Elsewhere…
Before…
“She’s gone,” the underling said, his identity so utterly irrelevant he might as well be a drone. Given his poor performance this evening, he may very well be lobotomised by the end of the night, making the observation literal. Others had been repurposed for less. “She cleaned out every trace, every foot print. It’s like she was never here.”
“She was never here,” the Red Widow muttered, cloaked from head to toe and expression hidden behind a muted, reflective visor. “She merely made it true.”
Idly, she toyed with what little remained barely intact within the gutted laboratory, everything figuratively nuked from the inside out. Technicians were fruitlessly trying to save anything from the hard drives, but they would find nothing.
As defections went, this was amongst the most… thorough…
“She had help,” someone remarked and, only after a few moments, did the Red Widow note that it had come from an entirely separate underling to the one who had spoken first. They were all so utterly unremarkable, irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. Expendable.
The Red Room had no end of chaff, and so very few assets of actual worth.
Even their golden children betrayed them at every turn…
She tossed aside the ruined trinket that she had toyed with, turning the entirety of her cold, faceless ire towards the man who had spoken, her question sharp and to the point.
“Who?”
Before…
“She’s gone,” the underling said, his identity so utterly irrelevant he might as well be a drone. Given his poor performance this evening, he may very well be lobotomised by the end of the night, making the observation literal. Others had been repurposed for less. “She cleaned out every trace, every foot print. It’s like she was never here.”
“She was never here,” the Red Widow muttered, cloaked from head to toe and expression hidden behind a muted, reflective visor. “She merely made it true.”
Idly, she toyed with what little remained barely intact within the gutted laboratory, everything figuratively nuked from the inside out. Technicians were fruitlessly trying to save anything from the hard drives, but they would find nothing.
As defections went, this was amongst the most… thorough…
“She had help,” someone remarked and, only after a few moments, did the Red Widow note that it had come from an entirely separate underling to the one who had spoken first. They were all so utterly unremarkable, irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. Expendable.
The Red Room had no end of chaff, and so very few assets of actual worth.
Even their golden children betrayed them at every turn…
She tossed aside the ruined trinket that she had toyed with, turning the entirety of her cold, faceless ire towards the man who had spoken, her question sharp and to the point.
“Who?”
ISSUE 11
"TRENDING"
BY
EMMA WOODS
"TRENDING"
BY
EMMA WOODS
Manhattan…
Now…
In times of distress, the simplest of commands were often the most effective, an alarmed pedestrian crying out “RUN!!” as the city streets jumped, the heavy tread of a man-made monstrosity shaking the foundations of the island. The citizenry didn’t need to be told twice, the crowd swiftly parting into a panicked mob, cars abandoned and left in gridlock as the masses sought any route of escape.
They had little time to do so, barging and shoving in their efforts to find shelter, their collective fear multiplying experientially as a giant, metallic hand grasped the side of a tower block and dug its fingers deep, tearing through the concrete and shattering glass with horrifying ease. The Sentinel marched itself around the corner, the murder machine as tall as the buildings around it, and towering above humanity.
From left to right it’s approximation of a head turned, searching the terrified crowd as its mass briefly blocked out the sun, expressionless and remorseless as the Mutant Hunter strode down the street in pursuit of its singular, genocidal mandate. It looked ragged, beaten and in disrepair as it marched, battered and water logged after dragging itself from the sea, reactivated in an act of happenstance and following long dormant programming.
It would kill, as it had been built to do so, and it would kill until its archaic mandate was completed.
“Please, God,” a mother begged as she clutched her baby close, the infant of blueish complexion wailing as she abandoned his pram in an effort to flee faster. The crowds, however, pushed back against her at every turn, everyone feeling an equal need to get away and, just at the wrong moment, she was jostled sideways and she tipped over the curb.
“Please, God, no!!” she pleaded as she fell into the road, clutching her child even tighter as the Sentinel ceased its endless searching and bore the entirety of inhuman attention in her direction.
