When Sparx Fly

(Sparx)
If I had dreamed it, I still never would've believed it. Then again, stranger things have happened. I looked towards the captain sitting in front of me; dang, he sure was thinking hard. Well, he should try surviving a full-scale assault once in a while. That certainly leaves a lot on your mind. We were heading to Hawk Haven, the SilverHawk base in Limbo Galaxy, to settle a totally new mess. It's also going to be my home for the rest of my career. I took out a creased picture from my pocket; it was one of me and my buddy, Keedra, AKA SandPheonix. Boy, we sure had a lot of fun times together. I can't believe he was gone. It only seemed like yesterday that I bid him farewell when he went on leave. Only yesterday when I first met him.

I had been stationed at Mars base when I first happened upon him. Talk about deep depression. He had been trying to recover from a break-up with a cute little 'Hawk from this galaxy. It turned out she was his Academy sweetheart and they were quite serious. At least, they were until her destiny came to play. Okay, so he wasn't the one for her. When he explained to me that she was grieving at the time, I tried to help him get over her. Taking someone to bed when they're in grief is not the way to start a relationship. Kee found that out the hard way. I would've made progress with him if it weren't for that dang brother of his. Just when I thought I'd gotten through to him, Qubo would nag him on and on about how he let 'valuable property' escape from him grasp. Look, I'm fond of Kee, but not of his culture, which treats women even worse than dirt. I thought it wouldn't get worse until Kee learned who his ex's true love happen to be when he found out about her engagement to a local army man in Limbo. He then decided to take some leave and think about what to do. When he returned, I never would've guessed that the Mob would slaughter everyone. But that's just what happened.

And we learned the entire story; Kee tried to stop his ex's wedding only to plummet himself to his own death. The Keedra who returned to Mars base happened to be his bro wearing special contact lenses. The only difference about those two is the eye color, and Qubo was able to blend in perfectly, which resulted in an attack by the Mob. They massacred everyone, except me (how lucky). I still feel bad about it; I only survived because Qubo wasn't prepared for me. Kee never told him about my little gifts, God bless him. Well, we learned something more interesting about Qubo; he's a small-time drug dealer and a trader in the double-S industry (the double-S is sex slave). He figured with big connections to the Mob, he'd have both businesses booming. I guess it's because of that I know that it's good Kee's relationship didn't last; that bastard Qubo had plans for her, and I don't mean dinner and a movie. I also hear he's got some bad-ass bodyguard, though I've yet to see his face. All I know is that Qubo has some serious payback due to him.

We're approaching Hawk Haven now. The Captain and I prepare to depart towards the base. As we approach, I started to get nervous. What other little surprises await us? I suppose it's good that I'm here; I hear they're a little short-handed in Limbo and could use some help. Good, we're in the hangar. Capt. and I walk off the ship and head towards the CO office. When we get there, I see something unexpected; a rickety old door. Wonderful. We enter, and I see an old man with a chrome skull sitting there. He and the Capt. salute. I quickly do the same.

"Commander." Capt. addressed.

"Captain." the Commander answered. "We got your message. So Mars base is in serious trouble."

"Yep." Capt. looked towards me and signaled me to come forward. "This here is Private Sparx, from the Mars base."

"Sir, it's great to meet you, sir!" I said, relying on protocol.

"Wish this were under better circumstances, Private." the Commander said. "Hear you lost a few comrades in the Mars base raid."

"Yes, sir. Only survivor, sir."

"So I hear. Well, when I first received news on this, I found it all quite interesting. The brother of one of our own, responsible for a total massacre. Did you hear he burned the rest of his family to ash?"

"Yes, sir. Terrible circumstance it is, sir."

"Don't worry; we'll get the ones who slaughtered those 'Hawks like cattle in a butcher's shop and make sure they wish they'd never thought about messing with the SilverHawks."

"Really looking forward to that, sir!"

"Good! Report to Sgt. SteelHeart immediately for training. I know you know the basics, Private, but we run things a little differently here."

"Understood, sir."

"Dismissed." I gave a salute and walked out the office. I heard about Sergeant SteelHeart from Kee; supposed to be tough as nails kind of gal. Hey, nothing I haven't already faced.

(Qubo)
It's good to be free. Free of my idiot brother Keedra and the rest of my putrid family. He was such a fool letting that lovely specimen get away in the first place. When he introduced her to me when he was at the Academy I could tell right away that she had great potential. I told him he should have made it a speedy courtship. I even would have helped them elope. But he insisted on taking his time. Well, where did that get him? Shipped back to Mars without that beautiful girl. Well, I planned on getting her back myself this time, with the help of my bodyguard, Inferno. I had word that she would be on her honeymoon at Tampur Beach in Mua country. One of her relatives owns one of the private beach houses there. The famous Master Quito. It shouldn't be hard to find her.

Hours on end and still nothing! How could a kin of someone famous be so hard to track down?! And it's not like she can blend in with all of these people; she is a lot taller than the average Mimian, after all. I started to tell that Inferno was feeling a bit antsy.

"Boss, I'm aching to roast somebody right now!" he shouted, flames bursting all over his body.

"Cool it, Inferno." I instructed. "I understand your frustration, but we have got to keep searching. She has to be here somewhere!"

"Can't we just get some help from that terrorist group we've been hearing about?"

"No, they're too biased and want her dead. I need her alive."

"Point. Those MATI creeps can be so prejudiced."

"I know. A good waste of product." We decided to keep searching, but Inferno decided to make the search faster by wrecking havoc all over the beach. Okay, so he's got initiative. His temper could use some work, though. "You idiot!" I snapped. "We're going to get noticed."

"Not to worry, Boss. I'll just make a little distraction to get us covered." And that's just what he did. A few little fires and we were outta there in no time. "Want me to pick up a couple of locals for the harem, Boss?"

"No. Tempting, but we have a schedule to keep." We were due for a meeting in Limbo with Mon*Star. "Then again, once we reach Limbo, let's make a little stop. I have an acquaintance to pick up first..."

(Cristol)
I had only been in jail for a few weeks, but I wanted out since I had been sent there. If only Keedra hadn't failed in his attempt to kidnap the tramp, I wouldn't have even been here. The judge had set my trial date for seven months after my arraignment. I couldn't take seven months without a manicure or a romp in the Jacuzzi with some fine looking thing! It seems my prayers were answered when a guard came to my cell to tell me someone had paid my outrageous bail. When I got out to the lobby, I saw Keedra standing there. But it couldn't be! He's dead! The Martian walked up to me and kissed me on the cheek.

"Long time no see, lovely one! Did you miss me?" Wait a minute! Keedra never flirted with me! He was too wrapped up in that little strumpet! That means this must be Qubo! I always get them confused. Now I remember. The eye color is different. "C'mon. Let's get out of here. You can thank me later."

He put an arm around my waist, rubbing his thumb up and down my side. Handsome, sexy, and a flirt. Boy was he suave. I couldn't wait to play catch-up with him.

(Qubo)
Women. I'll never understand how something so beautiful can have so little brains. Well, my dear little lady friend obviously has the least amount of brains of all. All she could talk about was that sweet girl. It's not that I didn't care, but her chatter was giving me a headache. If that was affecting me, then it's definitely gotta be getting to Inferno. He's has quite a short fuse.

"So," she continues. "What do you have planned for the little hussy?" That's when I started to grin.

"Why tell you, when I can show you." I simply said. And that's just what I did. I 'showed' her my plans over the next four hours. And she still wanted more! I had plans of making her my personal servant; she's perfect! I needed to conserve my strength for a bit, so I decided to let Inferno have a little fun with her. I gave him strict instructions to go easy, though (he can be a little rough), then left the harem chambers. About an hour later, I began smelling something burning. I rushed back to the harem chamber to find her dead. I immediately asked Inferno what happened.

"Well, Boss, I got a little excited, and I came right into her. My juice must've been burning because the next thing I know, she's like this, all burned up from the inside."

"Inferno...."

"Hey, it was an accident! Besides, there's more girls like her, right? What about that chick I snatched up from that school trip on Mars Colony last week? I know we haven't touched her, but..."

"Out of the question. That one's a gift to Mon*Star and it's vital that she remains chaste until we deliver her to his chambers. Is that clear?"

"Crystal, boss. So, do we dump the body or what?"

"Well she's certainly no use to us now, you fool! Damn it, and I had plans for her!"

"Didn't you tell me she has a daughter?"

"Oh, yes. I sure did. I'll get to that later. In the meantime, take the body and dump it on Fense. No one's likely to call the authorities there."

After dumping the body, we made out way to Brim*Star to present Mon*Star with his gift.

(Sparx)
Okay, here I am, getting the hang of things at Hawk Haven. SteelHeart's pretty cool, for a superior officer, and the other 'Hawks are just as great. At least, most of them are. There's this one guy--Moonstryker--who's just a pain in the butt. Sheesh, talk about your average playboy. "So, Sparx." he goes. "Where ya from?"

