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#1 NOV '99 |
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Forearm: Formerly a long-time M.L.F. member (now on leave), Forearm possesses an extra set of arms, as well as super-strength. |
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Tempo: Another formerly long-standing member of the M.L.F., Tempo has the mutant power to twist time - either slowing it down or speeding it up. |
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Dragoness: Member of the second generation of the M.L.F., Dragoness has recently returned to the team's ranks. She possesses the ability to fly, as well as generate bio-electric 'stings'. |
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Locus: A mutant teleporter, Locus can 'port to anywhere she's already been before or, if she has a passenger, wherever he or she has been. After being captured by the witch Pandemonia and finding herself under the witch's sway, Locus freed herself and disappeared. |
Editor's Note: This story takes place during events in Avengers West Coast #1.
Thick smog hung over the city of Los Angeles like a dark cloud, making the sunlight hazy and strained. A passenger plane descended through the thick cloud and touched down at the Los Angeles International Airport. Many of its passengers were happy to get off of the plane, thanks to a long trip from New York to Chicago to Los Angeles.
Three of those passengers were especially happy: Heather Tucker, Michael McBride, and Tamara Kurtz. Otherwise known as Tempo, Forearm, and Dragoness, formerly of the Mutant Liberation Front!
"I swear," Dragoness spat, exiting into the waiting area. "If that kid kicked my seat one more time, I was ready to kill him." Pulling out a hair tie, Tamara pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail. "His dad was kinda cute, though."
Tempo sighed. "Is that all you can ever think of, Tamara? Sex?"
"Yep."
"We have to go this way to pick up our bags," Forearm interjected, pointing toward a set of escalators. The young man's thoughts had weighed heavily on him, ever since he and the others had left the M.L.F.
The trio had spent a few months hiding out in upstate New York before deciding upon heading out to California for a fresh start. They had four bags between them, and only one of them was his. Fortunately, he had brought along an image inducer... a large coat probably wouldn't hide his four arms for long.
(at the end of the M.L.F: New Breed Limited Series - Adam)
Dragoness looked around, spotting a small group of well-built men standing close to the doors. She broke off from her companions and wandered over to the men, putting on her best 'you can't possibly resist this' show. Forearm and Tempo continued down the hallway towards the baggage claim, not realizing that Tamara was gone.
"Here," Forearm said, double-checking the flight number. He caught sight of his bag, followed by the other three bags. Reaching out, he picked up two of the bags, leaving the other two to his two companions. When one of them continued around the belt, he noticed that Dragoness was gone.
"Where's Tamara?"
"She's right--" Tempo paused, realizing that Dragoness was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, breaking through the crowd, came Tamara, a small slip of paper in her hand. "Where have you been?" inquired Tempo, looking at the slip of paper quizzically.
Dragoness smiled. "Getting phone numbers." She held the piece of paper up, showing the others a small list of six phone numbers. "I love California."
"Let's get going," Forearm said, his mood souring. They were wanted mutant fugitives, and all she could think of was getting phone numbers? He would have to watch her, make sure she didn't get into... or cause... any trouble. "We still have to find a hotel room and start looking for a place to stay."
A thunderous booming sound caught the trio's attention, and indeed the attention of everyone on the airport concourse. Looking out one of the windows, Forearm saw a plane sailing through the air. He realized with shock that it wasn't really flying... a fact that was corroborated when the airplane slammed into the ground and burst into flame.
"What the... ?" Tempo murmured, watching another plane explode upon impact. The airport's crew, mostly flag-wavers and mechanics, were rushing across the tarmac, desperately trying to avoid bits of showering debris. A small band of little yellow men suddenly appeared, each of them grasping spears. "Good lord! Martians!"
An airplane broke through the cloud of smog, heading towards one of the runways. From nowhere came a massive monster, bellowing at the top of it's lungs. The creature reached up, snagged the plane from midair, and slammed it to the ground.
Forearm's eyes grew wide. "All those people... "
"So what?" Dragoness said, tucking the slip of paper into her pocket. "Probably just a plane full of flatscan feebs, right? No reason to cry."
