MV1 #4 OCTOBER Year 4

Previously: When Seeker's parents were being held hostage inside a bank by the villainous Coulomb, Burn, Still and Purple Haze had to get in and save them. The villain escaped, returning to a secret a hideout and reporting to a boss, while the foursome saw some tension build.

"What the hell do you mean I'm being towed?"

"Sorry, bub. That's the way it is." The hairy and thick-bodied man in front of Mark Hayes looks at him with an ironic smile. He gets satisfaction from his job, it's obvious. What a sadist, letting a man stranded in a city where he knows nobody save his editor (who is not exactly in love with him, if you know what I'm saying...) and a few colleagues, the latter not so well... Wait! He knows someone, and he even has her number.

"Greta? Mark here. I'm in front of the PQS building in Manhattan, and my car just got towed... what do you mean junk? It's only seven years-old! Anyway, it's getting kinda late and I have not enough money to... you will? Thanks. Wait! How do I get to your place by cab?... Ok, so I have to ask him to go to the twenty-eighth with the... not the twenty-eighth?... Yes, I know where the subway is... Thanks."

Putting his cell phone in his pocket, Mark strolls down the stairs of the subway station thinking about Ted Cleary. Yes, he could easily find a way to go home, but asking Ted to come to New York, maybe go out and find a mutant or two, make some new friends... It all attracts him much. Thinking about it, he gets the cell phone and dials.

"Ted, I just had a little problem with my car. Do you think..."

And I'll just cut to the chase.

In the Cleary's residence in Clarksville...

'Yes! New York, baby. How am I gonna convince my parents? It's Friday night. They'll let me. They always let me. Should I take Jimi with me? No way. Mark's been spending way too much time with Jimi lately. What's up with that? No way Jimi's coming with us. Stupid power he has. Purple acid... bah! Mine is much better. Tracking down mutants, now that's a power! Seeing them green and feeling them... that's useful. Well, not in combat, but... Besides, I'm sure Jimi has a class tonight, and work tomorrow. Should I tell Jimi what I found out about his powers? Of course. Next time I see him. No way he can go to New York City tonight. No way.'

And thinking that, Ted "Seeker" Cleary puts the telephone down, turns off the TV and goes to his room. On his nightstand, the picture of his loved one comforts him for a second, and then he feels a tingling.

"Nah, no mutants around here. Maybe I should get an aspirin."

If he had looked to the right, he would've seen a green shadow scurrying by.

Back to New York City, in Greta's apartment...

"So, this is your place."

"Yep. I'll get some coffee. You want milk on it or...?"

"Anything with caffeine is fine, thanks."

Mark Hayes sits on the couch, and looks over his shoulder. Greta's slim figure disappears behind a closing door and he looks around for a remote. Under the couch, behind the telephone, on the coffee table... until he slaps himself. There's no TV. Thinking twice, there's no sign of parents either.

"Greta, what about your mom?"

"She's home."

"Where? I never did get a chance to meet her back in Clarksville."

"Apartment 2B, down the hall the last door to the left."

"Huh?"

"I live here, she lives there. I wanted to move out, and she proposed this. It's nice. Independence, responsibility. I still get to steal her cleaning lady and make her do my laundry, but without her on my ear. And if I want a guy to visit me..." She said those last words with her head sticking out of the kitchen, and with a seductive half smile.

"Err... hum... well, it must be real good. I left home when I was just seventeen when my parents found out what I am. I already had enrolled on college, so a few years and I dropped. Now I..."

"Your parents are prejudiced, uh? Here's the coffee."

"Thanks. Yeah, they are. But I have a nice life in Clarksville nowadays and..."

DING DONG

Saved by the bell.

"We'll continue this afterwards, Mark. I'll just the door, it must be Bruno and Amanda."

"Who?"

"Friends. We're going out tonight, to the bowling alley."

"Bowling alley?"

"Yeah. You brought your costume?"

"Hum.... Yeah. Well, Ted is coming here to pick me up and maybe ww coul --"

"With his parents?"

"Not really."

"Can he come with us?"

"Yeah, I think so. He's not such a good bowle--"

She sticks her head out of the window and yells "I'm going, Bruno, I'm going!" and opens the door. Man, this woman never stops.

"Be right back, Mark."

She exits, he sighs in relief. That was close.

Clarksville bus station...

"Ticket, please?"

"Here you go."