"Dakota." I answer. That got him a look.

"Home of the infamous metahumans, huh? Boy, I'd hate to be in your shoes. I hear the metahumans there were totally nutso!"

"They're not all bad."

"I hear that the gas that made them that way affected them most in here." He pointed at his head.

"So you're saying it affected their empty skulls? I say that's an improvement. Where were you eight years ago?" That got the rest of the room cheering and laughing. Ha, I still got it! "But I doubt it; those kids had problems way before the Big Bang was even heard of."

"Yea, sure." he says before sulking off. Dang, some people.

"Is he always like this?" I ask the guy in the cowboy hat.

"Unfortunately, yes." he replied. "But he has his moments. By the way, name's Bluegrass."

"Sparx." I say, shaking his hand. "I'd hate to chat and run, but I gotta go rest up. Patrol tomorrow."

"All righty. See ya, Sparky." 'Sparky'? Already, someone's giving me nicknames. Just great. As soon as I reach my quarters, I decided to call my best friend (the one before my SilverHawk days) and see how things are at home.

"Yo!" the face at the other end calls out. "Wassup?"

"Very funny, Richie." I chuckled. "Nice to see you, too."

"Hey, Virgil. How's it hanging?"

"Pretty good. I'm getting used to things in Limbo. Not too bad, if you don't count the food. Sheesh, it's a miracle here!"

"What, they actually serve cuisines in the army?"

"No, but I actually found someone who cooks worse than Sharon! Speaking of which, how is she?"

"Still flipping out. So far, we've got nada on the search."

"You're sure? Dang, I can't believe something like this would happen on a school trip!"

"Well, it did. So..."

"I'll call if something turns up here."

"Actually, I was wondering if you told your new 'Hawks about...you know..."

"Rich, I added 'former superhero' to my resume when I signed up for this, remember? I'll call ya tomorrow. 'Night."

"'Night, Virgil." I hang up and shut off the lights for some sleep. Sleepless nights are about one thing I don't miss from my previous occupation.

(Qubo)
Eventually, Inferno and I made it to Brim*Star. I was still pissed at him for killing my lovely playmate. But he was right. She does have a daughter. We were greeted by Yesman, who escorted us to the throne of the Planet Master himself. We had his pretty little present in tow. A little girl no more than seven years old. She was so delicate and sweet, I was sure Mon*Star would enjoy her company.

Well, when we got to Mon*Star, he first examined his gift, then ordered his two femmes to escort her to his quarters. He then said that he loved the gift and couldn't wait to try it out. But first, business. He wasn't sure about needing a second drug ring, but my other business caught his interest very much.

"Lord Ataka is a splendid pimp, mind you." he had explained. "But he's too restricting with his customers. He needs to open his market more, but you know these purists; anything outside the species is out of the question!"

"Well, don't you have your own pimp?" I asked.

"Yea, but with Dragor gone, his business has been slumping. I need someone who can hold a strong hand in this ring."

"That's why I'm here. Together, we can make trillions."

"I like your style. Tell ya what; get a ring going on Fense and I'll let ya have the first captured SilverHawk."

"Actually, there is one specific SilverHawk I have my eye on."

"Oh? And who would that be?"

"Sundance." That got quite a lot of groans and gasps from the rest of the Mob. I got responses like 'Your funeral' or 'He's doomed.' "Don't tell me your men are afraid of one little girl." I commented.

"Unfortunately, yes." Mon*Star replied. "But, they're even more scared of her new mate."

"How tough can he be?" Inferno commented. "One little swish and he's toast!"

"Hmm...I like your style, pal." Mon*Star said. "What's your name?"

"I'm not your pal." Oh by the gods! "And the name's Inferno, and I only answer to Qubo, not to furballs like you!"

"Inferno, watch yourself here." I warned.

"Tell me, Inferno." Mon*Star said. "You know a thing or two about weaponry?"

"Used to run wild on Earth when I was a kid. Any piece you show me, I know inside and out."

"Excellent! I like this guy already!"

"He's my bodyguard." I explained. "Has quite a history, and a talent."

"Oh really?"

"Show 'im." Inferno obeyed and launched a fireball at the ceiling. Mon*Star seemed impressed.

"Perfect! I should give you two an early award. Perhaps Astrala will keep you two company?"

"Uh..."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing; it's just that Inferno can get a bit...excited and his playmates often meet a deadly end."

"Put a few icebergs on him; that should keep him cool enough not to get...overexcited." I laughed at his joke, not knowing there was a little spy who was more than willing to tell the SilverHawks about my arrival.

(Sparx)
One day I decided to chill out in the rec room for some peace and quiet. Who knew I would walk right into the middle of some drama. It involved that punk Kyle, of course. He was getting screamed on by this pretty Bedlamian girl with black hair.

"Gods, Kyle! I can't believe I even bothered going out with you!" she yelled.

"What did I do this time?"

"What did you do? You totally embarrassed me in public! Did you really think I would be pleased that you made me stand up so you could announce to everyone in the restaurant that this was yours?!" she continued while pointing at her crotch.

"Aww, c'mon Lorie. Can't a man be proud of what he's got?"

"I am NOT the catch of the day, Kyle! And until you get that through your thick skull, you can forget about ever asking me out again!"

"Oh yeah? Well, fine then! Your loss!" That's when the jerk stormed off and the girl plopped down beside me.

"Asshole!" she mumbled. Well, when a pretty girl sits next to me, I just have to strike up a conversation. Now to lay on the charm!

"You said it." I answered. She got a little startled when she realized I was there. "So why's a nice gal like you hanging with the likes of His Royal Pain In The Ass?"

"I haven't the slightest idea." she replied. "By the way, name's Lorie."

"Virgil." We shook hands. "Most of the other 'Hawks call me Sparx, but you can call me anytime you want, ma'am."

"Oh...do you think you can just whisk me away while I'm so fresh from a break-up?"

"No, ma'am; but I do like a little bit of conversation with a pretty lady once in a while."

"Oh, there's plenty of lovely 'Hawks here."

"SteelHeart's got a man, Sapphire has issues and the last time I checked, the only other female 'Hawk just got hitched to some overprotective maniac (as one Kyle Dalister has pleasantly described). As you can see, ma'am, I have no enchanting woman to entertain with my words."

"Well, since all you want to do is talk, I guess I can oblige. At least SOMEONE in this galaxy is both an officer AND A GENTLEMAN!" Man, if Kyle's still in hearing range, then he's gotta be pissed. Oh, well; nothing he didn't deserve anyway.

Lorie and I had a pretty good conversation going when Sapphire came into the rec room looking for me.

"Sparx, you need to come with me to see the Commander right away."

"Why? What's goin' on?"

"That'll all be discussed when we get to his office."

I politely excused myself from Lorie's presence, but not before getting her phone number, and accompanied Sapphire to Stargazer's office.

When we got there, Stargazer gave me the 411 on what was going on. Tally just happened to be on patrol when he passed by Brim Star. He saw Qubo and his bodyguard there and they were talking business. I watched in eagerness as Tally replayed what he saw. There's that miserable bastard Qubo...wait a sec. A human redheaded male dressed in a scarlet suit was with him and introduced himself to Mon*Star as Inferno. Is that who I think it is? Great, just what Limbo needs!

"There's rumors that Qubo gave Mon*Star a little gift." Stargazer explained. "We're not sure what, but you'll need to search for whatever it is. I have a feeling you'll know it when you see it."

"Great." I replied.

"Commander," Sapphire started. "You want me to check the files for this Inferno character?"

"No need." I said. "Because you won't find him under that one."

"Oh, really? Know that clown?"

"Francis Stop, AKA Hotstreak." Oh, wait, he's got a new alias now! Duh! "Make that formerly known as Hotstreak. Whatever you call him, he's still the same pyrokinetic metahuman with a super-short fuse."

"How wonderful."

"Hey, live in Dakota as long as I have, see the sights, meet the metahumans." No need to tell them exactly how I knew Inferno, yet.

"Well, we already have news of one victim of this Hotstreak/Inferno character. Got a call from one of the locals on Fense about a dead body. A Bedlamian female. Even though Fense is just beyond the Light Year Limit, the victim apparently comes from our jurisdiction. Sparx, Sapphire, I want the two of you to go see if you can identify the victim. Take Moeba with you. Hopefully the victim will be in her database."

"Yes, sir, Commander! We're on it!" Sapphire and I saluted the Commander, met up with the Omnimorph, then we all headed to Fense to investigate the possible homicide.

