Juan Hernandez was an average banker in Mexico City. He woke up that morning, kissed his wife Isabella goodbye, hugged his three year-old son Eduardo, and got in his car. He drove to work. It was a normal day.
Ten minutes before Juan’s lunchbreak, he heard the window smash. He looked up just in time to see the small projectile hurling through the air towards him, hitting him between the eyes and killing him instantly, as a cloud of similar projectiles followed, shredding the staff and customers alike.
A figure dressed in a shining metal costume stepped into the bank. “This just gets easier and easier…” He said, as the huge safe door in front of him began to swing open on its own.
<><><>
The Brat Pack were assembled in Mr Hart’s office.
“Mexico? Are you kidding?” Mr Universe asked.
“No. The Mayor of Mexico City asked for your team specifically. He said his son is a big fan of your work, and he read about you taking down Arachnophobia.” Mr Hart replied.
“It’s about time this job let us leave the country.” Mr Universe said.
“Too bad it’s Mexico. Couldn’t we have got somewhere with drinkable water for our last mission?” Firestorm asked.
“Why can’t we ever get jobs in Europe?” Belle asked.
“Those jobs tend to go to the New York office. Hyper Girl was in Paris last week.” Mr Universe said.
“Can we focus?” Mr Hart asked.
“Of course. Any information on the target?” Mr Perfect asked.
“There is no footage of him, he wipes all magnetic media clean. His M.O. is to bombard the bank with millions of pieces of shrapnel, metal shrapnel. He turns the lobby into a giant blender. He then tears the safe door off its hinges and makes his getaway.” Mr Hart said.
The Brat Pack all turned to look at Mr Universe.
“Yeah. I turned evil. Darn, you caught me.” Mr Universe said, voice dripping with sarcasm. “I’m not the only person in the world with magnetic powers. And anyway, the tiny pieces of metal shrapnel bit isn’t my thing. I’m more of a big, bludgeoning instrument kind of guy. This takes fine control of millions of tiny little bits, way too much concentration. It does remind me of the nightclub bombings in Texas two years ago though. You think it’s Gauss again?”
“That’s the theory we’re going with at the moment, but make no assumptions until you get visual.” Mr Hart said.
“Gauss? Isn’t he on the FBI’s Most Wanted list?” Belle asked.
“And the CIA, and MI-6, and Interpol. He’s killed hundreds, caused billions of dollars of property damage.” Mr Hart said.
“And you’re sending kids after him? That’s brilliant.” Firestorm said.
“Not just kids. This is your last mission, right?” Mr Hart asked.
“Yeah. So?” Firestorm replied.
“I’m teaming you up with your replacement. Without the Brat Pack, we need a high-profile hero, someone the people will pay top dollar for, not to mention the merchandising deals…” Mr Hart said.
“Who did you get?” Mr Universe asked, excitedly.
“A living legend. A former member of Liberty Force… A founding member of the Boomers…” Mr Hart said.
“You’ve got to be shitting me.” Firestorm said, flames appearing in his hands.
“No, Firestorm. And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t attack him.” Mr Hart said.
“Who is it?” Mr Perfect looked a little suspicious.
“That would be me.” A voice commented drily from the doorway.
The team turned around to see a middle-aged man, wearing a bright orange costume, with flames up and down the sides, and a smirk on his face.
“Napalm?” Mr Universe said, stunned.
“Judging by the look on my son’s face, you’re right kid.” The newcomer said.
“Son of a bitch!” Firestorm leapt forward, engulfing Napalm in flames.
“Boy, I thought I’d taught you manners by now.” Napalm replied, waiting for his son to step into reach, before hitting him across the face with a backhand blow, which sent the young hero sprawling. “Perhaps you need another lesson.” Napalm advanced.
In an instant, the veteran was up against the wall, Mr Perfect had Napalm by the collar, his feet dangling above the ground.
“If you so much as think about laying another hand on my teammate, I will take you down.” Mr Perfect growled.
