The scene outside Wells Fargo Bank was chaos. A huge crowd had gathered around the police barricades, everyone wanted to see what was going on. Police lights flashed, and sirens blared. Utter chaos.
A hush went over the crowd, as Mr Perfect sailed down to the ground, landing inside the barrier, as moments later, the ground shifted, and his teammates formed from the very asphalt. “What are we dealing with officer?” Mr Perfect asked the nearest cop.
“We’re not sure Mr Perfect.” The cop replied, scratching his head. “He’s definitely one of your types, I can tell you that much… He’s just… Kind of all over the place.”
“Can you tell us anything about his powers?” Fissure asked, stepping up to the officer.
“He turned an officer into a duck.” The cop said. “And he can appear out of nowhere. And he does something with fireworks.”
“Magician.” Fissure said.
“I hate magicians.” Firestorm groaned.
“Ok Brats, we know what we’re dealing with now. Fissure, Pixel, you’re on evac. Get the hostages out as quickly as you can. If he’s a magician, we need to stop him from casting any spells. That means quick attacks. We need to keep his hands busy, he can’t be allowed to finish an incantation, and he can’t concentrate. We can get this done in a few minutes.” Mr Perfect said. “Any questions?”
His teammates shook their heads. The plan seemed pretty simple.
“Ok then.” Mr Perfect smiled. “Let’s do this.”
Pixel disappeared, teleporting straight into the bank. Fissure followed suit, melding into the ground and travelling instantaneously through the road, sidewalk and foundation of the building, emerging behind the counter. Mr Perfect was a blur as he flew straight through the front door, leaving glass everywhere.
Seconds later, the rest of the team ran through the hole he had left.
“The Brat Pack? Really. You’re the best these mortals could send?”
Standing on the teller’s counter was a man. A very small man.
“Oh god, you’re worse than a magician… You’re a leprechaun!” Firestorm taunted.
The man scowled. “You want to taunt me?”
“He’s even got the pointy ears!” Ice Princess exclaimed. “You’re so cute!”
A nasty grin appeared on the man’s face. “You’re all going to regret insulting me.”
“Not likely.” Mr Perfect said. “You’ve got no hostages to threaten anymore.”
The man looked around, and saw that all the bank’s staff and patrons were nowhere to be seen.
“There are over a dozen floors above us!” The man said.
“They’re being emptied as we speak. So I think you should just surrender now.” Mr Perfect said.
“Not likely!” The villain said, as he leapt into the air. He was hit instantly with a set of bolas, which tied themselves around him, wrapping his arms up. Satisfied that his attack had worked, The Blackbird stepped aside, to allow Firestorm to shoot sparks into their foe’s eyes, blinding him. Ice Princess followed up by freezing the moisture in his lips, keeping his mouth shut.
“They just don’t make them like they used to.” Mr Perfect said.
<><><>
Fisher closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Since moving into the city, he had found himself restless. He had taken to long walks through the streets of the city, as a way to collect his thoughts.
He knew he had a mission. He had to stop Senator Carmichael from becoming President. Instead, he had joined the Brat Pack, and was now spending his time fighting other, minor threats. He had seen the big picture unfold. He knew where they were going. He knew that despite the changes he had made to the timeline, Senator Carmichael still had all the cards in his hand. He still had all the resources he needed to become president. He still had all the resources he needed to begin building his clone army. Anything Fisher had managed to change; his foe had found some way to work around it. With the help of Helix, he had taken any advantage Fisher had. He knew every move Fisher was planning to make. He knew every step he was going to take himself, or at least every step his future self had taken.
Fisher knew his foe was far smarter than he was, and that he would be able to plan his way out of anything Fisher threw at him. It wasn’t Fisher’s style to be unpredictable. He was a planner. He knew he couldn’t stop Senator Carmichael alone. Mr Perfect was far better at thinking on his feet, he could adapt. With Pixel’s luck, it was only a matter of time before they stumbled on a way to stop Carmichael from taking the Presidency.