“MUTANT,” it boomed, monotone and oppressive as it raised its right foot. Without jury of justification, the giant brought its colossal limb back down to dispassionately crush a mother and her deviant child beneath its uncaring tread.
The mother screamed, echoing her child’s cries as the shadow fell over her world and she faced death.
She was confused when it didn’t come…
Daring to open one eye, she discovered a girl kneeling beside her, a teenager with a mane of blonde hair braced like atlas, employing inhuman strength to prevent the foot from falling.
“I can’t speak for the All Mighty,” Ultra Girl smiled, adjusting her posture just slightly to better take the immense pressure pressing down against her, the asphalt cracking beneath her bent knee. “But hopefully I’ll do.”
She grimaced for a moment, knowing that she would have to act soon.
“Cute kid,” Ultra Girl affected the most reassuring tone that she could manage. “If you ever get around to having a girl, I hear Suzy is a great name. That being said,” she huffed, scrunching her nose as she prepared to exert a burst of effort, “get ready to run. I’ll take it from here.”
Without another word, and with a mighty shout, Ultra Girl shoved up against the force being pressed down against her and hurled the would-be murderous foot back, forcing the Sentinel into a stumble. It recovered quickly, both of the giant’s hands gauging deep into the buildings to either side of it to brace its unbalanced gait.
“MUTANT,” it repeated, its attention now zeroing in on the most immediate threat, the girl who had thought to topple a bemouth.
“Racism, really, that’s your go to?” Ultra Girl declared, launching herself into flight with a sudden burst of speed, accelerating rapidly through the air as she pulled her right fist back to strike. “Not a good look!!”
Now…
In times of distress, the simplest of commands were often the most effective, an alarmed pedestrian crying out “RUN!!” as the city streets jumped, the heavy tread of a man-made monstrosity shaking the foundations of the island. The citizenry didn’t need to be told twice, the crowd swiftly parting into a panicked mob, cars abandoned and left in gridlock as the masses sought any route of escape.
They had little time to do so, barging and shoving in their efforts to find shelter, their collective fear multiplying experientially as a giant, metallic hand grasped the side of a tower block and dug its fingers deep, tearing through the concrete and shattering glass with horrifying ease. The Sentinel marched itself around the corner, the murder machine as tall as the buildings around it, and towering above humanity.
From left to right it’s approximation of a head turned, searching the terrified crowd as its mass briefly blocked out the sun, expressionless and remorseless as the Mutant Hunter strode down the street in pursuit of its singular, genocidal mandate. It looked ragged, beaten and in disrepair as it marched, battered and water logged after dragging itself from the sea, reactivated in an act of happenstance and following long dormant programming.
It would kill, as it had been built to do so, and it would kill until its archaic mandate was completed.
“Please, God,” a mother begged as she clutched her baby close, the infant of blueish complexion wailing as she abandoned his pram in an effort to flee faster. The crowds, however, pushed back against her at every turn, everyone feeling an equal need to get away and, just at the wrong moment, she was jostled sideways and she tipped over the curb.
“Please, God, no!!” she pleaded as she fell into the road, clutching her child even tighter as the Sentinel ceased its endless searching and bore the entirety of inhuman attention in her direction.
“MUTANT,” it boomed, monotone and oppressive as it raised its right foot. Without jury of justification, the giant brought its colossal limb back down to dispassionately crush a mother and her deviant child beneath its uncaring tread.
The mother screamed, echoing her child’s cries as the shadow fell over her world and she faced death.
She was confused when it didn’t come…
Daring to open one eye, she discovered a girl kneeling beside her, a teenager with a mane of blonde hair braced like atlas, employing inhuman strength to prevent the foot from falling.
“I can’t speak for the All Mighty,” Ultra Girl smiled, adjusting her posture just slightly to better take the immense pressure pressing down against her, the asphalt cracking beneath her bent knee. “But hopefully I’ll do.”
She grimaced for a moment, knowing that she would have to act soon.