When we finally got there, we met up with the caller from Fense. Turned out to be a cloaked Mykari female. She and Sapphire started talking in her native language. I'm guessing they know each other. Well, anyways, we followed her to the body, which was covered in a sheet and had two cloaked others on guard. Whoever they are, at least they have respect for the dead. They allowed Sapphire and Moeba to investigate the body. After a few minutes, Sapphire talked with the female (I'm guessing she's the leader) and those three left within the shadows. Creepy. I asked Sapphire what they said and what she and Moeba found out. All they said was that they'll be taking the body back to Hawk Haven to do a further study. The rest was need-to-know, and I didn't need to know, obviously. As we loaded up the body, Sapphire got a call from Stargazer. It lasted a few minutes, but I could tell she was getting pissed. I asked her what's up the instant she cut the COM.

"Some of the other 'Hawks went to Brim Star to investigate Qubo's little 'gift'." she explained. "Turned out to be an abducted human female. By the time they got to her, Mon*Star had already traumatized the poor thing."

"Will she be okay?" I asked.

"I don't know; I can't say for certain. Mon*Star's raped before and the victims always end up in the loony bin, if not the morgue." Oh, boy. She looks way beyond PO. "The SteelTwins are with her now, but gods know if they can heal the mental scars he's placed as well as the physical."

(Lorie)
I was relaxing at home when my phone rang. I thought maybe it was Virgil. Looked forward to talking to him. He seemed so nice, polite, and down to earth. However, the call wasn't from whom I expected. It was a call from Commander Stargazer.

"Lorie Minkh?"

"Yes, this is she."

"This is Commander Stargazer."

"Yes, sir. I recognized your voice. Why are you calling on me?"

"One of my officers is on her way to speak to you about a case we're investigating."

"A case? Well, what does this have to do with me?"

"Lorie, I don't know any other way to tell you this other than being straight. A body was discovered on Fense. The person has been positively identified as Cristol Minkh. I'm very sorry, Lorie."

I sat in shocked silence, the phone still at my ear. I could hear the Commander calling me, but I was so shocked I couldn't speak. I was finally able to make a sound. I screamed.

(Sapphire)
The instant the body had been identified, Stargazer sent me to check on Lorie. Sparx requested to come along, but I wasn't too sure he should, especially now. But he insisted that he would be of some help, so the Commander sent him along with me. I gave him explicit instructions to not do anything that would jeopardize the investigation. We shadow 'ported to her door. When I knocked, there was no answer. I got very concerned. My mother wasn't exactly great, either, but at least Lorie's cared for her...for a time. After a few moments, Sparx knocked down the door. A good thing he did, too, because we both found her unconscious. When I saw the sleeping pills in her hand, I feared the worst and the two of us got her to a hospital ASAP. Once she was settled in, I told Sparx to keep an eye on her. I don't know why, but I trust him on this one. I still kept close (just in case) and informed the Commander on what had happened.

(Lorie)
I wanted to die. As far as I was concerned, my life was over. My mother might not have been prefect (nobody is) but she was all the family I had on Bedlama. Yes, I finally knew who my father was, but I had no real relationship with him. He didn't show much interest in developing one with me anyway. And my cousin was so far away. I felt so alone. I had no one. At least that's what I though. I was so disappointed when I woke up in the hospital. Damn it, why couldn't they just let me die? When my vision came into focus I was someone sitting next to my bed. It took me a moment to realize it was Virgil.

"Hey, Lorie. Good to see you're awake."

"What's so good about it?"

"You're alive, aren't you?"

"That's my point."

"Oh, c'mon. Things can't be all that bad."

"Oh yeah? I just lost the only really family I ever had! My mother is dead and my father could care less if I was dead or alive!"

"Look, Lorie, I know you're hurting right now..."

"How could you possibly know how I'm feeling?"

"Because I lost my mother too."

"What?"

"You heard me."

"I...I'm sorry, I...I didn't know."

"Well, now you do."

"How...?"

"How it happened? It was ten years ago. Mom took me and my sister to the park for a picnic. It was so great. At least, it was until a gang fight erupted nearby. There were gunshots. A stray bullet hit her right in the heart. By the time police and medics came, it was too late. I still have nightmares about it."

"And you still deal?"

"I have to. I know she'd want me to make the best of things, and I'm sure yours would, too. She wouldn't want you to throw away your life like this."

"At least your father wasn't some chauvinistic traitor on death row and your mom wasn't a whore who tried to ruin your best friend's life by having her kidnapped and sold as a sex slave just so she could have the 'guy of her dreams'. You had no idea how pathetic she sounded when she told me she did it all for me."

"Uh...no. I kinda heard about all of that, though."

"Figures."

"Look, Lorie. I know you're hurting right now, and the pain of losing a mother doesn't truly go away. It can get all cold out there all alone." Upon hearing that, I started to cry. Virgil just held me and kept telling me it's going to be okay. I wasn't sure if I could believe that or not.

(Qubo)
During my stay on Brim*Star I decided to really get down to business. Mon*Star introduced me to his chemical expert, Glycerin. Very intelligent, and not half bad looking. He also introduced me to his first and only Madame. Her name was Echo. A breathtaking beauty to say the least. I was told she's the widow of the late Saurian Casanova. I hear she's very smart and dangerous. A very arousing combination in my book. I wanted to get better acquainted with both of them.

First I sat down with Glycerin to discuss the drug business.

"So, Qubo, I hear that you have come up vith a vay to make Liquid Love more potent, but vith out the cost going up. How is this done?"

"Using my special formula, of course. It's been selling very well on Mars. It lasts longer than the original formula."

"Hmmm...tell me more about this formula."

"Oh I will...how about we discuss it further in my personal quarters?"

"Are you propositioning me?"

"When dealing with a woman as lovely as you, I can't help myself." That made her blush. These human females are so easily impressed.

(Inferno)
While the Boss was doing his business with the Mob members, I decided to check out the sights on Bedlama. Usually, I stay with the Boss, but he gave me a few hours off, telling me not to worry and have fun. I plan to do both. I even took my new pal, Buzz Saw with me. However, he was a little bit jumpy the entire way.

"Buzzy, relax." I told him. "We're just going to pick up a few broads, wreak some havoc and have ourselves a cookout. It'll be fun!"

"Sure..." Buzzy replied. "We're going after consensual broads, right?"

"Yea, we'll do that." After I taste some volunteers. Oops! I crashed the limo into a building. Oh, great, a hospital. What the hell? I started lashing out a few fireballs just for the heck of it while Buzzy, now more confident, starts cutting everything in sight. What fun!

(Lorie)
The previous night Virgil had stayed with me at the hospital until I fell asleep. I thought that was so sweet of him. The doctor checked me out then said I could go home. As I was checking out of the hospital, I saw Virgil coming up to the desk.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Just came back to see how you were doing. So They're letting you go home?"

"Yeah."

"You mind if I escort you? I want to make sure you get home safe."

"That is so sweet of you! You've done so much for me already. You really don't have to do this."

"Oh, I insist."

I finally agreed to let him escort me home. That's when the emergency alarms began blaring.

"What's going on? Is there a fire?"

"I don't know, Lorie. I'm gonna check it out. Wait right here."

(Sparx)
Damn it, what the hell is going on? Well, whatever it is, it couldn't be too hard for me to deal with on my own, right? Oh, goody. Hotstr--I mean, Inferno was already causing trouble inside the hospital with a robot with buzz saws on his body. At least I know Francis hasn't changed a bit.

"Wha--a SilverHawk?!" the robot shouted. "Oh, great! How many of them are there?"

"Why don't you ask Stargazer," I taunted. "After I arrest you two for damages?"

"Eat metal, turkey!" Oooh! Big mistake.

"I don't think so." With that, I launched a little lightning bolt at the incoming buzz saws and safely removed them from the premises. "This is why they call me Sparx." I told the 'bot as I got him onto the wall, literally. Amazing at what magnetic abilities my powers have.

"What...what did you do to me?" he asked.

"What did I do?" I said. "I put a shock to your system." That got some gawking out of him. A few moments later, I got tackled by Inferno and pinned to the floor.

"I knew I recognized you from somewhere..." he hissed. "Static."

"Oh, how sweet! You remember me... Hotstreak." I pushed him right off of me with a jolt, but he came back up.

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm Inferno now, and there's no way I could forget the punk who kept putting me in jail."

"Yea, yea, whatever! Tell ya what; tell me where your boss is and I might convince the Commander to go easy on ya." One big fireball told me that was a definite no. Hasn't changed a bit.

(Lorie)
Things got pretty scary when the security team began to evacuate the building. I had no idea what was going on. I didn't know if there was a fire or some other kind of emergency. On my way to the nearest exit, I saw Virgil mixing it up with some crazy looking guy shooting fireballs from his hands! Now, I've seen a lot of strange things in my life, but nothing like this!

(Sparx)
Well, here I am. Confided space, chaos is dominant and my arch nemesis is ready to do some serious damage. Just like the old days. I thought this would be easy, but then again, since when is this ever easy? During the fight, Inferno smirked, like he was up to something (which is usually the case). He then blocked one of the emergency exits with a fireball. Oh no! Lorie!