Ted Cleary lays his head to rest. It doesn't take a long time to get to NY, but he wants to be relaxed. Mark called him, and his mother let him go. "I'm going with Mark, ma." and he was allowed. He feels his gym bag -- extra set of clothes, so he they can go out at night, plus a quasi-costume he had made for himself --, and thinks tonight he may just get lucky.

Thinking and feeling that, he doesn't look to the right, through the window, to see a man looking directly at him, his lit cigarette almost finished. He doesn't feel the man as the stranger blows the cigarette smoke and exits rapidly from the station to his car, as the man knows he'll have to pick up by himself the missing one at night. He feels none of that.

Back to Greta's place...

"Mark, these are Bruno Woolcot and Amanda Shephard."

"Hi."

"Hi."

"Pleasure to meet you."

"It's mine, really."

"Y'know, Mark, they're superheroes."

"Greta!" the couple says together.

"It's alright, man. He's with us."

"I'm not a... I don't think I should be... I mean, I'm..."

"Well, we really ain't superguys either. She's just saying that 'cause the last party we went we sorta stopped a few muggings."

"It felt good." Amanda remind her boyfriend.

"It did, but..."

"Oh, did you bring your costumes? Ooh. Now THIS is a costume." Greta says looking at Mark.

"Yeah... But why the hell do we need a costume to go bowling?"

"Who says we're going bowling tonight?"

"You did!"

"Greta, I thought we were going to the Pinhead."

"It's a bowling alley, remember, Pinhead?" Greta Maugham says to Bruno.

"Yeah, but we go there to dance. Nobody bowls at the Pinhead."

"I know, but it doesn't change tha--"

"Hello? You guys still didn't say why the costumes."

"It's a costume party. What did you think?"

" *sigh* Forget it."

DING DONG

"Must be Ted. I'll get it."

Greta exists through the door, hastily as if her namesake, Still, meant nothing. She never keeps still, it seems. Mark looks at Amanda and Bruno. She is a redhead, but he doubts it's natural. She is grabbing Bruno's arm, and it looks very strong. They kiss, Mark looks to the other way. An awkward silence.

"So..."

"So..."

"You guys want coffee?"

Back to Clarksville, outside the night school...

Head down, Jimi "Purple Haze" Powell is feeling kinda lonely getting out of the school and walking home. Home. He barely knows if he can call Mark's place his home. His powers seemed not to work very well the last time he used them. The fog was... light. Very odd.

Looking up, he sees two adolescents in a corner. They wear torn out clothes but extremely new tennis shoes. He doesn't even have to, or want to, get close to them to know they have marks on their arms because of syringes. Jimi sighs. People like those kids... he was once one of them. One day, maybe, someone could help them. Take them to rehab. But he doesn't feel like that person could be him.

He's not a hero, after all.

Not far from Greta's place, in "The Pinhead" bowling alley and nightclub...

Ted enters the bar, with Amanda, Greta, Bruno and Mark. He doesn't go out much, and the sight is impressive for him. Two floors, completely crowded. A costume party it is, but not everyone is in costume. The five are. Masked, even. Amanda in black, Bruno is barechested and with a cape (it's beyond me why he would want to wear a cape, but he is wearing one), Ted is wearing green and white. Mark and Freta y'know from last ish. No need to recap that. Right?

The five go walking among the crowd, keeping themselves in a line the best they can, and as two Catwomen walk beside him, Bruno greets a guy. Dressed as a girl. With two tennis balls in his blouse. But that's besides the point.

"Seen better ones."

"I know, Mark, but this one close to home. Besides, Amanda is a sucker for costumes."

"Am not!"

"Is too!" says Bruno. The boyfriend smiles knowingly... ah, kids.

"I like it. Where's the dance floor?"

"There's one over there, Ted, and the other is past the bowling alley."

"You guys wanna bowl?"

"Later."

And saying that Amanda takes Bruno's hand and they go sliding through the crowd, shaking her hips and shoulder. Greta calls Mark to the dance floor, and he signals for Ted to come too.

'Must the kid always tag along?' thinks Greta.

The band starts playing a heavy metal version of "Bring back my bonny to me". Yes, it exists.

"You dance very well, Mark!"

"What?"

"I said you dance nice!!!"

"Thanks!"

"What?"

"Thanks!!!"

No point staying around them dancing if it's gonna be a shouting session. Let's just have an interlude and skip to something better.

"I love this song!!!"

"Yeah!!! Which is it?!"

"Purple Haze!" And Jimi looks to the right "You better come with me."

The thought of "I'm screwed, and Mark's gonna pay!" races across his mind and he tries to run away, but the man who called him from a car is faster than he thought possible.

