him setting off eruptions all over the island."
"He was distraught and disappeared into the ground."
"So he could be anywhere," Sapphire noted.
Gladiator nodded and walked off. "Just keep your eyes open. He'll surface eventually."
The fishing vessel shifted unexpectedly, nearly flooring Archangel. He could now hear sounds out on deck. Exiting the wheelhouse, the young hero was in for quite a shock.
A large creature of some kind had surfaced beside the ship. It was a jet black beast that superficially resembled a squid. The eyes were a deep yellow. The creature had ten tentacles, each lined with ocher barbs that ended in a brown spike. Currently, the strange sea monster had Jennifer wrapped up in its tentacles, its stingers striking her repeatedly!
"Tempest!", Archangel shouted. "We've got a problem!" Drawing his sword, Archangel launched himself into the air. If he could strike the tentacle holding Nemesis, perhaps he could force it to release the girl.
"Wheee!!" The odd Jennifer was actually enjoying being whipped across the sky! "This is fun!" The creature's stingers didn't appear to have any effect on the young girl.
Jessica came up on deck and made a large gulping noise. "Cripes! What is that thing?!"
Archangel slashed one of the tentacles and the beast let out a bizarre screech. "Got me, but off hand I'd say it's not friendly!"
"Well, duh! I hope this works!" Tempest took both her hands and dramatically pointed them at the sea monster. A blast of concentrated water leapt from her and struck the beast, but did little to affect it.
The creature was beginning to get annoyed. That's when it made the mistake of trying to crush Nemesis in its coils.
"You tried to hurt me!", Nemesis said, growing more angry as she spoke. "You're not nice!"
Fire leaped from the grasped girl's body and exploded into the face of the beast! It screamed an inhuman screech and immediately let the girl go, causing her to plummet into the ocean. Badly hurt, the beast sank into the ocean as well and rapidly fled for its very life.
Without hesitation, Tempest dove beneath the waves and gave pursuit. She glided underwater as easily as she did in the air, the water offering no resistance to her whatsoever. However, the beast was accelerating and was rapidly fading from sight.
Tempest considered pursuing it, but decided against it. She could follow the creature and probably get lost in the process. Archangel couldn't follow her down here; she'd be on her own. Judging how fast the sea monster could move, it may have outrun her anyway.
Jessica swam back and helped Jennifer to the surface. Since the girl didn't need to breathe, there was little worry of her drowning. However, the beast had stung Jennifer several times. Getting her back to Sanctuary was more important than chasing after monsters. For now. At least Jess had been able to prove that she could breathe safely underwater.
The girls surfaced near the boat. Archangel was hovering overhead. Sirens could be heard off in the distance.
"I think it's our cue to scram," he said. "We've got French patrols approaching. I don't know about you, but I really don't want to try and explain what occurred here."
"French patrols?", Tempest questioned. "What are you talking about? We're nowhere near France!"
"We are in French Polynesian waters; territories belonging to France."
"Oh," Tempest replied. "I didn't realize that. Yeah, let's get back to the island. I've had enough excitement for one day."
After getting Nemesis to follow them, the trio took to the air. Archangel flew a circular path around the approaching patrol boat and then headed directly towards Sanctuary Island. He had quite a tale to tell the folks back there...
"You looked troubled, my son."
Jason McTaggert looked up with a start. After the incident at the firing range, he had disappeared into the ground and re-appeared on the other side of the island. He was confused, scared, and ashamed by what he had done. Sure, the idea was to find out his powers, but even he was surprised when lava started to erupt. If only Gladiator hadn't been so overbearing.
After wandering for a few minutes, Jason discovered the island's chapel. He entered and took a seat near the back. Jason had never been particularly big on religion, at least before his accident. Right now he felt the need for comforting.
Looking around, Jason found a man in his mid-forties standing close by. Judging by his dress, he was the priest of this chapel.
"Uhm, sorry. I didn't mean to intrude, Father--?" Jason started to rise, but the man gestured for him to sit back down.
"Everyone calls me the Deacon, son. Sit. You're not intruding. The chapel is open for all." The man took a seat near Jason.
The Deacon had a strange calming effect on the troubled teenager. He felt as if he could bare his soul to this man if he had to. "I'm not particularly religious myself, Deacon. I just needed a quiet place to think."
