"Archangel reporting in," the winged Young Champion stated into his headset. "Not a thing out of the ordinary so far. I'm continuing my search. Out."
Signing off, Archangel continued on towards the next sector in his search pattern. It was mid-morning Saturday and the Young Champion was engaged in a search for his missing teammate, the Tigress. It was another beautiful day in the South Pacific. Tigress had disappeared without a trace under mysterious circumstances sometime late Thursday. Sanctuary Island was quickly searched, but the feline heroine wasn't to be found. Archangel was now searching the outlying areas surrounding the island.
The young hero wasn't quite sure just what he was supposed to be looking for, apart from the Tigress herself. The closest islands to Sanctuary were generally unpopulated and had proven to be so as well on this morning. That just left ships or planes as possible ways off the island without being noticed.
In addition to his large feathery white wings, Archangel also possessed superior sight much like certain birds. That, coupled with his natural flying ability, made him ideal for this search. Since it was such a clear day, Archangel could literally see for miles. Spotting something off in the distance, Archangel hovered in place for a few moments. He activated his headset once more.
"I've spotted something, guys. I'm going to check it out."
"What do you see?", was Gladiator's query which came over the headset. The master of the Young Champions was back on Sanctuary Island, monitoring his student's progress. In the time it took to make that statement, Archangel had rapidly closed in on his target.
"Its a Jet Ski," Archangel reported as he slowed to a hover a few feet above the bobbing watercraft. "It's one of ours, too. No rider, however." Archangel paused and slowly scanned the area surrounding the Jet Ski. "The immediate area is clear."
This time it was Gladiator who paused to consider his words. "Return it to Sanctuary. Perhaps it might provide a clue to the location of our missing teammate."
"Uhn...", Jessica McTaggert groaned to herself. "What a night." Tempest sat up in her bunk and wiped away the sleep from her eyes. She had slept the entire night, but did not seem to have gotten a decent rest and felt a little sore. Tempest still felt tired even though it was already daytime. There was an awful taste in her mouth. "Yuck."
Nudging the overhead bunk, Jessica asked, "Hey, you up there, Erica?" Erica being the real name of the Tigress who had stowed away on the Jade Princess the night before. Tempest was annoyed by her presence at first, but did agree to let her hide out in her cabin during the daytime. Not receiving a reply, she repeated, "Erica?", and gave the bunk a good push.
Still no response.
Puzzled, Tempest stood up to find the bunk empty. From the looks of it the bunk had been that way all night too. "Now that's odd," was Tempest's comment.
Dozens of possibilities filled the young woman's mind. Could the Tigress have been captured during the night? Or perhaps she chose another place to hide? Or maybe she jumped ship. Or possibly...
Jessica didn't know what to think. She was taking a chance anyway on letting Tigress stay with her at the risk of alienating her employer: the supervillain Howler. Looks like this particular situation might have just blown up in her face. "Well, I can always run away," Tempest thought to herself as she squeezed into her costume. She made her way across the small cabin to the doorway. "Time to face the music..."
Nervously, Jason McTaggert paced the front porch of his bungalow. He glanced at his watch and noted that the designated time was rapidly approaching. The young man was filled with mixed emotions this morning. He was saddened by his sister's departure from Sanctuary and the Young Champions. They had been apart so long that it was good to be back together, even if only for a little while.
Terra Fire was also concerned about the fate of the Tigress. While he hadn't known her that long, Jason had grown accustomed to her presence and sarcastic wit. He would always treasure the night where the two of them had just talked. In spite of the attitude she put on, the Tigress was a nice and caring person. Just don't mention that in her presence.
Then there was the one thing that Jason was really nervous about. In a matter of minutes he was going to be picked up by Firestar of the Avengers. He and Firestar were both students in Nightingale's high school class and were in the beginnings of a possible romantic relationship. Firestar had invited Jason to a pool party being thrown by one of the other Avengers, someone called the Huntress. But now that he had the chance to think about it, the prospect scared the heck out of Jason. He was about to be social with one of the most famous hero teams on the planet! To be thrust into the presence of truly famous heroes. Jason dearly hoped that he wouldn't throw up.
"Hi!" Jason looked up at the sound of Firestar's voice and all his concerns faded away. Dressed in her traditional golden orange costume, the young Avenger touched down a few feet away. Nightingale, wearing her silvery white and black attire, landed next to Firestar. "Are you ready to go?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," Terra Fire answered. At the request of Firestar, he wore his black and red Young Champions outfit.