"Well, well." he started. "Look what we have here? I wonder if she's as good a whore as her mother?" That totally made me snap, especially when I saw Lorie collapse. I can deal with pushy metahumans, but this is crossing the line. I immediately tackled the bastard into a wall, seemingly knocking him out.

(Lorie)
I had no idea who this guy was, but apparently he knew my mother. I didn't want to hang around to get acquainted, so I ran for the nearest exit. That was useless because he blew up the exit! The explosion knocked me off my feet. When I was able to regain my bearings, I saw Virgil slam that perverted nut into a wall.

"I'd love to stay and watch the fight, but I gotta go!"

Turned out that guy wasn't knocked out after all. He blasted the ceiling a few yards in front of me, causing it to collapse. He had me trapped in there!

(Sparx)
Okay, now this is getting ridiculous. First the possum act, now this? Is it just me or is Inferno becoming worse than usual? Luckily, he blew up the ceiling, which means I can escort him to a more secluded area so people don't get hurt. So I used a little electricity and got him up and outta that hospital! Unfortunately, I didn't get too far with him when he lashed out another fireball which caused me to drop him off the roof. All righty, at least he can't harm any civilians.

"Okay, Inferno! Why don't we talk about this like civilized men?" I offered. Another definite, fireball 'no'. This'll be fun.

"As much as I'd love to play with the nice little girl," he started. "I believe we have a score to settle, Static--excuse me, Sparx."

"My thoughts exactly."

(Inferno)
I was about the fry that annoying wanna-be superhero's ass, when I got a call from the boss.

"Play time is over, Inferno."

"Aww, but boss, I'm about scorch this candy ass Silverhawk and score with a hot babe!"

"Save it for later. We have more important things to do! Now meet me at the Starship Casino. I've got a job for you."

"Oh, ok.

I tossed a huge fireball at Sparx to distract him so I could go meet up with the boss. I hate leaving a fight, but what the boss says goes.

When I got to the Casino I found the boss sitting with that gorgeous Vampire lady we met on Brim*Star.

"What you call me back here for, Boss? A threesome?" I looked right at Echo when I said that and she kind of smiled.

"No. I just found out some very interesting information. Turns out our dear Sundance wasn't even at Tampur Beach."

"Oh yeah? Where was she?"

"Right here in Limbo. On Bedlama to be precise."

"Damn! So I wrecked up that entire beach for nothing?!" Boss nodded. "How did you find out?"

"The SilverHawks broke into Brim Star and stole our gift for Mon*Star. She was among them."

"Oh shit! We missed her?!"

"I'm afraid so."

"Well, does this have to do with why you called me here?"

"Yes, it does. I need you to distract her mate while I make my claim on her; roast the overgrown Calamari if you want, just make sure he stays outta my way!"

"Uh, Boss..."

"Yes, Inferno?"

"When the Mob slagged Mars base, they got every last 'Hawk there, right?"

"right..."

"We have a problem." I told him all about Sparx and how I knew him as Static. Turns out Boss didn't know he was a metahuman like me. Amazing at what brothers keep from each other these days. I also learned something very interesting about my old enemy; that overgrown fuse box was one of my favorite victims in high school. Wowee! I get to hit three birds with one fire-charged stone!

(Sparx)
I can't believe that coward ran from a fight with me! Oh, well there's always next time. I was finally able to escort Lorie home. She was a bit shaken up, but otherwise she was ok. I walked her to her door as we said our good bye's.

"Well, Lorie, I guess I'll be seeing ya."

"Yeah. Oh...um, Virgil? Thanks...for everything."

"No problem. Just doin' my job."

She kind of took me by surprise when she gave me a quick kiss. The fact that she kissed me wasn't too surprising. It was he kissing me on the lips that caught me off guard! After she went into her apartment, I just stood there in a state of shock for a few moments. That really made my day. I didn't think anything could bring me down from that high, until I got back to Hawk Haven.

When I got back to the station, I was drafted, so to speak, for another disaster. Mon*Star's so-called 'gift' was giving the SteelTwins trouble. She just so happens to be another metahuman whose powers just manifested. The power was energy manipulation and it was outta control; what Mon*Star did to her certainly didn't help matters. Sapphire was on patrol and Sundance is trying real hard to calm her down. So I went down to the infirmary to see what can be done. When I got down there, however, I got a very nasty surprise. Upon first hearing about the 'gift' from Qubo to Mon*Star, I wouldn't have imaged either of them would be so perverted as to take a child...but that's just what they did. Black hair, black eyes and uncontrollable powers. I recognized her immediately, but I still couldn't believe it.

"Hallie?" Please let my eyes deceive me. Unfortunately, they weren't and Hallie just collapsed from exhaustion. The infirmary wasn't in shambles, but it's had better days. While SteelWill and Moeba were clearing out the mess, SteelHeart took me outside.

"I sensed something from her when you walked in, Sparx." she explained. Oh yea. I think Kee said something about her being an empath. "Before, all she had was confusion, anger, hate, shame and fear. When you came in, there was a little comfort, but the other emotions intensified. Sparx, I know this is hard, I can sense it, but you have to tell me; do you know her?"

"Yea. Her name's Hallie Evans. She's my niece."

"Sparx..."

"She went missing from a school trip about a week ago. We've been trying to find her, but no such luck."

"I'm so sorry."

"So am I."

"Want me to tell the Commander?"

"I'll tell him, Sarge. I'll also tell her folks; it'll be easier this way." Especially since I know exactly how Sharron and Adam will react. I have a feeling with Qubo and Mon*Star, it's take-a-number, but Inferno was mine.

(Sh'Ekrah)
I couldn't sleep. Ever since we found out Qubo was looking for my mate, I felt I had to do everything in my power to protect her. Camiel was asleep and I was outside patrolling our property. When I got near creek in the back yard I thought I saw movement.

"Who's there?" No answer.

When I got to the shore of the creek I saw someone standing there. The figure seemed to be female. At first I thought Cami might have come down to tell me to come to bed, but the hair color was blond, not red.

"Identify yourself!" I demanded. That's when the figure turned around, allowing me to get a good look at her. She was clearly Mimian. She had blond hair, blue eyes and a lavender complexion. Before I could confront her, she looked me dead in the eyes and spoke.

"They're coming. Get back in the house and prepare yourself." With that, she vanished. I found it a bit strange to be listening to this mysterious stranger, but for some reason I decided it was right to listen to her. When I got inside the house, I made sure everything was secure. I finally sat on the bed next to my sleeping mate. She looked so peaceful lying there. She was at peace, yet I was in turmoil. I felt like something was about to happen. Something big. It was at that moment I heard a noise. It sounded like some kind of explosion. I wanted to go investigate, but I didn't want to leave Camiel there alone.

"Cami, wake up. Come on, wake up!" I shook her awake gently. Eventually, she managed to awaken.

"Wha..." she said. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Camiel, I have this feeling something is about to happen."

"What is it, love?"

"I heard something. Stay here while I check it out." I gave her my electro mace for a weapon while I investigated the noise.

(Camiel)
I was kind of annoyed at first that Sh'Ekrah ad awakened me at some ungodly hour. But soon I figured he wouldn't have done it for to reason. He told me to stay inside and stay alert while he went to investigate a noise. After he left, I was aware of the eerie quiet. I sat in the middle of the bed with mace in hand. I could literally hear my heart pounding. Sh'Ekrah said he felt like something was about to happen, and I could feel it too. I was not prepared for what happened next. The balcony door was suddenly ripped off it's hinges. The shattered debris flew everywhere, obstruction my vision. As I tried to clear my eyesight I felt something grab onto my left arm. I pulled away, but it pulled back, twisting my arm at the same time. I literally felt and heard my arm break. I couldn't help screaming in pain.

(Sh'Ekrah)
I hadn't even begun to find the source of that explosion when I heard Cami scream. I should've guess that bastard would try to distract me! I then heard something behind me and gave a quick elbow jab to the groin. When I turned around, it was that bodyguard of Qubo's. Hmph, not a very good one or merely underestimated me. No time to debate that. When I got back to Cami, Qubo was already trying to force her to him. He already grabbed one of her arms and was able to rip her garments apart! That does it. I punched the blasted bastard right in the jaw, causing him to let go of Cami and allowing me to tackle him.

"I thought we had an understanding!"

"You thought wrong." We engaged in a tumble of sorts for who knows how long. "My brother was a fool to allow such a prize to slip past his fingers. He was going to keep her for himself, his own personal property. Wouldn't even share it with me! Now, I plan to rent that exotic body out to whoever is willing to pay, and nothing is going to stop me! Not you, not anyone!"

"You picked the wrong person to mess with!" We had by then separated and he had drawn out a knife. "Why don't you get someone for your trade that won't get you into trouble? You know, get a legal slave. At least Mars restricts the slave trade to Martian-populated territory and has rules regulating the practice."

"If I listened to rules and regulations, I wouldn't be as rich as I am today." He tried to ram me with the knife pointing out, but I managed to trip him up and grab the knife from him. "What now?" he asked.