“Yeah right, like I’m worried about you kid. You’re a little boy scout. You wouldn’t dream of doing anything to me.” Napalm said.
“Just try me.” Mr Perfect lifted Napalm higher.
“Stand down, Perfect.” Mr Hart ordered.
Mr Perfect looked at his boss, and back at Napalm, before dropping the aging hero to the floor.
“I don’t want him on this operation. Send D13, or even Captain Awesome. I don’t care. Just not this dick.” Mr Perfect said.
“D13 is down to twelve members, so they’ll need a new name before we put them back in the field as a team, and Captain Awesome is working security for a popstar at the moment.” Mr Hart replied. “And anyway, this is my decision to make. Napalm will be assisting you on this mission.”
“Yes sir.” Mr Perfect’s reply was subdued, as he looked at his feet.
“This is going to be fun…” Belle muttered to Mr Universe.
“Yeah, who’d have thought meeting a legend would be so disappointing.” Mr Universe replied.
“I can hear you, you know?” Napalm asked.
“We know.” Belle replied, defiantly.
Pixel just sighed.
<><><>
“You know how this works?” Mr Perfect looked back at Napalm.
“Sure, we go in, stop him, and get paid.” Napalm shrugged.
Mr Perfect glared at him. “Oh, you meant your plan. Sure.” Napalm replied, rolling his eyes.
The team (plus Napalm) was standing outside a bank, the windows smashed in. They had received the distress call minutes before.
Mr Perfect flew inside and was out within moments, in his hands was a man in a shining metal suit.
“That’s him. That’s Gauss.” Mr Universe said.
“My reputation precedes me, I see.” Gauss said, before cackling gleefully, as thousands of coins flew through the air, forming a cloud around him, and his captor.
Unable to see inside the cloud, the Brat Pack had no idea what was going on inside… Until Mr Perfect flew out the top of the cloud, Gauss still in his arms.
“It’ll take more than that to hurt me.” Mr Perfect said.
“Good, I like a challenge.” Gauss laughed, and tried to make the coins fly up to meet them, but to no avail. He felt resistance, beyond gravity’s normal pull.
“Which one of you is holding my metal down?” He demanded.
“That would be me.” Mr Universe raised his hand, sweat appearing on his brow as he fought hard to concentrate, keeping the coins floating where they were.
“This is somewhat irritating. No matter, I know how to deal with you.” Gauss reached into a pouch on his belt, sprinkling tiny ball bearings out into the air, and sending them flying in a northerly direction. “In five minutes, those balls will reach an elementary school, where they will proceed to tear through hundreds of children at high speeds, causing huge amounts of pain and suffering, before death. I think you know how to stop them.”
“You wouldn’t.” Mr Universe said, eyes widening.
“I thought you knew who you were dealing with.” Gauss said, as he flew out of Mr Perfect’s grasp. “I am Gauss. I almost killed the East Coast Boomers. Too bad the Order of Darkness finished the job, I was looking forward to making Talon squirm.”
“The East Coast Boomers don’t have anything on me!” Napalm shouted, engulfing Gauss in a blast of flame.
“I guess he’s still got it…” Mr Universe muttered to Belle.
“Yeah, I don’t think I’ve seen Ben do anything that big…” Belle replied.
“Because I haven’t needed to.” Firestorm insisted.
Napalm allowed the flames to die down… Revealing Gauss still floating in midair, the twisted wreckage of a car shielding him from the flames.
“Time is ticking away.” Gauss said to Mr Universe. “Or don’t you care about those children?”
Mr Universe looked to Mr Perfect. “Go. We’ve got this.” Mr Perfect ordered, and Mr Universe nodded, taking off after the ball bearing swarm.
“You think you can beat me? Fool.” Gauss said, as he wrapped Napalm up in the car’s wreckage, before doing the same to Firestorm, Belle and Pixel, tearing apart more cars for raw materials.
“Nice try!” Pixel said, as she teleported out of the prison.
’Yeah!’ Belle agreed, with a psychic scream at the villain.
