But today was different. Gladiator was not present, waiting for the teens to arrive like he normally would be. "Sarge has never been late," the Tigress commented offhandedly. The heroine critically eyed Turbo who couldn't stand still for even a second. His constant motion was beginning to get on her nerves. "I'm gettin' tired of this waiting!"
"We shall find out what is going on once he arrives," Sapphire remarked casually. "Impatience can lead to defeat in battle."
"Something big must be up for Gladiator to be AWOL," Archangel added. "Luckily for your sister, Jace."
"Hey, don't look at me. She may be my sister, but she's her own girl." Jason thought back to the terse encounter that he had with his twin a few nights back. He thought that she would be excited about finishing her schooling. Having always been a good student, Jason leapt at the chance to have Nightingale tutor him. But Jessica took an immediate dislike to the idea. So much so that she basically told him to butt out of her life.
And so he had. Yesterday was another down day for the team in the aftermath of the Sapphire/Firewing contest. Jace didn't mind as he spent the day in the motor pool surrounding himself with work.
But with the morning, and the resuming of training drills, Jessica was a no show. Even the child-like Jennifer managed to be on time. If she could make it, then there was no excuse for Jess to not be here.
"There she is now." Archangel pointed off into the distance. His vision was far superior to the others and he spotted the teal-clad Young Champion rapidly approaching before the others noticed. She pulled up and casually landed a dozen feet from the others, most of whom gave her disapproving looks.
"What?!", Jessica asked seeing their gazes. "I overslept a bit. What's the big deal? It's not like we're in the Army or anything."
"Army... Navy... Air Force... Marines...", Jennifer sang. "What a great place, it's a great place to start!"
"You will need to learn discipline to become a warrior, Tempest."
Jessica made a 'tsk' sound in response to Sapphire's observation. "I never said was I wanted to be a warrior, big blue. I came here to learn how to use my powers, not to become some kind of super soldier."
Jason let out a small sigh. Everyday it became harder and harder for him to understand his sister. She certainly wasn't cut out to be the heroic type. What else could she use her powers for? Could she actually become a criminal?
His thoughts were interrupted when another woman, this one clad in black and silver, flew overhead. After a few seconds he recognized the new arrival. "That's Nightingale of the Avengers!"
"And your first clue was what, Mole Boy?", Tigress shot back sarcastically.
'Gale hovered and then set down before the Young Champions. "Good morning everyone."
"Hey, doc," the Tigress said with a wave.
Sapphire nodded in greeting. "Pleasant morn, doctor."
"What brings you out here, Nightingale?", Archangel asked while Jennifer came forth and hugged the Avenger.
"I like you," Jennifer said innocently.
"Hello, Jennifer," Nightingale answered. "I like you too. As for your question, Archangel, I have been on Sanctuary the last several weeks recovering. I've been experiencing...'problems' with my powers and came here to work them out."
"Problems?", Jason asked. "What kind of problems?"
Nightingale considered for a moment before answering. "I'd rather not discuss the matter in detail. It's personal in nature. But anyway, I spoke to Gladiator yesterday about using you kids to help me find out if my powers were back to anywhere near normal. I've been asked to return to the Avengers and wish to make sure that my powers are functioning properly before I do so."
"I see," the Tigress said in dawning realization. "We've got a guest target this morning. I just love fresh meat."
"Something like that," 'Gale answered. "I received a message from Gladiator this morning stating that he would be a little late and that I should handle things until he arrives."
"What kind of practice session are you looking for?", Archangel asked. "The old 'one of us at a time' routine?"
"No, something a bit more interesting. How about hide-n-seek?"
"Goody!", Nemesis giddily replied as she floated in the air, clapping her hands. "We're going to play a game!"
"I'mthebestatgames!", Turbo stated in eager anticipation as he rapidly moved about the group.
Jessica let out a loud sigh and rolled her eyes skywards. It was going to be another long day...