"I warned you to stay away from my mate, you bastard, and what do you do? You break into my home and attempt to rape her. Then you plan to involve her in your disgusting sex slave trade, your illegal practice to be precise, and you ask what happens now? Well, what happens now is that I'm going to make sure you NEVER even think of harming my mate or anyone else for that matter again." And that's just what I did.

(Inferno)
It seems my distraction didn't work too well. By the time I could catch up with Brightlight, I was too late. He had caught up with the Boss before he could get that babe outta the house. By the time I got to where the Boss was I got an unpleasant surprise. Squid had Qubo pinned to a wall and he was cutting into his crotch! Oh, damn! I had to get the boss outta there fast! Qubo was finally able to push that maniac off of him. There was blood everywhere! I took all I had not to blow chunks at the gruesome sight! The Boss's screaming didn't help either. I didn't the only thing I could think of. Grabbed up Qubo and high tailed it outta there, shooting a fireball behind me as we fled.

(Sh'Ekrah)
Qubo managed to push me off of him, but it was too late; I already deprived him of the very being that he valued more than anything. He was never a man to begin with, just a little boy with balls. His bodyguard had managed to get him out of there and launched a fireball as a distraction. It just about hit the floor, but I managed to put it out quickly. After that disaster was taken care of, I tended to Cami, who was still screaming. Hmm...looks like Qubo broke her arm during the struggle. After covering her up, I called an ambulance. At least now I won't have to worry about that Martian bastard going after my lady anymore. I know Martians regenerate severed body parts within a year at least, but those parts tend to be...defective, so to speak. Hey, nothing he didn't deserve.

(Camiel)
When the ambulance finally came, I had just about blacked out from the pain. The medics rushed me to the hospital to treat my injuries. My left arm was broken and I had scratches and bruises all over my body. I don't know what was more painful; the breaking of my arm or the setting of the broken bone. After I was treated, Sh'Ekrah and I filed a report against Qubo and Inferno. My injuries left me unable to go out on the field for a while. I was going to have to go to the Steel Twins for physical therapy and the Commander had me put on administrative duties. I hoped for the sake of everyone in Limbo those two bastards would be caught and brought to justice.

(Glycerin)
This new formula of Qubo's is really amazing! I've never seen something so potent in my life. I really need to thank Astrala for showing me the little tricks on a man; it helped me get this formula, nein? As I vas experimenting vith the modified formulas, Mumbo came in for me. Qubo un Inferno had returned from Bedlama, but something has happened. Uh oh...I instructed Mumbo to escort them into mein lab. Vhen they came in, I looked over Qubo, who vas not only bleeding, but is missing some equipment.

"Don't tell me. You two vent after that SilverHavk, didn't you?"

"Whatever!" Inferno shouted. "Just help him!"

"Fine. Place him on the table." Inferno immediately complied and laid Qubo on a vacant slab. These stupid rookies! Lucky for them I have medical knowledge. At that moment, everyone else had come into the lab to see what had happened. Mon*Star vas in a meeting vith Poker Face and RJ vas around somevhere. I had to admit, the look on the guys' faces vas...unique.

(Sh'Ekrah)
The next day, after Camiel and I were both home from work, my mate asked me to help her unpack some more of her things. We would have done it during our days of Preparation, but we were a bit distracted then. As I pulled items from one of the boxes, something caught my eye. It was a purple book with a lock and key on it.

"Cami, what's this?"

"That? Oh that's my Jamahda Adran's diary. Want to see her picture?"

When she opened up the book, I was surprised to see the face of the woman I saw by the creek.

"Is it safe to assume she's dead?"

"Yes. She and Japahda Jawan were murdered by the MATI a long time ago."

"I see..." Was that a ghost I saw last night then? The very spirit of this woman who remains a specter in the physical world to keep an eye on her granddaughter? "We need to talk." I explained to her what happened that night, before she got attacked. "You mean to tell me you saw her?"

"Yes." Camiel seemed a bit surprised by all this.

"Sh'Ekrah, remember when I told you about my spirit guides? How only I could see and hear them?"

"Yes, I remember."

"Well, it's pretty obvious you can see them too now. Maybe...maybe our kyven is allowing you to be able to see them."

"It's quite possible. I'm glad she warned me about Qubo and Inferno coming. If I had stayed out by the creek, I might not have been able to make it back to you in time."

"That's true. I'm glad I have Jamahda Adran and the others looking out for me."

"Others?"

"Yeah. I have three. Don't worry, you'll get to meet them someday."

I knew being married to the Child of Light could prove interesting. Turns out I didn't know the half of it.

(Sparx)
Okay, I have two words to describe my personal situation; not good. By the time Hallie woke up, Sharon and Adam arrived in time to see their daughter back away in fear. I didn't exactly go into detail about what had happened to Hallie, mostly because I don't know exactly what happened either. Anyways, Adam and I went out of the room to a viewing section while Sharon stayed with Hallie; she seemed to calm down after that. That's when we got the entire story; Inferno had been looking for 'potential merchandise' and stumbled onto Hallie's group. Good news was Inferno wasn't as sick as his boss; he liked grown-up girls, Hallie said. Bad news was that Qubo liked all females, regardless of age, and Inferno basically snatched Hallie for his boss. While captive, Hallie met some of Qubo's other illegal slaves, who took care of her as best they could. That explains why she calmed down only with Sharon; befriend the females, fear the males. Hallie was spared some of the fates of the other slaves because she was to be a gift for Mon*Star. When she started to describe what Mon*Star did to her, Sharon tried to keep from breaking down so she could comfort her daughter. Adam, on the other hand, looked like he was going to strangle somebody. He asked me about Mon*Star.

"Local Mob boss." I explained. "I was told he's sicker than the Martian guy who Inferno was working for."

"I know this Inferno?" he asked. Oh boy...

"He used to be Hotstreak, until Qubo hired him."

"When I get my hands on those two, I'm gonna..."

"Whoa, Adam! I'll handle Inferno; Qubo's been taken care of, or so I've heard."

"Oh?"

"Let's just say that for a while, he's looking for a career as a eunuch."

"Oh. Then Mon*Star's on my list!" This is going to take a while.

(Qubo)
With Glycerin's help, I was on the road to recovery. She had managed to stop the bleeding. After that, my own body began the regeneration process. I hoped everything would grow back in a functioning state. Curse that Bedlamian! I planned on paying him back for what he did once I recovered. However, I had more pressing business. Mon*Star had ordered me to set up a prostitution ring in Fense. That should be easy. I hear anything goes on Fense. From what I've seen, I can have business booming on the East side of Fense in no time.

(Lynei)
Stupid, stupid SilverHawks! They have no idea what they are up against. When I saw that Martian yungar come into Limbo, I recognize him immediately. He was Lenaria's old master before she was sold to my mutant master. The bastard had hooked her on keira root and by the time Lenaria recovered, it was too late. Lenaria...when she died, her will stated that I have her skull gem, which had merged with my own, thus granting me her Element and magic. It also enabled me to seek guidance from her spirit. She was upset that I went against her, but realized that I was right in my opposition against the MATI. I decided to mediate towards her one day to figure out a plan. As usual, her spirit, wandering the metaphysical realm of my mind, knew immediately what I was going to ask her.

|So that pitiful green man has decided to go after the Child of Light, has he?| she sneered. |What in the name of all the deities is he thinking?! Even I knew better than to deal with someone who has already found her one true love. And even she does not deserve the fate he has planned for her.|

|Word has it that he has paid for his transgression.| I explained.

|I do hope it was painful. If he has paid dearly, then we may as well spare his life. There are things worse than death, you know.|

|Indeed.|

|Despite my limitations, I have kept close eye on Qubo and his brethren. Turns out his brother did try to see someone else, and now that person is considered unmarriageable and is to give birth to an illegitimate son.|

|By the Goddess...|

|Lynei, I need you to do something; find this person, make a deal and see what you can do about this crisis.|

|I'll do what I can, Lenaria.| I got out of my meditative state and searched for this woman whom Lenaria spoke of.

(Olyame)
Keedra had been dead only a few weeks and yet it seemed like forever since I last saw him alive. When he left for Limbo I was very upset because I knew why he was going there. His older brother, Qubo, had encouraged him to go back to get what belonged to him. Some girl named Camiel. I begged Kee to stay, but Qubo told me to stay out of it. I remember that conversation very well.

"Olyame, this is a matter of my brother's male pride! This is not your concern!"

"But Keedra has me! Why should he go to this other girl if she's found someone else?"

"Because he has marked her as his! Now be quiet and stay out of this!"

That being said, my love let his brother lead him to his doom, which left me alone and pregnant. I never got to tell Kee that I was with child. If it wasn't for Qubo, I would have been able to tell him everything. About the baby and how much I loved him. But it's too late now.

