NOTE: This picks up after the events of New Warriors #28

Johnny Gallo stood perched on a large billboard which pictured many of New York’s most famous superheroes. His eyes were fixed on the night sky until a young man in a flight suit complete with insect-like wings descended from the clouds.

Eddie McDonough, or Hornet as he was called when in the suit, hovered a few feet away from Johnny. As Ricochet, Johnny worked alongside Hornet in the New Warriors, although recent events have put something of a strain on the team.

“What’s this about, Ricochet?” asked Hornet. He called Johnny Ricochet, not the more familiar nickname of Rico.

“What bug crawled into your helmet, dude?” asked Ricochet.

“Can’t say I’m exactly thrilled to see you,” said Hornet. “We could’ve used your help during the whole thing at ESU. Instead, you sat it out and none of the Warriors have seen you since.”

“I had a lot on my mind,” said Ricochet.

Hornet folded his arms across his chest. Even from behind the visor, Johnny could feel his friend’s eyes burning into him.

“Look man, things have been tense—”

“You haven’t returned any of my messages,” said Hornet. “If you’re done with the Warriors, at least have the decency to tell us.”

“I’m not done, I just needed to cool down,” said Ricochet. “Plus, there’s something else.”

“What?”

“It’s the reason I wanted you both to come here.”

The third voice had a slight echo to it. Ricochet back-flipped off the billboard and landed on the roof. Hornet lowered himself through the flight suit before his feet touched down on the surface. The third individual, who was definitely not unfamiliar to the two young heroes, made his presence known. He wore a suit of gold armor with a silver trim. To complete the package was a flowing red cape draped over his body.

“Ritchie?” asked Hornet. “What’s going on here? Why are you back in the Prodigy suit?”

Ritchie Gilmore stepped closer to Hornet and Ricochet. As Prodigy, he, Ricochet and Hornet had been known as the Slingers. A team of four young heroes gathered by the man who had once been the Black Marvel. They disbanded but Ritchie later resurfaced, having received an experimetal version of the Super Soldier Serum from the company GeneTech. Under the identity of Patriot, Ritchie had formed the latest incarnation of the New Warriors. When his connection to GeneTech was revealed, Ritchie left the team, discarding the Patriot identity.

“He said we’ve got Slingers business to attend to,” said Ricochet.

“Slingers are gone, Ritch. You know that as well as the rest of us,” said Hornet.

“We have an incident that needs to be dealt with,” said Prodigy. “Not long ago, I had a visit. From Dusk.”

“…Cassie?” asked Hornet.

Cassie St. Commons had been the fourth Slinger. She died on their first night out but was later resurrected as a supernatural entity. Since the team disbanded, no one had heard from her. Until now, that is.

“She’s in trouble,” said Prodigy. “And she needs our help.”

The Slingers in…

ONCE A SLINGER…

By Dino Pollard

“So tell me, Cassie. Was it everything you hoped for?”

Cassie St. Commons slowly opened her eyes. Everything around her was an endless horizon of complete darkness. And one form stood out in the midst of that darkness. A man who seemed made for it, a man with eyes that burned bright red.

“I used to live here, y’know. Once upon a time, this was the Smythers Drug Rehabilitation Clinic. But now? Now it’s been abandoned. The building is still here, though. And it was here in this very cell that I had my own awakening.”

He knelt down beside Cassie, gently laying a hand on her cheek. “This is where Henrique Gallante died. And this is where Darkling was born.”

Cassie looked at the disturbed young man. “What’s the point of all this?”

“The point?” asked Darkling. “The point is that I’m tired, Cassie. I’m tired of all the abuse, all the pain. I’ve seen what the Darkforce Dimension has to offer, and it’s not any worse than the cesspool that makes up this world.”

“So change it,” said Cassie.

“Already tried that. Came back thanks to a mask that used to belong to some chick named Asylum. Took her place in this world and hooked up with her old teammates, Psionex. We tried to do the hero thing. But didn’t take too well. I decided it’s time to just let this world burn. All I need is one thing to be complete.”

Darkling smiled at her, the white of his teeth a sharp contrast to the blackness that comprised his body. “All I need is you, Cassie.”

“What? Why me?” asked Cassie.

“Because we’re the same. Both tossed away and rejected by the people we loved. Both forgotten. Both creatures of darkness. And together, we’ll embrace that darkness.”

“I don’t…I don’t want to be the darkness…” said Cassie.

“It’s the only way, Cassie. I need you to trust me.”

“You sure this is the place?” asked Hornet.

Prodigy nodded. “Yes. I can feel Cassie pulling me here.”

“Why would she reach out to you? Not like the two of you were that close,” said Hornet. “Why not me or Rico?”

“Still nursing that crush on her, I see,” said Prodigy.

“Don’t push my buttons, Ritchie. Don’t think I’ve forgotten about the skeletons in your closet. I’m not doing this for you—I’m doing this for her.”

“Don’t worry, Eddie. You’ll have your chance to be her white knight.” Prodigy tossed a sideways glance at Ricochet. “Although I doubt she’ll return your affections.”