"That's quite alright," the Deacon said in a reassuring tone. "I'm a good listener. Tell me what troubles you?"
"Well," Jason stammered out. "I sort of made a mess..." Telling his story wasn't easy for Jason. He had been the quiet type back in Detroit and tended to avoid attracting attention to himself. But there was something about the Deacon that made such little doubts and phobias just melt away.
After listening to the tale, the Deacon offered up his own advice. "Son, you've been through a terrific ordeal. Feelings of confusion and uncertainty are to be expected."
"But what about what I did at the firing range?"
"Let me ask you this: Why did you come to the island?" The Deacon stared directly into Jason's eyes.
"To learn how to use my powers?"
"Is that not what you were doing when the incident occurred?"
"I guess you have a point there," Jason conceded.
"Accidents like what happened out on the shooting range happen frequently around here. No one is going to hold it against you."
"Then why is Gladiator so mean?"
"He's not being mean, Jason," the Deacon explained. "The Gladiator is just trying to bring the best out of you. Sometimes you have to be a hard teacher."
After considering for a time, Jason stood up. "Thanks for everything, Deacon. I'd best go back and clean up my mess."
"A good idea, son. Come back anytime."
"I will. Bye."
Jason made his way out of the small chapel. All in all, he did feel better. Maybe he would take up the Deacon's offer and visit. That would have to wait as standing outside was the Gladiator. "Feeling better?", the Young Champions mentor asked.
"Uhm, I guess. Sorry about what happened."
The two walked away from the Chapel, side by side. "Testing of new powers can bring unusual results. What happened was unexpected, but not of great concern."
Jason looked at the larger man. He realized that he knew next to nothing about the man who was going to be tutoring him. What would drive someone to take up this sort of job? "What about the damage I caused?"
"We'll repair it. Would it have made you feel any better if you had caused that on a busy downtown street? No one was hurt here. If it had happened in public, who knows what the damage would have been."
"I didn't consider that. You're right. It certainly could have been a lot worse."
"Yes," the Gladiator said in agreement. "I don't know what you're going to do with your powers, you probably don't know either. You may decide to fight crime, you may become a criminal yourself. Although, should you do so, I will hunt you down."
Jason gave a nervous glance. He hadn't seen the Gladiator in action, but he had heard enough about him. Supposedly he was the world's greatest fighter. Given that reputation, Jason certainly didn't want to get on his bad side!
"Your training will be difficult. Not because I want to grind you into the dirt, but rather because I want you to learn how to fight and how to effectively use your powers. You are in a controlled setting here on Sanctuary. Far better to be trained here then to try and come to terms with your powers out there in the real world. Where bystanders can be hurt."
Jason just nodded in agreement. Gladiator was right in what he said. Had Jason gone home, he could have very well raised a volcano at his home, at his school, or anywhere else. His family, his friends could have been injured or worse. That was something that Jason could not live with.
"What you say makes a lot of sense. I lost my head back there. It won't happen again."
"Good," Gladiator responded.
"I think I'll just use Terra Fire for a code name. After bringing up that lava, fire of the earth, I guess it really does fit."
"As you wish," Gladiator nodded.
"So what's next?"
"Next? Next you get to clean up your mess." Gladiator gestured off towards Training Town. Jason groaned, but really couldn't argue much about it.
Behind the two, a portion of the wall of the chapel unexpectedly moved. A figure stepped away, his form having blended into the background much like a chameleon. He cursed under his breath. But it was only a matter of time before he could get the one they called Jason alone...
Fortunately for Jason, he found he could manipulate the earth easily enough. The shooting range was flat again in just a few minutes. No trace of the miniature volcano remained, other than the damage it had caused.
Archangel, Tempest, and Nemesis returned shortly after that. Jennifer was examined by Dr. Marin again, but no trace of poison was found in her system. With nothing physically wrong with her, Nemesis was free to leave.
Pooka and the staff grilled the teens about what they had found. "It's a good thing that you concealed our involvement in this. As if Sanctuary needs another problem. I'll discretely see what I can find out regarding the situation."
Lunchtime rolled around and the new recruits were taken by the Tigress and Archangel for a pizza and pop lunch at the hotel.
"Just me and 'Wings way of welcoming ya to the group," the Tigress explained.