Gauss stumbled in midair, and Mr Perfect moved to strike, but was blocked by the coin cloud, which then broke up into three parts, one blocking Mr Perfect’s every strike, one to bombard Belle’s head until she was knocked unconscious, and the third to chase down Pixel and wear her down, as she tried to teleport to safety, eventually falling to the ground, unconscious.
“It’s just you and me now kid.” Gauss said, as he tore power-lines from their poles, and wrapped up the young hero’s arms and legs, until he was satisfied he could move no more.
“Now what? You kill us?” Mr Perfect spat.
“No. I’m going to have a little fun. You said it would take more than my coins to hurt you… Let’s just see exactly how much more it will take.” Gauss explained, as a dozen razorblades flew from another pouch on his belt.
“Razors? Magical swords can barely scratch me, and you’re using razors?” Mr Perfect laughed.
“Spinning razors.” Gauss corrected, as the blades began rotating in the air. They spun faster and faster. “The speed, combined with the sharpness of the blade, ought to be enough to at least make you notice…”
In his first attempt, the razorblade shattered, as Mr Perfect expected. “So much for that idea.” The hero mocked his would-be torturer.
“There’s more where that came from.” Gauss replied, and the blades began spinning faster.
This time, the blade made a small nick in Mr Perfect’s skin, before dissolving into a million pieces.
“Third time’s a charm.” Gauss laughed, the blades speeding up further.
This time the blade managed to cut all the way across the hero’s chest, drawing a look of surprise from Mr Perfect.
“There it is. Perfect.” Gauss said, as he moved all ten remaining razors towards Mr Perfect’s body.
<><><>
Firestorm looked away and closed his eyes, but nothing could block out Mr Perfect’s screams.
“Be a man.” Napalm said. “Don’t look away. Coward.”
“We’re going to die, and all you can do is insult me?” Firestorm looked at his father with rage in his eyes.
“Your team mate is up there suffering. Do him the honour of witnessing it. It’s the least you can do, seeing as you’re helpless.”
Firestorm’s face contorted with rage, as he tried to use his powers to escape.
“It’s no use, you can’t create fire within the wreckage, he’s got us sealed in pretty well. There’s no oxygen.” Napalm said.
“I’ll be damned if there’s no oxygen!” Firestorm said, feeling around his prison. He found a sharp edge near his right hand. He grimaced as he slammed his hand down onto it, drawing blood.
“The hell are you doing boy?” Napalm asked.
“Getting the hell out of here.” Firestorm replied, as he used his powers to ignite a flame, using the oxygen from his blood as fuel. The flame burned hotter and hotter, until a glowing red patch appeared on the steel. Within moments, Firestorm’s fingers were reaching through the hole… To more oxygen. In a burst, his entire hand was on fire, and he tore through the metal like a hot knife through butter.
“Now who’s helpless?” Firestorm asked.
“Now now, you don’t want to do anything you’ll regret.” Napalm looked frightened.
“You’re not worth it. And I wouldn’t regret it. I’ve got bigger fish to fry.” Firestorm said, launching a fireball at Gauss’s back, the villain enthralled in his torture.
Gauss laughed, as his coins moved up to deflect the fireball off into the sky.
“You think I wouldn’t notice your prison being torn asunder?” Gauss asked.
“Crap.” Firestorm said, launching a volley of fire at the villain, hoping to buy time.
“I am the master of metal. I knew the moment you started heating it up. I sensed your every move.” Gauss gloated.
“Did you sense this?” Gauss turned to see Pixel drop into view, having teleported above him.
“Wha-“ Was all Gauss managed to get out, before his vision was filled with bright lights, stunning him momentarily.
“Didn’t think so.” Pixel said, as she teleported safely to the ground.
“You blinded me for a moment. What could you hope to accomplish?” Gauss asked.
“It wasn’t so much the blinding I was doing it for.” Pixel said.
“What then?” Gauss demanded.
“Momentary lapse in concentration.” Mr Perfect said, before nailing Gauss with a blow between the shoulder blades.
