MV1 #3 SEPTEMBER Year 4

Previously: The mercenaries Ball & Chain attacked the office where Jimi "Purple Haze" Powell wanted to get a job at, but Jimi and Mark "Burn" Hayes, along with newcomer Greta "Still" Maugham. Over dinner, Mark proposed they should try to find more people like them, something the threesome (what? you were forgetting Ted "Seeker" Cleary?) hearing him accepted reluctantly.

Mark Hayes woke up, got dressed, grabbed a cup of java and sat in front of his PC. He shook his head slightly ("Note to self: never ask for Ted to do the grocery shopping, or at least warn him that decaf is prohibited in these grounds."), rubbed his eyes for the nth time and started typing. I never did tell you his profession, did I? He's a writer.

"Oh, that is SO cliche!"

Shush. I decide when to do cliches... and this is not the time. Mark writes fill-in freelance, works for a few mags here and there, nothing that really needs the guy to stay in a big city. He also does what he is doing right now: web design. I mean, he makes pages for companies and the likes. It's a business in expansion, you know.

"Damn coffee. No wonder Jimi made that face hen he drunk it."

Jimi... Jimi's not in the house. He's already gone to work. He's probably not very happy at having to work at Saturday, but he's the new guy, he's gotta do it. The other two, Greta and Ted, that duo is sleeping like a rock, each at their own houses. Well, actually, Greta is at her aunt's house, but that's besides the point.

Looks like this will be just another normal day.

As if I'd write it if it were...

A man wearing a brown trench coat leaves a building. It's not a regular building, and it's also not a regular man. He is superpowered... and he has a plan. His green eyes blink several times when he sees the sunlight. It's been a while.

When he finally gets used to it, he removes his hat, revealing to the sun a black mask with a "C" on the forehead. He mutters some witticism about being charged and powered.

"They are gonna welcome me as a hero when I get back."

Putting on the hat again, he walks towards the bridge to get out of NY City, the street empty but for cars and plaque saying... damn, I can't read it with this guy in front of it. As soon as he gets out of the way I'll read it to you, I promise.

Oh, shoot! He destroyed it. You blame this angry fellow for not knowing where he is coming from. Not me.

Ted Cleary straightens his shoulders and spine. He is always sitting totally weirdly on his chair, and it's starting to hurt. He looks around; the maid isn't home. His father and his mother... in a Saturday morning? They're working, that's for sure. So, what does he do? Invite hot babes and start a party? Cook lunch? Dance around the house wearing nothing but his father's trench coat and his mother's bra?

As much as I'd love to tell you it was the latter, what he did was to find the remote and turn on the television.

"And now, a special report from Channel 8 News, here in Clarksville..."

Hmm... this is getting interesting for Ted. Nothing ever happens in Clarksville. This week's attack to the offices of Sommerset's Building Contractor was very exciting, but mostly because of its rarity. So, Ted pays more and more attention to what the newscaster is saying.

Until he can bear no longer hear all of that and calls Mark "Burn" Hayes. The regular line is busy. Probably hooked to the Web. He calls his cell phone.

"Mark, I got a problem."

"Your parents are what?! Look, I'm going there right now. Stay home and... look, Ted, stay home. Ok. Ok. I'll see you there."

Mark turns the telephone off and looks to the man in front of him.

"Jimi..."

"Mark...?"

"At least I have better masks and clothes this time."

"Oh, no! It's Saturday noon, I've just had lunch after one heckuva long day of work. I'm not going to ..."

"It's Ted's parents, Jimi. We have to go there and save them. They're being held hostage in the bank by some guy calling himself Coulomb or something like that."

"*sigh* Should I call Greta for help?" Jimi said referring to Greta "Still" Maugham.

"Ted's already doing that. We'll just go there and maybe save the day."

Jimi sighs again. Does it ever end? Why would they hold Ted's parents hostage? Bank robbing is get in, get loaded, get out, Jimi knew that very well. Heck, he actually tried it once, when he was desperate to get a fix. Nobody took the then very scrawny kid seriously. He's glad he went through rehab, but that isn't what he is thinking about right now. What he is thinking is, well...

'This costume Mark got me better be good.'

"Listen up, you miserable lowlifes. The name is 'Coulomb', and you better believe I'm full of it," he said thinking everybody remembered yet that coulomb is the measurement of electrical charges "or else you know just what will happen to you."