"You'll do fine," Nightingale informed Jason. She didn't need to be a mind reader to see how tense the young man was. Being a mind reader, she could sense the terror and conflicting emotions he felt deep inside. His stomach was being tied in knots. "We'd better get moving."
"Right," Firestar answered. Turning to Jason she added, "This is going to be so much fun! Did you bring your trunks?"
"Got them right here," Jason answered as he held up a small bag where he had stored his swimsuit and a towel. "Just lead the way."
The two Avengers rose into the air once more, while Terra Fire followed on an earthen wave. In short order, they were all inside the Arrival Complex. Using Firestar's Avenger ID card as a passkey, they were given admittance to the teleporter.
"It's like something out of Star Trek," Terra Fire observed as he tentatively entered the chamber. It even had the same slightly cheesy look from the sixties television show.
"Everyone says that," Nightingale stated as she worked the controls. "The teleporter itself was a gift from an alien that Sanctuary helped out in the past. It's the only one known to exist in the world. The decor was someone's idea of humor. On the pad, you two." Nightingale gestured towards the trio of teleporter pads. Two were normal sized, one giant.
"Is it safe?" Jason eyed the whole setup critically. If it functioned like the one in that famous television show, then transporter accidents should happen almost routinely.
"That's what I said the first time I used this gizmo," Firestar told Terra Fire. "I was scared at first, but so far nothing bad has happened. It'll be alright." Firestar smiled and offered her hand to Terra Fire. He took it after a pause and together they stepped on the pad. Nightingale joined them a moment later and a few seconds after that, all three simply vanished from the room.
"How do you feel?", Hyperion asked as he gently gave Pooka a drink of water. The Director of Sanctuary had been bedridden for several days now since appearing to have suffered a nervous breakdown. Pooka even tried to assault Gladiator, but was readily subdued. Turned over to the medical staff, it was discovered that Pooka's brain waves had been abnormal. Some outside source had been influencing him. To what end remained unknown.
In the days since the breakdown, Pooka's brain waves had slowly returned to normal. But had the man also returned to normal as well? Only time would tell on that count.
"I have the mother of all headaches," Pooka wearily stated.
"Not surprising, given the circumstances."
"Why am I here?" Pooka tried to remember, but found that his recent recollections were strange. Bits and pieces of memories filled his head without seemingly any rhyme or reason to them. "What are the circumstances? It's so hard to remember."
"Perfectly understandable, son." While Hyperion and Pooka appeared to be roughly the same age, Hyperion was actually in his seventies. He was the senior citizen of the superhero set and had the habit of calling everyone son, including women. "As near as we can reckon, somebody has been playing with your mind."
"My mind?"
"That's right. The doctors discovered that your brain wave patterns were not normal and that's why you've been acting so strange lately." With a grin, Hyperion added, "I'm not sure what they're talking about either, but then again, medical science was never my strong point. All I do know is that this is the most calm and reserved I've seen you in many weeks."
"Who would do this?", Pooka asked after a long, reflective pause. "And more importantly: why?"
"All questions that we want answers to as well, son. But for now I'm just happy that you're coming back to us. We will deal with whoever is behind this when the time comes. The docs say you need lots of rest." Hyperion smiled and gave Pooka a reassuring pat before leaving the hospital room.
However, while Pooka's body was still, his mind kicked in to overdrive. Someone had done this to him, almost driven him into madness. But for what? What was there to gain? All Pooka knew was that someone was responsible and that they would pay dearly.
"It's just like we thought," Charcoal informed Gladiator and Archangel. The three were near the docks reviewing the sign out sheet for island equipment. Jet skis in particular, in this case. "Tigress signed out our missing Jet Ski Thursday night."
"Then her trail leads out into the ocean and simply ends there?"
"Unless she met up with a ship," Archangel offered in response to Gladiator's query. "If this happened a day and a half ago, it could be a hundred miles away by now."
"It is something right up the Tigress' alley," Charcoal added. "It wouldn't be the first time she went and did something without telling anyone." The others could only nod in agreement as they recalled what the Tigress early days on Sanctuary were like and the trouble she got caught up with involving Pulsar.
"Possibly," Gladiator finally stated, "but do we have any idea on why she took out a Jet Ski? What was Tigress working on?" Charcoal and Archangel shrugged in response.
"Perhaps I can explain."
