Archive Mutants & Masterminds: The Unlikely Prophets - Issue #1: A Gathering Storm

[CyCo]

Cyco raised a hand up into the air, "Beer is good." and then her hand dropped and she closed her eyes, waiting for the general concensus.

Not like they can leave me behind.

[The Scarlet Samurai]

Kenshin stands a little apart from the others in silent contemplation. This moment is the first chance he's had to think on all that has happened, this first chance to step away from the fighting and the running. He barely even hears the others' discussion as he apparently stares off into the night sky. In his mind his thoughts are jumbled, confused. The Muramasa screams, howls for blood and his own memory seems a betrayal to him as he thinks to the past and tries to reconcile this beast he has become master to with the knowledge that his father was once its master as well.

His father.

For his entire life Kenshin's father had been little more than a gentle school teacher, a man who loved ancient history, who delighted in telling his son every story he knew of the great Samurai, the Shogunates, the rise and fall of Japanese Feudalism. To his mind Kenshin could not picture his father, so mild of personality and introspective, to be a sword wielding hero who mastered a blood crazed demon.

[Charlotte]

"Beer," said Jack in response to Cyco, "Is always good. Okay. You got a computer in there?"

After a moment, Susan Pine realized that Blackjack was talking to her. "Uh... yeah, I do."

"Go look for photos of Yulara. It's a town in Australia. Well, it used to be. I live not far from it. Obviously I don't carry a picture, since what would be the point."

Susan nodded, going upstairs. "I'll have to boot it up. It'll be a minute or two."

[Charlotte]

A minute or two later, Sarah came down the stairs with a few printouts in her hands - photographs of the town of Yulara.

The most striking thing about the pictures was that there weren't many people in the photographs, and the town seemed in ill repair. The second thing that stood out was the looming shape of Ayer's Rock, some kilometers off in the distance. There were, however, several doors to choose from for Larissa's sympathetic spell.

[Bodhie Armstrong]

Bodhie sighed waiting for Sarah to return with the laptop. She decided to break the silence by speaking up again trying to melt the ice and awkwardness that was slowly spreading.

"My name is Bodhie.", the extralarge bodybuilder boomed and smiled as friendly as she could. She decided against offering her hand and remained standing behind Cyco with her arms still crossed over her impressively muscular chest.

"I'm from London... and married and got a 16-year-old son. This whole thing here is a bit crazy for me but I feel it's the right thing to do. Besides that things weren't really working out well lately between my husband and I."

Talking about TMI... maybe I should've shut up...

The large woman looked at the others and hoped she didn't freak them out more than they all already were. She just wanted to talk... break the ice.

[Necronaut]

The Necronaut glanced back and forth at Bodhie's announcement, understanding the general intent of the conversational effort. "Norman Yan. I used to work here." He paused and considered a moment and then added, "But I was almost a doctor!" The he did a double take at Sarah and added, "...but working here's great!"

[SalmonMax]

Larissa accepted the computer and quickly made her introduction. "I'm Larissa. Larissa Taylor. I'm a schoolteacher. I found this book with my father's old stuff in his attic, and it...well it taught me magic, to horribly oversimplify the case."

She smiled wanly. "It's nice to meet you all. I'd better start on this way back...one second."

She turned and hurried to the nearby door to a storage room, and began scratching marks on it with a bit of well-worn chalk.

[Charlotte]

After a minute's worth of effort, Larissa's diagrams flared to life. She opened first the door on this side, then the door on the other.

It was like getting blasted with a block heater. Susan gasped at the sight, as did the other funeral home workers. Through the door was Australia, in the middle of the day, sunlight beaming through in defiance of the local time zone. A slight wind blew past, sending swirls of dirt dancing across the ground. It was a town - an abandoned one, from the looks of it, with faded signs advertising cool beer and cheap tucker, and a rusted out old car across the road.

And off in the distance, was Ayer's Rock. It sat there, unmoved by the struggles of the moment, as it had for the length of recorded history.

Blackjack smiled. "Smells like home. Can you see the nipple on the boob of Australia, yet?"

[Bodhie Armstrong]

Bodhie chuckled at Jacks comment. She kinda liked him and his humor. "I never heard that one before, Jack. I hope you got more than just Foster's in reserve?", her deep yet feminine voice resonated warmly and she looked at the others with a little smirk in her face.

"Common - I think we're going to be safe down under - at least for another day or two. Those of you who still are in doubt can still chose to go their own way but I think we did outstanding as a team and even though I don't even know all your names I'd miss you."

She took a deep breath and picked Jack up. "With your permission let me guide you through the door.", and then she stepped through the portaldoor carrying Jack like a child in her huge arms.