"Sorry I'm late," Dr. Angelique Marin uttered as she entered the Conference Room located in the Arrival Complex. It was early Monday morning and she, like the others in the room, had received a summons from Charcoal.
"'Bout time...", Charcoal muttered in response. Quietly, Dr. Marin took a seat and looked about the room. It was a sparse crowd for a staff meeting. Only the Gladiator and Peacekeeper were present, in addition to Charcoal.
"Now that we are all here, I'll cut right to the chase," Charcoal stated, happy to finally get this informal gathering underway. In spite of the woman's youthful, almost scrawny appearance, Charcoal was superstrong and incredibly agile. These were talents that she put to good use as the Head of Security for Sanctuary.
"Aren't we missing a few people?", Dr. Marin wondered aloud. While cutting a very stylish figure when off duty, Dr. Marin's dress was practical while on call. A plain blouse, shorts, and sandals were her usual attire. Often she would add a white lab smock. Her shoulder length blond hair was brushed back and pinned up.
"The Deacon has been spending time with Pooka as of late," Gladiator explained in his ever-even tone.
"Trying to keep our fearless leader from blowing a gasket," Charcoal added sarcastically. "No, this is just a little get together to toss out some information which Peacekeeper has uncovered. This primarily concerns you two." To emphasize her point, Charcoal pointed at Dr. Marin and the Gladiator.
"Then may we get to the point?", Gladiator requested. "I should be overseeing my students activities out at Training Town."
"This concerns your newest students directly," Charcoal explained. "Go ahead and show'em, PK."
Charcoal moved to her seat while the Peacekeeper took her place at the head of the table. A push of a button activated the wall monitor behind him. The image of a familiar face formed on the screen.
Dr. Marin leaned closer to get a better look. "It looks like Jennifer."
"I compute a 96.4% probability that you are correct, Dr. Marin," Peacekeeper announced. "Ever since the arrival of the newest recruits of the Young Champions program five days ago, I have been attempting to gather information. Particularly concerning Jennifer."
"And you have found something?"
"Yes," Peacekeeper announced, answering the Gladiator's question. "As you know, I have scanned missing persons databases across the globe but was unable to locate a match. Failing that, I then proceeded to search newspaper databases. That is when I found this."
The image on the screen pulled back to reveal that the picture of Jennifer was on the front page of a newspaper. The headline read: "Two Killed in Car Crash". Under the headline and off to the one side were two pictures. One of Jennifer, the other of an older man.
"What's the date on this headline?", Dr. Marin asked.
"July 25th, 1984."
Dr. Marin rose from her chair and moved closer to the view screen. "The girl in the picture is identified as a 'Jennifer Powers'." After reading the story further, she added, "The man is listed as a 'John Powers'. Her father."
"What does this prove?", the Gladiator questioned. "We have a dead girl with a strong resemblance to our Jennifer. Your tests have confirmed conclusively that Nemesis is an artificial being created about four months ago."
"Yes, but if Jennifer is a clone, then whoever did this would need a DNA sample from the original," Dr. Marin explained as she continued to scan the article. "Apparently the sample came from this 'Jennifer Powers'. But, this discovery leaves many questions unanswered."
"That's only the tip of the iceberg," Charcoal added with a smirk. "Give'm the rest of it, tin britches."
"Once I had acquired names to search against, I took the liberty of doing background checks on the pair," Peacekeeper stated. "The results were most intriguing. Jennifer Powers was 15 years old when she died in the automobile accident. The crash took place on Interstate 40 in New Mexico, just to the west of Albuquerque."
"Then the Powers were residents of New Mexico. Or were they just passing through?", Gladiator asked.
"I have found a variety of addresses for the Powers up to ten years before the accident. They moved several times each year. None of the locations appear out of the ordinary. However, before that time they did settle in one city for nearly eight years. During this time on January 15th, 1969, Jennifer Powers was born in Detroit, Michigan."