“You’ve failed us.”
Fisher’s eyes went wide. He knew that voice, but it wasn’t possible. There was no way.
He turned around, and his jaw dropped.
“You? No!” He said, barely able to form the words.
Even if she hadn’t been wearing the red, white and blue, he would have recognised her instantly. Those deep brown eyes, that coffee-coloured skin, that long black hair and that slender, athletic frame.
“Yes. Me. And I’m here to tell you how disappointed I am.” The second Miss Liberty said, extending her staff to full length and assuming a fighting stance.
<><><>
Verona downed her third drink, the music pumping in the background, the air hot from the all the bodies in such a cramped space. There was nothing she loved more than the LA nightlife. She put her glass down on the bar, and hit the dancefloor.
It didn’t take her long to find a target. The star of some new television show or another. She wasn’t fussy. She began dancing with him, rubbing her body on him, much to his enjoyment. And why shouldn’t he be enjoying it? She was an heiress to one of the biggest fortunes in the country, and the hottest superhero in the world. Even the scandal involving her brother wasn’t enough to keep her reputation down.
“You always find a way to disappoint us.” The young television star was pushed out of the way, replaced by…
“Dean?” Verona was stunned. “But you’re in Alcatraz.”
“Clearly I’m not. It seems we need to have a chat, sis.” Dean smiled, and Verona began to feel dread creeping over her.
<><><>
The Blackbird vaulted from rooftop to rooftop, searching the streets below him for any sign of crime. He had been lax in his patrols lately. The Brat Pack was taking up more of his time than he would have liked. He had a job to do, and a city to protect. Perhaps this alliance was not the best idea?
Suddenly, he was seeing stars, a blow to the side of his head sent him rolling across the rooftop, and over the ledge. Luckily, his reflexes were enough to save him, grabbing onto the ledge and vaulting himself back up. He faced his attacker, and could not believe his eyes.
“H-how?” The Blackbird took a step back.
The Shadow smiled. “Thought you’d gotten rid of me, did you?”
<><><>
“-So yeah, I’ll be home in a couple of days. There’s a Billy Idol show on this weekend.” Ally said. “Yes, Billy Idol. I couldn’t believe it when I saw it either… Ok Tom, I’m getting all staticky on this end, so I’m going to have to let you go… Tom?”
Ally looked at her phone, and was surprised to see it had gone dark. “Weird…” she said, before shoving it back in her pocket. By chance, something caught her eye just off the balcony, and she turned, just in time to see the steel chain hurtling towards her.
She teleported just in time, moving a few feet forward, the chain missing her completely.
“You’ve always been so lucky… Haven’t you?” Gauss said, floating towards her. “Of course, you have to question just how fortunate you are, if I’m here at all.”
<><><>
As soon as the last gangbanger went down, Pumpkin King dropped his flaming mask. There was nothing like letting his frustrations out on petty criminals. He mounted his motorcycle, and was ready to leave when he heard a voice.
“Your father would be very disappointed.” The voice said.
Mosley dismounted and turned around in one motion. “What did you say?”
From the shadows, the voice spoke again. “You heard me Ben. You can do better than this.”
“Who the hell do you think you are?” Mosley asked, clenching his fist.
“At your age, your father was fighting in a war, he was saving the entire country. What do you do? Beat up teenagers.”
Mosley flared up, banishing the shadows from the dark alleyway, seeing the source of the voice.
Age might have changed him, but there was no mistaking that costume. No mistaking the icon. Mosley hesitated. “What do you want?”
Uncle Sam smiled. “I want to teach you a lesson.”
<><><>
Kevin flew through the air. He should be in bed already. He needed his sleep. Tomorrow was the big game. UC Irvine versus Pepperdine. He may have been starting on the bench, but this was his first shot at a game. It was almost unheard of for a freshman to play varsity games, but one of the other guys had injured himself, and the coach had decided that since Pepperdine weren’t a particularly good team this year, he could afford to take the risk. He didn’t expect to get on the court at all, but just in case he did, he wanted to be ready.