"Right," Archangel said in agreement. "It's a sort of tradition around here. You three will eventually be in our shoes. You'll get to welcome the rookies then."
"Thanks," Jason said, taking a large bite of pizza. "Everyone here has been really nice so far. Still, this is a long way from Detroit."
Jennifer munched on her pizza only in passing. She was utterly fascinated by the bubbles forming in her soda.
"You make that sound like a bad thing, Jace." Jessica for one, loved the idea of living in the tropics. "Although, it's not as hot as I thought it would be."
"Yeah, I noticed that as well, Jess." Jason considered for a moment. "I'm not hot either. In fact, I'm rather comfortable."
"Must be nice," Archangel replied. He was now used to the climate, but could recall how it affected him when he first arrived.
"It just makes sense," Jessica said after contemplating for a few moments. "Air and Water, just like Earth and Fire exist at a variety of different temperature extremes. That must mean that we can as well."
"So what you're saying, sis, is that we're going to be comfortable in any climate. That certainly has its advantages."
"I'm just happy I don't have fur," the Tigress commented offhandedly.
The teens chatted for nearly an hour before Gladiator showed up.
"Now what, Sarge?", Jessica asked.
"Now, we shall assign you private quarters. Jason, you'll be bunking with Archangel. Jessica, Jennifer, I shall escort you to your bungalow."
The Tigress shot an "I told you so", grin at Jess. Tempest just groaned inwardly.
"Oh, should you decide to get combat outfits, the island branch of Super Starz will provide your first costume free of charge. Otherwise, take the rest of the day off. We'll commence with training at 0700 hours tomorrow. Don't be late."
"Come on, roomie," Archangel said to Jason. "I'll show you our home."
"Not bad at all," Jessica said upon seeing her quarters.
The bungalow was a single story and looked as if it had been constructed out of bamboo. A large living area was inside the door, with a small kitchen and bath arrangement behind it. A bedroom was on either side of the living room. A back porch overlooked the ocean.
Jessica took a quick look around and choose a bedroom for herself. This was much nicer than the hotel room she had the night before. "I guess this is home for the foreseeable future."
Jennifer looked around as well, stopping before a large box in the living room. "What does this do?"
"It's called a television, Jennifer," Gladiator explained. "Here, this is how it works." Pressing a button, the TV flared to life.
Jennifer was transfixed immediately. She sat down in front of the set and stared intently at it. On the screen was what looked to be an odd looking rabbit. He appeared to be tormenting a hunter. "Eh, what's up, doc?"
"That's one way to get her out of my hair," Jessica noted.
Seven hours later, Jessica realized that the idea of using the TV to babysit Jennifer had been a horrible mistake. The first seventy-five times she asked "Where's the Beef?" might have been cute, but it was getting obnoxious now.
"I'm in hell," Jessica said to herself, laying on the couch looking up at the ceiling. "Everything I've been through has been bad enough and now they stick me in here with Chrissy's dumber sister. What'd I do to deserve this anyway?"
"You deserve a break today, so get up and on your way," Jennifer sang along with the commercial on the television. She not only liked commercials, but had to sing all the jingles as well.
"You said it, you fruit loop. I've gotta get out of here, before I go nuts." Jessica grabbed her shades and headed for the door.
"Don't leave home without it," Jennifer said to herself as she waved goodbye.
Jessica just screamed loudly and reached for the door. To her surprise it opened before she could reach the handle. Standing in the doorway was an unknown superhero. At least it sort of looked like a superhero.
"So, whataya think?" Jason stepped into the bungalow wearing a costume of sorts. There was way too much color. It was gray, brown, green, red, orange and yellow in a confusing array of splashes. The first three colors dominated the upper body, while the other colors made up the lower section.
Jessica regarded him with a wary eye. "You don't plan on going out in public dressed like that do you?"
"What's wrong with it?", Jason asked incredulously. He had expected his sister to be impressed with his new identity. "Don't you get the motif?"
Jennifer walked up and looked at him. The costume was more interesting than what was on TV at the moment. She didn't say anything at first, just walking around him in a complete circle. "Uh, oh, better get Maaco!", she finally said, curling up her nose.
"See," Jessica said, pointing at Jennifer. "Even she knows better."
"Okay, so I'm not a fashion plate," Jason said, somewhat dejectedly. "But it seemed like such a good idea: you know, gray for the mountains and green for grass and red for the molten core. Terra... Fire... Get it?"