“You smug son of a bitch…” muttered Hornet. He stepped right up to Prodigy. “Looks like you took after the Black Marvel a lot more than you’d care to admit. You manipulated the rest of the Warriors and now you’ve gone back to manipulating us—the guys who are supposed to be your friends. So congratulations, ‘Prodigy,’ youdefinitely lived up to your name.”

Prodigy crossed his arms and glared at Hornet through the lenses of his helmet. “Do you really want to take me on, Eddie? Because I’d be more than happy to put you back in your place.”

“And where’s that place? Under your thumb, you—”

“Yo guys, can we close the testosterone valve for a few minutes?” asked Ricochet, stepping between the two men. “We’ve all got a lot of dirty laundry between the three of us to air out. But right now, Cassie’s in danger. And that’s why you came, right Eddie?”

Hornet offered no response, just locked eyes with Prodigy for a few seconds longer. Then he broke, turning away from them and facing the remains of the Smythers Clinic. Ricochet turned his attention to Prodigy.

“You said she’s in trouble. Any idea what might be waiting for us inside that place?”

Prodigy shook his head. “I haven’t the first clue. All I know is that she was scared.”

“According to the Warriors’ files, there was an incident here several years back,” said Hornet.

“What’d you do, memorize all the case reports?” asked Ricochet.

“Of course not, I’ve got an uplink in my helmet to the Crash Pad’s servers.”

“Since when?” asked Ricochet.

“Since I looked through some of Taylor’s design specs on the Night Thrasher armor. He developed something similar. Thought it could come in handy.”

“What was the incident?” asked Prodigy.

“One of the patients was able to manipulate the Darkforce. Took control of a lot of heroes in the area. Later he worked alongside Psionex.”

“So we’re talking one tough customer, huh?” asked Ricochet.

“Looks like it,” said Hornet. “Gallante’s someone with more power than common sense. He’s a bit unhinged.”

“Yeah, aren’t they all,” said Ricochet. “So we ready to go in?”

“Absolutely,” said Prodigy, breaking into a run towards the clinic.

“Don’t you just love it when he takes charge like that?” asked Ricochet.

“No,” said Hornet, lifting off and flying after Prodigy.

“Just like old times…” muttered Ricochet, following his teammates.

“Why do you keep rejecting me, Cassie? You know it’s just a matter of time before you’ll be mine.”

“I’m not yours, Gallante. I’ll never be,” said Cassie.

Darkling frowned. “I don’t believe that. You’re being worn down.”

“You’ve kept me here for months now. Talking about how I’m nothing but trash to the rest of the world. How I sold my soul to embrace the darkness,”said Cassie. “And you want me to love you?”

“I don’t do it to hurt you, I do it to show you that we’re the same. We’ve both been through that, Cassie. And it’s time for us to embrace the darkness inside, to embrace each other.”

The door to the cell they were in burst open, courtesy of Prodigy. The Super Soldier Serum GeneTech gave him enhanced his strength, speed and agility to superhuman levels. But the armor and cape given to him by the Black Marvel had been infused with mystic properties, increasing those abilities even further. With all those enhancements, Prodigy had become a massive powerhouse.

Ricochet and Hornet came up behind Prodigy. Cassie looked at her three former teammates with a smile upon her lips. But Darkling’s crimson eyes flashed with anger.“What gives you the right to come here?”

“We’re here for our friend,” said Hornet, raising his gauntlet. “Hand her over and we won’t hurt you, Gallante.”

Darkling just began to laugh at this statement. “Really? You think you three stand a chance against me?”

“One way to find out,” said Ricochet, brandishing his throwing discs. Before any of the Slingers could strike, tentacles of Darkforce energy burst from the ground and ensnared them. Even Ricochet’s danger sense wasn’t fast enough to warn him.

Prodigy fought valiantly against the tentacles, but as strong as he was, they were even stronger. A blob of Darkforce rose in front of Prodigy, taking the form of Gallante.“You think you’re good enough to go up against me? Look at you, Gilmore. You’re not even a hero has-been—you’re a never-was. Always doing anything you can to become a hero, thinking that the little compromises you made along the way wouldn’t make a difference. You’re one selfish bastard, Prodigy.”

Another version rose in front of Hornet. “And you. Always playing the victim. ‘Oh poor me, if it wasn’t for this palsied arm, the things I could do.’ ‘If only I were stronger, than maybe Cassie would fall for me instead of that showboat.’ Always someone using you, always someone taking advantage. Really, try growing a pair, McDonough.”

Finally, a third Darkling came to Ricochet. “Then there’s this one. What a self-loathing piece of shit. ‘Boo-hoo I’m a mutant freak. Woe is me.’ Never mind that you’ve got a sweet set of skills and can pass for human. No, just focus on the bad. Can’t be happy for what you’ve got.”

The three Darklings merged into one. “The darkness is deep inside every one of you. A bunch of spoiled brats who are too busy hating themselves to see what’s right in front of them. And you know what the irony is? Cassie’s the only light any of you ever had in your lives. She doesn’t deserve you she deserves better. She deserves me.”