He was feeling good about himself. They had taken that guy in the bank down with relative ease. He had finally gotten back into his groove. The Brat Pack was a fully-functional team again. Nothing could go wrong.
“That’s where you’re wrong.” That familiar voice buzzed in his head, and Kevin stopped in midair.
“Katie?” Kevin said, looking around.
“Oh, so you do remember me?” Belle asked, floating up next to him.
“Of course… Why wouldn’t I?” Kevin asked.
“You were never the bright one, were you?” Mr Universe said, causing Mr Perfect to spin around to face his former teammate.
“You’re nothing without us.” Belle said.
“And we’re going to prove it, once and for all.” Mr Universe said.

2031
Fissure sighed, hanging his head in shame. “It means I’m a clone.”
His teammates stared at him, jaws open, not knowing what to say, while Dr Hastings cackled in the background.
“You’re one of them?” Sparky said, a hint of confusion in his voice.
“By birth. Not by choice.” Miss Liberty said.
“But he’s still one of those… those freaks!” Sparky spat.
“Watch it.” Miss Liberty said, rounding on her teammate.
“He is. We just risked our lives to rescue one of theirs.” Sparky said.
“How dare you!?” Miss Liberty started to advance on Sparky.
“He’s right.”
Miss Liberty spun to look at Fissure. “What?”
“He’s right. I’m a clone. I’m what we’re fighting against. I have no right to expect you to let me back on the team.” Fissure said.
Miss Liberty was speechless.
“Even he admits it.” Sparky said. “We should just leave him here.”
“You know I can’t let you escape.” Dr Hastings said. “891, 727, destroy them all.”
727 wrenched his legs free of his bonds, while 891 wreathed himself in fire, ready for battle.
“Go!” Fissure shouted. “I’ll hold them off at least.”
“Don’t have to tell me twice.” Sparky said, electricity crackling around him.
“Wait! No!” Miss Liberty said. “We’re going to stay and fight.”
“You can’t be serious!” Sparky said.
“Sparky, it’s still an excuse to beat some hyper-soldiers. When have we ever turned that down?” Icon said, as he unleashed a wave of psychic distortion at the two clones, leaving them disoriented.
“Besides, Fissure’s still one of us. It’s not his fault he was born in a tube. I was born in Arkansas.” Flasher agreed, hitting 727 in the face with one of his blasts, stunning the villain further.
“Well, it’s up to you Sparky. You can leave your team here, or we can fight. Together.” Miss Liberty said.
Sparky looked at his teammates one-by-one, finishing with Fissure. After staring for a moment, he shook his head. “Fine. Let’s do this.”
The ground erupted around Fissure, covering his entire body in an armour of stone and dirt. “Thanks…” He said. “Maggie, orders?”
Miss Liberty smiled. “Fissure and I will take 727, he’s got the strength, and I’ve got the agility. The rest of you, try to shut 891 down. Icon, focus all your interference on him, I don’t want anyone getting burned. Sparky, Flasher, ranged attacks. Do not engage him in close quarters.”
“Solid plan.” Fissure said.
“I try.” Miss Liberty agreed, as she charged forward next to her boyfriend, to meet their adversary, who instantly swung at Miss Liberty, who deftly ducked below the blow, while Fissure landed one of his own, driving his fist into 727’s abdomen.
“That one almost hurt.” The clone soldier taunted. “But you’ll have to do better than that.”
Underneath his stone helmet, Fissure smiled. “Gladly.” He replied. “Honey, ECB Maneuver #6.”
Miss Liberty nodded, pirouetting past their foe, drawing his attention her way, leaving him slightly unbalanced. Miss Liberty followed that up with a low roundhouse kick to the back of his knee. At the same time, Fissure leapt through the air, arm outstretched, connecting across 727’s chest, and driving the unbalanced villain to the ground, as Miss Liberty rolled out of the way of the falling giant.