In the home for women like me, I was depressed. My own family has disowned me, no one wants to marry me because I'm used and Qubo won't even take up responsibility of his brother's child. I thought I had no future; I can't even afford to go to Earth, where I would be free of this wretched society. All of a sudden, I felt someone pull me and the next thing I knew, everything was dark. Oh, dear...now what?

"Are you Olyame?" a voice asked. I responded yes. Out of the darkness walked a Mykari girl with a square-diamond skull gem. What is going on here? "Good. We have business to discuss."

"Who are you?" I asked. "What do you want?"

"I do not wish to harm you, girl. I only have a proposition."

"Oh? What?"

"I know you are with child and wish to escape this world, to Earth, correct?"

"Yes...how did you know?"

"I have my ways, Olyame. I can help you and your unborn child get to Earth and away from this society."

"How?"

"My associates and I have plenty of credits that we can spare in your trip and a home. Work, on the other hand, will be difficult, so you need to school yourself so a decent job may be available to you."

"And what about my child?"

"I have a friend who will aid you in raising the child. I assure you, dear Olyame, he is very qualified."

"Okay, say I accept your offer. What is the catch?"

"You have information my colleagues and I greatly require. I want everything you know about Qubo." What?

"Why would you want that? Do you have someone in his collection?"

"A friend of mine was abducted by his goons and forced into his foreign collection. She escaped, only to have died years later. Let's just say this is a personal matter." I just stared at her, not knowing what to say about all of this. "I know he has foreign girls in that slave ring of his, and you know as well as I do that any non-Martian female that isn't connected by marriage or the such that is a sex slave against her will or is underage according to her species is a breach of the Intergalactic Alliance Treaty of Equal Rights! You want him to receive retribution as well as I do."

"Let's say that I do. What about the girl?"

"He only wants her as a part of his collection. He tried it legally, but that went sour. The rest, I believe you know."

"Qubo won't give up that easily. You do realize there is a market for foreign girls, right? There are other rings that match this standard."

"Partnered with Qubo?" I nodded. "Excellent. So, do we have a deal?" I thought for a second about that bastard and what he did to me. He caused me to be placed in my current position and was going to pay dearly. I shook hands with the Mykari woman.

"Deal."

I told her everything I knew. I told her about the other traders Qubo was partnered with. I knew where their legitimate trades were running, but I wasn't too sure about the illegal ones.

"I have some idea about where the compounds are located, but I'm not 100% sure."

"That's fine. Just tell me what you do know."

I gave her every bit of information I could about the secret illegal compounds. I return I asked her about her friend who would be helping me.

(Lynei)
So far, so good. I learned there were some illegal compounds somewhere in Martian territory. I'll have to investigate the legal trades as well; Lenaria once mentioned that certain species of illegal slaves were mixed in with the legal ones. Most of those were widows of Martians who were supposed to be sent back to their families. Fools. In return, I told her about Mack and his experience in raising children like her son. She seemed agreeable to this. Of all the Mob, he was the one person the Hav'Throth deemed as decent and ultimately a connection. I've kept in contact with him since his defection from the Mob. He should prove to be an invaluable asset to this. I sent a telepathic message to Waetar to immediately search the entire planet via the astral plane and I had sent Ranito to Earth earlier to discuss with Mack about our plan. Hopefully, he will comply.

"If you want, I can introduce you to Mack right now." I offered. "No one will miss you, I believe."

"Are you certain?" she asked.

"I'm positive."

"All right..." With that settled, I shadow 'ported the two of us to Chicago, a city on Earth where Mack was currently settled in. Goddess, give me strength. The instant Olyame was settled with Mack, the guys and I are going to take care of the posse Qubo has on the homeworld. We may have changed our ways after betraying the MATI, but we are still assassins. And this is going to pay much more than any job we've taken.

(Qubo)
Everything was running smoothly with the ring I set up on Fense. It was fairly easy because I had help. The lovely Echo had good connections on Fense which she had established through her husband before he died in prison. Glycerin had also proven to be an excellent business, and bed, partner. We were both working our asses off in the lab trying to keep up with the demand. As I got both businesses up and running I decided to get in touch with my partners on Mars to see how things were going with my exotic collection. I'd put one of my cousins in charge while I was away. I had found him pretty trustworthy and could count on him to give me my fair share of the profits.

As soon as I got in touch, I can already see in the background trouble was brewing! He was contacting me to let me know that every compound I had--legal and illegal--was being attacked! When I asked what had happened, he dropped dead and a young Mykari girl took his place at the screen. I demanded to know who she is.

"I am a friend of someone you greatly hurt, you yungar! Want me to have the two of you reacquainted?" She then closed her eyes, the diamond part of her skull gem glowing. A minute later, she opened them, but the eyes were black instead of gray.

"What is this?" I asked.

"I think you know exactly what this is." the girl said, in a different voice this time. Wait a sec! That voice, those eyes...

"It can't be! Mon*Star said he killed you!!"

"To quote a Terran author, 'The report of my demise has been greatly exaggerated.' I see you've met the Child of Light; her mate must be more protective than I had imagined. Nothing you didn't deserve anyway."

"What do you want, Zantara?"

"I want my life back, before you took it away from me. But, I'll settle with the destruction of your little slave ring. You have no idea how long I've been waiting to do this."

"You...miserable Mykari bitch!!"

"Maybe you should've thought of that before you drugged me! Let's see...according to Martian culture, any male who takes a virgin claims her as his. Should something happen, the girl goes to his next of kin. But...if ever the next of kin is either dead or condemned in some illegal aspect, and there are no more male kin in the family, the claim itself becomes null and void. That means the Holy Elder Camiel Brightlight is out of your reach."

"You can't say that for certain!"

"Do you think I haven't kept an eye on you, both in life and death? I know you have such illegal brothels, Qubo, and quite a few of those sex slaves of yours are minors! *gasps* Especially that poor Terran girl you gave to Mon*Star and had completely traumatized! Oh... you made a big mistake choosing that one, little green man. You and your bodyguard!"

"What do you mean?"

"Let's just say your troubles with a certain SilverHawk have gotten a bit more personal. And once he's done with your little firebug, you're next. I'd love to see the upcoming results, but I have your trade to kill first. Don't bother calling for your goons here; they're going to be a little bit busy with us." With that, the communication ended. Oh no...can things get any worse?!?!

(Inferno)
After the Boss contacted his people on Mars, he was really upset. Turns out an old acquaintance was pissed off at him. She totally wrecked his trade on Mars!

"Damn, Boss! How may more crazy bitches do we have to look out for?"

"Hopefully, none. I'm just wondering how this female found out about my foreign collection and who all my partners were! Only two people knew that information. My dead brother and...the unattractive wench he knocked up!"

"He had another girl on the side?! Geez!"

"She's not worth it, Inferno. Trust me, I know."

"So, what else can go wrong?" That questioned was answered by a major electrical storm. Electrical storm? Either Windhammer's doing something or...

"Inferno! You and me got a score to settle!" Damn it! It's Sparx! What does he want?

(Sparx)
I had that punk right in my sights. He stood there facing me with this smug expression on his face.

"So you finally found me. Now what?"

"I hear you like kidnap little girls."

"Yeah, so what?"

"You know that little girl you gave to Mon*Star?"

"Yeah. What about her?"

"That was my niece."

"Gee, I was wonderin' why she looked so familiar...Hawkins."

"So you finally figured it out! You must be pretty dumb if it took you eight years to learn my secret identity."

"I must say I am surprised; hard to believe my greatest nemesis was actually the biggest wimp in high school."

"You ain't dealing with a scrawny kid with superpowers anymore, Francis! Now you got a cyber-soldier with superpowers and a serious chip on his shoulder." I then shot a 'You're next' look at Qubo, who didn't seem all that surprised.

"If you think you're getting to my boss..."

"To hell with him! This is between you and me! Or are you too chicken to fight, Francis?" He hates it when I call him by his real name.

"I never backed down on you, Hawkins, and I'm not starting now!"

"Too bad for you."

Inferno turned to Qubo.

"Get outta here, Boss!" he shouted. "I'll take care of this little punk!"

Qubo didn't waste anytime beatin' feet outta there, the coward. I wasn't worried. I'll catch up with him soon enough. First, I'm gonna snuff out 'Hot Pants' over here. He had his flames raging bright. Looked like he was going to give it all he's got. Good. So was I.

We got ourselves to rumbling! For every fireball that came my way, two electric shocks went right his. I even mixed my lasers into my lightning blasts. If there was one thing I learned while at the Academy, is never to rely too much on your powers. As Static, my powers were all I had; as Sparx, I had other options. I also learned Inferno learned the same thing I did; he had a gun which fired hydrogen bullets he would ignite once they fired. Whoo! Hot tamales! Good thing I had all that training. I wonder how Qubo's faring? To tell ya the truth, I'm sorry for him...sorry that Brightlight got to him before I did.

(Inferno)
I could see Hawkins had a few new tricks up his sleeves, but so did I.