A few hours later, at a table...

"You are a true noctivagant, aren't you Amanda?"

"What?"

" Noctivagous. A person of the night. Y'know."

"Yeah, in more ways than one. I like doing these things."

"That's my girl. Dances like nobody's business." Bruno says holding her and kissing her right cheek. Mark doesn't quite get why she is in more ways than one, but go figure.

Ted comes back to the table. He gets closer, with an undisguisable smile on his face. He gets closer to Mark and says... well, he shouts, the music is still very loud: "They said they're game."

"They did?" Mark says getting up from the chair. "Well, guys and gals, I'd tag along, but it seems that there's much to do elsewhere. See ya in the exit."

Mark walks through a doctor dancing with a bride and a demon-lady (her trident hits him accidentally) and gets to a woman dressed in leopard skin. Well, not much of it, anyway. She is accompanied by a woman in a can-can dancer dress. They are not seen for the rest of the night, if you know what I mean. Ah, I'll say it with all the words. The four went to make out somewhere.

"Guess you didn't nail that one, eh Greta?"

"Shut up, Bruno."

He in turn gets back to Amanda, and starts doing their little share of make out. Greta looks around, sighs thinking 'You think you can tell, but you just can't.' and sees something she likes. Jim Johnston is his name, and he seems alone. He's not in costume, but he's dancing. He smiles, she smiles, and for the rest of the time in the nightclub nobody's alone.

In the line to pay the check...

"Maybe we shouldn't walk home."

"C'mon, Ted, it's one block. What could possibly happen?" says Greta.

Much.

"So, Bruno, I was thinking, Ted and I are looking for others like us--"

"People with sup--"

"Yeah, but don't speak up. We dunno the crowd around us. You think you two would...?"

"Well, I am. I kinda like doing it." Amanda says.

"It's in the blood of my honey. Anyway, Mark, was she good?"

"Who?"

"The girl you scored with, dammit! Was she?"

"Well..." he says with a nervous half-smile.

They pay up and start walking. The crowd is all going to the right, and they are the only turning the street to the left. Far away, they see something. Something big. Maybe. It's hard to see.

"Can you see it, Amanda?"

"No. Let me use my powers." Concentrating a bit, her eyes become completely black and the form out there, near... hum, that's a bank he's trying to get in... well, it starts to disappear. And stand out in the same time. Light goes its way, but it doesn't come back. A really big black spot is formed, as if the night had walked into it. Him, into him.

"A true 'Noctivagant' you are."

"I told you."

Unfortunately, the man she used her powers at notices it. He starts to come their way, and Mark gets ready to use his powers.

"Nobody messes with Backbone, you idiots!" And the man throws the bumper of a Mercedes Benz in their direction. Greta instinctively uses her power to make it move slower, but she's not completely sober and it doesn't move much slower. Bruno sees it's coming his way and uses his power. His torso changes shape and becomes as if it was a huge ring. The bumper goes through him.

"Bru... I mean..." What's Mark gonna call him. They are all in costume, Bruno is even masked, and the guy probably doesn't know him, but he cannot risk. Amanda he'll call 'Noctivagant', he has decided it already. He has to call Bruno by a codename. "Shape"? Probably taken... Changeling? What sort of name is that? He knows it! "Format! Get down!"

Mark releases a fireball that strikes the hugely built Backbone. He howls in pain, his black ski mask ripping partially open with the extreme jaw movement. Fortunately, the ball goes through Bruno, not hitting him close.

"Dammit, Mark, you almost hit me!"

"I told you to get down! And, in battle, call me 'Burn', Greta 'Still' and Ted 'Seeker'."

"Man, that's so ridiculous."

"Just do it, dammit. And get down!" He says when Backbone tries to throw a punch at the arguing duo. Ted and Amanda, who don't have offensive powers, whisper something to each other, while Greta keeps, with much effort, the villain still for a few seconds. But she can only hold in for seconds.

"Still, make him slow if you can't make him stop!" Ted yells.

Mark starts to concentrate so he can make more fire to attack Backbone, but the villain strikes him in the arm. Lucky him he was moving with less speed. Else, his arm would probably be shattered.

Wait a minute. Ted yells? Yep. He's got a plan. He goes in front of Backbone. The man is huge, but he is still not so tall that Ted can't reach him. He stands there, trembling with fear in the inside. The man in front of him is a mutant. He can see it with his powers. And do you know what he does?

