Griffin Park, Los Angeles, California

Right then, Roger Brokeridge was wishing he paid more attention in boy scouts. Walking through Griffin Park, map in hand, those topography badges would have come in handy. The section of the park he had wondered into was deserted. A quick scan of his surroundings revealed nothing noteworthy. There were no signs of life outside of trees and birds. There were no landmarks or fountains for him to base his location on.

“I can’t believe I’m even doing this,” he muttered aloud. Every part of Roger hoped his imagination cooked up the little green bastard that approached him in his backyard two weeks ago. He wished that the entire night had been a dream. But it was real, and just like the Superior promised he received instructions where to meet him and a map to his cell phone. According to the email he should be standing on top of what the Superior called the manor but there were no buildings in sight.

Turning around in the same spot, a flash of light caught Roger’s eye. He raised his hands to guard his eyes, but the light was bright enough to make finding its source impossible. After a few seconds, the light died down. Standing in its wake was the young woman Roger recognized as Namie. Behind her was the manor he had been looking for.

Roger stood staring, mouth agape, amazed at the manor that appeared out of thin air. “Wow.”

“Welcome to the Invisible Manor,” Namie said. “You’re late.”

YOUNG AND RECKLESS

Part II: Looking Up At The World

By Brian Hamilton

As Namie explained it, the Invisible Manor was designed and built by the Superior. It was their home and base of operations. Located in the heart of Griffin Park, the building was hidden from the outside by devices the Superior built that bent light rays around it. Any electricty the building used was masked and it didn’t show up on any radar. It was completely undetectable.

Roger whispered to himself, “If he’s so smart, how did he expect me to find an invisible mansion?”

If Namie heard his question, she continued the tour as if she didn’t. “The manor has training, surveillance, and a war room in addition to personal quarters.”

The training room was located in the basement. It was equipped with weight lifting equipment and a hanging punching bag in the corner. The floor was replaced with mats to encourage sparring. Roger couldn’t help but notice how unexceptional it was. If the Superior could hide an entire mansion in the middle of a city park he should be able to trick out the training room.

The surveillance and war rooms, unlike the training room, were a sight to behold. The surveillance room was filled with various computers and monitoring equipment, each with their own function. The surveillance room monitored news feeds from every news network on television and radio. Screens and digital maps lining the wall displayed news from around the world.

Namie stopped in front of an unmarked door, pausing the tour. “The war room is adjacent to the surveillance room. Just behind this door. While the manor is our base of operation, we operate directly out of the war room. Here we issue briefings, hold meetings, and plan missions. Before we head in here lets get you moved into your quarters.”

“I don’t need a room. My parents think I’m at my friend’s house right now.” Roger explained, “I’m just here to hear short stuff out then leave. I don’t need to stay here like you guys.”

Namie stopped in her tracks and turned to face Roger. “Like us?”

“Yeah. You guys have this whole Morpheus and Trinity vibe going on. I get it. I’m Neo and the ‘green not-so-giant’ wants me to work for him. Even if I do accept his offer, and that’s a big if, I’m not unplugging from my life. I’m going to stay the same old Roger. I’ll just be pulling double duty here.”

“Fine. We’ll skip that part of the tour,” Namie swung open the door, “and go straight to the briefing.”

Inside the war room, sitting at a table was Superior along with two more people Roger didn’t recognize.

The girl looked the same age as him. Her blonde hair was buzzed short save for a tuft of hair covering her left eye that had been died partially black. A red sleeveless shirt showed off the iron cross tattoos on both her shoulders. Red camouflage pants, boots, and black fingerless gloves completed her outfit. The other guy looked like a walking volcano with a permanent scowl.

From his seat, the Superior spoke up. “Take a seat. We have much to discuss.”

Roger slowly made his way toward a seat. Namie took the seat to the right of Superior. “What’s going on here? I thought I was just working with you and Namie. Who are these guys?”

“You mean the midget didn’t give you the rundown? Bloody hilarious,” Big Zero said in between laughs.

“Can we just hurry this up?” Ember asked.

Said the Superior, “I withheld some information in our first meeting. Simply put, I’m assembling a team to work for me. The others joining use today are apart of said team. There would be more joining us today, but Ember’s friends unfortunately found themselves incarcerated.”

“Shove it,” Ember growled.

The Superior continued without missing a beat. “I have lofty goals for us. Once we establish ourselves, there is nothing the Champions or Avengers can do to stop us. The west coast can be ours. The young will inherit the Earth but what is stopping us from taking it now?”