"I get it. I'm just not sure I wanna." Jessica just shook her head, as she continued to stare at the 'costume'. "I don't even know where to begin with this abomination."
"I suppose you could do better."
"As a matter of fact, I can." Jessica grabbed her brother by the arm and led him out the door. "You haven't paid any money for that yet, have you?"
"We're gonna play dress up! We're gonna play dress up!" Jennifer floated over, twirling her arms as she flew.
"I'm thinking of camping out on the beach."
"At least your roommate doesn't leave feathers on the floor," Jason countered.
Half an hour later, the three teens were inside the local branch of Super Starz. This location held only the finest and most durable costumes as the clientele was entirely super-powered. Because of this, there were many more choices available than in a regular stateside shop.
"Are you sure about this?", Jason said hesitantly.
"Just go try it on and quit complaining," Jessica shoved her brother towards the fitting room.
"Oh, all right."
Jessica sat down and sighed. Sometimes he could be so stubborn. From across the store, she heard "I'm a Pepper, you're a Pepper, wouldn't you like to be a Pepper too?" ring out in Jennifer's voice. Jessica just rolled her eyes skyward. "How did I end up having to play 'mother' to both these problem children? I'm glad the sales staff has to put up with her for awhile instead of me." Jessica grabbed a teal two-piece bathing suit, held it in front of her and eyed herself in the mirror.
After a few moments, Jason stepped back out of the fitting room. He was wearing a black body suit that covered his entire body. Over it he wore a bright red sleeveless tunic with a wide v-collar and flared shoulders and red trunks. His gloves and boots were orange with yellow trim in a flame pattern. An orange flame pattern around the eyes and nose embellished the black mask.
Jason regarded himself in the mirror again for a few moments. "Well, I wouldn't have come up with this."
"That's it? That's the thanks I get? Well, you're welcome!", she said sarcastically. Jessica was annoyed, yet again.
"I'm sorry, Jess. Thanks for the help. I'll try it out and see how it works."
"Men. No sense of style."
"Where's the beef?!" It was getting closer. Around the corner, Jennifer stepped. Her costume choices were even more mismatched than those of Jessica's brother. Jennifer's gloves didn't match in either color or style. One of her boots was longer than the other and she was wearing bunny ears on a hair band. "Don't hate me because I'm beautiful."
"If I have no sense of style, then what do you call that?", Jason asked, a smirk forming under his mask.
"My living nightmare."
"Well, do I look like that actress from TV?", Jennifer said, innocently. "You know, Heather Locklear?"
"Yeah, if she was beat up and dragged through the gutter," Jessica thought to herself. "Looks like I have my work cut out for me." Jessica began the arduous task of assembling an appropriate costume for Nemesis.
Next morning, the Young Champions were assembled at Training Town. Most of them anyway. Gladiator paced back and forth. It was nearly 0700 hours and the newest recruits were not here yet. The Tigress stood nearby, chatting with Archangel. Turbo, as per his nature, moved about constantly. Sapphire stood by silently, impassively.
"Archangel," Gladiator said. "Terra Fire was up when you left this morning?"
"Yeah, boss. He stopped at his sister's bungalow while I came here."
Unexpectedly, Jason rose up from the ground close by. "Here I am! Terra Fire reporting for duty!"
Everyone turned to see Jason in his new black and red costume. "Look, 'Wings, the rook's got fancy duds now!"
"He's not alone!" Looking up, the rest of the Young Champs saw Tempest and Nemesis fly in and land. The two were dressed in combat outfits.
Tempest wore a two-piece outfit in teal and white with black trim. The top was sleeveless. The leggings were long extending to mid-calf. Both pieces were mostly teal with half of her right side in white. She wore no gloves or boots, but had golden bracers on both wrists and a gold bangle on one ankle. Teal goggles completed the costume.
A pink body suit graced Nemesis, with light blue boots, headband, and trunks. A 'V' shaped neckline traveled along her outer arms and merged with matching light blue gloves. A stylized letter 'N' was over her heart in white. It matched the cape that reached just below her waist.
The Tigress whispered to Tempest as she observed Nemesis's costume. "Baby colors?"
"It certainly fits her."
"No argument there."
"Right on time," Gladiator stated. "Alright, today's exercise is..."