Forearm glared at his companion, then set his bags down in front of the window. "We have to help those people." Throwing his coat off, Michael deactivated the image inducer. The people crowded around them looked on in astonishment. Rearing back, Forearm shattered the window and jumped down to the ground.
Shaking her head, Tempo jumped through the ragged hole after Forearm. Dragoness waited a few moments, debating the merits of attacking a four-story tall monster, then flew out into the warm day.
Sweat beaded on Forearm's forehead as he ran. He was closing in on the monster, but was suddenly struck with doubts. He was strong, to be sure... but was he strong enough to attack THAT?
A spear sailed through the air, clattering to the ground a few inches in front of Forearm. Sliding to a stop, Forearm looked over to see the small group of yellow men staring at him. Tempo appeared next to him, looking up at the monster.
"Heather," Forearm said, staring down the yellow men. Each of them were about four feet tall, and they all had small visors on. Who they were, Forearm didn't know. "You and Tamara take the monster. Do whatever you can to stop it. I'll take the midgets."
"Great," said Tempo sarcastically. She grabbed onto Dragoness, who had joined the pair, then headed towards the monster. It continued to rampage unchecked, smashing anything below it: airplanes, people, and baggage cars.
Forearm rushed the group of men. They simply stood there, their spears held in front of them, waiting for him to get there. Stepping out of the way of a jabbing spear, Forearm waded into the group and began throwing little yellow men this way and that.
Taking to the air, Dragoness flew up to the creature's eye and blasted it with a massive bioelectric sting. The monster roared in pain and anger, swinging a hand at Dragoness.
Tempo reached out with her powers and slowed time around the monster until it was almost at a complete stop. The hand hung in the air, moving so slowly that it didn't appear to move at all.
"Blast it... again," Tempo called out, straining.
Dragoness hung in the air, gathering up all of the energy that she had. Exploding with energy, she sent the creature toppling to the ground. The impact sent shockwaves across the flattop, knocking Forearm and the little yellow men down.
Jetting to his feet, Forearm swung with everything he had, knocking out all of the yellow men. He turned toward Tempo and Dragoness, and saw the monster stirring. Apparently Dragoness' blast hadn't been enough to stop the beast.
"We could use a little help here," Dragoness called out, zapping the creature with small blasts as it got to its feet. The monster shook it's head and growled, staring down at Dragoness. "NOW!"
Forearm took a step forward, but an intense pain shot up from his leg. He fell forward, his head throbbing. Looking down, Forearm saw one of the little yellow men's spears jutting out of his thigh.
"Great," Forearm muttered.
The air crackled, and suddenly a massive portal opened up. Looking to the sky, Tempo saw a former teammate pop out of the portal, grinning from ear to ear.
"Ask and ye shall receive," the blond woman said, landing on top of the monster's head. Another portal opened up around the woman and the creature, and just as quickly as she had appeared she was gone.
"Was that--?" Dragoness began, rubbing her eyes.
"Locus," finished Tempo, not quite believing what had happened.
A portal opened up in front of Tempo, and the former M.L.Fer known as Locus stepped out. She smiled thinly, her blond hair whipping in the wind generated by the portal. "That was fun!"
"Locus?" said Dragoness. "We haven't seen you in a long time."
Locus nodded, looking around Dragoness. She noticed Forearm, who was still lying on the tarmac. A small puddle of blood had gathered around him as he tried to loosen the spear in his leg.
"Reunions can wait," Locus said, walking over to Forearm. "Hello, Michael. Looks like you could use some help."
"You could... say that."
Whipping up a portal, Locus looked up toward Dragoness and Tempo. "Coming?" Locus asked. "I know a great doctor who could help Mikey out. Real hush-hush stuff, y'know, so don't worry."
"How did you know we were here?" inquired Tempo.
"I didn't," Locus replied. "The entire city is under attack. When I heard the airport was under attack, I thought I'd head out here to see what I could do to help the monsters out, wreak some havoc, y'know." Locus smiled. "But you were here, so I figured I could give you a hand."
"Gee, thanks."
Locus' smile grew. "Any time. Coming?"
Dragoness and Tempo gathered around Locus and Forearm. Locus closed her portal, and with that the small group of ex-M.L.Fers were gone.