“Deserves what?” asked Hornet. “A former drug addict who failed as a hero and now just whines about how the world is out to get him? You want to talk victim complex, you’ve got me beat on that, Darkling!”

“Then maybe I should just snap your neck, Hornet.” One of the Darkforce tentacles tightened around Hornet’s throat. He could feel the pressure even through the armor. And the system’s computer began flashing a breach warning into his retina.

The tentacle began to retreat from Hornet as did the ones binding his teammates. Darkling watched with shock as the shadows retreated away from his intended victims. He turned and saw Cassie, fully in her Dusk costume once more, wielding the shadows herself.

“You wanted me to embrace the darkness, Henrique? Well now I have!”

“Cassie no, you don’t know what you’re doing!”

“Looks like she’s opening the door for an ass-whuppin’!” said Ricochet, hurling the golden discs at Darkling. This was followed up by several stingers courtesy of Hornet. The attacks caught Darkling off-guard, but weren’t enough to incapacitate him.

That’s when Prodigy charged in, tackling the villain to the ground. He grappled with Darkling, his strength more than a match for Gallante. But it was Dusk who stepped in to separate them and she faced Darkling herself.

“You’re nothing, Gallante. Just another piece of trash. And the irony is you could have done so much good in the world, if only you could get over yourself.”

Darkling looked down at himself, shocked as his body began to disintegrate. “Cassie no! What are you doing to me?”

“Sending you back where you belong. You brought this on yourself.”

“No, this isn’t over! I’ll be back, Cassie! You can’t—”

Henrique Gallante’s words died out as his body melted into the shadows before disappearing completely. Dusk turned to look at her old friends, the darkness that covered her face retreating to reveal her features.

“Cassie?” asked Hornet, removing his helmet.

Cassie smiled and wrapped her arms around him. “Yeah Eddie, I’m back.”

Ricochet came up next, removing his mask and Cassie embraced him, too. “Good to see you again.”

“You too, Rico,” she said with a smile, kissing him on the cheek. A move that didn’t go unnoticed by Eddie.

“Cassie…”

The three looked at Prodigy, who removed his own helmet. Cassie came up to him next. “Thank you, Ritchie. If it wasn’t for you, I’d still be trapped.”

“Who knew we’d ever get the whole band back together again?” asked Ricochet.

“That’s something I’d like us to discuss,” said Prodigy. “Now that Cassie’s back, maybe it’s time for a fresh start.”

“I’m not so sure we’re ready for that yet,” said Hornet. “There’s still a lot of stuff we need to get past. And I’m committed to the Warriors. But I can’t speak for Rico…”

“Nah, Eddie’s right. I made a promise to stay with the Warriors and that’s what I’m gonna do,” said Ricochet. “Besides, I’ve gotta make things right with them, too. What about you, Ritchie?”

“…I don’t think so, there’s still too much bad blood between me and them,” said Prodigy.

“Cassie?” asked Hornet. “You’re more than welcome to come with us. The Warriors could use you…”

Cassie fixed her gaze on Prodigy. “Actually…I think it’s better that I stay with Ritchie.”

“Why?” asked Hornet.

“After everything we’ve been through, I think he and I would be better off helping each other find our way back to something resembling normalcy.”

“I’d like that,” said Prodigy with a slight smile.

“Well, you can still count on us if you ever need a hand,” said Hornet. He held out his hand. “After all, once a Slinger?”

Prodigy smiled and shook it. “Always a Slinger.”

AUTHOR’S NOTE

A Slingers reunion was an idea I had ever since I started writing New Warriors many, many years ago. I first laid the foundation for the reunion when Dusk made a cameo in New Warriors #11. Then that continued when Prodigy sensed Dusk in New Warriors #21 and finally approached Ricochet in New Warriors #28. At first I had planned to do this as an arc in New Warriors, but felt it wasn’t right to do a straight-up Slingers story in those pages. Then I considered doing a Slingers limited series but as I started to plot out the story, I realized it worked much better as a one-shot. So I decided to do it here in Amazing Fantasy.

This story is not only a reunion, but also something of a backdoor pilot if anyone has the interest. I like Hornet and Ricochet on the Warriors, I think they fit in really well with that group. But I also like the idea behind the Slingers. One thing I’d like to see, which I discussed in the “Case For A Title” thread over on the MO message board, is Prodigy and Dusk forming the basis for a new Slingers team.

I’d like to see something like that happen. Have Ezekiel Sims of WebCorps fund the team, toss in some other characters related to Spider-Man. Some possibilities include the Prowler, Frogman, Steel Spider, Rocket Racer, Toxin, Jackpot, Screwball, Molten Man, etc. This could be a chance to do something cool with the Slingers while still keeping that Spidey connection alive.

Anyway, that’s all I have to say on the matter. It’d be cool to see it happen but it’s up to someone to write up a proposal. I hope someone does.

-Dino