Turning, the trio found Sapphire approaching. Spotting the seven foot tall, blue-skinned woman was always an easy task. Sapphire was an Azurian, an alien race whose civilization revolved around battle.
"You have knowledge of this situation?", Gladiator inquired.
"Tigress asked me to assist her in a surveillance a few nights back. She believed that a situation was developing that might pose a security risk to Sanctuary Island, so she asked for my aid." (Editor's Note: As shown back in Young Champions #12)
"Why didn't you inform me?", Charcoal asked in an annoyed tone. "As Head of Security, you should always keep me informed about potential problems."
"I didn't think it significant at the time," Sapphire explained. "We observed Howler speaking with Panda and Raccoon at night on the beach. A short time later the device Armadillo unleashed surfaced and I went to battle it. What Tigress was investigating was all but forgotten after that. I believe she stated that Daigon was also connected to Howler."
"Charcoal, I'd like you to--"
"I'm way ahead of you," Charcoal said with a wave as she started to walk off, interrupting Gladiator. "I'll check to see if any of these villains are still on the island."
"Man, am I glad that's over with," Jason sighed in relief to himself as he followed Firestar towards the indoor pool. The day had just been one big event after another. The teleporter had taken him, Firestar, and Nightingale to underneath the United Nations Building in Manhattan. They emerged from the building to be smack dab in the middle of New York City.
It was all overwhelming to Jason. He had only seen such places on television and in magazines. The real thing was mind blowing. Being in costume and being noticed by others made it seem all the more strange. While he had worn his Terra Fire costume many times before on Sanctuary Island, it seemed appropriate as just about everyone there wore some type of unusual outfit. But here in Manhattan, his costume really stood out. Jason was suddenly very self-conscious. More so than normal, at any rate.
Things didn't get any better from there. To save time, Nightingale telekinetically carried him to the Avengers Mansion since he was unable to fly like the two Avengers. Jason would have rathered used his tunneling ability and go there unnoticed under his own power. The sensation of flying and having his earthen sense shut down was unnerving.
Next he arrived at the Avengers Mansion. The Avengers Mansion! It was incredible! They even had their own butler! (Editor's Note: Shown in Avengers #24)
There, Jason removed his Terra Fire costume and slipped into his swimsuit. It was nothing special, just one he had borrowed from Archangel. It was blue with yellow side stripes. While he was doing that, Firestar and Nightingale changed clothes as well.
Then he was escorted out behind the Mansion to where most of the other team was waiting. Black Diamond herself was there. She was more beautiful and even taller in person. The legendary Thing was there wearing a very loud Hawaiian shirt and a straw hat. He was massive in size! Nearly as wide as he was tall. Then there was Supreme. He towered over Jason and was ridiculously muscular. His muscles even had muscles.
Last, but not least was the Texas Ranger. Jason had never heard of him before and he seemed the most normal in appearance of the group. Other than the fact that he wore a swimsuit with cowboy boots, a cowboy hat, and mirrored sunglasses.
The ride was interesting, to say the least. Jason had the distinct feeling that he was being interrogated by the Thing and Supreme. He was already intimidated by the mere presence of the two heroes. That just made matters worse. The women seemed to be more understanding and supportive while Ranger looked on impassively.
Finally, they reached their destination: an estate up in the Westchester Hills area. Jason was brought up to speed on the situation. The founder of the Avengers, Hunter, had died a few months back and his daughter was carrying on the family tradition. This was the Huntress that he had heard Cassie mention when she invited him to this party.
It surprised Jason to hear that Hunter had died. He was after all one of the more famous heroes around, having adventures dating all the way back to World War II. However, Hunter was also one of the more secretive types. It was this need for privacy that never elevated Hunter to the status accorded to American Eagle of the Freedom Squad. Hunter preferred to work in the shadows and not play the 'All-American' boy.
In short order, Jason was introduced to the Huntress and her mother Felina. Were Jason to have guessed, Felina might have been a heroine in her younger years as well. She was still in incredible physical condition. But then again, that wasn't much of a big deal. Everyone here was in excellent physical shape.
Next to interrogate Jason were two of the newer Avengers, joining the team with Firestar a few months back: Muskateer and the Enchantress. Muskateer did most of the talking. Jason had never heard of him before, but did have knowledge of the Enchantress. True to her name, she was an exquisitely beautiful woman. Seated with the two Avengers was the Scarlet Sabre, a well known member of the Freedom League.