“Cute kid,” Ultra Girl affected the most reassuring tone that she could manage. “If you ever get around to having a girl, I hear Suzy is a great name. That being said,” she huffed, scrunching her nose as she prepared to exert a burst of effort, “get ready to run. I’ll take it from here.”
Without another word, and with a mighty shout, Ultra Girl shoved up against the force being pressed down against her and hurled the would-be murderous foot back, forcing the Sentinel into a stumble. It recovered quickly, both of the giant’s hands gauging deep into the buildings to either side of it to brace its unbalanced gait.
“MUTANT,” it repeated, its attention now zeroing in on the most immediate threat, the girl who had thought to topple a bemouth.
“Racism, really, that’s your go to?” Ultra Girl declared, launching herself into flight with a sudden burst of speed, accelerating rapidly through the air as she pulled her right fist back to strike. “Not a good look!!”
**********
Spacious was a good word to describe the back of the limousine, luxurious was equally appropriate, and Cristal Lemieux had come to appreciate the finer things in life her status in it afforded. Sipping wine she was too young to purchase, the teen lounged into the finely upholstered seat with her lower limbs folded, contented as her driver chauffeured her through the city streets with nary a hindrance in their path.
“How wonderful,” she smiled with the barest twitching of her lips, gazing through the windows of her ride with otherwise half-hearted interest. “I trust that we were adequately prepared?”
She waited, Cristal possessing the patience of a saint, providing matters were proceeding her way. She listened to the reply as it was transmitted discreetly through a tiny earbud, indulging in a second sip. Making a little face, dissatisfied with the temperature, she spared her beverage the merest hint of her attention as a soft tingle ran the length of her fingertips, her inherent gifts chilling the alcohol through the expensive glass.
“Delightful,” she remarked, both at the response that she received, and now the much more appropriate temperature of her drink. “Be sure to not miss a thing. I knew that we could depend of this disastrous little island to provide us with opportunity, and our girl will play her part. She wants to be a star,” Cristal paused, downing the last of her glass before setting it to one side.
“We’ll make her a supernova.”
“How wonderful,” she smiled with the barest twitching of her lips, gazing through the windows of her ride with otherwise half-hearted interest. “I trust that we were adequately prepared?”
She waited, Cristal possessing the patience of a saint, providing matters were proceeding her way. She listened to the reply as it was transmitted discreetly through a tiny earbud, indulging in a second sip. Making a little face, dissatisfied with the temperature, she spared her beverage the merest hint of her attention as a soft tingle ran the length of her fingertips, her inherent gifts chilling the alcohol through the expensive glass.
“Delightful,” she remarked, both at the response that she received, and now the much more appropriate temperature of her drink. “Be sure to not miss a thing. I knew that we could depend of this disastrous little island to provide us with opportunity, and our girl will play her part. She wants to be a star,” Cristal paused, downing the last of her glass before setting it to one side.
“We’ll make her a supernova.”
**********
Despite being in an obvious state of disrepair, Sentinels were built to take a beating. As much as Suzy’s titanic blows were rendering the mechanised monster’s approximation of a cranium misshapen, she seemed to be doing little more than superficial damage to the manmade murder machine.
She darted this way and that, swooping in wide arcs as her power of flight and aerial acrobatics kept her one step ahead of the giants own, grasping blows. She darted back in through every opening, Ultra Girl lining up her shot and swinging for all it was worth, knuckles connecting and, with a terrific boom of dented metal, the Sentinel stumbled back into a retreat.
Still, it would not tumble.
Still, it would not be dissuaded.
“MUTANT,” it continued to drawl, righting itself with single minded purpose.
“They could have at least gifted you with a vocabulary,” Suzy pointed out, pulling herself back from an outstretched lunge, the giant hand missing her by inches.
“Then at least we could have some witty repartee…WHAT THE HELL!?!” Suzy snapped out a curse as something small and obnoxious chose that moment to ricochet off her skull. She shook her head in irritation, looking about as she remained suspended in flight, spotting what appeared to be a small metal ball spinning haphazardly through the air before, with a short series of beeps and whistles, it rightened itself and looked right at her.