Roger’s eyes scanned the room and the faces occupying it. The girl Roger’s age looked bored. Instead of listening to the Superior, her attention was invested heavily in her phone. The walking volcano, the young man addressed as Ember, looked bored as well but couldn’t stop moving. He was eager for something, but what Roger didn’t know. Unlike the other two, Namie was listening intently. The information he hoped to gleam from the Superior’s “team” turned out to be none.

“This isn’t for me. I’m no super criminal,” Roger explained.

“Who are you trying to convince, Roger? If you go home from here how many more stores do you plan to break into? If money is your motivation I have that and then some. It will take time before my vision is reality, but once I own the world I can give you the world. I can make it worth your while.”

“Fine. I’m in.”

“Excellent. Welcome to the Young Masters. Namie, begin the briefing. We have work to do.”

Port of Los Angeles

Cargo containers lined the port ready to be moved, opened, or shipped the world over. Superior, Namie, and Hardball walked between containers their destination on the other side of the harbor. As explained during the briefing, a shipment of drugs was sitting in a boat in the harbor waiting to be sold throughout the city.

“When we reach the boat,” Superior started, “waste no time. Destroy everything.”

The two senior Young Masters were focused on their task at hand. Hardball, the newest member however, was lost in his thoughts. He needed answers.

“Namie, can we talk?”

Directly ahead of him, Namie turned to face Roger. “In the field my name is Red Ronin. And we have no reason to talk. You made yourself perfectly clear earlier. You’re not one of us.”

Hardballwas dumbstruck.. He had completely forgotten about the conversation they had earlier that day. “No! Namie, I mean Red whatever, earlier was stupid. That’s not what I meant.”

Red Ronin walked off, Hardball following closely behind. “Well what did you mean?”

Roger ran a hand through his hair. “The truth is I don’t really know what I meant. But I know I didn’t mean that I’m better than you guys. I don’t even know you guys well enough to say something like that. Reality is, we’re in this together.”

Namie stopped dead in her tracks causing Roger to nearly crash into her. She turned to face him, the anger in her face from moments ago quickly fading. Roger could tell she was on the verge of a smile, but holding it back.

He continued, “But what I wanted to talk about was why we’re taking out a bunch of dealers. Can’t the police deal with it.”

Red Ronin explained that the police were in the pocket of the dealers. That’s why they were able to establish themselves in and sell out of the harbor for so long. “Superior plans to take over L.A.’s criminal underground. Knocking out these dealers operation is just his first step.”

The Superior yelled from ahead of them. “Hardball! Red Ronin! Quickly!”

The pair broke out into a run to catch up. They arrived at Superior’s position to find their leader floating above the water where the boat they were looking for should be located.

“Oh no,” Namie muttered to herself.

“Oh no?” Roger quickly became concerend. “Why oh no? Whats wrong?”

“They knew we were coming. Big Zero and Ember must have failed.” Namie explained.

“Okay, but both of you can fly. Why don’t we just find the boat and, I don’t know, blow it up?”

The Superior spoke up this time. “No. We had to do it here. IT HAS TO BE DONE MY WAY!”

Roger watched Superior’s tantrum with an open mouth. Namie was use to them by now.

“Superior,” she said calmly, “it’d be best for us to investigate the area. If they left in a hurry its possible they left something behind. A clue to where they’re headed.”

“Yes. You’re right,” Superior said after calming down. “Look around.”

The three of them began searching the area. After Superior telekinetically ripped the lid of a boat shipment, Hardball stepped inside to investigate. The hardened energy around his fist acted as a flashlight. At the back of the container something, what looked like a body, caught his eye. It was laying in a bed connected to an IV.

“You guys! This woman needs help!”

As he drew closer, Roger began to notice that the woman’s skin was devoid of any color. She was chalk white, a stark contrast to the black bikini she was “dressed” in. He noticed also the IV she was hooked up to was not taking her blood, but collecting it.

“Um, guys…”

With blinding speed, the woman sprang to life. She grabbed Hardball by the throat and threw him out the cargo container. She walked toward the light and was greeted by Superior and Red Ronin. When she spoke, her fangs in her mouth became visible.

“Nekra needs no one’s help!”

Downtown Los Angeles

Ember’s “hair” flickered in the breeze, but was unable to feel it as it blew across his rocky skin. He was unaffected by the wind, unlike Big Zero, who’s hair was visibly windswept. He tapped his foot impatiently, eager to do something , but the plan as Superior explained it played over again in his mind.