In the airport, a lone man stood at the shattered window, Forearm's luggage at his feet. He watched as the yellow men stirred and, with great precision, dug a hole in the asphalt. In a few moments, they had all jumped into the hole, and were gone.
"Interesting," the man whispered, looking down at the suitcase at his feet. Crouching down, he ran a hand over the material and smiled. "I can use those three, I think. As soon as Locus returns them to Hawaii, my plans can truly begin to move forward."
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Locus: A mutant teleporter, Locus can 'port to anywhere she's already been before or, if she has a passenger, wherever he or she has been. After being captured by the witch Pandemonia and finding herself under the witch's sway, Locus freed herself and disappeared. |
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Christopher Aaronson: The elder brother of Jesse Aaronson, otherwise known as X-Force's Bedlam, not much is known about this mutant. |
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Karma: Xi'an Coy Manh can take control of other people's minds, effectively controlling their reactions. Any physical attack on the people she's controlling can hurt her as well. Xi'an recently helped X-Force defeat Selene, and hasn't been seen since. |
Walking on the hot sands of Oahu, Locus sighed contentedly. The bright sun beat down on her mostly bare skin, adding to the already considerable tan she had aquired since escaping Pandemonia and X-Force. She had never been to Hawaii before, so why not take a vacation?
A pair of men walked by, gave Locus a lookover, and grinned heartily. Locus continued walking down the beach, a small smile on her face. Suddenly, she decided that she really liked Hawaii.
"Hello there," came a voice from behind her. Locus turned around, finding herself face to face with the most gorgeous black man she had ever seen in her life. He smiled casually at her, his eyes sparkling brightly. "I couldn't help but notice you as you passed by my house," the man continued, nodding toward a large house set away from the beach, "And I absolutely thought that I had to meet you."
"I ... I'm flattered," Locus stammered, extending her hand. The man grabbed it, raised it to his mouth, and gently kissed it. Locus, her cheeks burning, quickly withdrew her hand. "I didn't even... see your house. It's nice."
The man smiled. "Would you like to come take a look inside? I'm trying to find someone to pay the rent while I'm away on... business... for the next few months," he said, taking Locus by the hand. "Perhaps you would be interested?"
Locus didn't say anything, allowing herself to be drawn into the man's house. The pair passed an odd-looking girl with purple hair, who was dusting the bannister just inside the door. Locus gave her a sideways glance, swearing she looked familiar, before being pulled into the living room.
"Pardon the mess," the man said, waving his hand around the immaculately-kept room. A pile of magazines and newspapers sat in the middle of the room, but the place was otherwise clean. "My... maid, and I have been reading up on the California news."
"Oh?"
"Yes," the man said, pulling Locus into the kitchen. The girl with the purple hair followed them, brushing at the walls and tables with her feather duster. "I find it fascinating, if you ask me. Such a land of contradictions."
"I guess... " Locus said, slowly coming to her senses. Why in the world was she in this guy's house?
Still smiling, the man brought her out to the back of the house, which was dominated by a massive swimming pool. Letting go of Locus' hand, the man went over, crouched down, and felt the water. "Warm, as always," he commented, standing tall again.
"Um... Mr... ?" Locus began, trying to tell the man that she should leave.
"Of course!" the man chuckled, slapping himself on the forehead. "How silly of me. My name," he continued, stepping closer to Locus. The girl with the purple hair appeared at his side, smiling thinly. "Is Christopher. Christopher Aaronson."
Locus looked back and forth between Christopher and his maid.
"And this," Christopher said, laying a hand on the girl's shoulder, "Is my maid, Xi'an. Xi'an Coy Manh. She's new around here, but she does such a good job." Grinning, Christopher slapped Xi'an on the shoulder. "Show the young miss what a great job you can do."
Without warning, Locus felt a stabbing, burning pain in her head, as if her mind was being invaded. Too late, she realized that she was under a psychic attack by the girl, Xi'an. She fell to her knees, clutching her head, and let out an ear-piercing scream.
Just as quickly as it had happened, it was over. Her head cleared, Locus got to her feet. She smiled at Xi'an, then turned her attention to Christopher. "Well," Locus said, sliding her hand over Christopher's shoulder. "Where do we begin, boss?"
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