"Jason and Jessica are from Detroit," Dr. Marin observed. "I always thought there was some sort of connection between the three. I mean, there just had to be. If VIPER was kidnapping teenagers for experimentation purposes, why take one from Michigan and another from Florida? Wouldn't it have made more sense to kidnap victims from some place closer?"
"And why Jason and Jessica specifically?", Charcoal added.
"You've finally made the connection to all three of them," Gladiator concluded. "They're all from Detroit. But there should be more to it than that."
"There is, Gladiator. Jennifer's father, John Powers, was a doctor. In fact, he was the McTaggert's family physician. Until such time as the Powers moved away."
Dr. Marin considered this revelations for a few moments. "This is all starting to make sense. Somehow, this Dr. Powers is involved with what is going on, or at least someone very familiar with his work..."
"I have not been able to uncover the full extent of Dr. Power's activities," Peacekeeper reported. "There are hints that he was involved in some sort of secret government project, but I have no solid evidence to either confirm or deny the allegation."
"Whatever he was involved in, it must have had something to do with the twins' DNA. After all, if they were attempting to make supers then VIPER must have had a pretty good idea that it would work on Jessica and Jason. Otherwise, they wouldn't have gone to all the trouble to get them. No, they knew that there was something in their DNA that would allow the process to work."
"That's just speculation," Gladiator observed.
"Guess work that fits the known facts. For all we know, this Dr. Powers could have been altering their DNA right from the start. If only we could find out more about this project he was working on..."
"I shall continue to search," Peacekeeper answered. "I will keep you appraised of my results."
"That's it, folks," Charcoal announced. "Show's over."
Gladiator rose and looked at the picture of Jennifer on the monitor. "I would suggest that we keep this matter confidential amongst ourselves for the time being. At least until we are absolutely sure of our conclusions."
Dr. Marin hesitated, but eventually nodded in agreement. She started to depart the Conference Room when a comment from Gladiator made her pause.
"Looks like you were right, Dr. Marin. If Jennifer really is only four months old, then that would put her birth date back in January. Originally born on January 15th, 1969. Re-born somewhere around January 15th, 1986 from the looks of it."
Tempest flew through Training Town, Terra Fire following her on the ground. After deciding on the type of contest, Nightingale had moved off into Training Town to hide. The Young Champions would have to find her and defeat her to win this contest. The team split up into smaller groups to search for Nightingale.
"If you ask me, Jace, this little drill is going to be a piece of cake to win."
"What makes you say that?" Jason kept pace with his sister by willing the ground to propel him forward. It was like riding a wave of earth. Each time Jason used this particular power, the easier it became. In time it would become second nature.
"Come on! It's seven on one! We'll wrap this up and then I can get on to more important things."
"That may be," Jason countered, "but Nightingale has more experience in fighting than all of us put together. Well, discounting Sapphire, of course, but she's a pro. She's been an Avenger for what-- eight? Nine years? If you ask me, we're the ones who are in for trouble."
"You worry too much, little brother. There's our target now!" Tempest pointed straight ahead to where Nightingale was standing. The Avenger turned to face the twins.
"Finding me is one thing, defeating me is another," the psionic Avenger stated confidently.
"Thereyouare! NowI'llwinthegame!" From seemingly out of nowhere, Turbo streaked on to the scene and rushed straight at Nightingale.
"Hey, that lil' twerp is going to steal my victory!" Annoyed, Tempest fired a blast of concentrated water at Nightingale hoping to beat Turbo.
However, she was too slow and Turbo reached the Avenger first. Or so he thought. Turbo passed harmlessly through Nightingale and crashed into the wall she had been standing in front of. The Avenger turned to check on Turbo. "Oh, dear. I hope he didn't hurt himself."
Turbo was dazed from the unexpected collision, but as he was gathering his wits, the watery blast from Tempest connected with him. Like Turbo's attack, it too had passed through Nightingale as if she really wasn't there. Nightingale faded out a moment later proving that, indeed, she never was physically here. Turbo sank unconscious to the ground.