"They're all really protective of Cassie," Jason finally realized once he and Firestar managed to get away from Muskateer. "Almost like they're all her big brother. No wonder they've been grilling me-- it's not that they don't like me, but want to protect her." Jason wasn't sure if that made him feel better or not.
"Hey, guys!", Firestar announced in greeting as she led the way to the indoor pool. The structure was along the backside of the estate. Three sides of the chamber were lined with glass windows to allow daylight to filter in. A large outdoor patio surrounded the pool, where most of the guests were currently relaxing. The Huntress was cooking on a large outdoor grill while both the Thing and Supreme waited for more food to be finished. Two women and one man were currently in the pool.
"Hi!", one of the girls in the pool waved upon spotting the pair. "Who's the hot looking guy with you?" The speaker was a petite woman with short blond hair. She appeared to be in her early twenties and was very cute. A maroon two-piece was her bathing suit of choice.
"Behave, Willow," Firestar laughingly responded, sensing that Jason was being embarrassed. It was the sort of thing that Cassie could relate to. Sure enough, his cheeks were starting to turn red.
"How cute!", the other woman in the pool teased. Unlike the first, she had long jet black hair and was very tall. She wore a skimpy black bathing suit and smiled slyly at the new arrivals. "I just love to embarrass shy men!"
"The wench does speak the truth, my fine lad." To punctuate his statement, the lone man in the pool came up behind the woman in black and dunked her! "She has a wild spirit that will not be broken. A true treasure in full bloom of womanhood!"
"That's Night Owl and her boyfriend, Kor Hunter," Firestar explained to Jason as she watched the activities going on in the pool. "He's a member of the Circle along with Willow Witch."
"Hello," Jason responded with a wave as Night Owl violently broke surface, sending water flying everywhere. "Nice to meet you all."
"Now you're going to get it!", Night Owl yelled as she swam after Kor. Willow, laughing heavily, came in from the other side to block his escape.
"Let's join the fun," Firestar suggested as she jumped into the clear water and started to close in on Kor.
Jason hesitated for a moment as Kor shouted to him. "Join the festivities, lad! I need help in protecting myself from these luscious maidens!"
"What the heck...", Jason muttered as he too entered the pool. "This is supposed to be a party after all. Full of fun and games!" Never in his life, before becoming Terra Fire, could Jason have imagined really doing something like this. It was going to be a very interesting afternoon.
"This is really weird," Tempest thought to herself. She was currently lounging on the deck of the Jade Princess, soaking up the tropical sun. A spot that she had spent most of the day in. Around her the crew worked, but many did keep an eye on the shapely teenager. Jessica paid them no attention. Sure, some were cute, but she doubted there were any millionaires among the bunch.
"I've been expecting the worst and so far nothing has happened. Nothing at all." No one was treating her any differently than they had the previous day. If Tigress had been discovered there was no mention of it by anyone. Tempest kept waiting for something to happen and nothing ever did.
"I'm turning paranoid," she finally decided. Maybe Tigress had found a different place to hide. It was the simplest explanation to a problem for which Tempest had no answer.
The dinner bell rang and Tempest decided to conclude her sunbathing for the day. The food on the ship was first class, but a little too fancy for Jessica's tastes. Still, free grub was free grub. Beggars couldn't be choosy and all that.
Howler was already at the Captain's Table along with Carlson and the other hirelings. The creepy Daigon was seated at the far end of the table. Like always, she was wearing her hideous suit of armor. Panda and Raccoon were huddled on one side, with Carlson at the head of the table. The only open seat was the one between Howler and Daigon. Tempest took the seat but didn't like sitting so close to Daigon.
The meal soon followed and Tempest ate heartily. Conversation was sparse and Jessica mainly kept quiet. She wasn't sure what to make of her new 'teammates' apart from their reputations. Reps that were not the best as the world generally considered all of them to be criminals.
Howler and Carlson were talking about their destination. According to Carlson, the Jade Princess would reach the unnamed island in five more days. If what Howler had told Tempest was true, then this was where Jess was going to earn her pay. The clues to this lost Aztec tribe were supposed to be within underwater caverns.
Across the table, Raccoon lavished his full attention upon his wife. It was almost nauseating. "Poor girl must feel like she's being smothered," Tempest thought to herself.
"I don't know about you, luv, but I'm beat," Panda explained to her husband, Raccoon, in a British accent. "Feels like I barely slept a wink last night."