It took Ultra Girl a moment longer to realise that it was a camera.
“Jeeze,” the blonde bombshell muttered, spotting at least a dozen more of the miniature devices hurtling around the nearby airspace, orbiting the conflict like especially interested planets about a star. “I spend some time out of town, and the paparazzi are worse than ever. You could at least get my good si…”
She did not get to finish her sentence, the Human/Kree hybrid clocked clean and true by a giant fist that not only knocked her out of the air, but also turned her lights out…
She darted this way and that, swooping in wide arcs as her power of flight and aerial acrobatics kept her one step ahead of the giants own, grasping blows. She darted back in through every opening, Ultra Girl lining up her shot and swinging for all it was worth, knuckles connecting and, with a terrific boom of dented metal, the Sentinel stumbled back into a retreat.
Still, it would not tumble.
Still, it would not be dissuaded.
“MUTANT,” it continued to drawl, righting itself with single minded purpose.
“They could have at least gifted you with a vocabulary,” Suzy pointed out, pulling herself back from an outstretched lunge, the giant hand missing her by inches.
“Then at least we could have some witty repartee…WHAT THE HELL!?!” Suzy snapped out a curse as something small and obnoxious chose that moment to ricochet off her skull. She shook her head in irritation, looking about as she remained suspended in flight, spotting what appeared to be a small metal ball spinning haphazardly through the air before, with a short series of beeps and whistles, it rightened itself and looked right at her.
It took Ultra Girl a moment longer to realise that it was a camera.
“Jeeze,” the blonde bombshell muttered, spotting at least a dozen more of the miniature devices hurtling around the nearby airspace, orbiting the conflict like especially interested planets about a star. “I spend some time out of town, and the paparazzi are worse than ever. You could at least get my good si…”
She did not get to finish her sentence, the Human/Kree hybrid clocked clean and true by a giant fist that not only knocked her out of the air, but also turned her lights out…
**********
“My bad!” Nadia Van Dyne confessed, visibly wincing as she watched the monitor, the image on camera four spiralling after inadvertently bouncing off Ultra Girl’s unsuspecting forehead. She was alone in the state-of-the-art laboratory, which was likely for the best given a penchant for distraction, and yet she felt an immediate need to apologise regardless.
She winced again as camera’s six and nine both broadcast footage of Suzy Sherman being swatted from the air, Nadia inhaling sharply through her teeth whilst watching it all stream live. “That’s not good,” she admitted. “I’m sure she’s fine,” Nadia reasoned, adjusting the oversized and grubby goggles she had perpetually strapped across her forehead.
“One can but hope,” Cristal Lemieux stated airily as she strode into the room, security protocols parting like the red sea to allow her entry. “But then, I rarely bet on the wrong hoarse.”
Nadia fidgeted in her seat, sat cross legged and ensuring that her fist sized drones weren’t missing a second of the action, nor the most opportunistic of angles. Fan service was a concept that she had only recently become aware of.
Cristal came a stop beside her employee’s chair, Nadia indulging in a Slurpee.
“Of course, if she still has that glass jaw,” Cristal noted whilst watching events play out. “We might need to pivot.”
She winced again as camera’s six and nine both broadcast footage of Suzy Sherman being swatted from the air, Nadia inhaling sharply through her teeth whilst watching it all stream live. “That’s not good,” she admitted. “I’m sure she’s fine,” Nadia reasoned, adjusting the oversized and grubby goggles she had perpetually strapped across her forehead.
“One can but hope,” Cristal Lemieux stated airily as she strode into the room, security protocols parting like the red sea to allow her entry. “But then, I rarely bet on the wrong hoarse.”
Nadia fidgeted in her seat, sat cross legged and ensuring that her fist sized drones weren’t missing a second of the action, nor the most opportunistic of angles. Fan service was a concept that she had only recently become aware of.