"I don't get it." Tempest hung in the air, utterly confused by the unexpected turn of events. "How'd she do that?"
"She's playing tricks with your mind," Terra Fire answered. "Made you see something that really wasn't there."
That took a few seconds to sink into Jessica. "How'd you figure that out, Jace?"
Terra Fire smiled. "A little bird told me." Suddenly, he clenched his hand and in response to his command, a larger earthen fist shot out of the ground underneath a surprised Tempest. The fist struck Tempest, knocking her out of the sky. Jessica hit the ground hard, knocking the wind out of herself. It was an effort just to remain conscious.
A moment later, Archangel flew on to the scene. "What happened? I heard a scream!" He saw Turbo out cold, Tempest laying dazed on the ground, and Terra Fire holding his head and looking confused.
"Oh man...", Jason muttered, lost in a haze. "What the heck happened to me?"
Tempest rose to her knees. "You backstabber!", she screamed and unleashed a blast of concentrated air at her brother. Given his muddled state, Terra Fire was an easy target. The blast hit him hard, throwing him back across the combat field.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Puzzled, Archangel advanced on Tempest, helping the girl to her feet. "You just blasted your own brother!"
"Serves him right! He hit me first!"
"There's got to be an explanation to this," Archangel stated. However, Tempest wasn't in the mood to listen. She took the air once more in search of Nightingale.
A short distance away, Nightingale moved through the streets of training town, pleased with her performance so far, but hoping that no one had been hurt. Her ability to create realistic illusions in the minds of others had worked perfectly, fooling Turbo, Tempest, and Terra Fire. It was a simple matter to smother Terra Fire's will so that she could, for a few moments, manipulate his body. Getting the twins to attack each other seemed the best way to defeat them since they were especially vulnerable to the other's powers.
"You may have given the others a merry chase, but you now face a true warrior!"
Momentarily startled, Nightingale looked around to find Sapphire rapidly approaching. "That'll teach me to pay more attention instead of patting myself on the back," the Avenger mumbled to herself. To Sapphire, she answered, "You'll forgive me if I avoid close quarters combat. It's not my specialty."
Nightingale concentrated and struck directly at Sapphire's mind. The attack caused Sapphire to pause momentarily, but the azure warrior kept advancing. "Rest assured, comrade, that your mental assaults shall not stop me."
"I'm beginning to realize that Sapphire. I'm impressed. Your will is strong."
The Azurian closed on the Avenger and swung. Having few other options, Nightingale ducked, just narrowly avoiding the powerful blow. "Forgive me for not standing still, but I'm rather attached to my head."
"Well played, doctor," Sapphire commented. "You have been trained in the art of avoiding blows."
"Most necessary given the nature of my powers." Nightingale gained altitude once more, leaving Sapphire behind. "I prefer having distance between my foes and myself."
Sapphire chased after Nightingale, gauging her distance. Finally, she leaped towards the flying psionic. "While I prefer to face my foes directly in battle."
A gentle telekinetic push moved Sapphire off course. The Azurian warrior passed some dozen feet away from Nightingale, well out of her reach. "I'd hate to have you come after me for real, Sapphire. I'm glad that this is just a friendly battle."
"Again, sound strategy, doctor. My compliments."
Leaving Sapphire behind, Nightingale continued to fly through the Training area. Spotting a concealed spot on a nearby rooftop, the heroine landed. The confrontations were beginning to tire Nightingale. But so far her powers seemed to be working as expected.
As she rested, Nemesis flew overhead. "I think I'll just let Jennifer go on her merry way," Nightingale thought to herself. "Given the nature of her powers, I'm not too keen on being attacked by her."
A few moments later, the Tigress bounded across the rooftops, long and elegant leaps carrying the heroine from building to building. "Now I know how Sylvester the cat feels. Here, Tweety, Tweety, Tweety!"