"I know the feeling," Howler interjected. "I think I was more tired when I woke up than when I went to bed."
"Me too," Tempest spoke up, exchanging puzzled glances with the others. "This is really weird."
"Must be a coincidence," Raccoon suggested, putting aside the notion that something unusual was going on. "All of us simply had bad sleeping nights at the same time. It happens."
"Or it's something far more sinister," Tempest wondered to herself. She was starting to get a bad feeling about this. What if there really was more going on than she had been let in on. Maybe Erica was right when she tried to warn Jessica of the potential danger of this whole situation.
"Okay, boys and girls, this here is for the championship of the civilized world!" Muskateer reared back and served the volleyball over the net. His aim perfect as ever, the ball sailed towards the back corner of the court. Willow Witch leaped for the ball, but missed it.
The party had been going on for several hours now. The food had been long devoured and the guests were engaged in a fun game of volleyball. The Enchantress and Black Diamond watched from the sidelines, while the Thing and Supreme were stretched out on lawn chairs.
"I got it!", Felina shouted as she dove towards the ball, tumbled and sent the ball straight up into the air a split second before it could hit the ground. Jason couldn't believe how fast the woman was.
"Hey!," the Huntress objected, pointing at her mother. "We all agreed-- No Powers!"
"Just doing what comes naturally, dear," Felina answered with a smile. "I cannot help it that I'm such a great athlete."
"Superhuman is more like it," the Scarlet Sabre added in appreciation. The moves that Helena's mother had were incredible, even by Scarlet's standards.
"Fine, if these guys want to take the kid gloves off, then I say: go for it!", Muskateer informed his team. Night Owl gave a pleased grin in response to the instruction.
Firestar got under the ball as it descended to earth once more. "You heard the man," the Young Avenger instructed her team. "Just do what comes natural!" Firestar bounced the ball towards the net and the waiting Texas Ranger.
"That's right, lil' lady, just send it on my way," Ranger drawled as he eyed the approaching ball. Firestar's shot was a bit long and was going to go over the net on its own. Glancing at the competition, he could see the Huntress and Scarlet Sabre setting themselves for a return spike.
The two heroines leaped to intercept the ball, but seemingly at the last moment, the volleyball changed course and sailed over their outstretched hands. "Hey!", the Scarlet Sabre objected. "I hate telekinetics!"
"That's dirty pool!", the Huntress added in disdain. "Somebody stop that ball!"
"Rest assured, fair maiden, that Kor has the rear guard secured!" The archer of the Circle rushed to intercept the ball, digging it out before it could hit the ground. He sent it skyward once more, towards Muskateer.
"Okay, Night Owl, get ready for the spike of your life!" Muskateer redirected the ball towards the waiting Night Owl.
The super strong young woman reared back and struck with all her considerable might! "Heads up! Here comes a rocket to China!"
The volleyball shot towards a startled Jason. Acting more on instinct than anything, Terra Fire caused a giant hand to emerge from the ground to block Night Owl's spike attempt. However, he was a bit over eager in his defense. Jason's giant hand not only sent the ball flying back, it continued on through the net and smacked Night Owl to the ground!
"Foul!", Muskateer yelled as he went to assist his teammate. "Reaching over the net! Game over. We win!"
"Oops," Jason muttered, realizing what he had done. He willed his giant earthen hand away to reveal an unharmed Night Owl. Reaching out, he offered his hand to assist Night Owl back to her feet. "Sorry about that."
"No problem. Takes more than that to hurt me," Night Owl offered with a grin. "That was one handy move."
"Oh brother," the Scarlet Sabre groaned upon hearing the bad joke.
"How about best four out of seven?", Felina suggested.
"They're all gone," Charcoal told Gladiator. "As near as we can tell, Howler, Daigon, Panda and Raccoon all left sometime late Thursday night or early Friday morning."
"I assume that we don't know how they left the island?"
"Nope. We don't allow night flights to or from the island and the teleporter is off limits. They had to leave under their own power as there were no ships in port at that time."
Gladiator held his chin, lost in thought. "Some of the pieces are falling into place. The Tigress suspected that Howler was up to no good and was keeping an eye on her. Howler recruits the others and they all fly away from the island. Logically, they met up with a ship with Tigress following them on the Jet Ski."
"She must have abandoned the Jet Ski and slipped on board the ship," Charcoal stated, finishing the line of reasoning. "She had the choice of either sticking with them or letting us know what was going on. And most likely lose track of Howler in the process."
