Problems for Archangel

Johnny and Peter, were still at the bar. Johnny was nursing his four beer while Peter had downed his eleventh and ordered a twelfth. “Jeeze, slow down there Pete.” Johnny said. “You know, I barley feel anything, thanks to my power.” Peter said “Ex-nay on the powers.” Johnny whispered. Johnny looked up at the TV, his sports team was doing lousy. “Dumb asses forgot how to play or something.” He said. A news flash broke in, mentioning an African-American who was fighting some skin heads. They showed the scene, after giving the usual warning, and the black man threw a truck at three men. The station cut back to the reporters before it hit. “Well, looks like something interesting is going on after all.” Johnny said with a smirk. He dropped a fifty and stood “Let’s go check it out.” He said and started to walk away. Peter received his next beer and went to pick it up before being dragged off by Johnny.

At the scene, the man had killed a half dozen skin heads, police were unable to stop him but for the most part, remained unharmed. “Just let me kill these racist fucks.” The man yelled out. His cloths had some wholes from the bullets fired at him but they obviously had no effect. He grabbed one of the white men and started to pull his arms off. “That’s enough.” a voice called out, before Johnny and Peter jumped the barricade put up. “What do you think you’re doing?” the lead officer yelled out “Your job.” Johnny said back. Peter seemed only slightly dazed still so Johnny gave him a slap “Come on man, let’s get to work.” He said. Peter rushed as the black man finished the deed on the man he had. Peter punched him in the face but the face only slightly budged, the guy felt his cheek as if surprised he felt that. “So, you guys want to die too, huh?” he said “Fine.” He hit Peter who flew back into a car. Johnny had gone around unnoticed and kicked at the back of the guy’s knee, trying to take him down. It did nothing. Johnny clubbed him in the back and he slowly turned, as if just now realizing someone was there. The officers were not impressed with the help so far. Peter grabbed the man in a full nelson, he struggled for a few seconds and Johnny shot him in the face with a blinding blast. The officers had no idea where the blast came from but it was working. Though he broke out of the hold, he was now temporarily blinded. He spun around and swung wildly at Peter hitting his jaw, his head spun back but this time Peter stood his ground. He returned the punch, it had little affect though caught the guy off guard. Peter hit him a few more times as he tried to clear his vision. “Hey jackass.” He heard behind him. He turned and could just make out the shadow of a man. Johnny had lowered to one knee, his palms directed up towards his enemies chest. A great blast of light knocked the opponent into the air and he crashed back down. Peter noticed he was still moving and grabbed a car door that broke off during the previous fight and smashed it over the guy’s head three times. He was finally out and the officers moved in to cuff him, whatever good that would do. “What the heck weapon was that?” the team leader asked “Sorry, above your pay grade.” Johnny said and Peter and he casually walked away, Johnny waving to the cheering crowd. This was more like it.

In England, Walter Drake, a man in his late fifties but still looking quite young and Max & Pamela Reed, a couple in their early forties walked in a pair of succubae. Max was carrying a net launcher that was needed to capture the pair. “We have a right to eat, you know.” One of the creatures screeched “That may be true but not humans. You have been luring men into a damn whore house.” Pamela said “That’s not just murder, that’s prostitution.” Walter said. In honesty, they had gotten away with it for a few weeks, until an agent went in for a surprise checkup. They walked the two past the same wall, the logo here was the sword in the stone with the word Excalibur over it. They walked the succubae into the cell block where vampires, gremlins and banshee were also locked up. The banshee had mussels over their mouths. The harpies were thrown into a cell near the gremlins and Walter went off to do the paper work. Max and Pamela went to another science lab full of all kinds of equipment and gadgets. Max returned the net launcher to the tech in charge, a man in his late sixties. “Thanks Whistler.” He said “Came in handy did it?” Whistler asked “Would have been so much more difficult without it.” Max admitted.

Back in the American complex, Roger was working on his computer, going over the week’s cases when Sargent Derek Ward, the other man from the photo came in. “Sir we have a problem.” Roger could tell it was pretty serious, Derek didn’t even salute. “What is it?” John and Peter went out, they were seen using their powers.” Roger stood and slammed his desk “Those damn idiots.” “We got lucky though sir, from what I can tell, any witnesses think John used some light based weapon.” “Can we track down the witnesses? We may need to whip their memory anyway.” “No sir, the officers invalid we can but random passersby, no. If any video is posted anywhere however, we’ll remove it at once.” Roger whipped his hand down his face and groaned in frustration “Send those drunken morons to my office as soon as they get in.” The head doctor/scientist, an elderly man in his seventies rushed in “Sir, we have an issue.” “Now what?” Roger said in complete annoyance. “I did an inventory and we’re missing several elixirs. As well as the standard ingredients. ” he said. Elixir was what they used to give each of their members the enhanced powers they receive. Some modifications are made occasionally since the base form gives a random power. “What the hell do you mean?” Roger demanded “Someone stole the ability to make enhanced beings?” “Y-yes sir.” The old man stammered “Lock down the facility, search everyone. No one goes in or out…Except John and Peter.” Both men in the office left. Roger pressed a button on his desk and the intercom sounded. “Everyone report to the main hall now.” Roger demanded.

In Athens Artemis, Mercury and a small team of men and women landed in a field. The troll was smashing a building. It had wandered to the border of the city and things got out of control very quickly. Mercury drew some discuses from a side compartment on his new outfit but Artemis stopped him “Hold on, this guy is actually pretty young.” She said “It probably thinks it’s playing.” “Well it’s playing pretty damn ruff.” Mercury said “Hey, at least it didn’t wander farther into town. That would have been much harder to cover up.” She said. She approached the troll slowly “Hey little guy.” She said even though the little guy was nine feet tall. He turned to her and tilted his head “Let’s be a good boy and go back home shall we?” Artemis said. A few men in the team entered the house and pulled the household to safety. They’d make necessary repairs and wipe their memory of the event afterwords. Artemis reached her hand out in a gentle manner “Come on, let’s go.” The young troll took her hand, squeezing just a bit too hard but she tried to not let it show. She led the troll back to the woods, with the rest of the crew keeping close. Just outside a large cave they saw the mother troll, she was twelve feet tall. She also didn’t look to happy that some humans had her child. The mother bellowed “Easy, we’re just returning your kid.” Artemis said. The mother charged, the child let go of Artemis and ran to its mom. The mother took the child and ran to the cave. Artemis let out a sigh. Then another bellow came. The fourteen foot tall father came out and roared “Everyone get back.” She ordered and they did, all except Mercury. He ran around the father causing a distraction and confusion as the team got away. The dizzy father stumbled away and Mercury returned to Artemis “It’s a good day when you don’t have to kill something.” He said and they left the family be. The team would return later to build a wall or something.