Chapter 11

"The Enlightening"

By Corey Blake

Morning once again brought with it, an awakening. The past illusions of dreams and shadows melted away by the sun's rays. Enlightenment. Some found it refreshing, invigorating. Others slept past noon, hoping it wouldg o away. Others were jolted awake.

Thomas Sorenson found himself quickly approaching a wall, without the use of his own legs. As a member of Psionex, he took on the name of Mathemanic, where he used his abilities of 'math telepathy' to assault his victims with complex equations. His powers have grown over the several years, where he's been able to alter people's perception of reality. But, it doesn't always work. Once he picked himself off the floor, after colliding into the wall, he turned around to see Bandit standing over him. He knew it was over. For the past several months, he had used his powers on Bandit, Psionex's most recent leader, and his teammates to save lives. He became aware of another force behind Bandit. A force manipulating events that would end in the death of innocent lives. Some of those lives would have been the New Warriors. They had taught Thomas the value of human life. They had taught him that individuals could make a difference. He had no choice but to turn to help.

When Psionex was first formed, he remembered a name. A name continually referenced as a guide to the formation of Psionex. Genetech had been the company who had hired him, and they followed his instructions as best they could. As much as they didn't understand about this name, they were just as oblivious to Thomas invading their files. At the time Thomas just did it as a challenge, albeit minimal. But the Thinker was there. Somehow, he was always there. The Thinker found Thomas, instead of the other way around. And the Thinker instructed him on what to do. Thomas created a false reality around his teammates and their allies, ex-New Warrior and Bandit's girlfriend, Silhouette and mutant crimefighter, Cloak. Except for a slip here and there, the false reality held up. Until now. One look into Bandit 's eyes told him that as he carefully aimed the crossbow in his right hand at Thomas' heart.

"Your mind games. I don't like them," he menacingly enunciated.

"Bandit, I.I. There's something wrong with yaAAGH!!!!!!"

The arrow thumped into his heart. A wire connected to a trigger in Bandit's left hand carried a surge of electricity through Thomas' every nerve. For a full minute. Thomas' body was fried. His teammates gathered around behind Bandit. Coronary, a man made of plexi-glass who could manipulate people's body. Impulse, a man who could move at the speed of thought and armed with poisoned daggers. Pretty Persuasions, a woman who could psionically stimulate sexual desires and focus them into psionic weapons. They all looked down at Mathemanic's body in confusion and disbelief, as the posh mansion walls around them melted away.

"What the %&#@ was that about? Why'd you ice him?" Impulse demanded, preparing to attack Bandit.

"Hey!! What happened to our &%$#in' mansion?! Wait a minute, I remember this place. We're in the basement of the Cheetah Club! I used to dance here. (And don't bother asking why I recognize the basement so well)," Pretty Persuasions said.

"Relax, Impulse. We're on the same side, remember? And the life of luxury and power we've been living has been a lie. Created by him. I don't like to have what I rightfully deserve kept from me. Once we find Sil, we track him down and make him explain everything to us."

"Track him down? He's right th--." Coronary trailed off as he saw Mathemanic's body fade away.

Four Freedoms Plaza, the 14th floor: temporary headquarters for the New Warriors. A bing calls open the elevator doors, as Speedball, Turbo, and Foresight step into the hall with arms full of boxes. These three young super-heroes were currently all that remained of their team. The rest were in deep space or dealing with private matters. Something had to be done about the morale.

"You do realize we're just asking for bad luck, right?" Speedball asked, with his box full of CDs.

"What are you talking about, Robbie. Four Freedoms Plaza probably has the best security around. Reed Richards designed it after all, and he's a scientific genius," Turbo explained, while carrying a box labeled 'Rich's junk'.

"Then explain to me why the top five floors are vapor and the FF aren't even living here right now."

"It's only temporary, they're staying at their Pier 4 base until repairs are done."

"And that makes you feel better? And need I remind you that this is technically the 13th floor, since." Robbie was cut off by Rina dropping her box of school books.

"Oh no! NO!!" Rina Patel no longer had her time warping powers, but no one could deny her intuitive abilities. Although, they hadn't struck her this dramatically since she had lost her powers.

"Rina, what is it?!" Robbie's concern went a bit more then just for a fellow teammate.

"I don't know. I can't explain it. Just that.something's different now. Something's. gone."

"Come on, get her inside." Turbo opened the door to their new headquarters, but was met by Trey Rollins. He had been given the armor of Night Thrasher, but wasn't sure if he could handle the job. The look on his face seemed frantic.