"Our investigation has reached its conclusion," Gladiator simply announced. "Tigress is on her own."
Charcoal couldn't believe what she was hearing. She just had to object to this sudden decision. "We're not just going to abandon her, are we?"
"What else can we do? We do not know which ship the Tigress may be on nor do we know their destination. We have not the resources to search literally thousands of miles of ocean for her. Tigress got herself into this situation; she's either going to have to get herself out or somehow contact us. Until that time, we are helpless."
"I had a wonderful time," Jason informed Cassie as they walked along hand in hand. The pool party was long over and Firestar had taken Terra Fire back to Sanctuary Island via the teleporter. It was nearly midnight back on the East Coast, but only late afternoon on Sanctuary.
"Yeah, it was really great," Cassie responded and smiled. "We'll have to do it again sometime. I'm sorry that the guys were so hard on you."
Jason held up his hands for Cassie to stop speaking. "Don't worry about it. I realized that they were just trying to protect you. You've got some of the baddest big brothers and sisters on the planet!"
Firestar grinned at the remark. "They really do feel like family at times. It's made moving away from home easier."
"You know, I was really nervous about all of this, but I think it turned out pretty well. I almost wish that it wasn't over with so soon."
Coming to a stop, Firestar turned to look at Jason. "Unfortunately, it is. And I've got an early morning mission with the Avengers..."
"Oh, I'm sorry. You should have said something instead of letting me babble on like an idiot. It's difficult dealing with this time difference."
"You're selling yourself short, Jason. I don't think you're an idiot. You're a very sweet young man."
That comment left Jason speechless. He didn't know what to say or what do next.
Before anything could come to Jason's mind, Cassie leaned closer, stood up on her toes, put her arms around his neck and softly kissed his lips. Jason was startled at first, but finally returned the affection and put his arms around Firestar. He never imagined that kissing a girl could ever be so pleasant.
"Uhm, I should go," Firestar stammered out, slightly embarrassed and surprised by her own actions. She slipped out of Jason's arms and started back towards the Arrival Complex. "I'll see you in class Monday. Goodnight."
"Bye," Jason managed to get out before the young Avenger was out of earshot. He watched her depart until Firestar was completely out of sight. With a dazed smile on his face, Jason headed back to his bungalow, a noticeable spring in his stride.
Night had fallen on the Jade Princess. As casually as she could, Jessica had searched the ship for her missing friend, but the Tigress remained nowhere to be found. Bored by the conversation and more than a little tired, Tempest retreated to her cabin early. Jessica was a little surprised that she felt such concern about the situation.
"Erica?", Tempest whispered as she entered the cabin. But even without the lights, she could see that her small cabin was empty.
Concern etched on her face, Jessica prepared for bed. Her mind could only wonder what had happened to her friend. Turning the lights out, Jessica settled into her bunk.
"I wonder if this isn't all my fault," the young woman thought to herself. "Erica thought I was in trouble, that's why she stowed away. Now she's missing and I don't know what I can or even should do about it." Troubled, Tempest rolled over on her side and tried to sleep. "Erica-- where are you anyway?"
Epilogue:
It felt like there was a heavy fog on top of her, suffocating her. Woozily, the Tigress fought her way back to consciousness. The first thing she noticed was that her hand movements were restricted. Opening her eyes, she found that her hands were locked into heavy steel manacles. A thick chain was attached to the manacles that lead to a ring bolted into the metal floor. The chain was several feet long and did allow some movement. The heroine experimentally tugged at the chain, but it wouldn't give.
The room the Tigress found herself in was tiny. Half of it was filled by the cot she found herself upon. The walls were all drab gray metal. The most interesting feature was the door. It wasn't a regular door, but rather was more like a hatchway. Perhaps even hermetically sealed.
There was a tiny window port in the door. Rising from the cot, the Tigress approached the door. The chain on her manacles was long enough for her to peak outside.
Outside her cell was what looked like a laboratory of some type. Several men in white lab coats were busily working. On what, she had not a clue.
A chill went down the Tigress' back. This scene was all too similar to the time she had been held prisoner by GENOCIDE when her mutant potential had been originally unlocked.
Tigress moved away from the window and strained to free herself from her bonds again. She hated the feeling of helplessness that began to overtake her. After a few more futile tugs, she slid down to the floor of the cell, unsure of what to do next. Or what the future would hold for her...