Nightingale concentrated, creating yet another mental image in the mind of the cat-like heroine. An illusionary Nightingale shimmered into existence near the Tigress. "You chose a bad analogy, Tigress. Sylvester is the one who always gets hurt, not Tweety-Bird."
"That may be so, Tweety, but Sylvester I'm not!" The Tigress ran towards the image of Nightingale. At the last moment, the heroine turned and leaped directly at the real Nightingale!
The Avenger was caught off guard and was unable to avoid the leaping Tigress. The impact sent the Avenger to the rooftop, the Tigress rolling with her. The next thing Nightingale knew, she was flat on her back, the Tigress sitting on her stomach. "This is one cat who knows how to catch birds!"
Nightingale panted, trying to regain her breath. "I give, I give. But how--?"
With a laugh, the Tigress stood up and helped Nightingale to her feet. "Your illusion was good and would have fooled anyone that relies only on their sight. But, I don't have to completely rely on what I see. In this case, I smelled the real you out."
"My illusion had no odor.... I'll have to remember that. Thanks, Tigress."
"No problem, doc."
With the drill completed, the participants returned to the starting area. Nightingale flew in, telekinetically carrying an uneasy Tigress with her. "I don't mean to sound ungrateful, 'Gale, but I think I prefer solid ground underneath my feet."
"I understand." Nightingale continued to concentrate on her task and gently sat the Tigress down. Carrying the young heroine was an excellent test of her telekinesis. She had used it earlier on Sapphire, but that was short term. Carrying the Tigress across Training Town was a truer test of her powers. "Thanks for indulging me."
The other Young Champions were present, as well as Gladiator. "That completes the day's exercises," the team's mentor informed them. "A ceremony for the late Comet will be held in the Garden this morning. You may attend if you so desire." That said, the Gladiator dismissed his students.
"That was short and sweet," the Tigress observed. "I think I'll get some breakfast. Tweety just wasn't as meaty as I like." With a grin, the heroine bounded out of Training Town.
"Later, gang." Archangel beat his wings and rose into the sky. Likewise, Turbo ran off, while Sapphire moved away at a more leisurely pace.
Before they could depart, Nightingale spoke to Tempest and Terra Fire. "I hope that neither of you were injured due to my actions during the contest?"
"I'm not really even sure what happened," Jason answered. "I got really dizzy and then I was laying on the ground."
"You mean that you--?!", Jessica stammered, pointing her finger at Nightingale and then at Terra Fire. "You used him to hit me? You played with our heads! That's hardly fair!"
"I hate to break this to you, Tempest, but villains rarely fight fair. Think of it as a learning experience and something to remember the next time you encounter a psionic."
Tempest started to fly off. "Yeah, next time I'll just whack'm on the spot. I'm outta here!"
Nightingale watched the teenager soar away. Turning to Jason, she said, "Your sister has quite the attitude."
"Tell me about it."
"Is she coming to our tutoring session this afternoon?"
"No," Jason answered. "When I brought the subject up, she just about took my head off. I just don't understand her."
"That's too bad. Everyone needs a good education to fall back on." Nightingale thought about the situation for a few moments, but didn't comment further. Finally, she said to Jason, "At any rate, I'll see you later on. Right now I have other matters to attend to." Nightingale telekinetically rose into the air, and flew off towards the distant hotel.
Terra Fire sighed and started to walk back to his bungalow.
The Garden was located off of the island chapel. Filled with flowers and hedges, this area was a memorial where fallen supers were remembered. A large, granite obelisk was located in the middle of the garden engraved with the words, "WE REMEMBER".
The enshrinement ceremony for the late Comet had been finished several minutes ago. Terra Fire quietly made his way through the crowd in awe. Most of the heroes present were known to him, a few were not. Here were superheroes that he had only seen on TV or read about. Now he was standing among them. And perhaps someday he would be as highly regarded as they were.
Off in one area was Black Diamond, Supreme, Firestar, and Nightingale from the famous Avengers. They were conversing with Morning Star, Spinnerette, and two others that Jason didn't recognize. One was a man in a rainbow-hued costume, the other a woman wearing golden armor. Quasar from the Protectors was here, as was Defender and Hornet and a host of other heroes.