The villain was sent sprawling, but slowed his fall using his powers.
“I hope you enjoyed that last moment of hope.” Gauss said, as he recaptured Mr Perfect and Firestorm. “But it ends now.”
In the air in front of him, his razorblades spun, their combined spin causing a wind. “You’ll be the first.” Gauss pointed at Mr Perfect, as he let the razors fly.
Mr Perfect stared his death in the face, watching inevitability as it raced towards him. He was as shocked as anyone to find a manhole cover floating in front of him, shielding the blow.
“Wow, what a bummer for you.” Mr Universe observed, as he used Gauss’s ball bearings to tear apart Mr Perfect and Firestorm’s bonds, before doing the same for Napalm.
“So here’s how this is going to work.” Mr Perfect said. “I’m going to beat you until you go down. Universe is going to stop you from hitting me back. Firestorm and Napalm will be blasting at you too, just so you don’t get any fancy ideas about blocking me.”
“I’m going to be defeated by children? DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM!?!” Gauss shouted, racing towards Mr Universe, every metal item within reach arced towards the young hero.
“Sure. You’re a wannabe Mr Universe.” Belle said, as she too regained consciousness. ’To paraphrase my psych teacher… How does THIS make you feel?’ Belle hit the villain with a powerful psychic scream, causing him to let go of his powers momentarily… Which was all Mr Universe needed to take control of his enemy’s costume. With Belle keeping his mind occupied, and Mr Universe holding him still, it took all of five seconds for Mr Perfect to knock the villain unconscious.
“Wait… Did we just stop Gauss?” Belle asked.
“I… I think so.” Mr Perfect said.
“Holy crap.” Firestorm added.
“Amen.” Mr Universe concurred.
“Yay!” Pixel shouted.
“Amateurs…” Napalm muttered.
“Hey, this is a big deal.” Mr Universe said.
“For you maybe. But in my day, we had real villains.” Napalm argued.
“Real villains? Well, for a modern villain, Gauss sure had you beat.” Firestorm said. “You would still be in there if not for us. At least I found a way out of there, and we took down the biggest villain out today.” Firestorm said.
“You talking back to me boy?” Napalm advanced.
“THAT’S IT!” Pixel shouted, charging at Napalm, grabbing the hero and disappearing with him, before reappearing alone.
“Ummm… Ally… Where did you take Napalm?” Mr Universe asked.
“The sewer. He’ll find his way out soon enough.” Pixel said cheerfully.
“Remind me to never piss that girl off.” Firestorm whispered to Belle.
“I think we’re pretty safe.” Belle replied. “She loves us.”
<><><>
“That’s it. I guess we’re done here.” Mr Hart said.
The Brat Pack, along with Mr Hale, their former handler, nodded their heads.
A week had passed since their huge victory, and it had been a huge media circus. The Brat Pack were now big time. Hart had been willing to offer them double their salary to re-sign.
“Are you sure I can’t offer you another contract?” Mr Hart asked.
“No, we’ve got some things that need to be done. We need to be independent.” Mr Perfect said. “We will, of course, still be customers.”
“Oh really. Anyone in mind…?” Mr Hart asked.
<><><>
The stone pole shattered as the lightning struck it.
“Good, we’re finally getting somewhere.” Fissure said, as he caused another three poles to shoot from the ground.
Dylan pointed at the three in succession, unleashing electrical energies from his fingers and burning them all. “Guess I’m out of batteries.” He said.
“Not good enough Stratos. Again!” Fissure ordered, as he summoned more targets.
<><><>
“The plan we’ve worked out with Fissure is a good Plan A… But he doesn’t know about all of our resources.” Mr Universe said, looking around the room.
“We’ve got some serious firepower assembling in Salt Lake City. We need to make proper use of it. You guys are going to be the best in the world someday. It’s time to show them all what you can do.” Mr Perfect said.
“Ok, so what’s the plan?” Cal Richards asked, as the room full of heroes nodded in agreement.
“We win.” Mr Perfect began.
<><><>