Cristal came a stop beside her employee’s chair, Nadia indulging in a Slurpee.
“Of course, if she still has that glass jaw,” Cristal noted whilst watching events play out. “We might need to pivot.”
**********
When Ultra Girl hit the pavement, she bounced a full three times before she finally came to a standstill, her super dense mass skipping across the ground like a pebble across a pond. Out of control as she had been, she left craters in her wake, debris thrown up in the air before she managed to roll and dig her feet into the ground.
“That’s it,” she shook her head, Suzy now caked in dirt and dust. “Let me explain how much I hate to be sucker pu…”
“MUTANT,” the Sentinel intoned, its voice booming across the streets. It raised its right arm, displaying an open palm which lit up rapidly as rerouted power was drawn from its reactor. Suzy, catching on quickly, opened her mouth to yell a protest, her heart jumping in concern for anyone still stood behind her. Her plea was never voiced, cut off by a stream of blinding light, the Sentinel releasing a prolonged blast of destructive power.
When the dust cleared and the world fell into a deathless silence, someone could be heard crying whilst great swathes of buildings and cars had been immolated.
Ultra Girl was still standing, crouched with her arms braced before her, singed but otherwise unharmed.
“That’s it,” she scowled, all notions of levity now absent. Suzy didn’t know how many people had just been hurt of worse but, frankly, one was too many.
“Now you get to see my bad side!”
Without another word, she launched herself into the air, barely a few feet off the ground before she broke the sound barrier, the boom accompanying her rapid ascent as she quickly became a blur. The Sentinel didn’t have chance to move before she collided with its frame with her fists extended, the teenager connecting with enough raw, untamed force to smash her way through its shell, batter her way through its core, and erupt out again through its back.
The murder machine staggered, compromised on every level as the light of its eyes flickered.
“MU…MU…MUTAN…” it stuttered, running on some manner of automation before Ultra Girl circled back, colliding with the rear of its cranium and practically exploding outwards through its face. It toppled then, all but inert, tumbling towards the streets and, with Suzy returning to better brace its fall in the safest direction, it would never harm another again.
Ultra Girl stood tall, taking a moment to dust herself off and let her pulse slow. She looked up, the dozen or so, fist sized drones still circling, flittering through the air and dutifully covering her from all angles. With a perked brow, she idly wondered which network they belonged to before the young woman shrugged, straightening her posture before looking to the closest one in the lens.
It wasn’t like she had a history of avoiding the press.
“This side,” she pointed out, resisting the urge to huff. “This is my good side.”
“That’s it,” she shook her head, Suzy now caked in dirt and dust. “Let me explain how much I hate to be sucker pu…”
“MUTANT,” the Sentinel intoned, its voice booming across the streets. It raised its right arm, displaying an open palm which lit up rapidly as rerouted power was drawn from its reactor. Suzy, catching on quickly, opened her mouth to yell a protest, her heart jumping in concern for anyone still stood behind her. Her plea was never voiced, cut off by a stream of blinding light, the Sentinel releasing a prolonged blast of destructive power.
When the dust cleared and the world fell into a deathless silence, someone could be heard crying whilst great swathes of buildings and cars had been immolated.
Ultra Girl was still standing, crouched with her arms braced before her, singed but otherwise unharmed.
“That’s it,” she scowled, all notions of levity now absent. Suzy didn’t know how many people had just been hurt of worse but, frankly, one was too many.
“Now you get to see my bad side!”
Without another word, she launched herself into the air, barely a few feet off the ground before she broke the sound barrier, the boom accompanying her rapid ascent as she quickly became a blur. The Sentinel didn’t have chance to move before she collided with its frame with her fists extended, the teenager connecting with enough raw, untamed force to smash her way through its shell, batter her way through its core, and erupt out again through its back.
The murder machine staggered, compromised on every level as the light of its eyes flickered.
“MU…MU…MUTAN…” it stuttered, running on some manner of automation before Ultra Girl circled back, colliding with the rear of its cranium and practically exploding outwards through its face. It toppled then, all but inert, tumbling towards the streets and, with Suzy returning to better brace its fall in the safest direction, it would never harm another again.