The entire Superior Seven were present, only natural as the Comet was their former teammate. The hero was tragically killed by some unknown monster while investigating a VIPER research lab. The same lab that Jason, Jessica, and Jennifer had been found in. In some way Jason felt that he owed it to Comet to come here and pay his respects. (Editor's Note: See Young Champions #1-3)
Maverick seemed particularly broken up and was being comforted by the Sorceress. Centurion stood away from the crowd. Even though he was covered in armor, Jason could feel the anger and frustration radiating from the man. Titan and Earthquake wandered the area, eventually striking up a conversation with the Deacon. Captain Lightning was speaking to Gladiator and Sapphire. Casually, Jason approached the trio and listened to their conversation.
After a time, Gladiator introduced him. "This is Terra Fire, one of the teens you helped rescue in El Paso."
Captain Lightning shook Jason's hand. "Ah, yes. Glad to see you fitting in here, son."
"I'm really sorry about your teammate. I felt that I should pay my respects."
"He was a warrior who died in battle", Sapphire observed. "There can be no finer fate. His death was avenged and now his spirit may pass on in peace."
"I never had the chance to thank you before for all you did for me-- and the others," Jason added. "I don't even want to think what would have happened if you hadn't found us."
"You're welcome," Cap responded with a forced smile.
"If you'll excuse me..." Jason moved off, having said what he had intended. He mingled for a time. Suddenly feeling very out of place, Jason departed the garden. As he was departing, he passed Archangel.
"Leaving already, Jace?"
"Yeah. I just wanted to pay my respects. I've got to get ready for class anyway."
"Great, that's less competition for me!", Archangel answered with a grin.
"Competition? Competition for what?"
"For all those oh-so-fine grieving heroines. I just want to lend a little tend aid and comfort."
Jason gently shook his head. "Is that all you think about? Girls?"
"You make that sound like a bad thing, Jace." Spotting Spinnerette, Archangel separated from Jason and trailed after the web-slinging heroine. "Excuse me, Jace, but I think I'm in love!"
Terra Fire watched for a few moments as Archangel closed in on Spinnerette. The two spoke for a few moments, but were to far away for Jason to make out their words. Surprisingly, Spinnerette actually slid closer to the amorous young hero. A moment later, Archangel found himself unwittingly stuck to the nearby wall literally by the seat of his pants. Spinnerette turned and waved as she walked away. "Adieu, monsieur L'oiseau le cerveau."
"Smooth," Jason said to himself in an amused tone. "Real smooth. The man has such a way with the ladies."
An hour later, Jason entered the hotel and made his way to one of the classrooms. Sanctuary regularly offered classes and courses covering a wide range of subjects, ranging from general education to theoretical physics. Nightingale was already present and was patiently working with Nemesis. "I'm not sure that I'd wish that on my worst enemy."
"Hello, Jason," 'Gale said once she became aware of his presence. "Take a seat over there and I'll be over shortly." Nightingale pointed towards one corner of the room and continued to assist Jennifer.
Taking a casual glance in that direction, Jason's jaw nearly dropped when he saw Firestar sitting there as well. The young Avenger was diligently working on problems written out on the board. She was now dressed in a more tropical version of her normal costume. "Wow," Jason thought to himself. He didn't realize just how cute she was when he first saw her at the Garden ceremony.
Nightingale turned back to Jason after she realized that he hadn't budged yet. Even without being a mind reader, she had a good idea just what was on Jason's mind. "I did say that I was tutoring one other senior. Don't worry, she won't bite."
"Oh, right," Jason answered, breaking out of his momentary stupor. "Thanks, doc."
Moving slowly across the room, Jason continued to stare at Firestar, while trying not to appear as if he was staring at her. The heroine was still oblivious to the new arrival. Her long, blond hair cascaded down her back. Causally, Jason took a seat across from Firestar. "Uhm, hi. I guess we're classmates."
