December 14, 2012
Bangkok, Thailand
“I try to remember what it was all like before…before the tights and masked heroism, before the spotlight cast a blinding light on all the darkness that had crept in.” Loveless paused as she held a handkerchief up to her face. “I am sorry, people of Bangkok, people of the world I want you to know myself and my team had to make some truly difficult decisions. We tried…damn it we tried…but sometimes. Oh God, sometimes it’s just not enough.” She looked up from the podium she had been holding on to for support. Members of her team at her back, some looked onto her out of sympathy and pity, other members looked out at the throngs of people. Local people, soldiers, other heroes thrown into this mess, all looking for answers and the next step in recovery up at the woman that stood before them. She gripped the podium that her green leather of her gloves creased, if this continued the wooden podium would begin to splinter and break. The cameras from the internal news teams gathered around her as the flashes and questions hit her and her companions like a barrage of bullets. Loveless had tried to balance and gather her thoughts for her closing statement. One question snuck in though when her defenses were down.
“Miss Loveless!! Loveless! Who should pay for these transgressions? Granted your team did stop the devastation to a certain degree. But without them we may still a world to defend!! Now major cities across the globe are in ruins! Look around you!! Look at the once historic and stunning Bangkok! Temples and skyscrapers mere piles of rubble, homeless people make up this country now!! Children have nothing now! Families torn apart, communities destroyed, yet you supers get the glory and go back up to your hideaways to safety and luxury!!” The flustered news reporter was ushered away by security as he shouted more accusations and rhetorical questions. Loveless bowed her head as she looked away from the man with the rose colored face that spatted and sputtered out of anger and fear. She drew the might towards her and said her final words.
“He is right…under my leadership I made the calls. The level of destruction…the lack of”--she turns away and catches her breath. “I will be charged in a court of law, and it will be handled from there.”
Loveless is looks at her team and gives them a half hearted smile and reassuring knob as she allows the security to put meta-human cuffs on her. She is escorted through the crowd as the mobs of people throw and say horrible things to her. She just keeps her head to the ground and listens as her team tries to calm the crowd in the distance…with no avail.
Present day (November 17th, 2012) 6:00PM
Champion City
Lady Loveless held the Styrofoam cup up to her lips. A smile escaped her before the warm air that gently cooled the white mocha drink she had ordered. She had the mocha drink to keep her warm on one of those cold fall nights, but more than that an old friend. His codename was ‘Slicer’ she knew him from back when she was the Headmistress of a school for young mutants trying to find themselves and harness their powers. The school closed after only being open for a few years, due to lack of funding and the underbelly side of what the school was also used for. Which was a training ground for a team known as the X-Viners, which Lady Loveless and Slicer were both members of. They had grown close while working on the team together and had stayed in touch even after it disbanded. Just a few emails and texts here and there, and of course Facebook friends, this would be their first time since the team broke up they had seen each other in person.
“So Loveless, how do you like living in Champion City? Miss the mansion at all?”
She paused as she looked around as the street lights started to flicker on. “Well it’s different, I mean pretty good city, with the crime rate relatively low…” she smirked after she said that and took another sip of her drink.
“And who do we have to thank for that?” He nodded his head as he leaned back in his chair and propped himself in a most uncomfortable shape. “Loveless why now? Why did you call me here?”
She stopped sipping her drink and neatly placed down on the table. “I mean we had a lovely day together catching up and reminiscing…I was wondering when we were going to get down to business.” She moved the drink off to the side and rummaged around her bag that had reminded idle the whole night.
She plopped down a stack of files onto the table. The wiry metal table shook as it absorbed the shock of the stack, upon stack of papers.
With a cock eyed look Slicer looked at Loveless and then peered at the mountain of thinly dismembered pieces of trees that lay before him.
She looked at with utter concern, “just like then I need your help…more than ever. The government has hired me to form a team. This is a global issue that not even they can handle. The expertise and precision we must have to be perfect, have to be almost Uncanny. The X-Viners are back on! But I have had to enlist the help of a few new faces with a broad spectrum of powers and abilities from different parts of the world…or universe for that matter. Laying before you is the crisis we must face, and those that have been selected to join. She studied his face as she looked for some type of answer, his eyes grazed over the unopened files. He reached his hand over for one file that had scribbled on it ‘Slicer’.
“Well let’s see what they got on me.” He opened the file like a newspaper and leaned back in his chair. He laid the file down on his stomach and grinned at the emerald beauty, “I am in by the way. No worries Loveless I got your back.”
Loveless smirked at him and then picked up a different file, one of the team mates she wasn't too familiar with. “Oh hey Slicer…so one of the members of the team should be meeting us here any moment now.” He gave her the thumbs as he continued to skim through his file.
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