Ultra Girl stood tall, taking a moment to dust herself off and let her pulse slow. She looked up, the dozen or so, fist sized drones still circling, flittering through the air and dutifully covering her from all angles. With a perked brow, she idly wondered which network they belonged to before the young woman shrugged, straightening her posture before looking to the closest one in the lens.
It wasn’t like she had a history of avoiding the press.
“This side,” she pointed out, resisting the urge to huff. “This is my good side.”
**********
The Next Day…
It was fair to say that she wasn’t quite awake yet, Suzy Sherman largely going through the motions at the dawn of a new day, yawning mightily as she dragged her feet out of her bedroom and towards the kitchen. Absently, she turned on the TV in search of stimuli whilst rummaging through her mostly empty cupboards in search of the fastest means to deliver caffeine near directly into her bloodstream.
It was in this distracted state that she took note of every other word being blurted from her TV, and it wasn’t until she had secured a steaming cup of wake-up beverage that she really started paying attention to what was being said. Yawning a second time whilst sitting down, her eyes managed to focus, after a few seconds of disbelief, she realised she recognised who was holding a press conference.
“Well, imagine that,” she yawned a third and final time, one of the most powerful young women in the world slumping on her couch. Cristal Lemieux, arguably her least favourite person from her time on the New Warriors, living large and apparently the centre of attention. “Looking fancy these days. Still a short arse.”
Suzy almost immediately lost interest, gulping back her piping hot beverage and practically swimming in the caffeine. When she opened her eyes again, the imagery of the press conference had switched to something much closer to home, the blonde watching herself as Ultra Girl single handily taking down a Sentinel, the action broadcast from what seemed to be from dozens of implausible angles.
“Wait,” Suzy furrowed her brow, leaning forwards. “The drones, that was her?” she asked no-one but herself.
“…and we at Future State…”
The clipped, precise and enthralling tone of Cristal Lemieux continued to overlay the footage of Ultra Girl in action.
“…are proud to announce our latest partner…”
“Come again?” Suzy furrowed her brow further, the Human/Kree hybrid feeling increasingly put out.
“…the new Captain Marvel!!”
“Captain What!?!”
It was fair to say that she wasn’t quite awake yet, Suzy Sherman largely going through the motions at the dawn of a new day, yawning mightily as she dragged her feet out of her bedroom and towards the kitchen. Absently, she turned on the TV in search of stimuli whilst rummaging through her mostly empty cupboards in search of the fastest means to deliver caffeine near directly into her bloodstream.
It was in this distracted state that she took note of every other word being blurted from her TV, and it wasn’t until she had secured a steaming cup of wake-up beverage that she really started paying attention to what was being said. Yawning a second time whilst sitting down, her eyes managed to focus, after a few seconds of disbelief, she realised she recognised who was holding a press conference.
“Well, imagine that,” she yawned a third and final time, one of the most powerful young women in the world slumping on her couch. Cristal Lemieux, arguably her least favourite person from her time on the New Warriors, living large and apparently the centre of attention. “Looking fancy these days. Still a short arse.”
Suzy almost immediately lost interest, gulping back her piping hot beverage and practically swimming in the caffeine. When she opened her eyes again, the imagery of the press conference had switched to something much closer to home, the blonde watching herself as Ultra Girl single handily taking down a Sentinel, the action broadcast from what seemed to be from dozens of implausible angles.
“Wait,” Suzy furrowed her brow, leaning forwards. “The drones, that was her?” she asked no-one but herself.
“…and we at Future State…”
The clipped, precise and enthralling tone of Cristal Lemieux continued to overlay the footage of Ultra Girl in action.
“…are proud to announce our latest partner…”
“Come again?” Suzy furrowed her brow further, the Human/Kree hybrid feeling increasingly put out.
“…the new Captain Marvel!!”
“Captain What!?!”