"So, you like my new hydrogen gun?" The look of surprise on his face was classic! I definitely had him on the run. "Hey, where ya goin', Hawkins? Runnin' scared?"

The little coward was dodging all my shots, hiding behind outcroppings. When I thought I had him cornered, all of a sudden I saw a flash and I felt pain like I'd never felt before.

"Does it hurt, Francis? Probably not as much as Hallie, but it's gotta be close!"

(Sapphire)
And I thought I had extreme personal problems. When the Commander found out about Sparx's niece, he ordered the rookie not to go after Mon*Star, Qubo or Inferno without backup. "Too much emotional involvement." he said. I mean, I knew Mon*Star was sick, but even I never thought he'd do such a thing to a child. Now, Sparx is missing and Stargazer's afraid he defied orders. It's happened before. Long story. Well, I shadow 'ported to Brim Star and who should I find but Sparx and Inferno going at it. Sparx was definitely winning after that shock to the face, but I could hear his thoughts loud and clear.

I should've taken care of you when I had the chance, you bastard. But no! I had to play the goodie-good superhero and let you live long enough to let the law take care of you! Well, now I'm the law, and there's nothing that can protect you now!

"Sparx, don't!" I called. He looked very surprised to see me, and Inferno was just lying there. I placed a shadow barrier over him so he wouldn't get away. I had called for back-up and confronted Sparx. "What the hell were you thinking?!" I yelled. "Are you trying to ruin your career?!"

"I'm doing what I should've done eight years ago!"

"Sparx." I gave a sigh. "Virgil, you listen to me and you listen tight. I know you're upset and that Inferno needs to pay for what he did. But this isn't going to change what happened."

"No...but it'll make it easier to sleep at night."

"Will it? Knowing you've killed somebody in cold blood? I don't think so."

"You don't know what it's like to know how someone you love was violated like Hallie was!"

"Maybe I don't, but I know enough not to kill the guy responsible for the act. Let the law handle this; believe me, the last thing Limbo needs is another bitter SOB with nothing in his life other than revenge." Sparx seemed to calm down a bit after that. I can still read some negative thoughts, but they weren't severe enough that he'd kill the guy. Oh no! "Mon*Star's coming." I explained as I tossed a crystal towards him. "I'll get you into the metaphysical realm with Inferno; use this to find your way. Get going!"

"But what about Mon*Star?"

"I'll handle this. Long story, short amount of time! Now go!" I grabbed him and Inferno and shoved the two into the metaphysical plane just in time. Mon*Star arrived, very surprised by my presence.

"I thought you didn't want any of what I had, Sara." he said.

"I don't." I confirmed. Even after learning about me, he still wants me to be heir to the Mob. What a joke! "I came here to arrest you on the charge of statutory rape."

"Is this about the little present Qubo got me?"

"How could you? Grown women, I can understand; you still need an heir and I'm not taking. Hell, I can even understand men, but children?! That girl hasn't even started her cycle yet and you screwed her!"

"I got to have a little variety, Sara. You should know that."

"The more I learn of you, the more I'm disgusted by the fact I'm bound to you by blood."

"Old Terran saying, Sara; you can choose your friends, but not your family. One day, you're going to learn just where exactly you belong."

"Go through with that threat to expose me and I'll consider it. Maybe."

"Haha! I see you're still calling my bluff. That's me all over."

"A good thing I didn't inherit much from your gene pool. Any more and I might be as pathetic as you. Now, are you going to come along quietly or do I have to get rough?"

"Go ahead! You know you can't beat me!"

"Maybe not, but I know this; unless Qubo's considering using gigolos, you better think hard about your new pimp."

"What?"

"You mean you don't know?" Mon*Star shook his head. "What do ya know? The great Planet Master, who knows all, doesn't realize one of his goons has been reluctantly castrated! Don't look at me; I didn't have that pleasure. That belongs to a certain Bedlamian who took your eye out about three centuries ago. Gee, a good thing I stopped you from harming Sundance when I did."

"That miserable squid..."

"If I were you, Mon*Star, I'd avoid that 'miserable squid' you speak of. Otherwise, you could end up like Qubo, unless I deal with you first."

(Sparx)
Boy was I in deep doo doo when I got back from the Penal Planet! The Commander was SO pissed.

"I Thought I ordered you not to go after Inferno by yourself!"

"But, sir! I had a good lead on where he was and I wanted to act fast to lessen the chance of his escape so..."

"Private Sparx, you are suspended with pay for three days for disobeying orders."

"But sir...!"

"Get out of my office before things get worse for you, Private!"

I saluted him and got out of there quick! Before I shut the door I could hear him mumble something about 'these damn, hot-head kids.' Oh man, my Dad is not gonna be happy if word gets back to him about this.

When I got to my quarters, the first thing I did was get outta my armor; won't do me any good for the next three days anyway. Here I am, just plain ol' Virgil, formerly known as Static. I looked about the same as I did eight years ago, except I gained a couple of inches in height and I got some body mass, so I wasn't as scrawny-looking as I used to be. I have changed a little; still the same ol' dreds (you have no idea what I went through to keep those) and the same ol' face. Amazing what a little amount of peer pressure--or in my case, drafted into a gang--can do to one's life. My COM then started going off. When I answered, I practically despaired when I saw it was my father. But he looked saddened, rather than disappointed. Uhoh...

"Virgil." he started. "Sharon told me what happened to Hallie. How is she?"

"Distressed and scared last I checked." I explained. "She won't go near Adam, or even me, and she and I were tight."

"I know, son. Other than that, I just wanted to remind you to keep your head on straight there."

"A little late for that, Pops."

"Virgil..."

"It's only a three-day suspension, with pay. Plus, I got the goon who snatched her. The guy who...violated her is another story."

"At least you're alive. We've had enough tragedies here for a lifetime."

"I know, Pops. I just couldn't help but get so upset, feel like I should've done something."

"We've all tried our best to find her, Virgil."

"If only we had found her sooner..."

"Don't beat yourself up, son. Tell Sharon that I'm heading to Limbo and should catch up with you guys soon."

"All right." I turned the COM off and headed for the family quarters, where Hallie and her folks were staying until she gets better. I felt I needed to check up on her anyway.

When I got to their quarters, I found Hallie seemed to be in a better mood. She was smiling and singing along with her Ghetto Baby disc, making her favorite doll dance to the music.

"Whoo! Hallie, that dolls got some awesome moves! She's workin' it on that dance floor!" My niece looked up at me, smiled and started to giggle.

"Hi, Uncle Virg!" I knelt down on the floor near her while she made her doll 'raise the roof.'

"So, I see you're felling a little better."

"Yeah. We had pizza today. With mushrooms and peppers!"

"Man, that sounds so good! Any left for me?"

"Naw, Unc! I ate it all!" Hallie began to laugh. Man, it felt so good to hear her laugh again.

(Qubo)
Oh, things were not looking good for me at all. My right hand man was locked up in the Penal Planet and they literally put him on ice! I wasn't giving up though. I still had a certain female in mind to add to my collection. I wondered how miss Lorie Minkh was doing? Her mother was quite delightful I wondered if her daughter would make a good replacement for her. I had a little bit of information on her. I knew she lived in an apartment complex called Moonlight Terrace in Bedlama City. Rumor has it that a lot of former drug addicts live there. Maybe I could convince her to come with me quietly with a little Liquid Love or Stardust. I needed back up, so I solicited the help of Molecu-Lar. Now to add a pretty little Divore to my foreign collection.

(Lorie)
It was the evening of my first real date with Virgil and I was very excited. Five hours before our date I was trying on different outfits and trying to get my hair and make-up just right. My first date with a decent guy and I'm feeling great! Virgil was so friendly, funny, and cool. He was also very sweet and caring. I really wanted to get to know him better.

We decided to meet at the gate of the apartment complex and head out to Giga Bites to eat. After that, who knows. I knew I was going to have fun and I didn't have to worry about Virg not being a gentleman. He was such a breath of fresh air compared to Kyle. By the time I got down to the lobby, I saw someone standing at the gate waiting. I thought it was my date. Boy, was I mistaken.

(Sparx)
Oh boy! My first actual date with a gal and nothing was going to ruin it! Not psycho baddies, not wacko metahumans and certainly not alien perverts! Or so I thought. When I got to Moonlight Terrance, there was somebody at the gate who looked exactly like me. Wait a minute...uhoh! Hey, there's Lorie! When she saw me and the, err, other me, she looked confused. Okay, I have no time for this! Just when I was about to settle this, Qubo came up and managed to inject something into Lorie! That does it! I shocked him and that doppelganger of his real quick and picked Lorie up!

"I'd take care of you bastards, but I've got more important things!" I decided to use my electric powers to get us to a hospital stat! On the way, I contacted Stargazer and told him what happened. There's no way I could get in trouble for this; Qubo initiated the attack, thus I won't be at fault for retaliating in self-defense.