“Aren’t you glad I spent all that time drilling gram and The Freak’s combo moves into you?” Miss Liberty said.
“I’m mostly just glad I remembered which number that move was.” Fissure replied.
“You didn’t. That’s actually #5. But seeing as #6 is actually a Freak and Gauntlet combo, I assumed you meant this one.” Miss Liberty teased.
“What would I do without y-“ Fissure’s words turned to a yelp of surprise, as 727 grabbed his leg and tripped him up, using his immense strength.
“You stupid rebels and your banter.” 727 said, as he clambered to his feet. “It’s going to get one of you killed one of these days. I hope it’s today.”
“Not likely.” Fissure said, as the earth erupted around 727, covering him and encasing him entirely, leaving his head uncovered.
“Nice. Let’s finish this.” Miss Liberty said, jerking her thumb over to their teammates, where they were barely keeping 891 at bay.
“I’ll take care of him.” Fissure said, as he summoned a pile of dirt, smothering the final foe’s flames.
“Open fire!” Dr Hastings ordered, and Fissure barely got a stone wall up in time to protect his teammates from the gunfire being hailed down on them by the facility’s guards.
“Retreat!” Miss Liberty ordered. “Sparky, run, Fissure, teleport the rest of us.”
Sparky nodded and disappeared in a blur, a trail of sparks behind him, as the earth moved up to envelope the rest of the team, whisking them miles away. Seconds later, Sparky was next to them.
“Oh wow. Did you see the way Fissure just kicked both their asses?” Flasher’s face was alight. “I mean seriously, he just took both those guys down!”
“You were kind of amazing over there.” Miss Liberty said.
“Yeah. You totally rocked.” Icon said. “No pun intended.”
Fissure smiled at his teammates. “They were just a couple of tube-babies.” Fissure shrugged.
Sparky snorted. “That’s rich.”
The smile disappeared from Fissure’s face, as the group fell silent.
“Sparky…” Miss Liberty warned.
“No.” Sparky shook his head. “This is what we’ve been fighting against. He is the enemy.”
“Sparky, come on…” Icon said, as Miss Liberty began to tremble with rage.
“You’re kidding me?” Sparky exclaimed. “He’s one of them. We should have just left him there.”
Miss Liberty slapped Sparky across the face, even the speedster’s reflexes weren’t fast enough to dodge it. He fell to the ground, clutching his face.
“Fissure is one of us.” She said, towering over Sparky. “He saved us all back there. He has fought alongside all of us, he has fought as hard as anyone for the cause. Fissure is family.”
Sparky didn’t say a word, he just got to his feet, rubbing his face.
“If you have a problem, you can just get out of here. I will not have any of this crap on my team. Understand?” Miss Liberty asked.
Sparky nodded, hand still on his face, checking to see his jaw hadn’t been dislocated.
“Good.” Miss Liberty said, as the team looked at her, awestruck.
“We’re fighting a war here.” She said, addressing the rest of the team. “Fissure is on our side. This is America, regardless of who’s in charge. We don’t judge by birth or by heritage. We judge by deeds, and by choices. Fissure was raised by good people, and he joined us because he knew what we were doing was right. He has bled for what this country stands for, as much as I have, as much as any of you have.”
Icon and Flasher nodded in agreement, Icon even reaching out and placing a hand on his much larger teammate’s shoulder, a small smile appearing on Fissure’s face.
“We’re not fighting the clones.” Miss Liberty continued. “This isn’t about them. They are just the tools our enemies are using. They aren’t to blame for their actions, any more than a gun is to blame for a murder. They are born in those labs, and they are brainwashed. They have no choice. If they did, we wouldn’t be at war, because this is what happens when someone gets the choice.” Miss Liberty pointed at Fissure. “They become rebels.”
“They become heroes.”