[Radiance]

"I know it's hard to believe, but my name is Hikari Motarasu. I'm an artist working in Seattle."

Hikari watched in awe as the portal opened and then stepped through. The heat assaulted her and she gritted her teeth. She nodded to Bodhie and Blackjack. "First time I've ever been t Australia."

[CyCo]

Cyan politely waited as the others went through the door. Her soft chair seemed entirely more comfortable than Down Under. "Everyone calls me Cyco. Can anyone summon shrimp? I'm starving. Bodhie, he's blind, not crippled. Could you lift that rock? Man, a pint would go great with some shrimp."

[z-Gloom]

Gloom watched the portal nervously. After a moment, she realized the anxiety was coming from Darkness, not herself. Blinking, she considered the surprising revelation that he was afraid of such things, after stepping through one and losing his world and family. Now he was afraid of losing her. She felt oddly warmed by this sentiment, even as she was aware he was probably just concerned about losing his shelter.

Get a good grip, she thought to him. Ready? Though she couldn't see it, her hair and eyes became blacker, her skin looked even more gray, and her shadow deepened until it seemed a hole to utter night rather than the absence of light.

The insubstantial beast nodded and Gloom stepped through. She instantly wanted to step back. She was from Seattle - had been there her whole life. Australia felt like Hell, literally. Inside, Darkness whined from all the light, shuddering. Gloom dug around in her trash bag and found her sunglasses, putting them on with a sigh of relief. It's the armpit of the world, has to be, she thought, looking at the world through tinted lenses. Why do people live here?!

Cyco's ramble reminded Gloom to be more social. "Ser- er, just Andi Murphy," she said, nodding. "Formally of the Knights, now of... Dimensional Housing Incorporated, I guess. No one's given me the new job orientation, so that's just my best assumption."

[The Scarlet Samurai]

Kenshin followed the others through the portal quietly. If the intense heat and dryness bothered him he did not comment on it. He spent a moment adjusting the ugly cap on his head so that the visor blocked the sun from his eyes and then followed the others.

[IndyPendant]

Sharatur eyed the portal with the deep suspension and resentment that can only come from observing something that flips the finger to everything she believes--believed--in, merely by existing. That tiny Voice Of Reason was down--beaten to a whimpering bloody pulp, truth be told--but apparently not out. She automatically started trying to fit what she was seeing into her former World View, terms such as Wormhole and Quantum Tunneling scrambling through her mind desperately searching for a purchase.

...Whatever. She stepped through.

And found herself in Australia. Really in Australia. Hard to miss that blast-furnace baking heat, or Ayers Rock. She stopped dead and just stared, grinning a little goofily. Unlike the others, the heat didn't bother her much, and...well. Ayers Rock! She didn't get to travel much on her Tour Guide salary, but she had always wanted to come here.

For perhaps the first time since this all got dumped on her, she began to think that maybe--just maybe--there might be some good to come out of it after all. Her gaze was fixed on the view in the distance, her voice a little dreamy as she asked "Hey, Speed Demon. Can you take someone else safely with you when you go zipping around like that?"

[SalmonMax]

Larissa stepped through last, and let her glamour fade...changing her from a rather vampish sorceress to a rather frumpy schoolteacher. It was amazing what a difference clothes could make. She closed the door behind her, leaving no earthly way to tell where they'd gone.

"Night there, day here," she murmured, fanning herself. "Cold there...hot here. Goodness. Is there air conditioning inside? Should I even ask?"

Her eyes lit on Ayers Rock, and widened. "That's amazing," she said. "I mean, what would cause that? What sort of erosion..."

She glanced back at Jack, intuiting there was more to this, but not sure what to ask.

[Necronaut]

The Necronaut paused a moment to take in the scene. Not the impossible Australian vista on the other side of the door, but the dusty funeral parlor on this side. It wasn't that he would miss it, not in a deep heartfelt way anyway. Rather, the knowledge that if it hadn't already, his life was now officially jumping the tracks weighed on him a little. He was sorry he hadn't taken a moment to run home and grab a few things, but that time was well passed too. He pushed it from his mind, he had all he needed.

He gave a thumbs up and a grin to his former co workers, Susan in particular. "Keep up the good work guys! And keep watching the skies, things might be getting better soon!" That things might get much worse first bounced around his brain for a moment, but shot out of his left ear before it could be further articulated.

With that upbeat farewell, the Necronaut stepped into a land that was, for him, nearly as uncharted and mysterious as the Netherworld... Australia.

[Charlotte]

... in Issue #2: The Man Who Built Yesterday