The Young Masters were split up and given orders to destroy two warehouses that a major drug operation has been making and selling product out of. The two groups were supposed to strike simoultaneously. From the rooftop of an adjacent warehouse, the two of them watched through binoculars the men inside. The dealers inside worked over tables lined with chemical equipment. Guards posted at the door were openly toting firearms.

“This is stupid. When can we go in?” Ember asked breaking the silence between the two.

“Soon,” Big Zero answered without taking her yes off their target. “If we move too early they’ll alert the boat Superior and the rest are hitting.”

“Well I’m getting tired of waiting and you aren’t exactly the best conversationalist. I mean after all that talk about being a fan of D-Generation, I’d thought you have more to say,” he continued.

Zero put her binoculars down and faced Ember.

“Superior told me to say all that. To appeal to your ego. Honestly I think you guys are a bunch of wankers. You have no purpose or mission. You destroy out of a need for recognition. Why else would you post videos online?”

Ember was quiet.

“I’ll take your silence as a sign that I’m right.”

“You think you’re so high and mighty? What makes you any different? What makes Superior and the Young Masters any different?”

“Nothing.” Big Zero rolled up the sleeve of her shirt revealing a tattoo of an iron cross that covered her left shoulder. “Superior fancies himself the next Dr. Doom and thinks we’re his minions. Truth is, we’re in this for our own reasons. You want to blow shit up. Namie has her own world of problems. The new kid is in it for the money. Me? I’ve been a fighter all my life. That midget just tells me what to hit.”

Ember rubbed the back of his neck. To say he regretted sparking up a conversation with Big Zero would be a huge understatement. “Forget it.” Their stake out resumed neither of them saying a word.

He knew things were going to be different now with the Young Masters, but that “talk” cemented it. Southpaw and Black Death were the only people that really cared about him. They all looked out for each other because they were the only family they had. Big Zero was right about them wanting to be infamous. The Young Masters were different. Nobody cared about each other.

If Big Zero wanted to treat this just like a job, then he could treat it as such. He moved to the edge of the roof. “Forget it,” he repeated. “Let’s do this now.”

“No, wait!”

Big Zero’s protests went unheard as the former D-Generation member leapt off the roof. He crashed through the glass ceiling of the warehouse. He landed on, and completely smashed, a table of equipment.

She followed suit, growing in size as she descended. When she landed, she stood towering over the men inside. “You wanker. Superior is going to tear us a new one.”

Said Ember, smiling, “Where’s the fun in waiting? Now, let’s turn up the heat in here.”

Hardball expected his first fight to be more memorable. He would be unconscious if he hadn’t created a ball of energy to protect himself when the woman in the crate threw him. He survived, but he was in a world of pain. As his world slowly came back into focus, Red Ronin hopped into the fray.

“Hate to break it to you lady, but the shiny vampires are in this season,” Red Ronin quipped as she delivered a haymaker that sent Nekra stumbling back.

Nekra recovered, spun, and responded with a devastating punch of her own. Red Ronin flew backwards crashing against Hardball.

“You’re heavier than you look,” Hardball said as they stood. “If I hadn’t made a shield you would’ve crushed me.”

“Yes, that’s exactly what every girl wants to hear.”

“No, I meant—”

The rest of Roger’s explanation went unheard as Namie ran back into the fight. From the silver bracelets on her wrist extended blades composed of red energy. She swung the blades where Nekra stood, but underestimated her speed. The albino mutant sidestepped the attack and drew her fist back ready to deliver another punch. Her fist collided against the walls of a hard energy force field.

Standing where he landed earlier, Hardball leaned against a cargo container. His outstretched hand glowed the same yellow as the energy ball containing Nekra. “If you had let me finish I was saying I meant…actually I don’t know what I meant. I should probably just shut up.”

“I didn’t need you to save me. I can take a punch. And yes, you should. ”

Hardball did his best to avoid rolling his eyes. “You’re welcome.”

From inside the ball of energy, Nekra shrieked, but her words were unintelligible. Summoning up all fury in her, Nekra punched through the ball. The resulting explosion of energy sent the three fighters flying backward.

Above the port, Superior watched the fight unfold, face turned downward in a disappointed scowl. “Must I do everything myself?” The gamma irradiated prodigy dove headfirst into Nekra. A human battering ram, he erected a telekinetic shield as he made contact, blasting her into the ocean.

The Superior turned his attention to Red Ronin and Hardball as they nursed their injuries. “Why do I bother with you imbeciles if one simple addict gives you pause!?” He turned and floated off into the night sky. “I’m going to go have a word with Ember and Big Zero. Meet back at the manor. I strongly advise against returning empty handed.”