He throws a tennis ball up. Don't ask me how he got it from Bruno's friend's blouse, but he did. Backbone looks up at the ball, as a pure reflex. Sneaking behind him, Amanda jumps and slaps him strong in the ears and he falls to his knees.

"Go! Go! Go!" And they head to Greta's apartment.

Back at said apartment...

"Is this what you are inviting us to, Mark? This sort of 'superstuff'?" Bruno says with a look of discontempt.

"Well, they won't be all bad. You won't be drunk when you do it."

"Well, I'm in."

"Amanda, dontcha think--"

"I said I'm in."

"Well, as long as you are in..."

"Mark, does that hurt?"

"Not really, Ted."

"Still, maybe you should go to the hospital and..."

"I'm fine, Ted!"

"No need to yell." Ted says, slightly angry.

In the apartment across the street, a man watches the group with binoculars.

"I need more, but there's no time. You will have to do." he mutters to the man by his side.

Next issue: Who the hell is stalking Seeker and the others? Who's with him? What secrets does Seeker keep from the others? Ah, you already know, don't you? But they don't. All find out next issue, as we come in contact with a new mutant.

Author's Ramblings

Oh, I'm pretty sure you do not believe it is possible to win a fight the way they did. Certainly, it is preposterous... wrong! So much so, it has happened in real life. Really, it did. I even advise you try it if the opponent you are facing is way too big for you. As for how unbelievable you think such a party might be, all I can tell you is I'm in the issue (dressed as a doctor), as are a few friends of mine. Nothing like research...

Now, on with what little reader response I have.

Yay, Francisco,

I haven’t read the first two issues, but I enjoyed this one. It felt very like something out of Mall Rats, Clerks or Chasing Amy - without Stan Lee of course. And also without F-words in every sentence. And there was no Silent Bob. But that was the feeling I got from this.

Very original. Knows when to pull back from the in your face, talking to camera style of narrative. I think I will stop reading it if you ever do a Date for the Prom issue. That would be too cheesey. I would have to send my mutant coat-hangers out to scratch him to death. You don’t believe I have mutant coat-hangers? Throws open father’s trench coat and reveals he is wearing mother’s bra. Yikes! They were here this morning when I dressed.

See, Francisco? It’s catching. Can I have a walk on part in an issue? This is the sort of comic I could appear in, because it’s sort of catcher in the rye with shades of allie mcbeal.

Like real life, only produced, executive-produced, directed, and every episode written by the same, one guy. Scary thought? I liked it.

Send me more or this keyboard gets it.

Jim~ (Johnston)

Let go of the keyboard, Jim, nice and easy... the next issue is here. First of all, let me thank Jim for the private review and let all of you know his wish has been granted - he not only had a small part in this issue, he scored with a member of the cast! See where kissing up leads you, kiddies? ;-)

From Jeremy Roby

Hello Francisco. I'm a recent addition to the MV1 club. I've been lurking off and on for about a month now. I've been sampling series here and there at the site and since Children of the Atom just started up I decided to try it on. Here's my thoughts and reflections regarding the first two issues...

The Good: "Purple Haze" is a great homage. Plus, Jimi has a very cool and unique mutant power. I'd like to see someone at Marvel try to work something like that into their stories. No... the best they can come up with are Marrow and Maggott. Burn is your pretty average mutant, but Seeker's powers are very neat, also. Of course it comes in handy when trying to find mutants to team up with (which I'm sure will be happening in future issues). It beats Professor X and his Cerebro set-up.

The Bad: Captain Virtue was kinda bland as supervillains go. Of course he'll show up later and hopefully then you'll flesh him out more.

The Ugly: I realize first issues are tough - you have to introduce new characters, set up the plot, and somehow make it interesting and accessible enough for readers to follow. You did kinda just dump us in the middle of things and I was kinda put off by abruptness of the first issue. The second issue, however, was much better. I like the fight scene, and the introduction of Still. Now the story and the characters are becoming more familiar. At the end of the first issue I was kinda indifferent, but with the 2nd issue I can't wait for the next installment!

Good job and good luck in future issues!

Jeremy

Actually, it's Major Virtue... and yes, he will show up again. I promise. As for critics to the X-Men and Marvel... I sincerely prefer Shawn's X-Men over theirs. Adn yes, the first issues were just kinda 'there', and I'm afraid it'll be so until all the cast is rounded up (don't worry, only one more member to go). And one more incredible thing. Last but not least, good to see MV1 has new readers coming. Oh, and Jeremy only reviewed issue #1&2.