“What
do you think?”
Natalie
walked out of the closet, wearing her new baby blue bikini. Her brown hair had
grown longer over the late spring months, and was now down past her shoulders.
She had also gained a little weight; she was by no means out of shape, and the
gain merely added to her curves. She held her hands over her head and
stretched, spinning around in a slow circle so Steve could see how lucky he was
to have her.
“I
think,” Steve said, stepping over towards her and pulling her in close, “that
this is going to be a fantastic vacation.”
Natalie
smiled as she levitated herself off the ground to get a kiss. “I wholeheartedly
agree, my love. And a much needed one at that.”
As
she floated back to the ground and walked into the closet to change around,
Steve noticed the faint scar on her stomach, and his thoughts grew dark
momentarily. Almost two months had passed since the villain known as Snake Eyes
nearly killed his wife, and he was still wasn’t caught. Though he hadn’t been
seen since, Steve knew the next time he appeared, Frontier would need to be
careful. Snake already proved to be a deadly adversary.
Hmph, Steve thought with a grim smile, it’s been awhile since we’ve had a dangerous
opponent. I definitely didn’t miss this. He got up and finished packing for
the trip. There were still a few big things to do before Natalie and he left.
After
supper, the members of Frontier, plus Francis, gathered in the rec. room to
discuss what would be going on over the next two weeks. Steve and Natalie were
taking a vacation across the ocean to the country of Claria, a pristine little country
founded in the Mediterranean on what was previously known as the Island of
Corsica. Claria prided itself in its low crime rate, healthy citizens, and
overall happiness. The downside was you had to be evaluated and inspected in
order to live or even travel there; but if you made the cut, there was no other
country in the world like Claria.
“While
we are gone, someone needs to step up and be temporarily in charge.” Steve
looked back and forth between Marian and Tony, but neither moved. Both wanted
it, he was sure, but both were smart enough not to jump too soon and blow their
chance.
“However,
seeing as how neither of you two has ever been in a position of leadership
before, I cannot choose either of you.” The looks of surprise on their faces
made Steve pause for a moment and enjoy it. “So I am leaving the command
leadership in the hands of Francis in my absence.”
Francis
bowed his head, and Tony looked like he was about to freak out. “Are you
kidding? You’re putting the butler in charge of us!” Francis cleared his
throat, and Tony looked back at him. “No offense, Glides.”
“Francis
has more experience than you would think, Tony,” Natalie explained, trying to
calm the young man down, “and he won’t be going out on patrol or any missions;
he’s just here to handle any of the large decisions while we are gone.”
“That
being said,” Steve started up, “if anything should happen that would warrant
our early return, there can be no hesitations to call us back. Is that
understood?” Marian and Francis nodded, but Tony replied with a grunt. “And if
any major villain turns up, do not handle it on your own. It’s just you two on
active duty for these next two weeks. No one on the outside knows this, but
that doesn’t mean it is guaranteed clear sailing. Anything can happen. Above
all, we want you two alive when we come back.”
That
comment brought everyone to silent attention. The risk of losing someone had
been all too real in these past few months, between Volt’s attack and Snake
Eyes’ drug operation. The impossibility of dying in action had turned into a
foreboding possibility.
After
a few more details were sorted out, they all escorted Steve and Natalie
outside. Hugs and goodbyes were exchanged, along with a few quick but heartfelt
good lucks. Then the two were in their car and gone, off on their relaxing trip
to paradise.
The
sun blazed in the afternoon sky, heating up the city below it. It was early
June, which meant longer days, more people outside, and of course, more work
for the superheroes. And now that Steve and Natalie left two days ago for their
two week trip, it was just Tony and Marian on patrol duty. As far as Tony was
concerned, this meant just him.
The
past two months had been unusually hard on Tony Wilson, aka the Bullet. First,
he thought things were finally shaping up between him and Marian for once, on
both sides. Then she goes and dumps him before they can even make it official.
To throw salt on the wound, that same day she leaves and starts training on the
Eagle with Alexander Jackson, just coming back down to grace Frontier with her
presence a few days before Steve and Natalie leave. And now Francis, the
mansion’s keeper, is in charge.
At this rate I’ll be kicked off the team and
replaced by a twelve year old girl who talks to dolphins, Tony thought as
he raced around the bustling city streets. He hit full speed and ran up the
side of a building, launching himself in the air and landing on the roof.
Looking over the landscape, his thoughts wandered again. No, even worse, I’ll get invited to Marian and Jackson’s wedding. I bet
he’s got the hots for her, and she’ll fall for him, despite him being as old as
her dad. Tony shook his head to try and get the thoughts out. “Damn I just
need something to hit!”
Tony
turned on the radio at his belt, praying for a crime that would require his
assistance. He had the radio turned off and was just running around the city,
but that wasn’t easing his mind at all. He flipped through the channels, but
none had anything important. He sat down on the building ledge and set the
radio to scan. Leaning back, Tony stared up at the sky trying to clear his
mind.
An
hour later, Tony’s eyes snapped open. He sat up from lying on the roof top and
grabbed the radio. Flipping back a few stations, he found what he had heard. A
simple mugging, but there was some confusion on the radio, and code words were
being dropped that the mugger might be a meta. He jumped up and took off down
the side of the building and sped towards the location, intent on venting some
steam.
It
didn’t take long for Tony to find the mugger. He was shuffling through a back
alley, clearly lost as to where he was going. The man was only a few years
younger than Tony, but he looked filthy and was hunched over. He wore dirty and
tattered clothes; his hair was matted to head, and he stank like a cesspool.
Tony almost gagged just getting near him.
“Hey!”
Tony managed to shout after taking a deep breath. The mugger turned his head,
and Tony saw in the clear blue eyes he wasn’t some crazy homeless person, but a
man who was fully aware of himself. Lucky for Tony, his super speed also
granted him incredibly fast reflexes, and he side-stepped out of the way as a
blast of what felt like gritty sand blew by him. In a flash, Tony ran up to the
mugger and punched him in the gut. The mugger fell to the ground on top of a
manhole with a thud. “Well that was way too easy.”
“That’s
because you caught him off guard.” Tony looked up quickly, startled at the
unknown voice. Above him floated another young man, this one the same age as
Tony. He had ruffled shaggy brown hair and clean-cut features; he sported a
skin-tight black body suit but wore blue denim jeans as well. The suit was
sleeveless, and Tony saw that he was in excellent shape. He also saw three
circular, shallow indentations on each bicep that glowed faintly with a bluish
white light. The young man touched down next to Tony and stretched out a hand.
“My name is Matt.”
Warily,
Tony shook hands. “They call me Bullet.”
Matt
smiled. “Oh? Well they call me Echo. Or they would, if they were to call me
anything.” At Tony’s questioning glance, Matt continued. “It’s kind of a long
story. In the mean time, do you have any place to hold this guy? He’s been a
pain in my ass for quite a bit.”
Tony
thought for a moment. Here was another young male metahuman; a potential ally
to Tony. “Actually, I think we do have something that would work, as long as
you can carry his stinky ass.” The two young men laughed, although Matt cut his
short when he looked down at the unconscious mugger. Without noticing, Tony
smiled, “Well Matt, I think today is your lucky day. You’re about to get a tour
of the Frontier mansion.”
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