Before I could even get Lorie to the hospital, she began to react to whatever Qubo injected into her. She started shaking really bad. I took her straight to the emergency room nearby. I put her in the arms of the nearest medic.

"What happened to her?"

"Someone injected her with something. I'm not sure what."

"Looks like she's overdosed on Stardust."

When they put Lorie on a gurney and wheeled her away, I hoped she would be ok. I also hoped the Hawks on duty were able to apprehend Qubo and Molecu-Lar.

I stayed with her the entire night. Damn that bastard for doing this to her! About a few hours after getting Lorie to the hospital, I got a call from Sapphire saying that both Molecu-Lar and Qubo were successfully apprehended. Plus, they and Inferno were going on trial at the same time on all charges. That meant it'll soon be time for Hallie to testify. Well, all that's left is to get a decent lawyer and we're all set. Oh, look, she's starting to wake up. When she finally did get up, Lorie was scared. I asked her what was the matter; the answer should've been no surprise to me, but I was still shocked.

(Lorie)
I so didn't want to go through something like this again! It seemed I just couldn't stay out of the hospital lately. I had pretty much figured out what Qubo had injected me with. I had used Stardust many times before and had even overdosed once before. But that was so long ago. For some reason I felt it was about time Virgil knew the truth about me.

"Lorie, what's wrong? Are you ok?"

"Yeah...just a little scared. Did you bring me here?"

"Uh huh. Qubo injected you with Stardust."

"Yeah, I know."

"What? How'd you know?"

"Before I blacked out, I started to trip out...like I used to before I...got clean."

"I see. Hey, don't worry about it."

"Don't worry about it?! What if I get hooked again!? What if all that time in rehab was a waste?! What if--"

"Calm down, Lorie. You didn't take it willingly, so it's no biggie."

"Virg, I'm scared."

"I know." He didn't seem all to surprised that I was a former addict. "My dad's a social worker, so I see a lot of this stuff when I help him out."

"I see."

"Don't worry, you're gonna be ok. I explained everything to the docs."

"Thanks, Virg." For a while, I started to wonder about him. There was something I saw before I blacked out..."Virgil, tell me something. When I got injected, was I hallucinating or did you just blast some electricity at those bastards?"

"That...was something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Wait a sec...you're one of those metahumans, aren't you?"

"Yea, I am. I think it's time I told you the whole story. See, about two years after my mom's death, I got drafted in a gang. I didn't want in, but this bully was out to kill me, literally, so I didn't have much of a choice. This gang and I met up with the bully's gang in a storage yard filled with these containers. When the police showed up, they launched a gas bomb, which burst the containers..."

"And that's how the Big Bang originated."

"You know about that?"

"Part of my history class."

"Yea, well, anyways, I got infected, but I didn't turn out like those other metahumans you see on TV wrecking stuff. I tried to stop them, using my powers. Back then, I was known as Static."

"You were THE Static!? Oh wow..."

"Yep. For a while, I spent my time and powers putting the bad guys away. When I wasn't doing that, I had school and was trying to keep my identity secret from my dad and sister. Well, after about two years, almost all of the metahumans had either been imprisoned or reformed. It appeared that my work was completed, but I still needed to do something with my powers. So, I signed up with the SilverHawks and got special training with my powers. That was when my family found out the whole thing. But it turned out good in the end."

"In that gang, did you have a gun?"

"A piece was offered to me, but I threw it in the pier shortly before entering the storage yard."

"Ah...whatever happened to the bully?"

"He got infected, too, began calling himself 'Hotstreak'. Now, he's gotten worse."

"Oh? How so?"

"You've seen him, Lorie." That was when I realized he was talking about Inferno!

(Inferno)
Those jerks at the Penal Planet Ten weren't playin' when they locked me up. They literally put me on ice! They had a special cell prepared for me that was freezing cold! I was hoping the Boss would come break me out, but soon I learned he was there too! Along with Molecu-Lar! Damn the luck! Am I ever gonna get outta here? Man, that electrified freak is really gonna pay for this when I catch up with him!

(Sparx)
About a few weeks later after Qubo was caught, his and Inferno's trial came up. First Hallie was gonna testify, then Cami and her man (I almost pity Qubo when I learned about that) and finally Mo after being 'persuaded' by Sapphire. Don't ask me how; maybe she threatened to poison him? Anyways, Qubo and Inferno got two counts of assaulting an officer, trespassing, two counts of attempted abduction, damage to property, attempted rape on Qubo's part, forced distribution of an illegal drug and possession of an illegal drug (also on Qubo's part), and finally, willful endangerment of a child and accomplices on statutory rape. The other charges, which will be tried in a separate, intergalactic court, are several counts of drug distribution, drug possession and illegal slave trading. Oh man, oh man! Qubo and Inferno were definitely gonna get theirs! I even came for the trial along with Pops to show support for Hallie.

(Lorie)
I was also a witness in the trial against Molecu-Lar and Qubo for their attempting to kidnap me and injecting me with Stardust. Inferno was also charged with my mother's murder. By the gods, with all these charges against them this trial could go on forever! The first witness to take the stand was Hallie. I felt so horrible for her having to relive those terrible things that happened to her. She was so young and vulnerable. She had received some counseling from SteelHeart and Virgil's father, Mr. Hawkins. I could tell from Hallie's testimony that all this was very hard on her. It was also hard on Hallie's family. When I saw that Virg was getting upset, I slipped my hand into his and squeezed.

"Virg," I whispered in his ear, "She's gonna be ok. She's got all of you to help her." Virgil smiled at me then leaned over to kiss my cheek.

(Sh'Ekrah)
Camiel and I were next. We each recalled every detail of our encounter with Qubo and Inferno. When I got to the part where I attacked Qubo, he actually lunged at me! Security didn't get to him in time, but I managed to pin him to a wall. Now would be a good time to have a nice talk with him.

"Now you listen here, you bastard." I whispered. "Consider the loss of your manhood a lesson. The lesson is never to exploit women the way you do, keep away from children and never ever think about trying to violate a married woman, especially my mate. Fail to learn that lesson and the next thing I take will be your life." With that, I shoved him back to some security guards and gave him a look. Oh yeah, that should fix things. Now all I have to worry about is Mon*Star and the MATI.

(Inferno)
I admitted to all those other things I was charged with, but I wasn't going to agree that I murdered that hot Divore chick. I mean, it's not like I wanted her to die. I'm not some sicko who likes to fuck dead bodies. I also don't like to get the Boss pissed off at me. He really liked Cristol. I can understand why. She was a total babe! But, accidents happen. I looked over at Cristol's sexy daughter and smiled.

"Look, I can make it all up to you if you drop that loser, Hawkins, and let me show you a good time, sweet thang!"

That definitely got Hawkins pissed. I could pretty much tell those two were an item now by the way they were acting around each other.

(Molecu-Lar)
I was the last to testify. The Boss is gonna kill me for ratting, but at least it's more bearable than having my mind crushed by that psycho 'Hawk Sapphire! She said that either I tell what happened myself or she'll pluck it outta my brain and squash whatever was left. And I thought Mon*Star was ruthless! So, with great reluctance, I took the stand and spat out every detail I knew. Qubo and Inferno were not happy about my testimony.

"You try refusing that bitch's offer!" I shouted to them.

"And what did she offer," Inferno mocked. "A blow job?" Uh oh...Sapphire is pissed! From the look on Inferno's face, I could tell he was getting a taste of what it feels like to have your skull cave in on your brain.

"That answer your question?" I replied, along with a brief explanation about Sapphire's telepathic abilities. I kinda moved my gaze towards the cute little Mimian, but turned the other way after a glare from that squid. Definitely not worth the price Qubo paid!

(Sparx)
Qubo and Inferno were found guilty on all counts. The both got life in prison with no possibility of parole. Molecu-Lar got 100 years for attempted kidnapping and impersonating an officer. It wasn't over for Qubo, though. He still had to face the charges he racked up on Mars. I didn't feel the least bit sorry for any of those ass holes. I was glad it was over. Well, at least the part that my family and I played. Now it was time to try to have some peace in our lives once again. I also thought it was about time for me to formally introduce my girlfriend to my family.

When we got outta the court room, me, Lorie and my family were all out. That was when I introduced her. Dad said it was about time I got myself a girl. Adam teased that I'll end up all chained up like him someday. Sharon, sweet sister that she is, asked how in the world I got steady the way I did.

"I'll say this," I said to her. "She's a whole lot better looking than you'll ever be!"

"Whatever, Virgil!" she replied. "I still pity that poor girl."

"Well, I pitied Adam for being with you, so that makes us even."

"Oooh!"

"I told you to get a muzzle, Adam, but no! You had to get her those dang crystals."

"It was our anniversary!" Adam protested. Lorie, so far, really liked my family and vice versa. Okay, it's official; Limbo is my new home now. My home to protect and serve. Watch out, Mon*Star! Sparx is coming your way to put a shock to your system!

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