"Oh, you must be one of the other kids 'Gale told me about." Looking up from her work, Firestar was surprised to see that her new classmate was a handsome young man. Nothing Nightingale had told her had prepared her for this! Jason was also causally dressed, wearing only a tank top, shorts, and sneakers. For a moment, all the two could do was stare at each other.
"You can call me Terra Star, Firefire..." Jason caught himself and started to laugh. Firestar joined in as well. "I mean, I'm Terra Fire."
"Hi, I'm Firestar." The young Avenger held out her hand, which Jason shook. "Looks like we both have fire powers."
"Uhm, yeah. Although, most of my powers are earth related. So what are you working on?"
Firestar glanced back down at her workbook. "Algebra. This stuff gives me a headache."
"Maybe I can help," Jason said in a hopeful tone. "I'm on Trig myself."
"Really? I think I'd like that."
Jason moved closer and took a look at the problem that Firestar had been working on. "I think I see where you went wrong...."
On the other side of the room, Nightingale smiled to herself as she sensed the two teens working together. "It's about time Cassie met some kids her own age." 'Gale was content to let them work on the problems together. Jennifer was going to demand most of her attention anyway.
It was early evening when Jason returned to his bungalow. He had never imagined that being in school could be so much fun. The afternoon that he had spent with Firestar passed so quickly. He couldn't believe how cute she was and how she actually paid attention to him. Things like that never happened before. Back in Detroit a girl as pretty as Firestar wouldn't give him the time of day. But that was back before being mutated by VIPER. Jason still wasn't used the chiseled body that he now possessed.
"Jace!", a voice called out some distance from Jason.
So lost in thought was Jason that he ignored it. No, his mind was still on Firestar. She seemed so down to earth, so pleasant to be with that her image was all that was on his mind.
"Hey, Jason! Snap out of it!"
Turning, Jason saw Jessica flying towards him. "Oh, hi, sis."
"You okay? You seem in a daze."
"Hmm?"
"I said, are you all right? You're acting really weird."
Shaking Firestar out of his mind, Jason tried to focus on his sister. She was just about the same size as Firestar, but more muscular than the Avenger. Jessica's hair was shorter and had more curl to it...
Shaking his head once more, Jason tried to put Firestar out his mind. "Sorry, sis. I just had a very interesting day at school. Something I can do for you?"
Tempest landed and walked beside Jason, a concerned look still on her face. "I just wanted to apologize to you. I've been treating you pretty bad lately. I really don't mean to do that. It's just..."
"Hey, don't worry about it," Jason answered. "We've both been going through a lot of changes lately. We've been apart for so long, it's silly to assume that we're really anything alike."
"That's true. I've just been on my own for the last few years. I'm not used to being bossed around, or having to follow rules or anything like that. I guess I don't like answering to others. Like I said earlier, I mainly came here to figure out how to use these powers I have. I got frustrated and lashed out at you."
Jason stopped and put his hand on Jessica's shoulder. "Like I said, don't worry about. We're both going through major changes. I-- What the...?!"
Unexpectedly, Jason's hand began to merge with Jessica's shoulder!
"What the hell are you doing!?" Tempest frantically tried to pull away, but was unable to free herself. Jason was elbow deep in Jessica's back. "I feel so funky..."
"Can't pull loose---!" Jason strained, but was unable to free himself. All the effort was for naught. In moments, the two were joined at the shoulders. "It's so hard to think..."
Slowly, the twins bodies merged, growing larger and becoming something else entirely. "What's-- happening-- to-- us--?!", Jessica managed to state before her face disappeared.
Finally, the merger was complete. The creature that the twins had become was vaguely humanoid in shape, but had no gender specific features. Its skin took on a rough earthen tone. It looked about, confused. What had been Jason and Jessica was lost somewhere inside. The combined being shambled off in a random direction, not knowing where it was going, nor really caring...