"Guys! I'm so glad you're back! Mathie suddenly screamed and then passed out!" He was scared and didn't know what to do. He so desperately wanted to prove himself to them, but didn't know how. The four of them ran to the secluded room given to Mathemanic. He was imposed himself on their home, babbling about needing to maintain a false reality to save their lives. They gave him the benefit of the doubt and allowed him to remain until they could fully understand the situation. He was just coming to as Turbo cradled him in her arms.

"I've.I've failed." He was still weakened.

"Failed? Failed what?" Turbo asked.

"I couldn't hold the long enough. They know! Bandit knows! Oh god, and if he knows, so does CLOAK!!"

"Leave it to Lilandra's band of spineless pirates to botch up a simple mission," bellowed Deathbird as she regally strutted down the boarding hallway. She was closely followed by the Imperial Guard, Gladiator, three Shi'ar soldiers and her pilot. She traveled across the galaxy determined to finally close the merger of the Xandar planet into the Shi'ar Empire. And she was willing to do anything to make it successful. She already had.

Two Xandarian royal guards escorted Deathbird and her entourage to Queen Adora's conference room. Adora sat at the end of the table, trying desperately to hide her exhaustion and sickness. Standing behind her right soldier was Nova Centurion, her mate. Seated to her left were the four members of her council.

"How fairs your health, your majesty?" Deathbird forced out a resemblance of respect and managed a slight bow.

"I hope to be finding my full strength again soon. Thank you." She was lying. Every day that passed, every hour, she felt worse. Her scientists revealed to her that her clone body was decaying. Only the power matrix of Nova Prime could save her. That power matrix belonged to the Earth man, Rich Rider. She had imposed so much on him in the past, that she could not ask. Later she discovered that one of her council had sent Firelord to fetch Rich Rider. But, she has yet to determine who it was.

"I am so glad to hear it," she flatly stated as she sat down, "Do you think we could begin? I have matters to attend to back on the Shi'ar Homeworld. Might I remind you once again that if you do join the peaceful Shi'ar Empire, you would have access to the strongest and most advanced medical facilities in the universe. The debilitating sickness that ravages your people could be eliminated by our doctors and scientists. Haven't enough died already?" For a moment, the question almost sounded like a threat.

Down the hall, a waiting room contained five guests not of Xandarian heritage. This band of New Warriors had hoped to come to Xandar to cure Queen Adora. Instead, all they've done is sit and wait. Nova, who gained his powers from Xandar, was pacing. He was worried for Queen Adora and all of Xandar. Within his body was the power to save her, possibly the whole planet. But, if he gave away that power, he would lose it again. And this time, it would be permanent. Hindsight was by the door, examining the pad lock. He had presented the theory to use the power of another to heal Adora. Dagger was that other. She looked out the window, wondering how her estranged partner Cloak was doing. Powerhouse was sulking in the corner. He piloted the sentient ship that got the team here. The same ship, which he considered a close friend, had been gravely damaged on a mission months ago. Powerhouse stole parts from the New Warriors to allow his ship to repair itself. His bitterness towards the Warriors has not subsided. And now that his secret had been discovered by Hindsight, he felt even less welcome. Firestar sat on a bench, watching Nova pace. She had recently been cured of unhealthy exposure to her own mutant powers of microwave manipulation. She was once again able to use her powers at full intensity and now she's trapped.

"This bites!" Nova didn't like being kept uninformed or on the sidelines. This was both.

"Rich, please. You aren't helping any. I'm sure Adora will see us when she gets the chance," Firestar said, trying to calm herself down as well.

"Well, why did Firehead get special treatment? I'm supposed to be Nova Prime! This whole outfit has done nothin' but screw me over since day one of giving me these powers!" Rich didn't like thinking back to the moment they landed on Xandar. Firelord, who had been sent to bring Nova back, was immediately escorted away, while they were brought here by security. He wasn't sure where he was now.

"Would you quit your whining! Do you want to get out of here?" The rest of the occupants of the room spun to look at Powerhouse. They weren't used to hearing such bitter anger in his voice. They weren't quite sure how to react to it.

".Yes, actually I do," Nova snapped back after a moment.

"Fine." Alex Power stepped out of the corner and walked over to the door, receiving a suspicious glare from Carlton. He placed his hand on the door and began disintegrating it.

"Alex, I'm not sure that's a good idea.," Dagger quietly said as she stepped away from the window. The door was absorbed into Alex as two armed Xandarian guards turned around. Powerhouse blasted them with the energy absorbed from the door and turned back to the Warriors.

"I'm finding Friday and heading back to Earth in thirty minutes." Alex flew off in a rainbow streak without turning back once.

As the others exited the room, Firestar turned to Nova.

"You don't think he'd leave without us, do you?"

"I'd prefer not to give him the chance." Nova was beginning to re-think how Alex operated. "Let's move it! This way!"