Frightened, Martha and Peter Cleary hide behind a counter. They were there to negotiate with the manager about a loan and maybe talk to him about offering a dinner to the speakers, maybe get a few more votes to their cause. You know how lobbyists are, don't you?

Instead, what they got was a holdup that looked less and less like your usual holdup.

"You!"

Coulomb found them. He looks angrily at them. Does he know them?

"You were the ones in that protest! Oh, you..."

What protest? The anti-nukes one? The pro-choice one? There had been so many of them in the old days, and they never dropped them after they went into the background of politics.

"Oh, please, I... we have children." Peter Cleary said, trembling.

"Don't worry, scum. You will not die for now."

Oh, how merciful. But just what the hell does he want? That's what they wonder...

"Does it have to be in the rooftop, Mark? I'm cold."

"Then ya shouldn't have come, Ted.", said Jimi rather bitterly. He doesn't think Ted should be where he is. It's a dangerous situation, there's a super-villain there. Jimi can emit an acid haze, Mark can manipulate fire, Greta can make things and people stand still. And Ted? He can find mutants. Sense them a bit from afar, usually just identify them visually -- seeing them green. Not much good in a fight.

"They are my parents, Jimi! I have to be here."

"Any luck seeing if the guy's a mutant or not, Ted?" Greta asked politely, trying to calm the duo down a bit.

"He isn't a mutant, I'm sure of that. And I can't see what his power is from here, either. Can you?"

"Nope. Or even if he has any power."

"Right. I suggest we go in and save mom and dad."

"Shouldn't we make a plan?"

"Easy for you to say, Mark. It's not your parents there."

"Look, you know damn well that I like them! But it's just not right to go in without a plan!"

"They are my parents, dammit!" Ted looks at him angrily, gazing him directly in the eyes. After a few moments, he calms down.

"Can any of you think of a plan?"

"Maybe go thru the backdoor an' surprise the guy?"

"Good plan. Let's go." And pulling his friends, Ted goes in the direction of the stairways. At least the costumes they are wearing are practical. Jimi gets a set of clothes with a purple 'P' over a black background; Greta gets a pair of jeans and a shirt with a big 'S' for "Still" and Mark Hayes got himself... roll the drums... a spandex suit that leaves his arms bare, has a flame emblem that covers most of his torso and a full face mask. Right, everybody else is wearing a mask of some sort, and decent ones at that, not monster masks or ski masks like in last issue, but Burn is the only one that looks like, well, a superhero.

Only Ted is without a mask or a costume... yet. Well, maybe next time.

"Does he see us?"

"No, he doesn't. Jimi, your take?"

"Ya're asking me questions?"

"You've got more experience."

"We attack him without yelling?"

"I could paralyze him..."

"Wouldn't that be cowardice?"

"Ted's parents are in there."

"Ok. Why isn't Ted here anyway, Mark?"

"Because he is only a mutant seeker, doesn't have powers like we do. Now, shut up, and move when I say three. One... two... three!"

At the yell of "three!", Coulomb turns around and sees the threesome. A person like you, well, you would just laugh. But this guy lost his sense of humor in '92. He tries to move his hand to point at the three and feels he can't. I just stands still, if you catch what I mean.

Alas, he doesn't need to move. The grin that flashes through his face precedes a bolt of electricity that goes across the room and strikes a wall plug behind Mark Hayes. Part of his abdomen is now bare.

Greta realizes that using her powers to keep this guy still would be needless, and decides to do some life-saving. There are hostages in this building, you know?

Jimi looks at the effect and remembers Major Virtue's attack, and knows he is gonna be useless in this match. Last time he tried to use his Purple Haze against someone with powers like that, he almost got killed.

"Fools! Identify yourselves!"

"We are the... we are the... take this!" No, it's not their name. This is just Mark Hayes sending a fireball towards our villain Coulomb. He jumps left, grabbing a small metallic ball on his belt and throwing it at Still. She was distracted, poor thing, letting the hostages loose. Now there's just five innocents in the room, no longer the fifteen there were before. And yes, Ted's parents are still there.

Anyway, the ball is charged with electricity, and the shock stuns her for a few seconds. Just long enough for the villain to boast a lot about his supreme powers based on electrical charging. You know the drill, I'm not repeating it as much fun as it is not to read it. It'd be cliche this time.

And then it's time for Burn to attack him from the back. He ignites another burst of fire, but it doesn't reach him. The hurt is bad enough to make his powers less useful.