Making her way to the cargo container Nekra came out of, Red Ronin was stopped by Hardball.

“What are you doing? Are you really gonna let a ten year old push you around?”

“We have a job to do,” she started, “and I’m going to do it. There still may be some evidence here. We’ll take whatever we find to the Superior.”

Roger watched as Namie was swallowed by the darkness of the container. He was frozen in place, consumed by thoughts. This was more than a job to Namie. His mind went back to the first night he met her. Whatever the Superior was helping her with was big enough for her to follow him with almost blind devotion. The Superior was exploiting Namie’s personal life for his dream. The same was true with the truth about his criminal activity. Was the same true for the rest of the Young Masters? What was the Superior holding over the heads of the rest of the team?

Ember stood smiling as the few remaining dealers’ bullets bounced off his rocky skin. “You’re gonna have to come harder than that.” He quipped as he melted their guns.

The warehouse was empty save for the two Young Masters and a handful of the armed guards. The majority of them ran away upon their entrance, having never faced a super powered threat and mistaking them for heroes. The small number that stayed behind, and were conscious, didn’t remain that way for long.

Big Zero’s massive hands reached down and picked up two guards. “Nothing personal blokes. I’m doing my job just like you.” She dangled them in the air before dropping them to the floor. She moved to the next guard, doing the same, unfazed by their screams and the sounds of bodies smashing against the concrete floor.

With the last of the guards taken out, Big Zero shrunk down to just over her normal height. “Did you take out the idiot?”

“What guy?” Ember asked in return.

The two stopped talking at the approaching sound of clapping. Standing above them in the rafters was a man dressed in army fatigues. Two rifles were strapped to his back, smaller firearms and knifes were holstered around his waist, and a noose was tied around his neck but hung loosely. Knee and leg guards were strapped around his pants. A white, featureless mask covered his head revealing only his ears and some hair.

“That guy.”

“Thanks for taking out those guards for me,” the newcomer said, “I recognize you from the news, Ember, but who’s your friend? Is D-Generation recruiting already?”

Big Zero took offense to being associated with D-Generation. “Who are you jackass?”

The newcomer chuckled to himself. “I’m just a young man dedicated to cleaning up the streets of Los Angeles. Here I am planning to take out one of the city’s major mutant growth hormone dealers when I find a wanted criminal and his friend doing it for me. Thanks for saving me the bullets by the way.”

“Who are you?!” Big Zero demanded.

With blinding speed he pulled a pair of handguns from his side holsters and opened fire on Big Zero. “I’m your judge, jury, and executioner.”

Ember stepped in front of Big Zero absorbing the impact of the bullets while she leapt and took cover behind a table.

“I wasn’t sure if your friend there was bulletproof like you, Ember,” Executioner yelled over the gunshots. “Looks like I got my answer.”

“Yeah, well let’s see how fireproof you are.” Ember quipped. A ball of flame grew between his hand. He sent a plume of fire outward incinerating the area where the Executioner was standing moments earlier.

Regrouping behind a ceiling colum, Executioner took the moment to reload his handguns. The magazines dropped out of the bottom. He slammed the empty guns down on the loaded magainzes attached to his jacket.

“Fire? Is that the best you can do?” The Executioner taunted.

Ember gritted his teeth in anger. Taking a quick glance of his surroundings, he was struck with an idea. Fire was quickly consuming the ceiling. If the Executioner didn’t come down this fight would be over long before it started. But, just maybe, he could finish it himself.

“Zero, you might want to run.”

“Run?” she exclaimed, “I wanna squeeze that fucker till his eyes pop out.”

“Well there’s a line, girlie, and you’re second behind me.”

Taking aim at a table of chemicals that survived the chaos, Ember redirected his aim there. Exposed to the flames, the resulting explosion destroyed the wall closest to the chemicals and sent the two flying backwards.

Big Zero awoke to the sound of another explosion. She found herself lying on the sidewalk a block away from the MGH warehouse. Ears ringing and shaken from the initial explosion, Zero struggled to move. How long was she unconscious? Who moved her from the warehouse? Her mind was too rattled to think clearly.

“Going somehwere?”

A familiar voice. She tried to crawl away, but a hand grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. Combat boot placed firmly against her shoulder holding her in place, the Executioner leaned down so he was face to face with Big Zero.

“I didn’t plan on taking out D-Generation today. Actually, on my to do list you guys are at the bottom. However, what kind of hero would I be if I just let you walk away?” Executioner pulled a pistol from his side holster and aimed it between Big Zero’s eyes.

NEXT ISSUE: Things go from bad to worse for the Young Masters.