Nova grabbed Carlton, and Firestar followed with Dagger in her arms.

"So, why not move the team back here? It's been repaired for some time now and the Crash Pad was never meant to be permanent." Vance Astrovik stood on the balcony of Dwayne Taylor's penthouse apartment of the Ambrose Building in Midtown Manhattan, New York. "And if your considering becoming involved in the team again, it would just be more convenient for you."

"Sounds like you're thinking of getting more involved, too. Or, are you?" Dwayne Taylor joined Vance on the balcony.

"Well, I'm not sure. Uhm, Angel and I have kind of. been offered spots on the X-Men." Vance was afraid of his reaction. The two had been founding members of the New Warriors, and both had lead the team in the past.

"X-Men? Look, Vance, I wish you had told me about Angel's problem. TF might've been able."

"I know, Dwayne. And thank you. But, I don't think she wanted to burden you. After.what happened with Sil. And I'm not sure if even the Taylor Foundation could've found a solution like Prof. X did."

"So, you're going to join, then?"

Vance's answer was abruptly cut short by a short staff thrown against his head in just the right spot to knock him unconscious.

"Vance--!" Dwayne Taylor quickly looked towards the point of origin of the staff. His lifetime of training for combat and fighting had honed his senses well. But there were others just as skilled, who could bounce weapons off surfaces to alter perceptions.

Midnight's Fire landed behind Dwayne, blocking his way inside.

"Fire.!" Dwayne prepared to lunge at him, until.

"Wait, blood brother. I'm not here to fight. I only wanted to talk alone. This doesn't concern the little brat. This concerns my sister."

"Silhouette?" Dwayne's heart sank again. "I'm sorry if you haven't heard, Fire, but she's dead. I had no way of contacting you to let you know. And this time, I wasn't there to cause it."

"I don't know what you're rambling about, Dwayne. Silhouette is alive and well. I left her only hours ago at Madripoor."

"What? But, I was told."

"You were obviously told wrong. Possibly mislead. This may well tie into why I'm here. My sister needs help. And. I no longer know what to do for her."

"Are you asking for my help, 'blood brother'?" Dwayne knew this was difficult for Midnight's Fire to do. He couldn't help but enjoy it just a little, but the shock of the moment proved more overwhelming. "If it's for Sil, I'll do whatever I can."

"I thought you would. I fear it has to do with her time as Asylum."

"What? Her time.? That's insane. Asylum and her met on several occasions."

"She never told you? I figured she'd tell you of all people. After the.accident. that caused her paralysis, her mental state deteriorated. I brought her to a mental institute. It was all that I could think of, to do. Nearly a year ago, she told me that Genetech had drafted her for their Psionex project, and that they somehow altered her powers and split the dark side of her psyche into the form of Asylum."

"This doesn't add up, Fire. Genetech hired a man called the Mad Thinker to help them create the right elements for Psionex's creation. He used the New Warriors as a basis, and examined each of us. When he examined me, I was with Silhouette. We had already had our.confrontation. She would've left the mental institute and Genetech before that.

"Are you suggesting Silhouette lied to me, her own brother?"

"No. I'm suggesting that Silhouette is no longer the woman we both remember. Either she's being impersonated or manipulated, or both."

"For a whole year? I think I would've noticed"

"Maybe more. And I'm sure it all leads back to the one man who took Sil away from me: Bandit!"

And with that, the two men left for Madripoor.

---Epilogue---

Oatmeal. Thick, goopy oatmeal. That is what he'd become. Two yellow eyes peered through the grey muck that his immense body now comprised of. In front of him, a TV set hypnotically sang to him from its throne in the bar. Behind him, a man sat next to his hotdog vendor on the sidewalk, trying to understand recent events. Had this creature really eaten his entire supply of hotdogs, sausages, chili dogs, soda and condiments? In twenty minutes? How would his insurance ever believe him? He kept waiting for the creature to move, but he just stood there.

His two feet had lost the drive to move. His two arms hung at his sides. Having filled his appettite for now, his mind now sought distraction from what he had become. Television worked well enough. He had exerted himself enough for the food. But his reverie was interrupted by shadows taking form. A hand with a cut-off glove reached out, with a voice behind it.

"Your existence seems meaningless, my friend. Together, we can give it meaning. We can discover your past, your identity before becoming the sloth I see before me. Would you like that?"

For a moment, it seemed as though the creature didn't even hear the question. His vacant gaze remained fixed on the television set inside the bar. Then, his yellow eyes turned down to the ground, and an emotion seemed to pass over them too quickly to name. Whatever it was, it was gone as he began to slowly turn his immense body around. He looked up and walked towards the hand.

"Yes, my Sloth. That's it. Together. Helping each other."

To Be Continued...

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