Coulomb turns around and prepares to strike him again.

Jimi Powell sneaks from behind.

He raises his hands in the air and pounds Coulomb heavily in the back of the head.

Coulomb falls on the ground.

"Move! Now!"

And the hostages exit through the front door, yelling something about more superpowered maniacs. The police waits ten minutes before going in, trying to negotiate. The other terrorist had demanded the mayor to be delivered to him. The sweating, tall, black man who holds that title had said "No way, Jose." to his aide. It was just enough time for both Coulomb and our team to exit the building through the front door, though not at the same time.

"Ma! Pa!"

"Son!"

"Teddy!"

Coulomb enters a room. It is large, and empty, and dark. Not much can be seen save for him and the man whom he walks to. They are both illuminated by a light from within. Coulomb is barely recognizable, without his costume on.

"George, you have failed me."

"I know, Master. I apologize."

"You know 'Master' is not how I must be called. Call me by what you must, and return to your quarters. Tomorrow, we will give you an appropriate punishment. Until then, leave me."

"Yes."

Coulomb leaves, and the man ponders for moments. (He'll pay for the destroyed plaque...) The next day, he will probably find out who Coulomb fought, and will probably want to do something about it.

But let us leave tomorrow for tomorrow.

"Did ya see that? Did ya?"

"Yep, Jimi. Saw it and heard it the three times you told us about it."

"Yeah, but did ya see my hands, and how that son of bitch fell? What did he want anyway?"

"The mayor."

"Very smart. He thought they'd give him da mayor?"

"Go figure. Your parents say anything about the guy, Ted?"

"Said he had recognized them from some political thing. Mom said he was Republican, dad said he was a poor soul that needed to be educated. They both said he was out of whack."

"Argh!"

"What is it, Greta?"

"Who drinks decaf?"

Next issue: Tradition must be felt somewhere! Next issue, they fight the more traditional kind of bad guy and some more cast members join.

Author's Ramblings

Well, I most certainly didn't blow you away with this one, right? C'mon, say it in my face: it sucked. Now, really, go ahead.

*silence*

*sigh*

Wait! Reader response arrived! Here it (some onlist reviews) is...

From Neil Gow

Children of the Atom #1 and #2 by Cisco.

A completely different book from anything I have read on MV1 before. Truly neophyte heroes in a small town situation, along with a reformed addict. Great characters and some interesting dialogue. Some things stick out. On the good side, Cisco has a very individual writing style and his ability to break down that fourth wall whilst narrating is very entertaining. Good touch. On the negative side, the characters speech could be referenced, as it is difficult to see who is speaking sometimes? Another question is the unanswered questions about the villains. Who is Major Virtue and where the Hell did he come from, and why? All in all, I had a pretty dark feeling after reading it - I'm sure things are going to get worse for these characters before they get better! By the way, my guess at the big secret between Burn and Seeker is that they are gay - and as gay mutants fear double prejudice?

Thanks for the compliments, Neil. So, somebody did figure it out. You'd probably think I'd be mad because this online review spoiled things, but I'm not, really. It was never intended to be a big secret that they are gay. About Major Virtue, c'mon, dear reader, now THAT would be telling. As for that dark feeling Neil... they're teenagers. When does it get any better? If you find out, tell me. Me and my buddies are dying to know :-)

From Sam Everett

CHILDREN OF THE ATOM #2 ("Flamin'" Francisco Araujo da Costa)--With the second issue of this unique-to-MV1 title, we get a pretty clear series concept, as Purple Haze, Burn, Seeker, and now Still decide to go out and find other lonely mutants like themselves. I like this look into the less superheroic side of the mutant population...this is where we see the true, and rather tragic yet noble underground nature of mutant society, and Francisco is conveying that quite well. My complaint with this particular issue was the overly light-hearted narrative that ran through the first two thirds of the issue--while it was done well, it seemed out of place int his particular title. Still, I'm sticking with this puppy because of this issue and because of Francisco's great concept!

*blush* See, Sam is a friendly guy? Do you read his stuff? Don't? Go and read, I'll wait.

Ok, now that you read it and came back, let me just answer to Sam's complaint: this is not grim and gritty, or dark and brooding. It's human. Sometimes it's more of something than the other. Heck, they're teenagers. Expect a massive 'journal' issue soon. Or maybe not...