September 6th, 2017

9.18 am, Naval Air Station Key West

 

It’s been a minute since Fire and Director Nick Jones left the clinic ward. Now 5 distinct energy waves discharge throughout the room. Dr. Kabeer Wong stands in the middle, surrounded by beeping machines. 5 bodies, the source of the energy disruption, glow on their beds. Finally, the bodies stop glimmering after a few seconds. Dr. Wong goes around checking the beds. The bodies are all different. Vibrant. Alive. All of a sudden, a small thud goes off the distance.

 

Dr. Wong says with a deep sigh, “Here comes trouble to ruin a beautiful moment.”

 

Dr. Wong moves to the light switches and turns off the lights, plunging the room into darkness. He races to the other end of the room, hiding in the corner. A moment later, the door opens.

9.23 am…

 

Suddenly, wind gusts from nowhere. Water springs forth from the floor. The ground shakes and things begin to float. A bright light explodes followed by overbearing darkness. Chaos.

 

“What the bloody hell is going on?!” One masked shouts.

 

The masked man that was just interrogating Dr. Wong is swiftly struck by a gust of wind that throws him on a wall. The others look about in confusion, pointing their guns around. Abruptly, the water freezes the masked men’s feet. The quaking stops. The men’s guns get forcibly torn from their clutches and now hang out of reach above their heads by an invisible force.

 

“Identify yourselves.” A voice asks in the dark.

 

“Who the hell are you?” One masked man struggles to say as if he is being choked.

 

Suddenly, a bright light dispels the darkness in the room. It radiates from a young man with light brown skin holding a masked man by the throat using his left hand. Invisible constraints bind the masked man’s arms to his sides. The young man, with rainbow short hair, is standing in front of the choked masked men at around 5’10. He stares at the masked man with his rainbow eyes.

 

“Answer the man’s question.” A young Asian man with silver hair and stormy blues says.

 

This young man zephyrs right beside Dr. Wong and offers him a helping hand. The Doctor accepts the man’s aid and gets pulled straight up with real ease to the young man’s height of 5’11. Suddenly, water sprouts from the floor and collects into a form in the center of the room. It molds, transforming into a perfect young woman with curly blue hair and deep ocean blue eyes.

 

“Did they hurt you, doc?” The young woman with latte skin asks.

 

“I am fine, Chloe.” Dr. Wong says with a laugh, “Look at all of you. Back to your younger selves.”

 

“Is this real, doc?” The young Asian man asks as he looks at his hands and touches his face.

 

“It is indeed, Shawn.” Dr. Wong says while patting Aviator’s shoulder, “Thanks for the rescue.”

 

“What about me, doc?” A young black man says, “I took their big bad toys away.”

 

This young man is almost 6 feet with brown and green tips doting his dark hair. His green and brown eyes stare at the group as he levitates from his bed and touches down by the group.

 

“Thank you too, Andy.” Dr. Wong laughs, “You are all incredible. All of you.”

 

“You’re quite stoked there, doc.” Chloe AKA Wave says then asks, “Not even a little bit dazed?”

 

“Yeah.” Andy AKA Quake says as he flexes a superman pose, “Not exactly the reaction I was expecting you’d have when a bunch of superpowered mid-aged 20-year olds rescue you.”

 

“Compared to the alternative, I am overjoyed. I saw you all transform before my very own eyes.” Dr. Wong says jovially, “And besides, you are a little behind Fire. He set an entire floor on fire.”

 

“Woah!” The young brown man says as he appears right beside the group, while still holding a masked man by the throat. This young man is the only light in the dark room.

 

“I am sure he will be thrilled to see you all on your feets, Simon.” Dr. Wong says as he acknowledges the young brown man.

 

“So the Chief is alright?” Shawn AKA Aviator asks.

 

“He felt super enough to go and stop an attack.” Dr. Wong says.

 

“Such a Chief thing.” Quake says, “He survives death and gets up to go kick ass.”

 

“So the old man became too hot to handle, ey?” Wave asks, eliciting laughter from the group.

 

“Don’t ignore us, you freaks!” The masked man who had been blasted against the wall shouts.

 

The camaraderie of childhood friends is interrupted. The assembled newly superpowered team, wearing green scrubs, fix their collective gaze at the 5 men frozen to the ground by their ankles.

 

“Wouldn’t dream of it, love.” Wave says as water rises up to the men’s chest, encasing them.

 

“You twats beat down a defenseless old doctor.” Simon AKA Spectrum asks, “And for what?”

 

“Screw you, you freaks!” The masked man in Spectrum’s inescapable grip spit’s out.

 

“Seems that organization sent two teams.” Dr. Wong says.

 

“What organization?” Aviator asks.

 

“I believe Fire called them Skull Reich.” Dr. Wong says, “Seems Mad Scientist bragged about it.”

 

“Why do the bad guys always have to be Nazis?” Quake says shaking his head.

 

“This one sounds Russian.” Dr. Wong says, pointing to the masked man against the wall.

 

“Heil Skull Reich!” That masked man says defiantly.

 

“I do hear a Russian accent.” Aviator nods.

 

“What is this, cliche villain bingo?” Quake asks. 

 

“One of their teams went to recover the hard drives you brought back while this team came here to kill you all.” Dr. Wong says with a sigh, “They even knew your location and faces. Fortunately, you all had regressed to your younger selves by the time they came through the door.”

 

“Is this true?” Spectrum asks as he stares at the prisoner in his hands.

 

“Heil Skull Reich!” The masked man struggles to say in response.

 

“How talkative of you.” Wave says as she manipulates the water to cover up the men’s mouths.

 

“Where’s Kaori?” Aviator asks as he scans the dark room beyond Spectrum’s luminance.

 

From the darkness, a familiar face with flowing purple hair and glowing purple eyes approaches. 

 

“Shade.” Shade says as she examines the others. A dark glow surrounds her, like a candle.

 

“Someone didn’t get the freaks united age memo.” Quake jokes.

 

Aviator makes his way over to Shade and asks, “Are you okay?”

 

Shade nods.

 

“I could’ve sworn that you were younger a moment ago.” Dr. Wong says as he looks at Shade.

 

“We are all in freak territory, doc.” Quake says with a shrug, “So who knows what’s happening.”

 

“So what do we do about these yahoos?” Wave asks, looking at the ensnared masked men.

 

“Extract information.” Spectrum says, “If they choose not cooperate with us then we kill them.”

 

“These guys don’t look like the talking types.” Aviator says, “And Fire is fighting without backup.”

 

“They’re assassins who know too much.” Wave says, “Leaving them alive is too dangerous.”

 

“Right. We really only need one of you alive.” Quake says then asks the men, “Any volunteers?”

 

Shade lifts her hand, manifesting 5 blades of darkness. She sends the blades flying in one fluid handwave. In less than a second, the blades pierce through the throats of the 5 men wrapped in water. Then Shade shifts her gaze to the last masked man who is still gripped by Spectrum.

 

“Him.” Shade says.

 

“That was easy.” Quake says as he looks at Shade, “Somethings never change.”

 

“So where’s the Old Man?” Wave asks as she dissipates the water encasing the now corpses.

 

“I have a faint direction-” Dr. Wong begins to say when an explosion in the distance cuts him off.

 

BOOM!

 

“What was that?” Aviator asks.

 

“That felt close.” Quakes says, “Someone is coming.”

 

Suddenly, a man coated in flames bursts into the room. He is now the second source of light .